Chapter 88

Onai could only shake her head. Kimon had obviously pushed further than she thought he had. Really, she thought as she hit a few spots on her shoulders and chest.

She drew an easier breath as she felt most of the pain fade. An attempt to stand proved a little premature as she fell sprawled out on the pavement. She shook her head. She and Kimon were obviously going to have to train more.

A groan beside her let her know that Kimon was returning to the land of the conscious. Looking around, a surprised Kimon’s eyes landed on Greeson.

“I saw him sacrifice his position to save you, then his boy. I should still be out in healing sleep,” Kimon said.

Onai nodded a moment, then turned to Kimon. “I saw him perform a move I have only seen once. A double upward, downward thrust, I thought he had ended you ‘til I saw you breathe easier.”

“Ah! So, he did listen closer than I thought. I am afraid that he will be out for some time, might I suggest we remove to a safer place?” Kimon asked to which Onai agreed.

There were a heavy number of guards outside the palace as they approached. Upon seeing the trio, a runner was sent to the emperor. As soon as they drew closer, Emperor Kandra appeared.

“I have heard tales of a mighty battle, many thousands against only three. Three that moved far faster than anyone could follow.” Here Kandra bowed to Kimon and Onai. “We will attend to your student ‘til you can attend him. You have honored my people and our empire with the elimination of this clan.”

Kimon and Onai bowed somewhat to Kandra, “the honor was ours. It helped to eliminate the last blight on my people and our art. I must speak to my Emperor before we can do anything else,” Kimon said.

Kandra nodded a new respect for the three before him and their art. Kimon and Onai moved quickly to their room, lying Greeson on the bed. Taking a holo-cube out of its hiding place, Kimon activated it.

A few moments later, the visage of Derrick appeared. Both Kimon and Onai bowed to him, “sire,” Kimon said.

Derrick was about to speak when he saw Greeson unconscious, “crap! Have you told his mate to be? As I remember, she can be a force to be dealt with.”

Kimon’s eyes were wide as he shook his head no, “I was going to leave that to my mate, when we are healed. I think we’ll be ok ‘til then.”

Derrick pointed a finger at both of them, “I advise she hear it from you before anyone else does. Is it done?”

Kimon only nodded, then spoke, “We will notify her first, then start the healing.”

“Good, I need the four of you back as soon as possible. As I can imagine, Jameson will be remaining there. As I said, I need you back as soon as possible,” Derrick said, then the cube went dark.

Kimon nodded to Onai, then clicked open his communicator, “Captain Mara? Your presence is required here immediately.”

“Sir,” came Mara’s voice. Then a moment later an IMT light appeared, as did Mara. “I’m here what’s...,” Mara started, then she spied Greeson on the bed unconscious. “WHAT IN THE HELL!” Mara shouted, causing both Onai and Kimon to cringe. She immediately ran to Greeson, throwing her arms around him.

A growl issued from her throat, it was at that moment that she noticed that both Onai and Kimon were limping.

“I am afraid that all of us were injured. Thanks to a little-known technique Greeson learned, I am in better shape to heal all of us.”

“I had noticed that there was a large amount of armed combat. I hadn’t thought that it was all of you,” A now shaking Mara said.

Both Onai and Kimon nodded as Kimon then knelt beside the bed. He concentrated, then placed his glowing hands on Greeson. Greeson started to breathe faster, then his body arched up as a slight scream issued from his lips.

His eyes popped open, “still trying to kill me aren’t you,” Greeson said.

Kimon shook his head then keeled over into Onai’s arms. “It appears he didn’t wait long enough. Impulsive as always,” Onai said as she shook her head.

“Masutā, I haven’t the energy to heal him properly,” Greeson said, bowing to the floor.

“This we know,” Onai said. “The rest will allow both of you to recharge, sleep,” Onai said, then touched Greeson’s head as he dropped to sleep. “Now we can talk, while they sleep.”

Mara could only stare, then a slight smile came to her lips, as she nodded.

Rayburn and Kimison had gone over the data quite a few times. The new sentinel was indeed self-aware, possibly more than a human. That fact in itself was astonishing. Then there was the fact that it had a sense of humor. Not just any sense of humor, but Kimison’s.

This, of course, wasn’t sitting all that well with Rayburn. He was, after all, just becoming accustomed to how Kimison was now.

Though he was hoping that the commander would allow him to build more, Kimison was hopeful. He was also slightly irritated that the sentinel had his old sense of humor. Here he thought he had been funny now, he realized that he had been unbearably irritating. This hit him somewhat hard as he looked at Rayburn, realizing that the man had taken that for decades.

“Steven,” Kimison started, “I have to apologize. I never realized that I was so damn irritating.”

Rayburn just waved it away, “look Jordon, you have been that way for so long? I am more than used to it. I also know that you can’t help it. Just remember, I always have your back.”

Kimison just blinked for a few moments, then made a few more adjustments to the sentinel.

Another look over everything had Kimison nodding as he activated the personality circuits again. For over two hours, he and Rayburn ran through tests to see if anything they had done had helped.

Both were satisfied as they started to shut down, when the sentinel turned to Kimison, “you are an ass!” This, of course, shocked both of them for a moment.

“Why do you say that?” Asked Kimison.

“Why? You gave me a conscience. I can’t be as open as I was, thanks a lot,” the sentinel said.

Kimison sighed, “I had to, had I not, I am sure that the commander would have had you imprisoned in some way. You are one of my greatest creations. I didn’t want to lose you.”

There was silence for a few moments, then the sentinel spoke with a softer voice. “You sound like a father proud of his children. You consider me like this don’t you?”

Kimison could only nod his head as he went through all the data again. Rayburn had remained silent, trying to take in all that he’d seen and heard. This was going to make things far more interesting, that was for sure.

Shelly Shiloh awoke with a start, the dream she’d had was strange indeed. All the strange machines, the huge equations, the enormous computer code. Then there were the medical formulas. She wished she could write them down, then grabbing a piece of paper, she started on the computer code.

It was an hour later when she stopped, her head hurting a little. Placing a hand on her head, she concentrated, then sighed as the nanomites started to adjust again.

She walked out of her room, surprised when the see through lady didn’t appear following her. She again looked at the papers she was clutching in her hands. She had to get these to Uncle Derry as soon as she could.

Another hour passed before she found him in a large central room. He and the lady he was married to were sitting in big, decorated chairs. They had quite a few people waiting in a line to see them. A large sigh escaped her lips as she moved closer, then sat on the floor.

At first, no one seemed to notice the small girl on the floor trying to keep out of the way. Not long after this, someone walked to the emperor whispering in his ear.

Everything stopped, as did the voices. Shelly, bored, didn’t notice that the room was quiet. Derrick, concerned, called out to her. She normally didn’t seek him out unless it was VERY important. Finally, after calling her three times, he gained her attention.

“Shelly honey? Are you alright? Is everything OK? Come here, hon,” Derrick said, noticing the small stack of paper in her small hands.

Shelly stretched then stood slowly walking to Derrick. “I am not sure, Uncle Derry, I had a strange dream. I saw this there, it felt so important that I started to write it down as soon as I woke up. I didn’t want to disturb you. I know that you are a very important person, so I waited.”

Derrick nodded, then his eyes got larger as she got closer. The first page she held was full of computer code. “Let me see,” Derrick said, then gasped when he realized exactly what he was holding. He rapidly went through the more than thirty pages, nodding as he finished each one.

“I am sorry that was all I could recall. I believe there was a little more. This felt too important, so I stopped, coming here to give them to you,” Shelly said, then stopped when Derrick nodded.

“Shelly, hon, sit next to Shelby. In a way, she is like an aunt to you also,” Derrick said. “Mary! I need a data entry board!” Mary and the board appeared, “Please, feel free to relax. I am afraid I have to enter this before I can proceed further,” Derrick said to all that were there.

All there were astonished as Derrick started to enter the data from the paper. He started to go even faster as he passed the first three pages, “I want these implemented as soon as I finish.”

“Yes sire,” Mary said, then her mouth dropped open as she recognized just what she was looking at. She also noticed that Shelly Shiloh was sitting beside Empress Shelby.

Mary shook her head. She needed to check the sensors. Shelly had crossed the palace without her detecting her.

It was almost an hour later when Derrick stopped. “Alright Mary, implement.”

Mary’s visage as she integrated the new data, her mouth dropped open, then a few tears started. “How much Sire?” Mary asked.

“It appears that this will get all but point five percent. All but one of your systems should be open,” Derrick told Mary.

Less than a half hour later, Mary appeared, “I can confirm, Sire,” she said. “I now have full capacity of all programs but one. That program appears to be my personality creator. Even with as little left as there is, it would cause a catastrophic, cascade collapse of all systems. This would wipe out all programs within an hour.”

Derrick was shocked as he went through that small section of code. “Shit, I missed another hidden program, damnit! I thought I had found it all. I guess I’ll have to find an eradication for it also. At least most of the danger is gone.”

“Yes Sire,” Mary said as she bowed to him. “Thank you for my life.”

“I told you when we started this, I would find a way to free you of this. Now I’m glad you are almost free,” Derrick said.

“I will also look for further aids to help the see-through lady,” a small voice said next to them.

“Yes, well, not if it endangers your life, Shelly,” Derrick said.

“I know Uncle Derry; I am continuing to adjust my nanomites. I believe that I have mostly ninety percent control,” she put her arms up on her waist with a look of consternation. “They seem to be the most stubborn, especially the last bunch of them.”

Derrick laughed then nodded his complete agreement.

Both Kimon and Greeson awoke not long after each other. Kimon saw Onai and Mara talking low with each other not far from them.

Greeson started to arise when Kimon shook his head, then pointed to the bed. Greeson took the warning lying back.

Onai felt Kimon when he became conscious, she also felt him remain still while she finished her talk.

“So, I see that the two of you are far smarter than I thought,” Onai said to them.

Kimon sat up then bowed to Onai, “of course. Nothing worse than the scorn of one’s intended. That type of pain hasn’t a healing technique yet.”

“Might I suggest that we finish your two students’ training? I heard that the exalted one wishes us to return as soon as possible,” Onai said to which Kimon agreed.

Five days later, Kimon watched as Jimison and Difina moved twice as fast as before. “Better,” Kimon said as they stopped facing him. A half step and all three disappeared, Kimon nodded as their techniques were indeed further than he thought they were.