[gilga]

Marco answered "I am not sure... " He paused and then said "A voice, it might have been a dream, but perhaps Shadow - some reflection of him.  The voice was not very chatty but what it said left me terrified. I am probably losing my mind."

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena considers her words carefully.  "Yelena not hear voice.  Shadow not for all, Marco.  Some want.  Others afraid.  Shadow not friend.  Not lover.  Shadow is power.  If strong enough to take.  Can use shadow.  But shadow will use back.  Take soul when dead.  Death add to shadow power for next person.  Marco not accept shadow if not ready."

"Yelena been sleeping much.  Did tell Marco Blake arrange for surgery today for implants? 

[gilga]

Marco said. "I was just trying to look at him... observe but he said that he is nothing and that he wants nothing.  I am ready to follow another spirit, but I understand what you describe. Agrat left a hole in my heart, she had good intentions.

She saved my life in the past, making me filter out external pressure on  my personality. However, once the circumstances changed - the same behavior that got me here, now threatened to sink me. I was spiraling out of control in temptations and vices and I had to stop it before I ended up dead.  We change a lot faster than spirits - this is why it is a problem."

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena nods.  "Marco stay away Shadow if not ready.  Shadow take and not give if not strong to grab.  To all others shadow is nothing.  Yelena surprised Marco see shadow.  Only take shadow when ready.  Yelena not want lose Marco after find him."

She pauses a bit then gives his hand a soft squeeze.  "Yelena love Marco.  Is alright love Marco and be in shadow?"

[gilga]

Marco sighed "I do not have all the answers Yelena, I am going with you to a place I know in my heart you should not go. I respect you and you are older than me. I have no answers. We did a good job, for a worthy goal but we got people killed.  Good intentions are not enough, as our victory was paved with blood. Dante also had a worthy goal but the way he accomplished it damned his soul. We are all the willing hands of the devil. I completely understand it, but this knowledge offers no comfort or no practical way to change it."

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena responds, "Sometimes is best know what cannot change and accept it.  Struggle brings frustration.  Brings anger.  Brings sense defeat.  Marco must be strong for life.  In shadow.  Not in shadow.  Must be strong.  Not afraid.  Yelena stay Marco until Marco tired of her."  The last was said with droopy eyes and a yawn as Yelena fades back into sleep.  Soon after, a nurse and two orderlies come in.  She reads Yelena's chart and shoos Marco away from the bed.  "Off you go, now, dear.  This one is scheduled for several surgeries this morning.  Some rush job, I hear.  She won't be back in here for six, maybe seven, hours.  Why don't you go off to get some sleep.  You look like hell, and that's being polite.  But I have to admire you; most people here are lucky to get a visitor once during their stay, but you have been here all the time, from what I hear.  She must be very special to you.  Now, out of the way.  The doctors will take good care of her."

The two orderlies raise some rails from the side of the bed and release the wheel locks before rolling the bed out of the room behind the nurse.  Yelena wakes up when the doctor asks her some questions, nodding that she understands the risks of this type of surgery.  She signs several waivers and is anesthetized.  The surgeries are difficult but the specialist surgeon is very good and he manages to get everything in place.  Yelena is wheeled back to her room still sedated and is allowed to begin the recovery process.

[gilga]

Marco leaves the hospital and goes home for a much needed sleep.

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena wakes up and notices something wrong right away as she tries to move her arms.  She assumes that she has been restrained again, but sees that is not the case when she is able to focus.  Her arms and legs feel leaden and she wonders if the drugs have not worn off yet.  A man at the end of the bed replaces her chart on its hook and comes around to her.  "Having trouble moving?"  At Yelena's nod he continues, "You will need to get used to the new you.  I would recommend slow progress at first.  Your entire sense of balance will be thrown off kilter for a couple of days.  Your new implants are working perfectly, according to the instruments here, but you are not used to them.  The biggest obvious change will be from the titanium bone lacing.  You will need to go slowly for a bit to get used to the way you walk and run.  And there will be a bit of a weight difference.  After a bit of time to get used to the difference there should be no discomfort or awkwardness in movement.  The rest of your package is all present as well.  Please do not try to do any practice with that horrible weapon in your finger while you are in the hospital.  You can familiarize yourself with opening and closing the compartment, but I will have the whip removed if I hear that you are playing with it.  Understood?"

Yelena nods and the doctor smiles at her before leaving.  A nurse arrives a short time after to check on Yelena's vitals and tells her that Marco left to go get some sleep and Yelena is glad that he has gone to take care of himself.  She uses the alone time to try to get familiar with her body.  She knows that her skin has changed a bit, but it seems the same as always to the casual touch.  Her fingertip compartment is tricky and it takes a bit of practice to get it to open on command.  It is very strange to see part of her finger just pop up and open to revel its deadly secret.  The hardest part is trying to figure out the way her body moves.  Even sitting up in bed is a chore and she falls to the floor the first time she gets out of bed to use the bathroom and standing back up is an experience that brings out lots of cursing in Russian.  She remains out of bed, walking around her small room to get used to the new weights and how they affect her balance.  The doctor had been correct and she is making good progress by the time the nurse comes back to give her the dinner meal and some meds to help her sleep.  Yelena sits back in the bed after eating and sends a couple of notes off.

>>Srui.  Is Yelena.  New body strong.  Yelena getting used to new weight.  Yelena doing good.  Arc stay home with rigger man.  Tell Decker mage Yelena come talk to her soon.<<

>>Firefly.  Is Yelana.  Yelena sorry not there with decker mage.  Need talk soon.  Have much to say if Firefly still want learn.<<

>>Marco.  Is Yelena.  Yelena thank Marco for stay at hospital.  Yelena feeling better.  New body.  Maybe leave hospital tomorrow night.  Yelena go Marco place or garage?<<

After sending out the messages, Yelena sets her 'link to searching out high end tattoo establishments.  Finding one with a number of positive reviews, she dials it up, asking to speak with Jill K, who is apparently one of the featured skin artists, about some work she wants done on her back.  The artist seems very excited to do the ink and sends her some files containing examples from her portfolio.  Satisfied that the work looks excellent, Yelena sends Jill K some shots of her back that she has on file from the last time she had skulls added.  After a long silence, Jill K comes back and tells her that this is one fragging masterpiece and she would literally kill someone to be able to add to it.  Yelena laughs and tells her that killing is not necessary and makes a tentative date to have the work done.  She mentions that she has Ortho Skin and Jill K tells her that will add some to the cost as it means lots of extra care and some expensive inks.  Yelena smiles as she hangs up.  It is not good to wait too long to give everyone a place under the tree.  Satisfied for now, she takes the meds and falls into a deep, healing sleep.

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena wakes hungry.  And in desperate need to use the restroom.  She carefully sits up and twists her body to swing her legs over the side of the bed before sliding off.  The practice she had done the day before makes it possible to not fall and embarrass herself again.  Still, the walk is slow and a bit ungainly, but also easier and faster than yesterday.  Yelena almost shouts with pride after successfully navigating the few feet to the restroom without falling.  When she comes out she sees a new nurse with a breakfast tray.  The woman helps her back in bed and sets the tray on her lap before telling her that she will be back in thirty minutes to take her down to the physical therapy room.  Yelena remembers her last time in PT here and frowns.

She eats in peace after checking her message log and seeing nothing.  Still, her friends are busy with their lives and she would not want them wasting time in this hospital when they should be out doing their own things to get ready.  A quiet knock at the door heralds Blake's entrance.  He spends a few minutes asking how she is doing with her new implants and she tells him.  At her unasked question, he tells her that he is not at liberty to divulge the full details of the raid on the Stardust yet, but perhaps soon.  She recognizes a quiet intransigence in him on this issue and does not push.  He leaves just as quietly as he arrived just before the nurse returns with an orderly and a wheelchair.

Yelena is wheeled down to the PT area and spends most of the day learning to adapt to the new titanium structure in her body.  Surprisingly, the nurse is quite gentle and very helpful.  She is wheeled to the cafeteria for lunch and then allowed to walk back to the PT area.  During the afternoon session, a doctor comes in to find her and runs a biomonitor scan of her, reporting that she is well enough to leave if she wishes to.  She does.

While walking back to her room, she sends a note to Marco telling him that she will be able to leave anytime after 1800 if he can pick her up.

[SgtBoomCloud]

Arc spent a good few more hours in the hospital with Yelena, conversing with the other gentlemen visiting her, going over the plans and what they were all doing.  She promised Jed to have a quote for the restoration by Sunday, assuring that she would not charge for labor...for the help h gave to their work, it was the least she could do.  Extending a MARK to each of them for the garage, she offered them to come by anytime..any tech needing fixed she could take a crack at.

When Yelena awoke next, they shared a few moments, but after a time, the elf and human locked exoressions, and Arc knew what the Russian was saying.  She knew she had stuff to do, and one look from her Sri told her that she knew as well, and do not want the mechanic to put things on hold while the assassin recovers.  So, with a brief embrace, the human stood, turned to the mage and the PI, tipped her hear goodbye, and departed for the garage.

Until the evening, Arc resumed her course of trainibg, breaking every now and then to finish another task on the bike for Tuskaloosa.  The front axle went on, as well as the fenders and the suspension system by the time the day was done, more hours logged into Centauri Starfighter 20XX than she cared to admit.  Taking a picture of her progress, she attached it to a message.

<<@Tuskaloosa:  hoi, it's Arc here.  This is what I got on your bike done.  Needs a few core pieces, tires, display, electrical and paint, but beyond that it should be in working order soon.  I'm going in for some implants and will be out till Sat evening if you wanna come check it out.  Also if you wanna put any special mods in, this weekend is the time to tell me

Also, got a small project I'm thinking about once the bike is done.  Would like your input.  Hit me up!>>

Satisfied with her work today, Arc cleaned herself off and realized she had a couple hours before her Vruk was off work. Thinking about it, she shrugged and got her coat, hopping on the bike and speeding off towards Henri and Bettina'a place, wanting to visit...

Her arrival was noticed quickly as Bettina met her at the door, a welcoming smile in her face with Lil J on her hip.  Explaining that Henri was due back from a project, she let the short human in for some caf...well, tea, after Arc explained she couldn't have any for the next few days.  Sharing a cup, the two women chatted up, the mechanic learning a few recipes to try when she felt like burning the kitchen down cooking a meal for Jaime again, citing a few options as his particular favorite.  She was grateful...because even she would get tired of mac and cheese after a while...

The conversation was interrupted as the eldest dau, Angelina, came storming down, recognizing her Tary'ken's voice and started chattering excitedly.  Mostly she was geek in out because she saw Arc playing the game she recommended, and demanded that they pair up for a good rounds, boasting herself as a capable pilot.  With a nod to Bettina, Ac would smile and comply, joining foe a few games before Henri got home.

From there, Arc's focus transitioned from one kind of preparatory diversion to the other, as the talk shifted towards something the ork engineer had been wanting to take a Crack at: Arc's arm.  He explained how he had been working on a way to heighten the tensile strength of the servos while simultaneously reinforcing the joints.  The result?  Her arm operates as if it had been lifting weights for 4 months straight.  Needless to say, Arc was impressed by it..and with the price of materials, she may even be able to afford it.  But, priorities first, and she expressed how she had to save some cred for a new vehicle and a couple other things...but the modification will definitely be considered.

After a little more chatting, it was time to head home.  Saying her goodbyes, Arc departed to meet her Vruk at his...their place, picking up some food on the way.  There, she spent a pleasant evening with just the two, the man wishing her the best on her mystery procedure, anxiously awaiting the end result.  The mechanic assured him it was going to be fine, smiling as the night passed without worry.

And then Friday happened.  For some reason Arc was feeling a little apprehensive...the control rig might have been a voluntary choice to put in her body, but she was already on a hospital bed...this time she is willingly going back on the table to enhance her body.  Still, gulping it down, she got up and departed for the clinic, a kiss goodbye the boost she needed to undergo what came next...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After what seemed like a small eternity for the human, Arc was finally released from observation with a definite success.  Brotherton told her that the implant wasn't showing any negative reactions to her body, but she was to call him to come in should anything change or feel funny after the next few days.  Relieved, Arc flipped through her commlink after rebooting it, finding a get well soon message from her Vruk..and a confirming message from Yelena that everything was successful.

<<@Jaime: out from the slab, everything is chip fine.  You'll see me tonight >>

<<@Yelena: Srui.  Just got out of care m'self.  On my way>>

Checking through her messages again, the mechanic couldn't help but frown, a sensation made even weirder by the small pair of tusks she sported, poking out just over her lips. Shaking it off, she frowned as she saw no response from her other companions.  Just what are they up to...?  Shrugging, the human decided to sort it out soon as she hopped on the bike and headed towards the hospital, her jaw shifting as it adjusted to her new look.

When she finally arrived, she walked into the room to see the elf sitting at the edge of her bed, repeatedly lifting and dropping her foot off the ground with some look of discomfort.  "Tchae, you should shee the look on your facshe, Shrui'ken...."  Crossing her arms, she blinked as she heard her own voice, the tusks obviously taking some getting used to.  Wiping her mouth, she looked wide-eyed as the pair made eye contact before busting out laughing, holding her sides as she joined Yelena on the bed.  "Ah man...well you don't look worsh for wear..how ya feel?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena is making another trip to the restroom when Arc walks in.  Her appearance startles Yelena a bit, which is not a real good thing in her condition.  She slips to the floor, cursing in Russian, then pulls herself back up.  "Srui.  What do?  First hair.  Now face.  Yelena go pee then look closer."

After using the restroom, Yelena comes out to stand near Arc and gives her a hug.  She puts out a finger then pauses.  "Yelena touch?  Not want hurt Arc.  Rigger man see yet?"

[gilga]

Marco texts Yelena >> I have extended you a mark on the house, I am busy during the days doing some mojo stuff but I can spend the evenings with you. You are always welcome at *our* place.

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena receives the message from Marco and smiles in spite of herself.  Maybe Marco in the one.  He talks like he wants to be the one and it seems that Yelena is the one holding out.  So maybe she will go all in one more time and take a chance.  Maybe it is time.  She sends a text back to him.  >>Marco.  Is Yelena.  Yelena there Saturday.  Take cab to garage.  Get things then go apartment.<<

[SgtBoomCloud]

Arc was uncontrollably laughing as she nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks as she got a grip on herself.  She was grateful that she didn't opt for a larger set of tusks...these little ones poking out caused a big enough reaction, a big set would likely have had the elf break something!  Regaining her composure, she nodded as the elf sat down, the bed creaking under the titanium enhanced weight.

"Yeah, yeah can toucsh.  Got them in yeshterday with the shleep regulator, so they're shet in jusht fine."  Grinning, the mechanic showed just how integrated the tusks went in, looking just as natural as if the human were an ork all along.

After the elf touches and inspects the work, Arc blushes a little.  "He and hish eth know I'm gettin shomethin done, but not shure what.  Gonna shurprishe him tonight, but I know he will jusht love it..."  she laughed at her own speech.  "itsh gonna take shome getting ushed to, heh.  How about with you?  How'sh it feel to have...ah, ten to fifteen exhtra kilosh?"

After a laugh and exhange, the mechanic sighs, shrugging.  "need to get in toucsh with the othrsh.  Firefly ishnt picking up my callsh, and Tushkaloosha I'm guesshing got her implant done and ish recovering too...but things are okay..."

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena laughs with Arc for a bit then gets serious when her Srui does.  "Yes.  Firefly not answer Yelena either.  Yelena hope are alright.  Must leave for Poland on time.  Arc talk Jed when here?  PI man came but left.  Yelena sleeping.  Hope find Bella."