The Dread Military transport lifted slowly off the ground, and headed towards Volcania. Despite her better judgement, Dread Youth Leader Jennifer Chase looked out the window. She regretted it at once. Sand Town was still on fire, the smoke rising up to clog the already burnt sky. Some said the sky had once been blue. Now it was only rusty, filled with the smoke of burning metal and other things. Now Sand Town was added. And it was her fault, or at least partially. Below, the houses were scorched black pits, some still on fire. The people who hadn't been killed, mostly in cold blood, had either run screaming, or had been digitized when Soaron showed up to clean up.

Jennifer closed her eyes so her comrades wouldn't see the tears threatening to break loose. Crying wasn't allowed, nor was any other show of emotion. Especially crying for those who opposed the will of the machines. She heard the litany in her head, Dread's anti-human litany. Emotions make you weak, vulnerable. They are not the way of the machines, the way of perfection. And those who did not join them were enemies to be wiped out. So why did she feel like her throat was constricting? In her mind, she kept seeing the people crying., with no care in the world about who saw them or not. Adults trying to protect the children. Parents watching their offspring killed or digitized. Houses blowing up. She shook her head trying to clear the images but they kept replaying like a bad movie.

Her superiors had congratulated them, told the Youth Group members that they had done well. Her classmates, the other three who had come along, were proud as well, although no one seemed to remember pride was a human emotion. But instead, her mind was flooded with confusion. This was not the first time she had mixed up thoughts about what she had been taught and what she observed. Ever since she could remember, she had been a part of the Dread Youth, the New Order. And she was proud of it too. She had risen through the ranks as a Youth Leader, no small feat at all. She had no real memory of her background or very early years, although when she once asked, she had been told she had been born there and to never ask again. She wasn't too sure how accurate that information was. She had never known a child born into the Dread Youth, although no one could remember their early years. A few remembered being brought there, but since such talk was often punished, it had been only two or three times she had had that conversation with any of her comrades.

She often suspected the Overunits lied to them occasionally, but she had no proof. Also, she was eighteen years old, and at an age where questioning one's upbringing was almost required. She had been told that the Organics who lived on the outside, who opposed the New Order, were nothing more than animals who wore clothes. She and the others had been shown vids of  people digging through trash piles for food, fighting over a scrap of clothes during winter, their offspring (they were never called children) crying or fighting. They were told that this was all that waited for them if they chose to leave and betray Lord Dread.

It was a horrific sight to those who lived in sterile barracks, received rations three times a day, as well as clothes that fit. They were educated, taught skills that would serve the Biodread Empire until that glorious day when they would all be digitized and re-intigrated into new machine bodies. Those who served the machine would be the first in line. However, Jennifer Chase had witnessed several digitizations, and they didn't seem to be glorious at all. People often screamed in terror and pain during the 3 second ordeal. Likewise, although Sand Town had been her first contact with Organics, they didn't seem to be quite the animals they were portrayed as being. Sure, they weren't as clean or well fed. But they huddled together for protection and comfort, they tried to protect their offspring. Men jumped in front of blaster shots to protect their families. She was sure that no Overunit would do that for any of the Dread Youth. They weren't the same as those vids she had seen. This had been reality, the smell of smoke and death all too real. And no one had warned her, no one had told her what the reality was like.

Like an electrical shock, Jennifer Chase suddenly realized the true horror of her situation. Her whole life was a lie. She had been lied to, deceived.  The reality was nothing like the fantasy she had been raised in. She knew then, without a doubt, that she was on the wrong side. I may be the winning side, she thought, but not the right one. It's not everyday one realizes their entire belief system is not only false, but contrary to what is supposed to be. Did that mean the Organic resistance fighters were right? She wasn't sure about that, she only knew that denying her human feelings was impossible now, after what she had seen. If they were so wrong, why did she have them? The tears in her eyes nearly spilled over, but she quickly resorted to one of her methods of fighting it, she began to count triples.

3, 9, 27, 81, 243, 729, 2187, 6561, 19683, 59049, 177147, 531441, and on and on. As she concentrated on the numbers, the tears behind her eyelids began to fade. Around 43,046,721 she began to be unsure. Had she skipped a number? Did she leave out a one somewhere? She tried to go back, but lost count. It didn't matter, the pain was less. Not gone, by all means, but bearable so that she could at least open her eyes again. As she did, she caught Ryan's eye, a boy from her class. She often wondered if he felt the same uncertainties she did, for he often had the same look on his face as she walked around with lately. Back in Sand Town, he had turned positively green. He didn't smile, no one smiled in the Dread Corp. But his eyes acknowledged her with the closest thing to friendliness that existed in their world. He noticed her discomfort.

"Feeling Ok, Chase?" he asked.

She didn't want to say anything about nearly crying, of course, but her voice might give her away. She answered back, "Just a little airsick I guess. I suppose flying doesn't agree with me."

Everyone in the aircraft looked her way. It was no secret how much she longed to fly in the Phantom Striker league. She was often found on her free time, watching the flight practices around Volcania. Everyone knew she was born to fly, the way she carried on about it. To say she was feeling airsick was an outright lie. The Overunit was looking at her sharply. Great, she thought. I don't need a lecture now. She looked out the window again. They were far from Sand Town now, but flying right into a storm. It didn't rain much anymore, but when it did, it was usually violent and fierce. The sky, nearly always filled with smoke clouds, often produced lightning and thunder, but not much rain. So she was surprised to see it raining at that moment. Lightning flashed around the old ship, and she clutched the chair tighter.

She was familiar with just about every aircraft ever invented, Resistance as well as Dread ships. She knew the one they were in was not heavily shielded. It wasn't meant for long transports, but no other ship had been available that day. The ship was also about 25 years old. It bounced roughly in the wind, causing even the Overunits to look nervous. The wind had picked up and they were still a long way from Volcania.

It'll be OK, she thought to herself, as long as we're not hit by.....

CRACK! BOOM!!!!! There was an explosion as the ship was wrenched by a hit.

Lightning.

Jennifer had kept her crash webbing buckled, but the others had not and we're thrown across the cabin. There was a lurch in Jennifer's stomach as the ship lost altitude and plummeted towards the earth, like an elevator out of control. The fall to earth lasted only about ten seconds, but it was an eternity to Jennifer Chase. It's amazing how many thoughts can go through one's head in only ten seconds. I'm going to die. We're crashing. We're going to die. Will it hurt, or will it be quick and painless? Will anyone miss me when I'm gone? I hope it doesn't hurt. I'm only eighteen, I haven't DONE anything yet. Wonder what the ocean looks like, I've never seen it. Is there somewhere on the planet where the sky is still blue? I'm going to die....

She was amazed at how calm she was all things considered. Maybe she was just in shock and hadn't reached the panic point yet? Not so with the others. The calm, self-possessed, never-show-emotion Overunits were screaming louder than the Dread Youth teens. But when Jennifer heard the pilots screaming, she braced herself. It was over. The impact came suddenly, even though she was braced for it. Her seat was wrenched backwards and her head struck something. Then, all she knew was darkness and the sounds of the crash and her comrades fading away.

44-7 Mark 27
Later, undetermined time.

Th first thing Jennifer was aware of was that her arms felt strange, as if they were trying to detach from her body. The next thing she knew was pain. Pain in varying degrees in every nerve of her body. It went from a dull ache that prevailed in her muscles and head, to the sharp shooting pain she felt in her right arm. First things first, she thought. Am I dead? Not likely considering the pain she felt. She wiggled her toes and fingers first, moving everything slowly. Her right arm felt like it was on fire and she knew it must be broken. Slowly, she opened her eyes and discovered why she felt so strange, she was suspended from what was the wall, now the ceiling, face down with the open cabin below her and her arms hanging down in front of her.

It was dark in the cabin, but there was some light coming from somewhere and she could see dimly. As her eyes adjusted to the lighting, she could see that one whole side of the ship had been ripped away, like one of those food canisters Organics ate of. The sun had set and the rain was still falling. The sound of thunder still boomed in the distance, but the storm was passing. She looked around again, and saw carnage for the second time that day. One look at the two pilots told her they were dead. She didn't even have to check. She quickly turned her head from the gory scene in the cockpit and looked around. The Overunit was dead as well, having been thrown through a jagged part of the riped wall. She closed her eyes and fought back a wave of nausea.

Slowly, she reached with her left arm and undid her straps. She fell to the floor with a thud and whimpered in pain from the impact. With care, she crawled over to Ryan and felt for a pulse, but he was already cold. Despair filled her; she had never known the death of someone who was a daily part of her existence. They didn't have friends in her world, but he had been close enough. Checking everyone else, she found out that she was the only survivor. For a third time that night, the tears came. But this time she didn't fight them, Dread protocol be damned. She had to get away from all this death. As quickly as she could without injuring herself further, she crawled towards the hole and wiggled through into the rain. She pulled herself as far away from the ship as she could, and looked around. They had crashed in a wooded area, but the ship had scored a clearing. She collapsed, trying to regain her strength when the sound of approaching jets reached her ears.

 

 

 

Phantom Striker Squadron 6
8:05 PM

Striker 2 radioed in to his wing commander, "Sir, I've got a fix on the distress beam. There were seven aboard, but I'm reading only one life sign, sort of faint. I think it's one of the kids."

Striker 1's pilot snorted. The Dread Youth were seen as mostly a nuisance by about half of the Dread Corp. He radioed in to Lord Dread what they had discovered and requested instructions about recovering the Dread Youth.

"Negative," came the disjointed reply from Dread. "Captain Power was spotted in sector 38.02. Proceed there and destroy him."

"My Lord," said the pilot, "The survivor is a Dread Youth and injured..."

"YOU HAVE YOUR ORDERS!" Dread shouted over the comm. "Bring me Power, or face me when you return." The radio then went dead. The pilots didn't exactly have to meditate on it, they turned their planes and headed towards Captain Power's last known position, leaving behind the crash site. It was just a Dread Youth after all.....

Crash Site
8:09 PM

Jennifer waved and shouted as best she could, but stared in disbelief and horror as the planes swooped down, then turned and left. It was impossible for them to have missed her, they had swept with scanners. She had heard the hum. They knew she was there and hurt, why were they leaving? Would they be back to get her? Even as she asked herself the question, she knew they would not. She was not useful anymore, so they discarded her. Her mind drifted back to Sand Town again, to the Overunits she had seen killed. They had been left dead in the street. No one would be back for them. That was her fate now. She realized that she was the unlucky one to have survived. The others had died quickly and for them, the battle was over. Hers had just started, with certain death from shock and injuries, or wild animals. Or Organics. Either way, she was finished.

One thing was for sure, whatever faith she had in Dread and her upbringing was dashed to pieces. She would never go back to those liars. She was in no hurry to run to the Organics either, but she knew now just how much she meant to them, nothing. She was just another number to be added to the list of defeated humans. Only she had helped. She had been tricked into betraying her species. And she had done it willingly, even joyfully. Now shame filled her, remorse like she had never known. The emotions overwhelmed her, now that she wasn't fighting them. She deserved to die, she thought, as she surrendered to the blackness one last time. She didn't hear the sound of yet another engine in the distance, on approach.

Jumpship
8:15 PM

The storm had subsided and the summer sun had slipped below the horizon. Sergeant Robert "Scout" Baker continued to monitor the Phantom Striker Squadron until they were out of range. They had never guessed the ones they were looking for were BEHIND them the whole time. But the Powerteam was not looking for the Strikers, it was looking for the distress signal they had picked up two hours ago leaving what was left of Sandtown. They had arrived too late to help this time, but had given the United Transport Organization ships enough cover from the Striker squadron in time for them to transport the survivors to the Passages safely. After parting ways, the team decided to investigate the distress signal, even though it was a Dread signal. They had thought for sure that the Phantom Strikers would stop and help, as they had detected a young life sign in the wreckage.

But even Captain Jonathan Power was stunned and disgusted when the squadron had turned and left, abandoning their own to a slow, lonely death. So now they were on the way. It was, after all, a human being, loyal to Dread or not, that needed help and their code was to preserve ALL human life, whether it was an enemy or not. They had not thought ahead as to what they were going to do with the Dread member when they found whoever it was.

They found the crash site easily enough and Major Matthew "Hawk" Masterson set the ship down easily beside the crash. Lt. Michael "Tank" Ellis turned to their captain and asked "Should we power up, Captain?"

Jon Power, the second to youngest member of the team, but unquestionably the leader, said "No. The area's clear and the life sign is weak. There's probably not too much fight left in them, whoever it is. And we don't know those Strikers won't change their minds and come back. We might need our power then." Nodding, the others drew their weapons and followed their captain out towards the downed ship.

"Tank and Scout, take the interior. Hawk and I will look around out here. Let's go," said Jon. The team split up and went about their jobs. Jon kept his weapon drawn, but he seriously doubted he'd need it. He was about to turn around and go join Hawk, when he heard a low whimper. He turned and saw the small form lying under the bushes, trying to get out of the rain. He walked over cautiously and knelt down. He slowly turned her over and noticed she was armed with a laser pistol, which he quickly took from the holster. The scanner showed she had no other weapons, so he looked down at the young woman out cold on the ground.

Jennifer had blacked out again after the Strikers had left, but was awakened by the sensation of someone turning her over. Had they come back? She wondered. She slowly opened her eyes and groaned. Whoever this person was, he was NOT in the Dread Corp. That meant that she, wearing her Dread Youth uniform, was in serious trouble. Jon leaned in closer when she groaned, thinking he had hurt her by moving her. As he leaned in, she opened her eyes a little wider.....and stopped breathing, her breath caught in her throat.

Adjectives to describe objects were rare in her world....her former world. The only ones used were "perfection, beauty, gleaming," all to describe the machine. But she could now apply those words for the first time, to a human being, because the man kneeling next to her was, beyond a doubt, the most perfect looking guy she had ever seen. Sure, some of the boys in her Dread group had been cute, but there was something about this man, his presence and bearing, that told her his attractiveness was not just skin deep. She gave herself a mental kick.

Such thinking was NOT allowed where she came from. Any activity of the romantic kind, was swiftly and brutally punished. She had memories of watching some serious public punishments of members of the Dread Youth who had been found in, well, activities that were most certainly NOT of the machine. They had been taught that
physical attraction was merely a leftover animal instinct, that when the New Order came and mankind was immortal as machines, the need for procreation would not exist. Thus, any activity to that nature, now, would be dealt with very harshly. To Jennifer, her reaction was most un-machine-like, and disturbing. It hadn't happened before, at least not this intensely. She closed her eyes again.

Jon looked over his shoulder and called to Hawk that he had found her. Hawk came quickly around the crashed ship. As he waited for his first officer, Jon looked down at the girl. She was young, no more than eighteen tops. He knew she was awake by the way she was squeezing her eyes shut, but he didn't know if it was because she was in pain or didn't want to look. Probably both, he figured. She was also incredibly pretty, even after surviving an aircraft crash. Sure, he had met girls who were good looking before, but this one had a certain quality that made one look twice. As Captain of his team, as well as unofficial leader of the human resistance, he was forced to maintain a professional front in dealing with all people. This gave him a sort of aloof aura, but it was necessary for his work, albeit lonely. He would continue to maintain his professionalism, but that didn't mean he couldn't look. After all, he was still human.

Hawk came up beside him and stared down at the girl. "God, Jon, she's just a kid." Jennifer opened her eyes again at the sound of another voice. The other man who had come up was older than the one next to her, about the same age as some of the older Overunits she knew. But unlike them, this man had a look about him that was far more friendlier. He looked as if he had lived through hell and still kept his sense of humor. He had.

Both men were wearing uniforms, which did nothing to ease her fear. Not only were they non Dread Organics, they were resistance military. She saw her life span decreasing with each person who came up for a look. Even more so when yet a third man, a very large individual, came up to Jon. Her life span just slipped another notch. How could someone be so powerful and still be human? she wondered. He spoke with an accent she didn't recognize.

"Captain, there's quite a mess in there and Scout's looking green. Orders?" He looked down at Jennifer. "Alive?"

Jon looked up at the giant without a flinch, "Yeah she's alive, Tank. Hurt, but alive. Hawk will help you bury the dead. Tell Scout to get over here with the Med Pack."

Tank, thought Jennifer, appropriate. But then a jolt of realization hit her. Tank had called Jon "Captain". She looked at the name patch on his shirt, it read "Power".  "Captain"? "Power"? Captain Power? Oh noooooo....... This time she groaned loud enough for everyone to hear her. They all looked down. Jon bit back a grin. He knew it wasn't pain causing that reaction.

"What's your name?" he asked. She turned her head away in response. Tank grinned and went to find Scout. Matt shook his head and followed. Jon took a deep breath and tried again.

"I'm Jonathan Power, what's your name? What harm can there be in telling me your name?"

She looked up at him and tried to sit up but pain shot through her and she lay back down. Worried, he tried to help but she brushed him away. Sighing, she replied, "Youth Leader Chase." Jon nodded, as Scout came up with the Med Pack. In the back, Tank and Hawk had powered up their suits and were digging a large hole next to the crashed ship. Scout opened the pack and handed some things to his captain.

"Ok, then, just hold still." He reached towards her with a cloth to wipe her face, but she moved away. He hesitated. Like all members of Dread's Youth Group, she had been raised with minimal human contact and no affection. The result was that the Youth Group children had an aversion to human touch, or being too close to another. They kept a certain distance from others. In Jennifer's life experiences, the only time someone reached out to touch her was to inflict hurt or punishment. The Overunits had a particularly pinching grip.

"It's OK, I won't hurt you. If I was going to hurt you, I would have done it already." He wasn't sure that was the right thing to say, but his patience was not endless. He reached out again. She hated to admit it, but he was probably right. At least for now, they wanted her alive. She held still long enough for him to wipe the mud and blood from her face. In the clearing, Tank and Hawk finished bringing the bodies to the mass grave and covered them up. It wasn't much, but it was better than just leaving them in the open, which was what had been done to the two Overunits who had been killed in Sand Town, they had just been left in the street, adding to Jennifer Chase's distress.

After running a scanner over her, they determined that she had a broken right arm, a mild concussion, and a sprained ankle. Beyond that, it was mostly shock and blood loss from multiple cuts and bruises, but she would live. After seeing the mess in the downed ship, Scout thought it no less than a miracle that anything could have survived. However, this raised a serious question...what were they going to do with her? Darkness threatened to engulf her again as she listened to the four men debate each other.

Jon: "Well, we can't leave her here, they're not coming for her. Or they would have already."

Hawk: "Should we take her to the Passages? They have doctors there."

Jon: "Normally that would be my first choice, except this is the ship that attacked Sand Town. The UTO is bringing those survivors to the Passages. This girl, from this ship, wearing a Dread uniform? She'd be dead in minutes. They might even refuse to treat her, or even accept her. No, I KNOW they wouldn't. We can't take her there."

Scout: "Well, we can't take her to the base with us. That location has to remain secret. Bring a Dreadhead into our base is like putting up a flashing neon sign advertising free room and board the entire Biodread empire."

Jon :"Well, there's no where else to take her. No other place WOULD take her. How many people leave Dread's Youth group? Or Military? I'm sure some do, but this is not something that happens every day. I've never heard any specific stories of anyone being accepted somewhere after leaving Dread."

Hawk :"Hold on Jon, you're assuming she WANTS to leave Dread. She crashed here, she's hurt. That's not her doing. What if we nurse her back to health and she wants to go back?"

Jon stopped. He looked down at the young woman nearly unconscious on the ground. She opened her eyes slightly and met his. His blue eyes filled with compassion and sadness. When he looked at her, he saw a beautiful person who had been corrupted and brainwashed by Dread. Her whole life had been a prison and she probably never knew it. Here was a chance to free her of that world, but how much of a grip did Dread have on her? One thing was for sure, one less in the Dread Corp was one less enemy for him. And he didn't want to meet this girl in the future as her enemy.

Jennifer was surprised at the look in his eyes. No one had ever looked at her that way. Here wasn't the feared enemy she had heard about, but someone who was looking at her with compassion and wanted to help her. That's what floored her, they wanted to help her. They weren't arguing over whether they were going to take her with them, but where. Her own people hadn't even hesitated about leaving her behind. And then there was Captain Power himself. All the stories she had heard portrayed him as a vicious, bloodthirsty renegade who lived for bringing down the New Order. She wasn't sure what she expected, but it certainly wasn't the man standing in front of her now. He didn't look like a monster, nor did he seem to be plotting her death. Of course, they may be waiting to interrogate her later, but somehow she didn't think so. All of this only added to her confusion. More lies she had been told coming to light.

Finally, Jon made the decision, they were taking her back to the base. It was probably not the wisest thing to do, but the alternative was to leave her here or at the Passages. Either choice meant death for her. Obviously not happy with their captain's choice, but compliant anyway, Tank and Scout went back to their ship to get ready to leave. Jon Power stooped back down to gather her up.

"Jon, are you sure about this?" asked Hawk. "We don't know this isn't some trick by Dread to learn where the base is. And what's to stop her from getting out and going right back to him with the location?"

Jon sighed. "I don't know Hawk, I just have a feeling. We can keep her from the restricted areas with the wrist stun gadget that Scout made. We'll just have to keep an eye on her. But I think that once she sees the truth, she'll decide not to go back. And even if she wants to go back, I won't stop her. As long as she sees our side first. It will be her choice, something I don't think she's been given before."

Jon scooped Jennifer up into his arms and stood up. He was surprised at how little she weighed, like a feather. Jennifer, to weak to fight back, instantly tensed up. She had never been carried anywhere that she could remember, and all this contact was totally against her nature. He carried her onto the ship and set her down in a small medical bunk in the back. Then he tied a blindfold over her eyes.

"Sorry about this, but you understand I'm sure, you can't know where we're going." She only nodded, not caring if she died right there. She felt the sensation of flying again as the Powerteam's Jumpship flew away from the crash. She didn't know how long they flew since she wasn't too aware of her surroundings, but she could hear the low murmuring of the four men up front. She knew they didn't agree with their captain's choice, and truthfully, she didn't know why he had fought so hard to bring her with them. Nothing she could imagine was pleasant, but she had little choice now. Until she was stronger, she just couldn't fight back. At first, she had not understood how Captain Power could be such an effective leader. No Overunit asked the opinions of those they commanded, it was just orders and obeying.

But even though they had not agreed, they followed his decision to bring her to their base. She was going to the legendary Powerbase! This was every Dread Youth member's dream, to find the Powerbase and capture the Powerteam. She had often wondered what it looked like. But she was not so anxious now, given the circumstances,

Finally, the ship landed and powered down. Once again, Captain Power came and lifted her into his arms. Once she forced herself not to tense up, she realized it wasn't an entirely unpleasant sensation. And once again she gave herself a mental kick.

"We'll get you down to our sickbay and get you fixed up," he said. She was fading again and didn't answer.

"Youth Leader Chase..." he said. She opened her eyes slightly. "You have a first name?" Just before she blacked out, she whispered, "Jennifer...."

 

 

 

 

 

 

She was flying again, soaring high above some indeterminate landscape, without wings, repulsorjets, or an aircraft. It was her favorite dream, her one escape from the world.  She always imagined herself flying through clouds, usually at night lit up with moonlight. In her dream, the sky above was black velvet littered with millions of sparkling diamonds, all for her to soar through. Or sometimes, it was sunset, the clouds lit up by the setting sun, turning them shades of pink, purple, reds and blues. Right now, her dreams showed her a blue/black sky just after sunset, with only a few stars scattered here and there. Below her were purple and blue clouds, wispy like gossamer. Below the clouds was a city, all lit up at night, streaks of light marking out the streets and sprinkles of light where houses were. She didn't know how she knew what a city looked like, since most of Earth's cities had been destroyed before she was born. She did some loops and dived in and out among the clouds. She always woke up at the wrong moment, usually to the sound of the barracks bell going off announcing a new day of service to Lord Dread and the Biodread Empire. She slept in a barracks of twenty other girls her age, in hard cots covered with thin mattresses. The Biodread Empire didn't go out of its way to waste any more than it had to on its human population, especially the Dread Youth, who were only kept since they had some potential as future Overunits or mechanics of some sort.

To her disappointment, the dream began to fade. She tried to fight it, but as usual it didn't work and her eyes opened. Only she wasn't in her barracks. She was in a strange room, and she seemed to be alone. Where was she? Suddenly it all came back to her. Sand Town, the crash, Captain Power and his team.... She sat up fast, and was relieved to see that the dizziness and blackness didn't come again. She was tired, groggy, and stiff as hell, but awake and alive. She looked around the room. It was a strange place, the walls seemed to be made of rock, with wall panels installed in some areas. It was a single chamber, with a ceiling of rock about 12 feet high, and the only way in or out seemed to be through a door that was closed. She wondered if it was locked. She was in a bed that was set into the wall, and it was a lot more comfortable than the one she was used to. In a corner was a workbench, and in another wall was a storage compartment with drawers. She remembered being told she was heading for the Power base. Was this it? No wonder they couldn't find it, she thought. The place must be underground. But WHERE underground?

She looked down at her hands. Her right forearm was in a temporary cast/brace, and on her left wrist was a device she didn't recognize. She examined it closely. She was something of an expert in circuitry, having been raised around machines, and she knew enough to recognize that the device was a type of electrical stunner, designed to drop a person with a jolt of electricity. It was similar to stun guns used a few hundred years ago as self defense weapons. Not pretty, if it went off. There were adhesive bandages here and there, including one on her head. It was warmer in this room than she was used to and she kicked the coverings off. Her Dread Youth uniform was gone, and instead she was wearing a cotton t-shirt with matching pants, rather comfortable actually, although she didn't want to think about HOW she got into them.

She started to get up when there was a chime from a panel in the wall of the bed. She turned around as a message flashed.

"Good morning, Jennifer Chase..." it read. "You are in the Powerbase, section 07-A."

The message went on to explain what she had already figured out, the device on her wrist was a stunner. She was not allowed in any of the odd numbered corridors or any other corridor with a number higher than 14. If she went into those areas, the wrist device would give a warning, then activate 5 seconds later. All over the base there were security cameras mounted with stun lasers, meant to impede intruders. They would activate as well. A map flashed showing the areas she could go to, such as the galley and some other areas. The message also stated that her injuries had been treated and she had been given bone healing agents. Her arm should be as good as new in a few days. Finally, the message stated that the team had been alerted of an emergency earlier that morning and had gone to help, and that Major Masterson, "Hawk" as he was called by the team, was there to keep an eye on her. It was signed by Captain Jonathan Power. She sighed. What was she supposed to do, sit her and wait? Was there anything to do? She wasn't used to being free to do any activity she pleased. Always, she was in a class or working in an area of Volcania. Free time was rare. She wasn't sure what to do. She got up, noticing her ankle still hurt a little. She limped around, testing it out until she was walking well enough. She went to the storage compartment and looked inside. Her clothes and boots were there. She pulled her boots on.

Going over to the door, she was surprised to find it opened easily. She wondered how confident they were about her, leaving her to roam freely like this. Surely one man alone in the base with a known enemy wasn't such a good idea? She shook her head. Her gut instinct was telling her she was probably missing something. She would be careful. She had no doubt that she could get the wrist contraption off with the right tools, but she had none. Whatever computer system they had, she could probably hack into with time. But she didn't actually want to. It surprised her, since she was in a perfect situation for a Dread soldier, alone in the Powerbase with some access. Who knows what she could find out? The thing was, she was in no hurry to help the Dread Empire any more, not after they abandoned her to death. She was more curious about the base itself, since it was such a legend among both Dread forces and Organics. She walked out of the room, and looked down the corridor. She went to the next door and tried it, and was glad to find the facilities. She wondered where the galley was, she hadn't eaten anything for a while and was hungry.

The whole place seemed to be carved out of rock, strengthening her suspicion that the base was under ground. Another door revealed a cargo room, filled with boxes of supplies, such as freeze dried food rations, powdered milk and baby formula, medical kits and clothes. She opened a food rations pack and chewed some, grimacing at the taste. She dug through the clothes and found some she thought might fit her and went back to put them on. After that, she wandered down another corridor and came to a cross roads point. One was an odd numbered corridor with some closed doors. Looking around to make sure she was alone, she took a step forward down the corridor marked 9. Instantly, an alarm went off and a feminine computer voice said "Attention, you are in a restricted area! Please move away!" The device on her wrist sent a small jolt that left her arm tingling. She quickly stepped back and the alarm turned off. All was silent again, except for a small hum. She looked up and saw a camera gliding into place, following her, a small red laser pointed at her. She was being watched. But by who? The man called Hawk? Maybe. She waited for a few minutes, expecting someone to come running. But no one came. This was all strange. If this were Volcania, the intruder would be dead by now, with fifty troopers coming from all directions. Was the base so unprotected? Maybe that's why it's location was kept secret, because it was vulnerable t intruders? Maybe that was it. But there was the camera following her. She turned and walked on, noticing cameras all over now, following her movements.

Another corridor just around the corner from the room she had been in had doors that were open. She looked inside one, and noticed it was like hers, a personal quarters room. She went inside. This one wasn't as bare as hers, it was filled with personal items, pictures and other paraphernalia. She looked at the pictures on a shelf beside the bed. There was a photo of Hawk, with a woman and two children, a boy and a girl. He looked a lot younger than he did now, and she figured it was taken a long time ago. But who were the people with him? Were they his family? If so, where were they now? Were they here? She didn't think so, or the message might have said something. Were they dead then? She looked at another picture, another one of Hawk with a man who looked somehow familiar. He had light brown hair and a thick beard, and blue eyes. Had she seen him somewhere before? She didn't think so.

There was another photo of the same man, this time holding a small boy of about six or seven. The boy in the picture got her attention. He had dark brown hair and the same blue eyes as the man. It was also, unmistakably, Jonathan Power. She picked up the photo and stared. Jonathan Power as a little kid. She had never thought of any Organics, let alone the Resistance or the Powerteam as ever having been children, or someone's sons and daughters. Never having had any parents of her own, the concept was enlightening. She wondered who her family was. Even Captain Power had a family. She smiled at the look on his face. Even as a child of six, he had that same serious, yet kindly, expression. Automatically, her smile disappeared. In her life, smiling got you punished. It was hard to control, but every time she smiled, it was like an invisible force wiped it off her face. She put the picture back and looked at another one, of Jon Power a little older, maybe ten, with the same boy from the first picture. They were both grinning, sitting on a wooden platform that extended out into a lake. They were wearing only shorts and holding some type of strange sticks.

She looked around again, pretty much deciding this was Hawk's room, and turned to leave. The other rooms were similar, having personal items and pictures. In Tank's room, she didn't find many pictures except of him with the team, but in the workbench, she found several burned or partially destroyed data disks. It looked like he was in the process of trying to salvage the information on them. She looked at one, it was labeled "1980's music". Music? She had heard what was called music only once that she could remember, it had been a march song for the Dread Youth. She had actually enjoyed it, but it was discontinued when Lord Dread stated that music was a human thing, not of the machine.

In Scout's room, she found pictures of a younger Scout with an older woman, obviously his mother. His workbench was covered with gadgets and disassembled electronics. She would love to play around with some of this! It looked like he was the resident inventor, making gadgets to do certain jobs. She looked at the wrist device. Yes, this was his handiwork, she figured.

The last one was Jon Power's room. Like Hawk, he also had pictures of himself with Hawk's son, and some others of the man with the beard, whom Jennifer assumed was his father. There was one picture of the bearded man and a woman, taken long ago. The woman had the same hair and facial structure as Jon. His mother? she wondered. But there was only this one photo of her. Somehow, that seemed strange. There were a lot of his father. His workbench was covered with pictures he was putting in a scrapbook. They were pictures of landscapes, sunsets, the beach, mountains and deserts and forests. There were also pictures of cities, neighborhoods and ancient monuments, all before the war destroyed most of them. She wondered why he was so interested in these things. She wandered out and down the last corridor. She walked into a large, cavernous room, extending three stories high, and yet still carved into the rock. At the center of the room was a large console, with several stations around it. In one wall was a vault, and in another corner was a strange looking chamber with several standing ports. All around were computer stations and terminals.

Instantly, the cameras activated and lasers pointed at her. She stepped back. This was obviously the control room and she doubted she was allowed in there. But suddenly, there came a voice, a friendly voice she had not heard before.

"You must be our house guest. You may enter, but you may not touch anything." The lasers switched off, although they remained pointed at her. She looked inside again. She didn't see anyone.

"Who said that?" she asked the air. The large center console came to life, mist filling the central tube, projecting the image of a man, the same bearded man from the pictures. Her eyes widened with surprise. What WAS that?

"I am Mentor, Base and analyzing computer systems. You may come in." She carefully walked into the room. She looked up at the image.

"You're a machine? But you look like..." she broke off, not wanting to admit that she had been looking at the pictures in Hawk and Jon's private rooms.

"I bear the image of Dr. Stuart Power, the captain's father. He gave me his face and voice, to ensure that his son would never be without him." She walked over to the console and sat down in one of the chairs. She was fascinated. She thought only Overmind had these kind of capabilities. Biomech troopers only had programmed responses. This one was carrying on a conversation. Was it another Overmind, perhaps? That thought was disturbing, that two supercomputers existed with that kind of power.

"Are you like Overmind then?" she asked.

"No," it replied, "I am not that powerful, or I would have shut down all the biomech armies by now. However, I do posses more sentience and computing power than any other known system besides Overmind. Beyond that, I cannot tell you anything that might be detrimental to the well being of the team and the resistance, concerning my facilities. You may ask anything else of me that you wish. I possess several historic and philosophical documents. I often find myself working as a sounding board for the team."

Jennifer didn't know what to think. She had never seen or talked to Overmind, so she had no real experience with machines that talked back, no programmed responses.  This thing was asking her to talk to it. Had it been programmed to trick information out of her? She wasn't sure, and she was distrustful. It began to speak again.

"Perhaps you'd like to know more about the members of the team, non classified information? I might be a better source than wandering through rooms." The image smiled.

Jennifer was stunned. So the computer had been the one watching her. Now she understood how the team could leave her unsupervised for so long.

"So, you answer questions then?" she asked.

"Non-classified questions," it replied.

"Ok, then, how old am I?" she asked, trying to trick the machine.

"DNA analysis indicates you are 18 years, 9 months, 3 weeks, four days, and seven hours old.", replied Mentor.

Jennifer was sure her mouth was hanging open, but she continued, "How old is Captain Power?

Mentor: "29 years, 3 months, one week, two days and seventeen hours old"

Jennifer: "How far away is the sun?"

Mentor: "93.8 million miles, give or take."

Jennifer: "What is the meaning of life?"

Mentor: "Be more specific."

Despite her upbringing, she laughed slightly. This was too much. Imagine, a machine this smart and it didn't want to control the world?  She looked up again. "Mentor, why am I being kept here? What do they want from me?"

Mentor replied, "At present, nothing is required of you. You are not a prisoner, you are free to leave as you please. A member of the team will have to take you out of the base, however, since there are no access ports you have clearance for. If you wish to leave, they will take you outside and far enough away to insure the base location remains a secret."

Jennifer was troubled, "I find that hard to believe, where I come from people from the opposite side are captured, interrogated and digitized. Do they not think I'd have information about Dread?" She wasn't sure that was a very good thing to say to preserve her well being, but she asked anyway.

Mentor almost smiled, "You make the mistake of assuming everyone thinks and behaves the way the Dread Empire does. While it is true some resistance groups would have done those things, the Powerteam believes there are more humane ways of dealing with people than interrogation. It is also possible Captain Power does not believe you have any useful information he does not already know, or that you would not tell anyway."

"It doesn't make sense, rescuing me in the first place, if he thinks I have no information to offer," she said.

"It does to him, and to the rest of the team. Their code is to protect and preserve all human life. Whether you are with Dread or not, you are human. That makes you valuable." Mentor paused.

That went against everything Jennifer had ever been taught, that humans were better than machines? She wondered why he believed that, and asked Mentor, who replied that she would have to ask him herself, but that his father had believed the same thing. Mentor went on to explain the history of the Power family, how they had known Dr. Lyman Taggart before he had become Lord Dread, how Dr. Power had been co-creator of Overmind, and how he had died trying to save Jon from Dread years ago. She began to see the pieces fall into place, why there was such tense animosity between Dread and Power. She also could appreciate why Dread was so determined to stop him. Along with his father's knowledge, he was probably the only man capable of stopping Dread for good.

She began to feel uncomfortable with the conversation and asked to change the subject, to which Mentor complied. Remembering the music disks in Tank's room, she asked about it. Mentor replied by playing some songs from its database, ranging from classical Bach, to late 20th century rock, to band music from the 1940's. She sat back and listened, amazed at the sounds. It was like a rainbow in her ears.

She listened for at least an hour before her stomach started rumbling again. The food rations hadn't helped much. Mentor shut off the music and suggested she go to the galley. She got up, feeling almost dismissed by the machine, and went down another corridor she had not been down before. She followed it, knowing it didn't go to the galley, but curious anyway. She ended up in a huge hangar bay, with several types a vehicles in it, but the one that caught her attention was an XT-7 jet near one end. An XT-7! Wow, that was one of the fastest combat jets ever built! Excited, she started forward to investigate when another alarm went off.

"Attention! You are in a restricted area, please return....." The alarm was abruptly cut off and a figure came from around the jet. It was Hawk. He smiled.

"I thought that might be you. Got tired of exploring, huh?" He picked up a tool and looked up at her.

"How, um, how did you...?" she stopped, not wanting to admit to snooping. He smiled again.

"Mentor told me, he's been keeping an eye on you. Figured I could use his help, with the team out, although they should be back any minute by now. You eat yet?"

She couldn't believe the man was treating her like an ordinary person, wasn't she supposed to be his enemy? She didn't answer, unsure of herself. Instead, she looked at the jet. "Is that an XT-7?" she asked.

He looked surprised, "Yes, how did you know?"

She shrugged. "I just, sort of, read a lot about aircraft."

At this, Hawk brightened a little. "So did I, back during the beginning of the war, it was required for pilots to be able to fly any aircraft available." He went back to adjusting something on the jet, keeping an eye on her.

But she was interested, he was a war pilot? Before she could stop herself, she was asking about the jets he had flown, which ones handled better, and a barrage of other questions, in a rather excited voice. Hawk was pleased the girl was showing some sort of human emotional interest. And in a topic he personally loved. As they talked, he discovered she was something of a kindred spirit in her passion about flying. As he worked she sat on the ground nearby, and they talked about different types of aircraft, both Resistance and Dread models, which ones handled better, which had more firepower, or less maneuverability. Just as Hawk was finishing up on the jet and explaining the merits of a resistance Valkyrie bomber's firepower versus a Dread Interlocker's, a whooshing sound came from the end of the long bay. The Jumpship came soaring in and dropped gracefully to a landing. Hawk grinned.

"That'll be Jon flying. Besides me, he's the only one with pilot training, although everyone can fly any of our vehicles." Jennifer had scrambled to her feet, now defensive at the arrival of the rest of the team. Her arms crossed across her chest and she stood defiant, expecting the peace to end, now that they were all here. Scout, Tank, and Captain Power came out of the ship, each one looking sick. Jon acknowledged her with a nod, but looked down shaking his head. Hawk went up to him.

"Jon? What happened?"

"We were too late. Just like...like Sand Town, only this time, there were no survivors. All gone or digitized..." he broke off. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The four men started walking towards the corridor. Jennifer was unsure what to do. Jon stopped and motioned for her to follow. She wasn't sure about that, but she did anyway. They went to the control room and sat down at their posts, but they didn't say or do anything. Jon covered his face with his hands as Matt said, "We can't save them all Jon, we can only try."

She was surprised that they were grieving for people they didn't know, until she realized she had done the same thing earlier at Sand Town. Did Jon care so much about all those people?

Scout and Tank got up and announced they were fixing lunch. Matt went to help them, leaving Jennifer and Jon alone. He turned to look at her. Neither one quite knew what to say. Finally, she asked, "Why do you grieve so much for people you don't know?"

Jon looked her right in the eye and said, "Because all human life is sacred, and needs to be preserved. I know that's the opposite of what you've been taught. But when you think about it, it's true."

"Ok, how?" she asked challenging him.

Jon took a deep breath and told her what his father had told him years ago, that it was easy to destroy, but hard to build. It took years to build a city, but only a moment to drop a bomb. It took hours to create a painting, and only a few seconds for a fire to destroy it. Likewise, it takes nine months to bring a human life into the world, and only a second to pull a trigger and end it. Any fool could destroy, but it takes a special person who can build again. He went on to say that if one knew anything about biology, considering the short window of opportunity for a human conception to occur, and all that can go wrong in the process, it's a wonder anyone is born at all.

"And each human being is different," he went on. "Even identical twins are different in ways. There has not ever, nor will there ever be another me, or another Scout or Tank. In the future, there will never be another you." His eyes seemed to bore right into her and she shifted uncomfortably. "Likewise, there will never be anyone like those people who were lost. One of them could have been a great writer, a musician, or a doctor who will cure an incurable disease. We'll never know now. How many more will be lost?"

He stopped and closed his eyes, feeling the weight of responsibility on him again. He wondered if he was even getting through to her. He looked at her again. Her eyes were troubled. She was thinking hard about what he said. It seemed logical. For some reason, she felt like crying. Suddenly, without knowing why, she was angry. At what or who, she didn't know, only she knew that she was.

He asked her, "What do YOU think? Do you think I waste my time with those people?"

She looked up. "Why do you care what I think? It's your business."

He continued to look at her, and she looked away. Finally, she answered, "No, I don't think it's a waste of time." She was remembering the children from Sand Town, wishing she could have stopped it all. Jonathan Power went out and did just that. And what did she do? What could she have done? She didn't know. And that's one of the reasons she was angry, she felt helpless. She got up.

"Why don't you let me go now? I have nothing you want and I can't help."

He looked at her calmly and said, "Will you go back to Dread?"

She didn't answer. She didn't know. He continued, "You saw the Phantom Striker Squadron didn't you? The one that flew over your crash site?"

She nodded. "You know they left you?" he asked. She nodded again. "How do you feel about that?" She snapped back, "How do you think I feel? They just left me there! After Sand Town, and all the lies, and they just left me there!"

She was yelling now, surprised at herself. She never lost it like this. Calmer, she said "NO, I wont go back. I feel like I should, but I can't now. They'll just leave me somewhere else."

He asked, "Where will you go then?"

Jennifer: "I don't know."

Jon: "What will you do for food?"

Jennifer: "I don't know"

Jon: "How will you get by once people learn where you're from?"

Jennifer "I don't KNOW!"

He smiled wryly, "Well, at least you have a plan"

Now she was really angry. "Look, I can take care of myself and I don't need you or anyone else telling me what I can or can't do. Not you, not Dread, nobody. So just leave me alone!" She turned and stormed out not caring if she charged down an odd numbered corridor and got lasered. She fled back down to the room she had been in when she woke up and slammed the door, not sure why she was so mad at him. He was right about not having anywhere to go. Se threw herself down on the bed and pounded the pillow.

Back in the control room, Matt had come when he heard the girl shouting. God only knows, he thought. He found only Jon, shaking his head.

Matt: "Where did she go?"

Jon looked at the detection system and said "She's back in her room."

Matt: "Jon, what are we going to do with her? We can't keep her here forever."

Jon: "Matt, we can't let her go anywhere. She's so angry. She confused, scared and she has no idea how to get by in our society, what's left of it that is. She's really messed up, thanks to Dread. I don't know if we can fix it, but we have to try."

Matt: "None of us are psychologists. Even with Mentor's help, it might be too late for her, you know."

Jon nodded, conceding the point. But only time would tell.

Jon: "She's angry about being abandoned to die by Dread. I think she was having doubts before though. Only being confronted by me is making her rebellious. If it were anyone else, she might have an easier time of it. She's trying to stand up to me like she's been taught to do, only knowing she's wrong before she starts."

He looked up at Matt.

Jon: "Think what it must be like for her. Imagine what it would be like for me, or all of us, to learn that it was my father who was wrong all the time. What if Dread was right, and the New Order was the right way to go? All of our fighting would have been for the wrong side. Everything I was raised to believe would be trashed in a heartbeat. My whole world would be a lie. That can't be easy to handle. I think she knows it already, she's just fighting it."

Matt: "Plus she's angry, at being left behind, at being tricked, maybe even at being gullible enough to believe what Dread said. She's probably even angrier at us for saving her, because now she owes us. She might take that anger out on us."

Jon: "We can decide what to do with her when she calms down a little. Until then, we'll just have to make do. We can't bring her anywhere else, there's no where to go. It's up to us. It's the human thing to do."

Later that day:

There was a knock on her door, but she didn't answer. Jon poked his head in and saw her on the bed.

"You asleep?" he asked, even knowing she wasn't. "Brought you some dinner."

She turned to look. He put a tray down on the table and came over. She turned away.

"Jennifer, you're probably thinking I have no way of knowing anything about what you're going through. You're right. I don't. I can only imagine, and what I imagine isn't good at all. We can help you. I can help you, if you let me. Just give us a chance, maybe it won't be so bad. But before you make any choice about your future, consider this. There are always two sides to every battle. You know Dread's side. Maybe it's time you saw ours. Then choose for yourself, but let the choice be yours alone. It's not all bad on this side, you know. We don't mind if you laugh or cry."

He turned and left. His words actually made her feel a little better. She got up and went to the table. What was on the tray looked a lot more appetizing than the food rations she had earlier. After a few bites, she discovered it was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next few days flew by in a whirlwind, with Jennifer Chase hardly leaving her room. Her brain felt like it was on a roller coaster, now that she was no longer fighting her emotions. She went from one extreme to another, from happy to sad in a heartbeat. One minute she was on the verge of laughing, (which she hardly ever did) to suddenly being full of rage. By the time Scout took the cast off of her right arm, she had had a long talk with herself. She conceded Jon Power's point of two sides to a battle. For eighteen years she had seen Dread's side. The logical choice would be to now observe the Organics' side and then make her own choice. And so, she decided to learn everything she could about their world, while remaining neutral and not choosing a side just yet. Despite her whirlwind emotions, she began to slip into a routine at the Powerbase.

After quickly determining she wasn't used to so much unstructured free time, Jon, with Mentor's help, came up with a schedule for her. Mornings were spent with various members of the team, learning what she could from them. Afternoons were spent talking with Mentor. She rather enjoyed talking with the machine better, since it was more what she was used to. And it wasn't judgmental, nor did it care if she lost her temper at it. Time spent with Tank was usually time wasted since they had almost no common ground. The only thing they could talk about was the music he salvaged. He told her that when they went out and ended up in a city, he searched through burned out stores looking for the data disks to salvage. Once he showed her how, some of her free time was spent restoring the music, which she rather enjoyed.

Time spent with Scout was a little more entertaining. He was the joker of the team, she quickly learned. He was astounded when he learned of her upbringing and not being allowed to laugh or cry in any way, so he took it upon himself to try and make her laugh. Every morning he greeted her with "Want to hear a joke?" to which she promptly replied "No." Of course he would tell her anyway, which left her rolling her eyes rather than laughing. But as time went on, she began to see the humor in some of his jokes and now and then he managed to get a smile, or even a "Hmmmfff" half-laugh.

She enjoyed talking to Hawk a lot, since they both had a thing for flying. She envied his Powersuit, which allowed him to soar through the air with no vehicles. They would spend hours talking about aircraft, flying techniques or anything related to it. Like Jon, she began to take Matt's words seriously, and if there was something she needed to hear, it was usually Matt that got through to her, followed by Jon. Hawk allowed her to try out the several flight simulators they had, and was pleased to find she had a natural aptitude for it. After several tries, she became quite proficient in several types of aircraft, but only in simulation. Hawk knew she longed to fly the XT-7 or other real aircraft, but it would mean taking her outside in full view of the base, in effect, telling her where it was. No one was ready for that yet.

Then there was Captain Jonathan Power to deal with. She didn't quite know what to think about him. She didn't like admitting it, but she liked being with him most of all, even though they were on cautious terms with each other. She had never been drawn to another person before, like she was to him. It was scary, and yet exhilarating at the same time. She recognized part of it as attraction to him, which she had felt, from the first moment she saw him. She didn't understand it. He was determined to get her past her anger though, and spent as much time with her as he could. He introduced her to the concept of games. Games were not a part of the Dread Youth world, no wonder. At first, she thought them merely a waste of time, until she learned that strategy and timing were a major part. He taught her to play chess, checkers and many different card games. She became quite skillful at poker, even managing to beat all four of the guys during one game.

Afternoons with Mentor were spent debating every aspect of being human. She recounted every argument against humanity she had heard Dread recite and Mentor countered it with arguments just as strong for humanity. It forced her to think for herself for the first time, instead of just repeating learned phrases. Mentor started with music, since she had shown an interest and music was a universal human language. From literature, music to even old movies stored in its database, Mentor gave Jennifer her first real dose of the human culture that had existed before the war. It had been a culture rich in music, art, stories and traditions. She was amazed at the colorfulness of human history and even more surprised that Dread was so against it.

The first real breakthrough came when she was working on some circuits with Scout and became frustrated with the soldering gun. Suddenly furious, she threw it across the room and stormed out. A little while later, Jon went looking for her and suggested she go apologize to Scout. That was something she had never had to do before, but after a week of temper outbursts, it was time to start introducing her to the concept of saying please, thank you and sorry. And it wasn't an option, she was going to apologize. Gruffly, she got up and went looking for Scout, if only to get Jon to leave her alone about it. She walked up to him and said, "I'm sorry for throwing your tools around earlier."

Scout, surprised, asked "Why?"

She wasn't ready for that. Why was she sorry? Was she even really? After a minute, she answered, "Well, because I know how I would feel if someone broke something that was mine." She turned to leave. Scout smiled. So did the other team members. This meant that she was now using empathy, putting herself into another's place to feel their emotions. It was the first major step for her. Mentor had determined that she already had a moral base. She knew right from wrong, she had just been taught differently.

Despite everything she learned, however, being cooped up in the base was starting to get to her. It caused her temper to flare even more violently, making the team and even Jonathan wonder if she was going to make it despite her progress. One particularly tense incident happened when the entire team was talking to her about her plans for her future again. She flew into a rage and ran down the corridor again, only instead of going to her room she ran into a cargo bay. Feeling the need to hit something, she chose the nearest box, and after that began kicking and pushing boxes over for a full hour, until finally she dropped into a corner exhausted. Looking around at the destruction she caused, knowing she would have to pick it up, and more than a little humiliated about it, she dropped her head into her arms and began to cry, fully, for the first time since before she could remember. Her breath came in heaves and tears poured from her eyes as if they would never stop. She wasn't just crying for her temper outbursts but for all the times she had never been allowed to cry.

After what seemed like forever, she felt someone kneel down beside her. It was Jon. He carefully put an arm around her, to which she automatically pulled away, but reconsidered. Holding still, she let him, and was surprised to find she actually felt better. She let him hold her while she cried herself out, and settled down. Without a word, he pulled her up and she went back to her room. She knew the team had been outside the whole time, watching her and it didn't make her feel any better. That was when Jon came to the decision, it was time to take her out.

When she had been there four weeks, Jon decided it was time for her to start helping out, whether she wanted to help the resistance or not. Early one morning, he knocked on her door. When she answered, he told her that they needed her help loading the Jumpship with supplies, they were going on an emergency supply run. She had never been asked to help before. Without a thought about helping the Organic Rebellion, she headed down to the cargo bay to give the team a hand. For three hours, she lifted and hauled boxes to the ship. Finally, when it was loaded, Captain Power motioned everyone on board. Jennifer stepped back out of the way of the ship's jets when he motioned for her to join them. She was surprised. She was going along? She boarded the ship, noticing some looks of doubt on the other team members. Jon handed her the blindfold, and sighing, she put it on. Hawk spoke up, "You know, we're going to the Passages. There might still be some Sand Town folks there who might recognize her."

Jon only nodded and said, "We'll still need the help unloading. If anyone asks, we'll tell them the truth. Until then, there's no need to make a scene about it."

As they flew on, Scout looked back at her and said, "Hey Jen, want to hear a joke?"

"Nope," she replied. The rest of the team groaned. So of course Scout went on.

"So this mushroom walks into a bar.....," he began.

"Scout, I'm warning you...," she said in a mock threat. Jon smiled. She was learning how to joke.

"And the bartender says, 'Hey we don't serve your kind here'. And the mushroom says 'Why not, I'm a fun guy!' Get it? Fun guy, fungi?" Scout said with a big grin.

"We get it, we just don't want it," said Matt.

Looking back at her, they saw she was grinning, even though she was definitely rolling her eyes behind the blindfold. She shook her head. She hoped it wouldn't be a long ride.

After a while, they finally landed in the Passages ship bay. Taking off her blindfold, she started to follow them out of the hatch, curious to see where the people lived and how they lived, but at the door she hesitated. Suddenly shy, she drifted back inside. The team bounded down the hatchway and over to some people they apparently knew, shaking hands and smiling at the group that had come running to meet them. A crowd was coming, mostly children. Captain Power had told her that the emergency was that a large group of orphaned children had arrived at the Passages after being on the run from Dread troopers who destroyed their old home. There were several very small children and babies in the group, and they were short of formula and milk at the Passages. Mentor had been able to produce several crates for them during the night. Tank went and started unloading, and Jennifer went to help him. Finally, one of the Passages leaders noticed her and asked Jon about it.

Jon only answered that they had found her, she had been injured and was staying with them for the time being. The man who had asked, Ray, found that unusual. The team often brought anyone they found to the Passages. After refusing to let the subject drop, Jon reluctantly told Ray the truth, that the girl was found on a Dread transport.

Ray was appalled! "You mean, you've got a Dreadhead running around your base? Are you nuts, man? You don't know that stuff you're unloading's safe for those kids to eat now!"

It made Jon angry. "Ray, do you think so little of my intelligence to think I haven't thought of everything you just said? Do you think I just up and decided to bring her to my base? If I had brought her here you would have turned her away. No, don't pretend, I know you would have. She's a human being. She deserves to live her own life, not the one Dread planned for her. She hasn't got a chance anywhere else. And if you have a problem with the supplies, you can stand there and not eat it, but I think the kids will have their own ideas once they get hungry." With that, Jon turned and walked over to Jennifer to help her lift a big box.

Ray was a little embarrassed at having insulted Captain Power. It was an honor to have the Powerteam here and he didn't want them to think they were ungrateful. But the girl...she looked normal. Was she really from the Dread Youth? In a space of five minutes, it had run through the entire crowd that not only was there a girl with the Powerteam, but that she was a Dread Youth. People gathered around looking on with a mix of curiosity and anger. Jennifer could feel their eyes without even turning around and her face started to grow warm. When the last box was unloaded, she slipped back against the ship half in the doorway. Jon noticed her discomfort.

She looked at the people glaring at her, and she felt like disappearing. But not all were angry. Several little boys had gone up to Jon and tugged on him for attention. Grinning, he dropped down to their level to say hello, and the children were thrilled. She smiled as she watched. That was when she noticed a small girl of about six edging towards her. The child stopped in front of her and seemed to study her. Jennifer was a little uncomfortable, never having dealt with anyone younger than her before. "Hi," was all she could think of to say.

"Are you bad?" the girl asked.

Jennifer was a little taken aback. She had never thought of herself as a bad person before, so she responded, "No, I'm not."

The girl wasn't convinced. "My momma says you are 'cause you're a Dread person."

Jennifer decided to pull a trick Mentor was fond of doing to her, she asked, "What do you think?"

The girl looked at her and was about to respond when her mother came swooping down and scooped her up. With an angry glare, she said "Keep your evil words away from innocent ears. You may have fooled everyone else, but I know what you are, a Dread monster."

Jennifer had been called many things before by the Overunits, lazy dreamer being most of them. But she had never been so viciously verbally attacked before and was caught off guard. Her first reaction was anger, which flared in her eyes briefly, but all of a sudden the anger was gone. What she felt was pity, pity for the woman who had no forgiveness or tolerance in her heart. A woman who thought her own way of life was the right way and anyone else was the enemy. It was the exact same way the Overunits had been. She stood up straight, no longer afraid.

"If that is how you feel," she began, "then you might be interested to know, the people who raised me used those exact words and tone to describe you." With that, she turned and walked away to join the team.

They led her down the Passages to a communal gathering spot. By now, everyone wanted to get a look at the strange girl with the Powerteam, rumored to be a Dread Youth. There was a lot of pointing and whispering but no one had the courage to say anything hateful with Captain Power standing right there. The people had gathered to watch a group of men perform. It was the only entertainment they had. The men carried crude instruments, made from scrap material, and yet produced melodious tones. Jennifer listened with wonder as the men began to play and sing some songs for the gathered people. They played several fast songs, which prompted some people to dance something Jennifer had never seen before. They played slow songs that left people's eyes glistening.

Finally, it was time to go. With a mix of relief and reluctance, she followed the team back to the ship. She had seen some of the best and worst the people could throw at her in one day, she wondered why they had not thrown rotten food instead. She would have much to ask Mentor about.

As soon as the ship landed at the base, she tore off her blindfold and raced out of the ship down to the control room. In only a few short weeks, she had come to know the base as if she had always lived there, minus the corridors she was not allowed to enter. She hardly thought about it though, and the wrist device was simply a part of her now. She hardly noticed it.

She sat down in front of the console and called Mentor, who promptly activated and declared itself "Online."

She recounted her experiences in the Passages for Mentor, and put this question to it, "How do you know if something's good or bad or what? All my life I was told that Dread's way was good and the Organics were bad. And yet, the other side believes the same thing. How do I know if I'm doing the right thing or not?"

Mentor replied, "The very fact that you even ask that question shows you have some idea already. Consider this scenario....let's suppose there is a man whose wife is very ill and needs a certain medicine. But the only shop that has it charges more than the man can afford for it. So the man breaks in and steals the medicine to save his wife's life. The owner has him arrested for stealing. Who is right?"

Jennifer thought for a full five minutes. "Well, they are both right and wrong. The store owner has the right to keep his merchandise, but it wrong for charging so much for it. The man has the right to try and save his wife but is wrong for stealing. What's the right answer?"

Mentor replied, "There really isn't one, it's what's called a gray area. Much of life is like that. There are very few clear cut good or bad things in the world. Take you for example, you've done bad things, but you have also done good. Most people are shades of gray, with good and bad in them. How they choose to act on a majority determines whether they are good or bad people."

Jennifer sighed, "But how do you KNOW?"

Mentor paused, then replied, "The best way to know is to ask yourself, how would you feel if what you are about to do to someone else, were done to you? If it is not something you would want to happen to you, don't do it to someone else. If you would want someone to help you in any way, do the same for them. It's very simple really."

Jennifer thought to herself. Sand Town had been a bad thing, she would not want that done to her. But helping the people in the Passages had been a good thing. She would want help if she needed it and someone could give it. And it had felt good to help, something she had never felt before, despite the people's hostility towards her. In that instant, Dread Youth Leader Chase was gone. In her place stood a new person. She knew where she belonged and it wasn't with Dread. A firm resolve descended down on her. She would spend however much time was required to make up for what was done during her Dread Youth days, and she would start now. The only thing she had to do now was master her emotions in a good way.

Jumping up, she ran to find Jon and the rest of the team. They listened soberly as she explained. Inwardly, they all felt some relief, now that they knew she was serious about leaving Dread behind. In a final act of faith, Jon motioned for her to follow him. She followed down the corridors, and down some she had not been allowed before. After passing several barriers and locked doors, Jon finally opened a door and stepped out onto a ledge. It was a shelf on the side of a mountain. She was outside! She looked around. They were in a desert with mountains all around, the rusty sky, high overhead.

Jon said, "I hope this isn't a mistake. But now you have at least some idea of where the base is. I don't suppose I have to tell you to keep it a secret?"

She knew he was still distrustful. She said seriously, "I won't ever tell. Nobody. I swear."

They shook on it. Then he pointed out the sun setting in the distance. She held her breath in awe. It was not unlike the dreams she often had of flying into the sunset. Some of the stars were coming out and a small breeze was blowing. She wondered how she had lived the years she had and never noticed that the world could still be beautiful, even despite the war raging on its surface. As the breeze blew her hair back, she head Jon say, "Being a machine is not all advantageous. For instance, you couldn't feel the wind in your hair. You couldn't taste your favorite food anymore. You couldn't feel rain on your skin. I'd rather stay human." She agreed. Then, she remembered the pictures on his workbench, the ones of landscapes. She understood him a little better now. It wasn't just revenge for his father that made him fight the way he did, but his love of the whole world he had lost.

After that, the team no longer went out of their way to keep the base a secret, Scout took the wrist device off. It felt strange not having it on after several weeks. She still wasn't allowed down several corridors, but she was allowed to go outside. Given this, Hawk decided it was time to see how the simulator training paid off and take her up in a real jet. The day Hawk let her fly the XT-7 was one of the best days in her life. Little by little, she got used to flying aircraft, and even became something of a pro at it.

In her eighth week at the base, the team had a long talk with each other about what to do with her now. She was not a member of the team, and although her presence was accepted and even enjoyed, she still had a lot to learn. She needed to mingle with other outside people beyond the team. She had to find her place in their world now. It was in the back of everyone's mind to wonder if she should join the team or not. There would be a list of difficulties, but also a list of benefits. Scout recognized her mechanical genius immediately and knew her expertise with Dread machines would be useful. They all knew her inside knowledge of Dread facilities would be a great help. But there was still a matter of trust. Could a former Dread soldier be trusted to join the Powerteam? Although she had made no move to betray them, and seemed in no hurry to do so, it was still a shadow over her and they knew it. It would remain to be seen, depending on how she reacted to the outside world.

It was Jon who made the suggestion. "How about sending her to the UTO? The director, Larry, still owes me some favors, and they can train her to fly aircraft better than we can. Now would be a good time too, since they lost that whole squadron of pilots in that Dread ambush. They'll be taking on a new group of recruits soon to replace the ones they lost."

The United Transport Organization , for all outward appearance, was the most disorganized organization still in existence. It didn't rely too heavily on a structured chain of command, although there were ranks certainly. It consisted entirely of a group of pilots with their own ships who worked together to transport people out of hostile areas. Following the assumption that there was safety in numbers, they often worked as several convoys, with transports bringing people, each covered by some UTO-owned fighter jets who provided protection. Given that aircraft manufacturing had all but halted during the Metal Wars, the UTO had their own small operation that built planes with whatever resources they could find. This made them the only thing resembling an air force still around after the war decimated the armed forces.

Larry was a seasoned war pilot, whose laid back attitude was hardly one of a war veteran. He ran the UTO with alarming casualty, but with intelligence. Nearly all of the pilots were non-military and didn't take well to orders. Larry was leader because he didn't order, he just said the word and it was done. No one ever considered disobeying, it was just Larry's personality as a leader. Every so often a new group of pilot wannabes came to the UTO hoping to be aircraft pilots. Around every eight months, a new "class" was admitted, although instruction was hardly academic. It consisted mostly of some ground instruction, followed by cockpit instruction. Since time was not a luxury and aircraft were scarce, the new pilot was often thrown into a plane with a veteran pilot and learned by doing. The new pilots resided at whatever base the UTO was stationed at for the 2 months of intensive flight training, before graduating into the ranks of acknowledged pilots.

Most UTO pilots lived at the base, although some lived in surrounding areas. The UTO never stayed in once place, however. Every piece of equipment was portable and could be moved in a few minutes notice. There were five locations in which the UTO itself resided for only a short time, before moving to avoid detection. It was a dangerous life, but a dearly needed part of the human resistance. Jon was a little worried he might be sending her off to get killed, but if it worked out, she would get quite a crash course in dealing with people. No where else would anyone find a more colorful group of characters than the UTO.

If it worked out, she would have a place there, doing what she loved to do, fly. And she would be helping people. The team figured it would be a good thing for her. Jon went to send a message to Larry. After waiting to connect, Larry finally came up on the screen.

Larry: "Well, here's a blast from the past! What can I do for you, Power man?"

Jon grinned, but the seriously explained the situation, starting from when Jennifer Chase was found to the present. He explained the need for her to deal with others, while learning to fly. He described as best he could her emotional state and the progress she made. Finally, he called in his favors and asked if Larry would take her for the next training group.

Larry was naturally hesitant. He trusted Jon's word, but a former Dread Youth running around the UTO? And at the Powerbase now? That was asking for trouble. And how would the other UTO members react to her? If they took her and she was out on a run, could she have it in her to shoot down Dread planes that could contain people who had raised her? Larry's first reaction was to say no right away. But Jon's position was clear.

Larry: " You know, I'm not head doctor or anything. I don't know that I can be spending my time straightening out a warped Dread kid. If she causes trouble, I can't be spending time fixing it. I've got the UTO to run and new pilots to train. I don't need trouble."

Jon: "Seems to me I remember you agreeing to take on another troubled kid who had just lost his whole world. Did it on the advice of a former flying buddy too. Remember how that turned out?"

Larry: "Yeah well, YOU weren't raised in the Dread Youth, Captain. And Hawk wouldn't have sent you here if he thought you'd cause trouble. Besides, you had the base and your dad's mission to go back to. And Hawk. What's this girl going to have when she's done training? Am I supposed to keep her with us afterwards? I don't know about that, man."

Jon sat back and sighed. It was a war of conflict within him. He knew she needed to be somewhere. He had taken her in, it was his responsibility to see she ended up in the best place for her. Intellectually, he knew the UTO would be a good place for her. Selfishly, though, he wanted her to stay at the base. As part of the team? He realized the answer was yes, he wanted her on his team. But a decision like that had to be made by the whole team and it had to be a unanimous vote. Would that ever happen?

Finally, he suggested that Larry take her into the UTO. At the end of her training, it would be decided what she wanted to do. Despite his reservations, Larry wasn't unreasonable. He agreed to take her, but at the first sign of trouble or betrayal, she was gone. Jon nodded in agreement and, thanking his old teacher, ended the transmission. Now he had to tell Jennifer.

Later that day, Jon sat her down and explained the situation.

She took the news with mixed emotions. On one hand, she was exited at the prospect of going to what was essentially a flight training school. But she was worried about how she would fit in there. Would she be as hated there as the Passages people had been towards her at first? (Although some had warmed up as she made more visits with the team) And what of her future afterwards? She realized she didn't want to leave the Powerbase. It had been the only home she had known besides Volcania. But she felt they would never let her join the team. She felt safe there, and the four members of the team were the closest thing to a family as she had ever known. But now they wanted her to go.

Jon could see the fear and sadness in her eyes, even along with the excitement. But he knew it was the right thing to do. She would miss her talks with Mentor, but even the machine suggested it would be best for her. After three days, she agreed to attending the UTO. So Jon called Larry and confirmed that she was coming. She would have to be there at the end of the week.

The team threw a small going-away party for her. Hawk, Tank ad Scout gave her a small wrist unit, micro-computer similar to the ones the team wore. Always fond of the gadgets Scout made, except the security device she had worn, she was entranced by the little features he had put on it. It was a communicator, a radio receiver, and a personal information unit all in one. She smiled when she saw that Tank had uploaded several of her favorite songs onto the device, and grinned even wider when she saw Hawk's contribution, several pictures of the team and some of her with them. Also, there were some of Jon's scrapbook pictures of landscapes of the world before the war. She gave each of them a big hug as a thank you. Jon gave her a jacket that had belonged to him when he was younger and had attended the UTO himself. It no longer fit him, but it fit her well enough and the particular base she was going to was drafty. She didn't admit it, but she liked the jacket a lot. It was like keeping a part of him close to her, despite her best efforts not to think about it.

After saying a tearful goodbye to the others, she climbed into the XT-7 behind Jon with the one bag of clothes she had claimed as her own from the supply rooms. As they flew towards the present UTO base, Jon told her a little of his training there, which led to his quick attainment of the rank of Captain. He went on to explain that Larry and Hawk had been in flight training together, and that Larry's daughter, Lacey, was one of the best UTO pilots and a teacher of sorts to the new recruits. Jennifer was quiet mostly, fiddling with her new wrist unit.

After some time, they flew out over open water. The fourth base, the one the UTO was presently stationed at, had once been an offshore drilling platform hundreds of years ago. Over the decades, it had been modified and expanded to five times it's original size, capable of holding the UTO aircraft, which thankfully needed no runways to take off. The barracks were welded together on the platform, giving it a skeletal appearance. However, few Dread ships were ever needed over open water, and thus they were not usually seen over open sea. When Jennifer asked if this was the ocean, Jon replied that no, it had once been called the Gulf of Mexico. Likely, she would not be at this base the entire time, as the UTO was about due for another base change in a few weeks.

They landed on the tarmac and got out. Reluctantly, she followed Jon inside. Several people were milling around, being given barracks assignments. It was totally disorderly, not at all like the Dread Corp. People shoved and bumped into each other. Jon pulled her up to a man of about fifty, but still quite spry obviously. He looked them both over, then shook hands with them both. Jon introduced him as Larry, the one in charge. Larry stared at her, trying to read her. She shifted nervously.

He explained to her the same he had told Jon, that he would keep an eye on her, and the first sign of trouble, she was gone. She nodded. Finally, he told her that she was under no obligation to tell anyone she was from the Dread Youth, if she thought it would be any easier for her. He would know of course, and Lacey. She thought about it and said she'd wait two weeks, then see. Most likely, the others would find out anyway. Larry nodded in agreement. He pulled a young woman over and introduced his daughter Lacey. They shook hands, although Jennifer noticed Lacey giving her a good stare as her father had. They talked for a while, Jon asking about Larry's son Jeff who was a squadron leader up north, while Jennifer took in the sight around her. She noticed the different types of aircraft and smiled at the thought of flying them.

Finally, it was time to part ways. She followed Jon back to the Powerjet. He turned to face her.

Jennifer: "What if I hate it here? What if it doesn't work out? Can I still come back to the base?"

Jon sighed. "I think so. But give it a fair chance, like two months maybe?"

He was trying to kid her, but she didn't smile back.

Jennifer: "Can I go back even after I'm finished here?"

Jon had already explained that the purpose for the UTO training new pilots was for the pilots to fly for them afterwards. She would have a place with the UTO. But did she want it?

Jon: "Going back would mean joining the team. Are you sure that's what you would want? It would mean actively fighting against Dread and all those you knew before. And the team would have to have a unanimous vote."

She wondered if they would ever accept her. She looked up at him. "Can we all at least think about it? You guys are the only friends I have. I want to stay with all of you."

Jon replied, "Let's see how this works out, OK? It's not like you'd never see us again. And you would always be welcome at the base. After you finish here, we can all decide, OK?"

She nodded, and, to his surprised, she hugged him. She was never the first one to show affection, especially if it meant close contact. He hugged her back. Finally, she let him go and he climbed back into the jet. She stood and waved as he flew out of sight. Sighing, already homesick, she turned and gathered up her things. Lacey had come over to show her the way to her barracks. She followed, wondering what would come of all this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jennifer Chase had been at the UTO for only a week before coming to the conclusion that most or very nearly all Organics were either ignorant and cruel, or just plain stupid. Sometimes she wondered why Captain Power even thought about saving the lives of these people, but she would remember her talks with him and Mentor and then be ashamed of herself for thinking such a thing. She had decided to tell her new companions about her background a week or so after arriving, to give them a chance to get to know her first, with no pre-existing prejudices. That idea lasted about three hours, since that was how long it took for the entire base to learn the truth. Someone had overheard her talking to Larry and Lacey when she and Jon had arrived. By the time she was finally settled into the ramshackle barracks that had been welded together, it was all over.

She had never felt more isolated. Even after she had arrived at the Powerbase, at least the team had gone to lengths to include her, to make her feel safe. She wasn't expecting love and kisses from the UTO, but she didn't totally expect the open hostility, since she had been accepted by Larry and Captain Power. She was on constant guard. The first night, no one talked to her, although she got a lot of stares. She was grateful that Lacey had decided to stay in the barracks where the five girls of the new group had been placed. Most of the newcomers were boys who were in barracks across the base. The room was small, with three bunk beds along the walls and lockers on the fourth wall. By the time she got to the room with Lacey, the only one left was the bottom one by the door.

Dropping her bag on the bed, she had sat down unsure what to do next. It was noisy with chatter as she unpacked, but by the time she was finished, her roommates knew the truth and were silent. And she learned their names, the hard way. The girl directly above her was named Paula, and her father had been in the Metal Wars in the air force, similar to Hawk. She was a quiet, observant person, and besides Lacey, the only one who left her alone. The other three were three friends from the Passages. The loudest one was a tall girl named Josine. Her two friends, Kasha and Brandi, were not as loud, but just as sharp.

Josine would never let Jennifer forget her past, nor would she let anyone else forget. Jennifer began to notice Josine and her pals' elbows appearing out of nowhere when she was carrying something, feet tripping her, and her bed getting kicked every time someone walked in or out of the room. She took it all in stride, never letting her anger show to them. But inwardly she wondered how such immature types had gotten into the UTO. She realized they were hard up for pilots, but even so...

She had the benefit of some education in mechanics and computer systems, as well as her lessons with Mentor, which had taught her more open ways of thinking. The concepts of philosophy and culture were lost on them. They were fighting the war to survive another day, not restore civilization as the Powerteam hoped to do. The majority of the UTO personnel knew enough about the planes they flew, and were brilliant in those areas, but Mentor's lessons would have baffled them. For many of them, their whole lives had been nothing except survival from day to day. As a former Dread Corp member, she represented each and every Overunit, Underunit, or biodread that had ever destroyed a town, killed a loved one or betrayed the human race.

She did have some advantages, though. Personal combat training had been a part of both Dread training and some of what she had picked up at the Powerbase. So after the first three days of being ambushed around every corner, the others quickly learned to leave her alone, or at least not try to fight her alone. Josine and her friends learned the hard way that Jennifer could easily subdue them. And Jennifer Chase was no fool either. After spending an hour in the supply room, she found several loops of filament wire and circuitry to rig up a web alarm system around her bed while she slept, although Larry intervened and made it clear that no one was to harass her, at least not after sundown hours. The others grudgingly agreed. She would have liked to mingle with the others, but she was isolated, so she spent every spare minute learning what she could. She reasoned that the only way to achieve any peace was to be so good at whatever she did, she couldn't be criticized.

From the first day, the newcomers were literally thrown into the pilot's seat of various UTO aircraft and taught, not only to fly, but to fly well enough to confound even the best Dread Striker Squadrons. Larry quickly discovered that Jennifer Chase had lightning quick reflexes and assigned her to the fighter squadron. Other pilots who were not as quick learned to fly the transports that were so vital to evacuations. The ones trained in the fighter jets were meant to fly with the transports to provide protective cover. Training in simulators came first, but Jennifer had already done that. She had also flown the XT-7 before, so she was already ahead of her class. Their first time in planes, they were accompanied by experienced pilots who took them out over the sea in test runs. By the end of the second week, they were all flying planes with supervision, but Jennifer was flying on her own.

There was some ground instruction in small rooms with no seats and a chalkboard. Sitting on the floor, unable to take notes, required them all to memorize everything, and to do it the first time to avoid going back to the uncomfortable room again. And not all of the newcomers made it. Despite the need for more pilots, anyone who could not meet the requirements was shipped out, or assigned to flight deck crew. Within the first week, three of the twenty new pilots had been reassigned to tech crew. Jennifer spent most of her time with Larry and Lacey, or with Alastair, a senior flight instructor who was only a few years older than the recruits, but a natural pilot. She wasn't sure if these turn of events was meant so that they could keep an eye on her, but she brushed it off. She was not going to give them a chance to throw her out. She could not face Jonathan Power again if that happened.

In what free time she could find, she would climb up the abandoned drill tower, which had been converted to a crow's nest of sorts. The radar system had been set up at the top and few people went up there, and she found peace and quiet there. Larry had told her that Jonathan Power had liked to climb up there as well, when he was at the UTO as a troubled kid of eighteen, having just lost his father to Dread. She went up to see why he had liked to climb up the tower, and had been rewarded with the most spectacular sunset over water that had ever been seen. She would climb up and listen to the music on her wrist comm that Tank had uploaded. It calmed her mind and she could think about the day's events, the Powerteam and the lessons with Mentor. Then one day, she got a surprise. There were no classes since all available personnel had been ordered for a mass evacuation of a town nearby. The new ones were not ready yet, so Alastair had led the UTO pilots, while the others had stayed behind.

She was up in the tower hiding from Josine, when she noticed a familiar ship approaching. It was the Jumpship! Grinning, she climbed down and ran through the base to the landing platform, ignoring Josine's shouted insults and jeers. As the hatch opened, she raced towards the ship. Tank was the first one out, and although she had never been close to Tank, she flew into his arms just the same. Surprised and pleased, he easily picked her up and slung her over his shoulder in a bear hug. Laughing, she hopped down and gave Scout a hug. He greeted her with "Want to hear a joke?"

She laughed back and said, "Sure fire away!" He looked surprised, and launched into a joke right away. "What did the spaghetti say to the pizza? 'Pasta la Vista Baby!'" She rolled her eyes as Scout was about to continue when Hawk came down. She gave him a hug as well and was off chattering about the planes she had flown and maneuvers she was learning. After a minute, she noticed Jon standing nearby. She walked over to him, suddenly nervous, but not sure why. It had been a month since she had seen any of them, why should she be tongue tied around him and not the others? She stopped in front of him and he smiled. The next thing she knew, she was in his arms and they were hugging. She was nearly in tears, she was so glad to see them. But she was especially glad to see Jon. They pulled apart quickly, although Jon would have gone on hugging her had not the entire base come running to meet them all.

They had been to the battle at the town being evacuated and had stopped by to see how she was doing. The UTO group was right behind them, coming in for a landing. They had not lost one ship and Alastair jumped down from his plane with a victorious yell. Jon pointed out Larry to Jennifer, remarking that he and Alastair didn't get along well, but one could tell he was proud of Alastair because he was pulling his ear. Jon told her that this was what Larry did when he was proud, but his stoic personality wouldn't let him show it.

"Why doesn't Larry like Alastair?" she asked Jon.

"It's not that he doesn't like him, more that they don't agree on a lot of things. But I think there's more to it. More that involves Lacey," replied Jon.

Jennifer looked sideways at him, then looked over at Lacey running to meet Alastair. She understood now, Larry didn't want his daughter involved romantically with Alastair. Larry shook his head and turned to go meet Jon and the Powerteam.

They all shook hands and went inside to discuss the evacuation and any information gathered. The UTO would soon be moving to another of its main bases in order to avoid detection. Jennifer was a little worried that this could mean the Powerteam would have a hard time finding her again. When she asked Hawk, he smiled and said the Powerteam was one of two groups who knew where all the bases were, and not to worry. She spent as much time as she could with them, telling them about her stay at the UTO. Jon was a little worried about her being isolated so much, since a lot of what he had hoped for was for her to mingle with others. They could tell she was homesick, and not for Volcania. He climbed up the tower with her to see the spectacular view again and spent some time telling her about his stay at the UTO. But when the sun started to set, he realized it was time to go.

She knew they couldn't stay, and was extra sorry to see them go. Several reluctant hugs goodbye delayed them for several minutes. After she had watched the Jumpship disappear into the distance, she slowly walked back to her room. Much to her chagrin, Josine was there and had seen her hanging out with the Powerteam. What followed was a diatribe about her virtue around four guys for several months. Jennifer sighed and flopped on her bed, prepared to plug herself into her music and ignore the whole thing. But Josine didn't like being ignored. She jumped down from her bunk and continued her verbal assault standing over her target.

Most of Josine's talk would have belonged in a men's locker room, and it never ceased to amaze Jennifer Chase at how a person could go on and on about the same topic of sex endlessly. In the Dread Youth, that word was the ultimate taboo. It simply wasn't talked about, since it involved two enemies of the machine, emotions and instinct. But among Organics, especially in groups like the UTO, it was talked about endlessly. More so since Lacey and Alastair weren't exactly hiding their relationship. But the talk made Jennifer uncomfortable. It was the one topic she had a hard time discussing even with a machine like Mentor, so she avoided it. Josine's comments were especially unnerving, and Jennifer felt her face growing warm. But Josine's slurs on Jon's integrity infuriated her. She had not had an emotional outburst in several weeks, and had actually become quite good at controlling herself, but she had her breaking points.

Before Josine ever knew what hit her, she was on the ground and Jennifer was pinning her down. What followed was a fight that pro wrestling could be proud of. It ended with Lacey and Paula pulling Jennifer away and Josine's friends, Kasha and Brandi pulling her away. Breaking loose, Jennifer turned and ran out of the room in a blind run. She ran to the one place on the base she could be alone, the tower. She climbed up to the top and pulled herself up onto her favorite ledge, the one facing west, which faced the sunset and the Powerbase. She wasn't sure how long she was up there, but she fought back angry tears for a good while. She tried counting triples again, but even that didn't work. She wanted to go home, but she didn't know where home was. She was certain that while she might be tolerated in the outside world, once people knew the truth she would be isolated at best, hunted down at worst. But she had no intention of ever going back to Dread. Where did she belong then? She thought about the Powerteam visiting that afternoon. She had been so relaxed, for the first time since she had gotten there. They were the first real friends she had ever had. She missed her talks with Mentor, who always made things seem better, Scout's jokes, Tank's music and Hawk's wisdom. But most of all she missed Jonathan Power. His presence had a calming effect on her. He was always in control, always calm.

She knew she wanted to be with them more than anything. But could she join the team? Would they ever let her? It would mean actively fighting Dread. Could she do that? She was still unsure, as Dread's hold on her wasn't gone completely. Like a dog that had been whipped into submission, then suddenly switched owners, learned behavior wasn't so easy to forget. She became aware of someone climbing up the tower. It was Larry. She winced. He was probably coming up there to tell her to start packing after that fight in her room. She braced herself. But he simply climbed up and joined her on the ledge. He looked at her for several minutes without saying a word. Then he spoke.

"I see why you like it here. It's calm. Beautiful. Can almost make you forget there's a war going on a few miles over the water there."

Jennifer was silent. She had been expecting a lecture. She waited and he continued. "I heard what happened. Lacey told me. Josine had no right to say what she did, especially about Captain Power and his team. They're all good guys, so few left these days. But I don't think I need to tell you what I think of the way you handled it."

She hung her head, waiting for the words telling her she was expelled. But they never came. She looked up. Larry was looking at her as if trying to solve a complicated math formula. He had warned her to stay out of trouble or she was history. What was he going to do?

He sighed, "Chase, you been through more than some people ever will in their lives. Not that anyone has easy lives anymore, but you been forced into something no human should have to deal with, Dread's world. I don't know that you can ever really be free of that. But while you're on my base, there'll be no more fighting. I know Josine makes you want to scream, believe me I know. But besides you, Alastair and Lacey she's one of the best pilots we got and we need her. And she wants to fight, that's what makes her good. Unfortunately she don't leave it in the plane when she lands."

Jennifer smiled slightly. "Are you going to kick me out?"

Larry looked right at her. "No," he replied, "That won't help you any. And we need you. You're too damn good to lose. And you'll see why tomorrow. We're going on a run, taking out a biodread factory. Alastair will fly point on alpha squadron, you'll fly point on beta and provide cover.

Jennifer was shocked! "ME? Fly point? Why me? The others, they'll never follow orders from me..." She broke off.

Larry cut her off, "They will if I say they will. I can give authority to anyone I chose. And you're a good tactician, you know what to do with planes and other pilots up in the air. You fly point. Lacey would do it but she's feeling sick, so she's staying here. Better get some rest. You'll need it."

With that, he turned and climbed back down, leaving her to her thoughts and the setting sun. She stayed for a while, then climbed back down to the mess hall for dinner. To her surprise, Paula waved her over and asked her to sit with her and Lacey. With a small smile, Jennifer sat down.

"Try not to let her get to you, Jen," said Paula. "She's a pig anyway. And everyone knows Captain Power's a cool guy. Don't worry about what she said."

"Thanks," she answered. "That means a lot."

She told them about Larry's announcement and they talked about it for a while. Then Lacey said she was feeling sick again and went back to the barracks. For the first time, Jennifer and Paula talked like two equals about the upcoming mission. For the first time, Jennifer was finally starting to feel at home. And not all Organics, people, were hopeless as she had thought. Who knows, maybe she could fit into their world. Or at least get by in it.

6:00 AM the next morning

The two four-plane squadrons took off from the platform and flew out over the sea towards the mainland. With the exception of alpha one, flown by Alastair, the other seven planes were all flown by members of the newest group of the UTO. Of the twenty new pilots, only these seven had shown any aptitude as fighter pilots. Three had no talent for flying and had been assigned to deck crew. The other ten were on their way to becoming cargo and transport pilots. Nothing wrong with that, they were sorely needed. But for these seven, this was a test of the skills they had learned in the two months they had been there.

Of the four five new girls, Jennifer Chase, Paula and Josine were fighter pilots. Josine's friends, Kasha and Brandi were cargo pilots. Much to Jennifer's disappointment, Josine was in beta squadron, which she commanded. Josine had looked none too pleased when she learned who was flying leader. Not only did she have an intense hatred for the former Dread Youth, but to have to take orders from her would be a blow to her ego. But Larry had made it clear Jennifer was in charge and that all the data he received upon their return had better show that everyone followed her orders. It was a quiet trip at least. Alastair was flying point for alpha, which consisted of the boys from their class who were skilled in combat flying. One other boy, Jack, was in Jennifer's beta group.

Alpha group was flying medusa class bombers; heavy armored ships with low maneuverability, but kick butt firepower. Beta was flying tornado class fighters, not too heavily armed but very easy to maneuver. Alpha's job was to bomb the factory, beta's was to cover them. En route, Jennifer assigned wingmen, with Paula and Josine covering each other to the left, and Jack with her to the right. Luckily Jack didn't seem to care about Jennifer's Dread past and sent the affirmative answer. Paula acknowledged, but Jennifer had to call in twice before Josine complied.

As they neared the factory, they broke formation and dived in. With swift accuracy, the medusas swooped in and dropped their bombs like carpet over the complex. Within two minutes, over half the factory had been devastated. Jennifer found herself wondering if any people were in there. Dread or not, she hoped not. Then she remembered that usually these factories were totally automated, nothing down there but machinery being programmed to kill humans.

Then, with almost no warning, a squad of ten Phantom Strikers dove in on the scene, going after the bombers.

"This is it, let's go get 'em!" she yelled to her squad. Breaking formation again, beta squadron dove in on the nearest Strikers. Jennifer easily acquired her target and fired. The Dread plane all but evaporated in midair. She could hear Josine over the comm yelling in delight as she bore down on the Dread planes, taking out her anger on something other than Jennifer for the time being. She checked her gauges and saw that Jack was doing pretty good, having already blown three Strikers down. Paula, on the other hand had only disabled one Striker and was being tailed by two, her hull integrity dropping. Jennifer was too far away to help, but Josine was nearby. She radioed an alert to Josine to break off pursuit of the Striker she was chasing and go help Paula. Josine didn't respond and didn't break off pursuit. Jennifer radioed again, more urgent. She knew the radio was working, why wasn't Josine answering? She was about to hit the burners and try to catch up to Paula herself when Jack's call for help came in.