The rescue shuttle landed safely on Earth after what seemed like an eternity to those on board. The control room emptied to welcome them back home after a successful mission and, upon seeing her husband and friends, Ronda Rousey was unable to contain her relief and excitement. She left her status where she stood and ran for Travis, who welcomed her with wide open arms. They embraced and Ronda kissed him as passionately as her emotions allowed.
"Oh my god, Travis." Ronda said. "I thought I lost you." Travis smiled.
"You must have been scared if you're calling me Travis now." He said to her. Ronda looked to the rescue team.
"Thank you all so much." She said as she proceeded to hug all of them. "You risked your lives for the people I love the most. I don't think I can ever repay you all for this."
"A round of drinks would be nice." Seth said aloud. Ronda pointed at him.
"You got it! Gimme the time and place and we'll be there." Stephanie laughed.
"He didn't mean that." She told Ronda. "He doesn't even drink."
"Really?" Ronda replied with wide eyes. "Shame, because if I did, I'm sure I could drink him under the table." Seth scoffed.
"Well." He started. "If I did drink and were serious about that round, I'd challenge you round for round."
"In another life, I guess then." Ronda laughed before Baxter waved his hands at all of them.
"Alright, everybody." He said. "Let's go ahead and get you all debriefed and ready to go home."
"You all did a wonderful job out there." Zodrick added. "You should all be proud of yourselves." He then turned to Macey. "You were exceptional, Captain Estrella. Your training and dedication showed true. I'll make sure you are aptly rewarded." Macey nodded.
"Thank you, General." She replied. "I was just doing my duty, Sir." Zodrick smiled.
"I'm aware. You deserve recognition along with this wonderful team of Alpha Humans. Rousey and I will see to it ourselves." Ronda nodded.
"Absolutely!" Ronda added. "Whatever you need, just let us know." Cynthia smiled and nodded.
"Alright, guys." She said. "Debriefing's this way. It'll be quick and painless. Shuttle crew members, please follow me." Cynthia then headed for the launch pad exit and everyone who rode on the space shuttle followed behind her. On their way, the crew of the rescue shuttle followed her in silence as they continued to decompress after being in outer space. Then, they all heard Rex speak.
"Oh man." He said. "Am I glad to be back home? When I get outta here, I'm hitting up the first sandwich stand I see!" Maki rolled her eyes.
"Rex." She said simply.
"What? I'm starving! I've been living off of powder for what, 18 days now!"
"We were gone for one day, Rex." Sarah explained to the man.
"Well, it felt like 18!" Cynthia waved her hand at the man.
"Alright, alright." She said as she opened the door to the Conference Room. "Right inside." Cynthia walked inside ahead of all of them. "Take a seat anywhere at the large table in front." Everyone took their seats and Cynthia stood in front of the massive conference table. Sarah spoke ahead of Cynthia.
"So." She started. "Is this one of those things where we're not supposed to say anything about this to anybody?" Cynthia nodded.
"Yup." She answered simply. "That's exactly it." Cynthia then looked around the room at everyone else. "Everything you saw, said, heard, or did during this mission must be kept to yourselves until either the President gives you the all-clear or until the 48-hour embargo passes. After that, you're free to speak to any and all reporters and broadcasters since the major details of the mission were already explained by the President himself and aren't harmful to discuss."
"So." Nikki started. "We can't talk to anyone about it? Not even our loved ones?" Cynthia shook her head.
"Not before the 2 days pass or the President personally tells you it's alright to do so." She replied. "I honestly don't think the mission is confidential enough to truly warrant the embargo this time around, but we don't want to put out information and then hear the President say something different." Nikki nodded. Taking the notion as acceptance, Cynthia clapped her hands together. "Okay. Anybody have any more questions before we close out?" Rex began to speak.
"Yeah." He said with a childish smirk. "I have one, Miss Mayoli. Whatcha got going on tonight?" Sarah buried her face in her hands as she cringed at Rex's lacking effort to court Cynthia. Travis reached out and punched Rex in his arm. "Ow! What the hell, man!"
"Knock it off, Rex!" Travis told him.
"I'm just trying to make plans! That's all." Maki rolled her eyes and shook her head, as did Cynthia.
"You've gotta be kidding me." Macey said to Rex. "I hope that wasn't your pick up line cause that one can't hold water in a rain drop!" Sasha giggled then looked at the woman.
"Girl." She said to Macey. "I'm gonna have to use that one!" Cynthia went to speak. However, it was Cesaro, who spoke for her when she went to reply as if he had read her thoughts.
"She has plans with her husband tonight, Russell." He said plainly. Cynthia looked over to Cesaro with skepticism before taking a deep breath through her mouth.
"We're going to dinner." She added in an odd tone. "If you must know." Rex nodded both accepting of the rejection and confused as to how Cesaro knew his name as they not been officially acquainted. Sami looked over at Cesaro as if something were amiss before they all heard Cynthia speak again.
"Well." She started. "If you're all done with the thirst, you may go to the uniform area to change back into your clothes. Macey and those with the Repair Team, report to your lockers so you can change and get your things. Again, thank you all very much for your hard work. We all truly do appreciate everything you've done over the past few days." Everyone got up out of their seats and exited the room. Once outside, they all looked at each other.
"I never got a real chance to personally thank you guys…" Travis said to the Superstars before turning to Macey standing beside him. "… You also, Estrella. None of us would be here right now if it weren't for all of you."
"Yeah." Franklin said. "Claudio, most of all. Guy took a solar flare like it was nothing!" Cesaro simply shook his head.
"I just… did what I thought was necessary." He said. Rex nodded.
"Well." He said. "Like Trav said. We wouldn't be here if you guys hadn't come all the way to outer space to get us. Guess we're all buds for life now since we owe you ours." John smiled at the group.
"Sounds good to me." He replied, answering for himself and his friends.
"We'll be in touch." Maki said, respectfully dismissing herself to go change and gather her things. Sarah, overcome by graciousness, hugged Cesaro as tight as she could.
"Thank you!" She said to him. "You're so brave." Cesaro blinked upon feeling the woman's embrace. When she touched him, he almost instantly felt the emotions she felt within herself. The feeling of thankfulness for being saved from certain death and the empowerment for making an effort to thank Cesaro all rushed through the man's mind.
"I don't know what I'd have done without him maybe I should get him a gift but I don't know what he likes and I don't even know his name I should call mom I miss her I'm hungry Rex is so stupid for hitting on Cynthia like that Estrella looked pissed about it and Maki didn't like it either men are dumb." Her voice rung in his head with several other mumbled things that seemed to run together. He had not even noticed that she had let him go and that the group of humans had left until he felt Sami tugging on his arm.
"Claudio." Sami called out, breaking Cesaro from his trance. Cesaro looked over to Sami and saw how concerned he looked. "Are you okay?" Cesaro smiled as he saw that his friends were all looking at him with a worried look on their faces.
"I am." He responded. Though, it was not enough of an answer for the red head.
"You sure?" He pressed. "What happened in the conference room with you and Miss Mayoli? You read her mind without her permission. Not really your thing, man." Cesaro looked down to the floor as if he had realized what he had done moments prior only after Sami brought it to his attention.
"I didn't mean to." He said to them sounding slightly pathetic. "I just felt the need to help her out of that awkward situation." Sami could not shake the feeling that something was wrong but before he could speak on it further, Nikki spoke up.
"Maybe you should let Bryan come out and check you out when we get back to the mansion, Claudio." Nikki suggested. "Just to make sure you're alright." Cesaro nodded.
"Okay." He agreed.
"We're ready to go get out of these outfits then?" Noam asked in a pleading tone.
"I think we are." Sasha said as she looked down the hallway. "Let's go home!"
In the employee locker rooms, the repair team gathered their things and prepared to change into their normal clothes. Rex pulled out a dirty-looking white sleeveless shirt which seemed to draw the ire of his comrades.
"Rex!" Travis called out. "Get rid of that shirt, will ya?"
"Hell no!" Rex snapped back. "This is my lucky shirt!"
"You should have worn it under your uniform then." Eckers said. "If it is lucky, maybe none of this would have happened."
"It's not lucky." Maki said. "It's gross and Rex should trash it right now."
"I'm not trashing my shirt, Yo-Yo Maki, so screw off!" Rex took off the shirt he was wearing and put on his 'lucky' shirt. Macey eyed the man with slight disgust.
"You're not gonna get a woman wearing those types of dirty clothes, ya nasty!" She said to him in a joking yet slightly judgmental tone of voice.
"I don't need clothes to get a girl, Estrella." Rex said in a smug tone. "Most girls actually prefer my clothes off anyway." Macey rolled her eyes.
"Oh my god, Rex!" Sarah harped. "Please! I'm starving and you're ruining my appetite." Eckers then patted his stomach.
"Speaking of appetite…" He started. "What are we eating? Where are we going?"
"Ronda's probably gonna choose a taco joint." Travis said. "We can't get plastered, though, because we still gotta work tomorrow." Maki grimaced.
"Guess we're having tacos." She said. "… Again."
"You should come, Macey." Eckers suggested. "You missed our last taco outing. You'll love watching how shit Rex makes his tacos." Rex huffed.
"The fucking taco busted open on me, dammit!" He explained hastefully. "I had to do something! I was wearing my good white pants!" Macey laughed.
"I'll think about it." She replied. "I've got a few things I need to catch up on."
"We'll let you know where we go." Travis offered. "If you wanna come, you can just meet us there." Macey smiled.
"Sounds great." She said before grabbing her bag. "Well, ya nasties. I'm gonna go take care of the rest of work so I can actually get outta here on time today." Macey then smiled and said, "Welcome home, y'all" before walking out of the locker room and down the hallway to one of the women's restrooms to change. She paused before walking into the restroom, pulled out her phone and looked at the screen as she thought about what Sasha Banks said to her about becoming a wrestler. Moments before they parted, she had given Macey the number for the McMahons' mansion as well as her own personal number so that if she decided to give wrestling a try, she could contact her. Macey smiled to herself and headed into the restroom to change.
Outside the launch site, Shane and Stephanie waited patiently with smiles on their faces as their friends made their way to the vehicles they were all escorted in. Noam, ever cheerful, smiled big.
"It's time to go home and relax!" He said aloud. Sasha sighed a sigh of relief.
"My god, yes!" She said. "I need my bed right now!"
"We all do." John added. "I'm just ready for this day to be over." They all got into the escort vehicles, but Sami stopped Shane and Stephanie before they got into their vehicle.
"Do you mind if I ride with you two?" Sami asked. "I need to talk to you about something." Stephanie looked over at Shane then back to Sami.
"Of course you can ride with us, Rami." She replied. "Is everything okay?"
"We'll talk in the car." The two siblings nodded and entered their ride and Sami followed behind them once they were seated. As soon as Sami took his seat, Shane signaled to the driver that they were ready and closed the privacy window.
"What's going on, Rami?" He asked. Sami hesitated a bit before answering.
"I'm not sure how to say this." He started. "But something's wrong… with Claudio." Stephanie looked over at Shane with knowing eyes, making Shane shift a little in his seat.
"We'll talk to him when we get back to the mansion." Shane said to Sami. Sami, however, shook his head.
"No. There's something seriously wrong with him. I tried to hide as best as I could around him, but ever since we stepped off that shuttle he's felt different to me." Stephanie narrowed her eyes.
"Different how, Rami?" She asked. Sami swallowed a lump.
"I… Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"I can't feel his Alpha Human powers anymore, Stephanie. His Astral presence is gone. I feel nothing." Shane and Stephanie looked at each other and began to wonder what happened during the mission as they were only able to see the still image sent to the control center by Macey of the downed shuttle and the anomaly.
"What happened out there, Rami?" Stephanie asked. "What was that thing next to the shuttle in the picture Captain Estrella broadcasted?" Sami shook his head.
"I can't tell you about the mission yet, Stephanie." He replied. "We're not supposed to talk about it until the President says we can." Shane shifted his eyes around.
"If something happened out there that is causing this sudden change in Claudio you're feeling," He started. "Then we need to know right now so we can look into it when we get back." Sami took a deep breath.
"You know we won't tell a soul, Rami." Stephanie reassured. "We need to know if it'll help Claudio." After a moment, Sami nodded his head.
"I don't know what that thing was out there." He told them. "I don't think any of us do. We think it was a solar flare, but I do know that from the shuttle readings and the damage it caused to the shuttles, it was very hot. When Mercedes took Claudio back to save the captain, the solar flare hit it and Mercedes came back with the shuttle captain but without Claudio. Then it… came for us and all of a sudden we all see that gold glow. Claudio, he… absorbed the solar flare, I think. I don't know for certain. I know it was being sucked into the shuttle where Claudio's glow came from and then the shuttle exploded. All we saw were pieces of the shuttle and that solar flare being sucked into Claudio's body. I know he died out there. I must have after all that, but here he is in the car behind us like nothing happened." Sami looked down at his feet before continuing. "That solar flare he absorbed out there changed him… and since then I haven't been able to feel him like I feel every other Alpha Human. I don't feel anything at all."
Shane and Stephanie were left speechless after Sami's revelation of what had happened on the shuttle mission. Cesaro had put himself in the direct path of danger and, seemingly, in the sights of death itself at Shane's behest and desire to simply finish the mission and save the day. This upset Stephanie as it further proved everyone else's conclusion that her brother was taking advantage of Cesaro and the rest of their friends by putting them in danger time and time again, his regard for their safety deteriorating each time. It was a concern that rung in her head countless times from the moment she began to listen to the complaints from her comrades. Before Stephanie could think any further, Sami finally spoke again.
"Nikki suggested Claudio see Bryan in the lab when we get back." He said to them. "I think it's a good idea after what he's been through today." Shane, sweat beads forming on his forehead as he continued to take in what Sami told them, nodded in both agreement and relief that Sami unknowingly provided an escape from the heavy air that filled the cabin.
"Right." Shane said. "That is best. We will check further after we find his vitals are all clear." Stephanie simply nodded and the cabin filled with a stone clad silence. While not a telepath directly, Sami was able to feel a shift in Stephanie and Shane's moods respectively and immediately knew what it was about. Not wanting to add to the tension, Sami sat quietly as the vehicle carried them back to the mansion.
The President sat at his desk seemingly in heavy thought. He had just been given the news that the Alpha Humans successfully rescued the repair team and returned safely. The President initially told his secretary, Thomas, to send his thanks to the team, but recanted his request and told the man that he would send the news himself, Thomas waiting dutifully for further instruction. The President then nodded and looked towards the other man.
"How quickly can you gather the resources for a public ceremony here in the city?" He asked him. "I wish to welcome the repair team home and thank Shane and his Alpha Humans for their aid over the past few months, all publicly. It will be a smaller venue than usual, but I still wish for it to be televised and broadcasted nationwide." Thomas took notes regarding the President's request and nodded at the man.
"I can get everything together as soon as you wish, Sir," The secretary replied.
"Let's schedule for tomorrow at noon." The President said. "I will contact the guests of honor and inform them. I'll make a public announcement after that here in about ten minutes. Have my broadcast team ready for me." Thomas nodded once again.
"Absolutely, Sir." He responded. "I will make sure everyone is prepared for tomorrow as well."
"Thank you, Thomas." Thomas smiled, nodded, and then took his leave to tend to the President's requests. He then stood up and adjusted his tie as he waited for the broadcasting team to arrive in his office.
The group of Alpha Humans finally arrived back at the mansion after the seemingly long trip from the launch site. The drivers of the two vehicles stepped out and walked around to the cabins to let their passengers out. Everyone slowly stepped out of the vehicles, some stretching after being in a seated position for roughly two hours. Nikki let out an audible yawn.
"Oh my god." She said. "I am so tired. It's been a hell of a weekend!" Noam nodded.
"Fuck yeah!" He said in his thick Scottish accent. "Time for a hot toddy and a hot bath!" Sasha sighed.
"Hell yes!" She said. "I can feel the bath bomb relaxing me now." Cesaro shook his head at his friends. He then began to hop around as if he were burning off excess energy.
"How are you guys so tired?" He harped, surprising everyone with his sudden chipper tone after having said barely anything since they all landed back on Earth. John, truly not knowing how to respond, simply said…
"Probably jet lag, man." He then shrugged and asked Cesaro, "You feeling alright, Claudio?" Cesaro stopped hopping about and huffed.
"I feel fine." He answered. "Great, actually. I feel like I just had another five-star match with you. I feel like I can go for a hundred matches with you, John Cena." He then looked to Stephanie whose mouth was agape as she beheld his sudden actions. "Book it, Stephanie. It'll be great. A show stealer. Stephanie balled up her mouth and nodded.
"You got it." She replied, not knowing what else to say.
"Don't forget." Sami said to Cesaro while glancing over at the McMahon siblings. "We still gotta get you to Bryan to get checked out." Cesaro's eyes widened as he looked at Sami.
"Yeah, I know." He said to the man. "I mean, I feel fine, but I guess. Outer space and all." Cesaro then threw his finger up. "But, first thing's first. I need to find Fergal before he leaves. He owes me another game of archery." Everyone watched as Cesaro hastefully made his way to the mansion doors. John threw his hands up at Shane and Stephanie, the gesture asking them what was going on. Stephanie looked over at Shane who shook his head.
"Let's just go inside." He said. "We'll call Bryan and see how soon he can get to Claudio." Shane followed Cesaro to the mansion doors, everyone else following behind him reluctantly. Cesaro opened the door and was almost taken aback by what he and everyone behind him saw. It was all their friends applauding them upon entering the lobby of the mansion. Bayley was holding a sign she made that said, "Welcome Home, Astronauts" and was screaming at the top of her lungs in joy as they all welcomed the group home.
"What's up with this?" Sami asked, a smile lining his face. Charlotte walked out of the crowd and approached them.
"Well," She started. "We all saw the news and wish we could've helped. Then, we figured, why not throw a little 'welcome home' thing when you all got back?"
"Y'all did that!" Naomi added. "They're gonna be talking about this for a long time!"
"What was it like?" Becky Lynch asked. "What did you guys have to do out there?" Noam went to speak, but Sasha threw her hands up.
"We can't say just yet, y'all." She responded. "But I can say this, though. Ya girl's tired as hell." Everyone started laughing at Sasha's comment. Stephanie then waved her hand.
"Yes, yes." She said. "We all thank you guys so much for this welcome home wagon, but Mercedes is right. We're exhausted. Hope you all didn't go through much effort."
"Not at all!" Paige said before slightly elbowing her company, Simon, in the side. "We were just cleaning up, actually. You guys go on and get some rest and what not. We'll all catch up later on." Shane then spoke.
"Actually," He said before looking to Brie Bella. "Brie, do you mind reaching out to Bryan and seeing if he can come run diagnostics on Claudio?" Brie nodded.
"Of course I can." She replied. "What for?"
"Just as a precaution."
"You got it." Brie pulled out her phone and began dialing her husband's number. Then, Paige and Simon approached the group of fellow Alpha Humans.
"Uh, guys." Paige started. "This is-" Before Paige could continue, Simon reached his hand out to greet the group and introduce himself.
"Name's Simon Miller." Simon said to them all. "I'm a wrestler over in the UK, a big fan of all of your work. I'm a journalist, too." Cesaro was the first to reach out and shake Simon's hand.
"You're also an Alpha Human." He said to the man without regard, making him freeze in place. Shane and Stephanie looked at Sami, who nodded to confirm Cesaro's claim. Cesaro began shaking Simon's hand rather vigorously then continued to introduce himself to him. "Claudio Castagnoli. Always good to meet a fellow wrestler!" Simon nodded in confusion.
"Yeah." He said. "Good to meet you, too." Cesaro finally released Simon's hand and Simon then turned to Shane and Stephanie.
"Well," He said. "Now that the cat's outta the bag, yeah. I came with Saraya because I wanted to talk to you all about… you know, how you learned to control your powers. I'm, uh… having a bit of trouble, so to say." Shane nodded.
"We can definitely help you out, Simon." He told the Brit. "We're all a bit exhausted today, though. You're welcome to stay the night if you wish. We have plenty of room here. We can work with you tomorrow." Paige slapped Simon on his back.
"See?" she said. "I told you they'd help, you spook. Now I gotta run back home." Sasha grimaced.
"You're leaving already?" She said. "We were just catching up." Paige pouted.
"I know." She said. "But I gotta get back home before mom has a fit." She then looked to Simon. "You stay here with them and let them work with you." Paige then ran up to John and Nikki and hugged them both. "Congratulations again, you two lovebirds!"
"Thank you, love!" Nikki said with warmth.
"Sorry the wedding party was cut short." John said. "We'll try to schedule another one that'll last a few days." Paige shook her head.
"No." She said. "Don't worry about that. We've plenty of time to celebrate. Just take care of Simon, will you? Poor guy's got a lot of work that needs to be done." Simon looked at Paige.
"Quit makin' it seem like I'm some charity case, will ya!?" He harped. Paige shrugged and then waved at her friends.
"Bye, loves." She said before walking outside, a chorus of farewells following behind her. She promptly unsheathed her wings and took off into the sky on her way back home to England. Stephanie looked back at the other Alpha Humans to address them.
"Well, guys." She began. "You all did wonderful out there. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart." Shane then chimed in.
"Yeah." He said. "As always, you all came through and I'm sure the President will be calling to send his thanks. We're taking a break from all that so that John and Nikki can actually enjoy their wedding."
"Not that we didn't enjoy it the way it was!" John quickly spoke. "It was beautiful."
"It really was." Jey Uso agreed. Brie then looked to Nikki.
"Nikki and John put it together themselves." She said before describing all of the decorations with loving enthusiasm. Stephanie then looked over at Shane whom glanced back at her. She then grabbed Triple H's arm.
"I need to talk to Shane okay?" She told him. "We'll be back in a moment." Triple H nodded and with that, Stephanie left with Shane up the stairs and down the hallway towards the main office. Once both inside, Stephanie closed the door and looked at her brother with trying eyes.
"You gave me that look, Steph." Shane said. Stephanie folded her arms.
"How could you do that, Shane?" She asked him with a hint of disappointment.
"Do what?"
"You put them in danger, Shane. You put Claudio in danger." Shane scoffed, brushing off the uncomfortable feeling he got when Stephanie mentioned Cesaro. "If what Rami said is true then Claudio should be dead and the President should be sending his condolences."
"Claudio's fine, Steph." Shane responded quickly. "He's downstairs right now looking no worse for wear." Stephanie blinked.
"Shane." She said. "Are you hearing yourself? Our friends, no… our family… just risked their lives going into a space mission with no experience and no way of knowing they'd make it out safely. Claudio risked his life absorbing a solar flare." Shane rolled his eyes as he became annoyed with his sister's preaching tone.
"Steph." He said. "What do you want me to say? We're all here in one piece and we haven't seen any changes in Claudio. In fact, I'll check on him myself tonight before Daniel gets here tomorrow, okay?" Stephanie did not reply, the silence not enough for Shane. "Okay?" Stephanie did not budge as something else pressed her mind.
"That's not all, Shane." She started. Stephanie then sat down at the large office table, her brother following her actions.
"What else is there?" Shane asked after taking his seat. Stephanie took a deep breath before answering.
"I'm worried about you, Shane." She said. "Everyone is." Shane shook his head and went to speak, but Stephanie raised her hand to stop him.
"Let me finish." She said, making Shane buckle down in silence. Stephanie continued her words.
"Shane, I'm worried… that you're losing sight of what we started all of this for… why Mom and Mark opened the doors to our old home to people with powers like theirs… why they trusted us with their dream and why it became ours… why everyone like us downstairs and all across the world trust our dream to be theirs." Shane nodded with slight annoyance.
"What are you getting at, Stephanie?" He asked. "You don't think I know what this is about?"
"No, Shane." Stephanie snapped back. "I don't think you do. I really don't." Shane balled his mouth up and then went to respond.
"I beg to differ, Steph." He said. "We made a mess of things a long time ago when we casted out one of the most powerful Alpha Human telepaths because we didn't know how to deal with him. We turned him away and it came back to bite us hard. We nearly caused the death of our planet because we didn't help him when he clearly cried out for it. That was our fault… and because of that, we owe it to the world to make it right. We need to show them that we can protect them and save them from harm." Stephanie shook her head.
"Shane-" She began before being halted by her brother.
"No, Steph." Shane said. "Our dream was to show the world that they have no reason to fear us and what did we do? We gave them the ultimate reason to fear us… the opposite of what we wanted to do. Now, we need to rectify that and show them the truth." Stephanie blinked.
"And what is that truth, Shane?" She asked boldly. "What is it that we need to show them?" Shane furrowed his brow.
"What do you mean?"
"Having a direct line to the President and being at his beck and call should any disaster happen, running around saving people from damn near everything life throws at them, attending presidential (sometimes world-class) parties and functions, giving out seminars practically telling the youth that we'll always be around to save the day…. Shane. We are supposed to show them that we are just like them. We're supposed to show them that we can all live together!" Shane slammed his hand on the table with a loud thud, startling Stephanie and making her jump in her seat.
"We're not the same, Stephanie!" He said, his tone even giving him pause as he drew his hand back and lowered his voice. "We're not. Do you know how hard it was for me to finally see that? Everything we worked for, everything Mom and Mark worked for towards making this a world where we are all treated the same… it's no different from any other civil leader who tried to do the same thing we're trying to do. We… are not… equal, Stephanie, and to them, we never will be equal. We're faster, stronger, smarter… we're more than human. We're better than that." Stephanie looked away from her brother, signaling to him that something inside her told her that he was right. "… and something tells me that you know that already." Stephanie then snapped her head back to her brother.
"Shane..." She said with slight anger. "I'd be a fool if I said I believe we can be equal. Being equal was not my dream. It was for all of us to understand our differences and live with them, humans and Alpha Humans alike. The dream was to face the world and its demons and fight to make it a better place… together. That's always been the dream for me. I know that fear the humans have for us will always exist. I haven't been working as hard as I have been to get rid of that fear. I've been working so that we can all work through that fear and understand it together. I knew all of that, Shane." Shane paused then looked away from his sister, making her blink woefully. "What I didn't know was us having different ideas about what the dream really was." Shane the sighed. Before he could speak his thoughts, however, his phone began to ring. Stephanie eyed him as if she were wishing he'd turn to stone.
"Answer it, Shane." She said. "I know it's him probably giving praise. Put it on speaker so we both can hear what he says." Shane then moved to answer the President's call and then pressed the speaker button and laid the phone on the table.
"Good Evening, Mister President." Shane said while looking directly at Stephanie who eyed him attentively.
"Shane." They both heard the President say on the other side of the call. "I know you all must be exhausted so I'll try to keep this brief, but I wanted to truly thank each and every one of you for once again risking your lives for us under such strenuous circumstances. I am organizing an awards ceremony in the center of Union Square at noon tomorrow to honor the amazing work you've done and the risks you've taken for our country." Shane and Stephanie looked at the phone then back at each other as the President continued. "Please consider this a formal invitation for all of you and whomever you wish to bring. I will make certain that there is a place for all of you there, so I'll be expecting to see your faces so that I may thank you personally."
"We'll be there, Mister President." Shane replied.
"Wonderful! I will send transportation for all of you in the morning, nine-thirty. We will see you there, and thank you once again for your courageous efforts."
"Of course, Mister President. Glad to help." The President ended the call and Shane looked up at Stephanie. Her body language seemed to reek of discomfort. Shane noticed and sat down to talk to her.
"Steph." He said calmly. "I'm sorry if it looks like I've stopped believing in the dream. I haven't. It's always on my mind, always. All these parties, gatherings, and seminars trying to reach out and build bridges to places I know nothing about, taking chances and risks. I'm just trying to do what I know works. I'm doing this so we can be safe. If we can keep the hate quiet then we can put more focus on the love and make that stronger, you know." Stephanie sighed.
"Shane." She said. "You know better than any of us here that something doesn't stop existing just because no one talks about it. It's still going to be there and it'll come back twice as strong each time until you can't hide it anymore." Stephanie then stood to her feet and turned for the door. "I'll have Pamela show Simon to his room and then let everyone know about the ceremony at Union Square tomorrow." She then turned back to her brother. "… and Shane? Think about what I said. It won't disappear if you ignore it or push it away." Stephanie then walked out of the office, leaving Shane in the office by himself to think about her words.
Something in his sister's voice made him grow weary. It was as if she knew something he did not want her to know. He had made a mistake and left his mind unguarded for Stephanie to enter? No. He made it a practice to always make himself unreadable to Stephanie, to Lana, and even to Cesaro. As if on cue, Shane heard a knock on the door. It slowly opened to reveal Cesaro.
"Shane?" Cesaro asked. "Stephanie said you wanted to see me and you'd be up here." Shane fixed himself and address the other man.
"Actually yes." He said. "How are you feeling? You gave us a big scare up there." Cesaro shrugged.
"I feel fine." Cesaro replied. "More than fine, actually. I feel great." Shane shook his head.
"Claudio. You know you don't have to lie to me. We're better than that. I know you're not okay." Cesaro went to playfully detest, but Shane did not allow it. "It's okay. If it's personal, you don't have to tell me, but I do want to make sure you're okay. Will you let me in your mind so I can help you come back home?"
Cesaro blinked and saw that Shane was, in fact, serious. Cesaro had always felt it was too far a burden to discuss his own emotions with many. He trusted his newly appointed best friend, John Cena, with a mere handful of selected inner musings and ruminations but with Shane, he felt he could entrust more if for no other reason than him being a fellow telepath. The man felt his grip on himself loosening after using his Celestial powers to save those caught in the earthquake in California, but it was Shane who helped him come back. Since that moment, he looked to Shane when he felt his emotions slipping through his grasps and Shane was always able to bring him back down to earth. Cesaro knew this time would be no different. He used his telekinesis to lock the office door and then laid on the table facing up.
"Okay." Cesaro said simply. "I'm opening my mind and putting myself to sleep now." Shane nodded.
"I'll keep you safe, Claudio." He said. That moment, Cesaro took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Shane then made his way closer to Cesaro, placed his hands at the man's temples, and proceeded to project his Astral Presence into Cesaro's subconscious.
His body appeared in what seemed like an endless sea of colors ranging from vibrant blues, greens and violets to faint yet phosphorescent strands of gold, each color representing different thoughts within Cesaro's mind. Shane knew exactly where he needed to go and skillfully navigated the sea of thoughts, following the various strands of gold where the strands were the thickest. As he traversed, he noticed that the strands of gold began to show small traces of orange hues, the orange intensifying to reds as he trekked on further.
Shane stopped his quest and then looked ahead to see what he knew to be the source of the golden strands of energy. There within the sea of colors was the Mind Stone, its energy pulsating around it and breathing life into the golden veins present in Cesaro's mind. In several places around the gem were what appeared to be broken transparent bonds that slowly dissipated with every pulse the gem emitted. Shane knew this sight well and it all made him shudder in slight fear, but there was something that seemed different from the other times he encountered the cosmic gem. Its energy was not only a golden hue, but there was also a swirling cloud of orange and deep red around it. The sea surrounding the stone gradually transformed into a sea of burnt oranges and reds and Shane noticed what looked like small cracks on the surface of the stone itself and faint red energy pulsating from within those cracks. Shane did not understand what it meant, but he knew he did not want to spend too much time in Cesaro's subconscious. He focused his Astral energies on the broken bonds surrounding the Mind Stone and began to strengthen them until they formed psychic walls around the stone's energy. The walls worked to bind the energy and seal it behind them, the golden strands dissipating as their energy source was cut. Shane worked to strengthen the walls until he no longer felt the stone's power. Shane then heard what sounded like a faint cry from behind the walls; it sounded pained and stifled. He shut his eyes and focused on the cry before whispering…
"You can do anything you put your mind to…" The cry ceased and Shane watched as the colors of Cesaro's thoughts returned to normal. Shane then decided that he had spent enough time in Cesaro's mind, so he carefully withdrew his Astral presence and returned to his body in the physical world before waking Cesaro from his psychic slumber. Cesaro slowly opened his eyes.
"How do you feel, Claudio?" Shane asked. "Are you okay?" After a few moments, Cesaro responded with a smile.
"… Better." He said. Cesaro sat up and slid off the table onto his feet then went to hug Shane. "Thanks, Shane. I don't know how, but you seem to always know what to do." Shane nodded.
"You can come to me anytime, okay?" Shane said as Cesaro released his embrace. Then, Cesaro stretched as if he had paid a long visit to a masseuse.
"Geez." He said in an unusually playful tone. "Did you give me a massage before you woke me up this time? If so, thanks because I feel amazing!" Shane blinked as normally his work would not have had any effect on Cesaro's physical being at all.
"Maybe you just needed help clearing up some of the clouds in your head." Shane said to Cesaro. "I'm just glad you're feeling like yourself again." Cesaro turned for the office door.
"I do." He replied. "Thank you again, Shane." Cesaro then unlocked the doors and walked outside. Shane eyed him the entire time, unable to tear away from the fear of what he saw within Cesaro's mind…
