Troy left his office, running a hand through his dark hair and sighing as he walked. He was exhausted, so much had happened in the last few days, and sleep had been elusive.

That's an understatement, he thought to himself. His best friend and his mentor were aliens! Still, he had to admit, it was the most incredible thing to have ever happened to him. Troy Kerrick. Out of everyone in the world, he had the honor of knowing Whisper and Raden. They trusted him, and he wouldn't let them down.

As the elevator pinged to announce its arrival at floor B2, Troy stepped out and walked down the corridor. The fluorescent lights gave the area a clinical feel, and it was eerily quiet. He passed the entrances for several of the archive rooms, and the dry, chilled air made him shiver. He looked over the sheets on his clipboard, ensuring he knew which items were needed. For his own work, Troy had requisitioned several viral samples that he hoped would help him finally break through the block in his research. He waved to the guards as he swiped his card. The door hissed as pressure was released, and he entered the deep storage vault.

The interior of the Deep Storage room was massive, having been excavated from the stone deep into the mountain on the side of which the Onyx Facility had been constructed. He compared his notes again to the indicators on the shelves. He located the storage box which contained the items found near Whisper. He wasn't sure what Raden was looking for, but a quick scan of the contents ruled out most of the articles inside. He selected what appeared to be a pendant, as well as a delicately carved statuette and a small, tattered notebook. The pages were dirty, and blood stained the edges as well as the cover. He skimmed through, though what was written there was in no language he had encountered. He suspected the elegant, flowing script would be familiar to Raden and Whisper. Taking the items, he proceeded to the freezer where he was required to enter another code. Escaping vapor from the liquid nitrogen coolant momentarily obscured his vision, but he located the samples he needed. He placed them into the cooler he carried, and along with them, Whisper’s belongings. He didn't know if anyone bothered to read the log sheets showing who had current custody of items in Deep Storage, but if anyone did, he wanted to avoid unwanted questions.

He secured the freezer again, and left the room, moving more slowly and deliberately as he carried the viral samples. He raised a hand again to the guards. "Thanks guys!" Troy remarked cheerily as he left.

"Have a good one, Doctor Kerrick!" One of the guards replied, while the second waved back.

As the elevator doors shut again, Troy leaned against the back of the elevator. The most risky part of his task was behind him, at least he hoped it was. He thought back to his conversation with Raden and Whisper, and the danger that loomed over them all. No, it was only the beginning, he thought to himself. He could only pray to anything that was listening that they would all come through this alive.

*****************

Whisper awoke slowly, becoming aware that she was not alone. She looked into the deep green eyes of Raden as he lay next to her. She loved his natural eyes, they were so kind and full of wisdom. She hated that he had to hide them so much of the time, showing them to others as blue.

"You’re here." She said softly, enjoying the warmth of him next to her. She rested her hand on his chest. His pale skin was surprisingly soft, even though it was scarred in several places.

"I always will be, my heart. Now that everyone is gossiping about us anyway, I didn't see the harm in it. I've waited a very long time for this." Raden answered, smiling at her and brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "By the light, you're beautiful."

Whisper felt her cheeks color at his compliment, but it filled her with joy. "This all feels like a dream, I'm still afraid that I'm going to wake up and none of this will be real."

"What would you say if I told you I have loved you for almost 416 years? I would have lost my mind if I had had to wait a single one more." He laughed warmly, hugging her close.

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused. “How old are you? How old am I?”

“In the way time is measured here, I just turned 720 a short time ago. You are about a century my junior, but such is normal for Lumhin. I'm not sure how your memory is yet, but we reach maturity around 175 years, as humans would understand time." Raden explained. He was honored to help her rediscover her past, their past.

Before she could respond, there was a knock at the door. "One moment!" Whisper called out. As she sat up, it dawned on her that she was wearing her nightwear. The oversized night shirt fell to her knees as she got out of bed, it was one of her favorites. She blushed again, but left the bedroom, hurrying across the living room to the door.

Raden stood as well, standing in the bedroom doorway to see who had interrupted their morning. His chest was broad and well muscled, the product of his adherence to the training he had been accustomed to when leading the Lumhin defense forces. He leaned casually against the frame, his arms crossed. He hid his appearance once again, showing the dark hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin that his coworkers knew.

Whisper opened the door, relieved to see Troy on the other side. "Hey!" She said cheerily, moving aside to let him in.

Troy looked past her at Raden, and he smirked. "And hello to you too, Raden. Guess you weren't kidding when you said you were in a scandal." He laughed as he made his way to the couch, setting down the cooler he carried. "Good news, I got Whisper’s stuff, part of it anyway." He said, gesturing at the cooler.

“Thank you, Troy. Your help means a lot to me, and to Whisper.” Raden said, coming forward to take a seat across from Troy. “When you say part of it, what do you mean? What were you able to recover?”

“A lot of it seemed to be debris, or just junk. Whisper’s clothes were there, but they were ruined. I saw some samples of rock, a few other odds and ends. I brought the pendant, what looks to be her notes, and a little statue that seemed like an artefact. Anything else you still need?” Troy asked, opening the cooler and taking out the items as he spoke.

“No, this is perfect, exactly what I needed.” Raden answered. “Did you have any trouble with security? Any reason to think they’re aware?”

“Nah, nothing like that. I practically live down there, so they didn’t think anything of it.” Troy replied. “What’s the story here, anyway?” He asked.

“These artefacts are from our world. They possess significant power, and I believe they may be very helpful in our confrontation with Tenebris. Had Whisper’s parents not fallen, things would have ended quite differently given the strength of what these represent.” Raden explained, picking up the statuette.

Whisper returned to the bedroom as Raden and Troy conversed. As she picked clothes from the closet, her eyes fell on a sheet of folded paper on the floor. She bent to pick it up, and she froze as she looked at the image it contained. It was one of the drawings she had made in the lab as her memories had started to come back. In striking detail, it depicted another man, clearly Lumhin, but different somehow. His eyes were unnatural, like nothing she had seen before. She knew him, but his name would not come to mind.

The sound of continued conversation brought her out of her thoughts, and she went to rejoin Raden and Troy. She folded the paper, and put it in the pocket of her lab coat. She needed to talk to Raden about it as soon as she could.

As she returned to the living room, Whisper’s gaze fell over her belongings, and as she looked at them, another flood of memories flashed through her mind. She saw people, her people, running in terror. A creature of tremendous darkness, who she knew now to be Tenebris. She saw herself, performing feats she couldn’t understand or explain, wielding power that still seemed unreal. Raden had been with her, and another man and woman. Her parents… the realization dawned on her. She stood transfixed as the memories kept coming, reaching out a hand to touch the pendant. She could see it around her neck, and as she touched it, it seemed to awaken. An increasingly bright glow began to shine from the crystal that hung from a chain.

“Shit!” Troy exclaimed, jumping back from the object. He looked at Whisper’s expression, and back and Raden. “What’s going on? What’s it doing to her?”

“It belongs to her father, it knows her.” Raden explained. “It is called the Blessing of Elthys, an artefact her father was given to combat Tenebris. It is attuned to her family, so it reacts to her command.”

Raden reached out and quickly took it from her, masking the glow. He looked toward the door, hearing footsteps in the hallway. He hoped that Szostak was not watching the security feed, and that whoever was there did not see the glare from under Whisper’s door. He was not ready to confront Engram’s security again, but if it came to that, it could not be helped. As he grasped the crystal in his hand, trying to stanch the Light power it was now emanating, he heard a voice in his mind.

“There you are…” Tenebris said, his tone both derisive and pleased. “You can not elude me, you and the girl. I am coming.”

Raden shielded the crystal in his own power, shutting off the flow of Light and blocking the connection to Tenbris. He looked at Troy and Whisper, his voice quiet. Raden was rarely afraid, but this unsettled him deeply. “Tenebris has found us. I’m afraid we may not have much more time. I suspected that this would happen, when Whisper regained her strength. The Blessing of Elthys is, after all, his mother’s power, and it calls to him.”

Whisper held out her hand for the pendant, and Raden obliged. Without hesitation, she put it around her neck, securing the clasp. The crystal pulsed steadily with brilliant light, painful to the eye in its intensity. She closed her eyes a moment, focusing on the power that swelled within it. She stilled it, as she had seen herself do in her memories, and the light dimmed, the crystal going dormant again.

They were interrupted again by another knock on the door. “Whisper, Raden, open the door please. We need to speak to you!” They recognized the voice of Agent Calero. “What’s going on in there?”

Whisper walked to the door, opening it to admit Calero and her partner Valentine. The two agents stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide as they watched Raden begin to change before them. His hair turned its natural white, his eyes green, and his skin turned pale to once again mirror Whisper’s. He stood with his arms at his sides, careful not to make any moves the agents would see as threatening. His still-bare chest could have been carved from marble as the transformation moved through his body. They took in the scene with a practiced eye, noting that Troy was with them as well. Agent Valentine’s hand lingered on his weapon, but Calero placed a hand over his, staying his motion.

“Aram, no.” Calero told her partner. She turned her attention from Whisper to Raden. “Raden, what the hell?”

“There is no time, Addison. Get Szostak, and meet us upstairs.” Raden told her, his tone leaving no room for argument.

There would be no more pretense, no more dissembling. It was time to act. He reached for his shirt where it had lain on the arm of the sofa, and pulled it on. He reached for Whisper’s hand and led her to the door, nodding to Troy to follow them. Valentine and Calero walked ahead of them, ensuring that passers by wouldn’t hinder them.

They boarded the elevator together, and pressed the button for the 4th floor and Dr. Saxe’s office. They left the security team in the elevator to proceed up to security, and marched purposefully down the hall. Raden saw the shocked and horrified expressions of people that they had known for years, who were friends and co-workers. An intern dropped his files in the hallway as he stared at the Special Projects team walking past, led by Raden.

********************

Whisper, Troy, and Raden entered Dr. Saxe’s reception area, and didn’t bother to stop. They paused only long enough for Raden to knock several times, and they found Saxe seated behind his desk. He looked up in surprise at the sudden intrusion, standing as he realized that Raden was no longer disguising himself.

“This can’t be good.” He remarked, coming around the desk to join the team. “What’s the situation?” Dr. Saxe wasted no time in getting to the point. He knew that his friend would not be open about his identity if it wasn’t serious.

“Tenebris has located us. He said that he’s coming, and I believe it won’t be long.” Raden answered.

Saxe nodded to Szostak as the Head of Security came striding into the room, his team in tow. “David, we’ve got a situation.” Saxe stated, motioning everyone through the door to his private meeting room.

“You don’t say!” Szostak remarked, his voice oozing sarcasm. “An affair, my ass! I knew this was more than you were telling me.”

“I apologize, David. Until now, we weren’t certain there was cause for concern. Since that has changed, we can’t afford to stand on formalities. We have to get our plan together so I can run this up the chain. Raden, if you could please fill us in, I’d appreciate it.”

“Of course, Aldrich. And David, I am sorry for my part in the deception as well, though what you have seen is completely accurate. I am seeing Whisper.” Raden began. “The small talk will have to wait, however. I will be as brief as possible, so that we can make necessary preparations.

“The adversary we are dealing with is called Tenebris, and he is incredibly powerful. He desires to destroy Whisper and I, primarily, but he is unaware of the human race. I have no trouble believing that he will decide that subjugating the people of Earth would be a fun diversion. I realize that sounds like hyperbole, but I assure you, he is capable of it.”

“What are you saying? Some kind of space alien is coming here?” Szostak asked incredulously.

“Look at me, David. Whisper and I are of the Lumhin race, and we are standing here before you. With all due respect, sir, this isn’t the time for skepticism.” Raden stated, unable to keep a note of anger from his voice.

“And you’ve been lying to me for 20 years about your identity. Forgive me for being less than willing to believe you’re reliable.” Szostak bit back.

“12 years.” Raden corrected him. “I’m the same person you’ve always known. Try to see this from my perspective. If I had revealed myself sooner, this calamity would have been years ago instead of now, but it still would have come. Tenebris doesn’t forget, and he doesn’t forgive. He’s waited 12 years for his chance to kill us. I didn’t want this for any of us. Not for Whisper, or myself, or the human race. Had I been given a choice, I would have taken her and left immediately, but she was not able to defend herself, and I couldn’t fend off Tenebris alone.” Raden continued, his eyes flashing angrily. “This is a waste of time. If you choose not to believe me, then we will leave, even if he still seeks us here.”

“Raden, it’s alright. I’m sorry for David’s piss poor behavior here. I really am. I know we need you, we have no idea how to stop this Tenebris without you. What do we need to do?” Saxe asked, glaring at Szostak.

“I believe the soundest strategy is to evacuate everyone within 15 to 20 miles of the facility. Given our location, there shouldn’t be that many people in the area. I want to avoid Tenebris deciding to vent his wrath on the locals, and the more human resistance he encounters, the more likely that becomes.” Raden answered, taking a seat again at the table.

“Seems like a sound strategy to me.” Szostak agreed. “We clear out the civilians, and we keep only enough personnel here to defend the facility itself. Our target doesn’t need to know how common our kind are, or to have time to get any funny ideas. I think we also have to avoid a huge show of military force. The Pentagon isn’t going to take this lightly, but the administration needs to understand that the more people they send out here, the more dangerous it’ll be.”

Whisper’s hand went to the pendant at her neck. She laced her fingers around it as she rose to her feet. “I’m not in the military, I’m a scientist. But Raden and I fought Tenebris before, with my parents. We weren’t enough, but our Council of the Enlightened, our government, didn’t see fit to intervene until he was slaying people left and right. I think Raden and I should go home, to our world. I think we should ask for help. They can’t ignore this, not when innocents could be killed.” She walked to the window and looked out at a darkening sky. “He knows we’re here, and this is where he is coming, even as we speak. I don’t think anything will change his course now, even if we didn’t return. He wouldn’t know that until it was too late.”

“David, I want you to spearhead the preparations. Start clearing out all non-essential personnel. I want all the research teams and support staff out of here. Your people will stay on.” Saxe said, thinking over who would be needed. “I’ll contact the Pentagon, and brief the brass. With any luck, they’ll see reason and won’t flood the area. We’ll need support on the ground to evacuate the locals, and to ensure the public doesn’t get wind of this. I’m thinking we go public with a virus containment failure, or a chemical spill. Engram will take a hit, but I don’t see a way around that, and frankly, the hell with PR right now.”

“I’m staying too.” Troy said, speaking up for the first time since the meeting had begun. “I’m not leaving Whisper and Raden. I understand the risks, but I’ll help any way I can.”

“Fine. You can stay on, Troy, but we can’t guarantee your safety. We don’t know what it’s going to take to contain this bastard.” Saxe answered. The look in Troy’s eyes told him the man was prepared to defy any orders he’d give to the contrary, and arguments would only slow them down.

“I get it. But I’ve made up my mind.” Troy replied. I’ll head back to the lab and oversee getting sensitive projects and materials moved to Deep Storage for the duration. Spin aside, we don’t need a real containment failure on top of a pissed off planet god.

“Perfect. Raden, Whisper, after your projects are secured, you go for help. And I pray you find it, my friends. Let’s move.” Saxe answered, not waiting for a reply. He headed back to his office to ring the Pentagon, leaving his people to handle their parts of the operation.