tongue.
Sensing my thoughts, Gabriel spoke to me. “She is alive. We deactivated the Dobrian implant since we could not remove it without killing her. We implanted the live Sondian Copula below it.”
My head lolled toward Gabriel’s voice. Once again, the sharp pain made me wince and slow my movement.
Gabriel visibly reacted to my painful look. “Careful. Here, let me get you some medicine for the pain.” Gabriel moved out of my sight.
I heard a man clear his throat. Then he came into my line of sight. It was Michael.
He condescendingly looked at me and said with pity, “Balthazar.”
I groaned angrily, acknowledging Michael’s presence and tone.
Michael put his hands in his pant pockets. He spoke matter-of-factly. “Your Copula has been removed. You are a threat to the fellowship and its future. The board has decided that you are a liability and can no longer be trusted. But, I’m sure you read all about it before you came to save young Corinna.”
My voice cracked as I tried to speak. It came out as a whisper. “Trust? How can you talk to me about trust? You and the others have conspired behind my back and turned our fellowship against everything we have believed in.”
Michael snickered and rocked on his heels. He raised his index finger to me, gesturing to make a point. “No! It was never what we believed in. It was always what you wanted—what you believed in.”
Michael waved his hand back and forth in an attempt to clear the air. “None of that matters now, Balthazar. You will be accompanied back to London where you will be watched. You will have a small medical staff on hand for the first seventy-two hours to monitor your healing.”
Gabriel came back into the room, interrupting Michael briefly. Gabriel had a bottle in hand, and two nurses followed behind him.
Michael acknowledged Gabriel and the nurses, and then he turned back to me. “Gabriel and these two nurses will be with you the entire seventy-two hours. They are armed and will take you down in a heartbeat, so don’t do anything stupid.”
I knew Michael was referring to an attempt at escape or a call for help.
Michael walked to the door of the operating room. He turned to look at me one more time before leaving. “You will be watched, Balthazar. Someone is always watching.”
* * *
I leaned against the back of my chair and looked up at the ceiling, reflecting on what I had just told my father.
I sighed. “I don’t know if it was the first day back on earth or the day after, but I awoke in the middle of the night in a hotel room. I assume Gabriel and the nurses traversed through the wormhole with me to get me here.
My arms were tied down to the bed. I peered through the darkness to find the staff or Gabriel. Gabriel was half-reclined in two chairs that he had pulled together into a makeshift bed. I could hear two female voices outside of the hotel room door. It was the nurse staff.”
I looked down to my father. “You were the first thing that came into my mind. I had to see you, Father. I felt a burning need to ask you for forgiveness. I don’t expect it. I know I don’t deserve forgiveness from you, considering what I have done to humanity. My ignorance and misguided trust has put our fellow man in corrupt hands.”
I tightened his fists on the chair. My face was full of determination. “I won’t let it continue, Father. I would rather die fighting to save humanity than live another day with this guilt hanging over my head.”
Sebastian stood and walked to my side. “I want nothing more than to have you fight at my side.”
The first thing Sebastian and I needed to do was get my physical body back to Onoch Estate and out of London. It would take some crafty maneuvering, but with inside help, it could be done quickly and discreetly.
Within days, I was back at Onoch Estate. I underwent the implantation of the Dobrian Copula. Sebastian was hesitant at first due to how close this procedure was to the removal of my
Sensing my thoughts, Gabriel spoke to me. “She is alive. We deactivated the Dobrian implant since we could not remove it without killing her. We implanted the live Sondian Copula below it.”
My head lolled toward Gabriel’s voice. Once again, the sharp pain made me wince and slow my movement.
Gabriel visibly reacted to my painful look. “Careful. Here, let me get you some medicine for the pain.” Gabriel moved out of my sight.
I heard a man clear his throat. Then he came into my line of sight. It was Michael.
He condescendingly looked at me and said with pity, “Balthazar.”
I groaned angrily, acknowledging Michael’s presence and tone.
Michael put his hands in his pant pockets. He spoke matter-of-factly. “Your Copula has been removed. You are a threat to the fellowship and its future. The board has decided that you are a liability and can no longer be trusted. But, I’m sure you read all about it before you came to save young Corinna.”
My voice cracked as I tried to speak. It came out as a whisper. “Trust? How can you talk to me about trust? You and the others have conspired behind my back and turned our fellowship against everything we have believed in.”
Michael snickered and rocked on his heels. He raised his index finger to me, gesturing to make a point. “No! It was never what we believed in. It was always what you wanted—what you believed in.”
Michael waved his hand back and forth in an attempt to clear the air. “None of that matters now, Balthazar. You will be accompanied back to London where you will be watched. You will have a small medical staff on hand for the first seventy-two hours to monitor your healing.”
Gabriel came back into the room, interrupting Michael briefly. Gabriel had a bottle in hand, and two nurses followed behind him.
Michael acknowledged Gabriel and the nurses, and then he turned back to me. “Gabriel and these two nurses will be with you the entire seventy-two hours. They are armed and will take you down in a heartbeat, so don’t do anything stupid.”
I knew Michael was referring to an attempt at escape or a call for help.
Michael walked to the door of the operating room. He turned to look at me one more time before leaving. “You will be watched, Balthazar. Someone is always watching.”
* * *
I leaned against the back of my chair and looked up at the ceiling, reflecting on what I had just told my father.
I sighed. “I don’t know if it was the first day back on earth or the day after, but I awoke in the middle of the night in a hotel room. I assume Gabriel and the nurses traversed through the wormhole with me to get me here.
My arms were tied down to the bed. I peered through the darkness to find the staff or Gabriel. Gabriel was half-reclined in two chairs that he had pulled together into a makeshift bed. I could hear two female voices outside of the hotel room door. It was the nurse staff.”
I looked down to my father. “You were the first thing that came into my mind. I had to see you, Father. I felt a burning need to ask you for forgiveness. I don’t expect it. I know I don’t deserve forgiveness from you, considering what I have done to humanity. My ignorance and misguided trust has put our fellow man in corrupt hands.”
I tightened his fists on the chair. My face was full of determination. “I won’t let it continue, Father. I would rather die fighting to save humanity than live another day with this guilt hanging over my head.”
Sebastian stood and walked to my side. “I want nothing more than to have you fight at my side.”
The first thing Sebastian and I needed to do was get my physical body back to Onoch Estate and out of London. It would take some crafty maneuvering, but with inside help, it could be done quickly and discreetly.
Within days, I was back at Onoch Estate. I underwent the implantation of the Dobrian Copula. Sebastian was hesitant at first due to how close this procedure was to the removal of my
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