

### Another Theory of the Universe

### Wormhole

Copyright 2020 Cristiana Voinea

Published by Cristiana Voinea at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

Chapter XI

Chapter XII

Epilogue

About the Author

Connect with the Author

Chapter I

Hamsika checked few times the address given in the email while being in the cab, on the way to the very destination. It wasn't the Royce Robotics she was accustomed to, unless they opened new offices, even though from as much as she knew, they closed departments rather than putting together anything new. Despite the fact that she didn't set foot on any property that belonged to the corporation ever since she was done with her internship and all the madness that surrounded it, she still heard a thing or two from people at the university, where she kept on studying for the next three years after the event.

There were quite displeasing memories connected to her time at Royce Robotics, but there were also good things that happened there; lots of experience gathered, even in that short amount of time, and surely there was the very interaction with the best people working in the field. But considering that now her studies were over and she was ought to start and search for a place to begin her scientific activities into, she thought that it was for the best to check out the sudden offer, coming from a place she hardly considered alive anymore, at least in her field, since nobody seemed to speak of it anymore. Ever since the secrets of the undergrounds of the company had been spilled out, there was a sudden silence regarding Royce Robotics' involvement in space tech and exploration. But perhaps things began to move again, at the possibly new offices she was invited to for a talk.

However, just as she checked her phone app to see how much was left of her way to the destination, she noticed being actually really close to it, only that, when she glanced outside, instead of seeing a business area, filled with tall, glass covered towers, she discovered in fact a residential area. She frowned a bit at the view and decided to check, for what was perhaps the fifth time, the address in the email, assuring herself that it was the right one.

There had been no error indeed. Just as she left the car and closed the door, she caught glimpse of the name written next to the number of the house: Royce. She felt herself frozen in place, despite the heat outside, her feet becoming one with the concrete beneath her. The only thing she managed to do was to check the hour on her phone, which told her she was five minutes early, thing that made her ponder whether if she should wait until the right hour came, or if perhaps she was ought to go and knock at the door that instant. Of course, the third option of calling another cab that'd take her some place else crossed her mind, even though she knew she replied the email, accepting the invitation; and knowing Royce, she had been already spotted, standing there, unable to make a decision, in front of his house. She closed her eyes for a moment, and with a deep breath decided to step over her heart and whatever thoughts linked the man to the unpleasant events of the past, and make her way to the final destination, check on whatever he had to say to her.

Hamsika knocked few times at the door, but as no answer came after quite a waiting time, she decided to ring, though she despised doing it, finding it in general incredibly disturbing. There had been still no answer from the other side, but a beeping noise and a clank indicated that the door unlocked. She gave it a weird look, then grabbed the handle and made her way in cautiously, being hit rightaway by the cold breeze of the air conditioning, sending her a shiver through the entire body.

"A moment!" she heard a voice, coming from a distance.

She couldn't tell if it was from upstairs, or just somewhere further, still on the ground floor. A thing was for sure; it was the unmistakeable voice of Lucien Royce. As she waited for the other, she made few steps down the hallway, catching a glimpse of the open space; a mix of grey tones, hard surfaces, raw materials and sharp angles, alike the outside of the building itself, all scented with a mildly sweet smell, which reminded her of peach.

She turned around the slightest at the sound of footsteps coming down some stairs nearby, which she couldn't see, since they were most probably around the corner; one she didn't dare to pass by just yet.

"My apologies for the wait," he said as he finally came from around the corner, setting eyes on the other. He fell silent for a moment, taking in the sight mindfully, while Hamsika stared back at him wide eyed and mildly panicked, feeling like a lamb in the wolf's den.

"Please, come in," he guided her inside the living room, where there was a black couch with two assorted armchairs, in front of a coffee table and a large wall mounted Tv, above the fireplace.

"Quite sure you'd like a drink? Outside is so hot. I have cold water. I suppose you're not up for a stronger drink and I don't keep coffee in the house," he added in a rapid rant, almost silent enough to be addressed only to himself, to which Hamsika only agreed with a shy smile and a small nod.

She watched him leave, towards where the kitchen was perhaps, and couldn't help but wonder what in the world happened meanwhile, since he seemed to be at least agitated; not even mentioning the back of his head being covered in something she couldn't distinguish yet, since it was still patched with large plasters. The girl pulled onto her dress as she took a seat on the couch, keeping her legs tightly together, while carefully brushing the cloth over them as if she wanted to extend it from her knees down to the ankles, feeling cold and overexposed.

"I am glad to see you could make it to the meet," he returned with two glasses of water, placing one in front of each of them as he took a seat on the armchair. "I am sorry we have to do this here; I know it's not professional at all, but I am a bit... Restricted from going places."

"Does it have something to do with...?" she found her mouth voicing her thoughts, motioning slightly towards the back of her head as she looked at him. The man looked down to the side and shifted in his seat, before confirming with a small nod.

"Yes. This and a bit more of something else, but that is not the point of our talk. I invited you here, because I need your help."

"If you caught again some alien and need to steal paperwork and research from me, then you're out of luck."

Royce looked her in the eye thoughtfully, seeing her being stone cold with her statement, a proof that the past was not entirely forgotten or forgiven.

"I haven't caught anything. I have been suspended from my activity ever since the aliens left, along with the entire space research department and pretty much everything else that happened within the building that exploded."

There was a long moment of silence, in which Hamsika could read the graveness of the tone and the situation. She took her glass for a sip and felt the man hardly taking his eyes off her. The coldness and seriousness he usually carried was still there, unmistakable, ready to strike anytime shamelessly, but there was also something else lingering; a pleading thought, a desperation.

"So, it's true," she eventually replied, silently.

"It is."

"I suppose you laid off all those people. Why bring me back, with next to no experience, instead of offering someone else this chance, that could actually help you."

"Because you are the only one, apart from me, that knows what really happened out there," his voice lowered almost to a whisper and the girl's eyes widened at the statement, feeling her breath being suddenly stolen.

"Is it related to _Them_?" she moved closer to his armchair, unconsciously sliding on the couch towards it, while her mind was entirely absorbed by the possibility of him being in contact with the brothers.

"Not entirely, but yes, it is. If we can manage to establish any way to track or contact them, it would be excellent, but my main problem right now is an escape plan."

"An escape plan?" she gulped, feeling it deep in her ears, like a drum.

"I suppose you have been told or rather warned by them of the _dark veil_."

"I think we're using different terms for the same thing," she frowned the slightest, trying to connect whatever sounded similar to his coded description of the issue. "Is it the thing consuming our galaxy?"

"Exactly."

"And you want an escape plan for that?" she snorted, almost laughing in his face in disbelief. "Unless you have a wormhole, also secretly developed in some lab of yours, then I doubt anything else would work."

"That's pretty much what's this about," he leaned back in the armchair, his eyes still locked with hers, taking in the smallest details in her expression, while his fingers laced over his stomach, relaxed. He watched the girl trying to articulate anything, shocked by his idea, since she rather put it out on the table as a bitter joke.

"That's impossible."

"What if I told you it's not."

"Prove it."

"That's why I need you."

"This is insane..." she murmured, staring at the polished stone-like surface of the table as she let herself slowly sink into the couch. When she got the interview invitation, she didn't expect to find herself in his house, and clearly not expected to twist memories and revive dark thoughts, which she tried so hard to bury deep. She knew ever since the talk she had with Aries and Ryan, back at the cabin in the woods, that Earth stood right in the path of the growing mass of darkness, consisting mostly of black holes and things beyond her current understanding, but she never really tried to figure a way out of it, since it seemed impossible. However, hearing another person worrying about the same reason that gave her sleepless nights, made her somehow wake up and return to reality, from her small bubble of denial. There were clearly lots of variables Royce was aware of, but she knew how hard one could obtain information from him, if it wasn't critical for the moment.

The girl looked up at him, to find his gaze still lingering on her, expecting an actual answer to his proposal. She saw his eyebrows raising the slightest in question, as she tried her best to calm the sudden tremble that caught her body.

"What's the deadline?" she finally found herself asking, even if her mind was still split in a thousand directions.

"As soon as possible."

"Months? Years?! Give me a proper approximation!" her voice trembled, watching him stand up with a frown, while his hand drifted to the patches around his head.

"I wish I could say. I can't even tell what's the situation at this very moment."

"What do you mean you can't?! Then how do you want us to work? Blindly like moles?"

"I just told you they suspended me from any kind of activity. I am practically jailed, in my own house. Royce Robotics is slowly descending into ruins, while I will be forced to work for the government, a thing which I avoided my entire life!"

Hamsika watched him soundlessly, pace around, speaking out angrily his thoughts. She felt her body going tense as she inhaled sharply when he turned her way.

"I managed to gather a team of physicists and engineers, experts in the field, that could help us build something," he returned to the couch and crouched at its end, putting his forearms on its armrest, looking up at Hamsika who appeared downright terrified.

"They would be the undisturbed development team, apart from the highly advanced war machines one, that would keep the government's eyes busy. We would be the small strike team that'd save humanity."

His voice went lower and lower, close to a whisper as he spoke. The girl watched him stand back up and return to his seat, suddenly lost in thoughts, probably thinking of what else to say or even question his actions, since he seemed quite desperate about it all. Nothing much new really, since she knew him for having a weird temper, but it was still unpleasant to be around when he descended into such mood swings.

"So... Let me see if I got your offer right," she started, trying her best to eliminate the tremble in her voice, as nervousness still crippled up her spine. "You want me to join you and a specially built team, that would work into developing a way outside the galaxy, all somehow beneath the other's noses?"

"Precisely."

"Last time it didn't work out well."

"I learnt from my mistakes."

The girl gave him a skeptical look and began to measure inside her mind what was left to lose if she'd step into such a dirty business. She would most probably lose contact with her family even more, given the secrecy involved, she could get jailed if anything went wrong, since now it wasn't only Royce trying to mask his mistakes, which also meant compromising all her life, studies and achievements so far. On the other hand, there was a chance they found a way out of the impending doom for the entire human race, whether that would happen during her lifetime or not, making her efforts count at least as a contribution to it. And last but not least, the slightest hope of getting in touch anyhow with the brothers was still something that lingered deep in her heart.

"Fine."

"Hm?" he suddenly snapped out his thoughts too at the sound of the other's voice.

"Count me in," she stood up and stretched out her arm.

The man analyzed her gesture for a moment, then got up as well, shaking hands with Hamsika to mark the deal being made, at least at a symbolic level.

"Should you need further details, don't hesitate to ask."

"Is it safe though?"

"Surely, not through emails and phone calls."

"Then I am looking forward for our first day of collaboration," she smiled the slightest and after putting her bag back on the shoulder she walked to the door, closely followed by the other, who only nodded in agreement at her statement.

"We are leaving next week."

"Leaving?" She suddenly halted before the still closed door, looking at him. He never really mentioned whether they'd be reclaiming the tech and space from Royce Robotics or have another place for their research activities.

"An underground base was under development in the last years, across the ocean. It's nearly done, awaiting us."

"We're leaving Europe?" She mouthed silently, thinking of the distance she'd have now between herself and her family, making visits even more impossible to be achieved.

"I will send you the departure details through email. Private jet." He gave her a wink, trying to ease out the tension.

"But-."

"Let me call you a cab."

"Mr. Royce."

He raised his eyes from his phone at the sound of his name, his forehead creasing the slightest as his eyebrows raised at the other.

"Nothing..." She added, thinking that she will eventually find a way for it all, instead of worrying about everything at once. After all, it was a matter that affected more than just herself and her close ones, so selfishness had no place there.

"The final destination is up to you." He flashed the smallest smile as he opened the door for her, having a car soon stop by the house.

"Right." She returned the smile, just as small and slightly confused, waved a short good bye and made her way to the cab, trying her best to recollect her thoughts on her way back home, doing whatever she could to put everything she heard in order, because at that very moment it felt like she floated into a void, still engulfed in the sweet peach smell.

His footsteps sounded loud against the polished floor as he slowly walked towards the window, staring towards the backyard, into the still surface of the swimming pool. He had no idea when he would be back home and if the new shelter would be as nice and comfortable as he discussed on the designs with the architects and decorators at first. He did not lay eyes on the underground facility, only received 3D projects of the spaces, which he tried to organize the best he could, so that everyone would have the ultimate comfort. Avoiding the feeling of being trapped underground was the most difficult thing to achieve, and unless he wanted to have people leaving out of depression, he had to get everything done properly.

There was a bit less than a week left until they would all leave towards the new and classified research center, beneath the unfriendly, hot and deserted area. Everyone had contracts for just a year, after which they would be allowed to continue or resign; all apart from himself, who was forced to be there unless he wanted to face almost a lifetime worth of jail for all the illegalities performed within the laboratories.

It was all the little things that added weight to Lucien's shoulders, more and more with each day that passed. He did in fact looked forward to start working again, to get his mind off all the rest of the issues that surrounded him for the last three years; all these on top of trying to adapt to his new enhancements, which stabilized his neuronal connections after being almost fried by the link with Aries. The implant in the back of his head, which went all the way down on his spine, sent impulses that balanced the neuronal activity, although it didn't free him entirely of the awful headaches that occurred once in a while, mostly when he felt overwhelmed with emotions.

Royce lowered himself to a crouch, then let himself sit on the floor, while still looking outside thoughtfully, wondering if his plan would work. If they truly were to find a solution to escape the incoming doomsday, it would be the achievement of his life and nothing else that fell into ruins would matter anymore. He tried all the years past the Supernova event to set himself this as a goal, a reason to carry on with his research, no matter where he'd be or with what sacrifices it would have to be done. He needed resources, brilliant minds at his side, and if fate was merciful, some luck.

Convincing Hamsika to join the program was a big step ahead, since she could probably offer him a better insight into the cosmic related issues, as her area of expertise consisted of what he needed most; exotic space material and wormholes. He followed her activity at the university regularly by speaking to her teachers, and was pleased with how she evolved. He was convinced that whatever knowledge the alien must have given her, boosted her ideas greatly, and could all by herself perhaps figure more than his entire team of scientists managed to, during the time when Aries was trapped and harvested. The biggest advantage he had in his success of dragging her along into the madness, was the tech, about which they were both aware that it was the most advanced one could get; not mentioning the fact that they were both knowledgeable of the dark truth, which motivated them endlessly and made them jump into the crazy train, where they would toy with things still beyond their current understanding. Perhaps the end wasn't ought to come in their lifetime, but they would've been maybe the only key to a new era for humanity, post-Earth, even if the plan was mostly in his head, and consisted of various crazy ideas that he hoped to achieve with the dark matter he gathered from the alien, alongside other elements.

Only few weeks of summer were left, which also was her remaining period allowed to stay at the dorm, since it followed her last year of studies, but considering the offer she accepted, she would have to worry about that aspect no longer. It did sound a bit peculiar, and working by Royce's side once again, considering what happened in the past, wasn't much to her liking, but on the other hand, he was the only one apart from her, aware of situation that loomed over their galaxy, and if there was anyone capable of understanding the gravity of certain matters, he'd have been that one. Being both knowledgeable of such, created the bridge strong enough to make them cooperate again, for the greater good. At least now, unlike her internship time, cards faced up, and she was almost certain that there was nothing else to it other than the truth.

Entering the heat of the room, she glanced around and took in all the details, as if it was her first and yet last time she'd be there. She let her bag on the chair nearby and tossed away her shoes, taking a deep breath. Taking further distance from her parents was just all that she didn't need. She knew the sacrifice she'd make was for a greater good hopefully, but on the other hand she looked forward to going back home at least for a couple of months. She longed for a warm company, someone she could talk to about anything anytime, a shoulder she could cry on, though most probably they'd never understand her reasons to the core; all that she was burdened with as knowledge, all the past events, which mainly remained hidden from the public eye, masked by dirty lies of the various organizations, they all weighted at times more than she could bear and now that Royce awakened the reality beyond Earth within her mind once again, she felt an incoming wave of mixed feelings again.

She let herself collapse on the bed and covered her face with her hands, inhaling slowly through her fingers, in the hope that her thoughts would eventually choose to settle. Ever since the brothers left, loneliness creeped on her like a parasite and each time she got too much time on her hands which she didn't busy with anything, the saddest thoughts and memories would endlessly replay before her eyes. The few months she spent with the two, and mostly with Ryan, were perhaps the happiest in her life; the joy of having who to share her love for science with, the endless debates about various subjects, and his very peculiar self, made everything so much more entertaining and interesting. All the things she wished to know after she discovered his true nature, all the places they were left to visit, all remained just dust in the wind and distant memories; some _wild science fiction dreams_ as one may call them.

The girl wiped her wet eyes and stretched her arm, grabbing her laptop from the nightstand nearby. She opened it and gave herself a few moments to gather herself back together before making a video call with her parents. She promised to let them know how the interview went. Surely, they would be happy about her success, not knowing the depths of it all, but they would all add bitterly more months until they would get to see each other again.

She smiled to herself in the camera projection from the screen as she waited for the other side to pick up.

"Hamsika! Good evening!" her mother finally answered and her father followed into the screen shortly after. "How did it go? We were so nervous here for you, sending all the luck your way!"

"Evening!" she smiled happily at the news. "All your wishes reached me. It was a successful meet!"

"Oh, dear. We are so happy for you!"

"I will be starting next week," she added and felt the tears returning to her eyes at the thought. "But we will have to postpone our meet for a bit longer, because the job requires me to move even further than I already am from you."

"We will wait, Hamsika. Don't worry your pretty face with that. We are so happy for you!"

"We will meet our relatives soon to celebrate all of your accomplishments. We hoped to have you here too, but I am sure everyone will understand," her father added, smiling genuinely, pleased with the news.

Both parents worked her during all her study years to keep her abroad with all that she needed. Hamsika's heart could now be at least less heavy knowing that they wouldn't need to work themselves out anymore. The girl reached for the screen, wishing to send a touch and a kiss their way, to which her parents reacted the same. It took all her will not to break into a breathless cry in front of them.

"Please send everyone good wishes."

"Of course, we will. I am sure they will be sending you back the same."

"I will be keeping you updated with everything as often as I can," she waved a small good bye.

"Don't stress yourself, Hamsika, and stay safe. Find yourself some good colleagues and don't isolate yourself. You're alone enough out there, my little girl."

"I will. I will do my best," she bit her lip and after wishing each other farewell, she closed the call and placed the laptop on the floor before falling on her side, back on the bed; she buried her face and cried herself out to release the pressure that managed to build up during their small talk. She really hoped for her mother to be right; she hoped she could find herself some people to hang out with there, because she truly lacked a proper human interaction, since all that she saw in the past years were the studies that kept her mind off from cracking.

The countdown to the departure went incredibly fast, the days flying by for Hamsika. She went for a couple of shopping sessions, since she thought it would be best to grab some new clothes, since she wasn't sure yet how it would be around the place they'd be going to, which was still a secret. Surely, it was meant to be so, but she thought he could've sneaked in some more details in the email that only gave her the day and hour at which a car would pick her up.

The girl end up buying one more travel bag, to ensure everything fit in, since she'd have to take it all with herself. She wasn't sure how much she was allowed to carry, since the ticket didn't really mention, but thought that if it was a private jet, there wouldn't be a problem for one more bag.

Nervousness grew on her heavier and heavier with each day that passed. Each object she added to the bags, weighted a ton more on her heart and mind. She had spent five years within that very city and more precisely, within that campus, and to call it an easy leave would have been a lie. It was her second home, while Anna was like a sister to her; she wished she could've bid farewell to her in person, but as the girl was leaving usually for the summer back at her parents' house, she did the same after studies, and only promised each other that they'd meet again soon. However, back then both were sure they'd find a job within the city at least, and perhaps see each other once in a while, but with the new situation, it appeared that they would have to wait a bit longer. Everything seemed to settle around the concept of _waiting until later_ for Hamsika, though she had begun to give up on some of the older planned reunions, since they appeared to be rather distant hopes, than plausible meets.

It was during the evening before the leave that an unexpected phone call, from an unknown number, woke her up from the exhausted nap she fell into after ironing big part of her clothes while dealing with the suffocating heat from outside. She nearly knocked the phone off the bed while trying to grab it, staring at its screen with a frown.

"Unknown number..." she muttered to self, hoping that it was a mistake and the caller would be hanging up soon enough; but since it went on and on, she cleared her throat and decided to answer. "Hello?"

"Good evening. You are one hard to reach person, Miss Acharya," the unmistakable, slightly annoyed voice of Lucien Royce was on the other side of the call. She shut her eyes for a moment and bit her tongue to avoid giving him a snarky reply.

"I was busy with packing up."

"Excellent. I just wanted to let you know there has been a change of plans. The rest will be leaving tomorrow morning as we were supposed to, while we will have a small delay, because I need to pick something from Royce Robotics and also have a small talk with you before we go and get our privacy cancelled by unwanted eyes and ears."

Hamsika tried to keep up with his fast talk, while doing her best to make sense of whatever he said. So, the rest would leave and their flight would be the only one delayed? Just how many were they in fact? She hoped to obtain some answers the following day, as he seemed to be open for a talk.

"Alright. So, I have to come to the research center?"

"The car will still come to pick you up, but one hour earlier than it was scheduled."

"Great..."

"I was sure you were going to be thrilled with the news. Coffee on me. Good night, Miss Acharya."

"Night..." she mumbled at the phone, though the man had already closed, without giving her a chance to reply. She'd have to gather all her patience and will-power if this awaited her. She hoped however that Royce would have less of an impact in her actual work, and she'll be stuck with a friendlier team, that she'd enjoy spending time with. Because just as everyone claimed, he was a difficult person to deal with.
Chapter II

The morning found Hamsika almost sleepless, as the night went fast, bathed in heat and endless thoughts and questions. She gathered the remaining things, pushing them into the smallest bag, and when the hour at which the cab was scheduled to come drew near, she started on carrying the travel bags downstairs. With next to nobody left inside the dorm, she didn't even bother to close the door in between the trips. She cursed under her breath as all the effort made her go sweaty, even in the pleasant breeze of the morning.

After she finished taking everything downstairs, at the entrance, she went back up to check the room one more time. With her lips pressed together in a thin line she let out a long sigh and after making a small wave to the empty room, she locked it, leaving the key downstairs, inside the small post box assigned to the place she called home for the last five years.

"How do I even know when and where this cab comes..." she muttered low, checking her phone for an eventual e-mail, missed call or text notification. However, without any sign from the cab driver or Royce himself, she decided to take a seat on the staircase, in a shaded corner, and wait for an eventual miracle, while surrounded by her four travel bags and the backpack at her feet.

A low pebble rumble told her that a car was approaching, even though no engine sound accompanied that news. She raised her eyes from the phone and saw a black car pulling to park nearby. The girl stood up, dusting off her clothes and after throwing the backpack on a shoulder, she grabbed the handle of one of the bags, pulling it closer to the car. However, just as she thought that the man didn't shy himself at all from spending money on some expensive ride, the color in her lips faded as she saw the familiar silhouette coming out from the car.

"Just as I thought. A ton of luggage. You'll drag the plane down with these," he opened the trunk and made his way to her bags, grabbing one under her shocked gaze.

"Morning," she managed to articulate after a bit, helping him out with the rest of her belongings.

"Morning was when I woke up."

"Morning was yesterday for me, because I had next to no sleep," she snorted to herself while trying her best to fit in the last bag without causing any damage to the car. If she'd have her own ride, she'd wildly push it all in, creating a black hole out of that trunk while fitting in everything.

"Sounds like I will have lots of time by myself on the plane then," he closed the trunk with a slam and went back into the car, not even bothering with any manners. Hamsika let out a sigh and a half roll of her eyes as she made her way to the passenger seat. As soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by a cold slap of air conditioning, feeling her sweat freeze on her skin.

"Excuse me for bringing this up, but I thought you'd be sending a cab. I was actually having a hard time trying to figure where would it stop or if I'd at least get a phone call," she mumbled while putting her seatbelt on, feeling her face gradually heating up despite the cool temperature.

"I cancelled it, because no cabs are allowed to enter and I'd like to see you carry all these bags to the main tower, right from the entrance."

"Speaking of which, I thought you weren't allowed to go back there."

"I am not allowed to perform any activities, but I could as well live there. It'd be suspicious though," he turned the car around and made his way outside the campus, to which the girl gave one last glance, a bitter smile curving her lips the slightest as she wondered what experiences would future reserve her, further from home than she had ever been.

The car felt like hovering over the road, soundlessly, while inside there was no other noise that the air conditioning vents, which still sent Hamsika chills to the bones. It would have been almost a relaxing ride, if it wasn't for the man's rather aggressive driving, pulling breaks unexpectedly, and pushing the girl back into her seat while accelerating quite dangerously through the morning traffic. She had been gripping the door handle for most of the way and hoped that her nails didn't dig in too deeply, since she felt like breaking the handle for a few times, halting her heart with short inhales, while trying her best not to scream at the other.

It was when she saw the research center buildings closing in that she finally relaxed, feeling her whole body releasing a muscle tension she didn't realize she held during the entire trip. She was thankful he went straight into the main building's underground parking, where her still trembling legs would be hidden by the darkness.

"Come. We'll leave your things here for now. I will need you to help me with some delicate content."

"Delicate content?" she followed him with quick steps, as he strode through the parking, to the elevator.

"You'll see," he looked her in the eye, as they both stopped before the sliding doors, waiting for their ride to come. Her gaze drifted from his to the attachment around his head which now lacked the bandage, unlike a week ago, during their first meet. It wasn't very distinguishable, apart from the small led lights that kept flashing white once in a while, but she was sure she'd have more time for a better glance upstairs or during the flight. She didn't want to be rude and stare too much or ask things about it just yet, even if curiosity chewed on her mind.

Despite the fact that she presumed they would be going up, straight to his office, they made a stop on the main access hall, where the information desk was, having all people that passed by gather around them, to her nervousness.

"Mr. Royce, we've been looking forward to have you back!" someone said from the back, while the rest surrounding them seemed to agree with a pleased humming noise.

"As much as I'd like to stay, I am afraid duty calls for me somewhere else," he flashed the quickest smile, that lifted only a corner of his mouth, easy to be missed if one blinked. "But if you have urgent matters to discuss, I will be around for a few hours, so leave some notes on my dashboard. I will check them out," he made his way through the small gathered crowd, to the reception nearby and bent over the desk.

"Hello, Mr. Royce. How may I assist you today?"

"Hello. I wanted to make a quick check on the plane."

"It's waiting for you, sir."

"Announce a delay. Tell them to have it ready by five this afternoon."

Hamsika gave him a quick look when she heard the hour, knowing that it was earlier than noon at that very moment. What would they be doing for that long? They would be so delayed. Would there be no issues regarding this? No time schedule to be respected?

"Five it shall be, Mr. Royce. Can I help you with anything else?

"That'll be all for now. Thank you."

He detached himself from the desk and while excusing his way out from the rest, he headed for the elevator, followed closely by the girl.

"Why the delay, though?" She asked inside the elevator, as the issue kept on picking on her thoughts, ever since she heard of it.

"I'm sorry?" he turned his attention to her from his phone. Hamsika looked at him, wondering if she should repeat the question or let it be, wondering if he really wasn't paying attention or just playing foolish games with her, like others familiar to her used to.

"The delay, sir. Is it necessary? Aren't we expected at some certain hour?"

"We're expected to arrive by the end of the week, which means, within three days. The faster, the better, since we have to get used to the place and arrange everything before getting into the actual work. But I still have some things to solve here, which I can't remotely."

"Excuse me for asking, but I still don't understand. Are you still doing anything for Royce Robotics or not? You said you got suspended, and yet I see you're quite active. I am not complaining, but I'd like to know perhaps for the future."

"What future?"

"After this project?" She followed him into the wide open-space office as soon as the elevator opened doors, glad that he seemed to finally speak something non-cryptic. The man stopped abruptly and turned her way, making the girl nearly bump into him, nervousness starting to creep up on her at the intensity of his stare.

"Our future doesn't belong here. We will be far from this place."

"But what if it doesn't work?! I mean, it's not like the end comes in our lifetime anyway. I think the brothers were exaggerating. I kept observing the darkness that spreads into our galaxy and doesn't seem to rush our way. I understand there can be other things that can reach us faster, like gamma rays and perhaps some forces we do not yet understand."

"Are you telling me this is worthless?"

"No, but-. "

"Look, Miss Acharya. We both know that outside our life-time there will be little chances of doing anything about it, being it within a hundred years or a thousand. We got the key, we got clues, we got you and me, and perhaps the aliens if they decide to pay us a visit and maybe a helping hand."

Despite the seriousness of the discussion, the mention of the two gave the girl the hope that perhaps they would be back someday, sooner than later maybe, making the gloomy thoughts be gone for at least a bit.

"Did you track them anyhow?"

"Haven't I told you I couldn't do much these years?"

"I am sorry, but I can't understand anymore what exactly you were allowed to do and what not," she frowned, getting annoyed with his childish attitude. She truly felt like shaking him seriously once in a while, but his position demanded respect.

"All that you need to understand is that we are the only chance for this damn race. Or perhaps one of the few possible in the upcoming times. Do you want to save us or not?"

The girl blinked a few times, searching his eyes for something, but they only stared back intensively, awaiting a response. Her jaw clenched a few times while searching for an answer. Of course, she'd like to see all carry on, maybe some place else than Earth if that was their fate, but she felt such a question and such an answer were too heavy for her to carry or give away. She only nodded as a response, feeling her tongue twisted, forbidding her from talking anymore; she lowered her gaze, breaking contact with Royce's, then saw his silhouette leaving her side, noticing him disappear behind a set of doors without any other word.

Hamsika's fingers laced together, feeling sweat drenching her hands as her heart began pounding crazily into her chest. She kept replaying their dialogue, wondering if this set her somewhere lower in his eyes, regretting her boldness. She became easily irritable when situations of this scale and importance seemed to be treated not exactly accordingly to her expectations. Surely, the man must have had much more in his head than she was given to know so far, but she always felt the urge of subtracting all information at once, than be given droplets, though she knew that impatience wasn't the key to problems, mostly when they involved trials and errors, cosmic matters, advanced physics and engineering, of which she was way still too unfamiliar with.

When Royce returned, she was still standing in the place he left her. Her attention was attracted however by the two large, enforced suitcases he carried, looking highly secured for whatever was inside. She watched the man place them nearby on the floor and kneel before them, unlocking one of them with a fingerprint lock system. The case hissed pressurized air as it got open, three small led lights switching on automatically once the contents were revealed; three metallic, cylinder shaped containers were safely tied to the inside of the case, all blinking light blue lights at their ends.

Hamsika approached and crouched at his side, while her eyes kept examining the unveiled contents, curious of what they might contain, even if she had some presumptions already; some that had something to do with Aries and his time within the capsule.

"We have six shots. We mess them up and off goes our chance to get out of here."

"But what is in them exactly?"

"Back then, when we extracted it, my people called it exotic matter, because they couldn't put a finger on what it was exactly. However, even during that period, I was suspecting that your paperwork might be a step closer to the truth than anything else they were able to make up out of it," he took out one of the recipients and looked at it, turning it around in his hands, giving Hamsika anxiety as she watched his prosthetic maneuvering it, since she wasn't still very sure of how reliable were his moves with it.

"Hopefully now there will be more to it than just some theory." She added silently, thinking of what kind of madness she signed up for.

"We need to make out of these a new type of rocket engine, powered by a mix I hope to obtain from in here." He shook the capsule a bit to the girl's panic, before placing it back to safety. "And a wormhole generator."

"What if these aren't enough? I mean, we aren't even sure what this is exactly!" she gave up to her calm, letting the real feelings embrace her freely. She looked into the other's eyes as he turned his attention to her; she sought desperately for an answer in his stare, but he seemed so sure on the idea that they will make it somehow, as if he already had a solution and just avoided telling her of it.

"That's where you step in. I will do the engineering part, and you do the astro-hocus-pocus."

"Astro-hocus-pocus?" her nose wrinkled and her eye twitched in shock. Was he even serious?

"You will find a way to artificially create these contents, so they will be sufficient for our needs." He clarified his thoughts to the girl, as she seemed already lost with it all.

"But, Mr. Royce- "

"Don't worry," he slammed the suitcase shut, then stood back up, arching his back with a stretch. "We will manage."

Hamsika looked up at him, while she was still crouching in the same spot. _We will manage_ was something Ryan used to say quite often, but somehow it didn't sound as convincing or as calming to her when it came from Royce. She still had doubts about him, even if she heard of his brilliance all over the place; she was still wondering how that prick of a man had the patience to do anything. He always looked too busy with others or throwing instructions here and there.

She got snapped out from her thoughts when his hand flashed before her face, making her back off a bit, out of reflex, before realizing he actually offered her a help to get back up.

"I promised you a talk before we go," the man pulled her up and motioned her towards the couch. "I will have to check with the rest too, I see they flooded my inbox," he frowned a bit while checking his smart watch.

"A drink?" he added.

"No, thank you." She sat herself on the armchair and watched him occupy a spot on the couch, letting his back melt into the black skin covered cushion.

"I will present you in short terms once again what you will probably encounter once we will reach our destination," he laced his fingers over his stomach, looking at her with a tired look. "First off, a desert. Our underground base was built beneath an old, unused military base. Don't worry, I made sure we will have within the facility all the conditions we need, good enough to suffice us the lack of contact with the outside world."

"So, we will really be locked up there?"

"Not exactly locked up. You can go out, but there's nowhere much to go really."

"I see..." she nodded more to self, starting to regret more and more agreeing to this, even if the final outcome would've been revolutionary; this if they succeeded.

"Second... The teams. We will be split in two teams as I mentioned before. One that will work on weapon design for the secret services and other things I give no damn about, and one that will do this bloody crazy rocket science," he raised a finger warningly. "Remember, if anyone asks anything, any of you, you are not authorized to reply. Just send them to me and I will arrange them. Other than the people from our small strike team, there is nobody else aware of what we're doing, not even those working on the weapons."

"As classified as it can get," she made a sign of zipping her mouth, then listened on.

"We're a total of thirty-seven people, out of which twenty busy themselves with the boring stuff, and the rest of us with the rocket science."

"But who will build a rocket engine and the wormhole generator?! I mean, it's not something you can hide and not something you can do with a hand of people."

"Of course not. We will do prototypes there. Everything else will be made here."

"But- "

"Remote controlled. Watch this," a smirk crossed his features when, with a touch on the smart watch, everything went pitch black, all windows getting suddenly covered with blinds while the smart table turned on between them, with the Royce Robotics logo flashing a bright cool blue. With a quick navigation, he opened the map of the current research facility buildings, then zoomed into one of them, going through chambers until he reached a large hall.

"They think they're smart, but I'm smarter. I have designed a security system that defies their own detection one and I managed to set up a whole factory right here, hidden from their eyes and ears, which will build exactly what we order, from across the ocean."

"What about the _batteries_?"

"That's the last piece to the puzzle. I'll figure a way for it all. For now, we got this and it's functional," he placed a hand on the tablet over the hidden place. "What we will do there, in the underground base, will be prototypes and whatever we can test safely. And of course, mainly discover what is that matter exactly, how we can use it and replicate it."

"I can't believe this..." she shielded her eyes from him, catching her temples between her fingers, massaging slowly.

"What?"

"This is madness. It sounds like a damn movie script to my ears."

"Says the one befriending an alien."

"Dear God..." her both hands covered her face as she mumbled something more, incoherently between her palms. The room got exposed again to the sunlight as the blinds got lifted back up and the table went back to its black, idle state, only the logo of the company flashing in a corner.

"We're both on this crazy ship. Let's make it sail, shall we?"

The girl let out a long exhale through her fingers, trying to calm her thoughts and nodded to the other's question in response.

"Fine, then!"

With a slap of his thighs he stood up and walked back to the suitcases, looking at them thoughtfully for a longer moment, while Hamsika just followed him with her gaze, not sure what else to expect from the man, since all was over the top in any case. She was wondering if after a while spent underground with him and the strike team, as he enjoyed to call it, she'd be shocked anymore by anything else. Her university years showed her more than one could hope to see in a whole lifetime; she came for a learning experience, which would grant her a better future, but got to meet aliens, blow up a classified project, which exposed the one before her to a ton trouble, into which she was now dragged along. She wasn't sure yet if she was to be thankful for the chance given or consider it a punishment.

"I will have to meet some of the employees before we go. Mind if I leave you here for a bit?"

"A bit?" she gave him a doubtful look, presuming that _a bit_ surely meant more than an hour.

"Three hours," he did a quick check with his watch, then turned his attention back to the other. "I'll be back in three hours," he added one more time as a conclusion to his first statement, then left, heading back to the elevator, and disappearing shortly after behind its sliding doors.

"Great," Hamsika muttered to herself and with a roll of her eyes she let her back fall against the cushioned leather armchair she still sat on, staring up at the concrete ceiling. If three hours meant a bit to Royce, she was wondering how much meant more than just that.

Her hands hovered over her stomach as it growled loudly, a sign of her lack of breakfast and incoming lunch hour which she'd probably have to skip, considering the other left her locked within the office; without an access card she couldn't even use the elevator. She let her head tilt to the side, sinking into the softness of the backseat as she glanced around. She really hoped that there was at least a bathroom in there, since he never bothered to show her the place she was stuck into; not that it was mandatory, since it was his personal space, his very office, where he most probably spent sleepless nights, but still.

The girl pushed herself up from the seat and started walking around, giving a glance outside once in a while, admiring the actually nice view upon the research center, with the town somewhere in the far background. He could really watch over everything from up there and considering all the tech he infused the center with, she was sure he was able to see absolutely any corner at any moment, if he wanted to. The room felt as spacious and cold as his house, with the raw polishing all around her, from wood to metal and concrete; it was just alike Royce himself: rough, sharp, cold and intimidating, making her wonder what did he think of when he chose such finishing and designs for the interiors he spent most of his time into. Did such really make him feel comfortable or was it just an interior designer's choice?

Hamsika stopped at his desk and let her fingers touch the surface of it, jumping a bit when it flashed on, a holographic projection of the company logo building up before her eyes, hovering above the glossy surface, which most probably was a tablet display just like the coffee table. Surely, all was coded by his fingerprint, so she couldn't even busy her time with browsing a project or anything alike. She could as well just take a nap and hope that she will be awake by the time he would return, so she won't make a fool out of herself, even if he didn't leave her much of a choice. She let herself fall in his seat with a thud, pursing her lips with a bored expression as she took her phone out to browse it.

"This _can't_ be..." she stared at it in disbelief, as it showed no signal. It must have been a security system that blocked it, but with the Wi-Fi also locked with a password, she felt like a caged animal, doomed to wait until the owner would be willing to return.

The girl relaxed in his seat and abandoned the phone on the desk before her. She then placed her hands on the armrests and gave a look to the office from that very spot. It all seemed to empty and it made her wonder if it was like this all the time, or if he actually packed and sent some of the things across the ocean, into the new base. However, judging from what his house looked like, she slightly doubted the possibility of more things being stuffed within the office than it met the eye. The girl gave a glance to the desk and its holo projection, and questioned how many nights he spent before a project in that very spot. Or perhaps he had some other working area she wasn't introduced to and this was more of a place of relief, reason for which it did look so similar to the place he lived into.

Hamsika made a spin and stared outside at the rest of the research center visible from that spot. She tried to remember the small introduction tour and when did each building appear on the map, but she couldn't wrap her mind around it precisely. She wondered just how much appeared after the death of Royce's father, the original founder of all this, considering that the new owner, Lucien himself, had added lots and expanded the Royce Robotics' interest, beyond even Earth's limits. One needed indeed a lot of nerve to grab the reins of such a powerful company, known all around the world, in so many fields, and shape it to his liking. The younger Royce did manage to bring it further than his father left it, but was the downfall of the late years really worth of what was to follow? She kept on chewing on the thought for a while, thinking that she will actually have an impact on all of it. She wouldn't do this for herself, for Royce or his company; in fact he said it himself, that they would be doing this for the greater good, which was a reason to leave aside whatever lied in the past and start fresh. She was conflicted about returning in the company at all after the event that implied the brothers, questioning the ethics and all around it, but now she added in balance something that was above some morals and grunges; the possible fate of all. Perhaps it wouldn't be during their lifetime, just as it was discussed, but as Royce mentioned, it was worth a shot, maybe worth the biggest shot humanity could get. What would become of it only time and their efforts could tell. She really had to be patient this time and put to good use all that she focused on, all that Ryan taught her, even if it was all just bits of a bigger puzzle. She really hoped the boy could still be around, because she was desperately in need of a helping hand and a calm talk, accompanied by one of those cake slices.

The girl sighed deeply and spun the chair back, facing the dim lights of the room. She let herself melt into the seat as she closed her eyes, while trying to wash away any sad thoughts. She was conflicted with them for years and lately it felt like someone just poked the fire back alive, which wasn't to her liking at all. There were lots of nice memories enveloping her like a warm blanket, with comfort, but they shouldn't consist a source of disturbance. She recalled the sleepless nights after their departure and for the sake of all, she just hoped they wouldn't return to disrupt her attention from the current objective. There was lots of work waiting to be done; lots of her documentation and research that would have to actually tried to be applied to the real particles, if they could do this at all. Surely, she didn't doubt the tech, but she rather doubted the medium they would be trapped into. Working under the security's nose still didn't sound good to her, but she would see if there was any alternative to it.

Hamsika fell into a thought induced slumber, in which all mixed wildly into her head, giving her an overall nervous feeling. The girl only jolted awake when the loud sound of footsteps echoed once again in the room. She almost fell as she jumped onto her feet, having the chair slide beneath her at the sight of the man, wondering just how long was she asleep.

"Have three hours passed so fast?" she asked, trying to brush away any sleepiness from her face or voice. She watched the man just pass by the desk, heading further past the couch area, to disappear again behind a set of doors without a word. Hamsika had her fingers pinch the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes tightly for a few seconds, trying to wash away a dizziness that caught up on her after she stood up, then stared back the way the other went, and after a moment of hesitation decided to follow.

"Mr. Royce?" she stopped before the partly open door, not daring to step in, thinking that it might be a bathroom; though would he really forget entirely about her presence and ignore her question, to just step inside a restroom, leaving the door open also?

"Sir?" she listened closely and with no sound coming from the other side, she decided to give it a knock, to maybe awake him from his thoughts, since he looked quite preoccupied with some background task in his mind when he walked back inside the office. The girl pursed her lips and with a frown pushed herself to step over whatever limits lied between her and what was beyond that door, and make her way in. There was no way to be left locked in a room, then get totally ignored as one would return.

"Excuse me- Oh! Are you alright?!" her hand froze on the door knob as she opened it, seeing the other on the floor, holding both hands onto his head.

"Mr. Royce!" she nearly screamed his name and rushed into what was indeed a bathroom, kneeling at his side on the floor, pulling carefully onto his hands to check if he hit himself during the fall, even though she doubted he fell at all, since she didn't hear any loud noise. He must have seated himself, but still, it was no less of a reason to panic for her.

"Oh, God. I'm calling an ambulance!"

"Hamsika- Hey... Don't," his words followed her outside the bathroom, as she made her way out almost as fast as she first kneeled by his side. She halted at the sound of his voice and gave a look to the phone on his desk, remembering that she had no signal, though she hoped that at least emergency calls would be allowed, then decided to make a step back and check on him once more, since he managed to actually speak something out.

"Don't worry. I'll get some help!"

"Please, don't. It'll calm down."

"You're hardly coherent," she frowned at the sight and with her heart pounding, she spun on her heels and rushed to the desk. With trembling fingers, she unlocked her phone and tried dialing up the emergency number, to discover that even that one was blocked. What was wrong with this man, isolating himself like that? Her eyes sought desperately the room for an eventual inside device that she could use to contact another department for help, but without anything in sight, she decided to ask him for the access card or at least a phone to get some help, since she doubted he blocked his own, hoping he somehow made a smart system, so he'd be the only one in control there, including his personal devices.

"I will need your phone. Mine has no signal here," she said as she entered back the bathroom to see him barely holding up on his feet. With a quick move, she slammed shut the toilet seat and helped him sit, feeling her knees suddenly threatening to leave her as his weight leaned onto her more than she expected.

"What're you doing?" he managed to articulate with a pained frown, one of his hands still pressing against his head, while the other was propped on the wall nearby to keep himself from falling. The girl's hands searched his blazer's pockets, muttering under her breath when her fingers found only the car key.

"Where do you keep your damn phone?!" her hands started to touch the pants pockets, scandalized by the whole situation that pushed her into this thanks to some complicated security measures he decided to take.

"You don't need it," he shifted his position under the girl's still crazy search and detached his prosthetic hand from the wall to halt her by the shoulder, and meet her panicked look.

"You're dying!"

"Not dying. Calm."

"But- "

"Shh..." he pushed her away with a weak move.

"You're impossible! Give me the damn access card! You locked us both here!"

"It's good."

"It's not good! You're delirious!" she launched herself back at him, searching his belt, hoping the access card would be hooked around the waistline.

"I'm not!" his eyebrows furrowed again as he pushed himself up, nearly knocking off the other, catching her by the wrist and hardly managing to balance both of themselves in the small space of the restroom. Hamsika made a quick measure of him, from head to toes and felt a soft relief moment, noticing the paleness of the other slowly fading; while her face finally started to feel like burning, acknowledging what the craziness of the moment pushed her do in order to save the other. She took a step behind and put her back against the wall nearby, giving the floor such a stare, that she prayed it would eat her alive rather than having to meet his eyes again.

"Next time it happens, just talk to me. Okay?" he added after a bit, making the girl's heart jump into her throat when he threatened to fall as he tried taking a step.

"Next time?" she found herself mouthing out loud.

"I get these once in a while. If it wasn't for this..." he tapped his head implant. "I'd have them all the time."

Hamsika only nodded silently at the news, feeling her body losing tension as she heard the other gaining back his quick talk sense. The whole scene scared the hell out of her and if this wasn't quite a good moment to just keep on asking what was actually going on with his head, she'd surely remember it for later, because she had to know at least what was to be done if things went horribly wrong, and it didn't work out with _just a talk_ , as he instructed her to do.

She silently excused her way out the small bathroom and went to sit on the couch, taking deep breaths in order to wash away the panic, which still gave her a racing heart and trembling hands. Just how much was she left to be told? She appeared to be totally clueless about him and the project she jumped into, even though she was told things as she asked of them; it just seemed that it wasn't sufficient, and the whole situation was like an onion; layer over layer.

Despite the unleashed crazy moment from just minutes ago, the man strode outside the bathroom at a quick pace, like nothing happened, the girl catching glimpse of him as he went around the corner, heading again for the elevator. She stood up and went in a rush after him, a frown creasing her forehead.

"Are you leaving again?"

"I still have lots to discuss. We'll probably meet back here before departure time, grab the suitcases and go."

"What about me?!"

"What about it?"

She blinked few times, staring at him in shock. Did he really lack manners this much? Or even a stomach? How could he think of letting her there again, isolated from all, like she was some contaminated specimen?

"Can't I just go around for a walk and a snack instead of staying up here locked?"

She watched him analyzing her for a bit before taking a decision, then motioned an invitation into the elevator as the doors slid open.

"Should I go downstairs and ask for a visitor card at least?"

"No."

"What if somebody asks me what I am doing around?"

"You tell them you're with me."

Hamsika snorted, which made the man's eyebrows lift in a questioning confusion. She didn't care to answer, considering the gesture sufficient, so she just turned around, facing the door, until they reached the first stop.

"I'll call you when I'm done."

"Enjoy your time, Mr. Royce."

"Right," she watched him leave and could swear she caught a glimpse of a half eyeroll when he replied, making her wonder if it was for the situation, or her simple wish, triggering her even further against his way of being. Two other people climbed in and left with her at the ground floor.

The girl made her way outside the building and glanced around, trying to remember where was which, since she supposed it didn't change much within the last years, considering that some parts even shut down. She noticed a rack of electric bikes nearby the place she just left and went for it, thinking that, through summer's heat, a bicycle ride will always be more relaxing than a melting walk by foot. She used her phone to scan the code and pay for a two-hour rent, then climbed up and left the building behind.

It was almost inevitable not to visit the place she worked into. The building was however secured with an electric fence, bearing the authorities' attention signs all over. It was a sad sight, but the man should've known when he decided to approve such an experiment that nothing good could come out of it. It was a true gamble, which he only partly won. Hamsika hoped however to get some more details on what happened in there, other than she got told by Aries, since he used his unique and full of hatred point of view, which of course wasn't to be condemned, since he was trapped against his will. She always thought it would be interesting to hear both sides telling the story, and with the new chance given, she could finally get her hopes back high.

The girl continued her ride through the research center's park, stopping by most of the buildings for a short break and to give them all a better glance, since most of the places were really pleasing to the eye, a modern architectural mix, cut in the same geometric manner, split between black, white and grey tones, accompanied by the color of the sky reflected into the windows, which covered more or less of the buildings, depending on their design and purpose. Royce Robotics was indeed a scientific heaven, both on the outside and inside for the workers, sadly ruled by the crazy devil, which everyone learned to deal and live with. It appeared to be a test of patience to work with him, and all the people Hamsika met so far, passed it with highest possible mark, since they treated him with utmost respect, even though they appeared to be sometimes displeased with his decisions; perhaps people knew better than her that despite his impulsive, prick attitude, he was a man of trust, though she questioned how they felt about him when things went down and surely the news about what was going on within that very facility spread across the company's walls.

However, with the train of thoughts going places, she wondered if she would get to work again with any of those she met during her internship. She saw no list of names or anything alike, the only news about the team she'd be working into came only hours ago, during their small talk. There was a long way ahead and a full year of contract work, which was a first time for her, but she couldn't help but be thrilled of it all, despite all her small doubts about a thing or another. She couldn't control them anyhow, and perhaps that was what worried her most, but if others trusted the man enough to step into the madness, then so she should as well and perhaps give him and the project more credit, since all her respect for Royce and his company came mainly from the rest she heard talking and from the accomplishments they had. She really looked forward into forming her own opinion about it all, apart from everyone else's influence and get her work finally matter more than some paperwork idea, fascinating part of her teachers and setting others on fire, deeply scandalized by her science fiction worth dreams.

Chapter III

"Where's your phone at, girl?" Anna muttered with a frown, as she glanced at the screen of her phone after what was the tenth call she dialed towards Hamsika, getting in touch with the voice mail instead of the one she sought for. She was striding through the campus, despite the fact that she was done packing and left for her house a while before her roommate did. In fact, there was no more than a week ever since Hamsika departed from the place she called home during her study years; however, Anna failed to get noticed of her leave, the only term she was given when asked being _sometime soon_.

With sweat dripping down her forehead, while fanning herself with her free hand in the hope of a breeze, she tried calling one more time, but without success. Perhaps she was out; perhaps she was taking a shower during such heat; but most probably she was just already back home, far away in India, without giving her any notice, since the first two options didn't match her friend not answering for a few days already. Surely, she wouldn't bother as much if it wasn't for coming few hundred kilometers back in town just to check on her hair straightener, and her five years colleague.

"Great. Nobody to grab the key from," she said to herself, out loud and annoyed, pursing her lips displeased with the administrator door locked also. There were just few students left during the summer break at the campus, so even the staff was there rather seldom. Anna did however decide to make her way up to the room, with heavy pressed steps, in a last desperate move towards any clue of the objectives that brought her here.

Her hand stopped midway towards the handle as a sudden chatter noise appeared to come from behind the door, and to her surprise, despite it being a girl exclusive dorm, those who spoke both sounded male. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she leaned her head towards the door, trying to pick up anything from the discussion, but all was too muffled to make something out of it. The girl closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep inhale, deciding to make her way in and check on who decided to invade the privacy of her ex-room. But as she grabbed the handle to open the door, she soon found herself shouldering the wooden surface as it remained locked before her. She heard the talk stop abruptly and few moments after, footsteps approaching to open the door from the inside. Though she was ready to meet rather some workers that came to renovate, since summer was mostly used for such activities, mostly in the empty rooms, her eyes met someone she did not even cared to consider.

"Ryan," she whispered more to herself, shocked with the boy's sighting, knowing just how much her friend suffered after he apparently had to go places.

"Anna!" he exclaimed in return and dragged her inside, giving a quick glance down the hallway before closing back the door with all three of them in. He watched the unexpected visitor analyze both him and Aries, who was a stranger to her eyes, then saw her fury abruptly growing with a frown on her sweaty face. Then, without even being able to predict what was to follow, he found himself in heavy contact with her palm, forcing his head lean to the side, while his cheek burned red with stinging pain.

"Alright, I deserved that," he concluded after a long moment of silence, then looked back at the girl, who was close to blowing steam out through her nostrils.

"You deserve that and more!" she pushed her sharp nailed finger into his chest, pointing. "You have any idea how many sleepless nights that poor girl had? Hm? Of course, you don't! Because you left! 'til I saw her, I had no idea one could cry so much!"

Ryan watched her continue to rant at him, her finger pushing at his chest each time she made a point, while his mind drifted back to the abrupt moment of their departure. He expected such to follow, though he never really wanted to do so. He was sure she'd eventually understand and deal with it. Or at least he hoped so, since there was nothing else he could've done at that moment.

"Are you even listenin', boy?!" she exclaimed scandalized, noticing the other being with his thoughts elsewhere.

"I know. I know it all... There was just no other way, but now I'm back!" he tried to brush all the tension off with a smile, that only managed to infuriate the girl even more.

"Man, you got some guts to say that to my face!" she straight forward launched herself at him with fists ready to fight, knocking the boy against the bathroom door, and nearly hitting her mark if it wasn't for Aries to pull back onto her.

"Hey now! What's wrong with you?!" he exclaimed, struggling to keep her back and avoiding to get hit himself.

"Who's this? Ryan, who the hell is this in our dorm?!"

"He's my brother."

"Your wha- Are you takin' me for stupid? Hm?!" she still tried to fight her way out the other's grip.

"Adopted brother?"

"What?" Aries gave him an odd look and released Anna who tripped and fell over Ryan once more, this time ending up together on the dusty floor with a loud thud.

"Stop it! That's enough!" the boy fought his way out from beneath Anna's fury and caught her wrists, exchanging looks for a brief moment, both trying to catch back up their breath after the wrestle. "Please. We need to talk."

"TALK!" she screamed it to his face.

"Like normal people, if possible," he slowly released her wrists and kept his palms open in surrender, while his eyebrows raised in question at his proposal. The girl clenched her jaw, still highly annoyed with the situation and nodded, then stood up, dusting herself off while watching the two in turns, like a cornered animal, though she seemed to be the only aggressive one around.

"Fine, boy. Talk, but make it fast. I ain't got all day. Got a bus to catch back home."

"Alright," he took a deep breath. "Where's Hamsika?"

"I wish I knew! She ain't pickin' up the phone for days! I came all the way here worried for her and my missing hair straightener!" she threw her hands in the air, then let them fall with a slap against her thighs.

"When did you last speak to her?" Ryan could feel a thousand dark thoughts already fill his mind, though he forced himself to try and see the least troubling outcomes for such a sudden absence.

"Two weeks ago?"

"Can't you check?"

"Right. I could," she started touching her pockets until she found her phone and began browsing her apps for the last conversation. "Yeah, two weeks ago."

"Did she mention any possible destination?"

"Heck if I know! Probably back home? Or maybe she found a job and changed numbers? Though she's not on social media either," her eyes kept pacing back and forth from browsing her phone to Ryan, whose face grew significantly paler with concern.

"I take it you two really didn't talk these years."

"They didn't. He drove me crazy," Aries added from behind her, nearly giving her a jump scare as she forgot him being around. The girl turned a bit so she could look at both, still doubting the fact that they were related anyhow, since apart from the blue eyes, they shared nothing else.

"Where could she be..." Ryan said to himself, taking a seat on the bed nearby, his mind trying to find a way to get in contact with her.

"Maybe she's back where I found her." Aries suggested with a trace of disgust on his face, most probably having memories back from Royce Robotics rushing his way.

"Did she return to work there after?" the boy looked up hopefully at Anna who just shrugged with a defeated look in her eyes.

"I don't know, Ryan... After you left, she grew very silent and buried herself in the studies even deeper than before. I could hardly even carry her out on a Sunday, if it wasn't for a library visit or grocery shopping. And I have no idea if she took any jobs in summer, since I mostly went home for vacation, and I doubt she had any time for a job during her studies."

The boy collapsed with a low grumble on his back, on the bed, and stared up for a bit, before allowing his hands to cover his face.

"But I'm sure that if she went back home, she'll contact me soon. She must be busy with her family. She didn't see them in a while. Give me a contact and I'll reach back for you," she added before giving the bedroom they were into and the bathroom a tour, in the hope of her hair straightener to be there at least, but without success for it either.

"I have no phone. No internet. Nothing anymore!" Ryan pushed himself back up, heading for the window for a look, while chewing on his cheek thoughtfully. Anna watched him, and despite the fact that she knew her roommate suffered for the separation, she felt sorry for the current situation. She was just as worried and wished she could help anyhow. She would be glad to know the two would be back together, unless her friend decided otherwise in the meantime.

"I told you we should've minded our business," Aries finally broke the silence, resting against the desk with his arms crossed, seeming the least affected, if at all.

"Please, don't start it."

"Then how in the world you want to find her?! Knock at each door? Fly around the world until you see her?! Ryan, this is ridiculous!"

"Maybe checking at that workplace you mentioned, would be worth a try," Anna shrugged. "If not, you can wait until the study year starts and ask one of her ex-teachers. Maybe they know if she planned on working somewhere special after she was done with her diploma."

"It's too much until then."

"Should I remind you, that you were absent for three years?!"

"Three years?" Ryan suddenly turned around from the window, staring her in the eye.

"Are you even livin' on this planet?!"

His brother snorted from nearby, earning himself a confused look from Anna, while Ryan's eyes still searched her own with desperation. He presumed diploma meant the end of her third study year, not fifth. How did he allow so much time to slip? He was even lucky to stumble upon her roommate in such conditions, and though he wanted to thank her for happening to be there, his mind didn't allow him such, as it rather rushed into making calculations of how much time and distance have they lost themselves through in their travel.

"Hello? Ryan?!" she wove her hand before him, then rolled her eyes, and after snatching her bag from nearby the door, she grabbed the handle ready to make her way out. "If you don't want to share any way to contact you, then good luck on finding her. I just hope she's fine," she concluded, still saddened with the discovery, and opened the door.

"Wait," the boy finally allowed himself out from his train of thoughts and pleaded her with a look. "We need your help."

Despite the fact that they were all in the underground base for some days already, nobody was working just yet. Royce made sure they had a while to accustom themselves with the new place and what it had to offer, before jumping into stressing them out with the more important matters, those they signed a one year contract for. Surely, the one year was only a start, since he was quite sure they won't be able to finish all he had proposed himself to achieve; however, he couldn't force them from the start on something long term. He could only hope that all would go well, and according to his plans ever for the given period of time.

Hamsika was glad to see in her small team, selected carefully by Royce himself, some familiar faces. Even though they never really spoke much, she wasn't at least surrounded by total strangers, which was the least comfort she could get.

However, it was around two weeks after their arrival, when Royce finally decided to organize a meet and began the research and prototyping. The nervousness was peaking in the conference room they gathered into, while waiting for their organizer to actually show up.

"I heard it's related to that super-secret Supernova project."

"I think all that happened back at Royce Robotics was related to that. I heard some creepy stories about it. Men burned alive, strange matter or substances being spread. Why do you think it was closed by the government and secret services?!"

"But was it really closed by them? I mean, we all got told it was just too unsafe to operate in that building anymore, because its structure got damaged at the particle collider explosion."

"That's the official version," the woman talking before lowered her voice, bending the slightest over the table as she sat. "But I caught glimpse of some documents on his desk when he called me in and-" her words suddenly got stuck in her throat as the door slid open and the awaited man entered with a quick, yet dismissive greeting wave.

"Apologies for the delay," he put a large covered mug on the table with a quick slam, nearly knocking it off as he withdrew his hand, the prosthetic one being, as usual, stuffed inside his pants pocket. The rest murmured a _no problem_ under their noses and watched him seat in the chair, adjusting its height, before slamming both hands to the table and look at each of those present.

"How is everyone doing? Fine? Right. I am pretty good myself, though I must admit I miss a walk through the research center."

"You were taking walks, sir?" One puffed rather sarcastic, with a smile.

"At three in the morning when my brain was burning and I couldn't sleep. Yes," he looked at the man questioning him, who now seemed to regret deciding to speak up, just shrugging the reply off with the slightest shift of his shoulders, as if afraid to move.

"I suppose you all know why we gathered here and I hope that you will be as eager as I am to work on this project," he made a small pause and checked those at the table to be sure he had their full attention. "We will be prototyping and creating a wormhole generator, along with a set of spaceships, that would withstand the incoming forces it'd face within the warping time."

His quick talk didn't help at all with the already science fiction like project. Some of those present were visibly confused at the news and were hoping that it's a joke, though nobody ever remembered to even see him laugh.

"I'm sorry to ask you to repeat, sir, but did you just say wormhole generator?" a woman finally spoke up what appeared to be on everyone's minds, as they all turned their attention on him once more.

"Precisely."

"But... How can we create something we only presume how it works in theory?"

"Well, because unlike other times, now we have some really nice exotic space material and Hamsika," his eyes shifted from the woman he replied to, on the girl, who seemed to be taken by surprise with the mention of her name and felt her face starting to burn with heat, as all eyes turned on her. She flashed the smallest smile, unsure of what even to reply, if anything.

"The young lady here, made some interesting points and possible discoveries in her papers during her study years, and we will try to use those and our engineering genius ideas to shape this into something tangible."

"But why?" another man find himself questioning the absurdity of what they heard.

"Why what?"

"Why are we even doing this? Why here? Is this what Supernova was about and now they brought our silence down here, to develop it for other purposes?"

Royce took a deep breath and exchanged glances with Hamsika. They both knew what it was all about, and if he wanted things to work properly and not have information spilled places through an outrage, he had to be honest with everyone.

"This will come out as a heavy strike and I expect everyone here to panic," he made a short pause and saw suspicious looks already glancing at each other. "Our world is on the verge of ending and before anyone mentions anything, let me add that it's not related to any political conflicts, pollution, climate change or deadly virus. Earth is in the path of a chain reaction which includes multiple black holes and supernova collisions. It may not happen during our life time, but we cannot guarantee things we're not fully aware of. However, we are among, if not the only one chance, of survival of our race."

"This is madness. I don't believe a word. Is this how you decided to manipulate us? Through fear and end of the world scenarios?!" a man stood up scandalized, slamming his hands on the table, staring Royce's way. "And if I recall well, the contract forbids us to take the information any further. If it's such a world threat, why are not the rest of the nations aware?!"

"We are not discussing political matters. We are developing a solution and if it works well, we will be able to let the world know we have a problem and a solution to it."

"But maybe more could work on a solution if they knew?!"

"Like they are working on the rest of issues concerning just Earth alone?" his eyebrows raised, still sitting calmly in his armchair, moving slightly as his leg leaned from left the right beneath the table, rotating the seat.

"I refuse to believe this unless you bring me proof and even so, I do not agree with holding this secret."

"What will you do when chaos unleashes and everyone knows we are doomed rather sooner than later? Imagine all the anarchy, the threats. Nobody will cooperate. The world is always eager for a new cause of conflict, let's not feed them this."

"We're literally working under the secret service's roof!"

"But they are not aware of it. They think we do weapons, like the other team I brought along does. Not even they know that we do something else. They think we do prototypes for them, which I do alone at night before sleep, just to shut their mouths and not raise suspicions."

"This is not normal!" the man insisted and sat back in his chair, his eyebrows furrowing with anger.

"Please, let's calm down and discuss on the facts," he touched the table, causing the lights around to go low, as a hologram emerged from the projector. "I will all let you know what I am aware of so far and then we shall discuss what we can do about it. I don't want humanity to fade into nothingness after all the struggle and achievements. We are _this close_ to a gigantic leap."

"I still can't believe I agreed to this. I could be out there searching for a job! My parents already start to wrinkle noses at my questionable decisions," Anna added as they carried her luggage inside Ryan's apartment, which was luckily cared for by miss Olsen while he was away. When they returned to Earth, they made sure to check on the flat first, to ensure that they had at least a place to stay, until things got settled, which proved to be a wise decision, since Hamsika was still nowhere to be found.

"Where are we even going to sleep?! We're three people and a single couch. There's no way I'm splitting it with either of you," she gave them a warning look, while the boys exchanged glances, almost amused.

"Of course not. I will be leaving today." Ryan added as he dragged one of her two luggage cases next to the wardrobe.

"You were serious?! You leave me with this mad lad?!" She frantically pointed at the other boy, who only rolled his eyes.

"Heard this before. Why are you both so dramatic?!" Aries exclaimed.

"Both who?" Anna placed her hands on her hips, looking at him expectantly, while arching an eyebrow.

"You and Hamsika. She reacted the same way when she was ought to remain just with me."

"Oh. So, she knows you?!"

"Of course, she does!" he replied with a snort, while checking on what snacks were left. He then grabbed a bag and opened it as loudly as he could, taking even his brother's attention on himself.

"What even... Is there anything more I should know and I'm not aware of yet?"

"A thing or two, maybe, but that's not important now," Ryan added and joined them in the small kitchen space, between the counters. "I need you two to stay around for as long as I am gone, otherwise I will lose you too and it will be even harder to get back together."

"We can check on Royce's meanwhile," the boy suggested while casually stuffing a potato chip in his mouth, earning himself a slightly disgusted look from Anna.

"Check what?"

"I don't know. What he's been up to."

"Fine. Perhaps it's not a bad idea. I am sure Anna can help on that."

"Yeah, whatever. At this point I am too lost to know whatever I am agreeing to anyway. I'm just worried for my girl," she snapped her fingers and pointed Ryan's way. "Speakin' of which! How do you even plan to get to India? Found out where she stays?"

"Checked some school records."

"Stalker."

"It's for the greater good!" he laughed it off, trying to defend himself from accusations.

"You still didn't answer me, boy."

"Oh, he does that a lot," his brother snorted, while still chewing loudly, the whole conversation being like a show to him, rather than a thing he's fully involved into.

"I will see how I get there."

"Make sure it's not by bicycle. I ain't got all life to wait for you to return," she amused herself at the thought for a bit, then gave him a dead serious look. "I mean it. You got a plane ticket or somethin'?"

"Yeah..." he shifted a bit, then hopped up to sit on the counter, looking at Aries, which made the girl throw them suspicious looks.

"What are you hidin'? Aries, what's your brother hiding?" she gasped at the lack of response and backed off dramatically. "I don't know how poor Hamsika dealt with you two! Because I'm already so done!" she paced around a bit, under the curious looks of the other two, then pointed a finger at each of them, in turns. "You know what's worse?! I ain't havin' even a room to escape you two if you make me mad, and boy, trust me, I'm not mad right now!"

"We got a bathroom?" Aries threw the empty bag to the trash bin and failed to reach it, while he showed her over his shoulder the only room with a door in the house. He then watched Anna stride towards them, with steam almost coming out her nose, grab the bag on her way and toss it properly into the bin without breaking eye contact with him; all to just head for the bathroom with a door slam.

"She's wild."

"Just don't annoy her too much while I'm off," Ryan walked towards the couch and collapsed on it, resting his back against it while his hands slid on his face, pulling onto it as he took a deep breath between the fingers.

"Don't you think we should tell her? She'll make me go nuts with the questions, I can feel it," Aries followed shortly after, stopping before the other and casting a shadow over his seated figure.

"Do what you think it's best. But questions will come anyway," he looked at his brother, letting his hands rest on his lap. "Just don't do it now. She's stressed enough already."

"Yeah."

"And if you happen to find Royce, do me a favor and don't split his head open."

"I'll try."

"Aries, please."

"I know, Ryan. I know," he sighed deeply. "He's a bastard, never to be forgiven, but he is needed."

"Exactly."

"But, what will you do when you find her? Bring her here? We go to the bastard after? Do we even have a plan? Ryan, you never even told me why we're back here. They've been warned of what awaits them, let them do their thing and let us be. You keep dragging me into these... Human matters."

He made a face, displeased with the situation overall. He saw his brother look at him with an apologetic look, and he felt the continuous shift in his thoughts; he was just confused and conflicted by their return, but deep inside he knew he had to reach for Hamsika once again. Something told him she was off the track and he couldn't live on forever, knowing that at a point in time, when he was ought to, he chose to do nothing in order to aid her or her race. Perhaps that was the actual answer; a guilt was creeping up on his spine and he couldn't just let it be. The best he could do was to at least offer a hand, since he contributed along with Aries into letting them know of what fate awaited them.

"We'll see, brother," he gave him in return an assuring smile, before getting his attention stolen by the bathroom door swinging back open.

"What? You missed me?" she stopped on the hallway, still trying to fix her forever wild hair.

"We were just wondering why it's so silent," Aries teased her with a grin spreading on his lips.

The boy puffed silently as he saw Anna trying to hold back a smile herself. She couldn't fight them forever, or at least until they got a track of Hamsika. Eventually she'd have to get used to their way of being, which was an ever-growing disorder.

"You guys hungry? I'd give anything for a slice of pizza right now," Anna admitted, heading their way, stopping before the couch, staring from one to the other while her eyebrows raised in anticipation, expecting an answer.

"Oh, finally! An interesting topic," Aries brought his palms together in a loud clap. "I say we order a dozen."

"Say what? Boy, we're just three," she snorted at his statement, giving him a quick glance, from head to toes, measuring where could he possibly fit that much in.

"Trust me, if he says ten, that's the right number and he might still take a slice from your own portion," Ryan chuckled amused at her eyes widening with surprise, as she gasped while trying to find the right words to express her further shock.

"However..." he went on, pressing his lips together with a trace of concern. "...I am not sure what happened to my bank account while I was away."

"I say nothing. You still got the card?"

"No."

"Damn. Well, it was expired most probably anyway."

"Wait a bit, we can't buy food?"

"We've been lucky enough miss Olsen helped us since we returned, but that's enough. I should still have some savings. Can you go check tomorrow?"

"I can't just go check your bank account," she gave him a strange, yet amused look.

Ryan let out a frustrated sound and stood up, looking around, expecting to find a solution, though he knew there was none, other than plainly asking Anna for help, who was also quite low on budget herself.

"I'll go tomorrow and see," he concluded with a long sigh, earning himself a confused look from the girl.

"Weren't you leavin'?! You got a plane to catch!"

"I don't."

"But-"

"If nobody else can check the bank, then I have to do it myself. Aries has no money if I don't have, you're low as well, and I wouldn't expect you to pay for our expenses in any case."

"But, Ryan... How long will you be away? When's your flight back?"

"There's no flight back."

"Wait. You're not comin' back?!" her voice raised above the level of a normal talk, scandalized and confused more and more by each word she heard. It made no sense and she began questioning even deeper why she agreed with all and whether she should just quit or try and deal with whatever followed for the sake of Hamsika.

"Of course, I am! Please. Let me think, okay?"

"Think?! You just said you're ditching your flight and then kind of dismissed the flight entirely. I don't understand anymore!"

"Shut up, already!" Aries stared her down, and though his voice didn't raise from a normal tone, the look in his eyes silenced the girl in an instant.

"Anna..." Ryan pleaded her as she backed off slowly and after retrieving her backpack from the floor stormed outside the flat without a word. The boy closed his eyes to restrain himself from lashing out any anger, since it was already enough tension in the air, then opened them back at his brother, whose face spoke nothing but building fury.

"Look what you've done!" Ryan eventually failed to hold back his emotions, his voice cracking as he pointed towards the door their friend disappeared through.

"Oh, _what I've done_?! Look Ryan, I am not here to babysit humans and keep them in a forever friendly bubble despite their attitude or gestures. Why can't we just leave for Hamsika, now that you found where she stays, and let her be?!"

"Because she helped us and she is worried for her as well!"

"She didn't help us! You asked her to help us and so far she did nothing but complain. How is this even helpful?!"

"I am sure there will be a moment when she'll offer a hand."

"I swear I can't even," he rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, pulling a bit onto it as his fingers tangled into the long strands. His jaw clenched as he threw a glance towards his brother. He was tired of repeating himself; he was never fond of returning to Earth and was not going to linger for longer than needed.

"Give me that address. I'll go check on her, you solve than stupid bank and grab us food."

"What? No."

"Give it to me, Ryan, or I will take it myself."

"Try to."

His eyebrows furrowed and the next thing he knew was exactly what he supposed the other would do; Aries launched himself at him, his fingers wrapping around his skull, forcing the thought connection. The boy saw the other's eyes losing their irises and start to glow as he forced his way through his thoughts. Matter began to fall off their faces and hands as they wrestled, while objects began to clatter around the room along with the windows when their feet slowly left the floor.

"Not here..." Ryan's words echoed in the other's mind.

"Give me the location and I'm off."

"No."

"Give it to me!"

"AAH!" he sent a deafening scream into Aries's mind and threw himself out with the other through the window before further and worse damage would be caused to the surroundings, as their bodies gained their cosmic shape completely. The loud noise of the window crack got soon accompanied by a blinding light, causing anyone around shield their eyes and cower in fear as of a lightning, and before one's notice, they left the location with a blast, clattering and cracking few more windows of the surrounding buildings.

Their forced flight descended into a crash with quite an impact crater, in an isolated area Ryan picked as landing spot, in the madness of their struggle. He finally managed to detach himself from his brother's grip and floated few meters away, raising his hands in a defensive stance, and yet wishing no more fight.

"Aries..." he began, his tone a warn.

"Where are we?" the other broke their tensioned mood, to which Ryan was thankful, and looked around, making half a spin while glancing, before actually climbing up the crater and check the surroundings.

"I don't know. Somewhere far from a civilized place."

"We both know we're not far enough from anything if a real conflict erupts between us."

"We really have to quit doing this. We're not out there anymore, damn it!" he pointed upwards at the sky, which already began to show stars on the part of the planet they reached.

"Because you chose so!"

"Just don't start again. Let's get things done, as we spoke, and leave."

"Spoke what?! Ryan, I still have no idea why you dragged me here or why I even agreed to do so."

"You are free to go! Just go!" he threw his hands in the air, exasperated by his brother's attitude and left the crater too, each of them being at its opposite poles.

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"I can't believe this..." he said more to himself, though he knew the other could hear it as their minds were still linked, in the cosmic form. He allowed his feet to touch the ground and gain weight, slowly returning to his human shape, making the other do just the same and come back together, face to face.

"Ryan, what in the Universe are we doing back here? Please, brother..." he pleaded, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, waiting for their eyes to meet.

"We need to take Hamsika out of here. I can't live with the thought that I warned her of what's to come and did nothing more to help."

"So, that's it?"

"Yeah?" he looked surprised at his brother's question.

"Fine, then. Let's go to her place. Find her. Build her a capsule to resist pressure and friction and we warp her out of here. I'm sure you know a planet she could survive on."

"That'd be the least problem. The way you put it all, sounds incredibly easy, which I doubt it is so."

"You haven't even thought this through?"

Ryan shook his head with a sigh and despite the fact that he enjoyed how the plan rolled off his brother's tongue, he knew it couldn't be this easy. Hamsika would almost surely not agree leave alone and this would immensely complicate things. It's what he was afraid of in the beginning, having to actually save a percentage high enough to consider the race relocated and ready for a new start, which seemed impossible to obtain with the human's current technological progress.

"It's not that I haven't. I did, and overdone it in fact."

"You don't want to save just her, do you?" his hand slipped with disappointment off the other's shoulder, and he turned on his heels with a tired sigh, rolling his eyes as he did so.

"Think about how many other intelligent races are in situations alike their own! How about we just jump from galaxy to galaxy and check all habitable planets out to save their people!" his arms spread into a wide arch, gesticulating, letting his palms hit his legs as he turned back Ryan's way.

"Wouldn't you enjoy that?" he pressed on, in a mean teasing way.

"That's impossible."

"I am sure that big head of yours would find a way."

"But that's not the point."

"It's not."

"We have to go to India."

"Finally!" he stripped off his human flesh once again, almost in an instant, and looked expectantly at the other.

"We should let Anna know we're gone for longer than planned."

"We're going now. Anna can live without us for a while," Aries's words boomed inside his skull and he clicked his tongue with annoyance before regaining his celestial body and try to find their way to the new destination, despite having no clue about where they were at that moment at all.

After a long walk and a visit to the nearby shop, Anna decided to make her way back to the brothers, loaded with what should mean a couple of meals, at least until Ryan would solve his bank issues, if he will at all, since she was too confused to understand how and when exactly will he be leaving. However, just as she approached the building their flat was into, a couple of sirens seemed to sound all at a time, while lots of people appeared to be gathered around, on the streets in the vicinity.

"The heck?" she exclaimed, though more to herself, since she was sure nobody minded her in the surrounding madness. She kept on walking, pushing her way through the gathered groups and met a closed perimeter, limited by yellow tape, which stopped actually the access to the very building she was headed to.

"I swear- I leave the house for two hours and apocalypse comes?! Excuse me, sir, I kind of live here," she stopped before a man that seemed to supervise the area, with his hands on his hips; all too casual for the surrounding fuss.

"Miss, this is a restricted area. The place is potentially dangerous, as gas leaks have been reported nearby, accompanied by explosions."

"Mister, I had one hell of a day. Please, get outta my way. There ain't any explosion worth disturbing me anymore," she pushed him to the side, already tired of all the madness she's been through so far, and after going beneath the caution band made her way into the apartment building, which was filled with the people that refused to leave their houses as well, but stayed curious to hear what's happening. She kept on hearing the man protesting behind her, saying that she was in on her own risk and that he won't be responsible for any of life loss.

"Hamsika, I thought you were a smart girl. Who did you get involved with?! Man, if I knew I'd step into such madness, I swear. I SWEAR. I wouldn't even think about getting into it. Nuh-uh, sir," she muttered to herself as she climbed the stairs, back to the apartment.

"Hey, I hope you're done bein' moody, because I brought food-" she started with a burst as she stepped inside the house, but her voice faded at the sight. Though there was no particular damage, objects and furniture all around the room were tossed around, while the window was entirely broken.

Anna left the bag on the kitchen counter, and with careful steps made her way through the fallen objects, to the window, where she glanced outside.

"What in the world happened here. I was away for like an hour or two?!" she backed off, trying to avoid any piece of glass and made few steps back, allowing herself a longer moment to just look around, and take in the shaken room.

"Now, who could it be?!" she frowned at the familiar noise of her phone vibrating in her back pocket. Her eyes widened in shock and her finger missed tapping the answer button few times.

"Hey, Anna. You called me like twenty times. What happened? I am sorry I couldn't answer, I-"

"Hold the excuses for later. Girl, there's some madness going on."
Chapter IV

Hamsika's heart sank on the other side of the call. She was late to some bad news by the sound of her friend's voice.

"Anna, please, keep calm. What happened?"

"Things went boom in the neighborhood of your boy's place. And oh man, the apartment is such a mess. I swear I was away for grocery! A god damn hour!"

"Wait? What boy? What are you talking about?"

"Girl, I know you were upset about it, but I doubt you already forgot him entirely. I'm talkin' about Ryan."

"What about him?" her voice began to shake just at the thought of trouble associated with the name.

"He's back and looking for you. And he's not alone. His brother, Aries, or something, is with him," Anna took a small breath, feeling her throat going dry as she continued to talk. "I was back in town just to check on my missing hair straightener, which guess what?! It's still missing! And now they're missing too and so does the apartment's window! Hamsika, are you still there? Girl, I am actively having a panic attack right now. Oh God. Hamsika?" she kept on calling for her friend, but the other fell entirely voiceless on the other side of the call. It couldn't be real; she must have dozed off for a moment due to tiredness and this was merely a dream. Or perhaps a nightmare, since she wasn't fully aware of all going on.

"Hamsika, if you're still there, please say something. We've been trying to reach you for days. Are you alright? Ryan looked so worried for you," Anna pleaded once again and felt the pressure from her chest lift the slightest as she heard the girl hardly clearing her throat in the hope of being able to talk again.

"I'm here," her voice came out low and hoarse. "Anna, am I awake? Am I really hearing this?"

"As real as the firemen sirens downstairs! Hear 'em!" she nearly tossed the phone outside as she stretched over the desk. "Heard them? Hamsika, please let me know where you are. Ryan really wants to talk to you, whenever he'll be back."

"I can't," her voice seemed to die more and more with each time his name was being said by the other. Her guts made a wild twist at the thought of the warn she received about all calls being recorded and analyzed by an algorithm, to make sure no secret information would go beyond the walls of the hidden base.

"What do you mean you can't?! Are you alright? You worry me so much. Please, girl. Talk to me. What's happening?" Anna's voice began to tremble as well, losing her usual energy. She took a seat on the couch nearby, who escaped almost untouched by the madness and awaited the reply, while staring with empty, fearful eyes at the shelf of books before her.

"Tell Ryan I'm alright. Tell him I'm doing my best."

"What? Your best about what? Hamsika?!" the silence that filled her ear told her the call ended. She stared in disbelief at the closed call, while her mouth kept biting onto the air as she sought for words.

"The heck am I supposed to find those two empty heads now?! Man, I damn hate this situation. Didn't sign up for this!"

She stood up, determined to brush away the trembling feeling from her body, and after carefully putting to cupboards and fridge all she bought, she gave a quick look at the messy room and nodded to herself.

"I'm gonna fix this. We're going to fix everything," she added on an encouraging tone and after running a hand through the wild hair falling on her forehead, she began putting the stuff back in their place, the best she could, before the two would be back and she could perhaps be put on the line with the rest of the details they appeared to hold back from her. Hamsika's words implied that Ryan knew what it was all about and him being suddenly back in town and worried was not just an accident.

With tasks pilling up in her inbox, Hamsika was close to losing her temper. Her mind kept making crazy jumps between the phone call she had with Anna, which kept replaying on and on, and the reality surrounding her, which meant analyzing a sample of what had been extracted from Aries's body. Surely, apart from her and Royce, nobody there was aware of what was in fact that substance; nobody from the Supernova project seemed to be involved in the research, thing about which she was a bit sad. She would really have appreciated another version of the whole story aside from Ryan's brother, who always seemed to pull onto the strings a bit too much, exaggerating the facts.

Having no windows made everything timeless in the underground research facility. Apart from the lunch breaks and eventual walks outside the laboratories, for meets, snacks or other needs, everyone seemed to be too keen on work to notice time passing. There was eventually one or two pointing out the time when it got too late, but most of them were working until their eyes felt like closing against their will. Nobody kept them tied to their work for as long, but perhaps it was a psychological thing; with no track of time other than their computers or phones, they were as if damned to work until they could no more. There appeared no one to complain about it just yet, but it was just too soon. Burnout would catch up on each and every of them and surely, not even Royce, who from other's sayings, never had a day-night cycle like a normal human being, would agree to have them lying dead on the floor, with tiredness and depression.

There had been already two days ever since she spoke to Anna and there was no other news related to their talk; no text, no call, no nothing. She couldn't tell yet if her cryptic message was that well understood by Anna to not question anything any further, or if something worse happened. By her saying, the boys had gone missing again, and who knew for how long or for what purpose. And why in the world would they involve the poor girl at all in all of this? Anna was clueless when it came to deep space knowledge, being aware of no more than someone who read articles on the internet once in a while, with no particular interest for the subject.

If it wasn't for their conversation to be so sharp in her thoughts each time her mind returned to rewind it, Hamsika would've blamed it all on a dream or a hallucination. But just as she got lost again in the memory of the call and the thousands of questions revolving around it, a voice startled her.

"Miss Acharya?" the same voice that triggered her awake from her daydreaming said her name in a slightly concerned way. She realized within moments who it belonged to; Lucien Royce, and surely it wasn't concerned with her well-being, but with the fact that she wasn't listening to whatever he had to say. The man was indeed a brilliance when it came to his innovative ideas, but his attitude still stayed close to a twelve-year-old brat, in the girl's opinion, which for sure wasn't alone.

"Yes?" she turned with her seat and looked up at him, to see a slightly annoyed look on his face.

"I take it that you haven't heard what I said before."

"My apologies. I haven't."

"I was asking how's it going? Martha told me you work almost day and night and that she's worried for your own good. I wouldn't like to send you in the following weeks to the medical bay for exhaustion."

"I'm good, sir. I just lose track of time when I start to work, that's all."

"You do look pale," he continued as if she didn't even reply, his eyes analyzing her almost rudely insistent.

"I haven't drunk my coffee today."

"Maybe you should consider tea."

"Maybe," she covered her mouth for a small yawn, realizing just how hard the lack of coffee hit her.

"Come. Take a break. I'll treat you with a tea and some biscuits."

"I'll be alright, sir. Thank you for your concern," she offered him the smallest smile, and turned back with her seat, trying to resume what she left when the thoughts stole her from the subject. She felt the man lingering by a bit more, shadowing her desk, before hearing his loud steps on the concrete floor, fade in the distance, behind the hiss of the lab's door. She was thankful that people tended to care for each other, but it was more than work eating her out. She just hoped she wouldn't have to explain it anyhow or have a mental breakdown while trying not to spill it all out.

It was evening, as she noticed when she checked the hour when a new task came in. She grumbled low, to herself, really wishing there wasn't anything important, since she only wanted to be on her way to a shower and sleep. She shut her eyes with a frown for a brief moment, when she saw the issue in the email marked as urgent and coming from Royce. She understood that he did not function on a normal schedule, but expecting others to do the same? _Unacceptable_ , she thought, shaking her head the slightest.

However, as soon as she read the contents of the message, her tired racing heart came to a resting pace. He truly meant the tea and biscuits during their earlier talk and it seemed like he wasn't going to accept a refuse. It wasn't what she looked forward to that evening, but it was better than a brain scorching problem, which had to be solved rather immediately. She loved working for the cause, but her body cried for rest even so.

Hamsika stood up, and after making sure she saved and sent the data to be collected with the rest, ready to be analyzed by morning by Royce, as he usually did, she made her way out of the laboratory, waving a small good night to those still there. She covered her mouth with her hand as a heartfelt yawn caught up on her, while heading to the man's personal lab. Unlike the rest, he had the luxury of his own four walls and tech. Surely, teamwork wasn't to be tossed to the side, but there were moments in which Hamsika would've loved the same.

The girl stopped before the door and slid her card into the access lock. Though she never found it inaccessible, each time she had been called there, alone or with others, she heard people saying that he allowed access in only to the people of whom he requested presence, otherwise, it stayed locked for any kind of visitors. Many of his employees had been suspicious towards his purposes and methods, and they had reasons to.

She stepped inside the room and got greeted by silent hums of robotic arms around tables doing all sorts of tasks the man appointed them to.

"On your right!" she heard a voice coming from the directed side and she found herself walking there, right into a small relaxation corner she had no idea it existed until then. She gave the surroundings a quick look and found out why she failed noticing it on her previous visits, usually accompanied by her colleagues; there was a transparent sliding wall, which probably grew fully opaque if closed. Her eyebrows twitched at the discovery as she made her way to one of the two armchairs surrounding the small black table in the middle.

"Evening, Mr. Royce."

"Welcome," he replied as he removed the infuser from the pot, giving her a quick look before motioning her to take a seat as he poured a red colored tea into the single cup, next to the promised plate of assorted biscuits.

"Short on cups, sir?" she smiled as her senses got melted with the pleasant smell of the hot drink. She placed her small bag to the side of the chair, on the floor and relaxed in the seat.

"I need something more than tea. I had a long day."

"Oh, any news in that?"

She chuckled and she could swear she heard him snort in the distance as he went for a cupboard, where he took out from a half empty bottle of whisky and a tray with two glasses. She watched him bringing them all to the table, take a seat and pour himself a drink, before offering her his full attention.

"News are for media."

"True enough, sir."

"Could we cut that off? It starts to bother my ears," he frowned the slightest, to which Hamsika looked at least confused, having no clue what he was suddenly annoyed with.

"Excuse me?"

"The whole _sir_ and _Mr. Royce_. I'm Lucien in this private space and a casual talk."

"I don't think I... It would be disrespectful."

"Hamsika, please. I have a ton of respect for a lot of things, but I don't mister and miss them around all the time."

She got pinned in place by his stare, as he demanded her understanding on the subject. His look always felt uneasy to someone not used to it, and by her knowledge, nobody was accustomed to his intimidating self. No matter what they spoke behind his back, and no matter how much he was aware of it, the attitude stayed, as stone cold as ever.

Hamsika made a small nod, then minded her cup of tea, trying to disrupt his attention from her. She allowed herself a relieved sigh when he did the same, minding his own drink with the slightest twitch of muscle on his face.

"So, tell me. How are you feeling so far? I was serious earlier about overworking yourself. I will need to have a talk with everyone about this. I want you all to be time conscious. Though we are facing an important issue, we must not forget to take care of ourselves."

She made a small nod before putting together a reply, considering the stories she heard back during her internship from others, of how he used to work people to exhaustion and how only a dozen of papers threatening a break of contract from his most important workers, managed to change his mind and overall attitude. She was glad to see it stayed so. Perhaps, with the imminent doomsday knocking at the door, he really began to care of those he surrounded himself with just a tad more.

"I really need to learn how to dose my effort. Work is indeed different from the chaotic school schedule. I remember having the same issue back during the internship."

"Oh, I remember that period otherwise."

A gulp fell suddenly like a fist full of lead, deep down her throat.

"Well, for as long as it lasted."

"If it wasn't for the actual madness that happened at Supernova, for the fact that we had to hide the truth of having an alien in there, you'd face grave consequences."

"I presumed so. But I suppose at this point both our hands are dirty enough of the same... Cosmic matter."

"We never really had a talk about it. We never had a chance to."

"You could've brought up the subject back at your house, but you were afraid I'd leave you with no answer. Now I got nowhere to go, right?" she couldn't stop herself from ranting out. She knew she was going to be questioned at some point, but didn't made a guess that a cup of tea evening would be it.

"Not really. I had no intention to do so back then. I was honest to the core of the problem, as I still am. Hamsika, if we want this to work, we have to know everything. Don't hold back from me information that might be crucial."

"None of what I am left with as personal would be crucial."

His eyebrows raised the slightest with surprise at the sharpness of her talk. Even though he was ready for her not to wish to talk about the subject as openly as he would've liked to, he didn't expect such an aggressive attitude either.

"Unless you wish to redirect the subject into a more pleasant one, I will consider this evening meet over. I thought you were genuinely concerned and just wanted to chat the stress off the shoulders, but I see you are rather keen on interrogating me," she went on, placing the cup back on its small plate, while avoiding to let the tremble of her hands visible; she was shaking both with emotion at her daring before him, but also with anger.

"My apologies for offending you so badly. Your well-being does concern me indeed, that's why I called you here."

"I can hardly see so from the conversation so far."

"I just wanted to perhaps create an introduction to the subject, but picked the wrong side of it."

Hamsika's eyes searched his own, not sure of where the talk was heading anymore, because it was starting to sound ambiguous. She watched the man get up and leave the small relaxation corner, to return with a tablet. He placed it on the table, mounted up, so both could see and after a quick navigation he opened a saved tab of a news channel. But just as she wanted to ask what was all about, she understood why no words were needed; she felt her eyes widen at the sight.

Odd sightings had been reported around the world in the last couple of weeks. What apparently looked like rockets leaving and returning to the atmosphere, proved themselves to be unidentified flying objects. No space agency reported ongoing tests, while military forces deny them just as well.

However, military tensions had been on the rise in various areas, as suspicions peaked with nobody caring to offer a proper explanation for the reoccurring phenomenon. Some say there are tests being carried out for new weapons, and point fingers different directions, though no explosions or damage had been reported so far. Moreover, there had been a theory announced by astronomers, of a sudden meteor shower hitting Earth, or even debris falling from space, but all have been dismissed as the mysterious flying objects keep jumping in and out the atmosphere.

If she didn't expect the sudden interrogation to be the subject of their meet, this was even less of a suspected reason. She was aware of their calls being recorded and had slept with a trace of stress regarding her talk with Anna; but the return of the brothers making the news was far from her thinking. She had been so nose-deep into work, that she didn't even care to look into the media lately. However, hearing the military forces began to get triggered, made her heart leap into her throat at the thought that they were under the roof of such a secret service base, supposedly working for weapons themselves. How did this news reach those guys' ears?! Will this be the end of their secrecy? What did Royce want from her truly, with the current events going out and wild?

She gave the man a genuinely frightened look, but met quite a comforting gaze, almost calming. It felt surreal coming from Royce and she began to question her senses and whether reality began to alter under the stress levels.

"We both know what these... _Unidentified flying objects_ are."

She nodded slowly and felt her head shake on her shoulders as she did so. She watched him close the news tab and take out of his pocket a hologram projector, which he put on the table after removing the tablet. He switched it open and browsed its contents through the air, opening a spinning Earth globe with looping animations of the brothers' flights.

"They have been spotted in the very town we left. And recently in India," he made a small pause and looked at her terrified face. So that's where they went when Anna told her they gone missing. "Know what these locations have in common?"

Her breath shuddered and stopped for a moment as her jaw clenched with the inevitable answer.

"They're looking for me," she finally spoke, her words no more than a whisper. "Who else knows? Are we in danger? Is our project exposed? Please tell me none of it got compromised," her gaze fixated upon his, pleading for an answer.

"It's alright. They don't know the madness surrounding the aliens at this depth. They only know what I told them."

"Which is?"

"We captured one as it crash-landed on Earth, but didn't get to do much, as it was rescued by a second."

"But that evening, in the plaza. I was there with Ryan. If there was any surveillance camera- "

"There was a dozen of them around the city, but he altered all of them, like it happened in the Supernova lab too. There was hardly anything salvageable and since they didn't point any fingers yet...?" his forehead creased the slightest as his eyebrows twitched up, while his lips pressed in a small but honest reassuring smile. "I say we're safe for now."

"For now," she repeated, visibly still shaking at the avalanche of news. She was deep inside impressed with even still having the capability of asking questions that didn't sound absurd.

"Do you think they will... Come here?" she pressed on the initial subject, hoping that there was more Royce had tracked than just their routes. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to hear, but she simply wanted more.

"Do you?" his eyebrow arched, teasing a reply from her, too demanding despite all the pressure.

"I don't know."

"Nobody knows you're here. Or that I am here, or anyone else that came with us. If they manage to track you, I would be damn curious how they did it."

"Do we want them here?" she almost fearfully asked in return, eyes glued on him for any particular gesture that might betray a lie behind his words.

"Is this a _'should I tell them to avoid coming here'_ or a _'I know a way to make them come here'_ kind of question?"

"Uhm..."

"If they knew your location from the start they'd be here for a while by now, without the necessity of panicking your friend. But as I said, I doubt they can pinpoint locate us in any case. Not without help."

"You knew," she gasped, mad at the thought of him knowing of Anna, though not fully surprised.

"Out of the question. I always know. So, you ask me whether we should bring them here or not, right?"

She made the slightest nod, avoiding to open her mouth as she wanted to spill out some rude words at him for no privacy at all.

"We need them here. Though we must think. Do we want them to just drop here or ...? Do we want a scenario around it?" he added, words coming out too slow and careful compared to his usual quick talk. Was he searching to find something else from her? He often felt like a snake, sliding beneath one's skin, seeking for information regarding whatever interested him. It sent her flashbacks from the event during her internship, when his acting wasn't far from now.

"You want to shield us from interrogation?" she eventually asked, trying not to step away from the subject too much, despite her concerns.

"Precisely."

"I say they drop here. Nobody will move if Aries is present," she concluded the answer loud and clear, knowing that whatever happened, the brothers would protect her. Nobody would dare to oppose them. Royce the least, who had been actively tortured by the telepathic process, which left a deep mark on him, as the implant around his head showed.

The man considered her words, and to her shock he gave her a cocky smirk. He dragged the second glass from the tray and poured whisky in both, pushing one of them towards her.

"I love the way you think. Let's talk, Hamsika," he watched her carefully analyze the content of the glass. With a still shaky hand she took it and gulped the entire content at once, before looking back at him, straight into the eye.

"Their names are Ryan and Aries. They're not just some aliens, and if you dare pull a sketchy move on them, I bet no mercy will be standing in the middle this time."

The man chuckled at her sudden threat.

"We're working under the same roof, for the same cause, Hamsika. I understood my mistakes when it was too late. But may my past greed grant us success in our purposes now. Perhaps it was all for the better."

"You're a shady man, Lucien Royce."

"Oh, I'd look in the mirror if I were you. The one befriending an alien, cracking up a security system and rescuing another."

Her lips pursed at his words; they spoke truth and she couldn't tell what she would do if she was in his shoes, with his tech, while he met Aries at first. She did find out of Ryan's true nature only months later after they met and the shock was eased by the already crazy circumstance, but if it happened anyhow else, she couldn't guarantee a same relatively calm reaction towards the discovery.

"We're not that different, Hamsika. We're wielding different powers in this equation, but we need all its variables to make it work."

"Alright, then. How are we going to call them in without raising much suspicions?" she placed the glass back on the table and finally let her body relax in the seat, her arms crossing over her chest.

"I might have a plan."

When the brothers decided to leave for India in the search of Hamsika, they had the address Ryan stole from the school records through a quick breech at night, in the university's student documents. However, landing in the exact spot, was nearly impossible. Even though Ryan had checked a map once he learned the place she came from, it was hard to pinpoint it at their travel speed, so they made an approximate landing in a forest, on top of a hill, putting to the ground trees on quite a large radius, all accompanied by their bright light.

"Where to now?" Aries pulled onto his clothes, arranging them on himself, right after they regained their human shape, as if they just teleported from their apartment to that very location.

"I have no idea where we are. Once we find that, I can ask for directions."

"If we're on the opposite side of the country, don't even think I will just walk there."

"Hopefully we're not. If my calculations were right, we shouldn't be further than few villages away."

"So, you _want_ to walk after all," he eyed his brother hopelessly and let out a small sigh. He glanced upwards, at the sky, where Ryan looked at, and narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What are you even looking at?"

"The stars look brighter here." His voice came out low, nearly a whisper, still glued to the view.

"Well, _that_ looks also darker in comparison." He pointed at the unusual patch on the sky, slicing through Milky Way's path, as if a cloud blocked the view.

"Which is why we have to find her."

"You know, I doubt anything will reach her during her lifetime anyway. I say she's safe from the darkness," Aries tried to reason, resting his hands on his lower back as he bent for a stretch. He felt his brother's eyes on him and after letting out a relieved sound, having some of his bones pop, he turned his attention towards the other, arching an eyebrow, even if he knew the boy wouldn't agree to his reasoning.

"Right now, it's about her, because she's aware of the issue and unlike us, who realize better the scale of the problem, she might panic a lot about it and about what she could do."

"Right now? What about later? What are you implying?"

"I just... Feel like we shouldn't let humanity perish just like that."

"Why not? Why them? It's a lot more in the path and you chose them. I swear I don't understand you."

"Because others are below their advancement, while some are further ahead and probably already packing up."

"Ryan..." Aries pleaded, approaching him and putting a hand on his shoulder, feeling almost comfortingly. "You can't save everyone."

"We started this. The blood of others it's already on our hands."

His gaze lingered linked with his brother's for few more moments before starting to make his way through the fallen tree trunks. He heard wood cracking under Aries's feet as he followed his steps, and soon after, his questions and mutters began to flow; questions again about their current destination, what would they say to Hamsika after all this while and what would they do in the end? They couldn't by themselves build a way out for as many people as Ryan would've wanted to send away. They needed resources of all kinds and tech. But perhaps most important, was what they would do in case Hamsika refused to collaborate? Would they just abandon the idea and let humans in the hands of fate? Or would they seek to take further contact and warn of the incoming doomsday?

Ryan stayed silent to most of his questioning, which only annoyed Aries with the situation even more. He agreed on helping his brother, do whatever he wanted to, in order to save humanity, as a payback for not listening in time to quit the madness they started.

During time, he kept on trying to reason with his brother, when he felt the boy starting to part from their initial idea. The whole _mother_ idea, as Aries called it, that made them come to life, began to sound more and more absurd to Ryan; he often asked angrily during their fights where is this being he keeps speaking of, has she ever got in contact with them, or was it all in their heads?

The Universe's end was far enough in the future to make even the brothers tired of counting the trillions of years, and yet, guilt began to creep on their spine; a feeling, like many other, they haven't experienced before, but about which they have learned of when they came in contact with various civilizations, understanding the importance of each's existence, along with their cultures, worlds and time meaning. When it came to beings like them, who witnessed galaxies taking shape at the beginning of it all, after the Big Bang that triggered even their existence to happen, time passing was almost meaningless and only by experiencing how others lived and evolved through struggles, they came to understand that the darkness their bodies almost craved for, after witnessing all the madness going around at incredible speeds and endlessly expanding, was not a solution. The darkness they began to force at a point in time to happen, putting together a net of dark matter that would connect it all, was against the very laws that governed even their existence. The supermassive black holes they helped creating, which consumed entire galaxies, left only patches of nothing but dark matter around them and their unending hunger; worlds destroyed under the merciless supernova explosions, all for what appeared now to be a purposeless action.

" _It was all nothing but a mindless instinct we've come to life with. One that we've overcome,"_ these were the words that boomed inside Aries's head whenever a conflict was about to arise again between them, regarding their old issue and the massacres it led to. He always end up clenching fists and battle his own self at such thoughts. It was fun indeed and for a while it seemed like the right thing to do, but coming in contact with other intelligent beings, truly marked them and their actions to the very core. Surely, they couldn't undo what they've done, but they could fix a thing here and there, whenever they got the occasion. Or at least, Ryan's positive thinking imbued such thoughts into both of them, to make them live with less of a guilt.
Chapter V

After the brothers reached the first settlement and came across someone they could ask for directions, they got confirmed that indeed the calculations weren't wrong and they were as close as presumed; only two villages away from the desired destination, which meant no more than few hours of walk.

"So, Ryan. What will it be?"

"Hm?"

"What will you tell her?"

"That we're here to help."

"How? I ask for the thousand time. HOW?!" he stopped in the middle of the road and watched the other make few more steps before pausing too, turning around to look back at him.

"I don't know, Aries! Are you pleased now?!" he threw his hands in the air, letting them fall back at his sides, heavily.

"No!" he walked towards his brother and stopped before him, looking him in the eye. "We need a plan because she must feel even more lost than we are. Think about the face she'll make when we tell her there's no solving, no plan, no nothing!"

The boy looked at him helplessly, fighting off the avalanche of chemicals flooding his brain with emotions he didn't know he could feel.

"Let's just meet her first. She helps me think. You just cause chaos in my head."

"I'm trying to help!"

"You're by my side. It's enough of a help for now," he gave him a small smile, then resumed the walk, having the other trail after him, silently.

When they finally reached a sign with the village's name, it was about an hour after dawn. People were already out, some heading to work, while others seemed to rush with their children, most probably to a school or kindergarten in one of the bigger settlements nearby, since the one they were in hardly counted one hundred houses, if anything.

"Is this really the place she comes from?" Aries lowered his voice, while looking around, amazed by the contrast between the city they left and the situation in the current location. It was considerably poorer and the only income people had must have been coming from farming and small businesses, such as local shops.

"If the records were right, it is," though he knew Earth was full of such contrasts, Ryan was just as surprised by what they came across with. But no matter the situation, only finding Hamsika mattered at that moment.

"If I were her, I wouldn't be even awake at this hour," Aries muttered tiredly, following his brother down a narrow street.

The vegetation increased the more they went down the paved path, having to sometimes push leaves to the side. The alley made both wonder if it was the right way, but just as they were ready to turn around and head back in the heart of the village to ask again for directions towards the house with the number they sought for, a sound of clatter caught their attention. They approached soundlessly and saw a woman washing some gardening tools at an improvised water source somewhere nearby a house they missed seeing until that moment. It wasn't large, but it was well hidden behind the rich vegetation.

Ryan's breath remained in his throat and stretched out a hand to stop Aries at his side, when the woman raised her head and looked around. Perhaps she heard them coming, despite their silent approach.

"Hello?" she tried looking over the natural green fence, which covered fully the old wooden one; she wiped her wet hands on the apron, then shrugged off the sound she considered she misheard and resumed her work.

The boy let out the breath he held and felt his brother's eyes on him. He turned a bit to look at him and saw the questioning look in his eyes, to which he pursed his lips thoughtfully, chewing on the inside of his cheek. His attention got caught however, by Aries's finger motioning between their heads, almost desperately. Telepathy wasn't their best form of communication while in any other shape other than nebula one, and often resulted in headaches, but as shifting wasn't really convenient in that very situation, he eventually agreed to it. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and cleared his thoughts of all the current worried that flooded in, feeling the familiar sensation of someone being behind him, though it was just his brother's presence within his own mind.

" _We should go and ask."_

" _What if it's the wrong house? I see no number."_

" _Maybe we get redirected? Come on, Ryan. What are you so afraid of?!"_ he nudged his brother ahead before any other protest could happen, jumping straight into the woman's sight as she busied herself with some plant pots near the entrance.

"Uh... Hello," he regained his posture, his hand moving in an awkward wave, while the woman stared at them surprised.

"Hello. May I help you...?"

"Ehh..."

"Tourists?" she straightened her back, as she let down the hose and turned around for a moment, to turn off the water, before focusing back her attention on the two.

"Are you Mrs.-" he stopped abruptly, realizing he didn't know Hamsika's last name and looked at Ryan expectantly, with an impatient frown growing on his face. He saw his brother losing himself to panic as he watched the woman's confusion growing on her features.

"Acharya..." he nearly whispered.

"What was that, dear?" she made her way down the few stone steps into the alley, closer to them.

Desperate with not even understanding the name his brother said, Aries looked back at her, almost demanding.

"Is Hamsika living here?"

A sudden silence fell between the three and not even breaths seemed to come out anymore; the bright chirping of birds in the bushes all around them being the only noise left. The woman looked back and forth between them, unsure of the answer she should give. The two didn't look like they belonged to anywhere nearby and their sudden appearance and questioning wasn't to be left aside either.

"Is this girl a friend of yours?" she eventually asked, rather cautiously.

"Is she living here or not?" Aries insisted, his patience running out fast. He felt his brother's hand on his back, almost pleading him to calm down, then heard his voice finally speaking out.

"Excuse my brother, we've come a long way here to find her, and he might be tired," he took a small breath, holding his eyes focused on the woman's, who still seemed to analyze them. "We studied together and couldn't get in touch with her anyhow lately."

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully, now checking both of them from head to toes, while seeming to try and recall something.

"What's your name, young man?"

"Ryan. James Ryan, pleased to meet you. And this is my brother, Aries," he stretched out a hand, visibly trembling with nervousness. The woman met him in a gentle shake and her features finally relaxed in a warm smile.

"I'm Taahira Acharya. Hamsika's mother. She told me about you some time ago," she made a quick motion towards the open gate. "Please, come in. I'll make you boys a tea."

The brothers looked at each other as she turned around and made her way towards the house, then followed, in the hope that, once they crossed the doorway, they will meet Hamsika. They were finally in a good spot, likely to find her.

Once they stepped inside, a pleasant smell filled Ryan's senses, putting a smile on his face; it reminded him so much of the girl, that he couldn't help but take a deep breath and hope to get more than just a memory of a scent.

"Come, come. Take a seat!" she pulled one chair from beneath the table and pointed at another nearby. "My husband left for work just half an hour ago. You were lucky I had my day off today, or I would have been close to leaving the house as well."

She reached for a cupboard and took out a small pot, and after pouring water into it, placed it on the stove to warm up, turning around to check on the two, who were looking like a wild mix of nervousness, tiredness and gratitude for the pleasant atmosphere.

"I take it that you haven't spoke to her in a while," she took two cups, placing one in front of each of them. "Hamsika finished her studies this year, but managed to catch a job at the company she was an intern at," she sounded extremely proud, but to the brothers, it felt like a ball of iron falling into their stomach. Almost in an instant their glances met; and while Ryan eyed his brother with concern, the other seemed downright burning with fire deep inside.

"She gets to make little calls, though. She's very busy and the time zone difference isn't the friendliest. Oddly enough she didn't offer me an exact location, claiming that it's confidential, but by the hours she calls at and her tired face, I'd say it's across the ocean."

Ryan heard his brother take a sharp breath in at the news, and even to himself it didn't sound as fine. After finally hoping to get track of her, they were once again thrown into the void, without any clue where she might have been.

"When did you last talk to her?" he eventually asked.

"Just some days ago, dear," she took off the pot and placed the tea content in for the infusion.

"We really need to see her," he pressed on, leaning forward in his seat, staring absently at the wooden floor.

"I could give you the contact."

"Useless. We don't have any tech," Aries snapped rudely, getting himself looks from both pairs of eyes, his brother wishing he could kick him beneath the table if the position favored him so.

"But why is it all so urgent?"

"I was off with... Some research regarding her subject of interest and I have news."

"Oh, I see," she nodded more to herself, partly disappointed that she couldn't be of much help.

"I'm hungry," Aries sliced through the subject of talk.

"Would you like a sandwich?"

"Anything," he stood up, pacing around, visibly agitated, while inspecting random objects to disturb his attention from the thought of Royce, as memories from the facility flashed in crazily. The two watched him, and the woman gave him a displeased shake of her head, as if she'd say _kids these days_ , while she reached for the fridge to grab the sandwich ingredients. Ryan made him a quick sign towards the chair once he caught his eyes. Being rude and kicked out after all the way was the least he wanted to achieve.

"So, there's really no other way to reach her? Any chance she'll be coming home for a holiday?"

"None that I've heard of," she sighed. The grief in her gaze spoke more than anything else; she did miss her a lot and by the looks of it, the girl hasn't been home in quite a while.

"Thank you," the boy gave her a small smile as she filled the cups and served a plate of sandwiches, withdrawing her hand from the table slightly surprised, when Aries snatched a sandwich with the hunger of a stray dog.

"My pleasure, Ryan. I wish I could be of more help, but this is all I can do," she smiled back, looking defeated. "Are you boys staying at the small guesthouse in town?"

"No, we... Uh... Actually, stopped two villages away. We weren't sure how to get here, so we just took a walk."

"Well, it's a nice area if you want to stay around and visit," she rested her back against the sink, looking at them with a loving mother's eyes.

"We will consider it. You were saying something about a contact?"

"Ah, yes. Give me a moment," she hurried outside the kitchen, which made Ryan almost instantly turn towards his brother and speak breathlessly.

"We need to go and find her. We must go back to Anna; she has to have internet connection on her phone and maybe we can reach Hamsika."

"Yeah, and she'll answer us like she answered Anna's call?"

"If her mother got to talk to her, then we can too."

They fell silent as footsteps approached, and the woman returned with a laptop in her hands, placing it on the table between them. She opened it and turned the screen towards Ryan, once the application they used for the calls was on. He read the contact few times to make sure it stayed in his head and nodded to himself to the other's surprise.

"Don't you want to note it?"

"Noted," he tapped his temple with a finger, giving it a small laugh.

"You got more of these?" Aries looked at her almost pleading, and pushed the empty plate forward, to the edge of the table.

"You ate all five of them?"

"Didn't count. More? Please?"

"Aries..." Ryan gave him a warning look. "We have to go. Mrs. Acharya offered us enough hospitality. Don't be greedy and rude."

The woman chuckled and took the plate.

"I'll pack you some for the way."

Aries got desperate signs behind her back from his brother, but he casually shrugged it all off. The good food was the least reward he could get to compensate the displeasing news they got. He thought everyone around should be thankful he held himself back from making a scene and blast his way out of the house in the search of the bastard that kept him caged. He warned him before their last departure, that with the visions granted and the tech he owned, he was probably the closest the humanity could get to an escape, but having things this tangled again wasn't to his liking at all. He didn't care much about Hamsika, other than for the sake of Ryan, but he appreciated the kindness and overall understanding she showed towards them, and having her anywhere near that man didn't had a good ring to it.

The boy gritted his teeth, holding back his overflowing anger; he didn't realize at that moment that he in fact battled with worry and concern, mostly towards his brother and how would he react to an eventual unexpected outcome once they met the girl. He threw a look to Ryan who seemed to have engaged himself into a talk with the woman again. Was he really as relaxed about the news as he looked? Or did he do such a great job at hiding everything behind a curtain. The shock he appeared to have at first appeared to be gone, making Aries want to just drag him out and question him to the core about it and how none started to feel good at all.

They were around halfway through on their way to the landing point, of which Ryan insisted on using as a departure spot too, so no sights or any further damage would be done, when the silence between them finally broke.

"Aren't you disturbed at all by this?!" Aries snapped, while walking on the side of the road, avoiding cars passing by, along with his brother.

"I am. But it also gives me hope."

"Hope?!"

"Well, you said it yourself that he's the only one that could afford and think of a solution. Did you forget told me about it after we left Earth?"

"No, of course not, but I still find it infuriating!"

"Well, why? Hamsika already had a plan and Royce could actually make it work."

"You're impossible!" he nearly screamed out and stopped in place. His brother eventually brought himself to a halt and turned his way, giving him a quizzical look.

"Aries, stop fussing around and let's go. Eat those sandwiches and calm down."

"I will not calm down unless I know what the heck is going on. I feel like we're just being randomly tossed from a location to another and you seem to have next to no problem with it!"

"I am just as worried, but what would we solve if I'd start raging in the middle of the road too?! Come on, let's go already."

He turned around and resumed his walk, to be triggered by a sudden oddly familiar feeling, which gave his guts a wild twist. He saw almost in slow motion how cars coming from ahead of him deviated from their track rather randomly, trying to avoid the main road as much as possible. He turned around to see his brother fully shifted, floating few meters from the ground, and felt the bag of packed food being snatched from his hand and decomposed mid-air, while matter of all sorts, from broken branches to dirt and damaged road parts began to swirl around the levitating one, causing an immediate combustion and terror around them.

"Aries!" he screamed, but to no effect. He really started to dislike his way of acting into the already crazy world they were in. Aries just cared too little of the panic, conspiracies and other things their presence in plain sight could trigger among humans.

Everything floating around began increasing speed, circling faster than a normal eye could follow as a low vibrating sound filled the surroundings, muffling the horns and screaming people running from their cars. Ryan understood what was going to follow, and tried reasoning once more with the other.

"Aries, no!" he reached out into thin air, as the other departed within the blink of an eye, letting him just stand, surrounded by the madness left behind. He felt his breath going to a hyperventilation state as he stared at how much of a disaster could few second of reveal lead to. He wanted to sit and help, but feared that nobody would want him near, so he gave in to what his brother started and abandoned his human shape for the cosmic one, leaving the ground behind as he tried to pick up the same route Aries did.

Chapter VI

A couple of days had passed ever since they agreed on secretly coming up with a solution that would bring the brothers to their current location. Alarming everyone else with the news that two aliens were on Earth, possibly willing to help, didn't sound like a good solution. There would be a lot of explaining left to be done if their plan succeeded and the two would show up, but it would be easier and more believable with them being actually there, since even their current Escape Earth plan sounded absurd enough to the participants to the project.

However, Hamsika got no updates from Royce, nor had she seen him around and noticed even people in her team questioning his lack of presence. He used to work, locked in his place for days, without any human contact, but he would eventually drop by to check on them or at least email them for the status.

It was by the end of the fifth day, that she decided to check on whatever the man was up to, so during the lunch break she made her way to his lab. To no surprise, the door didn't slide open when she tried her card. So, it was true after all; no appointment, no access. The girl looked at the closed door, thoughtfully, then proceed on doing what almost anyone would do when visiting; knock. She waited patiently, but no sound came from the other side; she eventually turned on her heels and stepped away from it, heading towards the cafeteria for lunch. But just as she was close to go around the first corner, towards the elevator, she heard the hiss of a door sliding open. Hamsika stopped and hesitated turning around for a moment; she peeked over her shoulder and saw his door being open indeed, but nobody standing in its frame to check on the visitor.

Surprised by the sight, she made her way back to where she came from and stepped inside the room, feeling the door slid back shut behind her.

"Mr. Royce? It's me, Hamsika," she began, as she walked in.

"Lucien?" the girl stopped before his desk and noticed the familiar sight of Earth's hologram, spinning slowly, with the Moon and Royce Robotics' satellites around it, but no sign of any new tracked routes of the brothers.

"Hello?" she said after a small noise came from somewhere within the room. She looked around and saw the relaxation corner closed with lights off.

Hamsika nearly jumped off her feet and hardly held back a shriek, when a door, merged perfectly with the metallic wall slid open and the one she sought for walked out, with blood on his hand and still dripping from his temple. She managed coming back to her senses quick enough and hurry his way, just in time to feel part of his weight lean against her for support.

"What happened?! I will call the medical team in a moment, but let's have you seated first," she let out a forced breath when he detached from the door, leaning onto her even more, as she did her best to sustain him.

"Lucien, can you hear me? Lucien! Damn it!" she cried in panic, as no response came while she almost dragged him to the desk.

"No medical bay," he muttered almost incomprehensibly as the girl helped him take a seat.

"You're bleeding!"

"I just hit my head. Bring the medical kit."

"No."

"Bring it."

She lifted his head and brushed his hair off the forehead with a quick move, almost slapping him in the process, while letting out a long, angry yet panicked sigh. Even if the hit was as small and unimportant as he claimed it to be, it was enough to turn half of his face into a bloody mess.

"Look at my finger."

"Hamsika..."

"LOOK AT IT," she raised her voice with an audible tremble while pleading the other to obey for once. "Now, follow it," she moved it before his eyes, from one side of his head to the other, but the hit didn't seem to have cause more damage than the scratched surface. Apart from being pale and dizzy due to his now usual heavy headaches, he appeared to be alright.

"Stay here," she pushed him with the chair enough for him to rest his arms on the desk and kept on throwing him looks as she took distance, to search for the medical kit in the bathroom.

She glanced around at all the blood droplets and traces and while muttering under her breath; she opened the cupboard and found the medical kit after a quick check. The girl hurried back to the desk, slamming the box against it, making the hologram glitch at the impact, then rolled up her sleeves.

"You just have to put a patch, not perform a brain surgery."

"Is this how you have been having fun these days? Swinging around with headaches?" she ignored his words and turned the seat, so she could face him.

"We need answers for the sake of project's progress, while I need answers for the other part too. You know well enough what I am referring to." She kept talking as the man stayed silent, letting out small hisses or silent moans accompanied by frowns whenever she touched the wounded area to clean it.

"Where are they now?" Hamsika carried on with the questioning, to both keep him active and conscious and have her mind drift off the constant panic state as well.

"The aliens?"

"The brothers."

"We said the same thing."

She only gave him an annoyed look, pressing the tampon harder against his temple for a brief moment, feeling the other's teeth clenching with pain.

"I've been working on it."

"Is it ready? Can I help?"

Her thoughts began to race crazily through her head, before the man could even reply. She didn't know what to expect. She wanted to see the two, but she was afraid of the news they might bring. Why would they be returning otherwise?

Hamsika tried her best to hold back a panic attack from peaking, as it already made her hands cold and sweaty, while her legs threatened to leave her at any moment.

"It would have been done already, but all my satellites are being watched as closely as any other, with the tensions raising around the world. More and more claim and blame that weapons are being tested in space without any notice or warn."

"So, signaling them towards our location won't work?"

"It will, but I must find a way around it."

"It would be faster to just go there. Wherever they are now. Where are they?" she backed off and looked him in the eye, searching desperately for a reply or anything that would betray a lie. Royce leaned back in his seat, his head resting against it as he glanced back at the girl.

"Hamsika, sometimes, we must be patient. I have a thousand ideas that could work and bring them here within minutes or even seconds, considering their travel speed, but remember that we have a lot more on our heads than them. We must not complicate things more than they already are or will eventually be, when they will show up."

"You're afraid of them," she pursed her lips, thinking of the special services that forced him to work for their weapons unless he wanted to face jail.

"I am afraid for the sake of our project. I'm not afraid for myself alone. Take all these away from me and I am as much of a dead man, as I would be with a bullet through my head," he lifted his hands from the armrest, showing around for a bit, before taking back his resting position, giving the other a defeated look.

"It would've been flawless if it wasn't for the restrictions I have and the terms I must respect," the man added.

The girl took in his words and considered them with a small nod. Rush indeed had no place in their already crazy plan. She mumbled a small agreement to all he said, and headed back towards the bathroom with the medical kit as soon as she finished cleaning and patching what she started. She let herself carried away by thoughts as she wiped off the traces of blood from within the small restroom; truth being told, ever since she heard from Anna of the brothers' return, she had her head other places than it should've been, her efforts on the project being continuously interrupted by worries regarding the two. Why after all this time had they decided to return? Was it all coming together faster than expected? Were they back to help? She had mixed feelings about it all and liked it none. With or without them, she agreed on the project that might lead them towards a safe escape and for that she needed all her focus along with the team's and Royce's. Though she battled past feelings at the thought of Ryan, she would have to leave it all aside and focus on the present; on what they had.

She washed her hands and let her face get splashed by the coldest water she could get from the sink, craving for a brain reset, as it all seemed to go places she couldn't keep up with anymore. She then made her way out, staring at the man, still seated as she left him. His head leaned to the side, looking at her, appearing to be wasted.

"You didn't answer me," she started, as she stepped back towards the desk, doing her best to claim back the calm of her voice.

"What?"

"About your head."

"Oh," he was surprised to go back to as much as that question, since he considered it more of an annoyed rant. "You know it happens once in a while."

"What about these days?"

"Just today."

"You're lying."

"We need to get things solved. My head can wait."

"YOUR HEAD GETS THINGS SOLVED, DAMN IT! YOU ARE A HELL OF A MAN!"

He stared at her furious and slightly panicked self, then steadied his hands onto the armrest of the chair and pushed himself up. The man felt the dizziness catch back up on him, followed by a pair of hands steadying him; Hamsika stopped before him just in time for an eventual fall.

"Did you have lunch?"

"You're changing subjects again..." she sighed tiredly.

"Let's go eat."

"Let's..."

She eventually agreed to it, feeling already tired with trying to obtain a clear answer from the other. She saw this thing before at Ryan and disliked it even then; both performed such great evasive maneuvers out of the subjects they didn't enjoy answering to, making them difficult to deal with sometimes.

With the two back or not, Royce was still the main person that could help and he, himself, knew it too. He came to her for help, because he knew that only together, they could figure the missing variables in their escape equation. It was no easy task, and though they hoped to achieve a result as fast as possible, they knew it had to take time. It was a lot of trial and error and could've ranged from months to years, to even put together a solution. Actually, bringing it into the real world, at its full scale, that would serve their final purpose, of taking humanity away from danger, was another thing. They never really voiced it, but both knew it was a dangerous and risky task, and the rest of the team realized it as much, reason for which some grew more and more skeptical, while others simply agreed to it, just as Hamsika did, willing to do their best to achieve it.

She looked to her side at the man she walked by, who still bumped into her shoulder whenever a wave of dizziness caught back up on him; he'd better cooperate for the sake of everything. They had to trust each other and leave whatever past was behind if they wanted this to work. In science, there shouldn't be no borders, not when the existence of the human race was in the game in any case. There was no place for pride and selfishness.

The cafeteria grew suddenly silent as they walked in. It was already late during the lunch hour, and even if nobody was forced to take the break at the same time, mostly did so, just to be able to hang out in groups and have a chat.

Their small team had a person or two waving their way to join the table as soon as they were done picking their meals. The buzzing within the room began raising again with the chatter after they claimed the seats. It appeared that really nobody, being it from their team or the one working on the weapons, had heard from him during the days he was absent and suddenly seeing him, balancing badly on his feet, was quite a worrying sight.

Those at their table eyed them silently for a long while and allowed the man to finish his food before actually opening a discussion. They knew from the days at Royce Robotics that he wasn't to be disturbed, mostly when it came to bad days, or consequences would follow.

"Sir, is everything alright? Everyone is a bit concerned since you haven't replied to reports in a couple of days by now."

"I've seen them all, but I was busy myself and got carried away with work, before I could reply to them."

"With all respect, sir. But we're worried for your own good," a man across the table voiced most probably everyone's thoughts in the room.

"I might be slowly descending into a burnout, reason for which I will actually spend a bit of time to make a schedule for all of us, that will have to be respected for the sake of our health and sanity. We won't be doing any good if we will all be locked in the medical bay with various problems in a couple of months," he leaned back in his seat and looked at each of those at their table. He saw doubt in their eyes, and made a nod, more to convince himself.

"I promise I will deliver a statement for all the reports, but from what I've seen, I can only say you all did an excellent job and you should carry on with the research. We're on the good track."

People exchanged glances and eventually agreed with a silent murmur, though it was clear his replies didn't fully convince them neither of his well-being, nor of the status of the project. He would truly have to see deeper into their progress and schedule, because if they, as a team, failed to stay together, physically and mentally, then nobody and nothing else would do any better. They could've all just as easily resign, and though he had the brain and resources, working alone, considering he had his hands tied unlike his past self, wasn't the best plan to march with.

Just alike Hamsika, ever since he learned of the return of the two aliens, his mind had split into even more subjects to deal with; he had Royce Robotics across the ocean, with which he still had to deal, he had the weapons team and the special services to report to once in a while, and last but not least, the _Escape Earth in time_ team, now topped with the brothers, they had to find a way to reach for.

He was always good at multitasking, dealing with a thousand things at once, spending sleepless nights on various subjects, but now it felt overwhelming, counting in the heavy headaches he experienced even with the implant on, which seemed to get worse with stress overload. He wasn't one to speak of his issues, even if it was already readable on his face that he was starting to fail managing everything, but for once in his whole life, he truly felt desperate and needed to swim to a safe shore, out of the madness of his thoughts and put his tasks in order before he drowned in them, dragging probably everyone along, like a sinking ship. Not even losing his arm, almost a decade ago, made him lose himself as much; he knew he could find ways around it, which he did, but being on the verge of losing his head was much worse. There was no way around that.

He parted with the rest after lunch and went straight back to his laboratory, keen on clearing his mind and toss everything to the side; rethink it all. However, with his mind busy with the things he had to put in order, he failed to notice the three silhouettes standing by his laboratory's door any sooner.

"Mister Royce, we've been trying to reach you for some time."

"Yeah, I've been quite busy. That's why you brought me in, right?" he didn't bother with manners as soon as he recognized the voice to be the general's, with whom he kept on being in relations with, ever since Aries left. He had to stop himself from sliding the card into the lock and open the door, knowing that he had all sorts of matters spread into the holograms floating all over the room; matters that shouldn't fall into other's sights than intended. The man eventually turned around to face the visitor and his two bodyguards. He never understood the protocol, of always being so protected. It wasn't like he would've jumped at the old man's throat with a pencil.

"We wanted a meet with you today, but since you failed to reply, I decided to take the invitation to you in person," he measured Royce from head to toes, his eye twitching the slightest as he did so. "But be sure this is the first and last time this happens."

"I appreciate you walking all way through to our development bay to deliver such... News."

"I won't bother with the details; you can see them in the meet request. Make it happen tomorrow at ten."

"Very well."

The man lingered more in the spot, expectantly, his face betraying his patience running out fast from his veins.

"Mind if I take a look on your progress?"

"I am sure it's on the list for tomorrow. I will prepare a presentation that will spare you all the useless numbers and letters I work with. Just plain English."

The man puffed silently with a defying snort and made a step closer to Royce, a threatening tone in his voice, as he lowered it with his speech.

"You're walking on a thin thread, son. Don't try playing smart with me."

"Trust me, I'm not."

The man narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue at the reply, then made a sign to the two accompanying him, and after offering the other one last glance, made his way back towards the elevator that took him out the research bay, leaving Royce stare at the empty place for a bit more before retreating inside the laboratory, unimpressed with the threat and yet knowing he had to urge things to happen, before he got his hands tied even tighter.

It was almost too easy to lose track of time, with head deep down in the whole schedule reorganization, accompanied by a screen open at one side, serving the presentation for the next day, while busying his other side with the Earth's hologram, to eventually track the two if they decided to make another trip. He glanced at the hour only when he heard an attempt of someone making their way in, the beeping of denial at the door disturbing his attention. He eventually allowed the door to slide open with a hiss, while he returned his focus to the tasks.

Hamsika walked in for the second time that day and it was the least worrying presence, even if she might jump with questions again. He played all his cards in plain sight with her ever since she agreed on joining the project; he didn't have to worry on not spilling out anything.

"I was hoping not to find you in actually," she admitted with a small, tired smile on her lips, stopping before his desk and casually glancing at all the madness floating around in holographic projections.

"Surprise," he mumbled while throwing in another sentence to the presentation's last slide.

"I see you didn't take yourself into account when you spoke at the cafeteria. You really want that burnout to happen, don't you?" she crossed her arms and adjusted the bag on her shoulder, waiting for the other to at least look at her while talking.

"I thought I included myself. Besides, I'm working on it."

"That's not how you avoid being overwhelmed with matters," she let out a long sigh, feeling actually sorry for the other and guilty for not being able to perhaps help more. She already had hands full herself, but it appeared that all he wanted to do exceeded the capabilities of the current team. They just weren't enough for the quick pace he demanded and even if tiredness began to catch up on some more than others, they knew they had a fight ahead, for an important cause. He was the one in charge; the only one that could afford to say _we will supply the team_ , _extend the deadline_ , or anything else he felt fitting.

Hamsika's eyes lingered on the rotating Earth hologram. There appeared to be no additional tracks other than their trip to and back from India, which was the latest addition. If they came just few months earlier, they would've found her there; but without the resources and plans they had now. Royce was good at it and she had no regrets in agreeing to help him with it all. It was a one-shot kind of situation. No matter what the brothers returned with, surely it wasn't a miracle of salvation.

"Can I help with anything, so you can finish faster?"

"I'm okay. I am almost done."

"Almost?"

"Give me three hours. You need anything?" he finally looked up at her, the dark circles beneath his eyes speaking more than his dismissive small lies.

"That's not _almost done_. I _need_ you to rest."

He leaned back in his seat, and gave it all a tired laugh; a laugh, which even so, was a rare sight and Hamsika knew some people would call her a liar for admitting seeing him doing such. Lucien Royce was the stone-cold figure, that saw nothing else apart from work and humiliating others, whenever they dared to think otherwise than him. Surely, he was also a brilliant mind, full of innovative ideas and able of quick thinking and figuring fast solutions, but that didn't truly excuse his heartless attitude. Or so they said.

"This must be the first time I hear someone working for me, demanding something for my own good."

"Everyone is worried for you. This was the main topic after lunch," she gave him an unimpressed look over the desk, watching him melt in his seat.

"I'm glad to hear I entertained you all, for the rest of the day."

"Why do you exclude yourself like this? Yes, I did hear people myself talking bad things behind your back, or told of others that did so, but I also met people that spoke of you with utmost respect, teachers that treated you as if you were their son, gleaming with pride whenever they mentioned your name."

"People expected me to be like my father. A diplomat, just another CEO, that forgot the roots where he started from. Staying in the safe zone, developing what he had," he shifted in his seat, lacing his fingers over his stomach. "They were scandalized when a twenty-one-year-old began to boss around and demand changes, after my father passed. I believed in a different future for Royce Robotics and I showed them it's possible. I just... Took it too far and burned myself in the process, which sent me to the current situation."

"So, you agree that you made mistakes?"

"I didn't make mistakes. I just explored unsuccessful paths, that gained me experience."

"Smug."

"Realistic," He pushed himself up and walked around the desk, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he stopped before her. "I wonder... If you were in my shoes, what would you have done?"

Hamsika searched his eyes, which demanded a reply. She didn't know whether she should consider his question a test to her daring, since not many had the guts to call him out in the face, unless they wanted to suffer the consequences, which often end up in being fired, or just take it as a curiosity of his. She truly thought of that very question several times in the past and still couldn't put together a proper answer.

"It's hard to tell."

"Because it's morality acting up on you."

"That's why you quit having any?" she let out the words faster than she wished to, cutting into the tensioned air around them like a whip.

"Only closed my eyes to it when I felt it fit."

"Heartless," she shuddered, feeling the urge to step away from him, and yet feeling pinned in place. However, as she looked up at him, saw something changing in his gaze when she muttered her short reply. He looked deeply into her eyes, appearing to recollect his thoughts, while probably deciding the sharpness of his response to it, even if in contrast with her expectation, it all appeared to soften.

"You're conflicted with your own beliefs, Hamsika," he finally spoke again, on a low, calm tone.

"Because I've seen and heard things that are in such a contrast with each other, while referring to the same person. I would actually feel comfortable with knowing you have a condition and that's it."

A smile opened up his lips, placing a hand on the desk and propping himself in it, making the girl look at him in even deeper confusion.

"Like a multiple personality?" he watched her amused shrugging almost afraid in response to his question. "You think I'm a mad man?"

Her eyebrows raised the slightest, her face saying that she considered the option, but chose to laugh it off too, and carry on with the mood, actually looking forward for that tension to dissipate. She was tired of the stress already piled up on her head to add even more to it. She came just to check on him after all.

"That doesn't make you a mad man, but you could use a therapist. Helps with stress and the rest."

"I can't afford spilling my kind of problems to any therapist, and you know that."

The girl gave him a hopeless look and before considering any further consequences to her proposal, she spoke her mind.

"I could be your therapist. I don't have a degree, but listening to what's on your mind and give you a second opinion, could still help. And you don't need to code anything from me. I suppose? At least I'm aware of most problems you face and-"

"Sure."

"Sure?"

"I'll include that in my new schedule."

She stared at him, finally fully coming back to her senses and felt blood rush to her face. What did she agree to? She wanted to help, but this might have been a bit too much. It was already considered on _a list_. It was more serious than she intended. She wanted to offer a helping hand to a busy mind, hopefully aiding her own in the process too, but she began to feel unsure of it.

"When?"

"Well..." he took his hand off the table and pulled one of the holograms between them; a transparent mirrored image of a timetable filling Hamsika's sight. "Here's a free spot," he gestured a zoom with his fingers at a day that seemed to have the evening without anything else after seven.

"I wouldn't want you to sacrifice your little free time on an activity that'd force you bring back your problems into perspective."

"Now you're the paradox. Friday at seven."

"What about my schedule?"

"You will all get a form to fill it yourselves as you please. I only organized the working hours in a better and healthier manner," his hand moved to the side and dismissed the holographic wall between them, leaving Hamsika's still burning cheeks fully exposed. She felt even more heat raising up to her face, so she nodded and looked to the side, her eyes falling on his working desk, while trying to change the subject.

"You said you would be done in three hours. I see the improved schedule is done, what else do you have left?"

"I will have a presentation tomorrow. The general pulled me onto the sleeve today for a report."

"Oh," she gulped at the thought that perhaps the international tensions have reached their place.

"But I am almost done with that too. I wanted to check one more method on calling our alien friends in."

"You got another idea?"

"Now that they are back in town, yes. It could work," he turned around to look at the rotating projection. "I just hope they won't be gone again before I am done with preparations. I will work with the same signal, but I want to code some drones to carry it over the city until they pick it up."

"But how will they know we're here?"

"Leave that to me," his gaze shifted to her own again. "You just focus on your tasks and on the questions you want to ask me on the therapy session." He offered her a fugitive, polite smile and though he didn't gesture it anyhow, it was enough to suggest the conversation was over.

"If anything, please, let me know," she watched him head back to his seat. He only gave her a quick look before resuming his activity. "And grab some sleep."

"I will," the man was already in his dismissive mood, replying more out of reflex than anything else. He mumbled back a good night and heard the other stepping outside the room, allowing him to sink once again in the nearly endless loop of work.

Chapter VII

Two days passed ever since Anna heard or saw the brothers last time. She stayed at their place, half hoping that they didn't leave for India without a proper good bye, and half wishing that they did so and they would return with news regarding Hamsika, since she didn't obtain much from the girl on the phone, during their small talk. She kept twisting in her head the conversation they had right after the two left, and remembered the silence the girl fell into when she heard of the boys' return. It felt like all three of them hid something from her and couldn't wait to actually voice this concern out. She was alright with helping, since she wasn't involved with a job just yet, but she would've preferred to know all that she had to deal with.

She nearly jumped off the couch, hitting the small coffee table on the way, when someone tried opening the door. She distinguished the voices behind it belonging to the missing brothers and hurried to unlock, without bothering to make a double check through the peephole.

"Where in the world have you been? Hm? Not even a word for me before leaving?" she stepped to the side allowing them in, before letting the door close behind her back, looking after them, with her hands on her hips, expecting a good explanation for what they did.

"India," Aries muttered as he went straight to the fridge, while Ryan walked towards the desk, examining without much interest the broken window they left behind.

"What? How are you even back this fast?! I bet she doesn't live next to the damn airport," she gasped, looking scandalized at the absurdity of the reply. "Ryan. Please tell me where you've been. I don't trust this lunatic."

The boy turned around, still lost in thoughts, giving a quick look to Aries who eyed Anna with an arched eyebrow, almost offended by her remark. His eyes then moved on the girl and searched her desperate expression, that craved for details and plain truth. She seemed to be done with everything around and there was guilt pulling onto his sleeve if he just asked her to head home, where she'd be safe from any further trouble that might follow; he dragged her into this and even if it was getting out of hand, she deserved to know what she truly jumped into.

"He's not lying. We've been to India and spoke to Hamsika's mother. We have no track of her, but we know she works again for Royce Robotics, now apparently in a different location than the one we knew."

"I still don't understand how you managed to do all this in just two days, but maybe my brain is just melting under heat, in this apartment, all by myself!" she replied, pointing an accusing finger at him, to which Ryan only responded with a defeated look and a slouch of his shoulders.

"If you want to know, I spoke to Hamsika herself right after you two empty heads left."

"Why haven't you said so?! You should've said that when we entered the house!" Aries jumped into the talk all of a sudden, almost choking on the orange juice he was drinking. Anna gave him a weird look, then glanced back at Ryan, who seemed to be just as curious, but less aggressive about it; his eyes spoke enough for the impatience he had within.

"She called me back after all those phone calls I made during the past week. She told me to let you know she's doing her best. I suppose you know what she's talkin' about?! Because she didn't care to give me other details or even say good bye," she slapped her hands against her legs, in an exasperated gesture.

"Did she give you any location hint?"

"Not even one! You have more details than me on that. You said something about Royce bla-bla."

"Where did that bastard took h-... Aries!" he cried all of a sudden, seeing his brother shift again, right under the girl's eyes. Ryan wanted to let her know of their small secret in a more discreet manner, that wouldn't probably traumatize her for life, as he risked it with Hamsika.

"What the- What is happening?!" she started to scream, backing off towards the closest wall and shielding her head, afraid something might be thrown at her out of nowhere.

"Aries, please. We have to sort out a location. No more travels!" he extended a hand towards him, as if trying to deal with an untamed animal. "Come on, brother. Bare a bit more with it. We'll deal with Royce as soon as we get track of him and hopefully Hamsika," his eyes moved between Anna and Aries, while doing his best to stay calm while trying to convince his brother to be patient just for a little more time. He knew how much he disliked the man and how big of a temptation was to wreck him into nonexistence.

Ryan eventually watched the other claim back his human form and slowly put his feet back on the floor. He walked cautiously towards Anna, who was now crouched, with arms over her head and face buried in her knees, while trying to defend herself from odd sight she just witnessed. The girl jumped and nearly crawled herself out of Ryan's way when his hand touched her shoulder gently.

"Anna, please. I know it's much to deal with. There's a lot of explaining to do. But please, give me a chance to make things clear to you."

"Don't you touch me!"

"Anna..." he pleaded again, extending a hand her way.

"I'm calling the police!" she screamed, hitting her back against the door as her trembling hands sought for the knob. However, it was Aries who pushed her away from the imminent escape, blocking her between himself and the wall she left moments before. The girl started to scream, making the one holding her cover her mouth to muffle the noise while giving his brother a desperate look. He hissed and stepped away from her as soon as her teeth sank into his palm, avoiding in the last moment a low kick.

"You mad!"

"You weirdo!" she cried while trying to take distance from them within the one room apartment they were trapped into. Ryan looked at her and hoped deeply that she was going to quit screaming rather sooner than later, unless they wanted a neighbor to really call the police on them, thinking that there might be trouble.

"Please, Anna. We need to talk. To explain."

"What was that?"

"What?"

"Your brother. What did he do?" her voice trembled as she eyed Aries with fear.

"This will sound at least odd, but maybe less hard to comprehend since you saw... That. We're not quite human."

"Mhm! You sure ain't! I felt there was something off with you guys. Hamsika acting all weird. What did you do? Brainwashed her?!"

"What- No. No! Anna, we're just... Outsiders. We're not here to harm."

"Tell that to the over ten thousand movies about alien invasions!"

"So, you accept we're aliens?"

"What else can you be? Mutants? Ghosts? Government failed experiments?"

Ryan let out a small laugh, feeling the tension slowly dimming, and hearing Anna gaining back the strength of her voice.

"What do you want from my girl?"

"We want nothing but to find her. _She_ will want information from us. We left with a purpose, but it was rather abrupt and I was sorry to hear it actually passed this much..."

"Yeah, you're really not good with farewells. I noticed that myself," she pursed her lips, still casting odd looks to Aries once in a while. "I swear to God, this is insane. Not sure how she dealt with it, but it's totally bananas. At this point I am starting to doubt my sanity."

"You're right. It's out of the blue, it's crazy. We're real. We're exactly what you saw and we're ready to answer any of your questions. Let's just all relax a bit and put everything we know together. You have a lot to catch up with if you want to stick with us."

"Damn, I'd be stupid to step back now. It's damn scary, but honestly it beats anything I ever dealt with," she took a deep breath and pushed herself to relax a bit more under the eyes of the two newly found space oddities.

"Well... I guess _welcome to Earth_ is a bit outdated for you now," she let out a small awkward laugh.

"We're accepting it anyway," Ryan returned the smile and motioned them both to sit somewhere, finally glad the spirits calmed down. He had enough of a crazy time in the last days for a while, though he felt it didn't even start.

"Isn't anyone else feeling off about all of this?" the man that raised opposing points of view to Royce's crazy ideas during the meets broke the usual silence of their lab, during the Friday afternoon. People exchanged glances and looked at him a bit confused by the sudden outburst.

"Could you be more explicit, Jacob?" one asked, though her eyes were still buried in the monitors, busy with simulating conditions and behaviors of the newly found particles.

"This whole situation, underground. We're hiding from others; the world is not being warn of what awaits us all and we're denying the possibility of getting additional help just not to cause global panic," he paced closer to the woman's desk while talking.

"Well, it's a situation that it's possible to happen even outside our lifetime, so there's actually no reason to panic the world. But I think it's alright that we work on it for now. Some might have a starting point thanks to our efforts."

"It's absurd! I think none of this will work," he frowned, still walking through the desks, looking thoughtful, even if he seemed to be keen on being skeptical about it all for some time already.

"Why don't you tell it to his face?" Hamsika eventually voiced her thoughts, tired of his negative attitude. He was the one always to doubt their solutions during the meets and it sometimes brought the moral of the team down, which was to none of her liking.

"Whose? Royce's?" he paused for a dismissive snort. "He doesn't give a damn. That man always focused only on his interests."

"I don't think finding a solution to carry humanity some place safe is egoistic if you ask me."

"Who said it's gonna be more than himself and a few more running away from the disaster?" he eyed her, with a know-it-all look in his eyes, a superior kind of attitude surrounding him like an aura.

"I do think she's right. We should give him a chance. He seems already overworked to be all for a selfish purpose," someone else stood up from the other side of the room. "Besides, we're making good progress on this. It's something new to us all and we're about to make a huge leap if all his plans will work! And it depends on all of our efforts to do so."

The man bit his lips, annoyed with the fact that nobody stood by his side and all appeared to be in the favor of the crazy plan. He nodded, more to self, glancing from the one that spoke last, back to Hamsika.

"I wonder... How did he lure you in? Some of us have more years of experience than you have since you were born," his eyes narrowed, studying her.

"Well, I wrote the papers on this new particle. He needed the mind behind it to decipher it all. Besides, he's an engineer, not an astrophysicist."

"Which brings us to the point... How have you even thought of all this? It takes quite some time and brain to do so."

"Jacob..." someone warned from the back.

"Well I had quite some _time_ during studies to _think_ of something."

"Playing smart, eh? Learning fast from your master, aren't you?" his bark of a laughter turned into a sudden disgust as he kept on speaking. "You're nothing but a slave to him. Something he uses, alike us all, to test his looney ideas," he gestured with his hands around and above his head. "You will all cry when this comes to an end, for have wasted your lives and brains on such nonsense."

"Then why are you even here if you don't believe in it?!" Hamsika pushed herself up from the seat, annoyed with the whole situation.

"Because he told none of us exactly what he wants to do! I bet most of us thought it's all about a new particle accelerator and that's that, considering the old one blew up! All thanks to his very clever engineering," a satisfied smile grew on his face, noticing the slight panic on Hamsika's face. "Oh yes... Didn't you know? That's why it all went down. His designs are always flawed. He always wanted changes, and something more than his father achieved, but permanently jumped into things he wasn't ready for."

The girl's eyes shifted from the man to some place behind him, attracting his attention and making him do the same. Both gazes met with Royce's, who stood in the doorframe, his shoulder resting against it, while an unimpressed expression bored his face.

"Go on," he urged the other patiently, while the rest stared back and forth between the three implied in the discussion, with a mix of fear and satisfaction for the outcome.

"You will have to excuse Jacob, Mr. Royce. He must be lacking sleep and stress catches up even with him," a coworker added, trying to defend the other for the sake of the team's well-being, even if his attitude wasn't the brightest.

"I doubt that's the case. He's been quite against everything we're doing here for some time by now," he detached himself from the doorframe and casually walked inside the room.

"Seeing even you overworked and troubled, associated with no major progress in any direction gives me a reason to worry, don't you think? Gives us all, perhaps, it's just that some fear to speak their minds."

Royce stopped before him, his hands relaxed in his pockets, looking quite relaxed on the contrary of the words that kept being thrown his way. He dealt with all kinds of people and opinions, especially after his father passed, and despite the fact that the situation was now more critical than the usual Royce Robotics matters, he appeared to be unaffected by the other's attitude.

"I'm only human, Mr. Davis. It's natural to be overwhelmed at some moment in time. To feel lost. To know you no longer have a power against the things you fight, alike the situation we're facing now. This take we try to make happen may or may not be our only chance of survival as a species. Perhaps someone smarter than me will come with a better solution."

"That's why you should make this whole thing public," he almost hissed through his teeth, narrowing his eyes.

Royce's eyebrow twitched the slightest at the other's words, and let out a long silent breath.

"You see... Jacob. That's your main problem in this whole riot you caused, with mainly just yourself involved," he made a pause, glancing around to see if anyone else was willing to join the other. "You don't trust me or the rest of the team, and that's a terrible mistake to make."

"If you suggest that I should leave, don't bother with any papers. I'll be on my way out as soon as you step aside."

"I just wanted to say that it's a pity to discredit so many brilliant minds, just because you don't enjoy me or my crazy ideas," he stepped to the side, between the space of two desks, and motioned a hand towards the door before searching the room with his gaze once again. "Please, do join him if you will. I am not holding you here by force and you don't need to excuse yourselves anyhow. You may claim back your seats at Royce Robotics once a private plane will take you back to Europe."

A deafening silence followed as nobody else moved apart from Jacob, who made his way out of the room without a word. Royce's eyes followed him, until he disappeared through the door, then resumed his focus on the rest, resting his prosthetic hand on the nearby desk.

"Your decision will not affect our cooperation anyhow," he added and looked towards the corner of the laboratory, where another man stood up.

"With all respect, Mr. Royce. I think that most, if not all of us still here, believe in the cause and want to achieve our final goal. Humanity might be indeed in our hands, no matter how big or ridiculous it sounds, and I will not take this reason with a dose of pride, but with enormous responsibility. I am glad to be part of it, no matter the final outcome," he straightened his back, standing tall for his opinion.

"My thoughts as well, Mr. Nakamoto. You voiced them perfectly," he gave the man a small nod and looked still expectantly at the rest, who just nodded in return as well, smiling with confidence at the sudden change of mood infused by the small speech.

Royce raised his hand and tapped few times on his smart watch, before heading towards the door.

"I actually dropped by to let you know the prototype is in the works at Royce Robotics, under my permanent supervision. The automation of the whole process is flawless so far and unless changes occur, it should be done in about a month and a half from now," his lips curved in a genuine thankful smile. "Thank you for your efforts so far. We're on the good track, as I've said before. But now, please excuse me. I will have to find Mr. Davis and let him know he has a flight to catch in the morning."

They watched the man leave and stared at the closed door for few more moments before all bursting into cheers and clapping, hugging each other for the success so far. They were to test a machine that would help them generate artificially created particles after the model they isolated, which would aid boosting the eventual rocket engine, that could take them through the wormhole gate, which was something Royce still hadn't worked out entirely. Many of the ideas were not more than theories impossible to check so far. The team didn't know yet of the help Hamsika and Lucien were hoping to get once they would manage to bring the brothers in. They surely had a clearer image on all of the situation and could help them greatly, motioning them into the right direction, without as much trial and error.

The day passed for Hamsika almost too fast. The team felt a great inspiring boost after the news Royce delivered them in the morning, making them feel more confident into the efforts they were all putting in. She was almost sorry about having to leave, but the phone was already signaling her for the third time in the last hour that she had an upcoming scheduled meet. She was ought to go and play therapist for the man guiding them through the entire madness and she still had no idea about what she was going to do regarding it. She was always one to listen to others' problems, and offer the best advices she could think of, but she wasn't sure on how it will work with Royce. He seemed quite stubborn and despite the fact that he didn't hid things from her, such as concerns regarding the project, or didn't appear to, he still felt like a nut hard to crack; a mysterious presence, who just spilled out a thing or two when he was in a talkative mood or whenever he just couldn't deal with them alone anymore.

She left the laboratory with a quick _good night_ and _don't stay up too late_ , and rushed to her own place to change into something more comfortable than her usual working attire; it was nice and felt like belonging somewhere, which she did in fact, but after some good hours she would've given anything for a pair of jeans and a loose shirt. She stepped inside her apartment, a place she tried her best to make it feel like something she could call home, and went to check on the plants recently brought in, at her demand, along with a lamp that would help them get the light they couldn't earn otherwise, underground. They seemed to do alright, having implemented the light and water system the rest in the facility did. Royce tried indeed to make the place as natural as possible, forgettable even that it was well beneath the surface where the rest of the world lived. The comfort inside her apartment was much better than she dared to hope for and far more than she could afford by paying a rent in town. It was having the same cold feeling she got back at the man's house, during her short visit, but she decided it was rather a matter of taste, a thing she could live with. She didn't enter any of the other's apartments, but she supposed they weren't much different, unless they requested specific things to be placed there, like she did with the plant corner.

By the time she was again ready to go, the phone flashed only few minutes left until the appointed meeting, so she threw her tablet in the small bag she carried everywhere around, and rushed out through the sliding door, trying her best to remember where the other's place was according to the map. Hamsika end up almost breathing her heart out when she finally stopped before the desired door. She paused for a moment, even if she knew she was already late, and put her back against the nearby wall, trying to catch her breath before making eye contact with the other; or so she thought.

"Waiting for long?" the sudden sound of a voice made her racing heart halt in her throat and had her turn her face, already drained in sweat, to the side, to see none other than Royce making his way to the same door, down the hallway. She rushed for nothing. He was not even there!

"I just arrived."

"If everyone's late, then nobody is. Right?" he hovered his access card over the lock and stepped aside, so she could enter first.

The girl only made a quick nod, almost stumbling in her own feet as she rushed inside. The first thing she noticed when she got in was the peach smell, that hit her like a bloomed tree in spring. Whatever was filling both his home and the underground apartment with that scent, it was something he really enjoyed, and placed everywhere he could, though she didn't feel it within his laboratory. Perhaps it was something with the ventilation, she thought.

He babbled something on his way in, which sounded like a distant echo, as Hamsika was too absorbed with all the tech that flickered on once he placed his finger for a scan on a device nearby the entrance. It appeared that it just resumed the activity he left on when he visited the room last; a rock song playing in the background, topped by an AI that read the news displayed on the coffee table through a hologram.

"Hamsika?" she heard her name, perhaps being spoken for the third time judging by the man's impatience lingering in the tone of his voice. She looked a bit confused around, not sure where to pick him from; she noticed him close to the kitchen area, which shared the same space with the entrance hall and living room, his eyebrows slightly raised at her confusion.

"Yes?"

"I was asking what would you like to drink. I'm making myself a tea."

"A tea sounds perfect."

She walked towards the place where the man was, still glancing around, to the point where she felt like slapping herself to stop being so rudely fascinated by the surroundings. She caught a glimpse of a smart home at his own place, but she was too preoccupied by other things back then.

"So... Do you feel ready?"

"I had to prepare for it? I thought it has to be all natural."

"I have no idea, to be honest," she let out a small laugh. "I'm used to listen to people, but they just come to me and say things, mostly when they're upset about something, without any further notice."

"So, you wish it to be rather spontaneous next time?"

"That should be upon you to decide," she finally looked his way, to notice she had his attention all the time as they spoke. She felt a trace of guilt creeping up on her spine for being focused on anything else than him while in fact, talking about him. She muttered a quick apology, to which he replied with a confused look; though she was not only entertained by the tech infused place, but also shocked with all the noise around and before she could stop herself from asking, she left her train of thoughts and focused back on him.

"Rock music?"

"What?"

"I am sorry. I am genuinely shocked," she tried laughing it off, and felt the tension in her body slowly disappear as his face relaxed in a smile too, chuckling low, more to self.

"It appears that more than just _some_ people here seem to consider me something else than human, with needs and preferences."

"It's not that! It's just... You're always so distant and cold with us. It's like you don't fancy anything. Always the black suits, like it's a funeral; the stone-cold face and judgmental looks. Is this really the same Lucien Royce?"

He snorted and turned around to pour the hot water into the mugs and place the infusers in. He spun back on his heels to face her, resting his back against the counter, with his hands on it.

"I think you need therapy more than I do."

"I'm not the two faced one!"

"So, you still think... I have a condition."

"I don't. You just shield yourself from the rest."

"Oh, do I, now? Then how do you explain this?" he motioned with his hands around.

"What? Your personal cave? We all have them," she laughed at his remark, though it faded away quickly, understanding that he in fact meant the environment she was so shocked of, associated with him; he meant him in general around her. Where was the mask then?

She saw the man waiting patiently for her to make up her mind, since she most probably appeared to be visibly troubled by the thought. She really had to think a bit more before replying him. He always appeared to be one step ahead somehow.

"Well, I don't know. You should explain that to me if anything."

Hamsika watched him place the mugs on a small tray and take it up in a hand, while with the other he motioned her towards the couch accompanied by an armchair. He waved off the hologram and lowered the music volume with a quick gesture of his prosthetic and placed the mugs on the table.

"That's why we made this meet happen."

"Is it?"

"I think we both should understand ourselves better. We need to breathe out a bit. To relax," he tossed his shoes to the side of the couch before lying down on it, all in a very familiar to her, Ryan way. "We have so much coming our way, that this may be among the only breathers we will get to have.

"You know something I'm not aware of yet?" she almost fearfully asked as she claimed the armchair for herself.

"I don't. That's why I fear such dark times coming."

He turned on his side to take out and place the tea infusers on the small plate he brought along, and after mixing his drink with a bit of honey, took a sip and lied back. He appeared to be again a bit tense about it all and Hamsika felt just alike. He was right. They had to pour it all out, so they could relax before everything went entirely mad.

"I've been educated this way. To approximate, to foresee what's to come; to calculate all possibilities. But now, I am in the situation in which I can't do it anymore; not for everything."

Hamsika sipped from her mug and sank deeper into the armchair, while listening patiently to whatever he decided to share, letting questions roll out her tongue as naturally as they came, up to the point where he'd decide to talk no more of it. She wanted to know as much as she could about the man nobody appeared to know anything, but rumors.

"I've been raised on the go, always travelling with my father, having private teachers, and next to no social interactions, other than the ones he forced me into," he shifted a bit, resting a hand beneath his head, while the other, his prosthetic one, lied on his chest. "I was raised to be what I am now, or what I was supposed to be; the head of Royce Robotics, that would carry on the business, flawlessly."

"You think you failed?"

"No. But I took a different path. I didn't stick to his ideas. I always wanted more. All my life I craved for the things he didn't allow me to have," he blurted out with a frown. Hamsika could see only the top of his head, but could tell it all just by the tone of his voice.

"Which were?" she started to note down the things she thought would be useful for him as well, to revise and reconsider.

"I wasn't allowed going places. Having private teachers, meant no public school, so I had no friends. I lacked contact with people of my age, apart from those at the competitions he took me to, which were always seen as rivals. They always had to be below me."

" _That explains a lot,"_ she thought to herself, shaking her head with the smallest sigh at the news. Everything sounded like a sad and lonely childhood, and it made her wonder how many knew of this.

"But you've been to the University."

"Yes, that was my first contact with the world. You know, freely. It was fascinating and horrible at the same time. I found a ton of stupidity in the place I expected it to be the least. Many people with old, outdated ideas and mindsets," he took a long pause, but the girl didn't dare to disturb, because something told her there was more to it and didn't wanted to disrupt it anyhow. There were some inconsistencies in the things she heard about his time during studies, from others. This was her chance to know the possible truth, or perhaps, the closest that was to it.

"When I got the call, to head back home, because my father had a work accident during one of his technical inspections, in one of the new factory wings, I was filled with mixed feelings. I was mainly scared, because I didn't know what to expect. My father was the only one I ever relied on, no matter how distant and cold he raised me. I had a problem, I called him. But now, he couldn't answer anymore. He was in a coma."

Hamsika watched him sit up for a drink, with no sound other than the music somewhere in the background. She tried studying his face, but there was such a wild mix of emotions, she couldn't really point out any dominant in particular; there was grief, there was the fear which he lived again with the awakened memories and... There was anger and disgust. Hate.

She felt like choking on her own breath when she realized she was holding it in, while waiting for him to lie back down. She forced her body to relax, as she broke any possibility of an eye contact with him, once he was back down on the couch. She was feeling even the fingers around the tablet's edge gripping way too hard on the thin surface.

"Before entering the room he was being kept into, assisted by life support, I listened to the doctors, fearfully telling me how there was a chance of less than five percent of him waking up, considering the brain damage he suffered; and that if he eventually did so, he would be no more than a paralyzed man, with no chance of further recovery. Practically, useless."

He threw his prosthetic hand in the air for a short dismissive sign.

"That's when it hit me the hardest. There I was, twenty-one years old, on the verge of having to take the company in my hands, without much advice on this side and unfinished studies. Surely, I didn't fancy the University as much as I hoped I would, but it all still felt off."

He pushed himself up in a sitting position and looked at her.

"I went in, all by myself. He was covered in tubes and bandages. He was looking dead, even if the signs showed him to be still alive. I was so angry with all the situation, that I began to speak of all the frustrations he caused me. Mad with how forcefully he designed and adjusted me and my skills to his future needs, like all his other tools, and yet I was standing there, feeling unprepared for it all."

Hamsika watched him in shock speaking out all those things. She watched that stone-cold face being filled with emotions of all kind, those judging eyes filled with tears.

"I remember his face twitching the slightest, unless it was my imagination playing tricks on me, when I reached for the machine and whispered an apology as I stopped the life support. I understood there was no hope left for him. And it would all be just a stone to stumble onto daily, while having to deal with another thousand things. I understood that, if he was only alive in papers, the company would have to be taken by those right under him, for a temporary period, even if there was no _getting better_ case implied. That meant I was to be bossed around by some strangers who liked my father more or less, and me perhaps even less, knowing that I would be the one to follow his steps."

She saw tears roll down his cheeks and the led lights at his head implant flash rapidly, as he fought his emotions. Hamsika finally acknowledged how her own body dealt with the situation, noticing as she carefully placed the tablet on the table, that her hands trembled wilder than a dry branch under a storm. She stood up from her seat and moved on the couch next to him, putting a hand on his back, rubbing circles gently and slowly.

"Lucien, please. Calm down."

"The thought has been haunting me ever since," he gulped as he stared absently at the table before him. "I killed him," she noticed his breathing quicken and felt him shake with shivers as he lowered his face in his hands, inhaling through his fingers.

"You were scared. You weren't thinking straight."

"I took all those things into consideration, Hamsika! I think I was pretty lucid in fact," he lowered his hands and looked with desperate eyes into her own.

She knew nothing was alright in all of that situation and it told a lot about his decision of trapping Aries, without any remorse. She had no idea what to do and how to deal with it all. Putting hay on fire, wasn't the best option and it seemed like lying to comfort wasn't one either.

"I must admit, I never thought I would be hearing such. My own mind is now conflicted with your action, but on the other hand, no matter how heartless and insane it sounds, I see your reasons. You understood there was no way back for him, and for your own and sake and company's, you thought it's best for the reins to fall in your hands, instead of someone else's," she took few breaths herself, one longer than the other and looked him in the eye. "You're a complicated person, Lucien Royce. You're lucky I like to be challenged," she tried to ease out the tension with the smallest positive thought and a smile.

"This is the first time this gets out of my head and I'd like it to be the last," his breath still shuddered as he spoke.

Her fingers reached for the corners of his eyes and wiped them.

"It's all safe with me."

"If you wish to leave, the plane comes tomorrow morning for Jacob anyway," he started, with a tint of amusement in the words, even if it was fear dominating.

"After all that I've heard and witnessed in my twenty and almost six years of life, trust me that I wouldn't leave for this. If I were to go somewhere and never come back, I would've done it when I saw two alien creatures, one of which I considered being a close friend, with a burning research center in the background," she laughed it off, realizing the scale of crazy she's been climbing onto, for some time already.

Hamsika was thankful with the sight of the other sharing the same moment of pressure relief. Surely, she was going to rethink over and over again what she just heard, because it was in her nature to do so, but she was glad that at least he avoided having one of his killing headaches again, under the pressure of such powerful emotions.

It may all have been an ugly past, but he appeared to have enough fear and hate thrown at his own self anyway. She didn't need to do that as well. She already blamed him few times for the things she was aware of, such as Aries.

And though it was a crazy story to listen to, she now understood more about him; his attitude finally fit into place. Though the paralyzed man was a hopeless case, he still committed a crime, and though she didn't kill anyone, she had the crime word written on all her face too for what she did back at the research center. She was not sure anymore how far will her acceptance stretch, but after putting everything on a scale, it appeared that there was always a bigger fish awaiting to be caught and revealed.

"Is there... Anything else you'd like to add for today's meet?" she eventually asked, breaking the long silence that followed the entire unexpected confession. The man relaxed his back against the couch and stared up at the ceiling, thoughtful.

"I am glad Jacob leaves."

"Not unexpected. You seemed quite relaxed with him ranting there."

"He is a great physicist, which is why he was here in first place, but I never thought such an antipathy would grow on him. I didn't enjoy at all that he disrespected everyone else's efforts," he let out a long sigh and tilted his head to look at the other. "I am thankful I happened to come during that very speech of his."

"It was quite a good timing indeed. I am sorry he didn't find his efforts fit for the project."

"Yeah. Well, his loss," he eventually admitted and with a slap of his knees stood up. "Looks like tea had no calming effect on me after all. Would you like something stronger too?"

"It's Friday. Who cares if one wakes up during the weekend with a hangover?" she threw her hands in the air in a wide careless gesture, letting her back sink in the softness of the couch too. She really needed something to help her kick any conflicting mood away and enjoy the rest of the evening.

"A hangover? You either want to drink a lot or you're very weak."

He laughed as he went for a cupboard full of alcoholic beverages, looking at her over his shoulder, a bit hard to believe even to himself that they managed to get rather easily over the moment of chaos he caused. Letting out the thoughts that haunted him for years, felt like a stone being lifted off his chest. He had no certainty when it came to the girl's honesty in keeping the secret, but he felt it was right to voice everything that felt like limiting him and that yet shaped him into the person he was that very day.

"A bit of both."

He made his way back to the table with a colorful drink and two glasses, and took back his seat next to the girl. He poured for each, then handed her the glass before claiming his own.

"Cheers!"

The girl chuckled in return and took a sip, discovering that the drink appeared to be a sweet, exotic flavored liquor. She wasn't really a person to drink, but she did that few times during her studies at parties and it mostly end up with a horrible headache the following day, enough to make her pass the next few invitations until she felt ready again for another _relief followed by pain_ kind of moment.

"We should make a Friday evening like this, but with the rest too. I am sure they will all enjoy a drink and a relaxed talk, outside the working bay," she admitted, and looked at Royce who only nodded in agreement while pouring himself another round, adding some more over her own unfinished one as well.

"Next time we find fit."

"You really don't enjoy people much."

"Just in small portions."

"Have you ever been to a student party? Eventually held beneath teacher's noses?" she chuckled, memories from one such event flashing in her mind for a brief moment.

"None that I can remember."

"I'm not sure what to pick from that. You weren't at all or were you too drunk to remember?" she burst into laugh, elbowing the other playfully as he did the same. "How was Mr. Royce during studies? The period he allowed himself to flash before mortals' eyes, before retreating in his crystal-clear tower?"

"I just told you I can't remember," he laughed it off, feeling the other starting to melt at his side after almost finishing drinking her glass. "You could anytime ask some of your colleagues. We shared the same year."

"Really?!" she almost jumped back straight, looking at him. "Who?"

"That's on you to find out."

"What's this? A detective game?"

He shrugged and leaned to take the bottle and refill her glass, but she pushed it away.

"Please. Let me breathe a bit. This thing is so sweet, I drink it like a juice and I won't even be able to stand when I will want to leave."

"Maybe that was my plan all along."

"I would honestly not be surprised."

He snorted and almost choked on his drink at her remark, putting the glass aside to give her a scandalized look.

"I will take that as an offense. I'm a gentleman!"

"Sure, you are."

"I sent cabs for you before the interview and after. Came personally to pick you up when we left and brought you here with my private jet. And you think _that_ low of me?"

"I didn't ask you to."

"Of course not! A gentleman doesn't need to be asked to do such!"

"My apologies then," she smiled, looking down at the empty glass. She never considered much all those small things, but now that he pointed them out, she realized that he did in fact cared for her comfort and safety. She wondered how it went for the rest. Surely, he ensured all reached their destination as planned, but wondered if this was just another blurt of his, under the liquor's influence, or he really considered those gestures notable.

"You know... Since it looks like an evening for unexpected confessions, I'd like to add something to the pile of oddities," she began, feeling her cheeks warming up as she started to speak, throwing however, part of the blame on the drink.

"Please, don't hesitate," he lifted his feet up on the table, nearly knocking off one of the tea mugs, melting on the couch with the other at his side, relaxed against his shoulder.

"You wouldn't believe how many girls fancied you during my study years. When they heard I met you during the internship, I was either admired, like a God touched me, or envied at the same scale."

"We only shook hands once, if I remember well," he gave her a partly amused, partly unimpressed look.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Which is why you're here to explain."

"Oh, no. No," she dismissed it quickly, burying her nose into the glass, cursing herself silently for forgetting that it was empty. "I wouldn't have what to explain."

"It appeared to me that you are aware of something I wouldn't understand," he grabbed the bottle and motioned it her way. She put her glass out and waited for the refill, which she drank almost entirely from a gulp, closing her eyes tight and wishing she didn't start that discussion ever around him. She nearly forgot how much of a painful curiosity he possessed and how easily he managed to get under one's skin.

"Lucien, please," she tried reasoning her way out the pit of shame she jumped into herself.

"I told you the story of my life, uncensored, and you are afraid of spilling out your feelings?"

" _My_ feelings?! Wait a bit, now!" she felt the blood rushing up to the tip of her ears while detaching herself from his shoulder with a quick move, ending up on the floor, with her feet up, taken away by the sudden dizziness the drink struck her with at the sudden pull. She moaned with a cry when she realized the remaining drink in her glass spilled all over herself, and suddenly made the earlier confession look like a joke compared to the situation she was into now. She heard Royce booming with laughter while putting back the bottle and his own glass on the table with loud clatters, taking his time before bending over to try and pull her back up.

"I'm okay! I'm good!" she tried pulling herself from the helping hand, almost spinning and falling over the table if it wasn't for the man to catch her in time, still knocking something off in the way however. He was still shaking with laughter when he helped her finally sit back next to him, so she just gave in and joined the already too drunk atmosphere floating around them, laughing herself to tears while trying to bury deep in her mind what just happened.

"You're outta your mind, Hamsika. Come to my place and start knocking things off, wrestle my table, drink my liquor."

"Whaaaat...?" she gave him a confused look, still fighting to catch back her breath.

"Here, let me help," he snatched a tissue from the tray with still half full tea mugs and offered it to her with a sloppy move, having Hamsika nearly knock him off when she reached with her foot for the bottle, pushing it further from his reach as he wanted to pour another glass, but managing not to knock it off entirely.

"What are you even doing?" he watched her wrestle him while trying to wipe her shirt the best she could, though there was a big stain left.

"No more drinks!"

"There's just a glass left."

"No!"

He lifted himself up from the couch the slightest and tried reaching for the bottle once again but her second leg hit him right in the chest, pushing him back.

"Lucien, no! Please," panic suddenly hit her when he slipped off the couch in a third attempt, rolling half on the floor and dragging her along once again as he was holding onto her leg, while trying to push her away. The sudden noise of a glass cracking silenced them both for a moment, all to be soon followed by his pained moan.

"My hand... Damn it! Why didn't you pick up the glass?!"

"Now it's suddenly my fault?!"

"It is," he lifted his hand, taking out a small piece of glass from his palm.

"Let me look," she insisted, moving his way, both still on the floor, almost unconsciously still sitting around the freshly broken glass.

"No," he protested while trying to get up. He eventually stood and offered her the bleeding hand in aid. The girl frowned at the sight, but tired with rolling through pieces of sharp glass, she eventually accepted being pulled up by it and get stained in the process.

"We finally both have blood on our hands," he snorted, brushing some hair strands off his forehead, tracing a line of blood there too without even thinking of it.

"You're a mad man."

"That didn't stop you and your colleagues from fancying me."

"Which was before I knew you in person."

"Oh, so you admit that you did," a sudden wide grin split his lips while watching Hamsika gasp while trying to find words to protest against it. She end up just growling to herself in anger, while she snatched him by the arm, dragging him to the bathroom in order to clean themselves and his wound.

It was not how she pictured the evening. She hoped for a relaxed talk, not a looney ride. She really had no idea how much would either of them remember by the next day, but she truly hoped that the less was for the best, even if that meant forgetting his private life details, of which she was always so curious of.

The already warm, morning breeze, brushed against Jacob's face as he reached the surface. He took a deep breath and let his eyes close, actually realizing how much he missed being outside. Though he knew from the start they will be trapped somewhere underground, it didn't come to him that it would be so hard.

"This way, sir," a man dressed in military attire came to accompany him to the airplane that would take him back across the ocean.

However, as he approached, the few silhouettes he thought of being nothing more than the flight crew, turned out to be a bit more than he imagined. There was indeed the crew he expected, but accompanied by two other military dressed men, each at a side of an older person, looking among their ranks as well.

"Morning, sir. We've been expecting you."

"Good morning. I am sorry. I didn't know..." he stopped before them, his hands still resting on the luggage cases, looking a bit confused by the whole gathering. Perhaps it was just a protocol, he thought.

"You didn't need to," he motioned the rest to mind their business and take the man's luggage, then motioned Jacob towards the opposite side from the boarding entrance of the plane.

They kept walking for a while, until there appeared to be nobody left around to hear whatever was to be discussed. The older man turned to face him as they stopped, holding his hands together at his back, with a sober expression.

"I'm General Paul Barnes," he extended a hand, while the other hesitated for a moment before shaking it.

"Jacob Davis, sir. Do you have something to discuss with me?" curiosity bit his tongue harder than his will to restrain himself from any possible silly remarks.

"Just a question. Why did you leave? You have problems at home or here?"

"I... Uh..." he looked at the other, who watched him back with a grave expression. He wasn't supposed to take out of the research center anything. However, it flashed to him that there was a chance the world might hear of the madness Royce talked about if he caused a ripple in the surface. He just needed to throw a stone.

"I believe it would be best to talk to Mr. Royce."

"Well, I see _you_ leaving, not him. Why can't _you_ tell me?"

"Because I signed a confidentiality contract and I don't want a fine larger than the value of my house and lifetime savings to be on my head."

"I see. Understandable," the man nodded, then took a step closer to the other, minimizing the distance between them to an uncomfortable level. "Listen, Mr. Davis. There are things in this world far worse than a fine. I guarantee the payment of your fine if anything of the sort occurs, but I assure you that, if you happen to restrain information that might affect- "

"He's working on more than you were given to know, sir. That's all I can tell."

Jacob felt his gulp roll like an iron ball down his throat, while nervousness began to creep up on him, sweat covering his temples.

"I felt something was off. He is always so dismissive. Taking us for stupid," the general stepped aside from the other and turned around, heading back where they came from. "Come, Mr. Davis. You have a plane to catch."

Snapped out his thoughts and sense of remorse he felt for what he just did, the man eventually followed, ready to deal with whatever followed in the upcoming weeks. There was a part of him that didn't believe Royce's madness even with all the proof; there was another side that believed, but thought the escape plan to be impossible; and then there was that last side, believing that what he had just done was a terrible thing, even if he wanted the crazy situation to see the light.
Chapter VIII

Days were passing without being eventful on the other side of the world too, for Ryan, Aries and Anna. She got a bit more used to the idea that she was in fact sharing a one room apartment with two alien beings, so the atmosphere was almost relaxed. Everyone appeared to take their time to find a solution, as if the craziness of the news that Hamsika was across the ocean with Royce's company and crazy interests, just got buried somewhere, deep enough to avoid spreading the panic vibes among the three.

"Ya know, as much as I started to enjoy spending time with you two, I must admit that at some point I will have to go home or find a job at least. End may be commin' but you can snap yourselves out of its way without any trouble. But until that happens, I gotta live somehow and my parents ain't gonna pay for my ass forever on," she collapsed on the couch next to Aries with a bowl of blueberries, which matched her always present violet lipstick.

"I'm sorry to be keeping you away from enjoying your life, Anna. But you know... You're not tied to us anyhow."

"And I should just leave and not know what my girl is up to? No-uh, boy!" she pursed her lips at Ryan, marking her decision as final.

"I still think we should go where I was trapped and make some things sparkle attention into Royce's eyes. I'm pretty sure the maniac keeps an eye on this place too, wherever he is now."

"Aries, we mustn't expose ourselves any further until really needed. There's already a fuss about the _mysterious_ phenomena."

Anna snorted at the accent he had to put on the word that marked the situation as odd, since she was actually entertained by all the speculations and wild groups of people that emerged after that, each claiming a different thing to be happening. From natural phenomena and government hoaxes, to bombs and eventually UFOs. And even though the latter was the closest to the truth, the brothers being aliens indeed, it was also the most ridiculed. She wondered what would the world actually do in the face of truth, in the face of actually having to finally face a new intelligent species, many craved for, more or less secretly, for far long one would like to admit.

"But isn't this _really_ needed? For the thousand time perhaps, I'm asking you again. Isn't she why we're back? Give me a break with saving humanity and let's face the facts. You're just worried for her."

"I was here before even meeting her and dismissing the fact that you think saving humanity is not the main purpose, is a proof of ignorance from you."

"Well should I remind you how you weren't even aware of your nature for a big chunk of time?!"

"That doesn't mean I forgot the experiences I lived here before I regained my memory!"

"Could you two stop shoutin'?" she frowned and looked at them in turns, with fingers holding a blueberry pointing at each. "I say you're here for both. So instead of fightin' over this _again_ , how about you use those big brains of yours to figure a solution to find her and kick off an escape plan, if she hasn't done that yet, since that girl's pretty mad too," she made a pause to eat the berries she held, and after licking her fingers in rather noisy way, she went on. "Want my no-genius-science-nerd human opinion on this? Go big, boys. Humans ain't scared of anything until it really knocks at their doors. Go out there and expose yourselves. The internet will go bananas and I am sure you'll find out Royce's location in no time. Or he will come for you himself, if he's as crazy as you say."

The brothers exchanged glances, Aries shrugging it off as if saying _I told you so_.

"Please, Anna. Don't provoke him."

"I ain't. Just stating my humble opinion. We're wasting too much time doing nothing. If you wanna do things that work for us, humans, you gotta do it our way. Shock! Attract attention! Ryan, boy, that's how we work. We crave for such!" she started to laugh, having all of Aries's satisfied attention. Finally, there was someone else agreeing with his chaotic way of thinking and Ryan was in minority without Hamsika around.

"I don't know..." he finally admitted, perhaps for the first time conflicted by the thought that he might be ignoring for a while the only method that might work, even if it was to none of his liking. He always enjoyed being rather an observant, helping however he could, without attracting much attention, since he liked to blend in.

"Hamsika hasn't given us any sign ever since and I think it'd be useless for me to keep on calling, if she didn't reach for me herself."

"Which is odd... If you told her we're here, then why wouldn't she want to meet with us?"

"Maybe she's got over you," Aries snorted and kicked the other's leg playfully, earning himself an annoyed look.

"That's not what I meant."

"You can't lie to me, brother. I know everything you do," he looked Ryan in the eye for a longer moment, smiling to himself, knowing that deep inside he was right.

"Okay, but that's not our main concern right now!"

"Oh, no. Of course, it's yours alone."

"Cut it, you two!" Anna snapped again. She was getting used to being the one having to interrupt their frequent arguments, and yet was starting to have her patience grow short on it. "You!" she pointed a finger in Aries's face. "Stop teasing your brother. And you!" she turned towards Ryan. "Stop acting like you don't care and face the truth. You miss her, but you also know this bastard here might be right," she struggled for a bit, then finally pulled herself up from the couch.

"I want to go out for a walk. Who wants to join? I'm tired of this fried brain smell in here," she added, checking on them.

"Yeah, sounds good," Aries stood up too, stretching his arms and back while eyeing his brother. "Come on. Let's get that brain of yours relax a bit."

"Go ahead. I'll... Catch up with you."

"Ryan..."

"Let him be. Come on. I want some of that cotton candy you told me about yesterday," Aries motioned her towards the door, the girl eventually giving in and letting the other behind, still within the four walls.

"Let him think. He's conflicted. I can feel it," Aries added as soon as they were going down the stairs, his tone low, wearing a trace of concern as well. No matter how much he'd like to see something done already, he knew he had to calm down and let his brother take the next decisions, as his impatient actions had no good impact on anyone.

It was few evenings after the day in which General Barnes had spoken to Jacob about the departure, when the man decided the time to pay Royce an unannounced visit has come. Though it was a late hour in the evening, according to the security cameras on the hallway, the man was still in his laboratory. Accompanied by his, now usual, two guards, he made his way to the desired place, making an unsuccessful attempt at opening the door with his own access card.

"Mr. Royce. Open up," he lowered his head towards the door and knocked loudly before speaking. The eventual hiss of the door sliding open came after a bit of wait, Royce standing right in its frame with a tired face.

"We'd like a live status on the progress with our latest request."

"It's past working hours, sir. I'm doing some overtime to update the situation back at Royce Robotics. I will be sure to have a-."

"I will be sure to have a look right now, if you don't mind," the man almost brutally made his way in, pushing Royce to the side as he did so, the doors sliding back closed after the three unexpected guests.

"I actually _do_ mind," he frowned and by a quick gesture of his prosthetic hand closed some of the holograms, following the rest through the room. "Even if it's my working place, it's still an intrusion in my personal space. A violation."

"A violation you say?"

"Of my privacy and of the terms in the contract."

"You really do give a damn about that contract, don't you?" the old man turned his way, with a casual, yet military calculated spin. "In that contract I don't remember you specified working on anything else that what concerns our needs. Is that so?"

"It is, but my job doesn't end between these walls, and you know very well that."

"But that's just business, Mr. Royce, not rocket science," Royce's heart stood for a moment at the sound of the expression, not sure if it was a subtle message to it, or just a coincidence.

"You understand nothing about how this works."

"Are you calling me stupid, Mr. Royce?"

"Just unaware of how some things go."

The man puffed with a smile, defying the younger one by a glance.

"As unaware as you might think me to be, I managed to work out the fact that you're not being completely honest and that has nothing to do with science," he paused taking notice of Royce's attempt to play confused, though nervousness made his body grow visibly tense. "Oh, no. It has to do with liars and traitors and in my kind of job, Mr. Royce, I saw countless of such bastards."

"You seem to have reflected lots on this matter."

The older man's face contorted with hate at the remark, and just by a quick sign of his head, that had his chin pointing Royce's way, the two at his sides strode towards the other and immobilized him on his knees, without much of an opposing force coming their way.

"I might have been just too kind to you, Mr. Royce. But that can change, since you prefer on playing smart instead of cooperating," he took one of his men's the taser gun from the belt and pointed it at the side of the kneeled one's head, where the implant was.

"However, to show you how nice I still am, I won't be holding you any longer tonight, but be sure to have tomorrow a detailed presentation on all of your work done here, under our roof. Because, everything you do here, belongs to us," he pulled the trigger, with gun planted tightly against the man's head and wrinkled his nose at the sudden noise of the other's pained scream filling the room.

"Tomorrow afternoon, Mr. Royce. I will be sure to send you a meet request on the email. By the book, as you like it."

Once released by the two holding him, he fell against the cold, dark grey paved floor. He heard the others' footsteps distancing and soon leaving the room, all under a deafening tinnitus that covered almost his entire hearing, ever since the shock made contact with his head implant. He gasped for air as overlapping panic attacks caught up on him, not helping with the suddenly blurred vision and bleeding nose, as he wrestled with himself against the floor, to pull himself back up on his feet. However, despite the excruciating pain still crossing his head like a thousand stabs, he couldn't help but think how did the other managed to hear of anything, as both himself and his team had done their best to keep information as classified as possible. There was surely no breech in his data system without his notice and without any of the safety measures being triggered. But just as he managed to drag himself up on his feet, still clinging to the desk he helped himself with, the thought hit him; it was nobody and nothing leaking information, not from the team, but there was a person that had left everything behind, with all they worked on still bonded to his mind. Jacob Davis had compromised their escape plan.

The man raised his prosthetic arm and tried bringing in the communication panel on, but nothing happened. His fingers looked stiff and refused to cooperate. He let out a loud scream, cursing at the walls around him; the shock did not only affect the head implant but also the prosthetic linked to it. He needed someone he could trust without creating further panic through the facility, as people, working as late as he did, might still be around, if he decided to go out. He needed Hamsika.

By the time Hamsika arrived, which was about an hour later, he was doing slightly better; the tinnitus was dimmer, his pain was less intense and there was no more bleeding involved. What was still there was a burning rage. Jacob had just ignored their contract; an agreement they made for the best of everyone.

The girl rushed inside as soon as the door slid open, a pale face loaded with worry, analyzing him from head to toes as he was still seated at the desk.

"What happened?" she let the words come out in a short breath. "Please tell me the message you sent is not what I think it is. Please, Lucien."

"It's compromised," he repeated exactly what the text said, giving her a defeated look.

"No... No," her breath quickened with the increasing anxiety. His hand reached for her own, touching it softly and squeezing it gently, stealing her attention from the rollercoaster of thoughts. It couldn't all go in vain, not now when they were actually starting to make tangible progress.

"We can still save this. But first, help me a bit. The bastard fried me well enough to shut off the sensors of my prosthetic."

"He did what?!"

"He used a taser gun on my head. Come on, switch to the right until you hear a click, then pull."

He lifted his arm, motioning it towards her, waiting. She stared at it for a moment, then back into his eyes, worry being replaced with anger. She knew they had an agreement, which said Royce was there to develop new weapons instead of facing jailtime, but this was already too much. They didn't take him for a slave, regardless of what they found out.

"Lucien, this is bad. Are you feeling alright?"

"No. Now, please do what I asked you to."

"Let's go to the medical bay."

"Hamsika, please..."

"Maybe they can check- "

"Nobody here can fix me!" his voice raised for a moment, cracking with the tension surrounding them, then let out a sigh, and gave the girl a pleading look, his tone back to something slightly above a whisper. "Please, I need to get my prosthetic back to work."

With her jaw clenched, still annoyed with the whole situation she was only barely aware of, she did as asked, then carefully placed the artificial limb on the desk before him.

"Great. Now, if you see that cabinet, on the left to the table with two robotic arms... There's a small box of tools in the second drawer. Please, bring it," he pointed the direction he spoke of as the other turned around to look.

Hamsika eventually went for the specified box and slammed it to his desk, not taking her hand off it, while looking at the sitting man. She fought a thousand feelings and a thousand questions; she felt even the urge to slap him for not actually telling her in first place that he was unwell. The situation itself could withstand a small delay, but his health shouldn't have.

"What?" he frowned, then reached for a robotic arm he had next to the desk and pulled it so he could attach the prosthetic to it for better handling. "If it's the fact that I raised my voice at you, I'm sorry. I just... I am so mad I can't even see straight."

"I am rather concerned you might have bleeding in your brain that might affect your eyes instead of just anger," she muttered, turning his head towards herself forcefully, looking him deeply into the eyes, to notice any anomaly.

"Hamsika, I'm alright. It can't be worse than what happened first time with the alien."

"That's why I'm afraid! It's not the first time you get fried like this! Lucien, this is not alright," she insisted, her voice slowly giving up to the piled-up emotions, while shaking with anger. His gaze searched back her own, while looking for a proper answer. He knew exactly what she was talking about, but deep inside he hoped that it wasn't the case.

"Look... If I really pass out or something, take my phone. Everything is linked to it."

"What? No."

"You have to," he searched his pockets for it, then placed it on the desk, making few taps to eliminate the fingerprint requirement for access, before pushing it her way. "If anything happens to me until the meet I should be having tomorrow, initiate the W protocol," he made a quick search through the device, showing her where to find it, even if it was plainly visible that she was more struck by panic than anything else at that moment. "It will call here the brothers, by satellite. We will ditch all the safety measures I tried so hard to obtain, so there won't be any further suspicions. We don't have time for that anymore."

"But- "

"I intend on doing this tomorrow during the meet regardless. But if something happens to me in the meanwhile, you have to promise me you will do it at that very moment."

"You scare me. Please, Lucien. Don't talk like this. You're the only person I trust in this damn place!" she shook him by the shoulders, feeling tears blurring her vision and fill her eyes.

"Hamsika, this whole thing is crucial. If I, by any means, fail to take it to the end, someone has to do it."

"No."

"What do you mean, no?!"

"We're getting your hand solved. We're getting you fixed," a sudden determination ignited within her and she pushed him a bit away with the chair, pulling herself a wheeled cabinet to sit on, next to him.

"Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it. We're in this together."

She added as she opened the small tool box she brought, looking him in the eye, expecting instructions. However, the man just gave her a small smile and brought the box closer to himself, beginning to put the prosthetic apart himself, into smaller pieces, so that he could reach its _brain_ to perform a check on it, hoping that it was just a connectivity problem, that didn't require tweaking on the upper part, at his head.

Hamsika watched him for some precious moments, her thoughts swinging between the reality she looked at, analyzing his movements, trying to notice if anything was off, caused by an eventual brain damage, and the various outcomes they would have to face the next day; from the confrontation with the secret services and army leader, to the very coming of the brothers, of which she was still so conflicted about.

She raised her head, breaking the focus from him and the table, letting her eyes wander through the room. She noticed the relaxation space area being open, so she stood up and walked towards it.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Tea, please."

She nodded to herself as she heard, but her heart stood in place while she stepped inside the small space and noticed the dry blood drops all over the place. A gulp slid down her throat slowly and turned to look at the man sitting at the working table, fully focused on fixing his artificial limb. There was more to it than he let her know about. Surely, he didn't have to explain himself to her for any reason, but she was deeply concerned for his well-being.

The girl pulled the glass door a bit and sought for a tissue to wipe the stains after she put some water boil in the electric pot. Last time he decided to talk about himself, it was almost terrifying to hear, but Hamsika still wished he would voice his thoughts more. Perhaps she could help. It appeared that he was alone for too long already; even a man like him, with quite a wild past behind, and a sometimes questionable attitude, deserved a soft encouraging word, once in a while, and a pat on the shoulder. Though his ethic was a sensitive subject when it came to his actions, he worked hard on whatever he decided on doing, and no matter what anyone decided to say about him, Lucien Royce's capacity of adapting and finding working solutions was one of a kind.

By the time the girl returned with the two cups of tea and a small plate of biscuits, she found boxed on a shelf, he was already assembling it all back.

"Well?"

"It should work now."

"You need help to put it back?"

The man stood up and detached the prosthetic from the robotic arm's grip, offering it to the other.

"You know the trick now," he gave her a reassuring smile and waited for her to safely place the tray on the working desk. The girl took it almost afraid that it might break in her hands, then plugged it back in, rotating it until the familiar click sounded. A short beep accompanied it this time, and a small led light switched on as soon as it connected.

"It looks good to me," she admitted relieved when she saw the fingers moving as natural as a normal hand's would. She wasn't really updated on how much prosthetics evolved those days, but she was still amazed by the smooth and responsive moves of the one he had. Surely, being the owner and engineer of the very company that manufactured such was a great advantage, but she was almost sure his model was a prototype, unlike any other sold by Royce Robotics on the market. He surely sought to have the best for himself, no matter how selfish it might have been. Perhaps they implemented the tech he made for his own in the series models as well. She would have to ask of it someday, she thought to herself, but for now, a calming cup of tea was more important than her curiosity.

She watched the man bring up in front of them, as they enjoyed their drinks, the rotating Earth hologram, surrounded by the Royce Robotics satellites. With few hand gestures he brought in few more interfaces on the holographic view.

"My latest plan was to send some drones to find them and communicate our location."

"Then why are you still willing to use the satellites one? You plan on drawing more attention?"

He pursed his lips, watching the projection thoughtfully.

"I honestly don't know," he raised his eyebrows half surprised and half amused by the conclusion, then looked at her. "I was so mad I thought it would be faster, but this one should work out just as well, with less of a fuss."

"Please don't say things like you did earlier, ever again. I am worried enough for a ton of other things," she mumbled after a bit, then detached one of the hands from the warmth of the mug and caught her temples between her fingers, massaging softly with a frown.

"Are you afraid of remaining in charge?"

"Don't be ridiculous. You'd have someone else in charge, with more experience than I have. We both know why I'm here and why you needed me."

"Give yourself more credit," he watched her lowering the hand off her face, and laugh to herself.

"Even with all the credit, I still can't do what others can."

"Well, neither can they do what you can. Why were you the one thinking of all this and not one of them?" he elbowed her playfully. "We're all good at something, Hamsika. We can't expect to know it all however."

"Well, you almost contradict your own words," she looked up at him, to see the man actually fight off a smile, visibly taken a bit away by her words. He glanced away from her, staring down at his tea, finally letting his lips split with a chuckle.

"Flattering."

"I do admire and respect the work you do. Ever since I heard Royce Robotics is extending its field of activity beyond Earth's limits, my goal shifted from study astrophysics and find a job after, to study astrophysics and work at Royce's after."

"Really?" he puffed in disbelief, looking back at the girl.

"I kid you not. But I never dreamt of something of this scale to be happening. No aliens, no end of the world, no working in an underground base, in the middle of nowhere," she swung herself his way with a bump. "And surely not sharing the same desk to rest my butt with Mr. Royce himself."

A crazy laughter erupted from both of them after a small moment of silence that followed her confession. She was glad that everything was settling again to a calm line. It had been an intense rush of adrenaline, just like it happened during the supposedly therapy session. Somehow, they were managing for a second time to put aside critical matters for the moment, and just enjoy themselves. An essential way of dealing with such crisis situations, avoiding to go entirely insane under the pressure.

"So, are we sending them a message?"

The man gave the Earth's hologram a spin and pinged two locations.

"I will send them exactly this projection."

She looked up at him again.

"Do you know where to find them?"

"Not exactly. I was hoping you'd have some ideas about their whereabouts."

"Just one worth a shot."

The man expanded the city location, so they could see the whole map. Hamsika gave it a confused look and tried making out the locations she knew to be able to recreate the way back to his apartment. She eventually recognized the area and spotted the intersection nearby.

"There should be it, but I don't know the building's number or such details. It's in that area."

"No worries. I am sure they will spot a drone. Or a bunch of them making noise."

He made a quick archive of the message and saved it under the W protocol, shutting off all the projections around them after, the room finally bathing in a calming light, other than the intense blue of the floating objects and texts all around.

The girl allowed herself to blink few times, lazily, while staring at the empty wall ahead, before sliding to her side, letting her head rest against the other's shoulder as she sipped from the tea. She felt Royce move and soon after had his shoulder leave her head, being replaced by the side of his chest, as the arm wrapped around her shoulders, the prosthetic fingers squeezing gently onto it. Her lashes slid shut, allowing herself to enjoy the warmth of the embrace and the combined smell of his perfume and the spiced red tea in her cup.

Hamsika smiled to herself at the calming feeling surrounding her. She hadn't felt alike in years; not even Anna's desperate hugs while trying to take her out the bad moods felt as soothing. Her legs moved her around him, until her face buried completely in his chest as she placed her mug on the desk behind them, in order to wrap both arms around his back. She heard the small cold sound of his mug touching the flat surface as well, before feeling more warmth surround her as both of Royce's arms wrapped around her, in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry..." she mumbled low in his chest, feeling soon after her already warm face heating up to critical levels as his lips touched the top of her head in a soft kiss. Her hands gripped gently at his blazer, while trying to suppress the emotional rollercoaster hitting her, the gesture so familiar with Ryan's, bringing her to the verge of bursting into tears. She craved so much for a soft tender touch; it seemed all surreal now that she finally earned herself one.

She parted from him enough to look him in the eye, meeting a tired, but comforting smile. Her arms left his back and cupped his cheeks, her right thumb brushing gently over the deep scar he had on his cheekbone. She felt the other lean in, stopping hesitatingly when their noses touched, giving her the decision to push away or close the distance. Hamsika guided him closer, with her hands still on his cheeks, having his warm breath disappear while merging with her own in a kiss. Despite the fact of feeling heartbroken after Ryan left, and despite that she had her thoughts travel back to the times by his side when she felt most lonely, she knew that the chapter had to be closed. Regardless the reunion happening soon, she couldn't allow herself to hope again for anything more from Ryan's side, given the uncertainty of his presence. She couldn't demand him to stay for as long as she lived, turning it all in the end into a heartbreaking event rather for him than herself. She needed someone alike herself, human to the core.

She had to battle her feelings after the boy left, and she would have to do it again once she would face him, but now she didn't feel alone anymore. If the one in whose arms melted at that very moment decided to accept splitting the burden and pleasure of a relationship, she could finally heal the reopened wound.

A sudden buzzing disturbed the silence of the late evening, while Anna and the brothers caught themselves in a card game, to take their minds off the worries for a bit, as no solution occurred to any of them in the meanwhile.

"Are you hearing that too?" Anna frowned at the bugging noise and looked at the boys in turns, seeing them nod and glance around as if trying to decide where the sound was coming from. It wasn't long before they figured it was an outside source, which became more and more intense, a light accompanying it, as it seemed to approach their vicinity.

Ryan stood up from the couch and went to peek outside, rather curious than worried, and had his gaze meet the blinding light of a drone as he faced the open window. He muttered something and shielded his eyes, his brows furrowing as he struggled to regain his sight, stepping off the light source's way.

"There's more of them," Aries added as he got up too, annoyed with the sudden disturbance. He walked to the window, trying to shoo them away, but without success, as the whole group of buzzing drones seemed to be fully focused on their apartment now, attracting themselves looks from all around.

"Open up," Ryan finally managed to rub the blindness off his eyes.

"What? Why? You want these things in?!" Anna protested, looking at him in confusion.

"It's Royce Robotics written on them!"

A silent exchange of glances followed, all mutually agreeing on opening both windows to let the buzzing drones in, along with whatever may follow after. They were desperate enough to test out any possible helping hand that might be lent their way.

The five drones did indeed fly inside and after taking a calculated position, a second set of lights turned on, while dimming the main one, displaying a hologram under the eyes of the three, filling the room in a cold blue light. Anna rushed to the window and pulled the curtains as quick as she could, avoiding to have curious people from across the street snap any pictures. She knew before realizing what it was all about that it had to be classified enough.

"That's us," Ryan said silently, going around the hologram.

"There's some data here also," Aries pointed at a bunch of coordinates that kept being written and deleted over and over again. The whole projection being nothing more than a loop.

"There are two sets of coordinates, but I don't see the second- Oh! There it is!" he spotted the second dot on the spinning Earth hologram, and after snatching a paper from his desk, made a quick note of the displayed data. He straightened his back and walked next to the other two, who still stared at the spinning projection.

"So, what are we doing with this?" Anna eventually asked. "I mean, I get it, he sent us a message, but why?"

"We have to get there. It's across the ocean, and it was made for us, since he pinged our location exactly."

"But... It appears to be in the middle of nowhere," Anna checked a map on her phone, putting her hand out to let the other two see as well. Aries wrinkled his nose at the sight.

"This bastard is up to something. What if it's a trap again?"

"One way to find out," Ryan concluded, looking at the two, his eyes remaining on the girl lastly. "Anna, you will have to stay here if anything... Or go home. We can't take you along."

"Figured..."

She let out a long sigh, as they all watched the drones grouping back together. Ryan moved from the spot just to push away the curtains and let them leave the place, though his mind stayed with the current news. It was indeed either a trap, or a desperate call. Maybe it was Hamsika herself asking for help. They couldn't just sit and ignore it, now that they finally had a contact with her possible location.

"When do you leave?"

The girl asked silently, feeling anxiety slowly filling her thoughts, wondering what all of it meant, knowing that she would be again left alone without any update on the situation. She knew that if Hamsika did not reach out for her in a while, neither will the brothers if they will get to the place the girl was into. Despite the fact that she understood the scale of the situation, there was still a selfish feeling lingering deep inside her; she was finally getting used to having them around, the tension even dimming down lately, and now it all went in a crazy direction once again.

"Now... Anna, just do as you please. We will try get in contact with you as soon as we're able to, so please keep the phone with you," Ryan pleaded, trying to reason with her, though it was visible the situation was not to her liking entirely.

"You boys be careful out there. Be sure Hamsika is good too," she pursed her lips, feeling her voice crack while nodding to herself, avoiding to look them in the eye, while struggling on keeping the tears locked inside. Even though they left before, with even less of a warning, now it felt different. Perhaps, exactly because they were letting her know, it made it all harder to bear. She felt like she couldn't contribute to it all more or at all; she felt useless.

"Anna, whatever happens, I'll be sure to come back and find you. If you leave, just write a message or something. Let me... Let us know where you went," Aries brought her close, in a side hug, with an arm wrapped around her shoulders. Even he, not much in love with the humans, grew fond of her caring and involvement in it all. His brother soon joined them for a group hug, giving them both a reassuring smile, as he felt the tension floating around, with a brooding mood.

"Stay safe, Anna," Ryan added as both parted from her, slowly starting to lose shape and detach from the floor, floating towards the window. She bit her lip as tears rolled down her cheeks, while she waved a good bye. Her eyes followed them outside, and witnessed along with others, who were still wandering on the street or stared from their windows, how the two glowing silhouettes departed, their sudden blast of speed cracking few windows in the process, while also starting a dozen of car alarms.

Chapter IX

"What is all the meet about again?" Martha asked on a low voice, noticing all the unfamiliar faces gathered around the entrance of the given location. The conference hall they have been all invited to had its door guarded by two soldiers, who appeared to perform a security check on each person before allowing them in, accompanied by a paper bracelet.

"Looks like a damn concert," the woman added with a snort, earning herself few chuckles from the rest of the team members, while slowly advancing with the rest at the queue. "Hamsika, do you have any inside news about this?" she eventually elbowed the girl, who appeared to be deeply lost in thoughts.

"What? Sorry..."

"Saw you hanging around with Mr. Royce lately. I thought you might have some extra information on this gathering."

"Not really. No," she replied shortly, feeling stress starting to make her hands go cold and sweaty. The group surrounding her exchanged glances, not convinced at all by her answer, then closed the space between themselves and the girl.

"You know whatever it is it stays between us," another woman lowered her voice to a whisper, insisting with a giggle, but got herself an annoyed stare from Hamsika, as she snapped, mad with the sudden suffocating feeling.

"I know as little as you all do, okay?"

"Don't get mad, now... We're just fooling around a bit."

"You should take distance from Royce, unless you want to become as bossy as he is."

"What would you all know of him anyway?"

She stared the last one that spoke in the eye, then made her way through the crowd, as she spotted the familiar implant decorated head coming down the hallway. She stopped midway through, frozen in place by the full sight; Lucien Royce was dressed entirely in white, exception making his grey shirt, beneath the blazer, and the brown shoes. His prosthetic arm came out the pocket when he spotted the girl and guided her towards the door, shielding her back.

"You're dressed in white," she admitted before even greeting him, as she couldn't contain the surprise feeling only to herself.

"And? Does it look bad?" he whispered back, giving the two security guards at the door just a smile before passing with the girl without any bracelet or additional control.

"Not at all. I just had no idea you could wear something else than black suits. Don't get me wrong, they look good but... Anyway. It doesn't matter. Lucien. The brothers."

"All arranged. The drones are programmed to go out in ten minutes. By my calculations they should reach the apartment in exactly sixteen minutes, while they should take no more than a couple of seconds to be here, unless they will struggle on finding the location. All of these, of course, if they are at the place you told me about."

"I really hope they are there," she whispered back, with a sigh.

They walked through the large hall, straight to the stage, stopping at the stairs. Hamsika stared at the surroundings; it did look indeed like a concert hall, only downscaled a bit. There was a large panel, as big as the wall, probably serving as projection surface, behind the speech stand; the rest of the room was filled with seats, displayed on rows like a cinema.

"I had no idea there was such a place around here."

"The more you know," he replied her, though his eyes scouted the surroundings.

"Lucien, people in my team were giving me side-glances today, asking me of insights," she felt her cheeks gaining warmth just by pushing the discussion that direction. "Lucien," she repeated his name, almost hissed between her teeth.

"Yes? What insights?"

"Regarding this meet. But they think..." she stopped and clicked her tongue at the thought. "They might suspect us."

"Suspect us?" his eyes finally focused on her, while resting his back against the wall nearby, with hands deep in his pockets. His mind drifting to the alien brothers they awaited, instead of more down to Earth issues.

"Us being together. Are you even here?!"

"Oh. That," he shrugged it off, nodding a salute to someone passing by. "So?" he returned his attention to her, studying her almost rudely. The girl's lips twitched as she sought for a proper reply. "Are you ashamed?"

"Ashamed? No. But... It feels unprofessional," the man snorted at her reply, holding back a smile by biting his lips. "You might find it amusing, but you're not the one spending at least five days a week with them."

"Hamsika, this is the last subject on my worry list. It is barely even there," his hand reached for her and wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer, leaning in to whisper. "If they annoy you anyhow, let me know. Now, come on. We will have some guests to present."

"Why am I coming along? Don't even think of asking me to talk to all these people," she shuddered only at the thought.

"Because you might want to stop an eventual attack on me."

"What?!" she looked scandalized his way, as he motioned her up on the stage, suddenly feeling all eyes on her. Was he referring to Aries? Was it a verbal attack from others she might have to fight against when they will hear the news regarding the aliens? How will he even deliver the information anyway? She mainly knew that he would be bringing the brothers in, but she still had no idea what was the plan behind it all, if there was any. The afternoon seemed already crazy, and it had barely started.

The room grew gradually silent and lights began to dim down as the surface behind the speech stand lit up, the logo of Royce Robotics flashing in. Royce's silhouette was distinguishable somewhere nearby the stand, still exchanging words with Hamsika. He waited for the spotlight to turn on so he could step in, being finally visible to everyone gathered.

"Good afternoon. You must be all very confused to see so many unfamiliar faces and wonder what in the world they were doing down here and how you haven't seen them all before," he made a pause, as people began to look at each other, all around themselves, as if they just noticed the rest around.

"Various security measures and other reasons have been pushing us to work separately during our time here, but the moment for us to unite our efforts into a bigger purpose has come. Given some unexpected circumstances, of security breech, you will be among the first humans on Earth to hear that the end is coming and you have the chance to contribute on saving our race," his prosthetic hand raised to silence the crowd that grew abruptly, extremely talkative, filling the room with buzz. Royce caught, to his satisfaction, the faces of those in charge of pulling him onto the sleeve, being in a mix of confusion and shock.

"Now, now. I know you're all eager for your apocalyptic movie scenario, to play your roles and march out as heroes, all victorious, through the other side of a wormhole gate, into another world, but! But... " he allowed himself a short moment to check the watch, then stepped to the side, looking at the projection behind himself as he motioned some gestures at it with his prosthetic hand.

"Earth is in the way of an impending doom. It might happen in the following moments, days, years or outside our lifetime. Somewhere at the edge of our galaxy there is a _dark veil_ , as it has been coded for now, devouring stars and systems attached to them, dark patches on the sky being visible with the naked eye as you'd stare straight at the Milky Way's beauty at night," the projection accompanied his speech with computer generated simulations of the events he spoke of. "Given the rather sudden and extreme things happening out there, we are likely to be bombed by gamma rays, that will likely wipe us entirely. These rays come without much of a warn and waiting for one to approach is not an option."

Another hand motion took out the destroyed Earth from the scared eyes of the audience, to replace it with a soothing, wireframe hologram of the planet, spinning slowly.

"What you see right now is Earth, moving in real time. The data is being monitored by the Royce Robotics satellites. However, we're not doing this to keep a close eye on what might approach and destroy us, but hopefully on something that may come into our aid," he took his eyes off the public to point at a pinging location, somewhere across the ocean. "If everything goes according to plan, we should be having two guests arriving shortly. Hopefully, they will be willing to offer us a better insight into the problem and eventually aid us in figuring a faster and functioning solution out of this," he made a quick check on his watch as it sent him a sign, vibrating shortly at his wrist. Royce gave Hamsika the shortest nod, as his drones confirmed the delivered message, making the girl's body being crossed by a sudden shiver at the news.

Without much talk around, the tension was nearly palpable; one could easily count the breaths around. But just as seconds ran out slowly, under the given conditions, general Barnes cleared his throat and asked over the seated heads.

"Mr. Royce. Everyone is in here. What are we even waiting for?"

"Not what. But who, general. And you will see shortly that not everyone is in here. Not yet," the alarms suddenly made the lights inside the room go on again, while they filled the ears of those present, already in a panic mood.

"What's happening?" the older man stood up, looking around, knowing that this meant the unity might be at risk.

"Please, remain seated," Royce urged, noticing people looking conflicted; not sure if they should rush outside or do as they were told. "Sit down! It's normal to happen. They're closing in and it's just like we'd be ready to suffer an aerial attack. The system does not distinguish the difference."

General Barnes gave Royce a mad look and made a sign to some of his armed men to go to the stage and perhaps start to instruct and evacuate the room.

"Three," he watched the soldiers trying to make their way through the seats and alarmed people. "Two," he glanced up at the ceiling and stepped to the side, pulling Hamsika behind his back. "Come on, boys," he stared nervously at the projection pinging their location to be matching their settlement, only to hear shortly after, a blast cracking the ceiling open somewhere nearby.

"I was hoping they'd land exactly in here," Royce clicked his tongue, with a trace of disappointment and just as he watched the soldiers finally climbing up the scene, saw the doors blasting open with the two familiar nebula filled beings standing in its frame, all debris nearby, caused by their forced landing, slowly floating around their bodies, disintegrating. His eyes made contact with Aries's and before the other could decide to do any move, he pushed Hamsika before him.

"Are you mad?!"

"They won't attack you. I'm sure they don't know what to expect. I'd be just as confused."

Hamsika raised her hands, under the ever-growing panic below the stage at the sight of the two, and waved at them, with the sincerest smile she could put on in that outrageous situation, just to make them understand at least she was alright. The silence that filled the room as they forcefully opened the doors, was being steadily replaced by panic talk and muffled and confused gasps, nobody being aware of what exactly they were looking at.

With the objects around them starting to gain unnatural shapes, threatening the well-being of those inside the room, the brothers began to lose their cosmic shape in the favor of the human one, allowing their feet to finally touch the ground. Hamsika looked at them, and despite the growing madness within the conference hall, she couldn't help but flash the happiest smile while wiping her eyes in a quick move, as she failed to keep the tears contained. They were truly back, looking precisely like she could recall them, almost tricking her into believing it was nothing more than a lucid dream.

Royce's hand squeezed nervously at her shoulder as the two approached the stage, climbing up, under the confused, fascinated and horrified faces of those present.

"Royce..." Aries said his name, silent enough only for them to hear, a warn in his tone.

"Finally, we meet again," the man tapped his microphone to turn it off for a moment, even if he could feel burning eyes watching him from certain spots in the room. "We will clear out things as soon as we're out of here."

"What's going on?" Ryan eventually asked, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"A madness," Royce kept whispering back, talking fast, nervousness clearly being readable in both his eyes and voice. "Please, bear with us few more minutes, eventually answer some questions; after that we can clarify everything you want to know. Just the four of us."

Ryan's eyes moved from him to Hamsika, his eyebrows raising the slightest, as if expecting an approval. She only nodded silently, as eager as them to be done with the formalities and be able to speak freely, without being watched and listened by so many.

The man tapped again the microphone and looked back towards the audience.

"As I promised, here are the two and maybe only ones that could provide us a clearer insight into what we're facing. Ryan and Aries..." he pointed at them in turns, politely. "... Perhaps the only two beings outside Earth to make contact with us and to be willing to share their knowledge with us."

"Mr. Royce! What is this circus?! Are you claiming those two teenagers are aliens?!" he stood up, boiling red with rage, spitting as he spoke. "Coming to us with your cheap holographic tricks, trying to deceive us?! To make us believe all your absurdities?!"

"General Barnes... " Royce began, trying to reason, knowing Aries's temper on his own skin, as he noticed him tensing up at his side.

"Did he just call us fake?" the boy's eyes narrowed, looking from Royce, whose speech he followed, to the man that spoke out, enraged, raised from his seat and accompanied by armed soldiers. "Do you think this is all robot-hand's making?" he jumped off the stage before Ryan could snatch him, heading towards the man.

"Aries..." his brother called for him, warningly.

"Let me show this man what we're made of, in case he missed," his hand lost his human shape, and with only motioning it in the direction of the nearest weapon, he disintegrated into nothing to the naked eye, absorbing all the matter with the touchless gesture. His eyes, which gave up the irises in the favor of the powerful shine, worth a stare in the sun's light, pinned the old man into place, strangling his words somewhere deep inside his throat. There was fear written on his features, though something told the boy not even showing to his face what he could do, fully convinced the other. He was sure the older man had other beliefs regarding what he saw.

"Dare question my existence a second time, and that weapon will be you."

His voice felt like an echo through the room, though it only flashed for a brief moment through all the minds of those present. Aries regained his full human shape once again and returned to the stage, his eyes studying the faces all around, below their level. Humans were difficult to deal with, and even if he wished to toy a bit with Royce's nerves, in a way or another, he now genuinely wished he had a plan to keep them away from as many curious looks and minds. They were there mainly for Hamsika and Ryan's humanity saving plan. He wasn't patient enough for everyone else, and unless they agreed on having things his way, restrained to a smaller circle, everyone will have a hard time with him around.

"Give that to me," Aries snatched the headset from Royce's ear, putting it around his own under the scandalized looks of the three at his sides. "Listen up. We're here to help, but don't cross the line. Your clock is ticking and unless you are willing to cooperate with us, meaning all four of us, you can as well say good bye to your longtime existence," he gave the audience a studious look. "So, if you are not comfortable to listen to us, _some aliens_ wanting to offer you a hand, listen to these two," he pointed at Royce and Hamsika. "They're both aware of the scale of this event and probably they're the only ones capable of figuring a solution right now," he pushed the headset back in Royce's hands and stared him in the eye.

"We're done. Say bye-bye to them and let's have our talk. The only talk that matters," he turned on his heels and made his way back to the entrance without even looking back, leaving the three stare at each other for a long moment, before Royce decided to bid a quick farewell, and manage to escape the room, before the general, or anyone else, ordered for them to be immobilized or isolated some dark place. There wasn't the moment to split up or be greeted by further trouble than they already had on their heads.

"I can't believe Aries didn't wipe off from existence anyone yet and gave an actual speech. Ryan, what have you done to him?" Hamsika looked his way as they hurried down the hallway to catch up with the other, who just kept walking ahead.

"I did nothing. There was no plan, since we had no idea of what exactly we would be finding here."

"Where is he even going?!" Royce muttered, starting to lose his temper. "Hey!" he yelled after the long-haired boy, who barely looked over his shoulder. "Where are you going? You don't even know your way around!"

"Well, clearly I am not heading the way we came from, because there's too much debris, which I doubt you would be willing to climb it in that white suit," he finally stopped, waiting for the other three to catch up with him.

"Right. Okay," Royce wiped his already sweaty forehead, thoughtfully, as all the rest kept their eyes on him, as if awaiting instructions. The man turned around as soon as he heard noise coming from down the hallway where they came from, to see the armed soldiers coming out from behind a corner and scouting the area. He almost shoved away Hamsika and Ryan, who were the closest to him, pushing them, along with Aries into another hallway nearby, hurrying through it.

"Do we even have where to hide from those guys?!" Ryan voiced the main concern of everyone at that moment, not entertained at all with the situation.

"Not really."

"Want me to slow them down a bit?" Aries halted and watched the three pass by him, as they didn't expect him to stop.

"No. Come already," his brother slowed down too, making him a sign to follow, feeling worry already creeping up on him, knowing that trouble wasn't as much of a play anymore, having two humans with them now. Their usual emergency escape plan couldn't be applied, unless they wanted to leave the others behind, which was out of the discussion.

"Aries, there is enough trouble already! Come on!" he insisted while raising his voice, even making a step the boy's way to grab his arm and pull him along, which he eventually did, continuing their way under Royce's lead. Even if Hamsika appeared to be alright and glad to see them again, he was still not fully convinced that the whole situation was alright, considering the armed forces following them. He wasn't sure what the place was exactly and how they got there, instead of staying within the Royce Robotics facilities he was accustomed to, but he was sure to have such subjects on the list of questions in his head, for whenever the time for them would be right.

They stopped breathlessly after a while, in an unused lab. The lights switched on as soon as they stepped inside and Royce made a quick security addition to the entrance lock, attaching a code to it, which would hold back at least the slightest whoever would decide to come uninvited, if anyone would. They were two levels higher than before, and even if they picked the stairs, they still hoped they haven't been tracked anyhow, or not for the moment. Surely there was a security camera that caught them getting in that very room.

"You!" Aries pointed a finger at the man, his eyebrows furrowing. "Explain. Now."

"You first. Why are you back?"

"Why are you here? Why did you leave the town for a damn desert?!"

Seeing there was no way to reason, and knowing that he probably had less to explain than the brothers, he eventually agreed with a sigh, motioning towards a chair and two empty desks. He hopped on and took a seat, while Hamsika claimed the chair and the brothers the desk facing his own, creating a small circle.

"The government wasn't pleased to hear I was doing business they were not aware of. So, right after you two left, almost three years ago, as wrecked as I was, thanks to your telepathic connection..." he glanced at Aries. "... I was taken for an interrogatory. Thankfully, I didn't have to talk much, since I had next to no options to pick from. I was told I would be facing some good years of jail, unless I agreed to work for them for a while, under their own roof," he pointed at the ceiling in a displeased gesture. "I preferred to agree on this and try to find a way to work on our issues in the meanwhile, rather than be locked down in prison, with really no other option left."

"What is Hamsika doing here then?" Ryan looked back and forth between the two of them. "I am sure you could've spared her from this miserable place and let her work back in town, while you'd just transfer data or something."

"Everything is closely watched and listened to. I managed only to stream a line of encrypted commands into the facility that builds up remotely whatever we dictate from here," he took a moment to recollect his thoughts and try to put them in order, under the curious and demanding looks of the brothers. It was clear that they weren't going to believe everything without proof, even if he put out on the tray only the truth. Some of the things were hard to believe even to himself and it took him a while to adapt to it all.

"The situation changed greatly for me, after you two disappeared and all this madness started. You left me with some nasty neuronal damage, for which I had to come up with a solution along with a team of doctors, which only after a dozen of arguments agreed to add this on me," he tapped his head implant. "You wouldn't understand... Ethical problems and all," he rolled his eyes shortly.

"But returning to our main issue... Hamsika is here to help me with the astrophysics and particle physics, since I can only understand how some of the things go, being no more than an over-skilled engineer. And, of course, thanks to the two of you, she is the only one aware of a lot more things compared the rest, which helped us greatly in figuring the new particles from the matter we extracted from Aries's body," he paused to listen a bit to the eventual noises coming out from the hallway, then resumed his talk. "We managed to isolate some of them and we are attempting to recreate them artificially, so we can have a source of energy, which is basically stuck in an infinite loop," he looked at them being mildly confused and waved his hand dismissively. "But I will get into more details about that later. However, we still have a problem. We are sure than in the near future we will be able to build this engine and a rocket strong enough to sustain all of our requirements, but we don't have the key element: the wormhole. Neither of us managed to find a way to bend our minds around the concept, well enough to bring it to life, and here is where I... Where _we_... Hope to get some help from you two."

"Wait a moment. So, in three years, all you did was this?"

"Aries..."

"This is ridiculous!"

"I had a recovery period in which I was hardly able to stand. Pardon me for being almost dead thanks to your magic trick."

"Don't you dare turn this against me."

"It's always been against you. I appreciate the insight you gave me, but I am sure you could've done it otherwise."

"You bastard..." the boy got ready to jump off the desk, but Ryan dragged him back by the shoulder, giving him an annoyed look.

"You'll have to find a way to deal with each other, because there's work to be done."

"Ryan, please tell us you come with better news if ours are not pleasing enough," Hamsika looked up his way, pleading through her gaze.

"Well... I do feel that there is more to tell on your side, but since I don't want to get into as many technical details for now, I will let you know what we spent our time with," he shifted a bit, seeming to collect his thoughts as his eyes moved from Hamsika to Royce and back at her. "There is a madness going on there. Dark matter, as you call it, of extreme density, black holes revolving around other black holes, at some of the highest speeds I was given to see so far, smashing together more often than it would be alright to happen. In short words, there's a lot happening in the dark area we see even from here, and it's terrifying."

"I was afraid you'd be delivering such news..." the girl bit her lip to suppress the incoming waves of panic, which made her heart jump violently into her chest. She looked fearfully at Ryan, who didn't appear to be done talking. She knew how much of a talent he had of not spilling it out all at once, but for the sake of her own sanity, he'd better deliver it entirely this time.

"We will have to move you into a smaller galaxy that attracts less attention, and that's yet safe enough."

"We have a list of possibly inhabitable planets made by people who kept observing exclusively such," she offered out the idea, hopefully.

"I will have to check on that, though I have my own suggestions as well. But... Before we get to decide on that, we need the wormhole gate."

"Which brings us to the problem I raised too. Do _you_ have any solution for that?"

"Not exactly, but I am sure we will figure something."

"Can't we just go ask for help from some other guys you met during your travels?" Aries looked at him with a bored expression, already tired of all the babbling.

"I thought of this possibility too, to ask for help. I do know some civilizations advanced and kind enough to offer a hand, but I also know humans. No kindness will save you from your thirst of conquer and violence," he looked mostly Royce, dead in the eye, gesture to which the man raised his hands in surrender.

"I have no plans other staying alive and out of the trouble. I cannot guarantee for the others, even if I were to make a selection of people myself. I have trust issues as well. Mostly given to recent events," he saw the boy's eyebrows raising questioningly. "We've been betrayed by one from our small team, which is why the madness today happened, and everyone is now aware of the incoming end of the world and the two aliens aiding us out of it."

"That could be a news title," Aries puffed with laughter, slapping his leg loud enough to attract all attention on him. "What?! Those things are hilarious."

The three shook their heads in disagreement with the boy's attitude, and tried focusing back on the earlier discussed matters.

"Okay. So, thanks to us being a bunch of degenerate bastards, we can't get help from outside, nor could we inhabit a planet which already hosts intelligent life."

"In less words, yes. You're right," Ryan agreed with the man, giving it a defeated shrug. "But, despite all the negativism in our talk so far, we may be able to provide a quick fix to this madness, and spare part of your galaxy from the trouble."

"So, no worm holes?"

"No."

"No intergalactic travel?" Hamsika added.

"No," he chuckled seeing her face light up with hope.

"Why haven't you mentioned this from the start if it might spare us from the trouble?!" she stood up all of a sudden, with all eyes on her.

"Because it's merely a hope. There is one way to find out if we can stop, slow down or the most less likely, undo, any of this anyhow," he felt Aries's eyes on him as he spoke, and Hamsika could tell there wasn't much good in that nice entitled proposal; she felt the same mood radiating from them when they discussed their departure back in the day.

"We discovered something at the pulsating center of madness. Or better said, someone," he continued his talk, noticing the blood from the girl's face slowly draining. "It appeared to be holding the strings together there, while being in a dormant state. If we can get in touch with that being anyhow, we might be able to find a way around it. A compromise. Something."

"Are you telling me there's more of you?" Royce licked his already dry lips at the news, narrowing his eyes in disbelief for a moment.

"We're not sure if it's exactly alike us. It appeared to be dominated by dark matter, unlike the two of us, who are quite balanced."

"No. Let's just stick to our plan and get the hell out of here," he jumped off the desk and paced around. "We have no back up plan if this fails, and jumping into something else without even being sure of the outcome is a bit too much for now."

"We can always try."

"What if this being gets mad?!" the girl snapped at the absurdity of the news.

"We'll slap it back to sleep." Aries snorted. "We're two. It can't match us."

"Aries, this isn't a joke! If that thing awakens, it could snap us even faster out of existence, before you get to do anything!" her voice cracked with desperation, while Royce kept staring towards the door, listening carefully. He put a hand on her shoulder, trying to reason with her.

"I say we should make sure we have a working plan for an eventual escape and before we put that into action, you two can give your new proposal a try."

"What? Are you actually supporting this?!"

"Well, if we have all we need, we hop in and leave. If they manage to establish something and stop the madness from happening, then we just have intergalactic transport at disposal, for exploration and entertainment. I see this as a win for us either way."

The boys nodded, and agreed to the man's words, while Hamsika still appeared to be extremely mad with the whole idea; shocked that Royce, despite disagreeing with the idea first, made such a change of direction. She could hear her ears drumming with her heartbeat, as she was hardly containing her emotions, trying not to lash out a thousand words at the three and their insane new plans.

"You are all crazy and I don't want to spend an additional second in your presence. Lucien, let me out."

"Hamsika, I don't think it's safe..." Ryan glanced at the door for a brief moment, remembering the armed men tracking them down.

"Your name's Lucien?" Aries gasped at the discovery, looking entertained with the new fact.

"Having a problem with that?"

"Is ANYONE even listening to me?!" she slapped her hands against her thighs, feeling the little patience she had left, quickly running out.

"I am so done with you all," she whined silently, heading to the furthest corner of the room to try and regain her calm and rest her trembling body in silence, even if she could still hear the muffled talk of the three. She knew the brothers would perhaps not bring the brightest news, which they didn't, but, if only, they avoided dropping the last suggestion. The whole plan and situation were already crazy enough.

The three stared at the girl sobbing in the distance, then exchanged worried glances, Ryan and Royce even letting out a tensioned sigh.

"Just... Let her out of this new crazy plan for now. She's too stressed. If anything, come and talk to me," he received an unimpressed, questioning look from Aries, and though he knew they had quite a past lingering behind them, he wished that it would all get buried deep down, in the favor of a flawless cooperation.

"We have to think a way out of this madness still. We can't stay trapped in this room forever. I have people working for me here, that have nothing to do with my business with these mad lads. They surely are just as panicked and confused and I'd like not to create further disturbance."

"So, you are basically with a red dot on your head and have a whole crowd after you," Ryan repeated and tried to clarify the situation to himself, since he was still disoriented with all that he found. He somehow expected to find Hamsika trapped in there, which wasn't far from the truth, only that he found her to be in that crazy mess willingly, which changed it all a bit, and not in an easy way.

"I needed to keep things going. I explained just before," he closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to maintain his calm and relax his already racing heart, as nervousness still lingered on his head. "We can't evacuate everyone, because my private jet can't carry as many people. But we can't leave them behind either. It's my responsibility to know they are safe back home if anything."

"Can't you request a plane or something?"

"It was all a military transport, since this is supposed to be a secret base. I can't do that."

"Then let's blast out the secrecy and that's it."

"Aries, it doesn't work like that," Ryan warned him on a tired tone. "There are laws and restrictions applied to certain areas."

"Humans are so stupid!" he exclaimed out loud, making even Hamsika twitch in the back. "We won't get anything solved if we hide with weapons pointed at our heads. We are so damn powerful, we could blast the planet and make it a meal, and yet we find ourselves dealing with imaginary restrictions in this stupid world!" he pointed a finger at Royce. "You! Find a damn way to get the people out. I'll handle the rest."

"No," Ryan frowned, knowing how his brother usually dealt with things; all recklessly.

"Then what will you do, Ryan? Hm? Sit here and wait for a miracle to happen while we try to protect them? We came here to help. Let's do it our way. They need it done somehow else, because their damn ways are insufficient! Can't you see?!"

"Our way? My way of acting doesn't match yours."

"Oh no?"

"I am not for violence."

"Humans were molded in their evolution by conflicts and you tell me this?!"

"Alright... Time to stop this," Royce sighed, starting to regret his decision of bringing the brothers to them.

"That's why we are here! To show them there are other ways to solve problems other than wars!"

"No. We are here for your damn girlfriend and to try and save her and few other," Royce blinked surprised at Aries's statement, then looked at Ryan, who gave him a quick look in return. "I have a better idea. Let's make a small selection of humans, contact one of your kind and advanced alien friends and get them out of here, while letting the rest have fun until a gamma ray will wipe them off," he dusted off his palms, as if the job was done.

"This isn't a right way to think, Aries."

"But it could be! We need to make a choice. We can't save everyone!"

"You two are giving me a headache! Stop it!" Royce's hands grabbed a shoulder of each of the two brothers, the prosthetic hand squeezing into Ryan's. "If you want to know a pitiful human's opinion on your self-entitled savior butts, find that you are no different from us and your attitudes are no brighter than a teenager's, with a high IQ score."

"Crazy!" Hamsika yelled from the back, still with a trembling voice, without looking their way.

They allowed a moment of silence and the two watched the man take his hands off them and rest himself against a desk nearby, looking thoughtful; battling his own mind on trying to decide which of the given solutions was the best.

"We have to find something for now and we will also have to find something suitable for a long term after. We have to decide whether we want a selection of worthy people to take humanity someplace else, for as long as they will to, and let the rest perish under whatever disaster strikes first; or if we want to save the race by the book, or... I don't know. My mind is a mess right now," he shielded his eyes with a hand hovering over them, as his fingers caught his temples and massaged gently.

"We could try and play them off, just like they did it with me," Royce eventually added after a while. "They are supposed to be hidden here, non-existent to the common world outside the base, just like the Royce Robotics Supernova project was," he gave an apologetic look to Aries, who wrinkled his nose. "If we do make an accident happen, they will try to mask it, since they place isn't supposed to exist. They can't let anything go out and it would make them limited, for at least a while, when it comes to hunting us back."

"So, you agree with my plan," Aries leaned his back against a wall, smiling satisfied with his arms crossed, while he could hear his brother screaming inside in denial hearing the other's words.

"I will send the instructions you got through the drone, to a transporter drone plane. It won't be as comfortable, but it can take the people back. All while you make this all look like something went bad with the weapons testing, since they were doing here prototypes with my people."

"That sounds reasonable. Makes sense, Ryan. Just some casualties," he shrugged, looking at his brother, who looked entirely displeased with the plan.

"And do again your magic trick. Cut off their communications when we start this thing."

"I can blast out satellites."

"No, because you might hit mine too and we don't want that. We need those."

"Pity. Alright. I can solve it."

"Ryan, you stay with Hamsika. Please take care of her. She has a map, so she knows her way through," his eyes moved back and forth between the boy and Hamsika. "When I will have her know she's safe to go, take her out, to the surface. I will be there with a car."

"Alright... What will you do?"

"I will go with Aries. I need to get access to my lab to get all of this done and like it or not, I need my back being watched while I do so," he shifted his focus on Aries and even gave him a short smirk. "You'll be my bodyguard."

"Okay, crazy man," he detached his back from the wall and gave Royce an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Let's do this," he grinned back and after the other gave a nod, agreeing with the whole situation he had to make happen, they left the room, a beep marking it being back locked as soon as they went out.

Chapter X

Ryan's insides twisted wildly at the thought that he was finally sharing the same room alone with Hamsika and a moment of silence. He glanced at the girl's silhouette curled up on a chair, a while after the two left. He allowed her some moments just with herself, without their loud talk around, in the hope that she will eventually speak out first. Even though he craved seeing her in so long already, he felt some sort of barrier between them, a line he wasn't sure whether he should cross or not. He was welcomed along with his brother by a madness of a situation, but also by her bright, teary smile. He felt heavily conflicted and he was aware only of the surface of all that happened during the three years in which they were away.

Seeing no other way around it, he stepped over the thought of the invisible line and made his way towards the other. He placed a hand on her back in a soft gesture and crouched at the side of the metal stool she sat on, somehow fitted with her knees up to her mouth.

"Hamsika..." his voice was barely above a whisper. He looked at her worried and saw her closing her eyes tightly for a brief moment, while a tremble crossed her breathing, making her back shake.

"It will be alright. We'll get out of here soon. Royce and Aries are working on it," he tried to reassure her with a small smile, while his hand rubbed circles on her back. The girl sobbed again under his touch and buried her face hidden entirely from him, in the cover of her knees.

"I'm sorry I couldn't bring a slice of cake and a coffee with me," he added after a long moment of silence and chuckled low, feeling Hamsika shake with a muffled snort too, before leaning her head to the side, to look down at him still crouching nearby, both of his forearms now resting on his knees.

"You will never be forgiven for this," she gave him a smile in return, her eyes still red with crying.

"Not even for a double portion?"

"I will think about it."

His hand reached for her red, warm cheek and caressed it softly with his fingers, brushing off a remaining trace of a tear. He saw her lips trembling before she sucked them in and begged for her eyes not to begin tearing again.

"I'm sorry it took us this long to return... I didn't even realize how much it passed, until we got back and met Anna," he finally pushed himself to bring out the problems that concerned them alone. He felt a shudder of a breath on his hand as he withdrew it, resting it back on top of his other, putting his chin on top of them.

"Is Anna doing well?" she eventually asked, trying to redirect the subject elsewhere.

"She's at our apartment. It was quite a challenge to have her there," he laughed a little, recalling moments. "Me and Aries had to please our sleep needs with short naps here and there, allowing her to have the couch only to herself."

"Gentlemen," she watched him smile at her remark.

"She's alright. She kicked Aries good when we got back from India."

"What were you doing there anyway?! I was tracking you two, with Royce."

"We went to your house."

"You did what?!"

"Your mother is really nice."

The girl gasped, nearly sliding off the seat in shock.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" she repeated, looking as if she wanted to jump at his throat at any moment. He leaned backwards, resting on one arm as he amused himself of her reaction.

"We were worried for you."

"Damn it, Ryan!" she yelled out his name. "What did my mother say?" her voice fell almost immediately into a curious whisper, her feet finally touching the floor.

"She was a bit confused to see us there, but served us tea and sandwiches. Your father was off to work by the time we got to your place."

He saw Hamsika slowly drag a hand over her face, breathing through her fingers while trying to sort out her emotions at the news.

"Sweet mother of... " her eyes closed for a brief moment. "Anything else I should know of?"

She watched the boy give it a casual shrug, thinking of an eventual additional event he forgot mentioning.

"Not really."

She searched his bright blue eyes, but failed to find any trace of a lie. He could hide things very well; she remembered too well how many times he played off the innocent face card and she fell for it. She hoped that she would eventually have some other moments alike, to share stories, perhaps in a calmer manner and a safer place.

The heavy piece of guilt rolled in her guts again as the thought struck her, no matter how hard she tried burying it deep. Aries spilled out the thing she wasn't ready to deal with. She would have perhaps to give Royce an explanation for the remark, which was less of a worry, since she could excuse it with a summertime love, but what could she say to Ryan? That she gave up on waiting for him to return and gave away what they had for a more down to Earth relationship? One with a man both him and his brother most probably detested, even if they now had to work side by side with.

"Hamsika?"

She blinked out of her thoughts at the sound of her name and looked the boy's way. She didn't even notice him stand up and have his hand pointed her way, palm exposed, invitingly. She eventually took it and got almost immediately dragged into a tight embrace, feeling her back bend under his arms, while his breath brushed her hair and ear as he whispered.

"I missed you..." his cheek pressed against the top of her head, while she stood there, numbly in his arms. "Missed holding you, hearing you calling my name, no matter how happy or mad... I've been so worried for you," he parted with her and cupped her cheeks, looking down into her already wet eyes, not knowing what thoughts she fought, and yet feeling a disturbance within her; one that unsettled him.

"I am afraid to ask whether you will forgive me for my absence, knowing that you won't do it even for a missing slice of cake and a coffee," his smile faded as fast as it came when her hands grabbed his wrists in a gentle touch and took them off her cheeks, looking away from him.

"Hamsika... Please. Talk to me," his pleading voice made her heart jump violently in her chest, making her almost choke onto her own breath.

The girl eventually looked back up at him and pursed her lips for a second, while trying to hold herself back from bursting into tears again.

"I am the one that should be asking for forgiveness," she saw his eyes searching her own and inhaled sharply when she felt her phone vibrating, inside the pocket. She took it out, and almost too thankful that it broke the moment, she gave a quick look to Royce's message, calling them up.

"We have to go," she threw the boy a last glance, before heading towards the door, knowing deep inside that the talk wasn't over. They really needed some place else to continue it, with less of a background pressure on their shoulders.

They could tell by the intensity of knocking and raging behind the door, that the patience of those waiting on the other side grew shorter and shorter, and if anything, soon there would be weapons firing in attempts of unlocking the entrance.

"Do you really need to do this?" Aries followed the man from a side of the room to the other as he kept putting out of order all the tech filling the place. "Don't you have a smart solution to just shut it all down?!"

"Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to finish one. It was in the plan. I knew such a situation would come sooner or later, under a shape or another," he muttered quickly, making sure all the data was safely transferred back at Royce Robotics.

"They will get to the surface before us. Hurry up!"

"That's the idea. We must get out last."

Aries gave him a slightly confused look, then shrugged it off, letting himself fall in Royce's seat, spinning around as he followed the other with his gaze. He didn't expect to be part of such a hassle; he was almost certain he will get his hands on the man and blast his head open for good this time, but somehow, he was now finding himself cooperating with him. It was strange, but somehow felt right. He didn't feel as rageful towards him; not just yet at least.

"Alright, I'm done," he stopped nearby the desk, holding the secured briefcase, which contained the remaining material extracted from the alien's body. "Now I will need you to do your magic trick," he checked quickly on the security cameras, making sure his people were out. There were drones flying around them, which gave him an overview of the situation. The planes were outside the hangars as well, at a location in the middle of the deserted land, waiting for them.

He was too busy having his eyes locked with the phone screen to even see Aries moving from his chair, but felt the unusual gravity pull in the guts, which told him the other was already shifted and ready to go. The man turned around and looked the levitating figure in the eyes, even if it felt almost painful to do so, with their brightness worth a stare in the sun. The boy made him a sign to take cover, allowing him time to get behind a wall, before he could crash under the gravity pull of his core all that he could grab from the room, bending all into a mess of contorted objects.

"I WILL BLAST THE DOOR OPEN AND WE GO," the voice echoed in Royce's mind, sending him a sudden dizziness. He tried taking an even better cover behind the wall, shielding his head with the suitcase, while waiting for the event to happen. He felt everything around him starting to vibrate again and soon after the sound of the blast filled the space around. The man gave it all few more moments, expecting those outside to eventually stand back up and fire in return, but as no threatening noise came, other than some muffled moans, he left his cover and met Aries, already waiting.

"This is madness. This is madness," Royce muttered to himself as he made his way out through the debris and fallen bodies, his white suit bearing now stains of all kind.

He kept on walking, heading towards the elevator with Aries at his side, but they got suddenly halted by a blocked way.

"Oh, so this is where you landed."

"NO WAY AROUND IT?" the echoed voice made Royce close his eyes with a frown. It wasn't as hard to listen to, as first time, perhaps because of the head implant doing its job and easing it all out. He considered a second conversation with the other ever since he decided to design the headpiece.

"No. We will have to push our way through," he added, then gave it all a look and chose a side that appeared to made the passing easier.

"Hey! Stop right there!"

Royce let out a silent curse and felt his body freeze at the thought of an eventual attack coming their way. They were cornered and unless Aries had a solution for it, he could as well be considered dead.

"Raise your hands where I can see them and step away from the alien!"

"So, now you believe," he chuckled and gave the boy a quick look, as he slowly did as instructed, still holding the briefcase and having three barrels already pointed his way, while noticing general Barnes making his way through his still standing armed men.

"I CAN KILL THEM."

Royce's heart pumped hard in his ears as the voice drummed along. He felt his breath quicken at the thought, but even though it was one fast way to deal with things, he found himself refusing.

"No," he whispered only for the other's hearing. "But do something or _I_ will get killed."

"TEMPTING, TO JUST LET YOU GO," he looked his way and the man returned the glance, short and fast, feeling the other smirk with a tease under all that nebula madness filling his body.

"Please. Please," he pleaded, but felt his jaw clenching as soon as his eyes settled on Barnes's face. "Bloody hell! Do something already!"

"Your time's up, Royce! You're done with your hocus pocus!" the older man yelled his lungs out, not seeming to be intimidated by the silhouette of Aries stepping in front of their target, even if his armed men's hands were already getting shaky while holding the weapons pointed.

A deafening, low, unsettling noise filled the air again, and Royce could see the other opening his mouth and point a finger his way, all in a slow-motion movement. He blamed at first his brain for interpreting events in the rush of finding a way to stay alive, but soon after, he realized it was the boy's doing. While one of his palms was spread open towards the group willing to attack them, the other reached towards him, through something that appeared to be a veil distorting the reality's image around them.

"THIS MIGHT MAKE YOU STOMACH SICK," the voice echoed flawlessly through Royce's mind, and though it was supposed to be a warn with a reassuring vibe, it did in fact had a tint of amusement, which didn't make the man feel any more comfortable with the situation. But without any other way around it, he found himself closing his eyes shut, as his hand reached for the other's. He felt snatched too fast for the pace the current reality was moving at, that he almost could say his body remained in place, if it wasn't for the gut twisting sensation and dizziness to accompany him through a brief trip that sent him straight to the surface, with his face laying flat in the desert's dusty ground.

Royce gasped for air, but a wave of vomit came as he did so, making him choke on his own breath and nearly suffocate as he struggled to sit up from the ground. His ears unstuffed with a snap rather painfully, and he could hear the laughter of Aries, somewhere nearby, as everything still felt like spinning under him.

"H-... Help me! Idiot! He-...lp!" he coughed out the words, still fighting his way out from suffocating himself on his vomit. He soon after felt lifted up on his feet as he frantically gripped at the other's clothing, to support his own weight.

"You're a mess," he heard the other's voice with a mix of disgust and amusement.

"What did you do?" he breathed out the words, almost soundlessly. He pushed himself away from the boy, steadying himself on his feet, while looking at the other. "What. Did. You. Do?!"

"What you asked me to."

The man grunted at the reply.

"Collapsed onto its own weight. All but a flaw in the structure," he added, then pointed his chin, somewhere behind Royce. The man turned around with a confused frown and felt like falling off his feet again when he noticed he stood all the time on the edge of a whole. The whole base fell underground, indeed collapsing onto its own weight, under the influence of Aries's doings.

"Good heavens... " he gasped and kept staring at the mess, hearing the other approach, to peek too. He looked at him, analyzing him for a moment, noticing almost shocked how light hearted and satisfied the boy appeared to be. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and wrinkled disgusted at the stains and dirt covering his suit.

"And still..." he waited for Aries to meet his eyes. "How did I get up here?"

"Wormholes."

"So, it works..." he remarked, his eyes widening.

"Yeah, it wrecked you well even for this distance."

"We don't even need to make wormholes because you can make them yourselves?!"

"No, no. Wait a sec. It's not how it works."

"Why not?!"

"Because it works only on us."

"But I was there!"

"I was with you!"

"It doesn't make sense the way you put it," he kept protesting with a frown, trying to understand exactly what he's been through.

"It does. I connected myself to you. You were part of me."

"Disgusting."

"You wanted me to do something and fast."

"True enough," the man eventually nodded and paced away from the hole, his mind still trying to bend around what he just heard.

"The rest are the other way."

"Yeah," he lifted his head, looking the direction Aries pointed at, shaken from the train of thoughts. "They must be waiting for us for a while."

"You still don't realize how fast this happened, do you?" he added as they walked around the giant crater, heading towards where the rest were supposed to wait.

"Honestly, no. I will need explanations."

"Mhm," he hummed in agreement.

"You know... I really thought you were going to finish me on sight, at arrival," Royce eventually voiced the worry that haunted him for quite some time.

"You're not wrong. It was my intention."

"What changed your mind?"

The boy looked at him for a longer moment, and though Royce felt the eyes on him, he didn't bother to do the same. He just waited for the answer. He needed too many answers.

"I just thought it would be too boring just with the nerds around."

"I'm no different from them, you know."

"Oh, but you are. I saw everything when I connected with you in the plaza."

"If I were you, I'd have killed my pitiful self that night, after what I supposedly saw."

"What I've seen it's different from what you did. Sometimes, kindness doesn't come in the nicest forms and I've noticed you humans tend to neglect it, unless it corresponds to your fake, ideal image," he elbowed the other, walking by his side. "You did well... _Lucien_. You saw the bigger picture."

"I really need a strong drink when I get home," he concluded with a chuckle, making the other snort with amusement at his remark.

By the time they reached the rest, everyone was mad with worry for whatever happened, while melting in the heat. He was greeted by angry and judging looks, when he motioned them to gather closer to him, making half a circle around himself and Aries.

"My apologies for the wait. It would be useless to say the sun melted me on my way here, since you can all feel it on yourselves-."

"Mr. Royce what is the meaning of this?! We have been evacuated with the chance of taking next to nothing with us, while being confused with what we've witnessed during that conference and no fair explanation for why we must stand in burning hell outside here!" someone raised the voice above the general buzzing. Royce threw the person a quick glance and ran a hand through his hair, knowing very well how the situation looked and felt like.

"The alarm you heard warned us of a possible seismic reaction in the area, a problem we haven't been warned of when we picked this location. Rather being forced to pick it," Lucien stated in an attempt to try and cover the madness of the collapsed based.

"But, sir..." Someone started, her eyes moving rapidly between the brothers.

"Trust me, after hearing the alarm my first concern was to find out what's wrong and make sure we're safe. Which is why _this_ happened," he gestured at themselves being outside in the deserted land.

"What about the... What about them?!" the woman that started talking before his last interruption resumed her idea and pointed almost rudely at Ryan and Aries, earning herself a bunch of mixed emotions looks from most of those gathered.

"They're... " he looked at the boys, then pinched the bridge of his nose with a frown, thoughtful. He tried repurpose the madness they witnessed someplace else, so that everything would be credible and he could just evacuate all faster and without much to answer, though he knew there will be questioning and a lot of talk around it once they were back at Royce Robotics.

"They're here to help, as I said. What happened just now was only a coincidence, so let's be thankful they managed to come at this exact moment and helped us escape safely."

"Sir, with all respect. Was it all a demonstration or are they really-"

"Yeah, lady. We're aliens. Deal with it," Aries snapped, already tired of trying to convince others of their nature while standing right before them, though being all human in looks was a bit confusing. Even if it was exciting news, nobody really expected such a witness to happen. They had no idea how to react to everything, knowing Royce being weird and full of surprises himself; it was a bit hard to wrap one's mind around such an event.

"Please, bear with all this a bit more. We will be home in less than a day. You will all sleep peacefully in your beds."

"I hope there will be a damn compensation for this madness you pulled, Mr. Royce! Or I will sue you and your company!" someone yelled from the back.

"There will be! Just let me reach my office," he made his way through the crowd, the suitcase feeling just as glued to his hand, followed by the three, and soon after, everyone else, while heading towards the only two sights blinking under the sunlight, in the desert; their planes.

"Lucien Royce. You said there would be a car! I could've at least brought an umbrella or something. Everyone is feeling sick tired and mad!" Hamsika finally caught up with him, at a distance from the general group and breathed out the words through clenched teeth.

"Surprise. No car."

"What in the world happened down there?" she looked up at him, almost running to keep up with his pace. "Answer me, damn it!" she pulled onto his sleeve, stopping him for a moment.

"We will talk during the flight," he replied on a low voice.

"Will we?!"

She asked desperately, resuming the walk, while Ryan threw a quick glance to both Royce and his brother. The boy knew this happened on fast forward compared to the initial plan and he demanded some explanations as well, and though he presumed what occured down there, in their absence, he knew he won't hear the entire truth from the two either. They paired up in the worst way possible. Aries exploited Royce's way of being and took advantage of his power on the surroundings.

The way the man just manipulated the whole situation in his favor, almost had the long-haired sibling clap with enthusiasm and though the rest couldn't tell, Ryan could feel it just by standing at his side. It was nothing like he pictured things to be and he liked it none. They landed in the middle of a chaos, where not even Hamsika seemed to be by his side and as clear to him anymore.

"So... Do we have to come with you or can we just... See each other at the apartment? Or in town?" Aries eventually brought the subject up.

"No more flights," Ryan cut it short.

"What do you mean _no more flights_?! We just made a rift down there and you tell me _no more flights_?!"

"You did what?!"

"We'll meet in town, boys. Royce Robotics. Top floor. Highest building," he peeked at them over his shoulder, then motioned with his chin upwards. "Go on. For you, not even the sky's the limit."

"See?!" Aries gestured wildly at the free hand he just got offered.

"I don't need him to tell us what to do. We came here for a reason."

"You want me to seriously be trapped in that thing, _flying_ , for half a day?!"

"Like everyone else."

The boy gasped and stopped, having the crowd in the back, nearby, almost stumble upon him, not noticing him just standing there.

"Look, brother! I may be taking their shape to better blend in and communicate, but don't ask me to become one of them to the core!"

"Aries, I am begging you. For once in your life, hold your mouth shut and join the rest. Please," Ryan stopped too, having people pass by them, casting them questioning looks.

"For once?! I helped countless times until now. It's not like I stood on the side and stared in panic like you did!"

"That thing, that you caused down there, wasn't help! That was slaughter!"

The surroundings became suddenly silent, and slowly everyone in the front turned towards them.

"Great job, Ryan. Next time you decide to ask me to shut up, think about applying that rule to yourself," He looked his brother in the eye for a moment, then resumed his walk, passing through the murmuring crowd once more, in order to get back to the two in the front.

Ryan slowly felt the eyes being off him as people continued their way to the planes awaiting them. He threw a glance towards the silhouettes of the aircrafts, dancing under the waves of heat, while deep inside he felt the urge to fall on his knees and let out a scream. He eventually forced his body to follow the rest and ignore the need of releasing the pressure he felt within, all in the hope that perhaps things will settle to a calm state.

Ensuring the safety of thirty-four people for a half a day flight was no easy task. They had to adapt a plane Royce used to transport some of the equipment they worked with, which now lied under ruins. Least to say that people were displeased with the conditions, but with no other option, they had to agree with what they were offered and pray that they would reach home safely, which eventually happened. Few of them sworn, after kissing the ground after landing, that they would never put foot on a plane ever again, or at least not too soon and surely not at Royce's demand and promises. They had an adventure worth a survival mission, for which no one was prepared, so they accepted gladly at least the current promises of their superior that they would enjoy a full month of vacation, accompanied by a substantial compensation for what they've been through. They knew at least, that when it came to such, Royce was a man of word. Not even he looked entertained with the outcome and it surely wasn't his smallest intention for things to go the way they went. Surely, they were lacking details about the entire operation, but even so, things went way worse than expected and yet, everyone he took along was back home and alive, which was the least he could live pleased with.

During the flight they detailed their period of work and plans to the brothers, which made time pass faster and was to the benefit of everyone being as up to date with what happened in the meanwhile. It appeared that, despite three years passed, most of the events and development happened during the past months, which wasn't entirely bad, as they could still adapt what they had to anything else better they might come up with in the following period.

Surely, what they left behind, in the underground base, wasn't to be neglected, but if anything, they settled a border and bought themselves some time. Worst case scenario, would've been an attack sent somehow their way, which would affect their progress and hopefully not the employees too. The poor people have only been dragged along into the madness and during such times, Royce wished he could just automatize everything and let people mind their general fields of activity and lives, instead of risking it all for a crazy plan. But for now, he had no other choice. While a lot was already at a touch of his fingertip or no more than a hand gesture, there was still need of brilliant minds.

And even though he promised he would go to the office as soon as they landed, an arrival in the middle of the night didn't make the situation any better. With next to no luggage on them, the rest had been sent home with self-driven cars from the Royce Robotics center, as no taxi was allowed in; all were off apart from the four of them, who now stood by the entrance of the research park, ready to part ways.

"You may come and search for me here anytime, but please give me a contact so I can reach for you if anything," Royce took out his phone, looking expectantly at the brothers.

"We don't have any phones left. Our lives weren't much more than a mess and a ever-growing worry ever since we returned," Ryan replied on a tired tone. Even to them it was a bit too much of all at once.

"Alright, then. I will make sure some new ones will reach you tomorrow. I will send a drone to deliver."

He stuffed his own back in the pocket, along with his hand. Despite most of the people looking and smelling as if they ran at a marathon through the desert, he appeared to be the least touched, as the black suit he had on board of his plane, as an emergency outfit, served well enough. He promised himself not to touch a white piece of clothing anytime soon; it just wasn't a good fit. Worth a bad luck label even.

Hamsika looked at herself, finally coming to the realization she had nothing with her other than the phone and the clothes she worn at that very moment, along with the wallet and now useless access card. No place to stay, since the university was a closed chapter, nothing else to wear and next to no money left until Royce would have the mercy to pay them for the time spent there. The worry that struck her so suddenly, took all her attention, not even noticing her name being called by those right next to herself. She jumped at the sound of it only after few tries and a wave before her eyes, which put a halt to her train of thoughts.

"What?" she eventually breathed out the question, on a helpless, hoarse voice. The dust in the desert really did no good to her throat.

"We were asking if you're coming with us. Anna could help you with some clothes, even if the space isn't really fit for all of us," Ryan repeated as if he read her concerns.

"We'll work it out somehow these days," Aries added, since he was tired himself of sleeping on chairs, whenever Anna decided to take the couch only to herself.

"Or, I can get you a hotel room until the payment gets in, so you can search for an apartment to rent," Royce offered the second option, which despite having no clothes to the offer, like the brothers' one, she thought she could really use, for some time alone. She pursed her lips, staring ahead blankly, while analyzing the possibilities.

"Or, my house has a guest room, if you don't wish to go anywhere in public like this for now," with all eyes on him, he casually shrugged it off. "What? You thought I lived here, at my office?"

"Honestly, yes," Aries replied with a snort, though, alike the rest, he was mostly shocked by the fact that he invited the girl at his place with such ease, more than anything else. He didn't want to voice out anything else, even though he was aware of some memories he caught glimpse of when he connected with Royce, during their last moment escape. His invitation was no more than an actual confirmation of what he thought he saw and it gave his insides quite a twist as he glanced his brother's way. He wasn't sure how it would've been best for him to have any such news delivered. They came all the way back to Earth mostly for Hamsika, no matter what other reasons Ryan tried to add to it.

"Though I'd love to see Anna, I wouldn't want to crowd you more in there, other than with a visit," the girl gave the brothers a small smile. "And even if I'd love some time with myself, it's not the moment just yet. Not like this," she glanced at herself once more, making a revealing hands gesture along it, as if to point out the whole mess. "So, if nobody minds, I will go with the last option until I will be able to pick my own place."

Her eyes met Ryan's for a brief moment and saw sadness and disbelief in them. She let her sight drift away, somewhere to the side, while trying not to let herself prey for her own overwhelming emotions. She would need to continue the talk they started, and she would surely need to give Royce some explanations too for what Aries stated about their relationship; or what was of it once.

They stepped aside as another self-driving car stopped by the gate, followed shortly by the man's own dark silhouette of the vehicle, to which Hamsika was already accustomed to.

"We will have to set things into motion as soon as possible, but I may need a week of buffer to just solve things around here."

"Send us those phones."

They nodded silently and waved good bye to each other. Hamsika stood by the gate, watching their car slowly disappear down the road, turning around only when the warmth of the man's hand touched her back, motioning her towards the front passenger seat. She closed her eyes once inside the car, alone for those brief moments, and took a deep breath. She really had to get a hold of herself and decide once and for all, what will it be for her life from that moment on.

"She must be asleep," Ryan mumbled low, in a hopeless attempt of opening the locked door.

"I told you to pick the window."

"No more flights for a while. Please, Aries. I'm sure they're watching weird signals more than ever now."

"Right," he gave it all a moment of thoughtfulness, then knocked loudly three times at the door, while Ryan tried hissing him back to silence. "Anna! It's us!"

"Damn it... Maybe even louder?!" the boy whined silently and annoyed as he heard the other stumbling onto her own feet on the way to the door, thinking about the whole fuss they just made with everyone being probably deep asleep at that hour, especially the old lady living under them.

The door opened and light shone bright in their eyes all of a sudden, almost blinding them as they made their way in, with Anna nearly jumping around them, but settling herself back into place confused as she didn't count three of them as expected.

"Where's Hamsika? Don't tell me she wasn't there."

"She was alright. She is back in town. Everyone is," Ryan passed by her, tossing his shoes away as he did so. The girl followed him a bit, then threw a questioning look to Aries.

"It's complicated," he tried excusing it shortly, tired of repeating the events.

"What do you mean she's back in town? And not with you? She can't go back at the dorm! Where's she sleeping at? Under a bridge?!" she protested, infuriated with the news.

"She's at Royce's."

"Royce Robotics? It's two in the morning!" she grew even more scandalized.

"Royce's house."

"What?"

"She said she's better off there than here," Ryan let himself fall on the couch, covering his face with his hands, while resting his head on the backseat, eyes up towards the ceiling, still covered by fingers. Aries made a quick hand sign to Anna to cut the talk, but she pushed him away, going straight for his brother, shading him as she stood by the couch.

"We roasted our butts and nerves with finding her and she's better off with that guy?! Are you two for real? Let me call her."

"Anna, please. Don't," Ryan whined, giving her a tired glance between open fingers while Aries snatched the phone from her hand.

"Tomorrow."

"She can't be asleep yet."

"She said she'll visit."

"She visi- _She'll visit_?! But Ryan is here with us. Why- I don't understand. Is she with that guy now?" her eyes moved rapidly between the brothers, though Aries's expression said enough. She had crossed the line he tried to keep safe for the moment. Both looked the other's way, as the girl herself realized the mistake she had done. She shouldn't have voiced it.

"Don't give me those looks."

"Ryan, I'm so sorry..."

"She's alright. It's all that matters."

"Come on, sweetie," Anna took a seat next to him and grabbed one of his hands between her own in a reassuring gesture. "Maybe it's just a misunderstanding."

"I'm not stupid."

"I didn't say you were..." she clicked her tongue, on a pitiful tone.

"Since when did you figure?" Aries looked at him.

"I felt there was something off from the start. Well, from the moment we were trapped in that room. And then we had a talk, when you were away with Royce."

"A talk?"

"I tried to calm her down and told her how much I wanted-... How much I wanted to be back here, and just hold her, and forget about all of this for a moment. But she wasn't feeling alike. She was conflicted. I saw it in her eyes. I felt it within her," he bent forward, placing his elbows on his knees as he caught his head in his hands, burying back his face in his palms.

Anna and Aries exchanged glances. The girl pat his back gently, while his brother claimed the chair next to the couch and placed a hand on his shoulder too, in a supporting gesture.

"I'll talk to her tomorrow..."

"Don't. I mean... Do it, but not about this."

"But it's abrupt and rude."

"It's been three years, Anna! It's not abrupt and not rude either. It's her life," he finally raised his head and met her eyes, with his own wet look. "I need some fresh air," he stood back up and walked to the door, dragging his shoes back on.

"Brother..."

"I'll be back in the morning. Get some sleep," he grabbed the keys and left the house, without a glance back.

"Poor boy..." Anna pouted and sank deeper in the couch, while Aries stood up, looking outside after the other. He saw him grabbing a bike from a renting rack and disappear from his sight soon after. He desperately felt like doing something, but he knew it wasn't his business anymore. He felt sorry for Ryan, and yet, neither of them could expect Hamsika to keep being around them like a happy pup, forever on.

And though he wished he could just abandon the bicycle on the side of the road and lose his human shape for his cosmic one, he kept on riding through the darkness of the night, having cars passing by once in a while. He pulled to the right, crossing the road, after spotting a familiar patch of trees opening the forest that accompanied him part of his way. He let his memory carry him back the path he followed with Hamsika when they went stargazing first time, up to the top of the hill, where the meadow awaited, dimly illuminated by the moonlight.

The boy abandoned the bicycle in the grass, and made few more steps, still fighting the tears that kept returning into his eyes ever since he spoke with the two back at the apartment. He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky, spinning in place slowly, until his gaze settled on the dark patch, looking like a hole into the Milky Way's path. He shuddered at the sight, cursing silently under his breath for not being able to figure a fix for the situation, for feeling like he returned to a darker view than the one he stared at, shadowing his mind with feelings he had never experienced before.

He had been warned about such a finding. He knew it himself, after hearing that so many years had passed, but he never wanted to believe in it until he was proven otherwise. It all made him wish that Aries could punch him back to unconsciousness, far into the expanding Universe, where he would wake up once again, on a random planet, without much of a memory.

Ryan let his knees fall against the ground and bent down until his forehead touched the soft grass. He wrapped the arms around himself and let his emotions loose, his cry growing within seconds from a soft pained gasp to a loud sobbing. He felt the stability of his human body slowly giving in, to be replaced by his true form moments after. The surroundings roared under the suppressed strength of the forces within him; the ground beneath him, all across the meadow, vibrating as if under an earthquake. He opened his mouth as if he was willing to scream, releasing instead a shockwave so powerful, it knocked down few rows of threes surrounding the grass covered area. The ground pulsated beneath him like a heart at the oscillations of his core as he tried to regain the control of his emotions, which allowed him to return to his human shape, collapsing on his back, with hands covering his face, for a moment more.

He let his arms spread at his sides as he finally stared up, back at the sky. He sighed at the thought of what just happened, knowing that other people than Royce might have decided to track down now any odd signals and phenomena. He repeated to Aries few times already that they had to be careful about it, and there he was, breaking his own rule.

"What will you do now?" he asked himself, out loud, feeling his insides returning to a calm state once again. "What will you do, Ryan..."

He pursed his lips thoughtfully, chewing on their inside. They returned to help Hamsika find a way out and now, regardless the newly found situation, they still had to fulfill what they came for. It was clear that their help was needed. But though he knew why they were back and what the fuss was all about, he wished deep inside, that once back on Earth, nothing would've changed and all would be like before. He missed caring for her after studies and in between the classes, as soon as he was off from the coffee shop job he had; he missed the joy in her eyes whenever the sweet slice of cake and coffee he brought saved the day, or made it brighter at least the slightest; he missed the euphoria they lived during their discoveries as she made progress with her project; he missed being only human, unaware of the rest within himself.

The boy pushed himself up on his elbows and looked down the hill at the bicycle, which was tossed away from where he abandoned it. Perhaps there was a way back, and though he hated himself for the selfishness imbuing him at that very moment, he truly wished to undo it all to a point. If things went another way, perhaps she'd still be at his side, still enthusiastic, unaware of the madness beyond. Perhaps there would be no madness beyond. His eyes moved rapidly at the sudden realization and he pushed himself up, staring blankly for few seconds more, lost in thoughts.

"We've been always seeing the situation with narrowed eyes," he dusted off his clothes, in a mindless gesture. "The sky wasn't as dark when we went stargazing. It wasn't dark at all," his breath quickened at the thought.

"I have to go back," he brushed the hair off his forehead with a slap, being all covered with sweat, as he made his way back to the bicycle.

"I can't believe I missed this detail all along!" he lifted up his abandoned travel partner and carried it through the woods, back to the road, not even bothering to get back up on it, thrilled with his discovery.

By the time he reached back the apartment, it was hardly half an hour after five in the morning. He struggled with the key to unlock the door, as his hands still shook with the thrill. He heard the two mutter annoyed and move around, kicking things off the table as they struggled to hide from the sudden light blinding them, when he turned it on, after slamming the door shut.

"Aries! ARIES!" he shouted through the silence of the early morning, going straight for his brother to shake him well awake.

"Close the damn light, Ryan!" Anna complained from beneath the blanket, while trying to shield her head from the sudden disturbance.

"Brother! I figured it out!"

"What did you figure? Ryan, it's night outside."

"We are trapped in the wrong Universe! It's been in my face all along, but I failed to see it!" Aries's eyes widened, searching his brother's.

"How did you figure?" he asked back, too silent for his usual self.

"Something happened between the time we had the fight and the time I found you at Royce Robotics! There's been a rupture and I must have passed into another Universe! But then... Wait... You were already here looking for me," he frowned the slightest with the new realization.

"Ryan, go to sleep."

"No. No," he dismissed him quickly, still thoughtful, searching thoroughly in the depths of his mind. "But then, how did I miss the patch on the sky during my stargazing with Hamsika...?"

"Think about it later today and let's grab some rest."

"Aries, I can't sleep! Damn it! Help me with this!" he grabbed a paper and start scribbling on a quick timeline all the events he could remember ever since his fight with Aries which concluded with his arrival on Earth. The boy followed him and watched with sleepy eyes the scheme being drawn.

"So, we have the moment of our fight. Then I got here, to Earth... Then I met Hamsika, which concluded later with the stargazing, that had no impact on me back then, for some reason. After that, I saw you, without knowing it, being transported into the secured container at Royce Robotics, which led me to the accident, due to my lack of attention, but that also brought my memory back," he kept on noting down as he spoke. "Hamsika finished her study year, got the scholarship I helped her with, which also granted her a place at Royce Robotics for the summer, where we found and rescued you," he attached a second paper to expand the scheme. "Then, we went into the forest to refresh our minds, where I noticed the patch on the sky and you came with that crazy story, which still doesn't make sense to me entirely. But- " he stopped abruptly and stood up, knocking off the chair off its feet with a loud thud, making Anna jump awake under the blanket once again.

"This is why it doesn't make sense! Because we're in the damn wrong place! You made some of that stuff up anyway, because I know it. I KNEW IT! I felt it all this time, only couldn't put my finger on what was it exactly."

"Ryan... I swear I can't comprehend a single thing."

"Aries! Our fight didn't result in a Supernova! Our fight produced a rupture that opened a rift to this other Universe!"

"Then how do you explain the thing up there in the sky? Hm? How haven't you seen it from the start?"

"Just weather conditions. Sky wasn't as clear perhaps. I remember we saw only the brightest spots on the sky that night, including Mars, unlike this evening, when it was all clear, like in the mountains back then. Besides, when we had that crazy talk at the cabin, you knew of it, so it was already there when you arrived. You saw it on your way here, so don't try to deceive my attention," he added rapidly. "Aries, that thing up in the sky is one of us, only that here something must have gone wrong, unattained and we still continue to do what we did our entire lives before we decided it was wrong. We just kept birthing these dense spots in the Universe. They, I mean we haven't found the balance."

"What balance? Ryan..."

"Our bodies' composition is different from the one we saw. We agreed on this already."

"Yes."

"That's the balance. The inner one, our stability. Aries, we have to go. Our place is not here and we shouldn't interfere. Though we've already done that."

"Go where? Can't you just discuss this LATER?!" Anna finally pulled off the blanket from her head, revealing a mess of hair on her head, falling all over her annoyed face.

"Shush," Aries narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, not even looking at her. "So, that wasn't a wormhole I passed through to get to you."

"No."

"Do you think the rupture is still there?"

"No."

"Then how do you plan on bringing it back? How will we even know we jump back into our Universe and not just another?"

"We won't know," he stared back into his brother's eyes, chewing on his cheek.

"So, we still have a messed-up situation. Two even! Here, the end is coming, and we're not even belonging to this place!"

"What are you two talking about?" the girl joined them, with hands on her hips, expecting an answer with a demanding expression shaping her features. She heard only bits from their talk.

"Aries hid from me details that could've helped me figure this situation earlier and maybe avoid some stuff from happening. That's what is going on."

"Now it's suddenly my fault?"

"What did you hide?!" Anna's fingers snatched the boy's ear and pulled on it until he moaned painfully and nearly slapped her off.

"I didn't hide anything. It was in plain sight, but he failed to see it."

"I did fail to see it in time! But if you'd have told me... Aries, why?" he looked at him with anger, while pleading for an explanation.

"Because it was already messed up enough and you were desperate to solve the situation here. And I had no idea on how to go back, since the rupture happened because I was stupid enough to bring the fight to that scale," he eventually gave up to try and mask his lies.

"We both contributed to that, so don't take the fault only on your shoulders. But you were conscious and saw it all, unlike me, after the hit. You could've warned me earlier. We are not even supposed to fix anything here!"

"So, are we going to just figure a way back and leave?"

"This is why you were urging me to leave back then when we met. It all makes sense! You hoped the rift it's still open," He went on, as if he didn't even hear the question.

Aries muttered low under his breath. He truly couldn't play it off anymore.

"I can't believe this..." Ryan paced away with hands on his head, feeling his mind flooded with the sudden avalanche of information that finally connected.

"You kept on telling me I still missed parts of my memory, but in fact, I can't remember what I didn't see, as I was unconscious. It took me this long to put the pieces together, because you kept the rest for yourself!"

"Stop fighting, you two! I understand nothing from what you say, other than you blame yourselves like five-year-old kids on the playground!" Anna silenced them, watching them in turns. They looked back at her, then again at each other.

"Anna... Do you understand the theory of Multiverse?"

"No."

"Okay," he added shortly. "Imagine there's this Earth, and then there's a lot more versions of the same Earth. Ever thought of what may happen if you took another decision in your life?"

"Often."

"That's the Multiverse."

"You mean, there's a place where I could be peacefully asleep now?"

"Yes," he actually found himself laughing at her example, glad that it did make sense.

"Damn. I'm trapped in the wrong place."

"No. That's the problem. We are. We travelled through a... glitch, that led us here."

"Okay...? And?" her eyebrows raised in confusion.

"And he wants us to go back to our Universe. That's it. End of story," Aries added quickly, but Anna was still focused on Ryan's explanation. She really wanted to know what all of this meant to herself and her world and how it all impacted it.

"Aries is right. We must find a way to get back."

"But weren't you ought to save us or something?!"

"We can't interfere with this reality more than we already did."

"You mean... You will just let us die?!"

"Well..." the boy started, his eyes bearing a fearful expression of hopelessness.

"Yes. That's what he wants to do."

"We will do our best to help Royce and Hamsika before we go. We are offering you the solution. But you have to make it happen. You'd have to make it happen anyway," he concluded on a silent tone, knowing deep inside, that even without the current discovery, the situation wouldn't be much different for their escape plan.

The girl felt the pressure inside her chest just clutch her to suffocation at the thought of the only possible help source having to vanish. She stepped to the side and with her entire body trembling, she took a seat on the desk's edge. Aries threw his brother a _look what we've done_ stare, then let his arm fall over her shoulders, pulling her in a side hug.

"Don't worry, Anna. It will be alright."

"What if it won't?!" she argued loudly, biting onto her lips as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Hamsika and Royce, along with the rest are close to finding a solution. In a couple of years, you will be ready to go."

"But you two will be gone..." she sobbed, letting her head fall at Aries's chest.

"We will be sure to greet you back in the other Universe," Ryan smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah, I won't even know who you are."

"Perhaps we'll feel at least familiar to you," he approached the two and gave a group hug. He smiled to himself at the warmth of the moment, allowing his eyes to close and finally feel at peace, because even if all still sounded like an evolving chaos, he knew where to grab it from now on.

Chapter XI

It was a little past noon, when Hamsika found herself wandering through the neighborhood where Ryan's apartment was. She couldn't recall the street's name from the message Royce sent them via drone, but her visual memory was enough for orientation, finding her way to his place rather easier than she thought she would. She stared at the building down the street, on the opposite side from where she stood at a stop, waiting for her turn to cross. A wave of memories threatened to invade her thoughts, but she shook her head in a small move, willing to make a new start out of this, just as she proposed herself a night ago when she decided to pick Royce's place.

She made her way to the apartment building and luckily enough, entered it with someone owning the key, instead of having to call a number she failed to remember at that very moment. She would've tried Anna's phone if anything; this if she was still around as she got told. She really hoped that her friend was still there, she must have been through quite a ride with the brothers, and it wasn't that she needed to find out what it was all about, but she wanted to be sure everything was alright with her. She knew how wild the situation could get, especially with Aries around.

She climbed up to their floor and stopped by the door, her hand pausing midair as she caught voices coming from the other side of the wall. She leaned her head closer to the wooden surface and listened. She couldn't tell what were they talking about, but she distinguished indeed the voices of the three and even laughter! So, _it was alright after all_ , she thought to herself, giving it a smile before she knocked.

"I'll get it!" Aries's unmistakable voice shouted and moments after there he was, standing in the doorframe.

"Hey! Mind a small visit?"

His eyes widened at her sight, along with a smile plastered on his lips. He threw an arm over her shoulders and dragged her in, closing the door right after.

"Look who's here!"

"Hamsika!!!" Anna screamed her lungs out and lashed herself at the girl for a bone breaking hug, lifting her from the floor for a brief moment to the amusement of the rest.

"Girl! If we knew, we would've saved you some pizza. Aries ate three of them. This boy is a menace!"

"Tell me about it," she gave him a quick look and a small smirk, then had her eyes drift to Ryan, who stood up from the chair too, coming their way.

"If only you told us about the visit. We would've made an effort to arrange things a bit," he added with a chuckle, though they both knew the disorder was the charm of the apartment.

They regrouped on the couch, only Aries hopping on the desk, as it was already crowded enough. Everyone seemed hesitant enough to start any talk, though they all wanted to speak out their minds deep inside.

"Nice dress," Anna eventually broke the lingering silence, measuring from sights Hamsika's pastel colored, striped dress.

"Lucien said I should stay home and recover from yesterday's madness, but I told him I had to visit you all and also buy some clothes. I had to give a quick wash to my only outfit last night to have what to wear on my way to the shop," she gave it a small laugh, though she didn't want to speak about the two of them. Not yet. Not with the brothers around if anything. She saw Anna pursing her lips with curiosity, though her eyes spoke a sadness of which the girl could only presume what it was related to.

"You should take some time off indeed. I was so worried for you and the boys told me a little of what happened there and damn! It was madness! Worth a movie scenario, I'm telling you!"

Hamsika pressed her lips together in a faint smile and nodded silently, while trying to avoid everyone's eyes. She still felt like she was a betrayer in their face, even though she had the full right to do whatever she pleased with her life after such a break. She was pleased to hear however, the enthusiasm still accompanying Anna's storytelling. She had a gift for it, even if sometimes she exaggerated things.

"I will do my best about it... But even if everyone's tired of this, I also came to talk about our issues a bit. Though my main concern was you, Anna," she glanced at her with a compassionate look. "I wanted to know you're alright."

"I'm good, girl. Don't you worry about me," she gave her friend an encouraging pat on the hand.

Hamsika noticed Aries and Ryan exchanging looks for the shortest moment, before the latter one took the word.

"We have some things to talk about too. We were actually trying to think how it'd be best to reach you these days."

"I proposed a surprise visit at Royce Robotics, but Ryan disagreed with me," Aries let out a small theatrical sigh.

"I think it's for the best that we met here. No place is safer than our own," they all agreed silently to Ryan's words. He looked at the girl, inviting her to talk first just from a glance.

"I've been talking to Lucien until late yesterday night and we thought it's best if you give us few weeks to have something done, to show you two. There is a rocket engine under development, powered by a concept fuel and we'd like to have that ready."

"I will be thinking on the shortest path to create a wormhole to a habitable planet destination until then. I have some ideas, but I need to put them on paper and clarify them a bit. If possible, I'd need access to someplace underground and secure, like the place Aries was being kept into, for an eventual test," Ryan added.

"I'm sure he will give you everything you need."

"Good," he smiled, then leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, while looking at her. "Is there anything else?"

"This should be it. Most of it needs to be solved on his side. I really can't help much in this stage other than communicate with you."

"He promised us some phones. You don't look like one, though you appear to do the job for one," Aries replied with an amused snort.

"It was my decision to come and tell you all these. Just be patient for a bit and those will arrive too," she cut it rather abruptly, somewhat annoyed by his remark. She felt her stomach almost aching ever since she heard they have news to deliver too, which really unsettled her mood. She wondered what could be as much of a news that they couldn't mention it in a half a day flight. She allowed a moment of silence to linger between them, hopefully sending this way a message to Ryan, that he could start talking anytime he wished to; which he eventually did.

"We came to a conclusion last night."

"More like, _you did_ , at five in the morning," his brother added.

"Fine, I did, and told you two about it," he gave an apologetic look to the two for the thousand time, then moved his focus back on Hamsika. "The whole situation took a different spin for us. While putting the events together, I realized that we are in the wrong dimension and the thing out there, causing the destruction you try to escape, is actually one of us," he paused, raising a hand when he noticed the growing confusion and panic on the girl's face. "It appears that, ourselves, in this Universe, did not awake to a consciousness willing to decide between wiping out worlds and not doing it. They're... Savage. Primate versions of ourselves and there is nothing one can do about it. Unless they will eventually awaken, a lot more will perish under their actions as the time goes, and here I speak of millions of years."

"Ryan... This... Is horrible," she replied silently, her voice barely above a whisper.

"We will help you boost your wormhole concept a bit and we will have to go. Our Universe is at this moment without us, and if you come to think of it, we created a lot of chaos since we arrived here, because... This is not where we belong. We shouldn't interfere, even as much or as little as we did so far and as we will do until we leave. We said we will be fixing what we've done here, only that we didn't realize in time, this isn't the place where we can fix things."

"There are moments in which I wish I never knew of all of this, no matter how much I'd want to help and save whatever is salvageable in our hands," Hamsika covered her face with her palms, muffling her voice as she spoke. "This chaos keeps growing and growing. I give you a day and you deliver another apocalyptic news."

"The entropy of this dimension can only increase and we contributed to it in a bad way."

"Yeah, I bet it started with your apartment," she slapped her knees with a nervous laughter, trying to brush off the least of tension. "I suppose it happens the same on the other side, where you come from."

"Exactly my thought."

"Damn..."

"Trust me, Hamsika. I am hearing such ever since he got home at five with these crazy ideas. And unlike you, I am understanding a bit less, which I don't know how much or less alarming it is," Anna gave her a gentle pat on the back.

The girl sighed and stood up, making few steps from the couch, with a thoughtful, yet alarmed look on her face. She turned around to face them, looking at them in turns.

"Ryan, be honest with me. What is our chance of escaping this?" tears wet her eyes as she voiced the question. She knew that her selfishness of keeping them there longer could cost lives in their dimension, since things in their absence could've evolved badly.

"Unless humanity decides to destroy itself with a war until the disaster comes, it should take a while."

"How long is _a while_ , Ryan? When I talk to you every damn thing is relative and questionable. Just answer me plainly!"

"Truth being told, he can't tell. A chain reaction could start anytime and could reach you sooner than he'd predict," Aries stepped inside the talk once again.

"If you want to do this for the sake of your heart and humanity's fate, do it, Hamsika. Work out the escape solution to the end. But otherwise, the disaster won't happen in your lifetime."

"So, you two triggered all this general panic for nothing?"

"I'm sure they just wanted to help and were as panicked as you. They wouldn't have gone to check and try to help if it was worthless. Right?" Anna tried to ease the tension with a brighter view on the situation.

"We will have weapons pointed at our heads for the rest of our lives for the madness you pulled out there!" Hamsika's voice trembled as she spoke and pointed at the thin air, referring to the secret military base, where their research location was.

"I told you we didn't cause any good since we came here..."

"Thanks for underlining it, Ryan. It helps a lot with morale and perspective."

"Hey, now!" Aries frowned, jumping off the desk. "That thing out there would've been coming your way regardless of our presence, so be thankful we warned you about it!"

"Warned for something that wouldn't even occur in my lifetime, so I can't even enjoy the life I have left because I will be either a runaway, or in jail or forced to work on some weapon of mass destruction!"

"But if the plan succeeds you will be off to a new planet, starting a new life away from all of this!" Ryan stood up too, while Anna watched all of them, still seated.

"Yeah. Thanks a lot. I bet Lucien will be thrilled to find out of all this."

"The outcome is the same, with or without the talk we had. Even if we go, events will still occur. They were meant to," the boy tried explaining again, failing to put things on a calmer line.

"But you weren't meant to! Without you two, Royce Robotics wouldn't have an exploded facility and army on their heads, because there would've been no aliens to cause it. Without you two, even if the end came, I wouldn't be here to witness and I'd probably just dedicate my life to study and discover things that would help humanity aim higher, without much of a pressure or a barrel at my head!" she shook herself with anger as she spoke, tears rolling down her cheeks. She gulped while fighting her sobs and watched them in turns, full of rage, before heading towards the door with heavy steps. She turned once more, glancing between the brothers, at Anna.

"You should leave before these two mess up your life as well. They messed everyone else's enough anyway," she left with a slam of the door, letting the three just stare at the empty space.

"So, brother. When do we leave?"

Ryan only rolled his eyes at Aries's question and steadied his hands on his hips, turning to look at Anna, regretting deep inside for dragging her along into the madness, even if he gave her the choice to step out few times already.

"I'm sorry, Anna," he eventually said to her, on a silent voice.

"That's alright. We'll manage this. Don't mind, Hamsika. She's sometimes rushing with conclusions. I saw so many such outbursts at our dorm... Oh, boy!"

She stood up too, arching her back in a short stretch while trying to push her anxiety away with the smallest positive thoughts and a smile. She was probably not aware of the entire messed up situation, like Hamsika was, but still she was saddened by the news and the outcome of all. She could see them struggling to help; she could see Ryan being most conflicted among all, even if he appeared to have a moment of relief when he realized where the trouble started from.

"Anna," she heard her name being repeated for a few times, before she convinced herself to snap out of her thoughts. She looked around a bit disoriented and felt a warm hand steadying her by the shoulder. Ryan gave her an amused smile when she finally met his eyes.

"Anna, is the University library open?"

"Should be. You need anything?"

"I need silence and a place to put my ideas in order."

"You'll need a permit to get in, but I'm sure you can get a temporary one."

The boy nodded, then headed for the desk, where he packed a stack of unused papers and few pens and pencils, stuffing them in the backpack along with some books.

"Need any help?" Aries eventually offered himself, though he knew deep inside that Ryan wanted to leave the house just to get a moment for himself; alone with his thoughts and ideas. Everyone's patience clock was ticking and perhaps it was for the best for him to step aside. He trusted Ryan into finding a solution; he knew how much of a determination sense he possessed.

"I said I need silence. I don't remember a single time you could be associated with that," he gave it a small laugh and after putting his shoes on and grabbing his keys, he waved a quick good bye to the two and left the house.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Anna looked at him with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. She wished she could contribute more to it than just be present here and there.

"It'd be best that for once that we lay low."

"I can't believe I hear this, coming from you," she elbowed him playfully.

"I can hardly believe my own ears as well," he bounced back her way, before letting his arm loop around her waist and pull her closer to himself. Anna steadied her hands on his chest and looked him in the eye for a moment. She then allowed her fingers to loop some strands of hair from his sides and brush them behind his ears, continuing even after to toy with them, twisting them and tangling them in her touch.

"Aries, promise me that if you catch glimpse of me out there, in your reality, you won't just pass by and ignore me."

"You won't be knowing me, you realize that, right?"

"I know. I've been already told that. Just... Do as I say, but don't be a butt."

"Must be a first time ever since I arrived here that I'm told not to get lost and actually get advised to reach out for one," he amused himself at the idea and closed his eyes, actually enjoying Anna's soft touch, as her thumb caressed his cheek.

"Will you be missing me for real?" his light blue eyes searched again her gaze, genuinely curious.

"I damn will, boy."

He puffed surprised at her reply, a large smile spreading on his lips, which was almost immediately squeezed by the girl's hands pressing onto his cheeks as she brought him closer, meeting him shortly in a kiss.

"A lot of guys out there waiting to be loved and I fell for an alien. Absolutely no regrets," she parted with him for a moment to speak her mind, then launched herself back at him, ending up soon after tossing off part of the objects from the desk behind them, to free a spot for themselves.

It was a little over two weeks when they met again. Royce had sent the brothers a meeting hour, to finally sync ideas and solutions. After spending a day to solve the financial promises to those who were with him in the underground base, he dedicated his entire time to the project, planning on having something solid to present the two, so that they'd maybe finally set things on a more certain direction.

"I think I saw them," Hamsika said after half an hour of having her eyes glued to the window at the top floor, of the highest tower in the research park, where Royce's office was. Though it was a bit unusual for him to have someone as close all the time, he grew accustomed to the girl's presence. She still lived at his place and even traded the guest room for his own, while trying to settle her mind and thoughts into the reality Ryan had told her he didn't belong to. It still felt like she brutally snatched out her heart from her chest at the entire parting and ground breaking news, and yet she had to get used to it and try to transition to a normal life already, if she wanted to get anything done, before going insane with all that was going on.

Hamsika walked to the other, who was still at the desk, twisting a hologram and adjusting data around it with quick simulations ran at his hand gestures.

"Lucien, they should be here soon."

"And?" he asked without taking his eyes off the projection. The girl clicked her tongue silently and left his desk to pace around in the room. Truth being told, they were both nervous. Ever since Royce had found out from her about the multiple realities Ryan told her of, and about their eventual departure, he had grown rather desperate to find a fix for it all before their only help decided to leave them for good.

The hiss of the elevator door caught their attention and both pairs of eyes in the room got directed towards the newly arrived guests.

"Welcome," Royce stood up and walked to them, all four reuniting in a small circle for the first time ever since they left the underground base. They shook hands and exchanged the briefest smiles, which held a lot of nervousness hidden behind.

"We expected something underground, not highest floor," Ryan admitted, glancing around. "You have quite a view here."

"I am a control freak, in case you haven't noticed yet," he walked back to his desk, stopping at its side, though his mind was elsewhere. "Drinks?" he added, snapping back to reality.

"Some water would be alright," his reply came out on a calm tone as he glanced at Aries, who just paced around, curiously exploring the floor and the sight on the other side of the window. The boy let his eyes drift to Hamsika right after, who apart from the murmured salute she seemed to rather avoid them. But just as his lips parted to say something to her, he heard his brother bark out a laughter.

"That damn place is still exploded!" he remarked a bit too loud for the silence surrounding them. Royce closed his eyes for a brief moment, pressing his lips into a thin line to avoid any snarky reply.

"We will have it fixed and repurposed."

"I'm curious what you're doing in our reality. I'll pay you a visit," Aries left the window and approached the rest with a satisfied grin on his face. Unlike the other and despite the closeness between him and Anna, he seemed to be the most cheerful about them having to leave.

"Please don't blow up anything."

"I wonder if you still have your arm there," he went on, ignoring the other's words.

"You seem to be rather curious and talkative today. Why don't we use this into our benefit?" the man eventually cut him, annoyed by the remarks.

"I'm always talkative. But your nose is often too high to notice anything below," he gave the man a satisfied grin, while Ryan passed by him, elbowing him subtly. He turned a bit to see his brother head towards the sitting area, where he put down his backpack, raising his hands in the air with a questioning expression on his face, as if wondering what they were all up to, just standing there instead of joining him.

"We're both looking forward to see the progress Hamsika mentioned last time, because we might have a solution that works with what you're developing at the moment."

"You mean with the engine?"

"Yeah," he laid back in the armchair and watched Royce and Hamsika occupying the couch in front, while his brother took the other armchair, melting in it, silently. He knew the explaining job was best to be handed to Ryan.

"Right," Royce's arm hovered over the holographic table between them, switching it on, browsing through some files before bringing in front the prototype. "This is a scan of the actual model which we have in the underground construction facility, just some buildings away from here," he paused and gave it a spin. "I boosted a bit the production during these weeks, so we can actually have a look at it after we're done with the talk here."

"So, it's ready?"

"It's just... A first try. We will have to see how it performs during the simulations."

"That's alright. I'm not as much into engineering, but I can tell if the fuel is faulty anyhow, if we get to see it," he watched the man nod. "I see it's supposed to use one based on the particle Hamsika made the research on, but if you still have intact matter from Aries's body, then you got far more and better resources," he felt his brother shift in the seat next to him, still uncomfortable with all that happened whenever it was mentioned.

"We're looking forward to that. Perhaps we can adjust what we have to work with it."

"Yes. It should do, but you might need to reinforce materials and you will need a far bigger chamber for the process to happen."

"Okay...?" Royce gave him a slightly confused look, then glanced at Hamsika, hoping she was more aware of what the boy spoke of, but she appeared to be just as clueless.

"Looks like I've lost you two," he chuckled. "This type of engine I talk about already exists in other civilizations for some time, so it is doable if you will find the right materials to keep the reaction _trapped_ well," Ryan leaned forward, towards the table. "Can one draw on this?"

"You can project three dimensional bodies and subtract from them or attach new parts to them," he waved his hand few times, to bring in another interface, mainly containing basic shapes in plain view.

"Hmm... Alright," Ryan stood up, dragging it to his hand level. He watched Royce dim down the lights inside with a quick gesture, lowering the window covers as well. "What I've been thinking about uses a jellyfish like propulsion, so you can make yourself an idea. You have a better control on the boosts and you can live there for as long as it is needed, if you will equip it accordingly," he kept on dragging and expanding figures, having even Royce's jaw dropping at the naturality of the moves he appeared to have with the prototyping tool.

"Basically, it will be a space station you will be advancing with into a safe area, being able to pick destinations as you please. You will be using calculated thrusts to do so, which helps you to avoid eventual dangers, like asteroid belts and other such potential threats," he continued on adjusting shapes, slowly making them fall together into something coherent, matching the jellyfish prototype he spoke of.

"This type of fuel I suggest you, is renewable... Forever on. It's like a loop," he glanced at the two of them through the projection to make sure they were following. "There are some destinations I can give you coordinates of, which you should be able to reach in around ten years, with the speed I calculated."

"Alright... Ten years to which we add the time it will take us to build this."

"Yes."

"What about the wormholes?"

"Scratch that."

"Wouldn't it be faster?"

"It would. However, your bodies, current tech and materials wouldn't be able to withstand the forces to pass through," he watched Royce's gleam of hope fade from his eyes, to be replaced with uncertainty and worry. "The one I suggested here is doable and safe. With all your automatized process it should be ready in less than five years."

"But is it enough to help us through?"

"It is," he sat back, rubbing his eyes for a moment.

"I will need another revision from you on this when I will have it adjusted to something that could function. You said you're not into engineering, but you just dropped me a quick model within minutes; one with which I'd struggle for a few nights," the man made sure the other's draft was saved before turning off the blue tinted projection to make place again for the natural light.

"You will have to get used to it. He always does this," Hamsika added with a tint of amusement, recalling their brainstorming sessions, during her studies. The boy chuckled at her remark, throwing her a quick glance, knowing very well what she was referring to.

"Ryan?"

"Yes?" his hands slid down his face, still cupping his cheeks as he looked at Royce.

"On a scale from one to ten, what's our chance to use this and get out of here in time and safe, even if that means we might live on a space station, with artificial gravity, for big part of our remaining lives?"

"Eight," his reply came without much of a time to think or doubt. He almost appeared to wait for the question to come.

The man's eyes scouted Ryan's, as if wishing to see if there was any lie in his statement, then stood up and stretched his arm towards the boy. The latter one watched it a bit confused at first, then left the comfort of the armchair to do the same, their hands meeting in a heartfelt shake.

"We're doing this then. I've been through too much to ditch it now and wait for something to hit us. I really needed someone with a bigger power of understanding the scale of things to give me a go, because honestly, both of us feel a bit lost... And discouraged," he gave a look to Hamsika, who returned it with the trace of a smile.

The boy gave him a pleased smile as well, seeing again the determination and confidence in his eyes. Aries did well to trust him first time with it all. The man might have done questionable things, but it was the courage to do so, that pushed him aiming further; higher.

The first engine prototype passed as unusable overall, according to Ryan's new plan. However, it did have some tech that could've been developed to work with their new type of propulsion they had in mind. Royce himself would have to take the boy's quick block-out model and turn it into an actual piece of engineering. They agreed to meet again once he had something that'd be ready to go into the production phase, to waste the minimum of time and resources.

But just as they left the building, in which's underground level was the remote-controlled factory that stored the first engine prototype, Royce motioned Ryan to the side, excusing themselves for parting from their small group of four.

"I wanted to have a word with you, if that's alright. If you're in a hurry or tired, we can meet elsewhere, some other day. And by elsewhere, I mean, at a drink, in a more relaxed manner," he gave the boy a quick smile as they exchanged glances, continuing their walk through the research center's green surroundings.

"If you can talk throughout the walk now, it's alright. If you need to sit and sip, that would be okay as well."

"It's not much... Really," he admitted, looking a bit troubled by the subject however. "First, it's a small thing I meant to ask you, related to our earlier talk," their eyes met again briefly, Royce looking at the other as if expecting permission to talk. "You mentioned a safe area and destinations, reachable within ten years."

"Yes."

"Without any wormhole jumps, we won't even be outside the Milky Way in such a short while, if I may call it so."

"You won't be outside, yes, but you would be safe from the trouble."

"We won't make it to any safe planet in our lifetime, will we?"

"You might."

"Ryan, please. Be clear with me. We're both men of science; we always want truth and as much of a certainty as possible. Well, you're not exactly a man, but you get my point," he stopped under the shade of the tree, watching the other do the same at his side.

"There is no actual planet nearby that could host you. You would have to put too much work into making it habitable, and even though it's not impossible, I doubt you will find the people and resources to do so. It would take a massive movement from all humanity's side to make such a migration possible, and from what I've seen so far, counting in also what you told me about, from that underground base you worked into, it's impossible."

He paused, allowing it all to sink in for a moment, though he knew the man before him was well aware of such. Though he didn't enjoy Royce's presence much, he appreciated greatly his strong willpower, sense of reality and ever-growing need of development.

"But I see Hamsika being lost to it all and there's nothing else I would want other than for her to be safe, if I can't hope for your whole race, as I wished to at first," his jaw clenched, feeling the sensitive subject closing in into their talk. "You took the responsibility of keeping her at your side. Everything that happened, pushed things this direction. We've altered this reality enough to not be able to figure what would've happened in our absence."

"We must focus on what we've got. Our current goals," Royce resumed the walk, having the boy follow shortly. "She's safe with me, Ryan," he eventually added, feeling the thin line they walked along.

"I know you stepped over dead bodies to see things done your way. I know you won't hesitate doing it again."

"If you imply that I would-."

"I'm not implying anything. I am only stating the facts," he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to clear his thoughts of any overwhelming emotions, reminding himself his own words from only moments before; it was not their reality; it was not upon him to decide for others, more than he might have influenced them already.

"What was the other subject you wanted to talk about?" He added after a bit, finally looking back at the other, while noticing shortly the silhouettes of Hamsika and Aries in the distance, waiting for them to return.

"We kind of covered them both."

"So, _she_ was," he only caught the glimpse of a nod from the other.

"Her problems and emotions are her own, unless she wants to share them with me," he picked up the subject and paused walking again, not willing to reach the other two just yet. "She told me nothing of you two, Ryan. If I had any idea, I would've known my place."

"Perhaps she considered it a closed chapter."

"It was her decision alone to do so and if you have doubts, please don't hesitate to talk to her. I honestly felt troubled enough when I heard your brother mentioning the relationship," he pursed his lips for a moment. "I do feel she still has unfinished business with you."

"I believe she closed all business with us during her last visit," he let out a small laugh, though he bitterly recalled all the words she lashed out at them.

"I meant with you alone, Ryan. You should have a talk."

"I don't want to dip my toes again in her matters," he resumed the walk, marking that he wished to get the subject closed soon.

"Your departure is inevitable. Please take her some place she loves and have a talk or she will regret not having it for the rest of her life. And though I know what opinion you two and most of the people have of me, please find that I do care for her. It would hurt me for the rest of my days to see her depressed or to lose her to it."

Ryan's insides jolted wildly at the sound of the other's words. They would be leaving the current dimension for good, and though he tried to bury it deep down, he knew himself that there were still things left to be told, just between the two of them. It was the talk they started in the underground base and left unfinished, not the rage she had at their apartment, that still had him twisting with haunting thoughts at night.

"Please take good care of her."

"I will," they whispered low to each other, while approaching the other two, doing their best to brush away any thought of concern from their faces. His eyes rested on the girl's features for a bit, giving her a genuine calm smile when their gazes met, and though she didn't return it, her eyes spoke for her. Royce had been right indeed; she wanted to speak her mind just as much.

Hamsika was still getting accustomed to the odd hours Royce was leaving the research center at, in order to get home and eventually grab some sleep. Their time together was resumed to the interactions at work mostly and during the weekend, since she was usually dead with tiredness by the time they reunited back home. She knew he was having weird sleeping hours, but now, with the extra motivation of getting things done as soon as possible, he made almost no exceptions. She was quite sure that, if it wasn't for her to be around, he'd be sleeping at the office more than the usual, but so far, she wasn't really bothered; she fully understood the purpose of it all. Not mentioning that, once she got used to the house, she was actually glad to have a moment just for herself and eventually spend a bit of time cooking, if it happened to arrive earlier than the usual overtime schedule she adopted.

However, that very evening, she left the laboratory later with another purpose; she was ought to meet Ryan. She presumed that he wanted to stargaze, since he picked such a late hour, so she actually grabbed an extra outfit to change into; something more comfortable, suited for an eventual walk through the woods, knowing how the boy had the talent to choose the remote locations.

She had quite a hard time convincing herself to accept the invitation, since it felt odd now that she agreed being at Royce's side. It felt somewhat like cheating, even though the man appeared to be almost too delighted about the news that she was ought to meet the other. She wasn't sure, but she presumed it had something to do with the talk the two had back at the research center a couple of weeks before.

And yet, even with the train of thoughts, filled with various emotions, including guilt and immense nervousness, there she was, standing at the entrance of the research center, waiting. Ryan had asked her to meet him there, and though it was the hour they agreed on, he wasn't present. She almost forgot how he almost never arrived when he was supposed to. The girl checked again on the text messages, to make sure she wasn't the one who misunderstood the time or place; but just as she was doing so, she heard a loud boom-like noise, startling her and making her turn around to immediately look towards the research center and check for any possible cause with a quick glance.

"Hamsika?" she heard her name being spoken with a tint of amusement, while her heart drummed heavily in her chest and ears at the sudden chain of events. She turned on her heels, avoiding hitting the boy with her elbow in the last moment.

"Ryan! Did you hear that too? You must have, you were close. It happened just now!"

His lips parted with a smile and a silent laugh left him as he saw the confusion that kept growing on her face, all to eventually realize that it had been him all along.

"You..." she narrowed her eyes at the other, pointing an angry finger at him.

"I'm sorry for the loud entrance."

"But why?" she hissed through her teeth. "Weren't you supposed to lay low?! Aren't you two being tracked anymore? Or perhaps you want to drag some extra trouble."

"And here I thought I could offer you a nice relaxing flight."

"Flight?! Ryan, are you out of your mind?" she stepped closer to him, while her tone stayed low and annoyed.

"This might be our last moment together. Alone." his lips pressed together in a smile, almost sad. "Let me be myself. Let us be out of our minds for one night."

He put out both of his hands, inviting her to take them. He watched the girl stare at him for a longer moment, and saw how all the anger and concern vanished from her features, evolving gradually into a calm smile as she adjusted the backpack on her shoulders, before allowing her hands to fall into his touch. Their eyes met for the briefest moment before he started losing his human shape, back in the favor of the cosmic one, slowly detaching himself from the ground. With a move, swift and gracious, he circled her and before she was even aware, she left the ground in his arms, feeling her body dangle in his embrace, as it would normally do, only that beneath her all felt like a cloud. She was meters above the ground when she finally muffled herself a gasp, cowering in the shield of his neck, cradling her head under his chin.

She felt the wind cutting sharp breezes through her hair, brushing it all over her face. With her eyes still closed and trembling hands, she struggled with the smallest moves she could pull, to brush it away. She couldn't bring herself to look at the surroundings; she couldn't even tell what sort of sensation she was feeling. It was as if her body was weightless, and yet still bounded to something, while a bone chilling sensation went through her being.

"OPEN YOUR EYES. DON'T BE SCARED... NOT EVEN GRAVITY CAN PULL YOU FROM MY ARMS," the voice echoed through her head with a knife sharp pain that made her frown. She knew there was nothing she could do in case something went wrong and she was finally acknowledging the panic she was living through at that very moment; her breath felt too quick, and yet not enough, her hands trembled, and though she was feeling colder than a winter breeze, she could tell there was sweat covering her face.

Hamsika eventually opened her eyes, while her jaw clenched, ready to scream her lungs out at the height. However, just as she took in the sight, which included the city from a distance and the Royce Robotics center, she didn't feel as bad anymore. A sudden feeling of calm caught up with her, ignoring the craziness of the moment and seeing it more like a view from the airplane's window than anything else. If it wasn't for the weakness of her human body, she would've dared to even ask for an even higher view. She always wondered how it felt up there for them. How was it to have the freedom of the Universe itself at the fingertips.

She shielded her nose and mouth with her hands, muffling a sob of amazement, as she felt herself moving again along with the other, turning around and striding even further from the familiar surroundings, at a speed bearable for her. They crossed fields and forests, which moved briefly, with a faint breeze, under the dim light of the night, and began to descend once the mirror surface of a lake caught her eyes. They floated above the glossy surface, slowly and low enough for her to dip her fingers into the water, unsettling it from its stillness.

She thanked the boy soundlessly when he put her down on the ground, without expecting her to stand up, since she felt like she had no legs anymore. She allowed herself a moment to try and calm down any trace of anxiety left from the flight, as she watched him return to his human body, with the broadest smile on his face.

"I hope you will be willing to fly again with Ryan airlines," he laughed and crouched next to her, stealing off her features the trace of a smile, still buried in a sea of panic. His hand reached for her back and pulled her into an embrace, as he let himself sit more comfortably at her side. The girl closed her eyes and breathed in his scent, while melting in the warmth of his arms. She suddenly felt pushed back in time, even though the location wasn't a familiar one. She expected the hill they went to during their stargazing night, but she was pleasantly surprised with the new destination.

They parted for a moment and looked at each other. The boy lowered himself to the ground, with a hand beneath his head and held out the other arm open, inviting her, wordlessly, to lie on his chest. She smiled and allowed herself to fall even deeper into his comforting touch, both soon loosing themselves to the view above their heads.

"Remember when you helped me catch Mars in the lens of the telescope? I was so nervous that evening, that I couldn't distinguish the only bright dot on the sky not blinking at me," she laughed, bringing her hands closer to her body, as the cold breeze of the late night brushed over her skin. She nuzzled even closer to the other, her head still resting on his shoulder as they lied down.

"But why, though? It wasn't the first time you were somewhere alone with me... If that was the cause."

"Well, for sure it was the first time I was alone with you, at quite a distance from the city, in the middle of nowhere!" they both laughed at her statement, which she tried to make sound exaggerated by the tone of her voice.

"Jokes aside, Ryan, there were many things that made me nervous that night. I was falling for you for so many reasons, that I was starting to fail counting them. I was seriously having talks with myself, analyzing our time together, whenever we met, to understand what was it that I was feeling."

"And what was it?"

"I still don't know. Sometimes it's just like it faded as quick as it arrived."

He puffed silently with a hum.

"What was it for you then?" she leaned her head his way, so she could catch a glimpse of his face. His eyes still stared at the sky, while his lips pursed thoughtfully, occasionally chewing on his bottom one.

"A wild mix of chemicals."

"I can't contest that, but it's not really explicit, you know?"

"Does it even matter anymore?"

"Perhaps not..." she gave up with a soft reply, knowing in fact that she was the one who chose to shift directions.

"Did it ever matter?"

"Everything matters at some point."

"Checkmate."

She saw him smirk under the dim light; he had done it again. Twisted the talk so she would eventually answer one way or another. He made her admit their attachment and closeness, though she wasn't knowing how to put it out just moments before.

Hamsika pushed herself up in a sitting position while rolling over him; her legs cradling his hips as she slammed her fists playfully against his chest, in frustration. He bubbled with laughter under her touch, and dragged his second hand beneath his head, his eyes finally shifting from the sky to her.

"You're blocking the view."

"You're such a pain, Ryan."

"And you're such a masochist, Hamsik- ouch!" he moaned with a cough when her fists hit his chest once more, in protest.

"Why did you bring me here? You wanted to impress me and steal my heart and mind for one last time? Making me regret my choice forever on?" her shoulders fell as she relaxed her hands on his chest, feeling the steady heartbeat under her touch.

"Do you regret it?"

"I still can't answer that myself... I keep battling the feelings I was never able to define."

"You shouldn't."

"But, do you, Ryan? I saw the pain in your eyes back then, in the underground facility. I felt my insides shredded at the sight."

"I regret nothing, but it did hurt. It's still hard for me to manage some feelings... However, understanding that I do not in fact belong here at all, helped me get over it."

_Get over it..._ The words echoed a couple of times in the girl's mind. She searched his eyes, trying to understand what exactly he meant by that, but found no answer and somehow it stung her even harder.

"Will you look for me, there?"

"I won't if you will do that first," he chuckled, closing his eyes. "Chances are that you won't even be there. Perhaps not the same city, perhaps not with the same aspirations."

"Don't avoid the answer," her voice trembled as she gripped at his shirt, her nails digging through it, into his skin as she fought her emotions. Though it would have no impact on her actual self, it would feel comforting, at least in the slightest way, to know that he would eventually search for her.

His hands abandoned his head, leaving it rest on the grass, moving onto Hamsika's fists, pulling on them gently, cupping them into the warmth of his palms.

"I would love to, but just as I said, I am not even sure what I will find there," he smiled at her comfortingly. "Let us have this uncertainty for once, see how it goes. Though we'd both love to, we can't have answers to everything at demand."

She nodded silently, even if she had no idea what she was agreeing to anymore. He would be gone, along with Aries, soon enough, leaving them to struggle for their survival, hoping that no weapon will be pointed at their heads sooner than a gamma ray.

She watched him pushing himself up to face her, releasing her hands from his own to have his arms wrap around her back. A shiver crossed her at the sudden warmth; at the sudden closeness with which she didn't know what to do. She felt his cheek brush her own, as his head lowered down, to rest onto her shoulder. The girl threw her arms over his shoulders, around his neck and held him close as her nose buried in his crazy curls.

"You asked me why I brought you here..." he murmured into her shoulder. "This lake is where I crash landed when I arrived on Earth. A couple heard the loud water splash and noticed their dog barking wildly at the sudden event, so they came to check, from the cabin nearby, in the woods. The woman's husband swam to retrieve my unconscious body and shook me back to life before dragging me into their house," he paused, frowning as he recalled the events. "They were somewhere in their fifties. When she offered me the clothes, the woman told me they had a nephew, looking my age, coming to the cabin often, to practice his canoeing on the lake."

He parted from the girl, leaning backwards, and relaxed himself as he rested his weight on his elbows, while looking at her. She appeared to listen closely and curiosity lingered in her eyes. She did in fact always wondered how did he get started with it all.

"His name was Ryan. My savior's name was James," he smiled to himself at the thought. "I had no idea what was up with me, what I was even doing there. I had nothing with me, but when they asked me if I knew someone in the town nearby, I automatically said yes, even if I had no clue where that town was even. Luckily enough, they dropped me there, as it was in their way."

"What about the apartment you live in?" she found herself asking, demanding to know more.

"Though I was unaware of my true nature, I was a fast learner. I knew that I needed a shelter and luck made it that I stumbled upon old Miss Olsen, looking for her cat, which had jumped again from the window," he amused himself at the memory for a brief moment. "I helped her retrieve her companion, so she invited me for a snack, a cup of tea and a small talk, which revealed that the apartment above her was abandoned. So, I... Claimed it," he let out a small laugh. "It was a wild move, now that I think of it, but we had no problems with it, so we will leave it as we found it, thankful that it hosted us," he added with a smile.

"Wild move indeed..."

"I kept having memory problems, until I recovered with the rather fortunate accident. I was forgetting things, remembering things, about which I had no idea they happened. I was living in a constant feeling of déjà vu, but you helped me through it. You gave me a subject to focus on."

"I'm glad I could help," she worded silently, a soft smile curving her lips. She cupped his cheeks and brushed her thumbs against them, in a caring touch. "Thank you for telling me this, Ryan. For trusting me with it all. Sometimes I have to recall things myself, just to convince my mind that all is real."

They laughed at her words, knowing how they both related to them in a way or another. They had indeed faced one-of-a-kind situations, which had proven that, not even millions of years of existence could make one know it all. A refreshing thought, which could only keep them curious forever on.

It was well past midnight when the small fire they made, was reduced to nothing more than some smoldering coal. The two sat shoulder by shoulder, watching the stillness of the lake in silence. Hamsika eventually eyed the dying heat source and let her shoulder lean heavier onto Ryan's, as she glanced his way.

"I think we should head back home."

"We should," he murmured back, even if deep inside he would've played that evening on a loop, forever on. There had been nothing more than warm embraces and soft talks, but he loved it all with his entire being and he was glad that he could have some moments more to treasure and replay in his memory as often as he wanted to. Surely, he was over the sadness that overwhelmed his thoughts when he saw the girl stepping away from him, instead of being how he expected to; unchanged; but he couldn't stop himself from enjoying their small moments together.

"Ryan...?"

"Hm?"

She felt his eyes on her as she turned her sight back on the lake's undisturbed surface.

"When will you two leave?"

"Soon."

A moment of silence followed, and the boy closed his eyes when the inevitable question came off the other's lips.

"How soon is _soon_?"

"Whenever we decide to, within the timeframe I calculated," he felt the girl shift at his side. "I figured a solution to jump back in our Universe, but I want to make sure you two are on the good track as well; before we say good bye."

Hamsika nodded, wondering what exactly he considered a good track and how far their progress was from it. She didn't bother asking, knowing that quite soon they would have to meet again at Royce Robotics anyway. Even though she considered their relationship chapter closed, she felt okay knowing him nearby. There was a certain calm settling over her whenever they had a talk, though it was often joined by intense sparks of arguments or concerns, something in the way he smoothed out situations made her feel safe. The thought of their departure brought her déjà vu sensations, replaying in her mind their last such event; which slashed back then into her like a poisoned blade, leaving the wound open for long after.

She pushed herself up and stretched her arms and back with a small pleased sound, then took a deep breath and checked on the calm surroundings once more, listening to the sounds of the night. She smiled to herself, then turned around to look at the other, who now stood by her side as well.

"You may be double in this Universe right now, Ryan, but to me, you were unique."

"Well, technically I wasn-" he got abruptly interrupted by her fingers over his mouth.

"Shush. Let it be so."

He puffed with a laughter under her touch before she withdrew her hand. He then watched the girl take her backpack and grab a bottle of water from it, to completely extinguish the fire. She then packed it all back together and threw it over her shoulders, looking up at him, as if she told him she was ready to go.

"On a second thought..." she raised a finger to her mouth thoughtfully. "How far is the city by foot?"

"Few hours."

"Damn... Well, I guess we'll be back home by morning," she added then started to walk, glancing back over her shoulder. "You coming?" she let out a small laugh under her nose as she saw the other joining her in the small journey, looking all pleased by the sudden change of heart. He wanted to rush no moment and part sooner, if he didn't have to.

The sun was already out when Hamsika reached Royce's place, which she now called home too. She unlocked as silently as she could and made her way in. She put aside her shoes and hanged her backpack, then walked further into the open space of the ground floor.

"Lucien?" she asked almost in a whisper before having her eyes settle on his silhouette, sleeping on the couch, with the phone in one hand and an empty glass, ready to fall from the other; all still dressed in his usual black suit. She shook her head with a smile at the sight and walked to him, taking the glass and the phone and placing them on the low table nearby. The man twitched the slightest at the sudden weight being taken from his grip, to which Hamsika responded with a soft touch, brushing his palm, while taking a seat at this side.

"You're back..." he mumbled when his eyes opened and set sights on her with a sleepy face.

"We went stargazing outside the city. It took us a while to get back," she smiled fondly at the memory she made that night, while cupping the other's hand between her own. He did however pull himself away from her touch, only to wrap his whole arm around her back and drag her into an embrace.

"Lucien, I need to shower. I lied down on grass and got all sweaty with the walk," she whined silently, but he only tightened the hug, burying his face in the hair falling over her shoulder and neck.

"The house felt so empty without you..."

"It was empty for most of its time," she chuckled. "I'm not here for that long."

"It doesn't matter what and how it was, now you're here and it's all that matters, for me at least."

"What about our work? I thought you were downright married to our escape plan," she watched him amused, as he detached from the embrace to look at her.

"That's another thing. This is home. Home means us."

"And here, I presumed this is just your office with a bed," she kept on teasing him, until they both burst into laughter. She was glad to hear such words coming from him; the one she thought of being next to heartless for some time, given his actions and decisions. Perhaps it would be alright after all. Her guts never lead her wrong, and if her insides told her Lucien Royce was worth a chance, she wasn't going to question it. Not anymore.

When Ryan walked inside their apartment, he found Aries and Anna being asleep on the couch, melting onto each other, with the blanket being half on the floor. He closed the door silently and shook his head amused by the sight. He never thought he would see his brother as close to a human, recalling just how much he despised them thanks to the incident at Royce Robotics, where everyone appeared to have been caught on the wrong foot, taking the bad decisions in desperate times. He was glad to see things were finally settling to a calm line, even if they would have to leave eventually, and even if not all went accordingly with what he pictured. He had seen the situation from the wrong perspective, and though it led to some nice outcomes, it also created some nasty ones.

He went for the bathroom, hoping to avoid making much of a noise, and disturb the two, given that it was still quite early in the morning. He left aside, on the floor, his clothes and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He touched its cold surface with his fingers and watched the infinity of versions of the image it created with the other mirror, on the door. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, imagining that this would have to be their mission, once they decided to leave; to look into a vast number of Universes alike, and find their place into the one they left from.

In the past weeks, along with a bit of help from the teachers he knew at the University, he managed to track down some anomalies from the approximate period the event, that sent them into the current dimension, happened. Observations that had been made and noted down in that while, compared to the current ones, helped him understand, that the rupture that allowed them to shift dimensions, did have a visible impact, one which humans were not able to comprehend yet, but that he was able to spot. An anomaly, an exotic phenomenon, and yet, their only way back home.

He stepped inside the shower and shuddered when the cold water touched his skin, before the warm one could come and embrace him. He rested his forehead against the glass wall and closed his eyes, allowing the water to pour over him, like a draping curtain. His jaw clenched at the nervousness crossing him, when the thought of a different reality struck him once again, as it did once in a while, ever since he discovered the situation they were into in fact. He was curious and yet scared of what he might find there, compared to what he was accustomed to here.

He fell in love with the wrong place and he was afraid that he would forever on compare the two and never be able to get used to whatever he will be given to live there. There were feelings he learned here, about which he had no idea he could experience; there were feelings he was afraid he won't be finding there, such as the one of belonging. He had seen many places, but thanks to Hamsika, Earth and humanity held now a special place; no matter how wrong or egoistic their ways might have been, humans were worth caring for.

There were things to love and look up to in their way of being, and despite being rather mediocre with their technological progress and mentality, it was a pleasure to live among them. Compared to their still limited horizons, Ryan could say he'd seen it all, even if he knew he didn't and that he never will. And yet, he wasn't feeling superior to them anyhow, a thing which even his brother appeared to grow accustomed to. There was something keeping them grounded there, and though they would've been willing to share from their vast sightings and knowledge, they had proven themselves, with the current accidental visit of another Earth, that the world they landed onto wasn't ready yet to receive such.

He smiled at the thought that, even with all things considered, they have been embraced by a small number of people as what they really were. It gave him hope that someday perhaps there would be more to it. But for that moment, if he were to start it over again, he knew what mistakes not to repeat and just let himself being carried by the wave of living among those he grew so attached to.

Chapter XII

"I hope this won't be like three months ago, when you decided to wait just as much. We have to go, Ryan."

"I know, Aries. We're already on the critical timeline," the boy let out the words like a sigh, tired of the pressure the other kept putting on him. They had to depart as soon as possible, even if things didn't go at a pace as fast as the boy wished for them to. It would've been indeed impossible to build it all at least to a palpable full version prototype in only half a year.

"It still disgusts me to see them as close. But maybe it's for the best. It makes you leave all of this behind without much of a look back," the long-haired sibling whispered low to the other as he caught in his sight Hamsika and Royce, waiting for them outside the building where the prototype was being built.

"Yeah..." he replied, rather absently, which earned himself a questioning look from his brother. He considered the thought as well, and yet he felt his insides twisting at the fact that it will all be a memory soon enough, not knowing what he will meet on the other side; having no idea of how the other Universe's Hamsika was, if there was any.

"Ryan," he stopped, watching the other making few steps more before doing the same and look at him over the shoulder, with eyebrows arched in confusion.

"Let's get this done already."

"I can't believe it's me saying it, but don't do anything stupid," Aries warned him, then rushed up to catch up as his brother already started walking again. He could tell Ryan was still heavily conflicted deep inside. He made peace with the thought they had to leave it all behind, but whenever they all met for a talk regarding the progress, he could feel the madness revolving within Ryan once more. Not mentioning that, if they remained faithful to the plan, that very meet and day would be their last within the current dimension.

"Welcome back, boys," Royce greeted them with a smile and a shake of hands.

Hamsika's eyes however, did scout them closely, as a consequence to their sudden stop on halfway down the alley. She met Ryan's gaze fugitively, before the boy walked ahead at the man's side, already engaged in a talk.

"What's going on?" her voice barely above a whisper and almost completely covered by the building machines buzzing inside the factory, brushed Aries's ear like a soft breeze as they walked, few steps behind the other two.

"Nothing."

"I can say when something's off with him. So, tell me," she demanded.

"If you can _say so_ , then why do you need to hear it from me?" he threw her a side glance, only to see her eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed in a thoughtful frustration.

"You can be such a thorn."

"You're not much of a flower either," he heard her puffing air out loudly through her nose, moments before Ryan turned around to give them a look, disturbed by all the silent mutters. The boy gave him a dismissive hand sign, assuring him there's nothing, as they made their way towards the control room of the factory.

Once they stepped inside the desired room, they got greeted by a wall of screens showing real time camera footage, of all the printing and assembling lines. An already familiar sight to all of them, though the supervision was not their point of interest whenever they met there. The central console held an interactive holographic display, which showed the progress on each of the parts that were under construction, that have been made or that needed to be done.

"We've just passed the first quarter of its production this morning."

"A lot more until it's done..." Ryan replied while he let his eyes drift over the projection, turning it around slowly with a hand gesture.

"We will expand the production halls with one more by next year, to shorten the process, but indeed, there's still lots to work on and this is only the first prototype."

"Let's say in another year from now it should be done and ready for some tests, like pressure, resistance to certain applied forces and other such. How many years would you need for the final piece?"

"I say in around five we're ready to leave. Unless something will intervene and delay our process," Royce looked at the boy expectantly, waiting for him to take his sight off the hologram, though it was clear that his mind was elsewhere, as his eyes searched or analyzed something.

"Alright," he eventually nodded, still not looking at the other.

"But we should be safe. I mean, in theory," Hamsika jumped into the discussion, feeling the pressure in the air worth cutting with a knife.

"Yes, of course," Ryan agreed quickly with her statement, and finally raised his eyes to watch the rest. He looked at them in turns, meeting eyes filled with hope, concern and doubt.

"Is there anything unfitting?" Royce eventually voiced the worry of both himself and Hamsika. There was a lack of certainty he saw in Ryan, unlike the other times.

"It's just... That I hope you will have it all set and working eventually, since I won't be here anymore to offer a helping hand."

"You helped more than we probably dared to hope."

"I don't feel like I've done much, really," he rested against a desk, placing his hands on its edge. "Mainly gave you an idea for the space station you will travel with and solved your renewable fuel issues."

"And what did you want to do more? Build it with your own hands?!" the man puffed with amusement.

"Perhaps?" he smiled the slightest, not feeling much brightened up with the other's joke attempt.

"Come on, Ryan. They'll do just fine!" Aries threw his arm over his brother's shoulders and shook him comfortingly. "Don't worry them for nothing," he added, trying to brush away the sudden gloomy mood that descended over them. He knew very well how Ryan would stay and aid them until the very end, but if they wanted to make it back to the moment they left, there was no time left for them to waste either.

They walked back outside the factory, striding silently through the green park filling the Royce Robotics complex. The alleys grew emptier as the night was already falling upon them and most of the people had already left their working place for their homes.

"Anna must be already waiting for us," Hamsika made a quick check on the phone for the hour. Her friend insisted on having a farewell party, though she would've preferred if the brothers would've left without much of a fuss. The less sentimental it got, the better, but even with all the reasoning, she couldn't stop it from happening.

Royce made sure to rent a lounge just for themselves on the top of a building, in a place familiar to him, where he usually held the business meets. It wasn't much to everyone's liking, since most of them would've rather preferred a cozier place, much closer to their heart, like the small apartment the boys claimed for themselves for as long as they were around. However, they couldn't just make the neighbors, and good old miss Olsen below them, suffer with all the possible noise they'd make.

Anna greeted them with the brightest smile. She made sure all decorations were in place, since the man allowed her to do so, as she was the one insisting mostly on it to happen, to which Hamsika eventually agreed. The place was filled with a nebula-like projection, while planet balloons were hanged all around; even the drinks and food on the plates were themed in the same manner, giving it all a less business look and feel, pretty much to everyone's relief.

"You're all late!" she exclaimed as soon as she caught glimpse of them entering the private area.

"I told you we had to perform one last check," Hamsika chuckled and received the embrace from the other with a pleased smile. Though the meet felt rather tensioned, she was glad they could at least relax for a bit, until everything would be set for a new start.

"Ryan, boy! Your curls look as mad as ever!" she approached and ruffled his hair, filling it with the star shaped glitter still lingering on her hands; both eventually surrendering to a laugh.

"You saw me just few hours ago..."

"Shush!" she gave his shoulder a playful bump before heading towards Aries, who was already helping himself with a food plate.

Hamsika glanced their way, then saw Royce pouring himself a drink from a bowl. She did however, turn her attention to the boy next to her, and let her voice drop to a sudden whisper.

"Ryan, are you alright?" her eyes searched for his own, locking them in place for few moments as soon as they met, looking desperately for an answer, but without success.

"A bit sad, but I guess it can't be helped," he tried brushing off her worry with a calm, reassuring smile. He would miss that very reality as a whole. It offered them trouble, but also moments to remember. He was glad he was given to be part of it, at least for a bit.

"I told Anna this party shouldn't happen. We will all get sentimental and cry our lungs out after you two will be gone."

"I doubt Royce will, though," he laughed and made his way to one of the serving tables to grab a drink, offering one to the girl too, who had been trailing on his steps. She shrugged at his remark, thinking that indeed, most probably he'd only be worried for nobody to look up to for help, if he ever needed it again. While the man did indeed care for her, he was still fully dedicated to his work and purpose.

"Speaking of the devil..." she whispered with a tint of amusement, seeing Royce approaching them with his drink, casually sipping from it, with the prosthetic hand in his pocket, as most of the times.

"Anna did a great job with the decorations," he glanced around, the two following his gesture, both nodding in agreement with a smile.

"Never took her for a space enthusiast, but I'm not complaining!"

Hamsika laughed and peeked through the glass as she took a sip, to the two actually enjoying the music, with a tentative of dance. She was glad that her roommate did her best to help and got so close to the brothers, enjoying their company, despite their nature and her different aspirations, but she often found herself worrying for her friend's well-being after all of it would be done. Would she be sad? Would she be dragged in further trouble just because she was a friend of theirs if things decided to go down? She still wasn't over the way they escaped the underground base and knew along with Royce that at some point in time, they will feel vengeance coming their way.

The girl snapped back to reality only when the cold breeze of the evening sent her a shiver, and noticed how she was alone. She looked around for the two that left her side and saw them talking at the edge of the terrace, their forearms resting on the balustrade, with drinks still in their hands. She smiled at the thought that at least everyone present was getting along well. She feared for the brothers' attitude towards the man, but got pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Hamsika glanced up at the sky and took in the clear view. There weren't as many stars with all the surrounding lights from within the city, but there were plenty to enjoy. They could be one day travelling through the depths of the galaxy, while trying to make their way out of the trouble along with others. And yet, something deep inside told her that it would be no more than a dream; something unattainable. The girl closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, thinking for a moment, how would a rewind be, that'd take her back to her university days, where she'd just carry on with her studies, instead of sticking her nose in other's matters. She wondered if there would've been any calmer outcome for her life, but as soon as she returned to the reality surrounding her, she decided that she needed no other route to pick. Even with all the trouble and blood on their hands, she was happy with what she was given to witness. Not even in her wildest dreams had she thought of meeting intelligent life from outside Earth; nor working or lying by Lucien Royce's side, the man about who she had a rollercoaster of feelings, starting with admiration, descending to hate and disgust and going back up on a route of understanding and love. Though she had feelings for Ryan she knew she couldn't entirely lie about, she was aware that what she needed in fact was a more down to Earth kind of affection. Surely, the boy gave her no particular reason to feel odd about their relationship, other than the long break they suffered given the circumstances, but in the long run, she was sure the current decision was for the best for everyone.

The evening carried on with laughs, random talks and even some dance, mostly from Anna and Aries's side. They appeared to be the ones enjoying the event at its fullest, not even caring about the eventual departure. Even Royce looked a bit off, his mind seeming to be busy with something else, enjoying a drink every now and then.

It was about an hour past midnight when Ryan gathered them in a circle, that made everyone's hearts leap with a jolt.

"We should be off in a couple of minutes, so we can arrive in the desired place at the precise moment I calculated," he pressed his lips together in a small smile. "I'd lie if I would say that I am not emotional about this. I had a great time here, and even though I must have already thanked you all in turns for all that you offered both me and my brother, given them to be good or unpleasant experiences..." he gave a quick glance to Royce, who puffed with a tint of amusement, looking down at his drink. "... I will say again how grateful I am for all that I was given to live. How grateful we both are," he threw his arm over his brother's shoulders and brought him closer.

"Yeah, it's been quite a ride. I really hope the other dimension's Royce won't trap me once again," Aries started to laugh at his own statement, spreading the joyful mood within the group for a moment.

"I haven't been much involved, other than with causing trouble here and there, but I am glad we eventually sorted it out," the man admitted.

"Right now, I'm only thankful my make-up is waterproof, because I cried so much today, and I feel that it's not the end of it yet," Anna touched carefully the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, while her laugh blended with a sob. She saw Aries leaving his brother's side to come and give her a calming embrace, to which she struggled not to give in with even more tears.

Hamsika gave her an apologetic look, then glanced at the rest, unsure of what exactly to say. She had too many thoughts running through her mind, that it felt impossible to pick just one and be coherent about it, without feeling sorry that she didn't pick another instead.

"I..." she started, then cleared her throat with a small sound, feeling her heart pounding hardly in her chest. "I love and cherish each of the moments we spent together. Every bit of knowledge and adventure we shared. I couldn't give less of a damn if you were human or not, you were and still are, my friends," she bit her lower lip, feeling her vision getting blurry with the tears she fought holding in. "I will be missing you so much. I already do," she covered her face with her hands, and mumbled a muffled apology through her fingers.

Royce watched them gather around her for a group hug, which he decided to just watch. He felt like he wasn't part of their small team, even if Hamsika was part of his life now. They deserved their moment. He gave a bitter smile to the sight as he took a sip, feeling his own insides roar with emotion. He would do his best to get her smile once again; regain that spark of joy and enthusiasm in her dark eyes, which she missed lately; which he missed seeing as well.

"Please, take care of yourselves," Ryan finally added as he parted with Aries from the group, taking few steps backwards, towards the edge of the terrace. He gave a look to Royce, who nodded back in response, then glanced back at Anna and lastly at Hamsika, to whom he offered his best comforting, heartwarming smile, the girl loved so much.

They both gave the group a last wave, before they began losing shape of their human bodies for their cosmic ones, and start hovering slightly above the floor. Ryan's eyes locked with Hamsika's, sending her a sharp pain through her head for a brief moment. He watched her nod with a hand clutched at her chest and a smile spreading on her lips, before turning his attention to Aries, who seemed to be already waiting. They began their ascension slowly, revolving around each other, as a low buzzing sound made everything around vibrate, ever-growing in intensity. The three, still watching them from the terrace, covered their ears and almost fell to the ground at the shockwave that turned all the surrounding glass surfaces into nothing more than shattered pieces, when the brothers departed, disappearing faster than a blink, through a warp move, which looked like the one Royce experienced back in the desert, with Aries; a wormhole.

Ryan and Aries travelled through wormholes, jumping from one to another, until they caught up with the vibration they sought. They had been following the strings, through regular observations, ever since the boy figured they were in the wrong dimension. The Universe kept on playing its song and finding the exact note the had to hop on was no easy task. With their primordial black hole cores and their ability to toy with the strings creating the very reality around them, they managed to produce the rupture once again and dive into the place they belonged to.

The brothers looked at each other, both feeling lingering within themselves a heavy mix of doubt and fear. One mistake it was all that it would take to arrive yet again in another place. But just as they peeked through the neighboring nebula, they noticed the reason of their fight; the supermassive black hole Aries helped taking shape, was already devouring the stars struggling to form in the rich cloud, remnant of a supernova. They promised themselves they would stop such madness from happening ever again, so they headed through the nebula to suppress the hunger of the black hole, before heading towards Earth, where they would linger for a while, living among those they came to enjoy the most; humans.

Epilogue

**I**

She left the shower to notice her phone ringing on the edge of the sink, for what was around the fifth time within the last ten minutes. She quickly and messily wrapped the towel around her body and rushed towards it, nearly taking a slide on the floor on the way to it.

"Hello?" she asked on a rather concerned tone, knowing Lucien wasn't the type to buzz her with calls; needing in fact quite seldom such talks.

"Finally," he muttered annoyed, though there was an urgency in his tone and before the girl could even get the chance to protest against it anyhow, he went on, in a rapid rant. "I know we have a reservation today at the restaurant, but we must postpone it. I will have a bit of a delay."

"That's why you called? You could've left a message and-" she frowned in even further confusion.

"Yes, about that..." he made a small pause, considering the following words. "We talked about this before. I don't want you to panic."

"Lucien, what is going on?" her eyes searched her own reflection in the mirror, noticing the blood drawing from her lips, as they trembled with the incoming anxiety.

"There is an explosive trigger in my car. My drones saw some peculiar repetitive patterns, right outside the Royce Robotics, these days. Some people that came and went and haven't been really registered as visitors or anything," he closed his eyes for a moment, hearing the shriek and hyperventilated breath of the other, on the opposite side of the call. "I need you to calm down and listen. If I won't be home by midnight, you know what to do."

"NO."

"Hamsika..."

"No..." she protested with a cry. They both knew the incident from the underground base won't go unnoticed. That was no small deal and some might take it as a threat. Explaining and proving alien existence along with an incoming end of the world was no easy task or even a thing to excuse Aries's actions with. Hamsika got clear instructions to destroy everything they had if things went down, then take the private jet back to India, where she could hopefully mind her life in piece, since all eyes had been mainly pointed at him.

"No. No," she repeated to herself while choking on her tears. It was when a sudden shake, without a visible source in the mirror, moved her by the shoulder, sending the unsettling feeling throughout her entire body, that triggered her attention to a different direction.

"Hamsika?" she heard her name being called again; but just as she glanced back at the phone, she saw her screen being cracked, with blood dripping from it, slipping between her fingers. She dropped it with a scream and backed off into something soft and warm, which made her close her eyes for a brief moment, before daring to stare in the mirror, at the reflection.

She tried opening back her eyes but all she saw was darkness. However, while the softness still cushioned her back, she felt downright suffocated by the intangible surroundings; no light and nobody or nothing to hold her in place, though she felt downright pinned.

When the second shake came, she felt her body violently moved around, though it was still to any motion she might have wanted to perform herself. Hamsika took a deep inhale and though she couldn't precisely tell if the air reached her lungs or not, she tried shutting her eyes once more.

It felt blinding when she opened them to a light grey ceiling. She tried to sit up while hyperventilating, and looked around when she felt herself being pinned to the sleeping pod by two arms, one of them wearing a prosthetic. Her thoughts raced through her mind, trying to associate what she just dreamt of with what she was witnessing. Was she truly awake?

"Lucien, tell me it's you holding me."

"Of course, it's me," he gave her a concerned look as he slowly detached his hands from her arms, straightening his back and taking a step behind to allow her to eventually climb off the pod. He waited for their eyes to finally meet, so he could give her the comforting smile she searched for. Every time they powered up the engines for a jump, they forced themselves to sleep, so their bodies could handle all much smoother, in the pressurized capsules. It was only recently that Hamsika started to have recurring nightmares regarding the event that almost end their hope of ascension.

"It happened again," she whispered low as she placed herself on the edge of the pod.

"I know," he offered her a hand and after allowing her a moment to adjust to the artificial gravity once again after the induced sleep, they made a walk towards the closest window. "Quite a sight, isn't it?" he smiled looking down at her, then back out, as they passed through the insides of a nebula.

"It is," she smiled back, feeling the nightmare slowly fading into the back of her mind once again. She wrapped her arms around his own, pressing her cheek against his shoulder while glancing up at him.

"Sometimes it's hard to believe we managed to do it," the girl added.

"Ryan should've given us a bit more credit," he chuckled.

"He feared for the worst."

"Well, I wish we could show him that his fuel mix, my engine design and your depiction on how Aries made those wormholes, resulted into this."

Lucien gave a look to the circular chamber they were into, noticing how more and more were waking up from the induced sleep. The few hundreds of people, mastering various fields, worked and slept on that very space station, which carried them further from home than any of them ever dreamt to be, while hoping for a better outcome of the human race.

II

"Sometimes I wonder what reality is," Ryan broke the silence as they lied on the grass, having his brother move his attention from the doughnut he was stuffing his mouth with to himself, arching a confused eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've been living in the _wrong_ one for a while. We both did in fact, and yet it didn't make us feel any different."

Aries gave a small shrug to his brother's reply. The other Universe really had no impact on them as beings, but they did have some things said and done for others, altering their pacing and perception.

"I guess," he pushed in his mouth the remaining bit of the doughnut. "Don't tell me you have regrets. I am _not_ going back," he gave Ryan a warning look, to which he got an amused chuckle in response, though the blue eyes spoke otherwise beneath the wild curls.

"It's just a late afternoon thought."

"Ryan..."

"What?"

"It's always something behind your weird questions," Aries wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and eyed his brother with a studious gaze.

"I am not talking about Hamsika, if that's what you're thinking about."

"Of course, you are. It's always her in the middle," he quickly dismissed the other's words with a snort.

"Not this time."

"Alright..." he stated a bit unsure where all was going, since he initially thought his brother was rather down to Earth with his question, referring to the girl. He watched Ryan sit up and rest an arm over the bent knee, while turning his eyes to meet his own. Aries's eyebrows flung up, genuinely confused.

"What is reality to _us_ , Aries? To us who can shift between this one and the rest? Is there really a place where we belong to? What if others like us, from the other Universes jump just alike?"

"Wait. Too many questions at once," he laughed at the sudden incoming wave of further confusion.

"What if a pair of us will come from a mad Universe into the others too and cause a total chaos? What if it all comes to an end in a side we haven't reached yet?"

"Whoa! Wait a bit, Ryan. You're outstretching too much," his eyes widened at the realization. Did his brother just implied that their job was to somehow keep it all in a safe balance? Besides, how could it all be in a good way of balance if there was no chaos to help it stay so?

"Aries, we are doomed to eventually watch our own selves manage to destroy everything, until there'll be no other place to jump into."

"No, Ryan. NO!" he caught the boy's shoulders and shook him a bit, trying to take him out of the sudden panic, though he could feel his own insides twisting at the wild thought. "We are not here to save the Multiverse. In some Universe, things will eventually go wrong, it's among the possibilities and you know it."

"Maybe because we stood here and did nothing about it. Maybe the wrong in that Universe will expand into the Multiverse."

"No, Ryan. Because that's how things are supposed to be."

"What could possibly dictate so?!"

"The fact that's not written on our foreheads masters of Multiverse? Look, Ryan. You're getting paranoid. Just because we reached this thought, and we were able to pull onto some strings, it doesn't mean it's the way things are supposed to go everywhere. What if this way is not even the right way? What could even define a right and wrong way? Our perspective? Our perspective is different in each of these Universes and we could battle our infinite selves and still reach no conclusion."

"Could we even know that a conclusion is a conclusion?"

"Exactly my point. You're thinking too much about this," the boy let out a long sigh, feeling his insides ignite at the possibilities his brother raised in questions. They promised themselves they wouldn't step in other's places to fix what's to go other ways.

"Aries. Aries?!" Ryan shook his brother out of thoughts, eventually repeating the question the other failed to hear at first. "What could lie beyond the Multiverse?"

"I thought we just left the crazy train. How am I supposed to know?!"

"You always look like you know more than you let out!"

"Ryan, the only thing I ever sort of kept away from you began with that fight and end around it, in the Universe we left, mainly because I was troubled on how to even return here. Don't assume I know anything more, you could connect to my brain and convince yourself of it if anything," he watched his brother study him as he finished speaking his mind and let his hand fall off the shoulder he shook.

"I'm not fully buying this. I've been connected to your mind a couple of times before I realized there's the Multiverse happening, and you kept it all hidden from me."

"I did admit I kept it hidden."

"You could still keep things hidden with just as much ease as before," Ryan's eyes gave him a tired, yet questioning look.

"If you think I am keeping things away from you, so you won't go crazy superhero mode, you're wrong. You know I'm the first one craving for attention among us."

"Fair enough," he chuckled. "Truth being told, when I was connected with you back then, I didn't even try to search too far into your mind."

"You know that whatever it is, it's not unreachable if you really want it," Aries opened his arms as he stood up before the other. "I can shift right now and let you search every possible thought that crossed my mind or thing that I've witnessed."

"Aries, come on."

"I'm serious. I want you to stop accusing me of things."

"I'm merely doubting you, not accusing you," he stood up too, dusting himself off the grass. He walked to his brother and with a hand gently pressing onto his back, guided him back towards the alley, while adjusting the backpack on his other shoulder.

"I need you to stop even doubting me. I was serious back then when I apologized for my actions and really want us to be alright, Ryan. This world is an ever-growing chaos wherever we'd go."

"Quantum is in everything, including my mind. There's always going to be a doubt in all those countless trusting thoughts," he smiled to himself and both lost themselves to a laugh as Aries threw his arm over his shoulders. They were both different and difficult in their own ways, but that's what made them eventually work well together.

"So, you gave up on Hamsika?" the boy asked as they walked down the alley, towards the rack they left their bicycles at, thinking that maybe it was a first in their serious talks that didn't involve the girl at all.

"I'm just curious what she's up to in this Universe."

"I'm curious if Royce still has both hands around here," Aries admitted, both bursting with laughter and carrying with the talk and thought of what could lie different here than what they left behind, while still wondering deep inside of what outcome would the two, they abandoned in a dying Universe, face.

The End
About the Author

Cristiana Voinea is a concept artist, working in the video games industry. She enjoys creating stories for the characters and worlds she designs in her spare time, which brought her into becoming a self-published author, "Another Theory of the Universe" being the first published title.

Connect with the Author

For more updates on both, the art and writing, check out the links below:

Smashwords author page: <https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/blacksmiley>

Artstation: <https://www.artstation.com/blacksmiley/albums/1421912>

