By Raven
Christian watched as Raven laid in the bed. She was
burning up with fever again. Sagan virus was trying to
change her. She had manifested less than six months
earlier, the manifestation triggered by her exposure to the
virus in its raw form. This time, though, her body was
trying to fight the virus and the changes it brings. He had
again tried to give blood, but she was not able to keep it
down. Nor could she really sleep.
He looked at the cat, her protector and familiar. He
was in his battle form, the giant tiger laying next to the bed.
The tricorder read that her immune system was fighting the
virus, which was why she could not sleep or feed.
"Sir," Carl's dry voice came over his watch, "You have
a call from the Arcadian Academy."
"Put it through, Carl." He grimaced. Adrian would be
upset when he saw Raven. Andrea was the boy's mother,
but he loved Raven as though she was his real mother.
"Daddy, Mommy is sick, isn't she?" came his voice
over the tiny screen. "I want to come home, Daddy. She
needs me."
"All right, Adrian. Let the teacher know that it is okay."
he said to his youngest son. A half hour later, Adrian was
standing next to him.
"My mother says that a little goes a long way." Adrian
said.
Chris looked at Adrian, a little puzzled because he
always called Andrea his mother, while Raven was
Mommy. "Mommy is fighting three wars inside her, Daddy.
Mother said that these would stop one of the wars, so that
the others could be fought." In his small hands were three
things. A syringe, a vial of curare, and a bottle of
sandalwood oil.
Christian understood what he needed to do and he
hated what would happen next. He prepared the syringe
and injected the two poisons into his beloved. Raven felt
burning in her neck then blackness.
Chris watched as her body shook twice, then nothing.
He checked the tricorder twice to make sure everything
was all right. The sandalwood oil had shut down her
immune system, and the curare had sent her into a deep
hibernation. All they could do now is wait.
Allison had woke up around lunch time and was now
taking care of Adrian. Chris was dozing when he felt a
hand on his shoulder. "I've come to check on her, old boy."
Stephen said in a quiet voice.
He did a scan of Raven. "Well, we have good news
and bad news." he said crisply.
Chris looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean,
good news and bad news?"
"Well, there is a secondary issue that has now been
settled. Now when she is truly burned out, she can
hibernate like the long sleeps she would do at the Guild."
Stephen stated.
"But those took decades!" Chris said, his voice
showing his alarm.
"True, but this time she will have all the benefit of those
long sleeps in just forty-eight to ninety-six hours. It has
something to do with Harry's suits. It will allow her get the
down time she needs without resorting to the slide rule.
"You know, Christian, she has been close to one of
those 'little burn outs' that she is prone to." Stephen
chastised Chris.
"I know, Stephen, I know. I just didn't know what to do
or how to stop it. She keeps the slide rule hidden from
even me and Salem. She is afraid of becoming dependent
on it." Chris said, apologetically.
"Well, that will not be a problem anymore. Now for the
bad news." Stephen looked at Chris, and he could feel his
heart drop. "She seems to be fighting within herself over
the primary effect, and I have no idea why." he admitted.
At that moment, Salem chose to stand abruptly, as though
there was danger. Both men went on the defensive.
"I know why." came Naya's voice. "She is fighting over
what she feels is a selfish want." Naya was joined then by
her other three sisters: Laurel who was Adrian's half sister
and Death's daughter, Halea who was the child of Ptah-
she kept a book that held all the memories of all that had
ever existed, and Sky, who rode the dragon of time, the
only one to ever tame him.
It was Halea who spoke now for all four of them. "Of all
Mother's children, Sky was the only one she has ever been
truly close to. With even her, though, she could not share
the things that she has buried so deep that only our
grandmother knows them."
Laurel now spoke, "She wants, deep within her heart,
to have a daughter that is her true prot�g�e, but feels that
it is selfish. We all know how she feels about not being
there for her children. How much it nearly killed her to
leave the ones that she did."
Sky then chose that moment to speak. "Of all of us
girls who serve our grandmother, I am the closest to her.
She has told me that Mother is the only one who has ever
surprised her. She has never asked why, only does. She
pushes through that which should break all, yet survives.
The only thing that could ever break her comes from within
her. We all know this, yet there has never been one that
she could let all that she feels loose with. She will not even
go to her mother, the force of creation itself. She protects
so many and asks for nothing. Even the first ones have
come to notice this. Grandmother wants to give her the gift
of the child that her heart wants. There are others that
wish to give their thanks, but over neither man nor god
does she ever ask for anything."
She looked at Chris. "Even now, she holds in her
womb your twin sons, so that she can have them after the
three year margin. She only fought for Adrian because she
knew that you would be there for him, since he was
Andrea's. She feels the honor of being able to teach him
but, like with Amy, she feels that Adrian is yours and
Andrea's."
"What does all this mean?" Christian asked the girls.
"This means, Daddy," Naya look right at him then. "She
is willing to refuse her deepest heart's desire, because she
feels it is selfish. What those that are here must do is to let
her know that it is all right to have the child."
Then, there were a few other voices that joined the
girls. "I speak for all those of the Gods that she has
helped." came Anu's voice. "As Robin was blessed with
perfection, so shall this one."
Then her uncle came forward. "When I cured her of the
madness, I saw the man I once was. For the gift she gave
me, I give the child the blessing that she will always be
able to soothe her heart and soul."
Then the world did a little lurch, so to speak. All that
were there gave passage to the woman that walked from
the crowd. She was holding Adrian's hand.
"Daddy, daddy!" the boy shouted as he rushed into
Chris' arms, "Did you know Gramma said that I get to help,
too?"
Creation herself walked over to the bed and to his
sleeping wife. "Yes, the child will serve me, but her most
important role shall be her mother's keeper. She will have
the one ability that none have possessed so far. The ability
to get her to stop and to make her listen. She will not be
able to refuse this child, ever, when it is a matter of her
going too far.
"You, little one," she said as she scooped up Adrian
and tickled him, "will make sure she takes care of herself
until she is born."
With that, Creation and the other gods were gone.
Halea looked at Chris and said, "The term of gestation will
be very short- only six weeks. She will grow like the
others."
Sky then looked at Chris and stated, "Arrangements
have been made, so that there will not be any disasters for
the next two months."
Amy then piped in. "When she is close, she is going to
try and sneak out of the house. Let her."
Finally, Naya spoke. "Now, this is all pending her
choice. Let them come to her now. They have to let her
know it is all right. Grandpa has some special critters for
her, and Guardian has something for her tea. This child will
be special, Father, more so than you will ever know."