Candi continued to exercise at the gym, always anticipating her eventual return to her old ways. Even so, she feared things would be more difficult. With many of the other Centhuen Prototypes dead, hiding her secret would be that much harder!

She tried to keep a low profile for the next several months, but the threat of the Meethlites and the corrupt officers continued to grow.

Arfaas, using a youth potion, decided to hold a meeting with Merle and a few others from the Dirbine downtown in the concession room of the Scarr Building. Business was going great...but they were still intent on one thing...Denny Levens had to die!



Candi, more so than usual, was running way late. She was enjoying the classwork catch-up opportunities that pregnancy had afforded her...but missed the action of her freshman year!

Just when she started believing her future would be a miserable one, stuck in a lab, her phantom scream...returned!!! How??? Why??? She heard the voices coming from the room, and knew that she had to make herself unseen - but still listen in!



Arfaas: "You see those two over there? Beautiful!"

Merle: "I do say so myself, Sir!"

Arfaas: "The neural backvisors keep them perfectly in suspense! They have no idea of what they're up to!"



Cherrie: "I'm concerned."

Adam: "What's there to be concerned about, Cherrie? We've got the whole thing covered!"

Arfaas: "Hear the woman out...this could be interesting!"



Cherrie: "Now, Duke!"

Arfaas: "Yes?"

Cherrie: "You've never questioned our loyalty to the cause, right?"

Arfaas: "Not seriously. Why?"

Cherrie: "Because...I fear that we're among the few faithful! We've been losing numbers and support all over the Earth!

The next wave could be a decade or so, and we're not helping the cause of the throne of Metheel at all with these constant defeats!"

Arfaas: "What's your take, Miss?"

Cherrie: "We're relying too much on corruption and not enough on conversion! That's bad! They…say...Ploribus is on his way!"



Was the anti-age formula getting weaker, or was Arfaas really just that shaken? Desperately, he tried to maintain a stoic demeanor. Inside, he was trembling!

Arfaas: "Wha...Ploribus? That...half-bred abomination? Yes! I know! The Phaelites are advancing their agenda through the National Guard! They've learned from us only too well! This could lead to civil war! And I know Ploribus would despise that!"



Adam: "We've had no luck on pinning anything on Denny Levens!"



Immediately after that, Cherrie stood up in a sudden rage!

Cherrie: "We couldn't even pin him in the case of those bums at the cafeteria! Face it! If we don't deal with Denny within the means we have; then Ploribus will zero in and find us out for certain!"



Merle: "You're right! There's nothing we can do! But Denny's gotten away with too much for too long! We'll have to play this one cool...like we usually do."



Arfaas: "Then it means what I fear it means, gentlemen!"

They all grew chilled at the certainty in Arfaas' tone. Could it really be so?



Arfaas: "Gentlemen! I know you're gonna despise how difficult this will make it for all of us...but you know that in the name of our cause, each one of you has to be willing to sacrifice yourselves!"

Others: "Agreed!!!"

Arfaas: "Then it is decided!!! We shall hit the Levens household with our slave...Musaran!!!"



With the exception of Cherrie, the others all cheered! Candi, still trying very hard not to give away her eavesdropping, could barely tolerate to hear what she was hearing! How could they? How dare they???



Arfaas: "I'm discomforted by your lack of excitement, Cherrie!"

Cherrie: "I have my reservations, sir! Remember what he did Christmas Eve? He was supposed to only kill the Centhuen Prototypes! But it didn't stop there. I have little faith his rage can be contained!"



Arfaas: "Yes! He is...a little...too perfect!"

Cherrie: "He's a terrorist! These machines here may not be much, but that Musaran is more than we had imagined! We cannot risk overusing him! What would happen if we ever lost direct control?"



A great uneasiness that fell over all of them...why had they never thought of that???

Merle: "It...it will never happen! Besides...even if it did...he'd still have a preference for us, just not absolute faithfulness!

He wouldn't choose the Phaelite saps over us, ever! He's too hardwired to hate them; even if he does lose faith in us!"



Arfaas: "In other words, he'd be a hired hand, and not a slave. A minor inconvenience, but I doubt that the damage to the AI would ever be sufficient to turn him completely against us!"



After a brief pause, Cherrie agreed to speak up:

Cherrie: "Well...in that case...goodbye, Dennis Levens!!! Still...I don't trust Musaran. He's bad publicity!"



Candi had heard enough. No more! She knew what she had to do...dart back to Denny as soon as possible! Every step ached, and she feared she'd go into labor; but the steps were worth it! Since losing Donte, Denny was all she had left...how could she afford to lose him too?



Merle: "I hear footsteps!!! We have a spy!!!"



Candi: (gasping) "Please, God! Not now! Not now!!!"

She had a hunch that the ceiling problem in the men's room was never fixed—correct! She'd use that exit as she had the day she met Denny. If tonight was the last night she saw him alive, wouldn't it only be right to repeat what happened the day she met him?