Chapter 2

It wasn't fair!

Rose spent the late afternoon talking to the girl, learning about her family and her pets and her village. Sharing the quick friendship such little girls give so easily, and even older girls like Rose remembered how to accept and cherish. Watching her face light up when she had someone, anyone, who could talk to her in her own language. Laughing about the antics of the animals and the other children back home. She was so happy, so alive.

Then she collapsed. Rose yelled for help, and got pushed out of the way by a bunch of people in doctor and nurse uniforms. Even her new friends moved her away. First, they pulled her out of the room, then zapped her home with hardly a word.

When she tried to "ask" Lena what was happening, she just got a brief image of guts and blood, and a promise to tell her later. Then, nothing.

Her parents weren't even home yet. She ended up throwing herself into the arms of her puzzled and concerned sister, sobbing incoherently. For all her newfound language ability, all she could communicate was that she was upset.

Some time later, their mother came home and replaced the soggy Tara. When she finally got bits and pieces of the situation from Rose, she found herself in the uncomfortable position of not having any answers.

Even the usual platitudes wouldn't work. When she tried saying that she was sure that things would work out for the best, Rose recognized the lack of conviction behind the words. But she also recognized that her mother, however helpless in the face of the emergency, sincerely wanted to help and comfort her. That helped, a little.

Lena felt bad about cutting Rose off ... for about a quarter of a second. She had been dropped into one of the most complex, intricate, frightening activities she had ever experienced, and doing so with no preparation whatsoever.

And she was not alone. The sudden change caught the hospital somewhat unprepared. The girl had been scheduled for a few hours of imaging and prep, then a methodical procedure. Their team was hours away from being ready.

And the crisis was immediate.

A freak accident had left her body perforated with needle-like capsules of a highly reactive - and toxic - chemical mixture. Normally, these were handled in a completely sealed environment as part of a process for breaking down certain manufacturing byproducts into usable materials.

Most were fairly easily - if extremely carefully - extracted at the regional medical center. Three were not. Two were lodged, somewhat superficially, in her heart. The third, in a tissue mass adjacent to a major artery.

The problem was that they were cracked. The tissues they were embedded in were the only things holding them together. If any of them broke open, she would be dead in minutes.

The regional medical center couldn't handle it. No facility in her entire country could handle it. Nor could the usual assortment of morfs. Only a rare combination of equipment and skills, such as those found at that hospital, would even have a chance.

And they weren't ready.

The crisis came when a crack widened, allowing a tiny leakage of the contents. Not enough to trigger the normal reaction of the core, and not enough to immediately kill her. But close ... far too close. And it was damaging her heart.

Lena had expedited the bond between two of her friends, Angel and Robin, and the surgeon. What they did was probably a violation of any of a number of regulations, but an innocent life was at stake.

With the doctor taking the lead, Lena coordinated the team of her friends. They explored several options at the speed of thought. Robin could not teleport the capsules out - her control was not that fine, and they had breached too many dangerous places. Angel didn't have the range to deal with any of them. Even with Robin giving her "ghost hands" to get close enough to do some good, the capsules were too brittle and thin for her to do anything about them. Even the surgeon, with ghost hands or regular tools, couldn't do the job.

Her heart was badly damaged, and barely beating. Using her ghost hands, courtesy of Robin, she got the blood flowing and repaired some of the heart damage. Some parts were degrading as fast as she could heal them, so she concentrated on the other parts. She got the heart going enough that it could sustain the girl for a few minutes without her, then pulled out.

They needed more help. At Lena's suggestion, Robin brought David to the operating theater. With Dr. Baker providing knowledge and guidance, and Lena coordinating them mentally, and effectively sedating the patient, they began.

Robin gave Angel the ghost hands again, which she used to get close enough to stop the damage and reverse it. David went in with his telesense focused down to microscopic detail, and centered on the needles. One by one, he transmuted first the toxin, then the covering into a copy of her blood plasma. Then he chased down and neutralized the traces that had escaped earlier. In the process, he found another capsule. The scans had missed it, because it was hidden by a bone. He quickly transmuted it, as well.

With the needles and toxin gone, Angel was able to heal the damage they had caused. With relief, she withdrew her hands and they became solid again. Partway through the process, some people came in and "fed" energy to the three girls, and the patient. They offered the same to David, but he didn't want to risk the distraction.

In the end, it had taken more than two hours. Angel was exhausted. They all were.

The usual post op specialists took charge of the girl. As far as anyone outside of that room was concerned, the process was carried out as originally planned. The specialists, having been there for parts of the process, were happy to let it stand at that.

One by one, the teens vanished and appeared in their own homes. Lena, the second to last to leave, conveyed the thanks of the medical staff to the members of the team.

When she got home, she "looked in" on Rose. The poor girl had cried herself to sleep, worrying about the patient. Lena woke her, and told her the good news. She gave her a brief replay of what they did, reinforced it with a little emotional boost, then let her get back to her family.

Rose was happy that her new little friend was going to be all right. But it had been a sobering experience. As powerful as those women had been, they were almost unable to help that little girl. It took all of them, and others, to do the job.

She hoped she had helped. She hoped that her visit the next day would help. But she had learned that even incredible powers like theirs had limits. And that teamwork and knowledge could push those limits.

Maybe she could make a difference in the world, after all. With a little help.

Rose was not able to visit the hospital Saturday morning, since the doctors wanted their patient to get a good rest. She didn't understand all of it, but the collapse and the "surgery" apparently drained her in some ways. So Rose spent the morning watching her shows, and fooling around on her computer.

The afternoon was a revelation. After getting together and talking for a little, the patient dropped her voice and confided in Rose.

"I had a scary dream." Rose understood her to say. "I was almost dead, and I could see myself. Then some angels came and saved me. One put her hands right inside me, and fixed everything. Another, a man angel with big wings, did some kind of magic. Something made me feel confident and loved and relaxed while they were there. And when they were done, they just vanished."

She saw the smile on Rose's face, and misinterpreted it. "Don't laugh at me! It seemed so real."

"I'm not laughing. Not at you. And it was real. Those angels you saw? They were morfs, and friends of mine. The one who put her hands inside you is even named Angel. They all had to help each other help you. The doctor was a big part of it, too. He told them what to do and where."

"But we kind of have to keep it our secret. The doctors were not ready yet when you collapsed. The 'angels' weren't supposed to do anything, but they risked getting in trouble just to help you. A lot of trouble."

"Like the people who got me here." The girl added.

Rose didn't understand what was involved, but the girl was saying that some people had already put themselves at risk to get the girl to the country and to the hospital.

"Everyone else will think that all the doctors did the work," Rose explained. "and that Angel just healed the scars. Let's let them keep thinking that."

With a very solemn look, she agreed to keep the secret. Then she smiled, and they went back to talking about their lives.

Some doctors came and went, asking questions through Rose, and often getting answers the same way. Then a man and a woman came, and they were not doctors. And when they introduced themselves, they weren't telling the truth. For a moment, Rose didn't know what to do. Then she remembered: she had friends.

Lena!

What's up?

Rose shot her a quick image of the two, and their lies.

The bad news is: they're shielded. The good news is that I can probably get through the shields if you keep them talking.

"They say their names are Mr. Tower and Ms. Strickland." Rose told the girl, with an emphasis that conveyed her disbelief to the girl, but not necessarily to them.

Be careful. The woman speaks a little of the language.

"What do they want? Who are they with?"

"Good questions." Rose turned to the adults. "She asked who you represent, and what you want."

"We're with the government, and we just want to make sure she is being treated well."

"Which government?" Rose hadn't needed any other help to pick up the almost-lie in the first part, and the outright lie in the second.

"Ours, of course." The woman snapped. "Now just tell her, so we can get on with this."

When Rose turned to relay their claim, she made sure she blocked part of their line of sight. "Push the button." While the girl moved to comply, she continued. "They claim they are with the government, and that they just want to ask you some questions to make sure you are being treated well. The angels want us to keep them talking."

"What do they want to ask?"

"What do you want to know?" Rose asked them, warily.

The woman turned to address the girl directly. "How do you feel?"

"It's just a polite question. She's asking how you feel."

"With my hands, usually." the girl giggled.

The woman was already looking a little annoyed when Rose formally translated "She says she usually feels with her hands."

The man rolled his eyes slightly, then waited for the woman to continue.

Recovering her composure, the woman asked "Were you comfortable on the way here?"

Rose understood a little more. "This is a way to sneak up to the important stuff. She asked whether you were comfortable on the way here."

"I don't know. I was asleep."

"She was asleep, so she can't really answer that."

The man and woman both looked a little disappointed. But the woman pressed on. "Who brought you here?"

Whoever they are, that is a big part of what they want to know. And they don't exactly want to congratulate whoever it was. Lena warned her.

"They want to know who brought you here, so they can do something bad."

"Tell them I was asleep."

"Again, she was asleep and can't really say."

The woman was about to press the point, when the nurse walked in. She asked the adults who they were and, without waiting for an answer, told them that visiting hours were over. She indicated the door, standing open, and the uniformed security person visible just beyond it.

Rose and the security guard tensed when the man reached into his jacket, but he just pulled out an ID wallet. The man and woman walked out of the room, and were talking to the guard as the door closed.

The guard doesn't believe their story, either. They were a little concerned when he said he was going to check their credentials. I guess they figure they will stand up to a superficial check, but not a deep one. They said they would be back, but they might not.

Rose was comforted by Lena's reassurance.

"They're gone, for now," she told the girl. "They won't be back for a while. If they come back at all."

The girl seemed to relax at the news. Soon, they were visiting again and enjoying each other's company.

All too soon, it was time to go. With a wink at the girl, she mentally asked Lena to ask Robin to 'port her home.

She'll see you.

She saw the rest of you leave that way. She still thinks you're angels.

Well, one of us is. And the hunky one looks like it. Rose could hear the laughter in the first part, and something more personal in the last.

With a little wave to her friend, she watched the room suddenly change to her living room.

Rose didn't care what "Poor Richard" said; early to bed and early to rise makes a girl cranky. Especially on a weekend.

First, there was Church. Usually, they went to the later service. But they had a shift at the Museum and their usual service would have conflicted. On the way in, Rose took some comfort in the fact that Tara was almost as grumpy as she felt.

It was unusual for them to have two Museum shifts so close together. But they had family plans for Thanksgiving weekend, and they wanted to keep up their hours. So Rose found herself at the Museum once again, talking about cavemen and their art.

During one of her breaks, Rose wandered across the way to a part of the permanent Egypt exhibit. They had a replica of something called the Rosetta Stone, left over from an earlier traveling exhibit. It was this big, broken stone tablet thing, with three different kinds of writing on it. Looking carefully at it, and concentrating, she found that she couldn't read a word of what it said. Apparently, she needed more than that to learn to read a new language.

Rose was just finishing another cart demonstration - this time, on flint tools - when she got the call.

Rose!

Rose jumped, much to the amusement of her audience. What?

Your new friend is frightened. She is calling for you, and almost incoherent. I can't understand her thoughts, except for a few images and her emotions. I don't speak her language.

Just a second! Rose thanked her audience and excused herself. She called over another volunteer to take the cart, and went outside the exhibit. She pretended she was talking on her phone.

Can you tell me what she's saying or thinking?

Lena relayed the thoughts. The girl was convinced she was in danger. The duty nurse was unconscious - not just asleep - and the girl heard struggles. She thought they were bad people from the groups that were fighting in her country. Rose told Lena what was said.

She's right. The nurse is drugged, and there are three heavily shielded people on the floor. We should get her out of there.

Tell her this. Rose suggested, then switched to the girl's language. I am the angel Radar. You can talk to Rose through me. We will get you to safety. Do you need to take anything with you?

The girl answered in the affirmative. A second later, even Lena could understand her request that they hurry.

We have her at Robin's house. Where are you?

In the Museum, just outside the new exhibit.

How do we tell her where she is, and what we're doing?

What are we doing?

We'll bring you here, then make sure she will be safe.

Rose gave her the words to use, which Lena passed on. Rose asked Lena to tell her mother what was going on, and that she would be disappearing (literally).

She is not happy about you skipping out on your shift and the family stuff. She doesn't entirely believe the emergency.

Rose was not surprised. Her parents were very stiff necked about such things. Still, it would have to do.

Found you. Robin will be there in a moment.

Almost as quickly as she "heard" the thought, Robin was walking up to her. They went to the ladies room across the way, made sure nobody was watching, then vanished.

As soon as they appeared, a very frightened girl all but threw herself on Rose. She was shivering and sobbing, and very frightened. Rose hugged her, and tried to comfort her.

"I'm here. The angels will keep you safe."

As they sat on the sofa, and Rose gently rocked the girl while Lena calmed her down somewhat.

"We told Dr. Baker and hospital security about the situation. They're closing off that area from the rest of the hospital and bringing in help." She paused a moment, then looked surprised.

"She wasn't the target. The boy in the next room is the son of a diplomat. He was injured in a failed kidnapping attempt, and they're trying again. Stay here."

Rose explained to the girl, as Robin and Lena vanished.

David moved his attention to the hospital corridor, and looked around. There was an armed woman standing outside one of the doors, watching the corridor. He moved his view inside the room, where two men were struggling to lift an uncooperative boy from the bed.

Using a trick he had learned on his visit to Sun City, he temporarily blocked the carotid artery on the one struggling with the feet. He knew he had chosen wrong when he "saw" an invisible Robin throw herself on the other and extend her energies. That could only mean he was a teleporter, and she was blocking him. In a move that David found more than a little disturbing, she shoved her intangible fingers inside her foe's neck and did her own version of the trick.

He unblocked his own now-unconscious victim, then used another approach on the woman. Remembering one of the attacks on Angel, he produced a small amount of the "dart juice" in the woman's blood. For good measure, he did the same to the two unconscious men.

Robin flitted out, and he watched as Security, alerted by Lena, collected the three sleepers. Seconds later, hospital staff were examining the boy and the drugged staff members. He gave Lena the All Clear as he withdrew from the room and followed the security people.

Taking a good look at the three sleeping prisoners, he found all sorts of hidden items. While he wasn't sure what some of them were, others were clearly weapons or communications devices. He had Lena relay the images to Robin, who popped in invisibly, removed everything with her teleport tricks, and stacked them neatly a distance away from the sleepers.

Neither of them could believe where the woman had hidden one of the communications devices.

Rose explained the situation to her little friend, as the others told her about it. Even with their assurances about her safety, the girl was too afraid to go back to her hospital room. After some consultation, Rose was flitted back to the museum to talk with her parents. Even though they had met Lena, they were still not comfortable communicating with her telepathically.

Ironically, much of that discomfort was in the name of protecting Confidential information - information Lena already knew and didn't really care about. In the larger scheme of things, it was trivial at best.

While she was starting to talk with her mother (her dad was busy with some visitors), the teens were busy dressing the patient as a boy. With much mental consultation with Rose, they explained that it was a disguise to keep her safer during her brief time in public. That done, they would take her to the Museum, to be with Rose.

Rose's mother easily agreed to hosting their little guest. Maybe a little too easily. Rose suspected Lena had a subtle hand in that. It didn't really matter. Once her mother made her mind up about something like that, it tended to stay made up.

Rose went to a secluded corner and "told" Lena that she was ready. Robin appeared, with someone who looked like an ordinary little boy. Even the flying hug "he" wrapped Rose in didn't spoil the illusion.

Rose finished out her shift with her new appendage. Soon, it was time to sign out and go home.

The weekend family ritual was slightly different from their weekday ritual. Since they were leaving around dinner time, it would be fast food en route and dessert at home. Rose's mother was the one to raise an important question.

"What can she eat? She's been in the hospital for a while, and that can have an effect."

"I'll find out."

"How? She probably doesn't know. Do you have Dr. Baker's number?"

"No. I have something better. Or someone."

Before she could get her thoughts together, she noticed the look she was getting. She explained the conversation to her little friend. Once she had reassured her, she made the "call."

Lena?

Yes? Is there another problem? Rose seemed to catch an overtone of worry, quickly replaced by mild amusement.

How... ? Rose started to ask. Then she was hit by the obvious. Oh.

He says that she should be able to eat anything she wants, as long as it isn't too spicy. Your mother was right - she's been on a bland diet for long enough that her stomach needs a little time to get used to regular food again.

In the end, she got a Hawkalo steak sandwich with fries and slaw. And enjoyed as much as she could eat of it. She was feeling guilty about wasting so much food, but they assured her they could save the leftovers for another time.

In the meantime, Rose was getting brief updates about what was going on at the hospital. A bug was found in the girl's room, and left functioning. They assumed it was left by the man and woman from the day before. David created an illusion of the girl coming and going from her room a couple of times, in case there were watchers. The doctor, and a trusted nurse, carried on a simulated examination of the girl, getting "uh huh" and "uh uh" responses courtesy of the illusion.