Lucas leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "It will be alright."

Wishful thinking, she thought as she followed Lucas's tall, athletic frame across the room. He turned and gave her a rea.s.suring smile before he swung the door open.

"What's thisa" Harrington stopped mid-sentence, his gaze stopped on Kaitlyn his eyes narrowed.

"Don't do anything rash. I know this looks bad, but give me a moment and I'll explain," Lucas said.

Harrington stepped through the door, not taking his eyes off his prized possession. Terry and Mirko stood on either side of him. They looked alert, but unsure what to do.

Lucas shut the door quickly behind them. Kaitlyn watched them closely, ready to spring into action if he became a threat.

"Lucas, what's going on here? You better have a good explanation why my billion dollar cla.s.sified project is sitting in your kitchen, while I have my whole security force working round the clock searching for her."

"I asked you to come alone."

"And I told youa"you work for me, not the other way around."

"With all due respect, I think everyone in this room knows the guards are no more than show. If Kaitlyn wanted, she could easily take all of us without breaking a sweat."

"Wait in the car." Harrington barked at the guards.

"Are you sure?" Terry asked.

"Go."

They turned and walked out of the house. Kaitlyn relaxed somewhat. She didn't want to hurt them.

"Have a seat, and I'll explain everything. Do you want some coffee?"

"No, I don't want any d.a.m.n coffee," Harrington snapped. "And I'm not sitting down. I want you to tell me what the h.e.l.l is going on."

"Kaitlyn came to me in hopes I could mediate. We have a proposition for you."

Harrington rolled his eyes. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm afraid I'm not," Lucas said grimly. "Kaitlyn does not wish to be sold off to be some killing machine. I think after you hear us out, you will agree it's to your advantage to keep Kate to yourself."

"Oh, she's Kate, now?" Harrington raised an eyebrow. "Well, go on, boy. Spit it out."

"I know this is going to be hard for you to believe, but even after the countless upgrades, Kaitlyn still has emotions," Lucas said. "She's not the mindless robot we took her to be. She is a real living person with her own thoughts and feelings. She didn't want to leave the compound, and she got scared that you were going to sell her off."

His eyes darted back to Kaitlyn. "She has emotions? How is that possible?"

"The human body is complex. We really shouldn't be too surprised."

"Well, I'm pretty d.a.m.n surprised. She has shown no evidence of human emotions. She barely responds when someone acknowledges her."

Kaitlyn nodded. "I was afraid you would strip me even more than you already had. So I kept my thoughts and feelings to myself."

Harrington looked back at Lucas, clearly surprised. "And how would this be in my best interest? Why shouldn't I call a team to pick her up right now?"

"Kaitlyn has already proven she can escape from us, and we both know your security team wouldn't stand a chance. She could have gone off on her own and started a new life, but she came back because she wants to help."

Kaitlyn stood up and walked toward Harrington, who was still standing near the door. He took a step backwards, clearly uncomfortable. "My old life is gone. I know that, but I want to make this new life the best it can be with the situation I'm in. I have all of these upgrades that make me *super human.' I don't want them to go to waste, but I also don't want to be controlled by others. I want to do the right thing, but not at the expense of my freedom."

"What we are offering is a partnership of sorts," Lucas said.

Harrington laughed. "You must be out of your mind. Need I remind you who controls this situation? You belong to me, sweetheart. One command from me and Kaitlyn will be shut down for good."

"That's very true. But you're not going to shut her down. You put all you had into her, and she's perfect, just like you wanted. Harrington, this is really in your best interest. It's either this or you lose her for good. We all know she is more to you then a science project."

"I don't have time for games. Tell me. What's your proposal?"

Lucas took a deep breath. "You keep Kaitlyn for IFICS. You hire her as an independent contractor, with wages and full benefits. Sure, you can loan her out to the defense department, but you never give them control. Think of how much more power you'll have. They will be groveling at your feet, and you won't have to beg them to let you stay apprised of her."

"I don't want to be just a weapon," Kaitlyn said firmly. "I want to be a solution,"

Harrington's eyes were distant as he considered the proposal. His fingers were shaped in a triangle which he tapped at his lips. "It is an interesting proposition."

"You wouldn't have to give up control." Lucas reminded him knowing control was something Harrington thrived on. "And you would be able to see all your hard work in action, not handed over to the government who wouldn't appreciate her the way we do."

"I do loath the idea of giving her away. Regardless of the money and the prestige."

"There's really not much prestige when she's a covert black ops solider. The only people that will know aren't exactly your esteemed colleagues. At least this way you could see first hand what she is able to accomplish."

"As much as I hate to admit it the idea is appealing. Are you sure she's not pulling the wool over our eyes? What if she just wants us to think she has emotions?"

Lucas glanced over at Kaitlyn. "I a.s.sure you her emotions are real. I've seen her cry."

"Tears? That's impossible."

"I thought so too, but we were wrong."

"You continue to astound me Kaitlyn." Harrington looked at her as if seeing her for the first time.

"Please, Dr. Harrington, I won't let you down. Just give me a chance."

Harrington met Kaitlyn's gaze. "Let's get one thing straight. If I agree to this, you works for me. You would follow all the rules and regulations same as all my other employees. There will be no special treatment."

Kate nodded. "I don't want special treatment."

"This would be highly cla.s.sified and dangerous. You could get killed or sent to jail. All of us could go to jail. I would have to expand IFICS. We don't have the resources to run the kind of operation you're suggesting. What are the other demands? Clearly, that's not all?"

"I want to live off-compound," Kaitlyn spoke up, even though she hadn't discussed the concern with Lucas. "I'm sick of that tiny white room with its stupid lock."

Harrington nodded thoughtfully. "I'm sure that could be arranged if Lucas thinks you are up to it. It goes without saying that you have to keep your real ident.i.ty under wraps." He walked over and sank wearily into the leather sofa. Lucas sat beside him, but Kate remained standing.

Lucas nodded. "She could stay with me. She still needs integration training. She's not quite ready to blend in yet."

"Also, I want to taste food again."

Lucas and Harrington both looked at her in surprise.

"What? I know it can be done. If I can smell, I should be able to taste."

"But you don't need to eat," Lucas said, puzzled.

"I can eat, and I might as well enjoy it when I do. I really want to taste a b.u.t.terfinger."

"b.u.t.terfinger?" Lucas shook his head and smiled.

"Can you fix that, Lucas?" Harrington asked.

He scratched his head. "Sure, that's an easy fix. Just one I never would have thought would need doing."

"Anything else?" Harrington asked clearly resigned to the idea.

"Yes. I want one of these inside me." She picked up the iPhone on the end table.

"What do you mean?" Harrington smiled for the first time since walking through the front door.

"Why can't I have this fancy map already installed in me and be able to ask Siri to search info for me on the all-knowing Google?"

Lucas grinned. "That might take more work, and I'm pretty sure she's under copyright, but I'm sure we can figure it out."

"Also, I want to be able to see Quess."

"The Adams' granddaughter?" Harrington asked.

"Yes, she's my friend."

He scoffed and shook his head with disbelief. "So, you haveafriends? Does everyone know you'reawellastill human?"

"Just Quess. She figured it out on her own. She's very bright. She kept my secret for months."

"Okay. I guess that's fine. I didn't realize you were friends. h.e.l.l, I didn't realize you had your own thoughts. Anything else?"

"That's all I can think of for now." Kaitlyn knitted her hands together behind her back and gave him a sideways look. "This seems too easy."

Harrington laughed, holding his palms to the ceiling. "I don't know what you mean."

Trust me," he continued, "this is going to be far from easy to pull off. Perhaps one of the most difficult projects I've taken on. Making you was one thing, but controlling how your *gifts' are used, that's a different kind of power, a kind that comes with many complications."

"Why aren't you trying to bring me back to the compound?" Kaitlyn asked, suspicious. "You're taking this really well. Too well. I thought I would have to restrain you until you saw things our way."

Harrington sat back on the couch. "I've spent the last forty-eight hours worried how I was going to explain this to those self-righteous, military official talking heads. It's with great pleasure that I can now tell them all to shove it."

"Lucas thought you would see it that way, but I wasn't convinced."

"So you have had us fooled this whole time?" Harrington stared up at her, clearly impressed. "That's incredible."

"Boring is more like it."

Harrington laughed. "I can imagine it was. So tell me more."

She wasn't sure where to start, but she knew it was vital to have Harrington on her side. "I still have a lot to re-learn. My brain has been scrambled. But I really want to make this work. I'm willing to do anything it takes. Justa please don't take away what I have left. I should warn you, if I think that you or anyone else will try to alter me again in any way that I do not approve of, I'm gone. My life has value, and I won't let you take that from me again."

Harrington didn't speak for a moment. "Understood. I wish I had known earlier."

"We can tweak things with the programming, but basically she will have to learn how to blend in to society. It will get easier with time," Lucas chimed in.

"Do you think it will interfere with her abilities?"

"No. I don't. I think it will only enhance her. She knows right from wrong and has a conscience. Her skills far surpa.s.s any soldier's, and she has a strong sense of morality and justice."

"Think of the possibilities. I don't know why I didn't think of this myself," Harrington muttered under his breath. "Kaitlyn, you realize you will have to complete any mission you are tasked with."

That gave her pause. "I'll be used for good?"

"It's not always so black and white. You may have to do things you don't agree with."

Kate crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Lucas.

"It's always been that way for soldiers. Sometimes the black and white lines can blur to grey." Lucas said calmly.

Kaitlyn nodded her head, but she knew she would figure out a way to only do good.

"So it's settled." Harrington sprang to his feet. "We should get back to the lab right now and get started."

"Not so fast." Lucas held up a hand. "Kaitlyn should have at least one day to herself. We can start the upgrades tomorrow. I'm sure you have a lot of phone calls to make."

Harrington shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "You're right. Kaitlyn, I'm sorry. If we had known, I'm sure we would have done things differently."

"Thank you." Kaitlyn took his offered hand and shook it. "I was worried you were going to try to drag me back to the lab and throw away the key."

His face fell. "G.o.d, I feel like a jacka.s.s."

"As long as I have some freedom and can make a difference, that's enough for me."

"You will have some freedom Kaitlyn, but don't forget at the end of the day I am in charge. You work for me."

She nodded. She needed Harrington as much as he needed her.

After seeing Harrington out, Lucas wrapped his arms around Kaitlyn with a grin. "A whole day off. What should we do?"

"We could spend the day in your bedroom." Kaitlyn tiptoed to kiss him.

"That does sound tempting. Why don't we spend the day out, and the evening in the bedroom? I want to show you off to the world."