... the next day.

Late afternoon sunlight gleamed red through the shattered ruins of the city casting long shadows and plunging the streets into an early twilight. The wind picked up and howled as it pushed past broken glass and shattered brick. The howling wind continued down through the streets herded and funneled into the empty spaces and down towards the ruins of the city's sewers, subways, and utility tunnels.

The wind flowed into the long darkened tunnel dragging the howl behind as it made its way deeper into the underworld. Within the stone cavern a gust from the tunnel mouth chilled the seven occupants as they sat munching on gathered rations and discussing their activities. Outside there was little more than an hour, perhaps half again more, of sunlight remaining before night plunged the city into darkness.

High above hanging in the sky a point of light appeared; the first star of the evening. As the other stars and planets made themselves seen, the fading sunlight now unable to hold back the night it became clear that this object was new. Below in city streets or old crumbling buildings people cast their eyes up and wondered just what it was.

Down below within a chamber carved from bedrock and shaped by will Courier and Anna, tired and filthy, had snuck down to meet the others after yet another day of clearing debris from the ruins of an old apartment building. Gregory had returned on his own shortly thereafter hauling a small bag of pilfered food in old dented cans. Some of it was edible and some not. Raider, working with a stub of pencil and a notebook took bites between reviewing the latest he had gathered from the night before. Calypso, Seven and KB did what they could to tend to the others frustrated that their talents did not allow them any greater ability to help.

Doug lay down on the ground with his eyes closed and commented,

":Yahn: Good news is we're getting a feel for society here abouts. Bad news is we've joined the working class and life is pretty sucky at the bottom. Better for us than for the baselines I guess, but not by much. Stupid caste system."

"One comment though, these guys have a seriously blind eye towards the baselines. There's no realization that they're anything other than animals."

Gregory drops off the food and looks for the others. He had more information to give the others. When they are assembled, he repeats what he heard to the best of his sbility.

"I heard the guards talking again today, and they didn't seem happy. They are upset that the smart ones are south where it is always warm. They say that they don't have useful skills or right powers to help where it is sunny."

"Then one of them asked if it would work. The other wanted it to, because he didn't want to die. He said that the burn would happen all over or something." Gregory had head about the 'Burn', but no one had explained to him what it was. He also had no idea what 'it' was.

"What is 'it'?"

Anna didn't look as tired as Doug was and fortunately she didn't need to eat any of the scarce food Gregory had brought. As usual she quickly put on her clothes to "hide" underneath and sat at a respectful distance to the campfire, preferring to be near Calypso. She felt more secure near her in case the fire got out of control.

"I am used to work like this. People see me and think I have to carry heavy.", she shrugged.

Then she looked worried as she heard Gregorys report.

"Burn... is that what happened to earth? It destroy life everywhere."

KB gives Doug a nudge, "You know, just because they treat the baselines as nothing more than slaves and animals doesn't mean they don't realize they are capable of more. While I was captured I heard them discussing how they loathed knowing that some of the electronic work they needed done was being taken care of by a baseline."

KB shudders as memories of her captivity rise, unbidden, to the surface of her mind. Repressing them she states, "Don't let your own prejudices cloud your observations."

Calypso nods at Anna.

"The Burn is what people call the destruction left behind by the bombs. The wrecked cities, the radioactive wastes. All that is the Burn."

She sighs and rubs the bridge of her nose.

"Why can't they just leave? If it was just them going to Mars or into space, I'd have no problem with it. But no...they have to ruin everything behind them too."

"I don't understand Aberrants in city.", Anna nodded in agreement to Calypsos statement.

"We have power to rebuild earth and make better, why is world always about fighting?", she said sadly.

"You think we get Squiddy and everything will be over, or then we have to fight another Squiddy?", she asked the others.

Doug glances at KB and nods. He comments,

"That has to be something we can use. Baselines are doing some of the electronic work. Raider's a healer, there has to be some way to combine that... especially if the smart abbies are South for the winter. That implies Squiddy isn't in town."

"And another option is to open up a House here ourselves. I think that's how it's done. Take over a building and just start giving orders to the baselines and lesser abbies."

Raider looks up toughtfully, "You know, the smart, powerful and ruthless are in power here and it seems that leadership comes from taking it. I'm smart, together we are powerful, and I think I can manage a little ruthlessness if that's what it takes to save the planet. Add to that, Squidward is my brother and I think we'd have some instant respect from the locals if we proclaimed ourselves a new faction in the city. I really don't have any directly offensive powers, but my ghost-form would allow me to take a passenger along like Doug who could do a lot of damage, and no one could keep us out. We don't have to remain hidden down here, we could go topside and just take what we want and only those who think they are strong enough would even try and stop us." He gives that a moment to sink in, the adds, "On the other hand, it might also incite Squiddy to return early if we come out into the open. One thing I want to do is destroy that other rocket, and get a look at that object in the sky before we do anything drastic. What do you all think?"

Doug thinks about this for a bit and says,

"Harsh. If we do this we'll need to do harsh and nasty things. We'd also need to organize. Pick a leader, that sort of thing."

KB looks concerned, "To accept and perform the acts of barbarity that these creatures do without thought ... I do not know, can you become a monster so willingly and still retain that which makes you different from Squidward and his croneys?" She shivers and turns away walking some distance up into the tunnel.

Calypso nods.

"Maybe your plan will work...but I don't think I can do it. To be so willfully callous and cruel...I am not always nice, but there are places I will not go."

She looks away pensively. "And maybe places I must."

Raider nods, "I wasn't talking about being cruel to the baselines, or even cruel at all. I was meaning that we might have to make some examples of those in power who oppose us, particularly the ones that are cruel. In fact by treating the baselines in a kinder way we would gain support that the other factions wouldn't have."

Doug tries to form the link again and then (assuming it fails), he comes to his feet and follows her.

Doug says quietly,

"KB, you aren't him. You never will be. Just asking the question shows how far apart you are."

What's wrong with Raider, KB, and Doug? Gregory was stunned. None of them had commented on what he learned. Worse, they didn't even acknowledge that they heard what he said. Gregory knew that the information was important.

The fact that they wanted to stay here and expose themselves to the whole city was proof that they had not been listening. They were going to get everyone killed. The last time they refused to listen, he went out and did it on his own. He found the rocket, rescued KB, and ruined Squiddy's plan. That mission had almost cost him his life.

This time, staying in the aberrant city would get everyone killed. They were not on a rescue mission. They were there to stop 'it'. According to he guards, if it failed, noone would survive.

Gregory's stomach fluttered nervously. He was sure he would have to save the day again. Before it came to that, he would try again to alert them to what the guards said.

Gregory repeats what he said about the guard's conversations. Both the earlier one, and the one from today.

Calypso nods at Gregory.

"I think they understand. They're just trying to figure out a way to get into the city and close to whatever it is they're doing. At least...I hope that's what this is about."

Gregory shakes his head. "We are in city, and there is nothing here. The city is empty except for the ones who are not smart. The smart one are in the south making 'it', whatever it is. We need to find this other place."

Raider nods to Gregory, "You are right, and that's one of the things I've been looking in my searches is the location of that other settlement. Before we go anywhere or do anything drastic though, I want to have a close look at that thing up in space above us to make sure it is not one of the weapons platforms that was used to Burn the world. If it is, I want to make sure it can't be used against us again. We should find those guards you overheard and find out what they know."

KB turns toward Doug, her eyes wet with barely restrained tears, "I don't want you to become like him either. After what you did in the forest, I'm ... I ..." Unable to hold back she begins to sob, and, turning away, starts back up the tunnel away from Courier.

Doug sighs heavily and says to her back,

"Someone has to stand up and stop them. How does that go? 'All that is needed for evil to win is for good men to do nothing.' Let me tell you something..."

"After you got captured I tried, I really tried, to enlist a telepath to help get you back. I couldn't because they were afraid. This raises the question, afraid of what?"

"I don't think we were the first ones to trip over that nut. I think some of them knew, and they looked the other way. And for their efforts they got 20 feet of snow and may get a second burn."

Anna followed Doug watching the conversation he had with KB.

"Conscience and feeling for others makes difference. We not like him if we remember why we do what we do and watch eachother.", Anna tried to sound soothing.

KB spins, "Damnit Doug I'm not talking about that madman, I'm talking about you!"

Down the hall within the cavern KB's and Doug's voices caried their words to the others. Almost involentarily the conversation there stopped as they listened in.

"Out there, out in that damned forest you killed that man, crushed the life out of him. How can you be certain he wasn't what he claimed? How can you know that that damned monster hadn't setup you all up once again. You all very nearly killed Raider's father because Squiddy manipulated you to expect a trap! You scared all of us, poor Gregory tried to run away because he thought you'd gone mad!"

Though tears still flow from her eyes, the sobbing has subsided. Her voice now taking on the nasally, stuffed up quality she says, "What I am supposed to think? I'm worried about you. You used to trust people. But just days ago you killed a man ... CRUSHED a man to death, because you thought he might be one of Squidward's agents."

Doug nods and says,

"Yeah. That one is going to haunt me. But I didn't think that he *might* be Squid's shapeshifter. I wouldn't have killed him for that. I thought that he *was* Squid's shapeshifter."

"How many tortured bodies with someone walking around with their face do we have to find before I get to make that conclusion?"

"And it isn't just the shapeshifter KB. I tried to kill Squidward back during the raid that freed you. If I run into that son of a bitch who Raider found dominating you I'll try to pull his head off too."

"This isn't about me trusting people. These people have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they deserve to die. For what they have done, and for what they're trying to do. Everyone else..." Doug shrugs, "...is a potential customer."

"Oh Doug, I'm sorry... I'm just so afraid. Every time I think about what he did I just want to run away. As satisfying as revenge would be I'd be happy if I never had to see or think about him again. What you did back there, it reminded me of him, so cold ... so cruel."

Calypso looks back over her shoulder at where KB and Doug are having their spat. Her face registers unease, a conflicted frown. At one point she almost seems to turn and walk a step towards the two, then stops herself and remains where she is.

Anna looked worried and tried to close in as good as possible. Not knowing what to say she opted for what she felt.

"Doug is a good man. I trust him.", her voice resonated through the tunnel with warmth and sincerity.

"Kelly... I was too quick to be cruel and too pissed off to be cold. What I did might have been revenge but it was also justice." Doug gives a half smile then continues,

"Squid is going to do to others what he did to you. But even if we do ignore that, he's not going to let us walk away. You and I messed up his plans, we're on his list. Ditto Raider. Ditto the entire town for that matter."

"The only way we can just walk away from this is if I pick you up and fly South. We change our names, maybe we learn dorm and pretend to be baselines. We let Squid burn our city and everyone else we know. We let him live like king here murdering, torturing and enslaving every baseline in sight."

"And yes, we live in fear for the rest of our lives that he'll work his way down far enough on his list to remember us, and then he'll reach out with his mind to see if he can find us."

"But it might work. If he burns the city maybe he'll think we're dead and never check up on us."

KB scrubs at her face wiping the tears away, a guilty look crosses her face, "No, we should stop him. I just hope that the cost will not be too great. I don't know if I could bear to lose you."

She sniffles and them composes herself again, "So what do we do next?"

Doug tries to lead her back to the others and says,

"Next hopefully Raider can think up something to do here. Let's go find out."

"I can make prison of earth for guards. Just if we catch them to ask questions." suggested Anna.

"How they look?", asked Anna facing Gregory.

"You did not see them. They guard entrance to to tunnels." Gregory felt better, his tone of voice changing. "Doug has seen them too."

Doug replies,

"I did? When did I see these guys?"

"When you flies me in the first time, there were two guards blocking our way." Gregory seemed calmer around Doug, but sill looked at him warily. "That why we had to go get Raider."

He cocked his head at Doug, as if realizing that if Doug had gone mad, he might not remember. "I can show you. But promise me you not let them see you or you kill them."

Doug frowns and says,

"Yeah, I remember them. I didn't realize they'd said that but you're the stealthy one with enhanced senses. And I don't need to see them Gregory, I trust you."

Doug looks at Raider and says,

"That presents us with two other options. One, we grab one of them and try to get him to tell us what's going on. Two, you and Gregory sneak past them and try to figure out what's going on."

"Both of them have risks."

Raider frowns, "I think he was meaning the guards at the entrance to the tunnel we are sitting in. We passed them on the way in. Is that right Gregory? I've been wondering why they are guarding an empty tunnel... perhaps there is more down here that we haven't discovered?"