Elena burrowed into Kira's chest, her shoulders heaving with repressed sobs. "I can't believe you came for me."
"I told you I would, didn't I?"
Kira smoothed a hand over her niece’s hair, thanking the Mea'Ave and every god she knew that Elena was alive.
"Let me get a look at you," Kira said, setting Elena back from her. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Elena shook her head. "Just my pride."
This child. She was going to be the death of Kira.
"If that's all that's been damaged after weeks in the Tsavitee's care, then I'd say you got off pretty light."
"Only because of Mom," Elena admitted in a small voice.
Her gaze slid to the side. Kira followed it to find Elise's prone body next to that of a general's.
"She tried to protect me." Elena's watery looking eyes found Kira’s. "He hurt her."
Elena dissolved into tears, the strong front she'd been maintaining collapsing.
"It's my fault," Elena babbled as Kira pulled her back into her arms.
"No, it's not," Kira corrected fiercely, pressing Elena's face into her chest. "It's not your fault at all. That's what moms do. They protect their children from harm."
Damn it, Elise.
Kira’s gaze fixed on her friend; her vision clouded with tears. From here, it was impossible to tell whether Elise was dead or alive.
Kira cupped Elena's face. "Alright, I need you to be brave. Can you do that for me?"
Elena's nod wasn't as confident as Kira had hoped.
She had a way to fix that though.
"Watch your uncle for me."
Kira unhooked the J1N from the makeshift backpack she'd fastened him into and placed him on Elena's lap.
Elena turned the drone over in confusion. "What happened to him?"
Kira was reluctant to delve into the memory of Jin dropping like a rock upon entering this strange place. It also wasn’t the sort of visual she wanted to saddle an already traumatized child with.
"That's a good question."
Steeling herself, Kira crossed the floor to Elise's side. She crouched, touching Elise's neck with two fingers.
A pulse beat against them. Steady and strong.
"Thank God," Kira whispered with an overwhelming sense of relief.
Elena came up behind her. "She's not dead, Auntie."
Kira started to answer when the cryopods in front of her caught her eye. She froze, staring at them in shock.
Elena glanced over at them too. "My siblings. Mom's been trying to save them."
"I don't think they're the only ones she's been trying to save," Kira said in a grim voice, her gaze trained on the last of the pods. The only one whose shape resembled a sphere.
A boy floated inside, his hair partially obscuring his features.
That was okay. Kira had already guessed the boy’s identity.
"Is this what you couldn't tell me?" Kira asked, looking down at Elise in understanding.
No wonder Elise had been so cagey. She’d known how hard this would hit Kira and Jin. The lengths they would have gone to as a result.
"Who is he? Uncle Jin got very upset when he saw him."
"Yeah, I can understand that."
Kira was a little upset herself.
Elena's gaze followed Kira as she moved to the cryopod, setting a hand against its cold surface and hanging her head. "Damn it."
"Auntie?"
Kira dropped her hand. "He's your uncle."
Elena's gaze was shocked as it snapped to the boy. "How is that possible?"
"That’s a very good question," Kira said grimly.
And one she didn’t have an answer to.
She'd always assumed his body was destroyed when his soul was transferred to the drone. For every action, there was an equal and opposite reaction. She’d thought his physical form was the price of that miracle. Her theory seemed to be supported by Himoto’s claim that she and the J1N had been the only things left in the clearing when he arrived.
There was also the possibility that the boy was Jin’s clone. Maybe Kira and Jin had missed something when they'd searched out and destroyed all copies of their DNA.
The thought of other Kira clones running about without her knowledge brought with it a cold feeling of dread. Because if they missed eliminating all of the DNA material taken from Jin, they likely had Kira’s as well.
"We have to save him then." Elena glanced from Kira to the boy with an uncertainty that grew the longer Kira was silent. "Right? We're going to save them all."
Kira took a step back from the tank. "No, we're not. We're going to leave."