*Disclaimer:  Do not own Sailor Moon.  Do not sue.  Characters used
without permission.

Alpha's Omega
Chapter Seven - DRAFT
By: Kayla Chavi and The Rose Society
Rating: R
Email: kaylachavi@hotmail.com
	EtrlSlrMn@aol.com
http://www.envy.nu/kaylachavi/index.htm
http://www.wishing-blue.net/kii/

*Alpha Laboratory, Alpha One Enclave*

	Kalkia, Jonathon, Endymion and Rose were in the common room of
the lab, quietly talking.

	"Ok, let's do one last run through of what is going to happen,"
said Kalkia as she leaned back into Jonathon's arms. This was going to
be a dangerous process at best.

	"I'm here to spar with Alpha while you push the Urge into him,"
Jonathon said, his deep voice resounding in his chest behind Kalkia's
head.

	"I am to create a link between Kal and Endy, so that the Urge is
properly transmitted. I am also to help Endymion establish mental and
emotional control over his urges," Rose said from her chair, making
sure that she was high enough so that people would not have to crane
their necks down to speak to her.

	Nodding, Kalkia looked at Endymion. "The Urge is going to
require all my concentration to control. I won't be able to do
anything else when we start this. Are there any questions?"

	He shook his head. "No, I believe I understand my role here."

	Opening her mind, Rose linked with Endymion's mind, firmly
entrenching the link and making it more open than usual. "Mental link,
established."

	Kalkia nodded. "Jonathon, are you ready?"

	The taller dark-haired man nodded, holding up his sword. "Armed
and prepared."

	Kalkia began to gather her concentration. "Then we're ready."

*Omega Headquarters, Alpha One Enclave*

	In her quarters, Rei established a security lock on the door.
Swiftly, she worked on her computer, breaking into Alpha's low level
amplifiers and transmitters. Usually, it was used to transmit signals
for communications. But Rei was going to use them to heighten the
range of her mental broadcasting. It was too far to Alpha Laboratory
for her own powers to travel, unassisted. Of course, if she was Rose,
she wouldn't have this problem.

	"No, I would not want to be that betrayer." Punching in the last
block code, Rei set up her equipment and began her revenge.

*Alpha Laboratory, Alpha One Enclave*

	Glowing a soft golden color, Rose poured all of her
concentration into her task at hand. But something was bothering her.
Call it intuition, or just plain pessimism, but she felt as if
something was going to go awry. Shaking her doubts, she redoubled her
efforts, trying to ignore the feeling.

	Kalkia's deep green eyes glowed with silver threads, her red
hair moving in the breeze of her own power. With nonexistent hands,
she shoved the Urge into the link between herself and Rose, and Rose
transferred it to Endymion. Instantly, a warmth filled the room and
Endymion experienced the same physical symptoms that he had felt when
he first laid eyes on Omega.

	The warning came too late. 'Wait' was the only thing that Rose
was able to send before the attack hit. All three mentally linked
victims doubled over in pain, as fire raged through their minds.

	 "Ahhh," Kalkia gasped as she slid to her knees. She got a
feeble grip on the floor. Her first thought was that this wasn't
possible, she had taken the drug this morning just so something like
this wouldn't happen. Her second thought was to make sure that no one
touched her. "Don't touch me!" she whispered, but it was too late.
Jonathon's fingers brushed her arm and her feeble control over the
Urge broke. It flooded into him more forcefully then ever before.
Kalkia pushed him away from her violently.

	Endymion was standing only a few feet away. He never felt so...
so...he didn't know how to put it into words. He felt a yearning, for
something, for someone...to do something....He raised his head and
looked around.

	Rose stepped out of her chair, fighting a nauseating headache to
reach her friends. "Kal, Jon, are you two ok?" The attack pressed on
and her friends began to whimper as the Urge began to gain the upper
hand. They were still apart from each other, but it was easy to hear
the labored breathing of the tall dark-haired man who was on his hands
and knees. They were handling it much better then the other man in the
room.

	He only saw one female around and he knew he wanted her, but it
was in a way he did not understand. There was a strong mental bond
with her and he was drawn to that bond, the only thing that was making
sense in the craziness of it all. There was a part of him that knew
she wasn't the person he truly wanted, but the Urge was pressing on
his mind, shutting down higher functions. All he knew was that he had
to do something, something primitive, to meet this new and confusing
need. He stepped over to the dark-haired woman and grasped her arm.

	Gasping, the woman turned violet eyes to Endymion. 'Get a handle
on it, Endy.'

	Shaking his head, he looked at her, his blue eyes darkening with
desire. It was an almost painful impulse to mate, clouding his mind.
He didn't understand. He pressed closer and the woman began to back
up.

	'Stop it, Endy. Control your body, your mind. Block the attack.'
But the thing was, the attack was so strong, so powerful, that most of
Rose's own shields were falling almost as soon as she could build
them. How the hell was this happening? This shouldn't have been
happening to them, not at this magnitude.

	Kalkia and Jonathon were now grasping the other's hands, trying
to avoid what the Urge was screaming at them. They were both fighting
a losing battle. Jonathon made the mistake at looking at Kalkia's
eyes. They were completely silver and glowing so brightly that it
should have scared him. It didn't. In a harsh movement he pulled the
red head closer to him and covered her body with his.

	Rose definately didn't want to watch this so she turned back to
Endymion, who was stalking up to her, like a predator. 'Stop, please,'
she sent, feebly.

	Fear settled into an icy puddle in her stomach when Endymion
grabbed her neck and forced her closer to him. She could feel his need
through the link and it was scaring her, terrifying her so badly that
she was unable to think. It was just like when...when...

	He placed a hand on her chest and Rose lost it. In a giant
golden explosion, she blasted all other occupants of the room into the
far wall. The light show was dazzling and it shattered the hold of the
Urge on the other three. When the golden light died down, Rose sank to
the ground, boneless and sobbing. She curled into a fetal position and
began to shake.

	Endymion stood there and was completely blank for a very long
moment. He looked down at Rose and moved to touch her, but thought
better of it. She'd probably kill him if he tried. He heard Jonathon
start to swear up a storm and looked to see him get off of Kalkia. He
had to look away, for the doctor was partially undressed. The red head
was also curled into a ball, but her whimpering was for a different
reason.

	"Shit," Jonathon hissed, "I'm going to go get Zoicite and
Kunzite. Endymion, don't touch either of them. Especially Kalkia," the
older man looked haunted as he ran out of the practice room.

	Endymion swallowed and decided that it would be better to stand
on the otherside of the room. He wanted the other two women to be as
safe as possible. "Help is coming," he offered softly.

	Soft chanting filled the room. Zeroing in on the sound, Endymion
realized that it was Rose, whispering to herself. "Not again, not again,
not again, not again, not again, not..." It was a mantra of pain. Guilty,
Endymion tried to extend a mental hand to Rose. As soon as Rose
realized that he was trying to re-establish their constant mental
link, however, she threw him out. Rose rolled onto her hands and
knees, crawling to a corner. She began to vomit, her body trying to
rid itself of the fear.

	He wanted to hurt himself. She was rejecting him, in a way she
never had before. She was a part of him just as he was a part of her
and it cut deeply to realize that he had frightened her, hurt her. She
was withdrawing from him and it was all his fault.

	It was a painful series of minutes until Kunzite and Zocitie ran
into the room. The silver-haired man immedately ran to Rose's side and
hauled her back into the chair. Endymion winced, "You should be more
gentle," he snapped but Kunzite's cold green eyes looked at him and he
shut up.

	The general turned to Rose, "Rose, what happened?" he asked
quietly but the room was so silent that it was broadcasted easily.
Zoicite was filling an injection tube with a very large amount of
Kalkia's drug. He carefully made sure not to touch her skin as he
injected her. The red head began to thrash wildly on the ground and
her whimpers got louder and louder. "Rose?" Kunzite said her name
again, trying to get her attention. He needed to force her out of her
depression and back into reality before she got herself stuck.

	She merely curled up into a tighter ball and withdrew, her eyes
unfocused. Her eyes wide and glazed with fear, her breathing sharp,
her memories flew in an endless succession. Unknown to them, the
memories were unconsciously being broadcasted to Rei, who was still
hooked to her apparatus. When Rose was able to sense Rei's pain, she
tossed the woman out of Alpha's systems. It was easy to break Rei from
Rose's memories. It was a different story for herself.

*Omega Headquarters, Alpha One Enclave*

	Tears dripping down her face, Rei tore the mental hookup from
her head. Various alarms were going off on her computer. Tossing a
disgusted look at the thing, she threw it into the wall, making a
satisfying crunch. Cradling her head in her hands, she gazed at the
surface of her desk.

	"Dear God, what have I done?" Large tears continued to fall from
her eyes and she pounded her fist on her desk. She shouldn't have
meddled, dear gods, she shouldn't have meddled. Ami and Minako were
right and she had let her hate and jealousy get the better part of
her. She whimpered into her arms as she sat at her desk, she must have
been there for hours before she slowly sat up.

	"Jedeite...I'm sorry..."

*Alpha Laboratory, Alpha One Enclave*

	They had placed her in her bed in her quarters. Zoicite said
that there wasn't anything they could do for her, at least medically.
Rose was in shock and had withdrawn into her own psyche.

	"She'll get better with time," Zoicite stated as he closed the
scanner with a click.

	"Are you sure?" Nephlite looked at the unseeing doctor, worried.

	Jedeite fiddled with the blanket again, trying to get it just
right. "Is there anything we can do? Like when she healed us, can we
do that for her?"

	Zoicite shook his head sadly. "You know that we were enhanced
physically and mentally to bring out certain qualities. Metallia did
not include healing others as one of them."

	"Damnit," Jedeite smashed his fist into a wall. "What about
Alpha?"

	"He's with Kalkia," Kunzite said, and there was no feeling to
his voice at all. It was empty, deviod of emotion or thought.

	Nephlite looked over at the General.  "How is she?" he asked
quietly, knowing that Kunzite had made sure to get the other woman in
her room as the overdose of the drug kicked into her system.

	"Does it matter?" Kunzite met the other general's eyes. "She
probably screwed Jonathon a few times and is fine."

	"Then why is Alpha with her?" Nephlite persisted. "If that were
true, then he wouldn't be there, he'd be here."

	"Rose locked him out of her mind," Zoicite continued to scan her
brain and mental readouts. "Alpha has grown too dependent on her.
Perhaps this is a good thing."

	"Yeah, Rosebud is locked in her own mind, that's really a good
thing," Jedeite snapped.

	"I'm just trying to see the positive," Zoicite argued.

	"That's all fine and wonderful, but what about Kalkia," Nephlite
repeated. "If you haven't noticed by now, when Rose blasted them, she
took all of the Urge into herself. She also didn't rape anyone in the
process. Have any of us even made sure that the drug is working like
it should? Hell, Zoi put enough in her to made her comatose. She could
die."

	"So what if she dies?" Kunzite shrugged. "Its not like we need
her."

	Nephlite clenched his fist, resisting the desire to plant a nice
punch in the silver-haired general's face. Kalkia didn't deserve this,
no matter what she was like now. It was their fault anyways, that she
had been given the Urge in the first place. But now they were blaming
her for something she couldn't help. 'How is that fair?'

	Frowning, Jedeite locked onto the high general with his green
eyes. "You know that Rose wanted us to be nicer to her."

	Shrugging, Kunzite glanced once more at the doctor before
turning to leave the room. "Rose or no, Kalkia will always be nothing
to me but an annoyance. Make sure the doctor is well taken care of.
Metallia has issued orders that she is to recommence Alpha's mental
training within the week or be terminated."

	"Damnit Kunzite!"  Nephlite slammed his fist into the wall.
When he pulled it away, his knuckles were bleeding and several bones
had been broken. "Metallia isn't going to capture Omega if she
continues to play these petty games."

	Kunzite shrugged, having paused at the door. "She is all
powerful, Nephlite. Besides, she knows that we will have to try Alpha
mentally ready within a week. We'll do whatever it is that we have to
do to make it happen. Anyone is expendable."

	Jedeite looked away, "I'm going to go see if Kalkia is up to
calling Rose mentally. Those two have a strong bond." He pushed past
Kunzite, his anger vibrating off of him in a soft pink glow.

	"Nephlite, fix your hand and then go to the tactical room. We
need to concentrate on finding Omega. Saffir and Rubeus are supposed
to have an update for us soon." Kunzite turned back to look at the
remaining two men. "Zoicite, do whatever you can for the doctor." He
gave a look at Rose's violet eyes, which were fixated on the ceiling.
"See you later, heart-sister." There was no reply, not even a blink.
Angry with his momentary weakness, Kunzite spun on his heel and left
Zoicite to his work.

***

	Endymion sat on a chair in Kalkia's darkened room, his form
dejected. He felt so lost. Jonathon was hovering over Kalkia's prone
position, clasping her hand and gently whispering to his soulmate. The
redhead had not responded to him in the least.

	A shrill sound came from the door. "Enter," said Jonathon, not
taking his eyes off his beloved.

	Jedeite walked into the room, having cooled off some from
earlier. "Has she woken yet?"

	Shaking his head, Jonathon replaced the cooling pad on her
forehead. "The immediate symptoms of the Urge were taken care of by
the antidote. She should have been fine. But the attack, coupled with
the force of the Urge returning as well as the overdose, has wrecked
havoc with her system.

	"Then she can't call Rosebud out of her mind anytime soon."
Jedeite turned his attention to Endymion. "You've caused a lot of
problems, Alpha." He began to glow again as his anger returned, upon
seeing the cause of this mess.

	"I know," Endymion said softly. He raised his head, his blue
eyes rimmed red. 'Don't.' He stopped himself, before he cried in front
of Jedeite. What was that?

	Taking a step, Jedeite rammed his fist into Endymion's face.
"YOU know? You've been nothing but trouble and have caused the people
who created you a lot of pain." Endymion made no move to block him as
Jedeite prepared to strike again. 'Stop!'

	"Leave him alone, general," came a female voice. Both men
whirled around to see a joyous Jonathon helping a weak Kalkia sit up.
"It wasn't Endymion that caused the experiment to end up this way. You
can thank your soulmate for this."

	Jedeite wrinkled his brow, confused. "What did Rei have to do
with this?"

	Kalkia sat up, glaring. "That bitch broke into Alpha's systems
and used it to attack both Rose and me mentally." She groaned and
clutched her midsection.

	A gentle sensation caused Endymion to light up instantly. "Rose
has come out of her mental lockdown." He looked at Kalkia, asking her
permission to leave. With a smile, she nodded and Endymion left the
room, the re-established link almost causing him to leap for joy.

	At Kalkia's computer console, Jedeite contacted Nephlite. "Neph,
I think we have had a security breach, according to Skye. She informs
us that it was the Resistance."

	There was the sound of profuse swearing. Kalkia blinked several
times. "I don't think half of that is anatomically possible," she said
after a moment. She gently squeezed Jonathon's hand and moved to get
out of her bed. Both Jedeite and Jonathon looked at her sharply and
she stopped. "I have to get to the computer if I'm going to tell
N'lite what happened," she protested.

	"Kita, stay in bed," Nephlite ordered, "I can hear you from
here."

	"Okay." She sat back in the bed. "Before Rose and I went
unconsious, I felt Rei in our minds. She somehow broke into our
systems and amplified the Urge. Which really really sucked, by the
way."

	"But why?" Jonathon asked, "Is she upset about the party?  I
mean, from what you told me, Jedeite wasn't too smooth with the whole
sleeping with Rose thing."

	Jedeite clenched his jaw. "She wouldn't do something so petty,"
he insisted.

	"Jed, Rei was a hellcat. It's why you lo--bedded her," Nephlite
pointed out. He sighed over the communications link. The group was
silent for a moment.

	"Oh shit," Kalkia whispered and she fell back against the bed.
"They found out what Rose and I did."

	Jedeite looked at her intently. "You didn't ask first?" he asked
and Kalkia looked off to one of the darkened corners. "Kalkia?" She just
shook her head and closed her eyes.  

	'Rose? Are you back yet?'

	'Sorta...Endymion, stop grinning like a loon. You're starting to
bug me.'

	'Sorry.' The sheepishness could be felt throughout the mental
connection.

	Sighing, Rose sat back against her pillows, her vision swimming.
'Kal, I'm sorry that I lost control like that. I'm just grateful that
I didn't kill anyone. I know that I can't ask for forgiveness--'

	'It's a good thing that we're in seperate rooms because I'd have
to hit you for the stupid statement. Rose, you have no idea what the
Urge is like or how to control it. Neither do Endymion and Jon. If you
hadn't given us that shock then Endy would have raped you and I would
have done Jon right there. Then I would have done Endy. Then I might
have even done you until I got it under control. You did nothing that
you need to be forgiven of. So shut up on that.'

	'And no Endymion, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself for
almost killing you guys.'

	A wave of relief washed over Endymion.

	Rose gagged. 'You're going to choke me with that mental hug,
you know.'

	Another sheepish grin. 'Sorry.'

	'Anyways, back to the problem at hand. The girls might know that
we broke into their minds, but no one but Rei was mad about it. And
now Rei knows why we did it.' Rose sighed, raising a tired hand to her
brow. 'I'll contact her later, when I gain some more energy.'

	Acknowledging, Kalkia sent one more tidbit of information. 'The
Inner Circle have been made aware of the security breach. They'll take
care of the problem.' She cut the link, satisfied.

	Rose bit her lip. If Alpha knew, then they would trace the
breach. And then they would attack the Resistance. Lives would be
lost, some of them potentially her former friends and soulmates of the
Inner Circle. Killing them would completely wipe out any good that was
left in the generals. She shuddered to think how they would be after
they were completely evil.

	"What should we do," Endymion asked as he got the personal unit
to create some food for the doctor to consume.

	Grimacing, Rose replied, "I'll have to contact them to warn them
but that is all I can do. Kalkia won't want to fight Alpha, and I
can't wipe any memories, I'm at my energy limits right now. Damn it.
I just hope they can make it."

*Omega Headquarters, Alpha One Enclave*

	 "Of all the rash, stupid, idiotic things that one can do in
their life, you choose to go screw with the two people in the entire
Alpha hierachy that can make our lives miserable."

	Minako was not pleased when she had found out what her friend
had done. The blonde leader was pacing the length of one of their
meeting rooms, having been unable to stay seated. All of them had felt
the mental backlash when the raven-haired bodyguard had been thrown
out of the Alpha mainframe. Makoto had even broken orders and sent a
relay in to ask what had happened. Ami had run back to her office to
find the violet-eyed woman in tears, sobbing histerically. Serenity
just walked into the room silently and waited for them to speak to
her.

	Rei looked down at the ground sheepishly. She didn't say
anything, there was nothing she could say to allievate any guilt or
blame. It was completely her fault.  

	"Damnit Rei, we all have issues with what Kalkia and Rose did to
us, but we didn't go off and send out a mental beacon announcing our
location. We're going to have move everything!" Minako punched her
fist violently into a nearby wall. Ami jumped at the sudden movement
and Haruka raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like Omega Cell Leader to get
so emotionally distraught.

	"They did it to save the generals' lives. They were dying and
Kalkia and Rose had no choice," Rei whispered. "I found that out
before Rose tossed me out." She gave Minako a sharp glance. "Did you
know what they all did to Kalkia? Did you know what Kunzite did to
Rose, still does?"

	Minako clenched her fists to her sides. "I know. I knew when it
first happened."

	Rei stood, angry. "Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you try to
break them out of Alpha's grip? If you had done that, then Alpha
wouldn't have their project already completed and we might have been
successful by now!"

	Minako slammed her hands on the table. "BECAUSE, I was so angry
and hurt." She wanted to scream but she had a job to do. "Screw this,
we have other matters to take care of. Haruka, Ami, Demando, issue the
order. We're relocating Omega cell. Luna, Artemis, contact the other
cells about this recent development."

	Ami put a hand on Rei's shoulder to stop her from saying
anything more. "It was a hard time," she said quietly, for Rei's ears
alone. "We all made some bad choices. You can't change the past, Rei,
just the future." She stood up and left with Haruka and Demando.

	Minako looked at Serenity, who had sat through the meeting
without saying a word. Omega tilted her head and looked at the leader
intently. "What shall I do?" she asked calmly as Luna left the room as
well. Artemis stayed behind, waiting to talk to Minako alone.

	"You and Rei can get all the important items pertaining to the
project together and secure it. Dismissed." She looked at Artemis
coldly as the doors closed behind Serenity and a still teary Rei. "What
is it now?"

	"Minako, the only person who can forgive you is yourself," he
said softly. "If you let this eat you up inside you're going to become
a liability that we can't afford. It's too pecarious a situation. I
suggest that once we have relocated, you sleep for a few days. I'm
sure Ami can give you something."

	"I don't want to sleep Artemis. I don't have enough time to
sleep."

	"I could order you to sleep once the relocation is over with,"
Atremis pointed out.

	"Are you going to?" Minako countered as she picked up several
data pads and began to download from their private mainframe.

	Artemis studied her back as Minako studiously prepared for the
relocation. He shook his head. "You keep blaming yourself for
something that you cannot be held responsible for. I know you, Minako,
for years now, and since the last day you saw Kunzite, you blame
yourself for what happened to your soulmate, his friends, and those
two girls. But I also know that nothing any of us say will convince
you that you could have done nothing to prevent what happened. You're
a headstrong woman, Minako. That's what makes you a great leader. But
it's also what causes you so much pain." With a sigh, he left the room
to start the relocation process.

	As soon as the door closed with a swish, Minako's control broke
and a sob escaped her lips. Her body shook with subdued sobs as she
cried, for the man she once loved, for the man she hated...

	For the man she still loved...

***

	Rei and Serenity began packing in silence. Rei was still deep in
thought. She couldn't understand how Minako could have left the girls
in Alpha's clutches, especially after she found out what had happened
to them. Minako was always ready to rescue those in need, for the
cause. That was what made so many people trust her and join the cause.

	'She was angry, you know, that Kunzite had betrayed her to Alpha
and the both of us.'

	Rei jerked, her mental senses straining. Looking up, Serenity
could sense a transmission coming in, but it was being broadcasted to
Rei only. She watched the dark haired woman to make sure that it
wasn't an attack.

	'Who is this?' Rei's mental sending was rough, from the recent
misuse.

	'It's me, Rei. Rose Nakazaki.'

	Frowning, Rei sharpened her mental focus as much as possible.
'How are you able to send this far?'

	'You know that my mental capabilities were the most powerful
that Alpha had seen in awhile. You know that I'm hiding a lot of
things from them right now.'

	Nodding, Rei felt the flash of Rose's memories in her mind. 'I
know. My God, I'm sorry-'

	'We don't have time for this, Rei.' Reassurance flooded Rei's
mind. 'I understand why you did it and how terribly you feel about it
now. I can't keep this up. I need to tell you, since you're the person
I've most recently been in contact with and that makes it easier.
Alpha is scheduling a sweep of the enclave. You must leave the
headquarters before 1400 hours. They'll be in your vicinity then.'

	'How did you kno-'

	'The location of the headquarters? It wasn't that hard.' There
was a pause. 'Kalkia is coming, Rei. Hurry and tell Minako about the
sweep. There isn't time to waste.'

	Rei looked over at Serenity, "Go tell Minako we have two hours
to get out of here before Kalkia shows up," she said and began packing
even faster.

	Serenity blinked, "How do you know?" she asked as she
practically ran to the door.  

	"Old friend," Rei said and went back to packing. "Hurry."

	Serenity ran.

*Alpha One Center, Alpha One Enclave*

	Both Rubeus and Saffir looked around, wondering. They had been
called in by General Nephlite of the Inner Circle for a special
assignment. They had been waiting in the empty room for a long time
now.

	Raising a crimson eyebrow, Rubeus looked at his companion. As
lieutenants in the information department of Alpha, they were under
the direct command of Nephlite and Jedeite, the tactical generals.
Usually, they were rather low on the power structure, so that they
would never had gotten any direct orders from the generals but it
seemed that there had been a major security breach. As a result, all
available personnel were being called to Alpha One to help with the
security sweep.

	Rubeus was about to start drumming his fingers on the table when
the doors swooshed open. Both men stood sharply when they saw the
auburn-haired woman walk briskly into the room. Her dark green eyes
looked at them intently for a moment, "Be seated, the generals will be
here shortly." Kalkia waited for them to be seated before she sat on
the edge of the table. She was wearing all black leather and her hair
was in a high and tight pony-tail. Her gloves creaked softly was she
idly drummed her fingers on the table. Once more she seemed very
dangerous.

	Saffir had only seen her like this one other time. They had gone
into a Resistance Enclave and she had calmly gone in and slaughtered
the leaders. She hadn't even gotten bloody. That fact made him more
nervous than even General Kunzite. The general always had blood on his
hands after an execution or fight. Kalkia Skye didn't. She was simply
clean.

	Rubeus had never met her before, and didn't know enough to be
nervous or afraid of her. However, just being presented with her mere
presence was quite enough. He had to force himself to not make any
excessive movements to gain her attention.

	"You should relax," Kalkia looked at them from over her
shoulder, "I'm not the big bad wolf. Esmeraude isn't here yet."

	"The Enforcer is coming?" Saffir asked calmly. He didn't betray
any emotion. Kalkia laughed quietly and closed her eyes for a moment.

	"Who better to torture Omega if we catch her?"

	The doors wooshed open once more and Kunzite walked into the
room. Trailing behind him were Nephlite and Jedeite. Esmeraude came in
a moment after the doors at closed. Apparently the men had been
walking quickly in an effort to leave her behind. She was a little out
of breath and looked very annoyed when she got in. The two lieutenents
stood up out of respect for their commanding officers, but Kalkia
stayed sitting. She leaned back on the table and crossed her legs,
supporting her weight with her hands. Her horse-tail brushed against
the black table like liquid fire.

	Kunzite actually looked a little surprised to see her there. "I
thought you would still be in bed."

	"I feel great," she smiled with a fake sweetness, "Besides,
Jed's girl's gotta pay. I don't like being fucked with." Kunzite just
raised an eyebrow, but managed not to comment.

	Once more the door opened and Zoicite, Rose and Endymion entered
the room. "Sorry about the wait, general. Just taking care of some
last minute things." Zoicite took his place next to the other generals
while Rose and Endymion went to stand next to Kalkia. The redhead was
frowning, wondering why her friend was there. The black-haired woman
merely blinked innocently.

	As the pair passed Esmeraude, the green-haired woman smacked
Rose's backside. "Nice to see you again, Rosey," she taunted, waiting
for the woman to begin to shake again.

	None of the generals had to intervene, not that they would. This
was a time for business and their minds had shut down any unnecessary
functions, like emotions and concern. Kalkia made a small motion as if
to rise to smack the Enforcer, but Rose's reaction caused her to pause.

	"Too bad I can't say the same for you, Esmeraude," replied Rose,
a cold smile on her face.

	The smirk on Esmeraude's face slipped a little. "What the hell?"
She glared. "Why aren't you afraid of me?"

	Still smiling, Rose stepped up to the woman, who was a little
shorter than herself. Her violet eyes betrayed nothing. "Why should I
be afraid of you, Esmeraude? You don't even matter to me." Before the
woman could respond, Rose pulled Endymion along and the pair sat next
to Kalkia.

	"Saffir, Rubeus, you will be accompaning us to where Kalkia
believes the Omega Resistance cell is located. We have two possible
positions so Saffir, you will accompany me, General Jedeite and Kalkia
to point A, and Rubeus, you will accompany Alpha and Nephlite to Point
B. Esmeraude and Rose, you will be waiting with the transport,"
Kunzite stated. "Any mistakes or arguements will be dealt with quickly
and painfully." He paused, "Any questions now before we go?"

	Rose spoke up. "I will accompany Alpha."

	Kunzite's green eyes turned to study the pale woman. "Your
orders are clear, doctor, that you'll be staying behind. You are
medical staff, like Zoicite." He frowned, clearly displeased. She was
not cooperating with their efforts to keep her out of harm's way.

	Tossing her long hair, again oddly out of her usual braid, Rose
stared at the general with empty eyes. "I will accompany Alpha. His
mental programming has yet to be completed. He will be susceptible to
mental attacks, if the Resistance has a wild talent in their ranks. I
must be there to keep that from happening. Also, with Omega around, he
must learn how to begin to combat her mentally."

	Gritting his teeth, Kunzite narrowed his eyes. "Doct--"

	"Let her come, Kunzite," interrupted Jedeite. "You know that
test-tube boy there isn't exactly the perfect weapon he was designed
to be yet and Metallia did want Rosebud to resume training soon. You
should let her do her job."

	"I think this is a bad idea," Kalkia stated simply and looked at
her friend sharply. "You're holding his hand to much Rose. If he dies,
we can make another one."

	Endymion didn't even blink at her statement. It didn't surprise
him in the least. Kalkia had shut her emotions down the day before;
she was cold, ruthless, and just as dangerous as any given person in
the room. Rose just looked at her friend and Kalkia tilted her head.
'I don't trust you, Rose. If this turns to shit and you're there, then
I know it will be your fault. You also know that I'll tell Kunzite and
you'll be locked up or dead within twenty-four hours.'

	Mirthless laughter filled Kalkia's mind. 'If this goes badly, it
won't be because I fucked up, Kalkia.' Out loud, she replied, "I am
not concerned with him dying. Alpha is expendable, as we both know.
The important thing is the data I will be able to collect first-hand,
useful information for subsequent projects."

	Raising a pale eyebrow, Kunzite looked at the scene, confused.

	Endymion had a confused look on his face, but, inside, he knew
what had happened. The doctor had to shut herself off for awhile to
recuperate. While she wasn't in a shell like before, she did have to
draw on her own coldness and strength for awhile. She made herself
darker, more emotionless, as Kalkia had done. It was a dangerous thing
to do, because there was always a danger that the darkness would
consume either one of them, but the price was small compared to the
pain they would experience without the action.

	Rose turned back, to face the generals, who were all still
standing in mute surprise. "This is a necessary part of the project."

	Nodding, Zoicite turned to face his comrades. "I would like to
support her proposal. This would be an excellent time to more fully
develop Alpha's mental offensive capabilities and Rose is the best
qualified to do so."

	Kalkia stood and pulled away from Rose. "Then let's get this
done with," she said and with a quick decisive thought, completely
severed the link between her and Rose. It was as if they were
strangers now, it was completely gone. With mental fire, she burned
the edges of it so it wouldn't be reestablished. She walked to the
door, "Kunzite, Jedeite, Saffir? Coming?" She looked at the three men
over her shoulder and walked out.

	The group got to the transport ship and Endymion came to stand
next to the red-head. She didn't look at him and for a moment he
wondered if she even knew he was there. The transport touched down
outside one of the older sectors of the enclave. The door wooshed
open. Kalkia smiled, only the corners of her mouth turning up. "How
many weapons do I have?" she asked in a distant and far away voice.

	He looked down at her, puzzled. A brief sweep of her body made
his eyes widen, "None."

	"Good boy." She walked out of the transport and Saffir followed
after her, nearly running. Nephlite came to stand next to Endymion and
Rose.  

	"If it wasn't the Resistance I'd feel sorry for them," he said
after a moment. "Kita's temper is going to get them killed." It wasn't
too clear to which party he was refering, but Endymion felt pretty
sure that it was going to be the Resistance that was hurting.

	"You're not worried about her then?" Kunzite had come up behind
them.

	Nephlite chuckled and then nodded to Rubeus, "Let's go." He led
the others out towards Point B. Kunzite and Jedeite followed after
Saffir and Kalkia. They went into the first room and found that it had
been stripped completely. Not to be discouraged, they went through
every room. Suddenly there was a commotion from the room that Kalkia
had last entered.

	When Kunzite entered the room, he saw Minako staring at Kalkia
angrily. There was blood running down the blonde's face, but Kalkia
wasn't holding any weapon and was still a few feet away.

	The redhead gave a small dark smile. The very violence in her
posture seemed to startle both Kunzite and Jedeite. Saffir himself was
standing next to the doorway, taking in all the sights with wide eyes.

	"Well well," Kunzite chuckled, his boots crushing bits of trash
as he walked up to the blonde. Jerking her hair, he forced her to look
at him. "If it isn't the leader of the raggedy annoyance cell in Alpha
One."

	Jedeite blinked, his green eyes still somewhat confused. "I did
not think that we were going to find you so easily, Minako."

	Minako glared, "If you had waited two minutes, you wouldn't
have," she snapped and forcefully kicked Kunzite in the gut. He
doubled over and let go of her. She would have done more but Kalkia
held up her hand. The blonde became completely frozen and looked at
her with wide eyes.

	"I suggest you don't try to move, bitch," Kalkia said calmly.  

	"Kalkia what on earth are you doing to her?" Jedeite finally
asked.

	"You know that I have power over gravity," Kalkia said simply.
It was an easy lie to tell, for she did have that power. However, at
the moment, she was controlling the muscles in Minako's body. The
blonde literally couldn't move.

&problem&

	"Let her go, Dr. Skye. I'll take care of this myself," Kunzite
said as he straightened. Kalkia clucked her tongue at him
disapprovingly, but it was Jedeite who said something.

	"Kunzite, you're too close to the situation. You're not going to
be able to kill her. Besides, you like the chase, who's to say you
won't let her go?"

	Kunzite paused, looking at the blonde and thinking over his
options. It was hurting a part of him, deep down inside, to see Minako
treated this way. But he was a part of Alpha and she was the enemy.
She had made her choice a long time ago and it wasn't him. His eyes
grew stony once more. "Agreed. Skye, kill Minako. Jedeite, Saffir,
come on. We need to proceed to the rendevous point." The trio left the
room, leaving the two women alone.

	"We have an old score to settle, bitch," said Kalkia softly as
she began to squeeze her hand. Minako's eyes began to widen as the
invisible pressure began to increase on her throat.

	She began to make painful choking sounds as the air escaped her.
She clawed at the invisible hands at her throat. When she was
abruptly released, she collasped to her knees. She coughed up blood
and harshly drew in air. Kalkia began to circle her, the heels of her
boots clicking against the cold metal floor.

	"This isn't like you to do torture," Minako finally said when
she was sure her voice wasn't going to be weak. She coughed again and
Kalkia laughed quietly.

	"You'll find that there are a lot of things that I do that
aren't like me," Kalkia commented. "I'm not the same girl that sparred
with you all those years ago, Minako. That girl died the day you
left." She made a gesture with her hand and Minako rose off the ground
and slammed into the wall. "You could have taken me with you, but you
left me there."

	"Sorry I'm not perfect," Minako wheezed as she drew herself to
her knees. "I had other things to worry about."

	"Like yourself?"

	The blond resistance leader blinked, "That isn't fair, Kalkia."

	"Isn't it?" She raised an eyebrow and there was a whoosh of air
as five bloody lines appeared on Minako's chest and stomach. Her shirt
was in tatters and blood dripped to the floor. "Life isn't fair, I
guess. It sucks like a whore and then you die."

	Minako glared and was forced to her knees. Kalkia slowly walked
over to stand behind her. Blood was in the blonde strands and all over
her face. "Are you ready to die, Minako?" she murmured softly in her
ear.

	"I never pictured you as a sadistic bitch."

	Kalkia laughed softly, "Oh, Minako. I'm not sadistic. If I was,
I'd be getting off on this. Sorry, but blood and girls aren't my
thing. If you want sadistic, talk to Esmeraude. No, I'm not sadistic."
She paused and the room was very still. "Then again, perhaps I am."

	Minako waited for the blow to come, but it didn't. Kalkia was
suddenly crouching in front of her, the tight leather pulled over her
thighs as she gently tilted Minako's chin up towards her face. This
was the first time that she had physically touched the blonde, but
there was still no blood on her fingers. "It would hurt him to know
that you're alive. To think that you're dead and then to see you
again. It would kill him more and give him horrible and pleasureable
nightmares." Her green eyes were cold but there was a faint glimmer of
silver. "The Illusive Sunset is buried in a sea of diamonds. I'll
await you there."

	She let go of Minako's chin and the blonde sagged to the ground.
"You're letting me go?"

	"I want to kill Rei, not you. Rei violated me as no other man or
woman has. She raped me more thoroughly then any person has ever
dared. Now, go before I change my mind." Leaving the blonde behind,
Kalkia left, her heels making small clicks upon the cold floor, the
sound echoing in the hollow hall.

***

	Rose shook her head. She knew what Kalkia had done, was doing.
She hadn't expected that Kalkia would actually cut the link. Of
course, if she wanted, Rose could have forcefully remade a connection,
but what was the use of a link unless both people were going to use it
to communicate? Kalkia would resent the intrusion and not speak to her
for a long time. So all Rose could do at this moment was monitor
discreetly and hope that her friend didn't destroy herself.

	The cut connection was hurting both of them. Without the link,
Kalkia's darkness was overwhelming her, backed by the strength of the
Urge. She no longer had Rose's mental power to help keep some emotion
in her psyche. Now, Kalkia was alone, without anyone to help her
emotionally. For Rose, she would suffer from the loss of her best
friend. It hurt like hell to lose Kalkia after all this time, but she
couldn't deal with it now. Her body was beginning to hurt more, her
mental abilities draining her more physically than before, without
Kalkia's strength to help.

	Endymion's warm hand on her elbow brought Rose out of her
thoughts. He sent a tendril of power to her, helping to raise her
sinking health. At the very least, Rose had Endymion to lean on and
she still had to help him. Kalkia had no one for either.

	And that was what Rose feared the most.

	Rubeus and Nephlite were scanning the vicinity, looking for life
signs. The room seemed abandoned. Narrowing her focus, Rose did a
quick scan and discovered two lifeforms in a hidden alcove. The two
men hadn't discovered them yet.

	Quickly, Rose entered the two minds, and made them hear running
footsteps in the distance.

	"General!" Rubeus took off running, his gun automatically ready
to kill the fleeing intruder.

	"Stay here with Alpha, Ro. We'll go chase them." Nephlite took
off, an energy blast charged and ready as he ran down the corridor.

	'Leave, now! While I still can fool them.'

	Luna and Artemis looked at each other. "Did you hear that," Luna
whispered to her soulmate.

	He nodded. They both froze in fear as the dark-haired woman and
man approached their position. Were they caught?

	The woman crouched down, her violet eyes serious as she tilted
her head. "You should leave now, and hurry. They will kill you when
they discover you and I cannot stop them." At her signal, the man that
they now knew as Alpha opened the hidden door.

	Both the woman and man held out hands to Luna and Artemis.
Confused, the older couple took their offered hands. "Go, and hurry,
to your friends. Minako is still alive. Don't wait for her. She will
escape." Rose looked at the two, her face blank. "Good luck." Without
saying another word, the pair left, to follow their comrades.

	Still oddly confused, Luna and Artemis shot each other another
look before shrugging and they too left the scene.

***

	Saffir was waiting outside in the corridor for Kalkia and wasn't
too surprised to see that her black leather was completely spotless.
She tilted her head in inquiry. "Kunzite said to tell you to report to
him when you're done," he said formally. "I'm to take the body in for
inspection."

	"I didn't leave enough of a body to identify, Lt. Saffir,"
Kalkia began walking down the hall. "Minako is not going to get off of
that floor. You might be lucky if you found a hair."

	His eyes widened and when she looked over at him she saw he was
a little green around the lips. She laughed softly and shook her head.
Saffir's squimishness was well known and she loved to tease him about
it. He was a lieutenant and still had problems with blood. Unheard of
in Alpha's military.

	"You can always go back and check for yourself," she suggested
as they continued to walk away from the scene.

	"I'll take your word for it," he said quickly. They walked in
silence until they caught up with Kunzite and Jedeite. They were in
the completely empty room of what seemed to be the cell's
headquarters. Everything was gone. Computers, files, anything that
might have helped them find out more about the resistance cell.

	"Damn it! Those rats sure work fast!" Jedeite kicked the pile
of trash on the floor. "They didn't leave us anything. How in the
world did they clear out so quickly?"

	Kalkia looked around the room and went over to a computer
console. "It's possible they were warned," she said softly. "They must
have known that we would be able to track them once we shut down the
link."

	Jedeite looked at her and for a moment was confused at her idle
tone. There was no emotion, no feeling whatsoever coming from her.
'Rose, what the hell is wrong with Kalkia?'

	There was no answer. 'Rosebud?'

	'General, Skye has cut off all mental connections to myself.'

	The iciness of the response surprised Jedeite. 'Are you alright?
Why do you seem so different?'

	'I am functioning normally, General. Please keep all
communications to a minimum.'

	'What the hell is wrong with you two? You guys seem so different
after the attack. It's as if you two are just like empty of emotion,
like...'

	'Like you and the rest of the Inner Circle?'

	Jedeite paused, horrified. 'Is that what's wrong with you,
Rosebud? Have your and Kalkia's darkness...' He trailed off, complete
dread making him stop.

	Bitter laughter followed and Rose abruptly cut off the channel.
The suddenness of it caused him to stumble back a step. Both Kalkia
and Kunzite looked at him sharply and he quickly shook his head to
indicate there was nothing wrong.  

	Kunzite turned to Saffir. "And Minako's body?" he managed to ask
calmly. Inside, there was a very small part of him that dreaded the
answer.

	"There isn't enough left to fit in a plastic bag," Kalkia said
in a laughing tone. She was smiling, anticipating his reaction and
watching him out of the corner of her eye. His jaw clenched and his
hands became fists, but he did not lash out at her. "Want to know what
her last words were, Kunzite? Or do you want to go back to the room
and roll around in her blood?"

	"Kalkia shut up," Jedeite hissed, hoping that this wouldn't end
badly.

	Kunzite's rage never made it out of his shell. His shoulder's
lost their tauntness and his posture failed for a brief instant.
"Kalkia, please be quiet."

	His subdued tone surprised both Jedeite and Kalkia. Saffir
merely raised an eyebrow. The top general of Alpha was quite an enigma
to him. Never had he thought that a man capable of various atrocities
would be...wistful when a Resistance member had been killed.

	Before Kalkia could goad him further, Nephlite, Rubeus, Endymion
and Rose entered the room. Both Nephlite and Rubeus were scowling,
while Rose and Endymion were completely blank.

	"Report," said Kunzite, his green eyes regarding his fellow
general cooly, no trace of his previous unreadable emotion.

	"There were footsteps heard and the lieutenant and I gave chase.
Unfortunately, the rebels escaped. There are no more life signs in the
building besides our own." Rubeus nodded, like a good soldier,
verifying Nephlite's report.

	Kalkia shot a look at Rose but didn't say anything. Nephlite
looked around, "You guys?"

	"I killed Minako," Kalkia said idly.  

	Endymion blinked, "You're not even bloody." He was the only one
in the room that would dare say it.

	Kalkia shrugged, "If it's done right you don't have to get
messy."

	Rose raised an eyebrow, but like her friend, said nothing. "Well
what now, gentlemen?" She leaned against a wall, hiding her tiredness
with a look of boredom.

	Frowning, Kunzite activated his communication device. "Send in
the others. Have them comb this area thoroughly for any information we
might be able to find." He deactivated the device before turning his
attention to Endymion. "Alpha, do you detect any signs of Omega?"

	Endymion shook his head. "There are traces of her, as well as
the other Resistance members. However, they are hours old. They have
gotten away."

	Rose sighed. "And here I was, hoping to kill someone today."
Pushing away from the wall, she motioned towards the door. "If you
don't mind, I'll head back to the laboratory with Endymion. I need to
continue the mental programming."

	Kalkia stretched and sighed heavily, "I'm going to go to bed.
I'm exhausted. Then again, killing--"

	"Kita, shut up," Nephlite snapped. Surprisingly she did.

	Kunzite turned on his heel and walked out of the room. Soon
everyone was gone except for Nephlite and Kalkia. She raised an
eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"

	"Are you liking the darkness, Kita? The oblivion?"

	Slowly she smiled and, for a moment, fear went through the
general's bones. "A girl could get used to it."

	Soft blue eyes watched them leave and tears stained the girl's
cheeks. Part of her was in pain at seeing him like this. The other
part felt joy to know that he would miss her. Perhaps her friend was
right. Perhaps someday would come.

	If they didn't kill each other first.

	Slowly, Minako picked herself off the floor. 'Are you still
there?'

	'Yeah. He has left. He won't be able to pick up the soulbond
now. You're safe. You can leave now.'

	Nodding, Minako activated a hidden tunnel so that she could
escape. Without Kunzite around, all she had to worry about was
detection from the Alpha soldiers. They were easily handled. Kunzite
had been her largest problem but luckily for her, Rose was able to
dampen the general's senses of the soulbond between him and Minako.
'Thank you, Rose. And I'm sorry, for everything.'

	There was a pause. 'You're welcome. And don't be, Minako. Being
sorry helps no one. It doesn't change what happened, nor the situation
at hand. Fate gave us our lives and there is no trading it in for a
better one. We have to take things as they come and make the best of
it. Emotions don't change things, actions do. So feeling sorry for any
of us is useless.' The connection got fainter. 'I have to go, Minako.
Don't feel guilty anymore. Good luck.' The channel flickered and broke
off, leaving Minako crawling through the tunnel, alone.

	A faint smile graced her face. "Thank you," she whispered,
feeling better than she had in years. With a renewed spirit, she left
the past behind, ready to face the coming challenges and continue her
fight for freedom.