Von Richter and Techno 159 watched as water filled the tank from the top down, displacing the denser, cloudy sustenance.  A body could be seen floating in it as green billows swirled around in the tank.

They were alone in the huge room that was occupied by rows upon rows of tanks.  There were one hundred circular glass tanks in this room, each with cables, wiring, and tubes going in through the top.  Each had a control panel and status display in front, like the one that Von Richter was using to control the birth sequence for the creation within it.

Each tank had a large number emblazoned on a plaque set at the top of the metal retaining band.  The number on this tank was "006".

"Finishing water cycle." Von Richter said as he punched a blue button on the control panel when water had completely replaced the sustenance.  The body could be seen in the clear water.  It was that of a seven or eight  year old female with short, black hair.  The face couldn't be seen, covered by the survival mask that replaced the umbilical cord when the body age reached one year.

Techno 159 reached over and pulled the thick white towel off the heater bar next to the tank.  It felt piping hot to the touch.  She also took the small bag with the clothes the newborn would wear.

"Initiating air cycle!"

The body dropped to the bottom of the tank as the water rushed out through the vents that opened up in the bottom.  The tube then went up four feet off the main gasket.  Techno 159 rushed in quickly, yanked the mask off, and began to dry the child off, "Hello!" she cooed, "Welcome to the family!" "Such as it is." she thought privately.

"Hello." the little girl said shyly in response, smiling and blinking.

"A cyber." she thought, noting the telltale, glittering onyx-black eyes, "Here, get these on." she said, opening the small bag.

She watched as the girl put her clothes on: undies, white shorts,  black and white striped shirt, and sandals.  She then pulled out the brush and began to brush the damp hair, her mind idly projecting what the newest member of the Von Richter family would look like when she got older.  159 always sketched her impressions for later reference, and was very rarely wrong.

Her brushing slowed down, then stopped as the image formed in her mind.  She glanced at Von Richter, who was watching both of them intently, a hint of a smile on his lips.

159 had tried brushing the hair to the side.  Now, she brushed it forwards instead, making the long, straight, black strands fall over the left side of the Cyber's face.  She paused to look at her father's handiwork.

She dropped the brush, gathered the girl in her arms, and hugged her hard, sobbing.  The girl's eyes were large with astonishment, then she smiled and hugged the techno.

After a few minutes, 159 let go, stood, took the girl's hand, and led her to Von Richter, "Cyber 6006, this is your Father, Max Von Richter," she said, smiling and shaking her head at Von Richter.

"Merry Christmas, 159."  Von Richter replied, grinning, "I hope everyone notices too."

She glanced up at the plaque over the tank, "I should have seen that coming from a kilometer away," she said, smiling, shaking her head, and wiping her cheeks, "I suppose you can hurt over someone so much, that you try to forget them to make the pain go away."

"Thanks for your help, dear.  You can go get ready for breakfast now.  Sorry to get you up at such a horrid hour."

"It WAS a gawdawful hour, Father!" 159 remonstrated gently, "And I wouldn't have wanted to miss this for the world!"

"Oh, and one other thing..."

"Don't tell anyone about it?"

"If you please."

She glanced at Cyber 6006, "THAT is going to be very hard to do."

Von Richter watched the techno leave, then turned to is youngest daughter, "Well, what do you think?" he asked her.  She had been looking about, noting the empty tanks.

She looked at him for a long moment, dredging up programmed knowledge, "Where are the others?" she asked.

"They'll be coming along later.  We won't start until the new year." he said, activating his motorized wheelchair and heading out the door.

It was early morning, and the sun was just barely rising.  The Cyber child looked around her with wide eyes, taking everything in.  So engrossed in absorbing the new world around her was she that she occasionally bumped into the wheelchair or got her foot run over when she put it in the way.

"Better be careful!" he warned, smiling.

"Can I ride?" she asked suddenly, eyeing his lap.

"That'd make me very happy." he assured her.

She was thin and a bit long-boned, as were all the cybers, but soon she was sitting in Von Richter's lap, head nestled on his shoulder, arms around his chest, legs hanging over the side.  Von Richter was glad his wheelchair was powered by quantum batteries, for it was a long way from Tank Building A to the cafeteria.

At this time of year, it should have been a pleasant ride.  In earlier years, there had been Christmas decorations in the trees and on all the buildings.  This year, there wasn't even a half-hearted attempt to do anything.  Type 37 said it all for them.  On the second night after his arrival, when there should have been the traditional mutual roasting over fine wine and cigars, Type 37 had lit up his cigar.  He puffed on it twice and looked at it morosely for a long minute before stating "This has been a hell of a bad year!"  He then punctuated his feelings by snuffing it out in his glass of wine.  "You said it." Von Richter had replied, doing the same thing to his cigar with equal sincerity.

Only the cafeteria and residence looked seasonal, thanks due to Maria's stubborn insistence that she, by golly, was going to enjoy the holidays and any family that would visit.

"What's that?" she asked suddenly, pointing.

He glanced over at what she was pointing at and sighed, "That's the cemetery." he said, turning and rolling up to the iron fence surrounding the five graves in it.  They were covered with flowers.  The one nearest to them also had a blue beret resting in the center of it.

The cyber slipped out of his lap, walked to the fence, and looked at them, hands grasping the fence, "The flowers are pretty." she remarked, "Why is that here?" she asked, pointing at the beret

"That is Cybersix's grave." he said, "She died earlier this year, and her batchmates are very sad about it.  That beret came from Cyber 356, who became the first female Peruvian Condor."

She also was the head of the movement to oust the current Cyber Training Board.  She had come straight from the airfield to the grave, and after crying for an hour, had left the beret and marched into the Residence to apologize to her parents in advance for the unpleasantness that she was about to create.  The 6, 7, and 29 batchsets had been seen talking with Fixed Ideas, Technos, Types, and fellow Cybers in private, intense, and very brief conversations that seemed to rarely end with any signs of disagreement.

Yes, it had been a hell of a bad year, and was going to end with an equally hell of a bad Christmas.

The girl looked at the graves thoughtfully, "The flowers ARE pretty." she said finally.

"Well, let's go into the garden and look at some live ones, okay?" Von Richter invited her.

She walked alongside the wheelchair as they crossed the road and entered the garden, "Oh, how pretty!" 6006 exclaimed, pulling herself out of the momentary funk she seemed to be in.  She ran up to a patch of red and blue orchids and smelled them, "And they smell so nice!" she remarked.

"You seemed a little sad just now." Von Richter remarked, concerned, "Why?"

"Umm." she said reluctantly, shifting her feet.  She looked down at the dirt, then flashed a grin at him as she pulled her feet out of her sandals and shoved them into the moist, rich earth, wriggling her toes.

Von Richter nodded, as if checking off an item in a mental list, "Never did pass up an opportunity to indulge her physical senses, the little minx!" he thought.  "Umm, what?" he asked aloud.

She looked a bit sad, "I guess I don't have any batchmates, because I was born alone." she said, "I won't have anyone to be sad for me when I die."

"But that's not true, 6006!  A batchmate is based on genes, not on your number or when you were born!  And-"

He stopped when he saw the girl's head jerk downwards to look at her feet.  His eyes followed hers just in time to see the dirt, now turned to mud, begin to churn, as if coming alive, "What in the-"

"SIERRA!" Terra erupted from beneath the girl, rising and throwing her high in the air.  To her credit, the girl didn't scream or cry out as she flipped end over end, before being caught by a smiling, jovial Terra, "Tango so hap-"

He stopped in mid sentence and frowned at the girl that he held in his grasp, with only her neck and head visible.

Von Richter had never seen Terra frown, and the intensity of displeasure frightened him, "Terra!" he called, voice shaking, "She's-"

Terra ignored him, "Is Sierra, but not Sierra!" he said angrily about the shaken, but brave little girl who was gazing back at him.

Suddenly, rings of electric fire seemed to course up from the earth, through his arm, and into the small body that began to writhe in his grasp.

"TERRA!  NO!  STOP!" Von Richter yelled, hoping someone would hear him.  Probably not, because everyone was at the dining hall or heading for it, and it was at the center of the dormitories a half kilometer on the other side of the labs, "SHE'S NOT CYBERSIX!  SHE'S JUST-"

"TANGO!" Cyberdragon whipped through the trees and past Terra's head, "LISTEN TO FATHER!" she yelled as she dodged through the branches and out into the open.  Von Richter caught a glimpse of her as she wheeled about for another approach.

"CYBERDRAGON!  BE CAREFUL!" Von Richter shouted, "TERRA! SHE'S JUST BEEN BORN!"

Cyberdragon finished the turn and whipped back into the garden.  Her right wing sliced into the mud arm holding 6006, who had started screaming.  Terra growled, caught the severed arm, then twisted, emitted a third arm, and shot a slug of mud at the departing Special.  He hit her in the back.  The extra weight and the force of the blow knocked her down,  bringing her crashing down behind the rose bush.  Von Richter saw the mud slither rapidly through the underbrush and rejoin Terra's main body, followed by the rise of Cyberdragon as she beat her wings to get altitude. "She won't be able to attack until she gets high enough to get some speed!"  He thought.

Desperate, Von Richter wheeled his wheel chair around and ran it straight at Terra.  Unfortunately, a "leg" shot out, formed into a hand, and held the wheel chair at bay.

As suddenly as it started, it stopped.  Terra pulled himself inwards and downwards, cradling the small form in his "arms" in a way that made Von Richter think of a statue of a Pieta.  Terra rocked back and forth, looking down happily at his captive.

Cyberdragon whipped through the garden, noticed the end of the crisis, and slammed on the brakes, coming to a near hover before settling to the ground, "What's going on?" she asked.

Heart thumping harder than he thought safe, Von Richter wheeled up and carefully felt at the little girl's neck.  There was a strong and steady pulse, "She's alive." he said, relieved.  He then looked sternly at Terra, "Terra, why did you do that?  What did this little one do to you to deserve that?"

"She was not Sierra."  Terra explained, "But is Sierra now."

Von Richter shook his head: There was no making sense of Terra, "Well, let's get going to the cafeteria, okay?"

Cyberdragon looked at the girl as they left the garden, "Who's that?"

"Cyber 6006." Von Richter replied.  "Recognize her?"

Cyberdragon looked at the unconscious form that Terra carried more closely, starting despite herself when she did recognize the shadow of the adult in the child.
-------------
Maria tried to conceal the concern in her heart.  Dressed in a long, red robe with white trim intended to invoke the spirit of Mrs. Santa Claus, she stood watching her children getting their food, eating, and talking.

The cafeteria was huge, and consisted of several levels.  The bottom floor covered half a football field, and was filled with picnic-style tables.  There were five balconies that circled the wall, and were configured more like long  bars circling the entire room.  The idea was to be able to seat about 4000 in the room, and allow everyone to see what was happening on the bottom floor.  There were about 3800 present now, because the seating was reduced due to the huge Christmas tree that occupied one corner of the cafeteria.  Jose had condescened to pilot the walker to get a real one at Maria's insistence.

The talk was not what it normally would be at this time of year: Being scattered all over the world, their children took advantage of the normally long holiday season to return home to the compound.  Here, they would renew family bonds, exchange presents, reaffirm mutual affections, and catch up on the news.  There was less of that now, with a sad and angry mood undercutting everything. At least the tree was doing its duty by making the place smell like Christmas.

"Gramma?"

Maria turned, smiled, bent down, and hugged Bethany, "What is it?"

Bethany looked around her, "Everyone is angry.  It's not like it was last Christmas."

"There's nothing that gets past you, hmm?" she thought.

"Where's Grampa?"

Maria frowned, "THAT'S what I'd like to know!  He should be-"

The middle double doors flew open as Terra slid in, looking very happy and pleased, "Is very good day!" he announced, slithering to a halt a few feet before the first row of tables.

"Terra!" Jose hopped out from his place with the specials and ran up to him, "Where have you been?  You haven't showed yourself for months since-" he stopped when he saw what Terra was cradling.  Von Richter and Cyberdragon walked in after Terra.

Every one of Von Richter's creations had excellent hearing, so the din quickly died out seconds after Terra arrived.  His disappearance since Cybersix's faked death had been on everyone's mind, and some had openly wondered if the two incidents were related.

Maria's spirits quickly rose: as far as she was concerned, Terra's arrival was the best event of the year after the rescue of Type 37.  She noticed the little one in Terra's grasp, and went closer to get a better look.

The girl was slowly coming around, blinking her eyes.  At this, Terra began to swirl around in what was probably his version of a waltz, "Tango happy now!  Is very good day!  Merry Christmas!  Merry Christmas!"

"Max Von Richter!  What on earth..." Maria glanced at him, "Who is that?"

He smiled, "Merry Christmas everyone!  Say hello to Cyber 6006, fresh out of her tank!" he announced.

"6006...  Max!  You didn't!" Maria didn't know whether to whoop with joy or smack her man senseless.

"Yes, I did!  I can still grow 'em, you know!" he replied proudly, as if having made a point, "Snuck it in under all the technos' noses!  Ha!" he grinned, "Her genes are the base for the..."

"Ohhh!" the girl moaned, blinking her eyes, "Terra!  Why the heck did you DO that?  I'm going to be late for..." she stopped, suddenly realizing where she was.  She looked around, "What the-" she struggled to get out of Terra's grasp, "Let me go, Terra!"

Terra released her.  She stepped away, then started to slowly turn in circles, looking wide-eyed at everything and everyone, finally stopping at Jose, who was looking at her as strangely as she was looking at him, "Jose?"

He smiled hesitantly, "Hi, 6006!" he said as pleasantly as he could manage.

She looked startled, "Jose, are you sick?" she reached out, as if to feel his forehead, when she stopped and stared at her hand.  She then followed her arm to herself.  She felt at her shorts, then her shirt.  She then grabbed the collar, pulled it a foot away from herself, and took a quick look inside the shirt.  She then shoved the collar to her chest, looking aghast, "I seem to have shrunk!" she gasped, "And deflated!" she added with chagrin, taking another peek under her shirt.

"You just came out of your tank." Jose pointed out, "Of course, you-"

"No!  No!" she shook her head, "You came to me, telling me to see Father.  I went into the garden.  Terra came up and hugged me in his usual way, and then..." she paused, "And then, I THINK I'm in the tank room, with a techno drying me off, only, its not right cause there's nobody else and it feels as if it just occurred..."  She blinked, "I am VERY confused!"

"Hmph!  I don't blame you!" Von Richter said, "We went into the garden.  Terra comes up, grabs you, claims you're Cybersix, but not Cybersix, and then nearly kills you by shocking you with electricity!

"I THINK I remember that." the girl nodded.

Suddenly, Kayla called out, "Hey Cybersix!  What day is it?"

"March 3 of course!" the girl replied.

Kayla squealed with delight, fought her way to the girl, grabbed her and spun her around, "It's Cybersix!  She's back!"

"Now *I'M* confused!" Von Richter stated loudly.

"Me too!" Maria confessed.

"Not as much as me!" the girl yelled, "I mean, I was away?"

"Yes and no!" Kayla laughed.  She put the girl down, walked up to Terra, and wagged a finger at him, "Fess up, Terra!"

"What?" Terra looked dismayed.

"You did something to her, didn't you?"

"Yes, but because she was Sierra, but not Sierra."

"You mean, the body was Cybersix's but not her mind, right?"

"Yes.  Terra felt her feet and could tell it is Sier-Cybersix right away."

"So you put her mind back in, didn't you?"

Terra looked chagrined, "Yes.  Terra remembered Cybersix, and helped Cybersix remember herself."

"And the last time you touched her, she was going to the residence because Father called her to talk about Cornazon and Type 37, right?"

"She said she was going to see Father.  I told her to say hello to him for me."

"I don't remember that!" The girl protested, "I just remembered you grabbing me!"

"But Terra, you said that AFTER you let her go, right?"

"Yes." he replied.

"And you never touched her after that, right?"

"Yes, but not the way Terra likes, so that Cybersix is with him all the time."

"It's December, isn't it?" The girl asked suddenly, noticing the decorations.

"It's Christmas morning."  Jose answered, comprehension slowly dawning on him..

"So where'd the last nine months of my life go?" she asked, looking alarmed  and distressed.

"Later!" Kayla shook her head at Jose, who was about to speak, "Sorry, Jose, but it doesn't matter NOW, does it?"

"NO!" Jose tackled the girl and planted a big kiss on her cheek, "CYBERSIX!  I LOVE YOU!" he shouted.

The look of shocked surprise on her face made Quaren and Grizelda laugh.  The cafeteria exploded into a loud buzz as technos began to talk excitedly.

"WAIT A DAMN MINUTE!"

Cyber 356, wearing her Peruvian Condor uniform, strode purposefully through the crowded floor, a scowl on her face.  She walked up to the girl and looked at her critically, "Well, you certainly look like you'd be Cybersix!" she admitted grudgingly.

"She should!" Von Richter sounded giddy as the implications sank in, "She's got the exact same genes as Cybersix.  That's your batchbase standing there, 356!"

"Okay, so she's got Six's genes.  That doesn't make her Cybersix!"

"No, but just add the memories." Kayla responded.

356 looked at Kayla, "You're not making sense, 338."

"Makes perfect sense to Technos!" Techno 1 shouted.

Kayla looked at 356 scathingly, "Then I'll make it perfectly clear to YOU, sister!  Terra fooled all of us.  He's able to perfectly preserve memories without shocking anyone.  He shocked Father because it was his first time, and he had no practice.  Cybersix told me how Terra does a full-body grab of her.  That's how he records memories.  Didn't you hear him?  He keeps an image of Cybersix inside what passes for his head, updating it periodically, like a hard drive backup!  Suppose a computer you were working on got bombed or destroyed.  If you got an exact same model, with identical parts, would it be your computer?"

"Of course not!" Cyber 356 replied, "I know about computers!  You'd have to restore the hard drive for it to be my computer again!  Of course, all the work I did since-"  She stopped.

Kayla nodded, "Hey Six!" she said idly, turning to the girl who was listening in to this with wide eyes.

"What?" the girl replied.

"Did you hear the news about Type 37?"

"No.  what?"

"He got kidnapped by Cornazon!"

"What!?" the girl was surprised and visibly alamred, "Is he still alive?  Did we get him back?"

"Yes, you did!" Type 37 yelled over from his table, "Thanks, Six!"

"I did?" She looked around her, "I rescued him?"

"You lead the rescue team!" Jose said.

"*I* don't remember that!" she said.

"I called you to give you that assignment." Von Richter ran his wheelchair over to her, "Terra recorded your memories just before you got to me, so you have no memory of what happened after that."

"So, this is supposedly Cybersix, but without the last nine months?" 356 questioned quizzically.

Von Richter turned to the girl, "How do you feel?" he asked her.

"I suppose, given the-" here, she pulled at her shirt collar to take another rueful peek under it, "- umm physical changes, I feel like me."

"And who are you?"  356 asked.

The girl gave a long, sad sigh, "I sometimes wonder, being a cyber that teaches literature and reading, and not fighting, who and what I am.  I guess-" she glanced up, and her eyes narrowed, "Hey!"

"What?" the change in the girl's tone took everyone by surprise, including 356.

"You made the Condors!  Did you dress up like a guy, using 2306's disguise, like I told you?"

356's eyes widened, as if she was seeing a ghost rise up before her, "I-I-I-!" she stuttered.

"Tell her!" Quaren demanded loudly.

."But-But-" 356 started, glancing around wildly

"TELL HER, DAMMIT!  OR I'LL KICK YOUR ASS ALL OVER THIS DAMN JUNGLE!" Quaren yelled.

356 Bit her lip, "Ahhhh, no!" she admitted, grimacing.

The look the girl gave her unnerved her even more, "So whose disguise did you-" she stopped, paused, then stepped toward 356, "You didn't!"

"Well, ahh!"

The girl leaped at 356, grabbing the collar and balancing on her belt.  She glared right into 356's eyes, "Adrian Seidelman!  RIGHT?"

"Yes!" 356 said in a very small voice.

"YES WHO?!"

"YES MAAM!"

"WHOSE DISGUISE WAS THAT?"

"CYBER 29'S!"

"CYBER 29'S WHO?"

"CYBER 29'S MAAM!"

"CYBER 29'S STUFF IS WHOSE?"

"YOURS!"

"YOURS WHO?"

"YOURS MAAM!"

"I love you dearly, sister!" the girl said softly, "I'd give my life for you, you know that? But would you please keep your hands OFF MY STUFF!"

Cyber 356 was nodding, eyes welling as the realization sank in, "Yes, Six.  I know that." she whispered back, voice shaky with emotion, "I'm sorry!  I didn't think you'd mind!"

"And why did you think that?" the girl asked critically.

"Because you were dead." she murmured softly, "Welcome back, Six!  I really missed you!" she said loudly

Cyber 356 took advantage of Cybersix's confusion at that answer to give her a bear hug, kissing her cheek fiercely.  She then laughed and tossed Cybersix to Kayla, who did the same thing, "It's really Cybersix!" she shouted happily, "Only Cybersix would know that she told me to use 2306's disguise!"

Maria covered her ears at the explosion of cheering and yelling.  She was happy for everyone, but did the Fixed Ideas have to bellow the loudest and break the tables by jumping up and down on them?  She walked over to her husband, "Max Von Richter!" she demanded sternly.

"What?" he turned to her, looking like a kid caught with a baseball bat and a broken window.

"How could you keep this a secret from everyone, including me?"

"My love, it was supposed to be a surprise present to everyone.  Our own Christmas child, so to speak, that would hopefully bring peace to our family like the first child tried to do for the world." He shook his head, "I had no idea that Terra-"

As if on cue, Terra slid over to both of them, "See?  Is really Sierra!  I mean, Cybersix!"

"Thank you, Terra!" Maria said with feeling, "That was wonderful!  You've made everyone happy!"

"Terra!" Von Richter frowned, "Did you keep ALL of her memories? "

"Yes"

"And you gave all of them back to her?  Even the bad memories?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"To lose memories, even bad ones, would be like for a flower to lose pedals.  All memories made Cybersix the way she is.  Of all the flowers in Terra's garden, the memory of Cybersix is the most precious and beautiful."

Maria watched, amazed, as Terra slithered off to talk to Grizelda.  For his part, Von Richter was very thoughtful for a long minute.  He looked up at Maria to talk to her, then started grinning.

"What?" Maria noticed his grin.

He pointed upwards.

Maria glanced up.  Cyberdragon had gotten a fishing pole, and was sitting on the balcony/bar over the entrance, dangling a sprig of mistletoe over the Von Richter's heads.  She winked and smiled a little.

"No good deed goes unpunished, Max Von Richter!" Maria warned as she commenced to celebrate the holiday tradition associated with mistletoe.

Cybersix sat on a table, Cyber 5000 sitting next to her, "Well Six" she said smiling, "NOW you're gonna have a taste, for a few years, of what I have to put up with all the time!"

Cybersix smiled lopsidedly at her, pulling at her shirt and glancing inside again.

"Ohhh!  Those will be back!" 5000 assured her, patting her on the back and laughing with the other Cybers who were standing around, "We can probably look up in the records when-"

"HEY SIX!"

Both girls turned to see Cyber-91 push his way through the milling crowd, "You know, you've just lost your leadership ranking!" he declared.

All the Cybers in hearing distance stopped talking and glareed at 91, who just smiled back pleasantly.

"Why?" she asked, frowning.

He waved at her, "Think you can pass the physicals now?"

"Aaargh!  Not AGAIN!"

"Yes!  Back to basic training for you!"

"OH NO!" she groaned, burying her face in her hands while all the Cybers in the surrounding tables howled.
------------

(C) 2001, by Genesis Seidelman

Cybersix glanced up guiltily from the report she was reading.  Maria was standing in the doorway.  She shook her head and walked in, followed by Von Richter.

Cybersix waved the thick sheaf of papers, "Catching up on my missing nine months." she sighed.  She looked at her mother, who sat down on the edge of the bed, "I'm sorry!  Was I that much trouble?"

Maria smiled, "Yes, you were!" she laughed, reaching out and running her hand through her Cyber's hair playfully, "But given the circumstances, you did the best you could!"

"Which was magnificent." Von Richter put in.

Cybersix smiled ruefully, "I still feel I'm trouble.  Really, do I have to sleep-"

"YES.  YOU.  WILL!" Maria insisted.

"But I grew up in the barracks!  I know what it's like!"

"No!  You sleep here.  In this room.  Next to our bedroom.  Until I get used to the fact that you're here.  And alive!"

"How long will that be?"

Maria bent over and kissed Six on the cheek, "Until *I* say so!  Get some sleep!  Even Reba needs at least five hours!  And you have a full day of training tomorrow.  Not that that's my choice..." here, Maria looked pleadingly at her husband.

"No." Von Richter insisted, "I'm not going to make the same mistakes again, and that's final!  It's pushing it having her sleep here instead of the barracks!  The sooner she reaches Junior Class Leader ranking, the better."  He reached over and shut off the lamp with finality, "Let's all get to bed!"

Cybersix sighed and leaned back as Maria tucked her in, bent over, and lightly kissed her on the lips, "Mama, when did you start doing that?" she asked.

"Far too late," was her enigmatic reply as she rose and left the room with her husband.

Von Richter was half way to his bedroom door when he stopped and frowned.

"What is it?" Maria asked, wondering why her husband was turning around.

"Almost made another mistake." he tossed over his shoulder as he opened the door to Cybersix's bedroom.

He rolled up to the bed, making out the small head against the white pillow.  Two stars appeared as she opened her eyes, "Father?" she asked, raising her head slightly.

He leaned over and ran his fingers through her hair lovingly, "No.  Just lie there, like that."

He made out her smile as he rubbed the back of her head gently, "Cybersix, I always thought I had enough time.  Enough time to figure out what to do with your situation after you rescued 37.  Enough time to tell you how I felt about you while you were dying in that hospital bed.  And I've almost made the same mistake of thinking I'd have the time to tell you what I'm going to tell you now."

"What, Father?"

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Chapter 16
Epilogue