There's a little Latverian spoken in this chapter. Okay, it's Hungarian that's been tweaked a tiny bit.

Three days after that lunch with Johnny, I was on my way back home, back to Latveria. I would arrive just in time to prepare everything for Victor. After what Leonard had told me, I knew he was still in there, still alive but trapped by a metallic exoskeleton.

I could only hope that the chamber I'd had constructed would function properly. Transporting it presented no problem; neither did setting it up in the castle.

But there was only one way to make sure it worked.

"Are you sure about this?" Leonard was always very cautious.

"We could always try this with a plant first," I offered. "But exposing myself to those rays is really the only way we'll know the effect it will have on Victor."

"I just - I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you were hurt by this. Or worse."

"Funny. Victor said the same thing two weeks ago."

"Ah. But he's a brilliant - He knew what he was doing," he protested.

"And so do you. I have shown you everything Victor showed me, and now we . . . will have a practice run with that flower."

He cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the level of trust I displayed. "Yes, of course." He crossed the room to retrieve the pot I'd indicated and set it inside the chamber.

"All right, Leonard." I went over it once again. "This indicates the power levels; they must remain at ninety-five percent or higher. If they go much lower than that, the effects . . ." I took several deep breaths to steady my nerves. Though I'd been through all of this before, it was different now. This time, Victor wasn't there to . . . It occurred to me that this was the first time he wasn't there for me. All my life, he had been there to guide me, to correct me. I turned to Leonard. "When the crate gets here, I want to do this as quickly as possible. So I have to test it." I swallowed my trepidation; this was no time for doubts or second guesses. "Start the machine."

He was so focussed on the displays that he didn't notice me move away towards the generator. Before I could change my mind, I lifted the cover. An array of spectacular colours swirled and coalesced in front of me. A spark of energy arced towards me; all I had to do was reach in and embrace my destiny.

I thrust my hand in and let the cosmic radiation envelop me. My skin tingled in a way I'd felt only once before.

"The power levels are staying steady at ninety-seven percent!" Leonard called out over the hum of the machines. "Mutations . . . but the cells all seem to be intact!"

I lowered the cover. Oh, the power I felt at that moment was intoxicating. Every part of me vibrated with energy. "That was simple enough, wasn't it, Leonard?"

He shot me a relieved smile. "What are you doing over there?"

"I was monitoring the generator. As I told you, everything has to be ready for Victor's arrival."

"How do you . . . He's encased in metal," he stated, confused yet curious.

"His skin . . . What his doctor found was that it's . . . an organic type of metal. It has hardened. We could free him from it."

He still looked uncertain.

"Leonard, I'm doing this with or without you. You don't have long to decide where you stand."

The clock on the mantle chimed. Noon. There were only two hours before I had to be at the docks to meet the ship.

"I am going to make sure the bedroom is prepared. Don't make your choice hastily, Leonard; it will affect the rest of your life."

"I made my choice a long time ago," he stated softly. "And I made a promise, too, that if anything happened to Victor, I'd look out for you. I intend to fulfil that promise."

I nodded. "Thank you, Leonard. I appreciate that."

It took us less than an hour to finish the rest of what we needed to do, then we were off to the port authority. It turned out the ship was a bit early, and we were able to set off ahead of schedule.

At the time, I'd thought it boded well.

We retrieved the crate and had our people take Victor home. While Leonard saw to it that the lorry was secure, I asked the captain if anything unusual had happened on the journey. He assured me that there hadn't been anything out of the ordinary, apart from a few glitches with some electrical equipment.

I bit my lip to avoid smiling at that comment.

Once we were home, I directed the crate to be placed in the laboratory. I opened it and gasped.

"A kamrabana halyere," I murmured to the workers. Place him in the chamber.

I have a very good staff; they don't question the nature of my experiments. They simply do as they are told with great efficiency. I lifted a hand to caress the metallic cheek.

A humming coursed through my head, making me dizzy. Leonard caught me before I completely lost my balance.

"What happened?" he asked, his eyes full of concern. He really does worry too much.

My mouth had gone dry. "I'm not sure," I rasped. I craned my neck to see the workers staring at their feet and fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Nekunk," I said flatly. They shuffled off without a word.

"Start the generator, Leonard. I need to check on something."

I stepped into the chamber and looked Victor over. Suddenly, the door slammed shut. "Leonard?"

"Jasmine?" he called back. "What's going on? What are you doing?"

"Nem tettem semmit," I muttered. I turned my head back towards Victor. Were his eyes moving? "Sikerult?" Could he have summoned some sort of telekinetic ability? I reached up to touch his face again. There it was, the humming, only this time, it increased to a roar. Images flashed through my mind, disorienting me, but I understood.

"Start the machine, Leonard."

"Wh- With you in it?!"

"Ezt!"

"B-b-b-but you don't know what it might do to you!"

Nothing is ever learned by being too cautious.

"It's the only way, Leonard," I informed him softly. "Do as I ask. Please."

The chamber hummed with energy, vibrated around us, and enveloped us in a miasma of cosmic colours. I focussed my thoughts on maintaining the energy levels. My hands ventured up along his shoulders to keep me steady.

Everything brightened and swelled.

The next thing I knew, I was being awakened by a gentle hand caressing my forehead with a cool cloth.

It hurt even to whisper.

The brightness of the late afternoon sun streaming through the window was too much; I shut my eyes against it.

Voices spoke in soothing tones near me, but I couldn't make out what they said. Perhaps the haze of unconsciousness still hung heavy on my head.

Whatever had happened to me in that chamber, I feared there was more still to come.