For the remaining months prior to the Usurpers coming to Earth, Lorne spent all of his time drilling. BS42 taught Lorne a special training technique which could quickly raise his power. In the months since he began training, he raised his strength from level 3 Zimwarn Royal all the way to level 30 Zimwarn Royal. To compare rankings, a level 30 Zimwarn Royal was roughly equivalent to a level 57 Zimwarn Commoner. This power surge may seem absurd, but his body was severely repressed as he grew up on Earth.

He never went through training, but the explosion in strength was expected with the combination of his own repressed strength, his exceptional royal bloodline, and the Zimwarn force released by the power strengthening technique.

Finishing the series of tests BS42 put him through, Lorne quickly landed next to BS42. Sweat dripped from Lorne's brows. Lorne's father had created a special training environment which increased the effect of gravity by a million times. Weapons, robotic opponents and more were ready for his use. At first the training seemed impossible, but eventually, it became easier and easier. Lorne was filled with confidence now.

"What do you think BS42?" asked Lorne.

"Do I think you will win in the upcoming battle? Is that what you are asking me? I don't know. If you are facing anyone from the Usurpers elites then you have no chance at all. If you are facing members of the commoner army then you have a chance of winning," replied BS42.

"If I defeat this army, won't they send another?" Lorne asked.

"Yes, they'll never let you go, but they will no longer bother Earth. What you will be winning is a chance for life on Earth. They will never let you go, but if you win you will be given time. Time to grow and become strong enough to protect yourself and your family. If you become strong enough, they'll stop seeking you out," BS42 said.

"Perhaps I could become strong enough to win back the throne! Then we would never have to worry about Zimwer again." Lorne hoped.

BS42 gave the typical electronic stare he made whenever Lorne said something stupid or naive. Lorne hated getting that look from the Warbox. A normal human would probably think the Warbox was just silent. What they couldn't perceive was this silent stare was actually the Warbox's look of disdain.

"You are such a child. Do you really think you can reach a level of power where you could suppress your entire planet? Do you know how powerful you would have to be to do that? Just focus on trying to survive the battle. Leave the dreaming for when you're asleep." BS42 turned away from Lorne. This was a sign Lorne was dismissed from BS42's presence.

"For a robot, this guy sure is full of himself." Lorne thought.

"Lorne." BS42 suddenly said.

"Yes, BS42," Lorne responded.

"The training's done. You're either ready to win or you'll be paste. There's not much point in your training anymore. Take the last week before the battle and see your kids. When's the last time you saw them?" asked the Warbox.

"The last time I was with them was almost a year ago. Mom and Dad never let me leave their Jupiter home," Lorne commented.

"I didn't ask you for your life's story kid. Just asked a rhetorical question to let you know you could leave. You're as thick as ever. Go see your family. Your parents and I will see you in a week," BS42 said.

The Warbox was full of himself but it seemed like he cared. What a strange robot. Did it really care or was it programmed to appear to care? Just how advanced were the technologies of his home planet of Zimwer?

Lorne flew back home and quickly changed his appearance back to Dr. Longoak. It had been nearly a year since he took on this form. Lorne was looking forward to surprising his wife. Until this time, they had only been able to talk virtually.

Walking through the door of the kitchen, Lorne silently watched his unsuspecting wife feed their children. The twins turned one year old while he was training. He hated missing their first birthday, but his parents refused to let him go. "Survival is more important than parties," they said.

Zimwer was truly a conquest centered planet. Not only the Royals, but even the commoners saw their first duty as being prepared for war. At least that's what BS42 told him. Everyone trained. If you weren't training, you were wasting your time. That was the Zimwarn's Warrior philosophy.

Honestly, Lorne disliked the culture of his homeworld. Zimwer sounded like a miserable place. These Usurpers worried Lorne might come to take over the throne someday. The reality was Lorne was perfectly content living his life as a human on the little rock called Earth. It may have seemed backward to those of Zimwer, but to him, it held a special charm.

"It looks like we've moved on from mashed peas and carrots." Lorne joked as he announced his presence to his wife.

Mary was surprised. She quickly turned around to see her husband standing there smiling at her.

"Lorne, oh darling, finally you're here!" Mary ran and flung her arms around him. The crackers and boiled squash on the fork were flung from her hands. Mary cried as she nestled her head on her husband's chest.

"I was so worried I would never see you again. I thought you would just march off to war. Oh, Lorne, I've been so worried!" Mary continued to cry. Lorne held onto her and let her cry all she wanted. The two children looked at their father confused.

"I'm here sweetheart, I'm here. We have a whole week together. Isn't that nice?." Lorne asked in a soothing way.

"Just a week?" Mary cried.

"It's the best I can do sweetheart. I'm sorry. I wanted to give you so much more." Lorne gently replied.

"No, of course, a week, I'll take it. Thank you for coming back to us! I don't mean to be selfish. I just didn't expect two years to go by so soon," said Mary.

"Time flies whether you're having fun or not." Lorne joked.

Mary wiped her eyes and pulled Lorne to his children. The last time Lorne saw his children, they were still in their swaddling clothes. Now, look at them. They learned to walk while he was gone. Peter and Georgiana both had a mouth full of teeth. Not all of their teeth had come in, but most had.

Seeing his children, Lorne smiled but couldn't help thinking about how much he missed and how much he was going to miss. They would grow up never knowing their father. He would never know them. He could save the world, but he couldn't be a father to his little ones. A sigh escaped Lorne's mouth.

Realizing the sympathetic look he was getting from Mary, Lorne shook his head and took a deep breath. Suck it up, man! Lorne thought to himself as he grabbed another fork and some squash to feed his kids. Lorne smiled in a silly way at his kids as he began to feed them. "At least I have a week with them." Lorne consoled himself.