The sense of another Zoalord in the Tower, one who was definitely not the kidlet, made Zektor forget what he had been curious about originally and make for the kidlet's room. That's where the signal was coming from, and Zektor wondered for a moment just what one of the other Overlords would be coming to see Lord Ingriam for. That was the only reason that he could think of for one of the other Overlords to come to the Tower.
Now that he was making his way back into the upper levels where the kidlet was staying, Zektor started to get a decent idea of just how powerful this visiting Zoalord was. It was only one—only one of the other Overlords had come to oversee the operations of the Genesis Tower. That was good; that meant that he would only have to explain the kidlet's condition to one other Overlord.
That was even better, since he wasn't quite sure how he was going to explain the kidlet's condition to even one. Of course, there was always the chance that the other Overlords already knew about the kidlet. That would make his job a hell of a lot easier, but he couldn't really count on them knowing something like that. Harsh as the Overlords could sometimes be, he couldn't really see any of them condoning the processing of a kid, and there was no mistaking what the kidlet was once you met him.
With those thoughts—not particularly comforting ones at that—still running through his mind, Zektor stepped into the elevator and hit the button that would take him to the top floor of the Tower. Once he'd made it back there, the subtle feeling of wrongness that had been starting to bother him when he'd been in the elevator became almost unbearable. When he realized that it was coming from the kidlet's room, he threw aside whatever little propriety there was in a situation like this and barged in.
XxXxX
The sound of the door slamming into the wall would have likely been enough to distract any lesser Zoalord from their present task. But he was not any lesser Zoalord, and so he continued with his self-imposed task. It was all very well for Imakarum's child to behave the way he did when he was under the care of Chronos' Twelfth Zoalord, or even when he was simply staying in Cloud Tower on his own.
Now that the boy had joined the ranks of Chronos' grand Council, however, it was time for his childish ways to be put aside. Still, the boy was very loyal to Lord Alkanphel, and the few things he had learned about the running of the corporation had not turned him against their grand plans. Still, that did not mean he was going to be persuaded not to complete his task regarding the boy. Kenji Murakami's time on this world would have to end if Imakarum's son was going to be of any use to the Chronos syndicate. He would not be swayed from his work no matter how much noise the boy made, no matter how young Ingriam whined or cried, sobbed or screamed.
The sense of a Hyper Zoanoid moving quickly in his direction made Balkus look up from his work for a moment. Zektor, whose presence at this base had not been cleared with him, was standing in the hallway outside the room. The Hyper Zoanoid looked shocked, but surely he did not expect a mere child – Zoalord or not – to be in command of even a single branch of Chronos and all of the Zoanoids therein. He could not have been so sentimental or so stupid as to believe something like that.
Still, there remained the question of just what the Hyper Zoanoid wanted and why he was staring so intently at young Ingriam. It was most likely nothing important, so Dr. Balkus dismissed the Hyper Zoanoid from his thoughts. He needed all of his focus to effect the rebuilding of the child-Zoalord's mind. He could ill-afford distractions at a moment like this.
XxXxX
Moving was like wading through cold peanut butter, but seeing the kidlet so obviously in pain and needing help spurred him on despite the fact that he could barely muster the will to make his limbs actually move. Even though the one doing this to the kidlet was Dr. Balkus himself – and hence he was more than likely to get himself in Deep Shit for trying to interfere with whatever it was the old Zoalord was doing – he was going to get it done. He liked the kidlet just the way he was: there would be plenty of time to train him to be the kind of Zoalord that would do Chronos and his dad proud. It wasn't like they were pressed for time in any respect. The Guyvers weren't anywhere in the area, and there weren't any aspects of running this base that really required a Zoalord's direct oversight.
"So you think you can teach this… child all he needs to know about being a part of Chronos' grand Council before the Guyvers inevitably find their way here?"
"I'm sure I can, sir," he said realizing even as he did so that they could be the last words he ever said.
Dr. Balkus wasn't known for his compassion, and he'd never been one to tolerate insubordination—even a Hyper Zoanoid had to know the limits. Now he was pushing them, but this was worth the risk. The kidlet deserved a chance to grow up normally – at least for a certain skewed definition of normal – and that wasn't going to happen if he let Dr. Balkus finish whatever kind of… psychic lobotomy he had planned. If that meant he was going to have to stir up some shit with the Second Zoalord, so be it.
"So you truly think that you can handle the task you have set for yourself?" Dr. Balkus repeated.
"Yeah, that's right," he said, trying not to sound arrogant but merely sure. Most people wouldn't be willing to challenge the Dr. Balkus this way, but there were more things at stake here than just one guy's life. "I swear I can do this, Dr. Balkus. There'll be no trouble teaching the kid how to run things at this base."
"And if there is?"
"I'll take care of that, too," he said, knowing that not only would His Excellency Imakarum track him down and rip out his entrails if he let anything like what Doc Balkus was planning happen, the kidlet deserved at least some kind of chance.
"Very well," the old Zoalord said, not sounding particularly enthused about the idea. "I will leave this boy's education in your hands. Do not disappoint me."
Without even a word—not that Zektor had been really expecting anything of the sort—Dr. Balkus teleported out. Not wasting any time thinking of the old Zoalord who wasn't there anymore, he moved quickly to help his Zoalord. The kidlet looked thoroughly wrung-out; not surprising considering what he had just been through, but not really all that comforting, either.
"Just take it easy," he said, pitching his voice low to try and reassure the kidlet. "I'll take care of you." He smiled. "What's say I take you back to your room so you can sleep this off? I'll even tuck you in, all right?"
The kidlet's eyes, still kind of glazed from what he had been put through – or nearly had, at any rate – dilated for a moment before they finally seemed to focus on him. He knew the kidlet probably wouldn't be up to talking for a while. No one could really expect him to recover so quickly from nearly having his mind ripped apart like that. It was at that moment that Zektor made a silent vow. He didn't know exactly where the hell Imakarum was or when the other Zoalord was going to come back, but until that time he would take care of the kidlet.
He would make sure that little Lord Ingriam – His Excellency Ingriam Mirabilis – knew exactly what being a full Zoalord and a member of the Council of Twelve entailed. His Excellency Imakarum had left the kidlet with him, had left the little Zoalord in his care, and Zektor was determined that he wouldn't screw this up. Ingriam was going to have to learn just what it took to be one of Chronos' Overlords.
But all that was for later. Right now he had to get the kidlet to bed. Poor thing; it's going to take awhile for him to settle in, but he'll have all of us behind him. Looking down at the slumbering form of his Overlord in his arms, Zektor smiled softly.
This wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but nothing worth doing was easy.
End: The Birth of Guyver V
The saga continues in Meeting Places