The EVE Conflict - Chapter 06

Ferendi riverbank; the present; morning

Lx.2 staggered back to the edge of the river by which her brother laid.

In the hours that passed since the sibling Apeos fell to the ground together, Lx.1's wound made good progress on healing. The stab wound no longer extended through the breadth of Lx.1's torso, and Lx.1's organs had begun to reform there. Nonetheless, he was still a long way from walking.

Lx.2 had spent the entire day and night since their landing collecting food and water from the surrounding forest to help nourish her brother back to health.

"Hungry and thirsty at the same time, huh?" Lx.2 asked, "You're probably one of like four Apeos who ever existed that that's happened to."

"Yeah, and I'm also probably one of like four Apeos who's ever been impaled straight through the chest," Lx.1 replied with a quiet laugh. Most of his energy was diverted to his regenerative process. Anything extra required much more exertion on his part.

Lx.2 laughed with him and replied, "Yeah I guess you're right. Well I have a bunch of apples and berries here, so let me help you out with that."  She then proceeded to help Lx.1 eat the various fruits and to gather water from the river.

By the time the two Apeos finished eating, the rain had died down to a light drizzle. Lx.1 closed his eyes and said, "Lx.2?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for everything."

"Of course, bro! I'm just glad you're back, safe, and alive!" Lx.2 knelt beside her brother and hugged him lightly. "Boy, I'm exhausted."

"I'm not surprised. You haven't slept since you found me. Why don't you get some rest?"

Lx.2 answered without a word, and dropped into a deep sleep.

GECKO Evolutionary Laboratories; 80 years ago; midday

A human doctor in a medical cleansuit returned to the examination room in which a violet-colored Apeo sat. After he reviewed the Apeo's files, he looked up with an uncomfortable expression and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Xi.1, but we ran the tests over and over, but the result was always the same. I'm afraid your genetic makeup is incompatible with the FEAR evolutionary process."

"Run the tests again," the Apeo responded, with bitter pauses between each word.

"We had three offices working on your case alone for weeks. Nothing could be done unless we made you an entirely different person, or entity, if you will, and you had already declined that offer."

"Look, I don't give a damn what anyone says. I am a man with his eyes turned to the future. One way or another, I will become a FEAR!"

"You are a unique and unfortunate case! One out of approximately fourteen trillion prospective evolvees faces this problem. Simply put, we don't know what would happen if we applied the FEAR evolutionary process to you. The results could be disastrous, or they could not. But we cannot afford to take that risk."

"Money is not the issue here. Let me make one thing clear. I can put everyone in this building and their grandchildren through retirement and it wouldn't make a dent in my accounts!"

"It's not just the money-"

"Enough. I don't think you comprehend this. Let me speak with the president of the company. I'm sure he will be a better listener than you've proved yourself to be."

The doctor bowed silently and left the room.

Ferendi riverbank; the present; midday

Lx.1 opened his eyes slowly, sat up, and felt his chest; it had almost returned to its original shape. Looking down, he could see that the color was also starting to return to that area. He looked over at his sister who was sleeping soundly, her chest rising and falling with her steady breathing. Lx.1 then staggered to his feet, wobbling as he tried to regain his balance. Being motionless for hours, he felt sluggish and uncoordinated. He decided to remedy this with a jog along the river.


Lx.1 ran about a mile downstream before turning around and backtracking. Upon returning to the clearing where Lx.2 slept, he ate a few of the leftover berries from earlier. He knelt beside his sister and lightly brushed off a few leaves that had fallen on her in the morning.

"Sorry, sis," he said, standing up again, "I have to get moving. I have a feeling that Xarius isn't quite finished yet." With that, Lx.1 turned east and started for the billowing black smoke that erupted from where the Nexus once stood.


Lx.1 trudged through miles of forest before he finally reached the edge. As the landscape started to slope downward, he noticed a figure cloaked in brown walking toward him. Lx.1 froze, unsure of how to react. He tried to make out what information he could at this distance. The figure appeared to be human, and wasn't showing any signs of hostility.

"Why, hello there, Lx.1," said the man, as he approached. Lx.1 stepped back. How did he know my name? was his immediate thought.

"Don't worry too much about how I know your name, friend. Names are trivial matters that I can discern without much trouble."

Lx.1 wasn't so much concerned with what the man said as he was with the man's appearance. He seemed incredibly old, with white facial hair that dropped to his waist. Most of his face was obscured by his hood. He held a long staff with a glowing orb on the end, which seemed to double as a walking stick.

"I was on my daily stroll when I couldn't help but sense that you were about to do something you would soon regret," the man continued.

A daily stroll in a middle of nowhere? Sensing? What nonsense was this?

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Lx.1 cried.

"I am the Earth Guardian. My duties have long since simplified since my better days. Now I just observe and advise. As for you, you have an obligation to your sister. I'd say it's quite irresponsible for you to go running about without her after all she went through to rescue you."

This guy must be playing mind games! Or he's just damn good at guessing.

"Okay, old man, what makes you think you can just appear out of nowhere and start ordering me around?"

"I'm ordering no one around. Like I said, I simply observe and advise. It's up to you to decide whether or not to heed my advice. Anyway, I said what I came here to say. I really must be going now. I have to cover a few dozen miles before dinnertime arrives."

Okay, he's officially insane. An old guy like this belongs in a nursing home, not walking across the country and back again in a day.

The Earth Guardian descended the hill again and disappeared over the next crest. Lx.1 ran down after him to watch him leave, but after ascending the rise, he could not see him anywhere, despite the relative flatness of the land before him.

"Hm. Maybe I'm the crazy one," he muttered.

Lx.1 then looked toward the tower of smoke and ash and switched to his speed form-which negated all friction against the ground with a cushion of air and allowed him to propel himself with a system of thrusters-and began to skate toward the site of the Nexus.

After a minute, however, he stopped and looked back toward the forest.

GECKO Evolutionary Laboratories; 80 years ago; night

"I am honored that you decided to personally witness my evolution," Xi.1 said.

"We'll see if the evolution actually works out," replied the president of GECKO, "Remember that we will immediately cancel and reverse the evolution should we detect any anomalies with the procedure."

"I understand. Commence the evolution!"

"Please remember just who is in charge here, Mr. Xi.1. Now, commence the evolution!"

Xi.1, who was reclining in the evolution chamber, closed his eyes and grinned widely. The protective glass closed around him, and the Apeo doctor began entering a number of commands into the panel beside the chamber.

A deep hum filled the room and white steam poured from the exhaust valves. Teams of doctors monitored the evolution equipment while the president stood motionless, overseeing the entire procedure. The chamber filled with a sedative gas, and Xi.1's world was consumed with blackness.


As the glass reopened, excess steam and gas poured out from the chamber, revealing a violet translucent mass within.

"Please remain in the chamber while we run diagnostics," said a doctor, reciting protocol, "Phase One checks physical potential, Phase Two checks mental potential, and Phase Three checks emotional potential. Please remain calm. A floating or drifting sensation is normal."

Each phase took several minutes to complete, finishing with, "Phase One complete," and "Phase Two complete." Xi.1 then rose out of the chamber during Phase Three.

"Stay in the chamber, Mr. Xi.1," said the president, "The procedure is almost complete. This is quite surprising though. All diagnostics have shown no fatal errors so far. Who knows; luck may turn out in your favor." But the newly evolved FEAR had had enough of waiting and talking.

"I apologize, good sir," the violet FEAR said, "but I have much more pressing matters to attend to at this moment. I'll be leaving you now."

"No! The diagnostics are not complete!" cried a doctor, "We cannot be sure that the evolution was carried out successfully until we've run all checks."

"Your petty tests seemed adamant on preventing me from evolving in the first place! But look at me now! This is indeed perfection!" The FEAR extended an appendage and flexed a number of digits, admiring their movements closely. He then compressed into the form of a serpent and, before anyone could stop him, slithered out a nearby open window and disappeared into the city.

Ferendi Riverbank; the present; midday

Lx.2 yawned, rubbed her eyes, and sat up. She quickly became alert, noticing that her brother was not lying next to her and began to look worriedly around her surroundings until she saw her brother emerge from the forest in front of her.

"Lx.1! You had me scared to death!" Lx.2 gasped, putting a hand on her chest, "What are you doing standing and walking around?"

"I was just, uh, taking a walk, and um, stretching my legs."

"Well at least try to rest a little more. Look, your chest is still gray."

"Oh come on, sis. I'm fine," Lx.1 said, rolling his eyes, "I've been laying around long enough already. Who knows what the FEAR are up to now."

"Lx.1, what is wrong with you!" cried Lx.2, "You were against this whole FEAR fiasco from the start, and now that you've been conscripted, you've gone on and on about 'FEAR this' and 'FEAR that!' "

"Lx.2, that's absurd," Lx.1 replied sardonically, "this is the first time you've seen me since I went off to war. There's no way you'd know what I've been 'going on and on' about."

Lx.2 was standing now. "That's not the point! I worked my tail off to save yours, and I'm not about to let you go waltzing off by yourself like a suicidal maniac!"

"I'm not suicidal! I rescued all the captives and took out the FEAR command center! I know what I'm doing, and you need to let me finish it."

Lx.2 turned her head and exhaled deeply. There was no arguing with Lx.1 once he had his mind set on something. He reminded her of herself in a way. "Fine," she said, "but I'm coming with you."

The Nexus Outskirts (east side); the present; midday

When the FEAR President Regollas had taken flight from the Nexus, he had noticed the escape pods leaving the structure. Knowing that the two most important prisoners were contained in one of the pods, he flew around the land surrounding where the Nexus used to stand. After spotting a larger prison pod, he landed on the ground near it and began his approach. He entered a code on a keypad on the outside of the pod, after which a door next to it slid open. Regollas entered the prison pod and looked around. In the corner of the room sitting together were the Apeo king and queen in each other's arms.

"Ah, I am elated to see you two alive, King Sylvio and Queen Ferina," Regollas began, "You have no idea how dreadful it would've been had you perished in the explosion."

Sylvio looked up. "Wouldn't it? I thought you FEAR lost all remnants of emotion behind once you evolved."

"You mistake me, and my race. You are important to me. More than you know. And I am capable of feeling much more than I could as an Apeo." He paused to admire his fluid curves and the glow with which he reflected the sunlight. "Please, come with me," he continued.

Regollas extended an arm to help the Apeo royal family out of the prison pod. Sylvio and Ferina stepped out without touching him.

"So you're just letting us step out into the open?" Ferina asked, quickly taking in her surroundings, "No guards? No restraints?"

"They'll probably be here soon enough. You are our VIPs, after all."

Sylvio and Ferina frowned without saying a word. The three stood outside the prison pod, looking on at the smoldering remains of the Nexus in the distance. The orange glow of the fire gave the sky the appearance of sunrise, appearing out of place only against the black smoke.

"What actually happened to the Nexus?" asked Ferina.

"Well, to put things simply, a rogue broke loose."

"And blew up the entire structure?" said Sylvio, narrowing his eyes.

"He was very," Regollas looked at the Nexus again, "dedicated. To the point of," he paused, "self-sacrifice."

[Segment from breaking news report]; the present

"…and surrounding cities face potential danger from falling debris. Falling ash may also contribute to breathing difficulties, so for those who live nearby, it is advised to remain in your homes with your windows closed until the situation has stabilized.

"Also, we have received an update on the possible cause of the Nexus explosion. The Apeo military has released an image of an Apeo civilian last seen running toward the Nexus, against the direction of the local military installations. Seen here, she is female, colored navy blue with yellow markings, of the general feline shape. It is possible that this is a terrorist attack on the Nexus, of which she is a part. It is unknown whether or not there were others involved in this disastrous explosion. It is also unknown whether or not she survived the explosion, although a number of escape pods were deployed from the structure prior to detonation. If she is sighted, report immediately to law enforcement officials with any information at all.

"Members of the MWG cabinet, Xarius and Dr. V, have corresponded with media on-site and are currently providing further information. President Regollas is accounting for survivors in the escape pods.

"Furthermore, King Sylvio and Queen Ferina of the Apeo royal family remain missing. It is unknown if their disappearance and the Nexus explosion are related, but…"

The Nexus Outskirts (south side); the present; midday

As Dr. V signaled to the camera crews and reporters to leave, Xarius was modifying his strategies on the spot. Without a Nexus, all mass evolutions were halted until another suitable facility was established.

"Listen up, men!" Xarius shouted at the FEAR in front of him who had followed him from the top of the Nexus. "You have yet to prove your worth to me today! You three will fan out and search the surrounding areas for Regollas, and then for Sylvio and Ferina. The rest of you will head southeast to our nearest military camp, pick up arms, and join your comrades in battle. In case you've forgotten, we're fighting a war here. As for you, Dr. V, I need you to accompany me to rendezvous with the Nexus Caravan that's making its way toward Lake Ferendi."

"But Xarius, sir," Dr. V inquired, "shouldn't we be concerned with President Regollas and the Apeo royal family ourselves?"

"Patience, my good man. Those three should find them without much trouble. On our way down from the zenith, I informed Regollas that we would be meeting up at the Caravan shortly. We can deal with the Apeos once we're there."

Xarius extended large wings and took off with Dr. V following suit. They gained altitude and turned southwest, passing over another skirmish taking place between FEAR and a coalition of Apeos and humans.

"Soon, Dr. V, all this fighting may end, and we can unite as FEAR to revel in perfection."

"If this is indeed perfection, then why are so many fighting to resist us?" Dr. V replied.

With the wind roaring as the pair of FEAR flew, Xarius must've not heard Dr. V's question, as he gave no reply.

The Nexus Outskirts (east side); the present; midday

Regollas crested another gentle hill with King Sylvio and Queen Ferina following. In the distance, Regollas saw three FEAR flying toward him. The three then landed in a semicircle surrounding him.

"Greetings, Mr. President," said one FEAR. "Secretary Xarius requested that we confirm your safety, as well as the safety of the Apeo king and queen."

"I can confirm we are all unharmed," replied Regollas. "You may accompany me as I head toward the Nexus Caravan. Given that my acquaintances here are not capable of self-sustained flight, our progress may be slower than usual. I do request, however, that you three follow a fair distance back, so that my conversation with the king and queen may remain private."

"Understood," the three FEAR responded in unison. Thus, Regollas made his way southwest, with the king and queen following closely, side by side. The three FEAR escorting from the rear.

"What exactly might we be discussing?" asked Sylvio.

"Well, to begin, you might be wondering why you're here in the first place."

"You think?" Ferina remarked.

"With recent events," continued Regollas, ignoring the queen's sarcasm, "you can imagine that fewer and fewer would be willing to evolve to FEAR."

Ferina suppressed another response.

"The reason you're here is because of your exceptional influence on the people, especially the Apeos, who are but one stage away from FEAR. If you were to willingly evolve to FEAR, it would show everyone that the FEAR are nothing to fear-pardon the pun; I do believe that the name of our race is the only thing less than perfect, mind you. I have been lobbying to get it changed, but I digress."

"Why would you expect us to comply with such a ridiculous demand?" snapped Sylvio.

"With regards to myself, it is not a demand. I am asking you not as the MWG President or a representative of the FEAR, but as a friend; someone you can trust. I was an Apeo as well in my past. I truly believe that evolving to FEAR is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, and I desire nothing more than for you to bask in its glory, and consequently, for everyone else to do so as well. The future for us is here, and for us to continue to thrive as a species, FEAR is the answer."

"So in other words, you want to use us as an example in your scheme to convert the masses?" barked Sylvio, "As mere pawns?"

"It pains me to hear you speak this way, King Sylvio. Much more than you know." Regollas sighed and stopped his movement. He turned around to look at the Apeo king and queen. "I ask you here and now because I fear that Xarius will come to you next and he will not be nearly as amiable. I know that he will not give you the choice, and he will delete you just like all the others who would not evolve willingly. The last thing I would wish upon either of you would for you to be subjected to forced evolution. To lose all of your past."

"Mr. President," said Ferina, "because of the FEAR, we already lost our future. On the day the royal mansion was bombed, we lost our son. So what if you weren't in power then? Because of your 'perfect race,' Ryndell was taken away from us. What more do the FEAR want to steal away from those who never stood in their way in the first place?" Regollas turned to look upon the queen's face, which was now streaked by tears that glistened in the glow of the burning foundation of the Nexus and sparkled under the light of the midday sun. He had no answer to this, so he turned forward again and looked at the ground. In the silence that followed, Sylvio put a comforting arm around Ferina.

The Nexus Outskirts (west side); the present; midday

"So tell me," Lx.2 began, "back when you said you 'took out the FEAR command center,' what exactly did you mean by that?"

Lx.1 was walking at a brisk pace toward the site of the Nexus, several feet in front of his sister. To respond, he turned around to face her and continued walking backwards. "Hm? I meant that I rescued all the Apeo prisoners and blew up the Nexus."

Lx.2 looked at her brother in disbelief at first, then looked at the ground, and then looked back up at her brother in an angry pout. "Are you out of your mind?!" She stopped in her tracks and threw back her arms. "I don't- What were you- How could-" She then clutched at her face with her fists. "What has happened to you? Why are we still even here? What else could you possibly do now? You've done more than anyone else they've drafted I'll bet. Heck, I don't know what you've done while you were away! But I'm pretty sure blowing up the Nexus is enough, don't you think?"

Lx.1 looked at his sister with a painful mixture of guilt, concern, and exasperation.

"I want all of this to end. I wish none of this ever happened. I just want to go home, with you," Lx.2 continued as she sat against the grassy hill, burying her face in her knees, "I just want us to be safe, together, and to continue living he way we always have been."

Lx.1 walked back toward his sister and sat down beside her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and felt her body shake with her sobs. "Lx.2, you're almost all grown up now. You can't just pretend that nothing will change. Like it or not, things happen. People go places. They see other people. They do things-terrible things sometimes. And you can't expect me to keep on holding your hand." Lx.1 looked toward the black smoke that continued to rise from where the Nexus once stood. "Sooner or later, we all need to enter the world and see it for ourselves.  Eventually, you'll grow up and you'll have to fend for yourself. It's a dangerous world out there. The FEAR are crazy! You saw what they did to me." Lx.1 stood up again. "Now that I've seen the horrible things they've done firsthand, I can't just go home and do nothing. Blowing up the Nexus won't stop them. They'll find other ways to convert everyone. And the last thing I want is for the FEAR to get their hands on you, knowing that I could have stopped them when I had the chance."

Lx.1 held Lx.2's arms and helped her up. She looked away and wiped her face. "Now, sis, are you with me? Because I'm perfectly fine with saving the world while you sit there and cry all day!" Lx.2 laughed and sniffed, giving her brother a playful shove. Lx.1 wheeled around and prepared to play-shove her back, but he stopped mid-swing.

"Wait. Lx.2. Do you hear that?" Lx.1's ears perked up and he turned toward the northwest. A deep rumble was coming from over the next series of hills. It sounded as if something massive was rolling slowly. "Lx.2, switch to your speed form. I think there's something we need to see," Lx.1 said, changing to his own speed form. Lx.2 ran behind as her brother led the way over the next rise.

Before them, the hill dropped steeply, and the two Apeos stopped just in time to regain their balance at the edge. Approaching them on an enormous paved road, larger than even the runways of the spaceports, was an equally gigantic vehicle rolling on treads, carrying a large shipment of unknown cargo in what resembled a canister the size of a building.

"This is the old overland shipping route," Lx.1 said, "But it hasn't been used for decades. What is something so huge doing on it now?" Lx.1 skated along the ridge beside the road to get a better look, with Lx.2 trailing. Squinting into the distance, Lx.1 spotted two winged FEAR alighting onto the vehicle, with a few more colored beings corresponding with them.

"What is that thing?" Lx.2 asked.

"I…" Lx.1 paused for words, "really hope that isn't what I think it is."

The pair continued running alongside the road, when ahead they spotted a small military squadron of Apeos approaching the vehicle.

"Uh-oh," Lx.1 said. "We can't let them see us." He then turned left and slid down the incline onto the road below and Lx.2 did the same. As Lx.1 skated full-speed toward the vehicle, his sister ran next to him, asking, "And what do you think that is?"

"I think that vehicle is carrying the FEAR's answer to their Nexus being blown up. …Oh no." Lx.1 saw that two of the figures were taking off from the vehicle and flying toward his sister and himself. "I think we're going to have some company."

Terryus Heights (downtown); 71 years ago; night

Xarius sat near the front of the oxygen bar, sipping on a mixture of spearmint and citrus scents. The seats to his left and right were both empty. He snuck various glances at his surroundings. Of the occupants in the bar, excluding staff, he counted seven humans, sixteen Apeos, and two other FEAR.

This is maddening, Xarius thought. If FEAR are the pinnacle of evolution, why are there still so many who have yet to become FEAR?

Ignorance, he mused. Ignorance, or some outside stimulus is dissuading these fools from evolving.

Then, as if to answer his contemplations, the holovision returned from its commercial break to the current program: a special on the inner workings of the government on Segrus. Xarius looked up at the screen, directly in front of him, with passive interest.

The current segment focused on the Apeo royal family, and how they corresponded with the body of the Milky Way Government. For some relief from all the in-depth historical analysis and supposedly nonpartisan political commentary, the reporter was interviewing the Apeo prince, who, at the age of four and approximately the size of a human infant, was carried in his father's arms.

"How are you, mate?" asked the reporter. Apparently, he felt that speaking in a fake British accent would make him sound sophisticated, and he had been doing so continuously since the start of the program. Occasionally he would incorrectly pronounce an R or draw out a vowel. Fortunately, it did not bother the Apeo child, though Xarius rolled his eyes at each mistake.

"Happy!" replied the prince, with a face to match.

"Why isn't that excellent! Now, for those who have joined us, why don't you tell everybody your name."

"Sz.1! Or Sylvio to you!" he said with an expression of mock intimidation.

"Very good, Prince Sylvio! Now I'd just like to ask you some questions about your opinion on evolution."

"Ev-uh-loo-tin?"

"First queston: What do you think of humans?"

Sylvio thought for a moment. "Boring!" he exclaimed, with a fake yawn to accompany his outburst. If the reporter was offended, being human, he didn't show it.

"Alright then! Now how about Apeos?"

"Awesome!" Sylvio responded, flexing his thin arms like a bodybuilder.

"Very good. Very good. Finally, what do you think of FEAR?"

"Icky!" Sylvio said, pinching his nose and sticking out his tongue.

"I see. Very informative! Now that we have our official opinion of the evolutionary stages," the reporter said, looking back at the camera, "we return to the MWG Main Hall, where we look at how the predispositions of government officials may affect their decisions…"

"Very informative indeed," Xarius said to himself. It made sense now, the diminishing number of humans and the agonizingly slow increase of FEAR, and it came from the mouth of a child. People these days were more impressionable than ever. It disgusted him how the reason for the stagnating progress in FEAR evolution was caused by misinformed sound bites by dimwitted figureheads. Of course, the child himself wasn't entirely at fault, but even his opinions were shaped by the opinions of those around him, and those same people could manipulate the masses like master puppeteers.

Xarius found his taste of oxygen less than satisfying, so he left a less-than-satisfying tip as he left the bar and returned to the streets of downtown Terryus Heights. Being a double-deckered city, the names uptown and downtown came naturally, though with entirely different meanings. As Xarius glided down the sidewalk, he felt the heat of anger grow inside him. He was unsettled; he had never felt such strong emotions before. Nearly a decade had passed since he became a FEAR, and since then, he suspected that more had changed than his genetic makeup. But the past was not important, or at least it was less important than the urgent need to inflict physical damage on an inanimate object. Xarius turned into the next alley and looked around. The concrete wall would do the trick. He extended an appendage and shaped it into a sharp point, and proceeded to relieve himself by blasting several holes into the wall.

Caravan Road; the present; afternoon

The approaching FEAR, to no one's surprise, turned out to be hostile. Without uttering a word, they dove with the form of hawks toward Lx.1 and Lx.2 as they raced toward the Caravan. The FEAR extended a number of piercing blades, and were prepared to blast several holes into their targets.

"Hey sis," Lx.1 cried, "I think you'd better get ready to fight! These guys don't look like a talkative bunch!"

Lx.2 answered by jumping nimbly into the air to strip off her speed suit and return it to her compactable storage pocket. After she landed, she shifted to her attack form. Wing-like blades appeared at her heel and shoulder armor, and long whips shout out from her wrist armor and glowed with white-hot plasma. It was times like these that Lx.2 wished she had practiced utilizing her attack form a lot more often. Whipping herself with plasma was never very pleasant.

One of the FEAR confronted Lx.2, and promptly began to thrust its spear-like blades in an attempt to impale her. Preferably in the legs; hindered movement meant easier prey. Lx.2 responded by not staying in any one place for very long. She slashed around to give herself some space, and then leapt forward with repeated vertical swipes of her whips, forcing him to recoil back several steps. The FEAR didn't consider the idea of being whipped with plasma very pleasant either.

Meanwhile, Lx.1 had his own FEAR to deal with. His duel moved back and forth quickly, with both sides gaining ground and losing it to his opponent soon after.

"Can't … we … talk … about this?" Lx.1 gasped between slashes of his wrist blades.

The FEAR responded by hissing, and then morphing into a quadruped figure, resembling a jungle cat.

I always thought evolution served to distance ourselves from beasts, Lx.1 thought.

The FEAR's lower stature made it more difficult to approach. It forced Lx.1 back even further, and then used the opportunity to focus on Lx.2, whose hands were already full.

"This can't be good," Lx.1 muttered under his breath as he ran to his sister's aid.

Fortunately, Lx.2's long plasma whips could keep both of the FEAR at range, though she was far from having the upper hand in the fight. The quadruped FEAR stepped directly in front of her, and Lx.2 drew her whips together to close him off. But then he jumped upward with his back to the sun. She had to blindly fling her whips upward to block his descent. The other FEAR capitalized on Lx.2's vulnerable front to tackle her into the road. With her sister pinned beneath the FEAR's heavy, gelatinous body, Lx.1 dove to catch the quadruped before he touched down. He drove his blade through the body of the FEAR in midair and skewered him into the paved road. Using his other blade, he slashed through the general head region of the FEAR, which would immobilize him long enough to help his sister.

Throughout the fight, the Caravan had continued driving on its preset course over the road. By this time, it was close enough that it cast its shadow over the Apeos and FEAR fighting below. As Lx.1 briefly looked at the treads that the Caravan rolled on, he decided that, with the lack of flaming or freezing weaponry at hand, he would have to use the FEAR's own vehicle against themselves to end this fight.

Lx.2 was unable to move her arms from under the FEAR, so her whips were of no use. The FEAR was sharpening the inner surfaces of his membrane in contact with Lx.2's body into an array of innumerable spikes. Lx.1 sprinted toward his sister and slashed most of the FEAR off, though his spikes had already begun to do damage. Lx.2 struggled to her feet, with her body burning with pain all over. But with the FEAR stunned, she landed a direct hit with her plasma whip against him. Using the whip from her other arm, she restrained the FEAR with searing plasma. Then, she and her brother clumsily maneuvered the FEAR's body into the path of the Caravan's massive treads. Unable to move, the FEAR was slowly crushed beneath the Caravan as it continued on its course.

Lx.2 breathed a sigh of relief, but it quickly turned into a gasp of panic as she realized that, with her whips under the treads of the Caravan, she would be dragged under as well. She began futilely tugging at her whips, hoping to extricate them from beneath the treads.

"Hey sis! Snap out of it! Just get out of your attack form!" Lx.1 called to her.

Lx.2 struggled to clear her head through the pain all over her skin, switching to her normal form. When her whips dematerialized, she lost her balance and fell backward.

"Come on, Lx.2. You need to panic less. Did you really forget that you could transform to free yourself?"

She was a little embarrassed, and quickly changed the subject by pointing out that the other FEAR had collected himself again, and was not quite finished with the fight. Having lost his partner, the FEAR was a little more cautious in approaching the Apeos. Lx.1 made the assumption that the same trick he used to kill the first FEAR wouldn't work twice. Lx.2 reverted to her attack form, waiting for her enemy's next move.

She didn't have to wait very long. The FEAR reared back and sharpened his entire body into a lance, winding up to strike. Lx.2 reacted by transforming into her defense form, creating energy shields from her wrist armor and adding weight to her ankle armor, increasing stability. Just as the FEAR snapped forward to attack, Lx.2 closed her eyes, brought her shields in front of her and dug her heels into the ground, bracing herself for the incoming blow. But the strike never came. Lx.2 heard a deafening crack and she opened her eyes. Before her, the FEAR burst into flames, and eventually evaporated into nothingness.

Lx.2 returned to her normal form and looked around, trying to spot the source of the counterattack. On the ridge, she saw that the Apeo military had a sniper positioned at the top of the ridge running beside the Caravan road. He was part of the squadron that Lx.1 had spotted earlier. The sniper waved at the two Apeos down below. But his hand quickly dropped and he lowered his visor to get a better look at who he saved. He gasped, and then he vanished behind the ridge.

"That was strange," Lx.2 said.

"It's as if he knew who we were," her brother continued, switching to his normal form. "But that's not important. Behind us, we have a giant cargo shipment on the road, and I'm wondering what the FEAR have to do with it."

Lx.2 rolled her eyes at the quickness with which Lx.1 changed the topic of conversation. "And I'm guessing you're going to hop on this thing and ask the nice jelly people why they're moving a giant tin can?"

"Not only that, I also want to ask them why they were going to kill us to protect the said tin can."

"Of course. Well, I really hope we can discuss everything over some tea and cookies."

"Don't be silly, sis. We stuffed our faces this morning. We won't be hungry for weeks!"

Lx.2 just groaned as she followed Lx.1 around behind the Caravan.

"Here's the service entrance," he said. "Usually these things aren't locked." With that, he hit the switch and the door slid open. "Normally, I would say, 'ladies first,' but I think my sister would be okay with forgoing social convention in favor of her safety."

"How thoughtful of you," Lx.2 replied sarcastically as she rubbed the small but numerous puncture wounds on her arm.

The Nexus Outskirts (east side); the present; afternoon

"We're making terrible progress," Regollas said as he looked the sun dropping ever closer to the horizon. "We were supposed to meet up at the Caravan long ago. King Sylvio, Queen Ferina, may I ask that you two use your speed forms so we can cover more ground and hopefully reach the Caravan before nightfall?"

Neither of the Apeos had the heart to resist, so they both switched to their speed forms while Regollas and his escorts sprouted wings.

"I'll fly low," Regollas said. "Stick close behind me and my men will bring up the rear."

As Sylvio ran with significantly increased speed, he looked around at the many landed escape pods that littered the landscape. When he squinted, he could make out that, from many of the pods, the Apeos contained within were emerging into the open. Patrol FEAR that were flying overhead dropped down to meet the released prisoners.

Ferina looked southward as she ran. Far in the distance, she could see the yellow glows that speckled the land; explosions and bursts from the continued warfare between the FEAR and the Apeos and humans.


Eventually, the altitude dropped and the grassy plains ended while the paved road surface began. Ahead of Regollas, Sylvio, Ferina and their escorts, the small silhouette of the Caravan was visible. It was small due to the distance, but as the group drew rapidly closer to the Caravan, they were soon aware of its true immensity.

"This," Regollas called to those behind him, "is the Caravan. It carries on its back the remedy to the problem created by the destroyed Nexus. When it reaches the final destination at Lake Ferendi, I only hope that you two will be as pleased as I am at the result.

"Men, please take hold of our guests and carry them with me."

Before the Apeo king and queen could react, the FEAR gathered them from under their arms and lifted them into the air while Regollas flew toward a landing pad on top of the Caravan. Sylvio shuddered as he caught a better view of the large yet featureless cylinder on the Caravan's back. Ferina shuddered at the cold touch of the FEAR as their extremities hooked around her arms.

Dr. V stood on the landing pad, awaiting the visitors.

"Welcome back, Mr. President, sir," he said, "And to you, Apeo king and queen, I am pleased to see that you two are safe."

The Apeos nodded to him while Regollas replied, "Thank you Dr. V. Would you please take the king and queen to the living quarters." To his FEAR escort, he said, "You've all done well. You may go to the living quarters as well. Get some rest, but please respect the king and queen's privacy."

The FEAR followed Dr. V and the Apeos through the entrance into the interior of the Caravan.

"Oh, and one last thing, Dr. V," said Regollas.

"Yes, sir?"

"How much longer till we reach the destination site?"

"We are no more than a few miles away. We should reach our destination before the morning, sir."

"Thank you. You may go."

Then, Regollas was alone on the landing pad. The sun gave a final kiss to the sky before leaving it for the night. And then the sky darkened from orange, to violet, to indigo, and then finally to black. The only lights that remained visible to Regollas came from the battles in the distance.

Why did the warfare continue? Did all these people truly detest the FEAR so much that they were willing to sacrifice their life before their species? And what of the FEAR who fought to spread the benefits of their evolution? Was it fair for them-the FEAR who willingly evolved because they remained open-minded-to suffer the same brutal ends as those who refused to accept the future?

----------

"It's … beautiful!"
"It's horrible!"
"Why don't you see this? The feeling … is beyond words!"
"I'm just as speechless as you are."
"Now, why don't you join me?"
"You don't understand, do you?! I loved you because of the way you were! We didn't need… need improvement!"
"No. Don't cry, Lunia…"
"Why do you care? Who cares what I think? I'm just a 'commoner!' "
"I do care. And I'll find a way to make this work… everything work. Between us, there will be no commoners; no royalty. It'll just be us and our feelings for each other."
"How can we have feelings for each other when we can't even be seen together?"
"My ultimate desire is that someday, humans, Apeos, and FEAR, commoners and royalty, can be together without negativity or prejudice."
"But why did anything need to change? Some people even knew of our relationship! And I was already happy then. But I want to be happy now…"