"You just can't!" Gibson cried out.
Sprx shook his head again, pointing at the doors, which were hidden by thick velvet curtains, and gently opened, showing the signs of somebody who must have been in much longer before.
"Go." He ordered simply, his voice firm and his eyes still slightly burning with sadness.
Antauri looked at the team behind the pillar, motioning them forward. "It is time to say goodbye."
Everyone looked at him, nodded in acknowledgement, and stood before the red simian.
"Well, bye." Gibson sighed, looking at him. Sprx smiled a painful smile, and then stepped up to Nova. He hugged her gently, hoping she wouldn't hurt him, and she didn't.
Her eyes were dark and emotionless, so you couldn't tell what she was feeling.
"Bye… I hope this isn't a mistake, Sparky… In fact, I'd like to see him prove it is." Nova suddenly smiled, pulling away from Sprx's grasp, and facing Orion.
"Look, Oreo. I guess you'll have to prove it, now that I think about it, because you will keep your promise after Sprx dies, right?"
Orion's response was grim. "Very well. But he is not the one I need."
Nova glared at him. "Then who is it?"
Orion, now grinning, murmured, "Why would you want to know?"
Sprx glared at him also. "Tell the truth, OREO."
He shot a glance at Gibson. "You aren't it, but I will need you for my 'future plans'."
A tiger, almost thin and misty like a spirit, burst through the door, looking anxious.
"Master, I-" the tiger stopped mid-sentence, gazing at the crowd, known to many as the Hyperforce.
"Panther, silence, I say! I have very special guests over, and they would like you to fetch us a few refreshments, and lady fingers, and if you tell Chef Leonard in time, I will lower your training hours to… say, 2 or 3 hours."
The tiger, Panther, nodded, and rushed out again, leaving the group confused and in need of Nova's question to be answered.
"Come on, you bag of bones, answer Nova's question!" Sprx demanded angrily.
Orion smirked. "Is that how you'd treat me, after I lead you to your friend?"
"Yes, actually." The surprise this time is the one who spoke: Antauri.
Orion raised a hand to order silence. "If I must tell you, the needed one is…"
MUAHAHA!
Nova: Why are you making Orion so difficult?!
BECAUSE I CAN!
Nova: What will happen next?
That is for me to know, and for you to find out.