Fan Fiction ❯ Jet Force Gemini: Power of Mind ❯ Jet Force Gemini: Power of Mind ( Prologue )

Jet Force Gemini:

Power Of Mind

By Megan Miller

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this chapter in the Gemini series to three very special cousins and one brother: David Anderson, Emily "Vela" Anderson, John "Lupus" Anderson, and Matthew "James" Miller, all of whom have contributed to this story by providing inspirations. Thank you all for the help on getting me started!!

Part 23

Juno awoke with a start and bolted upright in bed. It had been only three weeks since the war against the roaches had finally come to an end, and all had seemed well. Emang had temporarily joined the Jet Force squadron and was lying in the bed beside him, still fast asleep. So what had aroused him?

Heck, here in America, it could be anything, he thought to himself. Oh how he missed his London home. This place seemed so far away, but then he reminded himself that there was nothing to go back to in England. Their home had been demolished. It was just so hard to accustom to a new country, where everything was so different. People weren't the same here; the rules were foreign and he felt very uncomfortable.

He looked over at Emang and a wave of emotion hit him like heat on a summer day. Nothing could come between them, and he knew that all that had happened in the past and all that would occur in the future would be worth their relationship. Besides, the war was over. What could possibly go wrong?

Emang rolled over and bumped into him. She sat up, still half asleep. "What happened? Is anything wrong?" she asked in a daze, a blank expression on her face.

Juno had seen this before, and he knew what to do. "Nope, nothing's wrong. Just go back to sleep."

As soon as she heard the words, Emang shut her eyes and fell back. Juno caught her before she hit her head on the metal bed frame and lay her down. He shook his head and smiled. It was amazing the effect that `just go back to sleep' had on her.

Juno leaned back on the pillow and began to doze off when he sprang to life again. He had almost forgotten that he had woken up for no reason. There had to be something amiss. He didn't wake up in the middle of the night for nothing. He quietly got up and walked off to the bathroom.

The light flickered on and he squinted in the bright light. Dimming the glow, he shut the door, got undressed, and turned on the showerhead. As his eyes came into focus, he turned the lights back up and caught a movement in the mirror. Startled, he looked into it. Was he seeing things? But then he saw it again. It seemed that the glass in the mirror had wavered, as if something invisible had been moving in it, as if something was watching him. What is this? he thought. Poltergeist?

The lights flickered and blinked and there was a violent pulse in the mirror. Instinctively, Juno backed up, forgetting that there was a wall only a few feet behind him. The thump against the wall seemed to have startled the beast in the mirror, for with a strange whooshing sound, it disappeared. The lights flicked back on.

A bead of sweat rolled down the bridge of his nose and he quickly wiped it away. The room was silent except for the constant thud of his heart, the shower's running water, and the pulse beating in his ears. What was that? What did it want?

He heard a soft click and jumped, looking to the noise. The doorknob was being turned slowly and steadily. He shook his head. Whatever it is, you gotta face it like a man. "Who are you?" he asked firmly. "What do you want?"

The door opened, and Emang stood there. She quickly looked away. Embarrassed, Juno grabbed a towel and breathed a sigh of relief. "I--I just wanted to see if you were okay," she explained, sounding ashamed of catching him in the bathroom. "I heard some noise--I thought you got hurt; you know, slipped in the shower or something." She looked back over at him nervously. "What was going on anyway?"

That was a tough question to answer. "I don't really know," he admitted. "Something just came over me. I guess I was seeing things."

Emang wasn't satisfied. "I know you better than that," she said. "You don't just see things. When you wake up in the middle of the night, something's wrong. What did you see?"

"I…I don't really know…" he said distantly, looking at the floor, trying to think.

"Where was the thing you saw?" she asked, encouraging him to tell her something, anything.

Juno looked up abruptly. "The mirror."

"Good. What was it that you saw?"

"Movement. Something was moving in it." He continued to stare at the mirror, as if it may jump to life again any moment.

"What do you mean?" Emang asked. "Was there something behind you?"

"No." He locked eyes with her. "It wasn't behind me. It was in the mirror. Like it was a part of it. It moved like a current in a river; it flowed through the glass. I've never seen anything like it." He watched her eyes closely. Would she think he was crazy? That all the war battles had gone to his head?

"C'mon, let's go back to bed," she said softly, reaching for his hand. Then she remembered. He had to get dressed first. But as she brought her hand back, he reached out and grabbed it.

"I know it all sounds crazy, but…do you believe me?" His eyes looked at her face pleadingly.

Emang looked up at him and wrapped her arms around him. "Yes," she said quietly but sincerely. "I believe you. I just don't know what to think. I mean, what was it?"

"I don't know," he said tensely. "That's what scares me. I don't know."

"You want me to stay outside the door while you get dressed?" she asked, knowing what his answer would be.

"No, that's all right. You go back to bed. I'll be there in a minute." He was too independent to let her stand there, just watching over him while he was in the bathroom. It was absurd; it would make him look paranoid. But as he heard her feet pad softly over the carpet back to her room, the nightmarish sights floated back into his mind to haunt him. The two questions circled in his brain over and over again: What was it? What did it want?

Part 24

The sun was still down when Juno got up the next morning. He dressed in silence in the dark room then nudged Emang. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, adjusting to the darkness. Then she began to get dressed for their morning walk.

It was sort of a tradition for them now--early morning walks. They would get up and walk down through the park while no one else was out, while the river was still calm and the boats were few and far in between. It was so perfect in the summer, especially when the sky was clear and there was a slightly cool breeze that made the leaves on the trees rustle.

Emang and Juno slipped out of the house and began their sunrise stroll. They were silent for a few moments until Emang broke the peace by bringing up the subject that was on both of their minds.

"What are we going to do about that thing in the mirror?" she asked, knowing that it was a stupid question since they didn't even know what it was that was in there anyway.

"We're going to have to find out what it wants," Juno replied, uncertain that he really wanted to know. "We've got to contact Vela and the army--"

"Except that your army is just a bunch of students. They're planning on enjoying their summer break," Emang pointed out. "And nothing, not even the fate of the planet, could be important enough to make them drop everything and work."

"I would drop everything," a voice behind them said. Juno and Emang whirled around. Emang sighed. It was Nikolai, the neighborhood's troublemaker and possibly the world's greatest jerk. If there was anything that was important to him, it certainly wasn't saving the world. In fact, he would most likely come up with jokes about it. She could see it all now: Why did the Jet Force try to save the world from mirrors? Their hideous reflections were destructive!

Nik was eighteen though he acted half that age. He stood five foot eleven, greased his hair to look as if he'd dunked his head in Crisco, and figured that all the girls had hots for him. Of course, guys have never quite gotten it through their heads that girls don't like greasy-headed, immature boys who make pathetically dry gags.

"Are you saying that you are interested in joining?" Juno asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, it's been a major interest of mine lately," he said with a grin that seemed to be hiding something. "So, what d'ya think?"

"The matter will have to be discussed with all existing members," Juno said, a hint of disapproval in his voice.

"You can't just jump out of nowhere and say you wanna join, then expect to be welcomed in with applause," Emang said, annoyed. "Can you?" She looked at Juno worriedly.

"There are field tests one must pass," he replied. "We don't accept anybody who wishes to join unless in an emergency. Which this is not," he said to Nik. "Now if you don't mind, I would like to continue our walk without any more interruptions."

"Wait!" Nik called after them, jogging to catch up. He pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. "Here's my number. Call me once you decide whether I take the tests or not." He scribbled it on a sheet of paper and handed it to Juno, then turned around and walked away without looking back.

Something wasn't right here, and Emang knew it. Nik just wasn't himself lately; he had to be setting them up. First the mirror, and now this? Something very strange was going on. She looked back, and Nik was gone.

Part 25

Emang and Juno walked around the house to the backyard where a canvas covered a large, round object. Juno uncovered it to reveal his pod ship that was stationed on a small cement landing pad. He jumped in and tested the thrusters. "All systems are go," Emang heard him say.

"Bye, I'll be back around noon, I hope," Emang told her parents who stood on the deck, watching worriedly as she seated herself beside him. The small aircraft took to the skies, its cloaking device kicking into gear as it shot over the house and the rest of the neighborhood.

Emang's parents watched her go with nervous looks on their faces. "I don't like her running off with him like this all the time," Mrs. Lemril said agitatedly. "I'm just concerned that one day she's going to get killed in some silly space war or something worse, if that's possible."

"Let her go if she wants to," Mr. Lemril said. "She can take care of herself now."

"How can you say that when she nearly died in the last war?" Mrs. Lemril argued angrily. "Can you imagine what it'd be like if she had never come home; if we'd never had a chance to say that we loved her and to tell her goodbye? She looks up to that ridiculous spaceman as if he was the president of the United States--"

"He saved her life," Mr. Lemril pointed out.

"That was luck."

"That was skill."

"She still could have died. No matter how good he is he's not invincible." Mrs. Lemril looked back up at the now clouded sky. "I'm just afraid of losing her. She just has so much to lose, and she's risking it all." She looked at the ground. "Hey, I don't remember mowing the lawn last night." The Lemrils looked down at the ground. A strange path seemed to have been cut through the grass straight to the landing pad. Mrs. Lemril climbed down the deck stairs and examined the blades of grass. It looked as if something had sliced each one individually, precisely, and just enough to make the sappy chlorophyll ooze out of the stems.

The ship docked at a small space station and Juno and Emang leapt out. Vela, Lupus and Floyd were there to greet them, as well as Blue and Argo. There were hugs (and slimy dog kisses) all around, and then Juno explained the situation.

"There's a young man down there who wants to become a recruit," Juno told the others. "He's an eighteen-year-old named Nikolai Thompson, and he's-"

"A real jerk," Emang butted in.

Vela grinned. "Sounds great. Let's get the tests prepared. We'll see how this loser does."

Juno and Emang looked at each other. "Everyone agrees to this?"

{Well, I don't see any problem with letting the man try,} Lupus said.

"We could use a new member," Floyd said. "We need a few strong guys on this team anyway." Vela gave him a playfully angry look. "Not that we don't already have some strong girls, of course," he added with a grin.

"Yeah, you certainly put the bazooka in babes with big bazookas," Argo remarked with a grin.

"So it's agreed that we put him to the test?" Juno asked.

"I guess so," Blue said. The team nodded in return.

"I'll give him a call and go pick him up," Juno told the others. He walked off to the control room. Emang and the rest sat down in the living quarters. As she sat down and looked around the room, she saw her reflection in the glass window, staring back at her through the stars.

"Have you seen anything strange around here lately?" she asked the crew.

"Like what?" Vela asked suspiciously. "Don't tell me we've got another bug war on our hands."

Not wanting to get Vela anxious, Emang decided to keep to herself. "Nothing, really," she said, looking out the window again. "Just curious. Things have been a little too unexciting lately."

"Tell me about it. There's nothing to do up here anymore. I sort of wish there was some kind of war going on so we'd have something to keep us busy."

Emang knew that Vela actually liked battles much more than her brother did. She was spunky and had little patience as well as a burning hot temper. She liked action and adventure, and she didn't have anything to lose. She loved running into a battle where the odds were against her.

Juno on the other hand would rather plan out a strategy first. He liked precision, perfection. And he liked the peaceful life. Where Vela couldn't sit still for ten seconds, Juno would be enjoying himself.

There was a loud creaking sound and Emang jumped. "What was that?" she asked, looking at the others.

"That was just the docking bay doors opening, hun," Vela smiled. "Why are you so edgy today?"

Emang sighed. She didn't know what to say.

"You've been awfully quiet too," Blue added. "You're usually the talkative one."

"I don't know what's come over me," she said as Juno's ship rocketed past the window back towards Earth. She watched the ship until it was out of sight.

Juno was nearing the planet when red lights began flashing. "Wha…?" he muttered, flicking switches. Systems began shutting themselves down. The lights flickered in an all-too-familiar way.

"Vela, Vela, come in," Juno said, fiddling with the communications speaker. "Do you read?"

There was no answer. The lights went out, and he was left in the darkness. The glow of the stars was all that was visible. Something slid through the windshield, and Juno gripped his seat fearfully, his eyes wide as it moved through the solid metal of the ship with ease. "Who are you? What are you?"

The ship's computer spoke. "I am your destiny. Join me. Join your kind."

"I don't understand," Juno said. "What do you want?"

"I want you to listen…find your destiny; find your true self."

"Leave me alone," Juno said angrily. "My destiny is with my Jet Force squadron. What are you?"

"Seek the information you require, and you will discover yourself," the voice answered. "You will discover your kind. And your destiny."

"I still don't understand," Juno said, frustrated. "What do you want me to do?"

"You will understand. Find yourself. Your destiny."

Angry and confused, Juno yelled at the computer. "Whatever you are, I don't want you in my ship! Leave me alone; go away and don't bother me again!"

"Suit yourself," the voice said. "Until you discover who you are, you cannot discover your own potential. The power is in reach, but a blind man can't find his cane unless he knows where it is. Find the power, Juno. And it will be yours. All you have to do is look."

Juno hesitated. The lights came back on and the systems checked in again. "Wait!" he called out. "I don't know what you want me to do! How do I find my power? What is my power?"

But it was gone.

Part 26

Nik leaned against the old schoolhouse and sighed, checking his watch. "Where is he?" he muttered impatiently. "He said he'd be here at ten, and he's already almost fifteen minutes late. I don't have all day."

There was a tap on his shoulder, and Nik whirled around. "Hey!"

Juno stood behind him and put a finger to his lips. "Shh, let's not alarm the public."

"What's with you and this goofy undercover attitude?" Nik asked, irritated. "You'd think you were running from the FBI."

"Come on, I haven't got all day," Juno said.

"I was just saying something like that a few minutes ago," Nik said. "What took you so long?"

"It doesn't concern you," Juno said, disliking the way Nik always wanted to know everything.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Nik said under his breath as he followed the commander to his ship.

Nik stretched out and leaned back in his seat comfortably. "Not too spacious. I assume you guys don't carpool very often."

Juno eyed him curiously. "What would we do that for?"

"I was joking," Nik said. "It's called humor, you know?"

"Oh. You're hysterical." Juno checked the main systems and took off.

Nik looked out the window, obviously bored out of his mind. "Not a lotta scenery, eh?" he commented. Juno didn't reply. "Hey, didja hear the one about the three guys in a bar? See, they're sittin' there an'--"

"Can you shut up for even one minute?" Juno asked crossly, tired of hearing the mindless blabbing.

"Nope," Nik grinned. "Twenty-eight seconds is my record. Heck, I even talk when I'm sleeping--"

"Yeah, I believe it," sighed Juno. This was going to be a long ride.

Nik yawned and lay back in the seat. "Man, I'm exhausted! You don't mind if I take a nap here, do ya?"

Juno brightened at the idea. "No, you go right ahead," he replied. This might not be so bad after all. Nik heaved a sigh and closed his eyes. Juno looked over at him, surprised to see how quickly he had fallen asleep. Nik appeared as if he'd been knocked out cold. It made the commander nervous, but he continued on his way up to the station.

Juno docked at the bay and hopped out of the craft. He looked back at Nik curiously. "Hey, you alive back there?"

Nik sprang awake. "Yeah, I'm okay," he said, jumping out. "So where do I begin the tests?"

"Follow me." Juno led the way back to the bridge where Vela and the crew would be waiting. He tapped in the pass code and the door opened. Vela stood at the ship's computer and Lupus lay on the floor, napping. "Here's our overconfident candidate," the commander said, introducing Nik to his sister.

Vela looked him over and blushed. "Uh, hi," she said. "We'll get started right away." Lupus raised his head and cocked it at Vela. Nik smiled at her, turning red.

"Sounds great," he answered. "What do I gotta do?"

Vela handed him a huge stack of paperwork. "All this, and then the simulator," she told him. Seeing the doubtful look on his face, she added, "It's really not as hard as it appears. The stuff's mostly elementary, you know." She pointed him toward a small room down the hallway. "There's a desk in there where you can complete this. Do your best. I know you'll be able to pass it. It's probably a cinch for a guy like you."

{Hitting on a chap you don't even know?} Lupus asked. {Come on, Vela! For all we know, he's some sort of moron!}

"He's not a moron!" Vela replied harshly, but she was still pink in the cheeks. She angrily turned back to the monitor.

"Touchy, aren't we?" Juno said quietly as he and Lupus left the bridge.

{I think your sister's got a crush,} Lupus muttered. Juno stifled a laugh.

"I never thought I'd see the day," he grinned.

"Well, they say there's someone for everyone," Emang said, joining the conversation. "But how she chose Nik, I'll never quite understand."

"I think he's kinda cute," Blue admitted. "In a human way, I guess." She looked up at Juno. "Do you think he'll pass?"

"I doubt it," Juno said. "He doesn't appear to be awfully smart."

"Juno, you've got to accept him," Emang sighed.

"What?" he asked. "But I thought you--"

"She really likes him, Juno. He's got to stay. You'll break Vela's heart if you don't accept him," she said reluctantly. "I don't like him, but she does. She'll never forgive you if you send him off."

"I don't think you'll be needing to worry about the tests," Nik called, jogging down the hall behind them. "I finished them."

The four of them whirled around as he hurried up to them, handing the heavy stack of bubble sheets to the commander. Juno stared at him in awe. "There's no way you could have finished all of these. Not already. It's impossible."

"Go ahead, feed them into the computer," Nik said. "Check `em manually if you want. I'm done. Now is there some sort of field test or something I need to take?"

Juno began to walk down the hall at a snappy pace, and the rest of the gang followed. He rushed into the control room and corrected the papers. The computer whirred as it read the bubbles and Juno looked up from it, an expression of amazement on his face. "They're right," he mumbled. "Every single one of them."

Part 27

Juno was pacing the bridge over and over again. "How is it possible?" he kept asking. "He had to have cheated somehow!"

"You can't even cheat that fast," Vela said. "Believe me, I know. Besides, how could he cheat?"

Juno sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I don't know. Something really strange has been going on lately, and I don't know what to think anymore." He looked at his watch. "Geez, it's nearly eleven thirty! I have to get Emang home by noon!" He raced off again.

Vela shook her head. "He never sleeps."

Juno ran in on Blue and Emang, who were busy in a game of Mario Kart, and grabbed Emang by the arm. "Sorry to interrupt you two, but we gotta go," he said, looking at her worriedly. Emang looked up at the clock, and then got to her feet.

"Shoot, I should have been watching!" she said.

"My fault," Juno replied. "You're my responsibility around here. Now let's get a move on."

Emang waved to Blue, Argo, Lupus, and Floyd. "See you guys later!" Then she ran off to catch Juno. After she and the commander were inside, the ship took off into space faster than light.

The pod ship flew into the atmosphere and down towards home. As Juno carefully landed, the cloaking device clicked off and the engines cooled. He jumped out and helped Emang over the edge. "I suppose that with this big test fiasco, you'll have to go back up to the station," Emang said.

"Yeah, I guess I will," he said. "But I'll see you again tonight." He kissed her on the cheek and got back inside the ship. The craft wavered as if it was a heat wave and disappeared. Emang walked around the house and opened the door. Time to lead a more normal life for a while.

When Juno docked at the station once again he found Nik waiting for him. "Vela told me I had to wait for you before I performed the simulation," he told him. "Can I do it now?"

Juno sighed. He really didn't feel like dealing with it right now, but at the same time he was excited to see how well Nik would do on it. He may be a whiz kid, but did he have what it takes to complete a fighter pilot simulator successfully? "Yeah, all right. Let's get it over with," he replied, walking with him to the simulation area.

In less than five minutes, Juno had seen enough. "All right already! So you're perfect. Congratulations." He shook Nik's hand and turned to Vela. "Prepare him a suit. Then put him through the medical tests and physical."

"Whoa! A physical?" Nik asked nervously. "You didn't mention that before!"

"Relax," Juno said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Everyone's gotta go through `em. It's all over in a few minutes anyway."

"No, you don't understand," Nik said, pulling Juno's hand from his shoulder. "I can't go through with the physical."

"What? Why?" Juno asked, surprised. "It doesn't hurt."

"You don't understand," Nik said strictly. "I can't have a physical. I won't. And if that means I can't join your team, then so be it."

Juno looked at Vela uncomfortably. She tried to approach Nik. "I'll be doing it," she said. "Whatever your secret is, it's safe with me."

He gazed up at her. "You promise?"

Looking confused, Vela nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure it's nothing out of the ordinary, unless it's a health condition that would disable you in battle. We can postpone it to tomorrow, if you'd like."

Nik finally agreed. "Okay, but no one else is gonna know, right?"

"Absolutely," Vela answered. Juno signaled to her that he wanted to talk privately. "I'll be back in a moment," she said to Nik and followed her brother out of the room.

"I don't know what he's up to," Juno said, "but I don't like it. If it's anything suspicious, you have to tell me. No matter how much you like him. You got that?"

"It's probably nothing," Vela said. "He's most likely just uncomfortable with things like that--"

"I know," Juno interrupted. "But if something strange does come up, you let me know. You understand?"

"Yeah," she said anxiously. "Can I go now?"

He nodded. "I'll be on the bridge if you need me." He walked off, a bit reluctant to leave her alone with the strange rookie. He tried to tell himself that Nik wasn't the enemy. You're exaggerating, he thought. He's a nice guy, just an average kid. The mirror thing is going to ruin your appearance. Yet in his gut he felt like Nik was hiding something; something he needed to know.

Part 28

There was a knock on the door and Emang drowsily got up to answer it. "Juno, it's eleven o'clock," she sighed. "Mom and Dad want me in bed now. You better hurry up and get changed."

Emang was just about to turn around and head downstairs when he nearly collapsed in her arms. "You've been working way too hard," she said softly.

"Nah, I'm fine," he said hoarsely. "I just need some caffeine." He tried to open his eyes. Emang struggled to hold him up, but he was getting heavy.

"What you need is some sleep," she told him. "Come on, you can handle a few more minutes."

Juno swaggered down the stairs to their room to get his clothes. He climbed into bed and Emang followed. Breathing deeply, he let out a sigh of relief. Emang gently rubbed his back. "How did the tests go?" she asked him.

"He was perfect," Juno said so softly it was almost a whisper. "He aced everything. It seemed impossible. He's going through with the physical and medical tests next. They're scheduled for tomorrow morning."

"How early?"

"Don't worry; I don't have to be there until nine." Juno closed his eyes and practically fell asleep immediately. Emang lay awake and thought about Nik. What made him so unstoppable? It was like he possessed some sort of power that made him that way. There was no way that anyone could have passed all those tests so well so quickly. What was his secret?

Part 29

The sun seeped through the curtains above the bed and Juno rolled over, shielding his eyes. Emang lay curled up against him, still asleep. Checking the clock, he sat up halfway, trying not to disturb her. The digital characters read 8:45. Late again.

"Hey," he said softly, nudging Emang. "You want to go back up to the station or would you rather stay here until later? There won't be much for you to do."

Emang yawned and opened her eyes. "I'll go up anyway. I can visit the library for a while," she said, sitting up next to him and snuggling him. He playfully pushed her away.

"If you're coming, you better get a move on. I'm already late." He picked up his suit and walked off to the bathroom for a quick shower. Emang got up and got dressed, then headed upstairs for a speedy breakfast. Her mother was waiting for her there.

"Going to the station again?" she asked as if she knew the answer.

"Yeah; I'm going to the library today," Emang answered. "I'm sorry I've been gone so often lately. It's just that--"

"I know, I know," her mother replied. "You want to be alone with that boy. And I don't like it."

"Mo-om," Emang complained, rolling her eyes. "There's just been a lot going on, with this new recruit and everything. And," she added, "he's not a boy. He's a commander."

"And he's cute," Mom sighed. "You like him. And that," she said, "means trouble."

"I promise I won't get into any messes," Emang reassured her. "I mean, you let me hang out with him here!"

"Because I can keep an eye on you," she said. "I suppose you're on a tight schedule, so I better let you go eat." Her mother sighed and walked back to her bedroom.

Emang grabbed a pop tart and was beginning to have her morning meal when Juno raced up the stairs. "That's it!" he shouted.

Emang stared at him, looking dazed. "What?" she asked, wondering what he had meant.

Juno lowered his voice. "You said you wanted to go to the library. That's the perfect idea."

"Okay, now you're just sounding like a nut," Emang told him.

"No, listen," he said. "Whatever that thing in the mirror and stuff was, it told me to search for information to discover my power. Maybe I can find something in the library. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's worth a try. After the medical tests, what do you say we go down there and find out all we can?"

Emang smiled. "What the heck. Sure."

When the pod ship arrived, Vela was already in the medical room, along with a nervous Nik. "So can I get started?" she asked almost enthusiastically.

"Yeah. Remember what I told you yesterday," he said, looking her in the eye. She nodded in reply. He then left the room.

Emang was waiting outside the door. "How long is this going to take?" she asked.

"It shouldn't take more than half an hour," he answered. "That includes all the medical tests. We'll be on our way to the library in no time." He leaned against the wall and the two talked for a few minutes.

The door flung open again, and Vela stood there. "We're finished," she told the commander.

Juno stared at her. "With just the physical, right?"

"No, we're done," she said. "With all of it."

"But you must have forgotten something!" Juno exclaimed. "Was something wrong? Did he not pass?"

"He passed," she said, a funny sort of glint in her eye. "He's in excellent condition. Nothing wrong at all."

Juno looked at Emang. She looked just as puzzled as he did.

Part 30

Hidden behind a giant stack of books, Emang and Juno sat at a library table, skimming the pages of dozens of volumes, searching for something that may give them a clue as to what the creature in the mirror was.

"Hey, June Bug," Emang called roguishly. "This guy's got eyes like you." She showed him a photo in one of the books. Juno took it and read the caption below the picture.

"'Lacertial*,'" he read. "'Known as the lizard mammal, they were proclaimed extinct hundreds of years ago. The creatures were assumed to be psychic and able to move through solid objects, enabling them to take control of any completely solid or liquid object.'" Juno nodded. "That's it, Emang," he said. "Find more on these."

"But if they're extinct, how could you have seen one?" Emang asked.

"Apparently, they're not all dead yet," he replied. He browsed through the aisles and picked up a book on Lacertials. "It says here that they were hunted to extinction due to other species' fear of them. Using their ability to move through nonliving objects, they discovered that if they could find a way into the liquid substances within living beings, they could possess their bodies. That means that if they were able to cut open a person enough to make them bleed, they could get into the bloodstream and travel straight to the brain of the creature and take control."

"But you told me that you saw the thing in the mirror, and the same one again in your ship," Emang said. "How could it get there? I mean, sure, it can travel through the walls in the house, but how did it get across the open yard?"

"The grass," Juno said, deep in thought. "Plants are living things too. Their liquid is chlorophyll, and if it could cut through the grass enough to make it leak the substance, it could travel through it in a path straight into the ship, since the landing pad and ship are solid." Juno shook his head. "No wonder people wanted this species extinct. They would take over everything. But why would it want me to find this out? How does this tell me anything about my power?"

"Maybe you are Lacertial," Emang suggested.

"What?" Juno asked in disbelief. "Look at me. I'm no lizard! I'm a human being!"

"But look at the picture," Emang said. "Large eyes, bluish hair. Maybe you have Lacertial blood in you. I mean, it would make sense, with the Lacertial in the mirror telling you to search for your power and all, and saying to join your kind."

"But I can't move through objects," Juno said.

"Have you ever tried?" Emang asked him. "It may sound strange, Juno, but maybe you've had the power all this time and you just didn't know it."

Juno hesitated. "Go on; try to move through something," Emang encouraged him. Looking back and forth to make sure no one was watching him, Juno reached out towards the nearest bookshelf.

Part 31

His hand hit solid bookshelf. He sighed. "I feel like a fool," he said, sounding disappointed. "I can't do it. See?" He pressed his hand against the shelf, and nothing happened. Emang shook her head.

"I was so sure I'd figured it out," she said sadly. "I guess it's back to the books."

"It's okay," he said, putting an arm around her. "For a minute there, you had me believing it too. Can you imagine? Me, a psychic lizard?" The two of them laughed softly at the idea and turned back to the pile of books.

Nik sat on the bed in Vela's room. The lieutenant seated herself beside him. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

"I don't know," he answered. "I didn't think it was important. I didn't think anyone would find out. You still love me, don't you?"

"Of course I do," she said quietly, touching his arm.

"And you still won't blow my cover?" he added.

"I promised you I wouldn't," Vela said. "Juno wouldn't understand. Not like I do. Our love is more important than the team." She took his hand in hers. "I won't let them make you leave."

Giving up on the library, Juno and Emang headed back. "You mind if I spend some time alone for a while?" Juno asked her.

"Go ahead," she told him. "I won't disturb you." She walked off down the hall to find Blue. "Hey Blue, we haven't finished our Star Cup competition!"

Juno sat down on his bed in the darkness. He gazed out the window into space, wondering what he was supposed to do to find his power. "I searched for my power and my kind," he sighed. "And I found nothing. Why won't you talk to me again?" Juno called out, hoping maybe the thing was somewhere nearby. "What do you want me to do?"

There was no reply. He lay back on the bed, pondering the situation. Then he sat up again, staring straight at the wall. All of a sudden, his entire mind and body was focused on the barrier. Thinking of nothing else, he reached out his hand again.

As soon as his finger graced the surface, he felt his entire body shoot into the wall, as if he was being sucked--or rather absorbed--directly into it. He had become a part of it; he was the wall.

Looking about in the darkness, Juno tried to focus on something else now. He could see his room, but it was like he wasn't in it. It was more like looking through a watery window. It sort of wavered, as if everything in it was submerged beneath the ocean.

Juno tried to move and found that it was a lot simpler than he had imagined. He sort of glided through the dividers, looking left and right into the other rooms around him. They were all empty.

He paused for a moment and looked down at himself and realized that he wasn't really there. His body had just disappeared, totally absorbed in his thought. He wasn't made up of matter anymore. That must have been why the Lacertials had to move through other objects when using the power; they couldn't move themselves without friction of any kind.

He heard voices down the hall. Argo, Floyd, Lupus, Emang and Blue were heading to the game area. Not wanting to be seen, Juno hurried back to his room. Gazing back into the weird wavering atmosphere, he wondered how he would get out now. It was something he hadn't thought of. He knew how to use the power, but now he had to figure out how to stop using it.

Juno tried to think of things he had to have when he was in his body. Thoughts of food and water rose to his mind. Then air--that was it; oxygen was something every living thing couldn't live without for long. All of a sudden, his lungs burned, and for the first time in about ten minutes, Juno took in a gulp of fresh air as he felt himself emerge from the solid matter. He rested on the bed, his mind intact with his body again. For a few minutes he just lay there, feeling faint as he tried to breathe deeply once more. He had done it. Emang had been right. But now that he had found the power, what would he do with it?

Part 32

There was a knock on the door and Juno opened his eyes. How long had he been asleep? It felt as if time had never passed. "Who is it?" he asked.

"It's me," Emang called. "I came to tell you that it's already six in the evening. What's the matter? Are you not feeling well?"

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"I can tell the others they shouldn't expect you for dinner," Emang suggested.

"No, no," he said quickly. "Come in. I need to talk to you alone."

Emang opened the door and looked around the dark room a little nervously. "You want the light on?" she asked.

"No. Leave it off." Not knowing what to do, Emang stood still, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the light.

"Come closer," he said quietly. "There's something I need to show you."

"Uh, I don't know about this," she said anxiously.

"Please," he said urgently. "I want you to come here. I can't keep this a secret any longer."

Still a bit nervous about what he wanted to show her, Emang approached the bed. He was sitting on the edge of it, his eyes closed, head hanging down as if he were staring blindly at the floor. Scared, Emang touched his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

With a jerk that made Emang jump, Juno looked straight at the wall. Frightened, Emang began to back away, then stopped and stood her ground. She watched intently as he reached out for the wall, his eyes glowing an eerie green, and then flashed into it.

Fighting the instinct to run, Emang slowly approached the flowing bubble in the wall. "Juno?" she asked softly, reaching out to touch it. It was a strange sensation, kind of like touching jell-o, except that it didn't feel sticky. "But I thought you couldn't," she said, watching as he moved around the room through the wall. She watched as the blob that was her friend entered the computer cord and moved into the system.

Emang quickly booted it up. "Shoot," she muttered as the password box came up. "What is the password?"

She needn't worry. The computer entered the password itself. There was some static as the sound system clicked on and Emang heard his voice.

"I was just sitting on the bed when it happened," he told her. "Just sitting there and I looked up at the wall and decided to try again. I just focused on it so much that it was like I couldn't think anymore. Then as soon as I touched it, I went in."

"What's it like in there?" she asked. "Uh, can you even hear me?"

"Yeah, but you sound kind of far away," he replied. "Like an echo, and you're muffled, as if you were talking in something thick."

"How do you feel?" she asked him.

He hesitated. "Well, I kind of don't," he said. "It's hard to explain. Once I'm in here, it's like I don't have a body. I'm just my mind. Like when you dream," he told her. "You see lots of things happen but you can't really feel them."

"So this means you are some sort of space monster?" Emang asked.

Juno emerged from the computer and sat on the bed again, taking in deep breaths of air. He hung his head. "I guess so."

Realizing she may have hurt him, Emang sat down next to him. "Well, I didn't mean a space monster," she said. "Just an alien." The word still seemed discriminating. Trying to search for a better one, she sat in silence for a moment. Giving up, she hugged him tightly. "I still love you. You'll always be my best friend."

Putting his arm around her, Juno looked out the window once again. Even though he had discovered his power, he still didn't know what purpose it served. What had the Lacertial wanted him to do with it?

Part 33

Juno and Emang got home around eight. It was still light enough outside for a walk, so they strolled down the street as the sun set. They were quiet for a while, each of them feeling a little awkward after what had happened earlier. Finally Emang spoke up.

"I'm really sorry if I hurt your feelings," she said. "You're still the same guy, and I didn't mean to make you feel like you were different or left out or anything."

"It's okay," he said. "I didn't mean to take it personally." He stopped as two chattering squirrels raced out into a nearby yard, hissing and scratching at each other. One took a hard blow to the head and it lay still, stunned. Juno walked over to it. "It's bleeding," he said to Emang.

"Well, we can't do much about it," she answered. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Looks like a little scratch, that's all."

"That's not what I was concerned about," he said. "Lacertials can enter a living being through blood. And I'm going to try it out."

"I don't know if this is a good idea," Emang said uncertainly. "Out here while it's still light enough to see?"

"Cover me," he told her. Kneeling beside the animal, he concentrated hard then reached toward the small wound. In an instant, he had been carried directly into the brain. Looking out through the eyes of the squirrel, he approached Emang. She took a few steps back.

"It's me," Juno tried to say, but all he got was a couple squeaky noises. Unlike the computer, communication in the body of a squirrel was as easy as trying to make conversation with a cow. He hobbled up to her.

Emang wasn't sure what she should do. Was he in the mind of the squirrel now, or somewhere else? "Juno, if you're in there, run around in a circle."

What? Juno thought. All right, I suppose. And run around in a circle he did. Emang giggled. "Never seen a squirrel do that before," she said. She reached out and ruffled the soft fur. "I could make money off of a squirrel who can learn tricks."

Juno chattered his disapproval. "It's getting dark," Emang said. "We'd better head back."

Juno exited the squirrel's bloodstream and the animal looked up at them. Squealing, it took off across the yard. "So you can control squirrels," Emang said. "I still don't see how becoming Squirrelman helps you at all."

"Nah, pretty useless," Juno agreed. Yet there was something about being the squirrel that made him feel different than when he was the wall, or the computer. It made him feel powerful. If he could order a squirrel around, then he could command a bear, too. Something stronger; something that could serve on a war field. Maybe this power did have a purpose.

Part 34

Juno sat straight up in bed, wide-awake. It was midnight. And he had a feeling of what had awakened him. As if drawn by a magnet, he got out of bed and walked off to the bathroom. He turned on the light. "Are you here?" he asked.

The mirror wavered. The Lacertial moved through the wall and around the corner to the telephone. Juno picked it up.

"Hello?" he called into it.

"You have found your power," the voice on the other line said in reply. "Now join your kind."

"You mean the Lacertials?" he asked.

"Yes. You belong with us. Together we will be stronger."

Juno thought for a moment. "You're supposed to be extinct. How many of you are there?"

The voice paused, as if it was hesitating to answer. "Only you and I. That is why I need you, why we as a race need you. We must work together to bring back the Lacertial rule. It is how it is supposed to be."

"How do I meet you in regular form?" Juno questioned.

"We must meet privately," it answered. "So we can discuss things alone. We can't have anyone getting in on our secret. It is a shame that the girl already knows. It was foolish of you to show her this power."

"But why not?" Juno asked. "I know that Lacertials were killed because people feared them, but she knows me…she loves me…"

"It doesn't matter if she loves you now," the voice said. "Like all lower life forms, she will want you to forget your power later. That is what people wanted us to do long ago," it continued. "When they killed us."

Juno felt a strange feeling in his stomach. What if this Lacertial was right? What if Emang did decide that she didn't want him to have the power anymore? He couldn't let that happen. Maybe he shouldn't have showed it to her. What if she got jealous? "All right," he agreed. "I'll meet you tomorrow. Alone. Where do you want to discuss this?"

"In your ship." Then the voice left the phone, slithered through the wall, and disappeared. Juno went back to bed. Emang slept soundly next to him, and a thought suddenly struck him. What if this whole power debacle made them enemies? What if it ended up breaking her heart?

Juno put his arm around her and held her close. I won't let that happen, he told himself. I can handle this. But a nagging part of his mind told him that he couldn't.

Part 35

"I'm just going to go out for a little while," Juno told Emang, Vela and the others in the docking bay the next day. "You guys can handle the station alone, can't you?"

"No problemo," Nik said confidently. "We'll be fine without ya." He waved.

Juno climbed into the ship and looked back at his crew, all waving goodbye to him. He felt like he was betraying them. As soon as he'd moved out of the bay, the voice in his computer spoke.

"Do not worry about flying," it said. "I will pilot you to the destination."

Juno sat back and tried to relax. "I just don't understand how I could be partially Lacertial," he pondered.

"Your father was a quarter Lacertial," the computer said.

"Then wouldn't Vela have the power too?" Juno asked.

"You aren't identical twins," it explained. "You received the power and she didn't."

"Wait a minute," Juno said suspiciously. "How did you know my parents?"

"You will learn in time." The voice was silent, but Juno knew that it must still be there since the ship was still steering itself.

"So what are you planning on doing once we get wherever we're going?" he asked.

"I'll show you." The ship pulled into landing position. Juno stared out the windshield but he couldn't see anything to land on. Eyeing the radar, he realized that the station they were landing on must be cloaked. The Lacertial slid out of the ship into the invisible wall. Two transparent doors opened into the station. Juno hopped out and walked inside, looking around. It wasn't very large, but he assumed that for one person, it would suit just fine.

The Lacertial emerged from the wall. It took Juno a moment to get used to the bizarre creature. It seemed to be a lizard that stood upright on two legs, green in color, with two sharp red spikes on its tail. The weirdest part was the thick, blue hair and catlike ears. It appeared to be both reptile and mammal, but Juno remembered that the books said that it was a mammal. "I suppose you don't recognize me," he said. "It will become clear very soon. But first I need to know that you are ready to go through with the full transformation from your regular self into one of our kind."

"Your kind?" Juno asked nervously.

"Mind wise," the Lacertial said. "You will undergo a few bodily changes, of course, but you'll still be mostly human. After all, you really are mostly human. Sadly. I suppose I'd better explain some things to you."

Juno nodded. "I need to know your name," he said.

"In time, Juno, in time. First you will undergo the physical transformation." The Lacertial showed the commander to a laboratory. There was a thick steel door in the back, and Juno followed the alien to it. It opened the door and Juno peered inside.

"What does it do to me?" he asked.

"Mixed breeds like you can have inherited things you never knew you did," it replied. "When exposed to a certain chemical, your Lacertial inheritances will be highlighted. It will strengthen your power and further pull forward your inner self."

Juno took a step inside and the Lacertial grabbed his arm. "You can't go in there like that," it told him.

"What?" Juno asked, confused. "How do I go in?"

"You have to take your clothes off first," it replied in a tone as if it were obvious.

Juno flushed bright red. "Okay, yeah, that makes sense," he said uneasily.

"I'm warning you now," the Lacertial said as he undressed, "if when you discover who I am, you choose not to join me, I will be forced to change you back."

"Yeah, sure," Juno replied, stepping into the chamber. Why would it matter? he thought. Why is this guy so sure that I will reject him?

Chemicals began to fill the air around him and he began to wonder if this was all just a trap he'd foolishly stumbled into. Then the changes began to occur. He noticed the skin on his hands and feet turn a sickly green, as sharp claws grew from them, vicious and pointed. This must be what they use to slash open their victims when they try to take command of them, he thought. He examined the razor-sharp, hooked ends of them for a while, then looked around. Was that it? Just a set of killer claws and he was done?

A strange sensation ran down his spine as extra vertebrae added themselves to his spinal cord. Shuddering, he felt his tail sprout and grow two pointed spikes. Then another sensation traveled through his whole body; a sort of prickling feeling washed over his skin, giving him goose bumps. All of a sudden he felt much stronger, as if his entire body had been enhanced. It was as if he had no energy all his life and now he had been given more than he would ever need. He flexed his muscles and a grin spread across his face. He had never felt so well before. He felt all-powerful.

The chemicals began to clear from the chamber and the door swung open. It was time to meet the maker.

Part 36

The Lacertial was waiting for him outside the chamber. Juno stepped out and shivered in the cool air. Every movement he made felt energized--he couldn't imagine how he'd gotten along in life before this strength.

The lizardlike creature handed him his suit. "I've made a few changes to this old one," he said. Juno examined it. His jet pack was missing the four fuel tanks that made it X-shaped.

"How does it run without fuel?" he asked.

"It now runs on plastramical power," it answered. "It takes much less to run it, and it lasts longer." It handed Juno new gloves. "These are for your new claws," it explained. "You may be using them. And the opening in the seat of your pants is for obvious reasons," it said, pointing to his tail. Juno nodded and redressed.

"Now that I've gone through with the changes," he said, "can you tell me whom you are?"

It hesitated. "I suppose so," it said. "I am Maximillian Provenuére, better known to your team as the magnificent Max."

Back at Gemini station, sparks were flying in the control room. Vela was trying to radio Juno, but she couldn't get a hold of him. "Juno, come in, come in please!" She watched as Nik continued to work with the wires. "We need you! An asteroid hit the station. Do you read?" There was no answer as their S.O.S. barked its pleas into his empty pod ship.

Juno slammed Max up against the wall, holding him still. His claws hooked just above Max's skin on his chest, and Max could tell by the look in his eyes that he was beyond angry.

"Now just listen," Max said, making sure to choose his words carefully. "Think before you do something you might regret."

"Oh believe me, I won't regret it," Juno hissed, raising his tail to Max's throat. "I wonder what kind of damage these can do." He waved the spiked end threateningly close to the Lacertial's neck.

"Juno, please," Max pleaded. "I'm a changed man, I promise it!" His eyes looked pleadingly into Juno's. He sighed and began to lower his tail when he raised it again.

"Mizar's men don't keep their promises," he growled. He swiped it at Max with full force, only to hit solid metal. He reared back, staggering painfully as his tail throbbed.

"I am not one of Mizar's men," Max said hotly, emerging from the opposite side of the room. "I worked for him while he paid me. Once he died, I moved on."

"You were never a sniper drone," Juno realized. "You only took one's body. All along you've been fooling people."

"Like I said, it was just for the money," Max added. "Wherever there's dough, that's where I go."

"How poetic," Juno said heatedly. Then, without warning, he ran for the doors.

"Hey, where are you going?!" cried Max, running out after him. At a fork in the hallway, Juno faked a right then turned left. Catching Max off guard, the alien slipped and skidded, collapsing on the slippery floor. Juno escaped outside and hopped into the pod ship, shooting off into space.

As he took off, he remembered that he didn't know the way back, since he hadn't flown. Checking the recent data records, he found the path and a message. It was a distress call from the station. He shot towards home as fast as he could.

"Listen to me, Nik," Vela said. "There's only one spare suit that wasn't ruined in the impact. I'm going out there to see if I can fix it from the outside. You and Floyd need to keep working in here."

Lupus paced back and forth, unable to do anything. Blue sat nearby, huddled next to Argo and Emang. "I wish I had some scientific know-how," Argo gulped. "I don't understand any of it."

"You're not the only one," Blue told him. "And poor Lupus doesn't have hands in the first place."

Lupus whined in reply. {We need Juno in this kind of situation,} he said. {He'd have us up and running by now.}

"Will you all just shut up about Juno?" Nik asked angrily. "You act as if he's the only man in the universe that could handle this! I'll bet his scores on the tests didn't even come close to mine!"

Vela was now in the suit and attached to the ship's oxygen supply with a long tube. "I'm going out," she told the others.

She observed the damage. They'd received quite a hit, but it was nothing they couldn't fix. She opened the toolkit and tried to get the flashlight at an angle where she could see what she was doing. She tugged on the oxygen tube, attempting to get in a little further. The hose tore, and air began to leak. "Nik!" she screamed. "Nik! It's leaking!"

Part 37

The station was in view, and so was Vela. Juno could see her struggling; he could see the oxygen tube leaking. And without an airlock, there was absolutely nothing he could do but watch. And then something miraculous happened.

The airlock to the mighty space station opened, and there was Nik, without a helmet, in an airless vacuum. Grabbing the side of the ship with one hand, he extended the other towards Vela. It tore through the skin, small shards of it coming loose to reveal his metal arm. He seized Vela's arm and pulled her into the airlock. It shut behind him and air flowed into the chamber again. Vela gasped loudly, and Nik picked her up and quickly carried her into the station.

Floyd had already snatched the medical kit. Argo grabbed the oxygen mask and Nik took it from him, pumping oxygen into her lungs. Lupus hurried to her side. He licked her gloved hand, watching on worriedly.

Vela began to take in huge gulps of air, and then she started breathing normally again. Nik helped her sit up, and she flung her arms around his neck.

Juno watched from the window through his windshield. They don't need me anymore, he thought, and a huge wave of sadness overcame him, quickly replaced with anger. So Nik's perfect because he's an android, he thought. And Vela never told me. Juno's heart began to ache. She kept it a secret from me? She disregarded my orders for this new rookie? Because I wasn't as good as he was?

Fury filled Juno's heart. He would show them that he was better. He had more power than Nik would ever have. He turned the ship around and rocketed back towards Max's station, ready to make a compromise.

Part 38

"I'm only on your team until Nik is destroyed," Juno told Max. "Then it's back to Gemini."

"I understand," Max said under his breath. "We're running short on time. Take these." He opened his outstretched hand. In it were two glowing green pills. Juno gulped them down and followed Max to the ship. As they lifted off, Max told Juno, "We have a lot more in common than you may think."

"We have nothing in common but race," Juno said crossly.

"Of course we do," Max argued. "You and I have both been rejected by people we thought we knew. I was abandoned as a child, hundreds of years ago. I thought my parents loved me. Obviously they didn't. I had to resort to living in the streets. It was horrendous; the gangs patrolled them every night. It was a struggle to stay alive. Then one night, I was attacked and I slashed my attacker with my claws, and I discovered that I could get into his bloodstream, and his mind. It was then that I realized that I no longer had to live on the streets; sleep in the dirt; live life as a rejection to society. I could become anyone I wanted to."

"Like the Queen of England," Juno said. "Or the President of the United States."

"Yes. And when people found out that I could, they began to kill my entire species. And we'd never hurt them," Max said angrily. "We'd just taken their bodies, or rather borrowed them. Then we'd leave them when we'd found a new subject of interest. No harm done."

Juno nodded in agreement. "It doesn't sound so bad."

"Because it isn't," Max replied. The Gemini station was ahead now, and Juno pulled the ship into position at the docking bay.

Emang leapt to her feet. "He's here!" she cried, taking off down the hall at the sound of the ship's rockets. "Juno!"

Juno jumped out of the ship. As his eyes lifted from the ground and focused on her, they reflected anger and hatred. Emang stared at his deformations and backed away, shaking her head in disbelief. Juno ran up to her and grabbed her as she tried to run. He slapped a hand over her mouth as she struggled. "Keep quiet," he told her harshly. She nodded, and he took his hand away from her mouth.

"Should we kill her?" Max asked, walking up beside them.

"She's not the target, Max," he replied intensely.

"Juno," Emang cried softly, "you're making a huge mistake!"

"No," he said, turning his head to her. He leaned in until they were nearly nose-to-nose. "I'm making a correction I should have made long ago." He started into the ship on his search for Nik. He hurried toward the control room and flung open the door just as he collapsed on the floor, writhing. The pills were beginning their effects. His face began changing, and his body grew larger, his flesh turning green and his suit tearing to shreds. Vela screamed as Juno stumbled into the room on all fours, completely unrecognizable.

"Nik," he hissed. "You're the one who is to blame."

"No, Juno," he stammered, backing up against the wall. "You don't know what you're doing. That's not you speaking anymore."

Juno's tail swept the floor and knocked Nik over. He pounced on top of the fearful recruit, digging his claws into Nik's metal shoulders. "Time to shut you down," he growled.

A shot rang out and a searing pain hit Juno's leg, and he reared back to see his attacker. Vela stood there, her pistol cocked. "Vela," he gasped. "What are you--but I'm your--"

"My brother wouldn't do anything to hurt me," she said. "Nik is a part of me. To hurt him is to hurt me. If he dies, a part of me will die with him." Juno backed away from Nik and his old self began to come into focus again. He looked over at the young soldier lying beside him with fear in his eyes; fear of his own commander.

"Look at yourself," Vela sighed, lowering her weapon. "Look at what you've become."

Emang appeared in the doorway so quickly she caught Max off guard. She tried to tackle him to the ground, but it was like trying to defeat a brick wall. "He's Max! He's back and he's done this to Juno--"

Max threw her to the ground, and then grinned almost hungrily at Juno. Realizing what he had in mind, Juno tried to escape, but it was too late. Max reached out for his open wound and was absorbed into him. His mind would be lost forever.

Part 39

Juno struggled with himself, making awful noises and screams. Seeing their chance to escape, Nik got to his feet and ushered the others out of the room. Fighting to keep control of his mind, Juno yelled frantically. "You betrayed me, Max! You double-crossed me! We had an agreement!"

"You betrayed me," Max growled back, trying to control him. "I had a setup! Nik was sent here as a distraction to take your place; he was to anger you and make you think he was the enemy! But then his android secret got out, and everything was beginning to fall apart. I paid him good money to do his job, and he's failed me. But not as terribly as you have…"

Juno continued to struggle, but he was weakening. "See what happens when you do that?" Max hissed. "You tire yourself out. And you just make my job more difficult." Juno felt his body begin to move, but he wasn't determining where it went. He was trapped, like a prisoner in his own body.

Emang and the others sat in a room together, jumping at every sound, wondering if Max was just waiting outside the door. We have to do something, Emang thought. We have to help him. But we just don't have the strength or the wit to pull anything off.

And that's when it came to her. "Does anyone have anything sharp?" she asked.

They all stared at her. Then Floyd stepped forward, showing her his clawed hands.

Out in the hall, Max was checking all the rooms. Juno, a prisoner of his own mind, tried to conserve his energy for when he would need it the most. Emang stood in the doorway of the room, holding the doorknob and watching the hall for the prowling Lacertial. She waited patiently until he was directly outside the door, then pushed it open hard, knocking him off his feet.

Sprawled out on his back, Max tried to get back up. "Juno, if you can hear me, I've got you a body," she said quietly, holding up her arm. Red blood glistened in the pale light.

This was the moment Juno had been waiting for. Combining all the strength he had left, he pushed forward and concentrated on Emang. "No!" Max screamed as he struggled to hold Juno's outstretched hand back, but Juno had already left his body for a new one. Max was forced out of him, reappearing on the floor.

Emang felt her mind being overlapped by another one. "Emang?" Juno called in her brain. "I'm taking over, okay, sweetie? It's gonna be all right." Now in possession of her body, Juno kicked Max in the head severely, knocking him out. Emang cringed in her mind, and Juno sensed her fear. "It's okay," he reassured her again. "I've got a plan."

Emang began to relax a little. An instinctive part of her brain stopped resisting this newcomer. Juno always had a plan. And he always pulled them off.

He opened the door and hurriedly began to explain his idea to the crew. Max began to stir. He groaned, and Juno turned and ran down the hall. Seeing his enemy's escape attempt, Max took off after him, loping exhaustedly behind him. Vela and the others hurried after them.

By the end of the first long hallway, Emang was already panting. After the second her lungs were burning. "Come on, you can make it," Juno whispered to her as he dove around another bend. "Just a little bit further--"

They had reached the end of the hall that ended in two separate passages, but the one Juno had planned on taking was blocked up by mangled materials. "Oh, no," he moaned. "The asteroid impact must have affected this area!"

Max, seeing they had come to a dead end, grinned hungrily. "Say your last words," he hissed, letting loose a frenzied laugh. "This is the end of the line, pal." Juno didn't know what to do. As Max closed in, he began to pray.

"Emang," he said, his voice quivering in her head, "I made a mistake… I'm sorry…"

"I'm not," Emang told him quietly. "I wouldn't give up knowing you for anything."

"I got a secret for you, Juno," Max hissed. "I was planning on admitting the truth before I killed you. You know them hitchhikers who killed your parents? I was one of them." Juno stared at him in disbelief. "I was there to hear your mother's screams. I knew all your secrets, Juno. I've been following you all my life." He was only five feet from them now. "I knew you better than you knew yourself, and I've put up with enough from you to last a lifetime."

Max lunged forward and stopped inches from them in midair, then fell crashing to the floor with a terrible shriek of agony. Nik had grabbed him by the tail and hurled him to the ground. "Why, you--"

"Come on then," Nik teased. "You pick on the little girl, but you ain't got the guts to take on the android? Nooo, cause you're not that tough, are ya?"

Max dove for Nik, his unbeatable claws tearing into the metal of Nik's arms. Juno wanted to help him, but he knew that this was his only chance to get Emang to safety. He ran back down the hall just as Vela arrived on the scene. "This is for Mum and Dad," she said angrily. She then raised her Tri-Rocket Launcher and fired.

Part 40

Juno collapsed back in the room, exhausted in Emang's weaker body. He exited her mind back into his own wounded Lacertial body. Looking up into his face, Emang saw Juno in it for the first time. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she weakly lifted her hand and placed it on his cheek. She smiled and began to laugh weakly. "Boy, that plan went smoothly," she sighed. "But hey, we survived, right?" Juno smiled at her.

"I didn't hurt you or anything when I took control, did I?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," she answered tiredly. "But we have to get you back to normal."

Juno nodded. "But first there's someone I've got to thank." He walked back down the hall to where Nik laid, Lacertial gunk all over his metal frame. Vela knelt beside him. He was a bit torn, but he was okay.

"After what I tried to do to you, I don't understand why you'd protect me," Juno sighed.

Nik got to his feet. "Because it was the right thing to do, sir," he said. "Revenge on your own teammate doesn't get you anywhere."

Juno reached out and shook his hand, and to his surprise, Nik pulled him into a rough hug. He then stepped back. "You're a good commander," Nik told him. "When you aren't pissed off, that is. And I look forward to becoming a full time member of your team."

"Thank you," Juno said. "I have some unfinished business to attend." He walked off down the hall to the docking bay where Emang waited. He checked the ship's systems. "All systems are go," he announced with a grin.

"Get on with it already," she smiled.

"LLLLLLLLIFTOFFFF!" he exclaimed gleefully as the ship shot into the starry sky towards Max's space station.

Juno looked around the familiar laboratory, feeling a bit sad that he would be losing all his strength. "You've got the autopilot set to go?" he asked Emang.

"Yeah, it's set on a course for Gemini station," she informed him, carrying an emergency heat blanket to wrap him in.

Juno set the machine to turn him back to his usual self and stepped into the chamber once more. For the last time, chemicals filled the little room and he felt the changes happen again, this time in reverse. All of the extra energy he had once possessed was drained from him. The door opened, and he stumbled out into Emang's arms. She wrapped him in the blanket and guided him back to the ship.

As he lay exhausted in the seat next to Emang, Juno managed to let out a hoarse whisper. "You're mom's gonna kill me for getting you home so late," he said. "But you know what I learned from all this?" he asked her.

"That big lizards are really nasty when they explode?" she questioned.

He laughed. "Yeah, I learned that too I suppose. But I also learned that you don't need to be all-powerful in order to be happy with who you are and what place you play in people's lives. I realized too late that you all loved me just as I was, and that Nik wasn't taking over anything." He sighed, closing his eyes as a smile curled at his lips. "And I learned what it's like to be a woman."

"Juno!" Emang smacked him playfully and he laughed softly as they headed towards the station and home.

40