“Thank you so much for taking the boys, you two. I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t as important as it is.”

“No, no, it’s absolutely fine. I just cannot believe he survived what happened in Rio,” said Kimona in disbelief. “How...? I just have no words.”

“Well neither do we. We... I must have missed something. But we’ll make sure of it this time,” assured Do’Lânqwa.

“Don't blame yourself. Just look after yourselves out there and come back in one piece,” Dylan said picking up Wo’Trendsont and making an effort to get back to Miami.

Since Do’Lânqwa’s unexpected and temporary return to Earthuu to recruit the triplets mid-mission, they had contacted Dylan to see if he could take the boys while he was away in space. The timing worked out well as Dylan was going to Miami with Kimona and there was more room there for everyone.

“We better get going again. Thank you again you two.” Do’Lânqwa gave both boys a kiss on the tops of their heads before him and the triplets went off to their jets.

Next stop, Earthgrë.

Again.

***

After travelling in convoy, again hassle free, both jets set down in the same spot Do’Lânqwa had found the first time he arrived. They were met by the whole of Resistance. Time was of the essence.

“What makes you think you’ll kill him this time?” one of the group asked.

Blane frowned. It was his meteors which was supposed to have done the job last time, but it was a fair point. “I’ll check myself. Personally,” he said, feeling a bit defensive.

“Are we all going?” the leader asked. He was finally introduced as Ba’Glitión to the triplets and Do’Lânqwa was finally glad to have a name for the face.

“Not everyone. It’s too risky. I’m hoping you’ll come though, Ba’Glition. And Fo’Vylrian, because you used to work there. We’ll need your expertise with extracting the Krugreycium when we have finished. Will that be ok?” Do’Lânqwa asked.

Fo’Vylrian was the one who said he worked at the Research Plant. “Um sure. Ok, yeah. I can help,” he responded nervously.

“Is there a plan?” Su’Clouvina asked.

“Go there. Kill the bastard. Grab Krugreycium,” offered Blane.

Su’Clouvina rolled her eyes. “No, but seriously?”

“No, seriously,” said Do’Lânqwa. “That’s pretty much the plan.”

“Ah right. Ok.”

Ba’Glition stood up. “Let’s get going then.”

The group approached the Research Plant the same way as they had gone the last time. Half way along the driveway leading to the building, Do’Lânqwa stopped to regroup. Blane went airborne to get a good look.

“That’s it down there, then?” Holt asked whispering. Do’Lânqwa nodded.

“Do you think we should draw him out into the open?”

“He’s in the most Southern end of the facility,” Blane informed, coming into land.

“How can you be so sure? The place is huge,” Ba’Glition scoffed.

“X-ray vision, my friend,” Blane answered. “How about a light dusting of meteors?”

“No Blane, I don’t want the Krugreycium to get damaged. Is there a more stealthier approach?”

“Um, there is something I can do,” offered Holt.

“You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking?” Mindy checked.

“Well, I’m thinking of mind controlling him out into the open, make it think it’s his idea to be outside.”

“That’s what I was thinking you were thinking,” huffed Mindy.

“You can’t. No, we’ll think of something else,” argued Blane.

“Definitely. No. There's no way we'll let you do that Holty,” Mindy adamantly said.

“Why? What’s the problem?” Do’Lânqwa impatiently asked.

“Once he is out of the other person’s mind, Holt suffers from extremely violent seizures and headaches which last for days. There’s nothing we can do to treat them, we just have to ride them out,” Mindy, the over protective sister, explained.

“So that’ll be why I’ve never seen you do it?” asked Do’Lânqwa.

“Right. It is extremely debilitating,” said Holt. “But I’ll do it if there’s no other option.”

“Like now,” Do’Lânqwa stated.

Mindy noticed he wasn’t asking and she was put out by it. “You have no idea Do’Lânqwa what it does to him,” she hissed.

“Mindy, he offered. And like he said, he uses it when there’s no other option. I’m sure you can see that this is that time.” He turned to Holt. “Are you sure?”

Holt looked at his visibly aggrieved siblings. They cared for him. He got it. But if he could get The 45th out into the open without any aggression and damage to the building, and the Krugreycium within it, then it had to be worth it. “I’m sure. I gotta get close though, but once he’s out in the open, you guys have to got to make good and finish him, ok?”

Mindy and Blane looked at each other in resignation. Nothing they were going to say was going to change his mind. He was right though- it was the best way in this scenario.

“Don’t worry brother. I know just the thing to get rid of him,” Blane said.

“For certain this time? Unlike the other time?” Ba’Glition asked.

“You better believe it.”

“Well I’m going to come with,” Su’Clouvina said to Holt. “You’ll need someone to look after you if you react badly.” Holt nodded his thanks.

“Myself, Ba’Glition and Fo’Vylrian will follow you and Su’Clouvina in and then we’ll split and start gathering what we need. Mindy and Blane, make it count out here,” said Do’Lânqwa to Holt.

The five who were heading into the building left Mindy and Blane in their cover with a view of where they hoped Holt could manipulate The 45th to go out to- a large loading bay area once used for receiving deliveries.

“Ok, so what are you thinking of Blane? It’s your abilities that are the most destructive to do this.”

“No pressure then, eh Mind? Can you manipulate his gravity field and have him go skywards? When he’s high enough, I’ll take over.”

Do’Lânqwa led the group through the building the way he went when he was alone. Without Blane’s x-ray vision, they were going blind, relying on intently listening for movement that wasn’t theirs.

“That’s where he came out from last time. I didn’t go any further than where we are now,” explained Do’Lânqwa. They were all crouched low.

“That makes sense. There are doors on the other side of that room that lead to the southern part your brother could see him in,” Fo’Vylrian explained.

“And where in relation to that is the Krugreycium?” asked Do’Lânqwa.

“Through there too, but not as far. There’s access below ground from there.”

“Ok, let’s go,” motioned Do’Lânqwa to the group.

“You first,” insisted Ba’Glition.

Do’Lânqwa obliged and gently pressed the swing doors open, listening for a reaction. Nothing. They filed through into the large cafeteria area, fanning out, keeping low and seeking cover behind tables. All clear. Fo’Vylrian jabbed a finger towards the doors they needed to go through, which were about fifty metres away.

The group pressed on, scurrying between cover to cover until they made it through the doors.

It was quiet.

Unnervingly quiet.

Along the corridor as they progressed, Fo’Vylrian clicked his fingers to get their attention. “The Krugreycium will be down there,” he whispered, indicating to a side door. Everyone knew what they had to do. Do’Lânqwa and Holt nodded at each other.

Fo’Vylrian led Do’Lânqwa and Ba’Glition through the door and off on their objective.

Holt took Su’Clouvina’s hand. He could tell she was a little bit more frightened now that the group had split and it was just the two of them. She smiled softly and off they went.

Corridors looked the same as they turned blindly right and then left. A right here, another left there.

Eventually they got close. Raised up, looking through the door’s window pane, The 45th was there, sat with his back to them.

Holt ducked back down. “Once I’m in, I’ll be able to get inside him. Don’t be afraid of what you see. I’ll release when I’ve got him outside. Then just keep me safe until it’s all over, alright?” asked Holt.

“S-sure. Good luck.”

Holt gently pushed the door open until it was wide enough for him to get through but a pair of legs stood in his way and stopped him short.

“Oh, an old friend!” the voice boomed.

Oh crap! Holt thought, putting it lightly. “Get back!” he yelled out to Su’Clouvina, charging at The 45th in a spear like movement with momentum from bursting into flight, which sent them both flying across the room.

The 45th beat down onto Holt’s back to stun him, but Holt wasn’t affected by it. Su’Clouvina had followed Holt in, her rifle raised and trying to get a clear shot at The 45th. Holt repelled from the beast, making space between the two of them. Seeing Su’Clouvina primed and ready to shoot, he motioned for her to cease fire. He needed his foe to be conscious.

The 45th stood up, impressed. “Well I didn’t think I would be seeing you again,” he said.

“The feeling is shared. We were certain you were dead. How on Earthtun did you survive what we did?”

“You’ll see that I barely did,” The 45th answered, raising his stump that was now his right arm. He was missing the bio-robotic metallic attachment at the end. He also had a make shift fabric covering over his eye. He had taken a battering. “You almost had me.”

“Well we’re here to make doubly sure this time.”

“I may not be the figure I was the last time we met and I may not be able to defend myself as well but do not think for one moment that I’ll let you execute me without some resistance.”

“Don’t play victim here. You’ve killed my friends!” shouted Su’Clouvina.

“Open your eyes. It’s all about survival out here. A guy’s got to eat,” he snapped back.

Holt had heard enough. As long as he wasn’t fighting, he could concentrate on taking over The 45th’s mind.

He closed his eyes.

“What are you doing?” yelled The 45th, noticing Holt’s change in behaviour and a burning sensation in his own head.

He screamed out in a gargled noise, and then the take over was complete. Su’Clouvina stood back as Holt's body crumpled to the floor and lay peacefully whilst The 45th calmly walked towards the door. He stopped by Su’Clouvina and she flinched.

“You could have caught me as I fell, you know?” Holt said through The 45th in The 45th’s voice.

“S-sorry,” she stuttered, scared, but also impressed.

“I hope everyone’s ok,” Mindy whispered.

Her and Blane were crouching behind cover over looking the Research Plant and the spot where Holt should be bringing The 45th out to through mind control.

“Relax, Holty’s got this.”

A few minutes more of pained silence passed and then The 45th came purposefully striding out before stopping.

They had to be quick. Holt, knowing where The 45th now was, had to leave his mind before his siblings did their thing to eradicate the brute, otherwise Holt would die within The 45th’s body.

As soon as Holt disengaged from his mind control of The 45th, it would only be a few seconds before he would get his senses back and be able to fight back. They needed the element of surprise.

And on cue of The 45th reanimating, Mindy stepped in, taking out his field of gravity around him, and sending him up into the air. Blane followed under his own steam, flying parallel with the upward tumbling foe. The 45th locked eyes with Blane, through his remaining eye, and Blane could have sworn for a moment that he saw pure fear staring back at him.

It was a little unsettling.

Pushing on, Blane extended his arms, palms facing out and one over the top of the other. From the centre, a black swirling vortex grew and grew in a spiralling motion. Very soon it was ten times a big as Blane himself. Optimum size.

Blane pushed the vacuum he had manifested out towards The 45th, where on contact, it folded over around him, swallowing him up and then swallowing itself up so that there was now no furiously swirling vacuum, and more importantly, no more of The 45th.

On relaxing his efforts, Blane passed out, limply falling towards the ground until Mindy caught him by flying up to meet him. They had done it. The 45th had vanished. Consumed and completely non-existent. Squashed and condensed into a vacuum that no longer existed. No one else was hurt. Their plan had worked. Mindy flew down to firm ground to put Blane down and wait for the others.

***

“It’s a good job we have two jets, the amount we’re bringing back,” said Blane, dusting his hands off. He had regained consciousness shortly after being settled on the ground.

The group had then reunited- Su’Clouvina having dragged Holt out from where they were, and Do’Lanqwa and his team having secured what materials were needed.

Now, Do’Lanqwa and the triplets were packing up, getting ready to leave.

“I think you should come back with us,” Do’Lanquwa said to Fo’Vylrian. “You worked here. You reckon you could work out how to use this stuff. What do you think?”

Mindy, hearing this, frowned and pulled Do’Lanqwa to one side. “Do’Lanqwa, that’s not our place to say. We didn’t even tell anyone what we were doing in coming here. We can’t then return with someone we know nothing about,” she explained sternly.

“What’s the point in having all this stuff and leaving the only person who says knows how to use it here? They’ll be thanking us.”

“But the people at The Facility will be able to work it out!”

“And in the mean time Terri goes without,” Do’Lanqwa argued.

“Don’t bring her into this. She’s not going to want you to compromise yourself or America's security for the sake of a few months of extra work.”

“It will be just him.”

“And what about the others? You plan on leaving them here? What will they think when they hear you’re leaving them to fend for themselves on this forsaken planet and taking one of them with you for a whole new life?”

“We won’t tell them.”

Mindy puffed. “Behave! Are you hearing yourself?”

“Do you still want me to come with you?” Fo’Vylrian asked, interrupting.

Do’Lanqwa looked at Mindy, and not looking away from her, said, “Yeah, but be discreet about it and get into my jet.”

“On your head be it then," Mindy warned. "But I don’t see this going down very well at all.”