Triple Threat

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She felt them before she heard them, before she saw either of them. It was like a ripple in the air around her. Well, no, that wasn't right. It was a ripple in the energy field. Usually she didn't notice how people moved through it because there were so many moving through it, but here, in the silence and the stillness, she detected the disruption quite easily and Alex uncurled from her position on the bed and rose to her feet with all the swiftness of a striking snake.

That was how her power approached the two figures in the room, a wave of energy that blasted out from her extended hand toward the them...and then stopped, inches from hitting their bodies as a new instinct overrode the fear and pure reaction she'd felt. It made Alex tilt her head ever so slowly, studying the two women past the power of crackling, sparking energy that stood from floor to ceiling, wall to wall like a red-gold glass shield between the two parties. The blond's hand was still extended, but as she took in the taller woman, with her auburn hair and dark green eyes, recognition flared and Alex instantly understood what had made her power bid her to hesitation.

She knew this person.

Sort of.

Alex slowly drew the energy back, the red-gold disappearing in a reverse swirling vortex that absorbed back into her body until there was nothing left but a glow across her skin, her entire body as the energy lit the room in a soft glow and kept her safe, ready to be summoned again should she need it.

Black eyes narrowed, a thousand questions running through her mind, but the most obvious and prevalent exited first. She could have asked who they were - even as she knew Helaina's name already - or how they'd found her, but she chose something far more important in her way of thinking.

"What do you want?"
 
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The show of power from the blonde was enough to give Helaina second thoughts about coming, but she could sense that the woman wasn't, at heart, a violent person, which made her stand confidently without fear in the small room. As she expected, the Other wanted to know what she was there for. It was a fair question. The problem was, she was not entirely sure which approach would work best, and that was the reason for her hesitation.

Clearing her throat, she spoke gently but firmly. "I met you last night in the alley with my friend, Matthew. I genuinely appreciate that you helped him, as he is a special friend of mine. I, too, am a supporter of Humans. I was at the rally this afternoon with Veronica." At this, she made a gesturing motion toward her companion. "We were on the outskirts of the amphitheater and were able to evade the Blackthorn soldiers when they began rounding up everyone." Then, pausing for a moment before going on, Helaina said, "We saw what happened. We would like to talk with you about that."
 
Alex listened carefully to what Helaina said, her eyes warily flickering around, keeping on alert for a hidden agenda, an ambush, anything that might pose a threat to her. She didn't trust this. She hadn't been followed - she KNEW she hadn't - and yet these two Others had found her only two-three hours after she'd run? No, something didn't add up. How had they found her? How had they done it so quickly? This had to be a trap....it had to be.

And yet...it didn't feel like a trap. She'd been in a lot of traps. Alex knew what they felt like, how they made her skin crawl and drove that little instinct in her mind nuts, but it was silent now. So eerily silent that she wasn't sure what to do without it.

So she listened and what Alex heard made her tense further, resisting the urge to take a step back even as the glow over her skin flared a bit brighter in reaction to the swirl of emotions within her. Most prevalent, and the first to appear, was anger. Red flecks showed up in otherwise black eyes and it was on the tip of her tongue to tell this woman to piss off. She didn't want to talk about what had happened! Why were they here?! What did they want!? There was nothing to explain! It had been pretty self-explanatory what had happened!

Her jaw clenched, hands balling into fists in a futile attempt to keep the power within and she stilled her tongue to caution and opted for a slightly different approach. "I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to remember it. I just want to get the hell out of this place and I hardly want to sit here chit-chatting with a complete stranger I barely met in an alleyway. You don't even know me and I have no inclination to do anything for you!" she snapped.

Way to take a different approach there.

Shut up.
 
Helaina's discernment was pinging all over the place. Fear. She's terrified. All that power, yet she's running scared. The tension emanating from the blonde was almost palpable. Show her your hand. Forget trying to finesse this one. She'll never buy anything but the blunt truth. Trusting the voice in her head, Helaina made a second attempt to connect.

"Okay, you're right. You don't know me from a hole in the wall. So here, let me try again. I'm Helaina. My friend is Veronica. We actively oppose Neal Blackthorn because we know he has a hidden agenda to eradicate Humans completely and we do not support genocide. When we saw what you did today, we understood you were under enormous strain and because I have discernment, I could tell that you were terrified at first, but then you were furious. I don't blame you one bit. I don't know your story and you don't have any reason to trust me, but I am being completely honest when I tell you that I do not mean you any harm. I will not turn you in to Blackthorn's soldiers. I am involved in the Resistance and I would like to talk to you about what I do because if you are interested, I think a person with your talent would be very helpful for our cause."
 
She wasn't interested. Not in the least.

They didn't understand anything. Just by reading their energy signals, Alex knew that Helaina was a low Level Two Other and this Veronica was perhaps a low Level Four, maybe more like a strong Level Three. They did not know what she felt day in and day out. They did not know who she was, what she was running from. The Resistance? If they knew she was a Blackthorn, it would not be talking and the offering of a position within their group that they'd be extending but rather hostility and rejection.

No. She had no reason to want to risk exposing herself even further for these people. She had no reason to want to fight with them, or help them in their cause. Perhaps Helaina meant no harm - and Alex had let go of her anger slowly at the words the red-head spoke - but while the blond had let simmer down the power that had built over her skin, keeping it down to a low glow again, the fear that lurked in her eyes had only expanded and she shifted her stance, wanting to leave.

Alex shook her head, eyes flickering from Helaina to Veronica, as if she expected them to change their tactics immediately into something far more violent when she refused. But still she refused. "I'm not interested. I don't want to fight. I don't want to be part of any Resistance. Please, just...leave me alone."
 
When Power-Line shot the red stuff towards them, Veronica leaned backwards and eyed the crackling stuff with apprehension. "Uuuuh..." She looked at Farm-Girl and was relieved when the woman spoke. Good, she knows what to do. She only relaxed for a second though, because the moment FG had finished speaking she knew the woman had said the wrong thing.

Veronica cringed inwardly when Power-Line immediately started glowing a brighter red and she basically told the older woman to piss off. Well, I like her backbone, but FG had better think of something to say, and fast!
When Farm-Girl started speaking again Veronica gave her a mental thumbs up and relaxed again. Ha ha, so your name is Helaina! Good to know. Her lip twitched a little but she refused to smile at a serious time like this. When Helaina finished talking Veronica thought for sure that Power-Line would consider helping them. Oh how she wished she'd been right. Of course it's never that easy. She thought as she studied Power-Line.

The woman's glow had dimmed a little bit but she still held her body tightly, as if she were a cat ready to pounce at any minute. Veronica wasn't sure she could blame her though. She tried to put herself in Power-Line's shoes for a second. Let's see... a past of sorts that obviously makes her wary of everyone -I can relate to that. A strong and dangerous power that looks to be hard to control at times -I can't relate to that much, but still, it's not too difficult to understand how hard that can be on someone. She's obviously angry and scared -that I can really relate to... okay, I think I've got this. Veronica took a small step forward -not close enough to make Power-Line feel cornered, but close enough that she was in front of Helaina.
"Please," She started, her eyes soft, imploring and understanding, "come with us. We want to help you..." She slowly stretched her arm out, palm upward, and stared deeply into Power-Line's eyes. "Let us?" There was no command in her words, no secret agenda, nothing. She really did want to help the woman, and everything she said was the truth.
 
There came that unexplained feeling again, that niggling instinct that often led her into trouble, but also always led her out of it as well. She'd already experienced the trouble today, so maybe...just maybe....this was the salvation. Alex stared back at Veronica, something about the other girl's blue-violet eyes, the earnestness in them gave the blond pause and she felt her power start to drain away slowly.

Help.

She'd longed for help, for something to pierce the darkness that she'd found herself in for so long, but Alex had given up asking for it, searching for it. And now, here it was, seemingly offering itself up on a gold platter and she was just supposed to take it? Trust it?

Do you have a better option? What are you going to do, run again? To where? You can't run far enough. You can't hide long enough that he'll forget you. You're too loud, too big, to unpredictable and unstable. You explode at the drop of a hat! You're going to be caught eventually anyway. It can be sooner or later, but at least you could see if maybe, just maybe these two are legit. What do you have to lose?

That was just it. She had nothing. Absolutely nothing anymore and the realization that she had no where to go, no way to hide, nothing to her name made Alex's shoulders slump, defeat and acceptance both in her demeanor as she looked back up at Veronica and slowly extended her hand, letting it slide into the smaller, younger blond's as Alex nodded, black eyes casting downward.

"All right."
 
She hadn't realized she was holding her breath as she watched the exchange between Veronica and the Other, but when she heard the woman say, "All right," as she reached for Veronica's outstretched hand, Helaina slowly exhaled with relief.

Very quietly, so as not to shatter the fragile truce that had been struck, she spoke to the other women. "We should probably go. Blackthorn's men will be looking for all three of us and I'd like to get to where it's safe. Are you hungry?" she looked at the two with questioning eyes. "If so, we can eat at my place. I do want to make it clear that neither of you HAS to stay. You can say the word and I will bring you back to town. Above all, I want you to know I have no ulterior motives. I just want to be able to talk to both of you in a place where we don't have to worry about someone listening in or showing up." Nodding to 'Power Line', she added, "Veronica has been to my home. She can vouch that I am telling you the truth if you have doubts. But really, it's getting late and -"

A low buzzing was heard and Helaina stopped in mid-sentence to glance at the computer device in her hand. "Company is coming. We've got probably 3 minutes' lead time if we get moving NOW. Veronica's got night vision and can lead us out of here quickly." She looked directly at Power Line. "I don't want to pressure you, but if you are coming with us, it's time to go."
 
Veronica's thin fingers curled around Power-Line's hand and she tugged on it gently. "Helaina's telling the truth. Her house is a nice, safe place, and we won't make you do anything you don't want to, but we have to get out of here now." She pulled the woman out of the room, grabbing Helaina's hand with her free one as she went. "Stairs, don't trip." She warned as she started taking the steps by two. "Hurry, hurry, hurry..." She muttered under her breath as she dragged them down the four flights.

She released both women's hands and opened the front door to the apartment building to peer out, checking to see if the coast was clear. It was, so she looked at the others. "Okay, stay close and run fast." She warned before taking off into the night, rushing for the car. She slowed down to a slow jog when she saw the Blackthorn soldier that she and Helaina had avoided earlier. "Ugh, I don't have time for this." She groaned and pulled out her silver Desert Eagle handgun and shot the man pointblank in the head before he could even turn around. After she re-holstered her gun she started running again.
She knew the sound of shooting would tell the other Blackthorn soldiers where they were, but Farm-Girl already told her that they were coming for them, so she didn't really care.

When she reached the SUV she looked back to see if the other two women has kept up with her before she jumped into the backseat of the car. She was glad it was unlocked.
 
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Alex had looked between both Others, a bit hesitant and wondering if she'd made the wrong choice, but she didn't get much time to dwell on that question as the news that the Blackthorn soldiers were on their way sent her body moving without a great deal of prompt from Veronica. She followed the smaller woman down the stairs without protest, all the while her heart pounding like a drum within her chest, black eyes wide and her will set on not releasing the energy within her.

Safety. They'd spoken of safety. She could contain it until then. She could. She would. If they really wanted to help her, she didn't want to harm them and if they were phony....well, she was a ticking time bomb. It would cause them more grief than her if they tried to keep her against her will. So Alex followed, running after the two women even when her hand was released, but she did falter to see Veronica shoot the Blackthorn soldier with what appeared to be no thought, no hesitation at all.

Like you did at the amphitheater?

She ignored the voice, forced her body to move again and nearly hit the car in the dark when she caught Veronica's small frame stopping. Her breath was ragged in her own ears as she climbed into the car when it was unlocked, her hands between her knees, body trembling with adrenaline, with control, with the need to just find somewhere quiet and just...stay there. She was doing well, though. She was now in a complete stranger's car, going to a destination that was deemed safe by people she didn't know and her uncle was once more chasing after her.

Yes, she was doing fabulously today. Simply smashing.
 
Once the three women were safely ensconced in her SUV, Helaina headed toward home. Occasional glances in the rearview mirror confirmed no one was following them and glimpses into the backseat via the mirror showed Power Line hunched over and trembling. Poor woman is terrified. What am I going to do to break through to her? Helaina concentrated on driving for lack of knowing what else to do. When she made the turn from the county road to cross the wooden bridge onto her property, she decided she'd best give her backseat passenger a heads-up lest she think she was being driven into the woods for some nefarious purpose.

"Hey," she started, looking into the rearview mirror to get the blonde woman's attention. "Just so you know, I own the woods that I'm about to drive into. I have a house and a farm about 4 miles from here. I'm not taking you to someplace scary. This is a hidden compound that no one is going to get into and I can promise you, you will be completely safe while you're here." With her little speech completed, Helaina utilized the remote entry to open the heavy steel gates and drove through. Here's hoping this goes well... it would really suck if it doesn't.
 
Veronica scooted closer to Power-Line and laid her hand carefully on top of the woman's. When Helaina spoke, Veronica would nod at certain times to reasure Power-Line that FG was telling the truth. When Helaina opened the gates and drove through Veronica backed away from Power-Line to giver her personal space and looked out her window. It was her second time here and she wanted to devote herself to memorizing this place inside and out. "You'll love the house." She said offhandedly as they pulled up to said building. Home sweet home, for now I guess. She mentally giggled at the thought of being able to live here for a little while.

She bounced a tiny bit in her seat as the SUV pulled to a stop in front of the "farmhouse". After unhooking she looked at Power-Line and raised her eyebrows, "What do ya think?"
 
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Having looked up when addressed - sort of - Alex nodded a bit, swallowing as she absorbed the words, actually pretty grateful for them. Knowing where she was going, at least somewhat, helped the panic within her start to calm - and strangely, Veronica's touch did the same, though Alex didn't want it for long - and by the time they drove over the old bridge and went through steel gates, the blond was starting to think a bit more clearly and some curiosity came to her mind as she looked out the window at the dark landscape surrounding them. Getting out of the car slowly, black eyes darker than the night around them, looking this way and that.

Veronica was questioning her about what she thought and Alex suspected that Helaina might want to know as well, considering it was her house and property. And so Alex answered, not really thinking about it, just spouting off what came to mind.

"I think a lot of work was put into this place to make it seem like something other than what it is." Her eyes flickered to where she could hear the loudest humming sound. Such humming this place had! She would have expected a farm to be more quiet, but no, there was electricity all around her, humming away in the most soothing of sounds to Alex's ears. She was sure that was what she'd love most about this place for however long she stayed.

"The fence is too high-powered for its purpose to be keeping cattle in or even ordinary people out. It's too expensive for a simple farm, too, but most people wouldn't know that." She didn't volunteer how she did, now glancing at Helaina, not saying more than she meant, not one word that she wouldn't own for better or worse. "You have a great deal of electricity here, more than I have felt on any farm and energy...there are energy signatures all over the place. Human. Others." She could feel them, live things in the distance and Alex looked around again into the darkness, a faint light just beneath her skin, making her look like a red-gold glowstick.

"You said you were part of the Resistance, that you actively oppose Neal Blackthorn." That part was quiet, half question, half statement before she looked between Helaina and Veronica, keeping some distance from both of them. "This is a base or checkpoint of some kind, isn't it?"
 
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Helaina listened to Power Line's discourse, half-impressed and half-amused. Of course she would pick up on the electricity and energy signatures on the property. What did you expect when you brought a Level Five with her abilities here? Oh well; too late to rethink bringing her. She's obviously smart enough that bullsh***ing isn't going to work, either. Okay... Helaina exhaled deeply as she mentally conversed with herself. I guess it's blunt honesty time, and if she freaks, we'll neutralize her. Not what I want to have to do, but I'm not going to risk her blowing everything.

Smiling at the blonde, she replied, "Very observant, but I wouldn't expect any less from someone with your abilities. It's wonderful that you're intelligent, too, and not just powerful." Then, still speaking in a warm, friendly voice but letting her eyes grow serious, Helaina told the stranger standing in front of her, "I'll be honest with you ~ as much as I want to answer your questions, I don't feel comfortable doing so until I know a little about you. Like your name. What is it?"

While she waited for a response, Helaina pondered where she could lodge the woman. It was obvious she had nowhere to stay and equally apparent that she would not fare well in a community-type atmosphere, at least for now. She looked to the west, across an open field where she knew her cows were, and saw her outbuildings in the distance. Two of the massive structures resembled storage sheds externally, but were actually fully-equipped homes that surreptitiously each housed a dozen people. Humans were in one building and Others in the second. All were part of the Resistance and had been trained by Unit Leaders who were led by Commanders. In turn, the Commanders were overseen by the head of the Resistance, which was Helaina, herself, although no one but her trusted Commanders knew that tidbit of information. The people staying in her "outbuildings" comprised 6 local teams who worked to provide service in a 30 square mile area. Throughout the nation, there were thousands of teams just like those at Helaina's farm. She relied on the Commanders to keep her informed of how the Resistance fared, and they looked to her for direction and guidance. It was a widespread operation that had taken years to organize and now consumed her days to keep it running. There was absolutely no way she could afford to let Power Line throw a wrench in her plans; on the flip side, however, the woman was a Level Five Other and that kind of power was not something Helaina could turn away from without making a wholehearted effort to recruit her. She recognized that this Other was special ~ her fragility was apparent and Helaina was curious to learn her backstory. The question was, would she open up and share anything?
 
Veronica exhaled sharply, impressed with Power-Line's ability to detect so much. Well, I'm sure glad we found her. If this works out, we'll take Blackthorn down, no problem. She shifted her weight back and forth slowly and looked at their surroundings. Hmmm... house, silo... another silo... barn one, barn two, shed... another shed... animals over there- can't wait to explore! She looked at the house that Farm-Girl had taken her into earlier and smiled a little when she thought about what else could be hidden in that giant place. She had a lot of questions for Helaina and hoped that they could get settled down soon so that she could ask them. She wasn't sure how much longer she could contain herself. She felt like she was going to explode with a thousand questions at different times, and the more Helaina said, and the more she saw, the more things she wanted to ask.

She looked at Power-Line and smiled loosely when Helaina had asked her name. "Yeah, what's the name, P-" She caught herself before she could say "Power-Line". She wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to bring up that nickname right this second. Some tact was always good to have around a nervous and powerful Other.
 
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Name.

Right, normal people usually gave out their names. Usually it was upon meeting, too. Name. Right. Umm..

Well, you can't very well give them a fake name. You wouldn't respond to it anyway. It's a wonder if you've hidden from him this long. You're so stupid and clumsy in all your attempts at hiding as it is. Can't even come up with an alias you'll respond to. the voice scoffed at her and the blond kept ignoring it even as she took a breath and let her arms cross loosely, wrapping around her waist.

"I go by Alex." she informed quietly, the confidence dormant once again now that they'd moved into slightly different territory. She'd answered the question truthfully, just making it clear that was all she was giving on the name front. She didn't feel bad about it either. All she knew these two by were their first names; Helaina and Veronica - if they were real first names at all.

Her black eyes rose to meet Helaina's dark green, and Alex gave a sharp nod, an acknowledgement to the point the woman had been making without outright saying she didn't trust Alex and had no reason to AND had risked a lot more than she was truly comfortable with bringing Alex here.

"I will not ask more than you are willing to tell and I don't take offense at the wariness. I feel the same toward you." Her gaze flickered to Veronica. "Both of you. What you did back there, helping me get away, I appreciate it, but...I've been screwed over far too many times to take this at face value just yet and I know that you've taken risks bringing me here, knowing nothing about me, so I will respect your boundaries so long as you respect mine."

That seemed fair to her and she was sure if either Helaina or Veronica had a problem with it, they'd say something. They didn't seem like the type to go along with something they didn't agree with. They were in a Resistance after all.
 
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Ugh! It's like pulling teeth with this one! Oh well... I didn't get to where I'm at by being impatient. I can wait her out. Helaina decided to switch gears and hopefully put Alex more at-ease.

"It's nice to meet you, Alex. In case you're wondering, Helaina really IS my real first name. Some of my friends call me Lainey. This one here," motioning to Veronica, "calls me Farm-Girl. If you don't have any objections, I think it would be best for now if you stay with me at my house. Veronica, I'd like you to stay at the main house, as well." She began walking in that direction, looking back long enough to add, "I don't know about the two of you, but I'm starving. How does pizza sound?"
 
Coolness! Wonder what it's short for. Alexis? Alexandra? Alexei? Alexa? Or maybe her parents were weird and she really is just Alex. Eh, guess it doesn't really matter. Veronica smiled at Alex and then turned to follow Helaina into the house. "I don't know about the two of you, but I'm starving. How does pizza sound?" Farm-Girl asked and Veronica pumped her fist. "Yeah, pizza rules! Do you make it or order it? If you order it, what kind do you get? Oh, what kind of pizza do you like? How about you, Alex?" She looked over her shoulder at the woman. "I myself like pepperoni and mushroom, it's good stuff. Anyhoozer, what'dya like?"
 
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Alex had the decency to blush at Helaina's words about her real name being the exact one she'd given and for a moment the blond wondered if her new hostess was a in the Mind-Reading Category of Others. But no...she didn't have the clouded eyes for it, nor the ability to predict Alex's actions down to the slightest flinch. No, that wasn't it, but the woman DID appear to be nothing short of brilliant. That was rather easy to figure out, at least as far as Alex was concerned. Helaina was obviously the leader of something here. Whether it was major or small, she exuded the confidence of someone who was used to commanding people, confident in what they knew and could do, always having a plan.

Helaina was in charge.

So that left Veronica and black eyes studied the younger girl carefully. She was short, far shorter than even Alex with short, white-blond hair and bangs that seemed to purposely hide blue-violet eyes - and perhaps the scar running from her left temple and across the bridge of her nose - that shone with curiosity, but also something far more...wise than Alex would assume most people saw. Despite her young, slim appearance, Veronica possessed a kind of strength that made her energy aura shine a bright gold, different than Helaina's commanding red, but significant anyway. She was kind and sarcastic, funny, but not stupid.

And it was clear that Helaina and Veronica for all they seemed to work well together, did not know each other. Helaina was too cautious and Veronica too interested. The small blond was just as new about this as Alex was....and that actually made her feel better so that she even smiled a little at Veronica's question.

Black eyes glanced from the blond to the red-head and Alex answered just a bit more loosely, relaxing her stance just slightly. "I could eat, yes. Thank you. I like pepperoni and tomato." With that, she started to follow Helaina inside, ears perking at the sound of the deadbolt sliding open and it only took her a moment to realize that the door was not wood as it seemed. Her head tilted as she passed inside the doorway.

Just WHAT kind of place had she walked into?
 
Once the three were in the house, Helaina told them, "All right; in the interest of brevity, I'll start off by showing you to your rooms and then we can order pizza." She headed through the foyer and entered a large living room decorated in multiple shades of cream, green and blue, with comfortable, inviting couches and recliners full of fluffy pillows. With the flip of a switch, a stereo kicked on and the room was filled with the calming sound of ocean waves crashing on a shore. Another flick and a warm glow suffused the room from a handful of lamps placed strategically around the room. "The kitchen is through that arch," she informed, pointing toward the far left side of the room. Then, turning to her right, Helaina led Veronica and Alex down a wide hallway lined with nature photos and beautiful watercolor paintings. As she walked past closed doors, she offered quick explanations of what they were passing. "This is my craft room," she said, pointing to the left and then, motioning to the right, she announced, "And this leads to the theater where we can have movie parties. Next is a bathroom to the left and these next three on the right are private and off-limits to guests. Please don't bother trying to open the doors; they're under constant surveillance and you wouldn't get in. Not that I think you'll try; I'm just sayin'. And then, here we go... Veronica, your room is on the right and Alex, you can stay in the room across from her. Each of these bedrooms has its own bathroom with shower and jacuzzi tub, so I hope you will be comfortable, and please do not hesitate to let me know if there is anything you need. If you want, you can both freshen up and look around your rooms. I've got a few things to check ~ it'll take just a few minutes ~ so how about we meet in the kitchen in about 15 so we can order dinner?"

Helaina waited to see the women head in the direction she wanted them to go before backtracking her route to the foyer, at which point she made her way to her surveillance room. After being gone for most of the evening, she needed to check in with her Commanders to ensure no one needed anything from her tonight.
 
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