Fritz! Saber bit down hard on his tongue to keep from saying the name aloud, and reigned in his telepathic powers as well. He didn't know if Darkon was still reading his thoughts, but Saber hoped not, since something that obvious would have given him away entirely. Saber wanted to go undetected for as long as he could manage, and that meant training himself not to react at the presence of all the people he used to know.

Now would be a good time to start. So Saber stood perfectly still, just staring at Fritz and being stared at in return. Like he couldn't care less; like he didn't even know who it was he was looking at.

(Saber? Ah, I see you've noticed Gunnar, my Guide,) Darkon said.

Saber managed to keep whatever he was thinking to himself. (Guide, my lord?)

(Yes. It means that you will be required to consult him in regards to any mission that you feel will require stealth or subterfuge. Gunnar thinks that this will be required for all of our missions, but somehow I doubt that humans are as formidable as he wants me to believe. Nevertheless, he is still an important part of our cause, and I will expect you to treat him as such, First Lieutenant Saber.)

(Yes, Lord Darkon, I will be sure to remember that.) Don't think about it, don't feel, Saber told himself.

(Good, see that you do remember. You are dismissed.)

Saber could feel Darkon's attention turning away from him, and he realized that that was because another of the teknopods was starting to hatch. For a second, Saber thought about turning around, walking away, and trying to find some of his clothes that he still wanted to wear. But, in the end Saber decided that it would be better for him if he knew what to expect.

If he knew who was under the armor, and what their new name was going to be, Saber knew that there was less of a chance of him mistakenly calling them by their old human name. With that in mind, Saber walked back over to the teknopods. He could clearly see which one was going to hatch, since the pod itself was pulsing in a rapid and erratic manner. It would have probably been obvious even to someone who didn't know what was going on that something was going to happen.

It seemed that that something was going to happen very soon now. Darkon either hadn't noticed that he was still standing in the exact same place, or else he was just choosing not to comment on that fact. As Saber watched, the teknopod seemed to rip itself apart from the inside, and the Teknoman within was dropped to the ground.

This new Teknoman was tall, topping even Saber himself in height, though only just. The armor was also far more streamlined than his own. And blue, with yellow highlights. Seen from the back, this new Teknoman was still a strange and impressive sight. I wonder who he is, and I wonder who he used to be.

When the new Teknoman turned around, detransforming in a bright flash of crimson light, Saber saw that he wasn't a he at all. It was Katherine, Conrad's fiancée and once one of Saber's best female friends. He wondered just what her new name would be.

(Greetings, Teknoman Sword,) Saber heard Darkon say.

Okay, Sword, I guess I could get used to remembering that. Saber wondered for a minute why Darkon didn't seem to notice the fact that he was still there, watching.

(It is good for a warrior to know the forces he intends to command,) Darkon said offhandedly, proving that he hadn't been as oblivious as Saber had thought.

(Thank you, Lord Darkon,) Saber said, with enough false modesty in his voice that he nearly made himself laugh. (Your respect means a lot to me.)

(Of course.)

Looking over the other teknopods, Saber saw that not one of them looked like it was ready to hatch. Turning away from what he had begun to think of as the birthing grounds, Saber headed for the place that he somehow knew or sensed that his old backpack and those of all the people he had been traveling with had been stored.

Today had been an interesting day.

XXXX

Slade woke up, feeling somehow as if he had both gained and lost something that was very important to him. He didn't know just what this instinctive notion of his meant, but over time as he had adapted to the fact that he had no real memories besides the ones that his allies and Shara had helped him to make, Slade had come to rely more and more on his instincts.

They were in fact the only other real thing he could count on. Sitting up, Slade saw that Shara was also awake. His sister was also sitting up, but she had her legs folded up so that her knees were pressed against her chest. Shara had also wrapped her arms around her calves and buried her chin into her knees. She looked lost and alone.

"Shara, is something wrong?" Slade asked, wondering at her behavior.

(She's here again, but it's not really her anymore.)

Wondering for a moment just why his sister would resort to using telepathy when the person she was speaking to was right next to her, Slade continued the conversation. (What are you talking about, Shara? Who's she? And why would it not really be her anymore?)

"I'm sorry Slade," Shara said, trying to sound as if what she was saying didn't really mean anything to her and only mildly succeeding. "You probably don't even know what I'm talking about. I'm sorry for boring you like that."

"You're not boring me, Shara. I just wanted to know what you were talking about," Slade assured her.