Braze and Kian had been yelling at each other. They were kept in adjacent chambers but both fell silent when the same old man, with the same welcoming smile and oval glasses on his eye, entered their rooms, simultaneously.
They too , were shown snippets of what was supposed to be documentaries on their tribes.
Kian learnt about Azura, the mighty jinn who aided his father.
Braze was told about the struggles his tribe faced due to the others.
They too were sucked inside those swirling lights that took them to a world inside their heads, which they didn't even know existed.
***
" George! Georgie! Wake up Lazy ass! "
Rozelle literally kicked George at his balls while he was dozing off in blissful slumber.
" The hell! What happened now? Did the earth split apart or do you have another bug crawling inside that big head! " He pushed her head back with one finger as she stared at his face.
She pressed his mouth and tackled him as he struggled.
" Keep it down. I am not supposed to be here! "
She whispered.
George finally sat up.
" What's up? What's going on? You look tense. Are your wounds alright? "
He asked with concern.
She nodded, flexing her muscles at him.
" I am alright but I think the Headquarters is heavily dependent on AI. I thought the central AI model for administrative purposes was still a prototype. But I see them using it for defense purposes. Ahhh! We left only for a few months and the place is already being run by many men. "
George failed to share her concern.
" Why are you so worried about AI? It only makes our job easy! " George was about to lay back down but Rozelle glared at him so he straightened up.
" Alright. Tell me what's the real problem. "
" They removed Robert from the Watchers list. They arrested the boys. I don't know what they are planning to do with them but I know we must interfere. Let's get them out of here. " Rozelle declared.
George needed no more telling.
" The Chemorians are still here? What about Mira? What's her status? "
Rozelle shrugged.
" I have no clue. I don't even know if they succeeded in getting that Staff that they were talking about. "
***
The light pierced their eyes like a sharp blade as soon as it entered the dark chamber.
Rozelle went around Robert, trying to break his cuff while George was busy keeping the new army of AI guards at bay.
Robert was unusually calm as Rozelle got him out of there. As they ran down one corridor, Robert finally spoke.
" They want to get rid of me! Robert declared. " They fed me something. They say that they could not detect my dirty blood before. They say I am an abomination and threat to the existence of human beings. "
He let go of Rozelle's hand.
" You should not waste your time on me. Get the boys. Get Quill out. I don't want my brother to suffer because of me. "
Robert had a very expressionless face but he looked very very sad and hurt at that point.
" What did they feed you? " Rozelle asked, very worried.
" I don't know. They said it would be enough to get rid of me. " Robert said.
" Do you feel alright? " Rozelle asked again, " Any tingling, pain, itchiness, discomfort or vomiting tendency? "
" Nothing! "Robert didn't look interested.
" I am sure we will be able to figure a way around this. But first I need your help to get them all out of here. I can't do it on my own. You have always been my Mr.Dependable.Please don't abandon me now. "
Rozelle's eyes were about to give away her hidden feelings towards him, which she had kept hidden even from herself.
Robert scoffed at her optimism.
" There is always a way out. We must not give up until it's really over. "
Robert could tell she meant it.
" Quill and the boys are on the second floor. I don't know where they took the Gala! "
Robert finally answered, coming back to his senses. He wasn't upset at the notion of dying, it was the rejection that he got from the only people he thought of as comrades, that hurt him most.
" I will go get the Gala, you reach the space station with the rest of them, " George finally said after he was done taking down the persistent persuader.
" Be careful with that woman. She is capable of all things evil. She is a manipulation master. Keep her locked and tied up, under all conditions. " Robert warned as George distracted the guards and they split their ways.
***
" We need to reach the space station. Please cooperate a little. I cannot carry all of you. " Rozelle begged as she dragged the three of them while Quill and Robert held the gun.
The three of them looked like they had been drugged and were still in a trance.
Their eyes kept staring ahead without blinking and their bodies were limp.
Rozelle was having a hard time dragging all three together even with her strong build.
It was costing them precious time and bullets .
" What did they do to them? " Rozelle complained. " Do they even have that Staff with them? How come they didn't use it? How is it supposed to be effective against the Dark Lord if it doesn't even work against humans and machines? "
Rozelle was on a ranting spree.
"They still have it. I can sense its power. It seems like the three of them. partially absorbed the Staff. It's a good thing. That's why the Watchers weren't able to take it away from them. It's embodied inside them.
But that's what makes it useless at the same time.
To activate its power , the three of them need to be in sync.
Their bodies, soul and mind ought to act alike if they want the power of the Staff to materialize.
The Watchers must have done something to hurt their souls since they knew hurting their bodies was not that effective. "