Passing the Test

By Tracy Reager <zara83@yahoo.com>

Rated PG 13

Submitted February 2000

Summary: Zara and Ching come to Earth in search of Kal El but, as they carry out their mission, they find that their personal relationship begins to change.

All comments can be sent to zara83@yahoo.com. ** Means emphasis, words in < > are thoughts/telepathy. Enjoy!

***

"Are you *completely* sure you want to go?"

"Trey, I'm the ruler of New Krypton. Why would I send my people to a place I wouldn't go?" a woman replied.

"Greetings, Lady Zara, Lord Trey," Lt. Ching said as he entered the waiting room. Ching felt the mission they were about to embark on was foolish, but he went because of his obligation as bodyguard to Zara. The only part that pleased him was he got to spend time with the woman he loved.

All three stood in silence as a shuttle landed that would take Zara and Ching to a larger ship outside of NK's orbit. Trey watched as they boarded. He told Zara to stay home but, being 'the people's ruler' most Kryptonians loved her for, she insisted on going. The shuttle slowly rose off the ground and ascended towards space with an occasional jolt.

***

Once on the mothership, the pair walked towards their rooms which, because of Zara and Ching's positions, were larger and more elaborate. When Zara entered her room, she set down a bag that contained personal items and some information about the mission. Feeling the need for something to do, she left and headed for the Command Deck.

Ching entered his room and took something out of the bag he was carrying. The objects looked similar to computer parts. He started to put them together making a small box-like shape. He went for his bag again, but something disrupted him.

<Ching, come here. You have to see this,> Zara told him with excitement.

<You shouldn't be up there,> he said angrily. Sighing he left the room to see what she was talking about.

Upon entering, the crew members saluted him.

"As you were."

"There," Zara pointed out the window, "that's Earth." She looked up to see a 'who cares' expression on his face. Taking a step back, she motioned for him to follow her. They walked back to Zara's room.

"Would you please tell me why you've been so moody ever since we left?" she snapped at him.

"I think this whole trip is pointless and foolish. The only reason I'm here is to protect you." Zara started to say something, but Ching continued. "Not that I want to be here anyway."

"Ching, listen. I could have picked anybody to go with me, but I chose you. You're great with computers and machines. And, you are one of the few people who will stand up to me. If I'm wrong, you're not afraid to tell me. I can come to you with a problem and leave knowing that you honestly helped me. Usually I feel better, happier, when I leave. I know where I stand with you." She walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Most of all, I trust you." She paused, looking up at him.

"I have things to do," he said plainly and walked out of the room.

<What am I going to do with him?> Zara thought to herself. She walked over to a computer and put in a data crystal from her bag. A recorded message came up.

"Earth. The third planet from its sun. It is inhabited by the Humans. The Humans have many different races, cultures, and religions. Many types of plants and animals grow and live there." Zara turned off the program, and lay down on the bed.

***

"Why won't it work?" Ching said to himself. He was getting frustrated and time was running out. He picked up a woman's wedding ring and tried again. Trey's idea of putting a tracking device on Zara was great, but where he wanted it was another story.

Ching repositioned the stone on the ring. On a monitor he held in his right hand a little red dot appeared. Experimenting, he threw it across the room. The red dot moved. <It *finally* works,> he thought to himself.

<Lieutenant, we will be entering Earth's atmosphere in 20 minutes,> an officer told him.

He put the rings and tools away, and walked over to get Zara. She was sleeping on the bed. He didn't want to wake her, she had been under a lot of stress and pressure prior to leaving. He walked over and sat down aside of her. After watching her sleep for a few minutes, he put his hand to her face and pushed back her hair. Moving his hand down to her shoulder, he began to rub it. Slowly Zara started to wake up.

"We'll be entering Earth's orbit in 15 minutes," he told her. Nodding, she closed her eyes and lay back down. Ching walked over to the computer and turned the monitor back on.

"Earth is made up of seven continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Antarctica, Africa; and four oceans: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic."

"I…was trying to find information about Earth," Zara said sounding a little hoarse.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm just tired," She replied. "I didn't get any sleep last night."

"Ready?" Ching asked.

"I'll meet you at the docking bay."

Ching went back to his room. He grabbed his bag, took out the rings, and headed for the docking bay. The pair boarded a shuttle and left for Earth.

"We're going to land in a city called Metropolis," Ching started to explain. "We are going to pose as a newlywed couple moving into the city." He took out the two rings and put one on his hand and the other on hers. "We have 45 days to complete our mission and return to NK."

"And he's supposed to be here?"

Ching nodded. They sat in silence for awhile. Then Ching got up and moved over to a control panel and pushed a button.

"Good, we're undetectable now." He brought up a screen. "We're going to put the shuttle in that warehouse. It's abandoned, so no one should be lurking around."

Once the shuttle landed, they were arguing about what to do next.

"We can't stay here. If somebody sees us walking into an abandoned building everyday, we'll be discovered," Zara told him.

"Ok, where *should* we go?"

"You said we just got married. When most people get married they move to a new house. So let's find a house and stay there."

"Hasn't it occurred to you that we only have 500 pexot to last 45 days?! That's equivalent to 800 US dollars. And I'm still not sure how to pass our money trough their system," he said angrily. Sighing impatiently, he started to pace the room.

"Look, let's find a house. Then one of us could get a job and earn money; that way we could use that money and have ours as backup."

"Oh, *real* smart Zara. It takes time to get a job, and a house!" Ching yelled.

"Yes, I know, but we can use our telepathic powers to persuade them," Zara replied. Ching stopped pacing and looked at her. She could tell by the look on his face that he was amazed. "So, are we going to get started or just sit here and argue?"

***

"Well you certainly are experienced, Sarah," Perry told Zara, "but I don't need any reporters right now." He paused and looked at his desk. "If you're interested, I could use a research assistant. Would you like to do that until I need a reporter?"

"When do I start?" Zara said with a smile.

***

"Thank you sir. Is it alright if I have the money to you in 1-2 weeks?" Ching asked. The salesman nodded and left.

Ching went inside to check it out, and to see what he would need to bring back from the ship. <This should work out,> he thought to himself. He took the keys, locked the door, and went back to the warehouse to meet Zara.

***

"So far, I got the house and the next payment isn't due for 2 weeks. Can you earn enough money by then?"

"I think so. The editor didn't need any reporters, only research assistants, but I took it since we needed the money.

"It will have to do." Ching paused. Across the table Zara started to cough violently. He got up and walked over to her. "Are you alright?" She just nodded. "After that I went through and checked it over. Apparently the previous owner left all of their appliances. I looked at them, and they are almost the same as ours. Then I took some of our food over and the portable freezer to keep it cold." He finished as he looked down at her. <She looks red in the face,> he thought. "Let's go back to the house."

***

"Ouch!" yelled Ching as he burnt his finger on the stove.

Meanwhile Zara was upstairs listening to him scream in pain. She was lying on the bed and started to fall asleep, when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," she said. Ching noticed her voice sounded worse than before. He sat down with his plate and Zara hers. She cut a piece of a meat-like patty and put it in her mouth. She winced when she swallowed it.

"It's not *that* bad," Ching joked.

"It doesn't taste bad, but it really hurts when I swallow," Zara told him. "Actually it tastes pretty good." He was shocked by the compliment.

"Maybe you should try something softer."

"Did you bring the medical kit with you?" she asked him.

"Yes, and there is an extra on the mothership. Why — do you need something?" he asked as he put his hand on her forehead. "You feel really warm; I'll go get some medicine." Ching set his plate down and left to go back to the shuttle. <Maybe I should bring the whole thing.>

<No Ching, I'll be fine. I just need to rest.> She finished cleaning up and went upstairs.

***

"Hey buddy, what's in the box?" a large man asked Ching. Soon two other men with crowbars appeared from the back of an alley. Ching kept on walking.

"Hey, the boss is talkin' to ya. Ya supposed to answer!" One of the other men told him.

"What do you want from me?" Ching replied, playing dumb. The men surrounded him.

"The box, and all your money. Give it to me!"

"Ok." Ching switched the box to his left hand. He started to hand it to one of the men. Suddenly he pulled it back and punched the man in the face. The boss stumbled backwards and fell to the ground.

"Kill him!" he yelled. Another man with a crowbar stepped forward. Ching set the box on the ground. The man lunged at him. Ching quickly grabbed the weapon and pried it from his hands. Then he snapped the man's arm back, breaking it. Howling in pain, he fell to the ground. The last man saw his chance, he grabbed the box and ran. Ching darted after him and soon, both men were on the ground.

"Here, take it! Don't hurt me!" he pleaded. Ching knocked him out and left with the med kit.

***

"What happened? You're a mess!" Zara exclaimed.

"On the way back I ran into three thieves."

"Are you alright?" Zara asked him, showing concern.

"Zara, *calm* down. I teach self-defense classes, I'm a lieutenant in the military, and I'm a bodyguard; they didn't have much of a chance." He looked down at her. "Here, take this. It should make you feel better." She drank the orangish liquid and lay down. Ching went to the bathroom to clean up. Zara looked out a window beside the bed and stared at the moon.

*"No, please don't shoot my daughter! She hasn't done anything to you!* a woman pleaded as she struggled to get free from the madman's grasp.

"Mommy!"

"Dad, don't do it!" a boy emerged from behind a dumpster.

"Ching, what are you doing here!?" he turned and yelled at him. "Go home!" The mother felt his grip loosen on her arm. She managed to escape and ran towards her daughter. The man saw her running and shot her in the back. She fell in front of the girl.

"Mommy!"

The boy looked at the body lying in the alley. His dad came over, pulled out a knife, and sliced his arm. Then he casually walked away. Ching looked down at his arm and ran out of the alley.

"I…I…lov…lo…love… you…" the mother stuttered. Then her head fell to the ground and her body went limp.

"No……."

"No…..!" Zara sat upright in bed gasping for air. She looked around trying to relax. Then, she finally remembered. <*Entil-Zha veni*.>

Meanwhile, Ching was making small bombs when he thought he heard a scream. Then he heard footsteps and saw Zara standing over him.

"I know how you got that scar! You were the boy who saved me!" she told him almost hysterically.

"What?" he replied with a puzzled look on his face.

"I'm serious! Your dad tried to kill me and you came and distracted him enough for my mom to get away. He shot her and then took out a knife and sliced your arm. That cut turned into that scar." She stated as she pointed to his left arm. Ching got up and walked out to the kitchen window. Looking out, he painfully remembered the events of that day. Zara walked up to him and placed her hand on his.

"Do you know how many people I saw my dad kill?" Ching said, still staring out the window. "More than you'll ever imagine."

"Why didn't you report it?"

"It wasn't that easy."

"I don't understand?" she questioned.

"Well, my dad held the same position I have, except he wasn't a bodyguard. So whatever I reported, he found out about it." Zara nodded in understandment.

"Before he went after your mother, he went after mine. He put my mom, himself, and me in a room. Then he told me this was a demonstration of what to do when people don't listen. He pulled out a gun and shot her in the head. After that, he walked away. All I could do was stand there and look at her lying in a pool of her own blood. When I went to report it, he found out. Later that night he came home and took out a knife and tried to stab me. Even though I was faster, he still managed to cut me." Ching finished. "Anyway it's getting late." Ching said trying to end the painful conversation. They both went upstairs and went to bed.

***

The next morning Zara came downstairs to make breakfast, but found it already done.

"I'm feeling better today," she said as she sat down. "I'm glad we had the chance to talk last night, I don't feel so alone now."

"Alone?"

"Before, I thought he had something against my mom, but now I realize I'm not the only victim."

"I can't believe it took you this long to figure out that was me," Ching told her, "but that's one of the reasons I chose to be your bodyguard. He was still alive when you became the ruler, and I thought he might try to kill you again."

"I have to go to work," Zara stated, looking at the time.

"Ok. I'm going to look around this city and set up some equipment."

<Equipment?> she thought to herself as she headed for the Daily Planet.

***

Lois, is it me, or is that new research girl trying to stalk me?"

"Well, she *has* followed you everywhere today. I was actually waiting for her to follow you into the bathroom!" Lois joked when they entered the elevator.

"But you have to admit, she is nice," stated Clark.

"And very thorough," Lois added. "Oh, by the way, Jimmy asked us to double date tomorrow night."

"With who? The one that looks like she's from outer space?!"

"Yeah that one."

"Well, Lois, it looks like we need to find something to do," Clark said. "Isn't that Sarah?"

"I think you're right. I have an idea!" Lois exclaimed. "Hey Sarah, wait up!"

Zara stopped and turned around to see Lois running towards her.

"How was your day?" Lois asked.

"Okay."

"Well, we were wondering what you are doing tomorrow night," Lois said. "Because if you're free we wanted to know if you would like to go to dinner with us."

"I would have to ask my bod… husband."

"Ok, well, here's our home number, so you can call us if it's alright." Clark gave her a card. Zara smiled and walked away.

***

"He invited us to dinner?" Ching asked in disbelief. "What did you say?"

"That I would have to ask you."

"Call them and say yes. It's time to see what Kal-El is like."

***

Whoosh. "Starting the day off early, Clark?" Lois grinned.

"Some guy planted a bomb on the front of a corporation office."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know, Lois, something about that bomb doesn't make sense. It was way above the reach of anyone with, or without, a ladder. The bomb squad only needed me to reach it. They disabled it, and it was very simple."

"Maybe they opened a window and put it out there."

"Not likely, the windows don't open, and there is no ledge to crawl on."

"Well, let's go to work and see what we can find."

***

"Sarah, did you find anything on the company?" Lois asked.

"No, aside from owing the IRS $3000," Zara replied.

"Something tells me the IRS wouldn't be blowing up buildings," Clark added. "Is the corporation related to anything political or military?" Zara shook her head.

"Maybe somebody did it just for fun?" Lois offered her idea.

"Probably not," Clark stated. "Sarah, see if you can find any old employees that might have a grudge against them."

"Ok."

"Oh, when do you want to meet tonight?" Lois asked.

"Is 7:00 ok?"

"See you there."

***

"Sorry, we're late. We ran into traffic," Zara explained. "This is my husband."

"Hi, I'm Dave Miller," Ching said as he shook their hands.

"My name is Clark Kent and this is my fianc�, Lois Lane."

"It's nice to meet you, Dave," Lois said.

"Are you ready to order?" a waiter came and asked them.

"So, Dave, what do you do?" Clark asked.

"I'm a lieutenant in the military."

"Do you like it?"

"Mostly, except for babysitting prisoners." Lois and Clark exchanged a glance. "That's when the prisons send us their inmates hoping we can reform them." Ching explained.

"Does it work?" Lois questioned.

"Depends. For most people when they learn that they won't be spoiled like they are in prisons, they usually behave."

"And if they don't?" Clark asked.

"They get shipped back after so many days," Ching finished as their dinner arrived.

After everybody had their share of good food, stories, and jokes, they all got up to leave.

"I guess we'll see you tomorrow, Sarah. Dave, it was nice meeting you," Clark said as they walked out the door.

"Same here."

"Bye, I'll see you tomorrow," Zara added. They walked down the street towards their house.

"Why are you so quiet?" Zara asked.

"I'm thinking."

"About what?"

"Tomorrow," Ching replied plainly as they walked in the house.

"What's tomorrow?"

"Nothing you have to worry about. It's getting late. Why don't you go to bed."

"Ching, I'm not a little kid. You don't need to tell me what to do. But, I am really tired so I think I might. Good night. He watched her walk up the stairs. When he heard the door shut, he started to gather some equipment.

A few minutes later he was in the park positioning cameras in trees.

<This should be interesting. I wonder what the police are going to do when Superman isn't able to help.> He took a small box out of his bag and attached it to the one camera.

<There, everything is set.> He came down from the tree and headed back home.

***

The next morning, Lois, Sarah, and Clark were listening to Jimmy talk about his date.

"Um…I have to go," Clark whispered to Lois making the flying gesture with his hand.

"Be careful," She mouthed to him.

"Everything seems slow today," Zara told Lois.

"I know, there's no news," Lois replied.

***

<That didn't take long,> Ching thought to himself when Superman arrived.

"What's wrong?" Superman asked.

"That man over there is having a heart attack," an officer told him, pointing to a guy on the ground. "But we can't get an ambulance here in time."

"I'll take care of it," Superman replied. He started towards the man. "Ahhhhhhhhh!" he screamed and fell to the ground, grabbing his head. Everybody turned around to look at him.

"What's going on? What's wrong with Superman?" the crowd whispered.

Ching started to laugh to himself. <Superman isn't so super anymore!> He started to increase to power when an ambulance arrived. <Well, I've had my fun for toady.> He switched off the device.

Clark gradually felt the piercing pain in his head decrease. He slowly rose off the ground. The officer came over to him.

"Are you alright?"

"I think so," he replied. The crowd started to talk again, but this time they were looking at the man. Superman rushed over to the paramedics. "Is he okay?"

"It's just a hologram, Superman. There was never any danger." The image slowly faded away. The puzzled crowd started to dissipate and left the paramedics alone. Superman told them to check for terrorists before he flew back to the Planet.

Ching grinned as he gathered his equipment and jumped down from the tree. He was happy with what happened.

***

Clark walked back into the newsroom still confused about what happened.

"Honey, are you ok?" Lois asked. Zara was right behind her.

"Yeah, I just got back from…" He paused when he noticed Sarah was listening, "from running that errand. And on my way back, I saw Superman and a large crowd gathered in the park, so I stopped. There was this guy on the ground having a heart attack, but when the paramedics got there, it turned out to be a hologram."

<Ching, no!> Zara thought. <He better have a good explanation for this!> she added angrily.

"Well, it's time to go. I'll see you on Monday."

"Bye," Lois and Clark said at the same time.

***

"What were you thinking!?" Zara yelled.

"About doing my job."

"Really?" she snapped back.

"Yes, I'm supposed to test him to see if he's ready."

"We are here to test Kal-El, not to play tricks on people."

"Well I was testing the people here so I know what they're like."

"Why do you need to know that?"

"He's been living here all his life, so I want to know something about them and their culture."

"Read a book."

"Nothing is better than the real thing," he replied sarcastically. He was getting tired of these conversations. "That's like telling a scientist to read a book instead of experiment. Stop acting so stupid!"

Zara looked up at him. She was very angry with him. "You *don't* give me orders!" She didn't show it, or at least she tried not to, but he had hurt her feelings. She started to think about what he'd said to her earlier that morning.

"Zara… I'm sorry." He knew her too well, and could easily see that he had upset her. "Why don't we do something different tonight?"

"Like what?"

"On my way back here I passed this restaurant, and I wanted to know if you wanted to go there?"

"Are you asking me out?" she said in disbelief.

"If you want to put it that way."

"I'd love to!" Zara exclaimed. She couldn't believe she was going to do this. They left the house and started to walk to the restaurant.

"So, have you had anymore bad dreams?"

"No. Not yet anyway," Zara stated. "I don't know what made me think of that, but it brought back some painful memories."

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop him," Ching told her. "I wish he wasn't my father."

"Was your mom like that too?" Zara questioned.

"I'll tell you later." He opened the door and they walked in. A waitress seated them, and took their drink orders.

"No, my mom was kind and caring. I always went to her with my problems. My dad never cared about my feelings, only my fighting." He finished talking just as the drinks arrived. She took their orders and left again.

"Well the few times I saw you after your mother died, you never seemed bothered by it."

"It was all I ever thought about for a year. I never showed my feelings about it because my dad would find out and then he would beat me," Ching remembered. "Ever since then, I just wanted to live a normal life. But that hasn't exactly been possible."

"It could be worse."

"How?"

"I could be really mean and make you constantly run pointless errands for me," Zara told him. They both started to laugh. "I could also say rude things about you, like someone I know." She said with an evil grin.

"Ok, ok, I know where this is going," he replied. "I said I was sorry."

"I know, but it didn't sound like you meant it."

"Hey, I'm buying you dinner!"

"With the money *I* earned."

"No, it's our money." He pulled out 50 pexot and showed it to her.

"It still looks the same, what's the catch?"

"There is none." She looked at him like he was going crazy. "I remembered what you said the other day about using our telepathic powers to help get a house. It will still be our money, but they'll see it as their money. Also, when they give us change, it will be in US dollars, so we'll be getting more of their money."

"Wow, I never thought of that."

The waitress brought them their dinner. She carefully placed the plates filled with Italian food in front of them.

"This looks really good!" Zara observed.

"Tastes good too!" he replied, taking a bite out of his manicotti. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you this for awhile; have you noticed anything different about us? I mean physically?"

"Well, I have been able to read faster and write faster lately."

"With me, I've seemed stronger, and able to move faster."

"I've noticed that too." Zara looked down at her plate. "I wonder if it has something to do with this planet."

"What?"

"We both know that Clark can fly, and that he has other superpowers."

"Right."

"But none of the other Humans can do any of those things."

"So you're saying because he's Kryptonian he has those abilities?"

"Exactly. At first I thought he was on some kind of drug, but know that we're experiencing the same powers as him…" Zara stopped in the middle of her sentence and looked up at Ching.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what other things develop. Right now let's talk about something more… fun."

They told each other stories about their lives when they were growing up, and laughed the whole time. They paid the bill with no problems and went home. Both of them walked into Zara's room once they got home. Zara pulled Ching into a warm embrace and they started to kiss passionately. Both of them fell onto the bed still kissing. They both realized how much they enjoyed each other's company, and one thing led to another.

***

The next morning, Zara woke up to find herself in Ching's arms. She knew they shouldn't be doing this, but she was too comfortable to move. She sighed and looked out the window.

She looked up at Ching's face and smiled. She laid her head back down on his chest and closed her eyes, thinking about what her friend Katyr once told her.

"I always go with my instincts and feelings, that's why I never married my birth husband."

"You'll get into trouble sooner or later."

"I know, but I knew it wouldn't work out. My best advice to you, Zara, do whatever makes you happy."

Zara started to laugh. Katyr was her best friend since they were very little. They always had fun together, and got into a lot of trouble.

Ching woke up to see Zara laughing.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking about Katyr."

"Do you miss her?"

"Sometimes. I was just thinking about some of the things we used to do."

Ching smiled. "I remember the first time I met her was when you were little and you guys stole the jet fighters and went flying around!"

"I remember that. We were in so much trouble. And I wasn't little, I was 11!"

"I can still see the look on your dad's face when the police brought you back."

"Why were you there?"

"My dad wanted me to come along for the day."

"I'm glad I met you, Ching." She looked at him and smiled.

"Me too." He smiled back and gave her a hug. "Wow, I can't believe it's 11:00 already! We really slept in late!"

"That's because we didn't go to sleep until late." She laughed. "I'm glad I don't have to go to work today."

"We really should get up," Ching suggested. Both of them got out of bed and went downstairs to have breakfast.

"What should we do today?"

"Well, I was going to fly around, and test out these new powers," Ching replied.

"Oh." Zara looked down at her plate. "Maybe I'll just do something here, like read a book or watch TV."

Ching looked over at her. <She still feels upset about what I said. How can I make her happy again?> "Why, did you want to do something?"

"Not really."

"Well, I'm going to take a look around. I'll be back in a little while," Ching told her before he flew off.

"Great… I'll just stay here and do nothing," she said to herself, and flopped onto the couch.

***

"So, Lois, are you enjoying our picnic?"

"Yes, I always enjoy spending time with you," Lois grinned. Just as they were about to kiss, an object flew overhead. "What was that?!"

"I don't know, but it looks like it was flying!" Clark took off after the object.

<Well, looks like someone has found me. Since I'm not too good at this yet, I'll have to beat you another way!> Ching turned around to face Clark. <Let's see how good you are with telepathy!> As Clark flew closer, Ching entered his mind and started to 'talk' to him in the voice of his mother.

"Mom?" Clark stopped and looked around, but saw nothing except for clouds.

<Can't you see me? I can see you.>

"What the…" Clark looked around again.

"Lois!" Clark flew back only to find her quietly eating a Double Fudge Crunch Bar.

"What's wrong Clark?" He just looked at her. "Clark?"

"A voice… in my head told me it was watching us."

"What? Who?"

"It sounded like my mom," Clark said, still confused.

<This is starting to give me a headache. I guess I should go back home.> He shook his head and went back to Metropolis.

***

"Are you okay, Ching?"

"Yeah," Ching replied. "I just flew into Kal-El and I knew I wasn't fast enough to outrun him, so I played a little mind trick on him."

"What did you do?" Zara questioned, not sounding very happy.

"Made him think someone was with Lois and he flew back to her. That gave me enough time to get back here, and it also gave me a headache."

"Why don't you rest awhile."

"I think I will."

***

10 days later

***

"Zara, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine, I just feel a little sick in the stomach. It's nothing." Zara told him. "I'm going to work, I'll see you tonight."

"Ok," Ching replied. Zara walked out of the house. Zara thought to herself.

***

"Hey, Sarah, get in here!" Perry bellowed from his office.

"What do you need?"

"You don't look so good. Why don't you take the rest of the day off."

"That's ok, Perry, I'll be fine."

"I don't like it when my employees don't do a good job because they're sick."

"Ok," Sarah grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hope you feel better," Perry said as she walked out of his office.

<Good, now I can go see Dr. Danton.> Zara walked to the warehouse. She stepped inside the shuttle and looked around to make sure Ching wasn't there. She went over to the control panel and started it up. After she went through a checklist, the shuttle slowly rose off the ground. Zara engaged the cloak and left the warehouse towards the mothership. She sent a coded message to the ship to open the docking bay doors.

Once the shuttle landed, she left and went to the top level of the ship.

Zara thought, noticing the lack of people in the halls. She walked in to Dr. Danton's office.

"Oh, hello, Lady Zara, I didn't hear you come in," he told her quickly. "Why are you here?"

"I haven't been feeling good."

"Ok, let's go back here and I'll see what I can do for you." Zara followed him into a back room. "I'll be right back. And while I'm gone you can roll up your sleeve, I'm going to take some blood."

"Great," Zara replied, unenthusiastically.

"I can give you a sticker if it makes you feel better."

"No, that's ok, you can keep your stickers." Both of them started to laugh. "I just don't like needles," Zara finished. Dr. Danton left the room. She waited patiently for him to come back.

During all of the tests, the two friends talked about the things they found on Earth. Zara told him about the strange powers she and Ching were developing. He finished his exam and left the room. He tested her blood for different viruses until he found the answer.

Meanwhile, Zara was looking out a small window, gazing at the stars.

"So did you find out what is wrong with me?"

"Um, Zara, you better sit down."

"Why? What's wrong?"

END OF PART 1

Look for part 2 soon. Please send me any comments, I want to know what you think!!JJ