"Yes, if you get in bed now, I'll let you watch your TV for a little while," Krystina said to her nine-year-old son Jordan.
He smiled. "Okay!" he said, and immediately ran to his bed and jumped onto it, watching yet another cartoon on his favorite cable station: Cartoon Network.
She smiled and turned to her three-year-old daughter who was most definitely tired. It was 9:00 P.M. and her bedtime. Krystina had gotten both the kids bathed, dressed in their PJs and had their teeth brushed, so now she was actually getting them into bed. Lovingly, she scooped Cassandra up into her arms and kissed her.
"Do you want me to put you in bed?" she asked.
Cassie nodded as she wiped some blond hairs away from her face. "Yes," she said quietly, snuggling into her mother's arms.
Krystina smiled and kissed her baby girl's forehead as she carried her to her bedroom and gently laid her on the bed. She covered her with a large bedspread that was several sizes too large for the little youth bed, but would make sure her daughter was warm.
Just as she was leaving the room, her daughter sat up and cried out, "I want a kiss and a hug!"
"Okay," Krystina replied, "I'll give you one more and then you have to go to sleep. You have school tomorrow."
She went to Cassandra, who was covered in her fuzzy pink sleeper, and embraced her once again and gave her a sweet kiss. Then she laid her back down and tucked her in once more. "Goodnight, baby doll," she whispered.
"Goodnight, momma," came the soft replied.
Sighing, she walked out of her daughter's room and back down the hall toward her son's room. He was laying there, in his own superman sleeper, staring at the TV. He noticed she was watching him and turned and gave her a smile. She smiled back and walked into her own room.
Finally, her time of night had come! Not that she didn't love her kids, but every parent needed some time just to themselves, and after the kids were in bed was her time. She took a seat in front of her computer and decided to check her e-mail before logging onto AIM or anything else. She scanned her messages. There were several daily astrology reports which always amused her. Some Lifeminders messages... Then she saw one from Jovo. There were a few other messages and even a few posts from some of the other role-playing groups she was in, but she wanted to see what Jo had to say. Perhaps he had something new in mind for the next Virgo mission.
Opening the message, she sat there and read it with surprise. "Okay," she said to herself. "What have you been smoking, Jo?" She knew that he wasn't doing anything like that, and yet, the only possibilities for his e-mail about meeting actual members of the Virgo crew... members they had created were... that either, he was doing drugs, or that he had finally flipped out with the schedule he kept, or that he was trying to pull her leg.
It seemed more reasonable that the latter was the case. And growing up, she'd had many friends that would have tried to play a joke like that! She had even participated in a few jokes herself as a teen, but there was something nagging at her about it. Jo had never tried playing a joke on her or the rest of the members of the Virgo RPG before, why would he now? And why something so implausible?
With a sigh, she logged onto AIM to see if maybe Jovo was on. But he wasn't. Steve wasn't even there, or Rich, or Drew, or anyone. So she logged back off.
She decided that she would just not respond to the e-mail. She would wait and see what Jo wrote next. She was sure someone else in the group would have written him by now, anyway. However, she was hit with an uneasy feeling she couldn't explain. Like something was seriously wrong and she couldn't put her finger on it. Or that something terrible was going to happen, and nine times out of ten, her intuition was right.
With that knowledge, she walked out of her room after checking the back door, making sure it was locked. Jordan was still engrossed in his show. As she walked by Cassie's room, she looked to see her little girl was already asleep.
Krystina then walked to the front door, and locked it. She then came inside and locked the inner door as well. After she did that, she went into the kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife. Not that she could really defend herself well with a knife. She was not exactly physically fit. She had no defense training really, and she was overweight, which made it difficult to get anywhere really fast. But when it came to her kids, she would do whatever she had to to keep them safe.
Nervously, she went back to her room and decided to work on a post for the SB901. Her character Kassia, was almost to the point of a breakdown and she wanted to wrap up that plot-line before the end of the week. She sat down and set herself up for the post. She started it with ease. It was flowing great, but after about 30 minutes, something pulled her attention from her writing.
She listened again and could hear what sounded like footsteps just outside her windows... And it sounded like more than just one set of footsteps. Now she was scared. She didn't know what was going on, but there was no reason for anyone to be walking on the side of her house, let alone several someones!
The mobile home park managers were in bed, that she knew, so it wasn't them. But that little voice inside her that said danger, hit an all-time high.
Slowly and as quietly as she could, she stood up and walked to the hall. Jordan was still awake. He looked at her and she motioned for him to be quiet and to follow her. Swiftly, she went to Cassie's room and grabbed her daughter. Just as she emerged there, she could hear the sound of someone trying to open the back door. With that, she ran to the phone in the front room. She picked up the receiver, but it was dead. No dial tone, no nothing!
Now she was sure that she and the kids were in danger though she didn't know why. Her heart beat fast as she got to the first locked door and opened it. Cassie clutched tightly in her arms. Jordan by her side. Just as her and Jordan ran out, she saw a figure in the hall all dressed in black.
"They're going out the front!" he yelled.
She had never moved so fast in her life. "Come on, Jordan!" she said, as she unlocked the final front door and ran down the steps and up the hill toward the top of her street and the front of the mobile home park. Within seconds, there were several people behind her and Jordan. Cassie's weight combined with her own, slowed her down. And by that time, Cassie had come fully awake. She knew something was wrong and started crying.
Krystina was astounded that none of the neighbors had come out to see what was happening. There were some people in her park that came outside if a cat passed gas. They had nothing better to do with their time... Only tonight it seemed they did.
Then, just as she thought for sure she was going to die right there from a heart attack and be caught by the people dressed in black who were catching up to her and her children swiftly, she suddenly felt funny. There was a sense that her body was tingling.
Oh no! I'm going to pass out! she thought wildly, almost in tears. But then, she saw a light surround her and the kids. What was going on, she thought frantically. Then, in one moment, as her vision was blinded by the light, everything changed. The light went away, and suddenly, she was in a room. Cassie was still in her arms and Jordan was right next to her. They were fine! And the people trying to catch them were gone.
Still trying to catch her breath, she fought off a wave of dizziness and mild nausea, and gently set Cassie down. She then sat down herself and closed her eyes. She didn't care where she was at the moment, just that she seemed safe. And the kids were safe. That's all that mattered to her.
"Krystina?" asked a young male voice
She looked up and saw who appeared to be Jovani Burgos, her friend and the leader of the USS Virgo RPG. They had never met in person, but she had seen a picture of him.
"Jo?" she said, finally really looking around the room she was in. It looked exactly like a transporter room from their role-playing ship. She noticed too, that Jordan was fascinated. He didn't say a word, but just stared and stared. Cassie, however, was still scared and wouldn't leave Krystina's side. She still had tears in her little brown eyes.
"Welcome to the Virgo," he said smiling.
Behind him, for the first time, she saw two women, and her jaw dropped. It was Commander Katianna Nadira and Lieutenant Jenara Chee. "This is a joke," she said, "This can't be real!"
"But it is," he assured her. "Take a second to adjust before you get up. Since we're not use to the transporters, they disorient us for a few minutes."
She nodded.
"So this is the woman you say created Jenara and myself?" Katianna asked, with curiosity.
"Yep," he replied. "That's Krystina Stressman."
As Kat's eyes fell to the little girl, she took a breath in and walked up to her. Cassie just climbed into her mom's lap and looked at the stranger with caution.
"She's shy with people she doesn't know," Krystina explained.
"But she looks... exactly like Laurissa..." Katianna replied. "Only Laurissa has her father's spots."
"I know," Krystina replied with a smirk, finally relaxing and realizing that if this was some weird dream, she was going to enjoy it! "She was also born in March. My daughter is a November baby. But I modeled both Laurissa and Adrianna on my daughter Cassandra." Tenderly, she held her daughter closer.
"That must be your son, Jordan," Jenara said as she looked at the tall boy with blond hair and brown eyes.
At hearing his name he turned and smiled.
"He's cute!" she said.
Krystina smiled and got to her feet.
"So why don't either one of us have sons?" Jenara asked with curiosity.
"Who says you don't?" Krystina replied smartly. "Actually, in the future..." she said starting to explain what she was intending to write, but then stopped herself as she thought about it." You know, I don't think we should really talk about that though. So who were those men trying to get me and my kids?" she asked, looking at Jovo.
"They're agents from the National Security Agency," he replied.
"Why would they want...?" Suddenly things started falling into place. Something must have happened. The NSA had then tied to Jovani and the role playing group. "What about everyone else?" she asked with genuine concern.
"We'll get to everyone. We believe that everyone who takes part in the RPG is in danger."
Immediately, her thoughts went to Steve.