Prism and The Red Wolves

When Prism returned to Pack Command HQ with Ursun and his security escorts, Ursun wasted no time retelling what he’d seen by the waterfall to the other commanders. Despite it having been over two hours since they’d left, the three commanders and Leanna had waited anxiously for Ursun and Prism to return.

Prism, who was told to wait by a glowing tactics table with Leanna, wasn’t sure what the other commanders would think about his transformation. But after seeing how they’d collectively decided to take a risk and help him when he collapsed, Prism knew that they were decent people at their core.

“What happened out there?” Leanna asked in a hushed tone.

It was clear to Prism that she revered the commanders, despite her previous indiscretion. She acted respectfully in their presence, and made sure that she kept her opinions out of their collective earshot.

“Ursun got to see a whole ‘nother side of me.” Prism said with a boyish smile.

Leanna was not amused.

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” She whispered angrily.

“Prism, come here.” Finisome’s voice boomed behind them.

Prism wasted no time turning around and approaching the Command Deck. He felt like a traveler approaching a king’s throne, especially with how menacingly Finisome and Ursun stared down at him. Liam looked at Prism contemptuously, while Gnapp was still preoccupied with his small golden contraption.

“You seem much better.” Liam said mockingly.

Prism looked at him with confusion at Liam’s change in demeanor. Liam rolled his eyes at Prism and adjusted his glasses as he seemed to do every few minutes.

“I assume that your display in the forest has resulted in some sort of empowerment?” Gnapp asked stoically without looking up from his mechanical sphere.

“Yes, and yes.” Prism said while flippantly pointing at each individual he was answering.

Prism then gave a thumbs-up to the commanders. They did not appear amused.

“We assume that you can teleport now, as you mentioned to Ursun on the Titian.” Finisome said.

After a pregnant pause, Prism realized that the statement had in fact been a question.

“That’s right.” Prism replied smugly.

The abundance of mana still flowing through Prism’s body continued to make him feel euphoric. Everything around him seemed like a fun, silly game.

“You’re obviously high.” Liam said with a reproachful shake of his head.

“High on life!” Prism blurted out.

Stifled giggles could be heard from a few of the other people within the room.

“If you can leave our planet now and go back to wherever you came from, why are you still here in the company of strangers who are skeptical of you?” Finisome asked loudly, immediately quieting the room again.

Prism stared up into the proud, stunning man’s eyes. Prism did his best to calm the pleasurable frenzy in his own mind. He took in a deep breath and proceeded to answer the question that seemed to be on all of the commanders’ minds.

“I’m indebted to you guys for getting me out of the Queen’s clutches. You may have been a bit harsh to me over the past few days, but ultimately you guys chose to save me when I needed it most; not once, but twice. I want to return your kindness. I want to help you fight this queen that seems to have plunged your world into a pointless forever war, from what I’ve read. I’ve…got the time.”

Prism spoke from the heart. He hoped to dispel all doubt and be understood by all who listened. He succeeded, for the most part.

“If that’s the case, then we’ll move ahead with testing your abilities. As my brother mentioned before, if you pass our tests then we’ll make a deal with you.” Ursun spoke with a renewed confidence in Prism as he looked stalwartly down at the bald-headed alien.

“What sort of deal?” Prism asked with a perplexed tilt of his head.

“Your service for our support.” Gnapp lowered his occupied hands and made eye contact with Prism. Prism could see a whimsical glint in the old man’s eyes.

“Alright, sounds like a plan.” Prism spoke and nodded affirmatively to the commanders.

“I will preside over your tests, and Leanna will assist me. As an analyst, she should also be able to answer any questions you may have about our world and our organization.” Liam said with another dismissive eye roll.

Liam looked completely blasé about the whole ordeal. Prism sensed that Liam wasn’t buying what Prism had said. A scientist by nature, Dr. Liam knew better than to take anyone simply on their word.

The doctor looked over at Leanna and snapped his fingers at her while waving his hands towards Prism. Leanna glowered at her superior and did as he ordered. She quickly walked to Prism’s side. Prism smiled at her, glad that he’d probably continue to see her in the days ahead.

“You're both dismissed. I simply ask that you remain within the Auxiliary during the next few days of testing, Prism. We will keep guards with you for your continued protection." Finisome rose from his seat and said. Prism assumed that the Auxiliary was the official name of the auxiliary base above the main base.

Leanna nodded to Finisome obediently, but Prism raised his finger to indicate that he had a question. Finisome raised his hand towards Prism to communicate that it was Prism's turn to speak.

"May I visit Jaik? I want to thank him and see how he is doing." Prism asked in earnest.

Finisome covered his mouth with his large right hand, and then looked worriedly at Liam. The doctor returned Finisome’s gaze and then looked sadly at Prism. Prism immediately became concerned when he witnessed the exchange.

"Jaik's condition worsened the day after we completed his surgery. The bullet that struck him had an unknown delayed toxin that took effect during the night of your arrival. We were able to stabilize him, but only after amputating his leg. He's still in a coma. I worry that the toxin may have traveled up his spine and done damage to his brain..." Dr. Liam's words were pained and slow.

Prism could barely believe what he was hearing. He was nearly completely overcome with shock. The mood in the room quickly turned somber as everyone in their area became quiet. Leanna looked at Prism with guilty eyes, ashamed that she hadn't told him about Jaik before they'd made their way to the Pack Command Center. She hadn't known that Prism still cared about Jaik's wellbeing, but that didn't stop her from feeling as if she’d wronged him.

It didn't take long for Prism to break the room's silence.

"Please, get me to him right now! I can help him!" Prism shouted while clenching his fists.

After another brief moment of silence, the commanders agreed to Prism's request. For the second time that day, a security escort rushed Prism out of the command center. He was joined by Leanna, along with Dr. Liam, Finisome, and Ursun. Only Gnapp remained on the Command Deck, content with viewing the events that would unfold on a display in front of his chair. It only took about ten minutes for them to ride the elevator back up to the Auxiliary and get to the medical room that Jaik laid in.

Jaik was unconscious in a hospital bed with bandages covering the stump where his right leg had been. He had a plastic oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose, and he wore a blue hospital gown. He had a white blanket that only covered his stomach, crotch area, and left leg. Various machines with displays on either side of his bed showed a variety of information gathered from remote medical sensors that were placed on Jaik's body.

When Prism saw the condition that Jaik was in, a sense of overwhelming sympathy nearly caused Prism to begin crying. Tears came to his eyes, but Prism fought them back. He walked around to the other side of the bed, so that he was facing the eight others that had taken him to the room. Ursun, Finisome, Liam, and Leanna stood in a row a few meters from Jaik’s bed, while two security officers stood to either side of the four of them.

Most of the others in the room couldn't understand why the alien they saw before them seemed to feel so strongly about someone that he barely knew. However, Leanna and Ursun remembered how Jaik had carried Prism out of the Queen's underground laboratory. They remembered how considerate he'd been to Prism, even though he'd known little about the alien. And they remembered how Prism had pulled Jaik from a shower of bullets before swearing to keep him safe. It was clear to Leanna and Ursun that Prism and Jaik had quickly formed a bond of safety and security on the battlefield.

Prism raised his arms and placed his hands palms-down in the air over Jaik's body. A white light flashed from Prism's eyes as his hands began to glow an incandescent white. Warm white light radiated from Prism's hands and started to envelop Jaik's body. A melodious hum could be heard coming from the mystical brightness. Finisome, who was normally stoic, looked on at the sight with wide eyes and a slightly-open mouth.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Dr. Liam yelled before taking a step forward to try and stop Prism.

Ursun raised his bulky arm across Liam's chest and quickly stopped the doctor in his tracks. Liam looked up at Ursun and cursed him under his breath before relenting and staying put. Liam crossed his arms and watched Prism's magic continue to bathe Jaik. The white light undulated from Jaik's head to his left toe, becoming brighter and more concentrated at the bandaged stump at Jaik's upper right thigh.

The long white strip of bandage unraveled and flew off the wound, floating through the air and landing on the ground in front of the group amassed in front of Prism. Dr. Liam bent down and picked up the bandage. To his surprise, it was pristine, without a speck of blood on it. The gauze and other assorted things that had packed the wound also fell away and off of the bed.

The others watched as the light that was concentrated on Jaik's right thigh began to travel down the length of what was once Jaik's right leg. The white light remained in the general shape of a leg as it inched its way along, eventually leaving a glowing white mass of pure energy. Prism closed his open palms into fists, which caused the light that still surrounded Jaik's body to seemingly become absorbed into Jaik. The luminous limb of pure energy that Prism had formed began to lose its radiance. It coalesced into a healthy, hairy leg that was an unblemished duplicate of Jaik's original leg. After glowing for a moment, Jaik's body soon returned to its normal healthy appearance.

Prism breathed deeply and lowered his arms back to his sides as his own eyes returned to their previous brown color. Everyone then noticed Jaik open his eyes. He did not look groggy nor ill, but instead alert and energetic.

"My god..." Finisome said almost breathlessly while most of the others in his group gasped at what they'd witnessed. The skeptical security commander became a true believer in Prism's magic after seeing it make Jaik whole.

"This shouldn't be possible!" Dr. Liam said in complete disbelief.

He pushed Ursun aside and rushed over to Jaik's bedside to check on the young man's condition. Liam began running his fingers up the length of Jaik's new leg, confirming that it was real. Liam saw that the leg had sensation in it when Jaik began to move it in response to the doctor's unprovoked molestation. Liam frantically began to check the medical devices beside Jaik's bed in an attempt to understand what Prism had just accomplished.

Jaik tore the oxygen mask from his face and looked around at the room full of commanders and security personnel. He was bewildered, and could barely remember how he'd gotten there. He'd come in and out of consciousness for a few minutes at a time over the past few days, but didn't have time to piece things together at that point. Ursun and Leanna saw the confusion on Jaik's face, and walked over to help him get his bearings.

When Jaik looked up at Prism, who was still standing close by on the other side of the bed, the two of them stared into each other's eyes. Prism smiled down at Jaik, who wordlessly came to understand what Prism had just done for him. Jaik's confused expression softened into one of grace and gratitude.

"Thank you." Jaik simply said.

"You are very welcome!" Prism replied joyously with a big, toothy smile.

None of them knew what Prism had sacrificed to make Jaik whole again. When the abundance of raw mana that Prism had gained just hours earlier was used to heal Jaik, it could no longer be used to restore Prism to his full power. He could only commune with a planet in that way once, or risk dangerously destabilizing the planet’s natural flow of mana. It would be a long, slow process for Prism to regain the magical strength and ability he’d had before arriving on Æba. And it would be an equally long time before he had the power to leave Æba as a result.

But Prism didn’t regret his decision whatsoever. He would do his best to fit in with the Red Wolves, and make himself useful to them. He’d made them a promise, after all.