"General Grey sir! She's the only one we've found. She claims that if she stops what she's doing that the complex first then the world will be destroyed." The same soldier that ordered her to stop explains to the general as he walks in.

"Then perhaps we should help her? Get techs in here now!" General Grey orders.

"Don't touch anything!" Ariele warns as the general walks over to her. "That bitch the queen had all the controls coated with a poison. If you touch it with your skin you will die."

The general smiles humorlessly at the young woman working so feverishly, "But what about you? You've touched it."

Ariele finishes and manages to say before passing out, "That's how I know."

General looks down at the now unconscious girl and wonders just what the hell he's supposed to make of her. She had the chance to kill them all, all she had to do was let the bomb go off but instead she just tried her best to save them all.

"Take her to the infirmary and have the techs make sure that the bomb is disabled if that girl dies and she didn't finish than our planet dies." Grey does believe the girl on that. The Aelven are known for their nastiness and since they are cornered it's very possible they would take everyone with them.

"And find out where those damn Aelven are. They didn't just disappear off the face of the earth, they have to be hiding somewhere!" The soldiers give him a salute as they call for medics to come get the girl.

Grey studies the girl before the medics get there. She doesn't look Aelven, she looks human and that worries him. If she is the only one left it will all come down on her. He has to find those Aelven.

Grey kneels down by the girl as she moans. "Hold on there, help is on its way."

The tech's arrive before the medics and he instructs them about what was going on. "You'll want to wear gloves. The girl here says that things have been poisoned. Better double up, we don't know how potent that poison is or how easily it will go through the gloves." The techs nod and start gloving up. They are thrilled to be getting their hands on this technology. The Aelven were the most advanced in weaponry tech in the world.

Then they start looking over the console and where the girl was working. They sit back, look at each other then turn back to the impatient general standing behind them. "Well?" Is all the general says.

"This is all completely different than anything we've ever dealt with sir. If she doesn't die we'd like a chance to pick her brain. We have no way of knowing whether she disabled it or not. We hope so." The senior tech says both excited and fearful.

The medics finally arrive and Grey instructs them to take the girl to the infirmary. They don't look hopeful. Her vitals aren't good and her breathing is becoming difficult. Grey hopes the infirmary can do something for this girl at least long enough for him to get some answers.

"Sir, we've found what looks like a user's manual or guide," says the senior tech.

"Well then use it!" Grey is getting more and more short tempered.

"We can't read it. I know two languages and bits of several others but this is a hodgepodge of what looks like ten languages or more. It doesn't make any sense." The tech says staring down at the book.

Grey just rubs his head this day isn't going very well. The only good thing is he hadn't lost any men.

"Sir we've found a steel door like ones banks use for their vaults," Grey receives a radio transmission.

"Where?" Grey demands. That might just be where those damned Aelven went.

"Just down the corridor from your present location sir," comes the reply. Grey doesn't wait any longer and leaves the control room and heads down the stone corridor. This part of the castle is old, probably part of the original castle first built when the Aelven came.

It doesn't take Grey long to get to the steel door. At least Grey thinks it's steel until the diamond drill they are using breaks without leaving a scratch. "What the hell kind of metal is that?" Grey demands.

"We don't know sir. It's nothing we've ever encountered before. Nothing we use on it will work. We've even tried to use explosives, but the counters just fizz out." The men are as at a loss as Grey is.

Angry and frustrated Grey decides to see the girl, if she still lives she'll have some answers. He hopes she lives so that he can strangle her himself.

"Where's that girl the medics brought in?" Grey demands of the nurse on duty.

The nurse points the way to the general, she manages to hide how scared he makes her but the general sees her shaking hand. He sighs. "I'm sorry nurse. Thank you."

The girl is the only occupant currently. So far the only injuries to his men have been minor ones. The nurse follows behind the general, she needs to check on the girl anyway.

"How is she?" The general asks in a calmer, gentler voice that helps the nurse tolerate being near him.

"Her vitals have stabilized, and she's breathing much more easily than earlier. But the best we could do is slow the poison down. We don't know which poison was used so we can't give her an antidote. Perhaps if the girl awakens she can tell us more, but until then all we can do is make her as comfortable as possible," The nurse says sadly. She commiserates with the girl. She's seen the scars that were all over her body. She suspects that the scarring might be internal as well.

"If she awakens?" Grey jumps on that like a cat on a mouse.

"Yes, general, if. She's sustained two massive blows to the head causing at least one concussion. Add the poison to the mix and it will be nearly a miracle for her to wake. Perhaps it would be better for her if she didn't." The nurse hadn't meant to say that last part out loud.

"What do you mean nurse?" The general desperately needs some answers this day.

"Her body is scared all over and she's not Aelven. So what do you think general?" The nurse loses some of her normal respect and gets a little angry.

"They tortured her?" Grey says in stunned disbelief.

"From the looks of the scars I'd say for over a long period of time. But females aren't lucky enough to just be tortured general, it's likely that if they tortured her they also..." the nurse couldn't bring herself to say it.

The general finishes for her, "Raped her." With that the general sighs. Perhaps it would be better all told if she never wakes up, even if that means he never gets the answers he's looking for.

Just then the girl stirs and opens her eyes. When she sees him she smiles, "Grey." She says then goes back to sleep but it seems to be a more natural sleep now.

The nurse checks her vitals. "Well that certainly is surprising. It seems that this girl is a fighter general. You may get your answers yet." The nurse says it all with anger and little respect in her tone.

"You don't approve." The general states, he doesn't care what the nurse thinks not really. He's feeling both relieved and upset.

"She's been a victim of the Aelven for a long time general. The girl deserves to be left alone and try to find a new life." The nurse hotly defends the girl.

"Perhaps nurse. I'm not saying she doesn't, but she's the key to a lot of mysteries." One of which is why she called him by name. She had barely looked at him before she passed out in that control room.

Grey stays by her side. All communications either by radio or in person are reported to him there. Grey shunted many of the duties to his colonels, not wanting to be bothered just then.

Night falls and still the girl doesn't waken. Grey is fearful that his chance at answers is slipping away. He gets up and walks to help relieve some of the buildup stress.

"Grey! Grey," And the girl collapses and starts crying.

"I'm right here," Grey says sitting back in the chair or rather stool he had placed next to her cot.

The girls stops crying as she looks at the man at her side. "Grey?" She asks and hugs him hard.

Grey isn't sure what to make of this and is feeling very awkward even as he pats her back. She doesn't let him go though until he gives her a hug back.

Only then does the girl take a closer look at the general. Her eyes widen in fear as she realizes that this isn't the same Grey. She tries to edge out of the bed but Grey is having none of that and grabs her.

He feels her tense and only then remembers what the nurse had surmised. "If you stay put I'll let you go."

The girl with eyes wide in fright nods her head. Her breathing had gotten rapid as well and sends off an alarm.

The nurse comes over quickly even as Grey removes his hands from the now fully terrified girl. Once Grey releases her the girl starts calming down and the machine stops screaming its alarm.

Still the nurse checks the girl out. "It's nice to see you with us."

The girl looks at the nurse in confusion, "Alexis?"

The nurse stops what's she's doing. "Yes, that's my name." And it is her first name, not the last name on her tag. She's never seen this girl before so how did she know?

"Alexis how did I get here?" Ariele asks. She doesn't realize that Alexis doesn't know her.

"The general here found you and had you brought here to the infirmary," Alexis answers.

"General," Ariele says the word like the weight of the world all just fell on her. Now she remembers it all. The shelling, the shields failing, the bitch sentencing her to death.

"Why am I not dead yet?" She asks voice leaden without hope.

"You are a fighter. Do you know which poison was used? What we gave you will only slow the poison down. We need a specific poison to get you the right antidote." Alexis says gently.

"It doesn't have a name or an antidote. The queen favored it because there is no cure. All you've done is prolong the inevitable." Ariele says even as a cramp takes her and makes her scream in pain. When it finally leaves her she lies limp and sweaty on the cot.

Grey gently takes her hand. "Might we at least know your name since you seem to know ours?"

Even that action brings tears to Ari's eyes. "Ariele. I imagine that you want answers. Some I can give others I don't know." Another cramp takes her. She squeezes Grey's hand hard. When it's over she's tired, having a hard time focusing.

"I'll tell you all that I can, as long as you don't ask me personal questions," She manages to say. "Most of what you'll want is in the computers. In the control room where you found me. The Aelven don't have their own written language. They've taken all the major languages and use them as they wish. No two Aelven use the same mixture. There is a translator in the computer, but it would be smarter to find a personal translator.

"The personal translators look about the size of a smart phone. But they are heavier and thicker. If you find one I'll activate it for you and then you'll be able to find what you wish for in the electronics." With that Ariele closes her eyes and once more is asleep.

"I'm sorry general but for the type of pain she was having I had to give her a strong medicine. She won't wake again for several hours you should go now, eat and rest as well." The nurse says. In matters of health even the lowly lieutenant nurse can order the general.

"Alright. But if there is any change or problems I want to be notified right away." The general orders then leaves. There is much still to do and sleep will be a long way off this night.

Grey radios to the techs what to look for. Soon after the techs report back that one such item was found. Grey orders it brought to his tent.

But once Grey gets to his tent he finds himself unable to concentrate on his work. How did that girl Ariele know his name? How did she know the nurse's name? Why did she react so warmly when she first woke up and called to him, but move away in fear afterwards? Grey rubs his temples to vainly try to rub away the headache that has taken up residence in there.

The girl is dying. There is no doubt about that. Even the girl knows it. And still she saved them all. Now she's willing to help them unlock the secrets of the Aelven. But the biggest secret of them all is where the hell did they go?

And why does he feel like holding the girl is what he should be doing right now? When she held onto him it felt right. He felt whole for the first time in his life. How could that be? And just who is Ariele that she knows so much about the Aelven and if the nurse is to be believed who survived being tortured and likely raped by them for years?

Grey sighs as he plays with the reports on his desk. When he gets a knock on his door he yells out, "Enter" without thinking anything about it. The guards have been given specific orders that only certain people are allowed entrance.

"Grey you looked more troubled than usual." Taren says entering. He doesn't wait for Grey to tell him to sit. Grey is as much a friend as he is a superior.

"It's the damned Aelven. They've disappeared without a trace. All we've managed to find are the bodies of their now dead slaves. And the mystery girl in the infirmary, who just happens to know not just my name but the nurses name as well although neither of us has seen her before today." Grey says partly agitated but mostly tired.

"Knowing you, you haven't eaten yet. So I had the cook fix you up something hot. MRE's are etable, but you need a hot meal. After you eat take another look at things."

"This is an enigma, wrapped in a conundrum yadda, yadda, yadda Taren. The girl Ariel is the key to unlocking the puzzle. The thing is she's dying and there is nothing we can do to stop it. As the girl said, we're just delaying the inevitable." Grey stops as there is another knock at the door.

Taren opens the door and Jeshua comes in carrying a tray of food with one hand and a small camp table in the other. "Here you go general, straight from the kitchen. The chef told me to tell you to eat it all or he'll be very upset. And you don't want the chef upset general." It's a running joke in the army that their cook thinks of himself as a chef and when he gets angry at you better not wish to eat hot food anytime soon.

Taren takes the food while Jeshua sets up the table. Grey sits back and continues thinking as they do that for him. It all comes back to the girl. "Jeshua, are you on duty tonight?" Grey says suddenly.

There is a lot of anti Aelven sentiment in the camp and the girl could be a target.

"No, sir. I just got off. I was just about to eat then get some sleep."Jeshua says as he's just about to leave the tent.

"Go ahead and get you some food, but I want you to go to the infirmary and watch over the girl. Sleep there if the nurse has a problem with that have her call me. It's not official duty, I trust you're a light enough sleeper that if there is trouble you'll wake up in time to deal with it? The girl was medicated so she won't be going anywhere or even be able to protect herself." Grey doesn't know why but he's certain that the girl is in danger.

Jeshua salutes, he doesn't mind, the nurse on duty is cute. It will give him a chance to flirt a bit with her. "And Jeshua hurry." Grey says. He had thought Jeshua wouldn't mind the duty. Jeshua likes women, loves to flirt, but he does his duty first and foremost.

"Jeshua deserves to be promoted," Taren says after Jeshua leaves.

"Very much so. When this blasted campaign comes to an end why don't you see to it?" Grey says. He's tired, not just physically but inside as well. He'll be retiring after this. With the Aelven gone his cousin won't need him like before and Taren is more than an able soldier, commander he can take over easily enough. He laughs at himself. Here he is just 35 years old and already ready to retire. He has a long life ahead of him, if he survives this campaign. Something tells him that the worse is still to come although the Aelven are nowhere to be found.

There is another knock at his door as he sits down to eat. "Enter," he says not bothering to get up from the table. He likes hot food far more than MRE's and doesn't want to be stuck eating them. The cook is quite able to make the food inedible if he doesn't eat what the cook fixed. And the food always tastes better hot than not.

"Here's the device we found that you wanted us to bring to you sir." The tech says entering. Grey takes the device the tech is holding out. It is the size of a smart phone but weighs about two pounds and is about half an inch thick.

"Thank you. The girl said that she'll activate the device and you'll be able to translate with it. She said that it will give you whatever you want from the electronics." The tech looks more excited with this news. "She's medicated heavily right now, but when she wakes up I'll get it activated and return it to you." Grey doesn't know why he trusts the girl so fully but he does.

The tech salutes and leaves happily going off to get some food of his own before going to bed, no doubt to dream of technical wonders he's about to uncover. Grey snorts at his own thoughts and returns to his food. He eats mechanically not tasting any of it as he stares at the small device in his hand. This little thing could tell them so much.

Grey sets it down on his desk after he finishes his meal. He calls for a guard to take the tray then changes his mind and takes it himself. Going for a walk in the cool spring night will help.

Twenty dead humans. At least that's what they've found so far. The are sufficiently new dead that photos alone could identify most of them. Kidnapped victims mostly. Some were fools in diplomatic circles that thought they could leave the Aelven lands alive.

So just who is the girl, Ariele? She isn't a kidnap victim and she knows too much about the Aelven to be a slave, yet the Aelven tortured her. He'd accessed the medical report. Burn marks from something long and cylindrical, cut marks and evidence that chunks of flesh were removed, whipping scars. And further notations that it likely that a full exam with xrays would show even more damage to the girl. Grey agrees with the nurse, the Aelven wouldn't have let her off with just the physical torture. If they did that to her than they would have raped her as well.

So she is a victim of the Aelven, but knows more than any slave would have knowledge of. How can she be both victim and part of the Aelven society? She looks human. The Aelven hate humans even as they desire them.

Grey continues walking trying to figure out just how this girl fits into the picture. He stares unseeing at the countryside before him trying to sort things out when he sees a vehicle coming. He sighs. He told her to not come until things were safe. Until he is sure that the bomb isn't going to detonate, but then again if the bomb goes off then the world will be history in less than an hour any way.