Sam felt the portal open as he moved forward. He had an idea where the counsel was though he hadn’t been there yet.
As he moved through the tunnel, he was thinking hard as to how he could take down the counsel. He’d already decided that a direct attack was out of the question.
As he traveled further, he was so deep in thought that he almost passed by where he needed to exit. Upon exiting he could only nod at the massive amount of ships he saw surrounding the planet.
‘Hmmm,’ he thought, ‘this was obviously going to be more involved than he at first thought.’ Going as fast as he could, he landed several trillion miles away.
On the IP homeworld several hundred alarms were going off, then just as quickly were silent. The Lord doctor already angry, became more so at this new intrusion on his thoughts.
He then opened up several orbital stations, he went through them at an alarming speed. Something was at the extreme edge of the scanner and visual range.
The Lord Doctor shook his head he didn’t think the system was faulty, checking he nodded they were all at optimal efficiency.
He had started to turn away when a momentary flash caught his attention. Zooming in, then backing up the recording, he again caught a flash on the screen.
At maximum magnification, the doctor’s eyes went wide. He could swear that he’d seen a humanoid shape right before it seemed to vanish.
The doctor took a communicator from his belt. “This is an alert; we have possible hostiles just outside scanner range. All available ships investigate immediately.”
A thin smile crossed his lips as he saw more than a thousand ships depart. Within minutes the area outside of the scanner range was vastly crowded by a great number of ships.
Sam had just sat to think when he saw the approach of a multitude of IP ships. ‘Well hell,’ he thought, ‘so much for not being noticed.’
Sam sighed, leaning as fast as he could, though not a fan of the IP he didn’t want to kill them. Well, he thought, as the distance grew. He didn’t want to kill all of them, just a few.
The Lord Doctor actually released the breath that he’d been holding. Shivering, he was shocked to find that he was actually excited for the first time in centuries.
The lord Doctor’s eyes got larger as he was feeling something else. Was this anticipation, he hadn’t felt that emotion in an even longer time.
He started the recording again reviewing it over and over getting it as slow as he could. A thin smile again dominated his features, it had to be that damn Cliveastone. He kept seeing for the briefest moment the shape of the Sam creature.
He shook his head, the Cliveastone was gone that was for sure. For a moment he contemplated bringing the ships back, shaking his head no, it would provide all the lazy IP exercise.
He turned toward the terminal again entering data at a blinding fast speed. Sitting back, he just hoped that the A.I. brain of the computer could extrapolate a favorable answer. The last he’d gotten had him worried for the first time in four and a half centuries.
Less than twenty minutes later, there was a ding from the comp. letting him know it was finished. Gazing at the readout the doctor nodded, it was as he suspected. So the bastard was finally coming to meet them. Smiling again, the doctor started to call several commanders.
“It appears that the Cliveastone was within scanner range of this planet. This is unacceptable, if it happens again I would have to replace all of the homeworld command. Then again, I think that some punishment is in order.”
Here he turned toward the highest-ranking male. The male’s eyes got large as he started to float off the ground. Within seconds he was screaming louder and louder, ’til his screams were shrieks. Even as the others watched blood started to pour from the male’s mouth, ears and his eyes quickly following.
The doctor looked at all the commanders nodding almost all of them were showing a sadistic glee. Turning back to the male the doctor closed his hand watching as the male’s body was ripped to pieces.
“Ah, there, I hope that another demonstration isn’t necessary?” Another smile came to the doctor’s lips as all the males snapped to attention saluting. “Good, now, DO NOT fail me!” With that he clicked off, ‘that was so satisfying. How he missed the old days when killing several each day was normal.’
Now he had to deal with those fools that were supposed to be of his people. Stopping a moment he thought about what Sam had said. There are eleven of the doctor’s people out there? He knew of the eight here, then there the was the one he’d been trying to groom, that was nine so, there were two more?
If there were two others, they had to be extremely weak or far stronger than him. A thrill went through him, could some of the elite have survived? He hoped that if they had, they came forward soon, as strong as Sam was they were going to need help.
____________________________________________________________
Both Mellos and Drivas’s ships set down not far from where Queen Triada and Triann were. Mellos went to where the male that had been with her for years was still unconscious on the med bed. Checking the readings Mello’s mouth dropped open. Turning she went to the hatch then out.
As she stepped out Mellos saw that the other ship had arrived, now to see if they believed Sam. Then to her utter amazement, not only Drivas and Thellus exited, so did the female that Sam had saved from her. She was about to walk up to Raydy then stopped short, might not be too good to push things yet. Though them accepting her as an everyday thing really shocked her, like it was an everyday thing.
When the four females approached where the queen and Sam’s mother were, more than a few weapons were heard powering up. The Queen immediately had all the guards lower their weapons.
“I welcome you, noble Cliveastones.” The Queen stated bowing to all four of them. All four of their mouths dropped open.
Drivas stepped forward, “I am sorry Queen Triada, Thellus and myself are only about sixty to sixty-five percent Cliveastone.” She then lowered her head slightly.
“You are more than half, I can feel much about you is Cliveastone, I would…” the queen started.
“I see that Sam discovered the DNA adjusting technique he has.” A barely clothed, tall, pale, black-haired female stated. She had a curious machine in her hands passing it over all four of the females. “I see he has awakened you to seventy-five percent, ah I see your parents are also active.” She said to Raydy.
Here she ran the machine over Mellos, “almost all your genetic anomalies have been corrected.” Running it pass Mellos’s head she nodded again. “Good, it appears that you are now almost pure Cliveastone.”
Triann stepped up to Drivas and Thellus, she ran the machine over the both of them a few times. “So, both of you agreed to what he was doing to you, good I wouldn’t want Sam to have been doing this against your will.” Turning a few dials on her machine both females felt a twinge of pain then it was gone. “There that should help.
Drivas’s eyes went large as both she and Thellus started to float off the ground. Triann looked at Mellos and Raydy both nodded lifting up, bringing both females back to the ground.
“Is there nothing you can do to help them?” Raydy asked.
Triann was quiet a moment then reached her hand out with the machine. Touching both Drivas and Thellus’s temples, both female’s mouths dropped open. Both looked at Triann with wide eyes promptly passing out.
She then readjusted the machine, Triann then ran it over Drivas and Thellus again. “They should be fine, I put a limiting factor on their powers. At least ’til they are more in control. I just hope that moving them another five percent higher doesn’t hamper them. Now,” here she touched Raydy’s temple, as her eyes shone with clarity. “That should have you feeling like one of us soon.”
“I am sorry Mellos, I do not have the agility to finish your healing. That I am afraid only Sam can do. For now, that might be a while as I fear the mission he is on may keep him away for some time.” Triann said when she turned back toward Mellos, “I wish to thank you for allowing Sam to procure the equipment.”
Mellos was nodding to Triann then stopped. “I am sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, just who in the hell are you?
“Oh!” Triann stated as she dipped in a slight bow. “In all this I forgot none of you know who I am. I am Triann, Sam’s mother.”
Mellos and Raydy could only stare at her. “That’s impossible, Sam is as we are. He, as well as we, were all part of the project. That would mean you…” Mellos started startled
“You mean that I died when Owt Los exploded? You are correct, though as you can see, I have been resurrected. This was also part of the project.” Triann explained to Mellos and Raydy, both of whose mouths were hanging open.
“So you are the Triann? One of the greatest scientists of the Cliveastones?” A startled Raydy was saying.
“Unfortunately, I am the only Cliveastone scientist alive at the moment. It also is unfortunate that there are only four Cliveastones alive, well also two that are almost.” Triann explained. “Now, Mellos I hope that you have acquired more of the machines that Sam asked you to.”
When Mellos only nodded with a stunned look, Triann had to snap her fingers in Mellos face. Shaking her head to clear it, Mellos nodded then pressed a few commands on her wrist comp. A moment later two piles of material appeared between then.
With a smile, Triann started to move at first fast, then a few minutes later almost too fast for the others to follow.
________________________________________________________________
Triot slowly awoke pain radiating through all of his body. Damn, breathing was painful, forget trying to move. Then he made the mistake of trying to move his hand, the pain that shot through him nearly made him lose consciousness.
What seemed like ages the throbbing pain subsided. That’s when he noticed that breathing no longer hurt. Moving his hand he had before didn’t hurt either. Barely able to reach the button, he felt the restraints release.
Then he made his second mistake trying to lift both arms. This time the pain rippled through him in huge waves, then he was falling toward the deck. Even more pain washed over him this time he did pass out.
When he next opened his eyes he was staring at the deck. Almost afraid to move, he tentatively moved his arms. Surprised he pushed himself up, then fell again, his legs didn’t seem to want to work.
Triot cursed when he finally managed to get to a sitting position. Damn it he thought. I need the scanner on the table to… A moment later a small evil smile crossed his lips as it slowly flew to his hand. Running it first over his legs and then the rest of his body, he nodded as the readings came up.
Though it hurt like hell, a smile came to his lips. He was almost equal to the Lord Doctor. A steady beeping tone drew his attention to another panel. Somehow, he managed to finally get to his legs, though they were almost useless for now.
His eyes were wide when he saw the display on the screen. Looking closer he started to go through all the readings several times. Damn it! According to what was displayed he wasn’t going to be able to use the machine again for quite a long time. It appeared that he had overtaxed his body and mind. Any more before a month had passed would most likely kill his body.
Then he noticed that he had finally managed to reach the level of the Lord Doctor and a little past it. Another thin smile crossed his lips, good as soon as he was a little less weak, he needed to plan.
Grabbing several nutrient packs Triot slid to the floor as he slowly started to drain the first one. Feeling it course through his body, it was barely helping. Good thing he’d brought close to a hundred with him.
_______________________________________________________________
Thantas had tried to contact Sam or Drivas and Thellus. Unfortunately, Triot in all his paranoia had kept the new shield in place. This was hampering all her attempts to communicate. Now that he was awake, she had to stop, she didn’t want him to know that she knew he had elevated his levels.
She had felt Sam several times though not much else. He was definitely stronger than Triot though not much. She had also felt the collective again. They must really be worried about Sam if they had joined.
This was good news as was the fact that she had felt Sam knock them back to the IP homeworld. That was something no one had been able to do when they had captured her. She could swear that Sam was almost twice as strong as she was now.
Then there was this strange feeling that Sam was familiar to her. For the life of her though she still wasn’t able to put her finger on it.
She had to take a chance, had Sam realized just how strong Triot had become, he’d surely had done something.
Thantas concentrated sending out a powerful thought burst that cracked the shield. <Sam? Can you hear me? I have to warn you, Triot has managed to increase his…> A moment later a terrified scream caused her thought stream to crack the shield more.
<You damned Cliveastone bitch! I will make you suffer pain unending. When I am through with you, you’ll wish you died that day!> Triot’s thoughts screamed in her mind.
Triot was laughing with sadistic glee the more Thantas screamed. That was ’til the entire station rocked completely off-kilter. Suddenly there were alarms going off as atmosphere started to escape the station.
“Warning! Warning! Oxygen levels down to fifty percent throughout seventy-five percent of station, now attempting to seal.” The main computer stated.
<HEY ASSHOLE!> An extremely loud voice yelled in Triot’s head. <Two can play at that game!> Sam reached in feeling for Thantas. Finding her body he started to snap even more of the connections. As he felt Thantas slip into her body he felt a great many starting to die.
Triot, blood flowing from several spots on his face and body, screamed as he felt Sam in his head. Then he felt most of the scientists dying. Slamming his hand over a red switch he sighed as he felt another shield slide home.
Sam was smiling as he felt Thantas’s power start to climb. Good, she was a hell of a lot higher. Then as the shield started to slam shut he again felt her drawn out. Damn it! She was almost there, Powering up, he started to slam into the shield surprised when it didn’t give.
After hitting it ten times he started to look all over it for a weakness. This shield was different than the others they had used.
Thantas almost screamed in anger when she was again drawn away from her body. Her power had almost doubled, though that didn’t do much good without her body.
That’s when she noticed that, almost all the cables that kept her connected to the machine, were disconnected or broken. So she thought, that was what Sam had been doing when he was hitting the station
Thantas reached out surprised that she now had access to everything on the station. Good, she thought, as she started to change several mixtures of the atmosphere.
Triot lay there in his secret room in a crumpled heap. He had to kill that piece of filth, that was if he could recover. Then there was that bitch, he was going to have to kill her as soon as he could. Serum or no serum, he was most definitely going to kill her.
Damn it Sam thought, I almost had her free. He was about to power up as far as he could when he felt a presence. Then slowly he heard a voice, though it seemed to have trouble getting passed his anger.
Sam calmed a moment then he heard, <Sam, we need you back here. I have constructed two more chambers. I’m going to need you to heal them as they come out. One is very sick, please.>
Shaking his head he felt for Thantas, <I’ll be back. The next time I will free you or die trying!>
A portal opened behind him as he entered it then was gone. Arriving a few minutes later Sam didn’t even notice that he’d made a half-hour trip in three minutes.
When he landed he was slightly shocked to see three chambers. He could also feel that the occupants were like he was.
“Sam I’m glad that you are here. The first is your father, he should be finished in a few minutes. The other two are the parents of Mellos. Her father is the one that I was telling you of. Without your healing him, I am afraid that he will expire. I tried to filter the body when the machine reconstituted it, to no avail.” Triann told Sam.
“Have you figured out why?” Sam asked.
“It appears that the original DNA and RNA, cannot be overwritten before the reconstitution process is complete. I was afraid of this, I warned the science counsel of it, also to no avail. You, I am afraid, are the only chance that he has to survive.” She explained.
Sam looked at his mother incredulously, turning he sought out Mellos. “So I take it you want me to heal him?”
“As I said before, he is hideous, though he is my father. Then again, you might want to finish with me before you start on him.” Mellos replied. Nodding Sam reached out touching Mellos’s arm.
A small smile crossed his lips as he felt, the last of the problems within her finally right themselves. The complete look of shock on her face was also worth the effort.
“I think, I might need to finish with Raydy also,” Sam stated, to which Mellos was readily agreeing.
Sam walked to Raydy, asking her if she was ready to complete herself. After thinking a few moments, she nodded.
This time Sam actually had to grab her arm for more than a few minutes. Raydy’s eyes were wide the whole time ’til Sam let go. “Thank you, Sam,” she said with clarity and certainty in her eyes.
From behind him, Sam heard a slight clapping, whirling he came face to face with a male. “I am so proud of you son. When we found out you were a possessor of the osmosis healing, we knew we had a chance.”
Sam could only stare at the male who resembled him in more than just the face. “You, I take it, are my father,” Sam asked.
When the male nodded, so did Sam though he wasn’t really ready to just run up and hug the man. Hell, he wasn’t ready to do that to his mother, and she was gorgeous.
“So, how long will it be before any of you can help me?” Sam asked hoping to get some kind of help.
His mother looked over the readings before she replied. “I’m afraid that it will be a few weeks before, we will be able to use more than a few of our powers. They are alive, none of us have used a body in a very long time.”
Sam nodded he’d been afraid that it might be something like this. ‘It figures,’ he thought, ‘just about like my luck has always been.’
Sam sat to talk to a now conscious Drivas and Thellus. He was surprised when he found that Drivas was seventy-seven percent complete. Then he was told that Thellus was at seventy. Looking at his mother he mouthed thank you, which caused her to smile and nod to him.
They might not be able to help directly yet, though they were helping greatly behind the scenes.
It was a few hours later when he heard a pneumatic hiss. Rising he was at the chamber in moments. Placing a hand on the disfigured male inside, Sam almost felt a strain as he felt the body start to adjust and right itself.
“He needs more Sam, he’s only at half. You have all the critical systems improved. He’s now past the point of death. Sixty percent, sixty-five, seventy.” Sam’s mother was saying.
Sam was suddenly dizzy as he saw the male’s eyes snap open. “What the hell are you doing to me?! Let me go you piece of garbage.”
“Seventy-five hang on son,” Triann stated.
Now the male was trying to push Sam away, “Stop it you’ll die!”
“Eighty percent, SAM!” Triann yelled as Sam fell to his knees.
“He has to heal himself. Get him…,” The male started as he shakily got to his feet.
Damn Sam thought this really sucks as the darkness took him.