Jaeko got on his ear bead and said, "Captain Tkarro? This is Jaeko. I found him, a cop just brought him in. I'm on level 1610 on the south side, in a medical clinic. I'll call back in a minute." The doctor on call came back from lunch, and the boy shouted, "PELZA! It's me! Help me, please!" Pelza looked blankly at the boy, struck by how familiar his eyes looked, but didn't recognize him. The boy hobbled over and hugged her and started crying. The officer explained that he had found the boy on a lower level, disoriented and lost, looking for something or someone. "When questioned, all he said was,'I want Pelza.' That's all I could get out of him. We found a listing for you the next level up, so I brought him up here." Jaeko came up and flashed his new I.D. at the officer and said, "Hi! Jaeko Ahrundal, civilian contractor for fleet services. We've been looking for him for a day or two. I thought he might turn up here. Pelza's his guardian." Doctor Pelza blinked, and exclaimed, "EXCUSE ME! I never saw this boy before! I don't even know who he is..." Jaeko spotted an open door to an office, and took her by the arm, and said, "He's the River Prince. Really!" "WHAT?!?!" It was a couple of minutes later, after some some confused explanations, the officer left and Pelza was alone with Jaeko and the River Prince in human form. WHen she learned that he was all torn up under his clothes, Pelza examined Prince's wounds, and re-bandaged him. She was shocked speechless by him being in human form. When she saw him last, he was a nine foot tall dragonic creature that had wings. Jaeko asked, "Surely you saw the news earlier in the week when the big dragon dogfight took place outside? Didn't you think any of them looked familiar?" She almost snarled at Jaeko, "Sure. I've been trying to leave all that behind me! I saw Toxic, too. I was worried to death about Prince getting hurt. I haven't slept in days from worry about him." He dropped his head after she dressed him, and he started crying again. "I is sorry. No one wants me. I is monster and should die." Pelza sat down hard in the lab chair, shocked. She reached out and grabbed him by the arm. "WHAT? Don't talk like that!" Jaeko bent over and looked at Prince and asked softly, "That's what it feels like, doesn't it? Pelza gave you over over to Lord Delgado, and then you were off on your own, and then Sunny said she hated you because you killed your brothers and sisters when you were a baby? It hurts, doesn't it?" Prince nodded, looking hollow inside. Pelza asked levelly, "Fratricide?" Jaeko said, "Remember? He's alien. Son of the River King and the Leviathan? It's a survival of the fittest kind of thing. Some sharks did that. Get born and eat all the others of the same brood. Last one HAS to be the biggest,baddest of them all. His best friend, Sunshine found out and freaked out. She's four and judgmental." "Prince has only had human form for a couple of weeks or such and already suffered heart break. Dragons can live by themselves, but people need other people." Pelza looked at the lost boy and remembered how embarrassed she had felt by his naked affection before. She had always thought of the River Prince as an animal, like a horse or something. Now he was a young boy, feeling lost and alone in a strange city, and needing someone to help him. She sighed and smiled at the boy. She stroked the side of his face, and said, "The faster I try to escape my fate, the more I trip over it." She stood up and drew Prince to her in a hug. He wept fully, then. She held him and asked,"Did my mom, put you up to this, Jaeko?" He laughed, "I asked questions and followed my gut instinct like Toxic does. If she had looked up everyone the Prince ever met on the Shalmiraine database, she'd be here, not me." "I guess I know why mom's been too busy to call after her honeymoon." Pelze sighed and held on, knowing it would be a while. __TO BE CONTINUED!--