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Interlude 4: The Arrival

"The situation in Crosstown has been settled Mr. Palmers we are currently on our way to Greasham." I told the jackal who was sitting on the other side of the screen. The man just nodded in satisfaction, obviously approving of the report. It had been a hectic few hours. I had to send a request for an Airship from Greasham and had to wait for Commander Harper's forces to arrive to stabilize things in Crosstown. I hadn't had much time for any rest really, having to get my report ready which led me to where I was now.

"That is good...tell me Commander Reaper, do you have any report on casualties? Or the amount of property damage with the town? MODD will be paying for the reconstruction but an estimate of how many Credits the rebuild would take would be nice." I just shook my head no, I hadn't been around long enough, I had left as soon as the MODD airship came after all. Rillotia was the responsibility of Commander Moria Harper not mine.

"I hadn't sir, my main priority is getting my Brother back to Greasham but I need to know, did you know about Jacob being abducted by MODD? Just who else knew that?" I asked angrily. "And who was the bastard who took him and murdered my father?" Palmers looked quite uncomfortable and judging by the way he wouldn't meet my eyes made everything quite clear. "You DID know!" Palmers at least had the decency to look guilty which soothed me somewhat. Palmers wasn't a bad man really but the fact that he had known all along did anger me a bit.

"Yes... yes I did... all the other Elemental Lords knew as well. Commander Stone had tried numerous times to get the higher-ups in MODD to fess up about it but he was refused numerous times by Manx himself. We were all sworn to silence before your confirmation ceremony. He didn't want to risk compromising your loyalty to MODD." I just growled that. Manx, he was the one who ordered my brother's abduction and my Father's murder but just what did he want with Jake? He was a kid, barely even five!

"Cats out of the back now! So tell me! Why did he swear everyone to secrecy? Why did he take Jacob? And why did my Father have to die?" I cried out angrily while slamming my paw down hard on the table in front of me. "I'm sick and tired of being left in the dark! You knew about my brother this entire time! You AND Xavier! I TRUSTED you two and you guys lied to my face! But seriously why Dad? Why did he have to die!? He was one of the best researchers in MODD why did Manx order his assassination I thought they were friends!"

"Isaac... your father was not a target, his death was not part of Manx's plan. The murder was a spur of the moment action because your Father refused to hand the boy over. As for your brother... have you ever heard of something called Realm Breaker?" I just shook my head no as I crossed my arms, that name was definitely not familiar but just hearing it made the fur on my arms stand on end. Whatever it was it was certainly something serious. But what did it have to do with Jake? And why he was kidnapped? Could it be related to the 'weapon' that he had merged with? Sensing this, Palmer helpfully started to explain everything as if trying to make up for everything.

"Very well then, Realm Breaker is a powerful force. It was found in the Hox Graveyard over 700 years ago, shortly after the end of the Great Seal War and the destruction of all but the Prime Elemental Seals. It has the ability to disrupt ones Synch rate with both Seal and Glyph users sending them into a random state. Even the Elemental Lords of the time couldn't get close without suffering from it's influence." He stated with a grimace. "While not fatal by itself it was very unpleasant."

"Realm Breaker had been given to Xavier so he could protect it and research it. When your brother merged with it he was somehow able to stabilize it. Capitalizing on this Manx's plan went from research to use your Brother to end the conflict between MODD and the numerous rebel factions. He also authorized experiments on your Brother to better understand Realm Breaker and see if it's power could be replicated or not. He had locked your brother in one of MODD's secure research faculties and all staff were given an absolute vow of silence." He said before he stopped and took a breath.

"However, right before we were able to make a breakthrough the boy went missing as did one of the Faculties best researches. Also all the research concerning the boy had been destroyed immediately before they went missing as was the work of the man who tried to figure out a memory serum."

"Manx seriously allowed his grunts to experiment on my baby brother?! He was FIVE when he went missing!" I snarled out angrily. "And you just stood by and allowed it?! Not just you but the rest of the Elemental Lords?!" Palmers just shook his head and sighed, he actually looked weary, it was unlikely he had gotten much sleep since the Eldra Disaster so I guess he was pretty haggard. But something popped into my head. "Wait...? Memory serum? Inquisition had something similar! They wanted to use it on Kael and make him their puppet if the data was destroyed...how did they get access to it?"

"I and numerous Elemental Lords had protested the treatment of your brother but we were all overruled, there was nothing we could do. Your brother is dangerous Commander Reaper, the power he holds inside him has a great amount of potential. As for the serum? It might be possible that an Inquisition member had managed to steal info before it's destruction. However I must be off, I need to sleep goodnight Commander Reaper!" He said before saluting me while the feed cut out. I just let out a frustrated sigh, I couldn't believe Manx actually authorized brutal experimentation on a kid. I honestly had thought he was a good man...I was broken from my thoughts when I heard someone walk up behind me.

"Did you get any answers Commander Reaper?" A brisk, calm voice rang out. Turning around I saw a tall red furred wolf wearing a Lieutenant issue jacket. Lieutenant Hart, or would that be former Lieutenant Hart? Since he had left his post? Anyway, he seemed like a good guy actually, a bit stiff on occasion but I owed him the world for looking after Jake. Sighing I just shook my head no, I didn't get much of anything and that pissed me off. The fact that I was the only person not to know about my Brother angered me and I was damn well going to give Xavier a piece of my mind for keeping Jake's whereabouts a secret!

"No nothing much, all I know is that the 'weapon' inside Jake is called 'Realm Breaker'." I told him calmly. "I just can't believe it still, my brother was in Crosstown for the entire time! I actually had a speaking gig there a few months back but had to cancel because MODD had me do PR. I'm the new face of MODD after all, the youngest Elemental Lord ever so pretty much I have no privacy anymore, everything I do is heavily scrutinized by not only MODD themselves but the Press and Public as well... the money is nice I guess and I've gotten to see the world, hell, I've actually gotten movie deals! But I could have found him! I could have stuck to my guns and went to the gig Eldra might have never happened!" I said with shame.

"It isn't your fault Commander Reaper, you had no way of knowing he was there. What exactly do you plan to do with the kid though? Once we get to Greasham? I've heard Inquisition have been getting bolder about attacking MODD and many are fearful of things devolving into another civil war." He asked me in a calm, measured tone.

"I'm going to get him checked out, see if he's okay mentally and physically. I also wanna make sure that his regeneration isn't harmful since his powers do not work like a Super's after all. After that I'm sending him on the next air ship to Shellington. There is a war brewing in Weleshna, one that has been brewing for a long time. Inquisition have been getting bolder, we can barely contain them in the southern reaches of Weleshna, if we fail to stop them Weleshna will fall that much is obvious. The Government would be helpless without us and they can barely maintain order as is. I want Jake safe and away from here before it happens, I don't want my brother in anymore fights."

"Have you asked his opinion though? I understand your motives, I certainly do but you should consult Kael... Jacob... On this. He's a tough kid, he has a lot potential to be a great fighter." I just shook my head in frustration, I knew Jake had potential but he was still a kid, he had seen enough shit already and I just wanted him safe and sound and far away from danger. Let him have a normal life.

"I know what I'm doing!" I told him coolly. "Jake's been through enough, I know he has the potential to be a damn good fighter but that isn't the point, I don't want him to be a fighter, I want him to be a kid. He deserves that much." I told him passionately. "Let him fulfill that potential when he grows up. Right now his focus should be on school and other teen things not fighting for survival!"

"As I said, I agree that he should get a normal life but he will fight you, kid hates being ordered around trust me on that!" He said with a grimace. "He refused to stay behind in Eldra and you saw how he was in Crosstown. Kid will fight you tooth and claw over this." I just sighed, he had a point but damn it! I needed Jake to be safe, I didn't want to risk losing him again, not after losing him for a decade! Mom still hadn't fully recovered from the loss, she had long given up hope on finding him. But I found him!

"I know, I know he'll fight me on it but he'll thank me later." I said in a pained manner as I wrapped my arms around my body trying to settle myself and prepare for the inevitable argument that would occur. "How's he doing? You seen him in the medical bay?" I hadn't gotten the chance because I was so damn busy which annoyed me, and while all of his injuries had healed up because of his healing factor I was worried about the possibility that it came with a cost especially since he wasn't a super, by all accounts his powers were sourced from that brand of his which may or may not have been the result of Realm Breaker.

"He's okay, conscious and a bit annoyed about being stuck there of course but alright all the same, Dawson is making a recovery also, gotta say the alsatain has some serious balls. He saved your brother's life and done a decent job fighting those bastards despite having no combat experience." That was true, but it still didn't change the fact that he had tormented him for years! Though he at least had the decency to appear remorseful of his actions.

"Maybe you should go see him? And then get some rest, you look exhausted and we won't be in Graesham for another few hours." My shoulders just sagged at that, I did feel tired but I had been so preoccupied with everything else that I simply hadn't had time to sleep. The lieutenant just sighed before he placed his massive paws on my shoulder. "Just get some rest Commander, you need it." He told me sternly. "Not even you can go without sleep, your brother will be fine alright? You can't take care of your brother without taking care of yourself."

"Fine," I said in a pouty tone, he seriously made me feel like a young pup again despite only being two years older which was annoying. "I'll get some rest after I see Jake." I told him before I removed his paws from me and walked out of the room. The hallway looked rather bland, all steel gray in color, doors were spread sporadically for various rooms for the crew as we were in the residential section of the ship. I quietly continued my way until I found myself in front of the medical bay. Taking a deep breath I opened the door and saw that both Jake and Dawson were watching the television. Stepping inside I knocked and managed to catch Jake's attention.

"Rex! Hey!" He shouted out with a wave of his paw. "I was wondering when you would show up! Everyone else had already paid me a visit! What have you been up to? You look exhausted!" He said, his voicing sounding concerned. I just shrugged his worries off.

"Been trying to get my report on Crosstown finished, lots of paper work which isn't fun. How are you feeling?" I asked him as I walked over and sat in the unoccupied chair near his bed. "You scared me honestly, when that bastard choked you out..." Jake just smiled and patted my paw with his own.

"I was fine, I heal remember? You shouldn't worry about me really, I can handle myself! But I'm curious what will happen when we reach Graesham?" Well, that came up fast, but now or never I guess... Taking a deep breath I went on in my explanation hoping he would just accept this. He probably wouldn't but damn if I wasn't going to try!

"I'm going to get you a physical check up, to see if everything is in working order. After that I'm putting you on the first ship back to Shellington! You'll be safe there, and Mom'll be ecstatic to see you!" I told him with a smile. "You'll be able to have a normal life again." His face went blank at that as if he was trying to process what I told him before he swiftly started protesting.

"Shellington? What about Graesham? I need to stay there! Don't ask me why but I have a gut feeling that I'll be needed there." He stated firmly as he could while he was pouting. "Besides those bastard's invaded my home, I owe them a good thrashing!" He stated passionately. "I know about the situation in Weleshna, I know the country is on the brink of a massive civil war between the Government and Inquisition factions! I need to help! I just can't retreat to safety while Weleshna is barely holding itself together as is! Let me help!" Yeah, I figured this was how it would go. He seemed to have already worked himself up to an uproar and I needed to be stern so I could get him to listen!

"It's too dangerous Jake! You are a kid! Up to now you have survived everything on sheer luck. You are inexperienced in terms of fighting, even if you can heal that doesn't mean you can't get killed. Plus as stated you are a kid, you have no business being in a warzone!" I shouted barely keeping my temper in check, why wouldn't he listen to me!?

"I'm not a kid!" He snarled out angrily. "I'm sick of everyone calling me that! I'm not a kid nor am I helpless! might be young but I can fight! I need to stay in Greasham Rex! I have to help!" He begged his bright blue eyes shining greatly.

"He's right you know," Dawson stated from behind me. "He wants to help people, and you can't really force him to do anything and right now he wants to stay so you should let him stay." I just growled annoyed, this was ridicules! Of all the times Jake went stubborn on me it had to be now!

"It doesn't matter! Getting Jake to safety is my main priority!" I told him bluntly. "I lost him ten years ago I can't lose him again!" I cried out. "You have no idea what it's like coming home from getting school supplies to find your Father dead and your baby brother missing! Mom was devastated! She was never the same afterwards and I spent years trying to find him! I refuse to risk his safety! He is going to Shellington!

"I'm NOT going to Shellington!" He shouted out in a frustrated tone. "If there is indeed a war I want to help stop it! People could very well die Rex! What kind of person would I be if I could have helped people in need and didn't? I know you want to protect me, and that means a lot but I don't want or need to be coddled!" He stated. "I want to get stronger, I want to be able to fight so I cannot only defend myself but hopefully stop people from getting hurt!" I just rubbed my temples at this. What was I going to do? He clearly wanted to stay and I doubt I would be able to change his mind.

"Jake, you need to listen to me! I know you want to help others I really do! But I don't want you in this war, you've been through enough I think. Just please go back to Shellington! I can't lose you! Not again!" I cried out in desperation. "You are a good kid with a good heart but war is hell!" I told him firmly. "I'll leave you to think it through. I really need to get some rest!" I said before giving Jake a hug and kiss before I left the room. It really had been a strange few days, especially that weirdo R3 showing up and telling me that I'd find my brother in Crosstown. How he knew that I had no clue, any time I had asked that question he just smiled and deflected it or gave a vague answer.

Finally though I reached my quarters and opened them. I had managed to commandeer the Commander's room for myself, (being the only Commander on the ship it was mine by default anyway.) The room was spacious with a master bathroom to the right, a bedroom to the left and the other side of the wall was glass allowing me to see the sky passing as we flew through the sky. The middle room was the sitting room of course having several comfortable couches and a massive TV. My first destination was the bathroom of course, so I could let out a piss. After that I washed my paws and gradually took off my uniform leaving me in my black shorts and white singlet.

Gently I folded everything up and placed it in my drawer. After making sure my uniform was properly put away I headed towards the massive double bed. The bed itself looked amazingly comfortable and when I laid down I found my suspicion was indeed correct, the bed was heavenly! One of those mattresses which instantly shaped itself to the person laying on it. I actually had one of them in my room in Greasham and I seriously enjoyed it though I was often too busy to fully enjoy it.

Staring at the ceiling helped me think, it was doubtful I would be able to talk him into cooperating with my plan, kid was damn stubborn! But I couldn't force him to do it either, since it would only make him even more determined to stay. Which was the last thing I wanted. But I still couldn't let him fight, it was dangerous! But maybe I could hopefully convene him to stay in the sidelines and let me handle things. The last thing I wanted was to have him be killed, or worse become the Inquisition's mindless puppet.

'You need to calm down,' I thought to myself as I rolled over on my bed. 'Jake will be fine, if he refuses to go to Shellington I guess I'll just have to keep a very close eye on him... but either way, I can't believe I finally found him... after so long... just wish Dad was here to see this.' I growled angrily at that thought, my Dad was murdered so they could take my baby brother, all because Manx wanted to experiment on him! I rolled over again, trying to make myself relax but it certainly wasn't working. My thoughts seemed to be going haywire.

Finally though I felt myself start to drift of into sleep. Yawning I curled around myself and gradually let sleep take hold of me as I gradually drifted off into dreamland.

...

Unfortunately however, my slumber didn't get to last very long because before I knew it I heard someone banging on my door as if to trying to get me up.

"Hey, Rex you in there!? We're about to dock in Greasham!" Jake? Yawning I got up and scratched myself in a relaxed faction before getting up and walking towards the door, when I opened it I indeed saw that Jake was the one standing outside. He was dressed in a white and red tee-shirt simple blue jeans and a pair of sneakers. On his head he wore a Wild-Dog Pax brand beanie. He looked well washed and his eyes regarded my own. We had the same eyes, probably one of the few things we shared physically. Well, both of us were blond but his was golden while mine was platinum plus he was taller than me already...

"What's up? They let you out of the medical bay?" I asked, making sure he hadn't sneaked out on his own will. He looked almost indignant at my question though.

"Of course they did! I wasn't really injured. James will probably still need to spend more time though, to let the metabolic serum settle, but the Doc said he would be fine." He explained. "But Aidan wanted everyone else to meet up in the bridge." He stated. "Said we should figure out what to do when we land, so come-on!" He stated before grabbing my paw and dragging me.

"Hey! I can walk myself you know!" I said after a few meters of this while jerking my paw out of his grip. "So, I guess you really are planning on staying huh?" I asked calmly, Hart was right, Jake was incredibly stubborn.

"Yeah, as I said I have a feeling I might be needed here, I don't understand why but I just feel it on my gut. You ever have those gut-feelings?" I nodded, who didn't really? Satisfied he continued talking his voice relaxed and casual but still having an edge to it. "Yeah, besides, I want to help people, after seeing what happened in Eldra and what could have happened in Crosstown... people will get hurt, if Inquisition instigates the war. If they want me nothing is stopping them from trying to nab me in Shellington. Here I can at least learn how to defend myself properly." I actually hadn't thought of that... but he was right, if Inquisition could infiltrate Crosstown what was stopping them from doing the same in Shellington? Or any other big city?

"I guess you're right..." I admitted glumly. "Inquisition wants to use you against MODD, which could be devastating. Flawed as they are, the only thing propping up the Weleshnian Government." Everyone knew about how weak the Central Government was, Weleshna was known to be oil rich but when the world switched to other energy sources (especially when solar panels made up of shade stone) oil eventually fell out of favor which devastated the countries economy and led to enormous civil unrest. A large part of the unrest was the reason Weleshna had started the Rillotian-Weleshnian War as well as groups like Inquisition gaining traction. Thankfully though Weleshna was also mineral rich and Greasham itself was one of the largest mining sites on the planet.

"Yeah, I know, not just MODD, but against the world myself, I heard how brutal Inquisition can be when they gain control over an area." I shuddered at that, I had seen the results of their control several times... unbelievers were often murdered in brutal ways and those who did not comply with their laws met the same fate. Though to be fair it was very different from the faith practiced by the Oxian Tribals. I had gotten that lecture from the Lightning Savage himself, Commander Custer often got very agitated when anyone brought up Inquisition, which was perfectly understandable.

The Commander was a giant of a wolf, almost as tall as Xavier, he was also the Chief of the White Fang tribe which certainly made him quite different from the rest of the Elemental Lords, especially when it came to sexual moves as the Tribals were legendary for their sexual exploits. He was otherwise alright though, very stern but he was all by accounts a good leader to his troupe and to his Tribe. I had even met his sons all of whom were either just as big as he was or damn near close. His youngest, (Leo if i remembered correctly) was only a few years younger than Jake.

"Yeah, they are bad news, you should see Commander Custer rant about them, he is often ranting about how they stole his peoples religion and perverted it into what we saw. (Though to be fair, most of the Tribal clans were pretty vicious towards outsiders especially after MODD had forced them out of several of the islands of the Oxis archipelago and turned them into 'City Zones' though pressure from outside forced them to leave most of the islands to the Tribals and dubbed those areas 'Tribal Zones'.

"You've met the Lightning Savage? So does he really wear a loincloth all the time?" I just chuckled at that, that was a common question asked. Since that was the traditional attire for Tribal males after all.

"Well no, he does in his village of course but whenever he's called on MODD related business he wears his uniform. Fills it out pretty well, guy is huge!" I explained. "He also is hardly shy about sex either, rumor has it he's fucked all of his lieutenants, though I say it's probably true, Tribal sexual moves are pretty different than our standard Rillotian ones."

"Yeah, we learned about it in our sociology class, discussing the culture of the Tribal's as well as the other nations. We were actually going to start studying the culture of Justland after the holidays, they were even going to bring in a actual Justlander, I was looking forward to that. I've always had a thing for Justlander accents." He ammited while rubbing his chin, looking at it I noticed he was beginning to get a patch of golden fuzz on it, my baby brother really was growing up!

"Me too! So guess you got your first growth spurt huh?" I inquired, while Jake was certainly tall he was still very skinny, a beanpole, he probably got it a month or two ago since he hadn't really grown into his height. He definitely had the chance of being ripped though, he had the body for it. Though I wondered just how tall he would get? Especially since he was only 15 and already past 6'. Had to say, puberty was being most kind to him.

"I got it a month or two ago, I grew about 5 inches almost overnight and it seemed to take me forever to stop being so damn clumsy!" He said. "I had trouble adapting to my new height, needless to say it was embarrassing." I just laughed and threw my arm around him and held him close as we continued our walk towards the bridge.

"I wouldn't doubt it! But I'm just so happy I've found you! You have no clue how hard I've searched for you. It's why I agreed to become an Elemental Lord."

"I saw you on TV a few times..." he started awkwardly. "You were pretty big press when you became one. 'The youngest Elemental Lord in MODD history!'" He stated using air quotes. "Plus you had every single girl swooning over just how 'hawt' you were." I could only chuckle at that, I had gotten that often, part of the reason MODD had made me their new face, people always trusted a pretty face and MODD knew it. Finally though we reached the brig. The room was filled with people. I noticed Jake's troupe sans Dawson of course were on one side of a great table while the ships crew stood on the other.

"How long until we reach Greasham airspace?" Lieutenant Hart asked the Captain. "I would like to get an audience with Commander Stone as soon as possible. However if we arrive too late I would like our quarters prepared so we can rest."

"We are currently 20 minutes from the city Lieutenant but the Commander won't be able to meet you today, he had more serious matters to attend to. Namely keeping Inquisition from breaching the secure area." Lieutenant Hart just nodded quietly before launching into another series of questions.

"I hope you got us all rooms right? We've just got out of a battle and need rest."

"The Commander has indeed set rooms for all of you Lieutenant, he personally ordered me to act as host until he could great you all himself. Once we enter the hanger I will show all of you to your rooms and let you bathe and rest." He said before setting his eyes on my brother. "You did an impressive job Jacob Reaper, you had some serious guts playing distraction." Jake just nodded bashfully which made the big burly dragon grin even wider. "I think you could make a great soldier you certainly got the guts for it! So tell me, what were your plans after school?"

"I was planning on joining the World Riders... I've wanted to join them since I was a pup...." He stated shyly as he hid behind me. The dragon just let out an impressed whistle but otherwise stayed silent. Things didn't stay silent for long though, since Flint McAlister was quick to fill the void of silence with his own chatter.

"Been some week huh? First Eldra and then Crosstown, I hope things don't get too crazy in Greasham... I don't think I could handle anymore drama." The tiger said from where he sat. I had done a background check on him (and everyone else for that matter) Flint Micah McAlister, Age: 22, Height: 7,2, Weight: 333lbs, red hair and green eyes and born and raised in a small town in Crescentia. He was studying for medical school and his lover had been one of the people killed in the Eldra disaster.

"Things should be fine..." Jake stated in a cautious voice as he went up and sat next to him. "But I agree, the last thing I want is for more stupid drama... would be nice to have a peaceful day if you ask me!"

"Yeah!" The leopardess Emily said from her own perch. "But how did Inquisition sneak into Rillotia though? Let alone Crosstown and why do they want Kael so damn bad?" She asked.

"Realm Breaker, they want Realm Breaker..." I hissed out. "That's the weapon that Jake merged with... Manx ordered his abduction because somehow Jake was able to stabilize it and he sought to use him as a weapon against MODD's enemies."

"Realm Breaker? What do you mean I 'stablized' it? What does that mean exactly? Does it explain my powers? Or my Healing Factor?" Jake asked in a genuinely curious fashion it was obvious he was desperate to learn more about himself.

"I honestly don't know, I was kept in the dark about everything dealing with Realm Breaker so my understanding is that it has the ability to randomly mess around with both Seals and Glyph users sending their synch rate into a complete flux which is dangerous and that just being around it hurts them as well."

"What's that mean for me...?" He asked in an anxious tone. "I'm literally a living weapon basically? Is that really why they kidnapped me? Because they saw me as nothing but a tool for their own ends?" He looked so sad with that expression.

"You aren't a weapon Jake!" I told him kindly. "You are a person, and trust me I'm going to give Xavier a piece of my mind for this! He knew all along about where you were and he kept that from me! Even if he was ordered to silence it still hurts..."

"Think we can trust him?"

"Yes, that is one thing I'm sure of, Xavier is an honorable guy, he would never turn on those who seek his aid, especially kids he's great with them and they love him." I said. "If one thing is certain he will help us figure out what to do." Jake just nodded and sat himself next to Hart. It was pretty obvious he had a crush on the older wolf... not that I blamed him of course, Lieutenant Hart certainly was a sexy wolf but I kinda hoped he'd settle for someone who wasn't seven years older. Deciding to take a seat myself I plopped my ass next to the lioness reporter Loni Daniel's.

The lioness gave me a small smile, out of the group she was the only person besides Lieutenant Hart that I had met prior to this fiasco. (She was one of the reporters from one of those MODD press conferences that they had me on.) Her fiance a burly gator named Terry Delmas acted as her cameraman and both had seemed very nice during our interview for Shellington news.

"It's good seeing Commander Reaper!" She stated with a sad smile.

"It's good to see you again as well Ms. Daniel's, seems you got involved with my baby brother, so thank you, thank you for looking after him." I told her sincerely. "I owe you all so much for looking after him." The Captain soon after decided that now would be the best time to speak so he stood up in front of us all.

"We should be landing in five minutes. My pilot is waiting for authorization so we can enter the tower. Do be aware that we're entering a secure MODD faculty, there are places that will be off limits naturally, and I expect all of you to respect that." I noticed his eyes had lingered on Jake in particular when he said that making the guy look away awkwardly. "We do not wish for anyone to be hurt." He said before he looked towards the pilot who had given him the thumbs up. "Authorization approved, if you want you can look towards the observation bay and get a look at the city." I almost laughed when Jake and Emily were the first ones who ran past and towards the bay. I quietly followed them, wanting to see their reaction for myself honestly.

As I entered it myself I saw the two had their faces flattened at the window taking in the site. Greasham certainly was a spectacular place after all. The city was settled in the middle of a large oasis in the ever present Weleshnain desert. The city was set on the base of a massive mountain which held all of Greasham's famous mines. The buildings were a sandstone color and the city was busy and bustling like any small/medium size city. But built into the mountain's face was the crown on the city Greasham's MODD HQ Tower. The building was the same color as the other buildings but it was far more angular in it's design.

As we got closer the hanger bay swiftly opened up and let us float into the building. Once we were inside the massive hanger the ship landed on it's designated landing pad. Once everything had settled the Captain's voice swiftly rang from the load speakers built into the walls

"We will now begin disembarking! Everyone please meet at the ships exit." Following his suggestion I led the two teenagers towards the exit, it was pretty funny how excited they were, I remembered my first time entering it shortly before my Confirmation ceremony. I was just as awed as those two were. Once we reached the exit I was actually surprised when I saw a stern looking female bear wearing her MODD issue uniform.

"Rocky! Hey! Didn't expect to see you greet us!" I told her cheerfully.

"Commander Stone put me on baby sitting duty." She explained bluntly. Rocky was an interesting bear, she was Xavier's protégé and eventual successor if he had it his way, she was one of the first people I met when I arrived here and I liked to think we were decent friends.

"Bummer, so what's the situation? I heard Xavier was called to check up on the front line, there hasn't been a breech right?" I asked her concerned.

"No breech but there had been worry that Inquisition might try something soon, they've been quiet lately and the fact they had somehow managed to break into Rillotia is worrying!" She stated before taking a deep breath. "Xavier thinks they might have been smuggled in. It would fit, smugglers only care about being paid after all. But the city has been on high alert but enough of that, I'll show you all to your rooms!" With a flourish she left, all of us following her naturally. One cool thing about the tower was that it was built deep into the mountain itself. It was a pretty impressive feat of architecture.

All of us stayed silent as we passed the utilitarian rooms, I briefly noticed that the doctors had already managed to move Dawson into the infirmary. He waved friendly at me and I did as well in return. Finally though we found ourselves in one of the fancier hallways, I knew it well, after all my room was here. This hall was for Xavier and his highest ranking officers as well as several guest rooms for high profile guests. Turning around Rocky presented the rooms.

"You may choose your rooms, there should be enough for all of you, James Dawson will be moved here once the medics see fit to allow him out of the infirmary. If you need me I'll be in my own room!" She said before leaving us all on our own, seems like she wasn't happy with playing babysitter instead of being with Xavier, the two had always been close, Rocky being something of a surrogate daughter to him and having been his protege since she was young.

"She seems friendly..." Jake observed lightly. "For whatever reason I thought she'd be a guy..." He mumbled to himself. "Or a girl who got brainwashed by an evil pedo priest into THINKING she was a guy while trying to conquer the world with evil rock zombies..." I just gave him a weird look because I honestly didn't know what to say to that.

"Evil... Rock Zombies?" I asked him, he just nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, Evil Rock Zombies! I know it sounds weird but I remember something about them." He said while scratching his chin again clearly confused himself at his words before grabbing his head and wincing. "Ouch...! That hurts..." He cried out. "I don't get it but I saw myself in those memories albeit older and more psycho... and with Daddy issues. Oh, and another me who liked saying yarf for whatever reason and apparently was from ANOTHER version of Mortaelis. You were there also oddly enough." He said lightly before wincing. "Okay... I'll stop there... my brain feels like it's trying to liquidate itself." I just started at him... I had absolutely NO idea what he was talking about. Maybe that was a side effect of Realm Breaker? Spouting out weird random things like Evil Rock Zombies and evil pedophile priests?

"Whatever you say baby bro..." I mumbled to him... either Realm Breaker had some seriously weird hallucinogenic side effects or all those experiments drove him a tiny bit crazy.

"Wait? You said you saw another you?" McAlister asked in a curious manner. "Like some weird Alternative Universe? That shit sounds like something out of a cheesy comic book. You sure you aren't hallucinating or something?" Jake didn't take well to that at all judging by his growl and glare, he might have been nearly a foot shorter and probably a hundred pounds lighter but his glare actually worked because McAlister flinched and backed away from him.

"I am NOT crazy! And I am SURE it isn't a hallucination! It just felt like... like a different story.. one that never got the chance to finish... it's weird... Greasham was in Rillotia in that world and Rex was a bit of a wimp... and apparently we were half-brothers." He said before sighing. "I really need to stop... or else my brain really will melt! But being here just made it pop up in my head for whatever reason." Sighing again he shook his head as if to try and dislodge those thoughts from it. "Anyway I'm calling dibs on this room!" He said before he ran towards the room that just so happened to be the one next to mine. Once he was out of sight Burke was the first to speak.

"Well that was random... the kid gets weirder and weirder over it time it seems I mean Evil Rock Zombies?."

"Maybe it really is an effect of Realm Breaker?" Daniel mused lightly. "None of us know anything about it so maybe it let's him see into different timelines or something? Anything is possible after all."

"Or the kid is completely loopy..." Burke mumbled under his breath before I overheard him giving him a warning glare in retaliation which made him deflate almost instantly. "I didn't mean it like that! The kid is just strange if you think about it. His mysterious past, merging with an ancient weapon all sounds like something in those weird comics where plot points just refuse to add up. Wonder why he saw two versions of himself and why did he start talking about stories that doesn't make any sense at all if you ask me."

"He is an odd sort but he is a good kid, hopefully we can help him grow more." Elena rang out. "And that we are good influences on him and let him turn out as best you can hope for in situations like this."

I just nodded before deciding that I really did want to finish my nap. " Okay folks! I'm sure all of you are tired so let's go rest and group up! That sound good?" Everyone just nodded, clearly they were just as exhausted as me. "Very well then let's rest! See you all in a few hours!" I said before entering my own room, fully eager for a rest because I had a feeling things would get very hectic very soon...