The timer showed 00:46:47 when I woke.

Huh. Still more than half an hour before Paul regained consciousness.

I got up, got dressed, and made a quick breakfast. It was eight thirty.

Anne was still asleep in the chair when I walked in and shook her awake.

“Huh?” the teenager exclaimed, bleary-eyed. “Oh… I fell asleep.”

“You’ve got fifteen minutes before your dad wakes up.”

“Uh… I gotta go.” Anne rushed to the bathroom.

Right. “Breakfast’s on the table,” I yelled. I checked on Paul.

PAUL DRAKE

CLASS: WORKING MAN

LEVEL 3

HP: 70/70

STATUS EFFECT: UNCONSCIOUS - 00:14:32 TO WAKE

I grabbed a chair and my tablet, and started leafing through the morning news.

Huh. So there were accusations of corruption against Mayor Aldiss. Politicians being politicians, I suppose ….

A leading scientist had proposed a theory that the alien craft orbiting our planet were designed to dock with much larger objects, probably space stations….

The Indian government had just announced a lockdown in one of its cities to contain a viral outbreak….

Huh, the Happy Hearts campaign made the news, not bad. Should help getting the remaining puppies and kittens placed….

An interview with Dr. Magnetic as he talked about how he was adjusting to life on board Skyguard….

I was reading through the stories when a groan escaped from the bed. I jumped up. “Are you okay?”

Paul Drake was trying to sit up. Oh. Right. The bed was designed to restrain patients so that they didn’t fall off. “Calm down. You’re in a medical bed. I’m undoing the straps.” I reached over and began to unlace them.”

“Th-thank you,” croaked Paul. “I’m… I’m Paul Drake. Are you the nurse?”

“Oh. No, I’m …” I wondered how to explain it. “My name’s Andrew. Anne can probably explain better.”

“... Thank you, Andrew…. Am I at home?”

“Yes…”

“Dad!” exclaimed Anne from the door. “You’re awake!”

“Hey, little dragonfly….” Paul’s face beamed. “... Did you get taller?”

“Three inches… Dad, how do you feel?”

“I’m okay… How long have I been out?”

“Oh, only a few months. Dad, I’m so glad you’re okay, there’s a lot I need to tell you….”

“Months?” Paul jerked up. “What day is it?”

“Maybe we should do this slowly,” I suggested. “How about you sit up for a bit. Get acclimatized. I’ll check you out and then you can get caught up on the news.”

Paul nodded, wincing. “All right, that makes sense. How long is your shift?”

“... My shift?”

“Yes, how long are you here upto?”

“Dad, he lives here,” Anne rolled her eyes.

Paul’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe we should start with an explanation.”

“Er…” Anne paused. “So, Andrew’s sort of my adopted brother.”

TEST OF CHARISMA: FAILED.

RELATIONSHIP WITH PAUL DRAKE IS NOW SUSPICIOUS (-1).

“Explain?” asked Paul.

“Dad, what’s the last thing you remember?”

“I…. was in a meeting in City Hall.”

“Right, the day of the alien attack. August 15th. So during the attack I got stuck on a building and nearly died. Andrew here saved me.”

“I see.”

“And he saved my life. And helped me find you. And helped fix up the house, and set up your bed, and everything. And he’s been looking after things since you, well, were unconscious.”

“Anne…” Paul sighed. “Mr. Andrew, thank you for your support, but could I talk to my daughter alone, please?”

“Sure. I’ll leave you two alone.”

And I walked out.

I stepped out of the door, into bright sunshine.

It was Wednesday, April 23rd, 2081.

QUEST COMPLETED: REVIVE PAUL DRAKE.

+500 XP.

RELATIONSHIP WITH ANNE DRAKE AT MAXIMUM AND CANNOT BE INCREASED FURTHER. ANNE DRAKE IS CLOSE FAMILY.

I’d started out on the journey to revive Paul because of a quest and a sense of duty.

Now, the quest was done. And the consequences followed.

Paul didn’t know me. He didn’t have any reason to trust me, except the word of his daughter.

A daughter who’d woken him with the news that a strange young man had been staying in their house for eight months.

I sat on the porch and waited.

I could hear raised voices from inside. Anne was shouting about something. Paul’s voice, though less loud, carried outside too.

“Andrew,” came Anne’s voice from behind me.

I turned.

“He wants to see you,” she whispered. “I don’t understand! I told him everything you’ve done for us. He said …..” she sobbed. “He just doesn’t get it!”

“It’s okay,” I replied. “Let me talk to him.”

Paul was sitting up when I went in.

“Andrew,” he addressed me. “I had …. a difficult talk with my daughter. And I have several questions.”

“I understand.”

“I’m still a little confused about the whole thing. Everything that happened…. I’ve missed a lot. And while I love my daughter, I need to know that she’s safe. So can you tell me, what are your intentions towards Anne?”

“Anne has treated me as a brother, and I’ve treated her like my sister. We’re close.” I shrugged. “We’ve stood by each other through some very difficult times.”

“You’ve never….”

“No. Never. We don’t even think of each other that way.”

Paul sighed in relief. “Don’t get me wrong, Andrew. I’m… worried about my daughter’s safety.”

“You can count on me to protect her.”

“That’s the thing. I’m her father; protecting her is my job. Unfortunately, in a world of aliens and ultrahumans, I’m just an ordinary man. And now that she’s an ultra - and you are too - and I’m, well, bedridden.”

“You’ll be up on your feet soon,” I reassured him.

“I fear I will have to depend on you. And I don’t know a thing about you.”

“Then you know as much as I do. I have no memories of who I am, or where I was born. The first person I remember seeing is Anne. She gave me my name and taught me how this world works.

“I don’t know where I come from, or if I have any family. I don’t know whether I was born with these powers or whether I gained them that day on the roof.

“All I know is that I have powers I don’t understand, and that Anne is the only person I consider family. And you - because she counts you as family.

“So I have to ask. Do you want me to leave?”

Paul winced. “No. Not like this. Anne and I - we owe you better than that.” He took a deep breath. “You should stay.”

“Thank you. I owe you for food and board, though.”

“As I understand, you’ve been paying for everything. Groceries, repairs, even schoolbooks for Anne. And the medical bed that’s kept me alive.”

“It was the decent thing to do.”

“I’d like to get to know you better. So…. I’ll ask you to stay for a bit. And maybe we can explore what we have.”

“I’d like that,” I replied.