Separated by a distance several thousand miles away, Gayara drove her black fighter jet plane impatiently.
" I feel like my lunch is threatening to escape from my stomach, urk. "
[ So much that I can taste puke just by the smell of it inside my throat. ]
Gayara's vision is blurry, combined with her emotional outbursts and physical excursions, the black fighter jet plane began to sway from side to side. Then, at Polaris' utter disbelief, the plane drunkenly swooped into the sea, leaving bubbles in it's trail.
Polaris stared at this scene blankly While Dragon hovered above the seawater, waiting for instructions from her master.
" Good thing I wasn't inside that thing. Wolfy won't die, right? "
+Region 1: Eldram Palace+
----Deus POV----
Antares watched Resmeda's lazy behaviour indulgently. Looking at this AI child is like looking at her, Andromeda, the other creator of an Artificial Intelligence such as Resmeda. It could be observed by the naked eye that Resmeda's contour and looks were fashioned after Antares and Andromeda: a meaningful existence that speaks of a certain bond, containing promises and expectations for the future.
" Okay, let's not miss what Mommy is doing. Connect her eyesight to the screen. Maybe we can finally find solutions to the biggest problem that keeps us from being together. "
Antares pinched her nose bridge to endure the daily headache and dizziness. Despite this, she refocused her eyes to the bigger screen in the office. The image zapped for a while before it blackened. Seeing this, she could not help but frown.
Resmeda is really helpless with her Mom. No matter how many times she was reminded, she would always forget and let her emotions get the better of her. This is one thing she could not understand. According to her program, she should feel sad for her Mom but she still could not connect the logic behind these objective and intangible reactions.
" Relax, Mom. Since the Controller is sleeping, it wont be long before Mommy can wake up.' When the sun goes down', remember?"
Antares clenched her hand holding the mirror. She really wanted to lose control but even if she does, Andromeda is still under the Controller. No matter how much she wanted to see her, touch her and smell her, all of such willfulness would cause even bigger trouble.
" Damn Controllers! Just you wait, just you wait. "
Antares can still remember when Andromeda promised to take her away on her 20th birthday. At that time, they secretly got married and was waiting for the construction of their dream house somewhere very secluded. But all of it were dashed because of the re- emergence of the Controller.
----The Past----
" Antares, my wife, wait until your birthday celebration is done before we settle in our new home. By then, the finishing touches have been completed. "
She was so over the moon, waiting for the promised tomorrow but Andromeda never came. On the day of her birthday, she was elated and even disregarded all the gifts and greetings from her relatives and friends.
" What's wrong with sister today? Normally, she won't sleep this early during party's. " Almirah was confused by her sister's unusual behaviour. At the very least, she would silently and politely show her presence like a good girl. Looking at her anxious back, [ something must be going on with her. Perhaps, something exciting! ]
" Maybe she's just tired. Leave her be. " Their omega father could guess what was going on but he didn't bother to expose it. Anyway, having experienced the stage of falling in love himself, it's not a good practice to always intervene with the children's lovelife.
From sunset to moon rise, Antares' mind was filled with expectations and nervousness about their secret affair. Sadly, the day passed yet Antares was still there beside the open window: with eyes black and blue, losing their vibrant color full of hope. She even began to wonder if Andromeda simply forgot the date and worried whether something bad happened to her.
Antares was confused: she hoped that Andromeda didn't forget about her birthday but she also didn't want anything bad to happen to her. Agitated, she went to her desk, opened the compartment and looked at the mirror that Andromeda gave her as an insurance: a tool connected to Andromeda's eyesight for monitoring. What shocked Antares was that Andromeda seemed to be searching for something.
Antares heard her speak an unknown language of which she cannot ascertain as to where it originates. It can be observed that all safes and hidden compartments have been searched, considering the messy stuffs all over the place. She was acting mad and illusive which confused Antares even more.
Antares wanted to contact Andromeda directly to demand her lover for reasonable answers but she decided to spy on her, thinking: Maybe, she's searching for something important?
Later, Antares didn't expect for the worse to happen. She discovered that Andromeda began looking for the past researches on the 'Controllers' and all of those mess had nothing to do with her. Although she was very disappointed, she can still remember the Controllers.That incident was something that was banned and forbidden to the public because of how terrible the consequences are regarding these extraterrestrial race that floated to the Planet.
What scared Antares even more was that Andromeda seemed to be dissatisfied with her findings and began asking her parents about the Controllers. Professor Faris and his wife were immediately vigilant because the Controllers had nothing to do with their daughter. In addition to this behaviour, the couple discovered that their daughter's pupils turned white, a symptom of being controlled by the Controller.
Such discovery made the couple terrified. They wanted to catch Andromeda but the Controller released pheromones which affected them greatly. As a result, the couple was captured and imprisoned secretly.
Antares hesitated whether to tell her parents about this discovery but she didn't dare to. She was afraid that by doing so, it would endanger Andromeda even more. It may even become the reason for their separation.
At last, Antares had no choice but to call her love rival, Diaford, for help. After all, even if the guy is crazy, he was still reliable.
Then, night came. Antares stayed in her room all day without sleep when she noticed that the screen blacked out for five minutes and then got restored again. She became ecstatic when she heard Andromeda call out to her. It was known only to the two of them about this method of communication. When Antares responds, Andromeda will automatically hear it as the receiver is connected to her hearing organ.
" I'm sorry I couldn't fulfill my promise to you, Antares. "
This was something Andromeda did not expect to happen.
" Andromeda, What happened to you? Why are you possessed by the Controller all of a sudden? "
Antares was really scared this time. It's okay for Andromeda to forget her birthday as long as all these unlucky things did not entangle her. But now, now she doesn't even know if her lover can be herself all the time.
" I'm okay, at least I'm not injured or controlled completely yet. It was just an accident. Don't worry, once I get out of the Controller's control for good, I will still come to you as promised. "
What can Andromeda do? It really was an unlucky accident this time. By chance, she spotted a red gem by the sea while on patrol. She planned to design a ring for her lover, Antares, as a marriage ring. Who would have known that there was a controller in that gem, of all things it could attach to.
God, she must have been unlucky for eight lifetimes. Good thing the Controller couldn't read her memory otherwise, who knows what might happen. It's okay to fool her parents but she'd rather die than let the Controller get in touch with Antares. After all, there were such cases about Controllers living the host's life and even getting the host's lover.
" But there has never been a precedent about possessed humans getting rid of the Controller's control. Andromeda, I'm afraid. "
Antares didn't know what to do. She's not a scientist or a doctor. There's nothing she could do but hope that everything will be alright. Antares tried hard not to cry. They were supposed to live their married life. They never wanted fame or fortune. They just wanted to live together in seclusion. It was such a wonderful dream, yes, a fleeting dream.
" Don't be sad, Antares. Believe in me! No matter what happens, you will always be my brave and beautiful wife. "
----The Present----
The originally black screen flickered a bit before calming down, showing the image of a woman wearing a red laboratory gown. She was caressing her face in front of a mirror with a look of admiration and satisfaction.
" I have to say that my foresight surpasses that of my kind. My host has all that I have envisioned to posses: beauty, intelligence, power and strength. "
This self-talk was heard by Antares and Resmeda which made the two have an urgency to make a final fight. Antares thought she heard it wrong. [No!] She thought. Her head is ringing, her eyes are red and her whole body is beginning to be cold.
Resmeda saw her Mom like this yet she remained silent, not knowing what she was thinking. The woman in the mirror is very familiar to both of them: she had natural white hair cascading down her red lab-gown in a messy way, with two deep dark-purple eyes carelessly surveying every part of her body. At last, she left the mirror with a satisfied sigh as she entered a dark room where many projections of people are waiting.
" I said that these two legged creatures are the most suitable for us than those many-legged beasts and insects, much less those crawlers of the earth or those swimmers of the sea. Humans as the top of the food chain are adaptable beings that are able to travel all kinds of domains, eat all living things and lord over vast territories. Starting today, know my name, Andromeda! As the one with the most powerful host, all of you shall be under my command. "
The projections looked at each other before stating their stance. Who knows what this person might do if they disobey.
" Your host has higher status than mine so I obey. " This is a man sitting in a relaxed posture while raising a glass of wine rather rebelliously. He thought [ Soon, I'll be the President of Eldram Country. I, Gipan Valenze, will not be your lackey for long. ]
" It doesn't matter to me who is the Boss. Just don't restrict me, I'll do you the favor. " This is a well dressed female Alpha with her back to them, looking down on the flashing lights below from the highest luxury hotel.
" I don't care what you guys are thinking as long as you know where the Mother Meteorite is, My loyalty will be yours. Andromeda since you want us to be under your command, you should demonstrate your strength through this, until then, I advice you not to be too hasty. " This is a little girl who appears to be just four or five years old. Her silhouette is blurred and cannot be discerned, indicating her unwillingness to be known.
The Controller looked at these fellows who were reluctant to obey her. [ Hmph! Isn't it just because your hosts are just as powerful and influential as mine if my position is disregarded. After all, COSMOS is a place of right and wrong, a place that people beat and criticize. ]
Still, she remained calm on the surface.
" I said don't worry, Your interests will not collide with mine and I have a way to get the map and the key to the Mother Meteorite. Just give me two weeks at most! "
Although skeptical, the other controllers acquiesced before logging off.
" That's what you said. Skyrim has been caught so I'll be very busy these few days. please don't disturb me. " The man, Gipan Valenze thought otherwise, [ That said, it's time to impeach Antares Lacaille.]
" If you fail to get the map and key, don't expect us to obey you by then. "
" They are right, We are the only ones who escaped that extermination, We must find our allies before banding together. "
Looking at all these events, Antares was beyond shocked. Especially Vice President Valenze. He was right under her nose all these times but she didn't find anything wrong. This shows just how terrifying the Controllers are.
" I must contact Diaford to hurry up otherwise. Once the Controllers are freed, the consequences are not something I can handle on my own. "
Antares hurried to switch channels while Resmeda was hesitating whether to call her Mom to attention.
" Mother, it's not good. My connection has been cut off! "
" What! Have we been discovered? Impossible, there must be other reasons for these. Anyway, Andromeda must have been controlled thoroughly since that Controller can now traverse at night. "
Antares opened her mini fridge to get a cup of ice cubes, trying to cool down and think calmly. The sound of munching continued until the screen flickered twice, then a slovenly dressed Diaford appeared on the screen. Nobody spoke as they stared at each other like that.
Finally, Diaford broke the silence, " she's gone? "
Antares didn't expect him to say that. She's so mad that she wanted to cut off contact but she can't, [ you must be patient, for Andromeda, be patient! ]
" What do you mean by 'gone'? She's not dead yet! As long as that thing gets out of her head, she'll be back. " Antares has always been certain of these.
" You mean back to you? " Diaford replied sarcastically. He really liked Andromeda and he didn't mind competing with Antares for love but he didn't like being framed. He thinks that it's okay to be an admirer but it's really not okay to be a licking dog.
" Yes, so what? Don't think I don't know what you didn't do back when I asked for your help. You knew that when Andromeda was better, she'll leave Cosmos so you just pretended to cooperate with me. Besides, we don't really know who framed you. Is it Andromeda or the Controller? " Antares really didn't want to cooperate with Diaford but he's the only available scientist who might be willing to work for her in lieu of her brother-in-law's favor.
" Hey, that's just your hypothesis! Let's talk about business. I do have a solution but I need test subjects. Otherwise, you might find trouble with me once I kill Andromeda by mistake in the process of treatment."
Diaford's interest was piqued.[ If I can study such an interesting specimen, there is a chance that I can get data on the extraterrestrial civilization! ]