“How’s the kid doing back there?” Blane asked as Mindy returned to the cockpit from the back of the ship.

“Yeah, he’s all good. He’s making his way through those cartoons where a boy throws balls at monsters. I forget what it's called. It's weird, what ever it is.”

Holt’s ears pricked up at the description his sister gave. “Ohh, I know what you mean! I think it's like, called Pokinmen. But I loved that show! We should pitch it back on our planet and make a fortune!”

“That definitely doesn't sound like what it's called and I’m really not sure the children on our planet would go for that kinda thing,” Blane reckoned.

Mindy agreed, adding, “yeah I think that’s just a weird Earthuu thing that should be left there.”

Holt huffed and turned to face forward. “Well don’t come running to me asking for some of my fortunes,” he muttered.

“Pardon?”

“Oh nothing, I just said not long left, we’re nearly there,” he responded quickly.

So far on their trip back to Earthtun, they hadn’t encountered any resistance like Do’Lânqwa had when he attempted to return, and they had everything crossed that that would be the case for the last part of their journey. The plan hadn’t changed and their course was set for their home, and hopefully give their mom and dad the shock of their life.

***

They docked their craft in the usual space at home, and they walked around the house to the front door. Ta’Balshén had been prised from his cartoon viewing device and was holding hands with Mindy. But something didn’t feel right to her. That welcome, familiar feeling of home just wasn’t there.

“Guys, this feels weird don’t you think?” asked Blane. They murmured in agreement, looking around at the house and the grounds.

They felt it too. The vegetation was too full, almost unkempt and over grown. Dead vegetation lay on the grounds and dust coated the windows.

At the front door, which was also dust covered, Mindy knocked. And then she knocked again louder. No answer.

“They could just be out, they weren’t expecting us,” reasoned Holt, but he didn’t really convince himself.

"I don't think by the looks of it that anyone has expected anyone to come back," muttered Blane.

“Well let’s just go in anyway. It is our house after all,” said Mindy, taking charge a bit. She tried the door handle but it wouldn’t budge. Instead she barged the door open with her shoulder, and it gave way. Her brothers followed her in and they surveyed their surroundings.

“Well it looks like our house,” she said, as they all stood in the large hallway, taking it all in. All the things they remembered being in the house still remained, but there was a cold emptiness that lingered.

“And has our things in it,” Blane added, moving into the kitchen. The other two joined him and they looked at each other.

“No one has lived in here for months have they?” Holt asked rhetorically.

“Do you think…” started Mindy, but she couldn’t finish asking aloud.

“That they died?” Blane said, finishing her sentence.

“No, I don’t think it necessarily means that that,” Holt suggested hopefully.

A noise from behind them caused them all to turn around. “I’m afraid,” said the person who made the noise entering the room, “Holt, that you are wrong. Your parents did pass away while you were gone.”

“Uncle!” Mindy gasped and ran to her father’s brother. She quickly stopped when she sensed an unwelcome energy. He looked very serious and almost as if he didn’t know the triplets in the room, let alone be their uncle. He looked at the child he didn’t recognise.

“What are you doing here?” Holt asked.

“I could ask you the same thing,” was the response.

“Well, I asked first,” Holt shot back, matching the tension he was receiving from their uncle.

The man parted his long coat to put his hands in his trouser pockets. “I was alerted of your return and I was given the courtesy to come here and see for myself before you get handed in.” The triplets tensed up at that last bit, with Blane moving Ta’Balshén behind him.

“Get handed in? To who?” Blane demanded.

“Oh come on you three. I know you're smarter than that. You didn’t think you could just come back after vanishing on the day your brother and parents die? There needs to be answers and explanations. Like who is that infant, for one? Is he a grëhman? And where did you go? Earthgrë?”

“What? No. Well. Yes, he is grëhman. But Uncle, we don’t need to be handed in for all that. We haven’t done anything wrong,” pleaded Holt.

“You have put me in an awkward position. There are rules and you know full well that I work for those who make and enforce those rules,” the uncle said.

“And we can explain everything to you. We will tell you now. We have nothing to hide,” said Mindy defiantly.

“We left to go after the thing that killed Tarron. He killed him right in front of us and we chased after him,” Blane started to say.

“And we killed him. We avenged Tarron's death,” Mindy added.

Their uncle sighed. “And where did you go to do this?” he asked, raising his eyebrows that said he knew the answer already. The triplets sensed this and shifted slightly where they stood.

“Earthuu,” Holt answered simply.

“And so you can see my problem then, can’t you?”

“Oh come on, give us a break!” shouted Holt. “That event was attacked! Tarron was killed and now you’re telling us Mum and Dad died that night too?! We made a decision. A decision based on the expectations that we use our powers for good. So yeah, we went after The 45th and we fought him with some friends but we came back. We never wanted to go to Earthuu and we didn’t want to stay for so long, but we had no choice,” he ranted, while his uncle listened.

He frowned at the point where The 45th was mentioned. “Who is this 45th? How did you know what he was called?”

“I told you, we fought him on Earthuu with someone who came from his planet.” Holt continued to explain about Do’Lânqwa’s mission to track down The 45th and what The 45th was a product of on Earthgrë, before finishing off with Do’Lânqwa’s failed attempt to return Ta’Balshén a few weeks previously.

“So that thing was created on Earthgrë?” the uncle wanted clarifying.

“Yeah, all in secret too,” replied Blane honestly.

“Right. Stay there, I’ll be back in a moment,” instructed their uncle, moving out of the room.

“Hang on, are we still going to be taken in?” Mindy called out after him.

“Just stay there, I’ll be back.” And with that, he left. The triplets shared confused looks between them.

After a pause, Mindy whispered to her brothers, “I can’t believe that Mum and Dad are really dead.”

“I know Mind, but it’s all the more reason for us doing what we did. I standby our decisions. And we were able to avenge Mum and Dad too. They’ll be proud,” Blane said rubbing his forehead, trying to relieve the stress he could feel building up.

“Right now, I’m more concerned about what he’s up to now,” Holt said, keeping a look out for him returning through the window. Holt could see him out on the road talking into his phone.

“Do you think he’ll let us go? Maybe to just take Ta’Balshén back?” wondered Mindy.

“How about we just tell him we’re going,” challenged Blane.

But Holt warned, “we don’t want to become enemies of the state or be considered a hostile threat by continuing to leave. We should hopefully be able to show we can stay here like before, find some middle ground on the matter.”

He continued to observe his uncle outside whilst Mindy paced, and Blane cared for Ta’Balshén.

“Oh quick, he’s coming back,” Holt announced, turning from the window so it didn’t look like he had been watching. He pulled himself onto the kitchen counter and waited for his uncle to come back through.

“Right, well the... four of you are all going to have to come in,” came the news.

“Excuse me?” Holt cried out, not expecting that news.

“Just calm down a moment, Holt. We need to learn more about The 45th, as you call him, and what you know about what is happening on Earthgrë.”

“But we need to go there and take Ta’Balshén back,” argued Mindy.

“Sorry but that won’t be happening. Come on. What Earthgrë is doing is an act of war and now plans are being set by the Higher Powers.”

“What do you mean? What plans?”

“To retaliate.”

“What? So that’s it? You’re sanctioning an attack?” roared Blane, outraged.

“I’m not, but with what you’ve said, it’s triggered a response from my superiors.”

“No, you can’t do that. You need to fact check what we’ve said at least before declaring a war. Like hold them to account, or challenge them…” Mindy suggested.

“That’s what we’re doing,” assured their uncle.

“Not through violence though!”

“Look, a weapon they created attacked our world. Our way of life and who knows who might come along next. To here, or any other innocent planet.”

This was turning into a full scale row and Ta’Balshén was covering his ears in protest. The triplets couldn’t believe how the situation escalated so quickly to their detriment.

“You trust your friend right? That the information he gave you was reliable?” asked the uncle, soothing his tone a little.

Blane huffed, and eventually admitted, “yes we do."

“Well then that’s enough for the Highers to make their decision.”

“This sounds crazy. A war waged on just our information alone,” Mindy complained, throwing her hands in the air.

“The attack on that night was real. It was the start and I suppose it is too much of a risk to sit on it,” suggested the uncle, shrugging his shoulders. He continued, “so you’ll need to come with me. It won’t be for long.”

“I’m sorry,” Holt said, as he stepped towards his uncle, “but we won’t be.” And as quick as he could before his uncle realised what was happening, Holt punched him square in the face, knocking him back, and knocking him out. He reached out to catch him and lowered him softly onto the floor.

“Holt! What did you do that for?” Blane cried out, worried that matters had just been made worse.

“We’re not going with him. We need to get back to Do’Lânqwa and warn him about this war declaration.”

“Oh of course! You're right! His family!” Mindy realised.

Blane was on the same page and picked up Ta’Balshén. “Don’t you ever hit people, little guy,” he said as he fled the house with his siblings back to their craft.

Next in The Power of Three #5, Part 1 of ‘International Rescue’...

Do’Lânqwa realises that time is not on their side as he has to return to Earthgrë to rescue his family, before all hell breaks out.