“That was then,
                                                                That was so long ago.
                                                                Long before they came,
                                                                  And took his soul.
                                                               Long before he became,
                                                                     Invisible...”
                                                           Pat Benatar—Somebody’s Baby
 
 
 
            Agent Dani Long walked uneasily toward where she was supposed to be meeting a Meridian informant.  She had never like this particular man, but
the information he gathered made him invaluable to Meridian.  Dani sighed and pulled her coat closer around her.  Unfortunately, it didn’t help because
most of the cold she was feeling was coming from inside.  She wished she didn’t have to be there, but Ronald didn’t trust anyone else with the information
the informant was bringing in. 
            Dani entered the warehouse where she the informant was supposed to be waiting and froze.  The scene before her made her even colder than she
had been.  The informant lay sprawled on the floor.  Dani didn’t even need to do a psychic scan of the man to tell that he was dead.  He had burns all over
his body, especially on his hands and face.
            Dani took a deep breath to calm herself.  As she mentally scanned the area to see if the attacker was still there, she pulled out her global.  Before
she could open it, though, she picked up a mental signature and quickly turned toward it—only to be hit with a mental attack that was like being hit by a
truck.  She gasped as she fought against the attack.  After a few seconds, though, her knees gave out as the psi who was attacking her began to get the
upper hand.  Dani slipped to the ground.
            As she did, a figure detached itself from the shadows and come toward her.  When she saw who it was, Dani went numb with shock.  That moment
of numbness was all the psi needed to knock her out, and, as the darkness slipped over her, all Dani could think was:  < It can't be...>
 
 
            Agent Sandoval had to fight to keep himself from reacting to the pain he had just felt cross his senses.  Dani was in trouble and all he could do was
stand on the bridge and listen to Zo’or go on and on about nothing.  Ronald let his eyes drift sideways to where Te’el stood next to him and wished he was
alone with the Taelon so that he could tell him what was going on and that he had to leave.  Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case and probably wouldn’t be
for the next few hours.  He just hoped by that time, it wouldn’t be too late to help her.
            Sandoval suddenly noticed that the room had gotten quiet.  Zo’or was looking straight at him.  The Taelon’s face was covered in suspicion.
            “Agent, is there a problem or have you suddenly decided that the Leader of the Synod is no longer worth your attention?”  Zo’or stated accusingly.
            “Of course, not Zo’or,” Sandoval lowered his head slightly.  “I apologize.  My mind just...”
            Zo’or smirked, “Are you sure you are fully recovered from you CVI breakdown, Agent?”
            Sandoval’s eyes widened and he glanced at Te’el, who also looked surprised.  How had Zo’or found out?
            “I am not a fool, Te’el.  I suspected that Agent Sandoval’s CVI had again broken down when you insisted that he be transferred to you.  That
suspicion was validated when I check Agent Sandoval’s file and saw that the functional status of his MI and CVI had changed,” Zo’or explained.  “I am
disappointed that you felt it necessary to go behind my back to do this.”
            “It was well known that you weren’t going to have Agent Sandoval re-implanted.  I saw that as a waste of a valuable employee.  It seems the
Synod agreed with me on that,” Te’el stated.
            Sandoval smiled at the look on Zo’or’s face.  If the Taelon had had any delusions about being able to control Te’el, they had just been smashed to
pieces.  It was obvious that Te’el held more sway with the Synod in some areas than its young leader did.
            Zo’or seemed to think about this for a while and then he gestured toward them both, “This meeting is over.  We will continue tomorrow.”
            Te’el nodded, and Sandoval followed the Taelon from the room.  They were both silent until they reached Te’el’s private chambers, then the
Taelon spoke.
            “What is it, Ronald?  You went very pale in there.  I was afraid that you were going to pass out for a moment.  Are you ill or did you sense
something?”
            Ronald smiled slightly.  Te’el’s kindness to him was still a little uncomfortable, but he appreciated it.  It was so much better than the anger and
arrogance he was used to getting from Zo’or.
            “Something went wrong with the meeting Dani went to.  I felt a wave of pain and I have felt nothing since.  I am afraid...” Ronald let his voice drift
off.  He didn't even want to think that Dani might be dead, let alone say it.
            Te’el’s eyes grew concerned, “Then you must go.  I will make sure that no one notices you are missing.”
            “Te’el, you know I don’t like putting you...”
        Te’el cut Ronald off with a gesture from his hand, “I will hear no discussion on it.  Go, your mate needs you.”
            Ronald nodded, his thanks showing through his eyes, and quickly left the room.
 
 
            “How long do you have?”  Boone asked Sandoval when they meet at the warehouse.
            “As long as I need,” Sandoval replied.  “Te’el and Liam are going to cover for me.”
            Boone nodded, and they entered the warehouse in silence, both ready to defend themselves at the slightest threat.  Sandoval had scanned the area,
but Dani had undoubtedly done the same and still had been taken prisoner.  That meant her attacker had been a strong psi, and a psi strong enough to hide
himself from her was also strong enough to hide himself from Ronald.
        When they saw the informant’s body lying on the floor, Sandoval signaled for Boone to cover him as he walked to the body.  The man had
obviously been dead for quite a while and Sandoval dared to guess the man had been killed the moment he had arrived for the meeting.
        “Any way to tell who did this?”  Boone asked as he warily joined Sandoval beside the body.
        Sandoval shook his head, “I can try scanning the area to see if the psi left a mental imprint behind, but I doubt that there will be one.  A psi that
strong would know how to wipe the imprint out once he was finished.”
        “But there is a chance?”  Boone stated.
        Sandoval nodded and shut his eyes.  At the same time, he let his mind expand so that he was halfway on the astral plan and halfway off.  The he
began searching for an imprint.  He easily found Dani’s and the fear in it shook him to his soul.  She had recognized her attacker.  Unfortunately, she hadn’t
been conscious long enough to think the person’s name.
        Sandoval narrowed his search, cutting out Dani’s mental imprint, and focusing on the faint imprint that he didn’t recognize.  Obviously whoever
had attacked Dani had not felt it necessary to completely erase his mental imprint.  That was their good fortune.
        As Sandoval was able to completely separate the unidentified imprint from Dani’s something happened that made his breath catch in his throat.
        Boone noticed Sandoval pale and hissed his name.  When Sandoval turned around, the fear in his eyes made Boone freeze.
        “What is it?”
        Sandoval blinked and pulled himself completely off the astral plane.  For a moment, he was silent, and then—just as Boone was about to repeat his
question—Sandoval spoke.
        “I know who it is,” the flatness of Sandoval’s voice worried Boone even more than the earlier look of fear had.
        “And?” Boone was almost afraid to ask.
        Sandoval shut his eyes and whispered,  “And there is a very good chance that Dani is already dead...”
 
 
            Dani wished she was dead.  Her head hurt so much that she didn’t even dare to open her eyes.  She could hear voices, but they were too faint to
make out, and anyway, the muffled sound they made only made her head hurt worse.  She pulled herself into a tight ball and tried to block out all the
sound so she could pull her mental shields back together.  If she could do that, there was a chance she could focus her energy enough to get a cry for help
out to Ronald.
            Dani squeezed her eyes shut tighter, but instead of focusing, she found herself crying.  She couldn’t believe he had done this to her.  She couldn’t
believe he was alive.
             <Why?>  She wanted to scream.  <Why did you do this to me!>
            “Because you are a means to an end,” Dani looked up at the owner of the voice, but couldn’t see more than the person’s silhouette.  Not that that
made any difference.  She knew who he was—as if she could ever forget.
            “I don't understand, Troy,” Tears slipped from her eyes.  “What do I have to do with your vengeance?  How can you be alive?  I saw them kill
you!”
            Troy shook his head, “It is not me you should be asking.  Your lover knows more about the whole thing than I do.”
            Dani froze.  Ronald?  Had he..?
            “No!”  Dani cried.  “Why are you lying to me!  Just tell me the truth!”
            Troy stalked into the room and grabbed Dani so that they were face to face, “Look at me and tell me I am lying.  Look at me!”
            Dani opened her eyes and shut them again after only catching a glimpse of the scars that were etched into his face.
            “I knew they tortured you,” she whispered in a shaky voice.  “That doesn't mean Ronnie...”
            Troy threw his sister to the floor, “He was their tool!  He was the one who did everything they told him to...” Troy’s voice trailed off.
            Dani looked up as the silence stretched on.  Troy’s face was hidden by shadows, but she thought for a moment he might have been crying.
            “Troy?”  She whispered.
            He didn’t reply.  After a few more seconds, he seemed to shake himself.  Troy then walked over to her and again picked her up.  Dani shivered
when she saw the evil smirk on his face.
            “Your lover knows.  He just reached out to me.  He is going to come for you, and soon, soon he will pay for what happened to me.”
            Dani didn’t  know what to say.  She loved her brother, but this man was no more him than she was.  She also loved Ronald, but if he had...
            <No,>  she thought to herself.  <There is an explanation.  He wouldn’t have...>
            When Troy saw tears again enter her eyes, he dropped her to the floor.  After giving her a long, hard look, he left the room and slammed the door
behind himself.  The slam made Dani wince, but it wasn't because of her pounding head.  The slamming door sounded like the door of a tomb closing, and
her heart broke as she wondered which of the men she loved more than life would be shut in the tomb when this was over.
 
 
            Sandoval shivered as he came out of the trance.  Troy’s mind has been even darker and uglier than he imagined it would be.  He could still feel the
dark taint of Troy’s madness in his own mind.
            “Are you okay?”  Boone asked.  He hadn’t liked the idea of Sandoval trying to psychically contact Troy in the first place, but after watching
Ronald come out for the trance as slowly as he did, he liked the idea even less.
            Ronald nodded yes and rubbed his temple, still trying to get the last of the darkness from Troy’s mind out of his own, “He agreed to meeting me.”
            “You mean us,” Boone corrected.
            Sandoval shook his head and stood, “I said exactly what I meant.  He agreed to meet me.  It’s me he has the fight with.”
            Boone stood up as well; “I’m not letting you go yourself—not when this man seems so hell bent on killing you.  By the way, you haven’t even
explained why he wants to kill you.”
            Sandoval took a deep breath and shut his eyes; “I would rather not...”
            Boone grabbed Sandoval’s arm and forced the agent to look at him, “Tell me what is going on.  Right now is not the time for your damn pride to be
kicking in!”
            Sandoval pulled his arm away and then glared at Boone with so much anger, the Commander worried for a minute that he had pushed things too
far.  Then Sandoval again shut his eyes.
            “Sit down, Boone,” Ronald stated in a low voice.  Boone complied and then waited a few minutes as Sandoval seemed to pull himself together. 
Finally he spoke.
            “There are a lot of things that happened in the three years before you joined us,”  Sandoval shut his eyes for a moment, and Boone could tell he
was reliving a memory via his CVI.
            After a few seconds, Sandoval open his eyes again and continue, “I spent over three years under the influence of my first MI.  There were things I
did that I would do anything to...”
            When Sandoval paused, Boone almost began to speak, but stopped when he saw pain that crossed Ronald’s face.
            “I should have told her,” Ronald’s voice wavered, “but I was too afraid.  I couldn’t risk loosing her.”
            “Tell her what?”  Boone asked when Ronald again paused.
            “I was there...I was in charge of the project.  I knew,”  Ronald’s voice dropped so low that Boone could hardly hear it.  “I knew what they were
doing to him and when she asked about him later...I lied to her...I told her I didn’t know anything about him.”
            Boone shut his eyes for a moment.  He knew he should keep pushing for more information, but seeing Sandoval so close to tears made it hard. 
Fortunately, Sandoval began speaking again after a moment.
            “The project was developed to test the range of the ‘normal’ psychic, and then to find a way to expand that range through a CVI-like implant. 
Unfortunately, most of the psychics we used eventually went mad.  I didn't know at the time that every psychic is born with only a certain range. 
Expanding that range forces the person to use more psychic energy than they can handle...”
            “And they go insane,” Boone finished.
            Sandoval nodded, “Troy had very strong abilities.  He lasted a long time before he began to show signs that madness was sinking in.  I told Da’an it
would probably be a good idea to ‘remove’ him from the project, but he and the Synod didn’t want to give up on him.  About a week after that decision,
Troy managed to escape.  He just disappeared.”
            “Why now?  Why did he wait almost 4 years to come after you?”  Boone asked.
            Sandoval’s eyes flicked to the floor for a moment and then returned to Boone’s face.  The fear in then froze the Commander.
        “Because he always knew I had psychic potential.  He could sense it just as Dani could.  You see Boone, there are many things a psi can do to
another psi in the way of torture that they could never do to a normal human,” Sandoval stated.
            “Why did he take Dani then?”  Boone asked.  “Why not just come after you?”
            “He feels she betrayed him by being with me,” Sandoval’s voice cracked, “and now she will pay because I never had the guts to tell her the truth...”
 
 
            Dani lay on the cold floor of her cell.  She could no longer feel the tears that slipped out of her eyes.  She was numb to everything but the pain. 
The pain of the memories her brother had forced onto her and the pain of knowing she had been betrayed—that her lover had lied to her...
            <Why, Ronnie?  Why?  You could have told me.  I would have understood.  You didn’t have control.  It was the MI...  >
        Dani’s thoughts became more and more jumbled each time she tired to sort them out, so instead of fighting, she just let her mind wonder.  As time
passed, she became more and more withdrawn so that when her wondering mind touched a familiar one, she didn’t even feel it.
 
 
            Sandoval knew that if he got out of this alive, Boone would most likely kill him.  Ronald had had no choice though.  The Commander would have
only caused more trouble.  Even though Boone would have a splitting headache after waking up from the psychically induced sleep Ronald had put him
into, waking up with a headache would be better than waking up dead.
            Ronald moved like a shadow to the front of the building letting his years of FBI training take over.  At the same time, though, he wondered why he
was sneaking at all.  Troy would have known he was there the moment he got into sensing range.
        Sandoval slipped into the building, only to be blinded by a burst of light.  He threw his left arm up to cover his eyes, at the same time he swung his
right arm out and fired his skrill using his newly strengthened bond with Raven to allow the skrill to fire when it saw their assailant.  When the flash of
light faded,.  Ronald uncovered his eyes and looked toward the middle of the room.  A man lay crumpled in the middle of the floor.  Ronald cautiously
walked to the man, but stopped when he heard someone clapping.
            “Bravo!  Bravo!  You and the bug work well together,”  Sandoval turned around to see Troy standing behind him.  It unnerved Sandoval that Troy
had been able to come up behind him with out him sensing anything at all.
            “You’re scared,”  Troy continued, taking a few steps toward him.  “Not that I can blame you.  You know what’s going to happen, don’t you.  I
would hate to have to explain it to you.”
            Sandoval shut his eyes for a moment.  He had a pretty good idea what was going to happen.  He would fight Troy, but since Troy had a stronger
ability than he did, eventually, Troy would be able to break through his defenses and at that point, his mind would be a playground for Troy to do with as
he pleased.
            Troy smirked at Sandoval, “I knew you knew.  You aren’t that stupid.”
            ‘What about Dani?”  Sandoval asked.
            Troy’s face angered, “She is not your concern.  You should never have touched her.  You are going to pay for that too.”
            Sandoval started to reply, but was cut off when he felt a psychic probe hit his defenses.  He immediately blocked Troy’s attack and tried to send
one out himself.  Unfortunately, before he could, Troy had attacked him again.  It seemed no matter how fast Sandoval was able to block the attacks, he
never had enough time to attack back.  Soon he felt himself getting weaker, while Troy only seemed to get stronger.
            Sandoval shook his head as one of Troy’s attacks partially slipped though his defenses.  The next attack sent him to his knees and before he could
pull himself back to his feet, Ronald found himself looking up at Troy.
            “I hate to say it,”  Troy sneered, “but I’m not impressed.  Not at all.”
            Instead of replying, Sandoval tried one last time to reach into Troy’s mind.  The boy only laughed as he grabbed a hold of the probe and twisted it
back at Sandoval.  Sandoval shut his eyes and tried not to cry out in pain.
            Troy smirked, “Let play time begin.”
 
 
            Dani wasn’t sure whether it was the psychic scream or the vocal one that pulled her back to her senses.  All she knew was that Ronald was in
trouble.  Part of her wanted to stay out of it—let him pay for what he had done to her brother.  Fortunately, the rest of her loved Ron too much to let that
happen.
            Dani pulled herself to her feet and managed to use her psi abilities to grab control of the guard’s mind.  She had him unlock the cell and then she
knocked him out.  Just as she did, another cry tore through both her ears and her mind.  Dani wheeled around and headed down the hall.
 
 
        Troy tightened the grip he had on Ronald’s head, but Ron barely felt the pain it caused.  It was nothing compared to having his mind slowly pried
open and ripped apart.  Ronald continued to fight against Troy even though he knew it would only make it hurt worse.  At that point, the fighting was
instinctual—a survival instinct—one created to keep his ‘self’ from being ripped away.  Still, Ronald felt the darkness and nothingness closing in on him
and wondered if giving into the darkness would be the best thing to do.
            “Oh no you don’t,” Troy’s voice came faintly to him as if it were passing over an ice covered plain.  “I’m not letting you go that easy.  This is
only the beginning.  I have much more in store for you.”
            Sandoval felt his physical body hit the floor hard, but it didn’t really matter.  His mind was so far detached from his body that the pain was merely
a dull throb.
            “Oh come on!”  Troy kicked him hard in the side.  “Fight!”
            “Why should he?”  Troy spun around as Dani walked into the room.  “He doesn't have a chance against you.  Why prolong the pain?”
            Troy gave her a long look, “What are you doing here?”
            Dani’s eyes looked toward where Ronald lay unmoving on the floor.  Tears glistened on his face, and as she looked back at her brother, her anger
flashed in her eyes.
            “What have you become?  The Troy I knew would never use his abilities to hurt someone else,” her voice was tight.
            “The Troy you knew?”  His voice was bitter.  “The Troy you knew didn't have to suffer death over and over.  The Troy you knew didn’t have his
mind ripped a part only to have it forced back together again!”
            Tears formed in her eyes, “I wish I could...”
            “You wish nothing!  You betrayed me!  You made me invisible!  You forgot everything I gave up for you and you feel in love with a Companion
Agent!  You tortured me as much as they...as he did!”  Troy yelled.
            The tears ran down Dani’s face, “I didn't know...”
            “Well, now you do and you are still defending him!  Why Dani?  I gave everything up for you!”  He cried.
            “We can help you get it all back.  Meridian can help you.  Please listen to me.  He’s not the person he was then.  His...”
            “No!  His MI is no excuse!  I won’t accept any help from him or you!  You’ll only betray me again!”
            “Troy please...” Dani begged.
            “NO!”  Dani felt her knees go out as the force of the word and thought hit her mind.  Troy stalked over to her and grabbed her head between his
hands.
            “Maybe I can make you understand.  Maybe...” He tried to force her to see how he was feeling.
            “No,” she moaned as she tried to fight off the attack.
            “Leave her alone!”  Troy looked toward the weak voice and a smirk crossed his face.
            Sandoval forced himself to his feet even though pain lanced through his side, making his sight blur.
            “And how are you going to make me, traitor?  Tell me that.  Especially since I could crush your mind like an eggshell right now,” Troy stated.
            Ronald looked Troy in the eyes.  Troy was puzzled.  The implant's eyes were glassy and distant, and for a moment, he thought he saw something
else looking out at him through Sandoval’s dark eyes.  Then Troy laughed and sent a probe out at Sandoval meaning to rip the implant’s mind a part. 
Instead of encountering Ronald’s mind, though, he encountered something different—something not at all  human.  The presence caught and held Tory’s
mind like Troy never thought was possible.
            [I am NOT a bug...] an eerie dark voice stated.  [Do not ever refer to any of my  kind in such a manner again!]
        Troy moaned in pain and fear and dropped to his knees.  Sandoval moved unsteadily to Troy’s side and went to his knees in front of him and then
placed his right arm and Raven next to Troy’s head.
        [There are those of your kind who have been given gifts.  It is the same with those of my kind before and after the Taelons came to our world.  We
understand that you are not responsible for what you are doing, but we cannot allow you to continue to act like this.  We can help you if you will allow us
to,]  the voice stated.
        “What are you?  What are you doing to me?”  Troy whispered as he felt his mind subtly starting to shift.
        [I am a skrill.  What class does not matter.  What matters it that when my host’s psychic abilities were awakened, my own were as well.  At the
moment, we are using our abilities to stabilize your mind the best that we can,] Raven replied.
        “Why?”  Troy muttered, “After all I did...”
        “None of us are proud of all things we have done,” Troy looked up at Sandoval.  “I, of all people, cannot and will not judge others because of the
things they did under Taelon control.”
        Troy shut his eyes as tears slipped out of them.  After a moment, Sandoval gently touched Troy’s shoulder and then stood.  He was about to walk
over to where Dani was sitting, when Boone’s voice rang out.
        “Sandoval, I’m going to kill you!”
 
 
            Dani was tired.  The last week had been a hard one.  They had tried very hard to completely heal Troy’s mind, but they just didn't have the right
equipment or knowledge to do it.  Dani sighed.  She had just gotten back from driving him to a Resistance hideout in New York.  A scientist who had once
worked for the Taelons worked there.  He had some knowledge of the project that Troy had been a part of and now seemed the best chance to help him. 
            Dani let herself into Meridian headquarters.  The main room was eerily quiet because a large group of the operatives were either in the field or
meeting with other operatives in Florida.  Dani walked quickly to her room in the back before anyone could catch her and ask her how she was and how
things were going.  They weren’t going well.  She wanted to scream.  She couldn’t help Troy and she really needed to talk about it.  Unfortunately, Liam
was in London on Taelon business and...
            <No, I won’t even consider talking to Ron.  He had been so distant since this whole thing happen.  I don’t blame him.  Troy turned his mind inside
out and then this whole thing whole thing with Raven started,> Dani sighed.  <I can’t believe I am jealous of a skrill.  But damn it.  I miss talking to Ron...I
miss him so much, even after all that...>
Dani’s thoughts trailed off as she entered her room.
            Several candles lighted the room, and a vase of flowers was sitting on the desk.  She looked around the room, and her eyes stopped on Ronald who
was standing near the foot of the bed.
            “Ron, I...” her voice dropped off.
            “We, I,  need to talk to you.  Please, I can't stand this coldness anymore,”  he said quietly.
            For a moment, she couldn’t speak, then she whispered, “Yes.”
        He held his arms out to her and less than a moment later she was in them, crying on his shoulder.  He laid his head against her hair and cried tears of
his own...
 
 
            “You wanted to see me?”  Ronald asked.  He was very concerned and worried about why Zo’or, of all people, wanted to see him.
            Zo’or looked Sandoval over,  “You seem well after your ‘illness.’”
            Sandoval nodded and lowered his eyes, “Yes.  I apologize for the difficulty it caused.”
            Silence descended between them, then Zo’or stood up and walked over to Sandoval so that he was standing only inches from the agent.
            “I know there is more going on between you and Te’el than meets the eye.  Understand me when I say that I will not stand for it.  If you value
your life I suggest you remember that,” Zo’or threatened.
            Sandoval looked up at Zo’or with a blank face, “I don't know what you are talking about.”
        Zo’or smirked and then touched Sandoval's face so slightly Ronald wondered if he was imagining it.  The Taelon then turned to walk back to his
chair. 
        Ronald turned to leave, but stopped when Zo’or spoke again.
        “We will see, Agent,” he hissed.  “We will see.”