Any person that he had actually managed to keep out of the battles between him and Chronos? He hadn't managed to save Tetsuro and Mizuki; the only reason they were staying in this isolated place was because his enemies had tried to hurt them for what they meant to him. Hurt them for being close to him.

As he collapsed in Tetsuro's arms, the worried voices of those closest to him fading out as he lost consciousness, Sho wondered if he would ever be able to keep the remaining people he was close to safe.

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As the last part of the wound that would have likely ended Lord Fried'rich's life sealed itself closed with Isis' help, Imakarum considered again what he had seen. The large wound - an exit wound; he was sure of it - could not have been made by anyone who had been standing in front of the Zoalord of Lightning. That only left those who had been standing behind.

Was such a thing even possible?

"Lord Shin, what was the condition of Lord Fried'rich when you found him?"

"He was lying on his back, covered in blood," Lord Shin paused for a moment, seemingly overcome. "There was a large hole in his chest; which you must have seen when you rescued him."

"Was there anyone standing directly behind him?" Imakarum pressed, even as Isis laid her hand on the small gash that was all that was left of Lord Fried'rich's wound and closed it with a last application of energy.

"Why do you ask?" Lord Shin sounded shocked, and Imakarum didn't blame him for being so affected.

He himself could hardly believe that he was making these accusations in reference to another Zoalord. Still, if what he had observed when Isis had started healing Lord Fried'rich turned out to be what he suspected it was - what he was almost certain it was - then there was yet another traitor among the ranks of the Twelve Zoalords.

"If you two will excuse me for a moment," Imakarum turned; Lord Hamilcal was wearing a mildly annoyed expression. "I must see to the repairs of this facility. Imakarum, be sure to take Isis back to the processing-tank when you finish with her."

"Of course, Lord Hamilcal," Imakarum said, inclining his head respectfully. "I will see to it that Isis is taken care of."

Lord Hamilcal turned away without another word after that, leaving Imakarum alone with Isis, Lord Shin and the now-peacefully sleeping Lord Fried'rich. "I would like to thank you, Lady Isis, for all that you have done for Chronos," Lord Shin said. "And for myself." Imakarum looked over to where Lord Shin stood, trying apparently to speak to Isis. "Imakarum, is there something wrong with Lady Isis? She doesn't seem to be able to understand what I am saying."

"I rather doubt she has the mental capacity to understand anything right now," Imakarum said, stepping over to lay his left hand on Isis' shoulder as he started to lead her away.

"What?"

"Lord Hamilcal was forced to make extensive modifications to her mind," Imakarum said, wincing imperceptibly as he remembered what Lord Hamilcal had done to the girl. It had been necessary, yes, but it was still rather unpleasant to remember. He had come in on the end of the process; hearing Yukari's screams as her mind was telepathically cored out. Perhaps even physically cored out; Imakarum hadn't taken the time to learn the specifics of what had been done to the girl.

It was enough for him to know that she was not going to cause any more trouble for Chronos. Although, he had heard from Lord Hamilcal later that the girl would be restored to full consciousness once Lord Alkanphel was well enough to fully reshape her mind. That would be a good day; when Yukari Fukamachi was fully welcomed into Chronos as a Zoalord. Rather, when Isis Mirabilis was.

Still, for the moment Isis was little more than a vegetable, and for the moment he had to treat her like one. He had already given Isis a command to walk, and this she was doing with a steady, unchanging rhythm. He would have to put her back in the processing-tank; put all of the sensors back on her so that Lord Hamilcal could monitor her health and add the proper nutrients that her comatose form would need.

Though Lord Shin still seemed to be rather at a loss.

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As he left the Arizona Headquarters, Shin could not help but think back to what Imakarum had said about Isis Mirabilis. If she truly had no mind of her own, that was rather saddening. True, the girl had been an enemy of Chronos, but having one's entire mind erased simply to keep them docile and passive was not something that he felt entirely comfortable with. Still, the fact that the situation was discomforting for him on a personal level had no bearing on the situation.

Dr. Balkus had done this some time ago, judging by the fact that Yukari Fukamachi was a fully processed Zoalord. Those took a great deal of time to create; especially one so obviously specialized as Isis Mirabilis was. Zoalords were not generally capable of healing others of their kind; for a moment, Shin wondered what Dr. Balkus had done with the prototype Zoalords that had been used to develop and test the modifications made to Yukari Fukamachi's body while she was being processed.

Dr. Balkus could not possibly have been foolish enough not to make certain that all of the prototype Zoalords that had been used in the creation of Yukari- rather Isis Mirabilis' Zoalord body had been properly disposed of. It would not do to have another woman like Sayuri Murakami causing trouble. Though her grievances had been legitimate, that woman had caused far too much trouble for Chronos.

And now, just as Sayuri Murakami had been, Yukari Fukamachi had been forcibly recruited to serve in Chronos' ranks. Shin was not precisely certain how he should feel about that.

As he was leaving the Arizona Headquarters, one of the many Zoanoid staff came rushing up to him.

"I apologize for my abruptness, Your Excellency," the Zoanoid – a Brelimos – said, as he bowed to Shin. "But, the Pillars of Heaven have been seriously damaged by an attack made by the resistance force calling itself Zeus Thunderbolt."

"What?" Shin gasped, shocked that one of the largest and most well defended bases of Chronos could be destroyed so easily.

"That's what happened, Your Excellency," the Brelimos said, nodding in what Shin knew was a respectful manner. "There is also a great deal of damage that has been done to the Third Operations Plant, also by the Thunderbolts."

"How could this happen?" Shin was appalled; that mere humans would be ruthless enough to kill so many innocents simply to damage Chronos' largest and most visible facilities.

Truly, the humans who served under Agito and Akane Makishima were some of the most violent and dangerous of their kind.

"I will return to Washington to oversee the repairs," Shin said, knowing that it would be best for a Zoalord to be present, to act as both an organizing force and as a reassurance that Chronos would take care of it's own.

"Thank you, Your Excellency," the Brelimos said, bowing with an expression of relieved gratitude on his face. "There were also some odd reports of another Zoaform that seemed to be commanding the Libertus. Something like the Zoalords command us Zoanoids."

Shin, already heading for the Heliport, nearly stopped dead in his tracks at that pronouncement. "What did the reports say about this new Zoaform?"

"It was reported that this new Zoaform was female, Your Excellency."

"Curious," Shin said, thinking back to his encounter with Isis Mirabilis. He wondered what the girl would be like, once she had been restored to consciousness by Lord Alkanphel. "Will you accompany me to Washington to assess the damages and oversee the repairs?"

"Yes, Excellency. I would be honored."

Nodding to himself, Shin kept walking. This newest attack, lead as it was by what seemed to be the Libertus' analogue to a Zoalord, was very troubling to him. Also, there was the matter of Lord Imakarum's seeming suspicions about the other members of the Zoalord Council. Shin was starting to have his own suspicions about the three Zoalords who had been gathered around what, if not for young Isis Mirabilis, would have been Fried'rich's corpse.

They had seemed rather too eager to dismiss the healing abilities that Isis Mirabilis had demonstrated; too eager to let Fried'rich lay in the middle of the street to die. Such was not the activity of a loyal Zoalord. It was very worrisome to Shin; he would have to speak with Fried'rich when he got the chance.

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Hikari felt more than ready to leave her resting-place; however, there was still the matter of her being completely unable to move, a situation that she hated with a fierce passion. She could not serve Lord Alkanphel while she was incapacitated in this way; would not be able to fight by the side of her counterpart if he needed her. It was most aggravating, this weakness that she was subject to.

This strange feeling that I have, what is it? Hikari wondered, trying in vain to move her neck or open her eyes. The strange, fragmented resonance that she felt, while it was somewhat familiar to her in its intensity, was unlike anything that Hikari had ever felt before. What is this? This signal that is calling me, I think I recognize it. Could it be him?

It was a plausible assumption, that Lord Alkanphel would be calling to her even in this state. He had to know that she was still aware, even in spite of her comatose state. Imakarum seemed to know that fact, since he had been speaking to her as if she were still awake. Her counterpart had said that there were things, both good and ill, going on within the ranks of the Twelve Zoalords.

Lords Luggnagg, Jabir and Kablarl had evidently tried and failed to murder Lord Fried'rich. They would no doubt be dealt with once Lord Alkanphel regained his full strength. A sudden feeling of energy, as if all of her nerves had been tapped with an electrified wire, surged through Hikari then. There was a slight pain in every one of her muscles as they were restored to mobility by the energy flowing into her.

As Hikari's body began to respond to her commands again, she began to feel the bubbles of oxygen that were sliding across her skin. There were more of them than she had seen in a normal processing-tank, but that was most likely because Lord Alkanphel's lifepod was being infused with energy. Energy that Hikari was taking in and using to restore herself to consciousness.

Even as more and more bubbles spiraled up across her body, Hikari felt the lifepod shuddering as she transformed into her larger, stronger battleform. Hikari's eyes snapped open, she gasped for the oxygen that was being created by the pod as her Zoacrystal and the clarity of thought that came with it was restored at last. Hikari could see the cracks forming in the skin of Lord Alkanphel's lifepod, and for a moment she mourned its impending destruction.

Still, Hikari was far more eager to leave this lonely island and rejoin the ranks of her fellow Overlords than she was worried about the lifepod that she currently resided in. It would most likely grow back anyway, this being the remains of a living ship. As the lifepod burst open, scattering the amniotic fluid and allowing her to step out into the open air once more, Hikari breathed freely for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

There was just one more thing that she needed to do now; now that she was awake and in full control of her body once again. Hikari could feel a strong, energetic presence in the lower atmosphere. It felt almost like the Ark, but that was not possible, since Lord Alkanphel had told her that the Ark was gathering solar energy to sustain itself.

This part of the world was turned away from the sun, and so the Ark would not have come to this part of the world. It felt almost as if Lord Alkanphel was with her again; his comforting presence surrounding her and infusing her body with new life and energy. Hikari knew that her master had little of that to spare, and so it was her duty to find him and bring her master back to the sanctuary of his temple before his remaining energy failed him.

Stepping out onto the remains of the lifepod that Lord Alkanphel had set her in, Hikari noticed that her body felt much more... exposed than it had when she had originally stepped out of Lord Alkanphel's lifepod. looking down, Hikari found that she had involuntarily returned to her human form while she had been exiting the remains of Lord Alkanphel's lifepod.

Of course, whether she was in her human or Zoalord form was unimportant for the task that she had to accomplish now. Crossing to the area where her clothes and armor had been stored, Hikari swiftly began to dress, feeling Lord Alkanphel's steadily declining energy levels even as she did. Running out of the temple, Hikari leaped up and flew into the sky.

As it turned out, Lord Alkanphel had indeed taken the Ark from its position in the upper regions of Earth's atmosphere. As Hikari flew up to meet Chronos' great ship, she wondered what condition she would find Lord Alkanphel in when she finally found him. She could sense that her Lord still lived; he merely felt much weaker than she had ever sensed him being before.

Landing aboard the Ark again, Hikari swiftly made her way to the main control center of the living ship. She found Lord Alkanphel at the controls of the Ark. Slumped in the chair, rather, looking for all the world as if he were merely asleep. The fact that her Lord's fingers were locked in a death-grip around the control-orbs gave the lie to that appearance, though.

Gently prying Lord Alkanphel's fingers loose from the orbs, Hikari was rather surprised when her Lord's golden eyes opened slightly and the fingers of his left hand curled weakly around her right hand.

"Sayuri, you've awakened. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, my Lord, I am," here Hikari paused, uncertain if she should be so presumptuous as to ask the question that was on her mind. Still, she was very concerned for her Lord's health. Perhaps it was not presumption, then? "Why did you use the Ark on your own, my Lord? You had to know that it would damage your health. You would have been slipping in and out of consciousness all of the time that you were here; I do not know what the other members of the Council would do if they saw you in this state. Why would you try to do something like this?"

To Hikari's eternal surprise, Lord Alkanphel chuckled softly. "I could not allow you to remain in that weak, injured state, my Sayuri. I would not have been able to sleep comfortably if I knew that you were vulnerable. Masaki would try to protect you, I think," Lord Alkanphel gently traced her lower lip with the fingers of his right hand. "Still, I would prefer that you are able to defend yourself if the need arose, Sayuri."

"I thank you, Lord Alkanphel."

"I can rest now, knowing that you will be able to protect yourself if any farther threats arise. Please, Sayuri, take me back to my sanctuary on Silha."

"Yes, my Lord," Hikari bowed, before she gently took Lord Alkanphel's body into her arms and cradled him.

Kissing the top of her Lord's head, Hikari climbed back onto the platform that had taken her into the main room of the Ark. Once she had made it back into the main embarkation room of the great ship - Chronos' living battle-equipped transport - Hikari stepped off of the platform and leaped lightly into the air.

Surrounding herself with her forcefield, Hikari flew back down into the atmosphere; back down to the sanctuary of her Lord on the hidden island of Silha. The Ark would presumably be returned to its place in orbit, gathering energy for itself from the unfiltered solar power present in outer space.

Hikari now knew just why Lord Alkanphel had created the Ark; he wanted to find the Advents, the ones who had created all life on this planet in the first place, to find them and to demand an accounting for the abandonment and the attempt at murder that he had suffered at their hands. Hikari would make certain that her Lord was able to find the answers that he deserved from the beings that had meant so much to him.

Settling Lord Alkanphel back into his stone bed, Hikari stroked his pale hair for one final time before she left the temple under her own power. There were many things that she needed to do, now that she had been restored to consciousness and full mobility. Still...

Hikari shook her head; there was no time for personal thoughts on this matter. What was important were the goals and desires of Lord Alkanphel. ...still...

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Imakarum paused, looking up as he felt the approach of another Zoalord; a Zoalord that felt particularly familiar to him. A Zoalord that felt very much like... Hikari!

Leaving his table in Cloud Gate's main eating area, Imakarum swiftly made his way down into the main concourse of Cloud Gate's ground level.

-My Lady, I am glad to know that you have returned.-

-Thank you, my Lord,- Hikari said, seeming slightly flustered and annoyed by something.

And that was the last he heard from Hikari. Hurrying down to Cloud Gate's ground level, Imakarum soon came upon Hikari, and presumably upon the thing that was distressing her. Things, rather.

Lords Jabir and Luggnagg were gathered around Hikari, Lord Jabir was hugging her. Hikari was stiff and ridged within Lord Jabir's embrace, most likely because she was not prepared for such an enthusiastic greeting from her fellow Overlords.

"Lord Jabir," Hikari said, her voice and posture both radiating discomfort. "I would appreciate it if you would remove your hand from that area."

"In due time, my dear," Lord Jabir said, even as he kissed Hikari on the left cheek and released her.

However, no sooner had Lord Jabir released Hikari, than Lord Luggnagg stepped forward and wrapped his own arms around her. For a moment, Hikari seemed more relaxed, and then she tensed in the same manner that she had when Lord Jabir had embraced her. Closing with them, even as Lord Luggnagg kissed Hikari on the right cheek and released her with his own words of welcome, Imakarum watched to see if hikari would need his help.

"Lord Jabir, if you would-"

Before Hikari could finish her intended sentence, Lord Jabir pressed her chestplate into her hands. Hikari thanked him, then proceeded to reattach her armor. She strode calmly over to him as Lords Jabir and Luggnagg left the room.

"Was there something troubling you, my Lady?" Imakarum asked.

"No, my Lord," Hikari shook her head. "It was not anything important."

Nodding, trusting that Hikari would inform him if there was a situation that she felt she could not handle on her own, Imakarum proceeded to inform his counterpart of the changes that had happened in Chronos while she had been recovering. Especially a certain event that Imakarum was quite certain would please her on various levels.

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As Kablarl herded Isis into the waiting processing-tank, he had already had the girl stripped of her clothes in preparation for this plan of theirs, he wondered just how bad a reaction the girl's counterpart would have to seeing her in this situation. There could be no doubt that the boy knew what processing-tanks were used for, and to see his own counterpart inside one...

Perhaps he would ask Jabir about the boy's reaction; he was the one who would be controlling the girl, after all.

Turning his attention back to Isis, now sitting obediently in the tank and awaiting further instructions, he ordered her to attach the medical monitors to herself. Looking back up to the ceiling, where some of the Zoanoids, under his command had placed the frozen form of Aptom, Kablarl felt a sense of satisfaction. Looking back down at the girl, Kablarl chuckled aloud.

There was simply no chance that Sho Fukamachi would ever be able to resist this kind of bait.