"A short way down the corridor from the control room is a vault door like you might find in a bank. The Aelven went in there. The queen said something about it being a door that leads into underhill." Ari shrugs. "It's the place they came from originally. Any way she took all the aelven and went behind that door. She gave me the combination and promised that if I set off the final defense that the rapes would stop." Ari says more than a little bitterly.

"I forgot one thing about that bitch. She always tells the truth, she has to, the Aelven can't lie. But they've learned to twist and turn the truth that you think you are hearing one thing when in reality it's something completely different. The rapes would end with my death was what she really meant." Ari looks for her clothes.

Grey goes to the storage locker and hands them to her. Ari takes out a folded piece of paper. "This has the combination on it. That much has to be true. But the numbers don't have to be in order and they aren't. When I tried it in this order it wouldn't open. Have your techs try different variations of those numbers. One of them will unlock the vault. What you will find inside I don't know.

"The queen didn't want a filthy half breed in her precious underhill." Ariele is exhausted. She lies back and closes her eyes.

"Who are you Ariele?" Grey whispers not wanting to bother the sleeping girl.

"I'm the bastard daughter of the commander of the queens army." Ariele says and looks at him.

Grey can't help but stiffen. Heaven have mercy on the poor girl. "You are cousin to the queen." Grey is horrified.

Ari shakes her head no. "Niece. My father was her brother."

That would explain so much. Why she would be so well schooled in all things Aelven. But it doesn't explain the other. "She had you raped and tortured?" Grey is sickened. He'd known the reputation of the Aelven but this is worse than he'd thought.

Ari smiles bitterly. "No more personal questions general. Just being in the hospital is giving me sick memories."

With the marks on her body Grey can believe it. "I'll get you out of here." He can't let her suffer more than she has to.

Ari wants to smile but has to fight the tears. "That's sweet of you it truly is general, but where would you take me? The dungeon? Just kill me now, I'd rather be dead than return to that place. Actually," Ari grimaces in pain as another spasm wracks her body. "Killing me now sounds like a very good idea.

"What else do you want to know? Data on the kidnappings should be in the central computer. All the weapons information is there as well. I couldn't save any of the slaves the bitch had them all killed before she talked to me. I had no idea. But there wasn't much I could do, I couldn't even save myself." Ari groans in massive pain.

"Give her a pain blocker but not something strong enough to knock her out." Grey demands of the nurse. She nods and comes back with a syringe full of something. Soon Ari is much more relaxed and even smiling.

"Hi Grey." She says and Grey suspects that whatever the nurse gave her made her high as a kite. She motions for him to come closer, and he does. Ari leans up and kisses Grey. Grey is so shocked that he lets it go on and finds himself kissing her back.

Just then a door closes rather loudly and Grey breaks off the kiss. He stares at her in bemused wonder. She just stares at him in wonder. "So that's what it's like to kiss and be kissed." She says and giggles.

"Here's your breakfast general. I see the girl is awake. Has she said anything useful or is she too high?" Jeshua hadn't missed the girl's condition or what the general had been doing. Although knowing the general it had been the girl to initiate the kiss.

Grey takes the tray onto his lap and hands Jeshua the activated translator and the paper with the code on it. "Take these to tech. The camera on the back will go down the page and the screen will show the translated words. The paper contains the code to open that vault down there. The code isn't in order, they'll have to figure out the correct code. The Aelven went in there."

Grey takes a bite of his food. This morning is already full of shocks for him. He really is getting too old for this job. The other information he'll keep to himself for now, but the girl is doomed to die even as she said.

Jeshua takes the paper and translator and prepares to go. "And Jeshua, not a word about what you saw." Grey warns.

Jeshua is hurt that the general thinks he even has to warn him. "Not a word general."

"And let me know when the tech get that door open." Grey orders. He wants to be the first through to find the bitch that could do this to her own niece.

Grey finishes his breakfast about the same time the nurse brings in the breakfast for Ariele. "Nurse I'll help her, I want you to get me whichever doctor is in charge of her."

"Yes, sir." The nurse knows better than to argue with the general.

"Now what Grey? Or do you want me to call you general?" Ari asks in a surprisingly sober tone of voice.

"What the hell Ari? Have you been faking all along?" Grey is freaked out by how much morphine they'd given her and how sober she is.

Ari shrugs. "Pain killers are resistant in me. Not sure if that's from such frequent use over the years or from being part Aelven. Rest assured general when I kissed you I was flying high as a kite. But I do thank you. That's the first kiss I've ever had."

"I'm going to get you discharged from the infirmary." With that Ari's eyes get wide with fright and she scoots away from him.

"Please general, don't. I don't want to go back to the dungeon again." Ari can't stand the idea.

"I'm not going to put you in the dungeon. Now eat your food." The general orders. Ari is too frightened that he'll change his mind to do aught else. She eats so fast that Grey is afraid that she'll be sick. The whole time she doesn't take her frightened eyes off him.

He takes the food from her, "I swear I won't put you in the dungeon which we haven't found yet." But he is going to today, he wants to see for himself just what horrors this girl has gone through.

Grey takes his time feeding her and becomes more troubled as time goes on and she doesn't take her eyes off of him. She's terrified of him now he can tell. He frowns and she starts to visibly shake.

"It's alright Ari, I swear I won't force you to go into the dungeon and I won't hurt you." That seems to work a little. The girl relaxes just a bit, but still her eyes, they show her distrust and that hurts Grey, who is known to be a man of his word.

Ari refuses any more food. "Please what do you want to know? I'll tell you everything I can but then kill me please."

Grey lets his shoulders slump. She's a prisoner, he can't kill her. It's his duty to guard and protect her. Much like the dream him. "I can't make you that promise Ariele. I'm sorry."

Ari goes to say something but stops as she looks over his shoulder. She turns from them both as the doctor joins them.

"General, the nurse said that you wanted to see me?" Doctor Jaylen says as she comes to a halt just behind the general.

"Yes, I want this girl discharged. If it is a question of medical issues that you hesitate on assign the nurse Alexis to her care." The doctor still hesitates.

"Sir, if I might have a word with you in private?" Jaylen says not wanting to disturb the girl.

Grey sets the tray on the next bed over and joins the doctor some feet distant.

"The girl is dying general. Can't you let her be?" Jaylen is more than a little angry. She doesn't like losing patients.

"Even if I wished it I can't. For two reasons, she knows the Aelven and can give us great help in avoiding problems and two, she's now considered a prisoner. She told me herself that she is daughter of the commander and niece to the queen. She will be held for court of crimes against humanity." Grey thinks that's a joke. The girl has already paid in blood for crimes done against herself.

"That court will crucify her." Jaylen is furious. It's very likely that they'd literally crucify the poor girl.

Grey is angry as well. "I don't make the laws doctor."

"She didn't do anything." Jaylen's eyes would shoot fire if they could.

"I know, she's very much a victim, but..." Grey stops.

Jaylen knows her nephew very well. "And what are you going to do Grey? Lead her like a sheep to the slaughter?"

Grey doesn't know what he's going to do. "This place isn't good for her aunt. She told me it brings back bad memories."

"It seems like the thought of leaving here gives her more fright than staying does." Jaylen says dryly. "Tell me truthfully Grey what are you going to do with her?"

Grey shakes his head slowly, "I honestly don't know. She begged me to kill her when she gets done helping me, but I can't do that Jaylen."

Jaylen sighs. "There is nothing more we can do except give her pain medications to ease the effects of the poison. She doesn't have much time Grey. Perhaps it would be better if you killed her after you get what you want."

"Thank you Jaylen." Grey says knowing that his aunt has just given him permission to take Ari. "Would you have the nurse bring me a wheelchair? And is the IV necessary or can you remove that?"

"I can remove the IV." Jaylen orders the nurse to get the wheelchair as Grey and she return to Ariele.

"Ariele hold still I'm going to remove the IV now." Jaylen says and moves over to the girls arm.

Ariele holds it out to her. She doesn't move after that. She doesn't even look at either of them until she sits up. Then she holds her hands out. Jaylen leaves and gives Grey a questioning look as she does so.

The nurse comes up with the wheelchair. "Do you need help to get in the wheelchair Ariele or can you do it on your own," Is all Grey says.

Ariele drops her arms and gets in the chair. She refuses to look at Grey. Grey bundles up her clothes and sets them on her lap. "You can change back into your clothes when we get to my tent."