Jo sat in a melancholy mood next to the console. Sitting next to her was Garth, who had a newspaper in hand. Mack was a few feet away, rummaging around a nearby toolbox. The blonde gave a deep sigh, catching the attention of her friends and co-workers.

"Jo, we're all worried about him," Garth assured her.

"I-I can't stop thinking about how long it's been since he was abducted by those aliens. I still wish we knew exactly what occurred on that ship. Whatever happened there, Czarina's dead and the lieutenant almost didn't make it. I mean, even Rusty's worried and we can't tell him anything," Jo muttered.

"He's young yet. Now that he's on the mend, he'll be back soon enough," Mack called over to them.

Mack gave a small sigh as he turned his stare up to the mechanical man in the chair before him. The experiences the small group had over the years crossed his mind and the times that the lieutenant had already faced certain death but lived to tell about it.

"Even though, I'd still hate to lose him now," he mumbled to himself.

He tilted his hat back and turned around to face the two. Once he did, he was greeted by an unexpected sight at the far end of the hangar: Lieutenant Dwayne Hunter, standing proud and tall at the door. Behind him, Justin had an arm around Jennifer, ready to watch the scene as it played out.

"Lieutenant, you're back!" he gasped.

Jo and Garth perked up and looked to see him and smiles crossed their faces. They hurried up to see him and the lieutenant was immediately bombarded with a million different questions at once and he tried to calm them down.

"One at a time now. I can only answer so fast," he laughed.

The three knew that there was only one major question at the forefront of their minds and it was Jo who decided to ask it first.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine considering what happened. Though I can say I've had excellent care during my recovery. I'm glad to be back even though I'm a little tired," Dwayne told them.

He walked past them and up to the Big Guy. The corners of his mouth turned up into a smile, the relief that his days as an invalid were now over and he could return as the pilot of the Big Guy.

"Don't worry Dwayne, we've been taking real good care of him during your absence but he's all yours again," Garth said.

"Thanks for keeping the seat warm Garth. I've been waiting many long weeks for this," Dwayne sighed.

Jo stepped up to him and Dwayne turned his gaze to the floor, closing his eyes. She gently placed a hand on his arm and he covered it with his own before finally catching her stare.

"I am so sorry Jo, about Czarina. She died saving my life and I can only hope that you can forgive me," Dwayne quietly said.

"There's nothing to forgive Dwayne. It feels like crap knowing that she's dead but I think if there had been a way to save your life and it wasn't acted upon, things would be very different," she replied.

Justin and Jennifer silently moved closer to the quartet. They quickly took notice of the two felines and their ears perked up in interest as to what they to say.

"We will see all of you later. Just to inform you, we will have to be back every few days to check on Lieutenant Hunter. There's still a small chance for infection and we're simply hoping to prevent that from getting too far," Jennifer explained.

The group nodded as they watched the two cats disappear. Dwayne felt a twinge of sadness seeing them leave for he had gotten to know more about them in the weeks since the incident on board the Liaperian ship. He gave another sigh as he stole a quick glance back up at the Big Guy, more than prepared to have him back.

00000

Dwayne stared at the face reflecting in the mirror. Despite attempts to get any information out of him, Dwayne Hunter did not give in to anything whatsoever to his Pit Crew, citing he simply wasn't ready to talk about it. He stripped his clothes off to glance down to stare at the scars and remembered the pain that gave them to him. His hand slowly made its way down his body and he grasped himself while his other hand leaned against the wall over the toilet. Groaning, the lieutenant continued to stroke his penis. Familiar sensations overtook his mind and he eventually surrendered to the eventual relief he sought before he climbed over to the shower. The water seemed to wash away the semen and the pain for the moment anyway and he leaned his hands against the wall.

'What has my life come to? Haven't I already gotten enough secrets as it is?' he thought.

He soon climbed off and began to dry off before heading into the bedroom. Dwayne noticed the moonlight shining in through the porthole as went to look at it, never noticing someone sitting on his bed.

"Might I say Lieutenant, you look a hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you," came a familiar voice.

Dwayne twirled around in shock to see Czarina Mills sitting nude on his bed with one knee over the other. He gave a deep sigh as he quickly pulled the towel around his waist.

"Don't be so modest Lieutenant. I was there during your entire recovery. I also saw you when your goods were mutilated. I am so sorry about this since I know you've already got a lot on your plate. If there was another way to save your life without me being here, I would have chosen it," she sighed.

"I still don't know what to think about that. I kind of wish you mentioned something about this palack of yours and the fact it contains the same biological agents that were within your body," he retorted.

"My palack. My life force as a physical substance. I could not tell you about that since I had to make the choice of when and where to use it," she explained. "As for changing into a pterodactyl, I suppose no one truly asked how the process worked. All of you simply assumed that it could happen since there was alien tampering and as a result, I never thought to mention the agents."

Dwayne began to pace back and forth, the recent events flooding his mind and what the two felines had told him days earlier. He crossed his arms as he stopped in front of the bed.

"Now we basically share the same body and I've got several more burdens to deal with. With me being the only one who can see or hear you, people are going to think I'm crazy if I start talking to myself or become worried when I suddenly start disappearing randomly. Who's to say that you won't try and take control of this body?" he said.

"Lieutenant Hunter, I can assure you that you will always be in complete control of your body for I am but a passenger. Yes, you will constantly know that I'm around and unless you require my assistance, I will not be a burden and I will respect your privacy, even when it's not requested. I am simply here as a direct result of my own decision to save your life," she told him.

The lieutenant finally sat down on the bed next to her. For a few minutes, nothing was said until Dwayne ran a hand through his hair.

"So what happens now? Will it be like this until the day I die?" he finally asked.

"Uncertain. There are so many things that could happen. I can only hope that Justin and Jennifer can find a potential solution. Until they do, we're going to have to make the best of the situation," she replied.

Dwayne shrugged his shoulders as he decided to drop the towel onto the floor before crawling into the bed. He watched the ceiling and soon felt a presence beside him. He soon found that Czarina had curled up beside him and closed her eyes. His stare went to the nearby dresser, where he had placed the communicator and necklace that Justin and Jennifer had given him.

'Take care of them for they are your lifeline to us. Be glad, Lieutenant and be very honoured. Not many are given this chance to live again,' Justin told him.

'Even if it means that I won't be quite the same man I used to be? I mean, with the experiences and abilities I've gained…' he replied.

Jennifer placed a calming hand on his shoulder as she sat down beside him, giving him a gentle kiss on his cheek.

'Everyone is changing all the time. Just please take care of Czarina for us. There's still a lot for her to do and the same goes for you, Lieutenant Dwayne Hunter, chief mechanic of the Big Guy,' she quietly told him.

As Czarina slowly disappeared, Dwayne's eyelids gave in to their sagging feeling and finally fell asleep.

The End