Children of Krina

Chapter Forty-Four

Luke's POV

Once Korum had all the components collected and analyzed, he was able to make a lasting solution. We decided to use a light gas to put Owen, Doc, and Gabe to sleep, and then do the procedures right in the condominium. Doc has shown that he is resistant to any kind of mind control, some people were like that, and not even hypnotism fazed them. Gabe seems to be one of those people who are easily mesmerized. It made sense to me, he was beyond creative and his mind saw things ours didn't. While you would presume that Owen would also be resistant, we could only deduce that his years of being groomed and his youth when it was started somehow overcame his natural resistance. Now that we know the formula she used, we could remove her program completely.

She was quite inventive, she didn't use just one form, she used several techniques to achieve her goals. First was a relaxant in his drink, one that affected the mind. Then she would have him play the violin for her, which opened his mind further. Next, she used the pyramid of lights to put him under and played the recording to update his programming. What she did was implant a second persona in his psyche; it was in control until someone attempted to access his thought pattern. She had placed an imperative in the orders, it was to protect itself, and hence the reason Owen was different the second time we stayed at the bunker. Both times we were at the bunker, the Krinar were there on the lower levels, watching us. Victor wanted us safe and the Krinar didn't know us and their objective was to keep Vic and Sang safe, and then there was also their promise to Colleen. Yeah, there was no way Alir trusted us to keep the location of the Bunker secret, not when it could lead to harm for Sang, so he had it removed from our memory.

Anyways, when they were under, Adam and Korum would go in and remove the tampering Agatha had done to Owen, and what was accidently done to Doc and Gabe. Once that was completed, they would install mind shields on the two so that it would never happen again. Then we would leave them alone and let them recover, free to make their own decisions. I didn't know if Gabe would ever join us at Lenkarda, but I wanted it to be his choice, not one made because someone had influenced him mentally. I know he could be a pain in the ass but he was my pain in the ass, my best friend, eternity was looking bleak without him there to help liven it up. Gabe, he was always colorful and tended to brighten up the dullest day. The two of us together, you had a dynamic duo that could put a smile on even the Grim Reaper's face, well, if he had a face.

Twenty Years Later

Sean's POV

It was strange every time I met with Victor, he never seemed to look any older then what he was when he had returned from Krinar after his five-year absence. I haven't seen the others in ages, including my parents, although they still called me regularly. I met Vic for Lunch once a month if we were both free, he never brought his mate, and he claimed to want to spend time with Gabe and me. He never asked about Owen and the one time Owen showed up during our lunch, Victor left without a word, yet, he didn't mind when Gabe joined us. When I tried to broach the subject of Owen, he politely told me to butt out of his private business.

The past twenty years have not been smooth sailing for us; we have had our tough times here and there. Five years ago, Gabe had a cancer scare, Melanoma, it turned out that the hair dye he used had cancerous agents in the mixture. Between the long hours he spent painting murals on buildings in down town Charleston and the dye, it had spread before he came to me about the growths he had been keeping hidden. It was a hard struggle, the chemo nearly killed him, the damage to his liver and kidneys had been extensive. Owen and I had taken turns staying with him, refusing to let him die alone. His doctors had said there was no hope for him that the cancer had spread and was too far advanced for the chemo to eradicate it. Not long afterwards, Owen and I had been in the hospital cafeteria, forcing ourselves to eat as we discussed if we should try to locate Pam and get a message to the others about Gabriel's condition. When we got back to the room, Gabe had been mumbling something about the guys coming to see him, how they still looked the same. We hadn't had the heart to tell him that he had been dreaming, by the next morning he was doing better. It was a miracle, his cancer was gone, and his organs were healing themselves. He recovered fully and then he left us to join the others, he told us that he was sorry but he needed Luke to be a part of his life. I understood, he had stared death in the face and won an extension, he needed to spend what time he had left with his best friend. Owen and I had been surprised he had remained with us as long as he did; he hadn't been the same without the other boys.