Three Square Meals

The door to the elevator opened and Charles stepped aside, politely gesturing for his two companions to enter first. Lynette and Lina walked inside, with the redhead unable to take her eyes off the stunning brunette. He followed them in and tapped the button to take the trio up to the senior officers' suites, the doors closing behind him and giving them some privacy at long last.

Unable to keep silent any longer, Lina blurted out, "How on Terra do you look-"

Lynette held up a hand to interrupt her and smiled at the fascinated admiral. "We can discuss everything in my quarters, Lina. It's the only place I consider to be completely secure on Olympus."

Lina's full lips pursed in frustration, but she reluctantly nodded.

They ascended through the decks until they reached their level and when the doors opened, they found a medical team with a hover-gurney waiting outside the elevator. The three admirals quickly exited to make way for the medics, who pushed the floating stretcher inside, hurrying to evacuate their patient. As they passed, Lynette glanced down and recognised the badly wounded soldier as one of the guards from Fiske's team.

"He's going to make it... thanks to you, Lioness."

Lynette turned to see Colonel Fiske waiting for her in the corridor, his hands clasped behind his back. "It was you that pulled him to safety, Colonel. Did any of the rest of your team survive?"

He answered with a quick shake of his head, his expression turning grim. "I would say that it was a miracle that any of us made it after that grenade went off, but we both know that's not true."

Looking past him down the corridor, Lynette saw more medical personnel sealing up the remains of the security team in body bags. As her gaze swept over the corpses, she glanced at the spot where she'd left her Fleet Admiral's uniform, a worried frown appearing on her face when she noticed that it was missing.

Fiske unclasped his hands, revealing that he was holding the folded grey jacket behind him. "I believe Fleet Admiral Devereux is waiting in her quarters... please could you return this to her?"

"I will," Lynette said with a relieved smile. "I'm sure she'll be very grateful to get this back."

Turning to Charles, Fiske said, "We've neutralised all the active ISD strike teams, Admiral Harris. As an extra precaution, the special forces teams under Commander MacCallum are continuing close protection duty for the admirals aboard Olympus. As soon as I know the full extent of the casualties and the damage inflicted on the shipyard, I'll send a report to the Fleet Admiral and make sure you receive a copy."

"Excellent, thank you," Charles said, startled by the exchange.

Fiske saluted the trio respectfully. "I'm very glad you both survived unscathed, Admiral Harris, Admiral Van Den Broeck," he said, addressing his comment to Charles and Lina. His eyes flicked to Lynette. "You too, Ma'am."

"Likewise, Colonel," Lynette said, acknowledging him with a nod.

He departed to call another elevator, leaving the three senior officers in the corridor.

Lynette led the others to her quarters, and checked to make sure the medics outside were preoccupied before activating the DNA reader. The door opened and the trio walked inside, stepping over the blood from the wounded guardsman that had pooled in the lobby.

Lina watched the door close behind them, then turned to look at Lynette with a gleam in her eyes. "So, Fleet Admiral... I'm intrigued to hear your story."

"I'll explain, just give me a moment," Lynette said with a smile, unfastening her belt and removing the power supply for the holo-device from her pocket.

She slipped the white disc into her jacket, placed the garment on the side-table and reached for the golden epaulets. Unclipping the containers hidden there, she examined them for a moment, then realised that each tiny tray had been split into three separate compartments. There was a switch on top, so she slid it over to the middle setting and reinserted the devices into her epaulets.

Charles watched her work, wondering what she was doing. "We were incredibly lucky that Fiske didn't search your quarters for Fleet Admiral Devereux. How did you dissuade him from looking?"

"He knows, Charles," Lynette replied, slipping on her jacket and reactivating her disguise. It took a few seconds for the micro holo-projectors to float into place, then she was transformed into her middle-aged alter ego.

"Incredible..." Lina murmured, staring at her in fascination.

"When the ISD team attacked, they shot me with a grenade launcher," Lynette explained, glancing at Charles and seeing him grimace. "I wasn't hurt, but the blast knocked out my disguise."

He looked thoughtful, then said, "It seems I misjudged the good Colonel."

"Me too," Lynette freely admitted, before turning off her holographic projection and removing her jacket. "Come on, let's go get a drink. I'm sure Lina is dying to ask me lots of questions."

"Oh, I have one or two," the redhead said airily, strutting into the lounge after her.

Charles mixed a couple of vodka-based drinks and brought them to the women, who sat opposite each other on a sofa.

Lynette kicked off her boots, then tucked her legs underneath her as she accepted the glass. "Thank you, darling."

The redhead took her glass with a strained smile, but she had trouble holding it, her hand shaking violently.

"Lina!" Lynette said in alarm, deftly removing the glass from her quaking fingers and putting it on the coffee table. "Are you alright?"

"They were shooting at us!" the shocked woman blurted out, her green eyes widening. "We nearly died!"

"Easy there, Lina, it's just the adrenaline wearing off," Charles said, sitting beside her on the sofa and putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Just breathe nice and slowly," Lynette said, stroking the other woman's arm to soothe her. "You're safe now."

Lina leaned against Charles, her body trembling as she focused on controlling her breathing. "I've never been so scared... I thought we were dead for sure."

"You had quite the baptism of fire today," he said, gently rubbing her back. "The closest I've been to combat like that was repelling a boarding action... but I had scores of friendly troops between me and the worst of the fighting. I think from now on, we'd best leave the gunfights to the marines."

She laughed and nodded. "That sounds like a sensible plan to me."

Charles held her until she'd calmed down and the involuntary shaking had stopped.

"Here have a drink, it'll help," Lynette said, smiling as she handed the glass back to Lina.

"What the hell... It's five o'clock somewhere," Lina murmured, before tilting her head back and downing the drink in several big gulps.

"Want another?" Charles asked when she'd finished.

Lina nodded, so he patted her on the shoulder and rose to his feet, taking the empty glass from her unresisting fingers. Lynette quickly finished off her own drink and handed it to Charles for a refill. When he returned, they all sipped their drinks and relaxed, feeling the pleasant alcoholic buzz calming their frayed nerves.

"Feeling better?" Lynette asked

With colour in her cheeks again, Lina sat back on the sofa and let out a quiet sigh. "Much... thank you." Her eyes flicked to the brunette sitting beside her. "How much combat have you been in, Lynette?"

"I fought in several fleet engagements, but no infantry combat, aside from being shot on the eve of the Battle of Terra. Today was the first time I've actually fired a weapon at anyone," the Fleet Admiral admitted, her gaze flicking to Charles to check his reaction.

He looked speculative rather than unsettled as he drank his whiskey.

"But you just shot at least a dozen insurgents!" the redhead marvelled, gazing at her in awe. "And you don't seem fazed by it in the slightest!"

"People I care about were at risk," Lynette replied sternly, locking eyes with Charles, before turning to look at Lina again. "Those ISD agents signed their own death warrants when they committed treason."

The vodka had worked wonders for settling Lina down and she studied the brunette in fascination. "I never would have thought you had it in you, Fleet Admiral."

"I didn't... until two weeks ago."

Lina let her gaze sweep over the brunette. "I think it's fairly safe to assume that you didn't end up looking like that because you've had a full-bodysculpt done."

After sipping her drink, Lynette nodded. "That would be a safe assumption to make. I'd have had to have multiple surgeries taking months to look the way I do now... and this..." She gestured to her spectacular body. "Is entirely natural."

"Natural?" Lina asked with a teasing grin, quirking an eyebrow. "You've got the body of an absolutely gorgeous 20-year-old... but if I'm not mistaken, you should be in your late-fifties."

"Hey, I'm only 52!" the Fleet Admiral protested with an indignant frown. After letting out a sigh, she admitted, "Alright, perhaps natural was a poor choice of phrase... but my new body is absolutely real." She cupped her astonishing gravity-defying breasts. "These aren't implants."

Eyeing her luscious curves, Lina leaned forward and asked, "In that case, perhaps I should have asked: how did you end up looking like this? I don't want to offend you, Lynette, but you were quite... plain... beforehand. Now you're by far the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." Her lips curled up into a smile. "You even manage to outshine the other Lionesses... which I thought was physically impossible."

Charles joined them, sitting on the adjacent sofa. "I must admit, I'm quite curious about that too."

Lynette darted a pensive glance in his direction and hastily finished her drink. Toying with the empty glass, she responded, "What we're about to discuss is highly confidential, Lina. For your own safety as much as ours, do I have your word that you won't discuss this beyond the confines of my apartment?"

"I promise... my lips are sealed," Lina replied earnestly.

Acknowledging her with a nod, Lynette said, "After I was shot by Buckingham's soldiers, I accepted John Blake's offer to become one of his Lionesses. Over the next several days, he healed and rejuvenated my body, changing my appearance and effectively giving me my youth back."

"He did a bit more than that, Lynette," Charles said, shaking his head in wonder. "We witnessed your acrobatics in the Galleria; I never realised just how strong and agile you were! You were like an Olympic athlete!"

"Really, Charles?" she asked, with a coy smile. "You had no idea how limber I was?"

He blushed furiously and took a big gulp of his whiskey.

Lina smirked at him, trying not to laugh at his embarrassment. Turning her attention to the brunette, she said, "Okay, so how exactly did Blake change you to look like... this?"

Lynette's smile faded and she sipped nervously at her drink again. "When John recruits a Lioness, there's a... process... we go through."

"A process?" Lina said, giving the other woman a knowing look. "And what's that a euphemism for exactly?"

With her eyes firmly locked on Charles, Lynette replied, "The other Lionesses do sleep with John, but nothing like that has ever happened between the two of us." She turned to meet Lina's curious gaze and continued, "When I accepted John's offer to become a Lioness, I went through a physical transformation that they call 'The Change'. An integral part of the Change is reversing the aging process, enhancing a woman's body to the peak of physical fitness. I'm now faster, stronger, and tougher than I ever was before."

"And your face?" Lina asked quietly, studying the brunette's flawless complexion. "I can see a few vague similarities to your old features, but everything has changed so much... you're absolutely gorgeous now."

Lynette blushed, a hand going to her cheek. "The Change doesn't normally have this dramatic effect on your appearance. John was grateful for everything I'd done to support him in the past and I think he felt guilty about me getting shot trying to warn him about the Kintark invasion. He made me beautiful as a way of saying thank you."

"If I wasn't seeing it with my own eyes, I'd struggle to believe it was possible," Lina murmured, leaning closer and examining the Fleet Admiral's face from different angles. She glanced back at Charles and grinned. "Now I understand the whirlwind engagement, Charlie. I remember you were as giddy as a schoolboy when you were telling me about Marie."

He rubbed his moustache self-consciously. "This all makes me seem incredibly shallow. I freely admit to being in lust with Marie, but I did fall in love with Lynette too."

"I know... I've seen you two together," Lina said with a wistful smile. "I never had a chance against her, did I?"

Lynette watched the redhead for a moment, then reached out to clasp her hand. "Lina... you found out my secret today by accident, but Charles and I actually discussed telling you the truth yesterday. He was planning to speak to you about it during lunch."

Lina's green eyes flicked between them both, burning curiosity in her probing gaze. "Was it because I was asking too many questions about your engagement?"

"That was partially the reason," Lynette admitted, nodding in confirmation. "I'm sure you would have figured out the truth eventually. Charles was impressed by how bright and perceptive you were from the start, but I must confess to being more than a little jealous, which I regret to say clouded my opinion of you. I hope you can accept my apology for the frosty way I behaved back then; I was really worried that Charles would fall for you."

Tilting her head back, Lina laughed uproariously. "Really, Lynette... that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! How could someone as gorgeous as you, ever be jealous of anyone?"

The brunette flushed with embarrassment. "Charles didn't know that I looked the way I do now, at least not when you first started flirting with him. I wanted him to fall in love with the old me before telling him that Marie and I were the same person... but I was terrified you were going to seduce him before I had the chance."

Lina shook her head in amusement, then flashed a dazzling smile at Charles. "It sounds like I should have just jumped your bones, Charlie!"

"I- ah..." Looking flustered, he wasn't sure exactly how to respond to that and took another hasty gulp of his whiskey.

Smirking at his embarrassment, Lina focused her attention on Lynette. "I hope you don't mind me teasing your fiancé... it's so much fun."

Lynette stroked the hand she was still holding. "No... I don't mind," she said softly.

Surprised by the quiet reply, Lina glanced down at the slender fingers caressing her own. "You said that me asking questions was only part of the reason why you decided to tell me the truth; what was the other?"

After a long pause, Lynette murmured, "Can we be open and honest with one another, Lina?"

Lina slowly nodded, entranced by the captivating young woman sitting beside her.

"Are you attracted to Charles?" Lynette asked, hazel eyes flicking to her fiancé who was watching the pair like a deer caught in headlights.

Following her gaze, the redhead's full lips curled up into a smile as she made eye-contact with Charles. "I am..."

"How intriguing," Lynette murmured, tracing circles on the back of Lina's hand with her fingertips. "And are you attracted to me?"

Lina turned to look at the exquisite beauty, her smile turning coy. "I think you know the answer to that, Lynette..."

"Mmm hmm," the brunette purred, inching nearer. "So if I were to ask if you'd like to get... closer... to both of us, is that something you might be interested in?"

The redhead couldn't help grinning. "Charlie isn't the only dark horse around here! You're a lot more fun than I gave you credit for, Lynette."

Lynette smiled at her demurely. "I'm delighted you think so." Her expression turned serious as she gazed into Lina's green eyes. "Which leads me to the third reason that I wanted you to know the truth about me."

"Even more reasons? How flattering," the redhead teased her.

With a nod, Lynette gazed into her eyes. "Lina... I want you to become another secret Lioness, just like me and Jehanna."

That declaration stunned Lina and she gaped at her in amazement. "A Lioness?! Me?"

The Fleet Admiral nodded. "I've spoken to Alyssa about recruiting you and she approved the idea. The truth is, the Terran Federation is in grave danger and I need loyal people like you at my side. Charles believes you're someone we can trust and his best friend is the Lion, so I know he's an excellent judge of character."

The redhead's calm composure was well and truly shattered now. She darted a shocked glance at Charles, then turned her attention back to Lynette. "So I'd end up looking just like you?"

Lynette nodded, gently caressing the older woman's cheek. "The perks from becoming a Lioness are incredible. John can rejuvenate your body and give you your youth back, as well as enhance you both physically and mentally to the peak of your potential."

Lina gaped at the brunette in awe, then a flicker of apprehension crossed her attractive face. "It sounds far too good to be true. Nothing's ever that simple; there must be one hell of a downside!"

"You'll be privy to information known only to a handful of people in the Federation. Discovering the truth about what we're facing is a heavy burden," Lynette said quietly. "Your life will also become a lot more complicated, especially as we'll have to disguise your new appearance." She hesitated for a moment, then continued, "There are also some other... side-effects... to the Change, but if you are interested in joining us, I'll let John and Alyssa discuss those with you."

"I knew there was something," Lina said, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Lynette gave her a reassuring smile. "It's nothing sinister, I promise. John and Alyssa will explain everything that the Change entails before you make any final decision. For the moment, I wanted to raise the possibility of you joining us, so you'll have some time to think it over before they return to Olympus."

Lina sat back, lost in thought. After a long moment, she turned to look at Charles. "What do you think about Lynette being a Lioness?"

"I love her. I can't imagine my life without Lynette now."

His fiancée smiled at him lovingly as she rose from her seat, then leaned over to give him a tender kiss.

"That didn't answer the question, Charlie," the redhead said, studying him perceptively.

Charles downed his drink, then pulled the brunette onto his lap. "Honestly? I'm not really sure what to make of it all. I know Lynette isn't telling me the full story about something... but if you do decide to become a Lioness, I suspect you'll find out whatever that is."

Lynette gave him a reassuring hug, then nodded slightly in confirmation.

Lina looked even more intrigued now, her speculative gaze sweeping over the beautiful young woman. "Well, you've certainly managed to pique my curiosity, Lynette. How long is it until John returns to Olympus? Didn't you say it would be at least a month?"

The brunette shook her head, her long hair brushing softly against Charles' cheek. "The attack on Olympus forced them to change plans; they're heading back here as fast as they can..."

***

"How's Rachel doing?" John asked, as he gently stroked Alyssa and Calara, his fingers gliding over the supple muscles in their backs.

"She's okay... just worried about her dad and his fiancée," the blonde replied. "Abigail sacrificed herself to save Henry's life; she jumped in the way and got shot instead. Rachel's desperate to get back to Olympus to heal her."

"I'll go talk to her next," he said, concerned for the brunette.