I smiled and breathed in and breathed out. He needs to not smell so good. My heightened senses don't help at all. I backed away from him, "Thanks, I'll be okay though."

"Are you sure?" He asked, "Because I can stay here instead of going back to Earth…"

I looked at him and laughed. "You just want to be in space."

He laughed, "Yeah that too."

I pulled out my phone and looked at the ISF archives on the 3D display. Then I remembered something, "Oh! One more stop and then I take you home."

"Where are we going now?" he asked as he followed me. The lights shut off and the door shut behind us. He followed me down the hall to a few doors down. "What's this?"

I didn't open the door yet. "My archived collection of customized weapons."

"Really now?"

I put my hand on the touchpad, it scanned my hand and the doors opened. I turned on the lights with the light switch by the door. "I prefer to keep it a bit out dated." The lights warmed up and turned on section by section to reveal a long hallway of guitars on display.

"Guitars?" He questioned and looked at one.

"Built them all and each does something different, besides play music."

"Can I play one?" He asked, wandering over to one. His wings perked up when he touched the neck of the purple one. He left finger prints on the glass neck when he strummed the strings. Its semi-warped sound echoed in the hall.

"Do you know how?" I asked him as I picked up an all black one. I put the strap over my neck and let it hang on me. It felt weird to stand with it hanging off me once again.

"Kind of," He answered, "I mean, I can read music…"

I held up my guitar and felt the electricity flow through me. I strummed and let the notes ring through the room. "It's not about reading music and following notes." I plucked at the strings with my claws and formed a tune that he might recognize. "You have to feel it." I played it more and he listened to it.

I paused and let it trail off. "It's not something your powers would be able to give you. You either have it or you don't. The transformation only amplifies this ability." I picked up a silver one and handed it to him. "Let's see if you have it."

"Alright," he commented as he tried to put it on him. He struggled with getting the strap over his wing and turned for me to help him.

"Close your wings and it'll be easier." I told him as I folded it against his back. "Like that."

He turned back around and played a few notes. They were beginner notes.

"Explore your talent, if it's there." I laughed, returning to where I left off in the song.

"Well you're the one over there playing the intro to some 80's song!" he shouted over the music. "I can't do that!"

"Rock You Like A Hurricane!" I yelled, tapping my foot to the beat of the song. I hadn't played in so long and it was difficult for me not to get into it. I moved my head along with the beat too. I played through the first lyrics and refrained from singing them. I smoothly changed the song and seamlessly blended the notes together. I just enjoyed playing the guitar part to Steal Away the Night. I interrupted myself again and in the silence I let him try to play but it didn't happen.

"Even if you can't, these make great weapons."

"How?" He asked, pulling the strap back over him. "Whacking someone on the head?"

"Keep that in front of you and I'll show you." I told him. He held it in place and I changed the setting to attack by turning the knob below the bridge. I strummed a string of notes and the sound waves were visible this time. They expanded as they moved across the air and hit the wall, bounced off it and hit a few more things. The guitar Mark held created a barrier to protect him from the sound waves.

"Sound waves are a great tool. Not only does it let you play a cool battle song, but it actually does a lot of damage when played right." I explained, taking off the strap and putting it back into place. I took the one from Mark and put it back. "The one I had was actually my main weapon in the beginning of my Apprenticeship."

"Rock phase?" He asked thoughtfully, "I think everyone goes through that."

"I didn't fully get out of it," I answered and gestured to the rest of the room. "I used it to tap into my electricity powers and refine my technology abilities." As I kept my hand up I let electricity form in my hand. "It also allows me to amplify any of the powers I use. My eyes turn the color of whatever power I use for that and adding electricity to it…" I lifted my hand up and pointed with my fingers, dragging the power around, so to speak, and a symphony of guitar notes rang through the hall.

"Amplifies that particular power…" he finished my statement and looked around at all the active guitar sound waves. His gaze landed on one in particular. "Why is that one tied down?" He pointed at the stand at the end of the hall, off in the corner. The light had been shut off.

"It's… Kind of a bad one," I explained, walking over to it. "It's an experiment gone wrong. The experimental power source I used in it wasn't compatible with the rest of the guitar's circuits. But since then, we've refined it and perfected it." I put my hand on the neck, "But I can't find myself to come back and fix it." I pulled my hand away and left it in its dark corner. I tucked my wings away and listened as the last notes died down.

"Time to go home?" He asked and pulled me into his arms when I tried to pass him.

"Yeah," I answered, putting a hand on his arm and then pulled away. "But I am giving you a choice to stay here or go back." I smiled, "My lieutenant thinks I should give you a choice in that instead of just telling you where to go."

"But I'm here because you brought me here, changed me and gave me the opportunity of a lifetime." He commented. He sounded confused.

"It's part of the free will that you have as a person. We can't take that away from you, it's immoral. It's one of the things that keep the new guys from becoming just another soldier." I explained, "We don't have armies, if you haven't noticed. We have small numbers of super intelligent or super powerful individuals of different species who have come into this life in space to make the universe a better and safer place." I led him out of the Armory and shut off the lights. I heard the door shut behind us and I led him to the Observation Deck.

He was silent until we got to the all window Observation Deck. The only light in this room was coming in from space. That design helps with the entire experience. "I helped design this deck to go to the most uninterrupted view of deep space. Since we are always in motion, this room had to move too." I stood where I was and watched him look out into the wonders of the universe. A huge smile formed on his face as he pointed out far off galaxies and space ships docking in the docking bay off to the side.

"Should I leave this behind?" He asked after a few moments of silence. His breath fogged up the window.

"This life isn't all powers and galaxies you know," I stood next to him. "It's about fighting for what's right and constantly fighting against those who seek to take all the good from the universe. The new threat isn't at full power yet, but that's all we know." I explained. "But there will be a war. That's the all too real truth."

He turned to me.

"A space war isn't what it is in movies like Star Trek or Star Wars. It's so much worse. Especially when you're always the strongest one on the frontlines," I stared out the window and remembered my first war. My voice turned harsh and memories flooded back. "You make friends in this place. You get close to people that aren't your own species. You train your ass off to even qualify as a Warrior or Soldier and even after you pass the test not all of your friends make it. And no one is prepared for when the threat is real and it isn't just a training exercise." I sighed and paused before continuing, "I'm a harsh person because I've seen too many people die. My place in this universe is to protect those around me from those who fight what I live for. It's a voluntary thing because the risk of death is too great to have people drafted."

"And you only accept the strongest?" He asked.

"Yes, they need to be more powerful than the Warrior next to them. It's always a competition. But that competition will keep them alive in a war more powerful than all of them put together." I looked out into space. "It's a cold harsh environment when there's a constant looming threat of being killed." I smiled, "I do have the upper hand though."

"Cant die?"

"Yeah, something like that," I turned to him. "I'm the current Heroine of the Heroine cycle. My past lives guide me a lot of the time but I usually only use their power to enhance mine. My Predecessor died before I was chosen at birth. I'm also the first human of the cycle. It's been a huge experiment really."

"That's a bit fucked up." He replied.

"If I had rejected the change, the cycle would have stopped and the universe would have died at the hands of the Vulkars." I stopped and realized I was getting too deep. "I shouldn't have said that."

"Who?"

"When you are Inducted and Activated later in your life you will know of that history." I had to stop talking.

"It's not all fun and games," he recapped. "But I do want to be a part of this. To be a part of something bigger than myself, to be significant to the world would be the best part of my life."

"But you are, and you have been." I replied. "You are a well known YouTuber. And you need to be that person until we need you to be here." I paused, "But it is your choice."

"I'll regret going back home, leaving space behind." He replied finally, "But, you're right, I have a job to do on Earth before I can actually leave forever."

I smiled and turned to space, "Your life span will be extended much farther than a typical human life span. You'll be able to visit earth and those you love as much as you want, after your officially one of us. But once they die, you'll be here in space."

"How much longer would I live?" He asked, joining me.

"The archives say humans who join the ISF have a lower life expectancy due to just having a human pre-life. But each human who has passed away usually lived to be at least three hundred earth years old." I recalled from my research done years ago.

"That's a long time," He commented. "How about you? How long will you live?"

"Oh jeeze," I laughed softly. "I'll probably retire in a couple hundred earth years and live the rest of my days on my trainer's home planet. He calls it Paradise for a reason."

"Because it is?"

"Yes, for wolf-hybrids. For what we are, it is very much paradise." I answered, "Wolf form or hybrid form, we can just be lazy. Or join the council, but it's pretty lazy. The water you saw in that room, the water in those giant tanks, is from that planet."

"What's it do besides heal?"

"It actually sustains life. A retired wolf-hybrid agent can survive for a millennia by only drinking that water." I answered and sighed. "That's what my trainer has done for I don't know how long."

"How old is he?"

"I'm not sure." I answered, "He officially retired when I took his position as Chief. I was his last Apprentice and I'm proud to be. But when he passes on…"

He put his arm around my shoulders, "I'll be here as long as I can be."

"Me too, Mark. Me too," I replied and I turned to him. "Thanks for letting me talk to you,"

"It's what I do," he replied and looked down at me.

"You'll always have a spot here in the ISF, Mark Fischbach," I said firmly, knowing what I had to do in the next few seconds.

"Thanks, Hawk." He smiled and looked out at space. I think he knows what's going on.

"I'll let you keep a few memories, Mark." I whispered, "Even though I'm not supposed to."

"Wait what?" He jumped.