35 Chapter 34. Aftermath

He dreamt of Ceres. A lonely crystal shining in the darkness of space… Every night. His dreams were also filled with faces – humans and hybrids alike, alive and dead. He couldn't remember the events of those dreams when he woke up, but he always remembered Ceres. It was calling him back; Arriz had no idea what he was going to do if the Second Breed didn't grant him a permission to go there.

But the moment of the final decision was far in the future. For now he dedicated all of his efforts to following Lady Laura's advice. He studied by a special program at the Academy, without any days off and with rare breaks. And somewhere far from him, in various official establishments, the negotiations about his position had probably started. He couldn't influence them, thus he did what he had to do.

"I'm so proud of you," his mother told him. "You father would've been proud too."

She'd been untypically cheerful since the day of his return. Arriz would've liked to think it was caused by her love for him, but his telepathy mercilessly didn't let him believe that. His mother was glad he became a good agent for One Breed and a true son of his father, nothing more. She hadn't asked him about what he felt back there and if he got hurt, not even once. His mother was interested only in things that could serve the goals of the Organization.

She became his messenger these days. The hybrids were watching him carefully: they allowed him to keep his memory, but they had to make sure he wouldn't be talking to anyone suspicious. They were interested in him, not Elizabeth Fox.

One Breed was very pleased with him. He provided them with a lot of data. What the terrorists didn't know was the fact that he made up half of that information while still on the ship. He didn't tell them about the exact amount of the hybrids, the top five warriors among them, their educational strategies and weak spots.

But he was very detailed about Iutah's final diversion. He lied that the mutation was caused by an accidental trauma, but otherwise he was honest. Now they knew Iutah Kerengree died as a hero.

That story made his parents ecstatic. He became the kind of son they had always wanted him to be. His death was nothing but a circumstance to them. And the management of One Breed was disappointed – they were left without a pet hybrid after all.

Arriz told them about the base's destruction not to make them proud. He wanted the Organization to believe that Ceres was weak. If they considered this planet unimportant, they wouldn't want to go there. They had other things to worry about: the Second Breed was becoming more successful in their anti-terroristic attacks.

He tried to stay as far from the Organization as he could. He wanted to tell them he quit, he had nothing to do with them, but he couldn't. His mother would be the first in line to break his neck in that case! Besides, he could use his current position to learn about One Breed's plans and warn the hybrids if he had to.

He wasn't thrilled about becoming a double agent, but there was no other way around it. He couldn't tell the truth to either of the sides yet.

The only thing that could distract him from his studies were occasional visits to the cemetery. He knew where Olivia's grave was and went to see it almost every week. He knew the hybrids followed him there, he sensed them, but he was okay with their presence. They wouldn't judge him for doing that!

Arriz missed her – more than he could've imagined. He couldn't stay away from her for too long.

His mother wasn't happy about it, but he managed to persuade her it was just a game. He was making the hybrids like him, which would make it easier to infiltrate their ranks. Every explanation that fit the Organization's values was accepted by her without questions.

He didn't live in those days – he just existed. He battled through them like they were his new missions. He couldn't feel joy or sorrow, like his soul was hidden in a vault. Everyone dear to him were left far away, in the eternity of space. Arriz just waited for a chance to reunite with them.

He usually ignored his mother's stories about the meetings of the Organization – until one day. She returned home in an especially good mood. That disturbed him.

"Has something happened?" he asked cautiously.

"Not yet, but it will!" she laughed. "On the days like this I feel sorry your dad isn't with us! He would've loved this idea!"

"I may like it too – try me."

"Of course I will, because you'll play the central part in it!" She hugged him for the first time since his return. "So far it's just a basic idea, and we'll continue discussing it, but… We might be able to eliminate Ceres next year!"

"What?" Arriz gasped.

"You heard me right, my boy, I couldn't believe it too at first! But our leaders are very hopeful about this new project. With Ceres gone, the Second Breed will be forced to train their young ones on Earth, and it'll be much easier for us to kill them! We must avenge Iutah too, so if this mission is carried out after all, it'll be named after him. Because we…"

She continued talking, but Arriz wasn't listening any longer. He was conducting a plan to show even better results at the upcoming exams. He just had to return to Ceres in a year!

He was going to either protect this planet or die together with it.