Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, but to the writers and
producers of Roswell
Spoilers: After Chant Down Babylon, changes happening where Max is
successfully rescued,
and Michael was the one who broke up
with Maria.
***
Love alters not with his brief hours and
weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of
doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved
-
Shakespeare
***
They followed the tire marks to an empty apartment
building. It should have been
condemned. There were pieces of brick
scattered along the pavement and all the windows had either been shattered or
were darkened with years of dust and grime.
“Can you feel him now?” Tess asked as she followed Isabel up the dark
crickety stairs.
Isabel shook her head slowly. “He was here,” she confirmed.
“But he left.” Isabel wandered
into an empty apartment that looked like it hadn’t been lived in for sometime
now. She closed her eyes and received
flashes of darkness, then a bright swinging light overhead. Rubbing her neck, Isabel tilted her head a
bit, as if it would help her find Jesse quicker.
She didn’t know why she couldn’t find him as she dream
walked. Though Isabel had almost
mastered the skill of walking into people’s minds while they were still awake,
she couldn’t quite reach Jesse. And she
didn’t have a clue why.
“It looks like someone had a fight in here,” Michael
surmised as he looked at the scattered chairs and a piece of cloth lying on the
floor. Though the place hadn’t been
lived in, Michael knew that the chairs had been knocked down recently. The scuffmarks and scratches on the floor
had been made recently. As he picked up
the cloth, Michael received a flash. It
took him for a loop. “Whoa,” he
grunted.
Isabel opened her eyes as she felt Michael reach out to her
mentally. As she turned around, she saw
Michael stumble forward, holding his head.
“Michael?” she gasped. “What’s
wrong?”
Michael shrugged her off as her gentle hands grasped his
shoulders to steady him. “Nothing,” he
said dismissively. “I just got dizzy.”
Isabel shook her head and looked uneasily at Tess and Max
who had come up behind Michael. “He
suddenly got dizzy,” she explained to Max and Tess, who were upset at the
deterring circumstances surrounding Jesse’s disappearance.
“But why did you get dizzy?” Tess asked, stepping forward
and tilted Michael’s head up with her hand.
She looked into Michael’s eyes searching for some answers. Michael jerked his head back and out of
Tess’ grasp. “Don’t touch me,” Michael
growled.
Tess shook his head and rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t going to hurt you Michael, I just
wanted to make sure you were all right,” she replied irritably. “Is that okay with everyone?”
Silence fell upon the Royal four in the dusty run down
apartment. The three glanced uneasily at
each other while Tess stood wary from their tiring search. “You know…never
mind,” Tess sighed and waved at them dismissively. She walked over to search the kitchen at the
north end of the apartment.
Max wasn’t far behind to try to convince her that Michael
didn’t mean anything by his comment. It took a few soft words of reassurance
before Tess allowed Max to lead her back into what should have been the living
room in the apartment. “Michael, what
made you so dizzy?” Max asked as he walked towards Michael and Isabel, with
Tess in hand.
Michael looked up and saw that Tess had returned. Tess’ eyes were hooded by her long lashes
and she wouldn’t meet his gaze. In that
moment, he felt ashamed about snapping at Tess. She had only been trying to help. Michael swallowed and rubbed his forehead; the headache brought
on by the flash had subsided. He began
rubbing the piece of cloth that he clutched in his hand. Michael felt like he was in a fog, but
suddenly remembered why he was there.
As he lifted his hand and revealed the thin piece of black cloth that
had momentarily left him in a daze.
“I found this on the floor next to these scratch marks on
the floor,” Michael explained.
Max frowned. He
picked up the thin cloth, that seemed to have a sheen to it. “Why would this make you dizzy?” Max asked
curiously.
Michael shrugged. “I
picked it up and then suddenly I had some kind of vision.”
“What vision?” Isabel frowned, as she folded her arms across
her chest. “Was it about Jesse?”
Michael shook his head and raised his hands. “I have no clue. First everything was dark and then it was like I was looking out
a window, out at the night sky.” He
furrowed his brow as he tried to remember the details. “Suddenly it was like I was lying on the
floor and then I saw a pair of arms clawing at the floor, as if they were mine
and they were pulling me away,” he sighed.
It was like there was something else but he could reach out and grab the
memory.
Michael swallowed and combed his fingers through his
hair. “That’s all I remember.”
“Do you think it was Jesse?” Isabel asked anxiously.
Michael shook his head.
“He wasn’t wearing clothes made out of this material when he drove off
last night,” he said uneasily. “And
from the tracks, it’s not likely he drove to your parents, changed and then
came here. He drove straight
here.” Isabel’s eyes looked up
hopefully at him. “I don’t really think
that this belonged to Jesse.”
“So there was someone else here?” Tess said
thoughtfully. “But who would he be
meeting here.”
“I don’t know,” Michael said, stuffing his hands in the
pockets of his khaki cargo pants. “I
wish I could remember more Isabel.” He
looked at her apologetically.
Isabel could tell how frustrated Michael was. She was feeling the same thing, except it wasn’t
because she couldn’t remember something that she had just saw; it was because
she couldn’t find her husband in the light of day. As she reached out to comfort Michael and let him know she
understood what he was feeling, Isabel heard the creaking of wooden
panels. “Did you guys hear that?” she
asked suspiciously.
Max and Tess tilted their head towards the door that was
slightly ajar. Max nodded to Tess that
he’d also heard the slight creaking and rattling, to which Tess nodded in
agreement. Then a new noise occurred,
it was some kind of shuffling. Albeit
it was moving way from the apartment, Max knew that they had to find out who or
what it was. Max motioned with his head
to Michael that he should take the far side of the door, as he began to creep
towards the nearest wall that ran along the hallway.
Isabel felt Tess grab her hand and pull her behind Max. As she pressed her back against the grimy
walls, Isabel tried to push the thoughts of what might be on those walls to the
back of her mind. Suddenly Tess stopped
moving, which made Isabel bump into her and step on her foot. Tess glared at her, to which Isabel
responded by raising her hands and mouthing, ‘what?’
Max looked back at his sister and Tess and raised his finger
to his mouth, signaling them to be quiet.
When the noise had stopped, Max signaled Michael to open the door. His second in command was already slowly
opening the door, enough for Max to peer out into the darkened hallway. It was only dimly lit by the clouded
sunlight that was filtered by the dirt smudged windows.
Michael gestured to Max that he was going to check it out
when the floor groaned under his weight.
The sudden noise must have startled the stranger or creature because the
next thing the four hybrids heard was a quick shuffling and then several loud
thumps and a large thud. Michael
frowned and jumped out into the hallway, with the other three not far
behind. He ran down the narrow
staircase and towards a groaning lump lying at the bottom of the stairs.
Tess was the last to confront their mystery guest. Michael had rolled the groaning mass over
and revealed an old ragged man clutching a brown bag. As she stood over him, his large round grey eyes peered up
frightfully at her. He was dressed in a
tattered coat that had several holes at the seams and the pocket linings were
hanging at his sides, unable to hold anything.
She had never seen anyone like that so close up before. Sure she had come close to it, during Max
and her trip to New York, but not right in front of her, so close that she
could reach out and touch him. Tess
smiled at the man and reached down to help him up, but he shrunk away.
“What’s the matter with him?” Isabel asked.
Michael pulled the homeless man onto his feet. “Who are you?” he growled ominously.
The man fell like dead weight and tried to curl up into a
ball. “L-lleave me be!” he
shrieked. “I…I didn’t see nothing…nothing!”
Max was bewildered at the man’s behavior. He thought it just might be the fact that
they were crowded around him and hovering over him. But then again…
Max raised his eyebrow suspiciously at the tramp that was clutching tightly at the brown bag hidden beneath his coat. “What do you have under your coat?” Max slowly asked, as he reached down to try to catch a glimpse of what the bag held. The homeless man jerked backwards, scrambling away, trying to make it to the exit. “It’s mineeee!” he sneered.
Michael caught the man by the scruff of his neck, clutching
the nape of his coat. “Whoa, first of
all, you’re going to tell us what you heard and saw here last night,” he
commanded. The older man tried to
scramble out of Michael’s grasp, but he had a firm grip on the man’s
clothes. Michael grabbed the front of
the man’s cloths and lifted him up until his toes barely touched the
ground. “Tell us what happened last
night!”
Tess frowned and pulled on Michael’s arms to get him to
lower the poor man. She didn’t know
exactly why she felt much compassion for the man, but the fear in his eyes was
genuine and she knew that threatening the man wouldn’t get them anywhere. “Michael, calm down and put him down!” Tess could feel the three’s eyes upon her
strange command.
As Tess tugged gently at Michael, Max knew she was
right. “Michael, she’s right. We can’t just put the fear of God in him and
expect him to trust us,” Max sighed as he relieved Michael of the man’s
clothes. He looked at the stranger in
the eyes and smiled. “Please, we’re
trying to find out what happened here last night.”
The man’s eyes narrowed and his face scrunched up into a
menacing scowl. “I don’t know
anything!” he spat, struggling against Michael and when he almost lost his grip
the old man tried to make a break for the exit.
Michael once again grabbed the homeless man and glared at
Max. “That really worked well,” he
retorted. Then Michael, once again,
grabbed the man by the front of his coat and scowled. “A man was here last night, he had short dark hair and brown
eyes. What happened to him?”
Isabel didn’t know what to do. Everything was whirling out of control. Everyone seemed to be on edge and they still had no idea why
Jesse drove to this abandoned apartment.
“Please,” she heard herself plead with the wary stranger. “I need to know where he is.” The old man turned his head around to look
at her. He seemed to stare at her for
the longest time before his snarling and growling quieted and then turned into
a whimper.
“What do you want from me?” he cried out wildly. “I don’t know any dark men…no. Never saw any here. Nope.”
His eyes darted back and forth as he began to mumble incoherently to
himself.
Isabel swallowed.
“No dark men?” she said slowly.
“You know something don’t you?”
She felt her emotions welling up from within her. The homeless man head began to loll back and
forth and his arms began to swing aimlessly in the air. He had lost touch with reality. As she watched the only lead to Jesse,
Isabel felt herself crumble back onto the steps of the staircase.
Max glanced down at Isabel who seemed lost in despair. He frowned as he watched the deranged
homeless man flail about while Michael tried to keep his grip on him. There had to be something that the homeless
man could tell them. Max glanced at his
watch. Time was running out in the day.
Suddenly, they got a break. As the homeless man flailed uselessly in Michael’s arms, the brown paper bag, which the old man clutched so dearly, fell to the ground. Max reached down and picked up the bag. He had thought it was a bottle of alcohol when he first noticed it in his grasp, but then Max realized that it was too small and crumpled to hold a flask or even a bottle. As he reached into the crumpled bag, he found a brown leather wallet.
Isabel jumped up as soon as she saw Max pulling out an object out of the bag. “What is it?” she gasped, her heart pounding, praying that it was a lead to her husband. When she realized it was a wallet, Isabel reached out and opened it. It was empty, with only a couple of rumpled sheets of paper with numbers jotted down on them in pen. There was also a picture of a tall Caucasian man with his arm around a petite Hispanic woman. She dug around in the hidden pockets and found a driver’s license.
“Whose is it?” Tess asked, hopping up a couple of steps to look over Isabel’s shoulder.
Isabel frowned. “Cal Chasser?” Isabel read the name on the driver’s license. Isabel shook her head. “I don’t recognize the name,” she said tiredly. “He’s never mentioned anyone named Cal Chasser before.”
“Isabel, can you search through the jumble that’s in there and pull out any memories he has about last night?” Michael asked.
“I think so,” Isabel said hesitantly.
Isabel waited until Michael had a better grasp on the uncooperative old man before placing her hands, one on each side, of the man’s temple. She gently waded through the darkness until she found her way out of the fog and herself standing in a room with booming voices surrounding her. It was almost too much to bear. Isabel understood now why the man couldn’t think straight. Everything was in a jumble. There was everything from images of a child skipping rope to a group of people dressed in black standing about a wooden coffin.
“NO!” a man’s voice screamed.
Isabel turned around and saw a black room with shadows
of what seemed to be four figures. She
frowned as she slowly made her way past the child skipping rope to the
frameless door that was a couple of feet away from her. As she peered into the room, Isabel
witnessed three figures standing over a frightened young man. In the room, there was no light to
illuminate the 3 menacing figure’s faces, as well as the man curled up into a
ball.
“Where is he?” one man yelled, striking the victim’s
face with his fist.
“I don’t know,” he yelped, cradling his head.
“Well that’s not the right answer,” another man, taller
than the first growled. He loomed
closer, crouching over the man and grabbing his face. “You’ll pay for letting him get away!”
Isabel could hear the ominous smile in his voice. They definitely weren’t going to let him
go. She closed her eyes, telling
herself it over and over that it couldn’t be Jesse. Suddenly the scene changed and she was standing out in the
hallway. The view of the room skewed by
the older man’s position. He obviously
was crouching hiding in the corner of the hallway, lurking in the shadows. As she searched for some evidence of how
much time had passed, Isabel once again heard voices.
“Plea-ssse!
I’ll do better next time…I promise!” the victim’s voice cried. Isabel turned around in time to see two men
dragging someone by their feet. The man
was scrambling, clawing at the floor for something to cling to.
Isabel frowned.
It was just as Michael had pictured it.
From the low position of the homeless man’s view, Isabel tried to move
in closer, but there was nothing she could do.
The closest thing she came to the kidnapping, or whatever it was, was to
see the men strike him once more and the man fall limply to the ground. No more struggling.
The three men picked him up from the hallway and began
to drag him down the stairs. But as
they picked him up, something fell from the unconscious man. The memories moved forward. The homeless man snuck up behind them and
reached for the wallet. Suddenly Isabel
heard screaming and apparently the three men noticed him, because the next
thing she knew he was running and she was standing outside.
Isabel stood for a moment in the fog of the dreaming
and memories. As she was about to break
away from the dream walk, Isabel was suddenly confronted by the image of the
homeless man. His grey eyes glowed an
intense blue, and then black. “G-eeet
outttttt!” he screamed.
Isabel fell to the ground as she let go of the man. “Uhhh!” she gasped.
Michael watched as Isabel collapsed to the floor. As he let the homeless man go to tend to Isabel, the man unexpectedly collapsed himself, holding his head and screaming. “Ge-t oooooouut!” His voice was shrill and piercing, like a man tormented. The man writhed as if in pain. Michael was confused and unable to understand what could have happened. He lifted Isabel up into his arms. “Are you okay?” he asked anxiously.
Isabel grunted. “Uh, yeah,” she said breathlessly. As she opened her eyes, Michael’s face hovered above her. His touch brought with it a warmth and strength to her tired body. “I don’t know what happened. It was like he saw me in the dream walk, which never has happened to me before.” Isabel rubbed her head and placed her hand in Michael’s, who helped her to her feet. “Not unless I wanted to be seen.”
Max was uneasy about this whole situation. And what made it worse was the old man was screaming and mumbling in the apartment entrance. They couldn’t leave him in this condition.
“Tess, can you make him forget what happened?” Max asked quietly.
Tess looked at Max and then at the older man. She frowned. “I don’t know. He’s not exactly in the perfect state for me to erase memories whether they are causing him to freak out like this or not,” Tess said hesitantly. “It might make him worse off than he is now.”
Isabel looked incredulously. “Now you’re worried about hurting someone?” she exclaimed. “I think it’s a little late!”
Her blonde brows furrowed at the sharp reminder. “I think it’s better if we just…” Tess didn’t know what was the solution. His screams were getting to her. It was like his voice was piercing deep inside of her.” Michael, Isabel, and Max looked at her, pleading with their eyes for her do something. She didn’t know what this would do, but she didn’t see any other way. Whether it would induce some catatonic state, Tess didn’t know.
Tess lowered her eyes and let out an uneasy sigh. “Fine, but I’m telling you that it might not even be worth it,” Tess mumbled as she prepared herself to dive into the mind of the sad, and distressed man in front of her.
As she entered his mind, Tess tried with all her might to block out the screams and get to the core of his memory. As she pushed past the startling images in his mind, Tess found the entrance to his memories. Tess focused on the faint outline of a door and concentrated on pushing it in like she would a door. As she entered the room, there stood the same homeless man, whom she had left physically writhing on the floor. He was dressed in a black suit and what was left of his hair was slicked with mousse and combed to one side.
Tess approached cautiously as the man just stood there motionless. The complete opposite of what she had encountered throughout the rest of his mind. She needed to make contact before wiping clear any memory of what had just happened and what happened last night.
Suddenly the man in the black suit frowned. “What are you doing here?” he asked
curiously.
“I’m just here to help you,” Tess explained
sweetly. “I don’t know if you realize
how much pain you’re in right now.”
“So?”
Tess reached out her hand, his arm just within her
grasp. “So I’m here to help make that
pain go away.”
The man shook his head. “No. I don’t want
that. Pain…pain is needed.”
While Tess didn’t quite understand what he meant, after
a couple of steps, she was able to clasp his hand. “This will be a little strange, but you shouldn’t feel a thing,”
Tess whispered softly as she closed her eyes and began the process of locating
the memories.
Max swallowed hard and began pacing back and forth as his gaze remained on Tess as she kneeled in front of the semi-conscious man. His screams had subsided and the man had become unusually calm. His heart was racing at the thought of what he was doing to this unwitting man. He was an innocent.
“Max?” Isabel called his name.
“Hmmm?” Max turned his head to face his sister, who was standing beside him.
“Do you think it’s working?”
Max frowned. He knew that it was working. Tess knew exactly what she was doing. For some reason it brought more comfort than the unsettling feeling he once got when he saw Tess using her powers so adeptly. Swallowing, Max nodded and replied, “Yes.”
The trio continued to watch Tess kneeling, motionless before the man. Suddenly the exiled fourth raised her head and peered over at the group of observers. “It’s done,” she sighed, wiping her brow with the back of her hand.
Tess stood up and looked down at the now unconscious man. “He’ll be out for a couple of hours. He’s exhausted.” As she looked down at the homeless man standing before her, the image of Alex lying in front of her flashed before her. Tess closed her eyes. She felt her stomach lurch at the memory. The horrible memory affected her so much that she just turned on her heel and pushed her way out of the apartment building. She needed some air.
“What happened?” Michael scoffed, motioning to Tess who was standing outside.
Both Max and Isabel stared hauntingly at the figure lying before them. “What do you think?” Isabel whispered as she gestured to the unconscious man.
Isabel couldn’t stand being in the apartment any longer. As she made her way out, Isabel heard Michael and Max’s footsteps not far behind her. The warm air of a late afternoon breeze brought new life to Isabel as she closed her eyes and let it caressed her face.
“What happened in there, Isabel?” Michael asked inquisitively. “You didn’t tell us what you saw.”
Isabel turned around to face Michael and Max. She heard Tess come up behind her and complete the group. Running her fingers through her hair, Isabel closed her eyes and drew the images of the four men from the back of her mind. “There were for guys. One was being beaten for some reason,” Isabel explained as the images came back to life in her mind. “He let someone go. Then the guys dragged him out of the apartment and carried him off somewhere.” Isabel opened her eyes and shrugged. “That’s all he gave me.”
“Did you see any faces?” Max asked.
Isabel shook her head. “No. But I think the guy they beat up, well, I’m actually pretty sure it was this Cal guy.” She pointed to the wallet that Max held in his hand.
Michael nodded. It was just as he suspected. Some goons were in there and beat struggled with this guy Cal. But what did that have to do with Jesse?
“Do you think this Cal guy had something to do with Jesse?” Tess asked, coming out of her quiet reverie. Tess looked at the three, interested in what they thought: Isabel stared at her blankly, while Michael was immersed in his own thoughts, and as she turned her gaze over to Max, she found him frowning. “What do you guys think?”
Max sighed and nodded. “I’m going to have to agree with you on this one. I think that maybe Jesse met up with this guy Cal Chasser.”
Tess let out a sigh of relief. She was happy that no one was going to jump down her throat for suggesting that this man was connected with Jesse. After all, Tess hadn’t said that this man was actually FBI. But deep down, she had a feeling that those men who were upset at good ‘ole Cal, definitely had something to do with the FBI.
~~~
Andaria was getting worried about her daughter. She hadn’t been contacted in a couple of days in Earth time and though she had warned Tess to be careful, Andaria had a gut feeling that something was wrong. She shook her head as she paced back and forth in Zander’s nursery. And things on Antar were just as unsettling.
Her spies had been keeping an eye out on Khivar. They had heard rumblings about a project being developed that would bring Khivar under control of ultimately all the people of Antar. Andaria clenched her teeth and clasped her wrinkled hands together. She was in the form of elderly Maia and though she had fooled Khivar and Nicholas, Andaria didn’t know how long she could keep them in the dark about her true form.
As she peered out at the rising of the two moons, Andaria clasped the thin pendant resting against her chest. It was the one possession she owned that she cherished more than any other thing. Radim, her beloved husband, father of Ava, presented it to her the night before their wedding. The intricately twisted metal, interwoven with a single sapphire was comforting under her old fingers. Andaria allowed for the memories of the past to surge from within and flash before her. Memories of the doomed past, that made way for a hopeful future.
~ * ~
Andaria had loved Zan like her own son. When news of the engagement between her daughter and Zan had been revealed, Andaria had been worried about Alaric and Fadila’s reaction. Ava was first of all, a child of a servant, though Radim was General to King Alaric’s First Battalion. But the news had been well received and Alaric was overjoyed.
Earlier, plans had been discussed about a marriage of peoples; more specifically, with Zuri, daughter of Hakan, overseer of the Iturians, a race of people from which Khivar hailed from. There had been rumblings among the servants that Hakan was a malcontent, and grew tired of being ‘overseer’ in Alaric’s kingdom when he had a strong following within a sect of the Kedran dissenters. Some had mentioned rumors of war and how that was the reason for Alaric’s decision to form a covenant with the Iturian Overseer.
But when Zan unexpectedly announced his secret courtship of Ava and his plans to wed her daughter, all agreements and covenants were called off, much to Hakan’s chagrin. For it would have assured him more power and authority. Though Alaric cherished the peace in which the two races of Antarians had lived in for hundreds of years, he would not sacrifice his son’s happiness because of Hakan’s pettiness. Many including the royal family did not think that Hakan would have the forces to truly put up a difficult opposition. As Andaria looked back, how she could have told Alaric what she knew now.
Alaric died and left Zan successor of Antar. By then the rumblings of war had become much more than words. Zan’s inexperience and his stubbornness had caused uncertainty in the minds of the Antarians, which Hakan pounced on. It had been several years of struggling and defending against Khivar, Hakan’s protégé’s advances. Andaria had watched her daughter and son-in-law come together as a force no longer willing to wither under the scrutinizing dissenters and opposers, and finally begin to come together and face this enemy head on, with whatever loyal servants they had left. They were no longer afraid and worried about making mistakes; the King was fighting for his people.
Just when she thought that the tide was about to turn, betrayal fell on the lips of Vilandra. She was naive, not having lived a full life and experienced how deceptive and greedy men were. Lies filled her ears as Khivar had secretly drawn Vilandra into his web of lies and deceptions. Vilandra found out too late about Khivar's lies, to the detriment of the Antarians. Her family especially would have to pay for believing the Enemy.
With the fall of the house of Kedar, the stronghold crumbled. Through the despair, there still had been some hope that held firm with Queen Fadila and her army. But all that had changed in a single moment. Radim had been entrusted to with the task of overseeing their children’s voyage to Earth, but his unforeseen death would leave the plans in her hands. Fadila had come to her with the news of Radim’s death. Andaria remembered that night vividly.
“I am sorry,” Fadila whispered, as the words left her
mouth.
Andaria collapsed into the Queen’s arms; her mistress’
strength was the only thing that kept her from dying in that moment. Queen
Fadila grasped Andaria’s shoulders gently and spoke comforting words, drawing
her into a warm embrace. “Oh Andaria,
my heart goes out with you. In these
times, we should be watching our children have children and live in
peace.” Queen Fadila tilted her head up
so that she looked into her mistress’ sorrowful dark eyes. “We have had to suffer much. I am just grateful that Alaric passed on
before watching the slaughter of our people.”
Andaria wrapped her arms around her, cradling her
stomach. Her child had died only a day
ago, now her husband had deserted her.
“We are truly alone, my Queen,” she wept, unable to imagine ever feeling
joy in the midst of such pain.
Queen Fadila shook her head. “No Andaria, we have hope.
Once more in these dark times we have hope!”
Andaria closed her eyes and shook her head. “Our husbands have left us and the wretches
have taken our children too. What hope
do we have in this?” she cried.
“Before Radim was slain, he kneeled before me and told me
all had been arranged for the return of our children. Their bodies lie in pod like chambers even now.”
Andaria looked up in confusion. “So it was true, the rumors of the
resurrection of the royal four are true?
The architects have found a way to generate new bodies for our
children?”
“How did they solve the many defects of the DNA
regeneration?” Andaria asked.
“They did so with much toil, my child. We now must accept a new race of Antarians,
for the architects have found a new race of people for which they have
intermingled our genetics with.”
Andaria was stunned.
“A new race of Antarians? Will
they look different?”
“Yes Andaria.
They will no longer shine like the stars of the outer planes. Their bodies will be formed of altered human
living cells spliced with our enhanced genetics. Our cells do not regenerate as quickly as this race of people
whom we have located on a planet called Earth, which is why we need these
strange people, to perform this process.
So though their form may be strange to us, you must know that their
essence remains unchanged. They are our
children. But, no longer will they live
as free spirits,” Queen Fadila said wistfully.
“How can we do this to them?”
Queen Fadila lowered her head and let her hands drop to
her lap. “It is the only way I can
think of to save our people Andaria,” Queen Fadila explained. “If you can foresee a way to bring our
children back from the grave, the by all means tell me.”
Andaria swallowed.
“I’m sorry my Lady, I overstepped my place.”
Queen Fadila looked up at her with her intense blue
eyes. “All is forgiven my friend. Things are not as they were and no longer
can we remain in the same roles as we have in past years.”
Andaria bowed her head low and lowered her lips to the
pale white hands. “I’m still at my
Lady’s command.”
Queen Fadila smiled wistfully at Andaria. “Radim had already given orders for their
voyage to another planet, where the enemy would not be able to track them until
they are fully mature,” she explained.
“But I need someone to oversee their permanent return to the
throne. This war is almost over and our
people are either slain, in hiding or enslaved. I will gather the remainder of our forces and regroup for one
last stand, but Khivar searches for the last threat to his place on the
throne. General Obi has arranged for my
disappearance. We must prepare for the
future, for our present is grim.”
It had all been a blur. Suddenly the Queen had vanished into thin air and the reign of Khivar had begun. Andaria, as Fadila’s trusted maidservant and confidant, had now been charged to ensure the safe return and care of their children. She and a few other Loyalists assisted in tracking down the pods and monitoring them over the years. Many of the Queen’s servants and army went underground in attempt to hide under Khivar’s watchful eye. Only Andaria remained hidden in plain sight.
Khivar’s spies found out about the regeneration process the architects had perfected and informed their now ruling King. No sooner had his spies informed him of the process, did Khivar figure out what it would be used for. For the bodies of the Royal Four had been found missing. After capture and torture of several of the Loyalist architects, Khivar grew frustrated at the resolute nature of the enemy, for they would not talk.
Khivar was about to execute the lot when news of the controlled atmospheric poisoning Khivar had ordered had spread. The poisoning affected the genetic make up of the Antarians. To his chagrin, his own architects had not foreseen the spreading of the poison and were at a loss at what to do. Many Antarians were already dying in the plains of Antar.
Cleverly, the Loyalist architects used this information to save themselves from certain death. The architects, while having perfected the regeneration process, also had found a way to trigger a dormant gene in most of the Antarian Loyalists that would allow them to shape shift into different forms, including a modified genetic human race. With this process, the architects had also found a way to create a certain solution, which in Antarians would cause them to no longer have a physically stable body. Their form would remain the same, but their bodies would need a host outside their atmosphere. As they informed Khivar of this process, Khivar deemed it fit for them to live if they could somehow develop a vaccine out of this solution and it could be spread over the entire planet. The architects did so with much success, but were killed at the moment the vaccination was implemented.
Fortunately they had been able to warn the Antarian Loyalists before they were caught by this vaccine, for it was far less effective than the process they had performed on many of the Loyalists, including she, Andaria, handmaiden to Queen Fadila. Andaria and the Loyalists now had the upper hand over Khivar and his massive army, though they would never know until the return of the Royal Four.
Oh, Radim, how I wish you were here. I am faltering under the weight of all of this hiding and treachery. Andaria closed her eyes and let the rays of the twin moons bathe her in their faint glow. She half expected Radim arrive and wrap his arms around her and whisper his undying love to her, as he always had done after returning from battle. But it was a lifetime ago since her husband had died. Falling at the hands of Sefu, Lieutenant General of the Iturian army. After taking a deep breath and pressing the star pendant to her lips, Andaria felt the renewing of determination. Her daughter needed her and Queen Fadila was counting on her to finish her charge.