"I wonder if we can really even find Lode Spire...?" Zain mused. "We don't even know what to look for."
He and Sasha were walking down one of the many streets of Quattro City, in the southern part of the western district. They were looking hard and inspecting everything that seemed out of the ordinary, but so far they had not found anything.
Sasha smiled, trying to keep up a good mood. "It's too bad Dad couldn't give us better directions."
Zain shrugged. "Or at least, he could have given us the names of the people he got his information from. Maybe they could have been able to help us." He thought for a moment. "In fact, when we meet up with Guy, Karen, and Kato later, we should call and ask him about that."
"That sounds like a good idea," agreed Sasha.
Zain looked away, and Sasha turned to face him. "...There's something else, isn't there?" she said.
He turned back. "You know, you're starting to be able to read me like an open book."
Her smile widened. "Well, you're a really bad liar, and you're no good at hiding things." She stopped walking. "So what's the matter?"
Zain stopped as well, and turned completely to face her. He pointed at his goggles. "Notice anything?"
Sasha clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward, pretending to scrutinize them. "Not really."
Zain blinked. "What do you mean? The lenses are fixed!"
"Oh, that," replied Sasha. "I guess they ARE fixed."
"They were broken last night, and when I woke up this morning, they were repaired," said Zain. "I don't understand what happened; broken lenses don't fix themselves."
He looked away, scratching his head. "Someone must have gotten inside my room and messed with them while I was asleep..." he mused. "But who...? And why would they...?"
Sasha looked at the ground. "...It... It was me," she responded.
Zain looked at her. "You?"
She nodded, still not looking at him. "You forgot to lock your hotel room last night," she told him. "I wasn't very tired, because yesterday I didn't really do anything during the fights. So last night, I snuck into your room and took your goggles."
Zain stared, awaiting further explanation.
"There's a shop not far from the hotel," Sasha continued. "It deals in all kinds of antique things. The owner also has a hobby of fixing antiques." She paused, and then continued. "The shop opened early this morning, and I took your goggles there. I asked the owner to fix them, and he did."
Zain took his goggles off and looked at them. "You had them repaired, Sasha?"
She nodded, still not looking at him. "I... I wanted to do something nice for you," she explained. "I know how much your father's goggles mean to you, and I saw how sad you were when they were broken. I'm sorry I came into your room and stole them. I... I wanted to make you happy."
Zain smiled. She had done all that for him... The sheer thoughtfulness of what she had done touched him.
He stepped forward and hugged her. "Don't apologize," he said. "Thank you for doing that for me. I really appreciate it."
Sasha smiled and returned his embrace. "You're welcome, Zain," she said. "I'm just glad I was able to help you."
"You didn't have to do that just to make me happy, though," said Zain. "It makes me happy just to be with you."
She looked into his green eyes. "Zain..."
Suddenly the Receiver Phone went off, from where it was stored in Zain's backpack. Zain took off his backpack and dug the phone out. "I wonder who's calling?" he asked. "It's probably your dad again, Sasha."
He pressed the black button to receive the call and and brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hello, Zain, it's Jeff," replied the voice on the other end.

"Jeff!" Zain exclaimed. "It's good to hear from you again! You haven't called in days!"
"Sorry about that," Jeff apologized. "I've been busy in the lab, and I kind of lost track of the time lately. But you know, you could have called me, too."
"I know," said Zain. "I guess I kind of lost track of things too. A lot's happened since you called last."
"That's why I called now," explained Jeff. "How have things been going for you?"
"We've visited two of the Sanctuaries," Zain told him. "Lumina Pillar and the Tranquil Zone. Right now, we're in Quattro City looking for the third Sanctuary, Lode Spire."
Jeff paused. "Two Sanctuaries? That's great news! I had no idea you've made so much progress!"
Zain smiled. "Yeah, we found them. Also, I've met four other members of the Chosen Eight."
"Four others?" Jeff repeated. "That's wonderful! Who are they?"
"Well, there's Sasha, who was with me last time you called," Zain answered. "And there's Kato, who's the son of Emperor Poo of Dalaam--"
Jeff interrupted him. "Poo's son? You're saying Poo's son is one of the Chosen Eight?" He sounded as if he couldn't believe it.
"Yeah," Zain confirmed. "There's also a girl named Karen, and Guy Orangere."
Jeff didn't speak for a moment. When he finally spoke again, he sounded as if he were in a daze. "Who did you say the last one was, Zain...?"
Zain blinked. "Guy Orangere," he repeated. "He's the son of--"
Jeff interrupted him again. "Zain, I'll call you right back. I need a minute."
Zain frowned, wondering what was going on. "Well, sure, if you need to do something," said Zain.
"Thanks. I'll call right back after a couple of minutes." Jeff hung up, leaving Zain staring at the Receiver Phone in confusion.

* * *

At the Andonuts lab in Winters, Jeff turned away from the phone, still dazed by what Zain had told him.
He looked over at the other side of the room, where Apple Man and his daughter were working on the scanning equipment. Soon the repairs would be finished, and then they would be able to search for Deckard's friend, and for the other Sanctuaries.
Jeff looked at Kyla, who was too busy making adjustments on a circuit to notice him. He had just learned that her long-lost friend was actually a member of the Chosen Eight. Destiny certainly works in mysterious ways, he thought to himself.
As he looked at her, he knew what he had to do. Kyla wanted more than anything to see Guy again... And Jeff was going to make that happen.
He walked over to her; she looked up as he approached. "How was Zain doing, Jeff?" she asked.
"He's doing very well," Jeff replied. "He's already found two Sanctuaries."
Kyla smiled. "Really? That's wonderful news!"
Jeff nodded in agreement. "It certainly is," he said.
He stood there for a moment, thinking. "I'm going to visit him in Quattro City later," he said. "I want to meet the other members of the Chosen Eight he's with. Would you like to come along?"
"I'd love to," Kyla replied. "I'd like to meet the people who are supposed to save our world."
Jeff grinned, running a hand through his blond hair, which was beginning to go grey. You'll be meeting more than just the saviors of the world, Kyla... he thought to himself.
Kyla's father looked up. "I think I'd better meet them too," he remarked. "I've been doing things to help them for so long, it wouldn't be right if I never even met them."
"Right," Jeff agreed. "I was going to ask you to come anyway, Apple Man."
A voice rang out from across the room. "I'd like to meet them too."
They looked over at Deckard, who was leaning against the far wall. "From what you've told me," continued Deckard, "this Zain, and his friends, are fighting for everyone in the world, and everyone who's been abducted by the aliens... People like Lexa. I want to meet them, and help them if I can."
Jeff smiled; during Deckard's stay at the lab, he had grown to like the young man. "Of course," he replied. "There's room for four in the Phase Distorter III."

* * *

"I wonder what he's doing?" Zain pondered, sitting on a bench in Quattro City.
Sasha was sitting next to him. "Maybe he had to find something," she suggested.
Zain looked at her. "He started acting strange when I mentioned Guy's name," he said. "Jeff knows Guy... But how?"
Suddenly the phone rang again. Zain answered it. "Hello...?"
"I'm back," Jeff announced. "Apple Man and I have decided to pay you and the others a visit."
Zain blinked. "You're coming here?"
"That's right," confirmed Jeff. "We want to meet the other members of the Chosen Eight."
"Oh," said Zain. "Well, there's only me and Sasha here at the moment. We split up to look for Lode Spire. Guy, Karen, and Kato are elsewhere in town."
Jeff paused for a moment. "I see. When are you meeting up?"
Zain checked his watch. "At 9:00 tonight, Jeff. We're meeting back at the hotel we're staying at."
"That should work out fine," said Jeff. "In fact, that should give us time to finish our work on our scanning equipment. If we can use that equipment, we may be able to help you find the Sanctuaries."
Zain perked up upon hearing this. "You think so? That would be great!"
"Okay then," said Jeff. "Shortly after 9:00, I'll home in on the signal in your Receiver Phone, and travel over to you in the Phase Distorter III."
"I understand," Zain responded. "We'll see you then."

* * *

"I liked it better when the Sanctuaries were out in the middle of the forest," Karen remarked.
Guy smiled. "The directions to reach the Tranquil Zone WERE rather straightforward," he agreed.
Karen nodded. "What really gets me," she continued, "is that the entrance to Lode Spire could be anywhere in this city! We could have passed it up an hour ago, and we would never even know it. How can we search if we don't even know exactly what we're searching for?"
"I do not know," admitted Guy. "But I do know that it is not Mr. Maybee's fault. If he had more information about Lode Spire, he would have given it to us."
With a sigh, Karen sat down on the curb, watching the cars drive past. "I know, Guy..." she said. "That's not what I meant. I like Sasha's father; he's a really nice person. Kind of what I like to imagine MY father is like..."
Guy didn't know what to say. He and Karen had opposite points of view on this subject; Karen wanted to know her father, while Guy wished that he DIDN'T know his.
He sat down next to her, and tried to bring the conversation back to the matter at hand. "Perhaps you could try using your telepathy," he suggested. "If you could read the minds of others, it is possible that we might find some more information."
Karen shook her head. "I won't do it," she said. "Believe me, I want to, but the moment I start using it again, THEY'LL find us."
Guy nodded; the last thing he wanted to do right now was encounter Kaatz or Mister P again. "You may be right."
She turned and faced him. "I really wish I could use that telepathy, though," she said. "Ever since I discovered it, it feels... wrong not to use it."
Her black eyes adopted a far-away look. "Powers like these are meant to be used," she continued. "It isn't right to have to shut them away, and pretend they're not there." Karen looked away from Guy. "I... I guess you probably can't understand that, Guy."
Guy flinched inwardly. There it was again, constantly showing up no matter how much he tried to ignore it. He was the only member of the group who did not have any special powers, no PSI at all. He knew that what she said was true; because he was a "normal person," Guy would never be able to truly relate to Karen.
He closed his eyes. "No," he said softly. "I suppose that I cannot."
Seeing what she had done to him, Karen looked down. "Guy, I'm sorry," she said. "That was a terrible thing for me to say."
Guy shrugged. "It is true," he replied. "Having no PSI abilities myself, it is impossible for me to fully understand your situation."
That didn't make Karen feel any better. "Let's talk about something else," she proposed, standing up. "Did you put your weapons back together last night?"
Guy stood up as well. "I did," he said, drawing the reassembled Equalizer pistol out of his pocket as proof. "I was also able to complete a new weapon that I had been working on for some time."
Taking several parts from his pack, Guy fit them together, producing a large bazooka-like gun. "I completed this last night," Guy explained proudly.
Karen stared at it. "What does it do?" she asked.
In response, Guy held up a small capsule-like object, about the size of his fist. "It fires these rounds, which I specially designed myself," he said. "Inside each capsule is an incendiary mixture, created from various chemicals that I found at the Orange Enterprises base. The heat produced upon impact is great enough to melt steel."
Karen looked over his weapon, very impressed. "That's really amazing, Guy," she said with complete sincerity. "I don't know how you make these things."
Guy shrugged, resting the barrel of the gun on his shoulder. "Before I met you, and Zain and Sasha, it was just a hobby of mine," he said. "Now these weapons actually have a practical use."
He adjusted his glasses and looked at the gun. "There is one thing, though," he admitted. "I have not named this weapon yet. I name all of my projects upon completion."
"Oh," said Karen. "Don't you have any good ideas for it?"
"Some," Guy replied. He looked at her. "However, I decided last night that I would let you name it instead."
Karen blinked. "Me? But why?"
"You are my good friend, Karen," Guy answered. "I want you to name it."
His warm gesture of friendship made Karen smile. "Are... Are you sure?" she asked. "You're the one who built it."
"I am certain," confirmed Guy. He held out the weapon. "Please, give it a name."
Karen looked at it, and nodded. "Okay... How about..." She thought on it for a moment, and then nodded again. "The Righteous Cannon. It burns our foes with the power of its righteous anger."
Guy smiled. "Righteous Cannon it is, then, Karen." He cradled it in his arm. "Now, let us continue our search for Lode Spire."

About an hour later, they stopped again.
"This is getting hopeless," said Karen, sighing in frustration.
She folded her arms, becoming angry with herself. "If I can't even find a Sanctuary in a city, how am I supposed to find Neil?" she asked.
"Do not berate yourself," said Guy. "Our inability to locate Lode Spire is not your fault."
Karen turned to look at him. "But what are we supposed to do? If we don't find it, we might as well give up now!"
"Our search is not over yet," Guy reminded her. "Besides, Zain, Sasha, or Kato may have found it already..."
He trailed off, staring at something nearby. Karen turned to see what he was looking at.
Between two buildings was a narrow alley. Despite the fact that there was still daylight outside, the alley was very dark and almost ominous-looking. It was too narrow for a car, only wide enough for three average-sized people to walk side by side.
As Karen saw the alley, she felt something brush at the back of her mind... Almost as if something was calling to them.
Guy turned to her. "Karen, did you feel that?" he asked.
Karen broke her gaze from the alley and stared at Guy in surprise. "You mean, you felt it too?" she said. "But you don't have PSI."
Guy shrugged. "I do not understand how I felt it, but there is something strange about this alley. We should investigate it."
Karen nodded in agreement. "Absolutely."

The alley was even darker once they were in it. It was not very well taken care of; trash littered the ground, and moss grew on the walls of the buildings on either side. Weeds sprouted through cracks in the pavement.
"Do you suppose that this could be Lode Spire?" Guy asked as they walked. "There is certainly something out of the ordinary here."
"I don't know," Karen replied. "If it IS Lode Spire, we can't go there yet. Zain has the Sound Stone, and besides..." She recalled the ferocious beast they had fought at the Tranquil Zone. "It could be guarded, like the Tranquil Zone was. If it is, then it's going to take more than just the two of us to reach it."
"I agree," said Guy. "However, we should investigate this place as far as we can before we turn back. This may not be Lode Spire, after all."
Karen nodded. "We'll keep going for a while, and see if we can find out for sure--"
She was interrupted by a shrill squeak from behind. Karen and Guy whirled around to see the source of the sound.
A large rat stood there, blocking their exit from the alley. As they watched, four more rats appeared and joined the first, forming a line.
Guy looked at the rats, and noticed the red glint in their eyes. He suddenly felt afraid. "They... They are Madness creatures!" he cried.
Karen saw the Madness in their eyes as well. She felt more grateful than ever that she had blocked her telepathy; if she hadn't, she would surely be overpowered by the rats' insatiable urge to kill.
Suddenly there was another squeak behind them, in the direction that they had originally been going in. Guy and Karen turned to look; ten more rats had appeared, each one of them with the Madness in its eyes.
"We're surrounded," said Karen, becoming fearful; this was only the second time she had faced Madness creatures, and this time they were missing some members of their group. "What are we going to do?"
Pushing aside his fear, Guy readied his new weapon. "We will have to fight our way out, of course," he replied, loading the cannon with one of his strange ammo capsules. "I will attack the larger group of rats. You attack the smaller group with your PSI."
Karen nodded. Attempting to ignore her fear, she tried to concentrate, focusing her psychic power. Turning around, she pressed her back to Guy's, ensuring that neither of them would be attacked from behind.
Guy lifted the Righteous Cannon to his shoulder and took aim. "Ready, Karen?" he asked.
"I'm ready," Karen replied.
The rats began to advance on them.
"Now!" Guy shouted, pulling the trigger. At the same time, Karen released a PSI Fire Beta attack.
The effect of Guy's new weapon on the rats was catastrophic. Blasted by the intense heat explosion of the Righteous Cannon, rats were sent flying in all directions.
Karen's fire attack had a similar effect. The psychic flames that burst from her fingertips smashed into the other rats, obliterating them.
After the smoke cleared, Karen and Guy inspected the results of their respective attacks. Karen's fire had scorched everything around her targets; the moss on the walls and the weeds growing out of the pavement had been burned away. The shot from Guy's Righteous Cannon had melted the pavement around his targets, along with part of the surrounding walls, which had buckled in a little.
Not a single rat remained. The scent of burned fur hung in the air.
Karen turned around to see how Guy was doing, and she saw the effect of his weapon. "Wow, Guy!" she cried upon seeing the melted area. "That's a really powerful gun!"
Guy nodded, smiling. "It would appear that the name you gave to this weapon was an aptly chosen one," he said, holding it up triumphantly. "Righteous anger indeed."
"How many shots do you have with that?" Karen inquired.
"I made five of the ammunition capsules," Guy answered. "Now that I have fired one, four remain. To make more, I shall need more of the chemicals that I used."
Karen took this in. "Maybe you should use your Equalizer pistol for now, then," she suggested, "and save the rest of your ammo for an emergency."
"That is a good idea," agreed Guy.

Some distance further, they found the end of the alley. It ended in an open manhole cover, leading into the depths.
"Where does that lead?" asked Karen. "The sewer?"
Guy walked up and peered into the hole. "No, it does not lead into the sewer," he replied. "This hole goes deeper than that. I cannot see the bottom from up here."
Karen looked up at the sky, which was beginning to darken. "Well, we don't have time to investigate this," she said. "We have to go back to the hotel and meet up with the others."
Guy turned back to her and nodded. "Yes. But I believe that we should return here with Zain and look into this more; there is something strange about this place."
She nodded in agreement. "Let's go back and tell him," she said. "I hope we don't run into any more rats on the way out of this alley."

* * *

At about 8:47 PM, Zain and Sasha returned to the hotel and sat down in the lobby, waiting for the others to arrive.
About 8 minutes later, Kato came back. "Welcome back, Kato," said Zain. "Did you find anything?"
Kato shook his head. "I searched everywhere I could in my allotted area," he replied, "but I found nothing. I even used PSI Form Change to sneak into restricted areas and search; I still found nothing. What about you?"
"We didn't find anything either," said Sasha. "We probably didn't look as thoroughly as you did, but everywhere we looked, we didn't find anything."
Kato shrugged. "I suppose it may take us more than one day to find this Sanctuary, then," he said.
Just then, Guy and Karen came back, both of them talking among themselves. "Hi, Guy and Karen!" said Sasha. "Did you find anything?"
Guy nodded. "We may have."
At this, Zain leaned forward in his chair. "Really? You found it?"
"We don't know if it's Lode Spire or not," Karen admitted. "We didn't really have enough time to look. But we found something out of the ordinary in the back of an alley; there's a manhole leading deep underground. Both Guy and I felt... attracted to it, for some reason."
Zain smiled. "Well, whether it's the Sanctuary or not, we'd better go and check it out tomorrow," he said.
Karen nodded. "We'll have to be careful, though," she warned. "There were creatures of the Madness in the alley; we were attacked."
Zain nodded back. "If that's the case, then we'll definitely have to be careful," he said. "But we should be okay. As long as we watch out for each other, we shouldn't run into too much trouble."
Karen smiled. "Right," she agreed.
Then Zain remembered what had happened earlier. "Oh, and while we were separated, Jeff Andonuts called me," he said. "He said he was coming here tonight, to see how much progress we've made, and to meet all of you."
Upon hearing this, Guy's eyes widened. "You mean to tell us, Jeff is coming here?" he asked.
"Yeah, he's coming here," Zain repeated. "In fact, he should be here any minute now--"
He was interrupted by a bright flash from outside the door. Everyone stood up and turned to look.
The door opened, and Jeff Andonuts entered the lobby. Zain hadn't seen him in a week; he looked a lot better now, having fully recovered from his wounds.
"Jeff!" Zain said warmly. "It's good to see you again." Guy stared at Jeff, wondering what to say to him; he hadn't seen Jeff in years.
Jeff smiled. "Same here," he said. "I brought a few others with me; I hope you don't mind."
The door opened again, and someone Zain had never seen before entered the room. The newcomer appeared to be older than Zain; he had disorderly black hair and dark eyes, and he was dressed in loose clothing and a jacket. He stood confidently and looked at all of them.
Zain stared at him. Who could this be? he wondered. Then their eyes met.
All of a sudden, Zain was struck with the now-familiar sense of deja vu... The sensation that told him he had met another member of the Chosen Eight.
Kato's eyes widened in recognition as he saw the other young man. He had seen this person before, four years ago, in his home country of Dalaam. "I know you," he said. "You're Deckard, the one that the old master took in and trained."
Deckard blinked. "Oh, yeah, I remember you, too," he said. "You're that Kato kid, who was training to be a bodyguard. You were a lot smaller, the last time I saw you."
Kato laughed warmly. "I'm a lot more than a bodyguard now," he said.
Deckard looked at Zain. "You must be Zain," he said. "I've heard a lot about you from Jeff. I came to offer you my help, if you'll have me."
Zain smiled. "That's great!" he exclaimed. "Because you're one of us."
At this, everyone turned to him, surprised. "What?" asked Jeff. "You mean Deckard is one of the Chosen Eight?"
Zain nodded. "Yes," he replied. "When I saw him, I felt the same feeling that I felt with Sasha, Guy, Karen, and Kato. He's definitely one of the Chosen Eight."
Jeff shook his head in disbelief. "This is a real coincidence..." he said. "I had one of the Chosen Eight under my roof, and I didn't even know it..."
Deckard stepped forward. "I don't fully understand this destiny thing," he admitted. "I'm not sure what it fully means to be one of these 'Chosen Eight' that Jeff and Apple Man told me about. But my sword is yours, Zain."
Standing off to the side, Guy finally found his voice. "Jeff, it... It has been a long time," he said.
Jeff turned to him. "Guy, it's really good to see you again," he said. "You've really grown up since the last time I saw you... Although you still talk the same way."
Guy nodded. "I have... I have been through much since I last saw you," he said. Working up his courage, he asked, "How... How has... How has Kyla been...?"
Jeff smiled. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"
Just then, the door opened again. Zain, Karen, Kato, and Sasha looked as a girl entered the lobby. She appeared to be about their age (not counting Kato), and she had bright red hair and leaf-green eyes. She dressed in a private school uniform. As Zain looked into her eyes, he was assaulted by the deja vu sensation yet again.
The girl smiled shyly as she looked at them. "H-Hello..." she said.
Guy saw her, and he stared in absolute disbelief. "K... K-Kyla...?" he stammered.
Hearing his voice, Kyla turned, and she saw him. Staring at him in shock, she was just as dumbfounded as he was. "G... Guy...?"
Then Guy knew that it was real. His long-lost friend, Kyla Quinn, was really there.
He had never felt so happy in his entire life. He felt as if his heart would burst from happiness.
"KYLA, IT'S YOU!!!" he cried, taking off at a sprint and rushing over to her.
Kyla smiled warmly at him, and ran to meet him. "Guy!"
Karen stared at Guy in utter disbelief. "He... He actually said 'it's...'"
When they met, Guy and Kyla threw their arms around each other. "Guy, I missed you so much..." said Kyla. "I never heard from you..."
"I attempted to write to you..." said Guy. "I never received any reply..."
Zain turned to Jeff and raised an eyebrow. "So this is why you came here," he said. "So that they could be together again."
Jeff nodded. "The moment you said Guy was with you, I knew I had to do it," he explained. "Friends should never be apart..."
Sasha nodded, smiling. "No, they shouldn't," she agreed. Almost without thinking, she reached out and took Zain's hand.
The door opened again, and Apple Man entered the hotel. Guy and Kyla didn't even notice.
Apple Man looked at them and smiled, and then he turned to Jeff. "So this was your plan," he said. "You could have told me what you were doing, you know."
"You probably would have told her if I'd let you in on it," Jeff shot back. "I didn't want to spoil the surprise."
"Well, it doesn't matter anyway," Apple Man admitted. "All that matters is that my daughter is happy. That's the most important thing; that's all I ever wanted for her."
Zain stepped forward uncomfortably. "You... You must be Apple Man," he said. "Jeff told me about you."
Apple Man nodded. "And you must be Zain," he said. "I'm glad to finally meet you." He smiled. "Now that I see you, you kind of remind me of Ness..."
"Well..." said Zain. He looked over at Kyla. "Is she... your daughter?" he asked.
"Yeah," Apple Man replied. "Is there something wrong?"
Zain swallowed, hoping that Apple Man wouldn't be angry with him for what he was about to say. "Well... She's one of the Chosen Eight, too."
Both Apple Man and Jeff stared at him in shock.
Meanwhile, Guy and Kyla were almost in their own world. "I'm so glad we're together again, Guy..." said Kyla. "I really missed you..."
"I swear that I will never leave you again, Kyla," Guy promised. "No matter what my father does, we will never be apart again."
Kyla smiled. "How... How did you end up here, anyway?" she asked.
"'Here' as in here in Hawkland, or 'here' as in here with Zain?" Guy asked.
"Both," Kyla answered. "A lot has happened to both of us..."
Guy grinned. "Well, I suppose that we have a lot of catching up to do, then," he said.
On the other side of the lobby, Karen and Deckard watched them. Looking at them, and seeing how happy they were, Karen felt lonely. "I... I wish Neil was here..." she said softly.
Deckard felt lonely as well. "I wish Lexa was here..." he said.
They both heard each other. Startled, Karen and Deckard turned to face one another.

Meanwhile...

Kaatz paced back and forth in a room on the mothership, trying to formulate a plan.
He had decided that it would be no use trying to convince Zain to join Giaguo's side. Merely suggesting such a thing to Zain would probably find Kaatz on the receiving end of Zain's unstable powers again, and Kaatz was not ready to go through that again.
But he HAD to find some way to get Zain to join him. The boy had too much potential; Kaatz did not want to waste that potential by killing him.
He had to figure out how to disable Zain, so that the boy could be held until Kaatz had... re-educated him in the ways of the universe, and in whose side he should actually be fighting on.
That was a problem. Zain could not simply be disabled. As an empathic psychic, Zain unconsciously wrapped his mind in an unbreachable barrier against all outside interference, as an instinctive protection. That meant that he could not be affected by anything that attacked his mind. He could not be hypnotized, he could not be paralyzed... Even a telepath would be unable to see into his mind.
But there had to be something Kaatz could do. Everything in the universe had a weak point; the difficulty was simply in finding and exploiting it. There had to be some way that Kaatz could subdue Zain... Some way that Kaatz could win against the boy's emotion-driven powers...
Then he had it. He almost felt silly for not figuring it out before; it almost seemed pathetically simple. Kaatz finally knew Zain's weak point.
Now that he had his plan, Kaatz had to prepare for it. He stopped pacing and left the room.
He had a new pseal to develop.

To be continued...