"Calling all units, Riot unit 21-A has gone silent, if you see 21-A immediately tell them to contact central. They've been out of communication for 20 minutes, now."

"Central, this is 24-A. Yeah, if I see Marky, I'll chime in. We're overmanned as it is, anyways."

"24-A, this is Central. 21-A was slated to pick up a detail of riot officers and they've been waiting here for about a half hour."

"Central, 24-A. We can come make that round if you like."

"24-A, that would be outstanding."

Sam listened in the whole time, gathering precious intel that trickled down from the police radio. She couldn't help but notice the scratched up paint that someone hand scrawled onto the framing of the APC  just next to the windshield contained the unit code of '21-A.' She snickered once. From what she had heard, most riot cops were cyborgs and this was advantageous to her. There was a single rotten cop that she knew of and that was Butch's old man. But, as far as she knew, the rest of them were just doing as they were told. They had families to support and loved ones to go home to. No doubt the police department would pick up the tab for the repair of damaged cybernetic limbs.

"Well.. if you didn't want taxpayers getting upset, don't let rotten chiefs into office.." Sam laments as she also intends to trash the vehicle she commanded at the moment. Rounding a turn, the presence of police was made apparent by the massive roadblock of riot vehicles that cordon off the neighborhood. She pulls the APC over to the side of the road and waits. She turns the volume knob up the radio and listens for an indication of where she was in relation to the operation going down before her. It takes a while and, already, she's on edge.

"27-A this is Central, how far out are you from the assigned pick up?"

"Central, 27-1, we're pulling in right now. Where are we going?"

Just then, a riot vehicle grinds to a stop at the intersection and riot cops start to load onto it.

"27-1, you're bringing them to the cordon just up the road, we have a report of the suspect being in that vicinity."

"Gotcha, 27-1 on the way."

They knew she was there, so there was no point in trying to sneak around that much. With a sigh, she reaches onto the back of her neck, making one last call to Ronnie.

"Ronnie. You there?"

She hears nothing but silence, tapping her foot on the floor of the vehicle.

"Ronnie!"

"Yeah! Yeah! I'm here" comes the response.

"Did you do as I asked?"

"Yeah, I did. I'm getting them out right now. We just had to duck out through their backyard and.. well at least they remembered me. Would you like to ta-"

"No. Keep them away from here. They don't need to bury mommy twice."

"Sam, don't talk like-" 

Her finger had already clicked off the receiver. She let out a heavy sigh and tightened her hands around the wheel of the APC. Thoughts ran back to her kids as she remembered the wonderful years of their childhood, the happiest of her previous life. It all seemed so vivid to her as she seemed to travel back in time to one night in particular. The night prior to that was a nightmare. Their beloved night light had broken and she had to run to the store and buy a new one. She could hear their soft and uneasy voices quiz her as she sat on the foot of one of their beds.

"Mama, will it work as good as the other light?"

"Of course it will, Erin, I tried it myself!" Sam had replied with a joyous tone before she ruffled the hair of her daughter.

"I'm still scared of the dark..." Denise added as she sank her head into her shoulders.

"There's no logical reason to, but that doesn't control your emotions sometimes. It's okay to be afraid. But, you must not let it control you. Monsters don't exist, remember? You'd sense them! And if they were there, I'd make sure they would never come to this room ever again." She replied with a grin before plugging the night light in and standing up. She planted a kiss on their foreheads and left the room. "Goodnight, mes amours" was her bid and the response came in unison.

"Goodnight, mom."

It cheered her up a little, but it also made Sam very angry. These were people that lacked respect for others, for children, for parents, for anyone except themselves and their little feathered nest of acquaintances. They set up men and women to shield them from reprisal and to do their work for them, unwittingly. For that they must be punished.

Her anger mutated into a sadistic joy as she reconciled the deeds she was about to do to fit will within her own code of ethics. Her hand gripped tight around the gearbox handle and slams it firmly into drive. She reached back and pulls a helmet from the kitbox behind her seat and gently wedges it against the gas pedal. With a slam of her foot against it, she firmly sticks it against the gas and the vehicle leaps into drive. She already has the door open with a foot propping it against the oncoming airflow. The car hurtles toward the roadblock and none of the cops manning it seem to notice.

They finally do when it's all too late. The APC rams through the patrol cars and hits a light post on the street corner. It bounces into the air and slams back down, rolling over several times as it careens to a halt finally. The vehicle seeps fuel and hydraulics as its drive spins wildly in the air, severed from its original spot. The cops were quick to close in on the wreck. With weapons leveled, they approach carefully before stepping up onto of the destroyed hulk of a vehicle. In a moment where both, no doubt, held their breaths, they kick open the driver side door.

Nothing. 

"..the fuck?" One exclaims as he lets his weapon hang down to his side on one hand. The other shifts about on his feet.

He feels his weight drop suddenly as his legs give way. He didn't even see the orange blur of Sam's blade cutting through his legs. As his arms flail to grab onto something, his rifle clear from his grip. The other cop turns to see what has happened only to befall a similar fate. That heated edge slices effortlessly through weapon and right leg, causing the police officer to tumble from the top of the crippled APC. Right as he slams onto the ground, Sam gripped the back of his uniform and began dragging him away, snatching up the second cop. To their shock, the APC finally explodes as fuel finds a spark. Sam flops them clear of the burning wreck and is long gone before they can come to the realization that she saved their lives.

She squeezes up against a house to hide from the inevitable patrols responding to the explosion. Heavy boots stomp up the side walk and she's quick to jump a fence into a back yard. The soft grass gave her a flashback to warm summer days that she quickly shoved away; there would be time later to daydream. Hopping the next fence, she approaches a wrought-iron one and stares through the bars. More riot cops seemed to be arranged in a circle, discussing a plan. But, they wore black trench coats and nothing to identify them as police. It wasn't until Butch stepped into the center of the circle that betrayed them as a gang instead of police. 

This made things a lot simpler.

Sam didn't want to harm a police officer, but a gang member? Fair game as far as she was concerned. Sheathing her blade, she pulled the cyber-rifle from its framed holster. She rests the weapon on a cross bar of the fence and peeks through the sight. It has a small holographic alert already, telling her turn the sight on. She pushes a button in and the scope comes alive with all sorts of indications. The cyborgs that make up the group all possess a box and circle around them. One moves to the side and the box stays with him, but the circle moves out ahead of him just a little bit. She gathers that this tells the user how to lead.

Before she can line up a shot on Butch, they all disperse, heading out in different directions, and one is headed right for her. She picks this particular thug to be the first. The red dot hovers right on his chest and she squeezes the trigger. There's a tremendous blast as a the massive round is fired from the barrel. The bullet knocks the cyborg gangster flat on his back and in agony as his onboard life support switches into overdrive to save him. This isn't a quiet occurrence and soon the other thugs are quick to respond, running to his aid with weapon drawn. With successive shots, Sam drops them one after another until they realize where she is. The neatly trimmed bushes are cut to pieces as they open fire. Sam bolted away, jumping onto the roof of an adjacent house before dropping to a knee and dropping two more thugs with those large rounds. Hopping from house to house, she avoids their fire while trying to return it the best she can. However, after 12 rounds fired, the rifle clicks empty. Hopping off the roof she landed on, she lands on a backyard patio before returning the rifle to its holster. She only had one magazine to go with it. The gunfire went silent when she paused to observe her surroundings. It was a nice backyard with plenty of green grass, concrete patio with grill and lawnchairs as well as a sparkling blue pool. She picked up foot steps, heavy and quick, following her path. With a blast of gas, the scabbard fires her sword into her hand and she wields it, ready for who ever was coming.

With a flash, a familiar reptile drops down onto the grass next to the fence. He sports a wide sinister grin as he stands up straight. It's Viper from that first night of trouble. His cybernetics are much more heavy duty now, though. His eyes glow a faint red as he approaches.

"Didja think cutting up my shitty everyday legs was gonna stop me, bitch?" He laughed as he spread his arms out. Two massive needle-like spikes shoot out of his forearms as he cackles even harder. "Run you through with this? You're gonna get'a good dose of an acid to melt anything inside of you. I'm faster than you can hope to be, bitch, so just stand still and make it quick."

Sam points her weapon right at him, pulling the trigger, and causing the blade to glow that brilliant reddish orange. "I spared you once, I won't do it again. Leave or die. It's your choice, Viper."

His response was quick, lunging forward and jabbing the spikes at Sam in an attempt to impale her. Where ever she moved, those gleaming metal fangs were there to meet her. She needed to break out of this back and forth. The problem with parrying and dodging is that, eventually, you will slip up. There was no way out except forward, though. Taking an enormous risk, Sam plants her feet hard into the soft grass and slams her shoulder into his chest. The shock is enough to knock him off Viper off his feet, but he's quick to recover. He rolls away clumsily before getting back to his feet and diving right back into the fray. There seemed to be no escape for Sam as he was ontop of her where ever she went. With every bash, hit, or parry, the insufferably lizard just bounced right back. He was equally good at the art of the parry as well, finding a way to counter the few slashes she could get in.

She grew more concerned with every passing second since it gave any and all back up for Viper to arrive and she didn't have any at all. Throughout the struggle, she finally noticed something about his rig. Despite his exaggerated movement, Viper's head stayed perfectly still on his neck. She deduced it was for a reason. It might have seemed like a no-brainer, but perhaps a blow there might open up the window she needed.

She had to act fast as Viper's arms dropped down and then curled up to try and sink those oversized hypodermic needles into her gut. She blunted the strike with the side of her blade, but he didn't relent, trying his best to gore her.  He cackled with confidence "The moment these babies get inside you, a new world of pain will open up as you literally melt away from the inside!" His arms muscled the spikes closer and closer. 'Keep shit-talking' Sam thought. 'Get arrogant, get messy!' And he did just that. "I'm gonna fucking turn you into a trophy. I'll show Butch who the fuck is the best in this gang! I run this town, not him, and you crossed the boss! Time to die!" With that, he gives his arms one last lunge and Sam loses her grip. Her sword spirals into the air as his arms fly up with it. Fists clinch as he flexes to administer the kill, head turning down to focus on what to hit after taking in the delight of disarming his victim. 

He expected to see a fear-filled or confused Sam realizing she was about to experience her last moments of life. Instead, he turns his head down only to meet a balled up fist. Sam's blow carries with enough energy to send him spiraling the ground. Planting hand on the grass, he stands up enraged and turns to meet with the shark again. What he doesn't see is simple physics at work. What goes up must come down and Sam keenly catches her weapon.

"You BITCH! I'll fucking peel your sk-"

Viper's eyes widen as he slowly makes sense of what just happened. The orange blur flew clean through his shoulder and out his side before reverse and streaking across his midsection just above the hips. Oil, hydraulic fluid, and blood mix as they gush from his rig. He collapses to his knees as the arm on his severed  upper body tries to hold him together. Sam plants her foot right in his jaw, causing Viper to fall apart in a messy spectacle. He blinks in disbelief as he stares upward, directing his vision to the shark that cut him down as she poises over him.

"..You... What have you done!...? Do you know who I am!?..I've killed sco-scores of cunts like.. you! Who the fuck do you think you are?!" He was defiant to the end.

"That is why you must be put down like the beast you are. You're a predator. You prey on the weak, the defenseless, and the sickly. I'm the hunter and I put marauding monsters like you down. I gave you a chance. You refused it." Sam sneers at him before stepping over the twitching sector of lizard as he slowly succumbs. As she slowly steps around out of the backyard, she sees her next goal. Butch was discussing something with his last two henchmen. No need to play it quiet, now. 

She propelled herself forward as fast as her legs permitted. The sheer thrill of acceleration filled her with delight as she used it to drive her blade deep through the back of one henchman. The other thug didn't even have time to respond as she slashed straight through him. Butch did and immediately put distance between the two. He stared down at the shark with all the hatred he could muster.

"Butch. I'm here to end this. I know you refuse to listen to reason, so I have to kill you. You're a thug that seeks to exploit those around you. You're criminal and, from what I've seen, one deserving of capital punishment. You're above the legal system thanks to nepotism, but I am above that, even. I will see justice served this day! En Garde." Sam grips the sword hilt firmly and stares right back, her blue eyes getting their faint glow as her built in ocular scans start to point out weakpoints on Butch's rig.

"Hah! And you're just another do-good I'mma smash to bits." He pulls his own blade and swings it once. It's much larger than Sam's and, when he squeezes his grip, it lights up a double-edged heating element. "Or chop up. It doesn't matter to me. Either way, you're fucking dead! And when I show your corpse off to Viper-"

"Not happening. I just dispatched him without much effort."

Butch snarls. "You fuck. You'll fucking pay dividends for that! I'll fucking maim you, I'll fucking have you convicted of murder! And I'll laugh as you're put away for life. Do you know what kind of fucking authority I-"

"Shut the fuck up and let's do this! You're too stupid to listen to reason and I never back down from a buttfucking coward-ass gangster!"

Butch must have agreed with the sentiment as he swings his weapon high into the air and brings it down with enough force to shatter the asphalt below like glass. He misses Sam who darts off to the side and swings for his arms. But, Butch is no dumb brute. He's more than able to extract his greatsword from the crater and counter Sam's strike. Sparks fly as the heated elements of both blades contact. However, he carried a great deal more body strength than Sam did. Without too much trouble, he's able to simply knock her over with the sheer mass and power of his weapon and the muscle behind it. 

Before Sam could get up, his massive foot slams down onto her chest, cratering her into the ground. She yelps out in pain before glancing up and seeing the sword rise up ready to slam down on her. Quick thinking kicks in and she drives her sword right into his thigh. It's enough to stagger him, allowing Sam to slip away from under his foot. Before she can get up into a fighting stance, his foot slams into her, sending the shark flying down to the sidewalk. With so much distance between them, Sam collects herself and braces for whats to come. Butch didn't give her much time before renewing his attack, hurling the massive blade from side to side in violent swings, laughing all the while. She's startled by the familiar touch of tree bark as she backs into one.  Rolling to the ground, she barely evades Butch, whose sword cuts clean through the tree and causes it to both collapse and ignite. Scampering away, Sam is caught completely off guard by the flat of his sword. It slaps her into the next yard. She rolls to her back, dazed by the vicious blow.  

His sword's outline is silhouetted by the light of the sun. She rolls out of the way quickly as the blade wedges into the ground. The grass singes and ignites as he pulls it out and slams it down onto Sam, her own sword blocking its heated edge. She can feel the searing heat radiate onto the soft skin of her face. Tilting her own blade, Butch's sword slides right off. But, before she can respond, the flat of it smacks her away once again. She slams into the side of a house before collapsing into the soft grass.

"You're weak, you might as well just give up." Butch taunted as that massive weapon swung around and around above him. The weapon streaks down, tearing the wall of the house in half as Sam tumbles out of the way just in time. However, Butch anticipated this. The soft ground was a trap waiting to happen as Butch's foot impacts on Sam one more time, pushing her body down into the soft dirt. He lets the weight of his weapon drop it. Aiming just right, he releases his grip

There's no where to run. The pointed tip of the weapon buries into Sam's shoulder. The heat burns away as it cuts into skin and cybernetics alike. She screams out in pain as it's torn free from her. Butch grins with malevolence before the blade tip hovers hover her face. "Time to end this." It elevated up slowly as his firmly gripped onto the hilt.

Sam clinched her teeth since she knew what was about to happen would hurt. In a flash, she stabbed her sword through Butch's foot and into herself. They both scream out in pain, though she was a little louder. As he stumbles backward, she's pulled with him since she was impaled with his foot. With a painful yank, she frees herself and staggers away.  Her visual overlay warns her of damage to her body. However, she had hit a lung. She coughed once, sending blood soaked spittle flying as her hand gripped the wound. Relief would come as the display in her vision indicated that her new lungs were self-sealing and that the puncture would not be terribly serious. She thanked her lucky stars. But, with every rasping breath, she still felt pain. 

Butch was on his feet again, swinging that massive blade. "You crazy fucking bitch." He shook his head and stomped closer.  That weapon had to go. He was too good with it for her to stand a chance. She came upon another painful idea.

She didn't have much time to think it over as his sword swung down at her yet again. She might have been worse off, but she was still more than fast enough to avoid it. Her chance came with her next parry. Butch didn't like trying to over power with his weapon completely. He was smart with it. He knew that its power was in the shock value, slamming the massive weapon over and over onto a target and it had already taken its toll on her because of it. Instead, he liked to keep his energy flowing. Sure enough, right as she blocked his next blow, he yanks it back, turns it flat and prepares to bash her, yet again. It connects and slaps Sam away, slamming her against the side of another home. She sprawls out onto the lawn like a ragdoll. When she gets up on her knee, she smiles with delight as Butch swears at his weapon. When he broad-sided her, she sank her blade into the side of his. The heated edge cut right through his weapon and shorted it out. The heating method was disabled and he threw the weapon away with a profanity laced scream. "I don't need that shit! I'll fucking kill you with my bare hands!"

He charges, arms outstretched, and aiming right at Sam. She grips her weapon and smirks. This was a fair fight, or so she thought. Right as she was about to start her swing, he seems to get a burst of unimaginable speed. His fingers wrap around her neck and lift her off the ground. With a grunt, she sinks her own weapon into his side. He growls out his discomfort before smashing Sam's hand against the wall and disarming her. It returned to her neck where it constricted her airways. She choked out in desperation as he practically crushed her neck.

"You stupid bitch! Fucking slut! You think you can fucking challenge me!?"

Her eyelids grew heavy and she started weaken. Her arms went slack to her side and Butch took it as a sigh of victory. The dying shark, however, refused to give up it seemed. She mouthed out something. It sounds like 'fucking coward' but it was too soft to be sure of. 

Butch makes a mistake he will forever regret. He leans in to listen. "What was that, slut?" was the taunt.

Sam's jaws slam tight around the side of his face. Her body was weakened, but not her artificial components. The jaw was one such component. It slammed tight around his cheek and jaw, sinking her teeth into his skin. The pain must have been excruciating. His hands let go of her neck to pry off her jaws. The moment she's released, she lets go and dives for her weapon. The wolf looks for the shark and sees her right below him as the orange blur of her sword glides right through his cybernetic calves. The edge steams as fluids contact the hot metal and the severed parts of his legs glow a similar hue. His massive weight falls out of balance as he loses control of his lower legs. His entire mass collapses onto the grass where he finds himself in deep trouble. Hands grip into the soft earth and he's able to pull himself away at an alarming speed. He's almost to the other side of the street when Sam's sword pierces his back, pinning him to the ground. Pulling it back out, she kicks the screaming wolf over and stands above him. His hand reaches up defensively, but only serves to shower his face in hydraulic fluid as she slices it away. Sam stands over the cowering wolf, drawing her sword up, her eyes looking coldly down upon her target. Her hands tighten as she takes aim.

"No! No, please don't!" a cry from behind comes to her. She slowly turns her gaze back to see another wolf, but this one is smaller than Butch. He drops to his knees, seeming to pivot on one as an arm stretches out as if to grab for Butch. "Please.. please don't! Don't kill Danny! I beg you..!"

It occurs to Sam that his must be Butch's father, the chief of police. She pictured him as being a corrupt individual, letting his little shit son run around and do whatever he wants. However, this man before her didn't seem to be the detestable figure she'd cooked up. He seemed more like a desperate father looking for the affection from his son that he desperately desired.

"Please! I'll do anything! This is my fault! Kill me instead, please! Don't hurt my Danny anymore! Please! I beg you!" His agony was genuine. Sam paused, sword above her head, still poised to grant the killing blow. "I just wanted him to.. approve of me! I didn't think it'd go out of control like this, but when it did.. oh God what have I done..?!" He pulled at his face as he realized the weight of his inaction.

"Your son has hurt a great many people. He must stand accountable."

"I know! I know! But, don't kill him, please! It's my fault! It really is! I'll resign! I'll live the rest of my life on the run with him, but just let me take him with me! Please, please! I'll call off all the units here! I'll get you pardons! Anything!"

The sword flew quickly around before Sam slammed it into its scabbard on more time. "Do all that. I will spare him." She turns to Butch "You're going to sell out your gang, got it? You're telling the cops who all has done what and that's that. You'll go free, which is way more than you deserve, you piece of shit." Butch nods eagerly, not wanting to upset the victor. "And let me be clear: I'm doing this for your father. Not you. If he wasn't here, I would have killed you without hesitation. But, no matter how degenerate you may be, you're still his kid. As a parent, I understand where he's coming from. But, fucking get out of line again? I will kill you and not even his pleading will save you. You do not get a third chance, Butch. Hurt anyone again and I'll end you."

Sam stepped away from Butch, walking past the chief. She looks at him and he clasps his hands together and mouths a 'thank you' before rushing to his son. She limps away to the curb and sits down on it. Her hand reaches back and clicks on her communication relay. She lets out a deep breath and  watches as the chief waves over a paramedic.

"Sam? Sam? Are you there?"

"Oh... yeah I am. Most of me, at least."

"Are you.. done?"

"Yeah, shit's done. Get me a ride back to your place, I'll need patching up."

"If what I'm reading is correct, it won't be at all hard to fix. But-"

"Ronnie, just get me a ride, ok?"

"Ok, ok!"

It wasn't long until Cav arrived. Sam hauled herself into the driver's seat and shut the door. It might be easy repair work, but she felt like shit. Her head rolled against the window and stared out at the afternoon sky. It was finally over. She'd only come back for little over a day and she'd already been through so much. Sighing, she rolled her head back against the headrest of the seat and closed her eyes for the rest of the ride.

When they arrived, the wounded shark pulls herself from vehicle and staggers to the entrance. She doesn't knock and just bashes right in, letting the door slam against the wall. She sought out the room where she woke up and settled down onto the bed she awoke in. 

Sam was a mess. Blood stained the corners of her mouth, her forehead, her punctured torso, and pierced upper body. Her frame was beat to hell from the abuse and felt heavier than it was. With two loud thuds, she jettisons her weapon mounts and lies in bed, unarmed. Her muscles, despite being artificial, ached just as bad as the real thing. However, as she reviews over what she just died, a tired laugh escapes her mouth. She thought that if this was what her new life held for her, maybe staying dead was the better option. That would've been a perfect line for a campy action movie ending.  Just then, Ronnie bursts into the room and starts going over her without prompting.

"You look like shit, Sam."

"Yeah.. yeah I do.. hey.. hey, Ronnie?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I gonna' die.. again?"

"Nah, no way. Your internals are... reading ok, your rig is.. not horribly beaten up, but you'll be on your feet again, tomorrow! Just rest."

"Haha.. damnit.. No easy way out for me.. I hope everyday isn't like this."

"Nah, if you killed Butch, this place is gonna get quieter."

"I didn't."

".. then we're in deep shit!"

"Naah.. naaahhh.. his dad stopped me, he was begging. He's resigning. Yadda yadda.. it'll all stop."

"Hah.. that's even better."

"Yeah.." Sam utters with a strained grown as she sits up and rolls her neck. "I'm not that evil." She stands up and walks to the window, watching cars speed along the freeway. She smiles to herself. It truly felt like victory.

"Ronald, I don't understand why we're here and I want some answers!" A hauntingly familiar voice is heard by Sam. She realized she had cut Ronnie off before he was about to warn her about something. She demanded that he take her daughters to safety and he did just that. They were here and one was right behind her. She froze, terrified. Those fears of rejection haunting her once again. She mouthed a 'fuck' as Ronnie's vision darted between the two of them. "Who is that? This your boss or something?"

"Er... well Erin.. this is.."

"Erin, let's not bother Ronald and his acquaintance."

"No, Denise, I want to know what's going on."

What could she possibly do? They buried her. They saw her body. They found her dead, even. How could they believe it was her. Hearing them reject her would be a pain more horrible than what she had just endured. There wasn't anyway she could even approach this. But, she steeled herself. She knew the truth and that was she was running from the inevitable. A parent worth their weight would stop at nothing to let their children know something like this. She turns slowly to them, her eyes clinched shut. When she stops and opens them, she's treated to the sight of her beautiful daughters, now young women, standing right next to the door way. With a heavy sigh, she smiles, the nods to Ronnie as she swaggers over to the light switch, flicking it on.

"Really...? Let them know?" Ronnie asked with disbelief.

"You're the one responsible for it." Sam replied before heaving out a final breath.

"Erin.. Denise.. for the last ten years.. I've been working on something. It might seem grisly, but the outcome is without tangible value!" He motions to Sam "This is someone you know and love dearly. I knew you missed her greatly. Well, there's no sense in drawing this out, so.. Erin. Denise. I'd like you to meet the Outlaw legend herself. Samara Saiga. Your mother."

The two sand tigers looked to each other confused. Erin turns her gaze to Ronnie and shakes her head with disgust "Do you think this is funny, Ron? Do you think this is cute? How about you go and find your mother dead in bed? How would you feel." She chastised with tears welling up in her eyes as Denise had much of the same.

She knew they wouldn't believe it. Sam's heart sank as she came to realize this. The rejection she so feared had arrived. But, she wasn't one to give up. Sure, she was an emotional wreck at the time being, but she was still the clever sharkette she he had always been. The most wonderfully clever idea came to her. She smiled and spoke to her daughters finally "Yes, I'm... very sorry, mes amours. I was looking forward to hearing so much about that first year at university. "

Erin and Denise both directed their vision to Sam, their eyes as wide as they could possibly be, unable to believe what they just heard. Denise collapses to her knees as she covers her mouth with her hands. Erin paces forward, a hand tentatively reaching for Sam's face. Her voice broke out a statement as Sam gently curled her fingers around her wrist. "..what.. did you say? How could you know.. that..!?"

"Because, Erin.. Denise... mes amours.. I am your mother. I adopted you, I raised you, and I had the happiest years of my life with you.. well. Some of them at least, I did love my bank robbing days.. but, you gave me the sweetest memories."

Erin turned white with shock. She couldn't believe it and, yet, there she was. Her hair color, her eyes, her markings, her facial structure, and her voice all matched her mother's perfectly. It seemed so impossible, but there she was. Erin finally broke down into tear, arms encircling Sam as she screams out "Momma!" through tear-choked sobbs.

"Shh, shh, shh, there there.." Sam patted Erin on the back, reassuring her as she cried into her shoulder. Her attention turned to Denise, who still sat on her knees and had tears rolling down her cheeks. With a gentle invitation, she motions her to come closer. Denise very slowly and clumsily does so, embracing Sam and joining Erin in her tears. "There, there, mes amours. Momma's back. Momma's back."

Sam had banked on this being a tear filled occasion for her, too. But, that didn't come to pass. There was always something about those two that made her stronger, emotionally. She could never appear weak around them and always found it easy to be strong for them. Ronald had excused himself from the room, not that Sam minded his presence. Soon, the pair calmed down and Sam found herself lying back in bed, with each of her daughters under her arms. She stared up at the ceiling. So many questions filled her head. How will they react to how her life was restored? Would they want the same treatment? Would Ronald do it? She eventually shifted them to the back of her head. Right now, she'd achieved the goal that haunted her every waking moment and she intended to savor every second of this reunion.