AN: I felt inspired, so I wrote this chapter and it is, I feel my greatest chapter yet. Thank you all so much for your continued reviews and your continued support. Thank you all so very much because, without you, this fire would have died before it even got started. Please read, review, and enjoy!

Pagliacci-11

Chapter 23

It had been a long night as Aelita lay awake awaiting her mother's call which she felt was sure to come. In a way, Aelita felt as if she had been on a razor's edge in terms of what she knew was headed her way and indeed towards all the warriors with what her mother had told her in her message. However, until such time as Anthea was to call back, Aelita had no choice but to wait. Fatigue had already been mounting throughout the day. The finals she encountered had already taken a toll on her as she had studied. But the sheer number of things she had to commit to memory over this year, in particular, had played havoc on her. Aelita would never bring this up to Jeremy as she felt this was not his burden to bear but her own.

In this regard she was right, but she was also misguided in that she felt on some level he may not understand. The truth be told, all the Lyoko warriors had their aspects of doubt. The whole figuring out how to get over an invisible prison wall while exhilarating had taken its toll. What's more, the fact that this new program, North-Gate had been so easily able to put their true motivations before them had been in a word, awe-inspiring. Aelita had seen just what her friends were capable of and willing to do to achieve a mission's objective. Was this so much a bad thing? No. However, it was just a revelation of what people could and would do with their backs pressed against the wall. Inevitably a cornered animal will lash out against its opponent.

So, in turn, the team was beginning to do in the face of their new enemy. Ulrich, while his actions, Aelita didn't agree within a loyalty aspect to Yumi, she had to begrudgingly admit had proven useful in breaking the first set of chains in which North-Gate had them trapped. And if this was truly but a glimpse of what the team was willing to do, in a way, Aelita was proud of this risk they would be willing to take. The paths they took, as a result, may not be always morally or ethically pleasing, but then she realized this is what war was, not a war of ideals so much as it was a war of morals and standards being raised and lowered by turns often in reciprocation of actions levied against one warring party by another.

All this combined gradually made it to the back of Aelita's mind as she had to address these things and if not with the team, then at least with herself. Aelita laid on her bed, staring at the blackness that differentiated one wall from another. Focusing on her breathing and the near silence of the dorms, she waited a bit longer for the call from her mother. It was eleven-o-clock. She'd do her best to stay awake another half-hour. If the call had not come by then she would have resigned herself that the call would likely come the next day. She closed her eyes and rested for a moment and finally, she drifted off to sleep.

Aelita dreamed, she dreamed that she and her mother were in a town a smaller town she knew. As if this town were teetering on the edge of the present day and fifty years ago. Aelita was with Anthea getting two pizzas but she saw this panic-stricken apprehension to her mother's face. She was afraid, so very afraid.

"What's wrong mom?" she asked.

"They know, they know that I know and they're trying to kill me," Anthea said as she looked around herself as if expecting some great terror to come and take away her breath.

Aelita used a debit-card and paid for the pizzas and they headed out to the car. It was a small maroon sedan car. In many ways, Aelita knew it wasn't ideal at all for the snow and ice-filled mess that was outside, but she had faith it would get them to where they needed to go. Once inside, they pulled out of the gas station and went along their way.

As they drove along the road which was a true ice-rink due to the city's lack of maintenance, Aelita felt panic as at first, she saw the building where they were headed to but so bad was the ice and so great her mother's fears that they slid right past. They rounded the block and tried twice more. Aelita's terror was growing as the car slipped and slid diagonally point to point almost in a serpentine motion. She knew she was in a dream, but she couldn't stop the dream. She went first above the car seeing the car in its motion then back into her seat, filled with fear and uncertainty as just barely point by point they missed going into nearby ditches.

Aelita looked at her mother and a mixture of anger and frustration were on her face as she tried to park the car at the determined location. But what made Aelita sad was that Anthea was trying so very hard and despite that, she was not making progress. Aelita put her hand on Anthea's arm.

"Mom, stop. I'll get us there."

They got out of the car and she looked back. Suddenly the car was not a car anymore but a wheelchair and a cart behind it, an open car with an iron hoop at the back so one could sit against it properly. Anthea had changed as well as taking the form of her father. She couldn't see his face, as he sat with his pizza box under his arm, but she could immediately tell he was sad. As if he had been defeated by the ravages of time, lost all his skill and gift at a gift. But not wanting to burden Aelita he kept his face hidden from her. Aelita sat in the wheelchair and began to wheel both of them towards their destination. She knew she would get there and get there safely. In many ways, she knew, the torch had been passed to her, but she wasn't as afraid as she thought she would be. And that comforted her.

Aelita woke up, the dream fresh in her mind. It was six in the morning; the sun was at mid-rise. She got up and wrote down the dream in her journal and checked her phone, no calls came in during the night. Sighing, Aelita put her phone down and headed towards the shower room.

Meanwhile, John Barrow and Marina were sitting in the council chamber for North-Gate. They were waiting silently while North-Gate's node completed a computation cycle. After about five minutes a light flashed green and the principle node descended into the floor signifying an advanced algorithm was being applied.

Maria then asked John, "What do you think? We lost Chloe last night, what's usually the standard operation for a follow-up operation?"

John was silent as he tented his hands, "I honestly think she'll go one of two ways. Either she'll be going into hiatus for a bit until she adjusts her plan, or she goes on as she originally wanted to. Hard to say at this point. We'll know when the cylinder rises back out of the floor what her verdict is."

"So, this is what you do most of the time with her, huh? Keeping her up to date on the mission parameters and she recalibrates most of the information?"

"Not always but bear in mind she has a very precise method of how to go about things. She was designed differently from her brother. She is more contemplative and above all patient. XANA had a lot of pride, had a lot of rash decisions as a result of that pride. Also, he messed too much with the world at large to try and achieve his goal. North-Gate doesn't wish to do that at all. Rather she desires to keep things as they are with minor changes at first followed by major ones on an escalating scale until her own vision is complete."

"So, she's a spoon-feeder?"

"She hates that term but for the sake of simplicity, yes."

At that moment the cylinder detached from the floor and began its gentle and gradual ascent. Once fully positioned it lowered its base and clicked securing the hub to the floor. John looked at the large imposing cell knowing full well what was going on inside. In a way, he was equally intrigued, terrified, and mystified all at once. There was a deem hum that reverberated through the chamber and then it was silent. One minute went by then four then ten. Finally, the voice of North-Gate spoke.

"I have decided on what we will do. What I will do. We are going to initiate Operation Hazen and from that point, bide our time until we have known all there is to know of our surroundings."

John sighed and said, "You realize, of course, this will require a lot of energy leaving us at a fifth's capacity?"

"Have faith, Terry." The voice replied, "I have prepared for this through several operations. We will have more than enough direct energy because this is also a major storm coming in to reinforce our equation. But it needs to be done before this coming Friday."

John nodded, "I take it that you have accounted for the other listing's time limit as well? Will you have enough time to get yourself to where you need to be?"

"I will have more than enough through constant and diligent conditioning. I need you to summon Yolanda to this room and I will discuss the details with her."

John nodded, "Very well. She will be here this evening. What materials do I need to procure?"

"I anticipated this a while back before you came to join us here in Europe. I have already made the preparations and I have already filled out all necessary forms to ensure we continue unencumbered and unfettered. I need you to go and notarize a few papers and after that, we will begin."

John nodded, "Send me the link and I'll go right away. Where's my destination?"

His implant hummed and his destination appeared in his vision.

"Very good. Alright. I'll notify Yolanda and we'll get things going." John got up, "Is there anything else you wish to me to do?"

"No, not yet. At least, nothing major. However, I need you to free up thirty-two terabytes of space on the secondary drive and I also need you to prepare extension drives for this operation as well as dampeners and surge protectors."

John nodded, "Consider it done. I'll be on my way." He turned around and left the room.

Maria then looked at the node, in the nearly silent room save for the electricity humming faintly and she asked, "What is the plan, if I may ask?"

"You may ask, Maria, but you are not privy to such information just yet. However, it will be made clear to you at the proper time."

Maria nodded, "Well, is there any assignment I can do to pass the time?"

"There is. You may outfit this facility to your security specifications. As our master at arms, you have full right to select anything you wish from our prior projects and they will be made in the auto-forge."

"Okay sounds good. What about our raw troop numbers?"

"That is going to be implemented at my discretion alongside what you install in the facility to compliment your installments. I believe in a strengthening balance as things should have been with my brother. But, alas, others in their infinite wisdom thought differently."

Maria nodded, "Okay, thank you. Well, off to work then. Is there anything you need?"

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern though."

Back at Kadic, the Lyoko warriors were gathered in the rec room with Jeremy playing Odd at foosball. Ulrich was leaning against the stage while Aelita was seated on top of it watching both Jeremy and Odd intently.

There was a gentle tone and Jean-Pierre's voice came on the P.A., "Children, your grades have been posted for your finals and you will receive your report cards this evening as you leave the cafeteria after dinner. That is all."

Odd scored the sixth point against Jeremy tying the game with only two shots left to declare victor and said, "Take five, Einstein."

Jeremy nodded and they headed over to the stage.

"Boy, the final grades are out. The only class I fear I'll have to retake is business mathematics with Myers." Odd said.

"No offense, but that's what you get when you elect for university prep work beforehand," Ulrich replied.

"Hey, it may be the Ulrich Stern way to take only what's necessary, but I have to think about my future," Odd replied.

"What's the rush?" Jeremy asked, "It's not like you were super serious about your future before. What brought about the change?"

"I just don't want to be stuck in a rut in life so young. I honestly want to have options when I get out into the real world."

Aelita laughed, "Odd, what are you so worried about? You are still young." That's easy for you to say, princess. But I have a mind to advance myself as much as possible so when college comes A, I'm prepared. B, I can relax mostly having had a lot of my general education requirements out of the way. Besides, that's what kills a lot of college kids anyway, the general electives."

Ulrich nodded, "Yeah, I can honestly see where that could be an issue for a lot of people. But Odd, don't you feel you're starting a little bit early?"

"In my mind, as far as this goes, there's no such thing as easy enough. Besides, you know that mathematics isn't exactly my strong-suit, Ulrich."

Ulrich sighed, "Well, I give you credit, Odd. You're making the most of what you see as your future and there's nothing wrong with that at all."

Odd nodded, "Yeah so, so what if I have to repeat it? At least I have the luxury of a second chance."

Jeremy replied, "You know, Odd, I can help you with that. It's not too terrible, you just must take your time with certain things. And sure, math isn't your best subject, but hey, I suck at Italian. My point is that we're all weak somewhere."

Aelita got up, "I'm going to take a walk in the park. Jeremy, you want to come with?"

Jeremy nodded, "Sure thing."

"We'll come with you," Odd said.

"No, thank you, but not this time, Odd," Aelita said.

"Oh, okay. Well, Ulrich and I will catch up with you at lunch." Odd said.

"Yeah," Ulrich said getting up, "Odd and I will go see if we can wrangle a pass to go see Yumi from Delmas."

The two groups departed and as they headed out into the park, Aelita said, "Jeremy, I haven't heard from my mother and she doesn't strike me as the type to tell you to call her and she doesn't call you back."

Jeremy thought about it and asked, "Well she is busy. She does work for the government. However, that said, you're right. Someone doesn't just leave a message like what she left and not call back at least the next day."

"Right. And my greatest fear honestly is that someone somewhere may have gotten to her."

"You mean North-Gate, don't you?"

"With all due respect Jeremy, it seems the most likely of any force. I mean, considering just what the message was about and how insistent she was that we cease using the return to the past, you don't find sudden silence suspicious?"

"It'd honestly be easier to know if we could contact the program and truly interrogate it," Jeremy said after a moment's silence.

"Jeremy, we cannot tell if that machine is of any genuine good or is just XANA with a prettier voice. We have not a shred of knowledge. And besides, it's like Odd said, taking down the barrier that hemmed us in doesn't sound like that big a setback to her."

"This again? Look, if this program is willing to work with us on this level…"

"Jeremy, wake up! The system said it already had maintainers and people who served it. In all truth and honesty, we kids are highly inconsequential to a program like this in the long run. We don't even know what the hell her plans are. She promises a utopia, okay—at what cost? And why does she even want a utopia? It's a system that even a colony of rats proved couldn't work."

"Look, we know as much about North-Gate as we did about XANA or hell even Lyoko or even you when I first fired up the program. Honestly, no, I don't trust this program. But to overcome our enemy we must think like our enemy. Why does the program think as she does? What led to it? Is she just a program meant for a balance as your mother claims or is there possibly more? We don't know. That's just the naked truth, we don't know!"

Aelita stopped in her tracks and was silent a moment. The moment grew to two minutes. There was nothing but stillness except the gentle breeze and rustling of leaves. Jeremy could tell that maybe he had been too harsh, but then, there was no way to be sure. Aelita was deep in thought, Jeremy knew that, but he could also tell by her eyebrows moved and her jaw adjusted she was thinking about something. It wasn't something that was just a passing thing, it was something she had probably buried deep and now it was rising to the surface. Either way, Jeremy could tell, it was eating at her.

"Jeremy," Aelita said finally, "Why did you trust me to bring me to Earth? What made me different from just an everyday artificial intelligence? What was the moment that spurred you on to make me real again?"

Jeremy was in stunned silence. It was the same question that the voice of North-Gate had asked in his dream. It was the same question just worded differently and more than that, from the mouth of the girl he loved. It was a question he was hoping never to answer, a question that he'd hoped in his heart of hearts would never need an answer. But here it was, in all complexity of morality and motivation, it was before him, and it demanded an answer.

Jeremy took a breath, "Why do you ask this question?"

Aelita said, "Because North-Gate was right. When she took you from me, she told me something that didn't' make much sense at first. But, when I reflected on it, it chilled me to the bone. I called her a monster for forcing me to choose between you or restoring things as they were without you, I called her a moral test to which she replied, 'No less moral than Jeremy bringing you to life to remedy his loneliness, among other wants. In that grand scheme of comparison, who is the eviler of us two?' Now admittedly it took me some time to process it and thus now why I ask, why did you bring me here? Why would North-Gate raise that point if there wasn't some validity to it?"

Jeremy swallowed hard. He knew there was no easy way to say what he was going to say but he figured better this way than keep Aelita in angered and suspicious silence, "I'll tell you. When I first met you, I honestly thought you were an AI. When I first powered up the supercomputer, I thought you were an AI meant to balance XANA or at least restore balance. I thought you to be very well-advanced for an AI able to speak and able to converse on a level far beyond that of a normal AI.

But there's something else. As I talked to you all those nights, I noticed that an AI has updates that it would require to be up to speed. You never required one. You took the information I gave you through our countless nights of talking and you listened, and you reciprocated. You did so, so fluently and with genuine intrigue and display of interest, that I knew you had to be real. It wasn't like XANA. XANA could mimic human emotion but he could never fully understand people. It's like when he made a clone of me when he made the virtual world. He could only be himself in the end. He wore me like a coat and borrowed my vocal cords, but he wasn't me. It's the same with you. You are too distinct to be artificial you were too engaging; in time you became engrossing. You made me feel like I finally had an equal and it wasn't an equal that had a voice of mechanized elements.

What's more, you have no idea what it meant when I held the strands of your hair in my hand the first time when we did a trial run of materialization. It was riveting. It was unbelievable that one I could achieve it, two that you were that much closer to being with us. When you came through to Earth, I couldn't believe it. I thought I was dreaming. Then when we went around the city and we had just a wonderful time, you were taking in the scents and sights and sounds of the city, and me—oh if only you knew how happy I was! When that night ended and you kissed me, I felt not only happy but with you, I felt truly amongst equals. For the first time, I would be treated with respect from someone who cared and who got to know me outside of an academic setting and for the first time I felt someone honestly saw me for me."

Aelita was silent as stunned as he was just a few moments ago. She went up to him and she kissed him deeply. The feeling for Jeremy was beyond electrifying, Aelita's scent of light honeysuckle shampoo coupled with the sweet-scented peach blossoms of the lower park carried by the wind entranced him. Jeremy wrapped his arms firmly around Aelita and he felt her hands on his back. This moment was wonderful and as much as Jeremy knew it would end, he wouldn't mind if this feeling lasted a thousand years.

The kiss ended and Aelita embraced Jeremy her face gently filled with the fire of a blushing face. She knew now what she wanted to know, and the truth made her feel not only contented but more than that, she felt complete.

"Come on, let's go see what Yumi's up to," Aelita said.

Jeremy nodded and held her hand as they walked back towards the campus.

Across town, John and Yolanda were sitting in a private apartment having pizza and wine for lunch as John laid out North-Gate's request.

"Impossible!" Yolanda said and John put his hand on her arm.

"Shh, relax. It's not like this hasn't been done before. We have done it, but it takes a lot of effort."

"A lot of effort? A lot of effort?! Fuck it, Terry! We have done a lot of things, but do you honestly believe we're ready for this right now? The legwork it would take is astronomical let alone the…" Yolanda gave a disgusted sigh, "The appropriation of materials."

"Don't worry, Londi. What we have in progress is a lot cleaner than it used to be in the old days. We have the formulas from back home and some progress made from sources here. It's not near as garish as it used to be and if history is any guide, we just have to run the processor through one time only. We've stored up more than enough energy over the past two years. She gave me the computations, Londi. We can do it! It's not hard! We just need what she requires and it's not as garish as it used to be as I said. What did you think the whole transfer thing was, anyway, a transfer of data? Please!"

Yolanda sighed, "Look, why am I always the last one to know about these things?! I am the one who has been the ground troop in this region for the past God knows how many fucking years! I've waited for a long-ass time to get this kind of information from you guys. So why, after all, I do, all the countless returns to the past, am still at square four while you guys are at sixteen?"

"Look, Londi, it's not as bad as you think. You have been giving us all manner of energy readout ever since the experiments started in '91 and besides, look how you've turned out. You're not doing too bad."

"Look Terry, or John, or whatever you want to call yourself today, it has been fucking hard! Okay?! It's not easy with what I was tasked with. And now she wants the Hazen Protocol? Alright, she'll get what she wants. But you mind me, I am very sick and tired of all this crap. The back and forth, time in time out, back to yesterday. It's old! Now, look, I'll do what you need me to do. But I want some assurances from you because you're second in command now."

"Alright, where would you like to begin?"

"First, I want my old medical bay and hospital ward back. I want all my tools and medicines that I used to have when I first joined the service before coming to this piss-hole city."

John nodded, "That's more than agreeable. I'll see it's done."

"Second, I want in on a lot of these developments. Sometimes, the radical changes really mess up other things. Can you please keep me in the loop?"

"Again, I will tell you what is permitted. Because you are right, it's not right you be kept in the dark. I'll make note of that."

"Alright. Thank you. Thirdly, what does Maria have that I don't?"

"You serious?"

"I'm just clowning you. But seriously, get those two things for me, and I'll make sure everything with Hazen goes as planned. Where's the facility where all this stuff is set to go down?"

"Here's the address. Memorize it. Don't put out there digitally or in any form, memorize it. In ten minutes, I'm going to burn this piece of paper and you better remember."

Yolanda nodded and John gave her the address. She concentrated on it and as John observed she used several methods to burn it into her memory.

John then took the paper and set it on fire with a lighter and had her repeat the address ten times over. Once satisfied, he said, "Alright, it's all set up. We need you there when the storm comes because it's a boost to the voltage which will speed things up ideally."

"Got it. Alright. You go ahead and make sure the place is thoroughly prepared and scrubbed until sterile. Oh, by the way, what's the passcode to get into the mixing chamber?"

"It's at the bottom of the pizza box." John replied getting up, "Burn it when you have it memorized."

"Okay well. I'll see you when the storm falls tonight at eight-thirty." Yolanda said.

"Alright, see you then," John replied and headed out.

At Yumi's it was a quiet get-together, the whole team was in the backyard discussing the events of the past few days and in general, what was going on. As Yumi listened to the events leading up to the bringing down of the security, she was silent. She listened to the run-down of the events and after a moment she gave her two cents.

"So that's how it all went down, huh?" she said, "Not surprising literally I think a day after your guys' barrier went down, they pulled a lot of the same stuff from our school. Like it was entirely gutted. They simply canceled the classes that day and in about maybe twelve-hours according to some, the deed was done."

"If anything, it kinda' proves the whole Kadic being a guinea-pig for these kinds of experiments," Odd said.

"True," Yumi replied, "And the fact it was uprooted by the government of all people, that definitely raised some red flags on the campus, I can tell you. Now it's just trying to get back to normal which honestly, to see some of the teachers, you'd think you'd taken their children from them. A lot of them loved the convenience of the monitoring so they could "adjust" grades and attendance accordingly."

"It wasn't quite that bad at Kadic," Aelita said, "we didn't have too many issues."

"Yeah, some of our teachers really got off on it though, pardon my French." Yumi said, "Had one girl who was a top-marks student, not unlike Jeremy here. Get on a teacher's bad side like Ms. Walcheren the chemistry teacher and you get docked with demerits like you wouldn't believe."

"Why is it that those kinds of teachers are always the worst? Even Ms. Hertz, sweet mike, was she a bitch with that whole scheduling thing. That's a woman with anal-retentive behaviors if I've ever heard of one."

"Oh, come on, Ulrich," Jeremy said, "Ms. Hertz is not that bad of a teacher, she's actually quite a nice person once you get to know her."

"Yeah, says you. You're on almost every teacher's good side. And I get it, you're a model student, you don't make a fuss, and you have a pleasant demeanor, what else is there to say. But for us normal people, well most days end with 'I'll see you in detention.' Which is a lie anyway because Jim will see us in detention. She's not sat in on detention one day in her life."

Yumi took a drink of lemonade, "So Odd, what's this new stuff I hear from Aelita about you preparing for university so soon?"

"Is it so wrong not to want to be like your parents?" Odd asked.

"What are you talking about?" Yumi replied, "Your parents are as relaxed as can be."

"And as I've said many times, that's the problem." Odd replied, "There is such a thing as too relaxed and too chill about everything. And of course, I did see a darker side thanks to our favorite mechanical psychopath but still, they don't fight."

"For your information," Ulrich replied, "many would kill for parents like yours. However, think about it your family is very artistic anyway. Your dad with his opera singing, your mom with costume design—heck what about your oldest sister, Pauline?"

"And that's the rub. She wants to be a director." Odd replied.

"There it is." Aelita said with a smile, "And what, mom and dad are encouraging her as much as they do you?"

"It's just I want directing to be my thing. I've worked hard at it. I want it to be my thing." Odd replied.

"Odd, a sister is born for adversity. It's what they do." Yumi replied.

"Besides," Aelita said, "There are all kinds of directors across various types of media. Why does directing have to be your thing specifically?"

"We all have our own element of art that makes us stand out in our family. For my sister's it's across the board from acting to even Adele and her painting. Now Pauline wants to be a director. I felt that being a director was a great place for me to shine."

Jeremy said, "It's not so bad if you share the directing spotlight. Okay, so what is Pauline aspiring to direct? What's her style?"

"She's more the type to direct commercials for cologne ads as well as advertising in general," Odd replied.

"That's not so bad. It's just different from what you do." Ulrich reassured him, "Besides it may be her niche. I mean it's a whole different thing from directing a cologne ad to directing The Godfather for example. Let her do her thing. Who knows, you could learn a few things. You scratch her back, she scratches yours. My advice is for you to take it easy and just enjoy the rest of this ride while you can. The future is coming, true. But you don't have to be in an anguish of a present either."

"Ulrich's right." Yumi said after she checked her watch, "You have a whole life ahead of you. Don't get bogged down so early. If you were twenty-seven and still had doubts about the future, sure that would be different. But, Odd, you have a long way to go before predetermining your life into something that in the next few years you may decide is a waste. Take your time."

Odd nodded, "I think you're right. I think the best thing to do right now is just sleeping on it for a bit and just see what happens. But you guys agree with me there is no harm in being prepared, right?"

Aelita laughed, "As far as general education requirements go, from what I've read, knock those out sooner than later. It'll save a whole lot of the weeding process if you can get dual credit this early on. But please, don't have a hernia over a future that is for the most part, undetermined."

Odd smiled and said, "Well, alright then. I'm hungry. Yumi is there any food to eat?"

"Odd you forget, it's Chicken-Parmesan Stromboli for lunch today on campus." Ulrich replied, "Come on, Odd of Four-Stomachs, let's get you fed."

That evening the storm began to approach from the west and it was a powerful system that called for massive amounts of rain, thunder, and lightning. A large super-cell was what was predicted, and the duration was said to last throughout the night until two in the morning. The children were more than excited as a storm like this didn't come along every year and so when it did come, they were mesmerized as they watched nature's grand performance.

Yolanda saw the clouds in the distance a deep dark sapphire, heavy-laden with rain. She checked out for the night and went to her car. Taking her radio, she tuned into the base, "This is Victor, On the way."

"Confirmed." Enrique's voice responded, "We await your arrival in twenty minutes. Use the night-shift parking when you get to the Cauldron."

Yolanda replied, "Affirmative. Over and out."

At the cauldron, everything had been painstakingly prepared. The floors and walls and every surface were scrubbed clean making the place smell like a combination of bleach and Listerine. John was in a white lab-coat with specialty shoes meant just for this facility. There were the others of course all around the building tending to the final checks before launching the operation. John went to North-Gate's dock and he plugged in.

"All preparations are ready. The lightning rods are in place along with the key points, the channels from them are secondary energy should the primary power not be enough. I know you made sure there would be enough, but it's just in case. Everything is set to go as soon as Yolanda gets here. After that, well, it's showtime. Are you sure you're ready for this?"

North-Gate answered, "Terry, I know you have your reservations about this. But we, the two of us, have done this so many times that it's like breathing now. This is what must be done to verify what I must do. I know you have fears—but you don't need them. We'll be fine. This is a work that has been done countless times and will be done countless times more. Don't' worry. I'll tell you what. If I hate it, I'll just spit in your face and kill you. If I don't. I'll tell you, Excellent."

John ended the conversation and he looked at the chambers as he oversaw the assembly process. Yolanda was right, as much as they had progressed in this method, the means by which to achieve this end were no less garish and no matter how many times this was done before, there was no getting used to it. As the chief technological oversight officer, he had to ensure all things were in place so they could run at the most ideal levels. He looked at the work now as a nearly finished whole. And he checked his watch. Five minutes until it was to begin.

John radioed to Enrique, Emilio, and Hendricka. "Chambers report. Are we ready for submersion and infusion?"

"Chamber One is ready," Enrique replied.

"Chamber Two is ready," Emilio replied.

"Chamber Three is ready," Hendricka replied.

John nodded, "Excellent. Standby for Victor's arrival."

Two minutes later, the airlock to the door sounded and Yolanda came through in a lab coat, black rubber apron, streamlined rubber chemical gloves, and a surgical mask.

John radioed, "Victor is here. Prime Chambers One and Two. "

"Chamber One, Primed."

"Chamber Two, Primed."

John radioed, "Chambers One and Two, Engage."

There was a hissing from the far end of the room followed by bubbling and gurgling as a lemon-lime green clear fluid poured into a massive vat which then funneled down into three sealed compartments. John kept a steady eye on the contents of the chambers.

John then used his radio, "Subjects fully submerged. I repeat, subjects fully submerged."

John went to a blue valve on a large black tank and turned it, He radioed "Heat being applied for an ideal temperature." As he watched the thermometers on the door, John said, "Ideal temperature reached. Holding steady and stable at ninety-eight degrees"

John checked his watch, one minute and thirty seconds and he radioed, "Chamber Three, Engage."

There was another hissing noise this time from the opposite end of the room and a blue-green clear liquid filled the prime chamber before it too was sent down into the three chambers. John saw the mixture and to his surprise, the interaction was working far better than he'd anticipated.

Checking the thermometers, John said, "Temperature holding at ninety-eight despite infusion."

Soon thunder began to rumble overhead. John radioed, "Deploy Franklin's Son in 3—2-1. Now."

There was a sweeping sound and then a scraping metal sound as John counted the rods as they locked into place. Five, ten, fifteen, twenty.

John checked the digital barometer, "Switch to secondary power, and everyone hold onto your hats. This is going to be a ringer."

A few moments later, fhoom it was bright as glory so bright that it hurt John's eyes as he locked out the skylight. Electric current tore through the cable and into the chambers. The water bubbled, sparked, and churned and the objects inside banged around violently. John clocked this precisely at fifteen seconds.

"Cut secondary power!" He yelled and the rods were retracted.

John went up to the central chamber and saw the water still bubbling and churning and then it grew still. John waited a bit and then listened. Two minutes went by and there was a bang heard from inside.

He smiled, "Wonderful!" '

There were bangs heard from the other two containers violently.

"Deploy mild sedative gas!"

A green mist filled the three chambers and the banging slowed down exponentially.

John flipped a switch and immediately the fluid began to drain. It drained halfway and then he pressed another button which began to heat the chambers again vaporizing the remaining liquid. John checked his scanner and all signs were steady and stable. He pressed the button above the central chamber, unlocking all chambers. John backed up as the steam, the ever strange-smelling steam wafted out like fog on a river. He looked inside and out of the mist came three majestically spellbinding figures.

John's face was transfixed as was Yolanda's to the point where she took off her mask, her eyes wide in amazement. The figures walked slowly in perfect synchronized steps and went to a full-length mirror and looked intensely themselves.

The central figure turned "Excellent. Most excellent, my alabaster Romeo."