As she worked to organize the progress reports from the Ark Project, Hikari Mirabilis looked up to find one of the Zoanoids that staffed the Dead Sea Plant standing in front of her desk.

"Yes?"

"Three creams, two sugars; just the way you like it," the Bresnel said, setting down a cup of coffee within easy reach of Hikari's left hand.

"Thank you," Hikari said, as the Zoanoid smiled and left.

Another Zoanoid, a Razell this time, came up to her desk.

"I brought you your usual: one jelly doughnut with strawberry filling, and two cheese Danishes."

Smiling, the Razell turned and left, and Hikari turned back to the reports. There was time enough to snack after they had been seen to. The growth of the Ark was proceeding on schedule, but with Lord Hamilcal overseeing it Hikari had truthfully not expected anything less. The sound of her office door opening for a third time caused Hikari to jerk her head up from the reports, annoyance lighting her features.

The person inside her office now, though, was no mere Zoanoid.

"Imakarum? What brings you here?"

"You'll have to forgive my bluntness, my Lady, but I think our subordinates are flirting with you," Imakarum said, obviously amused by the thought.

"What makes you say that, my Lord?"

"They've never brought me coffee and morning snacks of questionable nutritional value," Imakarum said, chuckling softly. "At least, not without me having to ask for them first."

Hikari chuckled. "Perhaps you're right about that, my Lord. Now, did you come here for any specific reason, or did you just intend to tease me about that?"

"Actually, my Lady, I came to discuss our strategy."

"Which strategy would that be, my Lord?"

"Our strategy for dealing with the Guyvers, and Yukari Fukamachi in particular. I think she is more willing to see things from our point of view, given some help, of course."

"Yes, she does still seem rather attached to me," Hikari said, considering just what steps would need to be taken to procure the loyalty of the female Guyver I. "I think we would need to move quickly, though, my Lord. Otherwise, she may be liable to forget her present feelings. Akane Makishima can be rather persuasive."

"I doubt that she will be willing to give up on such sentimental attachments so quickly, my Lady. As well, don't forget that Sho Fukamachi is with her as well. His sentimental attachment to me is still rather strong, as we have both seen demonstrated."

"Yes," Hikari said, propping her chin up on her right hand. "Still, the fact remains that the two of them are rather well-protected at the moment. How do you propose we go about gaining her loyalty; or capturing her, if it comes to that?"

"That was what I was hoping to get your input on, my Lady. If you're not still preoccupied with those reports, that is."

"I think I would be able to spare at least some of my time; this could prove to be useful to our cause, provided we are able to carry this plan out."

So saying, Hikari set the reports aside, dragged over another chair using her telekinesis, and turned to face Imakarum more squarely.

"Now, what did you have in mind, my Lord?"

XxXxXxXxXxX

While the other Zoanoids, and the two other Zoalords, stationed at the Dead Sea Plant all concerned themselves with the growth of the Ark - as well they should - Dr. Balkus was searching for an answer to the problem at hand: the one that the duplicates of Imakarum and the two Guyvers posed. The first thing that the Second Zoalord was trying to determine was just which set of Guyvers and Zoalord was the true set. The one that belonged to this universe.

Of course, since the two universes seemed to have fused rather completely, something that the two complete sets of memories that Balkus himself and all of the unduplicated Zoalords possessed would attest to; Balkus' first task was to find out just which universe they had been in when all of this oddness had started. Something that would not prove easy, even for someone of his formidable intellect. Balkus was willing to admit this to himself, if no one else.

He knew a great many things about the Advent technology that Chronos had appropriated for their cause, but extra-dimensional physics was somewhat beyond even his vast experience. Lord Alkanphel seemed unconcerned with these new developments, at least when he wasn't pleased with them. However, Balkus himself was not quite so willing to accept two extra Guyvers as the price of gaining a single Zoalord.

Even if this Hikari Mirabilis was every bit as loyal as Imakarum.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Fried'rich van Purg'stall was also contemplating the new addition to the Chronos Overlords, though he was not entirely certain if the term 'new addition' was best applied to Lord or Lady Imakarum. Still, it was good to have an extra Zoalord to counter the fact that the Guyvers' numbers had been doubled. The fact that Lady Imakarum had expressed an interest in having Yukari Fukamachi join Chronos' glorious cause, and the fact that the girl herself had seemed to have a rather strong sentimental connection with Lady Imakarum, had given Fried'rich the idea to make that statement to the world at large.

Now the girl would have the chance to join Chronos' ranks, though in what capacity Fried'rich was not entirely certain. Still, he supposed that it would be useful to have one who knew so much about the inner workings of the Guyvers' little rebel group working in the service of Chronos. The matter of the female Guyver I would hopefully be resolved in a satisfactory manner.

Now that Lord and Lady Imakarum had been recalled to the Dead Sea Plant in the absence of Guyver attacks, Fried'rich felt more free to concentrate on his own duties to Chronos. It was not that he was or had been ungrateful to Lord and Lady Imakarum for their assistance, however seeing the two Zoalords in such close proximity to one another - while his mind stubbornly insisted that only one of them was supposed to exist - was somewhat unnerving for him.

Best to have them far enough away that he wouldn't be distracted by such things.

That would at the very least give Fried'rich time to acclimate to the idea of having two Twelfth Zoalords. Turning back to his work, Fried'rich considered again the problem of Yukari Fukamachi. She, even more than Sho Fukamachi, seemed to be the weak link in the Guyvers' rebel group. Her sentimental attachment to the woman who had become Lady Imakarum was even somewhat stronger than Sho Fukamachi's was to Lord Imakarum.

This was a weakness that could be exploited, given enough subtlety on Chronos' part. Fried'rich was slightly uneasy about using such an emotional girl's attachments against her, but he comforted himself with the fact that while Yukari continued to fight against Chronos, the memories of the woman that Lady Imakarum had once been would continue to haunt her.

It would really be best for the girl's own mental health if she was inducted into the ranks of Chronos.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Hikari Mirabilis, now returned to her quarters after her discussion with Lord Imakarum, reached up to her left shoulder and removed the pauldron there. Setting it down on the table next to her bed, Hikari removed the pauldron there and set it next to the one that had rested on her left shoulder. Unfastening her floor-length cape, Hikari folded it neatly and placed it beside the pauldrons.

Bending down, Hikari unfastened her shin-guards and set them down at the base of the table. Sitting on the edge of her bed, Hikari removed her boots and set them down next to her shin-guards. Standing back up, Hikari reached up and pulled the zipper on the back of her bodysuit down until it had reached the center of her back.

Switching her grip to her other hand, Hikari pulled the zipper open the rest of the way and then shucked out of her jumpsuit. Folding the garment neatly, Hikari placed it next to her cape. The door's chime distracted Hikari from what she had been doing, and Hikari waited for a moment to see if the chime had been rung by mistake.

As it turned out, though, whoever had rung the chime did indeed want to speak with her. It wouldn't do to greet any of her subordinates, to say nothing of her superiors, dressed in nothing but a strapless bra and pair of panties. Still, she also did not want to delay her grooming for longer than she needed to, so Hikari picked up her cape and wrapped it around herself.

Tucking the edges of the cape firmly under her arms, Hikari started over to her door just as her mysterious caller rung the chime for a third time. Once there, Hikari opened the door and was confronted by a Zoanoid. A Cadan; she knew.

"Your Excellency... is this a bad time?"

"That depends, is the situation urgent?"

"Well," the Cadan seemed slightly embarrassed, his eyes flickering over her body briefly before he fixed his gaze on her face. "No, it's not that urgent, Excellency. It's only a meeting that's been requested. I'll go tell them to reschedule."

"Thank you," Hikari said, closing her door and walking back into her room.

Unwrapping her cape, Hikari refolded it and set it back down next to her bodysuit. Reaching behind her back again, Hikari unclasped her bra and set it down on top of her cape. The janitorial staff would doubtless be in later to deal with her clothes once she herself was out of the main area of the room. Both since Hikari herself had contacted them, and because of the fact that the Cadan had seen her state of undress and paged them as well.

Tossing her panties on the floor next to her shin-guards, Hikari turned away from the neatly piled clothes and armor and headed in the direction of her own private bathroom. Only the Zoalords who were stationed in this facility were given the privilege to have this kind of setup in their rooms, and Hikari was no exception to this rule. Briefly, she wondered just how it had come about that her own room existed in this place.

All of the Zoalords' personal quarters were highly individualized, and yet both her and Lord Imakarum's quarters - obviously his, since Hikari had seen his influences in the decoration of the room - were contained within the Dead Sea Plant. Deciding that it was most likely a result of whatever strange accident that had brought her to meet Lord Imakarum in the first place, Hikari put the thought our of her mind.

Opening the door to her own private bathroom, Hikari closed it softly behind her and headed for the specialized shower unit. Opening the stall door, Hikari twisted the hot-water tap until it had opened all the way, and then she turned away from the shower to see to a few other things while the water heated up. Striding over to the cupboard by the sink, Hikari opened it and retrieved her hairbrush and a washcloth.

She also retrieved a small box from a lower shelf. Hikari hoped that she would not be having to deal with the problem that the little... items in the box were created to solve, but as her body had been feeling a little out of sorts lately she would prepare for all eventualities. Even one she didn't really want to deal with.

Setting the hairbrush and the box down on the countertop by the sink, Hikari turned back to the shower. The steam building up on the inside of the marbled glass clearly indicated that the water had heated up enough for her tastes by this time. Opening the door opposite the faucet this time, Hikari stepped into the shower and closed the door behind herself.

Standing under the stream of hot water long enough to thoroughly soak her long black hair, Hikari sat down and leaned back against the curved back wall of her large shower. The hot water felt extremely pleasant on her legs and midsection, the high temperature melting the tension in her abdominal muscles and enabling her to relax more completely; something that she would not have been able to do as well had she been standing up.

Picking up the bar of soap and wrapping it up in her washcloth, Hikari rubbed the cloth vigorously until a reasonable amount of foam had gathered on the outside, Hikari stood back up and began to scrub herself with the wrapped soap. Once she had finished scrubbing her legs and lower-body and moved on to her arms, the sharp tang of blood in her nose distracted Hikari from what she had been doing.

I suppose then that I predicted right, Hikari mused with slight annoyance, watching as a thin trickle of blood made its way down the inside of her left thigh. This will make my time here rather more difficult if I don't manage to keep the side-effects in check; what a bother. Sighing, since there wasn't much more that she could do about the situation at the moment, Hikari simply washed the blood from her leg and then returned her attention to her arms and upper body.

Once she had finished with that task, which had also included unwrapping the soap and washing her face, Hikari replaced the bar on its holder and picked up her sweet-scented shampoo. It was the only real concession she allowed herself to the fact that she was what she was. As far as Hikari was concerned, she was a Zoalord, no different than her fellow Lords.

Still, she was rather fond of sweet smells, and so Hikari allowed herself this one indulgence. It was not harmful to Lord Alkanphel's great cause, and it was pleasant to do for herself, and so Hikari continued. The amount of shampoo she had to use on her long mane of black hair sometimes troubled her, but as Chronos' resources were all but limitless in this world, she put that out of her mind as well.

Once she had finished her shower, Hikari shut off the hot tap and climbed out. Heading directly for the counter, and by extension the small box on top of it, Hikari plucked the box off the counter and headed for the small room off the main bathroom; the one that held the toilet.

Once she had finished with what she had to do there, which had also included washing her hands at the small sink that was contained in the room, Hikari froze. Wrapping the towel tightly around her still-nude and slightly dripping body, Hikari turned to face the one who had been audacious enough to teleport into her private bathroom when she herself was using it. As far as she knew her fellow Zoalords had more sense, if not courtesy, than that.

"Dr. Balkus?" Hikari said, bowing to her superior instinctively and forgetting her earlier annoyance.

"I would like to extend my sincere apologies to you, Hikari Mirabilis; I seem to have neglected to give you this."

Dr. Balkus was holding up a small vial full of green liquid; Hikari knew almost before he handed it to her what the Second Zoalord wanted her to do.

"I thank you for your concern, Doctor," Hikari stated, bowing even as Dr. Balkus teleported out.

Lifting the vial to her lips, Hikari tilted her head back and drank the contents in a single gulp. Licking her lips, Hikari set the empty vial on the countertop and dried herself. Hanging up the damp towel, Hikari retrieved a dry one and proceeded to wring the water from her hair. Once she had finished with that task, Hikari retrieved her hairdryer and dried the remainder of her long hair.

Leaving her private bathroom, Hikari headed for the pile of clothes that she had shed before she had taken her shower. Stopping for a moment when she reached her dresser, Hikari took out a new pair of panties and another bra. Her undergarments had doubtless been thrown into the wash with her bodysuit, and Hikari had no desire to wear her bodysuit without undergarments on.

Turning back to the front of her room, Hikari walked over to her bed and sat down. Pulling on her undergarments, Hikari quickly adjusted them so that they fit her more comfortably and then she stood up again. Stepping over to her nightstand, Hikari noticed that there was a box of Junior Mints on top of her neatly folded bodysuit. 'Perhaps Lord Imakarum's assessment was correct,' Hikari thought with gentle good-humor, picking up the box and setting it aside.

Removing her bodysuit from the tabletop, Hikari slipped into it and zipped it up. Then, gathering her shin-guards and setting them on her bed, Hikari put her boots on and then snapped her shin-guards into place. Rising again, Hikari re-affixed her pauldrons to her shoulders and picked up the chest-piece. Fastening it on securely, Hikari turned and left her room.

There were two Zoanoids waiting outside her room, a Bresnel and a Razell. The same two, in fact, that had greeted her at her desk before Lord Imakarum had come.

"Have they rescheduled the meeting?"

"Yes, your Excellency. You're wanted there now."

"Very well," Hikari said, gesturing for the Zoanoids to proceed her to the meeting place.

Walking along behind the Zoanoids, Hikari made her way to the meeting place. It turned out to be the meeting hall reserved specifically for gatherings of the Chronos Overlords, Hikari winced slightly. If she had known that her fellow Zoalords were the ones who had wanted to speak with her earlier, Hikari would have never allowed herself to be distracted by something as trivial as a shower. Of course, that might have had... unpleasant consequences later.

The Zoanoids, their task completed, turned and left after bowing to Hikari. Hikari herself entered the meeting room and addressed her fellow Zoalords.

"I apologize for not attending earlier; I was unfortunately not made aware of the importance of this meeting."

"No need for that, my Lady," Lord Imakarum said. "Dr. Balkus has informed us about your situation."

"I thank you, then, Doctor," Hikari said, inclining her head respectfully to Dr. Balkus where he sat. "Now that we are all gathered together, my Lords, what was the purpose of this meeting?"

"There have been reports of a resistance force operating out of the Sahara, calling themselves the People's Army. Hikari, Imakarum, you two are to find these rebels and destroy them utterly," Dr. Balkus stated flatly. "I want an example made of these fools."

"Yes, Doctor," Imakarum and Hikari answered as one.

"We will proceed to the location of this human outpost and obliterate it," Hikari said, standing with Imakarum.

"Good, see that there are no survivors among the commanders of this rebel group. You may allow a few of the lower-ranked soldiers to survive, provided that you destroy all of the equipment that they have come into possession of."

"Yes, Doctor."

With that, Imakarum and Hikari bowed once more to their fellow Zoalords and walked out of the room.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Once the two Zoalords of Gravity received further instructions, detailing the location of the compound where the People's Army was staying, they continued on their way. Since neither of them knew the precise location of the compound, nor any details of the interior, they would not be able to teleport inside. Instead, they were planning to teleport into the Sahara and begin their search from there.

They had both discussed this course of action, and had mutually decided that this way was the most expedient. Whether or not this People's Army had anything that could harm their Zoanoids was immaterial to them; the facts of the matter were plain: this People's Army was challenging Chronos' power just by existing. Perhaps they had been inspired by the Guyvers, but other humans might be tempted to join their ranks.

That was not something that any of the Chronos Overlords were willing to risk, pitiful though this particular militia was.

That was why Imakarum and Hikari were going to utterly annihilate this group of wayward humans: to show any and all of the others that might try to follow in their misguided footsteps just what happened to those who defied Chronos. Leaving the Dead Sea Plant, Imakarum and Hikari quickly flew off and teleported themselves to the Sahara desert.

Scanning the surrounding landscape with their senses, the two Zoalords found nothing, and so they moved on. They repeated the process four more times with the same result, but on the fifth pass they found it. It was not so large, as military compounds went, but since most of those places had been destroyed after X-Day it was likely the best they could find. Still, it would not protect them.

With a short telepathic exchange, Hikari and Imakarum decided on the roles that they would take on during the attack itself; Imakarum would drive the human vermin out of their little hiding place, while Hikari went inside to deal more personally with the ones who had been foolish enough to defy Chronos in this manner. Imakarum's signal, in the form of a barrage of Gravity Bullets directed at the compound, was soon given.

Hikari, taking full advantage of her enhanced speed, raced into the compound. A single blast was enough to reduce the barrier standing in front of her to a broken wreck, and Hikari raced into the main area of the compound. The humans inside were nothing to her, and Hikari killed them without wasting time listening to their pleas for mercy. She had no time for such nonsense; likewise, the humans inside this place had forfeited their right to considerations such as that when they had decided to start this doomed rebellion in the first place.

Once all of the humans had either fled or died by her hand, Hikari rose back into the air to join Imakarum.

"It's good to have you back, my Lady."

"And it is, of course, my pleasure to be back, my Lord."

"It seems we have some escapees," Imakarum said, looking down on the running humans below with amused contempt.

"It seems that we do," Hikari concurred, chuckling. "What shall we do with them, my Lord?"

"After we finish destroying this base, I think we should have a little fun with them, my Lady."

Hikari grinned, and when she saw Imakarum doing the same, they both started laughing. Turning their attention back to the now half-destroyed military compound, Hikari and Imakarum both turned and fired a barrage of energy blasts and Incision Waves at the remains of the compound, reducing it and everything inside to flaming wreckage and scattered rubble. Then, once that task was done, they turned their attentions to the humans who were even then trying to escape the fate that they had brought upon themselves.

Dropping almost to ground level, Hikari and Imakarum glided over the sand in pursuit of their prey. Imakarum hunted with lethal precision, using his Incision Waves to slice up the bodies of the fleeing humans. By contrast, Hikari preferred to come at her opponents from behind, grabbing them by the head and flinging them into the air high enough that they would suffer fatal injuries on landing.

-My Lord, weren't we supposed to leave a few of the humans alive?-

-Yes, my Lady. Perhaps we should leave now, before we end up killing all of them,- Imakarum said offhandedly.

-Perhaps we should.-

Turning away from the remaining humans, Imakarum and Hikari flew off into the air and teleported back to the Dead Sea Plant.