yeah yeah. We get the picture already!
It's another round robin. No infer.
yadda yadda
yadda
visit the sticky threads for how to round robin.

Welcome to Earth A.S. (after Steel) thousands of years ago the entire earth was incased within a steel coating. Everything became made made from the food everyone eat to the very air that they breath. Flowers and trees didn't grow, the sun didn't shine, blocked by a layer of thick smog. The weather was control to be cool all day long, the seasons stopped in their tracks. The oceans became polluted and animals were cloned over and over again. The wind had gone.

Everything that made the Earth truly beautiful was gone.

Slowly things that no longer existed began to fade away. People didn't know what flowers were anymore, even if you described it to them. People didn't know what it means to swim in the ocean. Or what apples truly taste like. No one saw the stars shine down at night or saw the glory of the sun and moon.

No one remembers what use to exist. They're just content to their little cage.

So for someone to remember what the earth use to be like...
For someone who saw the beauty that use to exist...
For someone who loved the sky and the stars above...

That someone could only be disgusted at what humanity... at what the earth had become.

---------------

Hotaru sighed. Why she still came to earth to live, she'll never know. Really she should follow her family's example and give up on humanity already. She looked up at the cloud blankets.

'I bet the stars are shinying really bright tonight.'

"Stars? I don't believe they exist," a soft voice sounded behind Hotaru, causing her to turn around. She saw a young woman with long, straight brown hair and green eyes standing behind her in the steel park. She was dressed in the drab uniform of the Donaiti, which caused Hotaru to stiffen up despite the friendly smile the girl displayed. She hadn't realized she had spoken aloud.

Riley Claro had grown up hearing the stories of a vast expansive space beyond the steel and as a child, she had loved nothing more than the time with her father when he'd put her to bed at night and talk about what was out there. She decided that one day she'd see it all for herself and her father encouraged her that she would indeed.

But that childhood seemed so long ago, though in reality it wasn't. When she turned 16, she was recruited by the Donaiti, the very government organization that had taken both her father away for his radical ideas. She hadn't wanted to go with them, but had no choice. At first, she fought the conditioning, but soon found that her own will was too weak. Three years later, she had lost all belief in the stars and in the things her father had told her, as she was instructed as all Donai were, to find radicalists and turn them in.

Hotaru surveyed Riley with caution, aware of how condemning a single word could be. But the young Donai's face seemed to hold no intentions of betrayal.

Hotaru masked her annoyance. She didn't want to be interrupted like that. She supposed next time she should actually head to the sky instead of sitting on a rooftop. After all that's what her wings for... not that anyone could see them. Magic certainly had its uses.

Speaking of which, Hotaru accessed a bit of her magic. As the Angel of Life and Death, she could view a person's life, what they were like, their memories, even when they would die. Instantly information flooded in her head.

Riley Claro, age 19. Father was taken away by Donaiti. Member of Donaiti recuited at age 16.

Hotaru glanced one more time at Riley before turning away to look out at the city. The city lights were bright, though they were nothing like real stars. Hotaru wonder vaguely to herself if the girl would get a clue and leave her alone. It's better to say nothing, instead of something that could get her in trouble.

It was times like these that she question why she comes to live on Earth anymore.

(ooc - Riley's 19, actually. :) )

Riley frowned at Hotaru. How rude! the girl thought. She didn't know why Hotaru's refusal to acknowledge her bothered her. Most people were like that here. You lived your life, you didn't speak to others you didn't know. You got up, ate, worked, and slept. A neverending routine. However, the uniform she wore usually convinced people to reply to her, as they didn't want the Donaiti to ever come for them. No one knew where people went when the Donaiti came.

But despite her conditioning, there was still a part of her who craved that element of humanity that had long lain dormant for her race: the element of kindness and kinship. Obviously she wasn't going to find it here, though. She stiffened up and her voice lost all trace of warmth as she was back to business. "Girl, what is your ID number?" she barked.

Hotaru looked down at her once more, this time using more of her magic to see Riley's path in life, and appeared to be about to say something, but changed her mind, reached into her pocket and withdrew her ID card. She tossed it down to Riley and it landed in the girl's palm. She leaned back on her arms and looked up once more, deep in thought.

Riley looked at the ID and committed the number to memory. 94185. She'd definitely scour the databases for any information on this one. "Thank you," she said in a clipped tone, reeling her arm back and tossing the ID card back up, purposefully tossing it harder than she needed. The card sailed over Hotaru's head and clattered down the rooftop.

The young Donai smiled, but this time, her smile wasn't friendly. "Good day," she said, turning on her heel.

Hotaru slowly rose to her feet and walked over to retrieve the ID card. No information would be accessed through this false number and the moment the girl discovered that, she would be back with force. She decided she should have simply answered her in some way, but seeing what she had seen convinced her otherwise.

The girl would rebel against the ones who had taken her and she would perish in the very near future.

(ooc - lol...totally pulling things out on the fly here! Have no direction whatsoever with this one!)

((haha that's okay. x3 Makes life fun. Shall we destroy the earth while we're at it?))

Hotaru sat there and pondered. She could easily make the information appear. After all, she was living on Earth, she had to get around to making those false records appear sometime soon.

But part her wondered if she should give the girl a little push, a little faith. To show her what the world was like nearly 4 billion years ago. A time when stars shined and flowers grew. To know that the earth was bigger then this little steel cage. It had been a long time since Hotaru had taken on a student.

The last one was a boy named Naruto back when shinobis existed.

Hotaru closed her eyes. Even though the wind had disappeared, she can still hear the cries. A sad smile spread acoss her face as she opened her eyes again. 'Lady Earth...' she thought. 'When will you let me take your pain away?'

"It was a fake!" Riley glowered as she typed the number into the database one more time. 9-4-1-8-5. "I should have known!" she complained, whirling around, nearly bumping into the smirking, tanned face of Kat Cardella.

Kat ran a hand through her short, messy red and black streaked hair and gazed at the monitor as she said, "Why, little Riley found her first subversive!" She looked around and with an expression of mock surprise, asked, "But where is he?"

"It's a she," Riley informed the young woman who was just a year older than her...once her closest friend, but now her greatest rival. She wore the uniform of a Rank Two Donai, two ranks higher than Riley.

"And again, I'll ask, where is this person?" Kat batted her long eyelashes. "Hmm? You know not following protocol is call for reeducation. And protocol states that at the slightest suspicion, you bring a subversive in. Day isn't going to pleased when he hears about this."

Riley stared at her, a frown deepening her features. Reeducation! Anything but that! There was nothing more unpleasant than being subjected to a week in the tiny, dark room everyone called "the well." She had only had to go through reeducation once during her time with the Donaiti and it was an experience she hoped she'd never have to repeat. Just the thought of it made her skin crawl. "I wasn't suspicious til now," she said.

Kat tsked at her and smiled. "You wouldn't have requested her ID if you weren't suspicious."

"She was rude! That's the only reason!" Riley insisted.

Kat shrugged her shoulders and glided toward the open door. "Poor judgement is also grounds for reeducation, you know. Don't worry, Riles. It'll make you stronger." And then she was gone.

Riley felt a knot in her stomach, as she normally did after running into Kat. She wasn't sure why her old friend had it in for her, but she knew one thing...she'd better find and bring the girl in on her own, whoever she was, and she'd better do it before Kat gained Day's ear.

Night had come all too fast. Hotaru lay down on the same rooftop that she was at last night. Riley would be coming here in three... two... one.

"YOU! You're under arrest for giving a false ID number and by the protocal set by Donaiti you are to come with me. Now stand up!"

Hotaru closed her eyes and ignored the order. "You took your sweet time getting here Riley. Take a seat. We have to talk before you decide to arrest me."

Riley's eyes narrowed. "How do you know my name?"

Hotaru opened one eye. "I know everything there is to know about you. Riley Claro, age 19. Father was taken away by Donaiti. Member of Donaiti recuited at age 16. Your father was one of the few people in this world who still believed in stars. Never thought I would find someone like that, not in this day and age. It's ashame what happened to him. Now sit down please."

Riley's temper flared a bit. How did this girl know? "Who are you and how did you get that information?" You would have to hack Donaiti database to get that information. That was another charge to add to the list.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Just call me Tenshi for now. Sit down."

"Why should I?" Riley challenged.

Hotaru opened her eyes. They had a red gleam in them. "I said... Sit Down!" Something knocked Riley off her feet and she landed on her butt with a 'thud'. What just pushed her like that? Hotaru sat up, the red gleam leaving her eyes.

" What do you want to do with your life?" Hotaru asked.

Riley blinked and stared. "What?"

"What do you want to do with your life? I'll be blunt. You're gonna die at a young age. And unlike those rich bastards who'll live for some 200 years on the best techonology they can buy to stretch out their lifespan, you'll be lucky to get ten years. So I ask what do you want to do with your life? Would you like to remain Donaiti's caged dog? Or you like to take a risk, to take a leap and learn the truth of the world?"

Riley rose to her feet again, very angry at this point. "I am here to bring you in to the Donaiti for questioning!" she insisted, this time pulling out a stun pistol. "You're coming with me."

Hotaru raised her eyebrows. "That's your decision, then?"

"Silence!" Riley bellowed, sounding much more authoritative than she felt.

Hotaru shook her head. "Alright. Your decision." She turned her back to the girl. "You have approximately six years left." She waved her arms around. "I hope this is what you had always dreamed of accomplishing. Always trying to follow orders and never quite meeting up to standards. Always having to watch your back. Looking in the mirror each day and realizing you're not sure exactly who's looking back." She began to walk away from the girl.

"W-wait!" Riley called after her, lowering the stun pistol. Hotaru's words had unnerved her. She didn't know if there was any truth in the death threat, but the other things she had said were all things Riley felt every day. She had indeed been brainwashed by the Donaiti, but there was a small piece of her that was still the little girl who listened to her father's talk of the stars. She felt that piece slipping away each day that she was drawn deeper into the politics and commands of the organization. That was one reason she feared reeducation, aside from the physical aspects of it.

Hotaru turned and raised an eyebrow. But in the end, the girl couldn't break the role laid out for her.

"Your words are dangerous," the Donai warned her. "Be advised that anything you say will be recorded and used as evidence."

Hotaru looked disappointed. "So there's less of you left than I had thought. There really isn't anything of worth left anywhere in this world, is there? Forget my offer. Enjoy what little time you have left." She turned away again and jumped down off the other side of the roof. As she stood in the dingy alleyway, she heard the clicking footsteps of the girl running her way.

"Wait!" Riley said again. "...Tenshi?"

Hotaru felt herself being whisked away. She soon her found herself, not on Earth, but rather her room. When the Great War ended, the remaining Slatrommis (her family) decided it was far too risky to live on Earth any longer. So they created a parallel dimension in which they could still watch over humans but live safely away from the harms of the human world.

In this dimension, nothing really existed but a few rooms. One could create more rooms if they felt the need to, but for the most part it was like a small house: a room for every member, a kitchen, some offices/work areas, a living room and playroom.

Hotaru's room was pretty much bare. She didn't care to keep too many things out. If she kept something it was stored away until she needed it. The walls changed colors depending on her mood. They pusling red, showing her annoyance and anger. The only other thing that really existed was two doors, one black and one white. The doors of Life and Death... the gateway to afterlife.

There was something different this though. On her bed sat a beautiful woman, covered in bandages. She was frail and thin looking as if she hadn't eaten in a long time. The lady looked at Hotaru and smiled. One emerald green eye sparkling with happiness and sadness, the other hidden by an eye patch.

"Lady Earth," Hotaru said, giving a bow. "It has been a long time since I've seen you... over 8 billion years in fact."

"Yes... since the ending of the Great War... and the rebirth of my former self. I had hoped to never call on you again... but..." Lady Earth said softly. Lady Earth was the spiritual form of the planet. Like her brothers and sisters in the solar system, they were alive and could taken on human shape. She could walk amoung the creatures she called her children.

Hotaru's smile became strained. It was because of this, that lately she began to hate humans. The bandages... they were caused by the "children", by humans. By incasing Earth in a steel cage and covering the sky with a blanket of smog, they cut of Lady Earth from her brothers and sister in the solar system. They hurt her and damage her, never once thinking of the consequences or trying to give back.

"I love my human children.... but I want to be free. I want to see my brothers and sisters again... I want my health back," Lady Earth whispered slowly. "And I want to make sure that Chi, who is my true blood child, grows up with the nature that she needs."

"Understood Milady. I will be begin the process. It might take awhile, so I ask you to please bear with the pain a little longer," Hotaru said. "I need to wipe out the entire human race or at least half of them, in order to continue."

Lady Earth nodded. "Will some humans survive? Like they did last time?"

Hotaru shrugged. "I do not know, milady. Rest now. Go visit Chi. She misses you. It's not often that she gets to see her birth mother."

Lady Earth smiled. "Thank you Hotaru."

((O.O that was a little... long))

Riley stood in the alleyway and looked around, but Hotaru was nowhere to be found. "Tenshi?" she called again, but nothing answered her. She gulped and feared she had made a grave mistake. She had had her second thoughts, but it appeared they came too late. She looked up to the sky and thought of her father and how he had spoken of a vast expanse of black on the other side, pinpricked with billions of tiny lights that were, in reality, huge burning balls of gas. He spoke of traveling among the stars.

Did they really exist?

She put the stun pistol away and searched the area for a good hour, but Hotaru was nowhere to be found so she began the long walk back to the organization.

Kat Cardella was waiting for her at the door, three armed men on either side of her. She was waving a thin plastic vidscreen around. "I spoke to Day," she commented. "I didn't think you'd find your girl. Looks like I was right." She handed the vidscreen to Riley and the girl grimaced when she saw the word, reeducation. "It's Level 6," Kat said, her smile growing. There were ten levels of reeducation, Level 10 being the most intense. "Maybe it won't be so bad." Two of the men stood on either side of the girl and began to escort her down the long hallway to the elevator.

Lady Earth sipped at the tea that Hotaru had offered her. "I think I will not see Chi this time... not like this at least," she finally state. A touch of bitterness was in her tone.

"She'll be sad, but I think she'll ultimately understand," said Hotaru.

"And the Riley girl?"

Hotaru's smile became strained again. "Ah you heard that conversation."

Lady Earth smiled back. "I hear everything that happens on me, Hotaru. I didn't know you were taking on appreitiences."

"Students. I'm not teaching her magic. I'm teaching her history... well at least that was in plan. She turned me down," said Hotaru.

"Why her?"

"She is going to die in six years. Her father use to tell her stories about the stars when she was child... until Donaiti took that away from her. I hoped she would choose to learn... because I knew you would becoming to me soon. I wanted to teach someone before I cast the world into it's ultimate destruction and your rebirth."

Lady Earth smiled. "Fate must be so proud of you. You're taking after her in so many ways."

Hotaru pouted. "Mother? Really?"

-Tenshi-

Hotaru blinked. "Something wrong?" asked Lady Earth.

"I thought I heard someone call me. But the family is all here... and no moral has been able to call me for eons. Strange... unless the girl is finally starting to believe."

"Better late then never," Lady Earth said with a smile.

"Yeah with the most horrible timing ever," Hotaru frowned. Perhaps Aunty Dream would give her away to speak to the girl without having to seek her out physically. Provided the girl was dreaming that is.

Riley's hands and feet were strapped to a cold metal chair in the tiny, dark room. She didn't bother struggling, knowing that it would be futile. She wore a simple, white tank top and pair of matching white pants and her feet were bare. A pair of holo-goggles had been placed over her eyes. Right now, no images were being transmitted to her - all she saw was black.

She heard a noise as the air compressor kicked on and the temperature in the room started to plummet. Riley tightened her jaw, unhappy that she'd have to endure five days of being strapped to the chair, alternating between cold and heat, fasting, and being forced to watch the Donaiti's propoganda through the holo-goggles. It worked, though. People usually walked out of reeducation feeling much less like themselves and more like a true Donai.

It's for the good of this planet, she told herself. We protect it from those who seek to throw it into chaos. We maintain order.

She began to shiver and goosebumps prickled on her arms, but the temperature continued to decrease. Her mind turned toward the strange girl she had met.

Six years? Is there truth in that? She spoke so strangely! She spoke of the truth of the world. Riley was curious because it sounded so mystical, though she knew that five days from now, she'd remember little, if nothing of the conversation.

She had said to call her Tenshi...a strange name...

"Tenshi," she said aloud, her voice echoing in the tiny metal room. She liked the sound of it and it almost seemed to warm her, strangely enough. "Tenshi!" she repeated.

As the holo-goggles activated and a slew of images pounded through her eyes, she found herself muttering over and over, "Tenshi, Tenshi, Tenshi..."

The young woman wasn't going to lose herself this time!

Hotaru rubbed her forehead. "I swear humans are out to get me sometimes." She could hear that girl calling her.

Lady Earth smiled. "Go, your student needs you obviously. I'll still be here when you come back. It's been far too long since I've visited the family."

Hotaru nodded and left. The girl by now was in reeducation... so approaching her physically was next to impossible. Overriding those holo-goggles was a choice... but just pulling the girl's conscienous into a dream was much easier. Hotaru walked into another room, her Aunty's room.

The realm of dreams was plain. Nothing but endless amounts of clouds floated by. Each cloud was a dream. Each star was a wish. And somewhere deep within this realm, Dream slept never once waking since the end of the Great War. After a few minutes of searching, Hotaru found Riley's conscious. The girl wasn't dreaming, not even asleep. You probably wasn't allowed to sleep during reeducation.

"Maerd" Hotaru whispered.

Instantly, the wind blew and scene shifted to a cold grey room. Hotaru frowned, and waved her hand. The scene changed again, this time becoming a field of flowers. Slowly Riley flickered into the dream. She looked around, confused. She saw Tenshi and asked, "Where am I?"

"Che, you're annoying girl, calling my name out like that," said Hotaru. " Like a helpless child calling out for your mother. You're in a dream, child. Your dream."

"A dream?" she had read about those in storybooks as a child and her father had spoken of them before as well. But she didn't know that she had truly experienced one ever before. She looked at Tenshi, relieved to see her and not be experiencing the discomfort of the tiny room anymore, but annoyed at her words. "I'm no more a child than you are."

Hotaru laughed, "You have no idea. Yes, you are a child and the minute you stop trying to act as if you're not, we can move on." She crossed her arms and waited as patiently as she could.

Riley stubbornly crossed her arms as well and the two stood there, staring at each other in silence for a minute. Two minutes. Three minutes.

Hotaru groaned in exasperation. Of all the people she'd try to apprentice, she had to come across the one that would no doubt, try to push every one of her buttons. "You're wasting your dream time, child. Want me to send you back and try again later?"

"No!" Riley exclaimed quickly. "Alright, I'm young," she rolled her eyes, still not willing to say the word, child. "What's the truth of the world you were talking about?"

No wonder she had been put in reeducation! Donais were not stubborn and sassy. For as irritating as she was, Hotaru acknowledged that that's why Riley was here - because she still had a spark of something left within her. But still...she needed to know what her role was. "You're what?" she asked, levelly.

Riley looked down and then to the side, reaching down picking up a tiny flower. She looked everywhere, but at Hotaru. Finally, her eyes flicked back up and she said, "OK, I'm a child." She spit out the word. "Now tell me!" Her voice softened. "Please, Tenshi. I need to know what you were talking about."

"What I'm talking about is the history of the world," Hotaru explained. "The world isn't so black and white as you were taught. Some of the things that your father taught you were truth while some of it was partly true but the facts were merely wrong." Hotaru pointed to the sky. "That child, is a star. However in this dream, it merely an illusion but that is what a star looks like, that is lies beyond the clouds of Earth." The star sparkled in the sky.

Riley started at the night sky. She could see each one sparkle. Did they really exist?

"They do. If you choose to learn, and you manage to survive reeducation without forgetting this, I'll take you to see the real thing," Hotaru said.

Riley stared at her. Did Tenshi just read her mind? "But how is this possible? I mean, I don't really understand! What does all of this mean?" Riley asked.

Hotaru chuckled. "Easy, child. Baby steps. You need to learn to crawl before you can walk. Let's start. This is a dream. I'm sure you know the scientific terms for a dream. Everyone in the world dreams, but they don't just remember. Some people do, some don't. In a dream anything and everything is possible. Dreams allow people to think of the impossible and give them the confident to make that dream become a reality. You know those holo - goggles you hate so much?"

Riley nodded. "Someone dreamt that up here, while dreaming. They made it become real, in reality. It's a hated invention but it started off as a dream," Hotaru explained. "Anything is possible in a dream. For example..." Hotaru waved her hand. The field of flowers disappeared and suddenly they were on the same rooftop as the night before. "I can create the same place where we first met or..."

Hotaru waved her hands and this time it shifted to the reeducation room. Riley shuddered. "It can be the place were you currently are. Or..." The room changed back to a field of flowers. "You can create something totally new. Now... any questions? If not we'll move to nightmares."

Who was Tenshi really? There was no way she was human. Was she an alien of some sort? The Donaiti had tried to suppress any hint of alien beings around the planet. But that might explain how she knew so much about the stars. But what if this were all nothing more than a trick? A hallucination of some sort caused by the holo-goggles?

Hotaru threw up her hands in exasperation. "When will you stop questioning everything I tell you?"

She did it again! Riley raised her eyebrows in surprise. Either she had some sort of telepathic ability or this was indeed all a figment of Riley's imagination. "Isn't questioning good? We're instructed to never question what we're told. How are you different from any other Donai if you're saying the same thing? Or did you want me to remain their 'caged dog' afterall?"

Hotaru smiled. "Very good," she said. "Are you ready to see more then?" she asked, ignoring the fact that Riley had indeed been questioning it all. Of course, that was to be expected. The girl was in the process of her mental rebirth, but the process certainly wasn't instantaneous and many things could go wrong.

"Anything to get out of this place again," she kicked the reeducation chair she was still, out of the dream and back in reality, strapped into.

"Very well then. As I was saying...nightmares. You might want to brace yourself for this one..."

"Familiar with the yin yang theory?" Hotaru asked. Riley's blank looked answered that question. Hotaru signed. "Okay... well the world is a careful balance. For every one thing that exist there is an equal counterpart. For example Life and Death, where is life, there is death. Without one, the other doesn't exist. Just like good and bad."

"And what does this have to do with nightmares?" asked Riley.

"Nightmares are Dream's counterparts. Dreams give way to new possiblities, nightmares relive your worse fears," Hotaru explained. "Things you are afraid of, tragic events in your past." Hotaru waved her hand. The scene changed and suddenly they were on top of a high building. Riley stepped away from the edge. "You're afraid of heights. This is but one nightmare you might dream. Or..." Hotaru waved her hand once more. This time it was an all too familiar memory.

A child watching her father being dragged away by the very same organization that she worked for. Riley shrank away from the scene, her knees giving out as she fell to the ground clutching her head. "Nightmares are good in some way. They sometimes help us face the fears that hold tight." The scene melted away.

Riley shook her head, trying to forget that awful day. Hotaru helped her up. "Nightmares are just as commons as dreams. They are apart of life... it's just not one on Earth seems to remember them. They still dream, they still have nightmares but no one recalls them."

Suddenly chimes rang through the dream. "Ah... that isn't good. It looks like our time is just about up," said Hotaru.

"Wait!" Riley getting grip. "That's it? That's all you have to say? What do you mean our time is just about up?"

Hotaru smiled. "Dreams only lasted for a little while. If you stay any longer, you'll never wake, never return to reality. And as much as you hate it, I don't think you want to do that. I shouldn't remain here too long either. Not exactly healthy. Don't worry. You'll probably dream again tonight, a real dream. We'll meet again in there. Until then, just bare with the reeducation."

The field of flowers faded away, along with Hotaru. "Wait Tenshi!" Riley called out. "Don't worry. It'll be okay," Hotaru called out. "See you in a few hours!"

Kat's mouth curled into a cruel smile when she sat down and checked the monitors into the reeducation room. She saw Riley strapped down, sweating profusely (as it had entered the high temperature phase), and muttering something over and over as the images in the holo-goggles pummeled into her brain. The two girls were once close friends, but now were bitter rivals. It all started two years ago, just one year after Riley had been recruited. Kat, always wanting to be the top Donai, had overheard two Rank One Donais speaking of how much potential Riley had and how she was being guided down a path that would ultimately result in her working directly for the Minister. Kat burned with jealousy and spent much time and effort sabotaging her friend. Her efforts paid off when the attitude of the Rank Ones completely changed toward Riley and she started being assigned more menial tasks while Kat continued to advance in the ranks.

She had grown callous over the last two years. Callous and cutthroat and though Riley would never advance far now, for some reason, she still felt jealousy toward the girl. The two had long stopped being civil to one another.

Kat heard the doors open behind her and she sat up straight as Commander Day entered. "Status?" he asked. Day had no time or reason to participate in small talk.

"The reeducation seems to be somewhat effective," Kat replied. "though there was a period today when her brain function seemed different..." she pulled up another menu and pointed to the recorded activity. "She's chanting something too."

Day leaned in and squinted. "What is she chanting?"

Kat shook her red and black hair. "I'm not sure. I've not been able to make it out and the mics aren't picking up any sound."

The commander frowned. "I'm not sure I like that." He studied the data of the messages cycling through the holo-goggles and said, "Keep monitoring her, Cardella."

"Yes sir," the girl purred.

-----

Riley heard the air compressor whoosh on again and felt a momentary relief from the heat in the room. Then the temperature started to plummet again. Weakening the physical body weakened the mind, thus allowing the messages to take root more effectively. People going through reeducation were deprived of sleep and nourishment and they were subjected to ongoing cycles of heat and cold. But as long as Riley kept Tenshi's name on her lips, she kept from losing herself.

She didn't know how long had passed since she had last seen Tenshi, but started to grow drowsy despite the deprivation measures. Hotaru cast her into a dream, her power greater than any machine the Donaiti had built...

"Riley," she called. "Riley, come..."

Riley felt herself falling. She landed with a 'thud'. As she nursed her bump, she looked around. It was strange. This time the ground was green. It was soft, not like the steel ground on earth. It smelled sweet too. "As usual, you have taken your sweet time getting here."

Riley looked up. "Tenshi?"

Hotaru smiled and helped her up. "You silly girl, just what am I gonna do with you?"

"Hey! I'm not a silly girl!" Riley shot back.

"No of course not. You're a child," Hotaru said plainly.

Riley frowned and glared at Tenshi. She still didn't like being called a child. "Where are we now?" Riley asked, pushing her annoyance away.

"Still in a dream," answered Hotaru. "But the current scene is a grassy field. The sun had just risen and there is still dew on the grass. Keep any question about the sun, grass and dew until after we finish today's lesson please." Riley frowned and bit back the question of what all of those where. Fine, she'll wait until after the lesson to shoot them at Hotaru. Then Riley felt something brush against her face. It blew back her hair and made a wooshing sound.

"What was that?" she asked franticly. Something she couldn't see just touched her.

Hotaru giggled. "It's called wind. Other names are zepher, breeze, gust. Depending on how strong the wind was would depend on which other name one would use. For example breeze is a light wind. Just enough to keep one cool or blow one's hair. A gust is a strong wind, one that can almost knock one off their feet if not careful. Scientifically, wind is a movement of air. You can't see it because you can't see air. I figured that today we would go over the four basic elements of nature. So take a seat Riley. This dream should last a little bit longer."

Riley obeyed this time, without questioning. She was too intrigued at this point to talk back like her first instinct would have been. She closed her eyes and felt the breeze against her skin. It felt so soft and gave her a sense of calm. "I like wind," she smiled. She reached her arms up and allowed the breeze to blow all around her.

Hotaru smiled and crossed her arms. She studied the girl and willed the wind to blow, harder, stronger.

It picked up in intensity and began to swirl wildly around the girl. Her hair whipped around her face, which she shielded with her arms. "Tenshi!" she cried out, but the wind continued to blow, stronger and stronger, picking up grass and dirt and swirling it around then girl, and then it stopped.

"The wind isn't always gentle, child. Sometimes it can be a greater force than anything humans can create. Once upon a time, long ago, the wind could bring a building crashing down. It could uproot trees. At the same time, it can be as soft as a whisper."

At her words, the breeze began to blow again, lightly as it had at first. Hotaru continued to speak. "Nature is more powerful than you are, than the Minister himself. Than any steel building erected. But that's just the beginning. Next, is earth."

(chu!)

"Earth also goes by several names, such as ground and dirt. It also has different smaller elements under that same classfication. What we're standing on is earth. From earth all plants grow. Things like trees and flower," explained Hotaru. She waved her hand and instantly white fowers began to grow all over the field. "Tulipa clusiana, or simply Lady Tulip. Just one of many types of flowers that no longer exist."

Hotaru stretched her arms, pausing to collect her thoughts. Riley listened with careful care as she smelled the tulips. It was a faint scent. Sweet, just like the grass.

"Earth is sometimes called the source of all life and it's true. After all, humanity lives off earth. Before things were massed produced in a factory, thingsl ike the food you ate, the water you drank and the air you breath, call came from the earth. It is also true that like wind, earth can be dangerous," Hotaru said. As soon as she finished, the ground began to shake.

Riley looked at Hotaru. "Tenshi! What's going on?!"

"It's called an earthquake." The rumbling stopped. "That is Earth's destructive power. If there is one thing that the wind can't move, it is a mountain. If there is one thing that earth can't withstand, it is a wind storm. It all goes hand in hand with the yin and yang theory. Balance is the key," Hotaru explained. "Next up fire."

"I'm afraid fire is the least gentle of the elements. Granted, fire is what brings us warmth and gives us light. But you cannot touch fire without getting burned." Hotaru snapped her fingers and a tiny flame appeared above them. "Even the most insignificant flame can consume everything in its path." She allowed the flame to fall to the ground and the brush erupted. The heat caused Riley to flinch and step back.

"While fire can destroy, it can also heal and purify. It can remove all imperfections."

Riley interrupted. "I know of fire and you're wrong - it can't melt steel."

"Do you know that for a fact?"

"Yes," the girl replied. "As a matter of fact, I do." She crossed her arms, challenging her teacher.

Hotaru said, "Stand back." A beam of steel shot up from the ground. She rapped on it a few times with her fist and then created a ring of fire around it. She widened her hand and Riley could see her straining. The fire grew more and more intense, so much so that Riley felt as if the very air around her were igniting. She retreated even more while Hotaru caused the flame to burn hotter and hotter until the steel beam groaned in protest and began to melt. "2500 degrees," she stated.

"But what fire ever burns that hot?" Riley argued.

Hotaru pointed to the sun. "That, for one. And yet, it gives life as well. But like I said," she repeated, "Fire that consumes purifies."

Riley wondered what she meant, but didn't say anything else.

"Next is water. Water can cool the flames. The more heat there is, the more water is needed, otherwise it will just turn into vapor," said Hotaru. A wave of water crashed down on the steel beam, extinguishing the flames, leaving nothing but a black circle of ashes.

"Of all the four elements you should be the most familiar with this one. Seeing as it is one of the basic needs of a human," said Hotaru. "You're just not use to it's other forms."

"Other forms?" asked Riley.

"Such as ice, snow, and rain. Ice is basically frozen water. Snow is the same thing, but softer. Rain was simple water falling the sky," Hotaru explained. She handed Riley a cup.

"What are these cubes?" Riley pointed to the cubes floating in the water.

"Ice. It was used to cool things down, like water that had been out too long," said Hotaru. She waved her hands. "This is rain."

Riley looked up as she felt something wet hit her head. Dark clouds loomed. Without warning drops of water fell from the sky. "I'm getting wet!" Riley shouted. She wasn't too sure if she liked rain. Who would like getting wet?

"The plants do. Water is like food to them," said Hotaru. She pointed to the grass. "Rain is found flowers, trees and grass are able to grow from the Earth."

The rain stopped. Riley looked up. Now something white was falling slowly to the ground. She touched one. It was wet like water, but it wasn't like the rain that had just been falling. "Finally this is snow. Frozen water like ice, but falls from the sky like rain. Water is important. It keeps us cool and hydrated. Without water, we would just wilter and die."

Kat was getting sleepy, sitting at the screen, monitoring Riley's reeducation process. While she was ecstatic to be assigned that duty (meaning that it probably wouldn't be too long before she moved up to the top rank of Donai), it was very tedious and the initial gloating she had enjoyed had long since shifted into boredom.

Her eyes were growing heavy, but immediately snapped open when she heard a beeping noise. She scanned the four monitors and spotted the error message. It had to do with Riley's brain activity again. Frowning, Kat pushed back her chair and tapped the button on the communicator. "Cole, this is Katharine Cardella requesting that Commander Day come to the monitoring room right away. He needs to see this."

Less than three minutes passed when the doors opened and Commander Day entered the monitoring room, his steel grey eyes flashing. "Show me," he said and Kat pointed to the screen that was recording Riley's brain activity.

Day narrowed his eyes and frowned. "What's she doing?"

"I have no idea," said Kat, "but normally the brain doesn't behave that way during reeducation. Look!" she suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the video feed. Riley was smiling.

Day slammed his fist on the table. He didn't know if he were more upset that something was going awry with this girl whose father he himself had taken away or if it were that the reeducation program seemed to have some bugs. At any rate, something was wrong and he knew that when one piece of the system broke down, the rest inevitably followed. He couldn't afford there to be any kinks, neither in the girl nor the program. "Abort it."

"Sir?" Kat looked up, dismayed. "It's not even the end of the first day!"

"I don't care," the man answered. "Get the techs to check over the program. Troubleshoot this." He pointed to the screen. "Even new recruits who have no discipline comply. So why is this girl, who's been here how long...

"Three years," Kat interjected quietly.

"Three years," Day repeated. "Why is she smiling? What's her brain doing? I can't afford to have a Donai rebel. This world will fall into chaos the moment that happens." In his mind, they were the saviors of humanity - the organization that kept order and balance. He walked toward the door. "I'm pulling her out myself."