JANE AND SHEENA

Once they are alone, Sheena seems uncomfortable with what she has to
say. Finally, she starts to speak, somewhat haltingly.

"Jane, I think you're a nice person and I'd like to think we could be
friends. As a friend, I don't want to impose, but there are some, um,
behavorial peculiarities you've been showing and I was wondering if,
well, you'd like to tell someone about what's bothering you." She shrugs
helplessly. "I'm no psych, but I can tell when someone's hurting,
because I've been there. If you want, you can tell me as much as you
feel like. If not, you can tell me to go to hell. Or you can just use my
shoulder to cry on; we all need that from time to time."

She paces restlessly up and down, her tail flicking from side to side.
"I mean, you're decidedly non-aggressive, but you load yourself with
weapons and you're expert with all of them, some quite archaic. I've
noticed that you listen a great deal and it seems to me that sometimes
you have something to say, but don't. You reacted oddly when I was
telling Mirtil about my problems and when he was telling me about the
wheel of life and all that; I'm not an expert at this, but there was
more than sympathy to your reaction. And when he was talking about my
not being able to change to fully human, and I told him about that
genetics stuff, you looked like you had something to say."

"And there's this thing with magic," she says. "Something happened to
you in the library; you said the air was stuffy, but I've got a nose
that can pick up the scent of one human among fifty, and I didn't smell
anything unusual. Was it magic, or something to do with it? And you
looked worried when we had a look at those plants that were being
magically altered. I noticed you really didn't like that map of the
spheres - why? Is there something about magic that scares or hurts you?
You've already told me that magic doesn't work well for you."

After a moment's pause, she continues. "I understand that everyone wants
to fit in and be accepted; I more than most. You've had a really rough
time of it, haven't you? I'm not sure what has been done to you, but
your reaction when I mentioned a collar indicated something pretty bad."
She pauses to gather her thoughts.

"You know what I think?" she says at last. "I think you were bred, or
created somehow, to be a soldier or an assassin or something, with maybe
superior reflexes and speed, and perhaps other advantages. You can
certainly use any weapon I've ever heard of. Trouble was, you were
mistreated and mistrusted; I'll bet they had a collar on you, maybe as a
discipline device. But you got free and somehow made your way here.
And," she lowers her eyes for a second, "you probably killed some people
in the process. I don't know where the magic fits into it, but I'm
guessing it has to do with something that was done to you."

She looks Jane in the eye. "I want to be your friend. I'm not going to
stop being your friend if you don't want to tell me, but maybe it will
help exorcise whatever hurt you're feeling if you could tell someone
about it." She pauses and adds, "I'm here. I'm willing to listen to
whatever you feel like telling me. What *that* is, is up to you."

Stepping back, she leans against the wall and crosses her arms,
appearing totally relaxed as she waits for Jane's decision.

Jane sniffles a little, then she puts on a brave face and says
"Problems? Oh I have my problems, but you don’t want to hear about my
problems". Despite what she says she sniffles a little more and looks
away a little, never the less she looks like she desperately wants to be
comforted.

"Jane." Sheena's voice is gentle but firm. "I'm your friend. Of course I
want to hear your problems if they are hurting you."

Jane smiles bravely and begins to tell her story, looking doe eyed and
vulnerable as she does. "I was born on May Day, back on Earth they call
it Valpurgis Nocht, they say that is the night that the witches travel
to Bloksberg and consort with their demonic masters, the most evil night
of the year", she snorts a little as she adds "Oh and it was a full moon
too, so my birth had no lack of ‘auspicious’ elements". She hesitates
before she says "Yes she was, a witch I mean, I have no idea who, or
rather what my father was, but I have my violent abilities from him, I
just ... know ... things, or how to do things".

Sheena blinks. This is way beyond what she expected.

She will also unbutton her jacket and show Sheena her left shoulderblade
a strange set of birthmarks cover it. These birthmarks seem to form
occult symbols of unknown origin, and they are rather disturbing to look
at (they writhe slightly when examined, they are similar to Mayan,
Egyptian and Babylonian pictograms).

Sheena is fascinated by the birthmarks and gently runs her fingertips
over them.

Jane gasps slightly when she feels Sheena’s finger-tips touch her
birthmarks, but she doesn’t react other wise. The birthmarks feel cold,
and even though Jane’s muscles aren’t moving they appear to be
squiggling slightly on their own.

Jane goes on "I have certain other abilities, I am basically immortal, I
don’t age, I regrow lost limbs, I am stronger than normal humans, and I
can adjust my weight up and down", she smiles a little and says "Guess
I’m really lucky that way".

Sheena giggles. "I hate you. I really do."

Jane smiles a little at that, then she says "Oh it’s only the weight, I
still get blubber if I eat too much ...", not that there is any on her
now.

She stops then she says "Bad stuff is that, well, that map, isn’t magic
it’s silver, I hate it ... It’s like hot iron to me", she stops then
goes on "Incense too, it’s like, like sleeping gas, I hate it".

"I have no problems with incense, Jane, but... here." Sheena holds out
her left arm; on it is a barely healed scar with pinkish edges, as if
the result of a burn. "This was done to me by a silver knife. I'm a
were-creature; silver hurts me too. You're not alone."

Jane gently runs her finger across the wound, then she says "You know, I
hate silver ... I really HATE it", she is gently rubbing her wrists as
she says it, and touching the sides of her neck a few times, she
breathes slightly faster. Finally she says "I’m sorry, it’s just so
awful".

Sheena stares at her actions, then the penny drops. "You were.. bound
with silver, weren't you?" She shudders, and a snarl builds deep in her
throat. "Someone who would do a thing like that... they don't deserve to
live."

Jane’s body shakes from crying, then she nods "Dr Buford", she says in a
tear strained voice, she goes on "He ... he ...", she breaks down in
tears again. Finally after a long sob she says "To handle me easier
...", she breaks down in tears again.

Sheena shudders again, and holds Jane close. "You're free of him," she
whispers. "He'll never hurt you again... I promise."

Jane whispers "Sometimes I think I see them, in the shadows, in the
trees, it’s so hard to trust anyone, I want to but it’s like there’s
enemies everywhere ... Back home when I ... I mean I couldn’t trust
anyone".

"Jane," says Sheena softly, "I hope you trust me. I'm not going to tell
you that you have to; whether you do or not is entirely your choice.
More to the point, whether you do or not, I will still be your friend."
She closes her eyes for a second, then opens them again. "And I want you
to do one thing for me; if you ever feel that your enemies are out
there, come to me. If they are there, then I'll find them. And then.."
she pauses and lowers her voice to a near whisper, "I'll make them very,
very sorry."

Jane smiles, then she says "Helen always tells me that she won't let
anyone hurt me." She sobs again, then she says "I do trust you, but I
have no idea why." She goes back to sobbing and hugging Sheena.

Sheena cradles the smaller woman to herself, stroking her hair
soothingly. "Perhaps it's because I've been hurt as well," she replies
gently. "I'll never betray your trust, Jane," she says. "I'd die first."

Jane smiles at this, even though she still sobs, she seems like a little
angel where she lies in Sheena's arms.

She hesitates then she says "On Earth there are no public mages, or
meta-humans, and they claim nothing supernatural exists", she hesitates
before she says "There is a secret group called MJ-12, Majestic-12 that
works to keep this knowledge away from the public, and protect them by
... by removing any threats to society".

"I know how that goes," replies Sheena sadly. "On Urt, the official line
is that magic doesn't exist, nor do were-creatures or anything of that
sort. To tell the truth, I've never seen magic done before I came here
but I can tell you that there is an extreme prejudice against anyone who
appears other than human. No 'MJ-12', thankfully -- otherwise I would
probably not be here."

As Sheena makes her last remark Jane looks terribly guilty, she actually
looks away from Sheena’s eyes, she sobs slightly.

"What's the matter, Jane?" asks Sheena gently. "What did I say?"

Jane tries to hide it, she says "Oh nothing Miss Sheena", although there
is clearly something bothering her, something that is making her feel
awful.

Sheena says nothing, but she has a sinking feeling she knows...

Jane hesitates again before she goes on "I didn’t exactly lead a nice
and straight life, but I never hurt anyone before ...". She breaks down
in tears at this stage, it is clear that she has opened up, but that
this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Sheena, overcome by compassion, enfolds Jane in her arms. Her tears flow
in sympathy as she murmurs soothingly to Jane. "It's all right," she
whispers. "It's all right."

She will hold and comfort Jane as long as necessary.

Jane collapses completely, she cries her heart out again. Finally she
stops, and she manages to say "You know, I can’t believe I’m really
free, I’m not sure if any of this is real ... I thought I had gotten
over it years ago, but ... I’m finally out ...".

"Yes, you are," replies Sheena soothingly. "You're free, to go where you
want, and to be who you want. And I'm here, and if anyone tries to hurt
you anymore they'll have to answer to me first."

Jane is squeezing herself against Sheena, like a little girl.

Sheena holds the smaller woman in her arms, trying to convey with touch
and voice the fact that she is safe here...

If asked or probed Jane will finally say "I ... I don’t know why I trust
you ... You remind me of Helen, she is, or was so very kind to me". She
stops again, seemingly wanting to be urged on.

"Helen sounds like a nice person," replies Sheena, brushing Jane's hair
back out of her eyes. "I want to help you too, Jane. Let the pain out,
let yourself heal."

Jane actually smiles a little, even though she is also crying.

After a bit more sobbing Jane will say "I was born on Earth on the 1st
of May 1935, in Louisiana, they took me away from my mother when I was
only a few months old and sent me to an orphanage". She stops, sobs, and
then says "It was really awful, all the children teased me, hurt me,
laughed at me, and the nuns were no better, not to mention that the
first language I learned was French, and everyone was supposed to speak
English".

Sheena looks thoughtful, but says nothing.

She stops again, suddenly she looks very insecure then she says "Uhm,
Miss Sheena, I ... I ... I hope you ... I made some mistakes, I really
didn’t have a choice ... Maybe I did". She seems really insecure now,
and there is something bothering her.

Sheena holds her close, murmuring encouragingly. "I trust you, Jane,"
she whispers. "If you made a mistake, I'm sure you didn't have a
choice."

Jane nods a little at that.

Finally she goes on "I ran away from the orphanage, I just had enough,
and I went down to New Orleans ... That city has a bad reputation,
especially certain parts of it, but I managed to make my way ...". She
then says "I lived mostly on the street, shacked up with some really
dubious types and ... Well stole for a living". She looks at Sheena
trying to judge her reaction to all this.

Sheena shrugs, trying to convey acceptance that some things have to be
done to survive.

Jane goes on "I got caught a few times, but you know ... a smile and
looking nice can get you out of little things ...", she stops again then
she says "I never hurt anyone until this one pig, uhm police officer,
started, well ... touching me ... molesting me really, I kind of beat
the living daylights out of him". Suddenly looking really determined she
says "I wish I had just killed him", she then swallows and goes on "I
was sent away to jail, got real tough on the other girls, and I managed
to escape ... Took them a while to catch me too, but then ...". She
hesitates before she says "That’s when MJ-12 got to me ...". She shivers
slightly as she remembers this, basically looking very frightened, but
clearly not sure if she should tell Sheena the rest of her story.

Sheena eases to a sitting position, cradling Jane on her lap. "Whatever
you did, it's behind you now, Jane. I'm not going to condemn you for
what you were forced to do." She strokes Jane's hair, her touch gentle.
"I think I've guessed, but tell me anyway." With tears in her eyes as
she relives her own pain, she holds Jane close, trying to comfort and
reassure her.

Jane seems a bit insecure, then she says "MJ-12’s people showed up,
dragged me away, slammed into maximum security and let me experience the
delights of silver manacles for the first time", she shivers then she
says "To me silver is like red hot iron, it’s not that it cause real
harm, but dear god does it hurt", she looks at Sheena and says "It was
like having bands of glowing iron tied to your ankles and wrists, but
even that was nothing..." she trails off.

"Oh..." Sheena feels Jane's anguish and it's almost more than she can
bear. "Oh god, that must have been terrible." Her eyes overspill with
tears as she cries in sympathy.

It takes Jane a long time to summon enough courage to talk about the
Resort, when she can she says "They sent me to the Resort, to Dr Buford,
there is a guy in Hell much like him, his name is Satan, and if you ask
me, he and Dr Buford went to the same college". Jane shivers, a torrent
of tears start to roll down her cheeks "I don’t want to think about what
he did to me, he did shit to me that would have killed or crippled
anyone else, all I remember is pain, and humiliation". She looks at
Sheena and says "That place made me beg, crawl, and scream for mercy,
and I never got any, I went to hell, the cell I was in was five by five
feet, lines with silver so I couldn’t touch the sides, I had to lie
crouched on the floor". Tears are actually running down her cheeks now
as she says "When they had really hurt me bad, so bad that I thought I
would die, and they put me back in I always thought things could never
get worse, but believe me they could". Once again she shivers, her
cheeks are now wet with tears, her breath is ragged, and there is a
glassy look of fear and pain in her eyes as she goes on "I used to lie
awake in the cell, jumping at the least sound, terrified that they would
come back, and when I could sleep it never lasted for long".

Sheena says nothing out loud; she holds Jane close and caresses her hair
gently, but there is a cold, dark ball of hatred growing in her heart
for this man called Buford.

For a long time she is quiet, then she says "Dr Buford could do anything
he wanted to me, stuff that would have killed or hospitalised a normal
human, they could drag me around in those silver chains making me weak
like a kitten, but I’d still heal real quick so they could do their
experiments". Once again she shivers "Anyway, Miss Woo got me out, but
Dr Buford had his little revenge he decided that he needed something to
experiment with, and so he strapped me down to the operating table
silver manacles and all, and removed my left arm, and to be honest I
think that was not the worst thing he has done to me".

Sheena looks closely at Jane's left arm and blinks. "Was Miss Woo the
person you mentioned earlier.. Helen?" she asks softly.

Jane softly shakes her head, then she says "No Miss Woo was a
administrator, leader, she was in charge of field operations ... She was
a witch ...", Jane sobs then she says "Literary". After a pause Jane
says "Helen Shaw was my friend, she was from Germany ... Nazi Germany,
Übermench, strong and tough, and so nice to me ... She was my partner".

"Literally a witch?  Interesting," remarks Sheena.  "Uh.. I don't get the
significance of the word 'Nazi', but I guess that it isn't good."

She pauses. "What happened to Helen?" she asks gently.

Jane is still sobbing, she says "Helen? She was left behind, on the
other side, one moment I'm in Bolivia, the next I am here, and no Helen
..." She bursts into tears again, her whole body shakes time and time
again.

Sheena holds her, filled with sorrow at the depths of her pain. "I can't
be Helen," she answers sadly. "She will live in your heart as a true
friend. But I can be here for you, now. Any time you want reassurance, I
will be here for you."

Jane smiles a little at that, then she says "Thank you."

"That's what friends are for, sweetie," replies Sheena.

Jane is quiet, then she says "They made me join up, join their
investigations department, help them ...", she looks at Sheena then she
says "It was that or back to Dr Buford ... Or a bullet in the back of my
head". She sobs softly "I did horrible things, horrible, I’m a monster,
I have killed too many people for any god to ever forgive me".

Sheena soothes her as best she can. "You had no choice really," she
tells Jane, trying to convince her. "I probably would have done the
same; from what you say, Buford wasn't a man but something that deserves
to be stepped on. And no-one with a hope of life will truly choose
death. I'm not going to blame you for doing their bidding -- no-one
could."

Jane nods and seems a bit comforted at that statement.

She takes a deep breath, then looks Jane in the eyes from a distance of
six inches. "There's more, isn't there? You've hunted down and killed my
kind - lycanthropes - haven't you?" She strives to make her voice as
unaccusing as possible.

Jane nods, then she says "I never saw any were-leopards Miss Sheena, but
werewolves were common", she stops "I’m sorry, most of them were evil,
but ... well ... not all". She hesitates then she says "It was horrible,
I’m no better than the Nazi Stormtroopers ...", she breaks down in tears
and this, guilt, shame, and self-loathing is clear in her behaviour.

"Jane dearest," murmurs Sheena, "if you were exterminating evil
werewolves, then that is all to the good. For some reason, wolves tend
toward evil more than most lycanthropes," she muses. "Them and pythons."
With an effort, she brings her mind back to the present. "As for the
others, you obviously had no choice in what you were doing, unlike
these, what did you say, storm-troopers?" She caresses Jane's hair,
brushing it back from her face. "It is not you who is to blame," she
tells Jane, trying to make her believe the impassioned words. "It is
those who coerced you into this course of action. They are the monsters,
not you. And I can prove it."

Sheena repeats these words until Jane has recovered enough to understand
them. Then she takes Jane's right hand in both of hers, and places it
around her neck.

"There," she says softly. "Were you a monster, if you truly enjoyed what
you did, if there is no redemption for what you did.... then all you
have to do is squeeze my throat until I stop breathing, or snap my neck.
I will not resist. My life is in your hands." She closes her eyes and
whispers, "I trust you, Jane."

Jane hands trembles a little, but there is no increase in pressure, a
couple of seconds goes by and she lets go, she whispers "I hate violence
... but I have this horrid temper ... sometimes I just ..." She sobs
again, then she says "I could never hurt you."

"Well," smiles Sheena with a slight giggle, "we'll just have to remember
to point you at the bad guys when you're feeling in a bad mood." She
kisses Jane on the forehead. "But you've just proven you're not a
horrible monster; you're just a young woman who's had a far harder life
than anyone deserves." She regards Jane steadily and seriously. "And the
fact that you're still relatively sane says a lot for your strength of
will." Climbing lithely to her feet, she helps Jane up as well and gives
her a comforting hug. "Feel free to talk to me anytime about anything
that's bothering you," she says, then takes her by the hand. "C'mon.
Let's get back to the guys before they wander off without us."

	Jane grabs Sheena's hand and gladly follows her, as they leave she is
actually smiling, if Sheena watches she can actually see the slight
swelling and puffiness from crying vanish, and Jane's appearance returns
to her normal beauty in a matter of minutes. Jane seems a bit
embarrassed and says "Natural abilities Miss Sheena."

Sheena tries hard to look annoyed, but fails.  "You are so mean," she
complains.  "That is just so unfair."  Then she giggles and spoils the
effect.

Also Jane will ask Sheena "Uhm can we go shopping? I hardly ever got the
chance to go shopping back home, we could buy that stuff we were talking
about." She smiles a little and seems very eager to do some bonding.

Sheena pretends to consider. "Yes... definitely yes.." she smiles. "I
think it's time we went out and let our hair down, and did some
honest-to-goodness shopping." She gently squeezes Jane's hand. "But
first I think we should let the guys know we're going."

With Jane in tow, she heads back to where Mirtil and Dustin are.