We were prepared to wait at least a day before someone came to get us, which is why the cell door banging open startled us both. Lou jumped and then dived down to see what was going on, while I nursed the bump I got on the back of my head from standing up too quickly and hitting a stalactite.

She was gone for less than a minute before she came back and penned "They only want you."

I put my helmet back on, checked the seals, and jumped in. I didn't bother swimming to the bottom, I just let the weight of the suit carry me there. I landed on some bars next to the cell door, took a few steps and then jumped through the door to keep on sinking. The siren guards swam next to me all the way down, then pulled me along some corridors until we came to an airlock. They pushed me through and I waited while the water drained. Then I climbed up the ladder where another set of guards led me to a conference room door.

They knocked, and we waited. I took off my helmet and held it in my left arm like an astronaut.

After five minutes, someone inside says "Come in."

The guards open the door, but stay on the other side when I walk through. The door shuts behind me.

Other than Elder Remus, who turned me, and that one trip with Elder Isis, I had never really been in a room with elders before. And here I am being stared down by two. I feel like I've been called to the principal's office for punching a guy in the face.

It takes a moment, but my etticuite training finally kicks in. I bow and say "Elders, I am at your service." Elder Isis's eyes shine with pride, and the other one looks like he is about to fall out of his chair laughing. Did I do something wrong? That is what I'm supposed to say, right?

They don't say anything for a while, and I just hold my bow. Did I do it wrong? I must have done it wrong. Fuck!

Finally, Elder Not-Isis loses his battle against laughing. Between chortals he says "Oh, Isis, leave her alone. She is precious." He gestures to a chair, "Come child, sit."

I sit down and slide my helmet under the table. Then I wait to be told why I'm here, all while Elder Not-Isis tries to hide his snickering.

"Elder Oberon, of the Fey," Isis gestures to the snickering elder who is sobering quickly while she talks, "has been leading a search because of your insight. We have confirmed that both Elder Remus and Damian are missing. As are several members of almost every race."

I am shocked. Several members of every race? That is a lot more than I would have thought.

Elder Oberon picks up where she left off. "While your signal was sent against orders, it has brought a major issue to light. We suspect the humans may have the missing members of the magical races." He pauses for a moment. "Your signal may provide the distraction we need to evacuate everyone from the planet."

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I look between them, is this a joke? Do they have candid camera here? "I thought evacuation wasn't possible, that it would upset the balance?"

"Oberon and I have discussed and we believe the balance may be maintained by terraforming another planet or moon in the solar system."

"So we're what, evacuating everyone to Mars?" I ask.

"That is the thought. Having other sentient life in the solar system may be the catalyst the humans need to evolve into their better selves." Elder Oberon confirms.

"Okay—" I start, for Elder Isis to cut me off.

"We need someone very familiar with the human world and a deep understanding of how humanity responds to coordinate the evacuation. As an anthropologist, and someone who grew up with this generation of human adults, we believe you are uniquely suited for the task."

Oberon, adjusts the sheets of paper in front of him, "We estimate the magical population needing relocation to be around 1.2 million beings, around 500,000 of which are integrated with humans."

I interrupt, "By integrated with humans, you mean?"

"Living in the human world. Some have taken human mates and had half-breed children." Elder Isis explains.

"Yes, so we will need to evacuate those 500,000 from nearly every country on earth." Elder Oberon continues as if he weren't interrupted.

"And their families," I add.

Both elders look at me, but Oberon is the one to ask "What do you mean 'their families'?"

"Are the families not included in the count?" I ask.

"Why would they be?" Elder Isis asks.

"What about the half blood children?" I ask.

"Most of them pass as human, those that do evolve traits of their magical heritage usually have a transformation they can hide behind. Beings who mated with humans are not our concern. We simply need to evacuate them," Elder Isis responds.

"Yeah, no. They won't evacuate without their children. The children are half breeds, and they are our concern. They need to be evacuated too. And so do the human mates. If you don't keep the families together, the humans left behind will riot and we will never have peace. Most humans mate for life just like most of us."

The elders are silent for a moment. Both seem to be in their own worlds as they process. Finally, Elder Oberon speaks. "That would considerably increase the head count, and it would be impossible to accommodate the half breeds until the new habitat has air and a human food source. It complicates things immensely."

I cross my arms, "Then you need to make a decision: either they all come, families and all; or you give each full blood a choice on if they leave their family without explanation or they stay without support."

"If the humans have decided to experiment on our people, we can not allow them to stay." Elder Isis says.

I nod, "Then you have your answer. And when we evacuate them, we need to stage an accident for the families that have human partners still connected with their extended families. Otherwise the families will become a problem too."

Elder Oberon slides some more paper over and starts writing. After a time, he scoots closer to me and starts going over an evacuation plan. I make adjustments here and there.

After at least a day of work, we have a working plan to evacuate everyone in less than 24 hours. "We still don't have a secondary location for the humans and half-bloods, and we don't have a forward deploy team to set up Mars and start terraforming." I point out.

Oberon chuckles, "That is our job." He gets up and activates a fairy circle. "I am going to get some more information, and assemble a team."

Elder Isis nods, "We will meet you in New Eden. We have the most resources and it is the most advanced city we have."

"Agreed." Oberon walks through the fairy circle and is gone.

Elder Isis turns to me, "I'll be back to get you in thirty minutes, then we will leave for New Eden. Drink a blood packet or two before we go." She walks through the door, leaving me alone in the conference room.