I was still a little wobbly, but managed to pull back enough from the hug to look at Dad. "So?" I asked.

"It's definitely different." Dad answered, stepping back himself after making sure I was stable on my feet. "What do we do with it?"

"Honestly, we're all still trying to figure that out. I was hired as a researcher for it." I sat back down in my own chair. "It's been pretty much extra strength for everyone, but using the alien as an example of what you can get to? We really don't know."

[Art of Awakening] and [Initiate's Realm]. "I mean, what I did for you guys? I don't know if anyone else can do it." I could feel the framework of it now, I could string it all together again with ease rather than have to build it from scratch each time. I could feel the cost too, more than just my energy. It ate a bit of the depth of my dantian. Nothing I couldn't recover, but also nothing I'd want to do if I didn't have plenty of depth built up to support it.

"Well, this resets pretty much all of the arguments I was thinking about on the way here." Dad ruefully said, taking his own seat. He looked between Mom and me. "I guess the only question I have left is how do we help you?"

"Help? I mean you guys have jobs. Lives in Austin. The house. You can't just drop all that and stay up here, can you?" I panicked. Just slightly.

Mom just shook her head. "Sweetie, I had horrible thoughts we were going to have to push you back to the doctors, or your Dad was going to talk you into leaving and we were going to move you. You're right we can't just leave everything back home to itself, but we can at least be around for a few days if you need us."

Mom paused, looking at her hands with an odd look and flexing her fingers. "Or so you can show us some more of whatever this dantian stuff is."

"You're one hundred percent sure you're not hurt then, Nicole?" Dad asked before I could answer Mom. I nodded and Dad blew out his breath again, running a hand through his own red hair. "Then your Mom and I will go find a hotel, maybe get something to eat. Think on what we can help you with. If you want us to help with this 'dantian stuff'," here he looked at Mom with a raised eyebrow as he air quoted her, "then we're going to do it right and measured since you said you have notes and tracking on it. Not just jump straight in."

Mom just smiled. "Fine, fine. Nicole, would you walk us out then?"

~~~

I flopped onto the bed with a sigh. Cop, then classes, then parents and lighting their dantians and everything else that had implications of, stupid alien. Maybe I could just lay here for ten minutes and relax.

...

Why am I getting a call now? Why did I taunt Murphy... Oh wait, I'd fallen asleep. Hooray for a two hour nap.

Noting who it was, I tapped the answer button and the tablet projected Melissa's head upwards. "Really? You're going to make me stare at a ceiling while watching me?"

"Laying down, too lazy to put it on a stand. What's up?" I was also staring at the ceiling too, so we were even anyways.

"Danny sent a message out to all the Seekers about a free training class on the dantian in a couple of days that would be good for even those without power. Then sent me a message asking if I wouldn't mind providing an example of a dantian user since you were unavailable. And also asked if I knew how you were doing."

I sat up, confused. "I didn't call Danny about going to the hospital, so how- Oh. I was updating notes on my research doc, and it's in the Seeker app. Heh, guess I should call him too. But did he say what kind of example he wanted from you for this?" I asked back.

"Not really. Just an example."

"You're the only one with a breakthrough right, so maybe something with that." I rolled over and flipped the tablet up. Weird artifacts went Melissa's face as the projector compensated. "Let's pull it off video and call him? That way I can let him know I'm ok at the same time."

Projected conference calls were creepy anyways, watching head swaps between speakers.

Danny answered pretty quick. "Nicole? You OK?"

I laughed. "Yeah, it was a little over the top and I don't think I want to use the gym any time soon, but I'm OK. My parents are in town now though. I guess I should have put more in my notes?"

"I'm glad you're alright." Danny replied. "And yeah, I hoped you were OK but I wasn't sure if you were."

"Just FYI Danny, it's creepy asking in message about her too." Melissa chimed in. "Might make me wonder if you're a stalker."

"Ouch, alright. I apologize to you both." There was a wince in Danny's voice. "I assume you wanted to talk about the messages I just sent out?"

"Yeah. What training class, and what do you need an example of?" I asked.

"I sent a previous message out to all the Seekers last week advising them to not use their power. I didn't tell them it was a false path, but I'm hoping that we can get them off of it. I need someone as an example of being on the right path and it not just being power in fits and spurts." Danny paused. "I don't have any breakthroughs yet, so I can't use myself as a good example. I'm not high enough off a normal baseline."

"That, and it's obvious if a girl does it?" Melissa asked with snark.

"Well, yes."

"If you get something other than gym weight plates, I'll help too." I added. I don't think I wanted to see large free weights again for a while.

"You sure? Just off what I got from the notes you made, I'm surprised you're not on bed rest for at least a few days." Danny asked me.

"I'm half surprised too, but yeah."

Danny hmm'd. "Well, if you're sure. I'm good with trying to teach those that already have power, but do you think you can handle the non-powered people? I don't know if I can do a split like that."

Weird timing, I thought to myself. "Sure, I guess. I'm going to need to document it, but I'm also not lighting everyone's dantian for them."

"What!?" echoed from two separate voices on the call.

"Yeah. One day, we're going to look back on this and realize we probably stumbled into all the easy things and wish we could do it again. But yes, I figured out how to assist people directly. And even basically got damn applause from the alien over it." I grumbled.

I couldn't try to not be interesting and still do this. Better his interest in me than him not even notice taking out another sizable portion of the population.

"Nicole." Melissa started before I interrupted.

"No, no. It's fine. I think. It should be? I mean, Tony hurt me more than the alien's direct attention has."

"What a rousing seal of approval that is." Danny drawled. "But OK. Please document all that. Actually, can you come over to the Seeker office in the morning at 10 if you don't have class? I need to go over some stuff with you anyways, Nicole."

"Alright."

"Anything I can help with there?" Melissa asked.

"No." Danny denied. "It's actually about her being paid and the contract supporting the Dantian Seekers."

"Oh, bleh."

"Now I'm wondering if I should just have breakfast with my parents instead." I laughed and said my goodbyes.

~~~

March 18th​

I actually had a chance to eat breakfast with Mom and Dad, talking with them a little bit after they'd had a night to get used to having a dantian. The Hampton had a decent breakfast diner.

Which was a nice start to what was quickly becoming a very strange morning.

"Nicole, this is Senior Master Sergeant Michael Dialgo, Lieutenant Colonel Lucas Young, and Mr. Brent Russell. I had a request to add a few people to the training class tomorrow by DARPA." Danny flatly introduced the three men in the room with him. "Remember when I told you your research was important?"

I nodded, unsure.

"Yeah. I apparently underestimated it a bit." Danny looked a little overwhelmed and irritated.

"Miss Firen." The one not introduced as military started. "I do apologize for the sudden intrusion. Please, have a seat." He motioned.

The only chair left at least was near the door, instead of having to walk past everyone. I sat, purposely stilling my hands and the itch to grab my braid.

"I'm Brent Russell with DARPA. I don't know if Mr. Sidre told you but he had a meeting scheduled yesterday afternoon with one of my superiors to go over the data that has been forwarded on behalf of the Seekers. Quite honestly, this is the most actionable dataset we've gotten for all the efforts we've put to understanding the alien. So, first and foremost, thank you for everything you have done."

He sounded very earnest, but the two military people sitting there quietly while Danny just listened with a sour look bothered me. "Danny, you didn't tell me anything about this."

"I thought it'd be a video conference. Imagine my surprise when they showed up thirty minutes ago." Danny grumped.

"Lieutenant Colonel Young and Sergeant Dialgo are from Goodfellow, and I and a driver were shoved into a car about six thirty last night and told to make it here for this meeting. My driver is actually napping in the car." Brent answered. "It was apparently decided that we needed to have a few people in the Seeker's first training session."

"First? Hold on, I'm missing something." Now I was confused.

"Nicole was in the hospital two days ago, I didn't know she was out until yesterday evening, and I didn't know you all were going to be here today." Danny spoke up. "So she's even further behind on this than I am, and I had the damn call with Dr. Wissen yesterday."

Brent gave a friendly smile. "Ah, sorry about that. I think we're all having a hard time keeping everyone in the same loops. Due to the results the Seekers have provided, DARPA has decided to increase funding for them by an order of a magnitude. I understand the Seekers have been hamstrung by the lack of accessible time with medical scans and there may be other problems that having access to more funds can assist with."

"A better facility than a couple of offices and a lecture hall at a college, for example, with scanning equipment that belongs to the team and people to run it. What we're hoping to do Miss Firen is take your researcher position and give it more structure, get the Seekers some additional help there too." He paused. "Hire some of your friends that have unofficially helped the Seekers put together what has already been done."

I was quiet, thinking. Danny spoke up again though. "And these gentlemen?" He waved a hand at the still silent military men. "They just here to learn and then leave?"

"As a train the trainer session, yes. Sergeant Dialgo doesn't have any of these powers and Lieutenant Colonel Young is on what has been referred to as the false path. I believe he's had one-"

"Two." The military man spoke up for the first time, his voice even.

Brent continued on easily. "two breakthroughs, in your terms. So someone to learn both of your methods and take it back to teach others, instead of routing hundreds of people through here."

"I'm feeling just a little bit overwhelmed." I finally said. "Training the Seekers, fine. The false path looks like it's killing people when you get far enough on it. Really, I'm good with trying to keep anyone from dying. But facilities, buying equipment? You're the government! Why don't you already have all this? Have people already doing all this?"

Brent just gave that easy smile again. "Area 51, right? Everyone would like to think the government has a million tricks up their sleeves, that we are already working on all the answers before the questions get asked. Even the bad answers sometimes."

He sat back in the chair, waving a hand around the room. "But every answer starts somewhere. For this issue, for this alien? Our answers lie in the Dantian Seekers. We want the Seekers to be the people doing this, because this group is already answering questions we haven't figured out yet. Equipment? That's easy, but Rolla isn't a military town with a base nearby, so we'd have to bring it in and use local facilities. Unless the Seekers want to move to Fort Leonard. Which is always a possibility if that's the case."

"Can we get some actual time to think about this?" Danny interrupted. "You've thrown a whole lot more at the two of us than I was expecting, especially with you showing up here."

"Ah, yeah. Assuming they pick up the lessons quick enough tomorrow, I know the Sergeant and Lieutenant Colonel will need to leave afterwards. But I've been tagged as your long term liaison with DARPA, so take your time. We've got reservations at the Hampton."