Author's Note: This story is a bit of an oddity. I was planning to insert these scenes into the main Freelancers story to introduce Miora because she, Trent, and Rhoa will be popping up later on, but none of them fit quite right. They always seemed to come out of nowhere and have almost nothing to do with what was going on (Valeria going full-John Wick on an army of mercs, since A Second Chance takes place just as that storyline was starting to kick off). So I wrote it up as its own little side-story ... then almost forgot it existed. I wrote it around six months ago and ended up getting distracted by a bunch of horrible shit going on in my everyday life.

Which brings me to this apology for the long delay since the last chapter. Without going into too much detail ... I lost my job back in July, couldn't get hired anywhere else despite turning in hundreds of applications everywhere, and was evicted from my apartment. I've been staying in homeless shelters and spending a few nights in a sleeping bag in a park ever since December 6. I'm only mentioning that to show why I've had my mind on other things during the past few months. I'll keep writing Freelancers and my other stories and novels and whatnot because I need to just to hold on to my sanity ... but I'm also still trying to put my life back together and that has to be my priority right now. And it might take a while longer.

But at least I finally remembered that this side-story exists, so here it is. Sorry again for the delays, and I hope you enjoy the following ...

"Whoa," Trent whispered as he and Miora held each other and caught their breath. He laughed softly and moved his hands slowly over her back. Thanks to spending most of her life in an envirosuit, her cold skin was still as soft and smooth as his own, despite her age.

Most of their sessions over the past couple of years had involved little more than cuddling, watching a sunset, having a quiet conversation, watching a vid together … getting a little more intimate every now and then, letting his hands and her suit's neuro-stim system give her what she needed.

This time, though, she'd loaded herself up with antibiotics and immunoboosters, plus a medication to prevent adverse reactions from her dextro-based body commingling with his levo-based biology, because she'd wanted their joining to be complete, for once. He'd been worried about making her sick, but it was his job to make his clients happy, and she'd seemed to want it so much …

"I love you," she whispered, and he froze for a second.

What? Uh-oh.

Miora seemed to realize what she'd just said, held her breath, pushed herself up, and stared with her mouth hanging open and her glowing eyes wide.

"I … I didn't … I mean … oh, shit!" She lifted herself off him and stumbled over to the chair in the corner, where she'd placed her suit after removing it. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

"For what?" Rhoa said, poking her head through the doorway from the front room. "I heard you blurt, 'Oh, shit,' so I wanted to see if everything was okay."

"I … I just said something incredibly stupid. I don't know what got into me." Miora continued fumbling with her suit.

"Well, Trent's been getting into you for nearly two years, so …" Rhoa grinned, then let it fade when Miora didn't laugh.

"Miora, what you said wasn't stupid," Trent said. "At all. It was just a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing."

Rhoa glanced at him. "What did …?"

"She said she loves me." Trent smiled. "I'll take it as a compliment."

"Ah." Rhoa tossed the tablet she'd been reading onto her chair and fully entered the bedroom. When Trent was with newer clients, she hung around in her armor and carried several weapons, just in case, but she knew Miora well enough to be unarmed and wearing only a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She'd set up a room in her apartment for his regulars, and by now Miora had become comfortable enough with their arrangement to almost forget his asari bodyguard was only a few meters away. "Miora, you've got nothing to be sorry about."

"She's right," Trent said. "It's not like it was offensive or anything. Just a bit of a surprise, that's all." He glanced at Rhoa and arched an eyebrow again. "You don't seem to be caught off guard, though."

"I saw it coming a long time ago." Rhoa fired off a shit-eating grin.

"You could've mentioned it." He shook his head and chuckled. "Y'know, to prepare me."

"I didn't want to spoil the surprise."

"I shouldn't have said it," Miora repeated as her undersuit slipped out of her trembling hands and she hurried to pick it up. "We can't. I mean, I'm just one of your customers. You can't …"

"I think you're more than that." Rhoa walked around to stand in front of her and smiled. "You're the only one of his clients who doesn't have to pay for his services, for one thing."

"I keep trying, but the credit chits I give him keep reappearing in my pockets after I leave."

Trent smirked and shrugged, and Rhoa chuckled.

"That's partly my fault. When he tried to return your money and you refused, I taught him how to pick pockets and plant stuff on people. That's how he slips your money back to you without you noticing."

"I wish you'd just take the money, Trent. I shouldn't get special treatment."

"You need the credits more than I do. I know how miserable you've been ever since you got stuck on Illium."

"Well … you're not wrong. My job barely pays enough to keep a roof over my head and no one else has been willing to hire me since my Pilgrimage stalled over forty years ago."

Rhoa nodded. "That's exactly why Trent wants you to keep your money. Your circumstances are unique."

Miora scooped her suit up in her arms, plopped onto the chair, leaned forward, and buried her face in her hands. "I've already embarrassed myself enough. I could …"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I can't exactly blame you for falling in love with him. I did, myself, after all."

"We can't. I mean … this is just a job, and he's only a kid, and I'm … I shouldn't have even done any of this. I should've found someone closer to my own age." Miora sighed. "I'm just a foolish old woman."

"No, you're not." Rhoa sat cross-legged on the floor and smiled up at her. "You're also not the only client who's fallen for him. It happens occasionally. I think it's because Trent's a genuinely nice guy. Those are rare in the Terminus Systems."

"I've noticed that." Miora fired off a quick, bitter laugh. "You two are the only people who have shown me any kindness at all since I got stuck here."

"I'm sorry." Trent kneeled in front of her and reached out to clasp her hand. "It's just not right for people to be so shitty to you just because you're a quarian. You could've had a decent life if the prick you work for would pay you what you're worth."

"Y'know, Miora, Trent and I could help you out. We've been discussing it for a while, bouncing ideas off each other." Rhoa glanced at Trent and back to Miora. "When he and I met two years ago, I was just Trent's bodyguard and personal assistant. Later on, I started arranging appointments and handling finances. I could use a little help with that. If you start working with us, booking appointments and running background checks and whatnot, you could have a steady income. You'd get five percent of what each client pays Trent, just like I do." She winked. "He has a small handful of regulars plus a few one-offs here and there, but he gets paid a lot and doesn't spend much of it. Puts most of it in a savings account and invests a bit here and there. You could get out from under your current boss and work under much safer conditions. You'd have a shot at getting your life back on track."

"I … I couldn't ask Trent to do that …"

"I'd be happy to." Trent smiled again and cupped his hands around Miora's.

"One other thing." Rhoa's grin turned a little saucy. "Part of the standard contract, in addition to the five percent, is free 'sessions' whenever you want. That means you could have sex with him a lot more often if that's what you want."

Trent's grin nearly split his face open. "There's no way I'd object to that or the five percent. But especially the sex."

Miora laughed and shook her head. "I have to admit, that's seriously tempting. But … it might be too awkward, now that I've admitted … I mean, I know you can't … feel the same way about me. I'm too old for you."

Rhoa laughed again. "I'm older than you, by at least four hundred years, but that doesn't stop Trent from loving me."

"The average asari lifespan being what it is, it's not a valid comparison. I'm just …" Miora sighed and stared at the floor. "It's too late to get back to my Pilgrimage, anyway. My whole life has passed me by."

"Then don't let any more of it slip through your fingers." Trent stood, leaned over, and kissed her. "Your, uh, 'confession' caught me by surprise, but I consider you a friend. If you stick around, you could be more than that. I mean, as long as Rhoa's okay with it."

Rhoa snorted and gave his ass a playful slap. "I wouldn't have brought this up if I wasn't fine with it. And if we're being completely honest, here, I have to admit that I'm kinda … well, a little bit in love with Miora, myself." Her face turned a darker shade of blue. "Not a little. A lot."

Uh … well, holy shit. Trent used Miora's surprised silence as an opportunity to take in what had just happened. It had hit so quickly, he'd barely had any time to think about it. But now that he had a moment to get his head around it …

I'm okay with this. Which is kind of a surprise, but … yeah, I think this would be good for both of us. His previous "dates" with Miora had always been fun and interesting, and he loved seeing her come to life when they were together. When they'd first met, she had been lonely and deeply depressed and in need of personal contact with someone - anyone - and on their first night together had smiled and laughed for what might've been the first time in years. I'd love to be able to do that for her every day instead of once every few months.

"Please say yes." He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again. "Please."

"You'd really be okay with this?" Miora stared at Rhoa.

"If you mean Trent having sex with you, there's no reason I wouldn't be. There are a couple dozen other women he mates with because it's how he earns a living. As I'm his bodyguard, it's my job to be nearby in case one of his new clients turns out to be a nutjob who slipped through the background checks." Rhoa grinned and shrugged. "And I like to watch."

Miora stared for another moment. "That's fuckin' weird. Uh, sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean …"

"It's okay, take it easy." Rhoa held a hand up and laughed softly. "I guess it's always been one of my kinks. Part of it, though, is that I enjoy seeing Trent satisfy his clients. Especially you." Rhoa blushed again as she motioned at the bed. "What I saw a few minutes ago, before I went back into the front room, was just beautiful. The sheer joy and relief on your face while you made love almost brought me to tears." She suspected Miora had never felt happy or even alive except when she was with Trent, judging by the way she seemed to visibly deflate and trudge away whenever they parted and become much more animated when they reunited.

I want to see her happy a lot more often. And, maybe, if I'm really lucky, she'll let me join her and Trent in bed every now and then. Rhoa kept it to herself to avoid making things even more awkward. As far as she could tell, Miora didn't swing that way, and Rhoa didn't want to scare her off by making the situation any weirder.

"Well …" Miora glanced around and opened and closed her mouth several times before she could continue. "I don't know. The man I work for … I'm worried about what he might do if I try to leave. He's already made me do things I'm not proud of, and I only went along with it because I was afraid to say no. If I try to leave …"

"I did some research on him," Rhoa said, and her smile faded. "Smuggler, Red Sand dealer, occasionally trafficking in … even worse things. Don't worry about him. Before I transferred to Illium and became Trent's bodyguard, I did far worse things than you've had to do for this guy. As an Eclipse merc, I was paid to hurt and kill people. Hell, you have to commit a murder just to join Eclipse - and I only started to regret all of it after I took this bodyguard gig." She gazed into Miora's beautiful, bioluminescent eyes. "Believe me, if that asshole comes after you for leaving him, I will introduce him to a world of pain that you couldn't dream up in ten thousand years."

"Really?" Miora stared back at her and a smile almost tugged at the corners of her mouth. "You'd keep him away from me?"

"I won't let anyone hurt you or Trent. If that guy gets anywhere near either of you, I'll burn his whole organization to the ground and no one will ever find what's left of his body."

"If you have any doubts, you should take a look at Rhoa's dossier." Trent tossed off a nervous chuckle. "It was pretty terrifying, but it also kinda turned me on." He grinned at Rhoa before turning back to Miora. "There are only two people in the galaxy who are scarier - Valeria Terakkis and Commander Shepard."

Eeeeesh! Rhoa shivered. "Yeah, they're the only people I've ever heard of who actually scare the shit out of me. Terakkis is known to everyone in Eclipse as 'The Army.' And the Blue Suns call her 'The Goddamn Nightmare.' And Shepard is even more frightening. The Collectors killed him two years ago, and he came back from the fucking grave, tracked them down to their base near the center of the galaxy, and wiped them out." She took a slow breath and smirked. "So, even if I'm only the third scariest person in the galaxy, I'm in pretty good company."

Miora's eyes opened even wider. Rhoa reached out slowly to pat her hand.

"So don't worry. If the guy you've been working for knows anything about me, he won't even glance in your general direction once he finds out you're under my protection. And if he's never heard of me, I'd be happy to introduce myself." She gave Miora's hand a gentle squeeze. "This is your chance to get your life back."

Miora stared at her for a few more seconds, turned to Trent, and her mouth twitched as if she wanted to smile but was afraid to.

"You really want me to stay with you?"

"Yes." He scooted closer and put his arms around her. "We like having you around, and we want to help you." He gave her another kiss. "Please say yes."

She reached up slowly, her hand shaking, and stroked his cheek. She took another slow breath, closed her eyes, and seemed to struggle to make a decision.

Come on. At least try it. If you don't, you'll be stuck here for the rest of your life. Rhoa caught herself holding her breath and tried to let it out silently.

Tears trickled down Miora's cheeks and she tried to speak several times before any words came out.

"I … okay. Yes. I … I want this." She took a quick breath. "You're right, I'll probably never have another opportunity like this. And … as I said a while ago … I … I love you. I know I shouldn't, but … I can't help it."

He gave her a brilliant smile and embraced her. She put her arms around him and closed her eyes.

"Thank you."

"Thanks for saying yes." Trent kissed her again, stood, held her hands for a moment, and then walked over to sit on the bed.

"I feel so silly." Miora wiped the tears off her face and began putting her suit back on.

"You're not silly at all." Rhoa smiled and watched her for a moment. Such a shame to cover that up. She's hotter than hell.

Miora tugged the front of her suit together, exhaled, and strained to pull it closed and fasten the seals. Finally, she grunted, let it slip out of her hands, and inhaled quickly.

"I'm not in the same shape I was forty years ago. Damn thing won't fit anymore. Sedentary lifestyle, I guess." She tried to pull it into place again. "This gets harder every time I have to put it back on. Guess I should take some of the money Trent kept returning and try to buy a suit that fits, assuming I can find one."

"Oh, that reminds me of something." Rhoa blushed again and slapped a hand to her forehead. "How could this slip my mind? Trent and I got a little something for you. It arrived about a week ago. We planned to surprise you with it, but, uh …" She nodded at the bed. "Guess we got a little distracted."

"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything."

"We wanted to. Both of us noticed the trouble you were having with your suit a while back, so, last time you were here, I scanned your body with my Omni-Tool while you and Trent were asleep. Please don't think I was being creepy or anything. I just needed to get your measurements."

"For … an envirosuit?"

"Yep." Trent grinned. "It's a custom job. Some military contractors and some other folks owed Rhoa some favors, and she called in a few of 'em to get this built. It's got all the usual hardware and software you'd find in your old suit, plus a lot of cutting-edge stuff added on, but it doesn't look like the typical quarian envirosuit."

"Oh … well, what does it look like, then?"

"Let's not spoil the surprise." Rhoa grinned and headed for the door. "I'll just say that we both think it's something you'd really like. Anyway, I just need to go grab it from the storage unit." She winked at them before darting out the door. "In the meantime, feel free to have a celebratory bonk."

This is wrong. It always was. Miora took a few moments to catch her breath as she and Trent cuddled. I'm far too old for him. I shouldn't have even started this a couple of years ago, but … damn it, I just needed even the illusion of contact with someone else.

More than physical sensations, she had desperately needed some close contact with another person, even if it had turned out to be mere friendship. A few discreet inquiries had led her to Trent through word of mouth, and he'd been so kind to her that the age difference had ceased to matter.

Before long, her feelings for him had grown despite her efforts to curb them, and the need to feel his skin on hers had become too powerful to suppress, until finally … tonight.

Well, any way you look at it, it's too late to undo any of this. We've definitely crossed the line.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered.

"I love you." It became easier to say each time the words slipped out of her mouth. He makes me feel like we've been in love for decades. She kept her arms around him, breathed deeply, and let the next few minutes just drift away. She'd never been able to relax so completely at work or in her tiny apartment … or any time at all, except when she was with Trent. When we're together, I feel like I actually matter. Maybe that's the only truly important thing.

She was on the verge of falling asleep when she remembered the package Rhoa had gone to retrieve.

I should clean up before I try on the new suit. She kissed Trent's forehead and pointed a thumb at the door leading to the small clean room and shower Rhoa had installed when she set this room up for Trent's clients.

"I should take a quick shower. Don't want any … um, fluids to leak out and mess up the new envirosuit."

"I don't want this moment to end." Trent held her a moment longer, then scooted aside so she could get up. She propped herself on her elbow, kissed him, and then stood and stretched. She stepped into the cleanroom, waited for the decontamination process to finish, and moved on to the shower stall. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, paused, and hurried on.

The kid's just telling me what I want to hear because it's how he makes a living. Not that I'm hideous or anything. Thanks to spending most of their lives in envirosuits, quarians didn't wear their age on their skin the way most other species did. Without constant exposure to the elements, her skin had remained soft and smooth, and the form-fitting suit had done an admirable job of supporting her breasts. But this … relationship, if it could even be called that … could it even work?

He could never feel the same way about me that I do about him. Still, he and his girlfriend are willing to help me out, and working with them would be much safer and more pleasing than what I've been doing for the past forty-plus years. She sighed, turned the shower on, and stepped into the stall. Even if he can never really love me, I still get to stay with him, even if I have to share him with so many other women. She shrugged as she washed, barely paying attention to her actions and barely noticing the rare and soothing sensation of warm water on her skin. Hell, I've been sharing him with all of them for the past couple of years and it never bothered me … much. If Rhoa can be okay with it, then so can I.

She thought about what could happen once she didn't return to the people who'd kept her stranded here all these years, and a sudden panic gripped her. She took several slow breaths and focused on how things would be from now on, and her pulse gradually slowed.

This will be a better life than I've known since I was a child. It's a chance to live rather than merely survive. I have to do this. I'll stay miserable and alone and trapped and eventually die that way if I don't.

She finished, turned the shower off, and activated the dryer. Warm air from jets in the walls and ceiling massaged her for the next few minutes until she was dry. She left the stall, glanced into the mirror again, and found herself smiling.

It's so weird … to maybe have a future after all these years. Of course, that was just the tip of the weirdness iceberg, but a little discomfort with the situation was worth it.

She loaded one of her Omni-Tool's medical apps and scanned herself for signs of infections or allergic reactions. It would be just her luck to contract a fatal illness now that her life had finally reached a turning point.

The scans came back negative, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

If my new career pays enough to keep stocked up on the medications I need, I'll be able to take advantage of those "free sessions" Rhoa mentioned, for as long as Trent wants to, at least. It was funny, how she'd never been that interested in sex until just recently. She chalked it up to her building need for companionship and intimacy and possibly the fact that she either hadn't bothered with it or hadn't had the opportunity when she was interested over the years. Maybe I'm just making up for lost time. Well, I should run with it for as long as I can, before I'm too old for Trent to want to sock it to me anymore.

She tried not to let the sadness that came with such thoughts wash over her, and just focused on the unexpected thrill and joy this new phase of her life could bring. She smiled again and stepped back into the bedroom to find Rhoa had returned with a crate which she'd placed on the bed. Trent had put on a pair of cargo pants and a T-shirt, and was in the middle of putting on a pair of boots.

"Here it is." Rhoa grinned and motioned at the crate. "The suit and undersuit have been sterilized and sealed in containment bags. You can put it on in the cleanroom just to be extra certain nothing contaminates it."

"Oh, thank you!" Fighting the urge to giggle, Miora picked up the crate, carried it into the cleanroom, and sealed the door. She unlocked the crate, took a slow breath, and lifted the lid.

The helmet is definitely not from a typical quarian envirosuit. She picked it up, broke the seal on the bag, and removed the helmet. Once she was able to see it clearly, she recognized the general shape and gasped.

Oh, you're kidding! They didn't actually …

Shortly after she'd started seeing Trent, they'd alternated between doing something she liked and then something he liked, just to make their sessions feel like real dates. And one of the things he enjoyed was a series of old superhero vids made on Earth a couple of centuries ago. She'd found herself enjoying them quite a lot and had actually fallen in love with several vids just because of the costume one of the protagonists had worn.

She opened the other bags, examined the parts of the suit, and let out an overjoyed squee. It was an almost exact replica, right down to the wings that would, theoretically, extend from the back of the suit. The only differences were the bits that had to be modified to fit her quarian hands and legs.

They did! Holy shit, they really did!

She had to remind herself not to rush when putting the suit on. Missing one tiny little step in the process could open her up to infections or allergic reactions once the medications she'd taken wore off. She took it slow, double-checked every seal and every connection, and finally powered its computer system on. Heart practically vibrating, she stepped back into the bedroom.

"So … uh, how do I look?"

"One of the sexiest things I've ever seen," Trent said with a grin. He hurried over to her and gave her a hug. She embraced him, laughed softly, and sounded like she was trying not to start weeping again.

"Thank you." When they parted, Miora embraced Rhoa for a moment. "Thank you, as well."

"We're happy to help." Rhoa lit up the room with a smile. "Be sure to check out the additional features I mentioned. Basically, you're beta-testing the suit for a weapons and armor manufacturer that wants to mass-produce them for a big conflict that might be coming up."

"Conflict?"

"I don't know the details, but I've still got connections in Eclipse and others I've made over the centuries. They keep me informed, and some of them have been picking up 'whispers' about something big that might be brewing. I'm wondering if the Collectors are involved. The soldiers who fought them a few months back said they were insectoid and even had wings and could fly around. I'm guessing someone wanted a way to neutralize their advantage. Most of them were looking into jetpacks and thrusters that could be built into armor, but then someone got the idea of mimicking the Collectors."

"Rhoa mentioned it to me one day," Trent added. "When I found out how much you liked that character, I told Rhoa, and she talked someone into basing this suit's design on the character's costume."

"Well, thank you both. I'm so … wait. It flies? I don't see how else it could be used to combat something like the Collectors."

"It does, indeed." Rhoa grinned. "The wings are functional. Anyone would be too heavy for them to lift, but the suit has a built-in miniature mass effect core. That's part of the experiment. They already know it's harmless because it's just enough for two people at most, in case you ever need to carry someone, but they want to work any kinks out before it goes into production. They've got a few hundred other people about to begin the testing phase, so it was easy to have one custom-designed for you."

"So … I can lower my mass?"

"Yep. The suit won't shrink like the one in the vids, but this is the next best thing. You'll be able to lower your mass to almost nothing and fly around. Because of how they're built, the wings won't be very strong, and there's a pre-programmed limit to how low you can dial your mass, to prevent you from launching into orbit."

A chime came from Trent's Omni-Tool. He brought its interface up and glanced at a message on its surface while Rhoa grinned at Miora.

"The instruction manual is in the suit's read-only memory. Give it a look and then try the suit out."

"Okay. Oh, thank you so much!" Laughing giddily, Miora woke her Omni-Tool, linked it up with her suit, and began exploring the suit's functions.

"You're very welcome." She's so alive, all of a sudden. It's a beautiful thing to see. Trent smiled and opened the message he'd just received. Oh, it's from Lia. Maybe she's setting up another appointment.

Then he read the message.

Ah, okay. Not another session, but quite intriguing anyway. And the timing couldn't be better.

"Hey, I just got a message from a quarian I serviced when we were on the Citadel. I didn't tell her any specifics about Miora, but just said I had another quarian client here on Illium. She sent some info that might help you complete your Pilgrimage. I know you said it's too late for that and Rhoa and I both hope you'll stay with us, but you could find something to bring back to the Migrant Fleet just for the sake of being done with it. I mean, if you want to."

"Hmm. There's no real reason to bother with it so late in my life, but completing it would lift a burden off my shoulders."

"I'd be happy to do whatever I can to help." Rhoa winked at her. "So long as you don't use it as an excuse to skip out on us."

"Oh, no, I'd never do that! You're going out of your way to help me, so I'm in this for the long haul. Completing my Pilgrimage would just be a way of … well, to quote another character from those vids, 'wiping the red from my ledger.'" Miora glanced over at Trent. "What are the specifics?"

"She said one of her crew's clients recently found an information depository on Bekenstein. Some of the files in it pointed to other archives hidden on dozens of other planets, moons, and asteroids." Trent looked up and smiled. "Looks like there's a couple of them right here on Illium. You might be able to find something unique to take back to the Fleet. And if not, there are others scattered throughout the Terminus Systems and Citadel space."

"Hmm." Rhoa cocked her head and smirked, a familiar sign that meant she'd already begun working a problem and rapidly coming up with a solution. "If the ones on Illium don't give you something that'll work, I can call in another favor or two and get us a small ship." She glanced at Trent. "We'll have to talk it over with your parents, but if they go along with it, the three of us could help search for these depositories and you could keep seeing clients from your ship. It might even make it easier since we'll probably be closer to at least a few of 'em while we're searching."

"Think we can talk Mom and Dad into it, though? I know they trust you to keep me safe by now and they're a lot less resistant to my 'career' now that they know how much money I'm making, but going off somewhere in a ship is a whole other thing."

"Well, I could see if I can get my hands on a ship big enough to bring them along." Rhoa fired off another shit-eating grin and Trent snort-laughed.

"Yeah, so they can be a few meters away while I'm humping it out with one of my clients. They'd go for that in no time at all."

Rhoa giggled. "Well, with two of those archives on Illium, there's plenty of time to consider our options and figure something out." She turned back to Miora. "Ready to try it out?"

"Yes, I just finished reading through the instructions." Miora took a long breath, let it out slowly, and poked at her Omni-Tool interface. She burst out laughing. "Oh, that feels tingly!"

Trent smiled again. It's wonderful to see her having so much fun. I hope we get to do everything we've just talked about.

Miora tapped another control on her Omni-Tool and the wings extended and began flapping. The sound suppressors Rhoa had told him about while Miora was in the shower kept the noise of the wings down to a sort of whispery rasping. Miora rose off the floor, bumped her head into the ceiling, and laughed again.

"We'll have to go someplace with enough room for you to move around so you can see what all the suit can do. Maybe an empty warehouse or hangar, something that has a roof so you won't have to worry about heights until you're more comfortable with operating the suit." Rhoa motioned at Miora's hands. "It's got prototype blasters in the wrists, just like the one in the vids. They're designed to stun enemies, though you could probably fuck someone up pretty badly if you nailed 'em in the head at point-blank range or zapped 'em multiple times."

"Oh, wow." Miora inched forward, threw her hands out to stop herself from bumping into the wall, and then drifted backward. She let out another giddy laugh. "This is amazing! I never expected my luck to change so much in one morning!"

"I'm so happy for you," Trent said. "It's like you're a new person."

"No, I'm the same ol' me. I'm just … happy. Happier than I've been in at least forty years!"

Trent smiled as she descended slowly back to the floor and then he gave her another hug. "Well. Ready to get started?"

Miora caressed his cheek, then reached over to clasp Rhoa's hand and nodded.

"Yeah. Let's see where this takes us."