Kalta79
03-11-2017, 10:46 PM
This starts during the end of Advent Children

Chapter One: Beginnings

Kunnia stood in her bedroom, fighting with her back-closure bra clasp, trying to hurry up and get ready in time for a night out with her girlfriends.

"What is wrong with this stupid thing?" Kunnia exclaimed in frustration.

"Need some help with that?" A familiar voice asked as Kunnia felt fingers on her back.

Kunnia turned around, causing the bra to become undone, and exclaimed in pleased surprise. "Roth!"

Hugging him, Kunnia felt him start to tense up as if in pain. Releasing him slightly, Kunnia looked more closely at him. His red spiky hair was more unkempt than usual, and he did seem rather worn around the edges. "Are you okay?"

"It's nothing, just a rough day at work." Roth replied.

That surprised and worried her. In the nearly three years Kunnia had known him, he never talked about work, except once in the beginning to say he was a company man. "Are you sure you're okay?"

His fingers moved from her back to her now exposed breasts. "I will be."

Kunnia started to open her mouth to say she was busy tonight, but then he kissed her and didn't give her a chance to say anything else until they both fell asleep.

Kunnia woke up the next morning alone, as she expected, since Roth never stayed the night, well except that one time, but Kunnia was surprised to find his side of the bed still warm. Usually he was gone long before she woke up. As Kunnia got out of bed to get dressed for work, she was glad not to see any packages on her nightstand. He would occassionally leave presents for her to see first thing in the morning. Sometimes Kunnia thought it was sweet, but at other times it made her feel like a damned prostitute.

Noticing the time, Kunnia took a quick shower, got dressed, and ran across the street to the pub where Kunnia worked as a waitress. Kunnia had gotten the job after she got back from a vacation in Wutai where she had met Roth. As Kunnia hurried in the door, Lori was at the bar, double-checking that everything was clean before opening.

"You're almost late." Lori said without looking up. "Five more minutes, and you would have been in trouble."

"I know, I know." Kunnia said as she tied her apron on.

"We missed you last night." Lori finally looked up at her. "He came by, didn't he?"

"Yes." Wanting to change the topic, Kunnia looked up at the chalkboard. "Wasn't that yesterday's special?"

"What? Oh dammit..." Lori grabbed the chalkboard and furiously erased the writing and wrote down a new daily special before putting it back. "There, happy now?"

"Sure thing." Kunnia was actually happy, because she didn't want to get into any discussion about Roth. Her girlfriends were overly curious about her mystery man, but she didn't have any answers, especially as to why she put up with him.

As Kunnia put her order pad and a pen in her apron pockets, another waitress flipped the switch for the OPEN lighted sign and unlocked the door. It was a few minutes before the first customers started trickling in, but it was a steady stream once lunch hour hit. During one of her breaks, her mind kept going back to how she got involved with Roth in the first place, or what Kunnia could remember of it at least. It was her first real vacation when she got to be on her own, and she chose Wutai, since they seemed to have a good reputation as a vacation spot. Unfortunately Kunnia felt the best way to celebrate was to get blackout drunk. Kunnia remembered being at the bar, then she's waking up next to a guy who said his name was Roth. Kunnia figured she'd never see him again, especially after she ignored him leaving because she was in the bathroom trying to puke her guts out.

But once Kunnia got back home and got her waitressing job to save up for college, she was coming home from working two shifts a few weeks later when Roth approached her. Kunnia decided to invite him into her apartment to keep the nosy neighbors from seeing anything, even though she was extremely tired. Roth had to help her up the stairs to her second floor apartment, and before she knew it, they were in bed again. He was sweet that night, even if she had been too exhausted to enjoy it much. She had woken up to find him gone, with a bracelet and a note on her nightstand. Based on what he said in the note, and other comments he'd made over the years, she must have told him her name meant "honor" that first night in Wutai, and for some reason that was important to him. She had wondered on occassion if it was related to his work he never talked about.

The other waitress poked her head into the break room. "Okay, my turn, Kunnia."

"Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming." Kunnia stood up, finished the last dregs of her soda, and headed back to main room. She was surprised to notice a blond woman sitting at the bar, in an outfit similar to Roth's. Kunnia ignored her and waited tables, flirting with the regular males who were good tippers, trying to not think the woman was watching her. Ever since Roth started showing up, she had a feeling of being watched every so often.

Finally Kunnia's shift was over, and after adding up her tips and writing it down in the ledger kept for employees to reference during tax time, she got her purse and headed out the front door. The blond woman was leaving at the same time, and she and Kunnia bumped into each other. The apologies were brief, because Kunnia was in a hurry to get home, since she had the next two days off. Rushing back across the street to her apartment building, she got upstairs and in front of her door before she discovered the key wasn't in her purse. Annoyed, she knocked on her landlady's door and had to control herself while listening to older woman's opinions Kunnia living alone with strange men coming and going at all hours. Once she used her master key to unlock Kunnia's door, Kunnia forced herself to smile at her landlady and wish her a good night.

Back inside her apartment, Kunnia locked the door and wondered where she could have left her key. Her door was locked when she got home, so she obviously must have locked it before going to work. Dumping her purse contents on the kitchen table, she looked through it all for her missing key, but couldn't find it. Roth had his own key, but she had no way to get in touch with him, he just showed up when he did. Putting everything back in her purse, she thought maybe it fell out when she and the blond woman bumped into each other. Briefly she wondered in the blond woman might be Roth's wife and she had found out about Kunnia. She herself had the thought every so often that she might just be something on the side for him. Except it wasn't always sex. A few months after he started coming around, she had a duplicate key made and left it on the nightstand on his side of the bed, and he didn't take it the first time he came by after that, but he did the next time. Once he had his own key, sometimes she'd wake up in the middle of the night and find him there in bed with her, just holding her. She remembered the first time he did that, the next morning at work everyone was talking about the terrorist group AVALANCHE destroying the Sector 7 pillar in Midgar, resulting in mass casualties. Kunnia thought he had lost someone in Sector 7, but she never got a chance to ask him. That was the only time he had stayed the whole night, and when she woke up to take a shower before work, he was still asleep, but he was gone when she got out of the shower.

Taking another shower to refresh herself after work, she put her bathrobe as soon as she got out and headed for the kitchen to make something for dinner. One of the rare times she and Roth had an actual conversation, he made her laugh by recounting his one attempt to learn how to cook by taking a class.

Checking her refrigerator, she found some pre-made meals on nice plates with a note from Roth. That was a new one, but when she looked more closely, she noticed they were takeout from one of the nicer restaurants in town. Well at least he hadn't lied about not being able to cook. She took the one closest to her and put it in the microwave to warm it up. Once it was reheated, she took the plate and some silverware and sat down by the balcony so she could watch the sunset. That's where Roth usually found her when he bothered to show up. Sometimes he would stand in the background and watch with her, other times he had different ideas about how to spend their time.

Dinner finished, she put the plate in the sink, and went back into the bathroom to hang her robe back up, then went to her bedroom to put her favorite pair of lounging pajamas on. If she thought Roth might be stopping by, she'd put on some lingerie, but he had stopped by last night, and he never came two nights in a row. In fact, after coming by on average about once a week, after that night with the Sector 7 tragedy, he didn't show up for weeks. Then nearly three months later, he appeared in the middle of the night again, just holding her in bed. After that, his reappearances were sporadic. Sometimes she feared the Geostigma would get him. Kunnia couldn't really say she loved him, because despite the longevity of their...she couldn't really call it a relationship either, not exactly, but whatever it was, she was ambivalent about the whole thing. Sometimes she thought she'd be relieved if it ended, other times she was glad to have someone in her life who just made one demand of her. Kunnia got in bed and turned her nightstand lamp off.[COLOR="Silver"]

Kalta79
03-12-2017, 06:11 AM
Chapter Two: Tattletale

Elena walked into Rufus' office, keeping an outward expression of calm, though she was always nervous entering his lair. He might have changed his goals for Shinra, but he was still as ruthless as ever. She had heard ugly stories about what happened to Cissnei, the last female Turk before her. He was sitting in his President's chair, turned to face the window. Tseng was standing next to him, facing her. She stood in front of the desk, her hands clasped in front of her for what seemed like hours before Rufus swiveled his chair around to face her.

"Report, Elena." Tseng ordered her.

"Sir," Elena addressed both of them, "Reno visited the girl two nights ago, and stayed almost all night. I found no sign any contraceptives were used."

"Well, it's been nearly three years, do you have any explanations as to why the girl isn't pregnant yet?"

"No sir, unless Reno is taking the contraceptive evidence with him, though I find that highly unlikely. He isn't that fastidious with his women." Elena couldn't keep the disgust out of her voice. "I believe he still has no idea who she is. From the information I've gathered, she believes his name is Roth, and the only thing she really knows about him is that he's a 'company' man, but not what company."

"That is all to the good," Rufus templed his fingers together, "But if that girl is who we think she is, we need her babies!" Rufus slammed his hands down suddenly on the armrests of his executive chair, gripping them until his knuckles turned white. "You put the fertility drugs on her food?"

"Yes sir," Elena replied. "I put a note in Reno's handwriting on top of the plates so she'd think it was one the gifts he leaves occasionally. I found multiple pieces of jewelry that seemed to be his taste."

Noticing the change in Elena's tone again, Rufus lifted one eyebrow. "You're not jealous, are you, Elena?"

Looking briefly at Tseng, Elena began blushing furiously. "What? N-n-no sir!"

Rufus smiled at Elena's sudden lack of composure. "You've done very well, Elena. Continue as you were, but remember, Reno is to know none of this. He has proven his loyalty, but the thought of impending fatherhood might spook him before the job is done." He turned his chair around to face the window again, dismissing her.

Elena looked at Tseng, who gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head. She gave a half-bow and turned around to walk out the door.

After staring out the window for a while, Rufus addressed Tseng. "Do you think she spoke the truth?"

"Yes sir, I have independent confirmation that corrobates her statements."

"How could we keep Reno from doing something stupid upon learning of her eventual pregnancy, if she decides to tell him?"

Tseng sighed. "I don't think even Reno knows how to keep himself from doing something stupid."

"So would the best course of action be for him to never find out?"

"I believe so, sir."

"Then so be it." Rufus decided. "Has the blood work on her come back yet?"

"We should have it in the next 48 hours, sir. The problem is finding something to compare it to. All we have is Dr. Gast's on file, since he destroyed all our work on the Ancients when he left, and Hojo's research was destroyed when Meteor hit Midgar."

"If it comes back positive...all might not be lost, if Reno and that girl will cooperate. Have you been administering fertility drugs to him as well?"

"When the opportunity presents itself, sir. It is not safe to mix them with alcohol, so I have instituted a daily vitamin supplement for the Turks, with Reno getting his dose then."

"Well done, Tseng. Let me know as soon as we have results on either count." Rufus dismissed him.

Tseng left, heading to his office to run computer simulations on Reno's possible reactions if Kunnia were to suddenly disappear.

---------- Post added at 09:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:34 PM ----------

Chapter 3 New Orders

Reno and Rude sat in the Turks' lounge in the newly rebuilt Shinra HQ in Junon, having a beer during their lunch break.

"I saw Elena leaving the President's office earlier looking flustered, and Tseng left a little while later." Rude said. "What do you think that was about?"

"Probably making sure they're recovered enough from the whole brutal torture thing to be fit for duty." Reno replied, gulping down the rest of his beer, and then getting another one from the fridge.

"You think that's why they've got us taking vitamins now?" Rude asked.

"How the hell should I know? I just hope they're not gonna turn this place into a day spa." Reno replied.

Rude looked sharply at him. "You're kinda testy lately, you know that? You either need a good fight or a good lay."

Reno sourly laughed and then gulped down some more beer. "You're one to talk. Did you ever make a move on Tifa?"

Rude looked embarrassed now. "Man, she's living with Cloud now, or didn't you catch that?"

"Yeah, and when he was doing his lone wolf thing, why didn't you pay her a visit? You could have offered to moonlight for her as a bouncer until you worked up the courage to ask her to a picnic for two."

"What about you? Is there gonna be a Mrs. Reno eventually?" Rude changed the subject.

"Marriage is boring. And divorce is expensive." Reno ended the conversation by finishing his last beer and throwing the can into the recycle bin, just as Tseng walked in.

"Break time is over, new orders for you." Tseng announced. "Now that the Remnants are gone, you're to re-examine the Crater. And just to be on the safe side, you're to stay overnight in Icicle and rest up to explore the Crater in the morning. Don't forget to restock up on everything when you get there, and refuel the helicopter. Here's your vitamins." Tseng put down two bottles that were only half full of pills, but each was clearly labeled with the name of the recipient.

"Icicle?" Reno perked up.

“Don't fail on this mission, Reno.” Tseng warned.

“Sure thing, Director. Let's go, Rude.” Reno stood up.

Rude looked a little confused at Reno's sudden change of attitude, but followed him out and towards the hangar.

Tseng smiled. “We're counting on you, Reno. You may be our last chance for atonement.”

Kalta79
03-13-2017, 05:38 AM
Chapter 4 The Green Eyed Monster

They made good time to Icicle. Rude was surprised at how eager Reno was to get there. He thought Reno was being a little too careless with the speed, but they arrived safe and sound. Once they landed at the new airport, Reno got out of the pilot�s seat as fast as he could, not even contacting the staff to refuel the helicopter.

�I�m gonna go get us a hotel room, will you take care of things here, Rude?� Reno bolted out the door before Rude could say anything.

Rude just sat there for a moment before contacting the tower and making sure the helicopter would be taken care of before leaving it and heading towards the town. What was up with Reno? Rude shrugged it off as he spotted a nice restaurant. Walking in, he was happy to find that it wasn�t too full, so he had no problem getting a table.

Looking around, he noticed a pretty girl eating alone. Reno�s comments about Tifa still rankled, so Rude approached her and asked if he could sit down.

Kunnia was surprised by the man�s request, and by his outfit. Was she being stalked by Roth�s tailor? Since she had her mouth full, she just gestured to an empty seat.

After Reno had paid for the hotel room, he went to Kunnia�s apartment, and was seriously frustrated that she wasn�t there. Rude had been right, he needed the relief he got best from her. When he couldn�t make it to Icicle to see her, he had found other accommodating women, but while he could perform, they basically left him cold. Kunnia was always�warm. Walking around looking for her as well as Rude, he was passing a restaurant when he spotted Rude�s familiar bald head at a table there, talking to a pretty girl. And then he did a doubletake as he realized it was Kunnia. He hurriedly ducked out of sight.

Rude was making a move on Kunnia? What was wrong with him? There are rules that partners are supposed to follow, one of the most important is that you don�t hone in on the other�s �territory�. Reno�s thoughts were circling like vultures as he stomped back and forth in the snow in the alley next to the restaurant, trying to figure out what to do. He didn�t want Kunnia to see him with Rude and find out who he really was, but he couldn�t let Rude continue. He popped a couple vitamins in his mouth, hoping it would calm him down.

Kunnia was enjoying having someone to talk to while she ate. She didn�t know why the man said his name was Rude unless it really was, who would name their kid something like that?

Suddenly Rude�s cellphone rang. He looked annoyed but answered it anyway. �Yes, Elena? Yes we�re here. Yes, the workers are doing it. I don�t know, off getting hotel rooms for us. I�m eating dinner. Yes, Elena, I understand.� Rude hung up the phone.

�Is Elena your wife?� Kunnia asked Rude.

Rude nearly choked on his chicken marsala. �Elena and me? No, she�s a coworker.�

Kunnia pursed her lips briefly, not sure if she believed him. She put her fork down onto her plate. �Well it was nice meeting you, Rude, but I�ve got to call it an early night, I�ve got a double shift tomorrow.� She stood up and looked down at him and wished him good luck on his assignment before leaving.

Rude huffed into his water glass. Damn Elena! Why did she have to call just then? And why would Kunnia think she was his wife? All she did was nag him about his job�oh. Maybe Reno was right about marriage. Rude asked for a to-go box, and hurriedly put his leftovers into it so he could go find Reno.

Reno was relieved to see Kunnia leave the restaurant alone. He let her get a little ways down the street before approaching her. �Kunnia!�

She turned around, surprised to see him again so soon. It had only been a few days since his last visit. He offered her his arm, and she hesitated a moment for taking it. She noticed that his eyes seemed green. Usually they were blue, but on occasion, due to the ambient light, they were green.

Rude left the restaurant, leftover box in hand, and noticed Reno walking arm in arm with Kunnia further down the street. Reno looked back and gestured towards the hotel. It was all Rude could do to not squish his leftover box into oblivion. As it was, when he got to his hotel room, half the box was no good anymore. Who did Reno think he was, moving in on Kunnia like that? It was one of the unwritten laws of partnership, you don�t invade your partner�s �territory�. This mission was crap already. Plus he didn�t like the cold. He knew better than trying to stay up waiting for Reno. No telling when he�d get back from his latest conquest.

Kunnia wondered what Roth was up to. He avoided being out in public with her as much as possible, and now he was walking arm in arm with her while it gently snowed. Some might think it was a romantic setting, but Kunnia knew where this was leading, waking up alone again.

When they got back to her apartment, she used her key to unlock it, which she had found shoved back under her door the morning after she lost it. She tried to tell Roth she needed to rest for the double shift tomorrow, but he had his own way of silencing her protests. When she woke up alone the next morning, she was unbelievably sore. Kunnia noticed another one of his notes on her nightstand, saying he might be stopping by again tonight. She crumpled it up and threw it in the trash. Whatever was the cause of his behavior, she didn�t care. She wasn�t going to put up with another experience like last night. He wasn�t exactly violent, but he was so�intense�throughout the whole night that she felt violated.

Kunnia managed to get out of bed and make it to the bathroom, where she took a warm bath that relieved some of the pain. Once she got out, she skipped breakfast and just had some juice and a couple painkillers. Getting dressed, she chose loose fitting clothes that wouldn�t bother her so much today. She walked slowly to the pub, and was surprised to see Lori there, locking up.

�What�s going on?� Kunnia asked.

�Health inspectors got complaints of infestation problems, and investigated. Until we get the place fumigated and provide them proof, we�re shut down.� Lori replied. �Hey, what�s wrong with you?�

�Nothing. Let me know when I can go back to work, alright?�

�Hopefully it won�t be that long. Enjoy your vacation.� Lori walked off towards her house.

Rude woke up around dawn to see Reno stagger in and throw himself down on the other bed. �Guess you had a good night.� Rude said, with an edge to his voice. A snore answered him. �Jackass!� Rude exclaimed before going back to sleep himself.

Two hours later, the alarm went off and Rude woke up immediately, but Reno kept snoring. Rude got the coffee maker going, hoping the smell would wake Reno up. While waiting for it to be done, he went downstairs and got a couple pastries for their breakfast. When he got back to the room, Reno was in the shower murdering some song. Rude made himself a cup of coffee and ate his danish while he waited for Reno. At least Reno would get himself dressed before he left the bathroom. Most of the time.

The coffee was cold by the time Reno came out of the bathroom in a hotel robe, so he just heated it up in the microwave and nibbled on his danish. �Soon as I get dressed, I�ll be ready to go if you are.�

�Sure thing, partner.� Rude said.

Reno glanced at over, surprised at his caustic tone. Rude just kept sipping his coffee. Reno shrugged and downed the rest of his coffee, heading into the bathroom to get dressed. When he came out, he just headed out the door, leaving Rude to follow him.

When they got to the hangar, Reno checked over the helicopter before getting into the pilot�s seat. Rude got in the back as usual. Once in the pilot�s seat, Reno felt more relaxed. He didn�t know what came over him last night, and he wasn�t sure if he apologize to Kunnia or not. She probably wasn�t feeling too good, he was pretty worn out himself. He put that out of his mind as he started up the helicopter, going through his mental checklist. Once that was done, he let Rude know it was takeoff time. Airborne, Reno headed straight for the Crater, trying to ignore a sense of dread given what happened last time they were here.

Landing was smooth, and he and Rude both exited carefully. Reno noticed that Rude was a bit creeped out as well by being here. He handed Rude an isotope scanner and flashlight.

�The quicker we can check to make sure nothing is still here, the sooner we can get back to Icicle.� Reno said, looking behind rocks.

�You weren�t interested in being quick last night, were you?� Rude responds.

�What�s that supposed to mean?� Reno turns to look at his partner.

�That woman you picked up last night, you were gone until dawn.�

�What�s it to you? What I do on my own time is no one else�s damned business!�

�I saw her first, I was chatting with her at the restaurant while you were doing who knows what.�

�She was alone when I saw her. You�re getting rusty, Rude. She left without you, didn�t she? She�s not yours.�

�She�s not yours either, you don�t even bother learning their names, do you?�

Reno got in Rude�s face and grabbed his suit. �I know more about her than you ever will. And don�t you dare go near her again.� Reno kept his voice low and threatening.

Rude�s hand clenched into a fist when they heard a familiar voice.

�That�s enough out of both of you.� Tseng reprimanded them. �Reno, go back to Icicle and wait there until we return.�

Reno let go of Rude�s suit and stormed off to the helicopter, showering them with cave dust when he took off.

�Rude, did you get any unusual readings on the scanner?� Tseng asked him as he brushed off the dust.

Rude straightened out his tie and looked at the scanner. �No, sir.�

�As you were, then.�

***

Once he saw the helicopter safely secured in the hangar, Reno headed to the florist shop and bought a mixed bouquet of orchids in a vase. He was about to leave when the florist asked if he was planning to walk with those orchids, and then the florist explained that the cold would kill them. He showed Reno a special insulated box with hand warmers to protect the flowers. Reno grudgingly handed over the extra gil and waited for the man to arrange the flowers and vase in the box, then grabbed his package and headed for Kunnia�s apartment. He didn�t know what came over him last night, but he felt he should make sure he hadn�t hurt her, and apologize for it.

Halfway there, he remembered that she was doing a double-shift today, so started to head to the pub, and then saw the closed notices on it. Going back across the street, he got his key out and hurried up the stairs. When he got to Kunnia�s door, he was surprised to find his key didn�t work. Then he saw the deadbolt lock had been changed. Worried, he started knocking on her door.

�Kunnia? What�s going on?� He asked through the door.

There was no response at first, then he heard her yelling at him to go away and leave her alone. Unsure what to do, he stood there for a moment more, then put the package on the floor in front of her door and left.

Lori was just leaving the pub, making sure everything out of there that she didn�t want to get that fumigation smell on it, when she saw a man leaving Kunnia�s apartment building. He noticed her too, and came over to ask if there was any other place in town to get a good drink at. Lori was about to send him on his un-merry way when she remembered the two bottles of scotch in her desk.

�I�ve got something, wait here.� Lori went to her office and grabbed the bottles, and came back to hand them to the man. �Enjoy.� She started to close the door when the man stopped her.

�There�s two bottles here, would you mind if we shared them?� Reno asked her.

Lori looked appraisingly at him. She wasn�t crazy about the hair, but she had woken up next to much worse. �Sure, why not?� Lori let him into the employee lounge, which had its own oversized couch.

***

Kunnia woke up the next morning and tried to ignore the orchids. She had brought them in after Roth left. They were beautiful, but she still didn�t want to see him again, not for quite a while. She went down to check her mail, and noticed the pub door wasn�t closed all the way. Worried about Lori, she went inside cautiously, and noticed the employee lounge light was still on. Walking in, she found Lori standing in front of the couch, putting her bra back on.

�Lori, are you okay?" Kunnia asked her. "I saw the pub door open and I was worried.�

Lori startled a bit to see Kunnia there. �Oh, Kunnia, you scared me. I�m fine, I just stayed here overnight.� She yanked down her dress and started to usher Kunnia out the door, walking a little unsteady, when a head poked up from the couch.

�Kunnia?� Reno asked, slurring her name a little. �Is that you? I'm sorry about...� He frowned, trying to remember. "I'm sorry about something."

Kunnia froze in shock. �Roth?� she whispered.

�That�s him?� Lori was stunned.

Reno stood up, and that�s when Kunnia noticed his clothes in a pile by the coffee table, which had two empty scotch bottles on it.

�You're not half as sorry as I am that I ever met you.� Kunnia told him before she turned and ran out the door.

Lori scooped up his clothes and threw them at him. �Get dressed and get out of here.� She ran after Kunnia.

*********************************************

Epilogue Part One

�Report, Tseng.� Rufus commanded.

�The tests have confirmed that the girl is the one we�ve been seeking. During last week�s mission to the Crater, while in Icicle, Reno took two of the fertility pills and then took the girl home, as we expected. However, he was over-stimulated by the extra dosage, and after performing multiple times, he left around dawn. The girl had her locks changed while he and Rude were on their way to the Crater. After I sent him back to Icicle, hoping he could reconcile with her, he found her wanting nothing to do with him anymore. Reno then proceeded to have drunken sex with her boss, and she caught them together, further severing any ties on her part. This might be our advantage though, sir, as it would not be unexpected for her to disappear by relocating now. I also removed the fertility drugs from Reno�s daily vitamins, to avoid further behavioral problems with him.�

Rufus nodded. �If pregnancy is confirmed in the next two months, she should be relocated to what was rebuilt of Mideel. The lifestream proximity should encourage success. It is very lucky for us that Dr. Gast was not as morally perfect as some think.�