AN: This chapter is dedicated to @WillThecoolestidiot for commenting and loving my story! Sorry the song is short!

Green.

Everything outside of the cave was such a lavish green. Grass covered the land except for a small dirt trail. Vines trailed up the cliffs and the odd rock formations that stood high above the ground. Some stood straight up, curved, or rubbed against each other for support. Trees shaded the area with full leaves from the scorching sun. The sun was closer than usual, thus providing more heat. The air itself was humid and smelled of different smells. It reminded Alaura of the time she went hiking in a jungle with Kai. The trio followed the dirt path to their right in search for assistance.

"Help!" Alaura yelled as loud as she could. There had to be someone here. They trudged on, lugging Tanis along with them. He slowly closed his eyes and drew a few short breaths. Blood from his nose dripped onto his shirt, mixing in with the dirt and smoke that left stains. Alaura glanced at Tanis and reassured him, "It's going to be okay. We're going to get you help."

"Alaura, he isn't going to last much long-"

She cut Malachi off in an instant in a stern voice, "Don't you dare say that. He is our friend. We are going to do everything in our power to help him. Do you hear me?" This was an innocent, ill man. She wasn't going to let him go down that easily. He was their team member, after all. Team members stuck together. I wonder how Kai and the rest are doing... She contemplated for a second.

Malachi was a bit taken aback by her tenaciousness. His brown eyes widened for a split second. "Yes ma'am," Malachi mumbled under his breath. He got a better grip on Tanis to carry him better.

Alaura spotted a few people observing the plant life far ahead of them. She smiled triumphantly, knowing Tanis would be okay and help was on the way. She called out to them urgently, "Help! We need help! Please!" When they came closer, she elaborated more, "Our friend is sick and needs medical attention stat." The people nodded and ushered them to their vehicle. Alaura and Malachi stared at the vehicle for a second in confusion.

The car hovered above the ground.

The driver yelled at them to hop in, and Alaura and Malachi hesitated. They glanced at each other for a second and got in the car. The driver quickly sped off. Everything blurred outside of the open windows and wind whipped through their hair. The whole place seemed to be a jungle, which only made Alaura and Malachi internally question where they were.

The passenger turned back to face the trio and questioned, "So where are you guys from?"

Alaura glanced between Malachi and Tanis, not knowing if she should reveal a specific spot. Too much information could be dangerous, especially when they have no clue what country they're in. She pursed her lips and answered simply, "The United States."

The man smiled and a gleam of excitement flashed across his eyes. "No way! You're from Earth. That's awesome! How is it there?"

Malachi arched an eyebrow and flexed his jaw in confusion. If they weren't on Earth, then where were they? The man looked harmless enough. Their surroundings, however, could prove dangerous if need be. Not knowing the terrain is always bad. He tried hard not to grit his teeth as he asked, "Excuse me? Are we not on Earth?"

The man shook his head and responded, "No dude. You're at Ishtar Collective, Venus. We're pulling up to the academy now." The driver stopped the car abruptly in a parking spot at their destination.

Venus... The word echoed in Alaura and Malachi's minds and created an unsettling feeling within them. They were on a completely different planet. First the future, and now this? They tried to contain their disbelief and wonder, but it all became overwhelming. They stepped out of the vehicle to allow the two men to take Tanis and gazed around.

The campus was beautiful. The sun gleamed and reflected off of the window panes of the tall buildings. Rivers of water flowed through campus, twisting and turning every few meters. Mountains were close behind the buildings on one side, and the other was a complete plain of beautifully structured buildings and quads for students to hang out in. Lush green grass and plants lined every inch of dirt, making this a beautiful jungle paradise. Students buzzed and ran from class to class, talking to each other or on their holographic phones.

The two people rushed out of the car and grabbed onto Tanis. They lugged him into the closest building with the words Valencia Science Building sprawled over the top of it. Malachi froze and studied everyone, but not much was different from what he had seen on Earth. The students looked the same, maybe a little more tanner, but the same. Nothing sparked his danger senses, so he took this place as a safe haven. Alaura twirled around slowly, taking everything in. They were on a completely different planet. She put her hand on her stomach wearily to stop it from doing flips and followed the two men inside.

"We need a doctor!" The driver called out as they set Tanis on an empty lab table. The lab was enormous and clean. Gray walls, shiny tile, giant windows, computers lining the walls, this was a geek's heaven. Scientists eyed them as they came into the room and some of them appeared alarmed instantly.

"I'm a doctor," a woman in a white lab coat answered. The doctor took out a small portable device and scanned Tanis with it. She waited until the device projected his results into the air. The corner of her lips fell and she looked back at them worriedly. "There's nothing we can do for him. His body is failing and the Leukemia he has just isn't treatable at this point. I'm sorry."

Alaura's expression flattened and she instantly became angry. "So that's it? We just let him die?" Malachi grabbed Alaura's arm to hold her back and she quickly pulled away. She stepped closer to the doctor and pleaded, "No! No. There has to be another way."

A scientist stepped forward and wrung his sweating hands. He wiped his hands on his pants and spoke up, "Well...there is, but it's...complicated."

Alaura looked over at Malachi, who shrugged his shoulders. At this point, they'd do anything to save him. She looked back at the scientist and questioned, "How complicated?"

"We can upload his conscience into an Exo body." The scientist pulled up what the robot body looked like on a tablet that was just a light up piece of glass. Limber limbs, flat plate-like skin with a few openings, narrow eyes, and more.

The three ghosts hid behind Malachi and tried to stay out of sight from anyone else. Dinklebot nudged Malachi's shoulder and whispered, "We need Tanis. He can't die."

Malachi nodded in response and gave Alaura a thumbs up. Alaura took that as a sign to agree and made the call, "Just do it. Please."

The scientist ran his hand through his hair and smiled. He got right to work, clicking buttons on his tablet and blowing it up to connect to the computer. A female scientist laid out an Exo body right next to Tanis. The male scientist put a helmet on Tanis that had tubes connecting to the Exo's mind. He clicked buttons on the console and stopped for a second. "There is this one thing we aren't very proud of..."

Malachi's eyebrow twitched up in suspicion. He crossed his arms and kept close to the wall to shield the ghosts from being seen. His brown eyes flickered to the scientist. "And what's that?"

The man sighed heavily and tapped his finger against the console. He didn't turn to look up at them and hung his head. He answered in a low voice, "We've tried this before...and the subject went a little insane after the upload. We have to wipe your friend's memory after everything is complete. If he has those memories, there's no way he'll be able handle the thought of a body switch."

"Will he remember the last couple days?" Alaura looked at Tanis, who lay unconscious, blood still covering his sickly pale skin. She rubbed her finger along her lip in thought and worry. If the end was near, they definitely needed him on their side. Then again...would it even matter?

The scientist replied, "We can alter his memories slightly if that's what you want."

"Yes. We need him to remember us and what has happened," Malachi acknowledged. He nodded to the two men that helped them and mouthed thank you as they exited the room.

"We will do our best then." The scientist ushered them out of the room as he put on some protective goggles. Bright lights covered the room and sparks flew for a second. One scientist calmed the computer down and typed a few things in with rapid fingers.

Alaura and Malachi left the building hesitantly, but didn't say a word. They peered around the academy with wide eyes for a short moment. Students grouped together on their way to their classes, cars hung behind them in order to make a way through, guards patrolled the campus, and wildlife hung around. An electric panel standing in the middle of the walkway started playing a commercial.

"Space. The final frontier. Humanity used to wonder what was out there in the deep abyss. No one thought we would end up where we are today in 2400. Different countries united to create the Intergalactic Empire, our functional system of government that allowed us to go beyond the stars. You can help make an impact on our government. Join Student Government and other political clubs to get started on your effort towards a better future."

Alaura was about to comment on something until a woman called her name. She turned around and knew who it was instantly. Short blonde hair, ravishing green eyes, high class dressing accompanied by glasses, Alaura couldn't believe she was here. "Lydia?" She choked out. Hundreds of years into the future and her best friend was still alive? She had a few wrinkles and she clearly appeared older, but not too much since they last met.

Lydia dropped everything and ran to her, embracing her in a tight hug. "Where have you been? We've been looking for you after you went missing and Kai is losing his mind with grief." She backed up a bit to take in Alaura's features and remarked, "You haven't aged a day."

Kai still thinks about me? After all these years? Alaura bit her tongue and remained strong. She smiled crookedly and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'm back now. How are you doing?"

Lydia lit up at the question and showed Alaura the giant ring on her finger. "I'm doing great! Married, five kids, oh, and I'm a professor here at the academy. I was studying The Traveler, but then it left the solar system. Not sure to where, but it left. There are sooo many things we need to catch up on! Starting with where the hell have you been?"

It left? Alaura glanced at Malachi hesitantly and answered slowly, "Long story." Malachi remained quiet and watched their surroundings. Alaura took that as a sign to finish up and asked, "Is my family okay? How is my brother?"

Lydia's expression fell and her tone flattened, "Your brother is doing well. He's married with two children. But your mother..." Lydia's green eyes darkened and she looked away at the memory.

"Oh..." Alaura's voice broke and she coughed. Her eyes began to water and she quickly batted her eyelashes to make them fall back. She peered down at the ground for a moment with her hands on her hips until she composed herself. "Can I talk to my brother?"

Lydia hesitated and shook her head. She bit her lip and twiddled her thumbs before answering, "He said if we ever did find you, he didn't want to talk to you. You left him and your mother at such an early age. He didn't want to go through that again."

"Lydi-"

Lydia cut her off and handed her a card. She started walking away, but still faced her. "Look, I have to go to class. I'll catch up with you later, promise. Kai is stationed here, so go visit him. It'll ease his pain."

Alaura looked at the card and rubbed her thumb over Kai's name. "He's stationed on Mars..." she whispered, but she wasn't sure to whom. Saying it out loud made it feel more real. She stuffed the card in her pocket and pushed her sadness away. She had more important things to focus on right now, and keeping her mind off of it would help.

Malachi watched Alaura for a few seconds and bit the inside of his lip. He knew how it felt. One moment, she had her family. The next, it was gone. He couldn't fathom how much pain this journey was going to take them through. Malachi put a hand on Alaura's shoulder and apologized, "I'm sorry for your loss." Alaura nodded and headed back inside. She didn't want to explore the campus anymore. Her heart sunk and she kept her tears at bay, but she wasn't sure for how long.

"What do we do now since The Traveler is gone?" Malachi's brown eyes sorrowfully peered at her and he followed. They sat down in chairs next to the lab Tanis was in and finally rested for the first time in two days. He set his coat in his lap, placing the three ghosts underneath it. They tried to escape from it, but they butt heads and then fell down into his lap.

"Hell if I know," she replied quickly. She rested her head against the back of the chair and closed her blue eyes. Her chest rose and fell faster than normal. Holding all of the emotions in, along with the overwhelming feeling from earlier, only put stress on Alaura.

Malachi began, "Look, Alaur-"

"You don't need to say anything, Malachi. Just rest up until Tanis is ready," she snapped. She got into a more comfortable position and tried to take a nap.

Malachi stayed silent and nodded to himself. She didn't want to be messed with, and at the moment, he didn't blame her. All they could do was sit and wait.