Ari woke up to a strange smell; not the forest wood scent that Lu Ming usually carried, but the smell of old chemicals. She was lying on a comfortable medical bed in a secret basement beneath the city of Munich.
(Ari internally, opening her eyes with difficulty: Where am I? My head feels like it's been struck by lightning.. oh wait, I was the one who fired the bolt! I remember now.. the missiles, the helicopters, and Lu Ming's sad face. Are we safe? Or am I dead?)
She looked around to find Lu Ming sitting on a metal chair beside her bed. He was wearing a simple black shirt, and his hand was bandaging her hands, which were slightly burned from the intensity of the energy. When he saw her eyes open, his movement froze for a second, then he continued bandaging with a haunting calmness.
"You've been asleep for three days," Lu Ming said in a deep voice. "Fang says your body couldn't handle the pressure, but you did what no human could."
(Ari internally, noticing his gentle touch despite his coldness: Three days? My God, did I miss a lot of food? Look at him.. he's caring for me as if I'm a piece of fragile glass. He's bandaging my wound.. I don't think I'll ever take this bandage off or wash my hand again! つ≧▽≦つ)
"Lu Ming.. I.. I didn't know I could do that," Ari said in a raspy voice. "I'm not a spy, I swear to you."
Lu Ming stopped bandaging and looked directly into her eyes. This time, there was no coldness, but a silent confession of guilt.
"I know. I searched the records of this old lab.. Your father wasn't a 'Monster Maker' in the way I thought. He was trying to 'cure' me.. and the pendant you wear was the key to stabilizing my genes. He sacrificed his life to hide you from the Organization because you are the only cure.. and their ultimate target."
(Ari internally, feeling a shock that shook her core: My father was trying to help him? And my pendant is the key? So I'm not his enemy, I'm his "medicine"! Look at the glimmer of regret in his eyes.. I want to cry from joy and sadness at the same time. Lu Ming.. we are linked by more than just a work contract!)
Lu Ming pulled his chair closer and gently held her bandaged hand.
"Ari.. the Organization won't stop now. You revealed yourself to save me, and now your life is in greater danger than mine. From this moment on, I will not be your master.. I will be by your side. I will teach you how to control this thunder in your veins, so it doesn't burn you again."
(Ari internally, her heart fluttering like a small bird: I will be by your side? Oh my! That sentence is more powerful than any love confession in any novel! I will learn, Lu Ming.. I will become stronger, not to protect myself, but to stay by your side forever without fear!)
Suddenly, Fang entered the room, carrying a tablet displaying thermal maps of the lab's perimeter.
"Master, Miss Ari.. the training must begin now. The Organization has sent the 'Seven Shadows' squad.. they aren't human; they are hybrids like you, Master, but without emotions."
Lu Ming said with a chilling smile as he looked at Ari: "Let them come.. they have one monster to face, and a storm that will show them no mercy."