But it’s better and much stronger than my real arm. The only thing is I can’t feel with it. But at least it can’t be hurt.’
Agent T leaned closer and studied Joel’s arm and hand with the kind of intensity that disturbed Emily. She’d seen that same expression when he was in the laboratory with the wounded Pegasus on Governors Island. ‘The CRU would love to get hold of that thing,’ he mused softly. ‘Can you take it off ?’
Joel shook his head. ‘Nope. It’s attached to me now.’
‘So if they wanted it, they’d have to surgically remove it from you,’ Agent T muttered.
‘The CRU are not going to see it!’ Emily shot. ‘They’ve caused enough trouble already. If they’ve created clones, Jupiter is going to destroy this world.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Agent T spat. ‘If Jupiter is so pro-peace, he wouldn’t destroy this planet just because the CRU may have created a few clones. He couldn’t.’
‘You don’t know Jupiter,’ Joel said. ‘He is very protective of the Olympians.’
‘And the order of nature,’ Emily added. ‘It’s true that in the past some of the Olympians had children with humans. But that was natural. Clones being created in a lab are different. Diana and Pluto know about this and why we’re here. If it’s true, they won’t stop Jupiter.’
‘Ah, yes – Diana,’ Agent T said. ‘Interesting woman. How is she?’
‘Still angry,’ Joel said. ‘Now even more so that this has happened.’
Agent T shook his head. ‘This is insane. A few Olympians can’t possibly come to Earth to destroy the whole planet. You may be powerful, but we have weapons and we will defend ourselves.’
Pegasus was standing beside Emily, munching on his large bowl of cereal. He raised his head and nickered.
‘You cannot defend yourselves against Jupiter,’ Paelen translated. ‘He would not even need to come to your world to destroy it.’
Emily looked at Pegasus and frowned. ‘He wouldn’t?’
Both Pegasus and Chrysaor started to make sounds. Paelen raised his eyebrows. ‘I did not know this.’
‘What?’ Emily asked. ‘Paelen, what did they say? How would Jupiter do it?’
‘He would open the Solar Stream and turn it on Earth.’
‘What?’ Joel cried. ‘The Solar Stream?’
Earl frowned. ‘Ain’t that the special super highway you guys use to come to here?’
Paelen nodded. ‘Jupiter has control of it. All he needs is to combine his powers with his brothers and they can redirect the Solar Stream. When they are gathered together they are called the Big Three. And collectively they have the power to shift its direction. Instead of it opening up beside your world as it does now, they would point it at your world. The energy of a billion suns would obliterate your planet in an instant.’
Emily sat in stunned silence. How many times had she travelled within the Solar Stream without really thinking about what it was or how it worked? It was just a means of transport. She never imagined it could be turned into a weapon of mass destruction.
‘We’ve travelled through the Solar Stream lots of times,’ she said to Earl and Agent T. ‘You can feel its power when you’re in it.’
‘We’ve got to stop him,’ Earl said.
Agent T shook his head. ‘Wait! You are all jumping the gun. Right now, this is only speculation. There is no proof that the CRU have done anything at all. But even if they have, I am certain we could reason with Jupiter.’
Alexis sat up on her haunches and rested her front paws on the table right beside Agent T. She narrowed her eyes at the ex-CRU agent. ‘Jupiter can not be reasoned with when the sin is too great. If your people have created New Olympians, nothing will stop him. He can and will destroy this world.’
‘They are not my people any more,’ Agent T said as he leaned closer to her and stared defiantly into the Sphinx’s green eyes. ‘I am not responsible for what they are doing now.’
‘Once a CRU agent, always a
Agent T leaned closer and studied Joel’s arm and hand with the kind of intensity that disturbed Emily. She’d seen that same expression when he was in the laboratory with the wounded Pegasus on Governors Island. ‘The CRU would love to get hold of that thing,’ he mused softly. ‘Can you take it off ?’
Joel shook his head. ‘Nope. It’s attached to me now.’
‘So if they wanted it, they’d have to surgically remove it from you,’ Agent T muttered.
‘The CRU are not going to see it!’ Emily shot. ‘They’ve caused enough trouble already. If they’ve created clones, Jupiter is going to destroy this world.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Agent T spat. ‘If Jupiter is so pro-peace, he wouldn’t destroy this planet just because the CRU may have created a few clones. He couldn’t.’
‘You don’t know Jupiter,’ Joel said. ‘He is very protective of the Olympians.’
‘And the order of nature,’ Emily added. ‘It’s true that in the past some of the Olympians had children with humans. But that was natural. Clones being created in a lab are different. Diana and Pluto know about this and why we’re here. If it’s true, they won’t stop Jupiter.’
‘Ah, yes – Diana,’ Agent T said. ‘Interesting woman. How is she?’
‘Still angry,’ Joel said. ‘Now even more so that this has happened.’
Agent T shook his head. ‘This is insane. A few Olympians can’t possibly come to Earth to destroy the whole planet. You may be powerful, but we have weapons and we will defend ourselves.’
Pegasus was standing beside Emily, munching on his large bowl of cereal. He raised his head and nickered.
‘You cannot defend yourselves against Jupiter,’ Paelen translated. ‘He would not even need to come to your world to destroy it.’
Emily looked at Pegasus and frowned. ‘He wouldn’t?’
Both Pegasus and Chrysaor started to make sounds. Paelen raised his eyebrows. ‘I did not know this.’
‘What?’ Emily asked. ‘Paelen, what did they say? How would Jupiter do it?’
‘He would open the Solar Stream and turn it on Earth.’
‘What?’ Joel cried. ‘The Solar Stream?’
Earl frowned. ‘Ain’t that the special super highway you guys use to come to here?’
Paelen nodded. ‘Jupiter has control of it. All he needs is to combine his powers with his brothers and they can redirect the Solar Stream. When they are gathered together they are called the Big Three. And collectively they have the power to shift its direction. Instead of it opening up beside your world as it does now, they would point it at your world. The energy of a billion suns would obliterate your planet in an instant.’
Emily sat in stunned silence. How many times had she travelled within the Solar Stream without really thinking about what it was or how it worked? It was just a means of transport. She never imagined it could be turned into a weapon of mass destruction.
‘We’ve travelled through the Solar Stream lots of times,’ she said to Earl and Agent T. ‘You can feel its power when you’re in it.’
‘We’ve got to stop him,’ Earl said.
Agent T shook his head. ‘Wait! You are all jumping the gun. Right now, this is only speculation. There is no proof that the CRU have done anything at all. But even if they have, I am certain we could reason with Jupiter.’
Alexis sat up on her haunches and rested her front paws on the table right beside Agent T. She narrowed her eyes at the ex-CRU agent. ‘Jupiter can not be reasoned with when the sin is too great. If your people have created New Olympians, nothing will stop him. He can and will destroy this world.’
‘They are not my people any more,’ Agent T said as he leaned closer to her and stared defiantly into the Sphinx’s green eyes. ‘I am not responsible for what they are doing now.’
‘Once a CRU agent, always a
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