Partial

The next few days were…awkward…to say the least, at least at work, primarily around Adam. Thankfully, he didn’t end up pressing charges against Jessica’s dad. It wouldn’t have stuck if he had. Her dad had hit Adam while they were at Wabash Manor, and what happened at Wabash Manor stayed at Wabash Manor, at least as far as the cops and courts were concerned. Nobody wanted to get involved with anything that happened there. They'd have heard that it happened there and immediately started making up excuses about why they couldn't pursue the case. It wasn’t right, but it was the reality. Perhaps they’d slowly begin treating the mansion as part of the country again now that Jordan was there instead of Sunset Blessing.

Wild showed up in person to deliver the box. It was a very ordinary-looking metal box, but whatever kept crystal ponies from feeling the stone didn’t need to look fancy. Wild also brought a very heavy separate safe that high-voltage shocked anyone who tried to move it or break into it—that was supposed to stop earth ponies from just taking the entire safe or particularly strong ones from smashing it open. The truestone was kept in the small metal box, and that box was kept in the giant safe. That allowed her to leave the stone at her apartment while she went out and about. It also meant she could teach in person again instead of having to leave lectures online. Still, having the pony everyone recognized on sight show up at her apartment with a huge crate must have led to some speculation among her neighbors.

It was wonderful to be free of lugging that thing around and constantly being worried about crystal ponies detecting it. With her newfound freedom, she took the day to visit Jordan and go out with her. Up until today, she’d been avoiding Wabash because the stone made Andrea feel ill.

Andrea was standing at the front door as Jessica approached. “I see you don’t have that damn rock with you. Good. Jordan’s up in her room. Third floor, right hallway, third door on the left, just before the end of the hallway.”

Jessica grimaced. “Always a pleasure, Andrea.”

She stepped inside. Jordan’s redecoration felt like the mansion had thrown a fresh coat of paint over itself but was still very much the same at its core. Old Persian carpets had been replaced by shag throw rugs in a variety of bright neon colors. Much of the furniture, but not all, had been replaced with much shorter furniture, which was suitable for ponies and tended to be plusher whenever a cushion was involved. The large painted family portrait of Sunset Blessing and her adopted family still hung where once there had been a painting of a man with dogs, but Jordan had put a bunch of potted plants around it, obscuring the edges of the painting, making it seem like the now vacated family were standing amongst a forest. Straight red curtains that matched Sunset Blessing’s fur had been replaced with softer violet curtains that matched Jordan’s fur. When on display, books seemed to be the same, which wasn’t surprising, considering Jordan parting with a book seemed like blasphemy. There had once been a small end table near the door going down to the basement that had a stone bust of George Washington on it; the table was still there, but the bust had been replaced by a model of the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek, a show Jessica never understood why Jordan had picked up an interest in considering it was so unscientific. Yet despite all these changes, the same guards still stood watch in the same places. The Bible verses still encircled the doorways. The house still felt like a place that had once been the residence of Sunset Blessing. Jordan’s changes had not erased the feel of the old preacher, and Jessica could still imagine the old mare popping out of some door to bark orders.

Part of her still felt the even older version that hosted the mysterious sound of barking dogs from empty rooms that had heralded the history of danger that would follow. That, too, still survived under the newer trappings. Jessica could never have lived here and felt safe and secure, but Jordan didn't have the same history of dealing with this place.

She made her way up the stairs, briefly greeting familiar guards stationed at each level as she went. The third floor was much the same, with a big pink neon shag rug sitting in the middle of the hallway. Jordan certainly had interesting tastes in decorating. Maybe it was a pony thing. Ponies liked bright colors. Jessica considered whether she liked similar things when she was a pony but couldn’t recall. She might not have even cared, since such things would have just been distractions from her schoolwork. She’d enjoyed her paper mache planets that hung from her bedroom ceiling as a foal, which she was confident about. Perhaps she could do something similar with Mark’s room as she set it up, although she'd have to figure out what he liked. She couldn’t assume he’d be as thrilled with planets as she was. He seemed to enjoy his blocks, and he had toy cars. Maybe something to do with cars? She liked cars as well and knew enough to figure something special out. Perhaps she could introduce him to racing and watch cars race. Watching cars race in a circle never appealed to her, but she could appreciate the engineering that went into those vehicles.

“Jessie, that you? Come on in,” Jordan called out before Jessica could knock on the door. Jordan’s hearing might not be as sharp as Jessica’s, but it was still excellent

Upon stepping into the room, Jessica’s eyes were assaulted by the onslaught of color. There were throw pillows everywhere, in every major color, excluding violet, which seemed exclusively used for curtains. The bed was twin-sized, essentially queen-sized to a pony, and covered in red heart-shaped pillows. There were bookshelves along each wall except for the wall with the windows, and each bookshelf was packed with books; some looked to be carryovers from Auntie’s collection, while others were new. Sandwiched between one set of bookshelves was a vanity and mirror where Jordan was currently sitting, brushing her mane while simultaneously applying makeup.

“I’m almost done. You can sit anywhere you like while you wait,” Jordan said, carefully inspecting her mascara in the mirror.

Jessica smirked. “You have a date lined up after this? We’re just going by the college.”

“You can’t make a second first impression. I want to look my best,” Jordan replied as she wiped away mascara on one of her eyes and restarted that one from scratch.

Jessica looked around. Jordan certainly was a priss; in a different world, she’d be appealing to Jessica as a romantic partner, but Jordan was straight and was very much interested in sex, which Jessica was not, and even if the other two were different, Jordan felt like Jessica’s sister, so she could never see Jordan as a potential romantic partner. It did make her wonder how she was even supposed to pursue romance. Dealing with Adam further highlighted her issues with dating. No matter how Jessica tried, there would always be an element of strangeness, perhaps even danger in her life. Add to that her complete disinterest in sex and the fact she was a partial, and it seemed like it would be near impossible ever to find a partner who could be happy with her. Only children whined about how unfair things were, but she still couldn’t help feeling it.

“Jessie?”

She looked up to see Jordan looking at her with concern.

“Something wrong?” Jordan asked. “You look sad.”

Jessica rubbed her fingers, trying to decide what to say. “Would you be happy if you ended up being single the rest of your life?”

“No, I wouldn't,” Jordan answered quickly. “No offense to you; you’re my best friend and will always be, but I want a deeper relationship with someone. I want kids. I want to go to sleep, cuddled and safe next to someone, and wake up with their scent all over me. I want someone I know will always be there every day until I’m old and gray, someone who will be there every step of the way. Friends are great, and best friends are even better, but friends have their own lives to live, of which I’m only a supporting character,. I want someone who will be beside me, living our life together. It isn’t my life and their life anymore; it is our life. Sure, we may have our own hobbies, interests, and minor goals to pursue, but at the end of the day, everything we do we are in it together. That is more than a friend, that’s a partner, and I want that.”

Jessica smiled. “And I’m sure you’ll get it.” Her smile fell off. “But I’m not confident I will. I have too many challenges that are in the way.”

“Oh, we have frowny faces. That won’t do!”

Jessica and Jordan jumped back as Rebecca appeared between the pair, balanced on one hoof with her other three legs and her wings spread wide.

“Tadda!” Rebecca announced.

“Rebecca, do you ever knock?!” Jordan demanded. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

Rebecca put her limbs down and looked at her. “I would hope not. You’re too young to have heart problems.”

Jessica sighed. “Rebecca, your antics aren’t what I need to cheer up. Why are you even here? Do you just casually spy on everyone?”

“No, I just casually spy on people I care about,” Rebecca answered. “Anyway, you’re an outsider and a weirdo—”

“Thanks. It cheers me to hear it said so bluntly,” Jessica muttered.

“—and those are the kinds of people I told myself I would always try to help,” Rebecca happily continued. “Now, dating advice and relationships are typically Miss Seapony’s thing, but I don’t think she would mind me encroaching on her territory too much.” She tilted her head. “Um, hold a sec ..um, hmmm….hmmm…I hear you and understand….yes…uh hum….yes…well, she is in my domain as well…I know, but you haven’t been that effective with her—no, no, no; I’m not implying that. You normally do a great job…yeah…yeah…I’m just saying let me have a go at it since it is a special circumstance ….you want my support with that? Hmm, I’m not sure; that sounds like a lot of work. I know I am butting in on your territory, but….uh huh…apricots, you say? That’s got some possibilities. Mouthwash? That would never work, it clashes with the egrets. Maybe we could try a cardboard box, or maybe a lint roller. Oh, okay, your idea has some potential to be interesting; you’ve got yourself a deal. I’ll help you out.”

What the fudge?

Rebecca smiled sheepishly at them. “Sorry, Miss Seapony actually did take issue with me messing with what is supposed to be her thing—whoopsie, but we worked it out after I agreed to help her with something else that needs my creative touch. I’m all ready to play matchmaker! This will be exciting.”

“I don’t need or want someone playing matchmaker for me,” Jessica growled.

Rebecca started to float and turned upside down and began doing the backstroke through the air. “That is very sad to hear. I know how much trouble it can be finding that special someone when you have a lack of sexuality working against you and unusual aspects of your life that may scare most people off. I know you’ve got quite a list of what you are looking for in a partner, and many things weighing you down. It would make finding the ideal person a challenge. I might know someone, maybe a few someones, who you wouldn’t normally run into—you know, statistically improbable meetings.”

Damn it, that was tempting.

She sighed. “You won’t get pushy with any of this? You’ll keep your distance as well? It’s hard to figure out if I have any chemistry with someone with you hovering around the place.”

“I promise,” Rebecca assured her. “Although, just like you have baggage you can’t help, some of my friends may have some as well. That’s part of why they’re single. They can deal with what comes in the package with you, so the fair thing is for you to deal with what comes in the package with them.”

Jessica considered. “Some of my baggage is dangerous, like being connected to Sunset Blessing, and Aunt Arbiter. Are we talking about that kind of baggage? It isn’t all about me. I’m trying to adopt a kid and I don’t want to bring more danger into his life.”

Rebecca stopped floating and went down to the floor. “Well…they are connected to me, at least as much as you are connected to me. Some of them travel and find themselves in somewhat dangerous situations, but they aren’t issues they’d bring home with them, and that’s something you’ve done yourself. The welfare of kids is very important to me, so you can trust me when I say I wouldn’t recommend anyone who I thought might harm them, directly or indirectly.”

“What kinds of issues are we talking about then?” Jessica asked.

Rebecca grinned. “That would be for them to disclose when they feel comfortable doing so. That’s very personal information. You already know more than you should by knowing there is something odd about them that typically gets in the way of relationships. Accept that and just be open-minded.”

“It’s only fair, Jessie, and it’s worth a shot” Jordan chimed in.

That was true, and the worst that could happen it would be it wouldn’t work out. What oddities these people might have did worry her a little, but she wasn’t one to complain about oddities.

“Alright. You can introduce me to some of these people,” Jessica conceded.

Rebecca jumped into the air and just sort of hung there. “Great! I’m not sure when I’ll get around to that, but it’s on my list of things to do. I’ve got to go now—I’m supposed to be someplace else, but I got distracted.”

Of course she was supposed to be someplace else now. When was Rebecca ever focused?

Rebecca vanished without another word, likely already taking off with extreme haste to wherever she was supposed to be and whoever presumably was wondering where the heck the pudgy Dreamwarden was.

“Well, now I’ve got to double down on finding a date,” Jordan said. “You’re going to go on multiple dates before I get to go on my first.”

“You’ve got Wabash Manor hanging over you,” Jessica reminded her. “That’s one thing I’m glad I don’t have around my neck.”

Jordan fluttered her lips and made an aggravated whinny. “So it keeps coming up. I need to come up with turning this place around to be a boon. What do you think those OMMR guys are doing with the neighboring properties?”

“Probably staying on alert in case some world-ending event happens,” Jessica answered. “Don’t you have a demon or something down in the vaults? I can only imagine that’s just the start when naming bad things that are down there.”

“I actually do have a demon down there. Amicus has an inventory sheet that she let me see, and it was listed,” Jordan replied. “It wasn’t actually that informative looking at the sheet. A lot of things are just labeled some random number spell journal or flash drive, but doesn’t actually say what’s in the journal or on the drive. Then there are random objects that are listed that it doesn’t say why they are significant—things like a charm bracelet, a walking stick, a tea kettle, a mirror, a snowglobe, large stone, large crystal—that has multiple entries, and there’s like five different necklaces with separate entries; again, inventory just saying necklace with no description. The demon is labeled as an extradimensional entity, no other notes, just inventoried as an extradimensional entity, not even a note saying very dangerous, leave alone. Every item is in a separate vault and there are two hundred and nine vaults, but it doesn’t say what vault what is sealed in, so if you did go down there you’d have no idea what vault whatever you were looking for was.”

“Probably best not to know what is significant about each thing or which vault each is contained. If she thought it was worth locking up in a deathtrap dungeon, then it can’t be good,” Jessica replied. Sunset Blessing inventoried the demon? Seriously!? Why was a tea kettle dangerous? Also…two-hundred and nine vaults? That was an odd number, and it was more extensive than she had expected.

Jordan stood up. “I’m ready whenever you are. Time to put my best hoof forward and see if I can get into your college.”

Josie blinked against the light of the sun as she stuck her head out of Crystal’s SUV. Even with her sunglasses on, the light was still intense. Had she really been able to deal with sunlight without sunglasses? She vaguely remembered sunny days from when she was human, and she was fairly certain she hadn’t worn sunglasses all the time back then. It wasn’t that she disliked light, light was great—moonlight, starlight, the soft light of a desk lamp, fireflies, light was beautiful. Sunlight was just too much. It was the difference between being hit with soft waves on the beach compared to a tidal wave or the difference between a warm blanket and a burning building. How these humans and day ponies stood it was a mystery to her.

“Any word from the Dreamwardens?” Crystal called out.

Josie took a moment to let her vision focus, and shook her head when she could finally clearly make the crystal pony out. “No, I haven’t been asleep. I’ve been waiting for Rebecca.”

“No sign of blunderbutt yet. Not a surprise.
She probably got distracted by something again,” Crystal replied. “I swear, you could throw her off her game by jingling a set of keys.”

Josie grimaced. “She’s not that bad, but you’re right, she’s probably been distracted. There’s a lot of territory between us and her, and lots of things in between that can catch her attention. She’ll get down here, eventually. Once her hooves get sore from dancing she’ll remember she’s supposed to be doing something.”

“How’s she even projecting this far? She could never reach this far before,” Crystal asked.

Josie shrugged. “Not sure. Maybe she got stronger after her trip offworld. This is as new to me as it is to you. I’m sure she’ll explain it whenever I finally go home.”

“Well, I’m keeping my senses stretched as far as I can to feel her, just in case she decides to come in invisible and watch us, sneaky little blob,” Crystal said. “Come on over. I’ve got some fresh-brewed coffee. The others are out on patrol, and Zipper is out talking to pigeons.”

Josie had her senses stretched as well, only she was feeling for dreams instead of magic in general like crystal pony was. Rebecca’s projected form behaved like a dream, and was detectable as one. Nothing was currently dreaming near her. That could change in an instant when Rebecca came into the area.

She walked slowly over to Crystal who had a small campfire going, taking a seat beside the crystal pony. Crystal carefully poured her a cup of coffee from a old tin kettle.

“Drink that slow, that’s cowboy coffee. Not the best tasting—honestly, it tastes like crap, though I promise there’s no crap in it, but it will wake you up,” Crystal said.

“Thank you,” Josie said as she carefully took the mug in her forehooves and blew on it. She probably wouldn’t drink any of it, but she could hold it till it went cold and then use it going cold as an excuse not to drink it.

“I know a lot about roughing it,” Crystal said proudly. “I was homeless for years, and I learned how to make do with very little. I’d never have imagined back then that I could afford all this fancy stuff like my vehicle. I’m starting to explore the housing market. Lots of new developments still going up in Skytree.”

Josie raised an eyebrow at her. “Considering moving out of the nightmare house?”

Crystal shrugged. “We all have to retire eventually. Your Dreamwarden changed things. New bodyguards that are coming in are all super powerful or have weird funky magic that gives them an edge—like you and the rest of the butterball’s bodyguards, or even our Russian buddy, or Wallace. I’m physically strong for a crystal pony, but nothing, special, not enough to overpower your average earth pony. My magic sensing and absorption are kinda mid-level, again, nothing to brag about. I can fight better than most ponies, but I’m also getting older, and, sooner or later, I just won’t be able to keep up on that front. I’ve already had a string of injuries that have lingering soreness from time-to-time. I’m getting older, wearing down, and I’m outdated. It’s time to start thinking about retirement and what comes next while I’m still young enough to have plenty of next to live.”

“I’m not sure what next there is for me,” Josie said with a shake of her head. “The newer generation of night ponies isn’t as hostile to me, but the ones my age or older still tend to treat me like I have the plague, and they’ve got a lot of influence in night pony communities. I’m probably going to outlive them all, if this job doesn’t kill me, but that’s still decades away, and I’m not sure I’m culturally in tune with these younger ponies. I don’t know. I try not to think too much about it.”

Crystal took a sip of her coffee. “I know Phobia thinks about what comes next. She brought in Wallace not long after the blob started upping the ante with bodyguards, and I know she’s been scouting for others. Wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to poach that Ashley unicorn into her service, you know, the one that takes a beating and keeps on ticking? She’s got a pretty versatile spell list too. He’s down the pipeline, but wouldn't be shocked if she tried Moses after he’s grown. That kid’s powers are scary. Phobia knows I’m not cut out to keep this up much longer. Even Tempest is getting older and doesn’t have that same magic pizzaz that it seems it takes these days to hold your own as one of the personal bodyguards.”

Josie chuckled. “I don’t see anyone putting Tempest out to pasture anytime soon. She might not be magically powerful or have any gimmick magic, but that lady is still the toughest fighter around. Beat the snot out of me when I got recruited and she had to train me how to fight.”

“I could see her going into semi-retirement. You know, hang around to whip the new personal bodyguards into shape, but that’s about it. She’s got a great record for training ponies to fight, just look at the Terror Twins. She trained us, and I think we’re at least decent enough to take on a small gang each,” Crystal said, chuckling as well. “She is doing her best to whip Wallace into shape. Kid’s powerful, no question about it, but he’s got a lot of rough edges. Tempest is working on him. All I can do is sit back and watch as she trains up my replacement. She’ll be training her own replacement before long. I don’t mind the idea of falling back to just be Phobia’s driver, although there are plenty of others who could end up filling that kind of role.”

“What would you do instead?” Josie asked.

“I dunno,” Crystal answered. “I’ve got a considerable nest egg saved up. I could just go into full retirement, or maybe I could open up an auto shop or something like that. I’d like to marry, maybe have foals before I lose the ability to. ETS extended my fertility, but that only extends so far.”

Josie looked down. “Having foals would be nice. I think I’d love being a mother. I don’t know how that works for me unless I find a day pony or a night pony stallion half my age. I suppose there’s some sort of artificial insemination I could do, especially since I’m not hurting for cash. Being Rebecca’s bodyguard doesn’t pay as well as being Phobia’s since Rebecca’s identity is private, but I still have more money than I ever thought I would. There were times before I took this job where I was one step away from being homeless.”

“We day ponies aren’t so bad, and while I hear how night pony mares’ aggression turns guys off, you don’t seem that aggressive to me,” Crystal replied.

Josie looked at Crystal. “You’ve seen me fight. You should know better. I can get brutal.”

“You’ve seen me fight as well. I’m not gentle. We don’t get paid to give our foes love taps,” Crystal countered. “Oh, I see those mares that hang around Phobia’s house and how they get about protecting their territory when it comes to their stallions, and I see how the stallions tend to hide because of that, but I don’t see you pulling that crap.”

Josie shrugged. “Never been in a position where I had a stallion, so couldn’t tell you if I would.”

“I think you would be gentle.”

Rebecca appeared in the air just above the fire.

“Sorry for being late. Got distracted playing matchmaker, then got distracted by this clown in Sante Fe that was putting on the best clown show I have ever seen. Maybe I can do that for you too—the matchmaker thing,” Rebecca said cheerfully. She tilted her head. “No, Miss Seapony, I’m not going to keep invading your territory. Josie, Yinyu says she’d be happy to help if you want. I’ll leave that between the two of you.”

“I’ll keep her offer in mind,” Josie replied. “What’s the word on reinforcements?”

Rebecca floated down, realized she was in the fire, then floated to the side so she seemed to be sitting beside them. “Bursa, Ashley, Sunflower Smiles, and Fain are headed your way. They should be here by tomorrow morning. There’s also another crystal pony coming, but she’s a non-combatant. She’s an expert on partial magic and is going to help with the partials after you liberate them.”

Josie’s eyes narrowed. “I can’t believe you actually enlisted Fain. You know what she did to Drizzle!”

Rebecca nodded. “Yes, I know, but I also know she had a stroke of conscience after that and abandoned the people who put her up to it. There’s good in her, we just need to foster that. She’s had a rough life, and I hope giving her meaningful things to do and resolving her whole want to be a pony issue can turn things around for her. I’m asking you to give her a chance. I’m asking as both your Dreamwarden and your friend.”

Josie grimaced, but didn’t reply.

“Hold up—you’re bringing Sunflower Smiles down here!?” Crystal asked in disbelief. “Why?! She was even more useless than you when we were in the Well of Shade! That farm filly can’t fight! What’s she going to do, draw pictures? Ashley and Blanche can do that.”

“Not everyone needs to be a fighter,” Rebecca answered firmly. “What I primarily want her doing is keeping an eye out back here while you guys are attacking. We need to make sure they don’t try taking our non-combatants while you are trying to take that base. Sunflower knows how to keep alert and monitor a situation from a distance while keeping a cool head. She can give early warning if Zipper and our new doctor friend need to get to safety, and she knows how to find a place to hide if she needs them to hide—believe me, she has plenty of experience with that. She’s not a doctor, but she’s worked as an international aid worker and is certified in more forms of first aid than any of you. This isn’t just a liberation mission, it is going to be a humanitarian crisis to take care of, and while you’re all great at bashing bad guys, most of you have little experience in dealing with something like figuring out how to feed or get medicine to people who have gone through an ordeal like this. You’ll need help caring for the partials when this is all done.. She volunteered to help, and I’m giving her a chance to help. Sunflower’s not a fighter, but she’s not useless. She’s my friend, and might have had my job if she hadn’t conceded, so please have some respect for her.”

Josie flicked her tail. Rebecca’s intentions were great in bringing Sunflower and this doctor in, but they were going to need a lot more aid than two ponies for dealing with that many partials. She supposed that Sunflower and this doctor could direct her and the others, but that was still a small group trying to take care of a large community. Hopefully there were more coming and Sunflower and this doctor were just the forerunners.

The bigger concern was still Fain.

“Rebecca, I want to reiterate how unhappy I am with Fain being included in this,” Josie said.

Rebecca gave her a sad look. “I’m taking it Blanche wasn’t able to warm you up to the idea.”

“No, she wasn’t,” Josie replied, trying to avoid snapping.

Rebecca sighed. “Do you know why Fain is the way she is?”

“No, and I don’t really care. She is the way she is, and that’s all I need to know. She’s a monster,” Josie growled.

“Harsh, considering we’re bringing in a literal giant bug monster in Bursa and you don’t seem to care about that,” Crystal said dryly.

“I don’t know Bursa, but I know all about Fain,” Josie said, glaring at Rebecca.

“Fain was once held in a government facility where they experimented on her because of her powers. Well, after they coerced her into rehumanizing against her will. Before that, she’d been inspired by your visions of a pony world. That’s why she had previously wanted so much to be a pony,” Rebecca explained.

“Oh, so she’s somehow my fault?!” Josie finally snapped.

Rebecca shook her head. “No, her reasons for wanting to be a pony eventually morphed into her resentment for humans for what they did to her. Now she is being given a chance to free partials that are being held against their will just like she was. You don’t have to like her. You don’t have to forgive her for her past actions either. What you do need to do is believe that this mission is important to her on a personal level, and she is going to do everything she can to help it succeed. I understand how you feel, but you need to put those feelings aside and think about what is important, and what is important is bringing this terrible place down and making the lives of all those people held within their own again. We need powerful allies to take this place down, and Fain is a powerful ally.”

“But you’re planning on keeping her around after this, aren’t you?” Josie asked. “She isn’t going to face justice for all the people she has hurt.”

Rebecca looked her in the eyes. “Did you? I know it is different with you. You never meant to hurt anyone, but your visions have done irreparable harm that you can’t expect everyone to forgive just because you are sorry. We’ve still got an ongoing war zone in Central Asia that involves ponies that believe in their white alicorn god that they saw in your visions, and I can only speculate on how much your visions led to the rise of Shimmerism. I don’t condemn you for these things, and I know that they were never your intention, but your hooves aren’t clean. They are possibly the most bloody hooves on the planet. People that have given you a chance despite all that have not been disappointed by doing so, but I know there are a lot out there that to this day won't give you that chance. I’m asking you to give Fain a chance. Everyone deserves a chance to be better. If she fails, that’s on her, and I won’t extend chances to her forever, but if she does turn over a new leaf then it was worth it.”

“Damn, I didn’t think your pudgy ass could be so harsh. That hit hard,” Crystal said with a whistle. “Please, don’t do me. I don’t want my past dug up. I know it ain’t clean.”

Josie looked away. “You didn’t need to bring up my past sins. I put that all behind me.”

“Sorry, but I needed to put this in perspective,” Rebecca replied, sounding genuinely sorry. “Expect them to arrive tomorrow by noon. Try to figure out how to begin your assault within three days. Remember that Rossman is a high priority target to capture alive, Lair as well. We need them for questioning.”

“You aren’t planning on any reformation stuff with them, are you?” Crystal asked. “The very fact that they are here, experimenting on people, show they don’t seem to have much remorse for their previous actions—and don’t give me any counters about how they abandoned ship with Royal Bearing. Having limits to how nasty they’re willing to get doesn’t make them misunderstood angels.”

“I couldn’t if I wanted to. We made an agreement with the US government that we’d turn them over to federal custody after capturing them,” Rebecca answered. “It’s part of why they’re turning a blind eye to us doing this and a blind eye to Bursa suddenly going off the grid.”

“At least those two will see justice,” Josie muttered.