Woods Random Legacy: Chapter 59 - Ghostbuster

Epsilon cleaned the entire house top-to-bottom before she left.  Of course, there wasn't much to clean, as Omicron had coped with much of his anxiety through copious amounts of scrubbing and laundry, but she made the place as neat as possible.  Alpha would be stopping in from time to time to make sure nothing was wrong, but it wouldn't be fair to give her any more work than was necessary.

Epsilon's studies were much more focused, even more so than the other seniors.  She'd gotten special dispensation to take mostly individual study classes, but even the standard theory courses she supplemented with were very advanced.  The catch-up work was on her to complete during what free time she had, and her professors were more than understanding of any late work.

Because, of course, the Omega project was the university's top priority.  Whenever she wasn't in one of her many classes or frantically trying to catch up to her classmates through self-study, she was either in the lab or working on the main containment unit.  It turned out that bigger was better with this technology, so Carlton's experiment had been scaled up to a three-story contraption.  Replicating the mechanical construction was easy, but determining the necessary core composition was turning out to be much more difficult, as the original research notes had been lost.

No matter how important the work, Epsilon always headed back to her student accommodations before night fell.  She knew that she was no safer in there than outside, but it was a lot easier to block out the memories of the night she was attacked in her living room than in the lab where the attack had taken place.

She felt the ghosts to some degree almost every night.  She'd grown to associate the churning of her stomach and brief dizzy spells with the reports of ghost activity that she read about in the security blog the next morning.  Nobody else mentioned it, so the phenomenon seemed to be limited to herself; rather than expose her non-human status, she chose to keep the knowledge of her coinciding sicknesses between herself and Brendan.  She hardly ever saw him, due to the high level of classwork, but she always called him when ghost activity was high.  Just the sound of his voice calmed her, comforted her, and made it easier for her to make it through the long nights.

A breakthrough in the Omega project took place near the end of term.  Finally, a core that would engage was found!  It wasn't very efficient, but the machine spun up, which meant that it would do its job of capturing spirits.  Now the only challenges were to further refine the core and miniaturize the device to the point where it was practical.  No small task, to be sure, but having something - anything - that worked increased team morale.

The end of term, and Epsilon's graduation, came all too soon.  The piece of paper that they handed to her on the stage didn't even matter to her anymore; all she cared about was the Omega project, and solving the scientific riddles that it consisted of.

Between graduation and her inevitable trip back home, she worked almost exclusively in the labs.  Her focus was on refining the core - miniaturization was coming along nicely - and that work wasn't finished yet.  Not by a long shot.

Eventually, her lease on the apartment ran out, and certain deadlines in the contract she'd signed were looming.  She had to make her way back to Sunset Valley, whether her research was complete or not.  Reluctantly, she packed up her possessions and prepared to return home.

Brendan, of course, accompanied her home.  He'd been picked up as a technology specialist by the military, but didn't have to report for basic training for about a week.  He intended to make good use of that time.
"So, you're really going to go work for them?" They stood in the front room, the late summer sunlight illuminating the house through the front-facing windows.
"Well, I don't really have a choice."

"Of course you have a choice.  It's just easier to go along with it."
She nodded.  "It is.  And I think I should, at least for now.  There's still so much good I could do.  You'll be using one of the rifles, right?"
He nodded.  "I haven't seen it yet, but I know we'll be trained on it.  I know you've done good work, thanks."
Epsilon shrugged.  "It's my job.  But you're welcome.  I guess I should go put my stuff in my room."
She turned to walk through the kitchen, but paused as Brendan spoke.  "Wait.  Isn't the master bedroom through there?"

She turned, shrugging.  "I guess.  But that's not my bedroom.  That's Dad's..." she trailed off, realizing how silly that sounded.
"Right.  And he's gone.  You're the head of the house now, so it's your room."
"I know, but it just feels so strange to think about sleeping there.  It's so...him!"
"It can't be that bad.  Let's go see it."  He took Epsilon's hand, leading her into the bedroom.

"Wow, okay, I take that back.  Your father was clearly not an interior designer."  Noticing Epsilon's look, he quickly added to those statements.  "But we can work with it!  You're not really a green sort of girl, but that's fine, we can wallpaper over the paint.  Everything's very sleek and modern, also not really your sort of thing, but I saw a furniture store on the way into town, so that's easy to fix.  Well, depending on the state of your bank account."
"There's plenty," she said flatly.  "Money isn't an object."
"What did your father do, anyway?"  Brendan looked at her curiously, a frown tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"I don't know, and I don't want to know.  I don't think it was anything honest, and not knowing the particulars is fine with me."

Remodeling the room helped to distract Epsilon and Brendan from their impending future apart.  Reclining on the bed after a long day of finishing up the work, they looked around, satisfied.
"This is so perfect," Epsilon said, smiling to her boyfriend.  "Thanks.  You knew exactly what I needed."
"I always do.  Come on, let's make dinner."

After dinner, they retired to the bedroom.
"I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow," Epsilon said, hugging her knees as she looked down to Brendan, reclined on the bed.
"We both knew it was coming.  I just can't believe I ended up here, running off to basic training tomorrow.  I was majoring in technology to get a nice, cushy job.  But times change."
She nodded.  "They do.  And we do what we have to do, otherwise who would we be?"
Brendan nodded, reaching up to stroke her hand.  "Exactly.  I couldn't live with myself if I just sat by and did nothing.  If something happened to you, because I was afraid to step forward and provide a defense..." he trailed off.  There was no need to finish that sentence.

Epsilon let go of her knees and stretched out, leaning over Brendan, who rolled over onto his back to accommodate her new position.  "I still don't want you to go," she said softly, looking into his eyes.
"Me either.  Do your job, Eps.  Make those guns, and find ways to make them even better, so I can fight these ghosts.  I'll come back to you, whenever I have leave.  I promise."
"I know," she said, leaning down to kiss him, savoring the feel of his lips against hers.

"Eps?" he whispered as she started to pull away.
"What?" she whispered back, pausing so that her lips hovered within an inch of his own.
"Give me something I'll remember, until I see you again."
She did.  And then they slept.

After Brendan left for basic training, Epsilon called and confirmed her employment.  She would be testing the new gun models, by night, on whatever spirits manifested around Sunset Valley.  The small town wasn't a hotspot of hostile ghost activity, so it was the perfect place to test new technologies before deploying them to the military.

The gun she was using was clumsier than the standard anti-ghost rifle, but more effective - in theory.  If it proved so, then then design would be whittled down to something that the military could easily use, but Epsilon had to prove the function first.

The beam deployed as expected, though there was some instability.  A good whack to the side of the gun got it going again, but that was unacceptable.  Brendan could be relying on it to work every time, so the technology had to be perfected before the gun could be issued.  Work was still required.

After a long night of testing, Epsilon arrived back home.  She got ready for bed and then slipped under the covers as the sun rose, closing her eyes tightly to block out the intrusive rays.

A few hours after dawn, a man knocked at the door.  Epsilon, exhausted from her nighttime exertions, continued to sleep.  The man knocked louder, attracting the attention of Shadow.

The cat lept upon the bed, mewing softly as he padded over towards Epsilon.  Pawing at her face, he mewed insistently until she opened her eyes.

"Shadow?  What?"
His duty done, the cat jumped off of the bed, leaving Epsilon alone and confused, until the next knock sounded.  Who could be knocking at the door so early in the morning?  She swung her feet to the floor and stood, walking to the front room.

An old man was visible through the glass-paned front doors, so Epsilon opened them.
"Hello?  Can I help you?"

As she spoke, she noticed the man's eyes.  They were wild, seeming to almost glow in the early-morning light.  She felt that this meant something, but precisely what it was evaded her.
"Yes, Miss Woods.  You can."

~ * ~

Who ya gonna call?

Mystery man at the door!  I wonder who it is?  For a generation where I promised to give you guys answers, I'm sure asking a lot of questions. :P

See!  See!  Brendan isn't dead OR pregnant.  You silly people.  I love you guys. <3

Pay no mind to the weird graphical glitches on Epsilon during her university stay.  For some reason, music waves(like from the stereo) were emanating from her stomach.  I tried to take pictures in between glitches in the matrix, but a few pictures are still distorted.

Next chapter won't be until next weekend at the earliest, probably later.  I have to do real-life research before I can write it, because I'm way too perfectionist to just make stuff up - I have to make stuff up based on actual facts!  So yes, it's not the sets or the pictures that are holding me up, it's the google time.  Bear with me, please.

Woods Random Legacy: Chapter 58 - Decision Points

(Music time!)

Even before she opened her eyes, she recognized the familiar feel of her dream library.  That was good, as she had a lot to talk to her familiar about.  She pushed her head off of the downstairs table as she opened her eyes, her expression of relief changing to confusion as she looked around the room.  This wasn't right at all.

The room, lit by several candles, was hardly bigger than her bedroom back home, a far cry from the vast, dark library that she'd first dreamed as a child.  And yet, it felt like her library.

A panicked feeling knotted in her stomach.  The last time she'd dreamed it, it had been all wrong.  Had her injury broken it somehow?
A familiar voice came from behind her.  "Epsilon.  Don't be afraid."
Despite the familiarity, she was still startled as she turned, relaxing only once she fully recognized the speaker.

"Shadow.  You scared me.  What is this place?  What happened to my library?"
"Nothing.  It just changed, you know it can do that."  He stepped from the shadowy corner, moving towards her.
"Yes, but those were little things, like a carpet or a table.  This isn't even the same place, just look at it!"

"It is the same place.  Major changes like this are rare, but they can happen, usually as a result of trauma."
She nodded.  That night had certainly been traumatic enough.  "That makes sense.  It's just strange, being someplace that's so familiar, and yet so strange.  Oh, I almost forgot.  Thank you for taking care of Omicron, when I wasn't there."
Gregory inclined his head to her.  "I couldn't very well leave him there.  He never would have thought of the catacombs on his own.  I'm just glad I was right, that the spirits there would take care of him.  You might want to have a word with him about forgetting me down there, though."
Epsilon's jaw dropped, then she nervously giggled, quickly stifling the sound.  "He never mentioned that!  That's so like him, though.  I'm sorry."
"Don't be.  I got back safely on my own.  Now, what's troubling you?  You never dream unless you're troubled about something."
She opened her mouth to protest, then shut it, realizing what he said was true.  And something was troubling her.  "If I could help people who were in trouble, with the attacks and everything, do I have to do it?  Even if it means abandoning the dreams I've had since I was a kid?"

Gregory stroked his beard.  "Well, you don't have to do anything, assuming of course nobody's holding a knife to your throat."
Epsilon sighed.  "You know what I meant.  Do I have to, ethically?  I don't want to, I really don't, but then I think about it and that just feels selfish.  What if I could make a difference?  If somebody dies because I didn't help, is that blood on my hands?"
"It sounds to me like you already know the answer to that."
As usual, he was right.  She knew she could help.  What the businessman had said, that she had a "brilliant mind," was true.  She could comprehend the research, and move it forward.  And it would be wrong not to, in a way, but didn't her own desires matter at all?  Wasn't there an entire school of philosophy that said that sacrificing one for the good of many was morally wrong?  She didn't know, philosophy had never been her thing.  All she knew was that it felt selfish.

"Think on it," Gregory said, interrupting her thoughts.  "I can't help you with this.  You have to decide on your own what you want to do.  Whatever you decide, I'll support you."
"I know."  She smiled weakly.  "Thanks."
He smiled back, waving her compliment away with a hand, then glanced to the right.  "That's a curious painting.  Do you know that woman?"
Epsilon looked over.  "No I've never-" she stopped, frowning.  That wasn't true, the woman in the painting was incredibly familiar.  But why?  Epsilon was sure that she'd never seen her before.  "Wait."  She stepped over for a closer look.

"I don't know," she said finally.  "I don't know who she is, and I don't think I've ever seen her before, but I feel like I know her.  I don't understand it."
"Her portrait appeared in your dream realm, that doesn't happen by chance.  Or, I should say, I've never heard of it happening by chance.  I suppose there is a first time for everything."
"It's unlikely.  I just wish I could remember."
The room fell silent as they regarded the solitary portrait.  Who was the woman, and why had it appeared now?

When Epsilon knocked on the door to Alpha's house, she found it to be ajar.  Worried, she pushed it open, and was greeted by the sight of one of her nieces waving up to her from the living room floor.  She stepped over and picked up the toddler.  "Hey, Marsha.  What's going on?  Where's your mommy?"  Of course, she didn't know how to talk yet, so she couldn't answer that question.  Epsilon tickled her, prompting the little girl to giggle happily.

"I'm up here!"  Alpha's voice came from upstairs, and Epsilon watched as she came down.
"The door was ajar," she said, pointing to it.  "Probably a bad idea, with toddlers and all."
"Oh, my god."  Alpha frowned.  "I swear I'm going to kill Allen.  He keeps doing that!  I'll break up with him if he doesn't get it together, and learn to shut the door when he leaves."
Epsilon put Marsha down on the floor, then greeted her half-sister with a hug.

"I was so worried when I heard about what happened to you," Alpha said, releasing Epsilon.  "But Omicron let me know as soon as you called from the hospital.  I'm glad you were okay."
"Me too," Epsilon said.  "But it's everybody else that I'm worried about."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's say, hypothetically, that I had a job offer.  Something that could save lives.  Am I selfish for declining that offer, and pursuing my own goals instead?"

Alpha thought about it for a long moment.  "What kind of offer?"
"The technology that saved my life.  I have a chance to work with it, and develop it.  The girl whose project it was died that night, but there's at least one company that's willing to fund the research, and I've been offered a position on the team.  But it would mean abandoning medical school, everything I've been working towards since high school started."
"And yet," Alpha prompted, looking into her sister's eyes.
"...and yet," Epsilon finished for her, "it could save lives.  So I don't know what to do."

"You said selfish.  Are you worried about turning into Dad?"
Epsilon nodded.  "A little.  I know I'm not like him, not inside, but that was always his thing.  He put himself over everybody else, even his children.  Hell, he pretty much left you to raise Omicron and me, sacrificing your own future."
"My future wasn't sacrificed," Alpha said, gesturing around the room.  "I've got it here.  I don't regret anything, and don't think that you owe me one just because I helped to raise you.  Everything has worked out in my life, even Niki and Marsha.  I didn't necessarily want to be a mom so fast, especially a single mom after Mason died, but it got me out of the military, with the best timing possible.  They've been calling in the reserves, I don't know if you heard.  But since I have the twins, I don't have to report."

Epsilon nodded.  "That's a bit of luck, then."
"I know.  I don't really know what to say for your situation, other than don't be Dad.  If you feel that you have to do this in order to not follow in his footsteps, then maybe you should.  You know your own feelings better than I do.  Do whatever feels right."

Back home, Epsilon stood in the empty kitchen, staring at her phone.  To call, or not to call?  Shadow and Epsilon were both right - she knew what she should do.  She just had to work up the nerve to do it.  Before she had a chance to second-guess herself, she punched in the number, holding the phone to her ear.

"Hi, this is Epsilon Woods, calling for Mr. Olivers.  Oh, sorry, should I call back later?  Alright, a message is fine.  Tell him I'll do it."

~ * ~

So, about the library.  I accidentally deleted the save that had the library set in it, and didn't want to reconstruct it because it wouldn't look right.  So I just started over.  Gregory had to be remade as well - I thought I'd had him saved in the CAS library, but that was actually Shadow the cat, not Shadow the wizard.  So I did the best I could, please just ignore minor inconsistencies.  And yes, the change is plot-relevant, because I WILL make the best of my mistakes damn it!


New library, new song.  A little more heavy mystery and a little less childish wonder suits grown-up Epsilon and the new library.  Check out that guy's youtube channel if you like the new song, I've enjoyed writing to a couple of his compositions since I discovered it.  Song titles are a bit over the top(I think english isn't his first language), but the music's beautiful.

Alpha's kids are adorable, even if she has a bit of a problem with getting knocked up and then staging shotgun weddings(she has another kid on the way in my game).  I hope Epsilon's smarter than that.  This being a legacy, though, birth control is naturally less than effective. ;)

I would just like to say that I have four different plot lines working their way out this generation(yes, four - I worked it out during a particularly simplistic example that the professor spent way too long on during my mathematical modeling class today).  Two are sort of the same plot, but as seen by two different groups of people, therefore requiring two plots worth of screen time.  Expect this generation to be long and complicated, but I figure you guys are overdue for some answers, and I can't just keep spawning antagonists.  At some point, I have to take at least a few of them down.  I'm not sure yet if this generation will be that point, but it's at least setting the groundwork for the eventual victory.

Woods Random Legacy: Chapter 57 - Recovery

Epsilon opened her eyes.  This wasn't the lab.  Where was she?  She turned her head to the left and was relieved to see a familiar, if blurry, face.

"Mmmr," she mumbled, her lips not quite cooperating.  But even that muffled noise was enough.  He looked over to her, smiling as he put down his book.
"Eps!  You're awake, I'm so glad.  You were out for almost a week."
She concentrated hard on forming words, her lips out of practice but quickly waking back up.  "Why?"  There, that was better.
"You fell and hit your head.  You had a concussion."
"Oh."  That explained a lot, and she did remember falling.  "Everything's blurry."
"Oh, right!  Sorry."  He picked something up off the table, then carefully placed her glasses on her face.  "Better?"
"Much.  Thanks."  She pulled herself into a semi-sitting position, leaning back against her pillows.  "Are we in a stairwell?"
"Yeah," he said, frowning.  "All of the rooms were full.  We were turned away from two hospitals because they didn't have any space for us, but Riverview's close-knit.  When you were childhood best friends with the hospital administrator's daughter, you can pull a few strings.  I couldn't get you a room, but I got you the stairwell."
Well, that answered one of her questions.  She was in Riverview, the small town where Brendan had grown up.  A long way from the University, and even further from Sunset Valley.
"What happened?  I remember..." her voice trailed off as she remembered a flash, some sort of ghostly creature coming at her.  "...a ghost?  But that can't be right."
He reached out and took her hand in his, holding it tightly.  "It's right.  As strange as it sounds, it's right.  There's something I have to tell you."

She stayed silent, watching his eyes.  They were serious, so this wasn't good news.
"You weren't the only person attacked that night.  It happened around the world, and it's still going on.  Not as bad as the first night, but there's still been sightings and attacks every night since.  Mostly supernaturals, like the werewolf girl who was in our dorm the first year, but there were a few humans attacked, like you.  They don't know why yet, but they suspect it might have to do with associating with supernaturals."
She felt a pang of guilt at that.  She still hadn't told him that she was a witch, and if he was right, then he could be in danger.  "Bren, I-"
He interrupted her, squeezing her hand gently.  "There's something else.  I took the call for you, since you were unconscious.  The ghosts attacked at your house."
Her eyes widened at that, panic knotting in her stomach.  Omicron!
"Your brother's safe," he continued, her fear easing at his words.  "But your father was killed.  I'm sorry."
She closed her eyes as she pulled her hand away from his and drew her knees to her chest, huddling against them.  Had he been killed because of her?  Because she was a witch?  "No great loss," she managed to mumble.

"I know.  He was a scumbag, you've told me.  But he's still your father."
"I know," she replied.  "It's my fault."
Brendan was silent for a few moments, and when he responded his gentle tone had changed to incredulity.  "How is it your fault?"
"I should have told you ages ago, I know, and now you're in danger all because of me."  Hot tears threatened to spill onto her cheeks, but she kept them contained in her eyes.  "I'm a witch.  It must have come from my mother, because my father is as human as they come, but I can cast spells.  Not very well, but I was working on that.  They came after me because of that, and then they went after him, and it's all my fault."
"No, it's not," he said, taking her hand again.  "I don't know why you thought that you couldn't tell me this, but I'm not angry, and it wasn't your fault.  If it came from your mother, than his being with her could have been why he was killed.  You can't blame yourself for this."
His words made sense.  She squeezed his hand tightly, feeling his strength flowing into her.  They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Brendan spoke again.

"Speaking of not being killed, they've been asking about that.  How you did it.  I have to admit, I'm not sure myself.  I found you in the lobby of the Student Union, and you weren't making any sense."
"I hit my head.  In the lab."  Everything was fuzzy, but she was certain that the last place she'd been before she saw the ghost was in the lab.
"Right.  The ghost that went after you was trapped, in the lab.  They want to know how."
She turned his head to look at him, still holding tightly to his hand as she replied.  "Who's they?"
"Scientists, I think.  They were grilling me, but stopped when they realized that I don't understand the first thing about what you guys study in that lab.  Can you remember anything?
She closed her eyes, thinking.

"There was the ghost, he was trying to attack me.  I was on the ground."
"Then what happened?"
"I don't know.  Everything's fuzzy."
"Try to remember."  His voice was soothing, and his firm grip on her hand was reassuring.
"I got out of the way somehow.  I don't know.  I was standing up, and then he...came at me again, I think.  I dodged out of the way, then...ohhh."  She remembered now.
"What, Eps?"
"I knocked the experiment chamber open.  It wasn't mine, I don't know whose it was.  But it sucked him in, like a vacuum."

"That's what they found.  It tested as ectoplasm, what ghosts are made of, but they were hoping you understood more about what had happened."
"I don't, it wasn't my project.  I don't even know the girl who worked on it.  She sat in the back of the class, wore her hair in pigtails.  She was smart, but I don't even know her name."
"Sierra Carlton.  She died that night.  A flaming trailer crashed into the diner she was eating at, nobody's sure if ghosts were responsible or if it was just a freak accident.  What happened next?"
"Do they really care?  They've got their answer."  Her tone was bitter.  They wouldn't care about Sierra, they'd just be disappointed that Epsilon didn't know the answers they wanted.
"No.  But I care.  What happened?"  He tightened his grip on her hand for a moment, giving her the strength to continue speaking.

"I just laid there, I think.  I remember the whole world was spinning, it was hard to think.  But I knew I had to get out of there, and find help."
"So I started moving," she continued.  "I couldn't stand, I was too dizzy, but I think I crawled out of the lab, into the lobby.  I remember the carpet was rough and hurt my hands, and the stone soothed them but was so hard.  I couldn't decide which was better."

"That's where I found you."
"I remember."  She did.  She didn't remember what he said, but she remembered his arms lifting her, cradling her as he carried her out of the building.  "Why?"
"Because I love you."  His tone was confused.
"No," she said quickly.  "Not that.  Why were you there to even find me?"

"I was walking home when all the chaos started.  I saw an orange glow coming from the lab, and decided to check it out.  I'm glad I did."
She opened her eyes and smiled weakly to him.  "Thanks.  I don't know what would have happened to me if you weren't there."
Brendan opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the stairwell doors banging open and a nurse entering.  "Oh, you're awake, dear!  You were supposed to come find me as soon as she woke up.  You know Mister Olivers is waiting to speak to her. "  Her expression was disapproving as she addressed Brendan.
"She only woke up just now," he said defensively.  "And I don't think that she's up for it yet."
"No," Epsilon said, scooting over to the other side of the bed and easing her feet onto the concrete floor.  "I have to get it over with some time, right?"

The nurse nodded in agreement, waving her hands dismissively to Brendan.  "Out, out!  He'll want her alone.  I'll be sure to let you know when he's finished, dear."
Brendan gave Epsilon a weak smile as he was herded out of the stairwell by the feisty woman.  Epsilon took a few steps but then sat back down on the bed again - she was still a little dizzy, and sitting down was probably best for now.

The doors banged again, and a quick peek through her hair showed that a man in a suit had entered.  He crossed the room quickly and held his hand out for her to shake.  "Shawn Olivers.  I'm glad you're feeling better, Miss Woods."
"Why are you here?"  She didn't shake his hand, and after a few moments of awkward silence he withdrew the limb.

"As you may already know, an experimental technology succeeded in capturing one of these ghosts the night the attacks started.  I represent a corporation that is interested in using that technology to develop a weapon to fight against this new danger."
"I don't know about the experiment," she replied bitterly.  "I didn't even know the girl who was doing it, we weren't friends or anything.  I'm a medical student, I don't study anything even close to whatever she was working on."
"Would you like to study it?  I've heard from your professors that you have a brilliant mind.  I could secure financial backing if you would be willing to switch degree courses.  You would be an asset to the team, I'm sure."

She sat up straight, lowering her hands to her lap as she continued to stare resolutely at the door, hoping the man would get the message.  "I told you before, I'm studying to be a doctor.  I'm not interested in changing my career.  I've just found out that my father is dead, and I've told you all that I know, so could you just go?"
It seemed for a moment as if the man would argue, but then he just nodded.  "As you wish.  If you change your mind, the offer still stands."  He dropped a business card onto the bedside table, then turned and exited the way he'd come.  Brendan must have been waiting around the corner, because he was back in the room less than a minute after Shawn had left.
"Are you okay?"  Epsilon stood to meet him as he entered, feeling somewhat steadier on her feet.
"Not really, but I'm getting there.  I really need to get back to Sunset Valley, see how Omi is holding up.  Will they discharge me, do you think?"
"Of course they'll discharge you, they need the bed and equipment.  But should you be discharged?"  Brendan raised an eyebrow as he asked the question they both knew the answer to.

"No, but I'll take it easy, I promise.  I have to get home."
"I'll come with you."  He frowned as she shook her head.  "Why not?"
"You have your own family to worry about.  Your mother, right?  Is she okay?"
"She's fine, I've been more worried about you-"
Epsilon interrupted.  "I know.  Thank you.  You should go to her though, I know she'll be worried."

He nodded slowly.  "You're right.  Call me every night, okay?  If I don't hear from you, I'll have to come out to make sure you're alright."
"I will.  Thank you for everything, Bren."

Epsilon used the long bus ride home to check her e-mail and news blogs online.  Omicron had sent her the entire story of what happened the night of the first attacks, and she felt grateful to the spirits of her ancestors for protecting him.  As strange as that crypt felt for her to be in, maybe she should visit some night and thank them.  After all, she was officially the only one of the three half-siblings that hadn't met their grandmother.  As she entered the house she'd grown up in, she was struck by how quiet it was without James banging around the place.
"Hello?" she called out.  "Omi?  Are you home?"
"Yeah, just a moment!"  The answer came from the back hallway, and soon her younger brother approached through the kitchen.

They didn't speak at first, just holding each other tightly in silent reassurance.  Finally, Epsilon broke the silence.

"Are you okay?"
"No.  Are you?"
"Not really.  But I'll make it."
"Yeah, same."
They let go and faced each other.  Epsilon was struck by how much older Omicron seemed; the young man standing before her wasn't the high school boy she'd left behind two years ago.  This time, it was Omicron's turn to break the silence.
"Your boyfriend told you what happened to Dad?"
"Yeah.  I'm sorry you had to go through that alone."
"I wasn't alone, at least not in the crypt.  He seemed nice though, concerned about you.  You could have done worse."

Epsilon smirked a bit despite herself, giving Omicron a playful nudge.  "Like you have any say in who I date.  You know you're the baby in the family."
A brief smile crossed his face at his sister's teasing tone, then he sighed.
"What's wrong?" Epsilon hadn't seen him this messed up in a long time, not since before the prom.  He was clearly taking this situation harder than he let on.
"It's just this house, you know?  Every time I'm standing here, I see it happening all over again.
"Oh, Omi..."  He didn't need to say what 'it' was, the context was obvious.
"You know what the last thing I said to him was?  I told him to quit throwing books around.  It wasn't even him doing it, he was just trying to stay alive, and I yelled at him.  I know he wasn't a good man, but I don't think that anybody deserves to die like that, knowing the last thing said to them was hateful."

"You can't blame yourself for what happened to him."
"I know.  I don't.  I know he didn't like me, but I know that for a long time he wanted me to carry on the family name, and I can't help but think that the last thing he heard from me was so not who I am.  I'm not like him, Epsi!"  Omicron seemed close to tears now, and Epsilon quickly comforted him.
"No, you're not.  The fact that you feel guilty about what happened just confirms it.  Ghosts have been crossing over every night now, maybe you'll have your chance to apologize."

He nodded slowly.  "Maybe.  I put his urn in the catacombs, because that's what he would have wanted."
"I agree."
"I can't stay here, though.  Like I said, I can't get it out of my mind."
Epsilon frowned.  "Where will you go?"
"I'm not sure," Omicron said.  "I don't think university is right, not yet at least.  I'm not any good in a crisis, so I can't be of any use in the military, or as a medic.  Have you read the news lately, Epsi?"
She nodded.  None of it was good, especially the opinion columns.  A lot of people were thinking that the world would be better off if no supernaturals existed, as it was only causing collateral damage for the human population.  Such rash thinking was very comforting to some people in a crisis, but she was afraid that it would take hold in the mainstream in a very bad way.

"All of that hate.  I can't let that happen.  I don't care if I have to sleep in the park on a bench, but whatever I do I have to fight against those people."
"Please tell me you won't sleep in the park, Omi."
"I have a place to stay, for now at least.  And I've got a connection in city hall, he says he can get me a job there.  It's not much, but I might be able to change things from the inside, if I can get someone's ear."
Epsilon nodded.  "Dad intended you to have the house, though.  As much as he hated you, he never considered the possibility of me carrying on the family."
Omicron looked at her.  "Who cares what he wanted?  He's dead now.  As far as I care, the house is yours.  I wrote down everything he ever told me, about the family and the catacombs.  I left it on your nightstand.  I've been ready to leave for days, I was just waiting to hear that you'd been discharged."
She nodded again.  "I'll miss you.  Keep in touch, okay?"
"Will do.  See you, Epsi."

The house was even quieter with him gone.  It was just her and Shadow, now.  How was she supposed to move forward?

~ * ~

Omicron is much more attractive than he looked like when I aged him up in CAS.  I swear the game makes genetic mutations as you play.  He's also a lot skinnier than CAS predicted, not sure what that was about, unless all the swimming he did over the summer knocked the baby fat right off of him(I use Awesomemod with mass conservation enabled, so he won't get fatter again unless he overeats).  Upon seeing how he looked as a YA, I was actually a little bit sad that he wasn't going to be the heir.

Yes, this means that Epsilon is the generation 3 heir, as randomly determined.  Gemly can stop freaking out now.  It's such a big, empty house, and it's all hers and Shadow's now.  I hardly know what to do with my empty sim panel.

I have a confession to make.  I fudged the weekly responsibilities for week 17.  I neither had a party(for generation 2's fun) nor had the heir celebrate leisure day(for generation 3's fun).  Please forgive me, it just didn't work for the story.  She did technically attend a party on Leisure Day, but I'm not sure that counts, especially since it was only a party for story purposes. ;)

Sims for Omicron and Epsilon are uploaded on the download page.  Go forth and have them, because they're much more attractive than sims born in my game usually are.  Especially the blonde one.  I'll update the family tree, generations page, and sidebar at some point before I post the next chapter.