The Future Ones were finally reunited and running down the hall.

"Hey it’s Static."

"Hey Static, you escaped by your-"

They saw a greenish explosion in the back of the hall.

Oracle squinted

"It’s Voltaire."

"No. It’s Voltaire AND he’s angry AND he’s going to kill me."

"I guess Voltaire is the jealous type." Flight chuckled as the explosion faded.

" I have one more idea. How we can stop him." Static said

"I got it Water trap." Oracle said

"He’s a frog with giant legs that can leap long distances." Static shook his head

"Psionic attack." Oracle asked.

"Too angry." Static shrugged

"Fireball." Random said with a little too much relish

"It would blow up the ship."

Flight clapped his hands "I got it. What about three tons of logs?"

They stared at him."

"We’re in a space ship." Oracle said.

"Would have been a great plan if we had been in the Yukon."

Static furiously scribbled.

"Is this grey or blue carpet?"

"What Static? The guy is trying to kill you. Why are you looking at the carpet? Do something"

"I’m trying. I’m trying. No where are we exactly on the ship."

"Hall 31."

"What section."

"B."

Static ignored them and walked up and down judging and counting his steps.

"The kid has gone nuts." Flight said.

Static was memorizing every single detail of the room.

"Static hurry up and do something."

"Shh. Shut up." Static leapt in the air and measured the distance with his spread palm.

"13."

Oracle knew that Static couldn’t help them."

"Random DO some water thing. I’ll try to slow him down."

"If only we were in the Yukon." Flight said drawing his gun.

Static continued his creepy measurements of the Star Vulture.

"You guys it won’t work. Even together we can’t stop him. We need help." Static said

"Well then do something." Random joined the pleas.

"Hopefully I’m going to fight Voltaire."

"What?"

"Thanks you guys. But I have to deal with this. If I don’t how can I be sure I’ll ever be any good."

"Static. You are not taking on The Green Fairy. He’ll make you into a pile of gush."

Voltaire slowed when he saw Static.

"Okay. I’m not going to run around anymore." Static said.

"Looks like it’s curtains for you Jack."

Static blinked his eyes.

And then Static came out of the wall dressed in his gi, slamming Voltaire into the ground.

Flight Oracle and Random stared at the sight. They all took a long look at the Static holding Voltaire down to the ground, and the current Static swooning.

"I’m going to faint." Static said and did. The other Static picked him up.

"Sorry to cut it sooo close. But there’s no need to get dramatic."

"So close? In five seconds you would have found me cut in half."

"No I wouldn’t have. I would have been dead." The Elder Static said.

Static wailed.

"Well what do you expect? I’m a Sputterspark." Elder Static lifted him off the ground. "I barely remember what I had for lunch."

"This is no time to joke."

The blue eyed rat hybrid rolled his eyes at the other Future Ones "Teenagers. No sense of humor."

"What’s going on?" Flight asked.

"I told you eight years ago Flight. I’m going to fight Voltaire."

"You’re going to fight Voltaire?"

"Yeah. You really didn’t think I’d be stupid enough to try to get Voltaire like this." Static laughed.

"Well we thought you wanted to be brave and macho."

"Next time you are going to see me is in a mirror. I’m not doing this again. I don’t care if the Brain sucking hats do declare war on Earth, I don’t care if the Pokemon take over Jupiter. This is it. I’m never doing this again."

"Now watch really closely." Elder Static patted Static on the shoulder

He glared at Oracle.

"And don’t interupt him." He shouted at Oracle and Flight. "You spent the whole time gabbing last time. I couldn’t pay attention."

"Two Statics?"

"Exactly." Random said, they were identical. Of course the elder had a well developed if lean physique.

"Well well well. Static I’m impressed. Good old Bill and Ted Paradox."

"You know Voltaire you could always consider this a sign of your inevitable defeat. If I live to become me you couldn’t have killed me when I was fifteen."

"True True. But that would imply you had to defeat me. So If I instead defeated you. Than I could create a time paradox eliminating you from the time stream, and reinstalling the true path of time on it’s course."

"You could. But’s that’s not how I remember it."

"Do you remember it at all?"

"Yes, bits and pieces."

Young Static stared.

"Voltaire listen to reason. I knew you for years. You can’t do this."

"I can do what I want. I’m free now. I’m not even alive anymore. So why should I care who I kill?"

"You still think and feel. You are alive and responsible. And someone still loves you." Elder Static said.

"I can’t be with him now. Don’t any of you see?" Voltaire snarled.

"Justin will always love you, and he’s no saint either. The best you can do is depend on each other."

"Are you ready to get your tail kicked Static?"

"What will be must be." Elder Static said.

"Then Let’s rock and roll."

Elder Static bowed to his opponent and snapped his tail white fuzzy tail

"He’s learned the art of Tail Chai." Oracle said

"I guess you don’t stay an annoying nerdy creampuff after all." Flight said

Voltaire and Elder Static began circling each other in a deadly invisible ring. The Future Ones watched. They swayed their tails trying to judge each other’s reach and tail strength. Voltaire seemed to have the length advantage. His scaly pink tail seemed made the coils on a bullwhip looked relaxed.

"Okay, watch out for his kick." Elder Static said. "He gets in that first-"

Voltaire slapped his feet easily across Elder Static’s face while he was talking to his younger counterpart.

"Ouch." Elder Static’s head snapped back and he fell to the ground

"That was easy." Voltaire said suspiciously. He crept in too close. At this Static hooked his legs around his neck and flipped him onto his back, slamming into the ground.

Voltaire grunted trying return to his feet.

Young Static crept down.

"Okay So if Voltaire is good at jumping I should try to keep down low. He can’t handle low kicks as well."

"The Drunken Monkey technique." Elder Static said.

"Yeah. Whatever that is…"

Voltaire tried another chest kick to Static who ducked and counter attacked and threw Voltaire off balance.

The other rat completely flipped over and landed on his feet. He kept on catching his balance. It was like fighting a boxing clown.

Elder Static got in a three low kick combo and floored him with a tail swipe.

Voltaire blocked with his tail and backed Elder Static into the wall.

He slammed his fist into Static’s head. Static could collect himself to block one hit. The others crushed against his head over and over.

"Come on." Voltaire egged him on.

Young Static grimaced. "You’re bleeding."

"Static are you watching? I know it’s horrible, but you have to remember everything or I am-"

Static jammed the tip of his tail into Voltaire’s stomach tossing him off.

The frog-rat smiled and landed on his feet again.

Static backed into the same cell.

"You aren’t going to tie me up."

"Of course your free Static." said a voice like his own but effected by age, smoke and strain. "I still have some Martian chivalry. I wouldn’t attack a man tied up." Voltaire tapped his chin.

"Oh shoot."

"Static, you have yet to be educated on the extreme and disappointing position of your true nature. How old are you, what 12?"

"15." Static defended

"Man. I was a little girlie man."

"I have aged chronologically around 20 years."

"I’m going to turn into an alcoholic samurai?"

"Oh that’s only if you’re lucky. Most Time Keepers end up in the looney bin. Real Jack Niclkarson koo koo ding bat time."

"Um right."

"Just think of it when you finally realize the responsibility, the burden the pressure upon you. When I was 15 my mother died trying to save your precious timestream. Doing her duty."

Static gasped "I’m sorry. But it wasn’t my fault."

"I’ve been Time Keeper since or will be Time Keeper or, it’s very confusing…"

"It’s taken all of my power to construct this reality, this persona. And now it’s all falling apart. It’s starting all over again."

"You aren’t time keeper anymore?"
"I was thrown out. My reality didn’t exist anymore. Your family threw me to the dogs. They tried to kill me. They couldn’t just erase me like most people. I had special paradoxes protecting me. "

"Paradoxes?"

"You probably got the same ones protecting you." Voltaire stared at him.

"Only another Sputterspark can stop another Sputterspark, and the only way to do that is death, lightning bug."

"Why do you want to kill me? What do you want then?"

"I don’t want. I don’t deserve to want. It breaks my heart. I don’t need to want. I don’t exist."

"Come on. There must be some reason. You can’t just…"

"The reason. Reason not the need."

Voltaire sighed.

"I am here because I wanted to see you. To see if you had the balls to pull off what you would have to do, if you were up to the challenge. I wanted to hope that you would have the strength and the support and courage you would need. I was wrong."

"I wanted to get revenge against a little shrimp loser who has all the life and all the opportunity to save his world. Destroy the weakness in you that destroyed my reality. And I was wrong."

"And I wanted to see who Don Karnage really was. And I was never more wrong in my life. It was the best thing in the world when he thought me dead. I can’t be with him."

"He says he loves you." Static said. "And I believe him."

"Justin was my only friend, the only one who ever stood up for me, the only person who ever tried to help me, and I destroyed his life. This was dumb. I shouldn’t have come here. I should have just disappeared."

"You didn’t. It wasn’t your fault reality was erased I mean, It’s just…"

"That’s the problem. It was my fault. I didn’t stop it. When my mother I was died I was too upset and filled with my own emotions. All I could think about was how they killed her and vengence. And then all I could do was save Justin. I couldn’t bear the thought of living without him. I let myself live to rescue him from oblivion. And I saw the look of terror and misery on his face when everything he knew and love shrank into the Martian desert."

He drew the blade from it’s sheath.

" Indescribable, like a wind that blew down the palaces and the trees and the blue skies. And I knew that I had made the wrong decision. We held each other as the forces of time destroy his Mars changing it to the hell hole you see today. From The Garden of Eden to Dodge in 60 seconds or less."

Static couldn’t even imagine what that must have been like.

"Everything was gone, we were the only ones left in the entire world. The Oblivion devouring the world."

"Everything is our fault Static. Everything."

Voltaire held the blade over his head

Static closed his eyes. This would be a perfect opportunity to-

Elder Static rolled in throwing Reverse polarity lightning zap.

Voltaire lurched as his kitana jabbed into a wall.

Elder Static approached.

"Excellent work Static."

Voltaire tried to counter with a bolt from his right which Elder Static sapped dry with another ray and sent back in another bolt.

"I guess I should have practiced for a fire fight."

Voltaire crouched and tried to throw another bolt, but the Elder Static had a lot more control of his electricity powers.

Younger Static was amazed that you could counter an electrical attack from inside of the bolt. Fizzling it out before it reached his target.

"Now this might sting." Static zapped him

Voltaire fell over.

"Get going. I’ll fend him off." Elder Static said.

Static shrugged and didn’t argue.

 ***

 Don Karnage followed in Static down the hall the access pipe.

Static was still fleeing the stowaway. The boy could only run so fast. And whoever was chasing him ran like thunder. The boy was hopelessly outmatched. While a rogue and an enemy still an innocent.

The pirate gritted his teeth. What’s one more life to save? His chivalrous manner was going to get him killed one day.

As Static’s attacker passed the corner, He lept out of the pipe and tackled him.

Static ran past off to escape. "Guys Guys Guys."

"Static. You’re alive

"Man. I guess I wouldn’t kiss Don Karnage after all if that nutcase would come after me."

"Okay whatever. Let’s get going. He’s right behind me. I’m… I mean Future Me is fending him off.

***

Don Karnage held the man against the ground.

"You’re letting him get away."

"No, I’m helping him get away." The pirate snarled.

"You always pull your punches." The voice said. "You are such a Martian sometimes."

Justin turned to look at him. This time just at his eyes. Ignoring the illusions of face and body and accent. Straight into his eyes. The creature tried to hide his eyes, tilting his head away from Karnage’s gaze

"Who are you? Please tell me…""

Justin touched his chin and turned his head to face him. The fox touched his lips in amazement and wonder.

"Voltaire?"

"Once, maybe never again…"

"Can you be him? I haven’t seen him in so long. Are you my Tana-"

A huge jolt shook the ship Don Karnage was thrown with a jolt and flew across the hall.

"Justin." Voltaire shouted.

****

The lights blared on the bridge. Frappe activated the Red Alert sound "Captain we’re under attack." Frappe shouted into the com unit. "All hands."

"Where is the Captain?" Brian said

"We’ve got to get to hyperspace right away. With or without the future ones."

"How can we we’ll hit a derilect. Or an asteroid or a…" Brian said.

"Where is the Captain?" Frappe said. "He must be trapped somewhere. His com is busted."

"Frappe what do we do?" Dolly said "You’re in command until he gets back."

"All right. If we make it past the Graveyard into the asteroid, the Starship won’t be able to get us."

"And the fighters?"

"Put them on screen. We need to dump the Future Ones and fast." Frappe said. "

"This is Lieutenant Frappuchino Pedicure of the IMS Star Vulture."

"Well that direct hit to your auxillary drive is enough to attract your attention. Where is your Captain?"

"Busy. If you are aware we currently have four SHUSH agents under our custody. We were going to return them in a gesture of good will to their people. But I doubt I can trust someone who is willing to shoot at our ship to give us a warning."

"It’s a wake up call. You know you are outgunned on that measely cruiser. Surrender to the Authority of the Terran Navy."

"We are Time Pirates. We don’t surrender. We will exchange the safe return of your people in exchange for our uneventful passage through the Graveyard."

"We will not make deals. You are in no position to negotiate. Return the Future Ones and surrender your ship."

"You know I think talking was a bad idea. Send your people to pick them up. We’ll leave after."

****

Captain Frisko turned to his con."

"Ensign Bruin, prepare the photon torpedoes, for…"

"Hey wait a second. The Future Ones are still on the ship." Jett said.

"We have to strike." Captain Frisko shook his head. "If we do not attack now the Star Vulture will go into deep space. Then we’ll never see them again."

"So we’ll just kill them all?" Jett asked angrily

"I’m not giving up the Star Vulture." Captain Frisko remained resolved, despite his guilt.

"Captain. Let me pick them up. Do you still have a B fighters left?"

"What are you doing McQuack?"

"I’m going to rescue my friends. You give me one of those B fighters and I’ll bring’em back."

"The last time you let one of my best shuttlecraft be overtaken by the Green Fairy."

"Our people are out there. Just give me the chance. If I don’t make it back in time, fire. You’ll only be losing me"

"You aren’t authorized to pilot our fighters."

"Trust me the worst I could do is crash."

"This isn’t a Sunday drive simulator. You’ve got to dodge all those shots the debris. You’re crazy."

"I’m not taking no for an answer." Jett said. "Now hold for ten minutes."

***

Voltaire peeled the infamous Don Karnage out of the wreckage. Voltaire huddled over his fallen lover.

"Wake up Justin don’t you die on me. You pretty tailed Martian fop..."

His lungs moved and a faint groan of protest escaped his lips.

"You don’t move. I’ll get you some help."

Both of Justin’s dark eyes flickered open. His Justin.

"Tanakai" the fox whispered barely breathing.

Voltaire let his glasses slide off.

"It’s you." Justin said

Voltaire wept into him

"Justin, you’re alive."

"Voltaire?"

He nodded.

The calm reserve and indignant hatred of their cold eyes, fire brown and lightning green, trying to hide the depth of pain these two wanderers, melted into hysterical tears, shining and glimmering with their light.

"Oh Justin."

He grabbed onto Justin frantically and kissed him. They shared the same breath, the same heartbeat.

They had been reunited.

"Well um. I guess we know why you didn’t convince them."

"Well this day hasn’t been a total loss." Younger Static sighed.

"You should feel good about yourself Static. You’ve done a good deed." Elder Static said

"Thanks."

"These next few years won’t be easy for them. But they have each other again. For now." Elder Static said. The older rat looked wistfully at the two reunited lovers clutching at each other "They were so beautiful together like this."

"Yeah yeah."

"Goodbye guys. Catch you in a few years.
"Bye Static."

"Oh and Flight."

"Yeah?"

Static zapped him into a pile of ash.

"Gotcha. I been waiting eight years to do that…"

"Come on he’s distracted let’s get out of here." Oracle pushed them. "There aren’t two people who deserve each other more. On or off Earth." Oracle said gritting her teeth. "Who knows maybe they’ll end up killing each other."

"Oh what’s a matter Oracle, jealous that Voltaire is not going to miss you? Or are you just sore that he got Don Karnage."

"Shut up Cookie puss and lets blow this popstand." Oracle said.

"I wonder if those two will stick together." Flight said.

Everyone threw sharp glances at Flight.

"Get it? Frogs have sticky tongues, and making out and…"

Random conjured a plate of steel over Flight’s bill.

"Thank you. We needed that."

****

"Voltaire." Justin rested his head against Voltaire.

"Why did I come here? I’m going to do it again." Voltaire was on the verge of weeping again.

"What?" Justin was still weak from the blast.

"Ruin your life." Voltaire stroked his face.

"No. You saved me again." The fox nestled his head into Voltaire’s chest.

"Oh Justin." He weeped. His hands wandered around his form as if to make sure it was really there. That he wouldn’t vanish in the light of morning. There was no morning on a ship

"How could I come back and do it again? How many times have I destroyed your life? It’s because of me you are here now."

"I forgive you."

"That you’re-Oh god even this attack is my fault. They never would have sent that geek."

"I forgave you when I thought you were dead. I won’t take it back now."

"Justin, Let yourself say goodbye. Mourn me. I am worse than dead."

"Let me help you. Together…"

"Mourn me cher."

"Voltaire, my tanakai."

"The man you loved is dead. I’ve done such things, horrible things. Whatever pain my death caused you will never compare to what it would mean loving you."

"You can’t leave me again." Justin took a painful breath.

"I love you Justin." He set Justin down against the bulkhead. "But that will be the best and the most honorable thing I have done in this life."

"I won’t die until you are in my arms again." Justin tried to hold onto him "My dearest, my tanakai. I won’t let you go. You began this race and I won’t let you win by yourself." His arms couldn’t be as strong as his heart, and the intensity of his eyes flickered as he shivered in shock.

"Captain, Captain." Frappe called. "Can you answer me?"

He kissed him one last time. Justin tried to hold onto him but his arms flopped onto the ground as Frappe approached.

"I’ll beat you to the next one, tatame."

He slipped through his arms.

Without a second look back he had darted down the hall.

Justin collapsed into unconsciousness unable to stand the pain.

Frappe knelt over the captain

"Captain. Are you okay?" He said looking at the gash over his eye. "How many fingers?"

Justin smiled "Voltaire. He was here. He’s here."

"We’re getting out of here. Are you all right?" Frappe supported him and just picked him up.

"Of course."

"You are hurt. Come on."

"Frappe you must have seen him." Justin passed out

The voice sounded over the com. "The hostages are getting away. The second they get back we won’t have a moment to spare."

"We’ve got to jump to full speed in five minutes." Frappe said assuming full command status.

"Five minutes. That’s impossible Frappe."

"What’s impossible is going to clean up this mess. Pray that the automatic drive setters haven’t been severed in the fight."

"I can’t believe we’re even trying this."

"It’s all the time we can afford. They aren’t going to wait for the FO to be safe. Unless you want us and the Future Ones to die in a blaze of fire, prepare for full speed."

"And the Captain."

"He’ll be okay. Good thing he wasn’t trapped. We don’t have much longer until The Iago fires up her cannons. And that ship doesn’t miss."

****

Jett McQuack blasted out of the hangar of the ship full speed. She didn’t have time to call them. She dipped through the hunks of abandoned ship.

"I’m coming Guys. Hold on."

****

Oracle and her team snuck down the hall.

Elder Static tossed Static some mints

"You’re gonna need these." He winked and vanished.

"Good thing Jett escaped, she’ll bring in the calvary any second. Even if it is the Navy."

"Let’s get off this rust bucket as soon as po-"

Static was pulled down a hallway.

"It’s me." a familiar voice said.

"Dolly?"

"Look Static this is important."

"I am trying to escape. I thought you Time Pirates don’t take prisoners."

"We don’t. Your ship is waiting in the Transport Bay. In the other direction."

"Thanks Dolly." Static shook her hand

"But I have to say goodbye." Dolly pulled him back.

"Well what in the Universe are you trying to pull?" Static screamed

"It’s important." Dolly said.

"You Pirates are crazy. We’re about to be blasted out of the sky. What could you possibly?"

"Static."

"Look I don’t have much time for goodbyes. And I’m not in the best mood. So I suggest you-"

Dolly grabbed the back of his head and kissed him on the lips.

"Good bye Static."

Static had to blink his eyes. First to make sure he hadn’t gone blind surrendering to the wonderful feeling, and then to make sure it had actually happened.

"Everyone deserves a second chance I guess, or a first… in my case." Dolly giggled, uncharacteristically.

"Viva La Revolution." Static said. He dipped her and kissed her, just like in the holeos.

"Static hurry up."

Static froze. "That’s my-"

Dolly was already gone.

"Goodbye." Static waved.

Oracle sighed. "There has got to be access somewhere."

"Uh Dolly says the Transport Bay is that way." He pointed to the left.

"Is that all she said?"

All of a sudden Oracle’s badge beeped

"This is Jett McQuack. I hear you guys need a lift. Meet me at Transport bay 3, just off your left hopefully."

"I’m so desperate to get off this piece of junk I’d even fly with Jett." Flight said.

"The Time Pirates said they are only giving us ten minutes to get lost."

They ran to the door of the Transport Bay."

"Hey everybody all aboard the USS Baloo." Jett bowed.

"McQuack!" Oracle slapped her on the shoulder "You Daughter of a Mare."

"I wasn’t going to let my friends down. No alcoholic amphibean rockabilly samurai can keep us apart. Just cram in and we’ll take this puppy to turbo."

"It’s kind of small for all of us." Flight said

"Let’s move."

They piled into the fighter.

"Hang on baby. This isn’t going to be smooth." She threw off her flight scarf.

She sped off faster than light into the depths of the garbage field.

Darting through the hunks of steel and parts of ships as if she was riding a bike.

"Slow down."

"The B wings aren’t made for slow, Flight." Jet stared intensely at the view screen as the others closed their eyes and huddled. "I suggest you cover your eyes."

"Why?"

She grinned deviously "Cause this is gonna get scary."

The ship rolled upside down between the wings of an abandoned space freighter. She seemed to head straight towards the hull of a big ship.

"Pull up Pull up." Flight squealed like a pig.

She snorted and rolled again under up and through another hunk of a space ship.

"We’re almost there. Now all we have to do is get through the friendly fire."

"Friendly fire."

"The Iago." Jett said absently.

****

The fighters were cheering as Jet easily pulled into the hold. But as she entered she scuffed the edge of the B fighter on the door sending it crashing into all the other fighters. They dominoed onto each other and soon every fighter was flipped upside down.

"Well I guess they make these things the wrong shape."

But they had arrived back on the USS Iago relatively safe and sound.

****

Epilogue

Oracle was walking with Static down the hall.

"I can’t believe you’ve forgiven Flight."

"Oh I’ll get him back eventually as evidence shows. Besides a kiss isn’t so bad. Kind of nice."

"You’re not thinking about chasing after Karnage now bud."

"No, no no. There are other components of the Martian Revolution that I highly support."

She stared. "You little Don Wan you. I never knew you had it in you."

Static blushed. "A few more days like this and I might set a world record, for something."

"Well let’s hope Don Karnage doesn’t get jealous." Oracle laughed.

"Very funny." Static grumbled good naturedly.

Flight approached.

"Say Static um… I’m sorry about you know. Don Karnage kissing you and everything. It’s my fault."

"Apology excepted." He droned staring out the window. "Isn’t it a great day?"

****

Lieutenant’s Log 3157

Dolly Quackerwitz walked to Justin’s room.

"Hey Justin."

"Dolly. Are you avoiding homework just to see me again?"

"I finished my homework. We are worried about you Justin."

"It’s just another dent in my head." Justin laughed.

"You know I don’t mean that." Dolly said. "Static is a decent guy. I mean even if he is a sheep of Corporate bureacracy. He acts like a moron, but if you go below the surface he’s a good guy. I think you did the right thing."

"Dolly that is very merciful of you my dear. One would think that you had some kind of personal connection with the boy."

"I didn’t I don’t. It’s just that I… I agree with Frappe about these stupid widows law’s. What does Serena say ‘Vengeance is the employment of weaklings and cowards and men without vision.’"

"What if I said I saw you kissing Static?"

"Where did you see that? In the hall? I thought nobody saw us-"

"I didn’t say I did. You did"

"Ooops."

"Dolly, there is nothing more painful than a broken heart. You must realize this.Watch yourself."

Don Karnage found himself staring out the window. The sight of that goodbye kiss etched on the beginnings of his own love. It was a beautiful thing. New and thriving. "Kids." He sighed regretfully.

"Well this has been a strange day." Brian said

"I’d rather have a good one." Frappe concurred.

"Are you all right Captain?" Thorn said.

He smiled at her.

"I’ll be fine. Seeing that young Sputterspark was a shock. And I have behaved like a common curr." Karnage sat up.

"Hey even Captain’s got a right to a tantrum. Providing he warns us first." Brian said

"Voltaire was important to you. It would be ludricrous to think that the pyschological damage of his ressurrection would have on you." Frappe shrugged

"I must apologize. But it pains me so deeply. What if Voltaire would see what I have become? What would have happened to him in our years apart? If he was alive could he still love me?"

"I think he would always love you, Justin." Dolly hugged him.

"Yeah bud, your worst isn’t really as bad as you’d like to think." Brian laughed.

"Thank you all."

"Who knows? Maybe Voltaire is alive. I mean the way those FO were talking about him…"

"It will have to wait. The Revolution calls."

"Back to Marzo firma."

Justin looked out the window again. Eager to see the quiet wilderness of Mars, the places that had been the backdrop of their lives together.

"You know a desperate man, a man with nothing to lose is a very dangerous man. I was dangerous because I had lost everything. But do you know what is more dangerous?"

"What’s that Justin?"

"A man with hope. With something to live for, not just to live. If there is hope that he is alive than I don’t think that there is a power on Earth strong enough to stop me.