Meanwhile, Helms grabs his phone and connects with his agent on the ground. "Flacco, talk to me … what's the status out there?"
"Sir, the only thing we can gather so far from the condition of Agent Donald's body is that he was shot at close range with a powerful incendiary device. His body sustained fourth-degree burns."
"Anything on Agent Bradley?" Helms asks.
"Nothing yet. Most of our men are helping the local authorities control the forest fire, which has spread quickly and violently. Another group is working on retrieving the processors and the AI motherboards from the damaged Cheetahs. We need more personnel on-site before this situation gets out of control — and we need to prepare a statement for public dissemination before people start panicking and rumors start circulating, sir."
"Dammit!" Helms shouts. He sees on the other monitors that practically the entire Port Jervis National Forest is engulfed in flames. He realizes that if the fire isn't promptly contained, it will be only a matter of time before people start speculating that it's associated in some way with the rash of wildfires that had, in the previous year, obliterated many communities in the eastern part of the country — or worse, that the uncontrollable wildfires of the West have arrived. "Replay all available video footage from the moment the Cheetahs entered the forest until we lost communication," Helms demands. He and the rest of the crew watch and rewatch the Cheetah feeds, to no avail. They're unable to get a clear visual of the individual who provoked the mayhem.
❖❖❖
Zack's is now completely healed. As he and Blake make their way out of the forest, Zack keeps looking back at the devastation caused by the fire. He's still in a state of disbelief that Blake, one of his closest friends, is an alien — just like him.
"Blake, I need answers," Zack demands when he can no longer contain himself.
"Zack, I promise I'll answer any questions you might have once we get somewhere safe."
"No! I want the truth and I want it now!" Zack yells as he begins to draw energy. The wind picks up, and the ground Zack stands upon starts to sink and crack.
"Really, Zack?!" Blake exclaims in exasperation.
Zack sends a power-blast toward Blake that knocks him down, and immediately regrets it. "Blake, I'm sorry! You okay?" Zack gasps as he hurries toward his friend to help him up.
"I'm fine, my king," Blake says as he dusts himself off. "I guess I deserved that."
"Wait, what?"
Blake looks at him questioningly, eyebrows raised.
"You called me your king," Zack says.
"Yes, Zack, I did. Or should I say, 'Zec'? You're the reborn son of King Uphu and Queen Liaj, rightful heir to the Euperian throne."
Zack stands there, speechless, trying to digest the ramifications of what he's just heard. Finally, he asks faintly, "How could that be possible...?"
"To say that it's complicated would be an understatement," Blake notes with a crooked half-smile. "You've been hidden so well even you didn't know where you were. But you saving Amy that night... well, it was the right thing to do, but it exposed us to a bunch of people who've been looking for us for years, allies and enemies alike."
Zack snaps out of his stupor, grabs Blake, and says, "Amy's in danger! We need to save her."
Blake's expression twisted into a frown. "Why would Amy be in danger, Zack? You're the one they want."
"No, Blake. They think Amy is the Euperian, not me. They've never been after me!"
"Hah, that's the best news I've heard all day!" Blake says enthusiastically. "That means they know nothing!"
"No, it's doesn't," Zack snaps. "She knows everything, Blake, way more than I do. She's been dreaming about our background for months. If they capture her, they'll learn everything about me, you, Olivia, our parents — and our lives will be in even more danger."
Zack turns and starts hurrying downhill toward the city, leaving Blake behind. Blake wants to stop him, but he realizes it's a lost cause — if it's true that Amy knows Zack's real identity, he has no choice but to help him get to her before the Ucte do. He dashes after his king, the young man he's protected for years, and promises, "Look, Zack, I'll help you find Amy — but before we do, we need to secure your sister. If it's true Amy knows who both of you are, then Odilia's in danger too."
Zack stops abruptly, feeling guilty for not having given Olivia's safety more thought. How can he think about just himself and Amy at a time like this? Getting back to the city can wait. He closes his eyes and plunges into deep mental concentration mode; he needs to contact his sister, no matter how much she hates having him read her mind.
❖❖❖
At her best friend Kaylee's house, Olivia watches TV, horrified. Firefighters are trying to control the forest fire, but it's raging out of control. She hears Kaylee's parents in the background, discuss the possibility of global warning finally reaching the East, when she suddenly detects her brother in her mind. "Zack," she says out loud, surprised that he would contact her like this.
Kaylee turns around and sees Olivia sitting motionless on the couch. "Zack?"
Thinking quickly, she blurts, "Oh, yes, sorry, I forgot to ask him to pick up something for Mom. I'll be right back," she says, getting up and walking toward the backyard. She steps outside, leans against the wall, and teleports her soul toward her brother.
"Zack, what's up?" Olivia asks, now standing next to her brother in her ghostly form. She looks around and sees, a short distance away, the fire that has caused panic all over the city. Her spectral eyes widen.
"Olivia, I can't explain everything right now, but are you with Dad and Mom?" Zack sounds desperate.
"No, I'm at Kaylee's. Wait, is that Blake with you?"
He ignores her question. "You're in danger, Olivia. You need to get to Mom and Dad and wait for
