Author: Warrior A. Persephone

   "So, shall we get down to business?" Will suggested, breaking the
awkward silence that had engulfed the small group.
        Persephone nodded, relieved and yet somewhat disappointed by his
business-like attitude.   She shrugged mentally before turning to the
Base Commander - Captain Adams.  "Is there someplace we could talk?  I
think we need to start by addressing the basic questions of where, when,
why, and how."  Suddenly thinking of something, she raised her own, hesitant
eyes to Will's, surprised again by the intensity lying within them.
"That is alright with you, isn't it?  I don't want to seem like I'm
trying to take control of the mission or anything.  It just seems like a
logical place to start."
        Will shook his head, slightly amused.  "It's fine by me - in fact
I was just going to suggest something to that effect."  Pers smiled in
relief and the two trailed after Adams as he led the way across the base.
        They soon reached one of the newer buildings and paused as the
Captain turned to face them.  "This is where your quarters will be - for
as long as you remain with us.  I'm afraid we couldn't spare anything
better than filed cots for beds - that won't cause problems for either of
you or the dragon, will it?"
        Will shook his head in the negative, while a slight frown creased
his forehead.  *Dragon?* he wondered.
        Pers, on the other hand, burst out laughing.  "It will be fine, I
assure you Captain, both Zaph and I have slept in much worse."  The
dragon reinforced that for the Warrior, by sending her mental images of
a miserable Zaphyre sleeping in villages besieged by the plague,
ice-covered mountains, and dry, arrid deserts.  Pers just shrugged and
indicated that Adams should continue.
        He led the way to the next building, "This is where our
conference rooms are - I think one of them will suit your needs perfectly."
As they stepped inside, Persephone was amazed by the amount of technology
that was evident.  *Look, Zaph!* she motioned excitedly, *they even have
one of the new WEDJEE AI's installed.  I'd love to have one of those for
my office back home...*
        The dragon snorted lightly. *You'd never get Mr. Chips to
leave... he enjoys torturing your staff too much.*
        *Speaking of them, I wonder how Brackard's doing up there...*
        Zaph sent her an image of an irate Brackard, scowling at her computer
as it refused to give him access.  Pers stiffled a giggle as they entered
the conference room and returned her thoughts to the complex problem at
hand - the disappearance of the Spongies.
        She took a seat at the single, long table and examined the map
that was lying in its center.  "Is this a map of the local area?"
        "Sure is, ma'am.  We updated it this morning -- had to, after the
fires flared up again last night."
        "Last night?" she asked, confused.  "I thought all the minions had
cleared out a few days ago."
        Adams shrugged. "So did we."
        "Some obviously must have remained behind," Will offered.
        Now it was Persephone's turn to shrug. "That or they never left
in the first place.  Where was their camp? and what was it composed of?"
        "Mostly Spongies.  As far as we know, they had few mechas and no
bots."
        "Well, why haven't you finished them off/despongified them?"
Pers and Will asked simultaneously, before exchanging glances.
        Adams looked around sheepishly.  "Well, they moved around all the
time - as soon as we set up to move on one location they'd switch to
another... always a step ahead in the game."
        The Dobe Warrior exchanged a concerned glance with Will. "That
sounds like they had somebody guiding them.  Spongies don't do things
like that on their own."
        "That's what we thought too, but could never get close enough to
prove it.  Don't think that we're incompetent though - from what I hear
there are a lot of other bases around that are having similar problems."
        "Of course.  If the Purple Forces couldn't hold food supply areas,
the war'd be over by now - they know enough to devote resources to it.
Hmmm..." she wondered. "Well, where was their last camp?  Do you know?"
        He pointed out an area of burn to the northeast on the map.
"Somewhere in that area.  It's where the first fires started - since then
they've been blossoming up all over and we've had our hands full.  I had
to pull most of my men in from the field to fight the blasted things.
It's really limited the information that I have to give you."
        *An ingenious plan, don't you think Will?* she asked him
mentally.  Surprisingly, she felt no connection and asked Zaph what was
going on.
        *Well, I suppose he /could/ be a mind mute - but I sense some
level of awareness around him.  Hmm... lemme try something.*
        Seconds later, Persephone yelped outloud as the dragon's shock
overwhelmed her.  *What was that!?* she gasped to her Companion, as both
Will and Adams looked at her in surprise.
        Comprehension slowly entered the TRES researcher's eyes and with it
came a slight glimmer of amusement.  Turning to the Captain, he asked,
"Would you mind excusing us for a minute? I believe Pers and I have
something we need to discuss."
        Adams looked hesitant but could find no reason to stay behind.
"Um... certainly.  You'll let me know if you need anything else?"
        Will nodded and waited until he had left the room before turning
to the dazed woman across from him.
        She raised terrified eyes to his own, and shakily asked, "What is that
/thing/ in your mind?  It's horrible!"  She shivered again, seeing the
image that had flashed through her eyes moments before - an image of a
twisted mind containing the personalities of millions of creatures, all
totally insane.
        *Kit, what did you do to her?* he asked, suddenly concerned.
While Kit had been in contact with few others, none had ever reacted like
this before.
        *Nothing,* he replied succintly.  *A large creature came into
contact with me before I had a chance to block off some of the
memories... it saw them.  But it wasn't her.*
        Meanwhile, Zaphyre shook off the horror she had witnessed and
tried to comfort her human friend.  *Shh... It wasn't that bad - we just
delved in too deeply.  There is another entity surrounding the TRES man,
not any better than a normal person but not evil either.  Trust me on this
one.*
        Pers nodded slowly and let the dragon adjust her body's
reactions, calming her quickly.  When Will glanced at her again, he saw
the composed, young woman he had come to know.
        His brow furrowed in confusion. "How did you do that?"
        "Do what?"
        He shook his head in disbelief. "Weren't you hysterical a minute ago?"
        "Oh that!  Zaph did it.  She convinced me that whatever that
/thing/ is - it isn't evil and so I let her calm me down."
        "Zaph, huh.  What are you talking about?"
        "You don't know?" she asked. "Nobody told you?"
        "Obviously not."
        *Zaph, I don't believe this, * she mentally griped.
        *Believe it, my dear.  According to Kit this one has no clue what
you are talking about.*
        *Kit?*
        *The being I sensed earlier - he is quite intelligent and I'm enjoying
conversing with him.*
        *Whatever...* the human replied, returning her attention to Will,
who still looked rather confused.
        "Well," she started, "I don't really know how to say this without
sounding totally off my rocker - but maybe you'll be able to understand.
I'd have Zaph do it, but she seems to be rather busy right now."  She
took a deep breath before continuing.  "Both Zaph who is a dragon, and I
share a body.  We share thoughts and experiences."  The Warrior shrugged
trying to judge his reaction. Her eyes slowly changed, becoming flaming
orbs that seemed to be both ancient and mystical at the same time as
Zaphyre melded with her.  *Kit will explain to him.* the dragon passed on.
        *Who is this Kit fellow, anyways?*
        The dragon shrugged mentally.  *His status in Will's mind and his
own is somewhere between a friend and a servant.  He's a refugee from
another universe.  Claims evil won there, not the Purple Demon but another
form.  That memory you saw was a sort of prison for minds - intended to be
an immortal Paradise for telepaths, and one man's psychoses spread like a
virus.  Turned it into Hell.*
   *My Grimace.  This sounds like a job for the Verthandic Rangers.*
   *Wouldn't work.  Kit - by the way, his real name's K'n...*
   Persephone heard an unpronounceble name roll freely into her mind
as if off the dragon's tongue.  While admiring it for its harmonious
nature, she knew that she would never be able to imitate it.  Smiling, she
sent back, *I think I'll just call him Kit.*
   *Somehow I knew you'd say that.  Anyways, Kit got out just before they
closed their Universe off from all others forever by using the force of
Time to stop entropic decay.  That way they can be sure of immortality -
nothing in their Universe can destroy it, even entropy.  They'll live
forever.*
   *If you call that living.*
   *So to continue, Kit got out and, through means fair and foul, found
his way to Will as a payment for services rendered to his former
master/friend.  Willing, of course.  Since he was originally a nonhuman
psychic entity, he can communicate for Will, who's a mind-mute otherwise.*
   On the other side of the table, Zaph was fluently carrying on another
conversation.
   *You're quite adept at image and concept communication, Kit.*
   *I've been a psychic being for over a billion years, Zaphyre.  Of
course, the last billion or so were so uneventful I really didn't change
much.  Floating around in a silent void does that.  I imagine most beings
of such age are far more advanced than I.*  Will's thought came through.
   *Zaph?  A... dragon, they said?*
   *Ummm...*
   *Speak to me, and he will hear,* said Kit.  *I transmit his mental
voice, as well.*
   *Aye, we seem to approximate your concept of such.  I'm reptilian, with
avian flight capabilities and other such traditional characteristics.*
   *Fire-breathing?  Silver tongue?*
   *Fire, yes.  Silver tongue - well, I don't know how much is being over
a thousand years old and how much is innate.  Your people's poetry seems
as good as ours.*
   Although the thought was calm, the comparative sociologist in Will was
practically panting.  *I'll have to experience some of your poetry some
time.*
   *We can probably arrange that when matters military are less pressing.*
        Pers glanced over at Will and was surprised to note that he was
staring at her with a glance filled with a school boy's curiosity.
        "Are you really over 1000 years old?"
        She smiled gently.  "I'm not, but Zaph is.  We are separate
beings - and still don't know everything about each other."
        "It's incredible."
        Persephone nodded, then gently steered him back to the original
problem.  "So what do you think we should do next?"
        "About what?"
        "The vanishing Minions... remember?"
        Will blushed slightly, before regaining his composure.  "Well, I
thought I might go see if I can get ahold of any of their intel files -
maybe get more details about how the group itself was composed."
        "Sounds good to me.  Would you mind if I took off for awhile?
I'd like to get some fresh air - and possiby check out that burned area
the Captain mentioned earlier." She shrugged. "Maybe I'll be able to pick
up something they missed."
        "I don't mind.  Do you want to meet to compare notes later tonight?"
        "Sure - I'll let Kit know where to find us,"  the Warrior
responded, rising to her feet and following Will out of the room.


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[Later that night]

        Pers leaned back and sighed contentedly as the night's
tranquility crept into her soul.  Staring up at the stars, she began to
meditiate searching for an inner peace.  In her trance-like state, she
felt rather than heard somebody approach and instinctively knew who it
would be.
        Will paused briefly before moving closer and settling quietly on
the ground beside her.  The two sat side-by-side quietly, neither wanting
to break the comfortable silence.
        Eventually Persephone began to speak in a soft, wistful voice.
"I always used to love nights like this.  Back before I met Zaph... I
used to spend all my free time looking up at the stars, wishing I could
soar among them.  Sometimes I wish things had never changed."
        The TRES officer remained respectfully silent, waiting for her to
continue.
        "But then I remember the joys of flying, of actually /getting/ to
soar through the clouds and I remember all the good things Zaph has given
me... it's so confusing.  Some days I love being me - a dragon, free to go
where I want... but other times,  I don't know." she finished, suddenly
feeling very self-conscious.  "So what did you find out today?" she
asked, suddenly changing subjects.  "While flying about, Zaph and I
found the campsite that Adams had mentioned...  it looked like there were
a bunch of Minions that never made it out after the fires were started."
        Will sighed heavily. "I suppose that really shouldn't be much of
a surprise - they can always find more Minions, right?"
        "Unfortunately for us, that is too true.  Anyways, so then we
went a little farther afield and discovered another camp site.  It was
abandoned - but from what little I could tell, I would guess they only
left today.  Well, maybe yesterday.  It looks like they started the fires
to distract attention and then waited around awhile to make sure they
spread in the way they wanted before taking off."
        "Interesting," Will replied, "there aren't any major Spoungin
centers around... are there?"
        "Not as far as we know.  Neither Dobe Intel or the satellites
have picked up anything."
        "Something for us to think on then.  Well, after digging through
all sorts of records and files, I finally found somethng that might
help.  Here," he handed her a set of papers covered with numbers and
scrawlings in cramped writing.
        "What am I looking at?"
        "Those papers contain all of the information about the recent
group of Minions.   The Captain was correct in assuming they had no bots
and few mecha.  According to the data, only 5% of the group has any sort
of enhancers and the other 95 is made up of Spoungin'.  Pretty easy
pickings if you ask me."
        "None of this makes any sense!" Pers griped, suddenly exhausted.
"Vital food supply area, but minor troop assignment.  Of those, no
identifiable commander, but moves strategically.  A few days ago, they
suddenly take off without a moment's warning, patrols heading back to
base, even beating hasty retreats from the few skirmishes ongoing.
Destination unknown.  Speed probably high priority.  Heavy losses in the
one Jihad patrol that encounters the gathering forces, who delay leaving
until patrol retreats despite being ready.  Therefore destination desired
to be unknown, yet they leave a trail of fire behind them."
   "How did you deduce all of that last part?"  Will asked.
   "Got information from several of the troops who were in the field that
day.  Didn't you do some interviewing?"
   Will slowly shook his head and answered very quietly.  "I was so busy
digging through files I didn't even think of talking to people."
   Pers freed a hand to pat him on the arm.  "We both have our
investigative habits, Will.  Right now mine are just coming up with more
questions, though.  Listen, let's both of us get a good night's sleep and
tackle this in the morning -  maybe we can head out to their newer
campsite?"
        "Sounds good to me, are you alright?" he asked, concerned by the
sudden change in her attitude.
        "Yeah - just tired.  Oh and Will? Thanks for listening earlier...
it meant a lot to me."   Before he could respond to that startling
statement, she was gone - disappearing easily into the blackness of the
night.

TBC...