Just a tad bit more. Enjoy and any thoughts, insights, ect... on this or 
what has gone before more than welcome!

Little Windlily
(sorryitsshortbutwhatcanisay@overyonder.com)

trichm@iu.net

************************************************************************

	Catherine held onto the seat belt straps that came forwards over both 
her shoulders with white knuckled fingers. The older of the pair who 
where in charge of the security of the chopper and the personnel it 
carried gave her a teasing wink. She felt herself color in embarrassment 
that her distress was so obvious, made herself smile pleasantly back. 
Christ, she hated helicopters! She distracted herself by watching the 
medical crew fuss with their equipment, totally unconcerned with the 
dips and sways that where making her nauseous. She gave a hard smile and 
agreed silently as she heard Cass grumble through her head-set at Mike 
about the insanity of flying into a storm like this. Yet she knew he 
loved it, loved pitting his skill and his 'Big Bird' against anything 
nature or his 'Boss' could throw at him.

	Mike, the pilot of the other obnoxiously neon yellow chopper that flew 
next to them just drawled a taciturn "yep" to every one of Cass's 
complaints. She wondered if they'd get any other response out of him, 
even if the Dragon whom she feared had whipped this freak storm into 
existence decided to show.

	"Ma'm, I've picked up the beacons. Three are fairly close together, the 
fourth a bit to the west of the others." The copilot broke in.

	"Thanks Marge. The three together are our target, Cass." Jasmine must 
have put Matsuri and Owaru in vests.

	"Gotcha' Boss. Ten minutes ETA, tops."

	She leaned back against the side of the modified cargo chopper and 
closed her eyes, forced herself to relax and shut out the vibration and 
the motion and the noise and sent her awareness out. She 
touched...Tamanji!? *Tamanji?* Her errant daughter was running, shut her 
out with a snarl. *Oh, Tamanji...why?* she pleaded after her but Tamanji 
was gone, hidden. She forced down her despair as she continued to scan, 
touched Elenora's drifting thoughts and called to her to *Wake Up!* 
Where was Jasmine? She flinched violently, her mental 'fingers' sending 
a jarring jolt of pain as she came into contact with a blue crackling 
wall of pure power. Who or what was that? She didn't get a chance to 
probe farther as her head-set screeched, snapping her out of her trance. 
She yanked it off her head, saw the two across from her do the same with 
their own. She unbuckled and wedged herself in the small frame of the 
cockpit access.

	"What happened?" She yelled at Marge.

	"Lost com. Dead on all channels." Marge shrugged, not looking up from 
her display. "We've still got radar, and telemetry on the beacons 
though. Don't worry about it, Ma'm. We fly deaf all the time. You should 
go sit back down."

	Catherine looked into the dim grey light through the front window, 
tensed as the chopper seemed too low to avoid the tree tops that just 
kept forming out of the heavy rain as they skimmed the blackened tree 
line. It was an optical illusion, she knew it, but it didn't make any 
difference.

	"We should be just about on them, Cass. Start looking for a place to 
set down." Marge warned. 

**********************************************************

	*Wake up!* Elenora groaned mentally at Catherine's call. It wasn't time 
for school yet, was it? Why was she wet?

	"What the...!!!" She sat up suddenly, the water  a good three inches 
above her supporting hands in the pool that was forming in the trench. 
She tipped her head to one side, then the other to get the water out of 
her ears as she frowned, still muddled and scattered. Then she 
remembered. Amaru had turned into a dragon? She heard the whump of 
chopper blades. Catherine was coming! She scrambled up the stairs, heard 
Owaru yell, headed that direction.