David clutched at the blankets over his shoulders and tried to shrink within them. He was so cold, unnaturally cold, and had been since he called Molly.

When she pulled up, she took one look at him, bundled him into her car, and streaked to the nearest hospital. He couldn't speak because of the tremors that kept him vibrating in the passenger seat. She fired questions at him, but he could barely hear her.

Tell the truth, Dave...

He moaned and tried to bury himself in the blankets.

"Dammit, Dave," Molly paced the tiny room they were in.

David lay curled in a fetal position on a narrow bed. As soon as she gave their names at the desk, they were whisked through and left here for the last hour. She demanded blankets and kept piling them on him, but David couldn't get warm.

"What did she do to you?"

Nothing...He didn't hurt me at all...

Molly froze and stared at David. He was pale and shaking under the blankets. His lips were blue, and a frown creased his brow.

"Dave," she whispered. "How did you do that?"

He blinked and his brown eyes found her. They need me to tell the truth...

"David," she got close and touched his cheek. She hissed at how chilled his skin was and jerked back. "She did something to you. You can't keep warm, and you can't talk."

What the hell do you mean? I'm talking to you right now...

"David you are not using your voice," she told him slowly.

"How the hell else am I s-s-s-supposed to t-t-talk!" he cried suddenly.

Molly jumped back and blinked at him.

"Okay, so," she took a few breaths. "For a minute there, you were talking but...I heard you in my head," she explained. "Just like Cruz the first time I went to see him."

He blinked right back at her and shifted under the blankets. "T-t-that's not p-p-possible," he muttered.

"Okay, fine," she decided not to argue. Dave could be ridiculously stubborn when challenged on a point he was sure of. "So, they want you to tell the truth? They who?"

"The C-c-c-collective. C-c-cruz got them out."

The shivers kicked up again and he gasped, groaning in misery. Molly's heart raced and she yanked open the door, calling for a doctor, nurse, priest, some-fucking-body.

Cruz got them out.

How the hell did her ex-husband manage to free his crew from high-security military custody and kidnap David?

He had to be delusional. The shivers had to be caused by a virus or something. Maybe he got infected during his visit with Ofelia. He had never been gone overnight before, and she couldn't imagine Ofelia welcoming him in her presence that long. The only time Molly ever saw the woman without Resting Bitch Face was in the presence of Cruz or the Twins.

Molly kept yelling until a security guard appeared and ushered her back into the room.

"Mrs. Nichols, I need you to calm down."

"My husband is going into shock," she snapped. "We've been here for over an hour, and no one has bothered to even take his temperature. What the fuck do I have to be calm about?"

"They're aware of his condition, ma'am," the guard told her. "They're bringing in specialists."

"From where? Fucking Mars? He needs care now. He's hallucinating and freezing in here."

The guard studied David, shivering, and moaning for a moment. He nodded and turned back to Molly. "I'll see what I can do, ma'am. You have to understand, though. We've been ordered to stay away from both of you."

"What!" Molly was shocked. "Why?"

"I'm not in that loop, ma'am, but I will try to find someone to take a look at Mr. Nichols for you."

She nodded and let the guard leave, shutting the door quietly behind him.

She sat down on the only chair in the room and stared at David. She recalled how they were brought straight back without questions once she gave their names at the desk.

Shit.

All of this had to be connected to Cruz and the Asimov crew. The people at this hospital weren't military at all. They didn't have the clearance to deal with them. She and David were Alliance security risks and chances were, only Alliance-approved physicians would be allowed to treat them.

Shit.

Just as the panic started to blossom in her chest, the door opened and a plain-looking woman in a navy skirt and what-the-fuck high heels stepped in. She carried a tablet and a clipboard. She wore a white lab coat with Alliance credentials clipped to a pocket.

"Mrs. Nichols, I apologize for the wait. I'm Dr. Sandra Harper. I believe your husband was at the Alliance facility last night visiting with Captain Sloane."

Molly blinked. "Cruz? No, he went to see Ofelia."

"Yes," Dr. Harper pursed her lips. "He did visit with Commander Munro, but then he was transported to another facility where he was allowed to meet with Captain Sloane. Unfortunately, we aren't sure what happened during that meeting. The Captain and his crew have escaped, and it appears that they used your husband to do so."

Shit.

David wasn't delusional, then.

"I don't understand," Molly breathed. "How can hundreds of unarmed people escape from multiple military locations using my husband?"

"That's one of the questions we need to ask Mr. Nichols. May I examine him?"

"What kind of doctor are you?" Molly asked suspiciously when the woman pulled light blue gloves from her pocket.

"I have several PhDs, Mrs. Nichols, but the only ones that may matter to you are the degrees in immunology and exotic bacterium. May I?"

Molly watched David shudder and moan for a few seconds before she nodded. If this chick was here to help, she'd take it, but it sounded like she was here for information too.

"Mr. Nichols? I'm Dr. Harper. Can you hear me, sir?" David didn't respond and Dr. Harper pulled a stethoscope from her pocket and plugged her ears. She reached through his curled form and pressed it to his chest. "Mr. Nichols, if you can hear me, please take a deep breath and hold it."

"Have to t-t-tell the tr-tr-truth," David whispered.

"What's that, sir?"

"The C-c-collective," he gasped. "G-g-gotta do it right."

Dr. Harper stumbled back when David suddenly burst out of the blankets and shot across the room.

"I have to tell the truth!" he screamed. He pressed back on the wall and gazed wildly around the room. "They said that if I didn't do it right, they'd know. I have to do it right!"

"What truth do you have to tell, Mr. Nichols?" Dr. Harper asked.

He panted, staring at her, then looked at Molly. "She's not here for the truth. She's here to keep me quiet."

"Is that true, Doctor?" Molly asked. She moved around and put herself between the woman and David. "Is that why you're here? To keep my husband quiet?"

"I'm here because Captain Sloane and his crew have escaped," Harper reminded her quietly. "General Ulster was found unconscious in Dr. Moore's office and both Dr. Moore and Dr. Zachery are missing. Across the facilities, several Alliance personnel have also gone missing, and we believe they may have been taken hostage by the crew. Please, I just want to ask some questions. David is the only one that was present when Sloane escaped. He is the only one who can tell us what happened to General Ulster."

"No," David whispered from behind Molly. "She's not here for the truth."

Molly nodded and dipped her hand into the purse slung over her body. The small caliber pistol she pulled out and aimed at the woman packed a punch and Harper knew it by the widening of her eyes and the instantly raised palms.

"We're walking out of here, Doctor, and I will put holes in important places if you try to stop us," Molly warned. "Cruz taught me how to use weapons, and if you know anything about him, you know this isn't the only one I'm carrying. Back it up."

Harper obeyed and Molly stalked her until she sat down in the single chair in the room. As if instructed, David darted forward and snatched her badge before Molly delivered a quick punch that knocked her out cold, thanks to Cruz's tutelage. Without a word, they slipped out the door and casually strolled through the hospital until they found an exit.

Within minutes, they'd ditched their phones and grabbed a cab.

***

Molly thought Cruz's lessons on how to disappear were paranoid nonsense for years. She followed his instructions, though, to humor him. She was now tearfully grateful that her ex-husband taught her how to become someone else in a matter of hours.

David was astounded when she directed the cabbie to a bank two towns over and entered to be greeted by the bank president.

"Miz Anoles, welcome. How have you been?"

"Now, Maurice, how many times do I have to ask you to call me Alyssa," she smiled warmly as the little man blushed.

"Of course, Miss Alyssa. How can I help you?"

"Well, it's the damnedest thing," she laughed. "Me and my good friend, here," she linked arms with David, "were out on and about and we both lost our phones along the way. I don't even have my pocketbook."

"My goodness!" Maurice exclaimed. "Well, I will be happy to help you, Miss Alyssa. Please come to my office. Can I get you anything?"

"We are starving," Molly simpered and tugged David along behind the manager. "And I could murder a mojito."

"What else can I order for you?"

They settled in the plush office and the manager summoned a subordinate to get to work.

Within a few hours, they had new IDs, debit and credit cards, cash, and phones. Maurice even arranged to have a car delivered so they wouldn't need to get another cab.

Molly kissed the man's cheek and wished him a good evening before slipping behind the wheel of the brand-new Tahoe.

David took a deep breath and thumbed through his new leather wallet. His picture gleamed from the ID with the name Leland Polk, a fake address out of state, and matching credit cards.

"I need to find a reporter," he said softly. "Someone who can get this story out fast."

Molly nodded and put her new car in gear.

She was glad David didn't ask questions. She wasn't sure how to answer any of them.

"What if we do this," she said slowly, "and the Alliance spins us as alarmists? Hyperbolic liars. They have that kind of power."

David stared at her profile until they came to a stop light.

"You of all people have to know that Cruz will never allow anything or anyone to harm you," he murmured. "Ashton said it. He's done with you as his wife, but as the mother of his children, he will always look out for you.

"He told me himself he never loved you more than when you were pregnant with them; that making him a father made you the most beautiful woman in the world to him. I don't know how, but he'll take care of you. And," he breathed deeply, "if I do right by them, he'll take care of me too."

Molly knew that, but hearing David say it made her feel better about what they were about to do. She was shaken to know that Cruz admitted to loving her, and a sharp pang of regret made its way through her heart. She'd thrown away something rare and precious with that man.

"Okay. Let's find a room and get to work."

***

After days of finalizing their affairs and closing accounts, Ashton and Ashlynn posted ads putting their apartment up for sale.

The dreams they'd had since their father appeared to them excited and awed them both. They were impatient and anxious to begin their new life with him. They didn't question what he told them or the abilities he wanted to share with them. Their father never lied to them, and it never occurred to them to question anything.

When their phones rang once, they shared a smile and dashed out of the apartment together, leaving the devices behind. They raced down the stairs laughing and burst out of the door to find their Auntie O smiling from a sleek bright red classic Ford Mustang convertible.

"'Sup Ashes!" she called out. "Y'all ready?"

"Fuck yeah," Ashton breathed and jumped into the front seat before his sister could. He leaned over the console to engulf O in a hug with a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

"Asshole!" Ashlynn laughed and knelt to lean over the seat and hug the woman she adored. "Auntie! How's Daddy?"

"I haven't seen him yet, baby," O squeezed her arm and urged her to sit back. "Park that ass now, we got miles to go before we sleep."

They cranked the radio and hit the road. O caught them up on the Collective's activities and listened when they relayed how things went for them in the years since they woke from cold sleep.

O was quiet when she pulled into a hotel parking lot and shut the engine.

"Kids," she sighed. "Your dad and me, we didn't ever mess around on your mom, you know. It's not who Brig is, never has been."

"We know, Auntie," Ashton, patted her hand on the steering wheel. "Mom was just paranoid enough to feed herself worst-case scenario what-ifs. She was insecure as fuck and Dave didn't help. He fed her all kinds'a bullshit about you and Dad, shit we knew was false."

"We tried to tell her," Ashlynn piped up. "But Mom wouldn't listen to us. And then she started messing with him and it was just the worst."

"Well, babies," O smiled, "they can have each other. We'll stay here for the night and hit the road after brunch tomorrow. Grab our bags and I'll get the key to our room."

The hotel was a series of small cottages, all detached from each other. Theirs was near the rear with an unobstructed view of the entrance, the entire parking lot, and the office. There was also a back door and a small road that would take them down a dirt road to the freeway.

O parked the shiny convertible within steps of the back door and left the top down.

They ordered pizza and sat cross-legged on the floor while they ate. O took the opportunity to explain their situation as much as she could.

"Okay so, the thing is, the Hive is like, this totally alien giant collective...mind, right?" O took a swig of her beer. "So, when they got a look at our brains, they were like what the fuck? Right? They thought we were kids cuz so much of our brain and DNA was out'a commission. They thought we were trapped in our bodies, that we were in a pupal, cocoon-type form. So, they took us out of them."

"Dude," Ashton shook his head and sipped on his wine cooler.

"Then what?" Ashlynn asked, riveted.

"So then, they realized their mistake once they got us into their Hive mind. They realized that by taking us out of our bodies they...well, they fucking killed us, and we were fucked all the way up in their Hive mind. None of us can individually adjust to the weight of their millions, fuckin billions of consciousnesses.

"We are used to being alone in our heads, in our thoughts so when a goddamn planet's worth of overcrowded football stadiums of voices are all going at the same time, you're gonna get one helluva migraine. We were shell-shocked and drowning in them and they didn't know how to help us adjust. We couldn't. There were just too many of them for us to handle.

"It was..." she shuddered and drained her beer. Ashlynn handed another to her brother. He twisted off the cap and passed it to O.

"It was fucking wild," O whispered and shook her head. "We were tr-rippin' balls and fucking terrified. We were dead but alive and separated but together. It was the craziest mindfuck. It took them a while to figure out how to get us out of the Hive, cuz that wasn't some shit they ever had to do before, and then to put us back in our bodies, cuz they had never done that either.

"The best they could do when it came to repairing our minds was make us as much like them as they could, given our physiology and evolutionary limitations. We are the closest thing to a human, Earth-based Hive, though. And your Dad is very concerned that your crossover doesn't traumatize you like it did us. Me and Brig were awake and involved in getting us put back together, and we still got jacked up and couldn't recall what happened for days after we woke up."

"So, how will you do it?" Ashton asked.

"Well, we won't be fucking killing you first, that's for damn sure. We worried ourselves sick trying to figure it out. It was actually that fucktard Ulster that gave Brig the idea.

"We never told him how the Hive remade us, so he just assumed the sexual shit. So, Brig got to thinkin' that maybe that would work, you know? Intimate contact with multiple members, each one imparting a piece of themselves that becomes part of you and taking part of you into them. Eventually, you get to a point where you don't need the sex to claim a piece; maybe just a kiss, or a hug, will be enough.

"The closer you get to being in the Collective the easier it is to get into the Collective. We ran sims on it, and it appears to work. Brig doesn't want to put you through it until he's sure it'll work and can confirm how well it works. The people that helped us get out volunteered to go through it so we can work out any kinks in the process.

"Then," she eyed them both, "and only then, will Brig be okay with you two crossing over."

Ashton and Ashlynn nodded and sat quietly while O finished her beer.

"Your dad will never be the cause of more pain for you," O added softly. "You were his reason for working so hard to get back. If it turns out that we can't refine the process to be safe for you, he won't do it, and there will be nothing anyone, not even I, can say to change his mind."

They finished dinner and went to bed, rising late the next morning to pack up and check out. They grabbed breakfast at a drive-through and ate on the road.

A few hours into the drive, O pulled over for a late lunch. While the twins placed their order at the diner's walk-up window, she pulled a phone from the car's center console. When they came back to the car, she tossed the phone to Ashlynn.

"Call your Dad."

They hurried to get in, and Ashlynn put the phone on speaker as it rang.

"Hey, Ashes!"

"Daddy!" Ashlynn squealed and Ashton winced with a laugh.

"Damn sis, bust my eardrum won't ya."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Daddy, we're with Auntie O."

"Awesome, Ash-girl," Brig's voice was warm and loving. "I can't wait to see you all."

"Are we close?" Ashton asked.

"Yeah, just a few hours out, Ash-boy," Brig told him. "O might need to stop one more time to charge up the car, but you'll be here right before dinner tonight."

"Yes!" Ashlynn clapped happily.

"She told us about the crossover," Ashton said, "and how hard it was for all of you."

"Yeah," Brig sighed. "That sucked big hairy balls. We're working on it already, tracking progress and side effects. So far things look promising, but it's early going. I promise you, if this way doesn't work out, we'll try something else if you really want to cross over. It's not necessary, you know. Just being with you is more than enough for me."

"We want in," Ashlynn said, watching her brother nod in agreement. "It's where we belong, with you."

"Okay, then," Brig cleared his throat. "Enjoy the ride, Ashes and I'll see you all when you get here."

"Bye Dad."

"Bye Daddy!"

The twins sighed, content to have spoken to their father, and dug into their lunch. "You didn't want to talk to him?" Ashton asked O after a moment.

O smiled and swallowed the bite of her taco. "I'm always talking to him," she said and tapped the side of her head. "Right here. We don't need phones or anything like that. When you cross, you won't either."

"Wow," Ashton's golden eyes were wide with wonder, just like his sister's. "That's crazy."

"You have no idea," O chortled.

***

Molly kept an eye on David while she researched reporters that took on high-profile stories. She needed someone with integrity that the Alliance would have a hard time discrediting.

It was proving to be a frustrating task.

"We could just tell the story to a general audience and let the Alliance deal with the fallout," David suggested.

Molly sighed. "Yeah but doing that would open us up to possible Alliance plants or mouthpieces. Plus, the tabloid crowd would have a field day."

"I don't care about any of that," David insisted with quiet urgency. "I need to get this information out. The Collective is waiting."

"Okay," Molly sighed. "Then I'll record you telling the story and upload it to the web. Will that work?"

David nodded and his brown eyes gleamed, taking on a shine that reminded her why she found him attractive.

"We need to put it on as many sites as possible, so they can't take it down. Once the Collective sees it, they'll take it from there. I just need to put it out there for them."

"Okay, let's get our phones. We'll both record, then both upload to different sites."

Within moments, Molly sat with David in their room and listened with her mouth open in shock as David told the truth.