Chapter 26

The rumours circulate before I have a chance to tell anyone. My mother is the first to congratulate us when I get home. She hugs Lazarus like the son she never had and so does my father. They bask in their collective happiness while I stand behind, gazing at the ring on my finger. 

Exquisitely cut onyx diamond, the colour a varying shade of blue that could only come from the Oceanus constellation. When we were under the bright lights, it shone almost white but now in the dark, the stone gleams black. 

The longer I wear it, the heavier it feels. 

I smile when my mother rushes to me, gushing over the rare diamond adorning my finger. 

"It's so beautiful." She looks at it with so much yearning and I feel sad for some reason. 

Lazarus stays over that night and he fucks me so hard I can barely move after. I lie in bed in exhaustion and don't even remember when I drift off to sleep. I jolt awake in bed, feeling so extremely groggy. 

"What's the time?" I ask the virtual system in my room and when she tells me it's almost midday I nearly fall out of bed. 

There's a note on my bed stand from Lazarus, I grab it and stare at the minuscule words dotting the surface. 

You looked so peaceful sleeping. Felt like a sin to wake you. I left earlier, darling. Don't worry we can make a trip to Earth again.  

My saliva is thick as I swallow it down thickly, my body now shaking with rage. I was scheduled to visit Earth today with some of my squad members. I call Axis while I rush to put on some clothes, brush my teeth and attempt to look somewhat presentable. 

"PG Luna," Commander Axis answers in a rush. There's some commotion around him, a flurry of voices making it sound like he's at a carnival or in the middle of a riot. 

"Have you left?" I ask him hurriedly, strapping on my boots over the pants of my uniform. 

"No, General Grievous has just only arrived. We should be leaving anytime now. We were told you wouldn't be joining today." The surprise in his voice is evident. 

"No, no. I'm coming. I should be there in about ten." I'm already running out of the house as I say this. 

"But they have just activated the thrusters." 

"Stall them, Axis. Stall them!" There's a desperation in my voice that causes him to pause before he quickly assures me. 

"Consider it done." 

I jump onto one of my gliders and zip down the driveway, nearly crashing into the gates before they open. As I drive, my mind conjures up possible scenarios as to why I didn't wake up this morning. 

Lazarus could have easily woken me up. He knew today was important for the both of us. He knows I want to be a part of things and yet he let me sleep in. Not only does that make me look incompetent but missing today's excursion would set me back cycles. I need to be there, I need to see this magnificent technological advancement with my own eyes. 

I blink a few times, feeling a little groggy despite the shot of nerves currently firing through my system. Did Lazarus drug me? It's not like me to sleep in on a work day especially not one as important as this. 

When I reach the hangar, the crew of ships are already buzzing, their engines activated and ready for lift off. I run to the main one, a larger space disc where most of the leaders usually gather before we exit the base. 

I see my father front and centre, talking to Commander Inspiron. He wasn't supposed to lead the expedition today, only Lazarus. The rest of the generals have already visited their testing base, leaving only myself, Commander Inspiron and Commander Vendetta of the War Council. 

"Ahh, I see my daughter has finally awoken from her beauty sleep." General Grievous chides and my cheeks burn in embarrassment.

My gaze flits to Lazarus who smiles at me endearingly. He doesn't look guilty, he doesn't look like he's surprised to see me here. 

"Forgive me, wasn't feeling too good in the morning." I walk up to the group and the Commanders bow in greeting. 

"Thank you for joining us despite your predicament, PG Luna. Your dedication to the empire has always been admirable," Commander Inspiron praises me, her smile genuine. 

I'm grateful for her words of reassurance after my father made it seem like I was slacking off. Honestly, who needs enemies with a father like this. Most of the time it seems like Lazarus is his true offspring, not I. 

"I'm feeling much better, thank you very much," I flash them my most appealing smile and it works like a charm on the commanders and officers. 

When Lazarus is close enough, I lean in to whisper. "You should have woken me up this morning." 

"I know but you looked so tired. I figured you could always join me the next round." He says it so casually, it's hard not to believe him. His thumb brushes against my wrist and then he strokes my ring finger. "Where's your ring?" 

It is only then that I realise I didn't put it on in my rush to get here. "I... I must have left it at home." My stuttering is filled with guilt, that stone must have cost a fortune and I didn't even think twice about it this morning. "I'm sorry." 

"It's fine." He leans in and kisses the side of my head tenderly. This earns a look from the Commanders. 

"We heard about the engagement. Congratulations to the beautiful couple!" The commanders chime and soon a round of drinks have been brought out. We toast to the good news just as the Command Centre grants access for lift off. 

For safety reasons, the generals, precursor generals and war council members travel separately. I head to my designated ship, not before Lazarus kisses me passionately making the commanders gush in awe. 

When we separate, I feel sick to my stomach. I can't even understand the feeling. I should be ecstatic, proud even. This is Lazarus IV, the Plutonian I've been pining for as long as I can remember. 

I can't understand this bitter aftertaste as I walk into my ship while he waves at me, wishing us a safe journey. 

"There was a leak in the main ship's thruster, hence the delay," One of my squad members relays to me once I'm in the control room and I sneak a look at Commander Axis who conveys no emotion at the announcement. 

The trip to Earth takes two cycles along the hyperlanes but it feels longer than ever. I'm itching in impatience, thanking the stars when we finally land on our base in Africa. 

The testing facility is embedded deep in the Drakensberg mountains. No satellite, drone or camera would be able to pick out it's location, not even the naked eye of a native. There is no entrance to the the surface. We have to board an underground train in a city about a mile away, even the city seems too desolate to be called one. 

I notice there aren't any humans in sight. 

The group is quiet once we reach the entrance, a tall rectangular door that slides open once Lazarus places his palm over the sensors and a scanner runs past his pupils. I sneak a look at Axis who studies every inch of the door profoundly. 

"My dear esteemed Plutonians. Welcome to the future," Lazarus exclaims, gesturing to the mist laden entryway, obscuring our view to what lies inside. 

Most of us remain silent, no one commends his statement or disagrees. We walk in after him, into antechambers spraying us with disinfectants before crossing to the other side. Lazarus takes us up a flight of stairs and then to a small makeshift balcony that overlooks the entire centre. The white walls and clear window panes lining each room reminds me of the facility run by the Sympathizers back on Pluto.

I catch sight of naked humans floating in a suspended state in tubes that reach the ceiling, numerous injections piercing their bodies. 

"How long has this project been in operation?" Commander Inspiron asks, her voice laced with wonder. "What's the body count?"

I love how she always gets to the point. 

"Approximately five Earth years. Once I had authorisation from General Grievous we went into testing on a larger scale. Prior to this, my first successful attempt had been on Pluto. We experimented on foxes first and then scalenes, the closest human counterparts we could find." Lazarus explains and I frown. I thought my father and him started this together, but now it seems it had been him from the start. 

"I had prior authorisation from our animal testing board, don't worry," He adds quickly when Commander Vendetta's face darkens. Everyone here knows he's an animal lover and animal safety advocate. 

"Come, let me show you our greatest achievement." Lazarus signals for the scientist below to bring in the person standing in the antechamber. Another scientist runs up to join us, handing out sheets of papers to each of us. 

The Plutonian below is clad in a white coat, goggles and thick gloves. He leads another Plutonian into the room below us, the bright lights above illuminating every inch of the males naked body. 

"Let me introduce you to Ernst. He was an African male, aged sixteen, height five foot five.." He lists down the physical attributes and mental capabilities of the boy on the sheet given to us. I run through the list and then look down at the Plutonian standing before us. 

He must be at least seven feet, his shoulders broadened and eyes piercing Plutonian blue. His hair is no longer frizzy and black like it is in the picture, it's now icy white. Nothing about him looks human, in fact he looks nothing like the boy in the picture. 

"Does he remember what he used to be?" I ask. 

The Plutonian looks up at us, his eyes meeting mine for a brief second and the cleft in his chin is the only indication that he could be the boy in the photograph. I feel a chill run down my arms when his gaze lingers on me. 

"The process of transformation renders their brain inactive for approximately three Earth days. We have to reboot the entire thing when they finally gain consciousness, none of their memories have survived the process." Lazarus explains. 

The Plutonian inhales softly, I can see it in the steady rise and fall of his chest. He is still looking at us, studying each of us with a look that makes me uneasy. 

There's something about the way he stares, the deadness in his eyes that I can't shake off. Something about him just doesn't feel right. 



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