The Order Rising Vol III

14

Darren tested his arm again. The power had been malfunctioning since it was damaged in their escape. He missed his own flesh, even as weak as it had been; his arm had at least been his own. He managed to grip the small metal tab on his leg finally.

He pulled the tab, until it clicked, and then rotated it slowly. A small release of pressure was his only indication that he had accomplished anything. His leg was mostly mechanical, with some organic function. Most of his original tissue had to be discarded during one of several procedures to preserve his life.

The mechanical portions of his leg worked in unison with the incoming electrical impulses from his nerves. The small system it operated on managed to send small amounts of data back to his brain, allowing him to maintain his footing on unlevel ground.

Small metal rods ran the length of his calf, and attached at hinged connections to the cables that operated his Artificial toes. The hinged connections were the most likely part to fail, so he had them treated. Once the metal was treated it was nearly unbreakable.

The metal rods that ran down the inside of his calf were flexible to compensate for impact from running, and jumping motions. Because of their need for shock absorption, it wasn't possible to have them treated the way the hinged connections were, and so he carried a spare rod.

The spare rod was mounted to the side to avoid complications with his legs function, but was fitted with a quick release, in case he needed to access it in a hurry. The small flattened rod was roughly the length of his arm from the bend to the tip of his fingers, and had no obvious use to him at the moment, but it was all he could think of, so he pulled it out, and inspected it.

It had some small areas of wear from rubbing against some other part in his leg. He figured it was in decent enough shape to function in its intended capacity, but he would think of a use for it. He secured it back in the side compartment of his calf, and stood.

Bending to reach his leg was easy enough, but staying that way caused him to ache through his lower back. Rhea joked with him frequently about being used up, and more machine than man, but he was actually considering a spinal replacement. The operation would almost qualify him as an inorganic life form.

The Years had been cruel to Darren, but they had been the best he'd ever known. Aside from fighting on the very tip of a galactic spearhead, He had miraculously regained the controls of his destiny, and worked his way into a grand ride.

Rhea was still making him feel like a love-struck young man. He looked over to watch her washing her hair in the water that fell from the tube in the wall. She had only lost trivial parts of her anatomy over the span of their campaign, and remained beautiful to him, through the hardship, and stress of war.

The door to the prison they were all overly familiar with opened, and the Croans stepped in. He wondered witch of his friends the monster wanted to punish with stories of Croan gods, and ancient civilities of slaves. They had all been educated on the plans of Seven.

He didn't like the thought of something so powerful that an entire civilization of monsters were afraid it might awaken somewhere far across the galaxy. He didn't like the thought of any of it, and was growing tired of fighting. He frequently wished the campaign would end and he and Rhea could move to a quiet mountain somewhere.

The Croans walked past everyone, and that's when he realized they were making a path to him. A small panic ran through his mind, but then subsided. He couldn't imagine they were coming to confiscate the rod in his leg. The amount of Croans on the ship made an attempt at anything almost absolutely useless.

He raised his arms for the Croans to lift him by. They always carried their prisoners a few inches off the ground. His communicator informed him that all his nutrient levels were above average, and his hydration was above optimal. Shortly after they arrived on the enemy craft, everyone started to notice the same phenomenon.

They all registered record high numbers in all medical readouts. Slowly their bodies were healing, from their escape attempt, and the preceding battle. Darren suspected the ship's atmosphere had been modified to manage the biological needs of his team.

He wished the atmosphere would service his damaged electrical components. Being confined to a dark room with no privacy was bad, but not being able to function was driving him mad. He desperately needed to do something.

The Greys had begun a fitness program at regular intervals, but Darren couldn't manage any movements required to combat the stagnating effects of being old. He considered his age as the monsters carried him to the central station. Seven was engrossed in his work as always.

Darren imagined he must be controlling a ground force somewhere, killing innocent Greatians. The Croans dropped him on the cold hard floor. They became like statues, and Darren pulled his knees up getting comfortable. He prided himself on his reluctance to exchange information with the enemy.

The creature pulled itself from its station with too many arms, and flowing robes. It sickened him to hear its disgusting claws clicking against the surfaces it touched. Croans didn't bother Darren the way Seven did. They were bulky stone warriors, and only brought to mind living rock. Seven was a segmented creator, with a slick outer shell, and his body always appeared moist.

It crept its way over to Darren, and sat before him in its closest replication of his posture. He could smell its pungent aroma, reminding him of decaying leaves on a wet jungle floor. From what he could gather from the others it seemed they all saw something slightly different when they were looking at it.

Darren looked up and maintained its stare defiantly.

"Do you still feel a connection to the Quadruped?" Seven asked.

Darren rolled the words around in his mind. He remembered what Quadruped meant, but couldn't make a connection to it.

"The creature that watches you from across the galaxy. From this close, I can feel its gaze." Seven continued his emotionless announcement. "He has led his kind out of the pit, and prepares now to reclaim his planet."

Darren realized it was referring to his long absent partner, and former telepathic companion. "It is good to hear that he is reaching for a more significant existence." Darren answered mostly to stop the creature's revelation. He had noticed it had a tendency to carry on without regard to time. He supposed time must be insignificant to a being that supposedly lived forever.

"I am glad significance is of importance to you" It said waving a long arm toward its right. Darren looked, but noticed nothing significant about the dark side of the room. Suddenly a translucent area grew from the center of the wall, and continued until it was as big as the wall itself.

Darren stood quickly stumbling to the side, and having to grab a Croan for support. He was completely horrified by what lay just beyond the wall of the ship. It was so close he almost reached out for it.

The Greatian capital was only distinguishable from any other lump of dirt, because of its architecture. Darren couldn't believe what he was seeing, and then he refused. He shook his head in disbelief.

"This is impossible" Darren snapped accusingly.

"I have nothing to gain by deceiving you Dare..." Seven started to say, but was cut off by an outburst.

"No..." Darren commanded". You don't get to use my name you..."

He couldn't think of an insult that would feel adequate, and abandoned his effort to.

"We are not companions Creature!" He said, emphasizing his disgust on the last word.

"We captured you for a reason." It said beginning to pace around Darren. Looming over his shoulder out of the darkness, and then retreating again to the shadows.

Darren began to feel faint. He could feel Seven at the edges of his consciousness. It was testing the defenses of his mind.

"What do you want form me?" Darren asked as he fell to his knees. There was a pain in his mind. It wasn't physical in the sense that he couldn't pinpoint an origin for the pain.

"We already have it" Seven whispered. The whisper seemed to fade as Darren looked up from the floor. The room was dark again. The wall was no longer translucent, and Seven was no longer in sight.

Darren placed a weary hand on the floor. He didn't remember becoming tired, he was just suddenly drained. His hand landed in a cold puddle. A warm drop hit the back of his hand. He realized the liquid his hand was in was sweat.

An attempt to stand only brought him to a complete collapse. At first the cold liquid was unpleasant, and made him cringe, but soon it warmed to the same temperature as his body. The Darkness was comforting, and he thought about the sweet release of sleep that was creeping in.

The comfort was fleeting as he noticed the faint outline of Seven in the shadows.

"What did you do to me?" Darren whispered. His throat was dry, and his voice raspy.

"Nothing you wanted to remember" Seven answered. "We are very familiar with each other now Darren."

"Just kill me you monster." Was all He could manage?

"We have the information we need now." Seven told him, stepping from the shadows. "There is no reason we need your team."

Seven sat in his control center, and the devices he used to manipulate his craft blinked to life, casting a dim light in the room. Darren suddenly had a feeling he had been in the room with it for much longer than he was aware of.

He struggled to his feet, and stumbled toward Seven. He paused, expecting to be apprehended by the Croans, but they seemed to have been dispatched somewhere.

He stumbled on until he reached the central platform, and he climbed the three steps. Standing beside Seven in the control center he could see the complexity of the ships control station. He had a thought for just a second that the ship must do more than just transport a group of Croans, and their master around.

It was a fleeting thought because he quickly realized none of the instruments he was observing made any sense to him. He stared into the face of the monster, and gathered strength from his hatred of it.

Seven suddenly looked up from his station, and for just a second, it looked like he was sympathetic. It quickly looked away, returning to the instruments.

"You can return to the cell now" Seven told him.

Darren turned, and looked toward the room where his friends were.

"You will be sent home as soon as the signal is shut down on Issa" Seven added as Darren began to take a step toward his cell. He froze, realizing what the information it had been seeking actually was.

He turned slowly around to look one last time at the enemy, and he pulled the quick disconnect lever on his leg. The rod slid out into his hand, and he shoved it into Sevens eye. The counter attack came almost instantly, but achieved no damage.

Darren was mid collapse as the blow from Seven's powerful arm struck his chest. Seven's attack only managed to add to his momentum as he fell back from the central platform. A second attack missed by an arm's length.

Darren smiled as he tumbled over the hard steps. He felt his ribs break, but the pain was masked quickly by a warm tightening. He recognized the tingle of internal bleeding, and felt the pressure building around his lungs. He was going to die.

Seven stumbled around the room lashing out at the air. Darren watched as the attacks grew weaker, and the motions less coordinated. He was surprised at how effective his stab had been. Seven finally lost his balance, and began scrambling around the room. He stopped moving, and looked around.

"I'm over here" Darren said laughing despite his pain. The laugh caused him to choke, and he coughed out several ounces of blood. The bleeding wasn't only on the outside of his lungs.

Seven crawled over to him, feeling across the floor until he reached Darren's arm. He patted Darren on the chest several times. He forced his powerful clawed fingers under Darren's ribs, and wrapped his hand around Darren's weakly pumping heart.

15

Ulrick stood before the open door for so long he had stopped questioning it, and his thoughts were wandering. He realized he was still in the cell, and the present came rushing back to him. The door had suddenly opened. everyone migrated to the entrance, and stood silent.

He had lost count of how long Darren had been missing. The lighting along the hall flickered, and the low humming sound that must have been Omni-present, waned for a moment.

Ulrick placed a hand on the track that should have been generating the door, and then stepped out into the hall. He turned around to see the others. Commander Wren stepped out into the hall squinting from the light. She gave him an inquisitive look.

He shrugged, and turned to look down the hall. No Croans came to meet them, and no noticeable sign of an alarm was presented. Ulrick held up his hand to signal to Commander Wren he wanted to scout ahead alone.

"Ulrick..." She said grabbing his hand. He squeezed hers in return, but continued down the hall without glancing back. moving cautiously, he made his way through the room where all the Croans once stood motionless.

The statue army was alive, and moving around. They all seemed incoherent, and hardly took notice of him as he moved through the crowd.

He paused, and waited to awaken from the dream that he must have been trapped in. The fear of being in an enclosed space with such a large number of the enemy was causing him to breathe heavily.

Reaching the end of the room, he turned around, and looked across the crowd of monsters. More than half had taken notice of him, but only stared back curiously.

The power waned again, and the Croans all cringed. Some grabbed their heads, and cried out in agony. Ulrick entered the central room where they had all been questioned, or lectured by the creature that called itself Seven.

It was dark in the room, but Ulrick smelled Seven somewhere in the room. He also detected a strong odor that was familiar, but escaped his thoughts.

"Use the ring Mr. Grey" A voice said from the shadows. He recognized it a seven, but something seemed off.

"Why have we been released?" Ulrick asked the shadows.

"There is no time to explain..." Seven coughed, producing a wet gurgle "Use the ring, and kill Gozwahl."

"I don't understand" Ulrick said, only receiving silence in return.

After a moment, a small ring flickered on, and the wall at the far end of the room became transparent. Ulrick steadied himself against a pillar. The view beyond the wall was spectacular, and horrifying.

"We shut down the signal, but it was too late," Seven announced from the floor, where he was completely prostrate. "It has gained the power it needs, and now it is moving to your Capital."

Ulrick was shocked by the number of Croan ships hovering just beyond the wall. They stretched across a sky, and numbered in the thousands. As the ship slowly rotated, the Greatian capital moved into view, and the city gleamed in the morning sun.

Rhea suddenly knelt beside Seven, tears streaming down her face. "He avenged himself" Seven laughed bringing on another coughing fit. Darren lay just beyond the Creature unmoving, with a gaping opening in his upper abdomen.

"Where does it lead?" Ulrick asked stepping closer to Seven so that he could see the object protruding from its eye.

"To our true enemy" Seven answered weakly. "When you encounter the dark one, you may not recognize it."

Ulrick grabbed Rhea, and turned back toward the cell. Commander Wren walked into the room, and the three of them approached the ring.

"Are we sure this is the best thing to do?" Commander Wren asked.

"It's the only way off this ship" Ulrick said, carrying Rhea who seemed to be frozen in shock of finding her partner dead. They stepped through the ring, and were suddenly in what appeared to be a laboratory of some kind.

A young woman and a large group of similarly dressed guards turned from the broadcast they were all watching to examine the three people who had materialized suddenly. Commander Wren recognized the Greatian Queen, and fell to her knees.

Part II

Thomas blinked his burning eyes open. There was a cool breeze. blowing across his face, and a welcoming aroma riding on it. He smiled, and looked around. A chair, a table, and a door. Only three things he could differentiate from the blinding whiteness of the room.

He sat up suddenly, remembering the events in his recent past. Many scenarios, some even entertaining the idea that he had been unconscious, and dreamed the entire thing started to race through his mind.

An older woman hurried through the door, and approached his bed. "Welcome back Mr. Grey" She said cheerfully.

"I'm so confused" He said, his voice dry, and cracking. "Where am I?" He asked.

"We are in the Banth Royal University of Medicine" She answered matter-of-factly.

"In Greatian, the capital" He said dazedly.

"The one, and only" The woman replied, changing a Nutra-pack that was attached to his perma-port.

He instantly relaxed. His need for eating food was over, and he was on a safe and civilized world.

"I received orders from the Royal Guard, that I send word to the Queen upon your awakening" She informed him. She removed a strange looking frame from the wall, and placed it on the back of the door. She ran her fingers over the surface of it until an array of lights were activated on its surface.

She opened the door, and exited without saying a word. The frame remained flickering on the back of the door for a while, and then it seemed to display an image. It was a room, with nice wooden chairs, and a long table.

He pondered the strange decoration for a moment, and then turned over. He looked out the window, and froze. He climbed out of his bed, and never took his eyes off the sky.

When he reached the window, he realized the entire sky was covered in ships. Croan ships hung in the sky as far as he could see. There was no sound of combat, and no motion.

A set of Greatian ships passed by, after a moment, another set passed at the same speed, and on the same route. He suddenly realized he was watching a patrol, making their rounds.

He sat back on the bed, and closed his eyes. The stress of his misadventure on the Reserve world, and the unanswered questions were piling up on him. He relaxed onto his bed, and tried to push the piling questions from his thoughts.

He would start unwrapping the world when he was feeling better. Voices caught his attention, but seemed to be coming from outside the door. He closed his eyes again. He thought of Uri, and more unanswered questions piled onto his list.

Sitting up in frustration, he noticed movement coming from inside the frame that was hanging on the door. He thought it was a strange place to mount an entertainment feed, but he needed to distract himself from the chaos of his life. As he watched, a stream of people walked into the room with the large wooden table, and sat at the chairs.

Thomas stood, and approached the door. He recognized one of the people, and then another. His mother, and the Research commander, Rhea Water. He marveled at how young they were, and how pretty Rhea was. The feed must have been from long ago, because he didn't remember his mother looking quite so young.

He suddenly got a shiver. It seemed that the people in the picture were looking at him. It was the strangest feeling he was having, and he wanted to turn off the feed. He reached to disturb the image, but his hand went straight in.

The Greatian Queen peeked her head around the side of the frame, and began to clap loudly. Thomas was in shock, and the women sitting across from him were in a similar state.

The Queen grabbed his arm, startling him with her soft, yet firm grip. It wasn't a feed; it was some kind of dimensional rift. He felt weak all of a sudden, and grabbed the edge of the table for support.

His mother blinked tears out of her eyes, and stood. The Queen held a hand out, and she sat back down. He was so confused, why had the Queen warned his mother to stay back.

"Thomas?" His mother said. It was almost a question. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in a display case across the room, and froze. He understood completely why they were in shock, and crying. The face staring back at him was mostly monster, with a hint of Thomas.

"Our doctors have stabilized your condition Thomas" The Queen said, having realized he could see his reflection. "You have been infected with an unknown disease."

Thomas turned to look at the Queen as his mother began to cry, and Rhea consoled her. He noticed a young man, and Corey standing behind her, but very close. Corey stood with his hand on his blade as always. Something struck him suddenly when he looked at Corey, and then it was gone.

He looked at the young man, and suddenly recognized his father. "Why has everyone gotten prettier, and I get the unknown disease" Thomas halfheartedly joked.

Something was still bothering him about Corey, but he couldn't remember why. He stepped past the Queen, and hugged his father.

"I don't know Thomas, you have looked worse" Ulrick said patting him on the back. "Actually there is a lot we have to talk to you about. The reason we are all young, and why there are enemy ships in the sky."

"Later" Thomas said. He rounded the table, and knelt before his mother. He placed his head in her lap, and she stroked his hair. He could have stayed there forever, but eventually he decided it was best for everyone if they continued with their business. Dwelling on the strange events of the recent past would drive them all mad.

"Tell me why the enemy is occupying our sky" Thomas said finally. He sat beside his mother, and held her hand as the Queen addressed the room. She was beautiful, and had a strong presence. Thomas suddenly felt the need to taste her flesh. He started to sweat, and forced himself to listen.

The Queen told an insane story about the capture, and rejuvenation of the Order, and the killing of Darren Tollman. She ended her address by posting a clock on the wall. It counted down toward nothing.

"This is how long we have to find the Croan god that we have no idea how to locate, or if in fact is real or..." She said pausing, and looking to Corey. "..as Mr. Raka has advised so reverently, how long we have to prepare for combat."

Thomas looked at the clock again, and sank in his seat. He had escaped the hellish world, and only had a handful of Greatian days before he was going to be annihilated by the Croans. He felt a dark dread, and his feeling of disdain for Corey grew, as if a memory was coming back, and he knew he should be wary of his friend.

"Where is Uri" Thomas said interrupting the Queen. She stared at him, and looked at Corey questioningly.

"The girl I was telling you about" Corey said.

"Ahh...." The Queen said looking at Thomas with a strange compassion.

"Thomas," The Queen said "there are some things you should see."

Thomas could imagine there was a lot he needed to see, but he wasn't sure he was prepared to take in too much more startling information.

"Anything that the queen thinks will help my recovery" Thomas said smiling his best charming smile. The Queen turned to Corey, and exchanged a couple words. He nodded, and then turned down the rooms lighting.

"As you all know by now, Thomas and I was marooned on a reserve planet we thought might be harboring enemy encampments." Corey said looking at Thomas for confirmation.

Thomas remained silent wondering if the lie was to protect him, or if Corey was hiding something else.

Corey lowered his eyes in mock sadness. The level of effort being put into the performance caused Thomas to feel suddenly angry.

"I was afraid this was the case" Corey said looking from the floor to Thomas, and then to the rest of the room. "You were so ill" he continued. "Maybe this will explain things."

Corey stepped to the side of the room, and a recording played in full spectrum. The room was equipped with the latest reproduction software, and even some odor, and wind data was re-created during playback.

Thomas was suddenly struck by the familiarity of the scene. He had made the recording, but something was wrong. He could hear himself talking, and occasionally laughing, but he didn't remember the scene the way it was being displayed.

"This isn't right." Thomas said. No one turned to listen to him. They were all watching the recording. Corey stepped into view, but it was Corey from before the escape.

Thomas stood abruptly interrupting the playback. He stared at Corey with anger growing in his chest. The scene in the playback wasn't how he remembered it because Uri had been edited out of the feed altogether.

"What did you do?" Thomas yelled at Corey accusingly.

"I tried to tell you many times Thomas, she wasn't re..." Corey said before Thomas cut him off.

"No..." Thomas said holding his hand up to stop the lies. "I don't remember everything. but something in my gut tells me you are lying."

Corey's expression changed to a casual disappointment, and he turned the feedback on. A new recording showed Corey from the viewpoint of a drone. He was carrying a sick, and deformed Thomas up stairs toward a crashed ship.

"I've seen enough." Thomas announced slamming his hand on the table. His mutated hand was now equipped with claws, and they were embedded into the wood of the table.

"You are not well Thomas" Corey said stepping back to the focal point of the conference room.

"You are a liar, and these recordings are fake "Thomas yelled.

"She is not real" Corey said softly holding his hands palm up in a non-combative posture. The two men stared at each other for a moment, until Thomas slowly sat back in his seat.

"Maybe you are right" Thomas said. "Maybe I am ill..."

Corey straightened his uniform, for the first time since they entered the room Thomas noticed the official Royal Guard emblem on the assassin's shirt.

"Regardless, I wish to be free of your company" Thomas said standing again. "Your hands would be better suited elsewhere." he added as he approached the door.

He turned back to smile at his mother, and stepped back into his room. He fumbled around, and then found the off sensor for the jump frame. The room disappeared, and he turned away from it.

As he walked toward the bed to rest, the plan to find Uri, and discover why Corey was hiding something from them started to form. His biggest concern was having Corey as his enemy. He knew all too well how that could turn out.

He decided he would rest for a while before he set out to uncover any mysteries. He figured that if the clock ran out before he was able to recover; his enemy would be destroyed alongside everyone else. The thought brought him no real comfort, as he closed his eyes to sleep.

II-1

The light finally stopped burning her skin. Natalie had completely forgotten what pain felt like. The sensation of warmth brought so many distant memories back that if she had had eyes she would have been crying. She would have definitely been screaming from the blast of energy that ran through her when the old man turned on his device.

She drifted for a time only seeing colors, and never really grasping their purpose. She had hoped the experiment would free her from the exile she was living in, but she hadn't considered all the implications. She feared her predicament had gotten worse just before the first physical objects faded into her world.

The window and wall looked familiar but she couldn't place them until the tree, and courtyard blinked into view. She was disappointed by remaining stationary while the physical world materialized. If she was back from her exile, gravity would have slammed her against the planet with enough force to finally free her wandering soul.

The room inside the window appeared, and she noticed a familiar face. She struggled for a moment, confused as to why without a physical process to take place, did she have trouble remembering things. She supposed it wasn't memory in the way she had had them all her life, but something more closely related to instinct.

The man in the room was from the Order of light. Natalie had watched him fight alongside the queens forces. She was sure she had seen him die, but she had died once before hadn't she. She found moving was something of a struggle as well. Mr. Jan had better of gotten a great deal of data from his experiment she thought.

As she floated awkwardly toward the window she started to see shimmering. She froze, and watched closely. The shimmer was emanating from the man in the window. She floated into the room.

Immediately she noticed the people in the room all had a shimmer, and it was directed at whatever they were interacting with. When they spoke to each other it intertwined. She was seeing some kind of colorful representation of the workings of the universe.

After observing the man they called Corey, she noticed something was definitely peculiar about his effect on the energy around him. Something other than his will was manipulating the energy that moved around the room.

He focused on the young man in the bed. Natalie couldn't believe that it was Thomas Grey. She spent Hours watching the exchange of the energy. The young man lay in the bed appearing more monster than man. He slept soundly as Corey stood over his bed.

The strange shimmering aura was like shining strands of metallic hair. It reached inside Thomas's energy, and pulled something from him. She was becoming concerned about his safety, but what could she do.

She had become calloused by spending too much time outside the realm of causality, but the feeling of warmth, and not so pleasant experience of burning was fresh within her. She focused her will on the strange aura coming out of Corey.

He spun around looking furiously into her face. He glanced around the room. Natalie experienced a rush of information suddenly. She couldn't focus on one image, or detail, but a large and horrifying picture formed in her mind, and then vanished.

She knew she had to stop Corey somehow. He was certainly not a man, and she suspected he was more of a monster than the young man in the bed appeared to be. He slowly backed out of the room. She could see the energy communicating with his own energy.

The blade he carried was the source of the strange evil manipulating Thomas while he slept. Natalie followed Corey out into the hall, and for a time she followed him everywhere he went. She watched him tell the Queen how ill Thomas was, and about how delusional he might be when he regained consciousness.

She followed him hoping to find out what he was planning, and excited that she had been able to generate a reaction from someone in the physical world.

Corey made his way back to a storage facility near the docking station. Natalie was sick when she saw the young monster he was keeping chained up in the container. He brought her food, but never removed the gag she wore while he was in the room.

She writhed as the Blade manipulated her mind. Natalie could feel the dark energy emanating from the Blade. She was shocked by the experience of feeling at first, and then she was angered by what was happening. She focused her will against the energy.

Corey stood unmoving suddenly looking confused. He looked around with no recognition on his face, as if had awoken from a dream in an unfamiliar world.

The dark energy overcame her attack, and Corey became the statuesque monster he had been, but with a wicked smile on his face.

"You aren't strong enough to take them from me phantom" Corey said turning, and looking directly at Natalie. "These are my puppets" He said making a fist, and shaking it at her.

She was stunned that someone was addressing her. A million thoughts ran through her mind, and then she realized the Queen had to be warned about the evil living inside Corey. She quickly willed her way across the space at impossible speed, and entered the Engineering lab.

Mr. Jan was leaning back in his chair rubbing his eyes. The displays before him were full of data, and images of Natalie. She couldn't believe she was seeing herself again. The Engineers had recreated her face from the image captured in the experiment, and the software recognized her.

Mr. Jan stared at the image. His Shimmering will was intermittent, and moved from one screen to the other. He closed his eyes, and she could tell he was asleep. For the first time in an age, she felt the longing for time to pass, and that it was affecting her intentions.

If Mr. Jan could figure out a medium for her to communicate with the Queen she could save the girl, and rid the world of the evil. She was finally involved in the universe again, and her link to it was overcome with exhaustion.

She watched him for hours. No one came into the lab while he slept. He barely moved until his communicator started to glow. Mr. Jan sat up; wiping his mouth he activated the projection feature.

Natalie would have jumped if she had a body. She thought for a moment, if the experiment captured an image of her, then she was still present, in some form. The thought was short lived as she watched Corey's face reproduced in tri-color hologram.

He wanted to see the head of engineering on behalf of the Queen. Natalie followed the Mr. Jan through the jump ring into a room where guards were setting up an office. Corey sat behind a desk wearing the Royal Guard uniform.

"Mr. Jan, come in, sit down" Corey said gesturing to the chair across from him.

"I am sure you have noticed the new situation we are tasked to assess" Corey said bluntly, getting right to the point.

"I... I must say.. regrettably, I have been out of the loop for a short time." Mr. Jan said. He looked around at the room being organized.

"Right..." Corey said smiling "I'm sure you aren't used to things changing so rapidly here in the heights of Greatian power, but you will have to strap in Mr. Jan. We have a crisis hanging over our heads."

Natalie didn't know what crisis he could be talking about, but when he mentioned the theoretical above their heads, he looked directly at her.

"If you will allow me one moment to catch up" Mr. Jan said opening his Communicator menu. "You see Mr...."

"Advisor... Raka" Corey said.

"Right... Advisor Raka, I am by the Queens order perpetually under a crisis situation." Mr. Jan said just before his display filled with flashing icons. "Oh... well that is a serious situation."

"Yes it is" Corey said, his hands folded under his chin. Natalie could tell he was pleased with whatever his meeting was progressing toward. "I am told you are working on identifying an invisible entity within the palace" Corey said.

"Yes actually...." Mr. Jan started to say.

"You will have to suspend that project, and focus on the assignment sent to you by order of the Queen" Corey interjected.

"Of course... I will stop all secondary projects. Allow me to catch my team, and myself up on the details of our invasion problem." Mr. Jan said obediently. Corey hadn't needed to use his dark influence to stop her chance to interfere. He had legitimate influence by order of the Queen.

Ray was of no use to her as a means of communication. He sat in the psychiatric recovery wing of the medical center looking blankly at the window. He started to forget things soon after he woke up in the medical wing. She was there until he seemed to forget everything, and he started to sit for long periods without blinking.

Mr. Jan left the room, with his new assignment, and hurried away. Corey asked the Guards to step out of the room for a moment. He turned to face her, and folded his arms. He moved with unnatural speed. The blade was out of its sheath, and Corey had closed the distance between them in an instant.

He sliced through the air in a cross pattern, first down, and then across. He stood with the blade in his hand watching.

"It was worth a try" He said with a grim smile. He sheathed the sword, and returned to his desk. The dark energy poured out of the blade, and took the shape of an unspeakably devious looking creature.

"When I take a permanent physical form in this world, I'll have the power to destroy it, worry not my friend your release, and revenge are close at hand." Said the shadow that seemed to dim the light in the room with its presence.

It waved its translucent arm in a dismissing manner. Energy struck Natalie forcing her from the room, and outside the building. She was shocked by the crippling darkness of the energy. It was the essence of every sick tragedy that had ever taken place.

She wanted nothing but to be free of it, and moved back to Thomas's room. If the Creature could interact with her energy then, she thought, maybe she could sabotage its work. She moved into Thomas's room, and focused her will on the energy that he emitted.

His eyes opened, and she knew he would be the key to saving everything.

II-3

Thomas moved through the hall silently. He was adapting to his new senses. His sight and hearing being augmented was no special experience with all the technology he was accustomed to. He was shocked by the sensation he experienced when he caught a scent on the air. They seemed to be everywhere, and in an infinite variety.

Every smell that he encountered told him a piece of a story, and promised to carry him away to the origin of its aroma. He remembered them all so that he could explore them later as he moved through the hall.

His ability to coordinate quick, smooth movement with an ease gave him a thrill, and suddenly he wanted to run. His new condition was going to take some adjusting to, but he was starting to be more optimistic about it.

He exited the medical building, and headed toward the transport terminal. He had to find Uri, and get her back to the Queen, but first, he had a surprise for Corey. The ship was rigged with a recording device that only Thomas could access. He installed the hardware separate from the ship's computer, and shielded it from detection.

He never hid anything from his old friend, coincidentally he had forgotten about the device altogether after its first use. The garage where he had his modifications installed on Ifria was of questionable reputation, so he set up a continuous recording device to record their activities under, and inside the ship.

If the recording reached a certain size the oldest portions were deleted. If he was lucky, he could find out who sabotaged his ship, and prove Corey was hiding something. He hated the gaps in his memory for dampening his conviction. He knew deep inside that something horrible had happened to Corey, and Uri, but he couldn't remember any details.

The Palace district terminal was always busy, even in the latest hours of the Greatian night. He could imagine the terminal being a monument to the past soon, when every person had a ring, and could jump to anywhere. The universe would be accessible within a couple generations.

He wondered, as he stepped into the booth, and selected the destination he pre-planned on his communicator, how long it would last. He couldn't picture a civilization that had an endless and instant method of travel, but couldn't reign in rouge agents within their current leadership, being ready for endless space, and resources.

He stepped through the booth, and into the transit terminal his ship was registered for. He knew the transit authority system would have taxied his ship to this terminal, but he did in know what hangar it was in. He spotted a terminal for interacting with ship maintenance systems, and started toward it.

His thoughts drifted to a society with expansive jump capability, and he wondered what would be their end, or if they would be the end of everything. Had his kind just reached a mutation milestone at which they would uncontrollably consume the stars, and all the energy within them? He returned to a less grand scheme thought process. His mind had begun to wander since his mutation.

The terminal scanned him, and failed to recognize him using biometric identification methods. He was significantly mutated after all. He held his communicator up to the link scanner, and his old face appeared on the screen. He took the opportunity to update his bio-metric readings, and selected the Other tab on species just for kicks.

The system accepted his changes after a sample of his hair was analyzed, and his identity confirmed. He was relieved that his DNA hadn't been overly compromised causing him to be unidentifiable. The system prompted him to select an estimated length of stay.

He closed his eyes realizing his ship wasn't being housed at the terminal, or he would not have been asked for an estimate. He suddenly realized what a mistake he was making, especially after having an altercation with Corey.

He stepped back from the display. He could smell them now, moving from cover, to cover.

"We never landed" He said realizing his ship was most likely at a private facility.

"We were jumped from orbit to the royal hangar as soon as we were in contact with the Queen." Said an all too familiar voice. Thomas dropped the hood he was using to hide his appearance. His hearing was becoming almost unbearably precise.

Every step the guards took was in detail to him. It told him where they were, and how they moved. He could tell from the way one of them drug their foot a little every time she stepped, allowing her foot to make good contact with the ground before putting weight on it, that she was the weakest link.

The familiar sound of her prosthetic reminded him of his father. Corey had only brought three guards. They were all nervous, and recruits. Thomas could smell the academy on their uniforms. He probably chose them because they were disposable, and would follow any order blindly.

Thomas leaned his head to the side, and smiled. Corey had an amused smile on his face as well. "Three recruits Raka" Thomas said out of spite. "And one of them an amputee." he added

Corey looked at the young guard, and then to a pair of recording drones. He waited for Thomas to get the idea. It struck him, and he had to laugh a little. Corey hadn't chosen the recruits for their skills, or blind loyalty. He was counting on Thomas escaping, and hopefully killing one of them in the process.

If he harmed the amputee, it would make him look deranged, and heartless. Corey was playing his part very meticulously. This was more troublesome for him than if they had just come to kill him.

"We are here to make sure you return to the medical wing safely Mr. Grey" Corey said motioning to the Guard recruit to Thomas's right. The tranquilizer dart passed before his eyes. It was at the height of his neck. He reached out incredulous at the speed he was moving.

The world seemed to be slowed down tremendously. He could hear the second shot being fired from behind his back. The dart wasn't easily manipulated, but he was managing to redirect it. The required physical force seemed to remain the same; he was just seeing the events at a slower rate.

He pivoted in the direction the dart was traveling, and changed its trajectory just enough. He let the dart go, and lunged toward the young woman with the artificial leg. The tranquilizer she had fired passed close enough that he nudged it just to be sure it wasn't going to graze him.

Little ribbons of his suit, and skin flew into the air. Touching projectiles was definitely not a sustainable defense. As the first dart struck the young woman in the cheek, Thomas began to perceive the world at a normal pace again. He shoved the woman at Corey using her as a change of direction, giving himself a boost in momentum.

several shots bounced off objects around him as he hurdled a crate, and made for the door with intense speed. He ran through the shipping wing like a mad man. He had never felt so able, and free. He didn't want to stop running. Every step brought him strength, and a rush of wind carrying a new scent.

He didn't know if Corey was telling the truth about Uri not being in the shipping district, but he did know his chances of finding her with Corey aware of his location were almost nothing. He looked around for a jump terminal, or a crowded area he could blend in, or escape through.

A reflection caught him off guard. It was Corey right behind him, his blade in hand. Thomas ducked just as Corey slashed for his neck. He used the motion to counter attack. Placing his hands firmly on the floor, he kicked with both feet knocking Corey back, and himself forward. He tucked, and rolled onto his feet whirling around in time to dodge backward another attack.

He lunged forward as soon as his feet were once again on the floor, striking Corey's Blade arm. To his surprise the flesh came away with ease, and the blood began to flow. Corey retreated a few paces, and yelled into his communicator.

"All Guards move in on my position, Thomas Grey has gone mad." Corey yelled clutching his Arm, and smiling at Thomas.

"This is what you want?" Thomas screamed, trembling with rage, and fear. Tears had begun to fall from his eyes blurring his vision. "You want to see the monster?" He asked feeling the murderous urge rising from within him. He could smell the blood. It wasn't right, and it reeked of evil.

Corey fell to his knees, and pretended to be helpless; the Drones hovered around recording the scene. People stared from behind columns, and around corners. Thomas didn't see them; all he could see was the facade before him.

He suddenly remembered the events from before awakening in the medical wing. He grabbed Corey by the face, and bit down on his throat. His new teeth sank into flesh like it was a creamy boiled pastry. The warm blood poured onto his skin surprisingly hot.

He tossed the body aside, and ran toward an exit. The blade would bring Corey back, and he would have sufficient evidence to have Thomas hunted. The situation was becoming a nightmare. He didn't care. It felt so good to kill the monster that had caused so much pain, and suffering that he wanted to find him, and do it again.

He leapt a fence bordering a local park, and ran through the thick vegetation toward the water he could smell. He could hear the commotion of Guards, and other local law enforcement ushering civilians out of the buildings, and searching back alleys.

The water washed the blood away from his skin, but his suit was off a shade because of it. Some smell was tugging at his attention; it was familiar, but not identifiable. He heard the search Drones coming from across the city. For the first time in his life he both needed, and regretted Jump technology.

He quickly shut off his communicator. It was the first time he had been disconnected from the servers in as long as he could remember. He moved into the water, and slowly began swimming toward the other side. He caught the strange scent, and suddenly recognized it.

He turned toward the breeze, and started following it. A surveillance drone passed over the lake. Thomas wasn't by any calculations familiar with the aquatic species native, or imported to the Royal City, but he couldn't imagine any of them being large carnivores.

He dove under the tepid water, and pushed deeper until he reached the cold lake bed. He swam along slowly inspecting the bottom. A tiny shift from the corner of his vision caught his eye, and he moved over to it.

The creature seemed to be feeding on the abundant algae growing on the rocks. It was just large enough for his intentions. Thomas returned to the surface, and noticed the drone moving over the surface of the water scanning the lake for him.

He returned slowly to the bottom, locating the flora munching bottom dweller. He hoped it wasn't a limited species, but necessity dictated it perish for the greater good. He needed to hide under its corpse. He approached from just behind its eyes. His best guess was the creature was particularly unprepared for an attack. Most species that reach a certain size leave their defensive measures behind during evolution, having outgrown any predatory threats.

He seized the creature, and immediately regretted it. He drove his claws into its body, and tore at its flesh. He could feel the raw power as it pushed away from the bottom. Several appendages were uncovered from where it had them buried beneath the sediment.

The tentacles seized Thomas, and began to emit a calming hum. He was relaxing into sleep as the hum grew beyond a comforting frequency, and into the realm of energy. The shock contracted the muscles in his legs, as the creature turned to look him in the eye. Its mouth was agape allowing for a tormentors view of its teeth.

He was wrong about its nature, but only by half. Just as he had omnivorous equipment in his face so had the creature? He mustered up the strength to fight, and ripped at the tentacles holding his legs. The reaction was so quick he thought of trying to escape.

The creature released his legs, and recoiled all of its appendages into an attack posture. It struck him three times quickly before grabbing hold of his neck, and shoving him head first into its mouth. He flailed around trying to hold the last of his over held breath.

The bite was surprisingly gentile. Only enough pressure to ensure he didn't escape was used. The burning in his chest was fading away, with everything, and he released his hold on the air. as the rush of air left his body, there came a feeling of calm, followed by a burning as the water entered his lungs. His body immediately rejected the substance, and he convulsed.

Flying through the air was among the last sensations he expected after his death. Landing on a slick semi-wet ground knocking the water out of him was a close contender. Scrambling away from the superior fighter, he realized he was in some kind of subterranean tunnel.

Using its many arms, the creature was suspended across the passage. It struggled to hold on to the natural holds created by the ancient water, and waste transport lines, and tree roots. It failed to maintain its hold, and collapsed onto the tunnel floor before Thomas.

A fluid pumped from its back, until it was still, then the fluid barely oozed. He fell back against the damp wall coughing out another lungful of water. He sniffed the stagnant air, and wished he had not. He could detect the disgusting scent of the creature. Most of its scent was of the decaying organic matter it lived in, mixed with a malodorous musk.

He did not enjoy its scent, but he did gain some valuable information from it. The first thing he noticed was the quickly approaching scent of more of its kind, and then the fresh scent of freedom in the form of air.

He pushed his back into a crevice, and became as still as possible. The creature that emerged into his view brought its own luminescence. It dwarfed the first, and was covered with ridged scales. The bio light it emitted from the tips of translucent barbs allowed him to locate the source of the fresh air.

He had never been so still in his existence. Fighting an undeveloped whelp had almost been his end, now he was only inches from a living breathing killing machine. It examined the body on the floor, and quickly devoured it. The disheartening crunch and wet smacks as internal fluids met the ground were extraordinarily clear in the quiet darkness.

Once the creature finished its cannibalistic meal, it emitted an echoing hiss. Its call was answered by what sounded like an army. Somewhere below the Royal City there was a colony of creatures searching for the same threat the colony on the surface were seeking.

Soon after the creature scuttled down the tunnel, and down into the water, another large group of them passed by hurriedly. Each stopped briefly to examine the entrails littering the floor.

After the precession passed, and disappeared to storm the lake, Thomas climbed out of the hole he had wedged himself in, and scrambled for the opening. He burst into the world like a violent birth, and sprinted away from the hole.

Two things he would never do again were decided at that moment; kill a creature for camouflage without knowing what it is, and go in a nature preserve in the Royal City.

He quickly located the shipping container that smelled of Uri, and wrenched the door from its hold. Uri slammed against his chest, rushing for the open door. She clawed at him growling, and kicking.

The spotlight that hit them stopped her assault, and they both shielded their eyes. The shock charges went off simultaneous to the immobilization nets wrapping them up. Thomas smiled at Uri as the Queen herself stepped out of a hastily deployed jump ring.

Uri pushed against him, frantically trying to free herself from the net. She was quickly tranquilized by a Royal Guard, and Thomas relaxed. The Queen had them hauled through the ring, and into an engineering lab.

Corey was there smiling as though he had just received a gift. Thomas made an unwelcoming snarl at him as they were dragged by.

"I told you he might be contagious." Corey said to the Queen.

"That's enough Mr. Raka" The Queen said.

"Just look at this poor girl, And you saw what he did to me" Corey pleaded. The only response he received was the Queen's hand, a gesture not capable of misinterpretation.

"I have seen much, and so have my Guards Mr. Raka." The Queen said. "I don't know what you are, or how you keep returning from the dead, but you have to answer some questions"

A troupe of Guards entered the room accompanied by Mr. Jan, and The Order of light. Corey looked around, and a flash of anger flickered across his face. He turned, and swatted the air, cursing something no one else could see.

"Highness..." Corey said holding his open hands out as if to say he had nothing to hide.

The Queen sat at an empty work station, and activated a monitor. A projection began, showing a time-line, and recordings that followed a series of events.

"This is a chronological account of your location, and activities since you arrived on this world." Mr. Jan spoke up from across the room. "The second you started augmenting the energy patterns of the Queen, I knew something was not right. We monitor her more closely than any other being that has ever lived. "He continued.

"We can't place you at the storage facility, but there is a gap in our time-line at the exact window of time that someone activated that container." Said the Queen. "Do you deny placing the undocumented girl in the container?" She asked.

Corey drew his blade prompting an extreme response from the Guards. The commotion almost broke into an all-out chaos. Thomas watched as the Queen stood from her seat, and the Guards settled. They held their positions, but still looked ready to jump at the smallest movement.

Corey looked at the blade thoughtfully for a moment, and then he looked to the Queen. Whatever of him had been fooling them into thinking he was a man was gone. The illusion was washed away by the madness in his eyes. It seemed to seep into the skin at the edges, and bleed through his skin. Darkness was emanating from him stronger than ever.

The Queen drew her staff. The cutting edges hummed to life, and extended. Light manipulation was one of the most uncommon weapon types to exist. Most attempts to render the light were catastrophic. A single miscalculation or calibration issue could dematerialize the entire world, and the star it revolved around.

Thomas had never seen such a striking figure as the Greatian Queen fiery mad, and holding a scepter of light.

"I had hoped to see the invasion before revealing myself. The more of them you kill, the harder it will be for them to imprison me after all." He said before lunging at her.

She dodged the attack, and was quickly swallowed by the crowd of Guards that charged in to defend her. Corey appeared even more of a superior blade wielder than Thomas knew he was. There was hardly any evidence of effort in his actions as he dispatched two of the Guards, while avoiding attacks.

The Queen must have become frustrated using a two handed weapon in a crowded fighting environment. She began kicking her own guards out of the circle. Eventually there was only the two of them, and a couple of confused, and adrenaline fueled Guards standing in the circle.

Thomas was surprised at how calm and unaffected by the fighting the Queen appeared. She waved the Guards back, and began to circle. The Order stood by not attempting to interfere. Thomas looked into their faces.

His mother had an uninterested expression, and appeared over all exhausted. They all did. His father watched the action, but with more of an interest, than concern. Thomas understood then that the battle was already lost really. The fighting had cost them everything they were fighting to preserve.

He thought of how desensitized he, and all his family had become to the harsh realities of the universe. Even though his parents had lived before the fight began, they were changed by it.

He thought of the Croans searching the cosmos for their deity, only wanting to destroy it, and finding only death. The fight was over for him, and now he had to watch it's culmination from a subdued position. He relaxed, and observed the final fight.

The Queen spun the staff releasing it to rotate in front of her as a shield. At the same time she spun in the same direction, timing her strike with the passing of the cutting edge. It was a graceful and visually stunning attack. Corey dodged the attack, and smiled.

He was an experienced fighter, and knew attacks of flare, and talent were only meant to overwhelm inexperienced opponents. In a real life or death fight, every move had to count; every kilowatt of energy output had to be accounted for.

The whole combination of attacks only lasted a moment, as the Queen applied every fundamental she knew. Corey never attacked, even when Thomas saw an opening. He let her dance around him, and he waited.

Finally they simply stood looking at each other. The Queen shrugged, and separated the Two light blades. They were both about the length of Corey's blade.

He gestured for her to continue. For the first time in all his life, Thomas watched the great Assassin struggle to avoid being hit. In all his fights Thomas had witnessed, he fought as if her were in complete control, even when he was fatally injured.

Corey tried to strike back once, and almost lost an arm. He growled as the attacks came faster, and faster. He finally had to block an attack, and used his blade to stop a fatal blow. Thomas had never witnessed real pain on the man's face in all his life before that moment.

The light scorched the blade, and the physical results were evident on Corey. Half his face seared, and black, he kicked the Queen in the stomach, and tried to punch her in the back of the neck when she bent from the blow.

One of the guards stepped in to intervene, and paid dearly. The Queen placed a blade on either side of his head, having recovered while he dispatched the guard.

Corey turned his blade, and smiled as he plunged it through his own chest, and into the Queen. The room became silent as the two of them sank to their knees.

"I wasn't expecting that" The Queen said with a grim smile. Her pretty smile was stained red with her blood.

"I only needed one more life Highness" Corey answered. "Thank you for releasing me"

As the Queens eyes closed so did Corey's. They both became limp, and bowed their heads for the last time. The room was suddenly filled with four massive Croans. They surveyed the room, and then approached Corey's corpse.

The assassin began to change, his arms, and legs grew. The blade shattered, and a creature stood in Corey's place. The Queen fell limply to the floor. If there had ever been a more accurate physical representation of evil, Thomas was sure he had never come close to knowing it.

The Croans reeled in terror at the sight of it. An overwhelming sense of dread filled the room, and Thomas knew the end of his world was near.

A single flash was all he saw at first, darting toward the creature. It happened again, and it garnered a response. The flash became a glowing outline. It attacked the creature again. As the figure tore at the Croan God, it began to glow intensely.

Thomas suddenly felt compelled to manipulate a Jump ring. He couldn't be sure at first, and then he heard it clearly. It was like a voice inside his mind, urging him to fight, but specifically to manipulate the jump ring to his left.

The Order of light Conclusion

Natalie hovered above the Queen; her efforts to break Thomas free of the dark energy controlling him had proved fruitful. Not only had he figured out where the girl was. He had exposed the traitor.

Her efforts to manipulate the dark energy taught her how to persuade the intentions of the people around her. It was the first time in as long a time as she cared to remember that she felt truly connected to the living world.

The Queen was fighting feverishly against the poor shell being used by the entity. Natalie could only think of one place she had ever experienced a more complete, and fear inspiring power. A thought struck her just as she witnessed the Queen receive a deadly wound.

She witnessed her Queens's demise in agonizing detail. She could not only see the physical representation, but also the change in the flow of energy. It was as if the Queens energy was being redirected into the blade, and then it was gone.

As the God of darkness emerged from its cocoon, Natalie summoned her courageous spirit, remembering the young woman brimming with hopes of glory. It was her chance to pry the reigns loose from the hands of blind fate, and make something happen.

She slammed into the monster, and felt the extent of its wrath burn into her. It not only didn't diminish her resolve, it seemed interacting with it was causing her to grow strong. She slammed again into the monster, dashing back before it could attack.

She reached out with her new reserve of power, and summoned Thomas to act once again, even if for the last time. She had a plan, and it was going to take more than just her, and the burnt out remains of the Order of light.

Croans had begun to materialize within the room, but seemed petrified by the sight of the creature. It waved a withered looking appendage at them, melting half the room, and all the Croans in that direction.

Liquefied metals and vaporized Croans dripped, and drifted through the air. The monster was thin, and wispy. It didn't make contact with the floor, as if the ground itself rejected contact with something so disgusting.

Natalie slowed her attack for a moment when she noticed her own hands before her. They weren't the hands she remembered, but a glowing type of hand none the less. She tore the net containing Thomas open, and charged back into the fight.

She was surprised at the feeling of being touched by something. The monster god held her firmly, and reached its filthy hand inside her. It searched for the core of her being. She could feel it feeding off the energy of the others in the room, like a parasite, but it only poured power into her with its efforts.

Realizing she was draining its power the Monster shoved her away, and extended its thin trembling hand towards her. She braced as the building, and all the lives within were consumed. Natalie remained when the attack was over, she was positively brilliant with energy, and sent a beam of it forth.

Her attack struck the monster to the ground, warranting an angry shriek from it. It turned to flee from her attacks as Thomas finished his task, and collapsed to the floor. He was inches from the Queen, and unmoving.

Natalie seized the Monster, and pulled with all her will toward the open jump ring. Thomas had dilated the ring just the way she had wanted him to. The monster grasped at the engineering building with all its power, summoning the floor, and even matter beyond as an anchor.

Natalie reached through the Jump ring as she had when she saved the research technician. The indescribable force she could only experience hungered for her more than before, and she could feel its immeasurable power reaching for her.

She reached toward it ready to be consumed, and to take her enemy along for the horrifying experience. Something pulled them through, as if there was no power that could halt its immediate need to devour them.

The entity surrounded them, and seemed as infinite as the universe itself. They drifted along, being gently maneuvered by geometric arms, and countless beings. All the beings seemed to be connected.

As they approached what appeared to be a tunnel, the color of the cloud like entity began to intensify, until it became a blistering white light. The light slammed into them, burning at first, and then sampling the energy that left them.

Natalie felt her life, and all the yearnings she had ever had being pulled away, and consumed. They continued to burn in the white hot light as wave after wave of power hit them. The frequency of the waves increased until it was a steady excruciating heat.

Suddenly she could no longer feel the presence of the monster she had carried with her into the void, and she was utterly alone, and burning. bracing for the final and complete end, she released her hold on existence, and was momentarily nothing.

When she was aware suddenly of being again, she could see a hand extended toward her, and grabbed it. To her surprise the energy she had been made of was gone, and her original fleshy skin was again where it should have been.

Falling onto the cold hard floor was an unexpected reprieve from all the experiences of her life after her first death. She was naked, and seemed to have recently been subjected to a fiery environment, as she could see the steam drifting off her arm.

The formerly comatose technician looked down at her with a knowing look, and wrapped a blanket around her. The chaos that she had experienced in the fourth space began to fade from her mind, as the means to define it weren't possible in the world she was returned to.

Finally she had been part of the action, and as a defining force of the future. Thomas was being evaluated by his parents, and the Croans seemed to be leaving. For the first time in her unusual and amazing existence she was happy, and quickly fell asleep in the arms of her rescuer.