Lost Empire Ch. 16

"She was in and still is in here," Derrick said pointing to his head, "she was attempting to open the sections of my brain, trying to reintegrate all of the mes, I can actually remember her and the ship 0999 now but she is unconscious."

Mary's face took on a worried look; this was an extremely dangerous move on her part. Shelby's data could be lost, absorbed, and rejected by Derrick's brain; it could mean not only the loss of the emperor but Shelby, Mary's daughter. Sighing, she should have known that Shelby would have tried to do something like this, she'd seen the looks that Shelby had shared with him.

"I am afraid I am also going to have to go in, this is extremely dangerous Derrick, though she has released more of your mind, I still feel it is weak." Mary tried to explain to him. "There is a chance that we may lose one of you, I cannot allow that to happen to you. Though she is my daughter she too knew the risks doing this."

"Look I don't have any memory of you yet, but I know that all mothers fight for their children. You have to fight for her, as will I, do what you can but you have to save her." Derrick looked directly into Mary's eyes and quietly asked, "Please?"

Mary was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion though the mandates forbid it she couldn't ignore the fact of what her daughter had felt so strong about this man. The fact that her daughter had risked her very existence to bring back the man she loved spoke volumes to Mary. Nodding to Derrick, tears in her eyes for the love they shared, Mary induced sleep with Derrick again and gently delved into his mind. It was worse than she thought the deeper she went the more damage she was starting to see. Finally reaching the room of his memories and self, Mary started to assess all that was wrong.

Looking at all the doors Mary could see the thirty that Shelby had opened, then Mary saw why Shelby was so weak. Sighing Mary could see the increasing amount of energy she expended each time to open the doors. Shaking her head she thought she had known how much Shelby loved the man but this went far beyond anything she'd thought possible. True Shelby had increased the energy of his mind to the point that he now had a fifty percent better chance of full recovery. In the process though, she had used up all the energy that she'd stored up to delve into his mind.

Near the last door Shelby had opened Mary finally found Shelby, a worried Derrick holding her head in his lap. Mary knelt next to them placing a hand on Shelby, she had far less energy than Shelby but Mary was hoping that she wouldn't need that much. Looking in Mary saw much to her shock that Shelby had tried to use all her energy to bring him back. Again this was a shock to her it was obvious that this man was far more unique than she at first had thought. Slowly she could feel Shelby's energy start to increase Mary just hoped that when she awakened that she wouldn't refuse to go.

Shelby was so tired a strange thing for her, when Derrick called her E her heart soared. Bending down he looked at her and asked if all was alright. All she could think of was, "I am afraid that I may have done and gone too far, my love, just a chance to see more of the new you makes this sacrifice worth it." Then the world went dark it was a strange first for her 'so she thought this is what death is like,' there was no light, no sound, just a warm peace that she couldn't explain. 'Finally I feel I have done something to justify my existence.' It seemed she'd just gotten there when she felt something start to tug her back toward the light. She didn't want to go back not if it meant Derrick had to take her place. Fighting she tried to reject and push everything that came at her. Finally it overwhelmed her and she started to close in on the light.

Mary could feel Shelby's levels starting to rise, good, she was afraid she didn't have enough energy to save her. "I can feel her, she's stronger you have to get her to leave, if she stays she'll expire Derrick." Derrick nodded his head as he could feel that there was more to the woman on his lap than met the eye. It just escaped him each time he tried to bring it to the surface.

"I'll do my best IF she'll listen," Derrick told Mary as Shelby started to stir.

"Derrick?" Shelby weakly asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, but I need you to go out with your mother; I couldn't go on if I lost you too." Derrick told a now smiling Shelby.

"Alright but I will be watching you closely, my love," Shelby said as she kissed Derrick deeply and passionately, surprising not only him and Mary but Shelby herself. Rising Shelby, Derrick, and Mary headed for the surface, none of them heard a half dozen or more doors open far below them.