Mituna carefully eyed the twin pupae in their respective hospital cubes. "How much longer?" he asked.

"Your son is developing normally," the Prospite nurse, identified as NELL BRIGHTON by her nametag, replied. "He has hit his developmental checkpoints and should be ready to hatch in two month's time. However, your daughter is...taking a little longer than normal. We are concerned that she may have an infection of some sort, as tealbloods are the color most prone to disease during pupation of all trolls."

Mituna sighed. "I was afraid of that. Latula caught a nasty cold when she was a pupa and got permanent sinus damage because of it. Can't smell anything with her right nostril, and the left one can barely manage. Can you stop it?"

"No, because antibiotics interfere with normal development into the imago. And trust me, a one-eyed troll is not something you wanna see." Brighton shuddered.

"Oh. I see." His eyes flickered to two other pupae nearby. One was dark green, flat and thin, with two spines at the top. The other was a black box hooked into the wall. "What's that?"

"Oh! That would be the Leijon-Makara's adopted cherubs, Caliborn and Calliope. We have split them into separate bodies."

"...you can do that?!"

"Of course! Provided we have the genomes of both parents, we can synthesize stem cells with a genetic code identical to that of the original child, and then transfer one personality into the whole new body, in this case Caliborn. It's how we've managed to have cherubs on Earth without them turning into massive snakes the length of the solar system's radius."

"You sure?"

"Yes, the transformation appears to be linked to an ability to tap into 'the enigmatic forces presiding over all that is eternal', as they call it. Splitting the cherubs severs that connection. Not harmful, since cherubs don't seem to have naturally evolved that ability in the first place."

"Either you paid attention in history class, or you're a big fan of Meulin's books."

"I am!" Nell beamed. "Do you know her?"

"We went to college together at Evergreen."

"Wow! Fascinating." She sighed. "Mituna? Do you feel...a sense of forboding?"

"A little bit. Why?"

"Because we have Andrhuss the Incomprehensible's SON AND DAUGHTER IN OUR CUSTODY!" She hyperventilated a bit. "The Felt are gonna be after our shells for certain!"

"Hm...yeah, that's probably it. Don't worry lady, I'm gonna tell my son to avoid that crap as hard as I can." He paused. "Did you feel a draft right now?"


It was no draft.

At a secret base somewhere on the near side of the Moon, a creature burst into the main control room. His skin was neon green and soft, lightly furred. He was bipedal with four stubby fingers per hand and the same number on each shoe-clad foot. He wore a suit that matched his skin color and a yellow hat with a "1" surrounded by a white circle.

"You get them all in place, Itchy?" asked another member of his species, this one broader-shouldered and wearing a maroon triangular hat with a "7" on it.

"Of course I got them placed, Crowbar!" Itchy scoffed. "We's gonna be watching every step they make for the foreseeable future!" He panted. "Ugh, I need a drink."

"Hey, if you do, better not make it coffee. Too much caffeine will kill ya. Literally. It'll tear apart your insides."

"Okay, fine, 'dad'," Itchy grimaced, limping away.

Footsteps. "Did he succeed?" asked a new voice.

Crowbar sighed. "Yes, Doc, he did."

"Very good, friend. Very good indeed. Fire up the cameras and we shall get to watching."

"Yes, sir." Crowbar walked away.

The owner of the voice chuckled. He was a small android in a white suit over a green undershirt and bowtie. His head was a white sphere, devoid of any features. "Well then," he smirked. "The game is afoot. And once again...

"I shall prove that I am an excellent host."