Aya sat listening to the opera. She pondered those fateful six days of her life. The truth of Melissa, who became Eve, her dead sister Maya, whose organs were the cause of this nightmare. Yet there was hope, Aya knew that, for she was the proof. Here was a chance for her help bring about a new world. Aya considered all of this when she came to a decision.

She would awaken the potential in these people. The potential that was hidden in their bodies in the form of mitochondria, the mysterious life that lived within the human body. Unlike Eve, Aya would not destroy these people. No. Aya would instead give a light nudge, to allow these people the time to grow, to adapt. When these people have reached their potential then they in turn would spread the gift to others.

Her hopes were that the world would become a better place, which with these gifts, humanity would finally find the peace that they have looked for so long.

She took a small breath and reached out with her powers. She calmed the minds and bodies of the audience, and started to communicate with their mitochondria. She gently started to urge to the people's mitochondria to-

"No."

Aya gasped, she lost her concentration and looked around. The audience was still in their trance, their eyes glowing faintly with the power of the mitochondria waiting to be released.

"Who's there?", she asked, looking around.

"Do you not recognize my voice?"

There was something familiar about that voice. It was a voice that was totally at peace, a voice that never knew hatred, a voice that only knew the power of love, a voice that soothed her soul. "Yes. Your voice is familiar, but from when and where?"

"Think back to when you where a child. When you lost your mother and sister, you asked a question."

Aya felt tears forming. She remembered being hurt and angry. Aya had asked God why Maya and her mother had to die. The same voice had answered. "They have suffered to much. Such pain and anguish had to be taken away. If they were to live, then the pain in their bodies would continue still. It was time for them to move on to Heaven. Do not be sadden though, your sister has left you a great gift. You may not understand now, but in the years to come you will. Use the gifts she has left you with wisdom and compassion"

Aya's eyes widened. She sometimes had doubts about the existence of God. But now? "Are you God?", she asked with a nervous voice.

"No." replied the voice, "I am an angel who has watched over you. Even when you had doubt in your heart I was there."

Aya nodded. She always had a feeling that someone was watching over her. She had thought it was her mother or Maya. But an angel?

Aya let this sink in, and then she took a breath and asked the question that she knew she had to ask, "Why can't I do this? Why can't I share the gift that was given to me?"

"There many reasons, but the answers I give you are the most important. And this is the first. Are you sure that all of these people are worthy of these gifts? Can you look into their souls and see them for what they are? The power that you posses and want to share not only comes from the mitochondria, but it also reflects the soul. Look into the purse that belongs to the woman sitting behind you."

Aya turned around in her seat and picked up the woman's purse. She opened it, and started to dig through it. She pulled out a small dark vial and opened it. Inside was a white powder. Cocaine. Aya remembered the drugs that effected Melissa, and those were medical drugs. Aya shuddered trying not picture what would happen if somebody doped up on cocaine or PCP had her powers. On top of that Melissa seemed to be egotistical. What would happen if she gave the gift to someone who ended up being a serial killer or worse? She also knew that she could not truly look into souls. She could only get a sense of what a person was like, but not the whole picture. Aya hung her head, "You are right. I almost made a terrible mistake didn't I?"

" It is all right. You have not committed any wrong. Now the next reason, is that did anyone here ask for this? Will you respect their decision if they say 'No' or will you force the choice upon them? One of the gifts that God gave humanity is freewill. The ability to choose between Right and Wrong, Good and Evil. Will these people be happy, or will they resent you if they do not like what they have become. Can you take back the gift if they do not want it? Are ready to take the responsibility if something goes wrong? Remember, 'You reap what you sow.'"

Aya shook her head, "No. I did not consider that. Eve used people without their permission." She looked over at Daniel and Ben. "Eve took Lorraine without giving her or anyone else a choice in the matter, she only took and took. As for taking the power back, I don't know if I could do that. As for the responsibility of my actions, I don't know if I could handle that if things got out of hand."

"Finally, what about people who would hate and fear you and those you have bestowed the gift. What will you do when someone comes after you? When you ask 'Why are you doing this? You should be helping me?' What will you do when they give the same answers that you gave Eve when you went after her? Would you use the same replies that Eve used when you asked her?"

Aya swallowed hard and shifted in her seat. What would she do if someone came after her, and used the same reasons that she used against Eve? For that she had no answer. She felt very uncomfortable in the seat. A minute had passed until she finally replied, "Listening to your reasons, I just realized that I have the potential to be like Eve. My greatest fear is that I would loose control of my powers. Unlike Eve though, I would end up instead like a over- protective mother. I would prevent people from making mistakes by suppressing freewill." She whispered under her breath, "I would create a not race of improved humans, but race of slaves."

"There are other important reasons, but my time is short here for I have other duties. Now you must make a decision. What will you do? You must make a choice. Yet you must consider all that we have talked about carefully, for I cannot help you, for the choice is yours and yours alone. For coming to a decision is not as easy as it seems. Now choose, and choose carefully."

Aya slumped back in the theater seat. She started to think to herself. Maybe things would not be as bad as what angel told me. Forewarned is forearmed. But what about your friends? What would become of them? They would understand her motives would they not? Daniel would be happy that most of the crime in world would be gone. He could spend all time he wanted with his son. Ben would grow up in a world nearly devoid of crime. Innocent children like him would never have to worry about the things that haunt them in the world today. Imagine all of the knowledge that Maedia and other scientists could learn with their new powers. But what of the price? Would people fear her, even though she had good intentions? Would I become just another Eve, except this time would I be a wolf in sheep's clothing? What about freewill? How would people decide what to do with themselves? Would they just stagnate, and become nothing but globs of flesh who do not know what to do with themselves, because they can no longer choose? Other thoughts entered her head, arguments, and counter-arguments. They piled in her conscience on top of another. There were so many that came so fast and furious Aya screamed.

Aya slumped in her seat and started to cry. Aya had not cried this much since her mother and sister had died. She felt totally alone, and abandoned. Aya felt as though the whole world was heaped on her shoulders. Even with all of the light coming from the stage, and from glowing eyes of the audience, Aya felt as though she was covered in a cold darkness. For once in her life she could not make a decision. She realized what it means to be totally lost and confused. After few minutes Aya calmed down a little bit, and came to a decision.

She did something that she had not done since she was a little girl. She folded her hands, bowed her head, and started to pray. Still crying she said a prayer that people have said since the beginning of man. "God, please help me."

A Warmth came over Aya. It was not the cruel warmth that radiated from of Eve. Nor was it like the voice of the angel which only soothed her soul. It was a Warmth that covered her mind, body, and soul. All of the arguments vanished from her mind as if they never existed. A feeling of peace that she never felt before entered her soul. Her body felt as if it was being held by hands that would never allow any harm to come to her.

Suddenly a memory appeared in her mind. She was down in the weapons room talking to Torres. It was when Captain Baker had given her a modification permit for the first time. After Torres had modified her gun, he had told her, "Remember, if you don't own the gun, then the gun will own you." Aya pondered this for a minute. She realized that within her was a gun that no one could own, not even herself lest it ended up owning her.

Aya opened her eyes and dried her tears with her sleeve. "I have to give up my power."

The same Warmth flowed through her again. Aya could feel excess mitochondrial energy that made up here power being gently pulled away from her body. Her mitochondria then reverted back to the way they were meant to be, a part of the human body, no more no less.

Aya then looked up and saw an incredible sight. Above her floated a being ,a male in appearance, in long robes, whose wings were the whitest of white, Aya had ever seen. The angel seemed to be emanating a light from both within and without. He looked down at Aya with a smile.

"You have chosen well Aya. The cross that you have carried for so long is now lifted. Now the fears and doubts that have possessed you during this time are no more. Now you are ready to move on."

Aya still had many question but she knew that there would be time ask, and yet. "What do I do know? Where do I go from here? What about the people here?"

The angel gave a little chuckle, "The people here will not remember anything, only that they had a pleasant night at the opera. They will not realize any time has passed. For what is time to God? As for what you will do next, or will you go from here on next, I cannot say for certain. Although if you ever have doubt or are lost just remember these words of wisdom before I go."

The angel spoke his words and then vanished. Aya smiled as the words of advice entered her heart. So simple, yet so profound.

*****

Aya was looking at the stars through the limo's window contemplating what had happened tonight. Across from her Daniel and Maedia were arguing about something as usual. Ben was sleeping in the seat beside Aya.

Daniel looked at Aya and asked, "What are you going to with your powers now that Eve is gone? Maedia thinks we should try to save the world. I think we should to, but we can't agree on how to do this."

Aya looked at Maedia and Daniel, "The only powers I have now are the ones to me by God."

Daniel mouth dropped and tried to speak, but it was Maedia who finally spoke, "H-how?, What you are saying is impossible?! There is no way this could have happened."

Aya held up a hand and spoke before either could speak, "I will not say how it happened, but believe me when I say it is for the best. Someone reminded me that if we do not own the gun, then the gun owns us." Aya looked at Ben, "The gun that was inside me was to dangerous . In other words the gun had to be unloaded, and the gun destroyed."

Daniel sighed, "What do we do now?"

Maedia shook his head, "You now I was hoping that you would be able to help me reproduce your powers so that they could be brought out other people."

Aya looked at Maedia, "I suggest you change your area of expertise. You may have the knowledge, but do you have the wisdom? Klamp lacked the wisdom, and we saw what happened to him?"

Maedia shifted in his seat not knowing what to say.

The silence lingered until Daniel finally broke it. "Aya, what do we do now? Where do we from here?"

Aya looked at both of them. It was then Daniel noticed something about Aya. He couldn't remember the mumbo-jumbo that Maedia had said about the eyes. Yet he recalled what one of his police-academy instructors had said, "The eyes are the mirrors to the souls. Once you learn how to understand this you can separate the guilty from the innocent." Now as Daniel looked at Aya's blue eyes, he saw not the fire of her power, but the soul of someone who found the peace they were looking for all of their life.

Aya shrugged, "I don't know, but when I gave up my powers I received some wisdom. Now that I think about, it wasn't a bad trade off at all."

Maedia and Daniel asked at the same time, "Well, are you going to tell us or are you going to leave us hanging?"

Aya looked at them both, then looked out the windows at the moon and stars. She waited a few seconds, smiled, then answered, "God provides, love survives, faith prevails, hope is in all of us."

Both men sat in silence as they absorbed the words. Aya looked out of window and saw a partial reflection of herself. She looked at the peace that radiated from her eyes. Aya smiled and whispered, "Simple yet profound."

The Beginning

Note to the reader: Just a little disclaimer here. Some people may think that I am pushing religion. I am not. Do I believe in God? Yes I do. (Christian, non-denominational) In all truthfulness, the above story was a prelude for different story, but the prelude ended up being to long, and ended up being the story you have just read. One of the messages I wanted to get across is that of personal responsibility. Far to often in today's world people act with a "the heck with the consequences" attitude. At the beginning Aya wanted to help humanity without considering the consequences of her actions. The other was more inspirational. What I mean by this, is that when Aya felt lost and confused, she finally turned to someone. (By the way, been there, done that.) Someone is always there listen, wether it is God, family, or a friend. No matter how much we get dumped on, our faith, love, and hope can not be squashed. There is probably some more, but I will leave that up to you the reader to find.