by LC Morgans
“Not quite. We know with absolute certainty that the DNA sequence in positive patients overrides our chromosomes malformed by the Ehrad disease, but I cannot help but wonder if the reason Greegis couldn’t stabilize the genes after extraction was because he wasn’t looking in the right place for a carrier. They require the right environment, but I don’t think his conditions were permissive enough. I believe Kyra’s blood will hold the key. Her DNA has advanced, regardless of her being a negative candidate, so I’m working on the theory that a combination of both elements might prove effective.”
Silence fell and Kyra tried to work through everything Thrayke had just told them. It was just a theory, but it made sense to look for another element to the cure and she couldn’t deny her blood might hold any number of components that might help them finally develop their remedy. “We know for sure that the initial serums Greegis produced worked to stave off the effects of your illness for a while, but it didn’t cure it. I wonder if it might be because we’ve not let the successful candidates’ blood absorb the serum and evolve the same way Kyra has. Earlier test-subjects were unfortunately all dissected and the parts used for research purposes. The others have been in cryo-sleep ever since they were given their treatment and I’m hopeful that the answer might lie in waking them up.”
She was finally beginning to understand his long-term hypothesis. It was by coincidence that she’d ended up changing and adapting to the serum in ways beyond the likes Greegis and his team had anticipated, and yet there was no reason to think that the other candidates wouldn’t do the same if they too were allowed to live their lives, rather than remain in deep-freeze.
“But if you’re right, it could take years before we see results in them,” she said gloomily, and Thrayke nodded. His solemn expression made fear flare from within, and she turned to Kronus. “We’ll find an option in the meantime, I’m sure of it. Perhaps my DNA could stabilize the serum so you can at least have a few more years until the positive patients create a natural vaccine and cure?”
He reached out and stroked her cheek, smiling sadly.
“I’m glad you’re getting closer, but I’m afraid it’s already too late for me,” he told her with a smile, but before she could tell him to stop being so foolish, his hand fell to his side with a thud. Kronus closed his eyes and let out a breath, but didn’t inhale. He was still. So incredibly still Kyra could do nothing but scream.
Chaos descended in an instant. The entire team of doctors ran to his aid. They began giving him chest compressions while the nurses tried everything their trauma training back on Earth had taught them to attempt to bring their old leader back around. It was no use, though. His heart had stopped beating, and even though they did everything they could, it was to no avail.
Chapter Eleven
The doctor was about to call the time of death when Thrayke had a moment of sheer enlightenment. He suddenly knew what he had to do, and grabbed the vial of Kyra’s blood from the counter. After combining it with the existing serum they’d luckily already made up, he then connected the vial to a long, thick needle. There was nothing left to lose. If Kronus was dead and the attempt was fruitless, so be it, but there was also the slightest possibility it might just be crazy enough to work.
Kyra was screaming, wailing, and sobbing so hard she had to look away from the motionless figure lying on the bed. Luckily, one of the nurses grabbed hold of her, hugging her tightly. Her sorrow was hard for Thrayke to stomach, and not only because he too was grieving the likely death of his best friend. Seeing her agonizing over Kronus was another blow to his gut, and while he knew he shouldn’t be envious, there was no helping it. She meant everything to him and Thrayke knew there wasn’t a single amount of affection she could show another person that wouldn’t make him jealous.
Focusing on the task at hand, the determined Thrak barged passed everyone that’d been huddled around the fallen Prince’s bedside, knocking them all out the way, before he then slammed the needle down over the lifeless corpse’s chest and pushed it directly into Kronus’s heart with a loud thud, pressing down to administer the concoction straight to the vital organ. Thrayke’s breathing was ragged with the exertion and the shock, and when a dozen stunned faces turned his way, he couldn’t even begin to explain what he’d just done. He’d worked on impulse, desperate to save his oldest friend’s life, and silence quickly enveloped them all as they stopped and stared in anticipation. Even Kyra was silent and Thrayke’s ears rang as he listened intently for any sign that his crazy notion might actually have worked.
It felt like hours then passed as he watched and waited, when in reality it was only seconds. Just as the others began turning away from the body on the bed, the lost hope evident on their saddened faces, Kronus jerked to life and took a sharp inhale of breath. Before their astounded eyes he began sucking in deep breaths, gasping for air while his lids fluttered wildly and then slowly began to open.
None could say a word. The crowd then quickly tightened when Thrayke leaned closer so he could evaluate Kronus’s reaction to the blend he’d pumped into him. He checked his pupils, vitals, and reflexes, and then grinned down at him when the patient gave a sudden shudder and then seemed to spring back to life.
“What the hell was that?” the Thrakorian Prince asked, clutching at his chest where the needle had penetrated him. It didn’t matter if he was sore, at least he was alive, and Thrayke couldn’t deny it truly was amazing to see him not only thriving, but also well. He was about ready to grab and hug the stupid ass for pulling through, but thought better of it given Kronus was just on the brink of death moments before. The color was already returning to his cheeks though, and it was mere seconds before he looked better than he had in months. Thrayke laughed dryly once the realization washed over him how he’d been right about the use of a carrier for the cure, not simply the use of the antidote itself.
“That, my friend, was Kyra’s blood…” They both turned to look at where she still sat on the floor in a crumpled heap, the nurse’s arms wrapped tightly around her. “I mixed it with the cure and hit you with a dose right to the heart. Here’s hoping it’s worked, but of course, we still need to run tests to figure out what it’s actually capable of.”
He looked back and forth between Kronus and the awestruck Kyra. She was white as a sheet and Thrayke knew she’d take a while to get over what she’d seen, but how she would absolutely be glad for how he’d acted. The room was silent again as the dust settled, but it was Kyra whose face went from confusion to understanding the quickest. His tough girl caught on fast. Regardless of her worry and the grief she’d clearly already begun to go through when she’d thought Kronus was dead, she clambered to her feet, held her head high, and stuck out her arm.
“Take as much as you need,” she insisted and Thrayke couldn’t be more proud of her. He quickly set about taking another sample for their team of scientists to test, but he also informed Kyra how he would make sure that they’d never take too much, otherwise her life could end up at risk. “Whatever he needs, I’ll give.” She was so strong. His true equal, through and through. It didn’t matter that Kyra looked different now. She was still the same young woman he’d fallen for back on Earth and Thrayke could feel himself falling in love with her all over again.
She kissed him. Just a soft, chaste kiss on the cheek, but it reassured Thrayke in a way she had seemed to know he’d needed. For her to show him affection in front of Kronus wasn’t exactly what he’d consider a victory, especially as he was still quite literally on his deathbed, but the gesture was simple yet symbolic enough. It let Thrayke know he was still the one who’d won her heart in the end, no matter how much she cared for Kronus.
Rather than say another word about it, Thrayke took her silent promise as gospel and left them to it. He focused instead on making a start on running Kyra’s blood through the various tests they had been about to begin when Kronus had gone out cold.
He worked on it for hours, cross-referencing each result with the last, using just a dr
op at a time to marginally alter the serum to blood ratio. All the while, he could hear Kyra and Kronus chatting quietly together across the room. He didn’t eavesdrop, but could tell simply by their tone they were building up some semblance of a relationship again and when he heard her laughing and joking with Kronus, it was bittersweet. Thrayke wanted to be the one basking in her smiles and spending time reconnecting, but he forced himself to accept that it wasn’t his time yet. They had the rest of their lives together to pick up where they’d left off, so he knew he had to willingly sacrifice a bit of time now if it helped ensure both his best friend and his soul mate survived the curses that’d been put upon each of them.
***
All the time Kyra and Kronus had spent together on his private isle off the British coast on Earth was far behind them, and yet she quickly came to realize how all along each of them had been wrong about how they’d felt for one another. Kyra did love him and had done ever since he’d pulled her from those thorns and turned her life upside down more than twenty years before. However, after the abundance of trials and tribulations that’d happened since Invasion Day, she now knew that her affection wasn’t anything more than a childish infatuation. She’d crushed on the fantasy, rather than having fallen for the real deal. Their time on Kro Island had been awkward and full of intense uncertainty, when in reality they should’ve focused on simply getting to know one another to develop their friendship first and explore other things later—if they’d felt the need once the initial connection had been made.
Unlike with Kronus, Kyra understood who Thrayke was beneath the layers of outward personality and carefully spoken words. Beneath the Thrakorian shell and hardened soldier he’d shown her a soul she’d felt privileged to know. She also knew his likes and dislikes, passions and turn-offs, and had let him know hers in return. They were in love, whereas what she had with Kronus was a deep and powerful friendship—nothing more.
Despite the realization, she never wanted to lose that connection to him again. Kyra also didn’t want him to think she would ever be anything more to him, or that there was a promise of change on the horizon.
“I’ve decided I’m not playing any silly games this time, Kronus. I need you in my life. I want to be your friend and ally, and that’s that. We have a connection I cannot live my life without, but I need you to know that I chose Thrayke a long time ago—and I still choose him. He’s put me back together so many times I think there’s no depths to my darkness he hasn’t seen, and yet he loves me regardless. I love you both, but not in the same way. I hope you can understand?” Kyra asked with tears in her eyes, but it was a huge relief when Kronus didn’t seem upset or angry. He accepted her words and was clearly pleased that she’d found her strength again so quickly and had been able to finally tell him how she wanted their future to go.
“I know you love him and not me, Kyra, and I understand all the reasons why. Believe me, I’ve cursed myself no end of times for letting you go and him for being the one who won your heart in the end, but I know it’s for the best.” He took a deep breath, smiling across at her. “This setup isn’t perfect, but I’m sure we can make it work. We’re not just back together again; we’re also making this cure happen. And, while we’ll be fighting this illness together, I want you to know I won’t be taking any of the credit. In fact, I plan on giving a personal commendation to my father about this amazing team and about you. This facility will become a place of healing and nurturing for those afflicted by the same disease as my family and I, but also for those human refugees who need a safe place to live.” Kronus watched the doctors and nurses for a moment deep in thought and then turned back to her. “I’m going to do everything I can to ensure you and Thrayke are accepted among my race as equal partners. You’ll be free to become a proper family soon, I promise.”
“Whoa, slow down,” Kyra joked, making him laugh. “First you talk of marriage, now kids? No thanks,” she added with a cheeky smile. She wasn’t ready to talk about the deep and meaningful yet, or the future she and Thrayke had planned together once upon a time ago. In fact, she was quite ready to simply take life as it came.
Kronus’s laugh was infectious, though. It was wonderful seeing him be transformed into someone resembling more of his old self and Kyra still couldn’t quite believe her blood had helped bring him back from the brink of death. Still, she couldn’t get the image of him laying dead on the gurney out of her mind. “Were you ready to die?” she had to ask. He took a moment to think about her question and his face fell.
“No, but I’d forced myself to accept death. It doesn’t matter how brave you think you are, when the end comes, all you feel is fear. Dying is one scary experience.” Kronus didn’t have to tell her. Kyra had been close to death’s grasp more than once over the years.
“I know,” she replied, and shrugged casually when he raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her. “While I was being given the serum I effectively died after the final dose affected me drastically. I floated away and watched as Lasiandra tried to save me. It was surreal, but I’m sure it was my soul going towards ‘the light.’ Where it led, I don’t have a clue, but I do remember being completely at peace—after the fear dissipated of course.”
“I wish that was what I’d felt,” Kronus replied, and then they both sat in solemn silence for a few seconds as each mulled over the scary implications of what going into that light would have had.
After a proper rest, Kronus continued to improve at an alarming rate and he quickly informed Kyra how he thought it was time he headed down to the cryo-chambers to check on the test subjects. He told her he wanted to see them for himself and Kyra knew he felt responsible for them, so gladly offered to take him down there so he might finally see what’d happened to the humans his kind now seemingly relied upon for survival.
She half expected to have to wheel him down in a chair, but he point blank refused. Kronus walked the entire way, standing tall and strong, while chatting and laughing the entire time without needing to stop for a breather even once. Kyra was back to full health after her kidney regeneration and kept up with him easily, but was in awe of his impressive ability to revitalize his once frail body after hardly more than that initial dose of her blood and serum combination and some rest.
Kyra grinned up at him as he chatted away so seemingly effortlessly, thinking he was a chump if he thought he was fooling anyone with the ‘I’m fine’ routine, but she didn’t mock or push him about it. In fact, it was wonderful seeing him up and about, apparently feeling stronger than he’d been in months.
She couldn’t know if he was cured or if they’d simply staved off his death for a while longer, but either way, Kyra was glad her blood had somehow bridged the gap between the serum created using the correct DNA sequence and his broken chromosomes. It felt good to have been able to help him, and also strange to think her blood was now flowing through his body.
When they reached the icy depths of the facility, Kyra felt the familiar dread and guilt well in her chest as she led Kronus over to where row upon row of sleeping humans were laid out. Each one had been given a serum similar to hers, but unlike her, their bodies were on ice to prolong their lifespan. Greegis had insisted on their forced subzero state so that the serum would effectively last indefinitely for research purposes, but Kyra also wondered if he’d done it that way so he didn’t have to put up with the thousands of humans living under his feet and breathing his precious Thrakorian air. He’d barely seemed to tolerate his human staff and had often referred to them as leeches on his race’s resources. Regardless of his original plan, Kyra now knew that by putting them on ice, each and every one of the candidates were currently without the evolutionary side effects Thrayke and the team of scientists upstairs believed were so desperately needed if they had any hope of developing their cure effectively. It was imperative that each of the candidates be allowed to live their lives, both ethically and for the purposes of the cure, so when her companion steered her away and they began their walk back up to
the lab, Kyra ran the idea by Kronus.
“What if we continue to house the test-subjects here at the facility, but they still have a right to be relatively free to live their lives as they see fit. I know you won’t want a self-sustaining colony here, but perhaps we can create a small community of human migrants that can work for you while culturing the cure over time?”
“It’s not me they’d be working for, Kyra. This isn’t my planet, don’t forget. It’s my father’s. You’d need his approval,” Kronus reminded her and she nodded.
“I’d almost forgotten we were no longer on Earth. I guess I’ve fallen straight back into old habits,” she replied with a sad smile.
“I’ll tell you what. Let’s put together a proposal and I’ll go ask him, how does that sound?” It sounded to her like a great plan. Kyra honestly wasn’t ready to take on their leaders all over again like she’d repeatedly done before, not that she’d be able to count on King Thrakor to let her off the hook like she had with Kronus. She’d exploited her place within his good graces far too often but knew those days were over. Careful planning and sending Kronus home with a strong argument for waking the candidates up and giving them a community here was her only option now.
“Okay, so I guess the first thing we’d need to do is thaw out and wake everyone up. We could then put a timetable in place for periodic testing to check that the evolution is actually happening, but also come up with a plan of action should things not progress like we’d hoped.”
“A plan-B?”
“Exactly,” Kyra agreed. Kronus nodded, taking it all in as they walked at a much slower pace back to the lab. “After we know the plan, next would come the long-term options for this facility. We could house everyone here until we can build more outbuildings, and once they have their own homes, I think everyone should be encouraged to make them their own. That way, there’ll hopefully be another generation to carry on evolving this cure.”
