Gentle rocking was the first thing Birgit knew. The next was the softness beneath their body and the hand wrapped in theirs. Heaviness in the limbs added to by the ache in their head made her groan. It felt like they had been through an obstacle course and were used as a punching bag.

A head lifted from the side of the bed. Rolling their head on the pillow, she met Jesse's gaze.

"You're awake," he whispered, his voice gravelly from sleep; he cleared his throat, "are both of you back?"

Birgit frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I chatted with Val earlier, and she said she was tired," Jesse said, "I'm wondering if she is still resting or waking as you are."

"How long have I been out?" Birgit asked, mentally looking around for Valencia.

Jesse looked at the clock on the wall, "Hmmm ... roughly seven hours."

"Give me a minute to check on V," Birgit said, her eyes glazing over as she retreated within, "it seems she is still sleeping ... that's odd. Why is she sleeping on a bench?"

"She said something about protecting you both," Jesse murmured, "and there is some sort of a force field in the room."

"That is not good," Birgit said, "I may need some help waking her then."

"Who? No one but me could enter the room," Jesse frowned, "see if you can wake her."

Birgit closed their eyes. Mentally she walked to where Valencia slept on the bench; sitting, she gently shook Valencia, frowning when there was no response.

"She isn't waking," Birgit said, looking at Jesse.

"You need to wake her," Jesse said, "I'll see if Jasmine and Cara have any ideas."

"Chat with them first," Birgit said, "I don't want to try something, and it makes the situation worse."

Jesse reached for the phone, punched in some numbers and waited until someone answered. The request for Cara and Jasmine to come to their room was given, and he sighed as he put the receiver in place.

"What happened, Birgit?" Jesse whispered, turning toward the watching pair of eyes, "in the tunnels ... what happened?"

Birgit sighed, "I ..." she cleared her throat, "I ..." she hesitated, "how much do you know?"

"Only what Val showed me," he said, "there was nothing about what you did or why, apart from a basic explanation."

"Then you know about the ... creatures Madden made," Birgit said, swallowing her revulsion.

"I do," Jesse nodded, "I also know that you apparently were trained against them."

Birgit nodded, staring at Jesse, the process of deciding whether or not to trust him running through her eyes. Jesse waited. Trust was the hardest thing to earn and even harder to give. Meeting her stare for stare, Jesse hoped Birgit would tell him what he needed to know.

"How did you talk to Valencia?" Birgit whispered, "your mind is private and closed off."

"I am developing a way of lifting the barrier," Jesse smiled, "I did it earlier while you were sleeping and chatted with Val."

"You trusted her with your mind," Birgit nodded, watching him thoughtfully, "it's a big step for you."

Jesse shrugged, "Val is important to me."

"Hmmm, guess she is," Birgit whispered "fine, I'll tell you what I know. Val suspects, but she doesn't know all the details. Madden stole Darcia's experimental notes ... well, what he thought were her notes of success on the gene manipulation route they had cooked up together. Madden could never get it right," Birgit shook her head, "look at me ... I'm a result of his ..." Birgit looked away, swallowed hard, closed her eyes and inhaled before looking at him. "It's why I'm so protective over Valencia."

"Madden played with something Darcia was trying," Jesse supplied, "he could hack the practical science but not the physical application of it. Playing around with Darica's experiment, he made a blunder and ended up splitting the two of you."

Birgit nodded, "Darcia was furious. She physically expressed herself; I had never seen so much rage in one person. Madden could barely keep himself from being killed. From that point, Madden's ideas were no longer relevant to Darcia, and Madden only saw her as a tool."

"Why was she still with him?" Jesse asked.

"She needed him for the practical side, and he needed her for the physical application ... I think ... I don't know," Birgit shook her head. "Darcia found out what Madden was using me for his experimental processes; he did it when Val was asleep. Ordered me to lock her away and then used me as a tool to see if his experiments were up to the job. Whatever the job was. Soon after her discovery, she took us for a debrief. Never fun, but she told me I would have the answer after her final procedure on Valencia. Darcia did charge us with never coming back, and we would never be retrieved if we kept everything we knew a secret. She locked me away and continued working with Val. I think we forgot because of the memory wipes."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Then Val got out, and the necklace broke, and years later, another creation in the form of Jasmine arrived, breaking you out of your cage," Jesse finished.

Birgit nodded, "It seems unreal when said like that. Do you think Darcia was unknowingly subjected to memory wipes? That could be why she stayed with Madden."

"It could be, but I sense your version has more validity," Jesse said, "we'll never truly know."

An exclamation in the doorway drew their attention to see Cara rising from the passageway floor and Jasmine looking around the room with an expression of wonder on her face.

"What do you see?" Jesse asked.

"Clearly more than Cara," Jasmine murmured, "it seems to be some sort of force field coming from your body."

"Is Valencia doing this?" Birgit asked.

Cara closed her eyes, "It seems so," she murmured, "she's... dreaming."

"She's causing this in her dreams?" Jesse asked, "first the levitating and now this."

"You need to wake her," Cara said, "the dream is very vivid, and she finds it necessary to ... guard you."

"I'll see what I can do," Birgit said.

Jesse watched her close her eyes again, and the room fell silent as they waited.

Walking through the mist rising from the ground, Birgit made her way over to the bench where Valencia murmured and seemed busy doing something in her mind. Gently shaking her, Birgit waited. Valencia murmured, flinched but remained asleep.

"Valencia," Birgit called in their mind, "you need to wake up."

"Birgit," Valencia whispered, "you're okay, alive, awake... I must keep us safe."

"We are safe," Birgit whispered back, "you can wake up. Jasmine says you're doing something weird with an energy field, and Jesse is concerned about you."

"I'm keeping us safe," Valencia whispered, "you, Jesse and me. They are still out there, and we cannot allow them near you."

Birgit stilled. How could Valencia know about the creatures still out there? She felt a sinking feeling creep through her chest. Another thought for another time. Connecting with Cara and requesting Jesse's presence, Birgit returned to the bench and tried waking Valencia again.

Valencia grasped her hand, smiling strangely but remained asleep. Birgit sighed in relief as Jesse appeared, looked around and slowly moved in their direction.

"Is she not waking?" he whispered.

"She thinks we still need protection ... against ... them," Birgit said, giving Jesse a meaningful look, "nothing I say convinces her of anything else."

Jesse knelt in front of the bench, watching Valencia sleep, her eyes flickering, her hands restless, and her breath coming shallow and fast.

"She's not dreaming," he whispered, "she's having a nightmare. I can only guess the monsters she is fighting."

"I know the monsters she is fighting," Birgit said, "but I cannot help her ... in this state."

"Val," Jesse called, "using my new ability twice a day is a little tiring, so you have to know it's true when I say we are safe. You know I wouldn't be in your mind if randomly we weren't. Babe, you need to wake up now."

Valencia stilled and murmured something neither understood. Moaning as she tossed her head. Frowning slightly as she stirred on the bench, shifting before her head rolled in his direction, her meadow green eyes snapped open, staring directly into his.

"You're here ... again."

"I am," Jesse nodded, "but you're still asleep on the bed. The force field needs to come down if anyone is going to get near you. Wake up and see," Jesse said, rising and walking away from them, "I'm waiting for you."

Valencia started at Jesse's retreating back, "He was here ... again."

"Yes," Birgit said, "can I have my hand now?"

Valencia frowned, looking at their joined hands in surprise, taking a moment before releasing it.

"We need to wake up," Valencia said, "did you operate us last, or did I?"

"I did,' Birgit said, "are you ready?"

Valencia nodded as Birgit closed her eyes and reopened them to a world in a hazy bubble.

"Did I do this?" Valencia whispered.

"Yes, you did," Cara smiled from the doorway, "you two are also dehydrated and need to eat and drink, but we cannot get close to help."

"How do I turn this off?" Valencia asked, looking around.

"How did you turn it on?" Birgit asked.

"I ... don't know," Valencia frowned.

"Welcome back, Val," Jasmine smiled, "good to have you with us. Good job, Birgit ... Jesse."

Valencia smiled at the two women in the doorway, "It's good to be back, but I cannot find anything that helps me turn this ..." she looked around the room at the bubble, "off."

A warm, gentle hand clasped hers, "Val, after we spoke ... the first time. What were you thinking of?"

"Protecting us," she murmured, the warmth in Jesse's gaze making her flush, "not allowing those creatures to come near us."

"Do you think you could chat with that part of you," Jesse suggested, "tell it everyone is safe and together?"

Valencia looked thoughtfully from Jesse to Birgit, "You two think I'm losing control over my abilities."

"No," Birgit said, "nothing of the sort, but I cannot seem to reach that part of you. So you need to do as Jesse suggests."

Valencia stared at the pair before nodding and closing their eyes. Revisiting the path in her mind Jesse had walked with her, she found the problem. She placed her hand on the veil covering the memories and whispered, "we're all safe now."

Opening their eyes, she found the bubble shrinking until nothing remained.

"Good job," Jesse whispered, brushing a kiss over her knuckles.

Looking down at their joined hands, Valencia lifted her eyes, meeting Jesse's smiling face.

"Can we go home now?" she asked.

Jesse nodded, "We are already underway."

"Can we eat, please," Birgit called.

Cara and Jasmine chuckled from the doorway.

"Good job, everyone," Jasmine smiled, "we'll get you that food."