The vortex opened in a quiet field, depositing it's occupants on the ground with a thud. Wade rolled over and struggled to get to her feet, which wasn't easy due to her handcuffs. She managed to stand and saw Quinn kneeling over a prone body on the ground, while Rembrandt stood with his back to them, shielding a little girl from the scene with his body.

"Is she OK?" Wade asked, moving to stand beside Quinn.

"She's still alive..barely. We've got to get her to a hospital," Quinn said, wrapping his jacket around the woman's body.

Wade looked at Rembrandt, using her head to indicate a house at the edge of the field. "Remmie! Go call 911!" she yelled.

Rembrandt picked Megan up, turning her head away from her mother's figure, and ran for the house as fast as he could.

The paramedics arrived quickly, and attempted to stabilize Jane the best they could. If they wondered why they were out in the middle of a field, with one woman dressed in a prison jumpsuit and wearing handcuffs, they didn't ask, instead working feverishly over Jane.

"I'll ride with her," Quinn said grimly. "Take Megan and Wade back to the Dominion. I'll call as soon as I can," he told Rembrandt.

Rembrandt nodded. "The people in the house offered to give us a ride to town. I said our car broke down." He took off his own jacket and covered Wade's handcuffs as a small car with Megan in the passenger's seat pulled up to the field. Rembrandt walked Wade over to it and helped her inside before returning to Quinn, who was watching in silence as the paramedics put Jane into the ambulance.

"Think she'll be OK, Q-Ball?" he asked

Quinn shook his head. "I dunno. She's lost a lot of blood. The paramedics aren't too optimistic." He glanced back at the car. "Don't say anything to Megan about this. I'll think of something to tell her later."

Rembrandt nodded. "She's your daughter, isn't she?" he asked, although it was more of a statement than a question. "Jane told me about how she knew you and what you did for her."

Quinn's jaw tightened, and he took one last glance at the car before climbing into the ambulance. "Just don't tell her anything," he said, as the paramedics closed the doors.

read part 17