Sunny was mad.

Sunny was also worried, but that was mostly overshadowed by just how pissed she was. Adam was being an idiot, the biggest idiot, the king of the idiots. If he kept this up any longer he was going to upgrade himself to the god of all idiots, and it seemed like it was up to her to get something done.

Adam was in a bad way.

He could be fine, she thought, if he was given the time he needed to rest and recuperate. He was exhausted, and short twenty minute naps were going to do nothing to help that exhaustion. She knew enough from Krill to know that the human body required sleep to recover from injuries, and the Steel Eye armor had practically destroyed his body. There was muscle strain, extreme inflammation, the overdose, internal damage, nerve damage, stress fractures etc. etc, and despite all that he was still answering the call of the UNSC.

The stress of his job, and his inability to say no to other people and their needs was going to kill him. He felt obligated, by his job to make sure that everything went well, he assumed because of who he was that he was in charge of protecting earth, even the entire universe if he had to. He was taking on weight that he was not obligated to take on.

Even the UNSC was well aware of how sick he was, and despite taking his help, they seemed concerned about him, and she had no doubt they would be ok if he decided to take time off to recover. There were other men and women in the universe who would be willing to take on the weight he was trying to bare.

Yet he wouldn't listen to her.

Sitting on his chair in the UNSC command room, fighting back sleep, and no ability to walk, he was running himself into the ground.

She needed to find someone who could rein him in.

And she thought she had just the idea.

She left him, though she didn't want to and made a quick call before walking into the room and quietly whispering to some of the Admirals standing off to one side of the room during break.

"I will not be accepting no, but I thought you should be aware."

They looked at her and nodded, "We can take it from here."

"Thank you. I hope you understand that this isn't a reflection on him."

"The reflection on him has to do with the fact that he refuses to leave. Do what you have to."

She nodded turning and walking over to where Adam was sitting slumped in his chair half asleep pale as a ghost. He had insisted the IV be removed so he wouldn't be so distracting. She had argued, he had been stubborn

She walked over putting her arms around him and hauling him to his feet. His head lifted in exhaustion bright green eyes glazed over with exhaustion,"Sunny?"

"Just relax. We are going to go get you some sun during the break."

He was too tired to be sceptical, and just walked with her.

She could feel his feet dragging, and occasionally his legs would give out under him, but she wrapped one arm around his waist and the other arm around his chest to hold him upright until they finally made it outside to the front of the building. In comparison to the inside, where the lights were dark and the mood was darker, the day was bright and warm. The sky overhead was blue and the ground before them was lush and green. Overhead the sun was warm and bright.

An automated lawn mower was roaring in the distance filling the air with the sound of freshly cut grass.

It made sunny mouth water.

She let Adam sink onto the curb, his head in his hands and lifted her head looking this way and that for signs of life, for the people she was expecting. She heard them before she saw them, the screeching of rubber on pavement, a sound that wasn't exactly common in a world where everything could hover.

Sunny turned her head and watched as the ancient, four door pickup roared around the corner and skidded through the parking lot. Sunny could feel the aggression spilling off the thing in waves, and when it gunned towards her, she almost worried that she was destined to be roadkill.

However, the tires came to a screeching stop just before them.

Adam lifted his exhausted head and blinked eyes focusing blearily on the front of the car, and as soon as he did, his eyes widened.

Sunny peered through the front windshield where a small, blond- hair woman in a red flannel was hunched behind the steering wheel eyes narrowed face contorted into a predatory snarl that made sunny think twice about having made that call. In the seat just next to her, a greying human male was white knuckling the crash handles.

A door was thrown open and then slammed shut.

"Mom?"

Martha Vir stormed around the front of the ancient truck, whose engine popped and rattled as it cooled down.

The look of anger fled from her face at one moment, to one of concern as she knelt on the curb looking over her son with piercing blue eyes wild with concern. Mr. vir wobbled stiffly from the cab of the truck forced to pry his hand from the crash handle.

"Mom... what are you doing here?" Adam said in confusion as she tiled his head this way and that, pressing her hand against his forehead, grabbing his hand to examine the inflamed wounds still evident from the steel eye implantation.

It was clear by her expression that she knew exactly what had caused those scars.

"What-did-they-do. They made you wear the suit again! I swear to the lord above I am going to kill every last-"

"Mom!" his voice was weak, "No one made me put it back on..... I.... asked them to."

She stared at him in confusion, "What?"
"I had no other choice." His voice quivered a little though he tried to choke it down. Clear evidence that humans were more likely to drop their guard in front of a caregiver, no matter how long past.

She rested her hand on his cheek, "But why... Adam...."

"It's what I had to do."

"And the drugs...."

All was silent for a moment, and he lowered his head.

The stormy expression on her face grew thunderous.

"I'm sorry.... I couldn't.... Take the pain."

Sunny was surprised to see she didn't even look mad. Instead she hugged him holding him to her chest his head resting on her shoulder for a long moment. Jim came to sit next to them one hand resting on his son's back.

"It's alright, we're here to take you home."

He lifted his head, "Home, no, I can't I have...."

"I don't care what you have. You aren't in any kind of shape to be doing any kind of work."

"But mom the burg could attack earth at any-"

"I don't care if the burg is attacking,I don't care who is coming. I don't care if it's the rapture, and Jesus is descending from the sky on a chariot of fire, you are coming home."

"But-"

"Adam you are not the only thing standing between earth and eminent destruction, now argue with me again.... I dare you."

Sunny had never experienced such intense eye contact in all her life. And she thought her own mother had had a mean glare. As soon as Adam made eye contact with his mother, it was over, Sunny saw the fight drain out of him and he simply nodded his head.

He glanced over at sunny, "You called them didn't you."

Sunny lifted her head, "I did."

"Why?"

"Because you won't listen to me, but I knew who you would listen to."

His father leaned down, and with one strong calloused hand, he helped Adam to his feet, "Come on Kid, let's get you home before your mother levels the UNSC." He chuckled, "Thought she was going to drive the truck through the front door." Adam snorted, too tired and weak to actually laugh.

His legs gave out before he made it to the car. His parents caught him, doing their best to hold him up.

Sunny intervened, lifting him easily off the ground and into the back of the truck, she then followed after allowing him to rest his head on her leg as he lay across the back seat.

Jim and Martha got back into the truck, Martha grudgingly allowing her husband to drive.

After a moment she reached a hand back holding a water bottle out to adam.

"Drink, this better be done by the time we get home."

"But-"

"Drink your water!"

He shut up, finishing the water in a few minutes. It wasn't a second later that the water bottle clattered to the floor, and Adam was out. Sunny sat in somewhat awkward silence as they drove down the highway.

Jim glanced at her in the rear view mirror, "You alright, Sunny."

"Yes, sir.

"Enough leg room?"

"Yes sir, just fine, sir."

"My name is Jim, Kid, you can use it."

Er, "Of course, Jim."

After another few minutes of awkward silence, Martha turned around in her seat to look at sunny, "What happened?"

Sunny wasn't entirely sure what she was and was not allowed to tell them, but she didn't want to find out what would happen if she didn't, "The Burg declared war on the GA, and then proceeded to attack the Gromm homeworld for the warp codes that would give them access to the rest of the GA. They landed on the planet and were dug in inside an energy field with a plan to attack and charge our line within a day. Adam and his advisors determined the best course of action would be to attack them first and detonate their ship's engine. Adam made a call.... I had no idea what he was doing. Both Krill and I tried to stop him when we figured it out, but he made it clear that he would find someone else if we didn't do it. He..... he wasn't doing so well, but he began the battle without any drugs..... Halfway through.... Well he just couldn't handle it. He took them, and we finished, but he overdosed. Krill saved his life, but, he just hasn't slowed down since. I can't get him to, no one can.... So that's when I called you."

She stared up at martha worried that she would be blamed for not stopping Adam.

It seemed as if it might tilt in that direction, but Jim piped up, "Thank you for taking care of him, Sunny. Adam.... He's always been stubborn. A weird mix of stubborn and not being able to say no."

They turned off the highway and cut through the suburbs finally pulling up to the familiar house under the unassuming blue sky.

Sunny stepped out pulling Adam with her, who only partially woke up.

She carried him to the door and into the house following Martha back to a guest bedroom,where she set his hat on the nightstand, and woke him up long enough to get him to kick off his shoes and pull off his uniform jacket.

Then and only then was he finally allowed to lay down. Sunny wasn't sure if he was even awake for the following few minutes where, like a mother bird, the human proceeded to construct a nest out of pillows and other soft things. He had a pillow under his head, and a pillow under his legs, and if that wasn't enough, he was then surrounded on all sides by pillows. That done, she took a moment to check the sounds left by the Steel eye armor, cleaning a few of them up and bandaging over with clean gauze. She lay a hand on his forehead checking for fever, and by extension, and infection.

He shifted in his sleep.

She then went hunting through a closet which was hoarded at least two dozen more blankets.

She left the window open allowing the warm sunlight and cool air to breeze into the room, covering his legs with the blanket, but leaving his arms and chest exposed to the warm sunlight.

Finally done, She then ushered Sunny out of the room, leaving the door cracked slightly, where it could be seen from down the hall in the kitchen. Sunny stood awkwardly in the living room for a time her back facing the window where sunlight was beaming through onto the floor. Dust moats churned and rolled in the sunlight.

Martha sat at the table while Jim stepped outside to get some work done.

Sunny shuffled her feet awkwardly before.

"Thank you for.... Coming so quickly."

Martha looked up at her, her bright blue human eyes cutting and cold.

"I would do anything for my kids."

Sunny shifted her feet and looked down quietly and before realizing what she was saying, "I wish my mother had been more like you."

There was silence.

Martha worked her jaw for a second before curiosity got the better of her, "Are.... Drev mothers not protective of their children?"

Sunny shook her head, "No.... not at all.... Just not.... Mine."

"Oh.... I'm sorry.... What.... Happened?"

Sunny looked away and shrugged, "Oh I was a disgrace. A crippled abomination that should have been tossed into the fire at birth."

Martha stared at her, "Don't you think that's a bit exaggerated."

Sunny turned to look at her, "No... That's what happens if you are born crippled. You are tossed into the fire."

Martha stared at her mouth open, "They what!.... But how.... Why... why would anyone do anything like that..... And you. You look fine."

Sunny turned to look out the window, "My mother was a great general. She won land in all directions of the compass, but after my brother, she was never able to produce another child.... It is very important in Drev culture to be able to produce kits." She turned to look at martha, "Drev mothers give birth near the mouths of volcanos, and if the kit doesn't hold up to standard they are thrown into the fire for their spirits to be recycled. My mother was.... Unable to get rid of me.... I am very small. I think she hated me because I was a symbol of her weakness, and she just couldn't handle that."

Martha had gone very quiet staring on at Sunny in surprise and.... a hint of something else in her bright blue eyes.

"I tried for her to be the best warrior I could. But in truth, I am not talented in battle. When the Drev war came, I thought I could win her love through valor, though I should have known better by then." She looked at Martha feeling a horrible clenching feeling rising up in her chest and stomach, "What I did to Adam.... It isn't excused by any means, but at least now you know why I did what I did.' She looked down at her hands, "But instead of winning my mother's love, she blamed me for my father's death."

"Your father.... Died during the war?"

"Yes, he was killed by a Steel-eye soldier during the last push." She raised a hand, "Don't worry, my father died an honorable death in battle.... I was happy for him. Once again my mother went against our customs and turned her sights on revenge." Sunny siged taking a seat at the table resting her hands together atop the polished surface clasped lightly together.

As she sat a sudden touch of warmth on her hand made her look up.

Martha Vir had a hand over hers and was looking at her with an expression Sunny had not seen on the human's face before.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright."

"No, it's not. No one deserves to be treated like that."

Sunny chirped half heartedly, "It's past me now. "She glanced towards the door, "Besides, I have people who care about me now, and they make it pretty clear that I am worth far more than what my mother said."

There was another silence. The distant sound of laughter reached them from outside, "I am sorry, for the way I treated you. I shouldn't have done that."

Sunny chirped again, "I hurt your son, you would have to be crazy to trust me, or even like me all that much."
"Still, I should have been willing to trust his judgement.... He's my youngest, and sometimes I forget he's his own man." She laughed, "Every time I picture him he's still eight years old."

"Are you sure he isn't"

The two of them laughed.

The door creaked open just then, and Jim stepped into the house a handful of dandelions in one hand. He seemed surprised to find the two of them laughing with each other, but just as pleased, "What did I miss."

Martha smiled, "Nothing important. What do you have there?"

"Well, I was just getting rid of these from the lawn, and I was going to throw them away, but." He glanced at sunny sheepishly, "I thought I heard Adam mention that you liked eating them, so.... I bought them inside instead. Forgive me for overstepping or mishearing."

Sunny perked up a bit at the sight of the little yellow weed, "You heard him right."

Jim looked relieved, handing Sunny the flowers and coming down to sit at the table. Sunny munched on the flower rather happily.

"Please eat them all. I hate those little yellow bastards."

Martha looked over at Sunny, "Adam ever taught you how to play cards?"

Sunny shook her head, "I've seen him play, but we usually do other things."

"Might as well do something while we pass the time."
Jim reached out to open a drawer revealing a few decks of cards. "Prism, turn on the sports channel."

A blue light flashed around the upper edge of the ceiling, and a projection bloomed to life at the center of the room.

Martha began manipulating the cards between her hands adding a pleasant shuffling sound to the air.

Sunny growled at the screen.

"What, you don't like the Strikers?"

"No, their coach is a D bag and Marcos can't throw to save his life."

Jim laughed, "Finally someone who gets it. Only Jeremy was ever into football, but they're his favorite team."

"Schmuck."

"That's what I said."

Sunny chirped happily, and Jim laughed.