"Adrenaline shot," Reader said. "In a vein, versus heart, so it's not as bad as it could be." Looked around. Yeah, White and Tito were both shaking, too. And Tito was prepping more syringes.

Christopher grunted and Gower came flying out of the sand ball. I assumed I'd looked just like this-limbs askew, clothes disheveled, a giant fish being flung out of the sand ocean, complete with writhing. Only Gower was bald and I wasn't-figured my hair was probably terrifying to look at right now. Made the executive decision not to look in a mirror.

Jeff ran to catch Gower and thankfully White did as well, because it took both of them to catch him and not all go slamming into the ground.

"Thanks," Gower said, as they put him down. "Sandy wasn't hurting us-"

"So Kitty said," Reader interrupted. "I'll ask you what I know Jeff wants to ask her. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I need to go mano-a-mano with Sandy because I think that's what he's expecting."

"I was thinking that was exactly what Kitty was going to do and that she shouldn't," Gower said. "So I went with her." He shrugged. "I say again, Sandy wasn't actually hurting us. At all."

"That's true. So, is Mahin drawing energy from other people? And if so, how?"

"Yes, she is," Christopher replied. "I thought it would be a useful thing, to see if we could do it, so that in case we were in battle and no one could get adrenaline or whatever, that we could share energy. Hyperspeed works through touch, after all and Abigail and . . . Naomi used to do that all the time, essentially, and they were able to connect with me, Kitty, and Tito, as well as others. I figured, if they could do it, maybe we all could do it. So, Mahin and I have been working on that, since her talent is so externally focused."

We all stared at him.

"What?" he asked, shooting us all Patented Glare #1.

"I'm going to relish what I'm about to say. We're all just shocked to hear anything like intelligence and thoughtfulness in terms of powers and training coming out of your mouth."

"I'm not an idiot and I'm not exactly inexperienced in battle, or training." I got a shot of Patented Glare #3 all to myself.

"Yeah, I know. See how you like it when your friends and family insult the skills? Excuse me, I just want another moment to revel in this total Got You Back moment."

"Whatever," Christopher muttered.

"Kitty's right," Chuckie said. "About both the impressiveness and the fact that you're usually the head jerk insulting her at any given time. Save the wit retaliation effort, however, because we still have this situation to deal with. What do we do about Sandy here? Power from the rest of us or not, Mahin can't hold this forever and we can't all afford to be drained into unconsciousness, either."

"Paul, what do you think we should do?"

Gower stared at me for a moment. "You really want my opinion?"

"Would I have asked otherwise?"

"I suppose not. I think we should stop treating Sandy as our enemy. Differing views and rules don't mean beings are evil, just different from us. And it's powerful enough to have destroyed us all already . . . and hasn't."

"So, you'd like to try diplomacy?"

"If you're willing." Gower's lips quirked. "Interstellar diplomacy is your specialty, you know."

"Supposedly."

"Sandy panicked," Jeff said. "When you threatened its people. It wasn't feeling aggressive until then."

"Yeah, that 'I shall name you' thing really is their Achilles' heel, isn't it?"

"Make a decision," Tim said. "Mahin and the rest of us can't hang on with this much longer."

"I have to either contract the ball, and therefore destroy the contents, or release it," Mahin said through gritted teeth. "I have enough left to destroy, if you want me to, Kitty."

Took a deep breath and really hoped Gower was correct and I was doing the right thing. "No. Mahin . . . let Sandy go."

CHAPTER 37.

THE SAND BALL DISAPPEARED. Mahin and the three men with her all visibly wilted. Tito trotted over and gave the four of them adrenaline shots. We were all going to be the most jittery people on the planet for a while. Hoped we were still going to have a while.

Sandy reformed quickly. Rahmi and Rhee moved into fighting stances, battle staffs at the ready, but Sandy did nothing aggressive toward them or anyone else.

The sand was still shifting in that totally icky manner, but he looked far more formed-definitely male, definitely humanoid. "Why did you release me?" he asked, sounding confused but not angry. "I did not ask for release."

"Not out loud, no."

"Your actions weren't harmful," Gower added. "Threatening, yes, which is why Kitty charged. But you didn't hurt us when we were inside you."

"And therefore, we didn't want to hurt you in return."

"We call it mercy," Chuckie added. "It's a concept you'll find throughout our history. Not used nearly enough, but still, one of our better qualities."

"Yes . . ." Sandy said. "And those showing mercy are not always . . . rewarded."

"No," Gower agreed. "Not always. We prefer to look on the positive side of life, however. We understand why you're here. You have a job to do. We just don't want you to harm our world. And taking ACE away will harm us."

"But our laws must be obeyed," Sandy said.

No time like the present to try what Gower wanted, which was to talk, versus fight, our way out of this. "Why?"

Sandy stared at me. "What do you mean?"

"I mean 'why?' As in, what makes your laws so wonderful that they apply to everything, everywhere? I ask because it seems to me that, sometimes, interfering is the right thing to do. You know, like Paul interfering and coming with me, Christopher interfering and pulling us out of you, and my interfering with Mahin and telling her to let you go."

"They are . . . our laws."

"Laws, yours, yes, got it. Only, here's the thing. In our world, when we realize that we have a law that is no longer relevant-like not being able to give a moose an alcoholic beverage if you're in Alaska-we either ignore it, change it, or repeal it."

"What do moose have to do with this?" Sandy asked.

"I'd like to point out that even visiting superconsciousnesses don't get the Kittyisms," Christopher said. Clearly he was still smarting from my getting him back. Good.

"Everyone's a critic and I take back that 'military genius' compliment I gave you only a few short minutes ago. Anyway, Sandy, what I'm trying to say is that laws are, many times, meant to be broken."

"Usually by you," Tim said.

"I heard that."

"Why are you all so . . . calm?" Sandy asked. "This is a dangerous situation. You have challenged, we have accepted, the time of conflict is here. Yet you all . . . joke?"

We looked at each other, then back at Sandy. "We're not calm," I explained. "We've all just become really good at panicking with style. Oh, and stop with the 'we' bit, Sandy. Once you go 'I' you never go back."

"It's not allowed."

"Really? Well you said 'I' earlier. More than once, so it wasn't a slip of the supertongue. Does that mean you've broken the laws, too? And you like your name, to the point where you demanded I think of you as Sandy, not as anything else. To me, that says you have formed a more solidified persona, an individualized identity if you will."

"You don't have to leave Earth right away," Chuckie said casually, as if it was just a thought, no big deal kind of thing. "Not if you don't want to. We've already offered ACE safe haven. You could certainly have the same arrangement."

"Why would you do that?" Sandy asked.

"Good for us, good for you," Chuckie said.

"You wouldn't have to stay here, either, you know, if you didn't want to. ACE isn't required to stay here by us. He stays because he wants to."

"But too much dependence makes lesser creatures weak."

Interesting. So they really thought they were doing the right thing. And Algar's people thought they were doing the right thing, too. What this meant I wasn't sure, but I suspected that the bottom line was that no one, not even the hugely powerful, really knew, and everyone was just doing the best they could.

"Yes," Sandy said. "That is true."

"What is?" Jeff asked. "We didn't say anything."

Sandy pointed to me. "She did. And . . . I understand what you mean, and what you are comparing."

Managed not to tell the powerful superconsciousness we were carefully negotiating with to shut up, but it took effort.

I will not tell them, Sandy said in my mind. Speaking to me in the same way ACE did. Or rather, the way ACE had, before he'd been funneled into Jamie. I understand the need for . . . discretion.

Good to know. So, this has been, at least up until now, a lot less horrible than it could have been. Why is that?

I am not here to punish anyone on Earth for anything, not even for giving ACE a name. Or . . . giving me a name. You are the one who named . . . Lilith, are you not?

Wow, that little battle made your radars? Nice to be right. I hoped.

You would be surprised. Though, possibly not. But yes, we all know of the battle. You and ACE defeated Lilith and the woman she resided in, in part because you named . . . her.

Look, I don't really 'get' the naming thing, why it, to you guys at least, makes you weaker. But to us, it makes you more tangible, more real.

That is the danger. For us, it is the danger.

Oh. You know, I didn't do it to hurt you. Or ACE. Though I did do it to beat Lilith.

I believe you have a saying, all is fair in love and war.

Yes, we do.

We understand that. I . . . understand that.

So, what happens now?

Now . . . does your friend, the brilliant one you are so proud of, does he speak for everyone?

He speaks for those of us who matter. I sincerely hoped.

Hope. That is a very human thing.

Right, ACE could read my deeper thoughts. Of course Sandy could, too. Is that bad?

No. It is . . . endearing.

Ah. Do you feel the passage of time as we do?

No. For us time moves more slowly and more quickly at the same time. I cannot explain it to you, your minds cannot grasp the concept, and that is not an insult. This was purposefully left out of your creation and kept out of your evolution. It is a . . . dangerous concept for younger races.

Do you see everyone, like ACE does?

Yes. It was why I entered all of you when I first arrived. I have observed you all in the time I have been here. For you, it only seems as though it has been hours. For me? It has been millions of your lifetimes, while still happening in those same hours you comprehend.

The form influenced the thing and observation created affinity. Sandy had been here, observing like ACE had. But for a much shorter time. However, I'd given it a name, a name it didn't like, but a name, nonetheless. And it had taken a form, a humanoid form. And then it had spent time, more time than I could comprehend, observing things with names and similar forms. And then I'd given it another name, a name it liked. A name it wanted to hold onto.

Why did you have a change of heart so much faster than ACE?

ACE was created. I was . . . formed.

Born? Or created out of the cosmos?

We are all made of stars. But as you would understand it, yes, I was born. ACE was, therefore, more controlled. ACE had to fight against programming. I am reacting to indoctrination, to training. But I was born with free will.

Ah, the old free will thing. It's a biggie out there in the superpowered cosmos, isn't it?

It is a, as you say, biggie right here, too.

You see ACE as a lesser being to you, don't you?

Before, yes. Now? No. Now I understand the dilemma ACE has faced all this time.

What dilemma is that?

The dilemma of loving those you want to protect. It makes the desire to interfere infinitely stronger.

Parents go through that. I want to protect Jamie from everything, and so does Jeff. But we can't.

Even ACE cannot. But I now understand why the deal was struck for ACE to return to your daughter instead of . . . Paul.