Legends of Amacia Return of the Beowulf

An hour later, Hannibal and Rachel were heading back to Hannibal’s room after eating their fill in the kitchen. “You really like Jacob and his family, don’t you daddy?” Rachel asked.

Hannibal nodded, saying, “Yeah. I do, sweetie. Jacob reminds me of myself when I was that age. Friends are very important in this place.”

They reached their quarters and went in, closing the door behind them. Selina was still sound asleep in the bed. Her purr was echoing softly throughout the room. Hannibal walked over to the bed with Rachel and they looked down on Selina. “Is that momma?” Rachel asked, referring to the purr she was hearing.

“Yup,” Hannibal replied. “That’s her all right. She’s actually fairly loud right now. Usually you have to be almost on her to hear her purr.” He sat Rachel on their bed and sat beside her with an arm around her. After a moment, he asked Rachel, “Would you like to see where she came from?”

Rachel looked at him in a puzzled manner, asking, “How can you do that? She’s from another planet. You said so.”

Hannibal patted her on the shoulder saying, “Don’t fret about that. I have ways. Just sit here for a moment.” He went to his dresser and rummaged around in one of the drawers for the little hologram projector that Harry had found in his pack. “Ah, here we are,” Hannibal beamed once he found it. He closed the drawer and returned to Rachel with the small device in his hand. He sat next to her on the bed, showing it to her.

“What’s that?” Rachel asked in amazement.

Hannibal shushed her, saying, “It’s just one of my little toys; watch.” He keyed the sequence on the keypad and the hologram generator began to hum. “Now don’t be afraid of what you see. It’s just an image,” he warned her. No more than he had spoken, a light flashed out of the device, turning the whole room into a three dimensional theater. The Kaitian system appeared in all its grandeur. The room itself seemed to vanish in the display, leaving the bed seemingly hanging in outer space. Hannibal held the device with a smile as the holographic image of Kaitia appeared.

Rachel on the other hand was caught off guard and immediately latched on to Hannibal in fright. “Daddy!” she whined in fright.

Hannibal put an arm around her, saying, “It’s all right. We aren’t going to fall. This is just an illusion; watch.” He keyed the device and the hologram disappeared, and the room reappeared. He looked down at her, saying, “See. We are still in our room.”

Rachel looked up at him with awe. “It’s magic! You have the powers of a wizard!” she cried out in astonishment. Her comments pricked his heart.

“No, Rachel,” Hannibal gently corrected. “This is not magic, nor do I have the powers of a wizard, at least not in the traditional sense you understand. A machine does this. You see this little thing. It’s a machine that can project images. Hmm, let me see if I can explain it to you in terms that you can grasp. Have you ever made shadow animals on the wall with your hands before you were taken?” Rachel nodded with a grunt.

“Well, this is kind of like that,” Hannibal stated. “This little machine projects pictures in three dimensions, instead of two like your shadow animals. Here, let me show you something.” He opened up the device and showed her the disk of Kaitia. “You see this little disk here?” he asked and she nodded. “This disk is like a book. It’s filled with information on Selina’s home world. It has an exact digital replica in information of Kaitia. This thing in my hand is what we call a reader. It reads the disk and takes that information, displaying it visually so everyone can see it,” he explained as he closed the device up. “Now see this?” he asked, pointing to the keypad face of the device.

“Yes, dad,” Rachel replied in wonder.

“This is how I control it,” Hannibal explained. “Right now all I have to do to get the image to return is to push this button. Would you like to push the button?”

Rachel looked at the device with hesitation, holding her hand back. Hannibal knew that she wanted to do it. “When you push that button, the image will return and we will appear to be in outer space. But it’s just an image. Go on. It’s okay to start it,” he urged her.

Rachel’s eyes sparkled with wonder as she looked at the device. But her hesitation was very obvious. “I don’t know, dad,” she admitted. “We were never allowed to have anything like that. To have any kind of machine was worse than having books. It was punishable by instant death.”

“It’s all right, Rachel. The Emperor doesn’t have any say here. It is okay to use the machines,” Hannibal assured her. “Go on. Press the button.”

Rachel summoned the courage and reached out, trembling with fear and pressed the button with her index finger.

“That a girl. See, it’s all right,” Hannibal cooed in her ear as the hologram sprang out of the machine, filling the room, making them feel like they were in outer space. She recoiled again, latching on to Hannibal, but this time with much less fear. “You see, this is nothing but a three dimensional picture generated from the disk in the machine,” Hannibal assured her. Her mouth hung open for a few moments as she was overwhelmed with the sheer majesty of the Kaitian system.

“It looks so real,” Rachel finally said.

“I know it does,” Hannibal replied. “But it is just an illusion. Watch this.” He pushed her back gently and began to get up.

Instantly, Rachel reached out to keep him from getting up, crying, “Don’t! You’ll fall!”

Hannibal smiled, saying, “Trust me. I won’t fall. The room is still here even though we can’t see it.” He stood up and stepped away from the bed, moving toward the image of Kaitia. He appeared to be walking on nothing. Rachel’s eyes got round as saucers as he did that, especially when he didn’t fall. Turning back to her, he said, “See. It’s just an illusion. Now watch this. You see this planet? It looks real, doesn’t it? It looks solid, right?”

Rachel perched herself on the edge of the bed, looking at Hannibal standing in the aetherium like a god hovering over the planet of Kaitia. She nodded slightly to his questions; eyes wide open in utter and absolute wonder.

“Now watch closely,” Hannibal said as he raised his arm. “And remember that what you are seeing here isn’t real.” He took his arm and hand and made a swipe through the holographic representation of Kaitia. The hologram rippled and flowed around his arm as it passed through the planet. Once his arm emerged from the planet, it trembled slightly and went back to the way it was before he ran his arm through it. “See. It isn’t real,” he chimed. Rachel was without words as he walked back to her. “Would you like to touch it?” he asked and fear rose abruptly in her.

“No, dad,” Rachel replied fearfully.

Hannibal carefully laid the device on the bed. “You still don’t trust me,” he scolded her mildly. “Come on; remember Nemesis and the drakens? This is no different.” He reached down and picked her up.

Rachel trembled with fear, but didn’t cry out. She latched on to him for all she was worth. “You’re not going to let me fall, are you?” she whimpered fearfully.

Hannibal smiled warmly, saying, “Of course not. Let me show you something.” He squatted down with her, leaned over, putting his hand on what appeared to be nothing. It pressed flat as if he was pressing against something solid. “See, the floor is right there. You try it. The floor is there. You can feel it even though you can’t see it,” he said confidently.

Rachel hesitantly reached out and felt the floor. Her eyes lit up, saying, “It’s solid. I can feel it, but I can’t see it! This is amazing.”

Hannibal grinned slyly at her as they stood, saying, “What have I been trying to tell you? This is nothing but an illusion. Now see for yourself. Touch the planet.”

Rachel reached out and the planet flowed around her hand. She pulled it back and looked at her hand in wonder. “Daddy...,” she said softly, “I....”

“It’s all right, Rachel. I too am wondered by this thing at times,” Hannibal said as they went back to the bed. They sat back down on the bed and Hannibal retrieved the device after sitting Rachel down. They gazed at the awesome and majestic beauty of Kaitia for a few minutes without saying anything.

“Daddy,” Rachel said, looking up at him. “I’ve never seen anything so pretty. This has to be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. You say this is where momma came from?”

Hannibal didn’t get a chance to answer because from behind them, Selina called out, “Yes, sweetie. That is where I came from.” Both of them looked behind them to see Selina rolling on her back so she could see them clearly. “It’s far, far away,” she added as she stretched a bit.

Rachel beamed and cried out in delight, “Momma!” Rachel quickly crawled over to Selina and laid down beside her on top of the blankets, hugging her. Selina put an arm around her and allowed Rachel to lay her head on her shoulder.

Looking at Hannibal with a wry grin, Selina declared, “You had me fooled there for a moment. I thought I was still dreaming.”

Hannibal kicked his sandals off and crawled around next to her, saying, “Sorry, princess. I was just showing Rachel where you came from.” He sat next to her, leaning against the headboard.

Selina began to shift her position. “Could you get up a minute, sweetie?” Selina asked Rachel. When she moved, Selina she immediately started to sit up.

“You want to sit up, honey?” Hannibal asked and Selina nodded so Hannibal helped her sit up next to him. He put an arm around her as Selina said, “All right, Rachel, come over here.” Rachel shuffled and sat next to Selina as Selina put her left arm around her. They sat there for a few moments, basking in the view of Kaitia.

Selina looked at Hannibal and cuddled a bit, laying her head on his shoulder, saying as she did, “I almost forgot how beautiful it was. Can I see the controller?” Hannibal handed it to her and with her right hand, she manipulated the hologram, bringing the planet much closer.

“What’s going on?” Rachel asked as everything changed around them, making her a little uneasy.

“It’s all right, sweetie,” Selina stated. “I’m just narrowing the field of view down. I want to see my old house again.” Rachel watched in wonder as Selina zoomed the hologram down to the point that a great castle was seen. It was massive and exquisitely beautiful made of topaz-colored stone that sparkled in the light of the Kaitian suns. She continued to zoom in until they were inside the castle in the main living area. It was lavishly furnished with the best in Kaitian furniture. Chairs, what appeared to be recliners and sofas were arranged around a central table with a large seven-sided crystal sitting on it. All around the walls were family pictures. She shifted the view of the hologram, moving in on one of the pictures. It was a family portrait of her whole and extended family. It had not only her, Kida, Electra, and Nathanael in it, but also her grandparents on both sides and her uncles and aunts, which included the king and queen of Kaitia. She stopped at the picture and looked intently. Her heart fluttered at it, sinking just a bit.

The picture fascinated Rachel. “Is that you, momma?” she asked.

“Yes, honey,” Selina replied as she pointed herself out in the picture. “I’m the little girl about your age right in the middle front, standing in front of dad and momma. Standing beside my dad is Uncle Philip and Aunt Ariadene, the king and queen of Kaitia, and their five children.”

Hannibal could sense that she was just a bit down and said softly, “You miss them, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do,” Selina replied in a subdued manner as she zoomed back out to an orbital view. She handed the controller back to Hannibal and said quietly, “Could you turn it off now?” Hannibal took the controller and shut it down. The hologram disappeared and the room came back into view. Selina felt a bit homesick and discouraged as she sat there. Only having Hannibal and Rachel there helped her homesickness.

Rachel was just beginning to enjoy the hologram when Hannibal turned it off so she protested a little, asking, “Why did you stop it? I was just beginning to really like it.”

“Your mother wanted it shut off,” Hannibal stated. “Every time she sees it, it makes her terribly homesick.”

“Well, you have that machine that brought us here. Why not use it to go there?” Rachel asked innocently.

“Because we can’t,” Selina replied soberly with just a hint of sadness on her voice.

Rachel was puzzled and asked, “Why not?”

Hannibal fielded the question by replying, “Because the planet isn’t there anymore. It was blown up when the blue sun exploded.”

Rachel looked at them narrowly, asking, “What are you saying?”

“What I’m saying, Rachel is that the blue sun you saw in the illusion exploded and destroyed everything that you saw in the picture,” Hannibal said plainly. “I saw it with my own eyes when I rescued Selina and her father from their burning ship that fateful day.”

Rachel looked at them, not really understanding what he was saying and Hannibal knew it. “For now, just believe me when I say that the planet is gone,” he stated. “It no longer exists. Just as people die, so do stars and planets. I just happened to see it. She cannot go back, ever.” He squeezed Selina gently as he said that.

Rachel looked at Selina and saw the truth of what he was saying in her eyes. “You mean that it is gone forever?” Rachel asked.

Selina nodded, saying, “Yes, Rachel. We could open the portal to where it was but there would be nothing there but gas and dust. There is nothing to go home to there. That is why this planet is my home now and to be perfectly honest, I’m glad it is because here I have found the happiness that I long sought on Kaitia without success. I found Hannibal and you.”

Rachel laid her head on Selina’s shoulder, saying, “I don’t understand, momma. You and daddy are talking about things I don’t understand. But I’m glad you’re here.”

Selina kissed her on the top of the head saying, “So am I. Maybe in time with the proper education, you can understand these things we talk about.”

“I hope so,” Rachel replied softly. “I want to understand.”

Hannibal looked over at Rachel, saying, “You will, sweetie. That’s a promise.” Just then a knock came to the door and Hannibal called out, “Come in.” The door opened revealing Enoch, Kida, Harry and Elias. They came in and Harry closed the door behind them. “So, what brings you to our little corner of the Tower today?” Hannibal asked as they gathered around the bed.

Kida looked at the three of them on the bed and asked Selina, “How are you feeling, sister? Better I hope?”

“Yeah, I’m actually feeling pretty good right now. I’m still a little weak, but good,” Selina replied. “I hope I don’t have another bout of that Kaitian pneumonia any time soon. I forgot how much of a pain it can be.”

“Amen to that,” Kida stated, “I’m glad you’re okay, sis. You had us worried there for a time.”

“Me too,” Selina purred.

“Have you tried to walk yet?” Harry asked.

Selina’s eyebrow rose at the question and she replied, “You know, I really haven’t tried, but I can move them some even though they still feel a bit strange.” To prove her boast, Selina moved her legs side to side a few inches. “That’s about all I can do with them right now,” she admitted. “They’re still pretty weak despite all the physical therapy I’ve been going through. I tired of being confined to a wheelchair. I want to climb and swing through the trees again like I used to.”

“We know,” Hannibal stated. “Just be patient, princess. The fact you are moving your legs speaks volumes. You’ll be walking again before you know it.”

“Hannibal is right,” Enoch chimed. “You must persevere and keep at it. You’ll be walking in no time. Has Elle started you on the walking therapy yet?”

“Yes,” Selina stated. “But it’s difficult. My legs still aren’t cooperating very well. Sometimes, I do very well, going through the motions of walking with someone helping me. Then there are times when my legs just refuse to do what I want them to. It’s infuriating.”

“I’m sure it is,” Enoch replied. “But not completely unexpected. For someone who was crippled like you to be on the verge of walking again this quickly shows your tenacity and strength of will. One day soon, whatever is holding you back will vanish and you will walk, and climb and jump through the trees as you used to. Just have faith, little sister.”

“Absolutely,” Harry agreed. “You should be proud of the progress you’ve made. It’s almost miraculous. I’ve seen people crippled as you were take months, even years to get to the level you are now. Don’t quit now. You’re almost there. All that physical therapy, both in the therapy pools and in the gym haven’t been in vain. When you get back on your feet, I’d like you to do something for me, Selina. That is if Hannibal will allow it.”

“What’s that?” Selina asked, smiling warmly at the support everyone was giving her.

“When you get your feet back, would you honor me with a dance?” Harry asked with a bashful smile. “You’re the best dancer I’ve ever seen. No one compares. Just think of it as a friendly request and a bit of incentive to get you on your feet.”

Selina chuckled warmly. “Of course, my friend,” she purred. “I would be honored. Besides, you’re a much better dancer than Hannibal.” She giggled as she let the tease out.

“I know,” Harry chimed, laughing along with Enoch, Kida, and Elias. “Hannibal’s always been a stick in the mud. It took you marrying him to get him to loosen up and have some fun.” Harry looked directly at Hannibal and added sarcastically, “You missed so much living being a brooding ape all the time. Even apes, gorillas, and monkeys have fun occasionally. But you had to be a Kong. It took beauty to get you to open up, you big ape.”

Rachel looked on with puzzlement while Harry teased Hannibal. She was about to defend Hannibal when he answered Harry’s and Selina’s tease. Shaking his head and smiling warmly, Hannibal said, “Yep; this Kong was taken by beauty all right...Selina’s beauty.” He abruptly started grunting like an ape until he broke out laughing. His frivolity caused everyone else, even Rachel to break out laughing too. When he calmed down, he declared, “Thank you for the diversion, Harry, Princess. I needed it. And you’re right about me not being able to dance or have fun before Selina and I married. Everything you both said was spot on. I don’t feel so weighed down now.”

“Good,” Selina purred, cuddling with Hannibal. “That means we didn’t waste our time, did it Harry?”

“Nope,” Harry chimed. “But I would still like to dance with Selina when she’s walking again.”

“Not a problem,” Hannibal answered. “I know where your loyalties lie. But I don’t think you’re here to tease us. Something’s up, isn’t it?”

Enoch crossed his arms and said soberly, “You do know how to cut through the junk. There are things happening that we need you on.”

“The magnetic barrier around the caverns is breaking down,” Elias reported. “It has to be because we are picking up what Harry calls Brother Paul’s broadcast on the portal control panel.”

This instantly had Hannibal’s attention. “You’re joking,” he pleaded.

Harry shook his head, saying, “I wish I was. This is something that has just happened in the last twelve hours. Somehow, the machinery of this place is picking up Brother Paul’s broadcast from the surface. It isn’t a clear signal. It has a lot of static in it and is very faint, coming in bits and pieces, but it is coming in on the audio components of the portal just like at Tiamat. And from what we’ve been able to hear, which isn’t much, the world topside has come apart at the seams. World War III is going on as we speak. As for the details of it, we can’t say because of the poor quality of the signal.”

Hannibal looked at Selina and Rachel, and then back at those gathered around. “So it begins,” he murmured.

“What begins?” Elias asked.

Hannibal looked him dead in the face, saying, “The Rising is upon us. The magnetic barrier around these caverns has sealed it off from the rest of the world since the Kragonar. By the very fact that the machinery of this tower is picking up radio transmissions from the surface means that the field is weakening, otherwise the signal would have never reached this place. What else is going on?”

“Well, we checked up on the Emperor and his army,” Enoch stated flatly. “The army is still massing Elar near the Pass of Tartarus. Tens of thousands of troops and war machines pour out of Tartarus every hour replacing and reinforcing the survivors of the Acheron operation. At the same time, we see the other divisions that attacked Arionath, Cushar, Zin, and Khitia crossing the Pass of Elar, reinforcing the army crossing from Tartarus. Those they lost in the Acheron explosion have not only been replaced, but they’ve quadrupled in number. The number of machines is building, as are the numbers of Xenians, Zarukar, and battle droids. A rough estimate from what we saw is at least six hundred fifty thousand.”

Hannibal grunted, frowning. “Has anyone tried to make contact with Kartoom yet?” he asked bluntly.

“Yes,” Elias stated. “It is going to be difficult. As Nemesis and Horace said, they’ve created an energy shield around the whole place that’s impenetrable. Nothing can get through it.”

Hannibal growled at that, saying, “The Emperor must have figured out that we have a portal. This isn’t good. Where were you able to lock in?”

Elias rubbed the side of his face as he said, “Everything about the processing plants and main citadel is shielded, but the exterior slave pens are not. According to Horace, the exterior slave pens are not considered strategic, and therefore are not shielded. He did say there is a way to get into the facility from the pens. But it won’t be easy.”

“Yes, I remember Horace saying that. Can you open in the outside pens?” Hannibal asked with sparkle in his eye.

Elias nodded, saying, “Yes. In fact, that is the only place in the whole facility that we can open to.”

“The Lord is good. Is it not the prisoners of Kartoom that we want?” Hannibal replied, smiling wryly.

Enoch’s face lit up as he said, “Yes, it is, but the outside pens are not where most of the slaves are kept. Remember, Horace said it was an execution area for those with genetic abnormalities. The main pens are inside the walls near the labs. Just how are we going to bypass the shield?”

By now, Hannibal’s keen mind was in overdrive, pondering plans and possibilities. “A good question to be sure,” he replied. “Our only hope is to trick them into opening up. The entrance from the outside pens is the weak point in their defenses. I can only hope the guards they have posted there aren’t very intelligent.”

“That’s a very big if,” Harry commented.

“We must have faith,” Hannibal insisted. “The Lord our God will open the door for us. I know He will.”

“He’d better or this will be the shortest attack in history,” Elias stated grimly.

“Trust me,” Hannibal insisted. “From what I’ve seen, the Zarukars and Xenian grunts are not very intelligent. They’re designed to follow orders, unlike the officers. I’m betting since this entrance isn’t considered a threat to their overall security, they’ll have grunts manning it. We just need to trick them into opening up for us.”

“I hope you are right for all our sakes,” Harry stated. “I don’t relish being caught out there in the open trying to break in.”

“Neither do I,” Hannibal agreed. “But it’s the only way in that I know of. We have to take that chance. Okay, this is what I want you to do. First, we need another strike team. I want volunteers only. Go around and recruit as many as you can for this mission if you haven’t already started doing it. Once you have the team, come back to me and we’ll go from there.”

“All right then,” Enoch replied. “The recruiting has been going on since you said you wanted to take out Kartoom. I already know of some who want to go. They’re eager to strike back at the Emperor. They’re already training for the mission.”

“Good,” Hannibal stated. “Continue the recruitment and be sure to tell them how dangerous this is going to be. I need folks who will stand their ground in the face of overwhelming numbers and firepower.”

“Got it,” Enoch stated. “I’ve told everyone how dangerous this mission is going to be, so they won’t go in unwarned.”

“Excellent,” Hannibal replied. “That’s all I can ask.”

“How many do you want for this operation?” Enoch asked.

“About the same number we had for the rescue operation in the Black Fortress,” Hannibal stated. “But use your own judgment on that. If you think we need more than that, by all means do it. However, I want no less than what we had for the raid on the Black Fortress.”

“It will be done,” Enoch declared. “No less than a hundred warriors; I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”

“Oh, while you’re gathering the troops, tell Muriel that I want to speak to her,” Hannibal added. Enoch nodded and left, followed by Elias, leaving Kida and Harry there. Hannibal looked up at them and said to Kida, “Kida, Could you do something for me?”

“Of course,” Kida replied.

“I want you to find your mother and father and meet us in the living room. When Muriel is found, bring her there,” Hannibal ordered.

Kida looked at Hannibal narrowly, saying, “You’re up to something that involves Muriel somehow. What are you going to do?”

Hannibal grinned mischievously, saying, “You’re a clever girl. You’ll figure it out. But to do what I need to do, I need the strongest telepaths present. Now go, and if you happen across Josephine, bring her along too. We’ll be down in a few minutes.”

Kida remained puzzled about Hannibal’s orders as she left. Hannibal then turned to Harry, saying, “How fare you these days, my friend?”

Harry sighed, saying, “All right, I suppose, though I miss Mary and Dennis something terrible. I also miss you and Selina somewhat. Since your mutation reversal, you haven’t been quite the same. You seem distant, not like it was when you were Hanna. However, I can understand why. This shit with the Emperor is spiraling out of control and it’s caused you to revert to your old ways. You promised not to do that when you had your mutation reversal done. We miss that fun side of you, all of us.”

Harry’s comment struck Hannibal square in the chest like a shotgun blast. It was the truth and he knew it. He had been neglecting not just Harry, but the rest of his original team. “I’m so sorry about that bud,” Hannibal sincerely apologized. “You’re my best friend. I should have made time for you and not just you, but Thomas, Jonathan, Ned, Sam, John, Arabella, Cracko, and even Ramone. There has been so much going on so quickly that I really haven’t had time to do it. And, as you said, it’s causing me to be a stick in the mud like I used to. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

“There is nothing to apologize for,” Harry returned. “We all know what is going on and what has been placed on you. I’ve been sharing the Gospel with them whenever I could. They are actually coming along with their faith very well. And they in no way resent the fact that you seemingly are ignoring them. So don’t fret about it. But if I might make a suggestion?” Hannibal nodded and Harry said, “Before we go off on another raid, speak to them. Show them that you haven’t forgotten them. Throw them a party or a dinner or something to show that you still are the same man that they followed into this savage land.”

Hannibal’s countenance rose dramatically. The thought of doing what Harry suggested had never crossed his mind and once Harry had said it, he knew it was what he needed to do. “That is a great idea,” Hannibal chimed. “We’ll throw them a dinner where they will be the guests of honor, and we’ll try to do it before we move on Kartoom unless something comes up beforehand. Thank you for such a good idea. I will indeed do that. It’ll also let me have a little fun too.”

Harry smiled as he walked up the bed. Hannibal had reached out his hand. Harry took it and shook it firmly, saying, “Any time. Sometimes you just need to be reminded of things.”

Hannibal smiled, as did Selina. “That is so true,” he stated. “You are like my conscience. Don’t ever change in that regard. You’re a lot smarter than you know.”

Harry blushed a bit as Hannibal said, “There is one thing I want you to do. Go outside and try to find Argus, Aeolus, and Tethys. Tell them to meet us on the roof in two hours.”

Harry looked Hannibal directly in the eye and asked bluntly, “All right, what is really going on here?”

Hannibal looked at him and said plainly, “It’s time to unlock Muriel’s mind. She knows things that we need to know. Besides, I promised that I would help her find out who she really is.”

Harry’s face opened up with understanding because he was there when they cast the demon from Muriel. “Oh, okay; just asking. I’ll go and see what I can do.”

Hannibal waved him away, saying humorously, “Get out of here, you goof.” Harry grinned and walked out.

Rachel was mystified as to what was going on. “Who is Muriel?” she asked.

“Another friend we found in the depths of Acheron,” Hannibal replied. “She’s a very special lady who is far older than any of us.”

Rachel looked at him asking, “How old is she?”

Hannibal glanced at Selina for a moment, who had a pleasant smile on her face, and then said to Rachel, “Muriel is a relic of an age gone by. She is at least six hundred conservatively. But because of her lack of memory, we cannot know for certain.”

Rachel’s eyes widened as she breathed in astonishment, “Six hundred? That’s impossible!”

Selina looked at Rachel, saying, “Muriel is unique, Rachel. She was the victim of the Cadre’s experiments. I’ve seen her mind. It is unlike any that I’ve ever encountered.”

“What is she like?” Rachel asked.

“She is unlike anything you can imagine. She is actually a very kind and gentle soul, despite her appearance. I think you’d like her,” Hannibal replied.

“But what does she look like?” Rachel insisted.

“She’s part woman, part cat with a lizard arm and machine enhancements like Nemesis and Magnus.” Hannibal told her bluntly. She has beautiful snow-white hair and the prettiest green eyes that I must admit are very strange to look at. She’s quite a find and in her own way, very pretty.” His description intrigued Rachel.

“When can I see her?” Rachel asked.

“Not right now,” Hannibal told her plainly. “You see, Rachel, Muriel doesn’t really know who she is or where she really belongs. She has been locked up by herself for so long that she doesn’t really know who she is. We are going to try to help her remember. After we do that, maybe then you can meet her.”

Selina looked at him, asking, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

Hannibal nodded and said, “Yes. The Lord is moving me to do this before I do anything else. It’s time for her to remember.”

Selina smiled pleasantly and leaned against him with her head on his shoulder and her back to him. He held her as she purred, “Then we must get ready. Where do you intend to do it?”

“On the top of the tower where you first met Aeolus and Tethys,” Hannibal stated. “By the way, are you hungry?”

Selina nodded, saying, “Yes, a little.”

Hannibal gave her a gentle squeeze, saying, “Then to the kitchen we go.”