Hey all, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I've had some family tragedy to deal with. Expect more regular updates going forward, probably in the realm of 2-4 weeks per chapter.

Thank you all for kind reviews, the follows and favorites. Feedback is always welcome.

I hope you enjoy.

Geo awoke from a dreamless slumber, his head violently protesting the softly humming lights overhead. Keeping his eyes shut, he raised an arm, reaching for the clock he kept on his night stand, only to encounter a sudden resistance. He turned his head, cracking his eyes ever so slightly, to examine the restraint. A small tube was feeding into his arm, a steady drip of some clear fluid flowing down it. An IV.

He felt his heart rate pick up at the sudden realization, and a beeping noise from one of the machines he now noticed by the bed sped up to match. He didn't remember arriving at the hospital. He didn't even know why he had been admitted. Scanning the room more carefully now, he noticed a small cabinet with a sink in one corner, an empty chair with a blanket and book set on it next to the window, and a TV showing some commercial for a new TV series. A girl with unnaturally pink hair appeared to be shouting something at a rough looking man with sharp teeth. He silently decided NOT to tune in. Loud shouting from outside his door caught his attention, but it passed as quickly as it had come, leaving him in a bewildered silence.

The silence didn't last long, however, as the TV chirped out a loud jingle indicating the start of a news broadcast. He turned his attention back to the TV, his breath catching as two pieces of information were presented to him. First, it was currently five in the morning on a Monday. His shopping day with his mother was two days ago. Second was the headline. "Four More Discovered Injured in Largest EM Surge of the Decade."

His eyes fixed on the words as his mind began recalling the events that had put him in the hospital. The lights flashing overhead, the lightning bolt that had raced straight toward him. He had heard of damaging EM surges, they were more common at the inception of the technology but could still flare up if solar activity became too strong. Still, the scale they were reporting, nearly two hundred reported hospitalizations in Japan alone with more being reported globally, as another burst of activity sounded outside his door, he could only wonder if it was another victim they were bringing in.

The door opened then, and his mother walked through. Her eyes, dark with fatigue, quickly brightened upon seeing him awake.

"Geo!" she shouted happily, quickly crushing the young man in a hug. "I was so worried," she spoke into the bed as he brought up the arm not currently held in place by an IV to return her hug.

"I'm okay," he answered, trying to provide some comfort, but his voice came out as a croak from disuse. Without a word, his mother released him and went to the sink, filling a paper cup with water as he fought back a coughing fit. He gratefully accepted the cup and downed the liquid in a single gulp, feeling the cool relief run down his parched throat. His stomach rumbled in protest as his sense of hunger came full force to remind him that he had not eaten in two days.

His mother must have heard the noise, because she gave him a sheepish smile before saying, "I'll call for the doctor. Once he gives the all clear, we can get you some food."

"That would be nice," he said wistfully.

Without another word, his mother walked back out into the hallway in search of the doctor. He settled back into his pillow, his body already tired despite his extended bed rest. Glancing back at the TV, he saw a new headline. "Satella Police to Question Victims." He groaned inwardly. It was going to be a long day.

Bud Bison was not very bright. He wasn't stupid, he just didn't have the patience to work through intricate problems. Especially on an empty stomach. So as the officer kept asking him questions, he just kept getting more irritated. He just wanted a cheeseburger! A double cheeseburger with bacon and chili! Two of them!

"Um…" the voice of officer Not-Food, he had forgotten the man's name while thinking about his next meal, cut through his thoughts. He could see Luna shaking her head in exasperation in the corner behind the officer who was giving him a concerned look. "Do I need to call the doctor back in here?" he asked.

"Wha-no, I'm fine, really!" he answered with too much enthusiasm. His stomach loudly protesting. The officer gave him a doubtful look, but didn't press him on it, instead going over his notes.

"Alright then, I'll just need you to go over what happened one more time to make sure I haven't missed anything."

Bud wanted to cry. This was the third time he was going to have to tell the story. Maybe he would get a milkshake with his burger.

"Um…" the voice of the officer caught him before his mind wandered too much.

"Right!" Bud yelped. "I was on my way home after meeting with Zack and the Prez. I stopped to grab some food-" his stomach interrupted him with a loud growl. He coughed in embarrassment and continued, "while I was eating in the park the lights started to flicker, there were some car alarms, then my head hurt really bad. Then I woke up here."

"And that's everything you remember?" the officer prodded.

Bud thought for a moment before his face twisted up in sadness. "I think I dropped my food."

Luna facepalmed at that, while the officer just gave him an incredulous yet sympathetic look.

"Alright," he said, closing his notebook. "I think that will do for now. I'll send for the doctor; once he gives you a once over he can send for some food."

With that, the officer turned and left. Luna was still covering her face. Bud just looked at her confused. "Did I say something wrong?"

Geo was grateful he had been checked on by the doctor before the police arrived, though the detective's flinty eyed gaze was enough to send his appetite into hiding. The man had cropped, dark hair that was beginning to grey. His jaw was wide and firmly set, and a strange antenna was protruding from the back of his long coat. Geo knew this man as Bob Copper, lead detective for the Satella Police's Special Investigation Unit. His unit was responsible for investigating any anomaly within the EM Satellite Network, or ESN, including virus attacks, EM surges, and the disappearance of satellites.

He still remembered his mother being brought in for questioning after Peace disappeared. The officers had come in suddenly, led by Detective Copper himself. They had carted them both off, albeit much more gently with him. His mother's screams that night as they were temporarily separated still haunted his dreams from time to time. Mr. Boreal had protested loudly, but in the face of the warrant, his protests fell on deaf ears. He couldn't blame her for excusing herself when the detective had arrived. So, while he would have loved nothing more than to be able to glare defiantly back at this man, he felt an uneasy fear worming its way through his heart, leaving him to pick idly at his food.

"So, let me get this straight," the man's gruff voice drawled, "You were just out stargazing, saw some lights in the sky, and passed out?"

"That's what I said," Geo responded in a voice barely above a mumble.

"See any aliens?"

That gave Geo pause. The question was one he hadn't expected, but as he looked up, meeting the detective's eyes, he understood. The look he was receiving was the same one he had received from his teachers after the accident. The same as the parents of the other children would give him as they led their kids away. Copper wanted to know if Geo was falling into the same madness as his father.

Geo gave the man a bitter smile before answering, "Aliens aren't real, detective."

Their gazes held for a few more beats, each searching the other for any kind of give, any weakness, any dishonesty. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the detective sighed and snapped his notebook closed.

"Right then," he said, standing. "That should be all I need from you. We'll follow up later if necessary."

Geo didn't answer, afraid that his courage might fail him if he spoke. The detective turned to him one last time before leaving. "If you remember anything else, let us know."

Without waiting for an answer, he left. Geo watched the door for a moment longer, heart still racing with adrenaline. His fatigue was gone for now but would return soon enough. A minute later, his mother walked back into the room, face pale but eyes focused. She padded over to him and drew him into a gentle hug. He let out a shaky breath as he leaned against her shoulder. She stroked his hair softly as she pulled away and held up a shopping bag.

"I got you some things," she said. "I thought you might like the chance to freshen yourself up a bit instead of having one of the nurses do it."

"Yeah, that would be better," he answered, very aware of the odor coming from his mouth and under his arms.

She passed him the bag, and he shuffled through it, finding a toothbrush, toothpaste, a stick of deodorant, and a small mirror inside. Thanking her, he passed over his mostly untouched food and propped the mirror onto the tray table where it had been. He let out a sharp gasp.

"What's wrong?" his mother turned to him, deep worry etched in her face and tone.

He looked back at the mirror, and his shoulders relaxed slightly. "Nothing," he answered. "I just didn't expect to look so rough." He gave a sheepish smile that he hoped was convincing. Her face relaxed as she nodded, taking a seat by the window and flipping through her book to find where she had left off.

He gazed intently at his reflection. His eyes were sunken from exhaustion, and his skin was unusually pale. Nothing struck him as out of the ordinary. But just for a moment, he was sure he had seen another face in the mirror. One with long, sharp teeth and glowing red eyes.

Dark. If he had to describe his job in one word, it would be "dark". Not in the dangerous, macabre sense. It was literally dark. The headlamp he and his partner wore were all that warded off the gloom about them as they traversed the miles of tunnels that made up the excavation site. Robert Pullman wiped the sweat from his brow, careful not to dislodge his helmet. The heat this far underground was nearly unbearable. He would have been enjoying his first day off in weeks had his foreman not called all hands in to work. Something about the head researcher for the project, Dr. Vega, putting pressure for more results. He didn't quite get why the big wig donors couldn't be a little more patient. Unearthing an ancient civilization wasn't exactly easy.

Still, he couldn't say that he didn't find some measure of satisfaction in his work. The relics they had uncovered thus far were bound to change more than a few history books. And that was to say nothing of the incredible beauty and sophistication of them. He might not be a top researcher, but he knew enough to recognize the signs of an advanced culture. He took another swig from the flask at his hip, wishing it was something stronger than water, but grateful for the relief it brought none the less.

They were currently rooting through a large chamber, some fifty meters across. Several tunnels branched out from it that were still be mapped by the exploratory crew. Until they were done, the research team was tasked with restoring or removing whatever they could without damage and documenting the rest. They had already transferred several pottery samples, some primitive weapons, and even a tablet covered in ancient writing. The linguistics team would undoubtedly be having a field day over it. Still, his favorite piece was the large mural that appeared to depict a battle between two ancient deities. Dr. Vega herself had come to see the piece when it was reported. She had happily congratulated the whole team and requested restoration efforts be focused on it.

"Oi, Robert!" his partner called out from across the wide chamber, breaking him out of his thoughts. He turned to see his partner staring at the ground. Whatever had caught his attention was obscured to him.

"Yeah?" he answered back, climbing down to see what the other man was looking at.

"Is this one of ours?"

Robert reached the man and looked down, finally able to see what he was talking about. A metal pipe, still half buried, had been exposed. This in and of itself was of interest to Robert as it could be an indication that the civilization had developed an almost modern plumbing structure. But the pipe itself was only part of the puzzle. After a moment of staring at it, a pulse of light flashed across its surface in the direction of a stone structure, half embedded into the cave wall. He walked up to it, curiosity getting the better of him, and tapped his hammer against the stone surface. A metallic clink rang out through the cavern. He tapped again, pressing his ear up to the stone now. After a few minutes of tapping, he stopped and turned to his colleague.

"This thing's hollow," he said, a mad glint of excitement in his eye. "Call the excavation team, we need to find the entrance."

It took only a few minutes to arrange for the equipment to be brought down along with the personnel to operate it. It took another several hours of very carefully digging out the cave wall around the structure before the entrance was found. Robert observed that, compared to some of the other buildings in the cavern, this one was relatively plain. As the excavation crew moved their equipment out of the way, he and his partner stepped through the now exposed doorway and into a narrow hall.

Strange symbols lined the walls, remarkably well preserved. He considered that perhaps this structure was sealed early on in its history, thus guarding the interior from erosion. As he was examining the symbols, carefully trying to compare them to the others he had seen, a light flashed across them. Startled, he jumped back, almost striking his companion. He watched for a moment and they flashed again, but not all at once. The outermost symbols flashed first, while those further in flashed only after those before them.

Directing their lights down the hall, they cautiously proceeded, watching for any structural weakness or trap. Neither presented itself. Instead, after a few minutes of traversing the now twisting passages, they came upon a sealed door. Through the cracks, they could occasionally see the light flash, brighter than before. Deliberating silently, they both nodded to the other, agreeing to proceed. Placing their hands on the door, they pushed, feeling the old stone give with only a little effort. As their lights filtered into the room, joining the periodic pulsing, they stopped cold.

"Oi," Robert spoke, "What in the world is this?"

"I…I don't know," his partner answered, equally dumbfounded.

After a few minutes, Robert regained his senses. "Go call for Dr. Vega," he ordered. "She'll want to see this."

He received no answer, only the hurried footsteps of his partner running back the way they had come. He just stood there, rooted in place as he gazed at what would undoubtedly be the most significant discovery of his career. At the far end of the room was a holding tank made of stone and glass. Through the glass, with every pulse of light, he could see suspended in what appeared to be water the form of a human.