CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX Life Repaired

It's been over three hundred years, most of those who came to rebuild the universe have passes onto Earth four, all except Kathren Mira, very old and tired of her life, she has been giving straight birthing all year long. Kathren Mira knows that her life is close to ending. She is happy for it to be over soon. As Kathren Mira lays down she closes her eyes and as she goes to sleep Kathren Mira dies and her body passes away and Kathren Mira passes to Earth four. The life of the 50 Prophecy is now ended. As Kathren Mira begins to feel life in her she opens her eyes and she looks around the room which she sees wires, tubes, and machines, she is in a hospital, the one place she did not want to be at ever again. As Kathren Mira moves her fingers and pushes herself up and as she remains propped up she looks around, as she looks at her reflection, she sees a young nine year old child looking back, the characteristics of the Universal Breeder are gone, she no longer feels the movement of tentacles within her. As she remains staring at the face she notices that the hair is light and that her skin near the eyes are lifted up, she is still Minbari-Human Hybrid. As Kathren Mira lies down she looks at her bracelet to see what hospital she is in, there are three bracelets, one white, one yellow, and one blue, they all state her name: Kathren Mira, they all give two numbers, and other codes, but there is no name to the hospital. Kathren Mira looks at her clothing...nothing, only pictures of cartoon-like animals, she must be in a pediatric ward, as Kathren Mira looks at the papers, there is a title in blue, bolded, rounded letters that read :Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center...Kathren Mira is back at Children's Hospital. As Kathren Mira lies herself down she is back as a patient at CHRMC. As Kathren Mira lays back a respiratory therapist walks in. "Hello Kathren." The RT takes out a tube to plug into a nebulizer. "Well lets begin this." The RT hands the mask to Kathren Mira.

As Kathren Mira looks at the RT, she knows who this is, it is Heather Balard. As the mask covers her face, Kathren Mira looks over to the other patient in the room. It is Jake. As Kathren Mira closes her eyes she is able to hear a song off in the distance and the words of that song reflect her life: In a bulb, there is a flower. In a seed an apple tree. In cocoons a hidden promise, butterflies will soon be free! In the cold and snow of winter, there's a spring that waits to be, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. There's a song in every silence seeking word and melody. There's a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me. From the past will come the future, what it holds, a mystery. Unrevealed until its season something God alone can see. In our end is our beginning, in our time, infinity. In our doubt, there is believing. In our life, eternity. In our death a resurrection, at the last a victory. Unrevealed until its season something God alone can see.

As Kathren Mira lies back reminiscing over the song she hears Jake's voice, it is muffled due to the mask he wears. "Welcome back, I was wondering when you would finally show up, you've been in a coma for almost four years!"

Kathren Mira looks at Jake, "How long?"

Jake looks at Kathren Mira, "Four years Kathren, four years." Jake looks back at the ceiling. "We're back where we left off, but this time we're better, we won't die so quickly. And second we don't have to live our lives as Universal Breeders! Being always pregnant was always frustrating, even though we had six months to ourselves, and we were free of disease, being pregnant constantly was hell enough."

Kathren Mira thinks to herself. She takes out the nebulizer mask. "Are we in Earth four?"

Jake shakes his head, "Unknown, we really never know where we are, I had the same question, and Delenn told me that to pass to another realm, we have to completely defeat the enemy that wants to destroy life. As I can guess it, we left Earth 2 and went to Earth 3 because our enemy, the Neo-Nazis were defeated and never attacked Children's ever again, now if we completely defeated Lord Asron and Lord Anubis and the Witch-King of Angmar, then we should be in Earth 4. The only enemy we can't defeat are the Shadow's and Liberator's, because they are time eater, the past is left to them, they consume the past to make way for the future." Kathren Mira looks at Jake, and Jake looks at Kathren Mira. "Anyway, welcome back, what do you want to do?"

Kathren Mira removes the nebulizer mask, "Right now finish this treatment then get out of bed!"

Jake nods, "Me too, me too, it's life all over again. Well I better let you finish your treatment, the mutation we received is now our downfall once again, our bodies are still adopted to an aquatic state."

Kathren Mira looks at Jake and takes off her mask. "We're still fish!"

Jake points at the swollen neck of Kathren Mira. "Yes, these drugs will help our lungs strengthened before we become of age."

Kathren Mira with her mask still off, "But if we still have gills we still might have the other mutations!"

Jake looks at the mist floating out of the nebulizer mask. "It's a possibility, they have not completely checked over you yet, after close examination, they will schedule a surgery to remove the unneeded organs, mostly to keep you from mutating further, that is what I was told."

Kathren Mira puts on the mask, and relearns to speak through it. "Have you had surgery?"

Jake nods, "Yep, for a lesion on the basin of my chest, the scales were sealing together, the surgery was painful!"

Kathren Mira just stares at the roof. "I've died in one hell only to awaken in another!"

Jake looks at Kathren Mira, "We'll make the best of it Kathren, you'll see."

Heather and Binderlingerbach enter the room. Binderlingerbach walks over to Kathren Mira's bed. "Welcome back Kathren, you remember me?"

Kathren Mira looks at Binderlingerbach, how can't she, he was the one who saved Children's from the terror unleashed by Jay Wickenburg. "Yes I know you...Mr. Binderlingerbach, security officer.

Binderlingerbach interrupts Kathren Mira, "Ah no Kathren, not security officer anymore, now chief of security."

Kathren Mira looks at Jake. "This means we have to be twenty times more careful!"

Binderlingerbach laughs, Heather looks at Kathren Mira, "Kathren we have to tell you something, we did some X-rays and found that your gills in your neck did not seal, instead they combined with your lungs, your duel breathing, something we call diffusion, we can't remove the gills, but you will have to remain on liquid oxygen if you are to survive."

Kathren Mira looks at Heather, "So you are telling me that I will never be breathing on my own ever?"

Heather nods, "That's about right, your lungs and gills have fused into one gigantic organ, unlike Jake, your gill structure can protect the lungs, but because of the excess mucus, the lungs may become clogged and you will only have the use of your gills."

Kathren Mira looks at Heather, but not directly in her eyes. "What must I do?"

Heather looks at Binderlingerbach. "We...do not know exactly, we believe nothing, let nature take its course." Said Binderlingerbach.

Kathren Mira looks quickly at Heather and Binderlingerbach, "Natures course is to put we under water like the one who made me into this!"

Heather nods, "It's inevitable, but we may be able to slow down the process."

Kathren Mira looks at them. "How?"

Heather and Binderlingerbach look at one another. Binderlingerbach speaks, "Back to square one, you must remain on liquid oxygen with liquid hydrogen and liquid nitrogen."

Kathren Mira not much for chemistry combines these three gasses together and comes out with the results, "Liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen, liquid nitrogen...wait that is defused water! I thought we were to stop the process, not aide it!" Kathren Mira becomes winded, noticing that she can't argue, it takes to much oxygen to do so.

Heather looks at Binderlingerbach..."This is only the beginning, because of the gills, they replaced your tonsils, your calcium regulator now goes through your gills, thus the calcium in your body is that of a fish, thus your body will begin to develop scales and fins, this may begin sometime in the next three weeks, but hormone therapy maybe be able to contradict the fish hormones, but of course this is not truly known, for the need of this procedure has never been attempted for the need is not needed." Binderlingerbach looks at Heather. "This is as much as we know, and what we told you was the worse case scenario, this might not even happen...even you know that Human evolution has way too many factors to consider!"

Kathren Mira closes her eyes and nods. "I understand, lets take this step-by-step!" Heather and Binderlingerbach nod and leave the room. The treatment is over and Kathren Mira removes the mask. "Well Jake, what do you want to do?"

Jake looks at Kathren Mira surprised that she is still willing to play around after all that bad news, even it depressed him. "Are you sure?"

Kathren Mira smiles. "One thing I learned over my two lives is to appreciate life, for nothing happens without a reason!" Kathren Mira feels the need to relieve herself. "Where is the restroom here." Jake points to a small corridor in the room. As Kathren Mira gets up she walks to it and goes down the short hall to a door where a door lets her into the restroom. Inside is a sink, medicine cabinet, shower, mirror on the medicine cabinet, a strange art that resembles a mélange. And a toilet. Back in the room, Jake lays down alone looking out the window, Heather and Marit come into the room.

As Heather and Marit Steldic look around for Kathren Mira, Marit looks at Jake. "Jake where is Kathren?" Jake points at the restroom. "Is she okay?" Jake nods. Dr. Steldic walks to check up on Jake, she takes the readings, his heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure rate, everything is code green. Marit looks at the IV drip tube, it is clogged. "Heather, go get another IV 6 foot drip tube."

Heather looks at the clogged IV tube. "Yes doctor." Heather leaves Jake and Marit.

Dr. Steldic looks at Jake, "Is everything okay, you seem quiet."

Jake looks at Dr. Steldic, "Everything is okay, but I am worried about my friend Kathren, she acts as if the disorder is only a minor complication."

Dr. Steldic nods. "I remember Kathren Mira as Bri, he was very positive when the odds we're against him and he always pulled through."

Jake looks at the ceiling, "Until his death on St. Helens."

Marit looks at Jake, but does not say a thing. Heather comes in with a new tube. "I found one Dr. Steldic." She hands it to Marit.

Marit takes the package. "Thank you Heather."

Back in the tight restroom, Kathren Mira stands in the middle, she entered the restroom only to cry, there is to much pride to cry in front of Jake. As Kathren Mira washes her face she looks into the mirror. As she looks at the mirror as stares at the image of a Human child, young with a deformed neck, the gill tract can be seen against the flesh, all the layers rippling down towards the division of the bronchial tubes which lead to the lungs. As Kathren Mira remains transfixed on her image she notices that there is movement in her neck, something is moving within the gills. As Kathren Mira watches in terror, it stops. As Kathren Mira touches the once moving area, she does not feel anything, maybe her eyes are playing tricks on her, maybe it was the medication to silence the gills?

As Kathren Mira opens her mouth to orally check, she stares in the mirror of the reflection of her inner mouth, but sees nothing. As Kathren Mira keeps her mouth open, she moves her tongue closer to the bottom of her mouth, but all she sees is a gapping cavity that leads to her trachea and esophagus, as she touches the inner part of her mouth she notices that her fingers are in creditably salty. As she touches the back of her mouth, she removes her fingers after touching something that seemed unnatural, like a gigantic scar, but as she removes her fingers, there is mucus that leaves thick, course strings of clear fluid connected to her fingers and the back of her mouth, as she shakes her fingers, the mucus does not come off, instead with the motion of shaking, it sticks to Kathren Mira's face, to her clothing and to the surrounds near her. This is unnatural mucus, it is twenty times more stickier then regular mucus. As Kathren Mira closes her mouth hoping to cut the line, instead, the mucus bubbles her mouth suffocating her.

Using her other hand, she breaks the mucus bubble, and the mucus clings to her fingers making her hand webbed when she opens and closes her fingers. As her neck begins to swell, mucus pours out of her mouth and out emerges to tentacles, nothing like their older creation, these tentacles were no wider then a pencil, but the shot out of Kathren Mira's mouth and linger in mid air and then reemerge back into her body. As the sudden movement send Kathren Mira into an respiratory attack, Kathren Mira grabs the sink to keep from falling, but the mucus makes her slip and she hits a corner and lays against that corner for a second and then slowly falls to the floor. The precision on the stumbling creates a cocoon of mucus which encases Kathren Mira in and mucus pours out of her mouth filling the empty space. As the mucus fills the cocoon, Kathren Mira is suspended and can't move, the density of the mucus causes her ability to move obsolete. As Kathren Mira gathers full coherence, she notices that she is respirating by using her gills, she can breath her own mucus. As the tentacles emerge out of her mouth they disconnect and float in the mucus, the mucus dissolves them and they are gone, the mucus cocoon is correcting the evolutionary mistakes. As Kathren Mira stares into darkness, the mucus is beginning to shell over, the air is turning the mucus into solid matter, but as the cocoon shells over, the core for which she is in remains completely fluid. As the mucus shells around her flesh, this worries that the solid mucus might close off her only way of respiration, but it does not, it stops at the lips. As Kathren Mira floats there time seems to go by so slowly, it feels like she has been in this thing for hours.

Back in the room where Jake remains staring at the ceiling, only two minutes after Kathren Mira's transition, Dr. Steldic and Heather come back into the room. Dr. Steldic looks at the empty bed where Kathren Mira should have returned back to. "Did Kathren come back out of the bathroom?"

Jake looks at the door. "No, she's still in there, she's been real quiet!"

Dr. Steldic and Heather look at one another, Dr. Steldic walks to the bathroom door. As she stands there listening she hears nothing. As she knocks on the door, there is no reply. "Kathren is everything alright?" Again there is no answer, so she tries to open the door, it is unlocked, so she opens the door slowly, and as she peers into the restroom, there is slimy mucus all over the place, and on the floor is this slimy cocoon, about the size on Kathren's body. As Dr. Steldic looks in terror, she yells for Dr. Balard. As Heather and Jake rush over to the restroom, they encounter a mucus nightmare, and one ugly gigantic cocoon, Kathren must be in that thing, but how did is happen, why did it happen?

Jake turns around to get Binderlingerbach. As Heather and Steldic walk in carefully, alert for any type of defense this cocoon might have, they now linger over the chrysalis. As Hirick Binderlingerbach, Don Balard, Dick Silica, Dillen Shasta, Heydrick Himilar, Steve Steldic, Delenn Mir Sheridan, Edward Morden, Valen Sinclair, Michael Garibaldi, and John Sheridan rush into the room, Michael and John enter first followed by Delenn, inside the room, Binderlingerbach, Marit, and Heather look at Garibaldi, and the Sheridan's. Michael Garibaldi looks at the mucus cocoon, "Ah hell, that one ugly chrysalis." Pointing at the cocoon.

Delenn looks at Hirick, "Is Kathren in there?"

Binderlingerbach nods his head. "We've tried to open the cocoon, but every instrument just slips off and is sealed in mucus."

John looks at the cocoon, "Have you tried heating a focus point then breaking at that point?"

Marit looks at John Sheridan. "No, if any smoke fills this room, the emergency sprinklers will go off."

Delenn looks at the cocoon. "There is nothing we can do except let nature take its course." Heather and Jake look at Binderlingerbach who first referred the saying. Delenn continues, "Kathren will know when it is time to emerge, it is natural."

Edward Morden looks at the cocoon, he's seen this before, the look on his face gives it away. John looks at Edward. "Are you alright Mr. Morden?"

Edward looks quickly at John "Oh yes, just seeing this just reminds me of the cocoons of Z'ha'dum...filled with black chrysalis mater."

Delenn looks at Edward Morden, "But this is clear mucus mater, it's not that of Z'ha'dum!"

Edward Morden nods, correct, this is not like Z'ha'dum's chrysalis' but this is similar in texture and design." Edward thinks for a split-second "Was the triluminaries removed from her?"

Delenn thinks for a brief second, "Now that I think of it...no, we could not remove them for it would kill her, and would destroy this entire sector...she's a walking doomsday device."

Michael slowly shakes her head, "A doomsday device, sort of like Lyta!"

Delenn looks at Michael, "Exactly, just like Lyta, but more destructive, the triluminaries are one of the most powerful devices, this is why they were never combined, whoever possess them controls their race, whoever possess all of the controls the universe!"

Heydrick Himilar slowly enters the crowded room, "So what is your call?"

Delenn looks at Dr. Steldic, lets leave her alone, nature will take its course."

Heather Balard looks at the cocoon, "She may be suffocating in that thing!"

Hirick Binderlingerbach shakes his head. "I doubt it, remember, Kathren is not like us, she has an advanced respiratory system, she is probably using gills?"

Delenn nods, "It is inevitable anyway you look at it," Delenn moves her collar to expose two three inch long tubes running up her neck on both sides. "When I went through my chrysalis, you develop gills in your lungs, you never lose them because they become part of you, I find them useful in poisonous environments, and while on Babylon 5 I could move through the alien sector using the gills to respirate, it was painful but resourceful!"

Michael Garibaldi nods also, "I agree, while I was on Babylon 5 I noticed that both G'kar and Lyta had gills, both implanted, G'kar's was implanted unnaturally due to war, and Lyta's due to her adjustment by the Vorlon's."

Edward Morden sheepish smiles, "Not only you too have friends with gills...while I was in-service with the Shadow's, they implanted me with gills so I could survive on their planet, I used them to get around quickly, but never exposed them...for security reasons."

Hirick Binderlingerbach picks up his knife he used to try to slit open the cocoon, it is solid hard in mucus, but as he pours rubbing alcohol over it the mucus is thinned and breaks off. As the others watch, Binderlingerbach watches in amazement. "I really hate finding the answers to immoral situations!"

Delenn looks at John, "Take into consideration, if you open the cocoon unnaturally it may kill its host, whatever it's doing to her, it needs to finish or she might not even survive one minute outside that cocoon!" Everyone nods and agrees. "Well lets leave her alone...we'll check her every 12 hours!"

Dr. Steldic nods, "And I will take the first watch!." She looks at Jake, "And you need to get back in bed, your lungs are not that strong to be breathing on their own!"

Jake is lead back to the hospital bed, for what can he do, he is only 10 years old. As Dr. Steldic puts the mask back on his face, most of the congregation of hospital staff are now outside of Jake's room discussing who has watch. As Jake lays there he thinks to himself of the past conversation with Kathren, then he comes up with an idea to why Kathren has made the transition, her body must felt it was in immediate danger, what if the cocoon is correcting the probability of turning into a fish or what if it is turning her into a fish, whatever the case may be, a cocoon usually brings positive change, not pessimist change! Whatever the case, Kathren is strong, she was back on K'ha'dum, he was once at Children's, she will be strong once again here on Earth Four.

Two week later

It's been two weeks since Kathren went into her chrysalis, and the nervousness mounts up, what is going on, is she dead? No one knows for sure, but Jake has a feeling that today is the day that Kathren Mira will emerge out of the slimy cocoon she has created for herself. As the hours go by nothing happens, but as Jake goes down to have some dinner, the cocoon begins to move, bulge out. As a foot breaks through, mucus drips down the leg, next is the other leg, and the shell is begins to break leaking fluid. As Kathren Pushes herself out, the amount of fluid rushes out of the opening and Kathren is washed onto the floor. As Kathren lies there coughing up mucus out of her respiratory tract she pushes herself up, she does not feel any different, but also does not feel the heaviness in her throat. As Kathren looks at the mirror at her complexion she sees her normal self, even the massive swelling in her neck is gone, there are only two massive tubes that run up Kathren's neck on the sides. Each tube is divided into segregated sections and feel bumpy as Kathren runs her fingers up the tubes. As Kathren looks at her slimy hands she notices that some of the mucus that webs her fingers due to the stickiness of the mucus is supported by flesh webbing, her hands are webbed to the second knuckle. As Kathren washes off her fingers quickly the mucus does no come off, it just drips off slowly. As Kathren looks through the medicine cabinet, all she finds is bottles of peroxide and alcohol. As she dumps the peroxide and alcohol on her mucus covered hands the slime comes off. As Kathren notices its affect on her, she goes into the shower, strip naked and washes herself in peroxide and alcohol then washes it off. As the mucus falls off in clumps Kathren can feel the water on her skin. As she climbs out of the shower, the mucus is gone, now with whatever peroxide and alcohol left she washes the restroom and scopes up the slime and puts it in the toilet and flushes it away. With the bathroom smelling high in fumes, Kathren opens the door and peers out and sees no one, so she puts on clean white hospital pajamas and goes to her bed, she looks at the clock, it reads that she has been entrapped in that cocoon for 14 days, almost 15 days. As Kathren climbs into bed she feels hungry, for she hasn't eaten anything for almost 15 days. As Kathren puts on some shoes she leaves Jake's room and walks down to the Giraffe Zone in the hospital, on the fourth floor. As Kathren goes to the lady behind the counter, the lady looks at Kathren. "Hello, how may I help you my dear?"

Kathren looks at the choices of food, there is not much to choose from, mostly everything is snack like, but if she wanted anything to eat she would have gone up to the fifth floor to the Whale Sector to the Sounder Cafe. As Kathren looks at the options, she removes the card in her pocket which is her meal ticket and gives it to the lady behind the counter. "What can I get with this?"

The lady takes the card from Kathren, reads it and looks at Kathren. "This is a patient meal card my dear, anything on our meal plan, the selections are posted on the paper in front of you."

Kathren looks at the meal choices, and thinks to herself...hmm let me think...there is a deli ham sandwich, salad, grilled cheese sandwich, roast beef sandwich, turkey sandwich, vegan sandwich. "I'll take the Deli ham sandwich."

"Anything to drink?" Say the kind lady.

Kathren looks at the selection, "Is it included in my meal?"

The lady nods, "Yes dear."

Kathren looks at the selection, but she can't get herself to say soda and milk, she only asks for water. "Water please!"

The lady gets one ham sandwich and one bottled water. "There you are dear," she swipes the card, "If you need anything else, just come and tell me!" Kathren Smiles and carries her food back to her room, she is not use to the strange atmosphere of the hospital.

As Kathren arrives at Jake's room ask goes to the desk and sits at it, she unwraps the sandwich with her webbed fingers and then opens the water. The new adjustments don't even phase her, as she eats her meal Jake and Dr. Ulca enter the room. Dr. Ulca is shocked to see Kathren, and to see her still looking...Human! As Dr. Ulca walks closer to Kathren, Kathren puts down the sandwich and looks at Dr. Ulca. "Hello Dr. Ulca, I was hungry, so I picked up my own food...you don't mind?"

Dr. Ulca looks at Kathren. "Are you alright?"

Kathren looks at Jake and Ulca who are still as stone pillars. "I am fine, I emerged out of my cocoon and cleaned up the mess, it took me awhile to figure out what to clean with, but I found alcohol and peroxide, which serve as great cleaners if you ever get into a mucus mess!"

Dr. Ulca looks back at Jake then back at Kathren. "But you are alright?"

Kathren nods her hear... "I am fine doctor, trust me, the transformation was needed if I am to survive, I am getting better!"

Jake goes to his bed and climbs in, and the lays down. "Then this fear is over?"

Kathren looks at Jake. "As I know...yes!"

The End, March 14, 2006

Printed April 5, 2006

Edit On October 15, 2006

END OF CHAPTER 26, Final Notes Next