_The answer is no- said Yamal- my other biological siblings: Rue, Samantha and Denahi are, well, although Denahi herself is dark-skinned, but my sisters are brown-skinned.
_And how is that possible?- asked Jawara
_Genetics are powerful, Hansel has white skin, light blue eyes and light brown hair, more or less your height and a similar build.
_And the four you're talking about wear cat or feline suits?- asked Yadir, somewhat curious and in a childish tone.
_No, just Hansel. But you should know that you are still my brother, just as Iris is, even if biologically we are not, you are my brothers and you will always be.
_ As you know, Dr. Malenfant- said Joe- the existence of the Fighting Cats is a reality and you already know them, my son, Hansel, is one of them and he is the one with the most superpowers as a superhero, but the most intellectual, with a very high IQ of 850 is my daughter-in-law Antoinette, who by the way, is the leader of the Fighting Cats
_ Oh wow! - exclaimed Jawara with her arms crossed- yes! Joshua told me about these two felines, which by the way, I think he was the first of all of us, speaking of my team, to be able to see them, it was funny! He told me that those two looked like Batman and his feline, Catwoman.
Yadir starts to laugh upon hearing that
_ Batman and his feline? Don't play! - Yadir continued laughing- if that pair are like dogs and cats- Yadir couldn't stop laughing.
Jawara starts laughing too, and although Yamal didn't want to laugh, the joke and the laughter of his two dear friends made him laugh too. Even though Joe is serious, he starts to laugh at that joke too, and he laughs like a teenager. Trying to calm his laughter, he continues talking to Jawara.
_For your information, Jawara-Joe said, trying to calm his laughter- Antoinette, my daughter-in-law, is autistic.
At that moment, Jawara stops laughing and looks at Joe, stunned.
_ And how can a woman with autism lead a superhero organization?- Jawara asked, suspicious of what he just heard.
_Father, you're saying that Hansel, my brother-Yadir said- and Antoinette are married. The reason he asked this isn't out of prejudice. I know we're all equal, but as you know, not everyone is convinced of that. How did an autistic woman manage to marry someone who isn't? Do they have children?
_ Well, I've heard the phrase that love conquers all things a lot, but even though my son is going to hate me for this, I still think it's good for them to know, especially you, Yamal, for being who you are and the career you chose; you, Yadir, for your genuine interest in people's happiness; and you, Jawara, for wanting a better world for humanity: Hansel is infertile; Antoinette, if fertile, can conceive children, but Hansel is infertile. In fact, he was struck by an illness that here on Earth is known as mental illness.
_ Wait! Why do you say, Joe, that here on Earth we know them as mental illnesses?- Jawara asked.
_ Because Hansel isn't human, he's an alien, just as your servant is, just as all my biological children are, including Yamal.
Moment of silence
_ What kind of aliens?" Jawara asked.
_ They'll know in due time.
In the Sentinel Legion
_ Records show that Armin Skyintellstraighwar will enter the black hole, but unlike FIREFLY, The Fighting Cats, Jawara Malenfant, and us, Armin won't be entering with INFINITY's co-leader. In fact, he'll be entering with INFINITY's vice admiral, who in this case, is your brother Christopher's doppelganger, Cameron- William said.
_ Are you going to be okay?-Dae-Hyun asked Cameron.
_ "Yes- Cameron said firmly and calmly.
_ But I must give a geological report on the state of Earth- William said- Kiara will help me, Earth Cat, proceed!
_The poles are reversing now, after many months, Kiara gave the report. "When the Earth's masses stop... I'll show you a simulation," Kiara said, directing the sentries to look at the simulator. "We expect even larger tsunamis to form, much larger than those we've seen so far, proportional to the magnitude of the earthquakes five times greater. In fact, I'm sending this scan for interpretation to Dr. Joshua Dellinger, meteorologist, and Dr. Blossom Malenfant so they can sound the alarm, because now that time is going backwards and the world is in complete darkness, in a matter of five Earth minutes, the first earthquake ever recorded in history will be unleashed, a much larger one, the first of many, whose magnitude will gradually increase as they arrive."
The information successfully reached Joshua and Blossom, who, in their interpretation according to their branch of Earth Science or Atmospheric Science, began to take action.
_This needs to be known!-Blossom exclaimed- This earthquake is a magnitude 16.7 and will be felt on three continents.
_ In fact, my sister, there's a young woman visiting us- Joshua said- Her name is Britney Marais, a computer engineer and artificial intelligence engineer."
_ It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Dellinger, Dr. Malenfant. I believe the information has already reached Dr. Malenfant, right?
_ Yes, she is an engineer, but my husband is away now.
_ I understand. I was able to hack into the communications media, the telecommunications on the three continents where the earthquake will hit.
_How were you able to do it?-Iris asked-We're in complete darkness and there's no communication anywhere in the world.
_The telecommunications were activated in a very strange way. Several artificial intelligence engineers still can't interpret where such activation came from. I only know that they are causing mysterious neon lights that then turn into drops of fire similar to when you light a match.
_You're too young to know much about cutting-edge technology and all these science and technology topics!-Iris exclaimed, flatteringly- Can you think of anything we could warn people on those continents about?
_ I've already taken care of that," Britney said, bringing in the reporters and cameramen. "Ms. Patterson, sorry! Winterhall, Dr. Malenfant, please proceed!
_This is Iris Patterson (ignoring the use of her real last name). According to seismological records, seismologist Blossom Malenfant, wife of the creator of the Airspace-Wanderer, Jawara Malenfant, will tell us what's coming."
_In a matter of four minutes, there will be a magnitude 16.7 earthquake. Please! Find somewhere to hide!
_Sharon! Joshua shouted desperately for his wife, fearing the quake could end her life.
_ Calm down! I was able to sedate her- Melanie said- I gave her several anti-seizure injections, and my husband gave her several drugs to control her seizures. She's going to be fine.
_ My husband left the Airspace-Wanderer, but I'm already six months pregnant. I can't fly the ship anymore!
_ Relax, friend!" Iris said- In these last two months, Yadir taught me aviation lessons. I may not know as much as your husband, but I think I can handle what he taught me.
_ And I'll be here to help you!
_Jannaly! I've missed you so much!-Blossom said, almost screaming excitedly as she hugged her.
_Come on! Iris, you'll be my copilot. Let's save as many people as we can!Everyone boarded the ship. Suddenly, the power had returned, and that was a great help, but the darkness remained. It was a somber, fear-inspiring darkness. The stars and the moon were no longer visible; it was a gloomy darkness.
Upon boarding the ship, Melanie and Andrei took charge of taking Sharon and Blossom to rooms based on their health conditions: Sharon for the illness she contracted and Blossom for her pregnancy. Melanie took care of Blossom, and Andrei for her sister. Blossom and Melanie talked:
_ To be honest, Melanie, I feel a little guilty about having decided to conceive a child in the face of so much uncertainty. Maybe Jawara and I should have waited! Or I don't know what to think...
_ I understand, but you should know that no matter what, no contraceptive method is 100% safe, and even couples who use the safest ones still end up getting pregnant.
_ I know you have Asperger's. I'm amazed at the way you speak, although your condition is "noticeable," and it's impressive that you express yourself as if you didn't have it.
_ My husband has been a great help to me, and since I received treatment since I was a child, it's easier for me to deal with "the real world," but believe it or not, it's still a challenge for me. You're in a good place where I don't want to "talk about my favorite subject," or it would overwhelm you (laughs).
_ And you want to have children?
_ Of course Andrei and I want to be parents! But we've decided to wait until Andrei feels much better from his mental illness so that the baby is born with the proper love that every baby deserves, and Andrei feels intensely happy without having to make an effort.
While Andrei was tending to his sister, although feelings of resentment still linger and he remembers how awful he felt seeing the doppelgängers of his deceased parents (especially the bad memories brought back by the doppelgänger of his deceased mother), he realizes that deep down he loves his sister and is very grateful to know she's alive and that he can hug her.
_Sharon- Andrei said with a broken voice- I know there was resentment, there are very deep wounds, but you should know that I love you, and I love you very much. Yes, in fact, your supposed death is part of all the traumas I've carried with me since I was a child. But now that I'm a man, I know I must face the truth, and the truth is that I love you very much, my dear sister.
_ Andrei- Sharon said with a voice under the effects of the medicines, but being conscious- I didn't... know you, nor Jaidev, I knew Iris and Yadir without knowing that they were my brothers, but now that I know you and Jaidev, and I know that two of my dear friends are my blood brothers, you should know I love you with all my heart, and I will always love you. Please don't say goodbye! We're going to survive. It's still hard for me to accept, but you should know that I already have the same affection for you that I have for Jawara: like my brother.
Andrei gives his sister a big hug. She hugs him back, although her (Sharon's) internal struggle to accept that Jawara isn't her blood brother is still latent and may take a long time to overcome.
The earthquake occurred just as reported, causing billions of deaths. Fortunately, Jawara's team was still alive but still worried about Sharon.
The ships were heading to CVI8. In a matter of 5 minutes, everyone who intended to enter the black hole would make it. Meanwhile, a heartbroken Sergei speaks with his brother Jonathan (Sky Panther).
_ Have you been lying to me all this time?- Sergei said, furious but filled with pain.
_ No, Sergei! You know very well that there could have been catastrophic consequences if I told you the truth right away.
_ You lived deceived into believing that your daughter Gretel, my niece, was dead! (screaming) While I was exhausting myself trying to find my baby! (still screaming) And you knew it, you should have told me!
_ Sergei! Didn't you see what happened because I didn't do something right as a Sentinel? Gretel was taken from me! And even though I got Skyline, if I didn't stop and follow the protocols, not only would my daughter have suffered the consequences, they could have killed you, your wife, or our brothers! They could have done much worse things to us! Do you think it doesn't hurt me to give you this news? "I saw her, in fact, even those bastards threw it in my face. I ran Kiara's body through the best forensic experts, even DNA tests, and all of them, all the tests I did came back positive! She was my niece, my dead niece. But I must tell you more: I made sure to bury her in one of the places where there would be the least chance of her grave disappearing. With the help of geologists, I found a cemetery that is the furthest from the tectonic plates, in an area that is the most difficult for an earthquake to occur, a place in Ireland, and then I buried her there, little Kiara. I decided that when the time came for you to find out, I would take you there. And I've been investigating, and despite the arrival of World War III, the Megalodon attack, the cataclysm, all of that!" The grave is still there, so I'll make you this promise- Jonathan puts his hands on Sergei's shoulders- We'll return to our universe, to Earth 02. I'll take you to Kiara's grave, and I'll let you make your decision: whether you want to be alone so you can grieve for her, or be by my side so I can grieve with you. In fact, I'd like you to choose the latter. You've taken care of me, you've been by my side in my worst moments when my reputation was horribly tarnished, and you've defended me when others attacked me for being autistic. For that and more, now it's my turn to thank you, because I truly want to do it. Not just take you to Kiara's grave. I don't know how else I'm going to do it, but I will.
Sergei burst into tears upon hearing Jonathan's words. He was deeply moved by what Jonathan had done for his deceased daughter, but the pain of knowing his beloved daughter was dead overwhelmed him. They had also lost their siblings: Adler, Tamara, Lizbeth, and Madai, and of course, Sergei was already grieving for his deceased wife, Miley. The two siblings hugged each other tightly. Since Sergei had already taken the rejuvenating injection after undergoing the conversion, he now looked like a 35-year-old man. Gretel arrived and was moved to see her uncle.
_ Uncle Sergei!- Gretel ran up and hugged him.- You don't know how much I wanted to see you and hug you! You look exactly the same as I remember you. Gretel couldn't stop smiling; that gave her father and uncle strength.
The ships arrive, along with those who were left behind: Armin Skyintellstraightwar with his adoptive brother Christopher, Jawara Malenfant with Yadir Patterson (Winterhall), Iris Hauer (Ice Cat), and Ginger Adlestein (Water Cat), since as Sentinels, Iris wanted the co-leader and interim leader to support Antoinette (Fire Cat) and Hansel (Storm Cat), Dae-Hyun Park (The Looter) and Cameron Townsend (The Dark Evader), Michael Tyndale and Ariche Noumair, and, to the surprise of many, Joe Patterson and his son Yamal. Michael didn't tell anyone who he was or anything about FIREFLY, but Armin recognized Ariche.
_ It seems you still want to have a boastful spirit even in this meeting- said Armin- bragging about something that isn't real, sooner or later it comes to light and destroys your reputation.
_ Well, all I know is that I'm an Outlander-alien, so since that's what I'm doing, I no longer follow your orders.... Admiral Skyintellstraighwar
In Yadir's mind
(So this is Dorothy's father, my beloved Dorothy, there's no doubt they're father and daughter! Physically they look very similar and their accent and they're very, very similar. Their cerebral, logical, and stoic personalities make them a good match for father and daughter. Let's see how I fare with my future father-in-law!)
Jawara stares at Armin, finding certain features that remind him of his wife.
_ You must give a reason to justify your observation of me, Dr. Malenfant.
_ Your features seem very familiar to me. They are very similar to a person I love with all my heart, just as you love the woman you share your life with.
_ You'd better not get into controversies!- Antoinette said, presumptuously in her feline costume, but without her mask.- The world will soon cease to exist, and you aliens should know that the probability of this happening to the universe in the not-too-distant future is 99.9999%.
_ Fire Cat, you should know that the fight I had with your interim leader is not going to dissuade me from my decisions- Armin said, referring to the fight he had with Ice Cat, which his daughter later defended him.
_ The decision to have your planet destroyed, and your organization INFINITY as well, Admiral Skyintellstraighwar?- Armin is enraged to realize that humans now know who he is and that his struggle to keep the alien existence a secret is already fading, so he transforms to attack Antoinette, who stands there, covering herself with both arms, which to her surprise:
Her arms transform into double-edged swords and a giant bubble-shaped shield forms, which frightens Armin and shocks Antoinette. Iris gives an order:
Warshapians and Warshapian doppelgängers, manifest yourselves and never forget! Always seek true justice!
Ginger Adlestein, Joe Patterson, Yamal Patterson, and Hansel Patterson (who arrived later) manifest as Warshapians. Cameron Townsend, Gretel O'Connel, and Jonathan McMahon, Warshapian doppelgängers, can manifest as a Warshapian, although not yet at the magnitude of fighting as one.
Iris signals to Yadir and Alexander that it wasn't their time yet and that they shouldn't demonstrate. Why would Iris make that signal to Yadir and Alexander? What do they have to do with the Warshapians? What does Iris Hauer have to do with it? In fact, he made a hint to Jawara, but it was different, although very close to the one he made previously. What does Jawara have to do with that, apart from the perspective they have of him in LUCEIRNAGA?
_ I already knew my doppelgänger was the Vice Admiral of INFINITY- Cameron said- And not only that, he was your best friend. For that reason, I'm back now, and I'll give you some advice: don't get angry over stupid things because you have no idea what's coming, and then you'll have real reasons to get angry.
When Cameron saw Christopher, he couldn't continue speaking. The same thing happened to him; he wasn't able to speak or even address Cameron. Armin was bewildered, but at the same time, somewhat afraid of what Cameron said, seeing Antoinette's mysterious transformation and what happened with the order given by Iris Hauer.
_ The love of my life has these powers! - Yadir exclaimed loudly, while Jawara gave him a strong elbow to make him shut up, then, he received a call from Earth 01, it was Jannaly, to inform him what was happening on Earth regarding the earthquakes, one thing was the following: new tectonic plates were forming and the Earth was opening and closing to swallow people.