Zain suddenly woke up, and he sat upright in bed.
Confused, he scratched his head, wondering why he had awakened so fast. He had been having a dream, but he couldn't remember what it was.
He looked at the clock, which read 4:28 AM, and sighed in disgust as he realized that he was completely wide awake. There would be no going back to bed for him.
He got out of bed and checked his clothes, which were positioned near the air vent. They were completely dry now, which was a welcome change from being completely soaked earlier.
What am I doing? Zain wondered as he got dressed. He couldn't go anywhere; it was almost 4:30 in the morning, and it was still raining outside.
After getting dressed, he walked over to the small table next to his bed and snatched his goggles, tying them around his head again. Fully dressed, he walked to his hotel room door and went out into the hall, not sure where he was going.

The hotel hallway was brightly lit by flourescent light fixtures, and the floor was covered with a comfortable carpeting. The bedroom doors were placed an equal length apart, throughout the entire hallway, and there were some chairs up against the wall near Zain's door.
To Zain's surprise, Sasha sat in one of the chairs. She looked up, startled, as he exited the room.
Zain smiled at her and sat down next to her. "Can't sleep?" he asked.
Sasha shook her head. "No... It looks like you can't, either."
Zain laughed. "Nope."
A moment passed, and Zain looked at her. "Sasha..." he started. "Why are you sitting out here like this? It's 4:30 in the morning."
Sasha turned and met his gaze, and didn't respond at first. Finally, she said, "...You know that feeling I have once in a while? Just before something bad is about to happen?"
Zain nodded. "Yeah. It's saved us more than once."
Sasha closed her eyes. "I've been having it all night," she said. "I can't fall asleep; that's why I'm out here."
"All night?" Zain repeated. "Is that pseal even still working?"
"It's still working," Sasha assured him. "Ever since Dad put it on me, I haven't had the dreams anymore. But this isn't the dreams; it's something different. It's just... a horrible feeling that something bad is about to happen."
"Well, don't worry," Zain said, trying to comfort her. "Even if something bad DOES happen, we'll be fine. As long as we're together, we'll be fine."
She managed to smile. "...Thank you, Zain," she said. Looking at the floor, she sighed. "I'm really sorry. You must be getting tired of trying to support me all the time..."
"Not at all," Zain replied. "That's what a friend does: he supports the people he cares about."
"Well, you're a really good friend, then," said Sasha. "I feel a lot better."

The next morning, Guy got up, got dressed, put on his glasses, and gathered his things. Looking out the window, he saw that it was still raining, and the sky was still totally covered with black clouds. The only difference from last night was that it was slightly less dark outside, and the visibility was somewhat improved.
Guy looked at the clock on the small table next to his bed. It read 10:41 AM.
With a sigh, Guy turned back to the window. This rain isn't stopping at all, he thought. Doesn't it have to end SOMETIME?
In any case, there was nothing that could be done about it. "I suppose I shall go and see if the others have awakened," he said to himself. "If not, then perhaps I may be able to work on my weapons for a while."
After making sure that he had all of his belongings, he left the room.

Stepping into the hall, Guy almost bumped into Karen, who was standing near his door with her back to him. She seemed to be looking at something.
"Good morning to you, Karen," Guy said, somewhat surprised. "What are you looking at?"
Karen turned to face him. "Oh, good morning, Guy," she said. "I was just debating whether or not I should wake them up."
Guy raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "'Wake them up?'"
She laughed and moved out of his way so that he could see. "See for yourself."
Guy looked, and saw what she was talking about. "Oh."
Sitting next to each other in two chairs, Zain and Sasha were fast asleep. Sasha was leaning on Zain, resting her head on his shoulder.
Guy turned back to Karen. "Why are they sleeping out here?" he asked.
"How should I know?" Karen replied with a shrug. She frowned. "I just don't see why they'd be sleeping like THAT out here. It's embarrassing."
"Is that so?" Guy asked. He grinned. "As I recall, I have awakened before to find YOU like that, with Neil."
At this, Karen threw him such a look of severe pain that he immediately regretted saying that. "I apologize," he said. "That was callous of me. I should have been more thoughtful than that."
"No, it's not your fault," Karen assured him. "It's just... I'm afraid."
"I understand," said Guy. "We will find him, I promise you that."
Just then, Samuel Maybee came up to them. "Good morning, Guy and Karen," he said.
Surprised, Karen and Guy turned to him, blocking his view of Zain and Sasha. As she turned, Karen intentionally banged her foot against Sasha's chair, jarring it. "Oh, good morning, Mr. Maybee," she said. "How are you feeling?"
Puzzled, Sasha's father shrugged. "I'm well enough," he said. "How about you two?"
"Um, never better!" Karen cried.
Realizing what she was trying to do, Guy went along with it. "I am quite well this morning, thank you."
"That's good," Samuel said. "Are Zain and my daughter up yet?"
At this, Karen was at a loss. "I... Well..." she stammered nervously.
"I'm right here, Dad," said Sasha. She came up in front of Karen and Guy, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Karen mentally sighed in relief; her tactic had worked.
"Oh, there you are," said Samuel. "Why were you hiding behind them?"
"I wasn't hiding, Dad," Sasha answered. "I was sitting in one of the chairs, waiting for you."
"Oh, okay," said her father. "Where's Zain at?"
From behind Sasha, Karen, and Guy came a strange, barely intelligible response that sounded like "Over here." To their surprise, Zain came up to the front; his eyes were only partially open, and he looked as if he were only half-awake.
Sasha's father stared at him. "You look like you didn't get enough sleep," he said.
"I didn't," Zain mumbled incoherently.
Sasha smiled at him. "Here, maybe this will help." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Healing Alpha."
Abruptly Zain felt fully awake and refreshed. He looked at Sasha and returned her smile. "Thanks. I didn't know it could work like that."
Samuel stared at his daughter in surprise. "Sasha, where did you learn to do that?" he asked.
"Zain taught me how to heal," she answered. "I can heal wounds. I wasn't sure if I could use it to heal Zain's sleep deprivation, but it worked, so I guess I can."
Zain grinned. "We can both heal, Sasha, so I must be able to do that too. I'll have to keep that in mind for the next time YOU'RE half-asleep."
Samuel looked at Zain in a new light. "You taught my daughter how to heal with PSI?" he asked.
"Well, I didn't really teach her, Mr. Maybee," Zain replied. "She always had the ability to do it, and just never realized it. Since she inherited her powers from you, I'll bet that you could heal too, if you wanted."
Sasha's father smiled. "Zain, you are a truly remarkable young man."
Embarrassed, Zain looked at the floor. "Well, I... Um..."
Karen folded her arms. "I wish MY power could heal."
Sasha looked at her. "You can't do it?"
"No," Karen replied, shaking her head. "I've practiced with my ability all my life; I've tried to do just about everything you can think of with it. I've never been able to heal."
"Well, from what I've learned so far," said Zain, "it seems like everyone's gifts are different. Sasha can freeze things, and I can't."
Karen shrugged. "I can't freeze things either. I also can't perform that solar Hyperion attack you use."
Sasha suddenly realized that they had never really seen Karen use her PSI much, apart from her telepathy. The only time they had seen it was back at the entrance to the abandoned tunnel, when Karen had burned the barrier for them. "What CAN you do, Karen?" she asked out of curiosity. "Besides reading minds, I mean."
Karen smiled. "I can burn things, but I guess you've seen that already." Her smile widened as she fantasized about using that ability on Mister P. "I can also electrocute things, shoot beams, make bright flashes... and drain mental energy."
Guy blinked. "Drain mental energy?"
"Yes," Karen replied. "It's called PSI Magnet. If I used it on, say, Sasha, I would steal her mental energy and restore my own."
Sasha's father nodded thoughtfully. "That's an interesting ability."
They talked for a while longer about the nuances of PSI, during which Guy began to feel increasingly left out, since he had no psychic powers to speak of. He felt as if he was the only person involved in this quest who was just an ordinary guy. He envied the others, the way they talked about PSI as if it were common and everyone had it...
Finally, Samuel said, "Well, it'll be noon shortly. If you're ready, I can drive you to the northern outskirts of town, so you can go investigate the Tranquil Zone."
Zain nodded. "Let's go then, Mr. Maybee. Thank you for helping us."

They took the elevator down to the first floor. As the elevator descended, Karen suddenly felt a presence in her mind. She had turned her telepathy back on earlier, and now something was brushing at her mind... Something wrong.
She turned to Sasha's father, suddenly afraid. "Mr. Maybee..." she said, "something's downstairs, waiting for us."
"What?" cried Samuel. Sasha, Guy, and Zain turned to her, surprised.
Just then the elevator reached the first floor, and the door slid open.
Karen's fear was clearly confirmed. Waiting in the lobby were about twenty mechanical creatures shaped somewhat like stars. Zain realized that they resembled the Starman Junior X that he had defeated before, except that they didn't have an X on their bodies, and they were gold-colored. The Starman robots pointed their arms at the group, and their arms began to glow menacingly.
"No!" Sasha cried.
"How did they find us?" asked Guy. "I do not understand this."
"What does that matter?" Zain demanded, getting out his bat. "We're outnumbered."
Karen glared at the Starmen; they were connected in some way to Mister P. "I don't care how many there are. I'll destroy every one of them until I find Neil!"
Samuel began to form a plan in his head. If he could distract the enemies, maybe Sasha and her friends could escape. He would be giving up his life, but it was a price he was prepared to pay to save his daughter's life.
Before any of them could act, however, a voice rang out in the lobby. "Stand down."
Simultaneously, the Starmen powered down their beam weapons and lowered their arms.
Zain's eyes darted about quickly. "Who's there?"
Then they saw him. A man in a black flowing trenchcoat stepped forward. He had wild black hair, and his left eye was black as well. Zain and his friends stared in surprise as they saw that the right side of the man's face was a metal plate, and his right eye was a glowing red robot eye. The metal plate separated his face almost in half; just below his nose, it curved away, leaving his mouth completely intact. He stared at them intently, his remaining human features twisted into a smirk.
Completely at a loss for words, Zain and his friends stared in shock at the newcomer. None of them had ever seen anything like this person before. Karen attempted to read his mind, but something blocked her from doing so; it was almost like what Mister P had done to protect HIS mind.
The man spoke first. He raised his right hand, which, to their surprise, was also a metal artificial hand, and beckoned to them. "Don't just stand there," he said. "Step out of the elevator."
Cautiously, they did so, and the elevator doors closed behind them.
The man lowered his metal right hand, and smiled. "So I've finally found you," he said. Raising his human left hand, he pointed at them. "Target Priority Three, Target Priority One, AND the chosen leader, all at the same time."
"Who ARE you?" Sasha cried suddenly, feeling very afraid.
The man smiled a very evil smile, reveling in Sasha's fear. He folded his arms. "My name is Kaatz," he said. "I am the highest authority under Master Giaguo. I am his second-in-command, you could say."
Karen's hands clenched into fists. "You... You work for the new evil, along with Mister P..."
"The new evil?" Kaatz repeated. "This 'evil' that you speak of is actually nothing new. Master Giaguo's race is responsible for sending the Giygas to this planet 30 years ago."
Everyone stared, dumbfounded. "Giygas was... sent by this Giaguo's race?" Guy finally stammered.
"Indeed," Kaatz confirmed.
The group paused to take in this new information. Finally, Sasha asked, "What do you want from us?"
Kaatz laughed. "Isn't it obvious, girl? You're a group that is supposedly 'destined' to defeat Master Giaguo. You don't honestly think that he's just going to sit by and allow this, do you?" He pointed at her with his artificial right hand. "Besides, he's been wanting YOU for quite some time."
Her fear deepening to terror, Sasha stepped back. "But why? I don't understand. Why is he after me?"
"You can ask him yourself once I've brought you to him," Kaatz replied. "Because that's your next destination."
Zain stepped in front of Sasha, gripping his bat tightly, and Sasha's father followed suit. "If you want her," Zain said, "you'll have to go through me."
Kaatz shrugged. "That is perfectly acceptable," he stated. "After all, I've been ordered to terminate you anyway, chosen leader... Zain, isn't it?" His gaze locked on Karen. "And I've also been ordered to capture her, thanks to Mister P's incompetence."
Karen glared at Kaatz angrily, but his gaze quickly returned to Sasha. He stared at her intently. "Before I do anything, I need to confirm something..."
After staring at her for a moment, he nodded slightly. "I see. My theory was correct," he said, mostly to himself. "Prescient Pseal... That's one I don't have."
Suddenly Kaatz's red optical sensor turned yellow, and he stood quietly for a few moments, deep in thought.
Samuel Maybee didn't know what Kaatz was doing, but he did know that the man was up to no good. Attempting to catch him off guard, he took action, beginning to concentrate. "I won't let you touch my daughter, Kaatz! PSI Freeze Omega!"
Surprised, Zain watched as a huge blast of ice, much larger than anything Sasha had ever done, manifested and froze solid... In the area where Kaatz had been standing just an instant before.
Seeing that his attack had missed, Samuel's eyes widened in surprise. "What...?"
"I must commend you," remarked Kaatz, who was now standing behind the group; his robot eye had returned to its normal red color. "You saw an opportunity to attack, and took advantage of it. You even almost disrupted my scan."
Sasha's father stared at Kaatz in shock. "How... How did you...?"
Kaatz shrugged. "You don't seriously think that I would simply leave myself open to attack, do you? There is a difference between confidence and stupidity."
He stood thoughtfully for a moment, thinking. "This 'Prescient Pseal' is rather interesting," he finally said. "Now that I've scanned it, I can use it whenever I want. I assume that you're the one who placed it on her?"
At a loss for words, Samuel could only nod.
Kaatz smiled. "Well, thanks to you placing it on her, I've gained another potentially useful ability. So, I think I will show you mercy; rather than kill you, I'll simply put you out of commission."
With this, Kaatz raised his left index finger, which began to glow menacingly, and placed it on Samuel's chest. "Frozen Pseal."
Kaatz's finger flashed brightly, and for a moment, a blue glowing letter f appeared... And then the pseal exploded in a blast of extreme cold.
Sasha's father was blasted across the room, and he collapsed in a heap near the far wall, covered with ice crystals. "Dad!" Sasha cried, horrified.
"Don't worry," said Kaatz with a smirk. "He'll live. I was just getting him out of the way, to keep him out of my hair for a while."
He turned to Zain. "Unfortunately for you, Zain, I can't show YOU the same mercy. Master Giaguo has ordered that you are to be terminated."
Zain tightened his grip on his bat. "I won't make it easy for you."
"I'm glad to hear that," Kaatz said. "I've been wondering about how strong you are. I'd like to see the power of a chosen leader."
Kaatz turned around, and Guy seized the occasion. Quickly drawing his Equalizer gun, he aimed at Kaatz and fired.
The beam passed through the space where Kaatz had been standing, hitting only empty air. Guy gaped in shock. "H-How did it miss?" he stammered.
"Apparently, you also take advantage of opportunities," said Kaatz, who was now standing in the spot where he had originally been standing. "I had a feeling that you would try something."
"How...? How did you dodge it?" Guy demanded. "Can you... teleport?"
Kaatz laughed. "Unfortunately, I do not know the secret of teleportation," he said. "At least, not yet."
Guy blinked. "Then how...?"
"Because," Kaatz replied, "if I want to, I can move so quickly that I cannot be tracked by the untrained eye."
Zain's eyes widened. "So, you're moving really fast from place to place, and to our eyes it looks like you're warping?"
"Very observant of you," said Kaatz with a smirk. He turned back to Guy. "As I did before with that man, I must commend you for having the audacity to attack me, kid," he said approvingly. "Especially since you seem to have no psychic powers whatsoever. It's been quite some time since a regular run-of-the-mill person has even tried to do such a thing." Then his left eye narrowed. "However..."
He raised his left index finger again, and once again it began to glow. "You should know, kid, that when you do such a thing, you have to be prepared to accept the consequences when you fail." He drew a symbol in the air with his finger, in the shape of a lowercase e; the symbol remained hanging in the air, attached to Kaatz's finger.
Sasha could see that something terrible was about to happen. "Guy, look out!" she cried, knowing in her heart that it was already too late. If only she had seen it coming, she could have concentrated and built up enough energy to use Shield Gamma, but it was too late.
Zain and Karen turned to Guy, to go to his aid, but it was too late for them as well.
Guy's eyes widened in horror as he suddenly realized that he was about to die.
"Electric Pseal!" Kaatz shouted. The symbol left his finger and sped towards Guy, striking him in the chest.
An instant later, Guy screamed in complete pain as his body was wracked with lightning, and he was electrocuted. "Guy!" cried Zain, Sasha, and Karen.
Guy's eyes rolled upwards, and his body collapsed to the floor, lifeless.
Karen ran over to him. "Guy! Guy, no!" Zain turned and stared at him, unable to believe that this was happening. Sasha covered her face with her hands, crying.
Standing impassively, Kaatz folded his arms again. "Contrary to what you think, he's not dead," he stated. "Almost, but not quite. Since I have what I want right here, in the form of the three of you, I can afford to be merciful."
Zain turned back to Kaatz, and this time, his eyes were burning as red as Kaatz's right eye. "You... You're going to pay for this!" he screamed.
To his surprise, Kaatz actually staggered backward in shock. "You... You're..."
Then, to everyone's surprise, he actually started laughing. "I see. I see it now. So this is the power of the chosen leader!" He looked at Zain. "I'm truly going to enjoy testing your limits, Zain."
Zain stepped forward, happy to oblige him... But Karen grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. "No, Zain," she said.
He turned and looked at her, and Karen paled under the fury of his red gaze. But she was angry too. Mister P had stolen Neil from her, and now Kaatz had harmed Guy... The forces of the new evil had gone too far.
"Let me go," Zain snarled, not fully in control of himself. "I'm going to destroy him!"
Karen shook her head; although her eyes weren't red, they were burning with a fury of their own. "No, Zain. He's mine."
Zain opened his mouth to protest, but Karen interrupted him. "Stay here," she told him. "Stay here with Sasha. You're her protector."
Zain's fiery eyes widened. "Sasha...?"
He turned to look at her; she was looking back at him, her sky-blue eyes stained with tears. Zain's features softened, and his eyes faded back to green. He turned back to Karen. "...Be careful..." he said.
Kaatz sighed in boredom. "If you're quite done deliberating among yourselves..."
Karen turned to him and stepped forward, focusing her angry stare upon him. This man had hurt Guy, and he was allied with Mister P, who had stolen Neil from her. "I will be your opponent," she said.
"I see," said Kaatz. "Very well. I'll try to take it easy on you, so that I can take you back to Master Giaguo in one piece, more or less. But, even though it's the master's preference, I don't absolutely HAVE to bring you in alive."
Then he looked at Sasha. "On the other hand, SHE absolutely MUST be kept in perfect condition for the master," he said. "So, I'll have to make sure that she doesn't inadvertently get... damaged."
Suddenly he appeared in front of Sasha, too quick for Zain and Karen to react. He placed his left index finger on Sasha, and smirked. Sasha became overcome with terror, knowing that for all her PSI, she was helpless against this man.
Kaatz smiled, relishing her fear. "Binding Pseal."
His finger flashed, and a glowing barrier appeared around Sasha, constricting her and rendering her unable to move. A small letter b appeared where Kaatz's finger had been. Kaatz's smile widened, and he returned to his original spot again.
Zain ran over to her. "Sasha!"
She was unable to respond, unable to move whatsoever. Zain placed his hand on her, but the barrier stopped him from touching her.
He turned back to Kaatz, his eyes reassuming their red hue. "What have you done to Sasha?" he demanded furiously.
"I merely made sure that she won't be harmed by anything that happens in our fight," Kaatz explained. "That barrier is impenetrable; nothing will touch her."
Zain turned back to her. I have to help her! he thought fiercely; as he thought this, his eyes changed from red to blue.
He placed his hand on the barrier; he had to do something. "Healing Alpha!" he cried, calling upon his power.
Nothing happened. Kaatz suppressed a laugh.
Zain frowned at his failure. He NEEDED to help Sasha! Scarcely aware of what he was doing, he cried, "Healing Beta!"
Once again, nothing happened. Kaatz raised his remaining eyebrow, intrigued.
Zain's need became dire. Unless he did something, Sasha would stay like this, unable to move or do anything. "Healing Gamma!" he shouted.
Just as in the previous two times, absolutely nothing happened, except that Kaatz's interest increased.
Seeing that his efforts were not having any effect, Zain became totally immersed in his need to help Sasha. The blue in his eyes became as bright as two stars. Psychic power began to gather around him, and the surrounding air began to circle around his body. Karen stared at him in disbelief, wondering how he was doing what he was doing. Kaatz's Starmen stared as well, attempting to comprehend what they were witnessing.
Kaatz himself stared in disbelief. "Is it possible...?" he muttered. "Can he actually do it, just like that...?"
"HEALING OMEGA!" Zain yelled, releasing all of his stored energy into the barrier, trying with all his might to shatter it.
Nothing happened.
Overwhelmed with disbelief, Zain's eyes immediately turned back to normal. He stared at his hand, unable to believe that he had not been able to do anything.
Although he was surprised, and he was curious as to exactly how high the boy's need would carry him, Kaatz decided to put an end to it. "While that was impressive, Zain, your efforts to heal Sasha are futile. You can't heal her, because there is nothing wrong with her; she is simply surrounded by a barrier. Still, I must say I am impressed; I've never seen anyone develop an Omega-level ability so... quickly."
Zain fell to his knees, unable to do anything more.
Getting over her shock at seeing Zain release such an incredible level of power, Karen turned back to Kaatz. "I don't know what Zain just did," she said, "but I can see right now that the only way to get that barrier off of Sasha is to force you to take it off." She clenched her hands into fists, ready to fight.
"Your assumption would be correct," said Kaatz with a smirk. "So, let's stop talking and get down to business."

Karen began by concentrating, gathering all of her mental energy for the battle. She had practiced her PSI all of her life, and now it was time to test it out to its full potential.
Kaatz stood with his arms behind his back, allowing her to make the first move. That was fine with Karen.
She spread the fingers of both hands at Kaatz, ready to strike. "Let's see if you can dodge this! PSI Fire Beta!"
A rather large burst of fire spread out from her fingertips and struck the entire area where Kaatz was standing. As she had suspected, he was no longer standing there. The fire did, however, ignite the hotel lobby and set it aflame.
Kaatz was now standing just out of the fire's range. "Starmen!" he ordered. "Put out the fire, so that this building doesn't burn down around us!"
The Starmen immediately followed his command, spraying some kind of fire extinguisher from their arms and using PSI Freeze to snuff out the flames.
Kaatz raised his left index finger once more. "Now, try MY fire."
He drew a capital I in the air. "Inferno Pseal!"
The pseal flew out at Karen, but she was ready for it. She threw herself out of the way, and the pseal collided with a Starman Elite. Immediately, the robot exploded in a giant burst of flame; still following Kaatz's orders, the remaining Starmen hurried to put out the new fire.
Karen attacked again, not hesitating at all. "Try this one, then!" she cried, extending a finger at Kaatz and using more of her concentrated energy. "PSI Beam Beta!"
A large beam burst forth from her finger and headed straight for Kaatz. Kaatz was suddenly standing to the right of his previous position, and the beam simply traveled through the air, shattering a lamp over on the far wall.
The sight suddenly reminded Karen of Neil, and she remembered what had happened the last time she had broken a lamp. She hung her head, overcome by sadness.
"You're going to have to try harder than that," Kaatz sneered. "Or is that all you're capable of?"
Karen looked up at him furiously. Fighting to contain her anger, she concentrated and gathered more energy, preparing to strike again.
Kaatz yawned. "This is getting dull," he said. Covering his yawn with his right hand, he drew a pseal with his left. "Frozen Pseal."
This time Karen had anticipated his attack. She crossed her arms and used her power. "PSI Shield Alpha!"
The psychic shield surrounded her just as the pseal fired. She saw the pseal strike the shield and burst in an explosion of frost. To her dismay, her psychic shield winked out; the force of the pseal was all it could take.
"Pseals are a little different from conventional PSI," Kaatz explained. "They're stronger, and not dealt with easily. A psychic shield will block one, but only one."
Karen began to feel a little afraid as she truly began to understand Kaatz's level of power. His level was far beyond hers. She was attacking with everything she had, while Kaatz was barely exerting any effort at all.
She fought the fear, concentrating her power again. I won't go down without a fight! she thought fiercely.
Karen raised her hand again. "PSI Thunder Beta!" Two bolts of lightning manifested and struck at the enemy's area.
Kaatz smirked as he nonchalantly dodged the first bolt... And his smirk transformed into a gape of surprise as he was struck by the second bolt.
Surprised that she had actually hit him, Karen watched in amazement as electricity streaked throughout Kaatz's body, and he doubled over in pain. He fell to the ground as the electricity finally faded.
Karen's face adopted a smirk of her own. "That was for Guy," she said.
Slowly, Kaatz got back to his feet; Karen noticed that he moved a little more stiffly than normal. When he looked up at her, she saw with surprise that his red robot eye had gone out, leaving what eerily resembled a black hole. Moreover, his artificial right hand was immobilized, unable to move at all. Karen realized that Kaatz's entire right arm was artificial, as his whole arm was stiff and immobile.
"Well done, girl," Kaatz said, his speech sounding slightly slurred. "I honestly wasn't expecting you to actually hit me. It looks like my bio-cybernetic implants have shorted out."
He grinned somewhat. "As you can see, I have a bit of a vulnerability to electricity. With my implants offline, I can only function at about 60% of my potential. I commend you for actually harming me."
Karen raised her hand to attack again, but then she thought better of it. "Where is Neil?" she asked.
"You mean that kid, the one Mister P brought in?" said Kaatz. "I don't know; you'd have to ask Mister P."
Karen glared at him. "I intend to, the next time I meet him."
At this, Kaatz laughed. "I'm afraid that the next time you meet him, you won't be in a position to ask him anything," he said. "Have you forgotten that I'm going to capture you and bring you to Master Giaguo?"
Her eyes narrowed. "I'm afraid that you're 'not in a position' to do THAT," she retorted.
Kaatz laughed even harder, almost bursting with mirth. "You severely overestimate the damage you've caused me, girl," he said. "While I can only function at 60% of my full potential without my implants, that's still more than enough to handle you. Besides..." He smiled evilly as his right eye began to glow red again, and he flexed his right hand experimentally, finding it to be in perfect working order.
"No!" Karen cried.
"Stopping your attack was your greatest mistake, girl," Kaatz said. "Our little chat gave my implants enough time to reset themselves and return to normal working order. And now, as I told your friend before, you have to be prepared to accept the consequences of your actions." He raised his left index finger yet again.
Karen had to do something, but most of her gathered energy had faded when she stopped concentrating. There was only one thing she had enough power for...
She folded her hands and used it. "PSI Flash Alpha!"
The blinding flash startled Kaatz, and he covered his left eye with his left hand, unable to see. The pseal that he had been in the process of drawing faded away, incomplete.
It worked! Karen thought, elated.
She had to take advantage of the situation. She moved behind Kaatz, concentrating, preparing to use PSI Thunder Beta again.
To her astonishment, Kaatz whirled around and grabbed her by the throat with his right hand. Her concentration broken, what little mental energy she had left soon faded.
She grabbed Kaatz's hand, trying to pry it loose, but the cold metal wrapped around her throat would not budge; on the other hand, his fingers closed a little more, constricting her throat and making it harder to breathe.
"How... How... did you... see me...?"
Karen asked, choking.
"Your tactic to blind me was successful," Kaatz told her. "However, you forgot to take into account that I have an optical sensor for a right eye. It can see quite easily, no matter what the light conditions are."
His metal fingers closed even tighter, and Karen couldn't breathe. Kaatz bared his teeth angrily at her. "I don't like it when my remaining human parts are harmed," he told her, pointing to his left eye with his left hand. "As useful as my bio-cybernetic implants are, I would rather not have to add more of them to my body."
Spots swam before Karen's eyes. She was suffocating.
"I'm sure that Master Giaguo wouldn't mind TOO much if, instead of capturing you, I simply killed you instead," said Kaatz, and the cold intent in his left eye insinuated that that was exactly what he was going to do.
A tear rolled down Karen's cheek as she began to lose consciousness. Neil... she thought sadly.
Then another voice rang out. "Release her."
Kaatz turned to look at the source of the voice. Zain stood facing him, his hand outstretched, his eyes once again covered by the red veil of anger.
"You wanted to fight me," Zain said, his words sharp with fury. "So release her, and fight me!"
Kaatz smiled. "That I did." He shoved Karen over to the far wall where Sasha was being held, and she collapsed to the floor, unconscious; her neck was bruised from Kaatz's literal iron grip.
Zain's eyes narrowed. "Apparently, I can't free Sasha from that barrier you put on her," he said. "So, you're going to take it off of her. I'm going to make you!"
"We'll see," said Kaatz. "I will enjoy testing the limits of your power, Zain."

Kaatz stood before Zain, letting his arms fall to his sides. "Attack me with everything you have, Zain," he said.
Caught up in the storm of his own rage, Zain was only too happy to oblige. He thrust his hand forward, sending his power flying forth. "PSI Hyperion Alpha!"
His attack was larger than normal; it completely devastated the hotel lobby. Many of Kaatz's Starmen were caught in the attack and blown to bits.
Now standing slightly to the left of the blast zone, Kaatz nodded approvingly. "Well done," he said. "My Starman Elite models are much stronger than the so-called 'Final' version that the Giygas used 30 years ago. Your PSI potential must be phenomenal if you can simply eradicate them like that."
"You're next," Zain stated, feeling his power gather about him again. Energy began to crackle around his body, and the now-familiar wind began to swirl about him.
Kaatz nodded. "Try again, then."
"PSI Hyperion Alpha!" Zain shouted. The solar attack burst forth from him again, and sped toward Kaatz even faster than before. Kaatz's expression changed to one of surprise just before he seemed to vanish and reappear somewhere else, evading again.
"That was close," Kaatz said. "You actually almost hit me that time. If you had, I don't even know if I would have been able to shrug THAT off."
He smiled at Zain. "You are really something, kid," he said. "You're nothing like these other people you've been traveling with."
Zain responded only by gathering his power again, feeling his intense anger toward Kaatz.
Kaatz took a better look at Zain. "Do you even know why you're different?" he asked.
Zain's hand lowered slightly, and the swirling energy aura about him became distorted. "What... What do you mean?"
"You don't know, do you?" Kaatz asserted triumphantly. "You have no idea of the kind of power you're capable of. You simply use it without thinking."
The youth's blank, confused expression was all Kaatz needed. He stepped toward Zain. "Your PSI gift is different from others, Zain," he said. "Tell me: have you ever once had to concentrate to bring this power forth?"
Zain thought about it. Sasha had told him that a person had to concentrate to use PSI, but... "No," he answered. "Now that I think about it... I've never had to."
"So, how do you use it, then?" Kaatz asked, almost like a scientist inspecting some rare once-in-a-lifetime find.
"I... I use it when I want to," Zain replied. "And sometimes... When I NEED to."
"Exactly," Kaatz agreed. "The source of your power, Zain, does not come from concentrated mental energy, like it does for most beings..." He paused. "Tell me, Zain... What are you feeling right now?"
Zain had no trouble answering him. "Anger," he replied; his eyes glowed even redder as he said it.
"And a lot of it, it looks like," Kaatz added. "Normally, beings with PSI try not to feel such intense emotions when they call upon their power, because the emotion interferes with their concentration. But you're different, Zain; YOUR gift is fueled by your emotions. You're an empathic psychic."
"A what?" Zain asked, confused.
"An empathic psychic," Kaatz repeated. "One whose PSI is powered by the force of his emotion. In all my years, I have never met one before, though I have heard tales about them."
He sighed and stepped forward. "It's a shame that such a rare person has to be destroyed."
At the mention of Kaatz's intent, Zain raised his hand again. "You'll do no such thing!" Zain shouted. "PSI Hyperion Alpha!"
Kaatz hadn't expected such a sudden outburst. He barely evaded the attack, and watched more of his Starmen explode under the force of Zain's energy.
Although it was his duty to kill Zain, Kaatz couldn't help being intrigued by the awesome power that the youth was exhibiting. Any normal person would be phenomenally drained by such a large energy expenditure, but Zain was showing barely any strain, if any at all.
Kaatz decided to see how far Zain could go. "You know," he said, "Master Giaguo has been waiting to see that girl for some time." He pointed to Sasha, who was still immobilized.
Zain's eyes narrowed, and the red fire in them burned even brighter. Kaatz smiled; he was definitely getting somewhere. "If you only knew of what the master had in mind for her..." He ended this comment with a deliberately sinister laugh.
That did it. "I'LL RIP YOU APART!" Zain screamed. In addition to the red in his eyes, the mostly-invisible aura surrounding him began to glow red as well, as he bared his teeth at the enemy. Zain wasn't even thinking consciously anymore; his anger had completely taken over.
For the first time in the entire encounter, Kaatz felt afraid. What had he unleashed?
Berating himself for his foolishness, Kaatz knew that he had to stop this now before things got out of hand. If he provoked Zain anymore, it was possible that the boy might actually surpass Kaatz's level.
Quickly, Kaatz drew a pseal in the air with his left hand. "Frozen Pseal!" With a flick of his wrist, he sent it shooting off at Zain, hoping to freeze the boy in his tracks.
What happened next made Kaatz's jaw drop. Zain caught the pseal out of the air and threw it back at him.
Kaatz was so dumbfounded by this that he did nothing to evade it. His own pseal hit him squarely on the chest and erupted in a blast of ice, knocking him to the floor. In all his life, no one had ever managed to deflect one of Kaatz's pseals in such a manner. The feat suggested that Zain might actually be capable of mastering the art of pseals himself...
His thought was interrupted as Zain aimed his outstretched hand at him. "NOW DIE!" Zain screamed.
Kaatz had to do something. Hastily he drew another pseal in the air, this time for himself. "Psychoprotection Pseal!"
It was not a moment too soon. Zain released all of his anger, letting it erupt forth. "PSI HYPERION BETA!"
A giant blast of solar energy, much larger than anything Zain had ever done before, burst from his hand like a cannon. It struck Kaatz full on, erupting in a blinding explosion of sunlight.

Kaatz's optical sensor was still working. He seemed to still be alive. However, its scan showed that his Psychoprotection Pseal had been eradicated.
He looked around quickly and noticed, to his surprise, that he was lying in a crater. Around him, the floor of the hotel had caved in.
Quickly, he got up and assessed the damage that had been done to him. His trenchcoat was scorched, but other than that, he seemed to be fine. The pseal had protected him from Zain's assault.
He got out of the crater and faced Zain. The boy was standing where he had been before, looking at his hand. The aura of fury was gone from him, and his eyes had lost much of their red hue. So, Kaatz thought, starting to feel confident again, he expended almost all of his anger in that last attack. He's vulnerable now; I have to strike before he can become angry again. He began to concentrate, gathering his mental energy.
As Kaatz approached him, Zain looked up, and his eyes widened in disbelief... But only for a moment. His eyes narrowed and began to become red again; there was still some anger left in him.
Kaatz refrained from using a pseal this time; Zain had already showed that he could probably deflect it. Instead, Kaatz fell back on conventional PSI, something that he rarely did.
He struck immediately, not giving Zain any chance to react, with an attack that he reserved only for the toughest of foes. "PSI Starstorm Omega!"
The awesome star attack crashed into Zain, sending him flying into the far wall. The lenses in Zain's goggles shattered under the force of the energy.
Kaatz smiled, pleased with himself. He had not used that attack in a long time; it was good to know that it still retained its potency.
He looked over at Zain, to inspect whatever remained of the chosen leader. To his surprise, Zain was slumped against the wall, completely in one piece. The boy opened his green eyes and stared up at him.
"I have won," said Kaatz. "And now, I will carry out Master Giaguo's order, and eliminate you. I have to admit, though... You did a lot better than I thought you would. I am truly impressed." He raised his left index finger, to draw a pseal.
Zain closed his eyes. "If you're going to kill me, then do it," he said. "But please, let Sasha go. Please don't take her back to your Master Giaguo."
Caught off guard, Kaatz lowered his finger. Instead of pleading for his life, Zain was pleading for the life and freedom of Target Priority One. Kaatz had not expected this.
"Please," Zain repeated. "She doesn't deserve whatever your master's going to do to her. Please, let her go."
Faced with such selflessness, something within Kaatz, a part of him that he had thought long dead, wanted to actually do what Zain asked. But he could not. "I cannot," he told him. "I will not disobey Master Giaguo. His orders must be carried out."
Zain lowered his head, knowing that he had failed. Kaatz put aside his doubts and raised his finger again. It was time to carry out Master Giaguo's orders.
Then, suddenly, a voice called out from behind him. "Stop," it ordered.
Kaatz halted, surprised. Who could it be this time?
He slowly turned around, to see who was interfering with him this time. His jaw dropped in complete and utter astonishment.

Before him stood a young boy, about 12 years old at the most. He had black hair and black eyes.
It was the boy's garb that surprised Kaatz so much. He was dressed in a regal cloak, diadem, and bracer... Items that Kaatz had seen before, many years ago.
From where he lay slumped against the wall, Zain looked at the newcomer... And he was suddenly struck by the now-familiar sense of deja vu.
"Who are you?" Kaatz demanded. "Where did you get those items?"
The boy reached inside his cloak and surprised Kaatz even further by drawing forth a sword. "I am Kato, Crown Prince of Dalaam and member of the Chosen Eight," he stated.
Zain's eyes widened; this newcomer already knew that he was part of the Chosen Eight!
"Let them go," Kato ordered. "Or I will destroy you with the Sword of Kings."
Kaatz continued to stare in disbelief. It can't be! he thought. The royal line of Dalaam was broken!
Yet here this boy stood, challenging him. He could not be lying; his features almost exactly resembled those of another person, one whom Kaatz knew all too well...
Finally, Kaatz made his decision. "I will leave, this time... Kato," he said. "But you can be assured that I will be back. And when I do, there will be no mercy."
He turned to Zain, who looked up at him. "It appears that today is not your day to die, Zain," he said. "And I'll leave the girl with you for now. But know this: you and I will meet again. And when we do, you are finished."
Kaatz walked over to his remaining Starman Elite models, of which there were about four. "Call a transport," he ordered them. "We're leaving."
"But Lord Kaatz," said one of the Starmen, "you have not carried out your orders from Master Giaguo."
"I will take responsibility," said Kaatz. "Now do as I say!"
"As you wish, Lord Kaatz." The Starman Elite procured a communicator and called a ship. After a moment, Kaatz and the four Starmen vanished in a flash of light.

Kato ran over to Zain. "Are you injured badly?" he asked.
Zain slowly got to his feet. "I think I'll be okay... Kato," he said. "Thanks for helping us."
"You are welcome," Kato replied. "As a member of the Chosen Eight, it is my task to assist you."
Zain scratched his head. "How do you already know about that, anyway?" he asked. "I don't get it."
"I will explain later," said Kato. "For now, we should give aid to those who are injured."
Zain nodded. "Right. Can you use your PSI to heal?"
"Yes," answered Kato.
"Okay then," said Zain. He pointed at Samuel Maybee's body. "You go over there and bring him around, while I tend to Guy and Karen."
"As you wish." Kato ran over to carry out Zain's request.
Zain walked over to Karen and placed his hand on her bruised throat. He had to help her; his eyes turned blue as he summoned his power. "Lifeup Beta," he said softly.
The bruises on her throat disappeared, and Karen opened her eyes. "...Zain...?"
"Karen, are you okay?" asked Zain.
"I... I think so," Karen replied.
"Good. I'll go and heal Guy." Zain moved over to Guy's body and used his power to heal him as well.
Guy slowly woke up. "Where... Where am I?" he asked.
"You're back with us," Zain replied.
"Oh... I am glad," said Guy. "When Kaatz attacked me, I was certain that I was going to die."
"Well, thankfully you didn't," said Zain. "We need you, you know. You're our friend." He held out his hand to help Guy up.
Guy smiled, and took Zain's hand, allowing himself to be pulled up. "Thank you, Zain."

Soon Karen, Guy, and Samuel were back to normal. "Who's he?" asked Karen, gesturing at Kato. "And where did Kaatz go?"
"I'll explain everything later," Zain promised. "But first, something else has to be done."
He turned to Sasha, who was still imprisoned by Kaatz's Binding Pseal. "I have to free her somehow," Zain stated.
"But you couldn't heal her," Karen reminded him. "You tried everything, and it didn't work."
Samuel laid his hand on Sasha, unable to touch her because of the barrier. "My daughter, trapped like this... Is there anything that can be done?" he asked.
"I don't know," Zain replied. "All I know is that I have to free her somehow."
"But how?" asked Karen. "You already tried to heal her."
"I don't intend to heal her," said Zain. "I want to free her."
He laid his hand on the actual pseal itself, a small letter b. Healing doesn't work, he thought. But there must be SOME way to break this pseal. I have to do it!
His eyes turned blue, and he called upon his power. Strangely enough, the pseal felt like Kaatz, almost as if he were still there.
Zain focused his power. I have to free her! he thought. I have to break that pseal! I have to free Sasha! I NEED to free Sasha!
Suddenly there was a snap, and the pseal shattered. The barrier around Sasha faded away, and she blinked. "What... What happened to me?" she asked, confused.
Then she saw Zain, smiling at her, as his eyes faded from blue to green. Sasha was suddenly filled with a strong urge to throw her arms around him... So she did.

"We have to get out of here," said Sasha's father. "If we stay in this building, Kaatz could come back and find us at any time."
Zain nodded in agreement. "I still don't know why Kaatz left and let us go, but we have to take advantage of the situation," he said. "Let's find a safer place to talk, and then I'll explain everything that happened while you all were unconscious." As he said this, he gave a slight nod to Kato, who was presently silent.
"Let's go, then," said Samuel. "I have a place in mind for us to go to. I'll go and get the company car."
As Sasha's father went to get the car, Zain looked at each of his friends, certain that they were thinking the same thing that he was. There might be five of them now, but that did not make them feel much better, now that they had all gotten their first true taste of what they were up against.

To be continued...