This is the story of how ONE determined the world. But which one truly did it? The one who came, the one who went or the one who stayed?

Nevertheless.

This story began on a sunny day, in a small town of fifty million. The coastal city of Varna is said to have been inhabited since before the Age of Leo. Today was March the second, 2029, and in 42 days the NEO(near earth object) 99942 Apophis, was expected to give us one heck of a show. When first discovered, Apophis was taught to be on a collision course with Earth. But as technology improved, the cause for worry was eliminated, and now everyone was looking forward to the show.

Everyone, except a small research team, located in the recently established I.C.K.(International Community for Knowledge). If you were an open-minded scientist, regardless of your field, you were welcomed with open arms. Every participant here, whether in science or support, has the understanding that knowledge is an ever growing tree.

Dr. Meri Lin was the leader of the team, whose research was attempting to harness the kinetic force of the asteroid, and recharge the electric power stations of Earth, using Resonant Inductive Coupling. Hers was one of the top three teams in the I.C.K., the other two jokingly dubbed “The Fantastic Four” - after the very popular MARVEL characters, and “The Three Fates” from Greek Mythology.

The Four were a mysterious team said to be siblings, brothers and a sister. While she was a natural red head, her twin, younger and older brothers were all with dark auburn locks.

As for the Three, they were a strange bunch. Although in appearance, one would think them late teens, early twenties, in behavior, Eve, Lily & Dora would sometimes display all ages. From childish, to old wisdom.

In that regard, Dr. Lin felt lucky, for her team of three were grounded in the here and now. Dr's Neven & Iglika Kubevi, locals from the town of Varna, and Lin's best friend from college, Dr. Basil Balaur.

The Kubevi twins came from a poor, but proud family. In the Kubevi household the notion that money wasn't needed to have happiness, meant that the twins interest in science came entirely out of curiosity. Their way of viewing the world was unbiased, and when presented with a problem, they didn't fret over it, instead focused on figuring out the solution. As for their appearance, sometimes even Lin couldn't tell them apart, for they often wore the same set of clothes, and both loved to wear various colored contact lenses, wigs, extensions and experiment with various organic hair dyes like henna and indigo.

Balaur on the other hand seemed way too mature for his nearly thirty years of age, although at first glance he looked like a twenty year old. His white-silver hair and chocolate brown eyes, coupled with high cheek bones and gentle deep voice, had many a hearts flutter over the years. Yet whenever Lin was looking at him, she only felt the closeness of a brother. When they first met, she noticed the sadness in his eyes, something that even today, after all those years of friendship, hasn't gone away. Whatever the reason, Lin could tell, it was why he wasn't acting on his feelings of affection towards Dr. Iglika Kubeva. And from the girl talk Lin and Iglika have had over time, Balaur's affection was mutual.

The I.C.K. Was established in secret during the “Space Age”, but only recently became public, yet it's founder still remains a mystery. He never makes public appearances, and rumors say he does not age.

Normally Lin would be weary of such a secretive establishment, but when she and Bal received an invitation to join, their detective minds kicked into action. The end results were their friendship with the Kubevi twins(who were also investigating), and the knowledge that such communities had always existed throughout history in one form or another. But what separated those, from the known secret societies, was that they didn't held any records of each other, had no special ceremonies and rules for it's members, and they didn't advertise themselves to the world. The I.C.K. was legally registered as a non-profit organization, and through the last sixty years had helped all around the world, wherever people were suffering the most, by providing knowledge and peaceful solutions. Only in twenty twenty did they become public.

The three major teams in the Varna branch, each worked separate from one another, and discussion about their distinctive projects was a taboo. But Lin & the twins suspected all three were a gear in a clock, with the end result being..., she was still pondering over the answer, and hadn't realized the sun had already set two hours ago. It was getting rather late, but as the time of the comet was approaching, calculations had to be double and triple checked. The twins had already gone for the day, only Bal was still hanging around, keeping Lin company.

Although his first name was Basil, he and Lin preferred to go by their last names instead. As for why it was shortened from Balaur to Bal, he gave one reason, while Lin figured out the second:

1. His mother used to call him that\,but as far as Lin could gather\, Bal's mom was gone. He didn't like to talk about it.

2. When they became friends\, Iglika said she preferred one syllable names\, as they were quicker to pronounce in an emergency\, and “Bas” sounded weird to her. When she said that\, he immediately turned away\, and Lin could tell\, her best friend was blushing for the first time since she had known him.

As the computer was running the calculations again, Bal had dozed off on the futon nearby(Lin was grateful for the Big Boss's foresight of placing at least one futon in each team's laboratory, as most, often worked overnight). Not feeling sleepy, but hungry, a trip to the kitchen was in order. Her way took her past the fourth lab in their building. It was one, said to be used by he Boss alone, thus no one was allowed in there, yet the lights were on, laughter coming through and it was unlocked.

Lin could hear the Three laughing at something, or someone, but no other people's voices came back.

Curiosity overtaking her hunger, she quietly nudged the door, and a spacious hall stood before her. A lot of next-gen computers(some not even on the market yet) were standing like soldiers with their backs against every wall. A platform stood in the middle, several steps high, with a couch at the center of it, and what appeared to be a holographic TV in front. A documentary about the time of the dinosaurs was playing, though Lin thought it strange, because unlike most similar documentaries she had seen, this one seemed to be playing in real-life. Left of the platform, there was a display-case with something colorful inside.

She took a few steps towards the display-case, and the item inside shocked Lin, for it was a bracelet. And not just any bracelet, but the exact same, as the one on her left hand. Yet that was impossible, because both of her bracelets, she had made herself back when she was just a teenager. The left one had a chain at it's core, with colorful copper threads, each with five beads going through every single circle of the chain, making it unique. The way the four colored bead threads were crisscrossing and twisting, made it impossible to recreate, no matter how hard one would try.

Lin continued towards the display-case as if in a trance. With each step she took, the bracelet on her hand got warmer, brighter and heavier, as if the Earth itself was pulling the two bracelets together. Entranced by the one before her, Lin didn't notice the Three coming towards her, or hear them calling out to her. If she had, she would wonder why Eve, Lily & Dora were calling her “Auntie”. No, all Lin could see, was the bracelet in front of her. All she could hear, was a sad voice singing a slow sad lullaby:

“Dragon cries.

A Dragon cries, the world is gone.

If a Dragon's sorrow is released,

the world responds in kind.

When a Dragon cries, the world dies.

When a Dragon dies, the world cries.

A Dragon's sorrow breaks the world in half.

A Dragon's roar holds the key.

A Dragon's roar brings the End.”

Dizzy!

That's how Lin felt. Her eyes too heavy to open. All she could remember, was the Three calling her “Auntie”, though she was never that close to them, and she certainly wasn't that old. And a lullaby, sang by a familiar sad voice.

With her dizziness clearing up, she could sense a gust of air on her face. As if someone, or something was sniffing her. Involuntarily, she lifted her palm towards the gust. The next thing she knew, her hand was covered in something wet and sticky.

Her eyes flew open! In front of her was a giant parrot's like beak, with a nostril on either side. Above the beak, between the nostrils, a slightly upward, straight curved horn. Some twenty centimeters from the base of the horn, round shaped eyes, looking at her, but placed on the sides of the head(like a bird's set of eyes), with a much longer, front bent, horn above each eye. Behind the horns, like a lions mane, was the rest of the head, ending with spiky little ridges, curved upward, giving the creature a menacing look.

Having loved dinosaurs since childhood, Lin knew this was a Triceratops, which meant Three-horned.

But it wasn't the dinosaur, that was mesmerizing to her at this moment. It was the man sitting behind the mane. He was beautiful, with below shoulder long white hair, and metallic-silver, warm, strong eyes.

He was starring at her, the same way her eyes were glued to his. In that moment there was no one in the world, except them. All of Lin's instincts were shouting, telling her, he was the one. Even knowing Balaur, who was similarly handsome, she had never felt the same way, as she does now, starring at the stranger.

The triceratops already lying down, the stranger, without taking his eyes off of hers, dismounted, came to her, knelled down, and spoke with a deep, soft, gentle voice: “Коя СИ ТИ?“(“Who are you?”)

His words appeared to be a question, in a language she could not understand. Before she could guess the meaning, his hands cupped her face. His eyes still locked on hers, he leaned down, his lips touching hers in a kiss. In that moment, an electrical current passed throughout her body, giving her a feeling of warmth and security, something she hadn't felt, with any of the men, she had previously dated.

Yet, this stranger was pressing his lips against hers without consent. While still feeling a little dizzy, he pulled back, smiled and said: “Намерих те!“(„I found you!”)

He gently took her hands, and helped her stand on her feet. Without saying anything, he leaned in for a second kiss. But this time she was ready to fight. He was taller than her, and much stronger, so Lin knew she needed the element of surprise. This second kiss was not just touching of lips like the first one, it was much more intense. So much so, that as his lips were moving around, and his tongue entered her mouth, she found the perfect opportunity, and bit his tongue, shocking him enough, to let her go. But Lin wasn't done yet. Her best friend Bal, had taught her, that men had one obvious physical weakness, which only women were morally allowed to use. The moment the stranger pulled back, her leg shot itself between his legs, toppling him to the ground, from pain.

A hushed giggle, followed by a deep, echoing laughter. She wasn't alone!

Four other Triceratops, were surrounding them in a semi-circle, each with a rider on it, and one with three riders on, a total of five dinosaurs and seven people. The giggle had come from a young man, in his early twenties. He had sun-yellow hair, and the same metallic-silver eyes, like the stranger on the ground. Judging by their similar looks, Lin assumed they were brothers. On the third and fourth Triceratops, two huge gorilla-like men, both wearing a golden pendant with a silver stone in the middle, were laughing so hard, that they were about to fall off the dinosaurs. The fifth triceratops was carrying three little girls, a blonde, a red head, and a black haired one. Each had green eyes, and the same innocent look of curiosity, as if what had just transpired between Lin and the stranger ,was a novelty to them.

The blonde man dismounted, came within two meters of Lin, held his hand upfront, and said:

“Hello miss! My name is Attar, the two giants laughing themselves silly over there, are Castor and Pollux, the three girls are Eve, Lilith and Pandora, and the impulse on the ground over here, is my big brother Orion. Sorry about him! Are you lost? What is your name?”

Lin looked at him in shock. She could understand him:

“I am Dr. Meri Lin. And why is it that I can understand what you are saying, though I hear you using a language I've never heard, the same that HE is speaking?” said Lin, pointing to Orion with distaste.

Attar had a confused look on his face upon answering:

“Why wouldn't you be able to understand us? Isn't that the whole purpose of the translation program I built? Oh no? Is it still glitching? Man... I thought it was running smoothly by now!” his voice trailing off, as he was now more talking to himself, rather than Lin.

Utter confusion on Lin's face:

“What program? What are you talking about? And how is it, there are dinosaurs here, when they've been extinct for millions of years? Did you do an unsanctioned experiment? And How did I even get here, when I was in the lab moments ago, and it was night, yet the sun is shining as bright as I've ever seen it? Wait! The Sun! Why is it bigger? Usually it looks the same size as the moon! And why is the vegetation tropical?” a torrent of questions rolled out of Lin, leaving them dumbfounded.

Orion got up from the ground, still curled in half from pain:

“What do you mean extinct? Our three-horns are clearly alive and well! And why did you hit me? Didn't you feel our nanites resonating when we first ki...” He blushed as he was about to say the word “kissed”.

Lin: “Nanites are still in development! And Why would they resonate when people kiss?... Ugh! I can still taste blood in my mouth! Why did you even kiss me in the first place? Huh? Haven't you ever heard of personal space?”

Attar: “Doctormerilin, could you not understand us before my brother kissed you, or before you bit him? I am assuming, a drop of blood entered your system, and reactivated your nanites, but as to why they were dormant in the first place? I have no clue.”

Lin: “First of all, my name isn't Doctormerilin. It is Meri Lin, first name Meri, last name Lin, but I prefer to be called Lin for short. Second, I've never had nanites in me, dormant or otherwise.”

Upon her words, Attar came closer to Lin, pulled out a device that looked like a tuning fork, attached to a wooden box, with a golden disk on the front side. He placed his hand on the disk, and the ends of the tuning fork on Lin's forehead. He closed his eyes and mumbled something, then:

“You are definitely from this planet, and your nanites have been dormant since birth. Well, up until a few minutes ago that is, when they were reactivated when you bit my brother, and a drop of his blood is all it took. The odd thing is, that everyone here is at least ten thousand years, while you look to be twenty thousand, but are in fact only thirty.”

Lin was out of words, while Orion chuckled: “Ha, thirty thousand. She's an old lady then...”.

Attar raised his hand: “No brother, she isn't thirty thousand, she is only thirty years of age, almost thirty.”

Lin: “I am twenty-nine to be exact. And what do you mean “thousand”? People rarely live to be older than a hundred, and that's only if they are lucky. OK, what exactly is going on? Where am I?”

Before the dino-group could answer, a loud booming noise in the near distance, followed by a gust of wind, cut their conversation short. Lin was surprised, but the others looked annoyed. Both Orion and Attar gave each other the same look of understanding, and mounted their triceratops. As she stood there watching, Lin was wondering if she should follow them. Just then, the triceratops with the three little girls, came beside her:

“Auntie, are you coming?”

 On their way there, wherever there was, Lin started to nod off. She was currently riding the triceratops with the three little girls. The dinosaur was three meters tall and nine meters long. The group's speed, was neither slow, nor fast, but the triceratops movement was relaxing, and before she knew it, Lin had already fallen asleep. Eve and Lilith were holding her steady, while Pandora was their navigator. Following them, were the two brothers Attar and Orion, with Castor and Pollux in the back.

Attar: “Hey bro! Wait up! Why the long face?”

Orion: “It's nothing, don't mind me.”

Attar: “It's not nothing. Come on, are you still sore?”

Orion: “No, I'm fine!... I mean how could she do this? Didn't she feel it when our eyes met? It couldn't have been my imagination now, could it?”

Attar: “I don't know. Her attire doesn't match anything in the records, and you know “Akasha”, is the biggest collection of knowledge in three galaxies. Also, her nanites, they do indicate she is from Earth, but unlike ours, hers are old. Her genetic records say, she has hundreds of generations with dormant nanites, and each generation was around her age, when having the next.”

Orion: “That's strange. When our eyes met, I definitely felt she was the one for me, and no amount of force could tear us apart. I KNOW my nanites resonated with hers... Ugh! I am such an idiot! I've never been so impulsive in my life. Why couldn't I stop myself... There must have been some kind of mistake, she clearly didn't feel the same way... But if there was a mistake, then why can I feel what she is feeling. I can clearly tell you, that she was stressed out, but now she is finally relaxed enough to fall asleep.”

Castor: “Sounds about right, your highness. What you described, is exactly how me and Pollux felt, when we first laid eyes on each other.”

Orion: “I told you before, STOP calling us highness. We are not on our mother's home planet, nor on our father's military-base planet. We are on OUR birth planet “Earth -the garden of heaven”.”

Pollux: “ Heh! You are the same as your mother, her highness “princess Yin”. She too prefers to go with her instincts. His highness prince Attar, takes after general Yang however, though the general does prefer fighting, rather than science.”

Attar: “Should you really be speaking that way to your masters children?”

Castor: “We're just teasing,your highness.”

Orion: “You think our aunts see it that way?”

Pollux: “NO! PLEASE don't mention this to those battle maniacs. Diana and Artemis will surely punish us for speaking in such manner!”

Attar: “He-he! Our father's subordinates, sure do love to fight. If I remember correctly, and I always do, they've won a hundred and one duels, out of a hundred and two, and that one time was pure luck.”

Castor and Pollux in sync: “Yeah! Yeah! Rub it in!”

All four men burst out in laughter!

The group was now approaching the cave city of the Ancestors. Before the entrance, were two warrior-women donning white attires, equipped with a Spear, a Flatbow, and a Xiphos, on each thigh:

“Halt! Who goes there?” said both in sync.

Castor: ”Who else? It's us. Step aside!”

Pollux: “Seriously, who else is there on this island?”

The two warrior women were named Diana and Artemis. They were the direct subordinates of General Yang, whom they had followed from Mars.

Attar: “Is mother here? She would wanna see this data!”

Diana: ”Her highness is in her laboratory, examining the new star data from last night.”

Artemis: “Your highness, you are awfully quiet.” she said turning to Orion, who at this moment was looking at the setting sun. “Did something happen?”

Pollux: “He got his pride shattered” he snickered.

Artemis: “WHO did it? WHAT exactly happened?”

Castor: “His highness finally bonded with someone.”

Pollux: “And she is one mysterious person.”

Diana: “Bonded with someone? Finally! We were beginning to worry his highness would be alone forever.”

Artemis: “How does his highness bonding with someone, relate to his pride being “shattered”? ”

Attar: “Well...”

Orion: “ENOUGH!... Huh... Girls, take her to the sleeping quarters meant for her. Brother, I leave figuring out her identity to you and mother. My Aunts, where is father at the moment?”

Artemis: “Sir! The General is currently at the tri-horn pen, training the babies.”

Orion: “Training?” his brow arching. “You mean playing, don't you! Seriously, for being the fiercest war-general, he sure does have a soft heart!”

Attar: “According to mother, it's what truly attracted her to him.” said grinning.

The three girls did as they were told. Lin was now half asleep, so she could walk on her own. However, on her fifth step, her legs gave out. She fell. But before hitting the ground, a large strong hand, was already holding her head. Faster than the speed of light, Orion had sensed Lin's loss of consciousness, crossed the few meters separating them, and was now holding her in his arms like a baby. With her like this, he was now headed to his chambers, followed by Attar.

Attar: “Big brother! How did you do that? No one, and I mean literally no one, has ever moved that fast.”

Orion: “I... I don't know. I just did.”

At the cave city of the Ancestors, there were many underground chambers, some on different levels. Orion was walking down a long path, with chamber-rooms on both sides. Their tradition was to assign a chamber to every bonded couple. As royals on their mothers side, and also as an adults, both Orion and Attar, each had their own chamber, which was eventually meant to be shared with their bonded person. As they were still children, Eve, Pandora and Lilith, still shared a single room. To get to the sleeping quarters, one had to pass through several corridors. The last was Castor and Pollux's quarters on the left, and Artemis and Diana's chamber on the right. Next were Yin and Yang's bedroom, opposite that of the girls. Attar's and Orion's bedrooms were the furthest.

Once there, Orion gently placed Lin on his bed. As she was now back asleep, he sat down next to her. Orion couldn't understand, how someone so different, odd and down right bizarre, could be so beautiful to him. Ever since their first gaze, he felt completely drawn to her. Her eyes, her hair, to him they were the most beautiful thing in the world. Her attitude towards him, was like a fresh breeze in the morning sun under a rainbow after a long, dark, cold night. Just as he was staring, a sudden urge came to mind. He bent down, but before his lips touched hers, the memory of a certain event came to mind. He flinched. Still drawn to Lin, Orion only kissed her on the forehead. At that moment, she mumbled something. He got up, went to the dresser, and took out one of his short robes. Since Lin was much smaller in size compared to him, he knew it would fit perfectly. Orion placed the robe at the foot of the bed, looked at the sleeping Lin, and smiled, before leaving the room.

On his way to see his father, he passed the girls, who were now on their way to see their new Auntie.

Orion: “Girls, let her sleep. She has had quite the ordeal today, and needs to rest.”

E,L&D: “Don't worry sir. We won't wake her up.”

Orion: “A-ha! You better not. Despite how things went down today, she is still my bonded person.”

Eve, Lilith and Pandora had wide grins on their faces.