For well over ten minutes, Greeson had bodies flying away from him into those still approaching. The whole time, Kimon and Onai had been meditating. It was just at the eleven-minute mark that a few got through. They didn’t live long enough to enjoy the small victory.
Though his master was slightly impressed, Greeson could feel his energy starting to drop.
A voice whispered in his ear. “Much better, my student. We will have to work on you overuse of energy,” Kimon’s voice said.
Greeson stopped as two blurs went past him. Immediately, bodies started flying away as if they had been scooped up and tossed away to the front. Greeson moved to his master and his mate, standing at the plain building’s door.
“I am sure that you can handle the first of the masters. As I said, we will work on your energy wastefulness when this is finished,” Kimon said to Greeson. Onai smiled, then nodded.
______________________________________________________________________
“So, this chameleon race? They were very much like Bee’s race? Hartwell asked.
“In a lot of ways, yes, though over the centuries, I am afraid that a lot of their make up has been changed,” Johnathon said.
“Yes, but Mary said that much of her chemical make up is closer now, to what it was back then. Is that because of the cure you made?” Hartwell asked.
“Only in part, sir; part was also from what is in your blood make up. You truly did save her life, whether or not you realize it,” Johnathon said.
Hartwell was nodding as he looked at an alarm that was flashing on a nearby console. It was then that he looked at his sister. She was frozen in a daze, staring straight ahead.
“Ah shit!” Hartwell said as he moved to his sister. As he approached her, he could hear her talking.
“Yes, we are out here, we intend to get more of you. Yes, we will try to get all of you,” Lucie was saying.
“Johnathon, are we able to trans-warp now? Is it safe with Bee now?” Hartwell asked.
“According to all data, she is indeed safe now,” Johnathon said.
Still looking at his sister, Hartwell nodded, “as soon as she is aware, we need to go.”
“Go sir?” Johnathon said.
“As you can see? My sister is once again in communication with one or more of you EIG’s,” Hartwell said.
“Yes prime, I have started the improved scan the emperor set up for us. At present, I am not detecting any of the life boxes. Neither am I detecting the new locator that the emperor installed,” Johnathon said.
“Yes, I realize that though, as we have seen many times, my sister is far more sensitive than the locators,” Hartwell said.
“Yes prime,” Johnathon replied.
“So, Hartwell started, then heard a groan from the bio-bed. “Are you alright Bee?
“I am feeling strange, Lord sir. This is the very first time I feel no compulsion. There is no nagging need or pain. Do the others know of this cure?” Bee asked.
“No, not as of,…” Hartwell said as the holo-gram of Derrick appeared.
“I am here for a progress report. Have you truly thought this through with the bonding?” Derrick asked.
“Yes, sire,” Hartwell responded, seeing Derrick still partly grimace. So, he was getting used to it, it appears. “I was about to check one last time. Johnathon and Mary have gone through the biological aspect of it several times. They are both standing by to remove me if necessary.”
Derrick looked at Mary, “You are certain? Can you accomplish this? From all the data I have seen, I thought that once bonded, it was impossible to separate,” a worried Derrick said.
“Yes sire, at first the data did indicate this. It was found though, that most males contain a chemical that can allow this. The thing is, sire, it can only be done once, then it is indeed deadly, to both,” Mary said.
Bee was still staring, she still couldn’t believe that, the lord sir was going to bond with her.
Lowering her head, she spoke softly to Hartwell, “I do not wish you to harm yourself, Lord sir, because of me. If the risk is too great, I will understand if you refuse.”
At first Hartwell could only stare incredulously at her, the bravery and sacrifice he was seeing. He felt his chest swell with pride and something else, damn he thought, he really did love her.
“My dear Bee,” Hartwell said, “the risk is nothing. To be without you? Leaves a hole in my life that nothing can fill.”
Bee’s gaze jerked up as she stared into Hartwell’s eyes, then they both nodded.
Derrick’s eyes were wide with wonder. Perhaps he thought his friend had finally found happiness.
“Alright, let’s get this over with,” Hartwell said as he laid back.
“Now commencing transfer,” Johnathon said. “Fifteen, twenty-five, thirty-five, now at half. Mother, I am starting to see a few anomalies, sixty-five, transfer slowing. Now at seventy,” suddenly alarms were going off. “Warning, Warning, transfer has stopped at seventy-three percent.”
“Adjust antibodies, a hundred ccs more,” Mary said.
“What the hell is…,” Hartwell said, then his eyes started to roll back into his head. “Don’t stop Mary, don’t you dare stop! Together or not at all.” Hartwell was immediately unconscious, as was Bee a moment later.
“Mary! She needs more of what’s in his blood. Hurry, we’re losing both of them!” Derrick was yelling.
Johnathon was moving as fast as he could, ” I am still not getting a response from her. Prime has also stopped responding.”
A moment later, both of them stopped breathing. “NO!” They heard from across the room as Lucie came flying to Hartwell’s side as she started to push on his chest. “Don’t you DARE die on me! You saved me, you can’t die!” This time she brought both hands together in a huge fist as she struck his chest.
Mary and Johnathon turned to stare at Lucie as they heard Johnathon’s and Bee’s hearts beat for a minute. Then they both stopped again.
Derrick was rapidly running scenarios through his brain, then shouted, “shock him Mary. Start at 200 joules.”
“Won’t that,” Mary started, then nodded, “applying electric shock.”
Hartwell’s body jumped, then to their surprise so did Bee’s. “Does he have a normal rhythm?” Derrick asked.
“So far, though, if we can’t adjust both of them, we will lose them. The last thing we did has Hartwell at seventy-nine. We need another six or seven percent before they respond on their own,” Johnathon said.
Lucie had collapsed on the floor not too far away. She was whispering to herself, “don’t you die Brother, don’t you dare.”
Derrick was sweating bullets, with everything that had happened, this was the second worst recently. The loss of Brown, no matter how brave his sacrifice, was still weighing heavy on Derrick.
He looked beside himself at Gunther and his daughter Shelly. So much was going on, with no time to alleviate any of them.
A voice beside him broke him out of his thoughts. “Mary, look over the cure that Shelly provided you, I think perhaps the answer might lie there,” Empress Shelby said.
Mary nodded, then did as Shelby said. A look of surprise came to her features. “I have found the missing element,” Mary said.
Immediately after injecting Bee, Hartwell’s medical readings started to rise. A mere ten minutes later, his eyes opened.