It's been about 30 minutes since I put the kid in the med bay. Bulwark has left for one of the hotel rooms and is catching up on some sleep, leaving me completely alone with my thoughts. Thoughts that are not particularly healthy or helpful, but I somehow can't find a way to tune them out. That is, until someone grabs my hand.

I look up to see Clair’s concerned face. “Are you okay?” she asks.

I let out a long breath. “I have no clue, to be honest. I never knew the children, never spoke to them or interacted with them. But they carried my DNA, or at least some of them did, so I don’t know. I guess I am just mourning the loss of what could have been. I know it doesn’t make much sense, but still.”

Claire's grip on my hand tightens as she leans in to me. “It makes perfect sense to me. As much as you three sometimes like to pretend that things don’t affect you. You all still have emotions, even Crow, in their own weird way.”

“So that is what those were…” I hear Crow mutter darkly to themselves.

I nod, leaning closer to her. “I guess it does. Do you know of any way to fix the hurt then?”

“Time,” Claire answers as she rubs my hand with her thumb, “therapy might help too. But then you actually have to show up for your sessions,” she adds with a rogueish grin.

“Yes, right, I missed another one of those, didn’t I? Doc is going to kill me,” I say with a small smile.

Claire chuckles, “Yeah you won't believe the rant I heard about you constantly skipping sessions.”

“I will try to be better in the future, I promise,” I say as I lean even closer into her.

We stay in this companionable silence for a while, only for a small traitorous part of my brain to remind me of something

“I am sorry,” I manage to say after a while.

“You don’t have to be sorry for this,” Claire says with a small smile.

I shake my head. “No, not for this, I uhm… I have decided to keep the kids and raise them as my own. I know you said you did not want kids, so I don’t expect you to help, but I…”

The rest of my words are cut off as Claire presses her lips to mine.

“I love you. Including all your insane bits, but above all, I love how much you care. I expected nothing else besides this option, so don’t worry about me. I am sure I can balance school life with helping to raise a kid. I am hardly the first person to do it.” Claire reassures me.

I smile even brighter and kiss her back, and keep kissing her for a while until I feel the need to yawn.

“You should go to bed,” Claire suggests.

I shake my head. “No, I want to be there for her when she wakes up. I am sure she is going to be scared and confused, and I want to reassure her that everything is going to be alright.”

Claire nods. "Do you need company?”

“Do you have time to keep me company?” I ask with a grin.

“Well, it is only the first day of school. I am sure that I can skip orientation and such.” Claire hedges.

“Go, I'll be fine. Go be the smart girl I know you are.” I say with a smile.

Claire nods. “Thanks, but call me if you need help. I am sure to be there.”

I smile as I wave her off, only slumping back down into my seat once she has gone from view.

“Hey Lyssa, how is she doing?” I ask.

The girl is doing fine physically. Lyssa has successfully removed all implants and tech from her body and is now working on giving her samurai-grade augs. There is only one other anomaly Lyssa has found that might cause issues.

I raise my eyebrow. The fact that Lyssa has not instantly fixed it means that the issue lies deeper. “What is it?”

Her DNA, as suspected, is a mixture of a lot of different people. Lyssa assumes the combination of the genetic material of about 15 to 17 different people. And then there is the non-human element to consider.

“Non-human? Like alien DNA.”

Not extraterrestrial if that is what you are wondering; it's just that she seems to possess some of the DNA of a common fox.

I pause, being taken completely by surprise. “Is that a problem? Will she develop rabies or mange?”

Lyssa believes that it does not have any adverse effects at the moment and might only bring benefits. Lyssa suggests monitoring the situation to determine if there are any long-term side effects.

I nod slowly. “We open that can of worms when we get her properly settled then. Also, we need to do a DNA scan on Calli too then.”

Who is Calli?

“My other daughter,” I say with confidence. “She called herself C4l1 or something, right? That looks like Calli, short for… uhm Calliope. Thought that would be a good name.”

Lyssa agrees and will make sure to put taking her to a medical checkup on your agenda.

I smile. “Thanks, please send it to Cierra as well so she can remind me if I forget.”

Lyssa has already done that. You should make your way inside; the girl is waking up.

“Ah, right, thanks” I slowly get out of my seat, trying my best to squash my nerves as I open the door and walk inside. The girl is lying in a medical bed, no longer in her suit but rather in some sweatpants and a white t-shirt. Her red hair is splayed out beneath her, and she is breathing peacefully..

She jerks up all of a sudden, icy blue eyes with a vertical slit locking onto me. “Where am I?”

I gesture around slowly. “This is the med bay. You were injured.”

“So I failed.” She says quietly, averting her eyes and hugs her knees.

I pause for a second, trying to come up with a good response. “In a way you did, but not in any way that matters. I would say overall you have succeeded.”

The girl looks back at me, seeming rather confused. “What do you mean?”

I scratch my neck in a bit of an awkward gesture. “Well, the place you were at has been destroyed, so this is your new home now. A place where you are free to do whatever you want.”

“What if I don’t know what I want to do?” the girl says, looking scared.

“That is fine. We are not in a rush. We can take our time finding out what you like and dislike and work our way out from there,” I say as I come closer and slowly take her hand.

She gives me a small nod. “Okay.”

I smile at her. “Now, sweety, do you have a name?”

The girl nods. “Yes, it's Shinon.”

“Okay, Shinon, how about I take you to your new room so we can free the med bay for, you know, medical stuff?”

Shinon nods her little head, and I help her off the medical bed. I take her hand and start guiding her all the way to the elevator, making sure to avoid most of the people. Introductions to the rest of the residents can wait until she is more comfortable. Once we get to the elevator, I press the button for the penthouse.

“You'll be staying on the top floor from now on, so I hope you are not afraid of heights.” I say with a smile.

“We were trained not to be afraid of anything.” She replays.

I frown and kneel down to her level. “Sweety, you are not in the same place anymore. If something scares you, I want you to tell me so I can make it go away, okay?”

The girl nods slowly at me, but still looks rather confused.

I smile as I ruffle her hair. "Don’t worry, you will get used to it at some point.”

Shinon backs away slightly, looking very surprised by the sudden contact. That is fine too. We can work on that later; she needs to feel safe first.

We arrive at our floor, and I lead her inside, showing off the kitchen and living room before I take her to her own room. The room is sizable but has only a simple bed and desk inside. Still, Shinon looks at the room in wonder.

“This is all for me?” She makes a face that tells me she thinks this is some kind of trick.

I nod. “Yeah, I know it is a bit boring, but,” I pick up the tablet Cierra left behind in the room and unlock it. “Here, this has a bunch of different furniture and other stuff on it. You can select what you like, and I'll make sure to have it delivered to your room.”

Shinon gently takes the tablet and starts scrolling. “What is the limit?”

I look around the room. “The physical space. As long as it all fits in the room, you can have it. Just make sure to leave enough room so that you can still open and close the door.”

The girl rapidly looks from the screen to my face, trying to figure out any lies. “We could fit a lot of mango-flavoured nutrient paste in this room.” She mutters under her breath.

“Honey no,” I say. But when she looks at me with big eyes, I correct my statement slightly. "One box of foodstuffs for your room, okay? Since food needs to be kept in the kitchen. Is that acceptable?”

Shinon slowly nods. “I understand. Any other rules?”

“I don't think so; just get stuff that makes this place feel comfortable to you.” I say in my most gentle tone.

She nods, sits down on the floor where she stood and starts looking at the tablet again. Selecting items as she goes.

“Okay, I need to check up on your sister. Are you okay to be on your own for a while, or should I stay here?” I ask the girl.

Shinon looks up at me in confusion. “Sister?”

“Yeah, another little girl from the facility. She is also staying here.” I explain.

Shinon slowly nods. “I'll be fine.”

I smile. "If you ever need me, just shout.”

Shinon bobs her head, and I slowly leave the room, heading to the one next door. I gently open the door to look into the dark room. In the bed, a small figure is sleeping peacefully, hugging the big hyena sleeping on the bed with her.

The little girl moves slightly, her golden eyes blinking open as she looks at me. “Mommy?”

“Yes, Honey, I am here,” I say as I walk further inside, coming to a stop next to her bed.

“You came back.” She says with a faint smile.

I nod as I stroke her hair. “I will always come for you, no matter how difficult it is or how far away you might be. I will always be there to protect you.”

Calli nods. “Okay, can you stay with me until I fall asleep?”

I smile. “Of course”

I sit down on the side of the bed and start brushing her hair as she closes her eyes again. I continue stroking her hair as my mind wanders. Life is truly a strange thing. I went from being alone, hopeless and afraid, to this: having a family in a place I can actually feel safe and protected in.