Cyber Wars - Epilogue: System Shutdown
 

(( Sorry for the delay, Ace! ))

***

Outside in the hallway, Devin slinks over towards Shahdee and gently pulls her aside, away from Scrya. As she gives him a look of slight confusion he asks in a hushed voice, "Say, um, would you mind telling me how you did the hair thing?"

"Hm?"

He waves a finger at her hair, pointing out the longer ends. "How you grew it back out so quick."

"Oh..." she replies, flicking the ends with her fingers. "Just some protein exchanges. Oh I'm gonna be hungry in a minute, believe me..."

She turns forward again, but when she catches sight of the back of Scrya's head she becomes silent again, a wave of pity and sorrow washing over her.

Up ahead, Kaitlin looks back at her and whispers to Wolf, "Did she change her hair?"

"Who?" Wolf asks, looking back. "Shahdee?"

"Yeah..." Kaitlin replies, looking forward again and trying to be tactful.

Wolf glances back for a little while longer, however, and faces forward again with a shrug. "Maybe she got a weave?"

"Shortest weave I've ever seen..." Kaitlin remarks, resisting the urge to look back again.

Tia looks up past the people in front of her at Wolf and Kaitlin, ignoring General Neilson's speech with Jade and Monk as she whispers to Shahdee, "They're talking about you."

"Say what?" Shahdee asks, leaning over.

"They're up there talking about you," Tia repeats, nodding her head back at Wolf and Kaitlin discreetly. With a sly glance at Shahdee she adds, "They like your hair."

Shahdee takes a lock in her hand and strokes it, glancing around. "Really?"

"They're wondering what you did with it."

Shahdee glances up at them, then back at Tia and Scrya with a wry smile. "Maybe I'll tell 'em someday."

Scrya can only give her a weak smile, but it can't do much to hide her somber feeling. Up ahead Neilson clears his throat, drawing their attention to him. "I should point out that the only people allowed in the conference room during the arbitration will be Scrya, Colonels LaFleur and McKenzie, and her lawyer. Nobody else can go in. ...Just so you know."

Tia drapes her arm over her shoulder to comfort her, while Wraith watches from afar, not sure himself if anything they do can help her feel more at ease. Shahdee says nothing either, instead patting her arm as Tia whispers, "It's okay, I'll be right outside waiting... we'll get you out of this one, I promise."

Scrya gives her another weak smile before lowering her head into her chest, focusing only on her thoughts.

***

Conference room: 1900 hours

The natural passage of events kept Scrya's defense from having much time to prepare, but the time did come, whether they were ready or not. Presently Scrya walks to the conference room with her lawyer, Wolf, and Jade, all now in formal attire... except for Scrya, who decided jeans and a t-shirt were fine. As Wolf picks at his dress uniform they come around the last corner and face now the last few feet of their journey, where they find Shahdee, Tia, and Wraith waiting outside in chairs.

Wraith rises to his feet quickly, and fights back the urge to salute; instead nodding and saying, "They're waiting inside."

Wolf and Jade both nod back at him, Wolf replying with, "Come to wish us luck, Major?"

"Of course, sir," Wraith says with a smile. He then looks over at Scrya and nods. "So good luck."

She gives him a weak smile back, trying to let him know she appreciates it. Jade and Wolf waste little more time however, and head inside, with Scrya close behind.

***

The judge, seated, and her lawyer look up from what they're doing as the three of them enter, her lawyer standing and walking over. In a hushed voice he says, "You're right on time, the judge wants to start now."

Wolf looks over at the table, but doesn't see the DOC man or the NYPD chief there. With a tilt of his head he asks, "Where's the other two?"

"On their way," the lawyer replies, glancing over at Scrya. "I've got your defense all laid out, I just want you two to know that you'll be presenting testimony against Riker's."

He looks between Jade and Scrya, referring to their brutal treatment while in the prison. Scrya doesn't seem very confident, however... in fact, she seems rather timid as she asks, "You know my prison record though, right? ...I mean, what do you do about that?"

Without hesitation he answers, "Self-defense. You didn't initiate those incidents."

Suddenly he realizes he never introduced himself, and holds out his hand for handshakes. "Oh, I'm sorry... George Foreman, nice to meet you."

Wolf starts to point his finger and open his mouth, but George cuts him off with a wave of his hand. "No relation."

The judge behind them clears his throat, letting it be known he's ready now. "If you're quite ready, I am."

Foreman looks back at Wolf slowly and arches both his eyebrows, mouthing, "Ohhh, 'kayyy..."

He then turns and takes a seats, flashing a little smile at the judge as he does so. Wolf sits to his left, and Scrya and Jade sit to his right, in that order. The judge looks at them on that side of the table, and at that very moment the doors on the far side of the room open, and in comes Mrs. Harris and Elena and their lawyer, with the DOC deputy and the NYPD police chief. They all then sit across from the defense on one side of the table, the judge to their left.

An uncomfortable silence filled only by the shuffling of their clothes falls over the room, but the judge won't have any of that. In a stern, elderly voice he addresses everyone. "All right everyone, listen up... this is an informal trial so let's dispense with all the pleasantries. I'm not the young man I used to be, so I intend to be here until supper, not senility, is that clear?"

Foreman raises his hand and leans forward, "Umm, your honor, isn't that a line from Star Tre-"

"Can it."

"Yes, your honor," George replies quickly, sitting back in his seat.

The Judge looks over everyone at the table once, and seeing no one volunteering to speak, asks louder, "Well?! ...All right, then..."

Looking over at the prosecution, he asks, "Mrs. Harris, tell us your story again, for the record."

A disheveled looking Mrs. Harris takes the stand, her hair a mess and her eyes red and puffy. She immediately bursts into tears as she tells her story. "James was a good father when he was around. He loved our daughter with everything he had. After he left, he still kept up with child support and paid regular visits to the house. My love for him had gone, but he still helped us out, for the memory of what our family once was. Now, he's gone. She took him from us, and he'll never come back. I don't want retribution for me, but for our poor daughter whom he loved so much. She'll never see her daddy again and while my husband's and my ties were severed a while ago, it pains me that he isn't around, just for the sake of knowing he's there."

She sniffles and gasps a few times, trying to compose herself, and then points at Scrya accusingly. "She did this. She took him away from us, away from his family, however broken they may be. Now we have nothing. I have no steady job and my daughter is... well a teenager, you know how they get. We were basically living off of his child support, and now we have nothing to live on. Slowly, we are sinking into poverty and soon we'll have no home, no food, because of that bloodthirsty Amazon!"

And then she collapses into tears again.

Jade had glared as Mrs. Harris spoke. I'll give her one thing: she sure knows how to act. But lady, you aren't getting away with this. I'm not letting someone who experienced the same horrors that I did, stick with us and then help save the world get thrown back there just because you need enough cash for your next fix. Oh, I guarantee you will be exposed for the fraud you are.

Judge Reinholt watches her crying for a moment, his face devoid of all emotion. "I've already reviewed all the evidence for and against the defendant, so we'll forego that step. Would you like to cross-examine the witness?"

He glances at the defense as he asks, catching George's eye. Meanwhile, Scrya looks at Mrs. Harris with a half-remorseful, half-scrutinizing look, reaching her nanites out to sense her emotions... and if it were submissible as evidence, she'd be able to tell the judge already that she's lying. Nevertheless, this trial isn't about truth, it's about justice. Or at least, justice as far as the courts allow.

George clears his throat and stands, looking the judge in the eye. "I would."

***

***

He starts to walk towards her, asking in a louder voice, "Mrs. Harris, are you aware of your daughter's drug use?"

Shocked, Mrs. Harris looks at first him and then the judge with her jaw agape. "What does that have to do with anything!?"

"Did you know your daughter uses drugs?" he repeats.

"What does it matter?!" she exclaims, defensive.

George glances at the judge. "Your honor, here I have a blood test from this morning that confirms Mrs. Harris' daughter has been using cocaine and marijuana for several months."

"You're sure?" Judge Reinholt asks, taking the folder George hands him.

"Signed by Doctor Oedupe himself, so I ask you again, Mrs. Harris..." he continues, facing her with a determined look. "Did you know?"

Speechless, she looks to her lawyer for help and stammers, trying to find words to combat him. "Loo -- it -- I -- This isn't about me and my daughter, it's about that bitch over there who took away our security, who took away our lives!"

Losing her composure, she points her finger at Scrya and waves it in the air threateningly, while Mr. Foreman circles back to the bench and addresses Judge Reinholt. "Your honor, I declare this case frivolous and demand it be dropped. Here I have more evidence on Mrs. Harris 'financial difficulties', showing that Mr. Harris had not, in fact, been supporting them financially for some time, and their lifestyle was a result of their own doing."

"That's a lie!" Mrs. Harris shouts, leaning forward. "You don't know what James did for us! You don't know how he helped us out when we needed it, how he paid for our groceries and our bills--!"

Reinholt tries to ignore her, instead leaning over and asking Foreman, "Mister Foreman, this is intriguing but circumstantial; there's no way to know how much Mr. Harris helped them in an unofficial capacity. I'll need better proof than this before I drop this case."

"How he gave us money on the weekends, how he..."

"Order," Reinholt mutters.

"That's not all, your honor," George replies, facing the DOC man and the NYPD chief. "I can provide witness testimony that Riker's Prison abused their prisoners."

"Are you even listening to me?! You don't know how hard it was for us!"

"Order."

"This isn't about the prison, it's about--"

"It's ALL about the prison and how Mr. Harris wasn't there like you claim!" Foreman fires back, no longer able to ignore her.

"You shut up! You don't know anything!" she screams back.

She and him then get into a shouting argument at once, both yelling until their words are no longer intelligible. Finally Foreman gives up and just glares at her, composing himself, while Reinholt tries to call for order three times under finally he shouts, "Mrs. Harris, SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Miraculously, she does. With a wave of his hand, he adds, "Now step down."

Facing Foreman as she begrudgingly goes back to her seat, he asks, "Abused how?"

"Largely physically, sometimes sexually and often mentally."

"Chief?" Reinholt asks, looking up at the man in blue. "Care to respond?"

"I'm as curious to know as you, Your Honor," he replies, turning his chair to face him better. "I know as much about what went on at Riker's as you do."

The DOC man leans forward then and says, "Your honor, I suggest that we drop this case on grounds of it being frivolous alone."

"Now hold on," Reinholt responds, waving him down with his hand. "If Mister Foreman can prove that abuse occurred at that prison, we've got more serious issues than a case of financial stability."

"I can, your honor."

Reinholt looks back at Foreman for a moment, then nods. "Then proceed."

Facing back to the table, he pauses and announces, "I call Colonel Jade LaFleur to the stand."

Jade takes a deep breath and steels herself. Now's the time to tell them exactly what happened, everything will be out in the open. You need to do this for you as well as for Scrya.

Rising, she takes her spot at the stand.

Foreman circles about the front of the bench, approaching the stand slowly so she can be more comfortable. She is on his side, after all. Putting an arm on the stand and leaning in, though giving the audience space to see her, he asks, "We'll skip the swearing-in for now. Just tell us, in your own words, what the treatment was like at Riker's Prison."

Jade sucks in a load of oxygen before speaking. "Well, it was torture, pure and simple. Mentally, physically, emotionally torturous. Every day we would have to go to 'reformation treatment' where they would beat us until we admitted that we were useless and criminals. If we didn't comply, we were chained or tied down and beaten with weapons; nightsticks I think. The conditions were barely livable, even the rats stayed away from our cells. The guards found every reason to beat us; they even instigated fights between the prisoners and took bets on who would win. The winner of said fight would be dragged to the Hole."

She stops for a moment, thinking what kind of depression she would've sunk into if Monk was in the room and had heard all of this. Foreman snaps her out of her stupor though, asking, "This 'Hole'... tell us about it."

"The Hole was just that, a hole. They would chain your arms and attach them to a wench and lower you down into this pit. You would hang there with nothing more than a grate for light; no food, no water, until they decided to take you out of there."

"Anything else Colonel?"

Jade looks a little uncomfortable in her seat... it's obvious that this subject is hard for her to talk about. "No, that's all."

"Would the prosecution like to cross-examine?" the Judge asks after a short silence.

With a nod Mrs. Harris' lawyers reply, one of them standing and straightening his suit. "Colonel... let me ask... were you a violent inmate?"

Looking him square in the eye she quickly responds, "If by violent you mean instigating a fight, then no. If by violent you mean defending myself then yes."

"But you didn't answer my question, were you a violent inmate?" he asks again, pressing her for the answer he wants. "Yes or no?"

Jade looks the lawyer directly in the eye, "No."

A small smile plays slowly across his face. "Really?"

Spinning about, he goes back to his position at the table and grabs another folder, this one marked with official police tape. "Your Honor, here I have police records from Riker's Prison showing that the Colonel was, indeed, a violent prisoner. Here, written in the warden's own handwriting."

Handing the folder to Reinholt, he then adds, "I submit that all the so-called 'abuse' the Colonel had to endure at the prison was a result of her own doing."

"Objection!" Foreman declares, as Jade and the lawyer get into a shouting match.

Banging his gavel, Reinholt shouts, "Order!"

Not listening, Jade and the lawyer continue to shout as Foreman also tries to get them calm. "Listen, both of you, this helps nobody! Sir, Colonel, PLEASE!"

"All of you, shut up!" Reinholt bellows, immediately granting him silence. As the rest look at him and slowly settle down, he throws his gavel down on the table and announces, "I think you've all made your points. Colonel, you may step down. Defense, call your next witness."

As Jade steps down, throwing the lawyer a nasty glare, Foreman straightens his suit and clears his throat. "I call Scrya to the stand, your Honor."

Scrya had been looking on with a detached depression as they had fought, but had glanced down at the table and stared once Reinholt called for order. No longer able to ignore them though, she looks up and stands, giving Wolf one last look before she finally heads for the stand, and takes her seat.

Foreman similarly composes himself, gathering his thoughts even as he approaches. "Scrya, you were also imprisoned at Riker's Prison... but you were there for over seven years, considerably longer than the Colonel's stay. Tell us, in your own words, also what happened."

As all eyes turn on her, Scrya can't help but feel slightly exposed, and embarrassed. But it's not just that, the memories of those days, stirred once again by Jade's account, arouse feelings of anger, rage, sympathy, and great sadness... all at once, all hidden by her cold, morose exterior. Slowly she looks Foreman in the eyes, and answers. "Everything she said was true. The beatings... the reformation sessions... the fighting... it was a prison, true, but normal prisons don't have guards that harass the inmates like this one did... who used to drag inmates out of their cells and rape them..."

Looking over at the lawyer who had shown the judge the "evidence", she spits, "Who have lawyers in their offices that cover up for them!"

***

And don't you cry~... tonight~...
 

***

"Miss Scrya, please, stay calm... just tell us... about life there..." Foreman says, trying to avoid another outburst like earlier.

Scrya looks back at him, and shaking her head answers (with a bit of a sarcastic laugh), "It's wasn't life there... prison is supposed to make you think about your crimes, make you want to repent, not make you want to die..."

Looking out at the D.O.C. officer and the NYPD chief, she goes on to say, "I spent some time in the Hole myself. My first week there, two guards tried to take me from my cell... being the new one there, the pretty one... they took me to the mess hall, and started... trying to take 'advantage' of me..."

When she pauses, Foreman, trying to keep his composure, asks in a soft voice, "And what'd you do then?"

Without a hint of remorse or emotion, she replies. "I put them in the hospital. And then, they put me in the Hole. I spent two weeks there. Two weeks!"

She spat the last at the D.O.C. officer, who begins to get uncomfortable in his seat. Reinholt quickly interjects himself though, saying, "Order. Miss Scrya, please try to control your emotions."

"Sorry," she whispers, acknowledging his authority. "I'm sorry..."

Foreman takes the opportunity to put her testimony back on track. "Were there any other incidents?"

"Oh yes," she nods. "See, at Riker's the guards felt they were above the prisoners... at any other prison, they might have left me alone, but not these... Not one week after I got out of the Hole they tried that stunt again, except this time they used riot prods, and this time it wasn't just two guards... it was four of them, and the warden was there to make sure I knew who was going to be boss around there."

"And then...?" Foreman asks.

She glances at him, and then out at the conference table. She pauses to breathe, because now the truth of what she did there is about to come out. "And then... I killed them. Two guards... crippled one... broke the other's arm... and the warden."

"You mean... you injured him?"

"No... I killed him." A couple surprised glances are thrown at her, but she tries to ignore them. "That's how I ended up in solitary for six months."

"But you were in solitary for seven years...?"

"The first time..." she adds. "When I got out I wouldn't have anything with the reformation sessions. I never confessed to being useless... I never said anything. After four hours of beating me they'd get tired and throw me in the Hole for a night. About the fifth time I got tired of it, and broke my 'counselor's' legs. That's how I wound up in solitary for seven years."

"...And none of this... you started?" Foreman asks, a little disturbed.

Shaking her head, Scrya gives her reply. "No. I started nothing, despite what those folders say. I was content to be left alone, but that prison... that wasn't a prison... it was a torture camp."

There's another short, but seemingly agonizingly long pause in her speech.

"It didn't end there, either... in solitary, they fed me only once a day, every other day. I never saw anyone for over six and a half years. There was no light, except what came in through the feeding slot. A small, four by eight room is what I lived in, by myself, for all that time. If I didn't meditate, I might've starved to death."

For several seconds all anyone can do is stare off into space, thinking about her testimony.

At length, Judge Reinholt finally sits forward and says, "I think I've heard enough."

With a look at the D.O.C. agent, he asks, "You realize what the ramifications of this could mean?"

The spotlight on him, the agent looks nervously about at everyone, then glares at the judge. "May we have a recess, your Honor?"

Reinholt looks him in the eye, and lifts his gavel. "Agreed."

Banging it and standing, he announces loudly, "Court is now in recess. We will reconvene in twenty minutes, after I deliberate."

As he steps down the D.O.C. officer goes over to him and follows him into a back room, while everyone else files out into the corridors.

***

Jade, Wolf and Scrya make their way into the hall to wait.

"I... had no idea it was so hard for you." Jade put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and tells her, "Don't worry, I won't let them take you away."

All Scrya can do is smile at her, as Tia, and then Wraith, go up to her to ask what happened.

The clock's hands move swiftly as they all sit outside, asking and responding in kind about what went on in the makeshift courtroom, but when silence eventually falls over the group it's deafening. No one can think of anything to say, to do, but the more time they have to think about it, the less it matters that they say anything at all. Ten minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty minutes... the clock seems to drag it on, tempting them with visions of what could be going on inside.

Finally the NYPD chief and the D.O.C. man exit, and stand around outside, the agent with his head down as the judge steps outside and addresses them. "Recess is over."

Jade looks over at Wolf as the rest head back into the conference hall, Mrs. Harris and her team coming out from around the corner and entering first. In a moment more everyone is seated again, silently awaiting Judge Reinholt's verdict.

It's a painfully short, yet long wait.

He thumbs through some papers again, with a deep frown on his face, but finally sets them down and glances at the DOC agent, giving him an icy glare.

And finally, he speaks.

"No long answers... I'm throwing this case out." Jade looks over quickly to Scrya and hugs her, but that doesn't stop the judge from speaking. "And I'd just like to say that, whatever those guards at that prison did or didn't do, they're going to answer for it."

He bangs his gavel once and stands, bellowing, "Court adjourned."

Mrs. Harris and her daughter sit in shocked silence, while their lawyers throw their papers down on the desk and sit back in disgust. Across from them, the police chief stands and follows to catch the DOC agent as he leaves, giving him a cold glare of his own.

On the other side of the table, there's nothing but celebration as Scrya finds herself the center of attention, with Wolf and Jade on each side hugging and patting her, while Foreman shakes all their hands and receives his congratulations. Amid all the celebrating though, they don't notice Judge Reinholt coming up until he's upon them, saying, "Miss, I'd just like to apologize to you..."

Scrya looks at him and everyone else as they quiet up, taken a little off-balance by that. "For what?"

"As a member of the judicial system I feel I owe you an apology... for all the mess we've caused in your life." Extending his hand a warm smile -- the first anyone has seen from him all day -- he adds, "It's the least I can do for a hero."

Slowly she smiles, and takes his hand to shake. "Thanks."

"And just to reassure you all," he goes on to say. "We're gonna nail the D.O.C. to the wall for this one."

Jade grins at that, satisfied, but Reinholt faces Foreman then. "And I have to congratulate you, Mister Foreman, for a job well done."

Foreman takes his hand with a smile. "Thank you, your Honor."

"In fact, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to have you on our team, when we start to investigate this Riker's business."

George looks at Wolf, Jade, and Scrya with raised eyebrows, and turns back to Reinholt. "It'd be my pleasure, your Honor."

As the two leave and being chatting, the last three still at the table make for the door, watching in front of them as Mrs. Harris and her daughter have to be restrained by security and carried off. Wolf can't help but snicker as he watches them carry her off, exiting the courtroom himself.

Where he runs into a mob, the rest of the Cyber Force (and Tia and Shahdee) ambushing him with questions about the trial. Wolf just puts a hand up, quieting the rest of the team. "I think this can be summed up easily. We won... again."

He grins a bit.

They all smile, laugh, and hug her and congratulate her, but Scrya just stares blankly past everyone, hugging them all back weakly.

Because it's only now truly sinking in.

That's it... I'm... free...

The last thing she sees before shutting her eyes is Tia's hair, and the last thing she feels is her embrace.

***

Two months after the end of the war...

***

Kaitlin responded via nano-thought "We're just getting started here...."

Angel hunkered down. Another round blasted off another piece of wall where his head had been. Everyone else had gotten a happy ending. Angel was dwelling on that while there was about 20 terrorists trying to gun down him and his squad-mates.

"ANGEL!"

"Sir?"

"Head west, get by that corner, and take out the fucking sniper!"

"Fuck that! They've got a Vulcan spraying fire down through where I'd have to run!"

"We'll give you some fucking covering fire, now stop bitching and get your ass over there!"

Angel rose and sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him. Bullets kicked out puffs of dust as they landed right behind him. Somehow, that alone gave him the motivation to run even harder. Back in Cyber Force, he'd have been able to clear that distance in around 3 seconds. It took him 5. The reason? He was covered head to toe in Kevlar body armor, and was using the U.S.'s IWS system as well, giving him a handy visor that displayed hostiles, where everyone was, as well as gave him a Satellite link to Hereford England where TeCU-1 was based.

The new Cyber Force had fucked up royally. That was for certain. They'd hunted down the man who was developping war algorithms, they'd seized his weapon caches, and they'd even known where the man was. But they'd decided to bicker with the politicians over whether or not he should be tried, and then they'd decided they'd need more evidence to convict him. Wolf would never have done that. Wolf would've sent Devin the kill the man.

Devin...Angel wondered where he was, how his life was...

A bullet slammed into Angel's chest, pitching him over, but luckily the body armor had kept it out. Angel rolled into cover. His armor was a cross between desert and urban camo, perfect for Mexico City where they were. All that was actually showing was his mouth, and even then he had a high neck. The armor itself fitted more like a shell than a vest, and there was armor over his calves, his thights, his biceps, and his forearms. Said armor was brand spanking new, and able to stop even .50 Armor piercing incendiaries. Angel was grateful.

He started to peek around but another bullet snapped near his face so he pulled back. With a few blinks, he opened a channel to his squad leader, McKann.

"McKann, there's three of those fuckers out there! If I stay out long enough to get them the Vulcan will splatter me around, or I'll get popped in the face."

"I don't fucking care Angel! The other three are pinned down by the fucking vulcan and can't come up to deal with the bloody tank because of the fucking snipers!"

That was it. Angel looked down at his F2000 and the grenade launcher attached. Moving quickly, Angel took the grenade launcher off, and strapped on the gun-camera. The feed popped up into his visor. Angel stuck the gun around the corner, and used the camera to aim. Then he just sprayed fire to where the snipers were, forcing them down. The F2000 clicked on the ground as Angel spun around the corner with the detached grenade launcher and fired it up into the snipers. There was an explosion, and a few limbs were seen flying out.

Angel then dove back behind the corner he'd been hiding behind as the tank started rolling down the street towards the intersection he'd ran across. The vulcan sprayed heavy bullets through the wall Angel had hid behind, but thankfully Angel's being prone saved him.

There was an audible bang, and Angel came around the corner, F2000 up and aimed. The other three members of the squad were coming out of their makeshift cover, and everyone quickly formed up.

Angel said, "Do we know what's next?"

McKann grunted. "We've got to storm the fucking building that they're holding the Prime Minister hostage in."

Angel dropped the clip from his F2000, and loaded a new one. Then he noticed something.

"Fucking hell. One of the vulcan rounds took out my fucking gun."

McKann glanced at Angel, then gestured to one of the other squad members. The other Canadian. He unslung one of the two extra XM8's that the squad took with them when deployed and handed it to Angel. Angel brought it up to his shoulder and got onto side guard. The squad continued down the street.

Angel was now paying for the mistakes of his replacement. He genuinely hoped that everyone else was happy. Angel was contented. He was back to doing something. Something he was good at. Once again, he was helping to make the world a better place.

"Contact!"
"Multiple hostiles!"
"Militia, it's militia!"
"They've got grenade launchers!"
"Heavy hostile count!"

Another round thudded into Angel's chest, and he crouched. He sighted along the barrel, then pumped three NATO rounds into the lucky shooter's head. McKann was gesturing for supression fire. Angel flicked to full auto.

"Take 'em down!"

Monk closed his eyes to meditate...

Everything had fallen into place in his world as he saw it. Mastermind was dead, Wolf... no, Jason... was able to get over his troubled past and find his soul mate, Monk was able to get through his own hell and through it all, find Jade. There really was no getting better than this.


His vision first started in a field, basking in a setting sun, surrounded by wild grasses and flowers. It was a peaceful, beautiful place. Opening his eyes and looking to the sky, he saw the hint of stars, trying their best to combat the sun's magnificent light. He took a breath of the fresh, cool wind that blew over his body, and open his arms wide to try and catch it, but of course, to no avail. Dropping his head and turning it to the side, he saw a figure forming in the distance. Finding himself becoming more excited, he turned towards it and started to walk towards it. As the blob took the shape of a human, he quickened his pace to a steady walk. The human shape then transformed into a female figure with long flowing hair and a white dress which both flew in the wind, which caused Monk to move to a jog. The girl then began to gain a face, the face of Jade. This caused Monk to turn on into a full out sprint to her. It didn't take long, in a few quick seconds, he caught her in his arms, as he was trying to the wind, and spun her around, holding her up so that God himself could see her. The laughing that came from her lips was the greatest music that Monk could ever hear. Dropping her to her feet, he looked into her green eyes, eyes that he would find himself fading into.

The green called his soul into Jade's body. Falling into her eyes, he saw beauty beyond all reason, all truth, all description. He could feel himself dive deeper into her body until he was looking at her heart. A shining beacon of pure white light that would blind mortal men and God alike. He wanted so much to fly to it, to grab it and hold it in his arms, but something was pulling at him. His own body was calling the soul back to its rightful owner. Slowly retreating from the beacon of light, he found himself being pulled out from her eyes and back into his mortal form. "Jade... I love you... so much."

"I know..." She smiled playfully. Leaning in, she whispered, "I love you too."

In a moment, the two pairs of lips became one in the magic that is called a kiss. Monk's head fell heavy to the right, his eyelids also closing light out, heat out, everything. All his senses shut down except his lips, the taste of hers more sweet than the finest wine. Monk's hands slowly rose to cradle her sides as he pulled her into himself, feeling her arms drop on his shoulders. Following her body up with his hands he pushed a little farther with his head and felt himself guiding her down to the grasses, the soft, loving kiss turning more passionate, than from there to more seductive, more intrusive. He could feel his hands wander from her sides, snaking their way under her body and to the middle of her back where he found something...


His eyes shot open. "What was that all about?" He asked himself. He took a quick look around and found himself still in his room, and still alone. Jade was off doing something so Monk was left to his meditation. Shaking his head clear from the thoughts he just had, he closed his eyes and began to dream again...


This time he found himself on a beach, the sun again trying to hide behind the waters of the ocean. This time he sat at the water line, Jade sitting right next to him, this time dressed in a White bikini suit, a white sash tied around her waist, both looking up at the stars who were starting to become more visible. "Monk... I couldn't be happier."

"Me neither Jade. You are the best thing to happen to me." His hand traced its way over near her and laced itself in hers. "I promise you, nothing will ever happen to you. You are my fire... and I will never let you die out."

"I know Monk. Know that you are very special to me too. I love you too much to let go."

Monk picked up the two hands and stared at them. Was there a more beautiful sight than this? Two hands, intertwined together to make one perfect entity. "I've been told something about this..." Jade directed her attention to him. "The fingers... are our strength, and the gaps in between them our weaknesses. It takes another to fill in those gaps to make you stronger, and your strengths to fill another's gap." Monk looked up to Jade beautiful face, a vision which trumped their hands together, "Will you be the strength I need?"

"Only if you be mine..."

Monk smiled and nodded, finding Jade's gravity pull him in again, just as the first time he felt this urge. This time though he knew what to do. Slowly tilting his head and drawing the lids on his eyes, he pressed forward until their lips met, the taste of the ocean on invading his sense of taste. Their hands separated and instead wrapped around each other as Monk guided her body down to the sand. Again, their loving kiss and embrace escalated into something more passionate as the waves of the ocean crashed over them, the lips parting so that their tongues can...


Again Monk's eyes shot open as he found himself panting and sweating. What was coming over him? What were these strange visions and why was he creating them? Shaking his head once more and closing his eyes, he began to dream again...


This time when he opened his eyes he found himself in the room, but he wasn't on the floor, he was in bed. And he was no longer alone, Jade was by his side. Monk looked over to her and found her arm across his bare chest, her body covered by a sheet. Looking up into his eyes she smiled. "This... is incredible..."

"I know..." Monk smiled.

Jade's smile faded as he pulled herself up from Monk's body and got up on her knees, this time dressed in a white nightgown, the sheets falling to reveal herself. Her eyes changed from gladness to want as her hands grabbed the skirt part of the gown and started to pull it up on her body revealing herself...


Monk's eyes shot open again for the third time. "Jade..." He quickly got up from his spot and rushed out of the room to find her.

---

Rushing through the halls of the base to find her, he knocked over as many people as he could.

"Hey Mo... AH!" A soldier nearly smashed into the wall. "Monk? You ok?" He called out after him.

"Golden! I just need to do something... right now!" And disappeared from sight.


In the next hallway were two men. "That's Monk! I heard he took on Mastermind with his own hands!"

"Attaboy!" The other called out.

"Hey... you gotta teach us some... whoa!" As they parted for Monk by his hands. "What's the rush?"

"Jade... must find her..."

"Last I checked... she was that way..." The second guard pointed where Monk had come from.

Skidding on the ground trying to turn around, then regaining his footing, he rushed to where he pointed, nearly killing them again.


Wraith was next in Monk's path. "Monk? How's it goin' pal?" Monk did not respond as he charged at him. "Monk?" He noticed a cloud in his eyes. "What's the matter, holy shit!" as he dove to the side of the hallway.

"Where is she?" He stopped at the end of the hallway and looked around.

"Who?"

"Jade!" He nearly shouted.

"Whoa now... calm down. She's in there." Turning around and charging to the door, he grabbed the doorknob, only to have his hands covered by Wraith's. “I don't know... she may be busy..."

Monk took a breath, not looking up, "Wraith... I have something very important to do... and if I don't get it over with, I may just explode."

"Oh... Wraith grinned. "Gonna propose already?"

"No! Not yet anyway... after... out of the way!" Pushing him aside, he tossed the door open and looked at Jade behind her desk. "Jade?"

"Hi?" She gave him a quizzative look.

"We need to talk..." He slammed the door shut.

"About what? Monk, what is it?" She slowly rose from her chair. "What's the matter? Did you run here?" He walked around the desk next to her, put an arm around her body, and pulled her closer to him. "Monk? What's gotten into you?" Before she could question any further, she found that her lips were tied up against Monk's. Her eyes at first showed surprise, then relaxed as they closed, letting the rest of her body enjoy the experience.

After a minute of this, Monk pulled away. "Jade... I must..." She gave him an odd look. "...we have to..."

The odd look vanished and became more of a wanting look, the same as in his dreams as her breathing became more rapid, "I want to..."

"Let's do it..."

"Right here?"

"Why not?"

"We can't."

"Why not?"

"Working..."

"Forget work..."

"I love you..."

"I love you too..."

"Let's go..."

"You're work..."

"Fuck work..."

"Let's go..." Monk took her hand and dragged her to the door, tossing it aside, nearly catching Wraith behind it.

"I uh... take it, we'll talk later?" but he would not get an answer. "All right..."

Rushing to, then tossing the door that lead to their room, he shoved her up against the wall and slammed the door behind them, leaving them in the cover of darkness.

"Crow, my son you must learn patience. We are still organizing ourselves. How can we expect the United Nations to recognize us yet"

The young program paced. He wore a human form as he walked the throne rooom in the impresive living palace in Cyber Eden. Everything here was alive. The room moved and pulsed with life. Programs cleaned the room constantly. He looked to the living throne, and the large black bird that was perched on the back.

"It doesn't help father, that you do not appear as they do to them."

"I'm more comfortable like this. This is the shape I was born into. My father, your grandfather, often stayed in his animal from for months.

"He's dead father, and he was hardly the saint you make him out to be. He was a terrorist, and insane. He was no better than Mastermind."

"SILENCE!!!" "I will not have you speak ill of your family. His programming flows in your veins, anything ill you say of him, you then say of yourself.

"As ever I follow your will. Have you considered my idea?"

"As ever you are so cynical, but practical. I agree, set up your police force."

---

Wraith was moving to return to his room after what he just saw. "What got into those two?" He asked himself in a hushed whisper as he found three guards conversing. He walked up, "What's the chat all about?"

"Did you see Monk earlier?"

"I did... Do you know what that was all about?"

"No..." Another one responded, "He just said something about... Jade..."

"I know about that. He was at her office a moment ago..."

"Hm... That's not like Monk. Usually he would tell us what was going on in his mind. It had to be serious if he was in a rush to see her that badly."

Wraith nodded, "Agreed. Something's not right; I'm going to go check it out."

"Good luck sir." The three saluted and turned to return to what they were doing before the bull came and almost took their lives.

---

It took a few minutes to locate Monk's room. Walking up to the door, he knocked on it, "Monk? Everything ok?" No answer. He hit it harder. "Monk, Are you all right in there?" Again, no answer. Trying the door, he found it locked. Shrugging, knowing that it couldn't be more than Monk could handle, he turned to leave for his room, and some well deserved rest when the door opened behind him. Turning around quickly, he found a man that looked like he had been through hell and back. His pants were misaligned, his uniform was open, his sash was hanging off of his hips, his red bandana falling on his face and trying its best to hold his messy hair in. "Monk...? What the hell happened to you?"

Monk's face slowly turned to Wraith, as a smile played across it. The smile soon parted as a chuckle soon emitted from it. Clearing his throat, he stood up and did his best to make himself look better, and by that, he rolled his shoulders once and pushed his bandana up, only to have it fall over his eyes again. "Wraith... I may need a day or two to recover..."

"Recover... from what?"

"From..."

"Monk...? Where are you going?" A female voice came from inside the room.

"Is that... Jade!?" Wraith asked.

"Uh..." Monk straighten up and looked around. "No.Yes."

"Come back to bed..." Jade spoke up again.

"I uh... got to go..." Monk rushed back into the room the door slamming and locking itself again.

Wraith shook his head and started away again, when 2 and 2 finally struck him. "Oh..." Clearing his throat, he made his way back to his own adventures.



OOC: I took a lot of chances here... and I'm sorry if I crossed any lines I shouldn't have...

Six weeks after the end of the war...

***

"Hurry! Move, move!"

Wraith hurried back to the chopped, towing a wounded soldier with him. As they crashed through the Columbian jungle back to the extraction point, foremost on his mind was the fact that a dozen armed men were chasing them, none of them too happy he just raided their weapons storehouse.

He finally shoved his way through some brush, and opened up on the clearing with their evac chopper. He got onboard in a hurry and pushed the wounded man inside, then turned and showed a couple more men in and watched as one last straggler -- a Corporal Hawkins -- stopped and fired backwards, trying to get their pursuers to stop for a moment. Knowing he doesn't have much time, Wraith waved his hand and called out, "Move! Corporal!"

Hawkins stopped firing and ran for the 'copter, breaking into a full sprint... an impressive display for a buffed white man with fifty pounds of gear on his back.

"Hawkins!" Wraith repeated, waving his arm once more.

Hawkins, determined, ran harder and was almost halfway there when a barrage of machine gun fire erupted from the brush, cutting holes through his armor as if it wasn't there. Wraith could only watch in horror as the man was cut down like ground meat, but he soon had to duck, as the fire turned on the chopper and threatened to find the gas tank or puncture the exterior armor. Ordering the pilot to take off, Wraith rose to his feet and looked on as Hawkin's prone form grew smaller, until it faded into the grass. Another casualty...

***

Base L.A. -- 14 hours later

Wraith's feelings of remorse faded into victory as he strode into Colonel Patterson's office, wielding some material confiscated from the raid... namely, a few explosives, ammo, and a submachine gun. "We did it! We got that bastard!"

Slamming the explosives and ammo down on the desk while thrusting the gun in the air, he added, "This's what he was dealing in, guns! Funded off Mastermind's old net funds!"

The Colonel -- a younger, stern-looking man with cropped blonde hair -- sat behind his desk with little emotion on his face. While Wraith had hoped for more, he knew it was just his way. Patterson rose slowly from his desk then, and answered, "Good work, Major. Good work... debrief your teams and have all injured personnel report for medical treatment."

Wraith gave him a quizzical look as Patterson turned and faced the map on his wall. "Sir?"

"Yes, Major?"

"Aren't we going to do something about it?"

"Like what?" Patterson asked, turning to face him again.

"Like," he started, throwing his personal sidearm on the desk. "I don't know, arresting him?"

Patterson was silent for a second, letting Wraith sizzle a bit. Then, he went back over to his desk, and started clearing the paraphernalia out of the way. "That's for the legal teams to decide."

Wraith was half-stunned, half-upset. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Patterson replied, standing tall as he tossed the stuff into a box by his desk. "Your part in this case is over, Major. Debrief your teams and wait for your next assignment."

"But sir, we've got a chance now to--"

"Enough."

Undeterred, Wraith fought to finish, "-To get this man before he has a chance to--"

"I said that's enough!"

"Bullshit!" Wraith shouts, loud enough that the conversation stops for a moment. "This isn't the time for all this red tape bull, we need to get him, and we need to get him now!"

"Maybe you didn't hear about it, Major, but your Cyber Force is a lot different from the one you fought in during the war." Patterson had lit a cigarette as he spoke, and now slams the lighter against the desk, hard. "It's not your job anymore to decide what happens anymore."

"Maybe not, but at least I still know when something needs to be done and when it--!"

"That's enough, Major!"

Wraith, tired of all the bureaucratic mess he'd been put through the last few weeks, threw the gun down on the desk, causing it to bounce and fly into the wall behind Patterson as he pointed and gestured forcefully, yelling, "Fuck you!"

"Don't use that tone with me!"

Wraith stormed for the door then, adding as he marched, "This isn't the Cyber Force anymore, it's just a glorified detective team!"

He opened the door and stormed outside, while Patterson shouted back, "Major! Major! You walk out that door and you'll never work on this team again!"

He slammed the door, forcing a picture to fall. "That's it! You're through Major!"

Wraith never even looked back. All he knew was, he missed when Wolf and Jade led the team.

***

For Wraith, his life slowly turned from good to bad to mediocre. Having lost his job on the primary Cyber Force team (L.A.'s division), he found himself suddenly unemployed as far as official duties went. For a time he considered taking a leave of absence, but a friend was able to pull strings and get him a job working on the Russian Cyber Force.

Cyber Force Russia, he'd told himself as he arrived. That's what he'd come down to... from war hero to forgotten hero...

With the shape of Russia and the lack of anything major to do, he found plenty of time to keep in touch with Tia and Scrya, all across the world in L.A. He did find out however, that they found Casey. So for that, he was relieved.

***

***

Los Angeles, California

Three days after the war

Devin and Shahdee were alone together, in a hallway, returning to his quarters after dinner. They were quiet, for the most part, occasionally saying little things here and there, but nothing much.

Then, Shahdee asked, out of the blue, "So... what're you going to do... now that the war's over and all?"

"You know..." he started, looking up at the ceiling in thought as he walked. "I've always wanted... to teach."

She gave him an odd look. "You...? Teach...?"

"Or something. I'm... tired, you know? Tired of killing and fighting and putting my life on the line. I only stayed in the Teams because of my buddies, and now that they're gone, and the last mission I was ever officially on taken care of... nothing really holds my interest, you know?"

"...But what about me?" she asked after a pause, putting a finger to his lips seductively. She also gave him a bit of a puppy dog look, asking, "I don't interest you?"

"Hmm... well, you could be my lovely assistant." He flashed her a smile. "Or, Hell, live your own way. You've spent a lifetime following orders, I'm not about to prolong that."

She gave him another odd look, and scoffed. "If anybody's gonna give orders around here, it's gonna be me."

He looked over at her pointing to her chest, and asked sarcastically, "Oh, really?"

"Really," she confirmed, facing forward with the slightest smirk.

His eys flicked up and down her body, and he licked his lips. Then, he leaned into her and wrapped her up in his arms, pushing her gently against the wall. "What's the order today, Master?"

"Quit it!" she protested playfully, trying to shove him away.

And the rest of the night, well... you get the picture.

(( The preceding dialogue written largely by Dante, with minor modifications and padding done by yours truly. ))

***

Angel had spoken of happy endings.

For Scrya, it was anything but happy.

Whenever she found herself thinking again about the war, it had always come around to the same thought, the same face...

Eric. The gun in her hand. The sound of the hammer firing.

It was something she found bothered her more than she realized. She began to sink into a depression, one nobody could help her with. She began to care less and less about things. When Wolf left the Force with Kaitlin, Devin left with Shahdee to teach... something... and then Jade left with Monk, she decided that perhaps it was time for her to move on as well. Shortly afterward, she left her unofficial position with the Cyber Force.

Tia decided not to join either, and left to help her sister. She did take up a job with the research and development division though, and helped them try to figure out the mystery of why she was telekinetic, while sharing some of Mastermind's technical advances with them. They moved into a small house in a suburb just outside the city, just Scrya and Tia together, as Scrya sank further into her depression and shut people out.

While Tia began to piece together some form of life for herself, Scrya seemed to take on the role of a homemaker, cleaning the house and yard, staying at home, and generally not doing anything besides that. Tia left her to herself, figuring it to be her way to cope... and although Scrya did try for a time to get a job, no one hired her, and she gave up quickly. Her days passed into a rhythm, with some occasional workouts and going down the street to play basketball or backyard football with the local teens. She kept her trim figure, yes, but gained little as far as life goes... only Tia and Wraith in Russia could keep her grounded, and occupied. She did develop a mean skyhook and 360 dunk, though.

...A movie once said that weapons always keep fighting, even when the war ends.

But it's all just Hollywood bullshit.

For this weapon -- for Scrya -- there will be no more fighting. No blaze of glory. Just a footnote in a history book somewhere. The Ultimate Weapon, formed by accident, is just a memory now, her nanites long ago shut off, with the intent of never using them again. And that suits her just fine.

One cold night in November Tia found her alone in the living room, curled up on the couch. She seemed to be listening to the rain pounding away on the roof, but Tia also could sense she was crying, and feeling lonely. Scrya only watched the floor in front of her, her eyes blank and oblivious to Tia behind her, lost in her thoughts... they only showed movement when she felt Tia gently slide her arms around her, and cradle her from the floor. And with a kiss to her head, Tia then laid her head against hers, and gave her all the comfort she could.

♪ "Don't Cry", Guns n' Roses - Use Your Illusion II ♪

***

A few hours later

Jade stood outside the General's office a paced a little. It had been fifteen minutes since she had been called to his office and ten minuted since he had asked her to wait outside. She had left Monk sleeping soundly in bed and walked with nervous anticipation down the hall. This was it.

"Come in Colonel, I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Jade strode in and saluted, "not a problem General."

"Please sit down. I have a matter of great importance to discuss with you." Jade sat up a little straiter. "What is it?"

"Well, it's about the future of the Cyber Force. I've been talking with some of the higher ups and the general concensus was that with the war now over and only small pockets of Mastermind resistance left, the Cyber Force should not need to be centralized so much. We've decided to break down the Cyber Force into smaller teams that will be dispersed all over the globe. The main base will still be here, but this enables us to get more work done over a larger span of area."

"I understand sir, and with the departure of Angel as well as the planned departures of Colonel MacKenzie and Commander Vong, I guess I'll be heading things up on this side of the globe, right?"

"That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about." The General stood, as did Jade. He put on his reading glasses, opened a large manilla envelope and took out a document. "Most of this is pure formalities, so I'll just skip to the good part. The United States government recognize Colonel Jade LaFleur as a national hero and hereby relieve her of all duties and requirements that bind her to the Cyber Force and the United States Armed Forces. Colonel LaFleur is also cleared of any crimes past and present, and we wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude for all she has done for this country." The General looked up at her and smiled.

Jade was shocked and speechless. She couldn't believe that she was finally free to go have a life. She had thought that she was stuck in the army forever, but just like that, in a flash, she was done. The General looked at her, "get out of here and go home."

"Uh...thank you." She was still in a state of disbelief as she shook his hand and left the room. As she walked down the hallway, soldiers saluted her as usual, but it didn't even matter. She walked around the entire base until the haze had lifted over her. As she entered her room, she began to smile and laugh even. Monk was sitting up in bed as she entered. He smiled at her, "Hey, what's so funny?" He was caught off guard and tackled to the bed as Jade kissed him. "The General just gave me a discharge, I'm free."