The tech's hadn't adjusted the sound and the noise was loud enough to hear down the hall. Grey notices the whitening of her grip as they come nearer and figures he knows what the tech are watching.

He's a little sickened by what he sees and even more sickened by how some of the tech seem to be glued to the screen even as Ari is being raped. The general notes to himself those that seemed to enjoy the distress Ari is going through and those that seem sickened by it as well.

"That's enough. You have other work to do and don't need to be watching rape shows all day long." The techs jump up from the chairs they had been sitting in as they watched the monitors showing her humiliation. Ari can't look at any of them.

"Is this what you wanted to show me soldier?" Grey says to the one that called him down.

"Yes, sir. Once we found them some of the others wouldn't turn them off. And they ranked me so I couldn't do anything about it. I thought the videos would be necessary for a defense for the lady or something." The tech was miserable. He wished he'd never found the video files. What they did to the girl was still making his stomach want to heave.

"They will be used in her defense. Thank you soldier. You did the right thing." Grey says to the distressed man.

Another call comes in on his radio, "Sir, we've found the proper combination. We're going to open the vault now."

"I'm on my way. Wait until I get there." Grey orders then turns back to the soldier. "Burn these onto discs then destroy those files. I don't like how so many of them were glued to the monitors and cheering on the rapists."

"Yes, sir!" The soldier jumps into action to do just as Grey had ordered. It's his pleasure to erase such horrible things. It takes him several discs before he's done and he's violently ill before he finishes. He saw only parts of some things but it was enough. That the girl lived through all that he is amazed.

Grey goes down the corridor at his normal speed though he longs to run. "What are you going to do with me once we get there? Take me into the vault or leave me with those that will be playing guard for you?" Ari asks, she doesn't know how big it will be, obviously big enough for the Aelven to all enter. There were over two thousand of them, but she has no real desire to enter now.

Her question goes unanswered for they arrive and as soon as the tech see him they open the vault. Just then another spasm hits her so hard that she cries out and falls unconscious.

"Damn," Grey immediately feels for a pulse and is reassured by feeling it's rather erratic but steady beating. But he is vastly disappointed for now he won't be the first one to enter.

There are several soldiers standing by and he motions them to go in first. He picks up the unconscious girl and carries her. He can't leave her defenseless like this and he won't miss out.

Just a few steps in brings him to a stop. The men he had sent in earlier were spread out and pointing their weapons at him. Grey bites back the words he wishes to say as one of his men starts speaking.

"Who are you to invade our territory in foreign clothing and weaponry?" The man looks from Grey to Ariel. "What's wrong with the chosen one?"

Grey looks at his man like he's crazy but goes along with it. "We are chasing after the Aelven who have hunted and hurt us for centuries. They have threatened the very existence of this world and they have poisoned this girl. She is dying by their hand."

The voice that comes from his man takes on the tones of a female. "Bring her here." And Grey finds himself powerless to do anything else.

The man puts his hand on Ari and closes his eyes. Grey wants to protest but finds several guns pointing his way. Finally the man opens his eyes and steps back. "He speaks the truth. The queen of the Aelven has poisoned the chosen and has caused much more to be done to her as well. He chases evil beings of cores rotten and vile."

The guns are set down and a path is opened to Grey. "There is a path on the other side of those trees. Follow it to the spring you find there. Once there unclothe the chosen one and set her in the spring overflow. It will be cold and she might wish to leave but hold her there for a count to thirty. At which time you might take her out. You will find clothes for you and she both. Wear them when you come here so that you might be welcomed in as friends." His man directs and Grey does as he says having no other course to help Ari.

Unclothing her while she is unconscious feels more than a little dirty and a lot like the rape he witnessed on the monitor earlier. He continues grimly about the task though the whatever that had given him directions seems to want to help Ari.

The cold water shocks Grey and wakes Ari. "Grey what are you doing?" Ari can't help the terror that overcomes her as Grey forces her to stay in the water and she feels the water without the protection of clothes. She starts to fight desperately sure that Grey is going to rape her like the others had.

Grey didn't want to leave her terrified but he didn't want to lose count either. If this water can help her he wants her to get the full benefit. Finally he can let her up and he does. He pulls her close and whispers calming words to her. But she is shaking and he's not sure if it's from the cold water or from her terror.

She sits absolutely still once sets her down. Just as the voice had promised there was clean dry toweling and clothes. Grey picks up one of the towels and briskly dries her off. Then he picks up another and after stripping himself down dries himself off as well.

Then he stares at the strange looking clothes and doesn't have a clue about how to dress in those clothes or how to dress Ari in them.

"You do it like this." Said a voice again in his soldiers body. He first dresses Grey and then helps Ari. Grey watches closely and knows that he can redo this if he needs to do it again. He can tell that Ari is terrified that the soldier is going to hurt her though.

"It's alright Ari. He won't hurt you. And I'm sorry about the water but I was instructed to do so by whatever these are that seem to have taken over my soldiers bodies. It was to help you I swear." Grey is desperate he wants to help Ari but is afraid that if he moves he'll scare her off.

Ari turns her terrified gaze on him and seems to find strength in that limited contact. She holds to it even as the soldier touches her in places that she never wanted to be touched again. She can't seem to stop shivering and longs to be held by Grey. Finally the soldier steps back and she runs to Grey who holds her tight.

Grey was right her shivering wasn't from the cold water but from fear. The soldier hands Grey a blanket and he gently wraps it around Ari then takes her back into his arms.

"We have done what we can for the chosen one. Leader of the soldiers what is your name?" The voice is female again.

"My name is general Grey. The one you call chosen is Ariele. And just who are you that takes over my soldiers body?" Grey is getting angry though he is relieved that Ari seems to be okay. Her shaking has even lessened. She feels his anger toward the one in the soldier body.

"There are many here. We had need of a human form to communicate to you. We are the trees, once the great trees were also found in the human world and our power was much stronger as we were fed from the sunlight of your world. But then our protectors turned from the path of magic and turned to science. They it were that cut us down and made machines of war. They were no longer the Elven but became the Aelven.

"For generations of time the Aelven lived among you humans. But it was told that one day a chosen, one of the world but accepted not of the world would release magic back into the world. She is the one.

"When the Aelven returned here we knew the time must be coming. We had no idea that they had become so evil and tainted. We can no longer trust them and so we need your help general Grey."

"My help? To do what?" Grey is startled. This is getting out of hand.

"We have done what we can for the chosen but she needs a human to protect her up in your world."

"I thank you for helping her but Ari will be held on trial for the atrocities committed by the Aelven. I can protect her until the world court convenes then she will be taken out of my care and I won't be able to do anything about it." Ari starts crying and he holds her closer. Grey hates this whole stinking set up.

"We will take care of the Aelven for you. We know where they are. Will that help things?"

"What do you mean when you say take care of?" Grey is suspicious. But if he can get some of the Aelven then he might be able to save Ari.

"Just what you think general Grey. They are vile and have no place amongst underhill. They are being terminated even as we speak."

"Wait, don't kill them." Both Grey and Ari say that. But for very different reasons.

"Grey, I will go on trial and I will be found guilty. You can't stop them from doing that. It's a foregone conclusion. I will die." Ari turns from Grey and takes a small step from him.

"There are some I wish to speak with before you terminate them, please?" Ari asks almost pleads.

"Which do you wish to speak to and we will try to save them until you can speak with them." The voice is now male coming from the soldier.

"Can you save the queen and her court? All the people I wish to speak to will be with her there." Ari really has some questions she wants answered.

"Yes. If you come back tomorrow they will be willing to speak and answer your questions. In return we need you to do something as well." Ari nods she had expected something like this since she is the chosen.

The other soldiers come to the clearing bearing young trees in their arms. "Take these young trees," The soldier talking to her comes and grabs her hand and before Grey can even do anything about it cuts it. "Go to each sapling and let some of your blood fall on the sapling's dirt." Ari does as instructed even making her hand bleeds again when the blood slows down.

"Now take these trees and plant them near this place. With their growth we will gain strength and magic will once more come to the earth."

Ari nods but Grey frowns. Weapons of mass destruction they already had they don't need to add magic to the mix.

"I see your fears general. But they are unfounded. The stronger magic flows in the land the less your modern weapons will work. Something about magic and electronics not agreeing with each other. There will be great changes in your world general and one of them will be the ability to destroy the world with weapons. Magic can damage the world if used improperly, but it cannot destroy it.

"You will find that your guns will not work in here. Only the more primitive weapons such as bows and arrows and knives and swords. You will find yourselves reluctant to hold or use the more modern weapons."

It was true. Grey is reluctant to even pick up his gun laying on his uniform.

"In future you will be required to lay you firearms down before entering the forest. Those of you that can use magic will lay down your arms without problem and will learn quickly the spells that we can teach. Already you general, and Ariele can do several easy spells and as the magic increases so will your knowledge.

"Ariele we have healed much of the damage done to you by the Aelven but even we cannot heal the emotional scars that you bear. We are sorry."

It is only at her words that Grey realized that the scars covering Ariele's body were gone.

"And as she has stated she is going to die guardian. The manner of her death will be left to you. You can do as she requested and kill her mercifully, let her die from the poison or let another take the role of executioner and he will not kill her mercifully. The court will order her tortured once more and the one to do it will enjoy hearing her screams as she dies a painful death."

"I thought you healed her from the poison?" Grey says panicked. He doesn't want the role of being her guard and executioner.

"We did what we could but the queen chose a poison that has already permeated her body. We blocked the pain so she won't be feeling any even as her body contorts itself in positions that normally would bring screams of agony from someone. But in a few days the block will wear off and she will feel every little thing done to her."

Grey is angry again. He's trapped like he was in his dream. He has to kill her to be kind.

"Never mind Grey. I've gone through torture before. Between the torture I'm likely to be given and the return of the pain from the poison, I won't last long. You won't need to kill me." Ari doesn't want to force him.

The voice stays silent but Grey couldn't tell if it was because it was in agreement with Ari or didn't want to argue about it. Either way he's grateful that he doesn't have to deal with it today.

"You should go, there are people starting to search for you and those that were there guarding the entrance. We don't wish more of these weapons in here. And please take those you brought with you out."

"Yes. We will leave now." Grey was more than ready to leave this forest of giant trees that posses people and talked about magic as if it is real.

Grey and Ari pick up their clothes Ari shivvies out of the new clothes and puts the others back on. "If I go out there wearing those clothes nothing you do will stop your soldiers from raping me." She says. And Grey had to admit it likely that some at least would try to do so. But when she puts her top on she doesn't bother with the underclothes and Grey finds it a bit distracting.

Rather reluctantly Grey sets about putting his wet uniform back on. But by the time it gets on him it's dry. "The magic is real Grey. Can't you feel it? I'm practically buzzing with it."

Only then does Grey realize that she is speaking the truth. He feels as if the air is full of electricity. He stops and stares at Ari and shakes his head in denial.

"In the other world Grey, you weren't just commander of the army you were a powerful magic user. Doing some things that hadn't been done before." Ari says and tries not to cry. That Grey loved her. No that Grey loved the other her.

"I'm being overwhelmed by everything that's happening Ari. Some things just take time to believe. Come I don't think the trees would like it if the whole damn camp came in with guns blazing." Grey guides her back to the vault opening. He liked how she snuggles into him as his men gather round him, them.

Most of his men now hold their guns with distaste, but a few don't seem to notice any difference. They come out of the vault and Ari resumes her seat in the wheelchair. Grey gives his men some orders and they leave the vault behind.

Ari misses Grey's hand on her back and his arm around her shoulders. It had felt nice while it had lasted; rather like the kiss this morning. Ari sighs. That's not likely to happen again. Well at least she got to know what it was like. She had no idea people did those kind of things. Perverted yes, she's had plenty of them done to her but that wasn't perverted and made her long for more.

They return to camp and immediately Grey is swamped with people wanting his attention. Grey holds them off until they get to his tent. Ari lies down on the bed and goes to sleep even as Grey starts dealing with each person one by one. She's just glad that she doesn't have to deal with people like he does.