"He's fully healed, Wingmaster."
Orchid tried to contain herself and act dignified – she really did. But the excitement within her was just too great. "Are you sure, Gelimer?"
"Absolutely," the snivelling old man bowed low – Orchid wrinkled her nose at the sight of his spotted, balding head. She wouldn't have to see him again now. "Would you like to see him?"
"Of course I would!" Orchid wanted to murder him. He was supposed to be smart – that was the only reason why he was a part of the Black Wings – and yet he was a clueless, senseless fool of an old man who only seemed to be able to annoy her with his existence.
He led her down to a renovated underground cavern, and stopped behind a closed door. "I must ask you to brace yourself, however," Gelimer simpered, rubbing his hands together. "He's . . . been through a lot."
"Yes, yes, I know," she waved it away and tried to enter, but he held her back. Actually, physically restrained her from entering the room where her other half waited for her, fully healed after centuries of being trapped in between life and death. The feeling of his gnarly hand on her shoulder was so revolting that she was about to blast him where he stood, but his words stopped her.
"No, Wingmaster, I mean that he's . . . different now."
"Different? Different how?" Orchid was struck with a terrible thought. What if Lotus had been placed in one of those robots he liked to tinker around with? "Did you mess up?!"
"No, no!" he removed his hand in order to hold them in front of his body in the universal gesture for 'calm down'. "He's strong – even stronger than before."
It was an attempt to make the unknown bitter truth seem sweeter than it actually was. She glared at him suspiciously. "Gelimer . . . ." her staff was aimed threateningly at his throat, and it was going to be more than just a mere threat if he didn't explain himself. Now.
"I mean to say that the death-defying experience he's gone through may have actually harmed his body past the point of full repair. He's able to move and fight even better than before, but I'm afraid that . . . ."
"What," she growled. That door was the only thing between her and Lotus, and the enforced steel wasn't thick enough to stop her if she wished to barge in.
He looked at her and took a theatrical breath – so loud that it was almost a gasp. "I'm afraid," he said dramatically, "that he doesn't remember anything."
Whenever I look at Orchid/Lotus-type Xenon, I think that Gelimer's given Xenon plastic surgery so he can either get rid of Orchid and replace her with Xenon, or trick her into doing what he wants.
(But since Xenon escaped there went that plan. So backstabbed does Orchid get.)
It would have been interesting, though . . . .