Chapter 2: Falling From the Stars

For Gene it seemed like so much time passed; as if he stood in the same spot in front of the tank for years without blinking. He couldn't look away and his chest bubbled at the sight of his long lost sister. The rest of the crew, however, were stunned at this revelation. They knew Gene had a father who died in space, but to find out he had surviving relatives was a lot to handle at the moment. Melfina took Gene's shaking hands and stared at the girl in the tank. Watching her floating figure with small wires attached to her temples and an IV like tube connected to a vein in her arm, brought back familiar feelings of something she couldn't explain. It was like she could vision herself in this situation.

"Is she alright Doctor," Melfina asked.

"Yes, this is just a routine diagnostics we do, weekly." They watched Gene anxiously as he walked forward and placed his hand on the glass. It was cool to the touch and Gene wondered if his sister was cold in there. Dr. Veda had walked up and whispered something in his ear. He cleared his throat and everyone but Gene turned their heads.

"They are about to remove her from the diagnostic chamber. If you could follow me into my office, I can explain in detail everything you need to know." Everyone had their eyes on Gene who still stared at the girl. Dr. Tate anticipated a reaction like this. His heart felt lighter feeling this young man keep his eyes on his long lost sister.

They had to drag Gene backwards out of lab as he refused to tear himself away from the tank. Other doctors had already drained the tank, leaving Max slumped on the floor. She opened her eyes looking around and slightly shivering as the glass opened away. She wrapped her arms around her bare body as someone came over to her to give her a towel. Gene left before he could get her attention. His impulse told him to call out to her, but he couldn't as he was separated by reinforced chrome and steel that lead to the lab. They took another ride on the elevator, fifteen stories above ground to the sleek office of Dr. Tate. It was a fairly big office completely with graphs and maps of genetic findings against on wall and an artistic magnification of DNA on the other There was a simplicity to the furniture that a little coziness to the chrome office. There was and door that led to a private lab that Dr. Tate did more of his top secret and more confidential experiments in.

He sat behind his desk while the crew sat in various places around the room. Suzuka, Aisha, and Melfina took the couch while Gene and Jim took the two seats in front of Dr. Tate's desk. He removed his glasses to press the bridge of his nose. Being a hands-on scientist meant he had more work to do than most and made tough decisions; one was sitting right in front of him. Jim had many questions, some for Tate, but mostly for Gene. "Dr. Tate, how is this possible," the boy asked speaking up for his friend, who was slumped in the chair beside him. Gene had a glazed look in his eyes, like he wasn't mentally present to understand anything, leaving Jim to be his proxy for information.

"How did you find Gene's sister- "

"How does Gene have a sister," Aisha interrupted, "I mean you would think someone would remember if they had family or not. Way to go, Starwind. You sure got some heart, forgetting you- Ow!" Suzuka had silenced the girl with a swift smack to the head with her wooden sword. The doctor felt amused at the crews antics, but continued to answer Jim's question.

"Well, Mr. Starwind would have a sibling like most people who share the same parents. But I suspect the real question you're trying to answer is how she came here to our lab?" He paused to wipe his glasses clean of an imaginary smudge. Doing something remedial could calm his nerves in delving in the story.

"I think I should start from the beginning. As a scientist I'm tasked with discovering ways to improve the lives of many beings across the galaxy. A problem solver and much like you, Mr. Starwind, I'm an explorer waiting to discover something new about our universe, " he paused and shifted his focus to the one piece of art that in the office, trying to gather his thoughts. "Unfortunately, we may not achieve what we are searching for in our lifetime, and at times we compromise our scientific integrity for our personal goals. I had a colleague, who wanted something so bad that he let it consume him. You're probably wondering, why now, why all of this to find your lost relative? I can't let my desire for scientific discovery overpower my humanity and morals."

Gene looked present since the news hit him. His eyes held awareness and concern, "But Doc, how did she….I thought she was…" he could finish the statement, but Dr. Tate saw Gene's eyes forming fluid in them. There were questions he had for the young man himself.

"I was going to ask you the same thing, Mr. Starwind. It will give me some context in the state we found her," he sat back in his chair and laced his fingers together.

Gene remembered everything like a bad nightmare that would probably haunt him until the end of time. The last space ride with his father was a family trip with him, his father, and his younger sister. He remembers her laughter still sounding like her first time in space when she was five, with her pink elephant in hand. Before that particular space ride, their father gave her and late birthday gift that he was going to wait until she was a little older, but changed his mind. Their mother's star necklace with a beautiful opal stone in the middle of the gold pendant was given to the young girl. At twelve years old, she wanted to go in head first into exploring the universe like her father and brother. And it was on that fateful day when their ship was being attacked by space pirates, that their father put them in escape pods, without concern for his escape. Gene remembers the tears streaming from her bright eyes and the screams for her father to come with her. Many times, when the same nightmare of the consumable void of space haunted him, he would hear her voice calling for him.

He told the doctor how his father sacrificed his life for them. He revealed to his crew members of two escape pods on his father's small ship. Instead of taking one, Gene's father put his children in separate pods. He never told anyone of his sister, not even Jim. "Her pod departed right before my father's ship exploded, I thought it didn't make it out. I was so hopeful that maybe it did, I went searching for her when I landed on Sentinel. When I couldn't find her . . . I thought . . . " Gene paused and lowered his head. He didn't need to finish his thought for everyone to understand his feelings. No one faulted him for not knowing. Dr. Tate nodded his head, "She did make it." Gene looked up in surprise, with tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "We had a small research lab on Sentinel III. Before I became head geneticist at this institution I managed a small lab. I found Stel-. . . er . . . Max. . . in her pod badly injured but alive. Once we stabled her vitals, we proceeded to try to perform surgery. However, her injuries were very severe; a large portion of her spinal cord was damaged along with parts of her brain. We thought we were going to lose her, when my colleague, Prof. Gwen Khan, developed a new bio-android project." The team stiffened at sound of Khan's name. Melfina noticeably shuddered, Suzuka placed a hand on her lap to comfort her. Dr. Tate caught on to the tension shift in the atmosphere. "Did you know Khan," he asked.

"Let's just say we've crossed paths before," Jim interceded before anyone else could.

"Well, thanks to his success with developing bio-androids, I proposed using the same process to heal your sister. If we were able to create and grow complete humanoid life forms from DNA tissue of the deceased, then maybe we could repair live, human tissue. Khan was fond of the idea and once I was invited to test my proposal I ended up working on other genetics projects for him. That's not to say I abandoned my initial purpose, oh no. I used my position as one of the lead genetic scientist and co-worker of Khan to gain access to the necessary scientific medicine to heal, Max. Well. . . almost."

"What do you mean almost, "Gene asked, his voice tinted partially with anger and partially with fear. Dr. Veda quietly exited the room, hoping no one notice; no one noticed, except Suzuka.

"Well, physically she is in excellent condition, however she does have memory loss. We successfully repaired her spine and brain, but when she came out of her coma she couldn't remember anything about her accident. At first we thought it was just her temporary, but soon we realized the possibility of her memory being slightly erased in regeneration." Gene leaned back in his chair, wiped a hand over his face, and let out a resigned sigh.

"But," started Dr. Tate.

"But," asked Gene with a unison "BUT?" From the rest of the crew.

"She did have a picture with her that might be helpful, " the ringing of his office phone silenced his statement. The picture, Gene thought. Once he hung up the phone he turned back to the crew, "Well it seems your sister is awake. You can see her if you want," Tate said rising out of his chair. The crew didn't have to be told twice and quickly exited the room behind Dr. Tate.

Gene stared at the door of her room, showing no sign of entering. He was so close to stepping on Dr. Tate's heels all throughout the facility until they reached the door to Max's room. "Well, are you gonna stand there all day or are you gonna go in," Aisha screeched at Gene.

"I'm going, I'm going," he yelled back, "I just need a minute," he whispered to himself.

"Do you want me to go in with you Gene. You know, as support," Melfina asked with a smile on her delicate face. Gene looked back into her bright, brown eyes and felt comforted by them, but this was something he had to do on his own. He could face going into space after the traumatic accident. He could face being the captain of a ship overcoming any disasters that come their way. He could face the galactic Kei pirates and come out on top. This may be the hardest thing he was going to do, but he was going to do it. With an inhale, he opened the door and walked inside to the fluorescent white walls and blinding lights. He walls had pictures, hand drawn pictures, of flowers. Sketches of real life objects mixed with math equations. There were shelves with books on the far wall near the bed. On the other side, a nightstand with a lamp and books stacked on top of it like they had been recently read. Sitting at the edge of the bed was a girl. All Gene could see was the back of her head with her golden hair. She was dressed in a simple medical gown. Unlike the bland, white, paper gown he had to wear at the hospital, she was wearing a cotton gown that tied at the side. Without warning, she calmly turned around, stopping Gene in his tracks. Her gaze froze him in place. She looks like mom, he thought to himself.

"Hello," she said with a bright voice. His presence didn't deter or scare her.

"Hey," Gene replied in a shaky breath.

"Are you another doctor," she asked tilting her head to the side.

"No. I'm...uh..." She walked up to him almost like he was a fascinating, new object. When she got closer he saw one of her eyes was different. Max, like their mother, had green eyes, but one of them was brighter with an electric, greyish tint. That crash left her on the brink of death; it wouldn't be unlikely that her eye was damaged. He expected a scar, but surprisingly there weren't any that he could see. Her peachy skin looked smooth and unscathed from the look of her bare arms and legs.

"Well are you a new tutor," she asked her eyes getting brighter. Gene blinked at her excitement and watched as she went over to the nightstand picking up books. "I've already finished Dr. Jonas Hapshire's book on gravitational star alignment and shifting mathematical theory. " She opened the book and took out the slip of paper that was acting as a bookmark. The picture. . . the last picture they took before the accident. Gene couldn't take his eyes off of the wrinkled square and how she gingerly handled it.

"I'm not a tutor either." Max blinked at his sudden words breaking through her words on formula mass. She stepped closer examining him now, her gaze trained to stare him down. Her look wasn't that of suspicions but of genuine interest. Gene kept his eyes on picture in her hand and as if by mental telepathy she looked down at the picture. Her brow furrowed trying to figure out what was so striking about using a picture as a bookmark. Out of all the things in her room this was the only thing that held the key to her past. Everyone at the Institute, all the doctors and tutors and scientist told her that she has been here for seven years, but nothing before then. The faces in the picture unfamiliar and foreign. It was supposed to be her family, from what was speculated. The man was supposed to be her father and the boy smiling in the picture next to a young girl that resembled herself was supposed to be her brother. The smiling redhead had his arm over her shoulder, bringing her with the biggest smile on his face. Max imagined that they were close and that brought a dull pain to her heart. She only remembers and knows objective feelings. She was Project SX19, or Stella as Dr. Tate called her. He gave her that name when she couldn't remember her own. In fact Dr. Tate was the only one that treated her like a person. While Dr. Veda and the others ran their test giving her cold, observing stares, he wanted to know how her day was going. He asked her about her studies and interests. He wanted her to be more than a subject for scientific advancement; even if she was their crowning achievement. Dr. Tate asked her if what she would she do if she ever found her family. She told him she wouldn't know how. He told her he would help her. . . if it was the last thing he ever did for her.

Max looked up from the picture and looked back at the stranger in front of her. His blue eyes and red hair familiar; too familiar.

"Are you the red-haired boy," she asked suddenly. The man seemed shocked when she handed him the picture. He took the picture with a shaky hand and visibly swallowed looking at the picture.

Gene held the picture and immediately felt his heart implode when seeing the picture of his father and sister smiling before they took that fateful trip to space. It was right after her birthday, their mother's necklace around her neck. Gene frantically looked up remembering the necklace she was supposed to have on her. He was met with her questioning look.

"Where is your necklace," Gene asked. She held his gaze until she had to break it to go to the nightstand, pull open the drawer and pull out the white gold necklace, the opal stone embedded in the star pendant reflecting the blaring lights above. It twinkled like the stars in space when you looked up into the sky from below. Their father got it for their mother as a reminder that no matter where he traveled she was the most important and most beautiful star in the entire galaxy. She died knowing that, and his daughter was that reminder.

"You're the boy in the picture," Max stated as she started to put the necklace back around her neck. She took it off whenever she had to go into the diagnostic chamber; like the picture she took great care of it.

"Yes," Gene answered back without hesitation. Max took the picture from his hand. She studied for a moment.

"You're my brother?"

"Yes."

"What's your name?" Max didn't know it but that question was the hardest for Gene. His only family couldn't even remember her name and not by any fault of her own. She really doesn't remember me, he thought.

"Gene. Gene Starwind," he answered in a strained, horse voice. She tilted her head, "So that mean my name is Stella Starwind?"

"No," he said with a shake of his head and a smirk on his face, "your real name is Maxine. Max for short. . . in fact you prefer Max." Her eyes widened at the new name for her. She mouthed it and whispered it a few times; the name foreign but intriguing to her.

"Isn't Max a boy's name," she asked slightly amused.

"It usually is, but out parents thought it would be interesting. Different. . . Special." Max gave a wide smile. She had to deal with a lot of emotions not remembering anything about her past life. She had hoped that the reason no one found her for so long, because they were all dead. She prayed that they didn't forget about her and leave her alone and confused. She liked being special; it meant they loved her. . .Right?

"It was that or Geraldine," Max made a face at the name earning a chuckle from her brother. "It went with the nickname Gene and they thought Geri was a cute nickname."

"Yeah but I would mind having a name like Geraldine. I kind of like Maxine and don't mind it." Gene liked that she had a sense of humor.

"I like it too," he said with a smile. He stepped forward and hugged her. The contact surprised her. She wasn't used to this kind of contact, she was always kept at a distance. So this is what it's like, she thought, to be hugged. She understood what affection was and she knew it was reserved for those one considered important and having a fondness followed by physical contact to express said fondness, but no one ever showed it. She was the experiment. The subject. The closest thing she ever experienced was Dr. Tate placing a hand on her head or rubbing her back in a soothing motion. His fondness was limited by professionalism and an effort not to get too attached to her. The hug from her brother who was significantly taller than her, enveloping her with his broad shoulders was different. It was something so new and yet so different. She felt her shoulder get wet and his shoulders shook a little. Gene was crying, squeezing her tighter like he wanted to press her into his chest and hide her away. Max didn't know that the haunting burden of questioning whether or not his sister was alive was finally answered. His wish to put his mind at ease was granted. He found her and was never letting her go.

This is nice, Max thought. I like being special to someone.

Thanks you guys for reading please review! Tune in next chapter with the reunited Starwind siblings.