Chapter 45

"So there's no practical way to get her powers back?" I asked, a lump in my throat. I knew what Megan had said about giving them up, but I also knew it wouldn't be that easy for her.

Eric smiled happily at me.

"I never said that," he stated.

"But... but you said the only way she could regain her powers was if I gave mine up; she refused that. I don't understand," I said, confused. Eric laughed.

"No, actually, that's not what I said. I'll wait a minute while you replay the conversation, Mr. Total Recall," he grinned. I did.

"You can get them back, Megan. It's just like everything else; there usually is a price."

"The price is that someone usually gives up their powers for you to get yours back."

"You said 'usually'," I whispered, shocked to my core. Was it possible? Then, I was suddenly angry.

"Why did you put her through that, if you knew you could give her powers back? Do you know how much she loves you, respects you, and looks up to you? That was mean!" I was livid. Hadn't Megan gone through enough, without the ones that loved her torturing her too? Eric smiled sadly at me.

"I know exactly how much she loves me; about as much as I love her. Do you really think I would do something like that to her if it wasn't necessary?" He asked calmly. My anger dissipated.

"That's better," he said. "I said the cost of regaining her powers was that someone had to give up their powers to compensate. Then I asked if you would. I didn't say it had to be you. She inferred that, as did you." He smiled, waiting for me to get it. I'm slow, but then the sun burst in my brain and I understood.

"She had to give up her own powers. She had to accept that she no longer had them, and be willing to live without them to get them back," I whispered, stunned by the beauty of it all.

"Exactly. She gives up her powers, to compensate for getting her powers back. It's a wash. Her powers are still in the patch. Willingly giving them up is the key to unlocking the patch. I could have told her that, but then she would have said she would give them up just to get them back. She had to give them up because she decided to, for a good reason, not just to get her powers back," Eric explained.

"But... what good is a patch to absorb powers if the powers can then only be accessed voluntarily?" I asked, still confused. Eric grimaced.

"The patch was never intended to be used as Bandor is using it. It was intended to absorb powers temporarily when necessary under certain medical conditions," Eric responded.

"How does Bandor unlock the patches then?" I asked. Eric looked disgusted.

"Same way, but he cheats. He reprograms their minds so that they will willingly give up their powers, then he takes the powers from the patches. However, being the evil being that he is, he doesn't stop there. He then reverses what he did to their minds about willingly giving up their powers. They lose their powers and they know that they did it themselves, not remembering that he forced them to. Is it any wonder they kill themselves?"

"So, how can we help Megan to regain her powers?" I asked excitedly.

"Simple. The Power of the Rainbow. I will, however, need to focus that power through you, the White Energy."

"Why is that necessary?" I asked. "With the Power of the Rainbow, I would expect that you could do it yourself."

"I could if I were here physically in a real body. However, I would still ask for your help. The tolerances are too narrow; it would be safer." Eric walked over to the bed and held Megan's hand loosely. He bent over and kissed her.

"I love you, Megan," he whispered. "Someday I will make it up to you for all of this."

Eric showed me where to stand and how to hold her hand, as he stood on the other side and held her other hand. Then he explained further.

"What we are about to do is very complex and must be very precise. The deposition of powers in an individual is a time-consuming process, for those who didn't get them naturally from birth. This, although slightly different, since it's merely a reinstatement, is simpler, but still complex. The conditions must be controlled rigidly. Any interruption could affect the reinstatement and could be fatal to her." I looked at him in alarm. "The chances of that happening are slim. However, to avoid any risk, I've sent a message to all of the people in this house to not disturb us for the duration of this procedure. It's unlikely that their presence would interfere, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Let's begin."

I saw rainbow colored lights surround all three of us. On occasion, a rainbow colored lightning bolt would shoot in from the ceiling. Through it all, Megan slept peacefully. We were about five minutes into the procedure when the door opened and Sammi walked in. I took one look at her and realized that this wasn't just Sammi; this was the Lady Samantha, for real, in the flesh. I was amazed at the confidence, royalty and command that just seemed to radiate off her.

"Eric, you need to hurry. We have detected energy from Bandor's people from the cave in the area. I think they are headed this way," she stated calmly. Power and force exuded from her.

"It's no wonder; they're energy hounds. I need more time," Eric stated just as calmly. "Can you delay them? We can't lose her now."

"I can. However, you need to speed it up. Take off the dampers and buffers and pour it all in at once. That'll save time," Lady Samantha instructed. Even the idea of arguing with her was unthinkable. However, Eric didn't seem to be intimidated by her in the least.

"You are aware of the effects of that, right?" Eric said. I could have sworn I heard sarcasm in his voice; the type of sarcasm you often hear from married couples very comfortable with each other and very much in love.

"Yes, I know, dear. She's going to get it eventually anyway; she just gets it a little early. Now hurry!" Lady Samantha responded.

I felt the house tremble slightly and could feel the confusion of the girls in the other rooms. I felt them take up defensive positions, their minds clear and their eyes changed. This was their Megan, and no one was going to get her this time without a fight. I saw Lady Samantha look up at the ceiling.

"I invoke Protocol 53, followed immediately by Protocol 31. Activate on my command... now!" She commanded in a voice that brooked no dispute. Not to me, anyway. Obviously, there were others braver than I. A voice spoke from the ceiling.

"Lady Samantha, those protocols can be only activated with the proper authorization and with the correct waiting time..." That was as far as he got.

"Initiate priority manual emergency override. Activate now!" She repeated, in a voice that promised severe consequences if not affected immediately. The voice tried once more.

"But Lady Samantha, I cannot..."

"Activate those protocols right now, or so help me, I will flail every inch of skin off your hide and feed it to the pigs! I take full responsibility. I'm giving you a direct order! DO IT! NOW!" The room rang with the echo of her command. The effect was immediate. I know she scared the hell out of me.

"Yes, ma'am," the voice answered meekly. "Protocols activated." The voice disappeared, no doubt eager to get away from this duty. I looked at her in admiration. She smiled faintly at me and continued watching Eric and Megan.

I noticed an immediate reduction in the activity of the black presence outside. Then, there was the sound of a tremendous explosion outside and a flash of colored lights and the blackness was gone from the premises completely. I felt the girls relax slightly, and shortly afterward, Eric indicated that he was done. He gave me some last minute instructions.

"She won't be aware that her powers are returned, as she was expecting not to get them back when she went to sleep, and they are initially inactive. Once Megan gives her word on something, it is forever; she won't even bother to check to see of they are back again. I would suggest that the easiest way to make her aware of their return and to activate them again is just to send a message to her mind when she wakes up. I would suggest you do that privately, as her emotional reaction will be strong." He smiled at me. "I would also suggest not having anything important planned for about three hours afterwards. She will be very excited and very grateful." He grinned at me.

"You talked about the effects of speeding up reinstating her powers and Lady Samantha said she was going to get it anyway, just a little sooner. What were you referring to?" I asked, curious. Eric sighed.

"Because we had to hurry, you and Megan were exposed to the full power of the Rainbow. That has almost certainly endowed both of you with most if not all of the powers available to us, and has strengthened the ones you already have. You will notice those effects in time."

Eric waited as Lady Samantha walked over to him. She flowed smoothly into his arms.

"Thank you, dear, for helping her out," Lady Samantha said as she kissed him. I looked away respectfully as they kissed passionately.

"You were a little hard on him about activating the Protocols, weren't you?" Eric asked, his eyes twinkling. Lady Samantha giggled, and then blushed in embarrassment. "Would you have really done those things to him?" Eric asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Of course not; well, probably not. I usually only do those things to my husband when he gives me trouble," she giggled, stroking his cheek softly. "I will make it up to him when I get back."

"I hope so. He was right, you know," Eric said. He watched her calmly. She smiled.

"I know. But what is the sense in being Lady Samantha and having all this power and authority if I can't break the rules once in a while. Only for a really good reason, of course," she answered.

"Of course," Eric smiled knowingly.

Almost as an afterthought, Eric reached over and picked up the small patches lying on the bed that had fallen off of Megan's neck.

"I better take these with me. They are very powerful. The wrong people messing with them could be... interesting."

"So what is interesting?" I asked, as I reached for them to have a closer look. He smiled again.

"Well, if someone were to break into one of these, the resulting explosion would take out an area equal in size to most of Chicago," he informed me. "If they broke into both at once, the explosion would take out an area the size of Idaho." I blanched and withdrew my hand from the patch. He grinned at me.

"So, it's ok with you if I take them with me?" He asked sarcastically. I nodded nervously.

Eric and Lady Samantha hugged and kissed one more time. Then Eric faded out and Lady Samantha seemed to collapse. I caught her in my arms and was rewarded with a handful of very pretty, but very confused Sammi.

"What happened? How did I get here?" She asked, totally confused.

"What's the last thing you remember, honey?" I asked her gently, trying not to confuse her anymore than she already was.

"I had to go to the bathroom. I was on my way back to bed when I suddenly found myself here in your arms," she said, then smiled prettily. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you!" I laughed and kissed her. It didn't take long before it wasn't just a friendly kiss and heated up considerably. Finally, Sammi pulled away from me and straightened up. She looked embarrassed.

"As much as I'd like to continue this, I don't know that it would be a good idea for Megan to wake up and find us having sex in her bed. With everything she's going through, she might be a little touchy about that. You're her lifeline and she may not want to share right now." I was so impressed with Sammi's consideration for Megan that I hugged her tight and then swatted her butt, sending her back to her room. She squealed in surprise and ran out of the room. I crawled back into bed with Megan.

As I cuddled up close to Megan, she pushed her sexy butt back against me, trying to get closer. She sighed happily as I kissed her neck. I saw her eyes open slightly.

"Hi. Wanna fool around?" She asked sleepily. I answered her by licking her ear and kissing her neck softly, then blowing on her ear gently. She gasped and trembled slightly, then slowly turned around, slipping her arms around my neck. I played with her for a few minutes before I realized that she had fallen asleep again. Poor thing; she must have really been tired. I grinned and just held her close as I dozed off too. I knew that if she remembered this in the morning, she would complain that I hadn't awakened her again. Megan is always ready for sex, no matter what time it is.

When I woke up in the morning, I was in the bed alone. Megan had already gotten up. That in itself was unusual. I guess she was changing a lot of things in her life. I listened to her singing in the shower. It wasn't a particularly happy song, but she was singing. I decided to wait until she returned to the bedroom to activate her powers again. I didn't want her to drown in the shower!

I must have dozed off again; when I awoke, Megan was sitting in the chair across the room, watching me sleep, drinking her morning coffee. My eyes were open before she realized it, and I saw the look of sadness on her face. When she realized that I was awake, that look was replaced by a look of happiness. It was then that I realized fully that Eric had made the right decision. She never would have been truly happy the way she was.

"Good morning," she said. She smiled gently at me. I could still see it in her eyes, though. Well, might as well get it over with.

'Good morning, dear. I love you, Megan, ' I said into her mind.

Megan's eyes opened in shock and surprise as wide as I had ever seen them, and her hand stopped with the coffee cup halfway to her lips as she froze. I saw her grip loosen and the cup started to fall to the floor. Without even looking at it or seemingly even to notice what she was doing, she grabbed it with her other hand, moving so fast her arm was almost a blur. Her gaze shifted to her other hand as she watched the cup nestled in her hand. She hadn't spilled a drop. Then she looked at me, her eyes moist and alive.

"Oh. My. God!" She said expressively. "Patrick?" She asked quietly, almost a whimper. I smiled at her and nodded, my eyes moist with gratitude also. She carefully set her cup on the dresser. Then I braced myself as she launched herself across the room at me.

Megan barreled into me at full speed, knocking me back onto the bed, with her on top of me. Then she tried to drown me with her tears of happiness and smother me at the same time with little kisses all over my face. I just put my arms around her and held on tight, waiting for the wild ride to end, hoping to survive. Finally, she nestled into my arms and gave me a very nice kiss.

"What happened?" She asked, her voice still reflecting how stunned she was. I explained to her everything that had happened after she went to sleep.

"The next time I see Eric, it will be difficult to decide whether I kiss him or kick his ass," Megan proclaimed seriously. Then she got a dreamy look on her face. "God, I hope I see him again!"

"You will, sweetheart, you will," I assured her. She looked at me sharply, but decided not to pursue it any further.

Eric was wrong about one thing. He said to allow three hours for Megan to properly express her thanks and joy to me. She kissed me and made out with me for a few minutes, then she let out a big sigh and her facial expression turned very serious. She kissed me once more almost desperately and then got up and walked out of the room, looking for all the world like a woman on a mission. I followed her out to the back room. I saw curious looks on the faces of all the girls as their eyes followed Megan.

I caught up to her in the back room where we had stored all the guns and equipment we had brought with us. As I walked in, she was finishing lashing two M203's together with duct tape, making a double rifle and grenade launcher that could be fired as one. I wasn't really surprised at that; 'Aliens' was one of her favorite movies. As I watched in silence, she put on a holster and slipped an automatic pistol into both sides. She then slipped two more into her waistband. She checked the rifles to make sure they had a full load of rounds and grenades. She slung a belt of extra grenades across her shoulders and attached it. She attached several hand grenades to her belt, and then, seemingly as a last minute decision, slung one of the automatic shotguns across her back. Then she loaded up with extra magazines for the rifles. I shivered as I watched her prepare in total silence; she never said a word. I looked back and saw several girls peeking around the door jamb, watching. Finally, I decided I would have to talk first.

"Megan, what are you doing?" I asked. She looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Duh! What do you think I'm doing? Going for a walk in the park? We're not in New York, so it can't be that. What does it look like I'm doing?" She asked sarcastically, and then went back to her preparations.

"I know what it looks like you're doing, dear," I replied gently. "I just can't believe you would be stupid enough to do what you're planning." So much for gentle. Megan glared at me.

"I'm going to kill some assholes that desperately need killing, that's what I'm doing," she said quietly, speaking in a deadly tone. I saw several of the girls, deadly in their own right, shiver at her response.

"Megan, Bandor turned evil after he regained his powers. I don't want you to do the same thing," I cautioned her. "Besides, we killed them all when we rescued you." Of course I knew that wasn't true. Her face softened as she realized what I was concerned about.

"Patrick, this isn't about revenge," she said. She smiled tightly at my look of disbelief. "Ok, so maybe it is a little about revenge. But it's mostly about stopping them. How many of our people have they stripped of their powers and left them to die in horror and despair? I told you when you offered to give up your powers to give me back mine that if I had anything to say about it, what happened to me would never happen to anyone else ever again. Well, I have my powers back, so now I have something to say about it. It ends now, today. Never again, at least not at this location. Or if it does, it will be over my dead body. I couldn't live with myself if I knew that even one more person went through what I went through because I didn't stop it when I could have. And you didn't kill them all. The really nasty members are on the lower level, where the really nasty stuff happens." I saw a brief look in her eyes that I didn't think I even wanted to know about.