"What are you doing?" The identical voices of my older twin sisters startled me. The chair squeaked loudly as I jumped and the thick volume hit the floor with a thump.

"Reading."

"Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer," Alice read from the cover.

"It's about war and  leadership." I said while using telekinesis to float the well read book back to my hands. I'd gotten it from the base library. As required reading material for every student at West Point this book was frequently checked out. As such I hadn't gotten the chance to read it. For the first time in all our years of coming here no one seemed to need it. In fact there were actually three other copies on the shelf. We would be here for a week and I was determined to read this one thousand two hundred and ninety one page book before we left.

I could have gotten the book digitally but I liked holding an actual book and thinking about everyone who'd read it before me. Besides the darn book was expensive and my iPod only held so much space. If I ended up hating the thing at least I wouldn't have buyers remorse.

"I'm not sure that's something Dad would want you reading at your age," Ruby frowned.

"I'm nearly thirteen," I mumbled while sitting the book gently on a table. The tome was old and because it was in a military college, like everything else, it was kept in great condition and I didn't want to spoil that.

"Whatever." Alice said flippantly. "We came to get you because we're staging a breakout."

I snorted. "And how exactly are we going to do that without getting caught?"

"Don't worry about it, just follow us. Your book will still be here when we get back. We just want four hours of your time tops." Alice threw my coat and bag at me while double checking something in her purse.

"Where are we even going?" I zipped up and followed them. I tucked the book neatly into the bag.

"To the movies." I nearly stopped in the middle of the hall before Ruby nudged me to keep going.

"Seriously? We're risking a month of kp to see a movie?"

"If you really don't want to come go back to your reading. But this is the last time you'll be able to do anything with us for a while." From her tone I knew Alice was rolling her eyes. Alice signaled stop and we halted while two old soldiers walked by.

"What are you talking about," I whisper hissed.

"Alice and I are staying here to go to college. You and dad are going home at the end of the week." Ruby sounded excited but my stomach dropped. I knew this day was coming. I'd heard my sisters talk about going to college enough to know that someday our family would be separated. I just didn't realize it would be so soon.

They had technically graduated a few years years ago at sixteen. While some kids did go to college that young they were usually civilian geniuses. In our case we'd gotten the best education our country had to offer; which put us far ahead of the public and many private school curriculums. But because of what we were the rules were also stricter. We didn't have the freedom to go and do something anytime we wanted. The movement of our lives was decided behind closed doors often by people I knew only in name. Life as an enhanced super being had so many restrictions that I often felt that we were essentially prisoners. Which to a degree was kinda true.

Apparently Dad had finally gotten through to the committee. But of course it would be a military college where a close eye would still be kept. So much for my sisters talks of Oxford, Yale, Harvard, or Princeton. "That's great." It was all I could do to sound happy for them. I was. But at the moment that happiness was overtaken by sadness. My sisters and I had rarely been apart. Dad occasionally went on missions but that was normal. We saw a movie I didn't remember the name of and couldn't recall anything about it. When we got back to the school my sisters picked up on my less than stellar mood, and as always, knew instantly why.

"It's not forever, Jas," Ruby promised.

"We can call you and write letters." Alice promised while handing me the spoon we where using to eat the ice cream we'd smuggled in. "It's time to start living. One day it'll be your turn to-"

My eyes snapped open. I rarely dreamed my memories, and this wasn't exactly the happiest day of my life. Aside from seeing Ruby and Alice there wasn't much good I associated with it. Why this particular one had come up I wasn't sure. I looked at the clock and saw my alarm would have gone off soon anyway.

The halls were a bit sparse as the night shift still had another hour. Soon a mad house of activity would crowd the hall with the shift turn over.

Normally I wouldn't have ventured out of my room before nine, but I was spending a lot of time there lately and it was beginning to get stifling. I hoped that one of my friends would be in the cafeteria but I didn't see anyone but Janice. I made a point to ignore her and sat at the far side of the room with my back to her. She was the historian of Enterprise, and due to my challenging her knowledge of history we didn't get along. Which was why when she got up and moved to the opposite side of my table I was surprised and not in the mood to deal with her.

"What do you want?" I wasn't going to waste my time if she just wanted to argue with me again.

"Have you heard what happened yesterday?"

"No. I was busy." Failing at meditation yet again but Janice of all people didn't need to know that.

"Dr. Jacobee might be removed from the dig." Her eyes held a hungry look.

"Why? I thought he was making progress."

"He was until yesterday." She didn't elaborate which bugged me. Jacobee had been here for a little over a week, and just three days ago managed to come to an agreement with Mr. Keylai, the site owner. I gathered as much information as I could about his work. Very little of it was interesting as he hadn't started digging yet despite the newly opened opportunity.

"And why is that," I sighed exasperated.

"His translator made strings of mistakes in the Rothlumite language and greatly insulted the site owner over a celebratory dinner. Over and over again; now Keylai refuses to speak with him or any Starfleet representatives for that matter."

I stayed silent.

"I thought you'd be jumping for joy. The man's an arrogant ass." Janice flipped her auburn hair and scowled in the direction of the Montana for a few seconds before turning back to me.

"It won't matter unless he's actually going to be removed. Things like that happened all the time back on Earth and reconciliation was usually reached after a few days," I said and stabbed at the oatmeal in my bowl.

"Well I think he will be and I want in when you're put back in charge or go off on your own."

"Why? Did he kick you off his team?"

"No, he brought his own team and those of us that were supposed to work with you were returned to normal duty. Look, I have friends that disappeared and I'm tired of waiting for answers. I'm willing to work with you if you can with me. And despite our, uh, differences, I have to admit I doubt you could do a worse job than Jacobee. I'll eat my communicator if you're not a vast improvement."

"Besides," Janice continued, "I'd be a huge asset to you down there. I wrote my master thesis on the Rothlumite culture and I speak the language. Fluently; maybe even better than Uhura because it's the only other language I know besides English. Rothlumite is one of the less well known languages in the Federation and I know you don't speak or read it at all. You'd lose a ton of time pouring over translation books. If you do go off on your own I know you wouldn't want to drag Uhura into it in case we ruin our careers."

It was true. I could never ask something like that of Uhura if I was going rogue. If Uhura said yes, and something told me she would, I couldn't live with myself if I destroyed everything she'd worked for. With Janice though, I could take that risk even if we ended up having adjoining cells; as long as we succeeded. And if we didn't...I'd worry about that later. Janice plead her case with a lot of conviction but if she wanted me to rely on her I needed to make sure.   

"Even if he is removed I doubt they'd put the project back in my hands. Are you really ready to commit mutiny?" Janice faltered for just a second.

"I don't want to go to prison, but if we're successful I doubt I'd be sentenced. And even if I am hopefully by then we'll have our people back and that would make it worth it. I have other reasons to doubt Jacobee. I worked for him once and I don't think he has what it takes to be here. He makes stupid mistakes and refuses to admit them; plus he's protected by his friends on the council and still keeps getting assignments. It's his silver tongue and not any ability that got him to his position. This is far too  important to leave in his hands. And if anything this whole situation proves that he and those friends of his, like that idiot translator, are incompetent and shouldn't be here. Hopefully now Starfleet will see them for what they are and fire them."

"I'll think it over and let you know," I said twirling my spoon around like it was a drumstick. Janice nodded curtly. I decided to take breakfast back to my room and left her just as more people began to file in the cafeteria. That was the best she was going to get from me though my decision was already made.