Zette's Storybook

Five years ago....


Apache Sangre slid along the wall of the downtown warehouse, carefully keeping in the shadows and away from the brightly lit windows a floor above her. Something flashed off to the right -- but the car didn't appear. They might still have a chance.

Meanwhile, her sister climbed along the wall like a gecko. She always wondered how Baby managed that one, but she'd never asked. Any time she had to ask her sister for an answer, it proved a disaster. She'd stopped being that stupid when she was ten.

Something moved in the alley beside the warehouse. She glanced up to see her sister at the corner of the building, peering around the edge. Baby gave a soft whistle, and Apache answered it. Baby came sliding down the wall and landed beside her, very nearly silent.

Three weeks in Phoenix and this was about as much excitement as they'd found, and they weren't even on duty tonight. She needed either a different job or a new city. Or both.

"Saw him," Baby said, brushing her hair back and trying to straighten her uniform. "He doesn't appear to be alone, so this could be tricky. I think we've got him cornered this time --"

And three cars raced down the street and braked to a stop. The doors flew open and five very large men leapt out. Baby went for her gun, but stopped when she saw the Uzi pointed their way.

A smaller man slipped out of the back seat of the last car. Rabbity, with shifty eyes, though Apache couldn't see them very clearly in the near dark. She just had an impression of white spots looking at her, her sister, her, her sister.

"All right. I've heard about you two," Rabbit said. "You think I don't know what you're doing, here? You think you're going to scare me?"

Baby looked at the guns. "I can pretty well guarantee that's the farthest thing from our minds."

Apache nodded agreement.

"You two think you're so damned cute. Two little sisters, playing cops -- but you aren't going to fool me. I know about your background, the life you've led. I know you want to move up, right? How much is it going to cost to buy you out? Come on. Give me a number."

"Any number?" Baby asked. She looked excited. "Wow. Can I have a calculator? Maybe the square root of Pi? No, that won't work -- too plebian, anyway. Mersenne prime? How about Kalmár's composition constant? Or maybe we could try for Pythagoras --"

The man growled -- an odd sound to hear from a Rabbit. Apache rather wished Baby hadn't done that, since she would have liked to play this game. Just once -- name a number and see if the guy came through. Leave it to her sister to ruin the fun, again.

"All right. So you know about this place. Fine," Rabbit said, waving a spindly arm at the building behind them. "But that's all you're getting. This case is closed, you understand? I'll make a deal with the DA tonight. Whatever else you thought you could get from me, it's not going to happen. And believe me, we will meet again."

He threw himself back into the car. His army retreated as well, the Uzi still pointed at the two until the last moment. Apache and Baby stayed where they were, leaning against the wall. Then all three cars backed up, tires squealing, and disappeared into the night again.

Apache pushed herself away from the wall and brushed her hands against her pants. "Do you have any idea who that was?"

"Not a clue."

Apache sighed. "All right. You better climb back up and see if we lost the little rat while those people bothered us."

Baby nodded reluctantly and climbed up the wall again. She paused and glanced in one of the windows.

"What are you doing?"

"Just curious," Baby answered looking back down at her. "I can't see anything but piles of paper."

"Ah well. Keep going. We have work to do."



Three hours later Apache knocked on the door of her elderly next door neighbor. The woman timidly opened the door just a bare inch and one eyeball peered out through the crack.

"We caught him, Mrs. Hampermashernill."

"Hih."

Apache reached in her shirt and pulled out a gerbil. The little rodent fastened all his teeth in her hand. Again. She held it out, the feet dangling and tail swishing like an angry little cat. Mrs. Hampermashernill reached a claw-like hand out and took hold of the animal. It bit harder.

"Let go, Buttercup," Apache said. It understood the threat, especially when her other hand went toward her gun again. They'd discussed gerbils and 22 caliber practice rounds. Buttercup let go, dropped on to the woman's arm and scampered up to her shoulder, cowering under the older woman's ratty gray hair. "Next time you take Buttercup out for a walk, make sure the leash is tight, okay?"

"Hih."

Apache nodded. "Good. I have to go pick up Baby at Emergency. They should be done with the stitches by now."

"H."

The woman closed the door. Apache pulled a hanky from her pocket and staunched the bleeding in her hand. She needed a new job. This work was far too dangerous.



Work the next day proved. . . . odd.

"Wow, great work, ladies," Officer Crisp said, patting them on the shoulder as they came into the building. Baby had almost drawn her knife at the touch, but Apache caught her in time. "I'm really impressed."

"Ah, thanks."

"Mathews wants to see you right away," the woman at the entrance desk said. "Man, he was whistling this morning when he came in. I ain't never seen him so happy. Good work, chicas."

"Thanks," Baby said. She smiled and went past with Apache at her side.

"Hey, I'd avoid the detective department, though. Take the long way around. They're not real happy."

"Okay," Baby said. "Thanks."

People smiled and gave them a thumbs up as they headed down the hall toward Mathew's office. They'd only been there a couple times since there transfer from LA, and he hadn't seemed very pleased to meet them.

Captain Marx, head of the detective department, stood outside Mathew's open door. He towered over the two, and his dark brown skin always seemed to take on a particular grayish sheen when he saw them. This time he looked... well, pale. Apache hoped he recovered soon.

"Anything I can do for you, Captain Marx?" Baby asked.

"Oh, I think you've done enough already," the man said. His voice had gone all gravelly, as though he'd done a lot of yelling recently. "Mathews is expecting us."

"Okay." Baby said. She was starting to get that 'deer in the headlights look' -- which in Apache's sister could be very dangerous. She tended to charge things. Apache herded her into the office, but maybe that wasn't such a great idea. Mathews looked up from his desk and smiled at them.

"You two --" he said, and stopped. Apache watched his hands to make sure they didn't go for a gun. She saw Baby mark the distance to the door. "You two did an exceptional job last night. I don't know how you managed it. It wasn't your assignment or your beat. How the hell did you track him down?"

"It wasn't easy," Apache said. She and Baby settled in the chairs in front of the desk. "We had to crawl through a lot of gutters."

"I imagine so."

"It's not a big deal," Baby said. "He was just one little rodent."

"Maybe they don't make much of this kind of thing in LA, but down here in Phoenix... Well, I've changed my mind about you two. We take our rodents pretty damn seriously here."

"Yeah. I can tell," Apache said. She marked the path back to the door now. These people were crazy. "Hey, it's just the kind of thing you should do to help out the people around you. It's not a big deal."

"I like your style." Mathews glanced at his watch. "Marx, you and I have a press conference to attend. You two sit it out here. I don't want your faces all over the news. When I come back, we'll talk about moving your to undercover."

"Great!" Apache said.

Mathews nodded and smiled as he left. Marx looked unhappy.

"Hell," Apache said. "Next time we should maybe find a lost cat or something. They were never this happy with us in LA. Even when we caught that wild wolf that was loose in the city."

"Might have helped if it hadn't been your wild wolf." Baby looked at the door where Mathews and Marx had gone. She shook her head and looked back at her sister. "Apache, I don't think they're talking about Buttercup."

"What? Who else. . . . Oh hell."

"Yeah. You know, it might help if we knew who he was. Or what he was doing."

"Remind me to pick up a paper on our way out."

"Out of town?"

"The thought has crossed my mind." Apache sat back in the chair and thought very hard about career and truth. "You know, I'd really hate to ruin Mathew's good mood right now. Why don't we just keep the part about the gerbil to ourselves for now?"

"Good plan. I'd like to live to leave this room alive, and besides, going undercover sounds like a lot more fun than walking the beat again."





Five years later

Apache stood near the side wall of the Council Chambers on Chachacha Prime and waited for her turn before the Great High Chachachin. Her sister should have been here as well, but Baby appeared to have gotten lost again. She had a very bad habit of doing that whenever there was an official meeting.

She managed the parties in the suites at night, though. Hell, she even managed to find the private kitchens and have words with them about serving the two of them a live dinner. The fact she had made pets out of a couple dinners seemed to have upset a few people, and Apache feared that was why they had been called here.

The creature in front of her walked up to the dais. Shaped like a small bear with long golden fur -- good thing Baby wasn't here, or she'd be trying to take it home for a pet too, and the way the others bowed toward him, Apache thought that might not be a good idea.

The Teddy Bear bowed and began to speak in a lovely sing-song voice. The Great High Chachachin looked down, nodding along with the words, it's long, beaked mouth opening as he seemed to sing along.

And then he bit off the head of the bear.

People -- and other things -- clapped.

Well, maybe it was better Baby wasn't here. Apache noted that the bear had not stopped moving. Nor was it bleeding. In fact, the headless bear started dancing.

So maybe Baby would still have wanted one. Apache was safe from the lure, however. Although her luck with pets was -- well, even she considered it a bit bizarre that they kept mutating on her -- she didn't tend toward the cute fuzzy kind.

Even the headless dancing ones.

Baby came in just as the creature unexpectedly grew a new head. It just popped up, all furry and cute again. She looked at it longingly as some of the other attendants led it out.

"I want one!"

"You're late," Apache said, shaking her head. "Though I am surprised that you showed up at all."

"Seji called and told me to get up here, because someone is on his way with mail for us."

"Mail."

"Apparently so."

Apache looked up in time to see the majordomo signal them forward with a half dozen arms.

"We're next. Behave. And just do what I do. I'll handle this."

Baby gave a little bow of her head, but she feared cooperation wouldn't help. From what she could see of The Great High Chachachin, it wasn't going to do much good since he looked unhappy. Maybe the bear head had given him indigestion. Maybe he wanted an arm or a leg to fill out the meal.

When Apache moved forward, she kept her appendages, including her head, tucked close in to her body. Baby stayed at her side and mimicked her moves -- head scrunched down, arms folded across her chest, and taking little baby (so to speak) steps so that her feet didn't get too far from her body.

They couldn't look any more bizarre than the dancing headless bear. In fact, they got a nice round of applause. Apache thought that might be the sign for 'eat them, they look good for dinner' and would rather the others ignored them.

The Great High Chachachin looked down his long pointed beak at the two of them. "You two are trouble," he squeaked.

"Thank you!" Baby said with a bright smile. "I didn't think you'd noticed!"

Its eyes narrowed to black slits. A long thin tongue snapped out and back, far too snake like in a bird like creature. Apache didn't want its notice. She stomped on her sister's foot, though she doubted it did much good since she got the one with the brace and nearly broke her own foot instead.

"We deal with those who make trouble," the creature said. The tongue moved again. Baby seemed to have gotten the idea that this might not be good --

The Great High Chachachin glared and made a signal with one of the seven arms. Guards began to move in from the side of the room. Baby put a hand on her belt knife. Apache reached for her laser pistol, thinking this might be the time to try it out.

And then the mail arrived.

"Special delivery, Sangre Sisters!" a voice called out, loudly, from the back of the room.

The mailman pushed his way through the crowd, passing the soldiers with their drawn rifles without so much as a glance. He held a white envelope in his hand, waving it like a flag.

"I was told the Sangre sisters were here," the mailman lisped, stopping with several appendages waving. "Have a delivery from Earth."

"That would be us," Apache said, reaching for the letter.

He pulled it back. "I need ID."

Apache cast one quick look around the room. They were the only humans present, and as, far as she could tell, the only humans without several hundred light years. Baby, however, had already drawn her ID out. The mailman, or whatever stood there with several appendages tapping before Apache got hers out. She flashed it before a dozen eyes, some of which went cross eyed to see the card.

Then it handed the letter to Baby and scuttled off out of the room again.

Apache took the letter from her sister's hand. Baby tried to grab it back.

A few minutes later they had pieced together enough of the scraps to read the envelope.

"From Chief Mathews," Apache said, shaking her head. "That can't be good. Addressed it to Future -- with a note to forward to wherever the hell we had disappeared."

"Huh," Baby said. She still sat in the middle of the room, everyone watching as she pieced together the tiny scraps of writing from the note within. "The last time we disappeared he thought we were dead. I wonder where the hell he thought this was going to end up. I've got the letter."

"Well, let's hear it."

"Dear Baby and Apache --"

Apache tapped her foot.

"Oh for crying out loud. Fine." Baby's fingers moved across the floor, rearranging again. "Talk about childish --"

"What was that, Baby?"

"Nothing. I've got it. Dear Apache and Baby. We are undergoing an infestation of mutant gerbils. I assume you are involved. Come back and clean this mess up. Mathews."

Apache looked at Baby. They looked at the Great High Chachachin and then back at each other.

"Duty calls," Baby said.

Apache agreed with a nod.

So they left.

One

The moment Baby and Apache appeared at the Chicago airport, all hell broke loose.

Which, really, was pretty normal so they didn't pay much attention. Okay, maybe materializing like a couple special effects out of Star Trek didn't help, but they couldn't get anyone to land and it was either that or the captain of the ship was going to throw them out. Without coats, Baby pointed out, with a glare at her sister.

As soon as they appeared, Baby grabbed the nearest human, and shaking him while she shouted "What the hell is the date!" That didn't help either.

The human got away, though, leaving Baby scowling and looking around for someone else to accost. "No holiday. As long as there is no holiday --"

"Oh, it's bound to be a holiday somewhere, don't you think?" Apache said despite herself. Baiting Baby had always been one of the most consistent forms of entertainment in her life. "It seemed to me that Great High Chachachin was saying something about a celebration --"

Baby grabbed her sister and began to shake her. "No holidays. There are no holidays!"

"And no hurricanes, islands, and dancing headless teddy bears."

"I think we can agree on those terms," Baby said.

Seemed reasonable to Apache. This might work after all!

They paused to watch the reports on a television in the bar, and then had the added pleasure of seeing a report from Phoenix.

"Captain Mathews, do you have any idea of where the gerbils came from?"

Mathews looked wild. He stared at the screen. "I know they're back. I saw the news a couple minutes ago, the trouble in Chicago. It's them. And if they don't get their asses down here and take care of the mutant gerbils they set loose on the city, I am going to hunt them down to the ends of the earth. No hold on, I know that won't work. To the ends of the universe --"

"I really think we should go help him out, don't you think?" Baby asked. "He seems awfully wrought up over a few gerbils."





Two

When no one would fly them Phoenix, Apache ended up buying a jet from a bankrupt airline to fly them herself. No one argued after that. In fact, she thought they seemed more than a little happy to get the two of them out of the Chicago area.

The arrival at the Phoenix airport was fraught with portents and -- well, gerbils. The portents came in the form of thunder, lightning and snow. The snow storm had apparently taken a liking to them somewhere over the Rockies, and no amount of glaring or shooing by Apache could dissuade it of following them home.

Baby slept through the fight, which badly annoyed Apache, though not nearly as much as Baby's reaction when they came into the airport terminal and she could see the two inches of snow of the ground outside the window.

"Oh! Pretty!"

Apache spun, hand raised to slap her sister across the back of the head. Unfortunately, Baby chose that moment to lean over and pick something up from the floor. Apache's swing sailed harmlessly over Baby's head, and she lost her balance as well, somersaulting over a set of chairs and landing on the floor.

Baby stood up, two fluffy gerbils in hand. "Look what I found, Apache! Aren't they cute? Apache? Where did you -- oh, there you are! And you found one, too!"

Apache sat up. Something sat on her head. She reached up and caught hold the startled little creature. In a moment she looked at it, face-to-face.

"Don't I know you?" Apache asked.

The gerbil squealed, head shaking from side-to-side.

"Here, you take this," Apache shoved the gerbil into her sister's hold. And then another, and another --

"See, I told you your sisters had arrived. Look at the weather. No one was calling for snow. And there were those falling stars flying in formation last night. You might as well give it up, Apache. You'll never get them all picked up like this. Besides, these gerbils aren't the ones you need to worry about."

"What do you mean?" Apache demanded, putting a third gerbil on her sister's head.

"These are just gerbils," Catpain Mathews said. He waved toward the window. "Those are the ones we're worried about."

Baby and Apache turned.

Baby dropped the gerbils. "Holy great gray mother of..." Baby stopped talking as though the words failed her.

Apache just nodded. "Giant mutant gerbils."

Gerbils the size of VW bugs were trudging through the snow and seemed to be heading their way.

"Well," Baby said.

"You know, the Chachacha court doesn't seem nearly so bad suddenly."

"So, how are you, Cloud?" Baby asked nervously glancing at the windows where more gerbils had started to gather.

"Been better," he said and sneezed. "I was out helping the biology team round up a couple of the mutants. Turns out I'm allergic to them."

"Then rounding up the giant ones must be hell," Chief Mathews said.

"Oh, I'm not allergic to the gerbils," Cloud said as he took another one from Baby's hair. "I'm allergic to the scientists."

"Ah yes. Of course. That makes far more sense," Mathews said. "You're a Sangre."

"So, Apache, what do you think?" Baby said, looking out at the giant mutant gerbils as they started to pound on the window.

"Dinner, rent a movie," Apache said.

"Just keep three things in mind," Mathews said as they headed toward the exit. "First, there are a lot of frightened people in this city, and if we don't get this under control soon, there's no telling what they'll do."

"He'll there's no telling what they'll do when they aren't frightened," Baby said. "I know exactly what they'll do when they're scared: The wrong thing."

Even Apache couldn't argue with that logic. "What are the other two points?" she asked.

"The number of giant mutant gerbils is growing every day, so the longer we wait to do something, the harder it will be to get it under control. And last, they have the city cut off and yours was the last plane, train, car or motorcycle to get in. No one is getting out."

"Ah," Apache said. They stepped out of the building. "And then there's the weather."

"I like it," Baby said.

Baby managed to step back to talk with Cloud just as Apache swung at her again. This time, rather than somersaulting, Apache just lost her footing and went sliding down the sidewalk.

"Hey, that looks like fun!"

So Baby went sliding down the sidewalk toward the van parked a few yards away. A half dozen nation guardsmen stood by it. They looked startled. Apache never found the sight of startled, uniformed men with guns very reassuring.

Baby never seemed to notice. Baby had made a fine art out of not noticing things, like how truly pissed this weather made her sister. Baby even slid straight past her sister and plowed into three of the guardsmen, who in turn knocked down the others.

"Strike!" Cloud shouted. Like Baby needed encouragement.

Apache, who had managed to slow, came to a more sedate stop by just plowing into the van. She offered her hand to help one of the men up.

"Do you think it wise to knock down the people who are protecting us?" Apache asked.

"They aren't protecting us," Mathews explained. "That's another slight problem. Shooting the gerbils just makes them mad. These guys are just for show."

Apache watched the group line back up. Tall, well-muscled, uniformed....

"Just for show?" she said. "I can go with that."

By then the giant gerbils had appeared at the edge of the building and so Apache and her companions climbed into the van. Apache drove, which seemed to scare the hell out of everyone but her sister.

"Taco Bell for dinner?" Baby asked.

"Absolutely," Apache agreed.

"You're going to have trouble finding anything open," Mathews warned.

"Are you kidding?" Apache said. "Do you really think Baby won't find an open Taco Bell?"

"Good point," Cloud said. He leaned forward from the seat behind her. "You better get moving. The gerbils are gaining on us."

Apache knew how to handle winter driving: you head south until you got away from it. Mexico was looking better after each block, and Panama didn't seem out of the question at this point.

Unfortunately, the storm was likely to follow them there, as well. Things did that with them -- storms, islands -- and likely the gerbils for that matter.

Apache looked in the rearview mirror and saw the animals still gamboling along behind them, like a herd of. . . giant gerbils in the snow. She could find no analogy that fit.

They passed a mall, the giant LED flashing the news Baby had been looking for since the landed: Only three more shopping days until Christmas! And plainly giant gerbils and unexpected snow storms hadn't deterred the shoppers. The place looked packed.

"Well that explains everything," Baby said, waving a hand toward it and the surprisingly crowded parking lot. "Holiday coming up. No wonder we're back to work."

Baby directed her a few more turns and in a moment they had found an open Taco Bell. They went through the drive up and ate in the car since Apache absolutely refused to put a foot out into the snow again.

And it was just as well, since the weather turned really bad right after they got the order. Lightning rent the sky, and hail fell hard enough to ding the van. Even the gerbils ran for cover.

And then a tall man in a black coat came walking up to the van and tapped politely on the door. Baby sighed and looked at her sister.

"Let him in," Apache said.

Baby did so. Petya slipped into the van, nodded politely to the others and then looked back at the two sisters.

"This is your trouble, this time, not go around and the gerbils only get larger. Yes?"

Apache reached back and caught him by the collar. "Don't pull that crap with me again. What do we do?"

"No," Baby said. "I think I see. The question is actually What did we do?"

Petya nodded. "Yes, not this time. Or before. Do not take the Gerbil with you to the future."

"You know, that almost made sense," Apache said. "And now I'm worried. I never trust anything that you say that makes sense."

"Very wise. Alan sends me, back then."

"You really do need to settle into one time zone for a while," Apache said.

He finally sighed and nodded agreement. Then he looked at the giant gerbils running toward them.

"I think I'll go now."

He stepped back out of the van and walked away into the snow. Lightning flashed far too close by and startled the gerbils. That gave Apache a chance to ease the car out into the street -- or at least what she thought was the street.

"They forgot hot sauce," Baby complained.

So they went back through again. Apache thought it might by symbolic of their lives. Circling Taco Bells. And just when they had reached the window again -- they saw themselves driving away. Apache looked at her sister, and waited.

"You think I have some answer?"

Apache snarled, but Baby put her head out the window, looked back at the van behind them at the same time that the Baby in the next van did. They waved.

"Yup. We appear to be in some sort of glitch," Baby said. I think it must be Petya's fault."

"Damned time-traveling oriental aliens are going to drive me nuts," Apache said. She glanced back and knew the other Apache did as well, no matter where in the line they were. Apparently time mattered more than place. Cloud, Mathews, and the National Guard men all looked at her, silent. "Any of you have an idea of what to do?"

"Shoot me if I ever say I want your help again," Mathews replied.

"Good plan for the future. We have to do something about this one first, though."

"I have an idea," Baby said.

She leapt out of the van and darted to the one behind them -- but the other Baby's had all done the same, and the sight of her sister, in multiple, darting from one van to another made Apache queasy.

And then Baby -- a Baby -- stuck her head in the window. "That's fun!"

And she ran on to the next van, so that another Baby appeared, laughed, ran --

When the next one showed up, Apache had slid across to that seat and grabbed the next Baby by the collar.

"You go back where you belong and send back my Baby," she said, quite calmly.

"We're all the same, you know," Baby said.

But she wasn't. This Baby was not her sister, and she could sense the difference. It was not right.

"I want my sister back."

Baby sighed and nodded. She started walking back the way she had come. One appeared at the window, nodded, and moved on. And another. And the next stopped and started to climb in.

"Nope. One more."

Baby started to protest, but she finally grinned and nodded and moved on. In a moment, her Baby reached the van and slipped in.

"Amazing. I didn't think you would be able to tell," Baby said. "Did you remember to get the hot sauce?"

So they made another circle. And this time when Apache demanded the sauce, the vaguely disturbed guy just handed out a huge bag of sauce and stepped back from the window.

Apache grabbed it, threw it at her sister, hit the gas and tried to ram the copy-van in front of her, just to see if she could.

She couldn't, of course. They all did the same move. And when Apache took a sudden turn to the right, so did everyone else, and for a moment she felt a wave of confusion as vans faded, appeared -- lines in front of her, lines behind her.

"How many do you think?" Baby asked.

"Infinite Babys and Apaches," Apache said, looking forward and backward.

Mathews moaned. He looked ill.

"I take it back," he whispered. "I take it all back. The giant mutant gerbils weren't so bad. Not a problem. I could deal with them. Unique. We could draw tourists. I'll take the gerbils. Just... Not... more Sangre Sisters."

"Hey, the way things are going, maybe you'll end up with both," Cloud suggested.

Baby eating her taco, stopped to laugh. "You know, that might not be all bad. Just think of how much more stuff we could get done."

Mathews looked around, shaking his head in grim denial. "No, no, I will not let the earth -- the universe -- be destroyed because I made a stupid panicked mistake about the poor mutant gerbils!"

"You have a lot of faith in us," Apache said.

"Yeah. Wow. I never thought anyone would consider us a danger to the entire universe! Thank you!"

Mathews moaned.

"But you know, with all these others things seem a bit crowded. And then there is the problem of who gets credit for the work done," Apache said.

"Not to mention payment for it," Baby added.

"You had better call Alan."

"Get me to a phone, then," Baby said.

It wasn't quite that easy. They ended up back at the mall, and Baby and Apache went inside. Many times. People screamed in terror, and Apache thought that very impolite since they didn't even know the two of them, or even the multitudes of other twos of them.

Or maybe it was that wherever Baby and Apache moved, reality overlapped and everything began to multiply. Baby reached for a phone and missed, her hand passing through the phone to the right instead. People multiplied around them.

Baby finally got her hand on the phone. She didn't look pleased. She even dialed straight to Alan's office.

"Hello?" Alan said, his voice already sounding a bit too high.

"Hey, Alan," Baby said. "We have a problem."

"Hold on, the connection sounds odd. Like there is a strange echo --"

"Not an echo. An infinite number of me making the same call. About a Nanosecond off, I think --"

Alan started shouting things. Some of them Apache heard quite clearly from a foot away. "I wonder if he realizes we understand that language now," she said.

Lightning flashed. Inside the mall. A moment later Petya appeared. He had no shirt, shoes or sunglasses, and he was still fastening his pants. He looked around the area and staggered as though he would faint at the sight. Oddly, though, there was only one of him. He began to move, randomly waving his left hand through whatever Baby and Apache happened to be in his way. They made an odd popping noise as they disappeared. They also didn't seem to notice him.

But when he reached the two, Apache caught hold of his arm as he started to slap her and Baby.

"Ah, good. You two this time now." He touched the watch on his wrist and a beam of green light spread out and caught lines of Baby and Apache sets, popping them out of existence, one after another. Baby waved. So, of course, did the other Babys. It looked oddly like synchronized swimming, but without the water.

And then there were just... two sets. But they weren't identical. The second set wore black -- well, tailored, too, and not at all their usual blue jeans and t-shirt styles.

Petya tried to wave a hand through them. Baby-in-black caught hold of it, proving herself real as well. Petya looked startled and started to draw back, worried.

"We're here now real, but not back until later, maybe," Baby-in-black said.

Petya nodded and looked relieved, which Apache found all the more annoying. He drew his hand back and gave the two a courteous nod of his head and then did the same to the local Baby and Apache. Apache caught herself in black glancing at Petya with what could only be a predatory look. She'd have to work on that look in the future. Or did. Or would. Or maybe she was getting a massive headache and wanted everyone to go away.

"Why did you come back now then instead of before afterwards?" Petya asked.

Apache hit him across the back of the head. He yelped and looked back at her, surprised.

"Just let them talk," Apache-in-black said. "Baby speaks his language and some times she even gets real answers from him."

"Does she? And you trust that?"

"Never. But we have things to discuss, anyway," Apache-in-black said. She tilted her head to the right and took a step that way. Apache's Baby looked torn between listening to herself and Petya, who seemed to have started discussing possible time slips and changes that maybe could have happened later afterwards back. . . . Apache had to control herself from hitting her Baby just out of reflex.

Apache-in-black bowed her head to the two. She looked wiser. Or slimmer. Maybe it was the hairdo.

"While Baby sorts out the trouble with Petya, I've got something important to tell you," she said. She lowered her voice, looked right and left -- as though anyone would come near this insanity -- and then back at Apache. "Listen to what I say and heed my words: Not matter what, do not go to Za'ha'dum. No hold it. That's not right. Damn. Ah! No matter what, do not rent Brigadoon!"

Baby-in-black tapped her sister on the shoulder. "We should go now then and back to where we can start forward."

"If I kill her now will it help?" Apache asked with a hand on her own sister.

"No, unfortunately not. I tried it."

"Ah. Going for the reward?"

"Reward?" Apache-in-black said, her eyes widening a little.

"Oh. Maybe you haven't reached that point back yet. Hell. Kill me now."

"We better go," Baby-in-black said.

"Any clue on how to get rid of the giant mutant gerbils?" Baby asked.

"Gerbils?" Apache-in-black asked.

Baby waved toward the doors of the mall. Several of the huge beasts had gathered out there, looking plaintively inside.

"Well hell," Apache-in-black said. "Where the hell did they come from?"

"You aren't here to help us with the gerbils?" Apache said.

"I'm here to tell you not to rent Brigadoon," Apache-in-black said. "It'll just drive you crazy." She looked toward the doors where the gerbils had started to pound. "Though maybe that's not such a bad idea."

"We better go before things start overlapping again," Baby-in-black said. She sounded normal. Almost. As much as she ever did, Apache supposed. "Good luck with the gerbils. Though Apache, I want --"

Apache in black hit her sister across the back of the head -- or at least tried. Baby bent to pick up one of the small gerbils that had started gathering near them.

"Aren't they cute?" She dropped a couple in her pockets. Apache-in-black looked skyward, pulled up her wrist and hit a button. In a moment they were encased in solid light, and the background changed.

"Well they're your responsibility," Apache-in-black said.

"Do I complain about the camel and the giant seaweed that keeps tracking sand through the house? What harm can a couple gerbils do?"

But just as the two in black began to fade, Apache-in-black looked toward the mall doors where the giant gerbils pounded. She looked worried.

And then they were gone. Petya looked around as though he expected more of them to pop up, which she supposed wasn't an entirely unreasonable fear.

Baby looked back at the doors and the giant gerbils. She looked at Apache and then around the mall. "You know, I bet there's a video store here somewhere. Why rent when we can buy?"

"Excellent point."

Petya seemed inclined to stick with them, and as long as he didn't start playing word tense games, Apache didn't mind. Baby even slipped into a store and bought him a shirt and shoes. People seemed to look at him strangely -- maybe just because of the idea of someone walking around without a shirt or shoes in this snow storm. They did draw a few less stares after that, though not nearly enough to make Apache feel better.

"Do you think we should go out and tell Mathews, Cloud and the boys that all's well?" Baby asked.

"I assume that all the vans disappeared, so they'll have figured it out," Apache said. "And I think they could probably use a little time without any of us around."

"Good point. Gee, we haven't been shopping in a mall since Omaha and that snow storm."

"Don't remind me."

"This is not my fault, you know," she said.

"I don't know it," Apache said. "This might all be your fault."

"Oh right. Like I'm the one who has problems with pets mutating on her," Baby said.

She did have a point, and Apache finally gave a reluctant nod of agreement. They found the mall's map and headed up to the second level. The bright lights and Christmas decorations almost put Apache into a good mood, and the fact that the crowds always made room for them without even having to shout helped even more. They found the video store, which seemed quite busy until they came in.

"I need Night of the --" Apache began.

"Yes, yes, I know." The nerd behind the counter leaned down and brought up a copy of the tape. "You told me. Here. Night of the Lepus. And Brigadoon."

"She said not to watch Brigadoon," Baby said and grabbed the movie before Apache.

Apache started to argue. Decided it wasn't worth it right now. She paid for the nerd for the tapes -- which he again found odd, but shrugged it off -- and they left again.

"Are you sticking with us?" Apache asked, looking back at Petya again.

"I will be here now this time, I think."

Apache looked at him. It had almost made sense. She didn't trust it.

But they headed back out to the van where the others were still chowing down on the Taco Bell food. All of them looked calmer, even with the giant gerbil on the roof. Baby shooed it off and they climbed in.

"We need a hotel with VCRs," Baby said.

"And free popcorn," Apache added. "We forgot the popcorn."

It took them three tries to find an inn with room, a VCR and popcorn. At least the Guards proved handy, though. They pushed the van to the last one, straight through the knee deep snow. Even the gerbils were starting to look worried about the storm.

The hotel only had one room, however, and began to protest the crowd until Chief Mathews -- obviously gone half crazed by this point -- pulled rank and nearly pulled a gun. It might have helped that the guards voted to stay in the lobby and guard the doors. The clerk obviously began to worry about what they needed to guard against. Apache looked out and though she saw gerbils heading their way. If the clerk had missed the gerbils so far, she didn't think now would be the best time to bring them up.

They went up the stairs, Baby grumbling so much that Cloud swept her up and carried her to the top.

"I think we need to take him along on all our jobs," Baby said.

"No more Sangres!" Petya protested and looked panicked.

Apache thought they ought to give it a try just for that reason, though she didn't torment him with that idea -- not when they were going to share a very small room.

The room had two large beds, a couple chairs, a desk, small fridge and microwave, and an armoire that hid the TV and VCR. As Cloud prepared the popcorn, Apache fought to remove the wrap from the tapes. Baby and Petya had gone to the window to count gerbils.

"Ten mutant gerbils frolicking," Baby sang.

Mathews, who had thrown himself down on one of the beds, moaned and put a pillow over his head.

Apache finally got the movie into the VCR and for the next eighty-eight minutes they all watched in rapt, amazed attention as giant bunnies terrorized the southwest. Except for Baby's occasional 'I want one!' and a general 'It's dead, Jim' comment now and then, it didn't seem to help much.

At the end, Apache clicked the TV back off and looked at her sister.

"Don't even consider it," Baby said. "We are not killing the giant mutant gerbils."

Apache started to argue, mainly because she always argued with everything Baby said. But the idea of killing all those giant gerbils really didn't appeal to her anyway. She felt herself caught in a nexus of argue/agree and only the sudden pounding at the door stopped her from having to say anything at all.

Baby looked far too smug.

The guard at the door, on the other hand, looked frantic. "You two are downstairs at the door and you say that you need to talk to you right now," he said.

Baby sighed and got up from the bed, brushing popcorn off her shirt. Apache looked around at the others. None of them looked inclined to come along, which somewhat annoyed her.

"You're going to go let us talk to ourselves, and no one is even worried?" Apache asked.

"We just watched Night of the Lepus," Mathews said. "That's already destroyed any hope of rational thought."

"Rational thought. Baby and I are about to go down and talk to ourselves, and you use a term like rational thought?"

"I think he needs rest," Baby said. She reached the door and grinned as she looked back. Cloud and Petya were coming with them, at least. So they went down the stairs with the stairs and into the lobby. Baby and Apache-in-black were standing just inside the door and looking unaccountably worried about being there. Didn't do much for Apache's state of mind right then.

"Yes? What now?" Apache asked.

"Outside," Baby-in-black said.

"There is snow outside. I don't like snow. You know that, right?"

Baby still inched her way back to the door and out. Apache-in-black looked skyward and followed. Baby and Apache shrugged and went out as well, with Petya and Cloud trailing along, and all of them shivering.

They sidled along the edge of the building until they were mostly sheltered by a huge pine. Baby-in-black leaned against the wall and nodded to her sister.

"Oh, right," Apache-in-black said. "Leave it to me."

"You're the one who insists it's such a problem," Baby-in-black said.

Baby leaned against the wall beside her and nodded. "Apache is always that way. Everything is such a big deal."

Both Apaches looked at them. Neither Baby seemed impressed. Petya and Cloud inched away a little bit.

"Look, this is really, really important," Apache in Black said. "Whatever you do, don't watch Brigadoon."

"Why not?" Apache asked.

Apache-in-black glanced almost nervously at her sister. Baby-in-black grinned.

"I would rather not say in front of them."

Apache glanced at the two Babys and felt a little tingle of worry. They both smiled, and that didn't help at all. And then her Baby leaned forward and looked at the tree, her head tilted slightly to the side.

"Look at that," Baby said. "There are gerbils in the pine tree."

"Oh, right. The gerbils," Apache-in-black reached in and pulled one out holding it up by the front paws. She handed it over to Baby. "I'll give you a clue on that one. The small gerbils are the males."

Apache looked at the small gerbil in her hands and then at the huge gerbils that were congregating at the edge of the parking lot. "So the big ones are not just large mutant gerbils, they're large mutant Amazon gerbils."

"Yup," Apache-in-black said.

Baby looked at the ball of fluff in her hands. "Run for your life, little guy."

She put him into the tree and he scrabbled up to the highest branches where several of his mates were already holding on, looking like furry pine cones. Apache caught one that fell, his poor little feet cold. She shoved him into her jacket pocket and then glared at the others again.

"So, is there any other reason we're standing out here in the snow?" Apache asked.

"Just take my warning seriously," Apache-in-black said. She stopped and looked at Petya. "And get the ship ready for them on time. It will save all kinds of trouble, you know."

"I know now, not then, maybe sometimes."

She nodded, waved a hand to her sister, and started to walk away. Baby-in-black shrugged and followed her sister. Apache looked back at her own sister as though all of this were her fault -- which it probably was, though she couldn't quite decide why, so she headed back to the hotel door. Petya looked troubled as he followed behind. Cloud looked up into the tree and then out at the Amazon Gerbils. He shook his head and followed, kicking up snow as he went. Way too much like Baby.

They went back into the hotel. The clerk looked at them, eye twitching -- and she hadn't even really been involved in any of this so far.

"We need to get the giant gerbils out of here," Baby said suddenly. "If we don't, they'll likely trample all the male gerbils, and then there will be no baby gerbils."

"And this would be a problem because...?"

Baby got that look.

"Okay, fine. We save the male gerbils. How?"

She frowned. "It would be too hard to get the males. They're small and. . . ." She stopped and smiled. Even Apache felt an odd urge to run. "Petya, get us a ship. A really large ship."

"I -- no -- maybe -- when?"

"Now would be good."

He nodded and headed back out the door. Lightning happened. Snow fell harder.

"Now we need some kind of way to lure the huge Gerbils to the ship," Baby said.

"What are we going to do with a ship full of Giant Amazon Mutant Gerbils?" Apache demanded.

"I know of one person who will love them, especially since we're no longer there for entertainment."

"Who -- Oh. The Great High Chachachin. But he bites --" Apache stopped that sentence. Take the Gerbils to Chachachin? Why not. It at least sounded like an answer. She'd take whatever answer they could find. No use confusing the matter with discussion of momentarily headless teddy bears.

She nodded agreement with the plan, and Baby, of course, looked really worried now. She hadn't argued and Baby knew that was a bad sign. She looked as though she would start arguing herself, but then she might lose her chance to win. . . .

Apache smiled. At least now her sister knew how it felt.

They headed back to the door but before they arrived, lightning flashed and Petya came back, leaping through the snow and cursing in languages that Apache and Baby had begun to understand.

"There. We have ship now later."

"Why? No, when," Baby said. Then she shook here head. "Where?"

He pointed upward.

The Imperial Cruiser in Star Wars should have looked so good. Petya's ship probably would have blotted out the sky if the snow hadn't already.

"I want you to start collecting the gerbils," Baby said, with a hand on his arm.

"No, no, no. Not me, here now, go later, maybe not --"

Baby did not let go of his arm when he started to pull away.

"You collect the gerbils and take them to the Great High Chachachin as our gift from Earth. If you don't -- well you know that we can make your life hell in just about any time frame you want to discuss, right?"

"I thought you already had," he said, and quite plainly.

"You think so?" Apache said.

"Aaaiiieee. Yes. Take Amazon Gerbils to the Great High Chachachin."

"Good plan."

He nodded and began to make shooing noises at the giant gerbils who didn't appear to take him very seriously. Apache had every faith that he would get it worked out.

They started back into the building, and ran into themselves again. Only this time it wasn't Apache and Baby-in-black. This time they wore t-shirts and jeans and looked like they weren't real happy with the weather.

"This can't be right. There wasn't a storm, was there?" Other Apache asked.

"Oh, get serious," Other Baby said. "There's always a storm."

"True," Other Apache said. She looked at the two of them. "Yes. Look, we need to make a trip. The four of us. Just a few years back. Something went wrong, and we're not sure what -- but if you are there, you might stop it."

"Stop what?"

"The gerbils," she said. "The gerbils who go on to take over half the worlds --"

"Don't say that. They shouldn't know about it," Other Baby said.

"Is that why we shouldn't watch Brigadoon?" Apache asked.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Other Apache asked.

"You tell me."

"How should I know?"

"You warned me sometime in the past, future, other -- hell. Never mind. Let's go."

She grabbed Baby by the arm when her sister started to protest, and in a moment they were in a bright circle of light. Other Apache and Other Baby worked with some equipment. Then they stopped and stepped out again.

Phoenix. Apache looked around, frowning. There was something about this night that seemed very familiar.

A gerbil crawled out of her pocket, looked around and with a squeek of surprise and joy, took off at a run.

"Uh oh," Other Baby said and looked at her Apache. "I think we just screwed things up. I thought we would pick up the gerbil here, not take him back with us."

"Damn," Other Apache said with a shake of her head. "We're never going to get this mess straightened out."

"I think that's the point," Apache said. She didn't like the way Baby and Other Baby grinned at each other, though.

"Well we might as well go back --" Other Apache began.

A car came speeding down the street and braked to a stop. Other Apache and Other Baby had slid back to the shadows. Apache and Baby stayed where they were.

Rabbit... what was his name? He had made them famous for all the wrong reasons.

"Carpenter," Baby said, nodding toward him. "I figured you would be along soon."

"You want to play this kind of game again?"

"Maybe. I don't think you take us seriously enough," Baby said.

"So what are you two going to do?"

"What do you think we're doing down here?" she asked.

"That why you came by my home? To get me down here to talk about your vendetta?"

"Apparently so," Baby said. Apache just let her sister run with it. She couldn't clearly remember that night except --

"Hunting the gerbil!" she said aloud, startling everyone.

Baby looked at her and nodded. Rabbit -- Carpenter -- appeared to think it was some code. He looked from one to the other, shifty eyes... shifting.

"You two don't have nothing on me."

"Well, let's just see, shall we?" Baby walked over to the car, pulled a knife from her belt, and slit the tire. "That'll give us time to do all the work we need to."

She nodded to Apache, and walked away into the shadows, and joined Other Apache and Other Baby. Rabbit starting yelling and calling for back up while his driver leapt out and prepared to change the tire.

"Looks good," Baby said with a nod. "I think we've done all we can here: Set Rabbit up to turn himself in because of us, and set the first mutant gerbil loose."

"But how did it get mutant?" Apache demanded.

"Well, duh. Sitting in your pocket? Has there ever been an animal that didn't change into a mutant after being with you for a while?"

At least that made sense, finally. She thought she'd not mention it to Mathews and Alan, though. Or say anything about those worlds the Mutant Amazon Gerbils took over. Would take over. Whatever.

She didn't argue when Other Apache said they should go back to the future now....

And back to find the snow storm still raging. Petya had a giant gerbil roped and appeared to be dragging it back to a circle of light in the parking lot of the hotel. He shoved it in and the gerbil rose up into the sky and into the ship.

"We could help," Apache said.

"Or we could go watch Brigadoon."

So they went back to the room and watched the movie. Apache didn't think there was anything so dire about it.

"You know, I really liked the sound of those bagpipes!" Baby said. "I'll have to pick up some bagpipe music. I wonder if I could learn to play one."

And that's when Apache understood the horrible doom that had befallen her....

The End

One


Apache leaned back in the seat and sighed when the pickup stopped moving. Baby looked up from the map she had so laboriously studied with the flashlight, looked out at the night darkened landscape, and then back at the map again. She finally shook her head.

"No, that's not right, Apache," she said. "You took a wrong turn somewhere. We should be in downtown Phoenix."

Apache stared out at the lines of shadowy cactus, and the cliffs a few miles away, silhouetted by the bright moonlight.

"I'm going to kill you, Morning Glory Sangre. Do you think they'll ever find your body out here?"

"You were the one driving! Why is it my fault we're lost?" Baby demanded.

"You told me were to go!"

"I've been telling you that for years. I never thought you would listen to me, but I should have known you'd take me along with you when you did."

Apache batted at her sister, but Baby pulled just out of reach and grinned. Apache considered drawing some kind of weapon, but then Baby would do the same, and now wasn't the time to decide which of them was better in close quarter fighting. She wanted to get home.

"Don't just sit there, Apache. Turn this beast of a vehicle back on and get moving. I want to get to the reservation before first light."

"Then you had better start running pretty damn fast."

"You wouldn't throw me out here," Baby said, but she had tight hold of the seat just in case.

"I would. But as it happens, I'm going to join you. We're out of gas. Why do you think I stopped?"

"I never try to guess why you do anything."

"Wisdom at last," Apache said and threw the car door open. Despite the situation, she didn't feel upset. Baby had actually gotten them far closer to the reservation than she had expected. It wasn't their fault that the pickup drank gas like it was cheap wine. Come to think of it, the truck handled like it had too much wine, too. She wished for a Corvette right now -- or, looking out at the desert lands ahead, a horse.

Baby, carrying both their backpacks, met her at the front of the truck. She tossed one to Apache, and then put a small device on the hood of the trunk and hit a button. The pickup disappeared.

"Gift from Kim," Baby said. She pulled her backpack up over one shoulder. "Remember where we left it."

"I don't care if I ever see the damned truck again," Apache said.

"Duh. I don't want anyone else to spot the truck and guess we're here, but I want to retrieve the little toy that makes things invisible before when we leave."

"Huh."

Apache started out, still considering leaving her sister behind... but at least Baby wisely kept quiet for the moment. And odd... but it felt right, the two of them hiking off toward the hills where they had grown up.

Life had been odd enough back then; she had never thought it could get even stranger. These days, she expected each morning to be stranger than the one before, and she couldn't remember the last time she had looked out a window and considered what a calm, nice day they faced.

But out here, they had stepped back in time. Out here. . . .

She looked up at the skies and marveled at how much she could see, here in the desert away from the haze of ambient light in the city. Stars stretched out forever, and the moon hung in a bright circle just over head. She stopped and stared. So did Baby, remaining silent still.

A falling start shot across the sky.

"That's gorgeous," Apache said. "I haven't seen falling stars in years!"

And another.

"One for both of us," Baby said with a little laugh. She started forward before Apache did. "Nice night for a walk."

Apache didn't argue. They had found peace for the first time in weeks. She wished they could stay out here forever.

Well, except that Baby would get crazy if she didn't get to a Taco Bell every couple days. Just wouldn't work out. The thought of being out here in the desert with a crazed Baby did nothing for her, except to get her moving a little faster.




Two


They reached Lisa's house at sunset the next night. Christmas Eve. Baby looked at the building at the end of the long street and shook her head, hardly holding back her own panic. The place looked packed with people. Cars blocked the driveway and the street. She could hear laughter and the squeals of excited children.

She hadn't expected a party. Last year had been relatively quiet, if you didn't count the people who broke in looking for her and Apache -- People being a rather euphemistic term since she knew now that they had been Van.

Baby sneezed and looked longingly at the house again. Of the two of them, she disliked large groups the most, and especially large groups of her relatives. However, right now she just wanted in somewhere out of the open, even a place where the Van knew to look.

"All right, Apache," she finally said. "Through the front door or in the back window?"

"I'd be tempted to the back window, but with that many people we'd probably just cause even more trouble. Let's get to the door. If one of them found us skulking around out here, we'd never live it down."

"You know, I wasn't really prepared for a full fledged family reunion," Baby said, following her sister up the path to the door.

"Neither was I. From one war to another. I think I would rather face the aliens than have another go around with dear, sweet Veronica again."

"Yeah," Baby said, and sneezed.

"A cold, or an allergy to the Sangre family?"

"Allergy," Baby decided.

Apache took a deep breath. Baby sneezed. Apache knocked.

"Late comers!" someone said from inside. A moment, and then the door opened, light silhouetting them in the dark night.

Robert, the oldest of the Sangres, stood in the doorway, staring. "Well, I'll be damned," he finally said.

"Mind if we come in?" Apache asked.

"Did you bring a bomb this year?"

"No," Baby said. She lifted her arms to show she held nothing out of the ordinary. Standing here in the floodlight of illumination from the doorway made the hair on her arms stand on end. "I'll even (sneeze) submit to a search... but can we do it inside?"

"Paranoid as always," Robert said, but even he laughed as he stepped aside and waved them in.

And when they stepped inside, shouts of greetings went up from brothers, sisters, cousins. Baby suspected they'd all been hitting the eggnog a little too hard, but it did make this far easier than she expected. Veronica glared, of course, but she turned out to be the only one. Lisa laughed and hugged them. John, her husband, brought Baby a Diet Pepsi.

"Bless you," she said, opening the can.

"You two look as though you hiked in."

"We did," Apache said. She slipped her pack down to the floor and accepted a cup of punch from Cloud. "We aren't on an assignment, but we decided we had better take some precautions before we came here. I didn't want to bring our troubles home for the holidays."

"Are you two ever not in trouble?" Robert asked, laughing.

"Not that I can ever remember," Baby replied as she sat her pack down by Apache's -- near the door -- and ready to grab on their way out, if need be. "And to think, it all started here."

"You can't blame us for what you two have gotten yourselves into," Angela said. "If anything, you two should have been in prison by now, if you had grown up under our influence."

"Hey," Robert began to protest, reminding them that he was the local law official.

And that set everyone laughing. The rest of the party began to get back to normal. Even Veronica disappeared back into the kitchen, avoiding battle for once.

"Is there somewhere we can sit down?" Apache asked. "We've been on our feet for the last eighteen hours or so. I don't know about Baby, but my feet are killing me."

"My knee has about two more yards in it," Baby said. "And I think I see a sofa within range."

They both limped to the sofa, moving past a bevy of Sangre nieces and nephews, none of whom they really knew. The kids watched TV, and as Baby and Apache sat down, the others began to ply them with cookies, snacks and questions.

"What have you two been doing?" John asked. He sat on the sofa edge beside Baby. "We tried to get in touch with you around Thanksgiving."

"We were on assignment," Apache said.

"Anything we would have heard about?" John said. Then he stopped and held up his hand. "Riot in Naples. Odd explosion in Tibet."

"Yes, that would be us," Apache said.

John just nodded. "I should have known you two would show up today, especially after the weirdness of the last couple days. Dozens of people saw a mirage of an island out in the desert north of Phoenix this morning. There was the UFO scare last night."

"UFO..." Baby said. She looked at her sister. "Island."

"Hell," Apache said. "Falling stars, you idiot."

"Me? You're the one who pointed them out."

"You didn't correct me at the time. Oh hell. Damn. And an island? What the hell is gone wrong now? Why is it you and I can't have an entire twenty-four hours out of contact without all hell breaking loose? Well, it was nice seeing all of you --"

She had stood, obviously intending to grab her pack and go. Baby stood as well, glad that she at least had a chance for one Diet Pepsi, and shoving a few cookies into her pockets.

But Robert caught their arms. "Tell me you two are not serious."

Everyone had gone quiet.

"Trust us, Robert. If islands are showing up, you really don't want Baby and me around."

"Ummm...Apache, isn't that Mishi Tanaka on TV?" Baby asked, pointing toward the screen.

Apache yelped and leapt over an entire row of kids to reach the TV and turning up the volume as someone else cut the Christmas music.

"I ask for the aid of my friends in this war against our common enemies," the young man said, shaking back his long hair. "My invention is for my world to own, not to be denied by any being for any reason."

"He did it!" Baby said, grinning. "And he's asking for us to protect him."

"We must all protect our future," Mishi suddenly smiled. "And our future will protect us."

"Well, he couldn't have made that any plainer," Apache said. She grabbed the phone off the top of the TV. "I better call in, as much as it is against my better judgment to let them know where we are."

"They know already, I'm sure," Baby said, glancing upward at the ceiling. "And besides, we did tell Mishi this is where we were going."

Apache nodded.

"That was a report from our man in Japan," a newscaster announced. "The exact nature of Mr. Tanaka's disappearance is still being investigated --"

"Gone?" Apache stopped in mid-dial and looked worried.

"Maybe FUTURE already has him. Call. Quick, before the phone explodes."

"There's never a dull moment with you two around," Robert said.

"Morning Star Sangre, field agent," Apache said. She didn't seem at all conscious of the people around them, watching. "I am requesting information on Mishi Tanaka -- oh, don't you dare claim classified on me, or I'll show up with a few dozen pets --"

Baby heard a sound of panic on the other end of the phone. Good. Apache knew just how to handle those people. A moment later she heard the unmistakable sound of Alan, their boss, his voice a little loud and showing the usual edge of panic. She didn't know why he always sounded that way when he talked to them. Maybe he needed a vacation or something.

Apache listened for a couple moments, and then shook her head. "Not good. Mishi has gone missing, but Alan's sure he got out using his teleporter and the photonic cell, though there's no telling where he is now. The Van are searching pretty damned hard for him, though."

Baby nodded. It didn't look good.

"So just answer a couple questions, Alan," Apache said. "Are there UFOs over Arizona? Uh-huh. Theirs or ours. Van, of course. And Islands... ah. Well, it was nice that they at least tried to intercept us, but do mention that they might try a different mode of transportation in the future. Yes. I hear the buzz. I have to get the phone out of the house before it explodes. Talk quickly. Not that quickly, and mostly in English might help. Uh huh. Yeah. Right. Two days, Alan. That's all you get. Merry Christmas."

She hung the phone up, then walked to the door and tossed it outside. It exploded in mid air, and fell, sparkling to the ground.

"I'll get you another one," Apache promised.

Lisa just nodded.

"Well?" Baby asked.

"We're going to hold up here, since this is where Mishi knew we would be. The Van are on the move, and they're hunting him and us. Alan is sending us back up."

"Back up?" Baby said, shaking her head. "Who in FUTURE could he possibly send that we would trust?"

"Kim."

"I thought he went home."

"Apparently Alan caught him before he went trans-light --" Apache stopped and looked around at the multitude of staring faces. "Are we the only entertainment at this party?"

"Well, you're better than charades," Lisa said. "I'd ask what's going on, but to tell you the truth, I don't think I really want to know."

"You are wiser than we are," Baby said. She sat back down on the sofa. "How about some more Christmas music. I could use a little Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward Men about now."

Apache nodded agreement, but she took a chair and moved it over by the window. She watched the sky. No one asked why.




Three


Most of the group went home about ten to tuck their kids in and hope for a few hours rest. Amazingly, all of Baby and Apache's brothers and sisters stayed, while their spouses took the kidlets away. Apache didn't trust it much at all.

"You do know that we kind of can take care of ourselves, right?" Apache asked, standing at the door and looking out. And up.

No one said anything. She looked back and found even Veronica standing with the others, but Apache suspected she didn't intend to be any help, especially not with that look on her face.

"You are here, we're here," John said. He leaned back against the wall. "And all in all, we decided it might be better to know what is going on than to fall into it by ignorance."

"Well, you're smarter than Apache and I have ever been," Baby admitted. "We just sort of jump into it. Or get pushed out of airplanes into it."

"Look, I said I was sorry about that. Well, not about pushing you out of the plane. But I was sorry I forgot to give you your coat," Apache said.

"Someone pulling up outside," Cloud said, nodding out the door.

Apache peered out again. Then shoved the door shut. "Hell. Sylvester."

"Oh, great! Just what I need. What the hell is the CIA doing here?"

"CIA?" Robert asked.

"Well, a couple of their agents," Apache said, shaking her head. She pushed the door closed. "He's still limping, Baby. I imagine he's not going to be in a good mood. Maybe you ought to --"

"The CIA have no jurisdiction to work in the US, do they?" Robert said. "They certainly haven't the right to work on a reservation. I think, perhaps, we should let this Sylvester in."

Baby looked at Apache and grinned brightly. "You know, this could be fun."

Apache spread her arms in a gesture of acceptance, and reached to open the door.

Something hit it. Hard. She leapt backwards as the door flew inward and down, completely free off of the frame and hinges.

And there stood Sylvester. His men tossed aside the ram they had used, but she thought she saw a little more worry in their faces, likely at the sight of the line of Sangres, none of them happy with the dramatics.

"A knock would have gotten you in," Apache said, leaning against the wall by the door.

Sylvester actually gave a startled yip, his hand going for his gun -- but he stopped. Odd behavior, even from him. Then he looked around, worried.

"Where the hell is she? Where is that pain in the ass sister of yours?"

"Which one? Oh, maybe you haven't met the rest of the Sangres --" she said waving a hand toward the group.

"Sangres," he said. He had gone pale. Truly pale. And backed up a step. "All Sangres?"

"Except me," John said. He laughed. "I'm married to one. And you broke into my home."

"All I want is Morning Glory," Sylvester said. His hand reached toward a gun again, and came back empty with a worried look at Robert and Kyle, both of whom had started forward.

"Looking for me?" Baby said from behind him.

He spun, his face going from pale panic to beet-red rage in that half moment. Apache watched the change in amazement. She didn't think Baby had that affect on anyone but blood relatives.

But Baby stood there with a semi-conscious man in her hands. She shoved him into Sylvester's hands and looked to Apache. "Their driver. This is the lot of them. What do we do with them now, hermana mia?"

"Lock them up for a while, I guess," Apache said with a shrug. "We have real problems to take care of."

"Don't even think you can get away with this," Sylvester said.

"Why not?" Robert asked. After all, I am head of the local law enforcement here at the reservation. And we wouldn't want to think that you are CIA working inside the US, would we? I mean we have no idea that you're CIA, right?"

"Good God," Baby said, grinning. "Sangre reasoning all the way around. You're right, Robert. We have no idea these men were CIA."

Sylvester looked like he might argue the point, and with the point of a gun that he reached for again. Apache kicked him in the stomach and he went down. Baby dropped down, her right leg stretched out in front of her, and quickly took his gun and stood again. Apache had no trouble at all with the other two.

"You," Sylvester said, a growl of sound as he tried to grab Baby's leg. She slipped back and up to quickly. "You dislocated my knee in Japan."

"And you remember what happened when I aimed higher," Baby said. "What are you doing here, Sylvester?"

"I'm not telling you anything, honey --"

Sylvester realized his mistake and tried to crawl away even before Baby moved. She reached down and caught the front of his suit jacket in both hands and pulled him up to his knees.

"I'm not telling you this again, Sylvester. Last warning. Don't ever call me honey again."

Robert chuckled. "Well, maybe you are a Sangre after all."

"In training, if not in blood," Baby admitted, and let her brother take the vermin. Apache gave the other two over to Michael and Kyle, while Cloud draped the last one over his shoulder and followed them out. All the Sangres looked like they were having far too much fun.

Well, really, it was a rather nice present, having the CIA people all boxed up for Christmas.

They decided to have hot chocolate and cookies ready when the four returned. Everyone appeared to be in a surprisingly festive mood, except for Veronica, of course. She sat on the sofa and glared at them all.

Someone knocked on the door. Baby moved toward it, and Apache took a spot to the side. Baby, reached over and pulled the knob, stepping aside so it could fall to the floor. The person on the other side only blinked -- and then smiled brightly.

"Thank the gods it's you, Baby, and not your sister," Seji said. "We need to talk, and I'm afraid she'd try to kill me before she listened to anything I said. Where is she?"

Apache reached from the side of the doorway and laid a knife blade against his neck.

"She's here," Baby answered.

"Thank you. I appreciate that warning," he said. He turned his head just a little. "Hello, Apache. Good to see you again."

"Oh, please try to run, Seji," she said in a soft whisper. "Please give me the joy of maiming you --"

"Maybe another time, lo-" He started to cough as he stopped himself from saying that word. "You know I wouldn't have risked coming to you if this wasn't important. Put away the knife. We can discuss old times later."

With a sigh of regret, Apache pulled the knife back and shoved it into the sheath at her waist.

"What are you doing here, Seji?" Baby asked as the man finally stepped inside. "Spying for the Van again?"

"I've never worked for the Van," Seji said, looking rather annoyed at the idea. "Do I look that green? I'm a freelance agent. The last time I was working for members of the Council who were trying to. . . . I guess confirm what Alan had been reporting."

"And this time?" Apache asked.

"I am here as favor to my cousin, Kim. He thought you might need back up this time, and he wasn't sure how fast he could make it in."

"Cousin? Kim?" Apache said. She shook her head in denial, even while she noted the familial similarities. "He never said you were his cousin. And I did mention you a few times during our trip to Tibet."

"And considering the words and tone you used, do you think he would be stupid enough to admit to even knowing me, let alone being related? You would have cut his heart out before he could explain I'm rather the black sheep of the family."

"He's right, Apache."

Apache glared at Baby. Not that it did any good, of course.

"Now, do you want to know about the four Van sneaking around in the back yard, or not? Shall we go and deal with them?"

"You just stay in my sight," Apache warned. "And I mean it."

"Morning Star Sangre, it would be a pleasure to stay forever in your sight," Seji said with a bow.

Angela and Lisa looked very amused. Baby went back to work with the door, plainly to avoid laughing.

"Don't push your luck," Apache warned.

"Hold the fort, Baby," Seji said with a smile as they left, heading down the hall toward the back rooms and the window to the yard. Apache didn't argue about the upcoming battle. She needed to take a little frustration out somewhere.




Four


"Do I need this?" Baby said, shaking her head as she worked on securing the door to the frame again. "No, I'm pretty certain I don't need this. Come on Mishi Tanaka. Get this over with before it gets worse."

Someone -- no, something screamed outside. Another cry came from the roof. The others did look startled but Baby only shrugged.

"Mating call of Van Spy," Baby said. "I bet you guys are just thrilled we're home for the holidays, aren't you?"

"We don’t mind seeing you and Apache," Lisa said. "It's your friends who keep showing up who worry me."

"No more than they worry us, believe me. And I mean that about our friends more than even our enemies who show up. I really thought it would be quiet this time, since everyone seemed to be trying to recover from the Tibet fiasco and cover their asses before someone had to really take the blame. I suppose we should just blame Mishi for this mess. Bad timing on his part."

Apache and Seji came back into the living room. They actually looked pleased, at least.

"There are four Van tied up to a tree in the back yard," Apache said. "They're so mad they were turning blue. But I get the feeling there were a lot more out there."

"I am under the impression that they may have brought in an entire Van Corp," Seji said. He glanced out the window. "A hundred or more."

"Great," Baby said. "And here we sit, just waiting for Mishi to drop into this little nest of trouble. Mishi isn't one of you too, is he?"

"Unfortunately not. He's a hundred percent Terran --" He stopped and looked around at the others in the room. "Who are all these people, anyway?"

"These are the rest of the Sangres, Seji," Apache said with a very malicious grin.

He backed away toward the door. Slowly and with his hands held out. Unfortunately, the others returned from securing the CIA people just then.

"And here are the rest of them," Baby said, pulling the door open for them.

"More?" His eyes went very wide. "More Sangres? I'm here in an entire nest of Sangres?"

"You walked into it, Seji," Apache said. She nodded to the ones who arrived. "He's one of ours, though not a very trustworthy one."

"Someone is coming up the street on a motorcycle," Kyle said. "Too dark to see clearly, but I think it might be that guy who was with you last year."

"Mickey," Baby said. She watched as he slipped the cycle into the driveway and hurried toward the house. Baby held the door open for him as well.

"Can't you two stay out of trouble?" he said. "I was all set for a quiet little holiday, just me and two stewardesses on a long layover. And Alan calls me and says to get up here immediately and back you two. I knew I should have disappeared. Who is he?"

"Seji," the man said with a bow.

"Seji? Not the Seji from Japan who. . . . a. . . ." Mickey glanced at Apache and saw the look on her face. "Well you are a braver man than I am, showing up here like this."

"It's worse than that. He's one of them."

"We're not back to them again are we?"

"Come on," Apache said. "You and Seji. There's something in the backyard you should see, Mickey."

It didn't take them long. Mickey looked a little green himself when he came back in. Lisa got him hot chocolate and cookies. And they all watched and waited.

"What's taking Kim so long?" Baby wondered.

"Probably having trouble getting a flight here," Seji said. "You have no idea what frustration is until you've come in from Ursa Minor, and then have to wait for days for a flight to the New York office."

"Is this guy for real?" Robert asked.

"I really wish he wasn't," Baby admitted.

"You should take your crazy friends and go back to the loony bin you escaped form," Veronica suddenly said. She stood, her face dark with rage. "You don't belong here --"

"Veronica, you have no right to say who can be in my house," Lisa said, stepping up beside her sister. "I like them. They're staying, along with their friends."

"Why do you side with them?" Veronica demanded. She looked around at the others. "Why would you take their side and not mine?"

"Because I like them," Lisa said. "And you are a pain in the ass."

"Amen," Cloud said. "It's about time somebody told her."

Veronica made a sound very much like an angry snake about to strike. She stomped to the door, and Baby barley had time to get out of the way. Apache had her hand on her knife hilt, ready for any trouble.

"You bastards," she said, looking at the two of them.

"Well, that's certainly original," Baby said, meeting her glare without a flinch.

Veronica threw the door open and went out, slamming it shut behind her. The hinge came free again, and it fell to the floor.

Kyle came to help with the door. He shook his head looking at the two. "You two do live dangerously. I'd rather face anything than an angry Veronica."

"Me, too," Baby fervently replied. Then she shook her head and pulled the door back down again. "Forget it. We'd just have to drop it again. Gang's all here, Apache. Here come Alan and Kim. Gee, I didn't know this is where we were holding FUTURE's Holiday party this year."

"Of course not. We're a secret organization. No one knew," Apache said. "Now if your guest of honor would just arrive."

Alan and Kim came in, stepping over the fallen door without much more than a glance at it.

"Welcome to the party," Seji said. He embraced Kim who grinned brightly. "It's good to see you again."

"If you were a little more discerning about who you worked for, we would see a lot more of each other," Kim replied. He put an arm over Apache's shoulder, which drew stares from everyone., especially when she didn't pull her knife.

"We were always on the same side," Seji insisted.

"Only technically. You've been on Earth long enough to know nothing is ever that black and white."

He agreed with a little bow of his head.

"Right now I'm not going to turn away any allies," Alan said. "Who was that woman stalking down the street? I saw three Van run for cover just at her look. We could use that kind of help."

"Forget it, Alan," Apache advised. "That's Veronica Sangre. We'll be lucky if she doesn't join the Van at this point."

"Ah well," Alan said. He looked around. "I think there are far more than enough Sangres here already."

No one argued that one.

"Any idea where Mishi Tanaka is?" Baby asked.

"On his way," Alan said. "I was afraid he would get here before us."

"It's midnight," John Sangre announced. "Merry Christmas!"




Five


Apache smiled. A holiday at home. They hadn't had one of those since last Christmas. Never mind that it wasn't really their home. At least it was a home. How nice.

She smiled. "Merry --" A whistle, a clashing of bells, a loud boom. Mishi Tanaka sat the floor in the midst of the Sangres. "Christmas."

"Hey, Mishi," Baby said. "Glad you could drop in."

"Stop with the stupid jokes," Mishi said shaking his head.

"Someone was bound to say it," Apache replied. She leaned back and looked around the group. "Now what?"

Something hit the roof, bounced, hit, bounced hit, bounced.

"Sounds like they're dropping a few more Van in," Kim said, glancing up at the ceiling. "Any chance the Council will get us some more back up?"

"Not fast enough," Alan replied. "We just need to keep Mishi out of their hands. Is there a chance you can pop back out again?"

Mishi took a blue glowing square out of his pocket. He shook his head. "Not for a couple hours. Even with the photonic cell, this thing is underpowered. I'll need to do something about that."

"Don't remind me about the cell right now," Alan warned, giving Baby, Apache and Kim a glare. They all smiled. It didn't help. In fact, everyone in the room got a distinctly worried look as they saw those smiles.

Mishi finally stood as well, looking around the group and apparently more worried about what he saw here than the noises on the roof. "I want a weapon."

Alan tilted his head, and then nodded. He pulled a needle-nosed gun from under his jacket and handed it over to Mishi, who immediately began turning it over in his hands, looking down the barrel --

"Don't even consider taking it apart to see how it works," Alan warned. "It's set for twenty-five shots, and they will stun, not kill. Choose your targets wisely.

"Why didn't you give us any of those?" Apache asked.

"I know you two have picked up some weapons of your own along the way. But quite honestly, I wouldn't trust you two with one of our weapons to save my life. Hell, you two can't even be trusted with telephones."

"True," Baby admitted. The hit-bounce noises had stopped. Baby looked up. "I get the feeling that everyone is here."

"Great. Let's get this over with," Apache said. She turned and walked right out the front door, Baby at her side, while the others started making odd panicked noises. "I don't know why they do that."

"Me either," Baby said. She shrugged. "Probably thought we should have a plan or something."

"Oh yeah, right. You know what happens when we have plans."

A Van stepped out of the darkness, her skin so green it looked almost black, and her hair shaved to stubble on her head. She wore little more than weapons, and she didn't look very happy. Apache imagined it couldn't be the most comfortable set of clothing in the world, so to speak.

"You are outnumbered and cut off from all help," the Van said. Her dark eyes narrowed. "Give us Tanaka."

"Sorry, I'm not into giving Christmas presents to people I don't like."

"You could still survive this if you cooperate."

"Live to fight another day, huh?" Apache said. Baby, Apache noted, looked uneasy. They had not dealt with this kind of Van before. Usually they just made claims of going to kill everything and got to the fighting. "Somehow, I don't think the odds are ever going to get any better, especially if we give over Tanaka."

"You are not fools. You've proven that in the past year. We have weapons you couldn't imagine --"

Apache's hand moved, a quick arc of movement in the glittering light, and laid a dagger on the woman's neck. She drew a thin line of blood. The Van blinked, her ice-like eyes going wide.

"I don't give a damn about your weapons," Apache said. She drew the knife back. The Van nodded as if they really did understand each other.

"We prepare," the Van said, stepped back, and gave a surprisingly polite little bow. Then she disappeared into the dark.

"Prepare," Apache said, stepping back to the door. "They must have better luck with plans than we do."

Really, it turned out just as well that she and Apache didn't go in for that planning stuff, because the Van started moving toward them before they reached the door to the house. Apache stopped and looked back, watching the line of shadows coming their way.

"Hell. I really don't want them in the house."

"Me either," Baby said and rushed forward first. Apache sighed and followed.




Six


Baby reached the green line of Van just ahead of her sister. Van lifted their weapons and aimed at her and ready to --

"Strike!" Baby shouted.

She and Apache threw themselves to the ground and rolled, playing human bowling. Or Van bowling. They broke through the line, Van leaping and falling as they shouted, and taking down a few others with them.

Baby scrambled back to her feet, kicking the first Van who came close to her and sending that one back into another three of her team. Two went down. A spare, rather than a strike, but it still helped.

Something else helped as well. Something rather... unexpected. She heard a scream of anger and dared for a moment to look away from the Van closing in on her. She watched in amazement as the rest of the Sangre family raced out of the house and into the fray.

Hell. With the all the Sangres on their side, how could they lose?

A shame she forgot about Veronica at the moment. . . .

The battle broke apart into a number of small skirmishes. Seji, Kim and Mickey came out to join the fray, leaving Alan and Mishi at the door, where they did quite well at keeping any one from going in. Baby did her best to take out as many Van as she could, keeping a running count. She wondered where Apache had gone off to --

And then two Van landed, unconscious at her feet.

"Twenty-three," Apache said.

"Twenty-six," Baby answered and grinned. And jammed an elbow into a Van and then hit her on the head on the way down. "Twenty-seven."

"Damn."

Apache went back to work.

They had taken down over half the force, at least. Unfortunately, that gave the remaining Van more room to maneuver, and to use those guns they had been slow to pull when in such close quarters with the rest of their people. Baby ducked under one bright red ray that melted a cactus -- my, they were serious.

And then someone else started firing. An Uzi.

That rather stopped everyone in stunned disbelief. Even the Van who had a gun aimed at Baby paused -- and Baby took that moment to kick it out of her hand. She gave her best smile when the woman looked annoyed.

But the Uzi fired again, though apparently only up in the air because no one could have missed at that range. People and Van parted, and Baby saw the problem -- first Veronica, and then Sylvester. His three men followed, all of them armed and none of them happy.

"There she is, Agent Sylvester," Veronica said. She walked up to Baby, a gleeful smile on her face, and Baby had the oddest feeling that neither she nor Sylvester noticed that the Van looked rather odd. "You take Baby, and I can guarantee that Apache will follow."

"Oh, you can bet on that," Apache said, coming closer. "I don't think it's quite what you want, though."

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Veronica?" Baby demanded.

"Something one of the Sangres should have done years ago," Veronica said with a sickeningly sweet smile. She patted Baby's head. "I'm getting you arrested, honey."

Sylvester backed away so quickly that he tripped over a Van and landed on the ground. The other three agents looked stunned, bringing their guns up --

But Baby hardly even noticed. She spun and kicked, catching Veronica in the side of the head. For a moment Veronica stared, her eyes going glassy. By then, Sangres had grabbed the last of the CIA people. No one got shot.

"Don't ever call me honey," Baby said and gave Veronica a little shove. She landed on her ass. On a cactus, unfortunately -- well, unfortunate for her. She started howling. "God, you are such a pain in the ass."

"No, she has a pain the ass," Lisa corrected, going past to help Veronica. "Really, Baby, I thought you knew English better than that."

Lights flashed in a quick pattern of bright green and blue overhead. From the way Alan waved, Baby knew it had to be people on their side -- whatever the hell side that might be. The Van took the chance to disappear into the darkness, and Baby suspected they wouldn't be back, at least for a few days. Lisa managed to get a cursing Veronica to her feet. She glared at Baby and Apache. Robert gathered up the CIA agents and took them away. They seemed rather glad to go, too.

The others turned back to the house. By the time they got the door fixed, the Van had disappeared, Lisa had returned without Veronica, and Robert had come back from the jail. They had more hot chocolate and cookies.

"Okay, I have to ask," Cloud said. "There you were with the four CIA agents, Baby. One went down out of sheer panic, but the other three still had guns. But you attacked Veronica. Why?"

"I've had to put up with her all my life. I really didn't think I had much of a chance against the Uzi and the others had, wisely, stayed just out of kicking range. I could have probably taken a couple of them, but I had the feeling this would be the last chance I might ever get to take out some of my pent up frustrations toward Veronica. And I enjoyed it, too."

"I got her down to the clinic. They sedated her. The doctor looked like he was enjoying taking cactus needles out of her ass, in a sadistic sort of way," Lisa said.

"Just spreading Christmas cheer where I can," Baby said. She leaned back and looked out the window. "Hey, it's snowing!"

"Thought you'd like that," Alan said and smiled. "Merry Christmas."




Seven


Apache had the great joy of waking Baby up on Christmas morning with a rather unusual little present. She sat down on the soft backed chair by the sofa and smiled at Robert and John. Both of them kept their distance. Wise.

"Baby," she said softly. "Kim and Seji want to take us home with them."

Baby sat straight up, looking at her sister with such absolute shock that it got a snicker even from John. Baby glanced at him, glanced away.

"You can't be serious," Baby said. Her voice sounded a bit higher than usual. "Go with them. Out -- there."

"Way out there. Mishi is leaving world for a while, so that he can continue his work some place with less interruptions. Kim and Seji are sponsoring him. We're going as bodyguards."

"Is that an advancement from courier and field agent?"

"Well, it's definitely a step up."

"Ha. What does Alan say?"

"That's the scary part. He thinks it's a good idea. He's even already left to get to the High Council before they hear about it through other sources. Something about panicked people starting wars."

"You think we should do this?" Baby asked. It wasn't often she asked a question like that.

"The alternative is to stay here, fend off more Van, the CIA and Veronica, who has already called lawyers --"

"Veronica," Baby said with a moan and dropped back down. "Going off world may be a really good idea."

"I thought you'd see it that way." Apache reached over and patted her sister on the shoulder.

"You know, I'm really going to miss you two," Robert said. "If nothing else, it's never dull when you two are around."

"Oh, we'll be back," Apache said with a smile. She leaned back in the chair, wondering what kind of chairs they would sit in next month. "And if this doesn't work, we're going to come back to the reservation and herd sheep."

Robert and John both looked less certain a that threat.

"Ah... what about your pets?" Baby said, lifting up on an elbow again.

"Got it covered. You remember Mark from Tibet?"

"Oh, sure. Former FUTURE spy. Finlandia, photonic cell. Gobi desert. Hotel room, python. The one who twitches a lot."

"That's the one. I called him down in Antarctica this morning. He and his friends are going to move up to my beach house and take care of things while we're gone."

"In exchange for?" Baby said, looking intrigued.

"In exchange for us leaving world, actually," Apache answered. She shook her head. "I do hope the camel and goats get along."

"Well, looks like you have everything in hand," Baby said. "When do we leave?"

"Not until after the New Year. Kim says that Alan barely got out in time, and the weather won't be clear over Chicago again for at least a week. I don't know why Chicago, so don't ask. Seji, Kim and Mickey are taking Mishi back to The Office in New York. You and I, hermana mia, have the week off."

"You're joking," Baby said. "Paid?"

"Yup."

"What do you do with a paid vacation?" Baby said, stunned.

"Damned if I know. I think we're supposed to have fun."

"Like we haven't been having fun at work?" she said, confused.

"I know, I know --"

Lisa came out of the kitchen, shaking her head and brushing a line of white flour against her shirt. "I just heard something odd on the radio. People are calling in about a mysterious island out at Horse Mesa Dam, and a giant eel --"

"Oh. Well maybe we ought to clear that problem up before we go," Baby suggested.

Apache nodded and stood. She looked relieved. "God help us if we'd had to come up with something on our own for entertainment. Robert, can we borrow your car --"

He tossed Apache the keys. "Be back for dinner."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Baby said, and managed, somehow to duck under Apache's swing and race down the hall to the bathroom. She could sometimes move pretty fast, even without her brace.

But Apache had prepared by the time her sister came out of the house -- outside in all that lovely, cold, white snow Alan had given Baby for Christmas. Time to put it too good use, she decided, looking at the pile of snowballs she had ready...

A shame Baby came out through the back window and snuck up behind her. They still had a very fierce fight, especially when the rest of the family joined in, along with a few neighbors.

In the end, it was she and Baby holding off the others.

As it should be.

The End

From: Alan Orion, Head of FUTURE
December 15, 1996
Report # 1,336,756
Message Begins:

My salutations to High Inspector Cotlavindadinestic, and my hopes that he reached the Council safely. I was sorry he was called away after only a few short hours on Earth. I had so much more to show him. He had a dinner engagement with the Sangre sisters, whom he had only just met an hour before he left world. They regretted missing a chance to continue their conversation with him.

I hope he speaks well of our work here, though he hardly had time to even inspect the building. My apologies to him over the water dragon incident. I am also forwarding a book on indigenous earth reptiles so that he will see the difference between a creature like the water dragon and our elevator keeper, which is a gecko. The stairs were not a better choice, I fear. He'll know better in the future. (Pun intended, of course. Forgive me. It's a joke here at FUTURE HQ.)

Thank you again for your offer of a full stipend, relocation to whatever world I might want, and an honorary title.

However, again I must say that I cannot in good conscience, leave this world with so much teetering on the edge of disaster, and some of it -- I admit -- my own fault. Having made the decision to stay, I was then forced to look the situation fully in the face, and decide what I should do next.

Seppuku seems the best answer. Ah, another local custom that you would not understand. Let me just say that the Sangres have disappeared again. No matter. They'll turn up. They always do.

And at least it won't be boring, not with the Van hunting them in packs. The Gods help the Van if they catch up to the two.

The Sangres said they wanted a holiday off. Any holiday at this point. I have taken them seriously.

I fear to go to sleep at night. I fear what I will find in the morning, and it won't be a nice surprise from Santa Claus, I can guarantee that much. . . .

One



Morning Glory Sangre silently cursed as her tee shirt caught on an obstruction in the ventilation shaft's tight turn. She yanked it free and peered ahead into the darkness. Being claustrophobic did not really help in this situation. Desperation, however, drove her onward into the darkness. Something scrambled ahead, paused and hissed. Morning Glory hissed back, and it ran away. Fast.

She crawled another few feet, made another turn, and finally saw the faint outline of a grill in front of her. Finally! She slithered forward to the very edge of the light and peered out, silently praying she'd made the right turns and not lost her way.

She could see a large auditorium, and the stage below her. Several people had begun preparing for the concert that would take place in about four hours. A noisy bunch too, which helped, of course. Morning Glory had no trouble removing the screws that held the grill in place -- even though they were screwed in from the opposite side. She'd come up with a handy little patented spy screw remover that had become standard equipment at Future -- and netted her quite a bit of funds, not to mention an endlessly interesting list of the people who bought the device. Know thy enemy. . . .and thy friends. And anyone else who might cross her path. She did sometimes wonder why the Vatican had ordered such a large shipment of them, but she didn't think about it for too long or too hard.

Morning Glory looked out again, judging the ten feet to the floor of the stage -- quite perfect for surprise. With the grill loose she held it in place with the clip and the reel of string, and waited. It didn't take long before the person appeared, and not only walked right below her hiding place, but even paused there while talking to the lead vocalist of the group.

Morning Glory shoved the grill aside and threw herself out.

"Geraniums!"

A dozen startled cries ended as she landed, rolled, and bounded to her feet, grinning happily at Morning Star, her very surprised -- and annoyed -- older sister.

"New record for me," Morning Glory said, brushing her hands against her blue jeans. She sneezed three times -- damn dusty ventilation shafts -- and pulled out her notepad to make a few notes. "Let's see -- I found you in three days, so that leaves four days remaining in the week at twenty points each. Took you be complete surprise, so that gives me a fifty-point bonus -- hmmmm. You still have a fifteen-point lead. Still not bad, though, was it?"

Morning Star Sangre looked up at the hole in the wall, shook her head, and turned back to her sister. "Damn. I never expected you to come in that way."

"Expect the unexpected."

"Don't quote that kind of crap at me. You know how it makes me crazy. And what happened to your claustrophobia?"

"It gave way to desperation," Morning Glory admitted. She brushed dust from her legs again. "I knew if I didn't make big points this week, you'd take the month. This is November, and you already have five months. I don't feel like paying your way to the Bahamas again in January."

"I'm still in the lead for the month. And it's my choice next week. What do you think I should go for -- the hunter or the hunted?"

"Who the hell is this, Morning Star?" someone at last asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't introduced you! This is my younger sister, Morning Glory Sangre. She often unexpectedly drops in on me."

Morning Glory looked skyward and shook her head, not only at her sister's pun, but at the usual round of 'but you two don't look anything alike!' comments that they drew.

However, before they could get into the rather long and sordid family history, they were both saved by the bell. Or rather the beep. Both their beepers went off at the same time, and Morning Glory looked at hers in shock while her sister drew out her own as well.

A message had appeared -- never mind that both had 'forgotten' to put batteries in the devices. Call the office for assignment.

"I can't believe they want both of us," Apache said, shaking her head. "We haven't really worked together since that fiasco in Japan last July."

"And I could have sworn Alan said something about never turning me lose again after the Halloween mess," Baby said. She shrugged. "So much for fun and games."

"Hey, maybe we'll get lucky, and Alan just wants to tell us that the FBI and CIA are sending agents after us again," Apache said. Her face brightened at the thought. "That could be fun!"

"We can only hope," Baby said, following her sister toward the phone at the side wall. They no longer carried their own, since they tended to melt still -- with the exception of the cell phone that Alan gave them, but they'd left that in Africa and hadn't gone back for it yet. The other people followed, quiet and keeping their distance. People did that a lot when the two of them got together. Must have been some sort of instinctive survival instinct.

Baby made the call, dialing the operator, and then going through the special operator. Apache stood close by, watching the crowd. Amazing how getting a beep from The Office could put them both on edge like that.

"FUTURE offices, please give your name and designation," a voice said. Baby could never decide if it was mechanical or alien. Either was entirely too possible.

"Baby -- pardon me -- Morning Glory Sangre, and last I heard I was either a courier or a field agent. You beeped me."

"We are awaiting conformation of contact with Morning Star Sangre. Please hold."

"She's with me."

"We require conformation."

Baby held out the phone. "They require your voice."

"Apache took the phone. "Morning Star Sangre, field agent -- or maybe body guard."

"Confirmed, Morning Star and Morning Glory Sangre," the voice said. "Assignment as follows: You will work under the direction of senior field agent --"

"No way in hell!" they chorused, startling everyone.

"No, no. It is one thing to think Baby and I would work together again, another thing completely to believe we would work with anyone else. Haven't we made that clear?"

"Stand by for your superior."

"Alan is coming on line." Apache smiled -- not a very pleasant look. People backed away again. "You want part of this?"

"Oh yes," Baby said, and leaned closer now that her sister didn't appear incline to random mayhem.

The phone quickly clicked over. No one wasted much time with the Sangres on the line since phones were apt to melt or explode, and it got too frustrating while everyone went scrambling for new ones.

"Hello Morning --whichever," the man on the line said, sounding rather anxious.

"Morning Star."

"Yes, I feared as much. Morning Glory is so much easier to talk to."

"Meaning she'll go along with just about any insane idea you have," Apache said.

"Well, yes."

"I'd resent that if it weren't true," Baby said.

"At least hear me out on this one," Alan said. His voice had gained a half octave already, and they hadn't even done anything yet. "We have a special assignment for the two of you --"

"Trap, trap, trap," Baby chanted.

"Look, it wasn't my idea. This came up, and the other agent asked that you to be assigned with him --"

"Oh, that sounds promising. Does the St. Valentine's Day Massacre ring a bell, Alan? You remember that little fiasco we had with other agents?"

"It's almost Thanksgiving," Baby said. She leaned back against the wall, leaving this in her sister's hands. "Time for Future's Annual Turkey Shoot."

"Look, I assumed that since the two of you stayed on with FUTURE it meant you still felt the work was important," Alan said. He seemed to be taking short, quick breaths.

"We thought about becoming sheep herders for a while, but we had a disagreement over whether to raise black or white sheep." Apache said. Baby shrugged. They still argued that point now and then.

"Fine, fine. I told Kim Tsing he was crazy for even asking for you two --"

"Who asked for us?" Apache said. She stood up straighter. Baby, seeing that look, shook her head.

"Kim Tsing. He seemed to think you two could --"

"We'll take the assignment."

"You'll what?"

"We'll what?" Baby said, echoing his startled reply.

"We'll take it," she said and held out a hand as a gesture to peace to her sister.

"You are joking, right?" Baby said.

"Kim Tsing asked for us," Apache said. She looked her sister squarely in the face, apparently forgetting she was even still on the phone. "We're going."

"Hell," Baby said. She dropped back to the wall. "Fine."

Apache put the phone back to her ear. "Where do we meet him, Alan?"

Alan said nothing for a moment. They could hear him breathing, and muttering in another language. The phone had begun to squeal as well, which didn't help.

"Meet him at Kennedy International Airport, Pan Am Lobby, no later than 1:30PM tomorrow," he said at last. "Apache --"

"Fine. We'll be there. Got to run."

She hung the phone up.

Baby looked at her, shook her head, and stared. "Did I go into a trance at some point and miss something, like you happening to inquire what the hell is the assignment is?"

"Doesn't matter. We're taking it," Apache said. She dropped the phone and turned to her friends. "Don't try to use that one. It's going to explode, most likely. They almost always do."

People backed away yet a few more feet. Apache turned and started toward the exit, Baby finally pushing away from the wall and following after her.

"You've gone nuts!" Baby finally said.

Apache turned back to her. "We're talking Kim Tsing here, the most mysterious and handsome agent in Future. I want a real chance to meet him."

"For Gods sake, Apache -- you could have just called him up for a date!"

Apache glared, and hurried away, muttering something about making flight arrangements to New York. Or maybe about getting her hair done...



Two


Baby knew the moment Apache spotted the nice looking young man with shoulder length dark hair, an aquiline face, and a tall, thin body. Baby looked where her sister did and sighed aloud, drawing Apache's attention back to her.

"What the hell is wrong this time?" Apache demanded while she brushed down her hair.

"Six enemy agents could have grabbed me and dragged me off while you were watching him, and you wouldn't have even noticed."

"Probably not, but I would have missed you eventually."

"Not until January when I didn't come through with your trip to the Bahamas. Come on. The worse thing you can do right now is look unprofessional."

Apache agreed. She led the way across the concourse, Baby a couple paces behind, playing bodyguard. Kim even stepped forward to meet them, a smile on his lips.

"You are on time. Excellent!" He greeted them with a slight bow that they both returned. Baby wondered at the accent, but this wasn't the time to get into that kind of conversation. "Shall we go somewhere to talk?"

"By all means," Apache said with a smile. "Do lead the way."

He took them a short ways to a small bar with nicely secluded tables. The waitress came immediately, eyeing the three of them with some speculation. They did make a rather exotic looking group, Apache thought.

"Order what you will," he said. "We have time. I'll have a vodka."

"I'll have the same," Apache said, smiling.

"Wonderful. Lovelorn and drunk," Baby mumbled. "Survival factor drops by another ten points."

Apache kicked her under the table, and bit back a yelp when her toes hit Baby's metal leg brace. Baby ignored her and smiled at the waitress. "Pepsi, please."

She nodded and moved away, glancing back once.

"Do you not drink while on assignment, Miss Sangre?" Kim asked.

"I don't drink," she said. "And you had best call us by our first names, or someone here is going to get very confused at the entirely wrong time."

"True." He looked at them both. "Morning Star and Morning Glory -- but that might be confusing as well, and encumbering in a moment of danger. They do call you by other names though, yes? Apache and... Baby?"

"I really should do something about that someday," Baby said, shaking her head.

"But yes, that is what they call us," Apache said. She looked as though she'd started to get control back again, for which Baby felt more than a little gratitude. Their drinks arrived. For a moment all seemed rather normal.

"Good. Apache and Baby. Let us discuss the assignment. As far as we know, it has not left Tibet. It won't be easy to retrieve, of course, but I've seen your records and with our combined skills --"

"Hold on," Baby said, lifting her hand. Kim looked puzzled by the gesture. "Look, Kim, can we assume for a moment that someone's older sister accepted this assignment without ever once asking what it might be, and that at least two of us at this table have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

He looked stunned, but he recovered and nodded. "I should not be surprised. They told me many times that you are both crazy."

Apache took a quick drink of her vodka.

"This time you can drop the insanity entirely on Apache's shoulders... well, maybe not. I came along, too, and still don't know what's going on."

"We are going to Nepal to retrieve a single photonic cell that dare not fall into the wrong hands."

"A what?" Apache asked.

"Photonic cell." He lifted his drink. "The power supply for a star ship."

He sipped. Apache pushed her drink away.

"We're back to that stuff again, are we?" Baby said with a sigh.

"Be honored," he said. "I could not tell such a truth to any other Terran agents. There are no others in the organization who have been trusted with was much knowledge as you two have been told."

"And what exactly does that make you?" Baby said.

"I have been with FUTURE for a long, long time. Since before the Council decided to make a base here on Earth."

Apache sighed and looked across at her sister, shaking her head. Baby shrugged and sipped her Pepsi. The vodka looked rather inviting at the moment.

"We have three hours before our flight to India. I assume all your papers are in order?"

"They are," Apache said.

"Luggage?"

"We rarely travel with luggage," Baby said. "We can buy what we need when we get there."

He nodded, sipped again, and looked from Apache to Baby and back again. "You know, there is something I -- and most of the other agents -- have always wanted to ask you two --"

"Yes, we really are sisters," Baby said, cutting him short.

He looked at her surprised. "No one said that you were telepathic."

"People have been asking that question all our lives. I know the look."

"Then I will ask a different question," he said, bowing his head to her. "Why did you take the assignment without knowing what it might be?"

Apache got a look of panic in her eyes, though she kept it from the rest of her face. Baby chose her words very carefully. "We took it because Apache -- is crazy."

She could almost hear her sister sigh with relief.

"Really?" Kim said. "The reports have always stated that you are the one to most worry about."

"Of course. Apache is crazy -- but I am, after all, still with her."

She saw Apache frown a little, but so far Baby appeared to have stayed within bounds. She'd have to push a little farther next time.

"Why did you ask for us, Kim?" Apache asked.

He paused for a long moment, his head tilted sideways as he obviously contemplated his answer. Then he gave a little shrug and a slight smile. "There were many reasons, but most important to me... I wanted to meet you, Morning Star Sangre."

Silence.

"This just gets worse and worse," Baby said, shaking her head in disbelief. She stood. "Come on. Let's get to the plane before you two forget that we even have an assignment."

Apache stood and gave Kim a nod. "I know, you can't have any fun when you have to drag your little sister around with you every where you go."

He laughed, but he stood and paid the bill, then walked at Apache's side as they left the bar. Baby played bodyguard again. People looked at them. Baby was used to it, but she thought Kim looked a little uneasy. He had better get used to it quickly, she thought.


Three


"The flight promises to be on time still," Kim said, waving a hand toward the screens.

Apache nodded, reading through the list -- she always liked to know what else sat out there. Always plan for a quick get away, or know if there is a possibility of enemies arriving. Of course, with the cases that she and her sister had taken in the last few years, any of those flights could hold someone with a grudge. Or there could be whole planeloads of such people in a couple cases.
"Plan looks good, but we may be a little late, though," Baby said. She put a hand on her sister's arm and gave a slight pull, letting Apache know where to look without being obvious. "See them?

"The three women by the window."

"Right. They have been with us through four airports now, and always within a few feet. Too much of a coincidence. Do you happen to know them, Kim?"

"No, I fear not." He bent and brushed some dust from his immaculate shoes, and came back with something small and white in his hands. "We cannot afford to lose time. If we confront them here, even should we win the exchange, the local security would not be happy, and that would delay us for some time."

"True," Apache said, watching her sister who watched the women.

"Good." He held out his hand and showed a tiny vial with a small needle attached. "Are you opposed to me using this?"

"Aside from the fact that you are the senior agent, and I have no idea what that is, why even bother to ask us?" Apache said, shaking her head.

"This contains the same drug that was given to Baby last February," he explained, and closed his hand around the vial when someone else came close by.

Although Baby never looked their way, Apache could see her blink. She wondered if Baby would have an objection.

"It wore off," Baby said finally and shrugged. "It did me no lasting harm."

"True," Apache said. "Well, unless it made you crazier, but who could tell?"

Baby flashed a bright, quick smile.

"Then I will take care of one of those women," Kim said. "I leave the other two to the two of you."

"Oh, fun time!" Apache said. Kim looked a little worried now. "You want to draw one off somewhere, Baby?"

"Are you really that desperate to get some time alone with him, Apache?"

"I'm working, Baby."

"Yes, I know. That doesn't answer my question."

"Morning Glory Sangre --"

"I'll head toward the ticket counters, shall I?"

"We don't have much time, remember. Ten minutes, and then I'll come and bail you out of whatever trouble you've gotten into."

"Hardly enough time to really start any serious fun," Baby said. She looked back at Kim for the first time. "Behave."

"Go," Apache said.

Baby smiled brightly, peered into her shoulder bag as though she and Apache had been speaking about something else entirely, and pulled out a piece of paper. She nodded and left.

Kim looked pleased. "I'm happy you two work so well together."

"Survival instinct," Apache said. "There one goes. They've really underestimated Baby if they think that one alone stands a chance against my sister. I don't know why they keep making that mistake."

"And shall we go speak with the other two?" Kim asked.

"You're the one in charge."

He bowed, turned on his heel, and headed straight for the two remaining women. Apparently he preferred the straightforward approach to spying, which rather appealed to Apache right now, especially when she saw how the two didn't really want to confront them. They started to move away, only to find Apache cutting off that direction.

"Ladies," Kim said, bowing when he came near. "I believe that we should speak, yes?"

"I don't know you!" The woman's shrill voice was sure to draw attention, a young woman in distress.

"We have not actually met," Apache said. "But we have been in the same place at least four times in the past eight hours. New at the game? Not very professional, you know, staying so close that we can reach you in a few steps. And never put a window at your back. It gives you no place to retreat."

The second woman turned to Apache with a look that made her just a little uneasy. She could see wildness in those eyes, and animal cunning -- but not anything really human. Apache tensed as she remembered where she had seen that look before. The woman was Van, even if she wasn't (at least at the moment) green.

"Would you prefer to go somewhere more private to speak?" Kim asked.

Though she watched the woman with the feral eyes, she could see Kim's woman move with extraordinary speed -- a blow toward his head, but Kim moved faster still. His hand blocked the attack and the other slapped against her shoulder.

Apache's woman had moved too, and though Apache wasn't as fast as Kim, she still managed to stop the blow. Kim spun and put a hand on the woman's shoulder. She stopped in mid move, her arm falling to her side.

"That second dosage will not hold her long. But at least we avoid some of the attention that would come from an actual battle." Apache gave a quick look around. No one seemed to be paying them much attention. Kim, speaking in a language that Apache didn't understand, waved toward the chairs. The two went and sat down. "Let us hope that your sister is discreet in her work as well."

"Baby? Discreet? The thought boggles the mind."

"Perhaps then we should locate her before she draws too much attention?"



Four


Baby Sangre had been quite pleased with how well Apache's little plan worked. One of the three had followed her immediately, so blatantly unprofessional that she couldn't decide if it amused or annoyed her. Why send three untrained people after three of the best in FUTURE?

Unless... that was all they had available here at the moment. Which meant there would be trouble... elsewhere. But then she had expected that anyway.

Baby walked around a corner into a short, somewhat dark little hall and waited. As she expected, the woman came around the corner, moving a little faster than she should have been, and without ever thinking about looking first.

"Hi there!" Baby grabbed her by the arm and spun the woman around with such force that she nearly knocked the woman unconscious when she collided with the wall. "So tell me, what brings you to New York?"

The woman looked plainly surprised. Baby put a hand on her shoulder when she started away and shoved her back again. She glared.

"Do I have your attention now?"

"Yes." She stared, her dark eyes glaring in a way that made her look not entirely human. Under the circumstances, that didn't really surprise Baby as much as she supposed it should.

"Good. Now tell me who sent you."

"The Vananadania Confederacy," the woman said, a little smirk at the corner of her lips now. "But you have no idea what that is, do you?"

"That would be the green people, right? I suppose that you're after the photonic power cell as well."

Her eyes went wide. "You know."

"The power cell, the time machine, the alien invasion -- the whole sordid mess."

The woman cursed. Baby didn't know the language, but she knew the sound. The woman straightened, as though Baby had given her the final resolve that she needed. Not entirely the reaction she wanted --

"This knowledge will mean your deaths. We suspected as much. We will not allow the Terrans off this miserable world. You and your sister are dead."

Baby pinched her arm. "Not that I noticed."

"Baby, what are you doing?" Apache asked. She and Kim stood at the end of the hall.

"Just having a friendly little chat with our shadow here."

"Well, do take care of this. We have a plane to catch."

"What do you want me to do with her?"

"Something quick."

The woman took that moment to reach toward her belt. Baby swung back with one hand, and sent her flying back against the wall. She sagged unconscious. Baby pushed her back into the corner.

"Will that do?" she asked, looking at her sister.

Apache smiled appreciation. "Very nice. Come on. It won't be long before her two friends come out of it. With any kind of luck, we'll be in the air by then."

"They want us dead, Apache."

"Well, them and half the other people who ever met us," Apache said.

"Only half?" Kim said, surprised.

They still let him come along on the flight.

Baby even finally allowed them to sit side-by-side while she took another spot nearby. She could hear them discuss music, movies, which people in The Office dressed the worse, and Apache's odd taste in pets.

All in all, Baby thought an actual date would have been far easier on all of them.



Five


About half way across the Atlantic, with many of the passengers bored out of their minds or asleep, Baby took Kim's seat, and Kim knelt in the aisle beside them, ready to discuss some of the case. They drew a few stares at first, but after a little while the people turned away, and the three finally went to work on the case.

"The woman I dealt with said she came from the Vananadania Confederacy," Baby said.

"Not a surprise," Kim said.

"You might have mentioned them before this," Apache said.

"They are... not happy with FUTURE, or our use of local people."

"As though we don't have enough enemies just on this world," Baby said. She shook her head. "Still, it can't be helped now. You want to tell us a little about these people?"

"They are a tightly knit group of planets, all sprung from the same colonial port, and rather aggressive. We think it might be inbreeding... but never mind that part. They have dedicated their life style to military operations and conquest."

"Sparta," Apache said.

"Yes, your Earth history --" Kim stopped and smiled brightly as a steward went by, eyeing them curiously. "Yes, the stories of Sparta bare a strong resemblance to the lifestyle of the Van."
"They aren't much as far as hand-to-hand fighting goes," Baby said.

"They are somewhat hampered here on Earth. They know that if they show themselves the Council will take direct action against them. They remain somewhat discreet, though even that seems to be losing its hold. They shot down the ship and tried to go in for the cell, but members of the crew had managed to drop it in a rather inhospitable area before the ship went down."

"Tibet? Nepal?" Baby said.

"Somewhere in that area."

"So you're sending us in to get it?"

"It's your world," he said, and gave a little smile that Apache no doubt found adorable. Baby gritted her teeth.

"So, why do they want this cell? Don't they have ones of their own?"

"Yes, but not as good as ours," Kim said. "And they are more worried that it fall into your hands."

"Yes, well, once our scientists start in on something like that --"

"No, no -- I literally mean your hands. They're very much worried that the photonic cell will fall into the hands of the infamous Sangre sisters. You've had rather spectacular results with other items, after all."

If Baby had had a knife on her right at that moment, there was no telling what might have happened. Apache caught hold of her arm when she started to move, and Kim looked at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Let's change places, Baby," Apache said.

"What? Afraid I'll kill your friend before your first date is over?"

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time, would it?" Apache said.

"Ah. Good point."

They traded places. Good. Baby always liked the window seat, especially when they flew over such incredible cloud formations. She let Apache and Kim talk 'in private' for a while. Her mind filed away all those little snippets anyway. And she got to watch the pretty patterns of lightning... moving not so randomly...

"Well, that can't be right," she said aloud.

Amazing how that got the attention of both her sister and her sister's companion.

"You want to fill us in on that one?" Apache said, trying to look out the small window with her sister.

"Just watch for a moment," Baby said. "One two three, there. One to three -- again --"

"Ah. Interesting."

"Yes?" Kim said.

"I think we're being tailed," Apache said. She dropped back into her seat. "They wouldn't do something like take down a plane, would they?"

"I wouldn't think --" Kim said. But stopped in a way that made Baby very nervous. "I don't think --"

"We're in a hell of a lot of trouble, aren't we?" Apache asked.

He stood and looked around. "Stand up."

Apache started to, and sat right back down, looking startled. Kim began to curse, once again in another language. He pulled something from inside his pocket and slapped it at the back of Apache's neck, but when he reached for Baby, he found his hand intercepted, obviously more quickly than he expected.

"The last time one of you people did that move with me, I was not at all happy with the results."

"It's all right, Baby," Apache said. "I feel better already."

"I --"

"Don't argue."

She glared at her sister, turned around and held her hair up. She felt a little sting at the back of her neck, and then... clarity. She hadn't expected it since she hadn't felt particularly muddled before. Although now she realized that she'd been watching those clouds for far longer than she should have, and Apache and Kim had been talking about things that made little or no sense.

"What the hell happened?" Apache said.

"They infiltrated the air system. Everyone on board had started to slip into a trance state."

"Everyone?" Baby said. "Like, you know, the pilots and such."

"Yes."

"Great. And what did they intend to do with everything now that it's in a trance state."

"I imagine that they thought they would take over the controls and ... be done with us."

"Oh would they," Apache said. "Baby --"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I don't have a damn car license. Why am I the one to always ends up piloting the jets?"

"Kim and I have other work."

"You know, if I didn't trust you like... well, like my own sister, I'd half believe you bribed the Van to do this so you could keep me busy while you have time alone with Kim."

"Trust you like my own sister. There's an odd line," Apache said.

"Yes, I thought you'd find that one amusing," she said, and went past Apache and around Kim. "Get them all secured. There's no telling what's going to happen."

"We're on it."

"Just so long as you're not on each other," Baby said, heading up toward the cockpit.


Six



Apache began seat belting the people into place before Baby had even gotten all the way to the front. Kim, on the other hand, watched the younger Sangre sister and when she had finally disappeared into the cockpit -- he didn't ask how she would handle the pilots -- he turned back to Apache.

"Is she always..." He stopped and looked back at the door where Baby had disappeared.

"Always what?" Apache asked, straightening people and buckling them into their seats. "This crazy? This quick? What?"

"This hard to work with?"

"Hard to work with?" Apache said, looking back at him. "Let me point out a couple things, Kim. She's here on my whim. She's done everything she's been asked to do. She has not tried to kill you even once yet, which she has done with my dates and senior agents before. Baby doesn't get much more cooperative than this."

"I'm doomed."

"If you had read our reports you would have realized that before you asked for us."

Kim started to say something, but at that moment two unconscious pilots came tumbling out of the cockpit.

"Do go take care of them, will you Kim?"

"Does it matter to you that I'm the senior agent, and I should be giving the orders?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter to me much at all," Apache said, grinning. "You can go ask Baby if it matters to her, if you like. I'll be at the other end of the plane."

"Ah. I'll just go see to the pilots, shall I?"

"Sounds like a wise idea."

Apache continued to make certain everyone, including the stewards, were all in place. She had no idea what her sister might do. In fact, she found herself far more worried about what Baby planned than what the Van intended for them. She wondered if she should mention that to Kim, but he seemed to be having enough trouble accepting the situation he had gotten himself into.

She tried to feel sorry for him. She really did.

"Apache, you there?" Baby said over the intercom.

Apache walked over to the intercom. "No, I'm not here. Kim and I decided we'd rather go out for dinner and dancing."

"Ah, good. Then I can have full discretion to do whatever the hell I please?"

Somewhere farther up in the craft she heard Kim give a startled, and rather panicked, yelp.

"By all means."

"Aaaaaiiiiiieeeee!"

"What was that?" Baby asked.

"Kim getting a little too excited."

"Right."

Kim had come racing back through the plane and caught hold of her arm. He looked rather worried for the first time.

"You just gave your sister permission to do whatever she pleases!"

"Yes?"

"Have you never read her file, you fool! Do you know what she did with the last jet she had in her hands?"

"Well, yes. I was with her at the time. Unconscious for a good part of it, but I was in the same plane. I seem to remember a rather unorthodox landing and something about playing chicken with -- what was it? A squadron of RAF jets that refused to get out of the way?"

He stopped and stared at her for a long, silent moment.

"It had not occurred to me until now, but you are quite as crazy as your sister, aren't you?"

"Of course I am," she said, smiling. "We come as a team. You should have wondered how we had both survived each other for so long."

"Yes, a stupid mistake," he said. "Am I going to survive it?"

"You might. Baby hasn't killed you yet."

The plane bounced. Apache reached out and grabbed Kim, pulling him into her arms. She grinned and hit the comm. "Thanks, Baby."

"Thought you'd appreciate it," she said.

Kim looked at Apache, shaking his head. "She can't know ...You didn't ... I shouldn’t be here."

Apache gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder and went up toward the front to be with her sister. She'd never trusted Baby's driving much. No telling where they might end up. Her sister had odd ideas of where they ought to spend their vacations.

Kim came scrambling up after her. She couldn't decide if that showed wisdom or not. But he came right into the cockpit with her and took the engineer's spot, doing such a nice quick check of the boards that she suspected he might even know what he was doing. Good. One of them should.

Odd. When she arrived she could see nothing at all out of place. That worried her far too much.

"Okay, what the hell are you up to, Baby?"

"Hey, you're the one who said I could have fun," Baby replied. She flipped a number of switches, and then gently banked the plane to the south. "Communications is out, by the way. And so is radar."

"The authorities will likely believe we have already gone down in the ocean," Kim said.

"I figured that," Baby said. She turned the plane again. "Ah, there. That should do it."

They faced what looked like a dozen glowing balls of light, each twice the size of the jet.

"Those are Van fighters," Kim said. "A single one of them has the firepower to take out an entire Earth city in a couple shots."

"Oh, really," Baby said. She looked back at her sister. "Do get strapped in this time, unless you'd rather be unconscious for this one, too."

"There is a draw to that idea," Apache said. But she took the seat next to her sister anyway and pulled the belt into place.

Baby glanced at Apache, smiled, and turned away. Apache grabbed hold.

And they moved... in ways that jet planes probably shouldn't move at all. It did certainly seem to take the Van fighters by surprise, as well as Kim who yelped again, but didn't say anything more.

They swept toward -- and then under -- the fighters. The glow momentarily brushed across the plane. A good amount of the equipment sparked and went dead at that moment.

"Well, that's not good," Baby said.

Kim frantically worked at the engineering board. He said things in the language that Alan often used when he was in such close quarters with the Sangre sisters. Apache was almost to the point where she could understand it.

Baby had gone around the alien crafts somehow. She turned and headed back toward them.

"Why --" Kim said, still frantically working at his board.

"Because I have to assume that they are far too dangerous to leave at our backs."

"Ah. Yes."

Apache looked back at Kim. That he agreed with her sister... oh, that didn't look good at all. She considered literally bailing right then. It would probably be the wise thing to do. But, alas, she had her own reputation to protect.

Baby pushed all the power she could into the engines and leapt straight ahead. Closer -- time counted in rapid heartbeats -- and the touch of the green light --

The ships scattered. Scattered so quickly, in fact, that two of them had an unfortunate collision, and they kind of bounced --

"Oh, look -- we're playing bumper ships! My favorite!"

Baby swung the jet around again and charged straight at another craft. It seemed to shift right, left up -- and Baby slid right under it, green light illuminating the jet, and for a moment Apache could see the craft inside, bristling with what looked like canons, all swinging in their direction --

"Baby?"

"No problemo."

And apparently it was not. The jet turned and light flashed by on all sides. They did not, apparently, take a hit.

And then they headed straight into the clouds and the heart of the storm. The plane hit the turbulence and bounced, but Baby and Apache fought it back into order as best they could.

"What now?" Apache said.

"As much as I would like to play a few more games, we do have more passengers than I'm willing to risk," Baby said. She flipped switches and shook her head. "No good. I can get us to London and land -- well, as long as no one warns the RAF that I'm the one piloting. We wouldn't have a chance in hell if that got out."

"How do we explain all of this?" Apache said, waving a hand back toward the rest of the people."

"We won't have to," Kim said. He flipped a few more switches. "The humans -- the people are in a light trance state. I can convince the crew that everything went well, despite a malfunction in the electrical unit and a loss of communications. I think we will be close enough to on time that they need not consider anything else, right?"

"Right," Apache said. She nodded her approval. "Need help?"

"How long do we have, Baby?" Kim asked.

"A little less than an hour," she said.

"Then yes, I think you had best help me," Kim answered. "I'll show you how to handle this."

"Fine." Apache nodded and stood.

And then she saw Kim reach over and put a hand on Baby's shoulder -- that got a startled reaction from her sister. "You did well, Baby. But no more bumper ships, all right?"

"Only if they stay out of my sight," she said and grinned back at him.

"Fair enough," he said and left the cockpit.

Baby looked back at her sister, shaking her head. "We should have looked at his file, you know. I suspect, maybe... this could be dangerous, the three of us..."

"I don't want to think that, Baby. I really don't."

"It was your idea."

"And I'm going to suffer for it now, aren't I?"

"Oh, well -- I had intended that anyway."

"True. Don't crash. We'll be back in a few minutes."

Baby nodded and went back to the work of flying a jet with quite a few of the controls not working. Apache watched her for a moment, and then went to help Kim. And she tried very hard not to think this could get worse, and that maybe her sister had things better in hand than she did. No. That thought really troubled her far too much to consider.

She'd be happy to get back on the ground.

Seven


The plane put down with a bit of hoopla, because of the bad communications, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Airport personnel came to greet the passengers. The only panic hit when the airport manager saw the Sangre Sisters had been on the flight.

"God help us," he whispered. He stepped up in front of the two, but he looked at Apache. "Tell me that she never had her hands on the controls."

"I'd be glad to tell you that. She never had her hands on the controls."

He looked at Baby. She smiled.

"Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God."

And he hurried away. Kim, who had been ahead of them had turned back, shaking his head. "Well, at least there is no way that he'll ever really know."

"Well, not until they dust for prints, of course," Baby said.

"You forgot to remove your prints?" Kim said.

"Forgot? Of course I didn't forget," Baby answered. "But this way the poor man will have his answer. He would have suspected it for the rest of his life anyway. People like that deal far better with facts than imagination."

"I'm going to go arrange for a private jet," Apache said. "We don't dare take public transportation any more."

"Good plan," Kim said. He looked past them toward a growing commotion. The name Sangre seemed to be growing louder. "Do be quick."

"No time for sightseeing?" Baby said as she leaned against a wall. The airport manager looked her way. She waved. Then, as he started screaming louder, she turned back to Kim. "You're marked now, you know. He'll never forget the face of someone who stood with the Sangre sisters."

"I'm not surprised." Kim waved as well, and Baby smiled. She could get to like this guy. "But then I marked myself with some far more interesting people then those here on -- around here when I asked for the two of you."

"So why did you do it?"

"I wanted to meet Apache."

Baby sighed. "Story of my life."

"And I needed a team quickly who wouldn't ask questions about the nature of the job. You two actually surpassed yourselves there, since I thought you would at least ask where you were going."

"That would have taken far too much of the fun out of this assignment," Baby said. But she nodded. "Okay, I can see where Apache and I, having dealt with the alien side of this mess already, were a natural choice. But tell me what kind of trouble this puts us in with. . . those other interesting people you know."

"Alan stands between you and them. He's a very powerful man in a very dangerous position. No one expected Earth to be such. . . ."

"Trouble?"

"Oh yes, that is the word exactly."

"I rather suspected it would be, having hung around here for so long and all."

"It is a wonder that you and your sister have survived so long," Kim said. He looked entirely too serious now, and Baby wondered about the change. "You have had a few close calls."

"Yes, we have," she said. Serious as well, and that seemed to take him by surprise. "I'm not really sure if we've survived because we're crazy, or we're crazy because we've survived."

"Ah. Ah." He nodded, and she suspected that made a whole lot more sense to him than it should have.

"Tell me about how you grew up," Baby said.

He gave her a startled look. "Maybe,when we have more time. It deserves a longer tale, the story of life at court. Besides, the riot is nearly about to start, and your sister is frantically waving at you to get moving."

"I know," Baby said. "Every now and then I like her to realize that I'm not at her beck and call."

"And you do this at a time when others are starting to get frantic for their own reasons?" Kim said, waving toward the passengers and airport personnel who stared, their voices growing louder again.

"Oh yes," Baby said. "I choose my times very carefully. They must have figured out that something odd had happened, but they're not really sure what. Ah well, if Apache is that anxious to head for the mountains and the snow, I'm certainly not going to slow her down any more. I should warn you that she loathes snow, by the way. If I were you, I'd go and have it cleared away before we get there."

As they walked away, Kim had the look of someone considering having Tibet cleared of the white stuff. Wise man.

Apache led them to a small jet that the ground crew had started servicing already. Baby didn't want to think how much this was going to cost -- but at least it would be on FUTURE's bill this time. She climbed in and started toward the controls, but Kim actually pushed past her this time.

"You and your sister can rest for a while," he said. He grinned when she started to protest. "Really. I insist, at least until we're out of British airspace and away from the RAF."

"Fast learner," Apache said, throwing herself into one of the little chairs. "Sit down, Baby. Let the man earn his keep. We don't often get chauffeured to work."

"Excellent point," Baby said. She sat down and smiled at Kim who looked as though he wanted to reconsider the situation again and redefine his senior agent status. "Let's do go, Kim. We'd hate to be caught up with the rabble causing so much trouble in the airport, now would we?"

He glanced back out the door as he swung it shut, looked at the Sangre sisters for a moment, and then headed for the controls. Baby kicked back and watched out the window, waiting for whatever trouble came after them. Kim, at least, quickly talked his way through security and got them off the ground.

He did have another quick discussion with someone in which he repeatedly swore that Morning Glory Sangre did not have the controls, nor would she as long as they flew in British airspace.

"You know, I'm tempted to pick up a car license in Great Britain, just to see what kind of reaction I would get," Baby said.

"Yeah, that might be fun," Apache agreed. "We'll have to try it out sometime. Though I suggest we come into the country quietly -- say by boat. That way they won't have any warning at all."

"You two do this sort of thing for fun?" Kim asked.

"Oh yes," Apache replied. "And don't give us that look. Considering that you're doing the same with the Van, and with us as hamsters --"

"Gophers," Baby corrected.

"Guinea Pigs?" Kim asked, looking back at them, obviously terribly confused.

"Whatever. You are using us as small rodent-type creatures --"

"Loses something in the translation," Baby said.

Kim made a strangled little sound and turned his full attention back to the controls. Baby and Apache grinned, and kicked back to get a little sleep while they could.



Eight


Baby knew something had gone wrong the moment her sister gently tried to wake her up with a soft touch on her arm and a whisper of words.

"You need to wake up now, Morning Glory --"

She came straight awake, sitting up so fast that Kim had to leap back out the way.

"See," Apache said. "I told you that would work."

"What the hell has gone wrong?"

"We're down in Italy."

"I don't recall that we were going to Italy," she said. "I missed something?"

"A dogfight with two more Van ships. I let Kim have the fun this time, but he says there are far too many of them up there for us now, and it's better that we take to ground cover for awhile."

"No more bumper ships?" she asked, looking out the window.

"Not over a populated area," Kim said.

She nodded and still stared outside. "We seem to have a definite lack of civilization out there."

"I landed on an old World War II airstrip," Kim explained. "And I used equipment that kept us off the radar. The locals are not likely to know that we're here."

"I want that equipment," Baby and Apache chorused.

"Later," he said, and he seemed to mean it. "We need to get out of the plane and to some better cover. The Van will know we landed in this area, and the little toys I used won't particularly slow them down. We don't want to be sitting in such a nice open target."

"I suppose we're going to have to walk, right?" Baby said with a sigh.

"I fear so." Kim stopped and looked at her. His eyes flickered down to her leg and back. "This is not a problem?"

"Not really," she said. "I have managed to survive assignments where I've had to walk before, you know. I've even had to run a couple times, but then you get used to that if you live with Apache for long."

"Oh, like you've never started trouble that I've had to run from," Apache said as she stood and stretched.

"Of course not. Everyone knows you're the troublemaker."

"Shall we go back to the Reservation and put it up for a vote?" Apache asked.

"Well, if you think that's wise," Baby said, and started out ahead of her sister. "But I think if we were that blatant about having them consider all the trouble you and I have started, we might as well plan on it being our last visit there for awhile."

"True."

Kim followed, closing the craft up behind them. Baby looked back at it, wondering if maybe she could... well, drive it to town. But that might not be wise. She didn't know the direction, after all.

A biting wind blew down from the mountains behind them. She could feel snow in the air -- though it would likely be warmer tomorrow. She wondered where they would be for Thanksgiving this year, and if she should mention the fact that they were working yet another holiday.

"Any idea where we are?" Baby asked.

"Italy," the two chorused.

Apache and Kim looked at each other, startled. Baby decided to just stay out of this one. In fact, she felt a strong temptation to maybe slip off into the countryside, do a little ruin exploring... far away from these two.

"We're somewhere between the heel and the toe," Apache said. "Cosenza is a few miles west of here, if I have things right."

"Oh, nice," Baby said. She looked around the dark night, noting mountains on all sides and nodded. "Can we stay long enough to look for Alaric?"

"You know someone here?" Kim said, suspicious and worried.

"Alaric the Goth, died about 1600 years ago," Apache said.

"Yes? And that means you don't know him? Why then would you want to look him up?"

"It's a part of Earth history, Kim," Apache said. "He was a warrior who took Rome -- you know about Rome?"

"Oh yes. We study all the great warrior states. Seems... wise, somehow."

"Alaric is at least someone you don't have to worry about," Apache told him.

"We worry about every Earther, dead and living. It makes us -- "

"Even more paranoid than Apache and me," Baby offered.

"Very careful," he said. He gave her a smile.

"I can see how careful you are," Apache said. "Joining up with Baby and me and all."

"Oh, but far better with you than against you."

Well, they couldn't exactly argue with that one...

They followed a road for a little while, then a narrow path that wound through the foothills and down toward the plain where two rivers headed toward the Tyrrhenian shore. Baby would have preferred being here, say, in late summer. The freezing weather didn't exactly make the countryside more enduring.

She almost said as much before she remembered that they would head for Tibet next. Best not to bring up cold, snow, and other unpleasantness to remind Apache of the work ahead.

So she followed docilely down the hillside, through the rows of new housing, toward the distant freeways and thriving metropolis. Apache apparently had a goal in mind, or if she didn't, she pretended very well. Some times Baby couldn't even tell the difference.

Apache bought a car at the first car lot they found, which helped a great deal, especially in getting across those freeways. In an hour she had traded the first car for something far more to her liking, and they took to the road, heading northward.

"Are we going to drive all night?" Baby asked.

"No," Apache said. "Maybe as far as Naples tonight, then sleep through most of tomorrow and start out toward sunset again. That a problem, Kim? Or do you think the three of us would be inconspicuous enough to go unnoticed in broad daylight?"

"Sounds most wise," he said with a bow of his head. "Although the Van... well they have ways of finding us, day or night."

"We noticed that last Christmas," Baby said, leaning forward from the back seat. "Odd little devices that seemed very capable of tracking Apache and me in the Arizona mountains. Will being in among other humans help?"

"Well, it probably would if I weren't along," he said.

Tempting, Baby thought. And she knew Apache thought the same thing. Kim, wisely, changed the subject, which somehow drifted quickly toward the differences between Terran and alien anatomy. With a shake of her head, Baby leaned back and tried to go to sleep. She had not joined FUTURE to be a chaperon to her sister, although the way her career had been going lately, it didn't seem so bad. As she drifted off, she tried to remember why exactly she had joined. Apache said it had been a true sign of insanity, and she should know -- after all, she had become a FUTURE agent as well.

She napped all the way to Naples and found the two still discussing anatomy by the time Apache found them a hotel. Baby barely kept from saying that she seemed in a hurry to get to a room. Baby and Kim went in to register while Apache dealt with the car. Baby knew her sister's methods. They would be driving something else in the morning.

Kim appeared to be fluent in Italian, but he let Baby make the room arrangements. The night clerk looked suspiciously at them, but Baby's Gold Card proved a good salve for his dislike, and he handed over the room key with only a little sniff of disdain.

The old historic hotel, although well kept, had an air of decadence, but the single elevator didn't work. Baby looked at it with a sigh of regret and turned toward the stairs, Kim walking with her.

The staircase looked like it had come out of some fancy Hollywood movie. She half expected to see Errol Flynn come leaping around the curve and slide down the banister.

"Problem?" Kim asked.

"Stairs are my one true bane," she admitted, going slowly up the steps. The knee didn't move much with the brace.

"Ah, of course. You booked us only one room," Kim said, looking at her. "Why?"

"Because I am not spending the night alone."

He laughed, but then bowed his head in agreement. He didn't press her to hurry up the stairs. Lucky she had booked a room on the second floor. He went to the end of the hall, checking the fire escape while she got the door open. She thought about going and checking the fire escape herself, but she could do that a little later. It wouldn't hurt to show a little confidence in his ability, after all.

The room turned out to be rather nice -- plush carpet, the scent of real wood, and a décor of dark blues and greens. The bathroom looked large, and done in real marble. She went to one window and checked it, while Kim checked another. He tended to look up at the sky more than at the ground. She supposed she should start getting into that habit.

"Safe enough for now," Baby said. She pulled a chair over by the window and sat down, stretching her leg out a little. The car had been cramped, the stairs an annoyance.

Kim sat on the foot of the bed and looked at her, his head tilted. "May I ask you a question?"

"Certainly. It doesn't mean I will answer it."

He smiled again. "I like the two of you. Even knowing what I am, you are not put off by it."

"Senior agents have never impressed us over much," she said.

He laughed again and made that same little elegant bow of agreement. "I suppose not. But my question -- what happened to your leg?"

She looked at him, surprised this time.

"It is too personal?" he asked, looking worried.

"No, not at all. It's in my files, after all. I assumed you would know."

"My apologies. I am not as good at reading your languages as I am at speaking them."

"Fair enough. Apache and I were still cops in Phoenix --"

"Cops?"

"Police. The case we were working on went bad, and as it happened, there was a FUTURE agent involved. One of our own people had gone over to the other side. Apache and I tracked him down. He put a bullet straight through my knee."

"He did it purposely."

"Oh yes. He told me that we'd ruined his career, so he intended to ruin mine. And it did get me off the police force, but I joined FUTURE as soon as I was on my feet again."

"And Apache just came along, naturally."

"Apache does nothing naturally," Baby warned. She looked out the window, seeing her sister walking by. She'd be up to the room soon. "Actually, she spent a year and a half in the mountains of Tibet before she joined FUTURE."

"A year and a half? Why?"

"Vacation."

"But she hates snow," Kim protested.

"Very much so. It does show you the lengths to which she will go to get away from me, though. She knew that because of my injured leg I would have a hard time mountain climbing to find her."

"What made her come back?"

"She didn't, actually, until after I parachuted in."

"And you did this because?" he asked, looking fascinated.

"I needed help on a mission. I had a partner already, but he'd gone squirrelly on the first day. I didn't trust him. That turned out to be uncommon wisdom. Apache ended up killing him."

"Double agent?"

"No, just a homicidal maniac."

"And your missions, they've continued like this ever since?"

"That was one of the tame ones, to be honest," she said. "And this last year, with the Van and all-- well, it's been interesting, at least. I would hate to have to quit being a spy because it got boring. I don't know what kind of trouble Apache and I would have to find then."

"Gods help us if that ever happened. I shall tell Alan that you must be kept adequately employed and amused."

She laughed this time. And by then she heard Apache in the hall. Kim must have as well. Good. She liked to think he could guard, if need be.

Apache knocked, and Kim let her in. She looked around the room once and nodded.

"And your room is where?" she said, looking at Baby.

"Right here," she said.

"You are not my chaperon."

"And like I told Kim, I am not spending the night alone. We're going to have to take turns guarding, you know. Or did that part of the assignment slip your mind during that rather long and detailed anatomy discussion?"

Apache growled. Never a good sign. Baby held her place and Apache finally gave in.

"All right, fine. I'm going to take a shower and get some sleep."

She turned and stalked to the bathroom, all but slamming the door shut.

"Ah --" Kim said.

"She took that pretty well," Baby said. "She didn't even draw a weapon. I'm impressed."

"That was good?" he said.

"Oh yes. Very good. Kim, can I make a suggestion?"

"Certainly."

"A nice warm shower is a wonderful place to make a closer study of anatomy differences."

"Pardon?" he said, his eyes going wide.

"She didn't lock the door."

He smiled quite brightly and headed into the bathroom, unbuttoning his shirt as he went.

At least they were quiet...



And she really hated to interrupt them, but an hour after they went into the bathroom, trouble started showing up on the street. And on the roof across the street.

She knocked on the door.

"What the hell do you want?" Apache demanded.

"Fine, fine. I'll go handle the Van invasion force by myself, shall I?"

"Well why the hell do you think I brought you along?" Apache asked.

"Then I get to do whatever I want?"

"Sure --"

The bathroom door burst open, and a figure darted out, nearly knocking Baby down. Kim at least had his pants on, though he had his shirt in hand and his long hair looked snarled and wild. "No! No, not even for a few more moments with your sister, will I turn you loose upon the world."

Apache came out of the room, fully dressed, her hair combed, and a knife in hand. Well, it didn't surprise Baby to find out her sister had rather kinky tastes. And Apache had probably warped poor Kim beyond any saving now. God knew what the man would tell the rest of his people about humans and sex.

She trusted her sister had at least been creative, but she really didn't intend to pry for the details. Besides, Kim had already crossed the room and shouted in dismay as he saw the enemy outside.

"He is rather excitable, isn't he?" Baby said, watching Kim pull his shirt on with haste while he stared out the window, obviously marking the locations of the enemies. "You'd think he didn't trust me out on my own or something."

Kim had begun something in that other language again, but when he turned back to the two, he did look nominally saner. "A Van elite attack squad. They are serious this time. I had not expected it, though I cannot say I am truly surprised. They are getting more desperate and daring. I suspect they can not find the cell, and they fear that we will."

"And what exactly would we do with it if we got it?" Apache asked.

"Oh no. No. I will not make it easier for you."

Apache smiled. And she tossed the knife to Baby, who caught it easily, startling Kim again. She suspected that he wasn't used to bladed weapons.

"The Van use weapons that do not require that they get close to you," Kim warned.

Baby tossed the knife and embedded it in the door, right in the 'you are here' section of the hotel diagram.

"I don't have to get close either," she said. She went to the door and pulled the knife out. "I'm going to check the fire escape since I suspect we have company coming that way."

"Take this," Apache said. She tossed her sister a second weapon -- one of the fancy little guns they'd taken from the Van earlier in the year.

"You know how to use that?" Kim said, looking worried yet again.

"Oh yes. And don't worry, I won't melt anything, or leave a bunch of dead Van lying around the streets of Naples. I really don't want to be caught here during the ensuing panic and riot over finding aliens on earth."

"Ah, yes. Of course." He drew his own gun that looked like the one Baby had caught, and the one Apache drew out of her bag as well. "Take care, Morning Glory."

She nodded and slipped out of the room. The hall had remained empty. She hoped the rest of the patrons slept through this.

Then she went back to the door and pushed it open and, looking back inside. Apache and Kim already stood with their arms around each other.

"Stop that right now," she said. "We have work to do."

"Honestly, I'm never taking you on a date with me again," Apache said.

"Yeah, I've heard that one before."

She left. Apache had a gun in her hand, and Baby didn't want to know if she would use, or at what setting. Besides, she could see some fun waiting for her at the fire escape -- a dark head with a definite green tint at the edge of the window. She slipped over to the side of the hallway and waited while they did the work of getting the lock open. Baby could have done it much faster, but she didn't want to show off.

The Van started to climb in, but before more than the head had entered, Baby had her knife to the intruder's neck. That did stop her.

"Hi. My name is Baby Sangre. And you are?"

"You people are doomed--"

"Well, listen Doomed. I'm not real big on being followed around and having my nights interrupted. I'm the polite one, by the way. You don't want to have this conversation with my sister. So, what do you say we have a nice little discussion on Earther manners another day and another place?"

The Van moved, and quickly -- but Baby had been watching for the signs, and as the woman brought her arm up, Baby slapped it back. The Van ended up slapping herself in the face.

And she went very still -- glassy eyed and waiting. Baby, who had been on the other side of that drug, knew exactly what to do now.

"Go and gather all your friends and take them back home," Baby said. "Do it immediately. You will not take no for an answer."

The Van turned around and headed straight back down the stairwell, grabbing one of her companions along the way. When that one protested, she hit her across the back of the head and draped the limp body over her shoulder. And kept going.

"Oh my," Kim said from behind her. "That was very well done. My compliments."

They could hear a disagreement down in the street. It got louder. She saw a flash of blue.

"So, supposing she does manage to gather them all, how long will it take until the drug wears off?"

"Oh, I would say half way back to the Van worlds," Kim said. "She is not going to be happy with you."

"Yes, well she interrupted my night. She got what she deserves. Go on back to the room. I'll keep watch here for a while, though from the sounds of things we aren't likely to have more trouble from them tonight."

Kim stood there looking at Baby. Then he looked back toward the room's door for a moment before he looked at Baby again and gave a gracious bow.

At least it kept Apache out of trouble.



Nine


They left Naples just before noon the next day. The leisurely morning, which included a room service breakfast, put all three of them in a better mood. So did see on the news that rival gangs had apparently had a confrontation in a Naples suburb, but no sign of the groups could be found the next day.

Baby slid down the banister the next day, much to the amusement of her sister and Kim, and not much to the hotel people. Baby explained in rather fluent, and colorful, Italian that she would have much rather used the elevator, but if they preferred, she could rappel down the outside of the building in the future.

They took her surprisingly seriously.

Apache arrived with a slightly more comfortable car when they went out in the late morning.

Baby settled into the back seat of the car where she had lots of room to stretch out this time. She mistrusted it, but nonetheless, she slept for most of the way to Rome. It wasn't a matter of trust. She just needed the sleep. Besides, Apache and Kim had begun discussing clothing, and that turned out to be even more boring than the anatomy discussion.

A small jet waited for them at an airport outside of Rome. It looked enough like the previous one that Baby half suspected it had followed them like a lost puppy. These days she didn't discount any possibilities.

They took off without a problem, heading upward and northeastwardly, toward the mountains. Baby avoided discussion about that destination (and a possible fist fight with her sister) by going back to sleep again. She'd long ago learned that sleep was her natural survival instinct kicking in.

And she woke up to the scent of turkey, pumpkin pie... all the trimmings.

"Ah, you did remember," Baby said, sitting up.

Kim looked back from the pilot's seat, frowning. "You will not even ask how she managed it?"

"Should I?" Baby asked. "Bottom line -- do I really want to know?"

"Ah. Okay." He turned back to the piloting.

"Any sign of trouble?"

"No. So it should hit at any moment," Apache said, sitting a plate of food in her sister's lap. "Eat fast. We're very nearly over Tibet."

She glanced out the window. White. Mountains.

"Looks cold."

"Yeah."

She glanced at Apache, but her sister had turned her own attention to the food. Baby didn't trust that much at all, either. And the fact that the meal went very well only put her in a more anxious state.

"This is about it," Kim said."

"Good. Baby, time for a walk."

"Pardon?"

Apache took the plates and came back with a parachute. She tossed it to Baby. "Get ready."

"Look, Apache, hermana mia --"

"Or you could go out without it."

Baby stood and pulled the parachute on. Apache handed her a large duffle bag. "You'll need that."

"One minute to drop zone," Kim said.

"See you later," Apache said. She already had her hand on the door.

"Look, if you wanted some time alone with him --"

She shoved the door open and pushed her sister out.

Baby thought maybe they should have discussed this first. . . .


Ten


"Do you really think that was wise?" Kim asked.

"Oh no. She's going to be pissed as hell. But it was fun," Apache said. She fought the door closed again and stood there, grinning. "And we do finally get a little time alone."

"Very little. I estimate that the Van will be on us in the next two minutes."

"Ah. Too bad." Apache walked forward to the cabin and slid into the copilot seat. "Baby will be on the western edge of the search zone. I think we'll still make the eastern edge. Any lock on the cell?"

"Only a vague one," he said. He tossed Apache a small device that she caught. "Homing beacon, locked into the photonic cell's power gradient. That will get you to it."

She pushed it into her pocket, and looked up at the sky where something flashed bright overhead. "We have company."

"Yes, we do. Ready for your own walk?"

"Not really, but I suspect the Van are not going to listen to reason. What do you think they are going to try?"

"I have no idea what Van think," Kim said. He sounded, if nothing else, rather tired of the game. "I can set the plane to home on one of their ships. That should keep them busy for a while."

"Oh good." Apache took the controls for a moment while he manipulated a rather non-standard device he had shoved onto the board. The controls no longer obeyed her hands at all, so she let go and stood.

Kim nibbled at a dinner roll as they went back to the door. A shame they didn't have time to stay for desert. She pulled on a parachute and he picked up a bag that looked much like the one Baby had taken with her.

He wrapped his arms tight around her as she opened the door.

It proved to be a very interesting jump. A shame it came to an end in the snow. But then again, maybe she'd just not been in the snow with the right people. Really, rolling around with Kim in her arms wasn't so bad.

A shame about the Van ship strafing them, though. She'd have to discuss this behavior with them later. At the moment she and Kim scrambled through the snow and down a hillside, looking for the best cover they could find.

The Van stopped paying them much attention, though, when the plane they had been in started playing 'moth to the flames' with them, trying to annihilate itself against whichever of the glowing globes came closest. They tried to shoot at it, but the plane had an uncanny ability to throw itself into the direct path of another Van ship, and they ended up hitting two of their own in quick succession.

By then she and Kim had managed to get down the hillside and stood on the edge of a cliff with a breathtaking -- and it wasn't just the thin air -- view of the mountains around them. She'd have stood there longer if it hadn't been for the Van still looking for them.

"You have the homing device?" Kim asked.

He brushed snow from his jacket sleeve as though he had found some offending bit of dust. She didn't think the cold affected him much. Fine. She could do the same.

"Yes, I have it," she said. She pulled it out of her pocket and held it out. The screen brightened, then dulled as she pointed it toward him. It went very dark when she pointed it back the way they came, and a bare hint of light to the right. Forward brightened, up dulled. She pointed down the cliff and it glowed like a tiny nova gone off in her hand.

They both looked down.

It looked as though the mountain had been sliced off. The cliff dropped for at least half a mile, down into the darkness of shadows, an abyss that she couldn't even see into.

"Well, that looks promising," Kim said.

A Van ship swept down from the summit toward them, its laser cannon searing a line of melted snow and rock as it came toward them.

Kim pulled her close.

And they jumped. The Van ship went overhead, sweeping past as they fell, the parachute fluttering feebly. The ship disappeared again, and Apache viciously shook the halter straps, but it didn't open.

"So help me, if you don't open, you are going to be so sorry --"

"I think we'll be the ones a bit more sorry," Kim said, breathlessly.

"Don't count on it."

The parachute opened, caught, and slowed their descent. They swept too close to the cliff side, and Apache swung them outward away from the rocks and to the longer drop. She ignored the cold... or maybe she just didn't feel it as much with Kim wrapped so tightly around her still.

She tried not to feel guilty about insinuating that there hadn't been another parachute back on the plane. She'd just not mention that part.

"Do you think they know we're still alive?" Apache asked. The ground -- white and wide -- spread out below them. All in all, she thought she might like the flying part better than the hiking part.

"I suspect they think we fell to our deaths," Kim said. "I don't know if they will come to look for the bodies. Where do you think Baby is?"

"The other side of the valley. If the cell is between us, we should be able to meet up there."

"She doesn't have a homing device."

"Baby doesn't need one. She's going to be so mad about me shoving her out the plane that she'll find me no matter where I go. Since we're going to the cell, she'll be heading in the same direction. She'll keep that path cleared of any trouble."

"And besides, now we finally get some time alone."

"Right."

They hit the ground, rolled -- damned cold, deep snow. Apache sat up and held out the homing device. It glowed brightly as she pointed it straight ahead. Kim stood, started to brush snow from his legs, and stopped.

"Well, that would be useless, wouldn't it?" he said.

Apache unhooked the parachute and stood, reaching for the bag they had dragged down with them. Snow shoes, food, coats, tent, supplies of all sorts packed into the little space. Before long, she and Kim went merrily on their way.

Well, merrily wasn't the exact word, but at least they had started moving.

And the discussion of clothing styles turned out to be very... interesting.


Eleven


Baby climbed up over another damned snow dune and looked out across the valley. More snow. What a surprise. After three days of this little jaunt, she had started coming up with ever more creative ways to let her sister know how thoroughly unhappy she was at this little trip. Probably just as well that she could see no one in sight. She had an uncommonly strong desire to beat the hell out of something right now.

Something moved in the air. Baby had gotten used to seeing the Van ships, and she knew to dive straight into the snow, although for half a heartbeat she considered standing her ground. However, she might not survive an unarmed battle with a space ship -- which meant she wouldn't have her chance to have words with Apache about this, and that finally overcame her anger. She threw herself into the snow dune, burrowing downward. She had begun to feel like a damn frozen hamster. Gopher. Whatever.

Before long she heard the whistling sound of the ship going past. She waited, and as usual it came back not long afterwards. Far too predictable, these Van. And annoying-- a bad combination, and they would find that out as soon as she had words with her sister. First things first.

By the time she had pulled herself back out the snow and wrapped the parachute around her again, the sun had started to go down. A cold wind blew down the mountainside, and she pulled down her ski mask and pushed her hands into her pockets again. And started walking.



Sometime around midnight she started hearing Sibelius. The Finlandia Tone Poem, in fact, and quite possibly the Sir Colin Davis version. This didn't upset her nearly as much as it probably should have. After all, she had a secret liking for Sibelius. The fact that she could see absolutely no sign of civilization didn't bother her much at all. She'd encountered far strangers things in the last year.

Actually, she was about to surprise someone -- a group of people, in fact -- far more than they could ever have surprised her...

She saw the igloos at the bottom of the hill, each with a goat or two guarding the roofs. The goats looked very unhappy with the terrain. Someone came out of an igloo and picked up one of the goats, carrying it to the feeding pen. Obviously the animals had stopped walking in the snow some time before.

They looked like a harmless, friendly enough group, with a nice taste in music. When the man had deposited the goat, he turned around and headed back toward his igloo. Baby thought he looked oddly familiar, even swaddled in furs, goat skins, and what looked suspiciously like a Bedouin robe.

The incline between her and the village looked smooth. She stepped forward and let momentum take her the rest of the way.

"Hi there!" she said, sliding into the middle of the village.



Twelve


"Odd. I don't think we're anywhere near Finland."

"What --" Kim said his head tilted slightly.

"Sibelius," Apache said. "Nice version, too."

"Music," he said, looking back at her as though she had gone mad, rather than the world around them.

"Yes. Music. You've heard music before."

"Not out in the middle of nowhere!"

"Huh. Well, you haven't spent time with Baby and me." She brought up the homing device and it glowed like a little star going off. "Yup. Music and photonic cell are in the same place."

Screams of terror...

"Ah, and that would be where Baby is as well."

Kim looked like his face had frozen into that perpetual 'this is not going well' look. But he still followed Apache down the incline and toward the screams. She wondered, really, why people always did that -- as though her heading for something somehow made it all right.

They found igloos at the bottom of the hill. Not exactly the sort of thing you expect to find in Tibet. (Or were they in Nepal, now? She had lost track.) But she didn't find Eskimos standing out in the middle of the little snow village. They found instead a group of former Future agents, whom she'd last seen in the Gobi Desert a few months before. They even still had their goats, though those animals didn't look happy. She didn't think she'd want to live with a herd of unhappy goats.

Mark spun at the sound of her approach.

"You're following me!" he accused.

"I am not following you," Apache answered indignantly.

"You expect me to believe that it's a total coincidence that you turned up in the Gobi Desert and the snow fields of Tibet?"

"Yes."

He stopped, and took several deep breaths. "You know, if it was anyone but you and your sister, I wouldn't believe it. But yeah. I can bet it is coincidence if you two are involved."

"I assume that Baby is around here somewhere?"

"Sh-she was," the man said, his eye starting to twitch. He looked frantically around while his companions began packing goats up in sleds. She thought she heard Antarctica mentioned a few times, and the words 'ends of the earth' in a tone that said it wouldn't be far enough. "I don't kn-know where sh-she went."

And obviously that unsettled him more than having Apache in his sights. She couldn't say she blamed him for that one. She didn't trust Baby much either. And under the circumstances --

A snowball hit her squarely in the back of the head. Kim leapt for cover and Mark and his team just hit the ground.

"Baby --"

She turned. A snowball hit her in the face. Oh my. Baby was not happy.

"Baby --"

The next snowball hit her. She hadn't seen it coming -- odd since it had a diameter of about six feet, and it flattened her to the ground.

A moment later a hand grabbed her arm and yanked her up through the layers of snow. She looked into the face of her rather perturbed sister.

"Next time you shove me out a damn plane into the snow, don't forget my coat."

"Oops."

"In fact, I'm tempted to take yours and leave you wandering around the wasteland with a parachute for warmth. Does that sound like fun?"

"Maybe. Can I take Kim?" she asked.

Baby shoved her back into the snow. And piled a bit more on top as well. And then rolled her for quite a ways until she found a nice slope...

By the time Apache had crawled back up again, she found Baby and Kim roasting marshmallows over a rather odd looking cook stove. It glowed with a florescent purple and green flickering light.

"Marshmallows. Great!"

Baby pulled them back and scowled. "Are you going to think about shoving me out a plane again?"

"That's not much of a challenge, Baby. I think about shoving you out of planes all the time."

She conceded that part with a little shrug and a sigh. Then she handed Apache a knife so that she could roast marshmallows, too.

The village looked abandoned, but when Apache looked toward the hillside she could see the former Future agents trudging off into the moonlit night, goats draped across their shoulders. It presented rather... unique silhouettes.

"So, this is what we came for?" Apache said, waving a hand toward the cook stove."

"Yeah. It kind of fell into their laps," Baby said. "I don't know why they didn't think of you and me then, and started running right away. Mark admitted that he should have considered of us immediately. At least that's what I think he said. He stutters something awful these days."

"Only when you are around. Or mentioned," Apache said. She sat down by Kim. "And we are waiting for the Van now?"

"Sure. See that cable?" Baby asked, waving toward a black line in the snow. "It runs back to the village power generator... well, where the generator used to be. Mark and his friends took it off with them, too. So Kim and I rigged up something fun in it's place."

"And that would be?"

"A trans gravitational pulse engine with an inverse to mass trigger," Baby said.

"And that means?"

"Well, let's just hope that the Van enjoy hiking through snow as much as I do," Baby said. She nibbled at a marshmallow.

Kim grinned.

So Apache sat down and waited for the show.



It started just a little bit before dawn while she and Kim were talking about food, clothing and anatomy, and her sister had starting to make noises like she was going to drop them both off a cliff soon. Sounded like fun to Apache.

But it turned out to be worth sticking around to see what happened when the Van ships -- four of the bright green glowing circles, came streaking across the sky and down at them.

Kim held up the homing device. Apparently it worked a little differently now. When he hit a button, a ray of light shot up from the center of the igloos, and then fanned out like a fancy laser light show.

It caught the four ships and held them in what looked like a bone-wrenching stop.

"Now that you have them, what are you going to do with them?" Apache asked.

"Oh, we'll just let them hang around for a while," Kim said. He shoved the device back in his pocket. He began to unhook the photonic cell as well. "The harder they try to pull away, the more it feeds power into the beam, so they're actually trapping themselves now. It's going to be a while before they figure that part out. The problem is, once they stop fighting it, the power will drain from their ships rather quickly and they're going to find themselves ass deep in the snow. I don't think we want to be here then. Each of those ships hold over three hundred Van."

"Ah. Yes," Apache said. She stood and stretched. "How long do we have?"

"About four days."

"Good. Time for a nice leisurely walk. I take it we can take the cell with us now?"

"Oh yes. They're powering the beam themselves now. Very nice, Baby. I never would have come up with this myself," Kim said. "Obviously the Van had every reason to worry about you two getting your hands on that cell."

"Any other technology you think we shouldn't have our hands on?" Apache asked.

He got a very panicked look suddenly.

Baby and Apache grinned. It looked like they were going to have a very nice walk back. . . .



Thirteen


When the three of them walked into the FUTURE headquarters in New York, they created quite a stir. It always happened when she and Apache showed up, but Baby couldn't decide quite why. After all, the building always survived, and no one had died there yet.

The man sitting at the front desk leapt up and ran, the guards scattered, and in a moment the lobby had completely emptied.

"I didn't even bring a pet this time," Apache said, shaking her head. "Baby --"

Baby had already sat down at the desk and clicked her way through some equipment. "Alan is in, but he's on the phone. I can't get through. We might as well just go up."

Kim looked around the area, shaking his head. "They moved faster than even Mark and his people."

"Probably helps to not be carrying goats," Baby observed.

Kim just nodded and followed along. The woman still stood her place at the security scanner, but after a moment she sighed and shook her head, then reached over and turned it off.

"The sooner you two are through the building, the sooner we can get back to work. And you would be?" she said, looking at Kim.

"Kim Tsing, senior agent."

She had to look him up on the computer. Kim didn't even seem particularly upset or surprised, and at least she did the work quickly and passed him through with the two.

"There is a very nasty little lizard that has taken up residence in the middle elevator. We've fire proofed it. Not sure you want to use that one."

"Oh, is that where she is," Apache said. "Good."

The woman just nodded.

It didn't surprise Baby when they stood before the middle elevator, waiting as the other two came and went before that one showed up. She'd rather have gotten all of this reporting crap done and gone for food a bit sooner -- the lack of Taco Bells in her life lately had been appalling -- but it was almost worth it when the door to the elevator snapped open and that dreadful little gecko stood there on her hind legs --

And panicked.

"Nooooooooooooooo....."

She huddled at the back as Baby and Apache stepped in. Kim watched the gecko, who had put both 'hands' over her mouth and had started burping smoke through her nose.

"I take it this... creature knows the two of you?" he said as he finally stepped in.

"Oh yes," Apache said. She stepped closer and leaned down. The lizard backed into the corner. "I'm thinking it might be time to pack her up and drop her back into the jungles of Africa. Nice little gecko like this ought to go far, don't you think?"

"No, no, no, noooooooooooo...."

"Hey, you know, I think she'd make a great addition to your pet collection," Baby said. "Between the camel and the intelligent seaweed --"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..........."

"Or she could stop bothering the people here at FUTURE," Apache said and leaned closer, looking the little creature in the face. "She could remember that there are worse places to be."

The gecko nodded, several times. Obviously she'd picked up a lot of the language since last May.

The elevator stopped. Baby and Kim stepped out. Apache waited a moment longer, still looking into the creature's wide-eyed face. "Do we have an understanding? If I hear you've created more trouble, Baby and I will come back and find you. And if you think that we can't, think again. I believe you left a very nice book of magic in that cave, and I'm sure it would be full of wonderful --"

The lizard fainted.

"Well, hell," Apache said. She stepped out and shrugged. "I think she got the point, at least."

"Yeah. Come on. I'm hungry."

The woman who sat at the desk outside Alan's office just looked at them, eye twitching (why did that happen so often, Baby wondered), and waved them in. She almost asked about Kim, but Baby just held up a hand.

"He's with us."

"Oh, sure. Fine."

Kim whispered a little curse. Or a prayer.

Alan stood with the phone in hand when they came in, talking in that 'other language' again, but that didn't matter much this time. There hadn't been much to do on that long hike out of the Himalayas, and Kim had taught them many things, including a few new languages.

"I don't know where they are! I don't know about any damned blackhole in the mountains, and Van ships sucked into it. What the hell were the damned Van ships doing there anyway? And I am not going to mount a rescue mission to save the nasty little bastards from a blackhole that doesn't exist --"

"Actually, it's a trans gravitational pulse engine with an inverse to mass trigger," Baby offered.

"AAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" He held the phone out, waving it like some kind of magic wand that would ... Baby wasn't sure what it was supposed to do. She didn't trust phones much, though. They tended to explode.

"Do you have a few minutes, Alan?" Kim asked. "I thought we could make a quick report. Then Apache and I are going out on a date."

"ACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!"

"Put down the phone, Alan, before you do yourself harm," Apache suggested.

He dropped it. Kim picked it up. "Hello? Yes, we are back. Yes, I am alive, really. We had a very interesting trip. I'll file a report later."

"Much later," Apache said.

"Ack. Understands," Alan said, waving a hand toward Apache.

"We got bored," Kim said, putting the phone back on the desk. "So we traded languages. They're really quite adept at learning things."

"Ah. Eee." Alan sat down. "You... Van. Trap?"

"Baby's work," Kim said. The three of them took the chairs by the desk, and Alan pushed back a little, apparently to get more distance between them. At least his eye had stopped twitching. "Quite well done. I'm sure the Van were impressed."

Alan nodded, though it had a mechanical look. "They have four crashed ships that we're trying very hard to keep from the eyes of the Earthers. I'm going to have to send in a group to rescue them just so we don't start an even worse problem if the are found by locals."

"Personally, I'd leave them there until their toes turned fuchsia and fell off," Apache said.

"The cell -- it's what is powering the trap?" Alan asked, suddenly looking worried again.

"It did initially," Baby explained. "But once they fell into the trap, their own power fueled it. We took the cell out, don't worry."

"Oh. Excellent."

"And on our way home we visited Mishi Tananka and left it with him. He said he thinks it's just the missing piece he needs for his matter transmission device," Apache explained.

Alan started to say something. He squeaked instead.

"Well, if that's about it?" Kim said, standing.

Squeak.

"Excellent," Kim said, nodding. "Baby, can we give you a ride to the airport? I believe you'll be home in time for dinner at Taco Bell?"

"That's the plan," she said, standing. "You two sure you don’t want to join me? I mean we haven't finished our discussion about historical rebellions in the Dectu sector and their impact on modern day space ship design."

Squeak, Squeak.

"True. What do you think, Apache?"

"Oh hell, why not? It wouldn't be much of a date without Baby along."

Alan had his head down on the desk when they left.

And the gecko hung over the control keys of the elevator when they entered.

"Down, please," Apache said.

"Going down," the gecko squeaked...



The End

From: Alan Orion, Head of FUTURE
November something, I think
Report # -- Does it really matter any more? No one reads these things. I might as well be talking to myself. Or to the Sangres, for all the good it does me.

In reply to your previous request for information, I am forced to tell you, yet again, that I am not certain of the current whereabouts of either Morning Glory or Morning Star Sangre.

Nor am I going to go look for them.

Perhaps, if the council would actually take the time to read my previous reports, they would stop asking me this same question. I cannot track the Sangres. I would not even attempt to. It is far too dangerous.

I can, however, tell you that Agent Kim Tsing has asked to go on an assignment with the two despite my insistence that it might not be wise. That odd things happen when the Sangres are involved in anything. And that they have yet to come back with a senior agent in one piece. Or alive, for that matter.

I believe the Sangres are still on earth. I will not claim knowledge of either their location, or even the time frame.

And remember. . . . you can always have me replaced as the Head of the Terran Bureau.

One


Baby had slept three nights in the abandoned house so far, and liked it less each night, no matter how appropriate the choice might have seemed with Halloween only two days away. And Apache would never look for her in a supposedly haunted house. She could, she hoped, count on that one bit of stability in her life.

Still, she didn't think she could stand staying here another night. Game or not, she would have to find a new place before sunset tomorrow, despite the danger of moving so late in the month. Apache had more points -- again -- and Baby didn’t want to make it too easy for her sister. She didn't mind paying for Apache's vacation to the Bahamas -- after all, it was the only way she could actually get Apache to take time off --

A door slammed upstairs.

Baby leapt to her feet, her hand going for her dagger even before she thought about it. A sudden cold breeze blew through the small room ruffling the shreds of curtains at the windows, blowing the dust up from the old table.

Baby sneezed, cursed, and sneezed again. Wonderful spy.

The floor above her began to creak with the sound of footsteps, a sliding sound, and the faint whisper of words. Baby purposely put the dagger back in her leg sheath and pulled the pants down. Then she made her way to the door leading to the hall and looked out. For a moment she thought she saw a flash of light at the top of the stairs. . . .

Maybe she could find somewhere else to sleep yet tonight.

With a quick step, and hardly a limp at all, she crossed to the front door. It would not open. In fact, the harder she tried, the worse it seemed to stick.

A creak on the stairs; Baby spun, feeling a breeze again, and colder this time. She could hear voices -- quiet, sad, hysterical. A light hovered on stairs, but no one stood there.

"Oh shit."

Baby raced back to the little room, closed and secured the door. The curtains ruffled at the window, and a dark shape obscured the faint light of night. She pulled her dagger again, if only because it gave her something to do with her hands.

Behind her, the door rattled and someone -- something -- made soft whispering sounds. Baby held her breath and moved silently along the wall, heading for the only window and the way out, despite the thing that flowed into the room -- an arm, a leg, a head --

Long hair, the flash of a headband.

Baby reached forward and put her dagger underneath Apache's chin. Apache froze, a hand on the wall, one foot inside the window.

"I suppose you think this is very funny, don't you?" Baby said.

"No," Apache confessed. "I can't say that I do."

"You have pushed me too far this time, Morning Star Sangre. You had me. You didn't have to play these games."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Apache at last demanded. "Listen, if you hadn't been so careless with the light, I never would have come near a place like this. You know how I feel about haunted houses."

"What light?"

"The one upstairs. I knew you were in the neighborhood. I talked to the guy who owns the comic book shop a couple blocks away. But I never would have tried --"

"I didn't have a light on."

"I saw a light in the upstairs window," Apache said. "Would you kindly take that dagger away from my throat before I shove it up your --"

Baby pulled the dagger away. "Apache are you trying to tell me that you're not responsible for what's been going on in this house?"

"I just got here," Apache said. She squinted into the room. "What's going on?"

The door began to rattle, softly at first, and then with a sudden force. And it had gotten very cold.

"You win this round, Apache," Baby said and began pushing her sister back out.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Something pounded, wailing, "Let me in, let me in, let me in..."

"Apache, YOU WIN."

"Right."

Apache tried to scramble out of the way. Baby went out over the top of her.

"Watch that dagger, you idiot!"

They tumbled onto the ground. Apache leapt to her feet, and Baby-sat up rubbing her shoulder. A light hung in the window. Perhaps a face -- but Baby couldn't be certain since she and Apache had reached the corvette by then. Neither suggested they go back and check it out. And for once Baby didn't complain about losing.



Two


They met for lunch the next day. Apache picked her sister up outside Baby's apartment and they drove in silence to the nearest Taco Bell. It wasn't until they were seated across from one another that Baby finally broke the silence.

"So, how are things going with you?"

Apache put her soda down and looked at her sister. "What was going on in that house last night?"

"I don't know, I don't want to know, and I don't want to talk about it."

Apache nodded. "Well, I take this month anyway."

"Only on a technicality."

"I got in by skill alone, hermana mia. I knew you were in the neighborhood. I would have found you eventually."

"You had outside help."

"Not of my own choice."

Baby nodded again and went back to her food, though with less than her usual enthusiasm.

"By the way, I got a call from The Office this morning," Apache said. "I have an assignment."

"You alone, huh?" Baby said. "I wonder if Alan will ever let us work together again."

"That fiasco in Japan last July may have finally convinced him we're too dangerous to put together. It would be about time. Not that this looks too serious. I have to make a run down to Dallas, and take some papers from there to the office in New York."

"About damn time they gave you one of those boring courier jobs instead of sticking me with it!" Baby said. Her mood noticeably improved. "When do you leave?"

"I'll drop you off and head for the airport. Non-stop to Dallas, about two hours layover, and then on to New York. I should be home tomorrow."

"Ah," Baby said. She titled her head a little. "You know, this sounds like a pretty routine case for them to send you out. What do you think is really going on?"

"I expect complications, but I can handle them. Do you want me to bring you anything back?"

"Some of that great pastry from the shop around the corner from the HQ would be nice. The strawberry stuff. I don't like the blueberry ones."

"Okay. I can handle that," Apache said and began picking up her trash. "Ready?"

"I'm going to walk back to my apartment. Nice weather today. Have a good trip!"

Apache nodded and stood, pausing for a moment as she looked at Baby, feeling as though. . . . well, as though things were not quite normal.

But then, they never had been.

She made the airport in plenty of time, and relaxed in a bar for a few minutes prior to the flight. What Baby had said about this being too routine was, of course, right. She had mentioned it to Alan and jokingly suggested she take Baby along for back up. He had not been amused. In fact, he had been rather upset at the thought of the two of them, together, working for him.

Not that she couldn't handle a simple assignment on her own. She only hoped Alan didn't have some strange idea about pairing her up with someone else. All in all, she had to admit that her work with her sister had always ended well, while the few times they had worked with different partners, it had not. She had been forced to kill the last two, and the other three had defected. Baby's luck was even worse.

The flight to Dallas proved so boring she napped. The stockbroker in the seat beside her littered his conversation with enough facts and figures to put a computer to sleep. He was also married, on the make, and Apache did not like the combination. When he offered her arm when they landed, she glared so well that he pushed past three people to get away.

She went down to baggage claim, even though she hadn't had any luggage when she got on board. On the third time around, a familiar case sat in among the others, the gold stamp of FUTURE clearly on the top. She grabbed it, left the building, and then walked back around and entered again with a large group. She picked up her ticket for New York and went through all the rigors of getting back on a plane.

So far, no problem.

So why did her hand keep going to where she usually wore her dagger? Eventually she decided just to read the reports she was carrying. What harm could that do?


Three


Apache had been gone barely twenty-four hours when Baby turned on the TV and learned that her sister had invaded and taken over the island of Santa Servatus de Raton in an overnight coup d'état.

She turned off the TV and went back to bed.

Unfortunately, the news didn't look any better at noon since by then the Santa Servatus de Raton's army seemed to have invaded the Texas Gulf Coast. Congress had already started calling for immediate air strikes.

Well hell. It still looked more interesting than sitting around her apartment. She packed a bag with a few necessities -- Twinkies, a book to read, and her rock painting kit -- and then checked her watch. The timing looked good, so she headed out the window, since someone had been waiting for her to leave through the door all morning.

When she worked her way around to the neighbor's window, Mr. Adams came and let her in.

"Door stuck again, huh?" he said. Mrs. Adams stepped out of the bathroom, nodded hello, and went back to brushing her hair.

"Yeah, afraid so."

"Is that your sister we keep seeing on CNN?

"Yeah, afraid so."

"Thought as much," he said. He went back to his sofa and stretched out, toes wiggling. "Going to go join her now?"

"Yeah, afraid so," Baby said.

She had made it to the door and peered out into the hall. Three men stood in the doorway across from her apartment. FUTURE agents at that. They should have known better. From here she had a clear view of the elevator. She also knew the habits of Miss Bailey, who lived at the far end of the hall. Miss Bailey always came home at noon to check on her goldfish. Miss Bailey dressed in skintight silky things, and had the body to go with the clothing. She arrived right on time. Baby held her breath, hoping no one else called for the elevator in those few moments when she strolled down the hall, and the guys watched her intently. Once Miss Bailey moved past them -- and they were still watching her -- Baby darted out of the Adam's apartment, and across to the elevator. She slid in just as the door closed.

She wondered how long those three were going to wait around for her when the elevator door opened into the hotel's lobby, and there stood Alan and Mickey.

"Hey," she said. "That's tricky!"

"I knew you'd get past the three upstairs," Alan said. He came to flank her on one side and Mickey on the other. "You don't really expect us to just let you go off, do you?"

"Of course I do," she said. "You don't think you're going to stop me do you?"

"Baby, we have some real problems. I don't know what your sister is up to --"

"Like you ever did. I don't know what she's up to. But I intend to find out."

Alan started to put a hand on her arm. She evaded that touch and glared back at him, mistrust so clear in her face that he looked stunned. "Baby?"

"Show me your hands."

He lifted them both up. Mickey had moved away from Baby's side as well and looked at her with a shake of his head. "It's all right. He wouldn't do that to you."

"Do what?" Alan said. Then he looked startled. "No, I wouldn't drug you like Bart did. My apologies, Morning Star. I only want to make certain that you, too, don't head off into trouble with your sister."

"Why?"

"Because we do not understand what's happening," he said. "I sent Apache into this danger, and I will not risk you as well."

She had started to back to the door, but she stopped and smiled in a way that she doubted either of them had ever seen before. "Thank you Alan. I appreciate it. But you have to realize by now that we're a team. You really wouldn't want me around without Apache."

"I have complete faith in your ability as an agent without your sister's help," Alan said. Then he frowned. "Damn. That means I have to let you go, doesn't it? Because if I have faith in you, I have to believe that you can go in to this mess and get back out. But I had faith in Apache, too."

"More than you have in me," she said. He shook his head. "Don't deny it. Everyone has more faith in Apache. And the truth is she may be just where she wants to be."

"On an indefensible island about to get the hell bombed out of her?" Mickey asked.

"Does that sound unusual for Apache?"

"No," Alan said. He finally just lifted his hands in a gesture of defeat. "Go. Find out what the hell is going on."

"Thank you. Anything you can tell me?"

"Yes. I had one message on my phone from your sister. She said that if she saw one more CIA agent, she would come back and work her way through their office with a stun gun and fly paper. I really didn't like the sounds of that."

"CIA. Well. Mickey, can you check that end?"

"Sure, as long as I go in disguise and no one realizes I'm associated with you two. It's amazing what the name Sangre can do to people. Can I drop you somewhere?"

"The airport, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Would you like a ride back, Alan?"

Alan looked from Baby to Mickey and back again. "You two do realize that I'm in charge of FUTURE, right?"

"Sure. Otherwise I wouldn't offer you a ride," Mickey said.

"You are spending way too much time with the Sangres," Alan said. He headed for the door. "Let's go. Baby has a lot of work ahead of her."



Four

Apache sat down at the President of Santa Servatus de Raton's desk and began going through all the drawers. She sat all the papers on top and began to read them. When the door to the office opened, she shot the person who stepped through. He looked at the dart in his arm and frowned.

"You have one minute and seventeen seconds to go sit down before it kicks in. And next time take me seriously when I say I don't want to be disturbed."

"Ah... Yes, Madame President. But..." She lifted the gun. "Never mind. The General can wait."

"Damned right he can. I'm replacing him anyway. You better go take a nap now."

"Yes ma'am."

He pulled the door closed. She heard him hit the floor on the other side.

"Timing is off," she mumbled. "Must be something in the local diet."

A jet swept over the building, close enough to rattle the windows. Damn, that would put everyone on edge. She needed calm for a few more hours. Was that too much to ask? After all, she'd done the hard work already -- overthrown the government, set up a new senate, and negotiated a contract with a cable company. She'd think they could give her a few hours of peace.

But no. Congress wanted to bomb them because of that invasion problem on the coast. Well, they had a few surprises coming there as well.

No one had fixed the phone service to the mainland yet. She couldn't reach any of the troops she'd sent to Texas. Nor could she reach her sister -- and that rather troubled her. There was no telling what Baby might do when she saw the news. Not that it wouldn't be interesting, but Apache really didn't need interesting right now. She needed information.

She didn't find information in the papers from the desk. She leaned back in the chair and tried to consider the next place to look. Not in the desk, not in the office files, not in the President's -- former President's home.

Damn.

In a fit of pique --and because she really didn't have anything better to do -- she began tearing the desk apart, piece-by-piece. It proved therapeutic. And enlightening. On the underside of one drawer she found a large envelope full of eight by ten black and white photos. Interesting to see the esteemed Senator in such an interesting position, and with so many men and women. She filed those in her briefcase for later use, and went back to work on the desk.

And that was when she found the Ouiji Board under the desktop blotter. She found the little letter finder thingy in the pencil holder. Well why not?

She put it on the board, touched it....

A few minutes later she sat back and frowned. Ah well. Well, if nothing else, it was the first thing willing to give her answers.



Five


Getting to the island wouldn't exactly be easy. For one thing, the US seemed to think they were about to go to war with this spot of land about twenty miles in total size, and which they had never heard of before. Baby, who had some dealings with islands that suddenly appeared and disappeared again, didn't think it so strange that she'd never heard of it before. She did, however, find it odd that her sister had taken it over. Apache hated to be in charge of things.

Baby began to suspect she might be dealing with a Pod Person. That might not be all bad. After all, a lifetime of having Apache as an older sister did make other possibilities rather appealing.

But the first thing she had to get to the Island and make an assessment of the situation. Apache might have a completely logical reason for all of this.

Right.

She had just decided to borrow one of the Air Force jets (which probably wouldn't go over well) when she heard two men arguing over whether or not the plane with the cable employees and their equipment could head for the island. Knowing who would win that one -- she'd dealt with the cable company before -- Baby made her way to their plane and stowed away. They took off within the hour. Sounded like they had a jet escort, too.

Business always wins in the US. She'd have thought people realized that by now.



When the plane landed, Baby slid out of the cargo hatch, stretching and trying to get the kink out of her knee. It had been a bit of a bumpy ride, but she made it to Santa Servatus de Raton with very little trouble so far. And now she need only find her wayward sister.

She walked out of the airport and skirted the palm trees. It was a lovely, moonlit night, the weather comfortable and the air sweet. All in all, she thought maybe Apache hadn't made such a bad decision -- from FUTURE spy to President of this paradise. There had to be a position open here for her.

A huge billboard sized picture of Apache hung on the building across from the airport. It was not her best picture, but it did have the effect of probably scaring the hell out of anyone who stepped out of the airport to see it. And beneath the picture were words written in a half dozen languages.

Don't give me any shit. I'm in charge.

Baby slid back by the trees and watched as the first set of Cable People came out.

"Good God! That doesn't look good!"

"Let's get back on the plane."

"We don't have enough fuel to make it back to the mainland."

"Fine. We'll go part way and swim the rest."

"Let's just get to our hotel and rest for awhile. Maybe it'll look better in the morning."

"That? Look better? What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?"

"Come on."

Baby fell in behind them as they walked away. No one looked back.

The single city seemed to be caught in a subdued 'oh my god what have we done' panicked sort of mood. The natives sat in street side cafes drinking enough liquor to keep the army afloat, and it didn't seem to be helping any. Baby had the slight problem that on an island this small, everyone knew everyone else. Sometime after midnight she finally convinced a group of people that they knew her. By then they were so drunk that they thought they were related to the park bench, but it worked. They even let her walk home with them, along the lovely moon swept beach.

"What happened?" Baby asked. "How did she get in charge?"

"Hell if we know," one of the men said, shaking his head. "She just dropped in, walked up to the palace, and took over."

"Dropped in?"

"Yeah. You know, parachute." One of the group fell face down in the sand. "Ah good, we got Mari home." They walked on. "She made one speech."

"Yes?"

"Well, you read it on the portrait, right?"

Baby nodded. It sounded about right for the type of speech her sister would give.

Jets flew overhead. They looked up, frowning.

"Damn those are loud. Going to be hell in the morning with the hangovers. We may have to fight back then."

Baby nodded.

Someone else fell down. They left him.

"So, are you going to try to get rid of her?" Baby asked.

"Why?"

Good question. And the final one she could ask since the last of her companions fell down in the sand.

Ah well. Probably just as well. She needed to go to the source and talk to the President to find any real answers. In the morning. Baby walked along the beach for a ways until she found a really comfortable spot. It looked like this house wasn't taken, so she dropped down and slept.



Six


Apache did the Ouiji Board four times before she finally admitted that the answer wouldn't change.

"Damn. All in all, I liked the crossword puzzle book better."

"Pardon, Madame President?" Kaimi looked up, yawned, still coming out of his drugged daze.

"Where's the cemetery?"

"Oh no," he said. "I'm not going to the cemetery. Not tonight. All Hallows Eve, Madame. Not a place to be. No."

"Where the hell is the cemetery?" She said, standing.

"About half a mile down the road, turn right and head for the beach. Can't miss it."

"Thanks."

"You aren't going alone, are you?" he said, his eyes going wide again. "People disappear in the cemetery. We don't go near there at night."

"Do you really think anything is going to mess with me?"

He stopped, blinked. "No. You're right. In fact, I think it safer with you than anywhere else. What do we need?"

"Holy water, salt, garlic, a gun with some silver bullets, and a good solid stake."

"Ah...."

"Baring that, I have everything I need on me. Come along." She looked down at the desk and sighed. "Damn. I wish I had brought Baby along after all."

"Baby?"

"My sister."

He paled. "You have a sister? Gods save us."

"You know, a lot of people have that reaction, but usually only after they meet her."

He shuddered, yawned, and followed her out of the office.

General Henri still sat waiting in the outer room. He stood, his face livid, his neck bulged with anger. His hand went to his gun.

Apache shot him in the forehead with the dart gun. His eyes crossed and he sat back down.

"Kaimi, have someone take this man down and lock him in a cell, will you please?"

"On what charge, Madame President? Your new law says that everyone must be charged with a crime."

"Oh bother. Treason, I guess. And sleeping on the job."

"Yes ma'am." Kaimi shouted orders to the people huddling in the other room. Really, he seemed to be getting quite good at this. Maybe she'd keep him on after all.

"Is the phone service back up yet?" she asked.

"No ma'am."

"Drat. I had hoped to get in touch with Baby before now. She's apt to do something rash."

"Gods help us."

"Yes. Exactly. Well, come along."



Seven


Baby had barely slept a couple hours when the boats started slipping up on the shore. She rolled over in the sand and glared at the invading troops, but in the dark and they couldn't even see her.

So she stood up and yelled. "Get the hell off of this Island, right now, or I swear I'll have CNN here so fast it will make your heads swim." Soldiers stopped in mid-move. Breaths held. "You really don't want to find yourself interviewed on The Good Morning Show as the people who invaded another country without authorization --"

They headed back into their little dingys. She heard whispered curses, and complaints that they never got to invade any more.

Having had her sleep so rudely interrupted -- and knowing she couldn't trust them not to move farther down the beach and try again -- Baby headed for higher ground where she could watch out over the ocean.

Unfortunately, the top of the only cliff had a cemetery. Ah well. It was the night for that sort of thing, anyway.


Eight


Eerie sounds carried on the wind. The whisper of words. The sound of boats in water...

But they reached the cemetery without incident. It was one of those fine, old turn-of-the-century places, with winged angels, crypts, and crumbling old headstones. The ground felt spongy, and just as she reached the gate a wind sprang up out of nowhere.

"Stop that!"

It did.

"Come along Kaimi. We have work to do."

He started praying as he followed. Somehow Apache didn't think that was going to help much, not with what they were up against. But she didn't tell him. After all, she didn't want to scare the poor guy.

Weeds, coconuts and bottles lay strewn across the path through the cemetery. Apache kicked them out of the way with increasing fervor. "You people really must start taking better care of this place."

"Oh, but... but..."

"I order it. And if you don't want me to order you to do the work, you had better find someone who will."

"Yes, Madame President," he said, nodding vigorously.

"Good. Glad you understand that part. Now keep your eyes open for any movement."

"Movement?"

"Yes. You know -- things coming up out of the ground." He stopped and took a step backwards. She turned to look at him. "You really don't want to annoy me, now do you?"

"No."

"Come along. It's time we cleared this place out of unwanted inhabitants."

He squeaked a little, and slid up so close behind her that she could feel his hair on her neck. Great. Where was Baby when she needed her?

Something moaned, the ground trembling around them.

"Excellent," Apache said. "Won't be long now." Kaimi fell to his knees. He might have been praying, but Apache really couldn't tell, what with the other noises. She started forward and looked back at him again. "Fine. You guard here."

"Aaa--iiee--" His hand lifted and pointed, the arm shaking wildly like a limb in a wind storm.

Apache turned and saw a head rising above the wall of the cemetery. She pulled her gun, and fired.

"Oh damn. You could have just said go away, you know."

Thunk.

"Uh oh." Apache grabbed Kaimi by the arm and dragged him along. "I think I just make a mistake."

She pulled Kaimi until they reached the body sprawled out on the ground. She lifted the head and then laid it down again, patting the shoulder.

"Sorry. My mistake. And really, you have to start eating better. That stuff hit you very fast. Kaimi, you want to sit here with her for a bit? I'm going to give her the antidote, but I fear that it won't kick in before the others arrive."

"The others?" he said, watching with worry as she pulled a syringe out of her purse, broke off the end, and grabbed the body's limp arm.

"The ones we came here take care of," she murmured. "Damn. Too dark to see a vein. Hold this for me, will you?" She put Baby's arm in the man's hand. He looked a little squeamish. "She's not dead!"

"What is she?"

"She's my sister." He dropped the arm and tried to scramble away. Apache pointed the gun at him. For some odd reason, it made him stop. "Hold this arm. I have to get a light on it so I can give her the injection. She'd be very pissed if I left her sleeping here in the graveyard all night."

"Yes, madam president," Kaimi said. He sounded as though those words had become mechanical. He held the arm. Apache had the strangest feeling that he really had gone beyond fear to a new plateau. Fine by her. At least he didn't shake so much.

She pulled a small penlight from her bag and held it with one hand and the syringe with the other. Baby was so wonderfully cooperative for a change that she felt increasingly tempted to leave her unconscious. She paused a moment, but sighed and gave her sister the antidote anyway. Baby was going to be in a bad enough mood as it was.

"Okay. Baby is going to come around in about five minutes. Tell her to follow me into the crypt."

"Ack."

"Yeah, that'll be her reaction too," Apache said. She started away again, and then looked back at the two shadows on the ground. "Oh, and tell her I've named her General of the forces."

"ACK!"

"Good, good."

Apache headed for the crypt. The ground started to tremble and something moaned loudly. Then, just as she neared the opening, a white, filmy movement caught her eye to the right. And another.

"Don't mess with me tonight!" she said. "I got the damned message. I'll take care of it!"

The ghosts, wisely, disappeared.



Nine



Baby had a hell of a headache, and her arm hurt, like she'd gotten a shot by a sadistic nurse with a hatred for all mankind.

Ah. Apache's work. Right. Never give Apache anything pointed.

She rolled over and moaned, and blinked at the young man sitting beside her. His eyes went wide.

"A," she said. Her mouth didn't work.

"Madame President said to tell you to follow her into the crypt."

"Wha?"

"Follow her into the crypt."

"Ack."

"And that you are the new General of the Forces of Santa Servatus de Raton."

"ACK!"

"Right."

The shock swept away the last dregs of the drug. The ground began to shake, and she could hear a soft moan that rose in level as she moved. She pounded the earth beneath her. "Stop it right now! I have a headache!"

It did. The man tilted his head and nodded. "You are Madame President's sister. Good."

Baby nodded and started to stand. The world twisted and swirled around her.

"I'll need your help," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him up as well. "I'm going to fall flat on my face."

"No, no, no. I will not go into the crypt! No --"

She took his arm and pulled him up. He looked into her eyes and began to whimper. "You'll be fine. Safer with us than not."

"No, no, no...."

"Come along. I have a few things to say to Madame President." She looked back out at the sea and saw more trouble heading their way. "Yes, do come along."

He didn't exactly go along willingly, but he did move and help her keep her balance. Nice looking young man, really. A shame he worked for Apache. Well, maybe she could find one of her own in the military. General of the Forces. Nice title, even though she had checked the stats on the island and knew the forces numbered less than 500 -- and three hundred of those had fallen into the hands of the Coast Guard in Texas. Apache probably expected her to get them back somehow.

Still, she'd never been General before. It was kind of fun.

"This crypt?" Baby said, looking into the darkness.

"Ack."

"Good. Come along. We don't want Apache to get too far ahead and have all the fun, right?"

She had to drag him along those last few steps into the darkness.

Ahead of them two red eyes came to life, blinking brightly.

"Oh Gods of my ancestors, please stand by me in my hour of need..."

"Ah," Baby said. "There it is."

She pulled him forward and jabbed the red-eyed monster right in the eyes. It let out a high-pitched wail --

And the door slid open.

"A shame about that alarm," she said, peering into the brightly lit corridor.

"What is that?" he said, looking over her shoulder.

"A secret installation, of course. What did you expect? The gates to hell?"

"Yes. Madame President was heading there. I expected hell."

"I like you! Do you have a name?"

"Yes, General Baby. I am Kaimi."

"Kaimi. Good. Let's go."

He appeared less reluctant now, which Baby thought a bit odd. It wasn't as if this was safe. But she didn't point that out to him. She still felt a little wobbly, and she feared she'd twisted her leg if she tried to go on alone. Besides, it wasn't often that Apache left her a nice looking young man. She had to make the best of it.



Ten


Apache had let them catch her. Yes, that's exactly what she did, she told herself. She had not fallen into the hands of a bald-headed little gnome of a crazy scientist and his sadistic, leggy blonde assistant. She had let them catch her and put her in this huge cage that held one terrified African Gray parrot that had pushed himself up into the farthest corner after Apache mentioned she hadn't had dinner.

President Morning Star Apache Sangre sat at the bottom of the cage and glared at the people who passed her by. They had stopped looking at her as they continued with their frantic work.

"We can't do it in so short a time!" one man shouted, grabbing at his bald head as though pulling his non-existent hair out by the roots. "We're ruined! The CIA will never fund us again! And it's her fault!"

People turned to glare at her, but Apache met their looks, and they turned away again, mumbling.

"What are we going to do, Professor Hagisdronsormsen?" the blonde asked, leaning over a computer display. "Abandon the site?"

"No," he said. He stood straighter. "No. We accelerate the program."

"That's dangerous, Prof," someone else said, looking up from his computer station. "No telling what might happen!"

The Prof had stopped trying to pull out the ghost of his hair, and now stared at a blank screen before him. "No, we'll be fine. We have all the data. We have the mechanics in place, and the Caulerpa taxifolia and mutated Saccophrynx ampullaceus have been treated and prepared. Yes, I had imagined another five years of study before we dared the next step, but we have enough of the radiated water. What's holding us back?"

"Sanity?" Apache offered.

"You're right, Professor," another computer-pounder shouted. "We can do it!"

"All we need is an hour of quiet," the Prof said. He began to frantically push buttons. Lights came up behind the giant screen.

Aquarium. Really big aquarium.

"Close the sea gates, secure the lab for transformation! Once I put this experiment in action, any sudden sounds or agitation would have catastrophic consequences," Professor Hagisdronsormsen said. He poised with his hand over the controls. Within the aquarium a few small fish darted here and there, looking out at the humans and then running for their lives. "Absolute silence is imperative at this point."

"Excuse me!" Apache said, drawing startled looks. "This is not a good idea --"

"You shut up," the blonde said, her beady eyes narrowing.

"Fine, fine. I tried to warn you." Apache leaned back against the cage wall and played with the lock pick in her hand. She could have left, but really this might be a good show.

"Humanity will thank us for this, when they know what we've done," Professor Hagisdronsormsen said.

He pressed the button.

A crane brought a small case, hardly bigger than Apache's hand, down into the aquarium water. The others stood to gather around the aquarium, faces pressing up against the glass. Apache stood. From her position in the cage, she could see over their shoulders. She saw the top of the cage open and the ugliest creature she'd ever seen popped out. The eel had a huge, gaping mouth, putrid green skin covered with mucus yellow spots and eyes the color of ... well, of shit. Even the foot high fronds of seaweed seemed to pull back from it.

"And now," the professor whispered. "Now it is time. Silence. Vibrations through the water after the release of radiation will -- change everything."

Apache started to speak. She changed her mind.

Professor Hagisdronsormsen gently pressed the button on his computer.

Tiny bubbles of light rose up from the floor of the aquarium, glowing with a rainbow of colors that encircled the eel and (thank God) hid most of the body. Apache squinted to see what was happening -- and then realized that she didn't need to squint quite so much.

The eel had begun to grow.

And that was when Baby arrived, setting off the alarms.


Eleven


They'd gone about forty yards into the underground installation before they saw their first person; a longhaired, wild-eyed man with a computer mouse still in hand. He charged past them, running for his life and screaming.

"What did he say?" Baby said, looking at Kaimi.

"Sounded like eel to me," Kaimi said.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too." They kept heading downward. Baby's felt much better, but she decided not to tell Kaimi. She rather liked having someone tall, dark and handsome at her side for a change.

They ran into another man at the next corner. He had the entire computer trailing him, the power cord wrapped around his ankle. It did not slow him as he sped past. Baby had to leap the computer, and Kaimi gave her a disbelieving look, but put his hand around her waist again as they went on.

The parrot screaming at the top of its lungs, and flying upside down, wasn't as surprising as the tall, leggy blonde who shoved Baby aside, kicked Kaimi and kept going. She didn't say anything about an eel. Instead, Baby had caught something about 'bitch, unsafe, and a threat to humanity.'

"Ah good. We are on the right trail to find Apache."

They made another turn, and walked down a little farther, heading toward a room where lights arced and people shouted. At the doorway Baby looked down the short staircase into a room filled with desk, file cabinets and computer equipment. She finally found her sister, hanging on the outside of a cage of some sort. A baldheaded man stood inside the cage, screaming about ruined experiments. Water stood about knee deep across the floor and more seeped out of a crack in a wall-sized aquarium where a gigantic eel with a mouth the size of a VW Bug beat against the glass.

But that didn't bother her nearly as much as the huge, two hundred foot seaweed fronds that kept trying to strangle the creature.

"Bad timing, Baby," Apache said. She looked at the man in the cage. "Shut up, professor."

"Alan just wondered what was going on," Baby said. "I could come back later,"

"Good idea," Apache said. "I am a little busy."

The glass cracked more. Water reached the top of the desks where equipment fizzled and screamed before the power died in the room, leaving only glow of emergency lighting in the ceiling. The eel became more frantic in its attempts to get out.

"Maybe you better tell me now. You know how Alan hates unfinished reports," Baby said.

"Yeah, true," Apache agreed. She climbed up higher on the cage since the water began to lap the bottom of it now. "Well, I picked up the report, read it, saw that the CIA had funded research here, dropping several million dollars a year into the island. However, the natives lived at far below poverty level. I decided I didn't like it."

"Ah."

"The former President had died the day the report was sent out. The CIA suggested they just take the island over, oust the 3,000 people living here, and make it into a vacation spot for their own people."

"Ack."

"So I came in, took over the government, and started looking for the CIA lab."

"And the invasion of Texas?" Baby asked.

"Oh yeah, that." The eel now had a nose out. It appeared to have grown legs as well, but the fronds held on pretty tightly. "Of the five hundred members of the army, 324 are spies sent to find other spies. I sent them to the mainland. Now they're Texas's problem."

"Okay, good. I think that clears about everything up," Baby said.

"No interest in the CIA's experiment?" Apache asked.

Baby looked at the aquarium. "No, I don't think I want to know."

"You fools!" the man screamed. He made odd, grabbing motions at his head. "Man's greatest experiment, ruined because of your meddling! I could have fed the world, saved everyone from starvation. Eels the size of busses, ready for the slaughter!"

"Giant eels," Baby said. "With legs."

"The legs are your fault," Apache said. "You kind of upset the experiment with the alarms."

"And seaweed with eyestalks," Baby added. She shook her head. "So you were making huge eels to feed everyone. And what made you think anyone would want to eat huge eels?"

"I have eaten eels with every meal for decades!" the man exclaimed. "Eels are healthful, eels give you vitality -- eels --"

"Eat all the hair off your head?" Apache suggested.

"Eels would save the world! Eel farms in the sea! Eels on every plate! Eels --"

"Oh shut up," Apache said. She pulled out her gun and shot him.

He plucked the dart from his arm and threw it down. "Eels are the food of the gods! Eels will make us immortal, and you -- fools -- you have set my experiment back a decade or more! Eels will --"

"I said shut up!" She fired again.

Baby watched in amazement as the man pulled out another dart, and began to rant some more about the power of eels. Apache finally opened the cage door, stepped inside and slugged him. He slid down, silent at last.

"Immunity to the darts," she mumbled. "Baby, you need to eat more eels."

"As if. Unless Taco Bell starts putting them in nachos, you can pretty much forget it."

"Good point."

The glass cracked some more.

"Plans?" Baby asked.

"I was thinking a nice dinner, the early movie, maybe spend the rest of the night curled up with a good book."

"I meant now."

"Oh. Well. Not really. You?"

The crack in the glass spread from floor to ceiling and began to spider-web out to all the edges.

"I'm torn between run and swim," she said.

"Yeah. You want to help me get the professor out of here?" she asked.

"Not particularly."

"Huh. Well, if you don't, I won't let you keep Kaimi as an aide."

Baby looked at Kaimi and sighed. She began to wade out into the water.


Twelve


Sad when she had to bribe her own sister with nice looking young men to get any help. Though, to be honest, she wasn't certain if the places were reversed that she would have waded out past the giant eel, even for Kaimi.

The eel appeared to still be growing. So did the seaweed, which now had a dozen eyestalks, with head sized green eyes that darted around in different directions. And maybe a mouth there in the midst of the mass of fronds, but Apache didn't have time to really look carefully.

She shoved the professor out of the cage and half into her sister's arms before she leapt down and caught the man's legs. His middle sagged into the water. Baby began backing out, and Kaimi even came down to help them.

Unfortunately they had to go out past the aquarium. The eel had its entire head out, and slithered forward, even with the fronds holding tight. The things teeth looked like the size of dinner knives, and a hell of a lot sharper.

It got one leg out, but apparently didn't quite know what to do with it. That was the trouble with evolution, Apache supposed. One day you wake up with legs and you're supposed to suddenly become sentient and know how to walk besides.

It fell on its nose.

"Ugly creature," Baby said as they hefted the crazy professor up the first of the stairs.

"Yeah. Short bald guys with megalomaniac personalities don't do anything for me either."

Baby nodded.

Kaimi reached the doorway first, taking hold of one of the professor's arms and pulling upward. Apache shoved. They had him up and --

The glass shattered and the escaping water hit her hard from behind. Apache let go and went under. Damn. But she could clearly see the professor's legs and the stairs. Apache reached for them.

And something else grabbed her and pulled her away.

Apparently the seaweed had become considerably more intelligent than the eel. She looked into a bright, blinking green eye while the fronds turned her over and over until she had no idea which way was up.

Killed by intelligent seaweed.

Or maybe not. The eel started her way, the mouth wide. She could see right into its gullet. Not a pretty sight.

So many choices: Drown (right up there at the top since her head was about to explode if she didn't take a breath), strangled by the seaweed, or eaten by the eel.... Decisions, decisions....


Thirteen



Baby and Kaimi yanked the man up the stairs, dragged him around the corner, and into the arms of the invading army. Baby shoved the gnome into the first man's hands and kicked aside the rifle that the other one aimed at her. It went off and hit the eel - which had appeared behind them -- right between the eyes.

The world paused there for a moment, as the dozen black-clad, face-camouflaged secret band of warriors watched the eel shake its head, smile, and keep coming.

"Back!" Baby shouted. She did not have to tell the army people twice. She did have to grab Kaimi and yank away from the grinning eel. "I said back!"

"Madame President Apache!" he cried out.

"One problem at a time," Baby said. "If she shows up we'll deal with her. Right now we have the eel to worry about."

The eel seemed to be getting the knack of those legs. The army had retreated far faster than she and Kaimi, even with the gnome in hand. However, they had stopped at the next curve to make their stand. Baby saw the line of soldiers, some kneeling and some standing, all with rifles aimed --

"Down!" She yanked Kaimi out of the way.

The Eel came walking around the corner, water lapping at its knees. Baby and Kaimi slithered back among the soldiers who had opened fire. The shots did no good, of course.

But Baby and her aide (Apache said he was hers, after all) managed to get behind the soldiers before the eel reached the first in the line. With one delicately webbed foot, it grabbed a rifle. And ate it.

The others dropped their weapons and ran. Baby discovered she and Kaimi were not in the best position after all. She couldn't outrun this group so she flattened herself to one side of the wall and Kaimi did the same at the other side.

The eel had stopped to nibble on a few more rifles. Baby stepped down, picked up two of the tidbits and nodded. She smiled at Kaimi. He didn't appear to like the smile. Wise man. "Grab rifles," she told him.

"Rifles don't work against it."

"Breadcrumbs," she said.

He looked at the eel and nodded.



They reached the crypt opening with only one rifle left. Baby looked out to see the last of the soldiers scampering back over the cliff wall and heading down to the beach. They had left the professor draped over a headstone. She could also see other things in the graveyard; softly lighted shapes, spider web dresses, hair of moonlight. One floated up between she and Kaimi and looked down into the tunnels. It backed away in haste.

The eel looked uncertain about coming out of its hole. Baby waved the rifle toward it and it came another step forward, sniffed, and back up.

"Good eel. Nice eel. Don't screw with me now," Baby said. "You're still hungry aren't you? Want more rifles, don't you? Come along. I can show you where there are lots of rifles to munch."

"It doesn't want to come out, General Baby," Kaimi said. He sounded worried. "And the water is rising. Must have breached the sea wall down there. The gods know what the seaweed is doing."

Seaweed with eyestalks. She'd managed not to think about that problem for a little while.

"Come on, eel," Baby said with growing frustration. "Get your ugly ass out of the tunnel."

It rolled ugly brown eyes at her and held its place.

Baby walked back down and stood nose-to-nose with the thing. It started to back up.

"Don't do it. You do not want to get me pissed, understand? Now if you come out, I'll give you a nice rifle. If you go back down, I'm coming in after you and you will not be happy with the results. "

It blinked. It raised one leg and inched backward, and froze when she lifted her chin.

"Good. That's better. Now be a good eel and get out here."

It followed her up out of the tunnel and into the graveyard. Ghosts and Kaimi retreated in haste, and gathered into a little circle at the far end of the headstones. The professor woke up, looked up as the eel passed him, and screamed before he passed out again.

"Ha. I bet that put him off his feed for awhile," Baby said. She held up the last rifle. "Here you are. Come on. This way."

She led the eel to the edge of the graveyard and looked down the cliff side. The last of the soldiers slid down the ropes and scurried across the sandy beach to their dinghies.

"Good. Okay eel. Here you go!" She threw the rifle out over the cliff and toward the ocean. "Fetch!"

The gigantic mutant creature launched itself over the edge and out into the sky, briefly silhouetted by the bright moonlight. Wings may have been a better idea than legs, though really the idea of giant flying eels didn't appeal much to her.

Soldiers screamed from the shore below.

She gathered up Kaimi and headed back to the city.


Fourteen



Apache walked into the office late that afternoon to find her sister playing with the Ouiji Board. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said. "Leads to nothing but trouble."

"Hey, they got you where you needed to go," Baby said. She looked up and rubbed at her arm. "We're going to have a discussion about you and pointed things, by the way."

She nodded and sighed at the inevitable. "Get anything else from that board?"

"They said to say thank you. The radiation gave them heartburn. And they said not to worry about Professor Hagisdronsormsen. They have a few things to discuss with him before he leaves."

"Fine by me," she dropped into the sofa by Kaimi.

"How was your dinner and movie?" Baby asked, leaning back in the President's chair. Apache thought to order her out, but she wasn't in the mood to be dictatorial right now.

"Not bad. Did you know that no one on this island eats eels?"

"Wise people."

"Well, our work is done here. I suppose we better get back to Alan --"

"Not quite done," Baby said. She picked up a stack of old parchments and held them out to Kaimi, who took them and handed them to Apache. "Have you looked at the local constitution?"

"Glanced at it," she said.

"Better glance a little more," Baby answered. "Particularly Item 13 subsection e."

Apache flipped through the pages and found the proper spot. "And all Presidents shall be presented with their choice of concubines --"

"That's 13 c. I said 13 e."

"Ah." She ran her finger down the page, squinting a little. "Here we are. "And all Presidents shall be appointed for the entirety of their natural lives.... Hold on! I didn't sign up for that!"

"Actually, you did," Baby said, waving another piece of paper at her. She could see her signature flapping back and forth. "And according to Item 13 subsection e, part 23 footnote 5, all your appointments are for the length of your lifetime as well."

Apache looked at Baby for a long silent moment. Then she stood again. "Kaimi, Baby and I have to step out for a little while. You are in charge while we're gone."

He nodded. Baby grabbed a few things from the desk and pushed them into her pockets before she followed Apache out of the office and down the hall.

"Hey!" Kaimi shouted behind them. They both turned around. "Just thought you'd like to know that they moved the cable plane into hanger 3."


Fifteen


Alan made an unprecedented visit to Apache's new beachside house. Actually, he'd had the choice of them showing up at the office or him coming here. Apache had said something about not having anyone to watch her pets, and that brought him running.

Baby watched as he stepped through the door, looking left and right as though he expected to find something... unpleasant lurking in the entryway. When he didn't find it, he didn't appear any less worried. Baby waved him in and headed back to the deck.

"Would you like some eel?" she asked, pointing to a platter.

"Ah, no."

"Good. I think Apache is done with the analysis anyway, so I'm going to toss the nasty stuff." She picked up the platter and shoved it into the trashcan.

"Nice place," Alan said, looking around. "And no neighbors for a few miles."

"There were, but they moved out the first week," Baby said. "And we were real polite and everything. It wasn't our fault the government tried to drop all those para-military spies on us and claim they were really Santa Servatus citizens."

"It's not a mistake they'll make again. The shipping costs alone were pretty high when they got the bill from UPS. And the newspaper report didn't help. Was that your work?" he asked.

"Yes. I thought it was a nice touch. Apache and I have the reports done. You can take them back with you. Anything interesting on your end?"

"CIA denying everything, mail arriving at the office forwarded to the President of Santa Servatus de Raton, reports of a strange sea monster following ships, and a U.S. senator making hysterical calls about your sister and some pictures. Where is Apache, anyway?"

"Down on the beach playing with her new pet."

"Apache has a new pet? Gods help us."

He walked to the edge of the deck and looked down. Baby went with him. The camel frolicked in the sand, quite happy in his new home. The apartment had just been far too confining.

But Apache wasn't playing with the camel. Down in the bay a fifty-foot seaweed frond and a huge green eye retreated into the depths. Apache waded out of the water, looked up and waved, and then headed for the stairs up to the house.

"A."

"It makes Apache happy. You tell her she has to get rid of her pet, and she's not going to be happy any more. You want to be the one who does that?" Baby asked.

He looked back out at the sea. The eye slipped up out of the waves, and a frond the size of a 747 lifted and slapped the water, creating a wave that swept up the shore and drenched Apache. She looked back and laughed.

"Under no circumstances is she to bring this pet, or any of its offspring, to the office for us to watch while she's on an assignment! Is that clear?" Alan said. "The giant water dragons are more than enough. And what is it about your sister that causes pets to mutate around her? I'd keep a close eye on that camel if I were you."

"Hey, this one came mutated already!" Baby protested.

"I've read the prelim report. It didn't happen before your sister was in the room! Think about that one."

He did have a point.

"Hi Alan! Got a new assignment for us?" Apache asked as she came up the last few steps.

"No. Absolutely not. Never again."

"Hey, great. Then we're free agents now?" Baby asked, leaning against the railing. "There's so much I always wanted to do --"

"No! Gods, no! I'll find you work!"

"Good," Apache said. "Would you like to stay for dinner? We have other guests arriving soon. Should be an interesting evening."

"Interesting?" he said. His voice squeaked a little. "Who --"

"Ah, there they are now!" Baby said and pointed out to sea.

An island had appeared in the bay. People waved from the shore. Well, not quite people with their green, fiber optic hair and eyes that bulged out like bullfrogs, but Baby had learned not to judge by appearances. And they had some really good advice about running islands.

"We'll try to keep shop talk down to a minimum," Baby said, turning to Alan.

"Pizza done, Baby?" Apache asked.

"Yeah. And I remembered the de-icer this time, too."

"Excellent! Well, let's party!"

Alan was already heading out the front door.




The End

From: Alan Orion, Head of FUTURE
October 25, 1996
Report # 443,726 (Private Entry)
Message Begins:


They are fearless, my Terran Warriors. They have taken on the Van, they have faced down the tax collectors. They have seen time travel, and sat through marathons of X-File episodes. I should be proud to employ such people.

The Sangres scare the hell out of me.

It's not that I fear they will turn on me. Oh no, nothing that simple. I fear, in truth, they shall stay loyal to me forever, always there to protect me, always there to go on missions for me. I fear, in truth, that I will never be rid of them.

There is a saying on Earth... until death do us part. But I never signed that contract. They have no right to hold me to such a thing. And besides, with the Sangres -- well, I'm not entirely certain death would be an impediment to such stubbornness.

There is no escape. I have repeatedly asked for a transfer. I want away from Earth, away from THEM... but I fear, Gods help me, that if they decided, they would find me anywhere in the universe.

I like the Sangres. I do. But I didn't sign on to have them part of my life forever.

I fear I have no choice. And I don't know what to do. Send them off on work, I suppose. Continue in my duty. Pray that... I don't know. Pray they don't drive me even crazier.

At least they aren't boring. . . .

One

Baby looked across the desk at Alan and smiled brightly. "There's no way in hell," she said.

The answer apparently didn't surprise him. He nodded a couple times and flipped through the papers again. "We need your help," he said. "You're the only one who could do this. All I want is for you to get in touch with Apache. Is that too much to ask?"

"You sent her on this mission. You get in touch with her."

"We can't!" His voice rose a little this time, and a bit of color came to his cheeks. Unfortunately, the color was blue, reminding Baby that her boss was not human. "She's avoided everyone we sent, and they've ended up in rather odd, if not embarrassing, situations. We need to get in touch with her, Morning Glory. This is very important."

"I am not going to risk my life to tell Apache to call The Office. It's only been a couple months since that incident in Africa --"

"I asked you never to mention that again." His right eye twitched this time. That was a new reaction.

"Sorry. But the point is that Apache has a long memory. She told me she didn't want to see me again any time soon. I take soon to mean any time until she gets in touch with me."

"I'll give you a bonus."

"What? An early retirement with a twenty-four hour guard? You can't buy me, Alan."

"Look," he said and leaned over the desk toward her. She hadn't expected him to become so serious. "I have inadvertently put Apache in danger. I need you to get to her. No one else can."

Baby shifted in her chair, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What's going on?"

"You're not going to like it."

"I didn't like it when you called me at midnight in LA and told me to get to New York immediately. This had better be a good story."

"Well, it's a short one. I sent Apache to Japan to protect a reclusive young Japanese scientist whose work in matter transmission could be a major breakthrough in a science we don't even understand well. Only I found out last night that the -- a -- opposition has had Mishi Tanaka in their hands for several weeks. Whomever your sister is protecting, he's not the scientist."

"Ah. Yes." She blinked several times and thought about going to Apache with this news.

"When Apache took the job, she said if you showed up she'd come back here and settle it with me," Alan admitted. He looked, reasonably enough, nervous at the idea.

"Well, you are taking a chance then, aren't you?" Baby said with her best smile. He pulled back quickly. "You have to be pretty desperate to take this sort of chance. All right. I'll go."

"Here's the file with everything we know." Alan shoved the file across the desk toward her like he was offering food to a wild tiger. Usually people only reacted that way to Apache. She found it gratifying. "I'll have a plane ready by the time you reach the airport."

"Private?" she said, standing.

"Seems wiser these days. You and your sister are dangerous company. I don't see any reason to put someone else in danger. You can pilot it, right?"

"Yes, no problem."

"But you can't drive a car."

"Oh, I can drive one. I just don't have a license, and Apache says it's not safe." She picked up the file. "You know you may have to deal with both of us before this is over, right?"

"I know. I had considered stepping up my personal security, but that would only make it more fun for the two of you."

Baby laughed. He knew them too well.



She flew the plane back to LA, slept for a few hours, and then headed on to find her sister. Baby had a lot of time to think on the way to Japan. She read through Alan's report twice during the last hour.

She wouldn't want to take this sort of news to her sister under any circumstances. On the other hand, having learned the truth, she couldn't ignore it -- that Apache would never forgive either. Damned if she did, and damned if she didn't.

It took her only a few hours to track down Apache's general location since she knew her sister's peculiarities far better than any one else at FUTURE ever would. With a good amount of makeup, Baby could almost blend into the crowd at the Tokyo marketplace where she'd learned her sister frequented.

A short black wig covered her auburn hair, and tape at her temples narrowed her eyes, while dark contacts disguised their gray tint. No one looked twice at her, even when she spoke. Language was one of her few true skills, and she would have enjoyed this game except the quarry wouldn't be happy to be found.

The limp would give her away too quickly. She tried to stay in groups of people in hopes of seeing Apache first, though by the end of the first day she just hoped the meeting went quickly and remained bloodless.

This felt like the game they often play between assignments -- Hunter and Hunted. The one who lost in points had to pay the other's way to the Bahamas for a week. It passed the time and kept them on their toes. Right now that worked for Baby. She knew Apache's ways.

And it was going well except for one troubling little problem. Baby knew someone else was looking for her sister. She had seen the two men twice this morning, and might have believed they were only tourists if she hadn't noted the guns beneath their too neat sports jackets. And she'd gotten close enough to see them flash a picture of Apache at a street vendor who shook his head vigorously in denial and shut down the shop in their faces. That should have been a sign to the men that the shopkeeper knew Apache.

Apache doubtlessly realized the two men looked for her in the market. They were not subtle -- nor were they FUTURE agents. They didn't look like the sort of enemy agents they'd been dealing with lately, either. In fact, if she hadn't known any better, Baby would have sworn that they were CIA. But why would they be looking for Apache?

Well, hell. Why wouldn't they? The two hadn't had a nice straightforward assignment in the last year. She began to think that working for the aliens might be a bit more excitment than even she liked.

And she saw Apache.

As casually as she could, Baby turned and slid into the shadows of a booth while she watched her sister. Apache walked alone, moving with uncommon haste from one vendor to the next, buying various bits of food and supplies. She stopped often to look over her shoulder, obviously expecting someone to come after her.

So....

Anyone else watching would have thought Apache looked nervous, finding herself on a difficult assignment, and suspecting trouble. Baby knew better. Apache baited the opposition into thinking she was vulnerable -- and it worked. The two men followed Apache back out of the market area. Baby rather looked forward to seeing what type of trap her sister had set -- though she intended not too get too close.

When Apache turned off the main thoroughfare into a maze of alleys, the two fools followed without pause. Baby stayed back at the opening until they had turned a corner. The two had never once looked back to see if someone followed them. Fools. Baby kept as much in the shadows as possible as she followed, her hand on the knife at her side.

The alley twisted and snaked through the poorer sections of Tokyo. Now and then Baby caught a glimpse of the men ahead of her. They appeared nervous at the hostile stares of the natives, but by now they had no choice but to go on. She even caught sight of Apache twice when her sister had to slow down or lose the two men.

When Apache led them to a deserted stretch of alley, Baby knew to prepare for a trap, even if the other two didn't realize it yet. They had wandered from mid-afternoon until sunset, and in the shifting shadows of dusk Apache would be at her best.

Baby found a rough section of wall and scrambled to the top and inched her way along the foot wide top, watching for a sign of trouble below. She had chosen the far wall where her shadow fell behind her instead of into the alley. By the time she reached a good spot, Apache had already taken down one of the men, and had the other cornered. She seemed to be having a very good time of it, too. Apache held her knife left handed, and had hold of the man by his now torn and dirtied sports jacket. Apache really despised sports jackets.

"Now, either you tell me why you were following me, or I'll get the answers by dissecting your brain. And believe me, I know the people who can do that kind of work."

"Why the hell do you think I was following you?" he demanded.

"I think you followed me because you're an idiot. I suspect you have a different answer," she said, and casually sliced off a couple buttons from the sleeve of the jacket.

"We came to find out where you're keeping Mishi Tanaka and to get him out," the man said.

"Why?"

"Because it looks bad, an American kidnapping a top Japanese scientist. People are doing their best to keep this from becoming a huge international incident. Take us to Tanaka --"

"Not on your life, so to speak. I work for FUTURE. My job is to protect Mishi, not kidnap him." She shoved the man away and he hit the wall hard enough to stun him. "I don't know what you think is going on, but I suggest you check with my office in New York." She sheathed her knife and stepped back away. "Don't come after me again. I'll consider anyone who tries to take Tanaka as the enemy."

Apache reached into the guy's jacket and withdrew his gun, emptying the clip and handing it back to him. Then she turned and casually stepped over his still unconscious companion. Baby grinned -- and then saw the man reach into the back of his jacket and pull out another small gun.

This might be her only chance to do something to get in good with Apache, since she had little else going for her at this point. She pulled her knife and leapt from the wall, landing a yard to the right of the man, and in a nearly perfect line between him and Apache. She startled him so much with her appearance that he fired.

The bullet burnt against the left arm and bounced off the wall. Angry now, Baby let go with her knife. It caught him across the arm, almost exactly the same spot, and he went down with a cry of surprise and pain.

Apache had turned back and stopped by her sister, frowning. "I knew he was going to do that," she said. "You didn't have to scare him."

"I know, but I needed something to look good," she said. She went to the man, examined the wound -- which wasn't much more than a cut, and retrieved her knife. "Hi. I'm Morning Glory Sangre. Maybe you've heard of me?"

"They said she was working alone this time!"

"Never believe what you hear from other spies. Haven't you learned that yet?" She picked up the second gun and tossed it back to her sister who leaned casually against the wall. "Can we go somewhere private to talk?"

"I don't know," Apache said. She had pretty much destroyed the cute little gun in those few moments. "Do you have anything to say to me that I want to hear, Baby?"

"Not that you want to hear, no," Baby confessed. "But I think you better listen anyway."

Apache stared, still leaning against the wall.

"Look at it this way -- you'll ruin my reputation as a courier if you don't get the message they sent me to deliver. You don't want that on my faultless record, now do you?"

Apache grinned and pushed away from the wall. That smile could have meant anything at all. Baby just hoped for the best.

"Hey -- you can't leave us here!" the guy shouted, shaking his unconscious companion.

"You drew a gun on me, idiot," Apache said. She tossed the ruined little piece of junk back to him. "Find your own way home."



Two


Apache wondered what her sister was going to tell her, but she didn't ask. Not yet. They took the subway line to the Hama Rikyu Garden, with the skyscrapers of the Shiodome district glittering over them. The evening had turned dark and muggy -- and the sounds of the city grew louder even in the solitude of the park. Apache led her sister to one of the small tidewater ponds and settled there.

"So talk to me," Apache finally said, leaning back on her elbow.

"Up front and to the point -- Mishi isn't Mishi."

She sat back up. "Pardon?"

"According to Alan, the real Mishi is in the hands of ... others. The report says they're holding him in the Gobi desert somewhere."

"Mishi isn't..." Her voice off while her mind worked through this little bit of information.

"What are you going to do about it?" Baby asked.

"Why, you want in on it?"

"Why not? I'm all the way here, and it would be a shame to leave before the holiday. We've worked just about every one of them so far this year."

"What holiday?"

"Some patriot you are. Tomorrow is the Fourth of July. When do the fireworks start?"

"As soon as I get my hands on that little imposter. Come on."

"This is going to be fun!" Baby exclaimed as she jumped to her feet. "Finally, an enemy who we know is on the other side!"

"You don't seem to worry about those little details too often," Apache pointed out as she stood. "After all, you're the one who knifed the CIA agent."

"What CIA agent? Did he ever identify himself as such? We had no idea he was CIA. Remember that, Apache."

"Right. Come on. I'm going to kill the guy."

They started out at a brisk walk, but Apache noted her sister had started limping badly and for some reason took pity on her. Or maybe she didn't want to go back to the apartment and face -- whoever it was she had been living with for the last few weeks.

"I wonder what the hell this is all about," Baby said, as though echoing Apache's own thoughts. "It doesn't make sense, someone grabbing Mishi and replacing him just so you could take in the wrong person."

"And why didn't FUTURE send someone to tell me?" Apache asked.

"They...did," Baby said. She stopped and looked at her sister with growing worry. "Three other agents. They all ended up in unusual situations that got them bounced back to their home countries. You didn't arrange that?"

"No."

"But someone knew they were FUTURE agents, and didn't want you to meet up with them. Hell, Apache. I know you aren't giving secrets away, but it's going to look that way to other people. And why is this guy letting you wander around, knowing you could meet up with anyone --"

"Damn!" Apache made a quick search of her clothing. In a moment she pulled a small transmitter from her collar and held it out to her sister. She felt like an idiot. "I never mistrusted Mishi. He seemed so sincere."

"He knows we're on to him."

"You better run pretty damn fast and far, Mishi," she said into the device before she dropped it on the ground and stomped on it with enough glee to win a look of worry from people nearby.

"Well, aren't you glad I came along when I did?" Baby said with a bright smile.

"You'd be better off not reminding me why I didn't have you along to begin with," Apache said, shaking her head in warning.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who crashed the plane in Africa," she said. "Do you hear me complaining?"



By the time they reached the apartment he had already left, of course. He had even taken the time to leave a note, much to Apache's annoyance. She sat on the bed and read it aloud to her sister, who carefully watched out the window -- probably so Apache couldn't see her grinning

"Dearest Morning Star -- so sorry that our time together came to such an abrupt end, but in our line of business, short relationships are often for the best. I hope we meet again soon, and under as pleasant as circumstances. Love always, your Mishi."

Apache looked up at her sister who wisely refrained from making any comments. "The bastard didn’t even tell me his real name."

Baby looked around the room -- the flowers and candles on the table, the single bed behind the rice paper wall. She wasn't stupid. And she wasn't stupid enough to say anything about it, either.

"What do we do now?"

"I have an assignment to complete. I was sent to protect Mishi Tanaka, and I'm going to do it, even if I have to go get him from someone else first."

"He's in China. Gobi Desert. Is that going to make a difference to you?"

"No."

"Fine. What do you want me to do?" Baby asked as she took off the wig and began working her hair back out of the coil. She even washed the makeup off while Apache sat quietly, shredding the flowers from the vase one at a time. When Baby turned around she looked herself, and ready for just about anything.

Alan was crazy to put them together again, especially in a situation like this one.

"I want you to stay here and cover for me. You might even draw out the fake Mishi if you can. But I want the pleasure of maiming him, understand?"

"Absolutely," she said, lifting both hands. "What do I tell Alan?"

"Whatever you please. The truth might not hurt. Let him stay awake for a few nights, worrying."

"Like he hasn't done that from the moment he gave me the plane."

Apache nodded and stood, gathering a few of her own belongings. She checked them very carefully, but whatever his name was apparently hadn't left any more bugs -- which was a good thing, because if there had been one, she would have shoved it up his ass next time they met.

"You do realize that it's not the Chinese who have Mishi, right?" Baby said as they headed for the door.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out. Van?"

"They're not really saying in the reports," Baby said. "But that's whom I would suspect."

"Fine. I would like to know why the CIA -- or whomever those guys work for -- think I kidnapped Mishi Tanaka. I don't need these kinds of complications.

"I'll see what I can find out," Baby said. "I left a private plane at the airport Do try not to crash it, okay? This one is on my tab."

"I'll do my best. Besides, I don't want to swim back to Japan."

"So you won't crash it before you get back."

"Right."

Baby nodded. They left the apartment together, wandering out into the busy streets. Apache thought about taking a cab, but Baby didn't appear to mind walking right now. And she was uncommonly, or wisely, quiet.

At midnight, after a very late dinner, they parted company. Apache headed for the airport, more than willing to put herself up against whoever tried to stop her. She wanted...

Damn him. She'd trusted him. There were very few people she trusted in the world, and her Mishi had been one of them. She looked out at the back window of the cab as it pulled away from the curb and felt a strange pang at leaving Baby behind. She could trust Baby.

She sat back and closed her eyes.

"Someday we're going to regret these days together," he had said, whispering in her ear.

"Regret?"

"Ah, forgive me. Sometimes I still have mistakes with my English."

Damn him... But she did regret. For very many reasons.



Three


Baby wandered back to her hotel, arriving about 3AM, worn and ready for a rest before her next step in the assignment. Someone at the front desk handed her a message from The Office. She went down to the phone bank and called in, hoping this went quickly and she could get clear of the area before the phone exploded.

Alan answered immediately, without even going through the usual check in.

"My," Baby said. "When did I start rating a human -- or whatever?"

"I always feel it wise to talk directly with you and your sister. You confuse computers and frighten secretaries. Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for hours. Why won't you or your sister carry a cell phone?"

"Too damn dangerous," Baby said. "They explode on us. All phones explode on us, so you better speak quickly."

"I just wanted to know how you're doing!"

"Me? I'm fine thank you. But Apache is pissed as hell."

"You found her! Excellent. What about the man she was protecting?"

"He disappeared before we could get back to her hotel. I am beginning to think his entire job was just to keep her occupied and make the rest of us focus on that rather than the problem with the real Mishi Tanaka."

"You could be right. Let me talk to Apache."

"I can't. She's not here."

"Where is she?"

"My guess would be somewhere over Peking about now, on her way to the Gobi desert to get the real Mishi back."

"Gods of the worlds, tell me you're lying!"

"All right. I'm lying."

"Oh Gods, Oh Gods. Apache against the Van. They don't have a chance. She'll start an intergalactic war... Why is she doing this to me?"

"Pride mostly," Baby said. The phone started to buzz. "You know -- you sent her out on a job, and she's determined to make certain she gets it done right this time. That's what you get when you put the Sangres on a case. That is what you pay us for."

"No. I pay you to drive me stark raving mad. I better get in touch with the Council and warn them that there are going to be ... problems. Try to stay in touch, Morning Glory. May I ask what you are doing?"

"Looking for the fake Mishi and find out why other people think Apache had kidnapped the real one."

"Do they? How odd."

"That's what I thought. But remember, we had no idea they were CIA when I knifed the one."

He made a little keening sound that matched the growing buzz of the phone. Baby could honestly say she hadn't enjoyed something this much in a long time. The assignment looked better and better by the minute.

She hung up the phone.

And someone shoved a gun into the middle of her back. "All right, honey -- where's your friend hidden Mishi Tanaka?"

She looked over her shoulder into the face of the two CIA agents. Neither looked happy.

Neither was she. She reached back and grabbed the pistol out of the man's hand, and shoved it up against his nose. "Don't ever call me honey."

Then the burning and exploding phone took their attention, and Baby left again, whistling happily.



Four


Apache bought a camel. It wasn't her favorite mode of transportation, but when in Rome -- or the Gobi -- one had to go native. Camel, robes -- she had a temptation to buy a yurt as well. A good summerhouse, she thought, take it on vacation wherever she wanted to go.

Where she did not want to go was the middle of the damned Gobi desert in summer. She looked toward the distant snow capped mountains with longing, and wondered if Baby was having a better time in Tokyo. That was her curse -- that she often suspected her sister had a better time than she did.

On the fourth night she finally found what she had been searching for. Not the Van, but rather a group of goat herding nomads who reluctantly made her welcome. Reluctant, mostly, because they knew her.

Mark sat across the fire from her. He'd been an agent. So had all the rest of the tribe. Two years ago they had all quit and moved to the Gobi Desert to take up goat herding after being on a case with the Sangres. No one found this particularly surprising.

"I'm looking for something odd," she told.

"What? The UFO out in the Shamo?" he asked.

"Yes, that would be it."

"I'll draw you a map. You can leave tonight."

"Is that anyway to treat someone who pulled you from that wrecked car in Germany?"

"You didn't. Baby did. You wrecked the car."

"Oh. Well, anyway. Is that how you treat the sister of the person who dragged you out of the wrecked car?"

His left eye started to develop that tick again. "And she was the one who put the python in the bathtub and forgot to tell me."

"You should have known better than just step in to a bathtub, especially if you're sharing a room with Baby. Did you ever get feeling back in that leg?"

His right arm began to twitch. He grabbed hold of it. The others had all retired to other places. She had heard some mention of moving to Tibet.

"I'll draw you a map, give you supplies, buy you that yacht you always wanted... just leave me in peace, Apache."

"Deal," she said. "I'll send you the brochures on the yacht when I get back to civilization."

He nodded emphatically and stood, hurrying away for paper. It was so nice to work with reasonable people.



Her luck held -- all bad -- on this case. The Van had set up in the great waste of the sand desert for their work. She had grown damned tired of sand in everything, and even Clyde, the camel, looked perturbed by the forth day. She had stopped riding him and had taken to dragging him out over the desert. She wasn't sure why. Maybe just so some other creature could be miserable with her, since she hadn't brought her sister along.

But she knew she had gotten close to the Van. She could smell them.

Literally. Apparently the Van had a fondness for melted rubber and tar sandwiches. The scent carried quite a ways in the otherwise nearly sterile environment. She appreciated the ability to track them, though. Wandering in circles with the damned camel was not her idea of a good time.

As she topped the next rise she finally saw her quarry. The top of the UFO showed clearly in the last light of sunset, along with the Van sitting on it, a nice bright green in the fading light. Apache sat down. So did the camel. Time to wait for dark.



Five

She had avoided the (I didn't know they were CIA, really) men for five days. It had been fun, leading them all over the Islands, and then on a brief jaunt to Australia. But she came back to Japan. Apache would be showing up soon, and she had to get on with the business of tracking down the faux Mishi.

But...

Well, she got unlucky. Her plane got held up by weather, or maybe a flock of samurai -- she had trouble translating the last bit -- and the men managed to get in before her. She didn't know it. So when she picked up her luggage and stepped out they grabbed her and shoved her into a car. Handcuffed, not that it would really stop her, but they didn't know it. One sat inside, his arm still in a sling. My. Not happy.

Well, at least now Apache wouldn't feel so bad about her own stupidity.

The second man slid into the car beside her. Two more took the front seat. He'd picked up a few recruits.

"If you tell us where Tanaka is, we might be persuaded to just quietly put you out of the country, honey," the man who had just sat down said.

Baby bared her teeth, and he tried to back away, despite the fact they had handcuffed Baby, and they had their guns drawn. "If you call me honey one more time --"

"You'd be wise not to threaten us, honey. Things could get worse."

"I doubt it," she said, and stomped on the man's toes.

He howled and jabbed the gun in her side, but didn't shoot. She'd rather counted on it, and didn't mind the bruise. She grinned. He started to say something, then shut up and glared instead. It was a win.

But a few moments later the driver suddenly took a sharp left, winning curses from all three in the back seat.

"We're being followed!" he explained.

"You could have said that before you turned, you know," Baby said. "It's in the rules book that explaining before you do something is often allowable, even in our line of work."

"Who's following us?" the man with the gun demanded, shoving it into her side again.

Baby looked over her shoulder and saw a small car darting in and out of traffic and having no trouble at all keeping up with the lumbering caddie these people drove.

"Well? Who is it?"

"Damned if I know. Last I heard Apache was still in China."

"China?" the man said. He had a bit of a squeak to his voice.

"What are we going to do, Sylvester?" the driver asked. He turned sharply again. The car protested with a loud wail.

"Go on to the safe house," the man with the gun replied. "If her friends are following us, we can make a clean sweep and clear this fiasco up. You put yourself against the wrong people when you kidnapped Tanaka."

"We didn't. I am a FUTURE agent. You can check my credentials."

"We already did. Aside from the fact that your organization doesn't look legit, are we supposed to believe that you have a name liked Morning Glory Sangre? What kind of fools do you think we are?"

"Is that an essay question or multiple choice?"

"You can cut the cute crap. Until I hear from my superiors, you are going to be our guest. And we're going to do some talking about your work, your organization, and what you did with Tanaka."

"You've seen too many movies."

"Maybe you haven't seen enough. Sometimes they're quite inventive in how they get information from young women."

"I don't believe this," she said and leaned back, closing her eyes. "Wake me up when we reach reality."



She napped for a little bit.

"We're here," the driver said. "There's the gate."

"Drive on through. We set up a trap on the other side. Let's see what kind of accomplices our guest has."

"Yes, let's," Baby said.

They went through the gate, and drove a few hundred yards through the cluttered underbrush of a garden gone mutant before they reached the abandoned house. Sylvester threw open the car door and dragged Baby out of the car and shoved her toward the house.

The second car came up the drive. In the dim light she could see only one occupant, and she had to wonder how many others he'd left off at the gate. Time would tell. She could see shadows easing along the underbrush already, coming closer. She slowed Sylvester down.

"Come on, honey."

The bushes exploded with a half dozen black clothed, masked men who screamed at the top of their lungs as they attacked. Baby spun and kicked Sylvester squarely in the knee. He went down with a cry of pain.

"Don't call me honey again, Sylvester!"

"You dislocated my knee!"

"Yeah, and keep in mind where the next kick is going to go. Toes first, knee second -- I'm working my way upward."

He blanched as she reached down and did a quick search for the keys to the handcuffs. She removed the cuffs and wrapped them around his wrists before tossing the key into the bush. By then CIA agents had started coming out of the house, and Baby feared the men in black could hold them back. She bowed once to Sylvester, and hurried toward the car parked, and still running, in the driveway. One nice looking young oriental man waited there with his arms held out in a gesture of peace and surrender.

"Do I get to guess who you are?" Baby asked. "Apache's Mishi, right?"

"And I would have known you anywhere, Baby," he said with a bright smile. "Apache spoke so often of you."

"So where does that leave me?"

"You can stay here, or leave with me."

"What do you want with me?"

"Protection. I know Apache will come for me, and I think I would like to have you between us for that first meeting. I must speak to her, to try and make amends."

"And you have this mistaken belief that she won't kill me to get to you?"

"Not entirely. I hope only that you'll slow her down long enough that I can get the upper hand, at least for a moment."

"Well, that's straightforward enough. I knew I'd get back to reality pretty soon. Let's go."

Apache's friend nodded. He whistled and the black-clad attackers began to pull back. Baby and he took one car, and they took the other. The (I swear I didn't know they were CIA) agents were going to have a long walk back to town if they couldn't find another vehicle. Baby suspected they would be even less happy the next time she met up with them.



Six


"Stay here. Sit. Stay." Apache patted the camel on the head as she stood. It tried to bite her fingers. "If I'm not back by dawn, you're on your own."

It flopped down in the sand, looking like a forlorn puppy dog. She had, she admitted, developed a liking for the animal. She hadn't had a pet since the unfortunate water dragon... but really, she shouldn't think it unfortunate. Earle seemed to be doing rather well, there in the FUTURE HQ, with all his offspring and mates. Mutating, in fact, according to FUTURE scientists.

Maybe she'd take the camel back with her.

Apache rolled down the dune and toward the hatch. The person who had been sitting outside had gone back in a few minutes before. Apache crawled closer, wondering what kind of surveillance the group had. Perhaps they felt safe enough, being out here in the middle of nowhere. They probably just didn't like people -- or maybe they just didn't like Terrans. The lack of anyone watching might mean they even thought it unnecessary, though Apache would have thought they'd known better by now. After all, they had dealt with the Sangres before.

The door appeared to be flush with the ground, and she could find no handle, or even indentation. When she dug in the soft sand around it, she found a long tube leading down toward what appeared to be a larger craft. Fine. She tore two buttons from the bottom of her shirt, pushed them into the little hole she'd dug, and rolled away as quickly as she could. This was no time for half measures.

The ground conversed, tossing her a few feet farther. She saw the camel lift his head, and drop it back down again. Wise animal. When she looked back, the sand had been blasted away from the tube, which didn't even appear to be dented. Nor had the door opened. She cursed in a couple different languages and went back to see if she could find someway to pry it open --

The door snapped open as she stopped in front of it. The head of a green skinned, black haired woman poked out and looked at her reproachfully.

"You could have knocked first you know. We certainly would have let you in, Morning Star Sangre," she said, smiling to show a row of razor sharp teeth. Then she pulled a slim black weapon with a glowing handle and pointed it at her.

"That's not polite, you know," Apache said. And she launched herself straight at the woman.

They both fell. Apache had a brief glimpse of a ladder as they tumbled past it. Then she landed on top of the alien woman who didn't move at all after that. She grabbed the weapon and spun to her feet, only to find another woman close enough to bite -- and it looked like she planned to. Apache pulled back in haste and aimed the weapon.

"Have you had your rabies shots yet?" she demanded.

"You are an untried warrior; your skills are childish and immature."

"I'm sure that was meant as an insult, but I really could care less since obviously you're my prisoner and not the other way around," she said and took her weapon as well. "Where is Mishi Tanaka?"

"You will never leave this ship alive."

"You may not have heard, but my sister and I have a habit of not dying when people expect us to. Annoying, I know. But that's just life, so to speak. Now where is Mishi?"

"It is an honor to die in the service of the Van Army."

"Fine. I'll find him myself."

She glanced down at the weapon. The trigger went two ways -- red and blue. Hoping that the Van eyes saw the same spectrum as she did -- and that they used the same sort of color cues -- she shoved the trigger over to blue and fired. A light blue glow enveloped her enemy, whose eyes went wide for a moment before she crumpled.

Curious, Apache aimed at the wall and pushed the trigger over to red. A head-sized piece of the hull melted. Sand began to shift in.

"My, that's going to be a problem for them to fix," she said. She searched the Van's body and found a yoyo and a harmonica. She found that very disturbing and put them back.

The hall led in only one direction and that worried her as well since she could see no one else at all. Maybe they were off watching Casablanca or something.

The hall curved into another. She shot two Van there -- both blue light specials, though one of them tempted her to red when she burnt a hole in Apache's robe. They obviously stood guard before another hall, and that helped a great deal. She found the row of cells, only one of which appeared to be occupied. Unfortunately the door was locked. She examined the device and realized that it needed a palm print. Hers would not do. She went back, grabbed the smaller of the Van she had just dropped, and dragged her back, shoving the woman's hand in the appropriate place. The door snapped open. She rolled the Van back out of the way and stepped partially inside, making certain she kept the door open.

A young man lay on a bench against the wall on the far side of the cell. He sat up slowly, brushing long black hair back from his face. For a moment they regarded each other in silence.

"You're the wrong color for an alien, aren't you?" he asked.

"Huh?" She looked down at the gun he stared at and then back at him. "Oh. I'm Apache Sangre. I'm here to rescue you."

"You're who?" he said, swinging his legs off the bench and standing.

"I'm here with Ben Kenobi -- haven't I seen this movie before?"



Seven


"Her plane will be here in about five minutes," Seji said. "The report said they got delayed by an air sick camel."

Baby nodded. Seji didn't look particularly surprised by talk of camels either, but then he did know Apache very well.

"You could still run," Baby offered. It sounded odd since he held the gun placed gently at her back as they sat on the bench outside the terminal. Not that she believed he would use it, but they both had a ruse to play now. "She's not going to be happy to see you, and it's not wise to cross her when she's in that sort of mood."

"I have to tell her the truth," he said. "It was my job, and I regret that part. But I did not work for the Van, at least. We, too, were trying to find the real Mishi. We thought your people had him."

"My people? Future? Terrans? The tribe?"

"Yes." He stood and helped her to her feet, always polite at least, even with the gun. "I had a job to do."

"Don't tell me. Apache is the one you'll have to convince."

He looked worried and Baby smiled. Seji knew what he faced and he had every reason to be concerned. Baby had to admit, she had come to like him over the last week, though obviously not quite as well as her sister had liked him.

Baby went along with no trouble. Actually, she couldn't wait to find out how this meeting went. Granted, she would rather not have had such a front row seat, as it were, but still... it was going to be interesting.

Seji and Baby spotted Apache as she came out of the building in the company of a very nice looking, longhaired young man. Baby sighed at her sister's luck. It only figured that the real Mishi Tanaka was even better looking than the fake one. They came face-to-face. Apache's eyes grew large and she made a sound that sent the real Mishi Tanaka back a step. Seji held his ground.

"I told him he was crazy to try and talk to you," Baby offered.

"And you did such an excellent job of finding him for me," she said. "Why do I get the impression he has a gun on you?"

"A mere technicality," Baby said.

"What gave it away?" Seji said.

"The fact that she hasn't broken both your arms for taking hold of her. Look -- what is your name, anyway?"

"Seji is all you are going to get from me. I have friends and family to protect."

"Not on this world," Baby said.

"That is but a small matter where the Sangres are concerned. Shall we go somewhere less busy? I should like to discuss our futures. I propose a trade -- Baby for Mishi. And I can guarantee that I mean him no harm, Apache. We just want him where we can watch him."

"I've had about as much watching as I like," Mishi said.

"We are not the Van. At least listen to our offer," he said.

"Let's go," Apache said. "You have a car, Seji?"

He nodded, signaling her and Mishi ahead of him. Apache walked by her sister, giving her a glare.

"You know, this really isn't my fault. You're the one who got him involved in the first place. He wouldn't have even known me, otherwise. And since when do you tell everyone you work with our life story?"

She flashed her teeth and moved up to walk with Mishi.

"And you think I live dangerously," Seji said.

They turned a corner toward a parking lot --

"Everyone freeze! We have you covered."

CIA agents -- Rather, some men (I didn't know they were CIA), leapt out from around cars. Sylvester limped quite a bit, but he compensated for that with the submachine gun he carried. He did not look pleased. Apache shook her head and looked at Baby.

"This is not my fault. Seji's people had been handling this end." She looked at him, scowling. He had, finally taken the gun out of her back, and slipped it into her pocket.

"You aren't getting away this time," Sylvester said. He grabbed Baby and slapped a handcuff on one hand. "We want Tanaka!"

"So you have me," Seji said, stepping forward.

Sylvester paused in his work and looked at Seji and then at Mishi with uncertainty. "How can I know which one of you is Mishi Tanaka?"

"I am insulted!" Seji exclaimed. "To think that you would mistake one of Japan's top scientists for this long haired rebel!"

"Oh, of course," Sylvester said. "Is he in on this as well, Mr. Tanaka? We are going to take these two back to the US where they'll face charges for their actions here. But if there was a native involved --"

"I just met her on the plane," Mishi said, looking very nicely appalled. "What sort of trouble is this? I want nothing to do with it, orgy or not --"

"You really have to get that libido of yours under control, Apache," Baby said.

Apache growled.

"Come on, honey --"

He knew his mistake. He tried to back away, but Baby moved damn fast and the aim of the kick was perfect. As he crumpled, face a pasty white, she grabbed the machinegun from his hands. The others backed away very quickly. One took position by a concrete pillar and aimed his own gun.

"They're loose!" Seji screamed. "Don't let them take me again!"

He took off running, cutting between Baby and the weapon. The agents, torn between taking Apache and Baby or saving their quarry, took a moment too long to decide. Apache caught one at the knees, sending him crashing into the one with the gun, which fired up into the air. Apache took it away from him.

"You don't get this back until you learn how to handle it properly," she told him. Then she spun and put a nice kick to the head of the man coming up behind her. The others, wisely, decided to go after Mishi.

Sirens started wailing, and heading their way.

"We better get out of here before the cops show up," Apache said. "Even if we are on the side of right and all that, I don't want to try and explain why they are after us."

"Why don't you try to explain it to me?" Mishi asked. He leaned casually against a pillar, watching as they destroyed guns.

"Do you have a car?" Apache asked.

"Seji's," she said, and tossed a set of keys to her sister. "I lifted them from him before he took off running. I don't think he'll mind though. He still has Sylvester's car."

"I hope Seji doesn't think this evens things up," Apache said. She took Mishi by the arm and led him away. He looked quite used to it.

"How did things go in the Gobi?"

"I think I upset the Van."

"Oh, gee. That's too bad."

Apache grinned and nodded as Baby indicated the car.

"Here," Apache said, handing her an odd weapon with a black body and a glowing handle. "You're going to like this. Always use the blue setting, though, unless you want to punch a hole through something."

"Ah."

Mishi slid into the back seat. He glanced from one to the other with a look of worry. Baby slid in the front and turned around while her sister started the car.

She held out her hand. "We haven't been introduced. I'm Morning Glory Baby Sangre."

"God."

"You know, I don't know why so many people say that when I introduce myself," Baby said. "I don't think God and I look anything alike."

Mishi slid down in the seat.

They passed a cop standing at the edge of the building, his gun drawn. Baby rolled down the window, aimed and fired, enveloping him in a glowing blue light before he fell. Everyone else ran.

"It does have a certain amount of flair," Baby agreed.

They passed Seji and his (honest to God, I had no IDEA!) CIA pursuers. He waved and blew a kiss to Apache. Baby grabbed the wheel of the car and managed to keep her from running him over.



Eight


Apache leaned back in the chair and waited.

"I have a 139 page report on you two from the CIA."

"What does the CIA want with us, Alan?" Apache asked, all innocence.

He looked from her to Baby. "You can't pull that with me. I know what you two have done. I have complaints from Japan, China, and the Van."

"Tell them they shouldn't try to bite."

He started to say something and changed his mind. "We were talking about the CIA agents."

"What agents?" Baby asked.

"Don't you start. You knew they were CIA. You knifed one. The other is going to limp for a long time, and... well, he's not a well man. We are a secret organization. We need to keep a low profile --"

"Look, we completed the mission. You have Mishi, and you owe us double time for working yet another holiday. If you don't want to know about the complaints the CIA has against us, don't read them," Apache said and stood.

Alan looked at her, looked at the notebook on his desk -- and shoved it off into the trashcan.

"Is there anything else?" Baby asked as she stood.

"No. Go. I'll call if I need you, but don't expect that to be for a long, long time. Go!"

"Mishi almost has his teleporter perfected," Apache said. "He's been explaining to us how it works. It'll be good to have the time off. There's so much to learn."

Alan looked very pale when they left. And he had started mumbling in that other language again.

Their work was done. Now they just had to get Apache's camel home.


The End