The writer gives life to a story, the reader keeps it alive.
Alexand returns to the army vehicle she arrived in, sits in the driver’s seat, watching people walk past, from behind the safety of the glass, after her very short honeymoon ended. She and Jarad had argued over why she wouldn’t talk to him about crying on the banks of the river. Jarad stormed off, leaving Alexand to become Colonel Merek again.
Katherine ignored the Guild Master’s General’s warning and could not resist touching Alexand, whilst phased between energy and corporeality.
A month has passed and Alexand was sedated to aid in her recovery from heart surgery. The sedatives are wearing off, and she begins to hear voices. (This issue is dedicated to my son, Sam, who is 18 today. Happy Birthday, Sammy, one of the few people who are as real to me as my characters.)
Katherine, equipped with dark glasses and a determined stride, makes her way towards her brand new laboratory.
An hour later, Jay and Katherine sit in a very empty bar, attempting to make sense of the shrinking world outside the ship.
Jay was one of the first asylum seekers to be rescued and brought to the Kyuunansen. He is relieved to see a familiar face on board the ship, and although it’s been a few days since he met Katherine De Somme again, he is eager to re connect, as it’s quite lonely being one of the only passengers on a very large ship, travelling the ocean, with no prospect of seeing land again.
Ajeeta Kothari escorts Katherine towards her shared laboratory, where research is being conducted into cloning, which has been illegalised on the mainland, by Amanojuko infiltrators within the governments around the world. Although Katherine remains suspicious of Kothari, Samira Ganesh has assessed she poses no threat to Kothari, and has left them to walk alone together towards the cloning lab.
After a month of overseeing Katherine’s rehabilitation, Inajda has been left behind, wondering where future Anesidor has taken her friend. She has been accompanied by the mysterious future version of Katherine, who seems to have an agenda for her as well.
Helga Ritter has been listening to Heyem’s thoughts for the past couple of hours.
Helga Ritter, disguised as a Swedish tourist, called Elsa, waits for a very drunken Heyem Merek to fall asleep. She is beginning to suspect that Heyem has no idea where Lord Anderson is, but as Heyem begins to snore, softly; Helga digs her way into her uncensored thoughts.
Helga Ritter sits in a lesbian bar drinking wine with Heyem Merek, in an attempt to extract information from her, regarding the whereabouts of Lord Anderson.
Heyem has been very depressed since she got back home to Hong Kong. She has received no news about Alex, and is deeply worried about her sister. She has not heard from Inajda, and Alex hasn’t returned to her military base. Heyem has continued with her life, but has grown more despondent. She has taken to drinking, to attempt to suppress her emotions. After her lecture is over, she heads out into the city, to a bar, to get drunk and perhaps pick up a woman.
Helga Ritter has spent the past two weeks searching the world for any trace of Lord Anderson. She has visited many places, starting in India, reading the minds of humans, who are close to Alexand Merek. Family and friends and army colleagues, even Field Marshal Abouna Panak had no though in his head about the whereabouts of Lord Anderson. Helga isn’t giving up. She has learnt that Heyem Merek is back teaching at Hong Kong University, and so dressed in cognito, Helga creeps into one of Heyem’s lectures, and sits quietly at the back of the room.
As darkness falls outside the hotel, Alex lays in bed, unable to sleep.
A ship leaves the port for India in the morning. Most of Alexand’s brigade is scheduled to leave for home. As the commanding officer, Alex has orders to remain in Australia for the second part of the tour. It is night time, and she has finished her duties for the day. She lies in her tent, writing a letter to be brought home to Katherine. CLICK HERE for next chronological story.
Maria Thamian is a drama lecturer in the University of Hong Kong and has been courting her fellow lecturer, Heyem Merek for a few weeks. She has gatecrashed one of Heyem’s lectures for the pure enjoyment of watching her girlfriend teach. (CLICK HERE for next chronological story)
Katherine finally relented to Alexand’s charm. (See Love In A Box Part 1) The morning after, Alex is asleep, and Katherine lies, wondering about their future. Note: Katherine was injected with a virus, by Helga Ritter, to silence her (See Amanojuko Part 3) after discovering a government induced plague, was genetically engineered and that some members of the establishment are attempting to live forever. As a result of being injected with “plague” Katherine is dying. CLICK HERE for next chronological story.
Martin grew up in a small town outside Alberta, Canada. It was hard as he was teased a lot for being feminine, but he loved to ride fast on the motorbikes his big brother fixed up in his bike shop. He’s been perfecting stunts in secret for the past year and is on a mission to stop the teasing, by giving the most magnificent motorbike display of his life to a crowd of college students. This is his moment. He’s going to jump from one parking lot rooftop to the next, forty feet in the air with no safety net. CLICK HERE for next chronological story.
