"I am indeed a special woman, my prince," Eza says. Katye looks to be in even worse shape than Zec. "I see my friend here is about to pass out." She puts an arm around Katye and holds her up. "Thank you both for a memorable night."
"It's was our pleasure," Zec says. He staggers, and Blair grabs him before he can fall.
"Let us walk you to your pods," Blair offers.
"Thank you," Eza says, "but I think these two need to go straight home." She smiles at Blair, who smiles back warmly. They venture out into the warm night, each pulling their friend alongside them. Eza rises onto her tiptoes in front of Blair, and they kiss.
"You better not ever forget me," Eza says.
"Never," Blair replies.
❖❖❖
Zack dodges the incoming stun shot and blasts the mannequin. He sprints forward, dodging more stun projectors and continuing to hit one mannequin after another as they pop up.
"Has he had any more episodes?" Dr. Buchanan asks Jim quietly.
"No, just those two at the game."
"How's Olivia?"
"Aside from a cold, she's doing fine."
"When she's feeling better, would you mind bringing her in?" Buchanan asks. "I think it would be a good idea to give her a physical."
"Sure. Should I be worried?"
"The opposite, I would think. Zack's strength and speed have doubled since his last physical."
"Actually, that makes me nervous," Jim says. "And you think the same thing is happening to Olivia?"
"I'm not sure yet." Buchanan presses the stop button on his tablet, and signals to Zack that training is over for now.
After Jim and Zack exit the complex, Buchanan receives a message on his phone. Moments later, a car pulls up in his driveway, and a pair of Euperians exit the vehicle. Buchanan welcomes them and leads them into his complex. "How's our king doing?" the woman asks when they're safely inside.
"He has reconnected with his cluster," Buchanan responds.
The woman is taken aback. "Are you sure?"
"I'm positive. His transformation has begun." Buchanan places his hand on a security panel, and the door opens.
"Maybe it's time to tell him the truth?" his male visitor suggests. "We don't know how a human body will react to the transformation, nor do we know what effect it will have on the rest of the cluster."
Buchanan manifests a life-sized hologram of Zack. "What truth? His Isarian protector died. Our king will never remember who he was, and his body seems to be handling the transformation just fine."
The two guests examine the hologram and are astonished by the results they see.
"However, your concern has merit," Buchanan adds. "His sister has a cold, and she's never gotten one before. That's something I'll watch closely." He turns the hologram off. "Have we located Eza?"
"No," the woman says. "She's either been captured, or she's hiding somewhere here near Port Jervis."
"She hasn't been captured," Buchanan says. His watch beeps. "My insider assures me of that. But we need to find her before they do."
"Of course," the woman replies. She pauses as she notices the Doctor's skin visibly discoloring. "On another matter, the UN has increased their raids and are now using Ucte soldiers. The underground is asking for our help to continue transporting Euperians to the west."
"Our priority is our king and the royals," Buchanan says. "Find Eza."
The Euperian visitors nod and turn to leave. Buchanan hurries to his medical cabinet, enters the code, and places his palm on the scanner plate. He retrieves a green vial, fills a syringe with it, and injects the greenish liquid into his upper arm.
He takes a couple of breaths, closes his eyes, and waits for the rush of pain to subside as the memories rush in.
❖❖❖
Bane paces back and forth in his garage, observing the two-way intergalactic communicator sitting on the desk. When news outlets on Earth reported that the Ucte army had captured Greron, the capital of Euperia, he'd panicked and immediately fired a message to his half-sister, Queen Liaj. Fearing the worst for his loved ones, he anxiously waits for her response.
He takes another sip of beer and furiously flips through news articles on his phone, searching for an update on the Euperian situation. The news outlets had reported that King Uphu himself was leading a counter-attack against the enemy forces; Bane and everyone else on Earth nervously awaits the outcome of the conflict between the Euperian and Ucte armies.
At last, the receiver's light starts blinking. Bane picks up the remote and clicks it; a 3-D hologram of Queen Liaj appears. "Brother!"
"My Queen," he says, bowing slightly. "Are you well?"
"I live," she chokes, "b-but my Zec and Odilia... they do not. They were poisoned by a traitor, and we were unable to locate a suitable antidote in time. Our only recourse was to remove their Essences from their bodies and implant them into human-fused embryos. As we speak, they are in route to Earth."
Bane stares, confused. "What? Nothing you are saying makes any sense!"
"I know it doesn't right now. But trust me, it will in time. What's most important right now is that the children are safe. I need you to promise me that you will look out after them and prepare them to fulfill their destinies."
"My Queen, I'm not sure I'm the right person. You know I'm the unreliable and untrustworthy member of the family. The black sheep, as the humans would say."
"Don't be too hard on yourself, brother. You're the only person I can trust." She looks at him bleakly. "I have to go now, Bane. I don't have much energy left. I'm sending you the coordinates of where the children will arrive. Be safe, brother; we will see each other again one day, though I don't know when."
Before he can say anything, the transmission ends. Bane struggles to comprehend what has just happened. The transmitter beeps again, and the screen displays the coordinates where he must pick up the resurrected royal children. He plops onto a chair and chugs what's left
