Kyle:

My new sword on my waist, I moved over to a nearby road. No one seemed to care too much that I was walking away, besides that creep Frankie. He eyed me like a hungry cat looking at a mouse. I didn't know what his problem was, but I didn't like him one bit. It took everything in me not to fight him right there. I really wasn't fond of the way he looked at Jessica either, like he really wanted to hurt her. Truth was, Jessica was supposed to protect me, but if anyone wanted to hurt her, they still had to go through me.

In any case, I had a lot to think about. I stayed in view but still traveled over to a set of rail guards on the side of a nearby road. I leaned on them, looking to a far-off city. I started talking, the words I would have said if my father could have been there. "Dad... what were you thinking? I don't need anyone besides Jessica anyway. The people of this world are primitive, and the ones you sent me to are a paranoid group of crazies." I sighed. I heard a subtle thump next to me. I turned to look at Jessica.

"So... what do ya think?" she asked.

"The blade is beautiful Jess. I just don't know how to use it," I said, fingering the new sword at my waist.

"Oh goodness not that," she said. She rested against the railing too. "I mean about the planet so far."

"Well, we've only been here for a couple of min-" I began, but she cut me off.

"Oh my- look!" she shouted, pointing at the city. The sun was peeking out over the horizon. The black sky was gradually changing colors, dwarfing the lights of the city and making the buildings seem like silhouettes. The slowly clearing clouds caught the light and changed colors too, the sun creating a strange reflective effect beneath the raining clouds. "This planet is breath-taking sometimes."

I chuckled at Jessica. "You are so easily enchanted. We have sun rises on our world Jessie, this is nothing new."

Jessica pulled me around and pushed me against the rail, jumping back and holding up her hands like she was focusing me for a picture. I couldn't see obviously, but I guessed I probably looked pretty... imposing? I was pretty small so... maybe I just looked "cute". That was a thing Jessie liked.

"Don't tell me you've ever seen a sunrise like this- cause I know you haven't." She shook her head. She shot back over to me and I turned around so we could keep watching together. "I have. This was always something special between me and my old trainer when I was here the first time, back when I was your age. I used to imagine myself as the only Pharaoh in years to have seen this planet's beauty."

She was being sentimental, again. I realized that, sure, but I was not sentimental at all, at least not on this, so I rattled off trivia. "There are between one thousand to three thousand Pharaohs on this planet at any given time Jess. It used to be our home. Just because no one knows what we really are, doesn't mean we're not out there."

"There are over half a billion people on our world Kyle. It's still pretty unique to be the only ones here and not there... just enjoy it." She breathed in the air like she was savoring it. I did have to admit, though not out loud, the sun reflecting off her did make her look rather pretty. I was too young to really see her in that way, but I could still appreciate. "Not a lot of our people see this. You see what's different don't you?" I shrugged. "You don't? How could you not? No huge ships in the air, no floating landmasses, no massive amounts of pollution obscuring the whole thing, no sky advertisements... just a massive blank sky with buildings where they're supposed to be, on the ground."

"Hmph," I laughed to myself.

"What?"

"Oh, it's nothing really. You talk about all our inventions and technologies as if they're a curse that interferes with your view of the sky. But really, do you have any idea how many people here would love to know how to make masses of land fly for instance?" I looked back at Allen. "Wonder what guys like him would pay to see a sunset over a floating city."

"I'm not saying it's bad in either place Kyle. It's just different. It's just..." She continued looking forward with a deliberate pause.

"It reminds you of your old master? You missing him?" I put a hand on her shoulder. Okay fine, I was sentimental- I just sucked at it.

She pushed the hand off, giving me a raised eyebrow. "Can't you just appreciate something that's pretty?" I shook my head.

"Gotta have a reason, kid."

"Kid?" She pushed me a little. "You're younger than me, pipsqueak!" she chided. "And don't you ever forget it." She looked back over the city. "Besides," she sniffed the air, "you gotta love that smell."

"I think I smell..." I sniffed a few times, "grass... maybe."

"That's a freshly mowed lawn Ky," she said, shaking her head and laughing.

"What?"

"We just let grass grow wild cuz half our structures fly anyway, but they cut it here. Pretty short too. It's a matter of appearance. They think it's unsightly if the grass is too tall."

"Why?" I asked, a look of confusion on my face, my mouth even slightly ajar.

"Not sure. But that's why your shoes are green," she said, pointing down at my feet with a chuckle.

I sighed, trying to rub the grass blades and green slime off my new shoes. Oh and that rain still hadn't cleared. How wonderful that mom had me fitted for this penguin suit before I came, just to have it ruined within minutes by minor environmental conditions. Yes, I hadn't done much to protect it, but that was beside the point.

She laughed again. "Not grass little guy..." she threw her arms open, "adventure!" she shouted. "It's a new world Ky! Don't you hear it calling? It has so many secrets to show us, things the people back home can only dream about. I've seen some of them, but that was forty years ago, long before I even met you. I can tell you, a lot is probably different between now and nineteen twenty-seven when I left. I want to see those differences. And I want YOU there when I do." She poked me in the shoulder hard enough to shove me a little.

"Whatever kid."

"What was that?"

I had since gotten long use to Jessica referring to me as a child. To her I basically was, being half a century younger, and she referred to most of her friends as if they were children as a label of endearment. However, she really wasn't crazy about any return of the sentiment. She was a lady, not a girl. In her eyes anyway, and that's how I needed to see it. Jessica couldn't let "childing" her go unpunished.

Just to make sure she heard, I stated it more slowly and specifically. "Whatever you say, little girl."

Jessica's smile turned to a smirk and she punched her right palm.

The useful thing about having such a hyper bodyguard is that whenever you're starting to feel down about something, like leaving your home light years behind, it was so easy to get her riled up. I grinned and took off running, knowing exactly what was coming.

(***)

Allen:

The orders the ship guards had were very simple. Jessica was Kyle's bodyguard and they were not to be separated. Despite their actual age, Kyle and Jessica were used to being treated like children, and on their world, they were viewed as such, not adults. They were to be provided for and they were to be protected.

I grinned watching as the two Pharaoh children rough-housed a few meters off. The rain was finally starting to clear and they were silhouetted by the setting sun. They were like two kids in an ad on television, showing you how perfect the world could be if you bought some new nick-knack.

Kyle had tried to run from Jessica for some reason, and now they were both rolling on the ground, Kyle being tickled, starting to beg for mercy. You could certainly see their duality, Jessica's threats had teeth, but she wrestled with the method of- no method at all, like your typical kid. Kyle was very prideful and seemed intelligent, but right now he curled up into a kind of half ball that barely defended his stomach and chest. They were both having fun with that game, neither angry nor shocked like it was natural to them.

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The right ship guard shook his head saying, "You must understand something. Young Kyle is used to a degree of autonomy and if I may speak from my own feelings, I believe he needs it to feel a sense of independence. Please do not take that from him if you can help it. I would hate to hear that he had a hard time leaving his home without an entourage. Kyle has his bodyguard, which should be sufficient to move around normally."

I nodded my head. "But Kyle still lives at home on your world right?" The guard nodded. I shifted uneasily. "In the mutant societies of earth we've been made aware that Pharaohs live as family units on their homeworld. However, here they don't, or at least they stick to their own kind. Being tailed constantly by a werewolf would stick out like a sore thumb to other Pharaohs, almost like he had a strange pet. We were hoping Kyle could live on his own for the most part, as most other Pharaohs here do. Remember, Kyle's father was specific to us that Kyle's identity was to be an utmost secret."

Yes, seeing them tumble around, I realized how silly that sounded. We had seriously expected two little kids to live on their own, and I was pushing that idea. The old story of hating your own position, but fighting for it anyway.

The guard twisted his face. "I suppose the boy could live on his own. As long as he is provided for."

I bit my lip, but still pointed out, "not exactly independent."

"Well for goodness sake of course not! He's only one hundred years - of course..." The guard paused. "If I may be upfront, the president doesn't wish to do this, and frankly neither do I. The rebellion is just so dangerous and... as a servant I have watched the boy grow from his birth in his father's house for many decades. He's a very smart boy, and he should be exploring his potential on our world, being taught by people actually older than him. Instead, he's to be here with you, hiding his gifts and the oldest person in his life will be Jessica."

I nodded. "We'll do our best to keep him safe. There are other Pharaohs on this planet, but I don't know if we can trust them, nor should you. I'll care for him as I would my own- if he were five times my age- somehow." I paused on that note. I was doing my best to try to empathize with the guard, and still, tell him the truth. Still, with what I was saying, I would be close to marching a child in my care right back onto that ship. "Look, I know what it means to want someone to grow to their full potential. I promise we will give him any supplies he needs for his education and-"

"Until you die?"

That one hadn't occurred to me. "Well-"

"His father will be president for a further two hundred years, at which point the boy will finally return home. No one on your world lives much longer than one hundred years, and anyone who befriends Kyle, the child will have to mourn soon enough." He shook his head, eyes fixed on the roughhousing children. Jessica had Kyle in a kind of headlock and Kyle was trying to tickle her to get her to back off... turned out she wasn't as sensitive to that as he was, it wasn't working.

I didn't want to think about them in mourning. The guard continued. "I would tell you to keep your distance so you don't hurt him by making him say goodbye to everyone who ever cares for him, but that would be worse, wouldn't it? If no one ever cares for him, these will be the coldest days of his life." He looked back at me and put a hand on my shoulder. "None of this is your fault." He looked back to the kids. "But still this is a terrible idea, a horrible thing to do to a child. A group of renegades is garnering support on our world, which poses a threat to any member of the president's house, but part of me still thinks the boy would be better there than raised by you." He turned back to the ship, gesturing for his friend to go back in.

The man who had been speaking walked with a sort of military discipline like he was marching. I suspected he didn't have to walk like that, rather he was falling back on it to hide his desire to turn back. I expected a few more words from the other guard, but instead, he simply followed. The door of the ship closed and the ship itself seemed to vanish into the air. I felt a gust of wind push by me, realizing it was a breeze from the cloaked ship taking off.

Well, there was a weight on my shoulders. This was nothing like a babysitting job, which some of my superiors had said. This was... it was akin to a strange sort of adoption. Very strange.

Frank started walking towards the kids, both of them stopping their play and looking at him. The girl rose to her feet, bolts of energy traveling down both her arms, Kyle fingering his short sword while still on the ground. I grabbed Frank's shoulder. "Frankie... we're all used to you. But they're not. Just keep your distance for now."

"You think they're the ones who need to adjust?" He turned. "I see the way they look at us. Doesn't it irritate you? Like we're a planet of simpletons. I hate pharaohs... how arrogant can you get to call your whole race kings?"

Finally, I felt like snapping. "Okay, that does it. You think you're making sense but... the fact is I'm embarrassed. You're a grown man! You complain like they're being so discriminatory, but the fact is those two guards treated us like equals the entire time and you treated them like dirt because of their race. You're allowing the actions of a child to rile you up, a child that you threatened the second you saw him. Grow up. I'm tempted to smack some sense into you."

Frank glared, but sighed. "Believe what you want. I've stated my qualms. Let's just go."

He was working my last nerve. "Get back to the cars," I simply ordered. Not all wild men were such bad examples of humanity, but there were more than a few rotten apples in any mutant race. I was just glad Frankie was under me and not the other way around.

I walked over to the two children. "We have some vehicles waiting by the side of the road to take you into town," I said, trying not to make the edge I had from that argument audible.

"Oh great!" Jessica shouted. She pulled Kyle to his feet so fast he nearly fell onto his face, her not even watching. He steadied himself while she just kept talking. "You got a Deusen? How fast do they go these days? I remember those things were pulling some serious speed. I went to a few races before I left earth in nineteen twenty-seven. I've been here before and lived here for twenty years."

"A Deusen...?" I had to think for a moment. "Oh!" She was still beaming at me, so I hated to tell her the truth. "I'm afraid they stopped making those a while ago Jessica. You mean the old Duesenbergs right? Sheesh, even my Grandma got rid of her's a few years back, the thing just broke down. Lucky it made it that long. The whole company went under."

"Really? That's too bad," she replied, snapping her fingers. "I thought Mr. Cord would get those things to make a comeback."

I chuckled. "He did. Whenever something's really hard to believe, these days we call it a "Duesy" because of what he helped make. Best cars of the time really. But good Lord, they must have gone under more than a decade ago."

"So what's the big name in transportation these days?" she asked.

I started walking to our cars, young Kyle and Jessica following.

"Probably Mustang," I said after a little thought.

"The horse?" she asked. "What did you guys regress a little?"

"Mustangs are fast!" Jaden shouted at my leg, walking next to me.

"Yes they are buddy," I said with a chuckle and messing up his hair a little. "A mustang is a car, Jessica."

"Call me Jess," the girl replied. "Since when do they name cars after horses?"

My smile was becoming more and more genuine talking to her. "You're the boss little lady. I wonder what you'd say to a Corvette, Jess."

"I'd ask it if it wanted a carrot."

I had an even better question then. "What would you say to a Thunderbird?"

"What's that supposed to be?" the girl asked. I just chuckled in response as she gave me a fake angry pout.

"I thought you told me they rode around on horses on this world," Kyle said.

"Well, some do," Jessica said back. "I guess not very many by the time I left."

"Jess," I began. "No one's ridden a horse in this country for anything but sport in a long time. Besides..." I stopped mid-step and looked down. "What about the Cadillac? Isn't that a kind of horse? I thought those were cars made back in the day. My grandpa always seemed to like them."

"Well not a lot of people actually had those," Jessica responded.

I shrugged and kept walking. We finally came upon the cars. I spoke up. "Myself, I ride around in a good old Rambler. An old Rebel my dad gave me."

Jessica looked at the lead vehicle in our little convoy. We had brought three vehicles, not sure how big Kyle's entourage would be. Two other men drove them but hadn't been with myself and Frank. Course it turned out there was just him and the little girl so I could fit the whole parade in my back seat.

My Rebel was a good looking little car if I did say so. A boxed-off front and back, and short seats. Rebels were the first cars to have seat belts, which I made my son wear these days, just in case. Course I didn't bother to wear one myself. It even had the wood stripe down the side doors looking nice and new, if for a few dents. There was a new Rebel just coming out, but really, I liked mine just fine.

"Rambler eh?" Jessica said, nodding to the vehicle. "Sheesh, they probably aren't going anywhere for a while huh? They've been around since cars were first made. I swear they're going to make it to the next millennium if they made it this far."

"Are you kidding? These things aren't going to make it past the 70s when all our cars fly. You'll see." I replied.

"Before you do, maybe you should make it so everyone can afford to ride on those airplane things you guys were still working on when- those are still around right?"

"Oh yeah, they are. Maybe I should take you to an airport sometime."

"Take a while to get to one won't it?"

"Are you kidding? We got a few in just this city." I was loving this. Talking to Jessica was like talking to a young lady from the past. She was like a time traveler. Honestly, there were things I wanted to ask her. Easily we could switch places and I be the little kid asking about all kinds of things that no longer were.

"Did you guys make it into space yet?" Kyle asked, sounding unimpressed.

I grinned. "For your information, the president says we're going to have someone walk on the moon before the end of the decade."

"Hm!" Kyle grinned. "You're making me laugh friend. Laugh harder than you know. It took you how long to figure out how to fly? Space isn't something you get to that fast after you just learn how to get off the ground." He sounded so sure on that point. There weren't many space fairing civilizations, just Triad, America, and Russia, so what he was basing his diagnostic on was anyone's guess. I was starting to suspect a little more than the general arrogance I had become aware of when talking to most pharaohs.

Frankie shook his head. He mumbled to me, "Guess they didn't get word about Explorer 1."

I shrugged.

Jessica moved over to the Rebel to ride shotgun. Frankie pushed in front of her. "I think I should ride up front kid." He motioned, this time sounding a smidge timid.

"AAAHHH!" Jessica wined. "I wanted to ride shotgun!"

"Aren't you suppose to stay with Kyle anyway?" I asked.

"Doesn't mean we have to hold hands," Kyle replied for her. Jessica ran back to the left side of the car where the rest of us were standing. She opened the door to the back seat and gestured for Kyle to get in.

Okay so normally I wouldn't just correct random people on this, but they were so much like children, I felt myself going into a parent mode.

"Alright, I'm not having this," I said, walking in front of Kyle.

"Excuse me?" Kyle asked.

"No, I won't excuse it," I motioned for Jessica to move away from the door and then pushed it shut again. "Jessica is a lady, powerful or not. On this world, you respect women. She's not your servant around me, is that clear?" Kyle looked at me inquisitively. "For starters, you open doors for her."

"Since when did men become the servants of women on this world?" Kyle asked. I decided it better not to answer directly and just folded my arms. "If you insist." I moved out of the way and Kyle opened the door for Jessica. He let my son Jaden go in after, piling in himself once they were situated. Our convoy was off.