Yeah, this story has been sitting dormant in my computer for quite some time. Needless to say, this update has been long overdue.

I plan to gather up enough motivation to finish it before 2012. Only 1 or 2 chapters left to go!

Sorry for the length, I hope it doesn't prevent any of you from giving me some reviews!

As for the rating change, you can probably guess the reason behind it. It was inspired by a similar chapter in therobotchicken's "Life Ater The Jump." Hint, it's a citrus fruit. ;-)

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4: A Tale Of Origins

It was the year 2075, and the world was an altered – yet still peaceful – place. Flying cars were the norm in these inventive times, yet the advancements of human technology hardly stopped there.

Buses, taxis and semis scuttled through the air, gliding within invisible lanes and avenues in the sky. Mile long trains drifted over the great cities of the world, temporarily halting the traffic as they went.

Grandest of all were the cargo ships, once bound to the oceans, yet now creeping along through the clear atmosphere, casting looming shadows over the ground they hovered above.

This was the scene that played out in every major city and population center across the globe, a radical display of man's aspirations, coupled with the power to realize those aspirations. Megalopolises such as New York, Dubai, Venice, and Paris were sprawling in size, stretching even beyond the limits of human eyesight and filled with stunningly tall and wondrous buildings.

The vast population of Earth was to blame, for to accommodate the burgeoning numbers of humans, cities not only spread outwards, but also upwards.

A fine example of the fusion of human life with the glory of nature was Rio de Janeiro. A bay-side mega-hub swarming with countless millions of people, the allure of the azure waters had never faded as the decades passed.

Here, along with the many hundreds of other urban jungles scattered across the planet, life was grand and enriching, yet also filled with simplicity at times.

Nonetheless, problems both mighty and minuscule abounded, and humanity was pitted in a constant struggle to conceive solutions to those problems.

On the outskirts of Rio, in a time-scoured ivory building surrounded by lush jungle, that very process was occurring, despite being in its twentieth year.

It appeared hardly the place where such a tenacious conflict could reside. The broken-down sign near the beginning of the dusty drive, a short ways from the structure, lay in pieces. The once-vibrant image of a blue macaw head was hardly recognizable, the words "Blu Bird Sanctuary" curving around it mere shadows of dried paint on the wood surface.

Although its true identity was known to all but a few, it stood as a monument to ingenuity and the fight to save Earth's species from the poison of man.

Its original owners, a happily married couple named Tulio and Linda, had passed away in 2065. Their three surviving children had chosen to take care of the building, but only a few years later, the duties of their flourishing lives had forced them to abandon their watch.

That very sanctuary was also home to a pair of macaws who happened to be the last adults of their species, and their six offspring. That ivory construct had been their home since the early 21st century, and despite the current date, it still was.

Regardless, all eight of the prized birds had grown very old. They teetered on the brink of extinction, and would have fallen into the abyss if it wasn't for the bright minds of a team of scientists hellbent on preserving them.

Their project had been in its infancy while Tulio and Linda were still alive, and the scientists had proposed their idea to save the fancy birds directly to the sanctuary owners in 2055. Faced with no other options, they agreed, and the eight macaws were smoothly adopted into the program.

The researchers became nearly a second family to the Spix's Macaws, treating them as equals rather than objects of study. In secret, however, the goal of somehow immortalizing the macaws was being heavily scrutinized.

Progress was slow, despite the marvelous technology that humankind had conjured. Time marched on, and as the macaws grew older, the end was still nowhere in sight.

The prospective humans had been utilizing a variety of breakthrough medications to prolong the lives of the macaws. The controlled doses of steroids and compounds functioned well for nearly four decades, but as the birds' bodies grew accustomed, the efficiency slowly declined year by year.

The macaws' lives had been extended even past the lives of their human owners, though the death of Linda and Tulio slightly hampered the project. As soon as the proper respects had been paid, the twenty-strong group of brains redoubled their efforts.

They established a knowledge base in that very sanctuary after Linda and Tulio's passing, desperate to solve the extensive problem that had plagued them. Though the macaws were the main data bank for the team, they ultimately aimed to immortalize all the Earth's dwindling species.

For all their intelligence and prowess, a solution eluded them, the date inching closer and closer to the 22nd century. With the macaws' quality of life degrading at a slow-yet-deadly pace, they knew that failure was not an option. Their crowning moment of achievement came in the year 2085, when they finally possessed the ability and resources to fuse animal and machine into a more perfect being.

The design was ready for testing, and the humans were hopeful, but the price of implementing their strategy was dire. For the macaws to live, they would have to be killed beforehand, an irony that pained the humans to no end.

On one sweet, mild winter morning in Rio, the decision was made to go ahead with the plan. Once and for all, the macaws would be rendered immortal, never having to fear the concept of death any longer...

A somewhat aged man stood in the center of the room, flanked on all sides by his colleagues.

With his hands raised in a telling manner, he said, "We cannot afford to postpone our efforts anymore, my friends. Blu, Jewel, and their offspring are deteriorating, both physically and mentally, and we must end their suffering today."

Turning to face a lanky, blond-haired man, he asked, "Tom, are the shells ready to accept the data cores?"

Nodding strongly, Tom replied, "Yes, Julius. As for their functionality, we'll have to see that once the cores are implanted."

Julius then looked over to his left, spying a short, sweet looking brunette with her arms crossed.

"Karen," he said, "is the data transfer lab ready for use?"

"Always has been, Julius. Though I have to say, it's gotten really dusty as of late."

"I suggest you head in there, clean everything up, and get the computers running."

"No problem, Julius."

The female turned away, breaking the outline of the circle and marching off into an adjoining room.

Facing a taller, more athletic blond, Julius asked, "Stacy, how much serum R66 do we have?"

"Enough to knock out a whole flock of birds."

"Right. Would you prepare a lethal dose for Blu and Jewel? They deserve a gentle departure from this world."

"Uh, sure. Be back in a few."

Stacy departed as well, crossing the carpeted floor and entering another room on the opposite side of the sanctuary.

"Are we really going to... kill Blu and Jewel? I think more testing needs to be done on the robotic forms before-"

"No, Drake, there isn't time," said Julius sharply, "those poor birds are suffering, and quite frankly, I think we've done enough damn testing by now. I'm ready for results, not research."

Drake was silenced by Julius's reply, looking down at the carpet, his face a mask of doubt.

"All right then, I say it's time to get things done. Tom, you go gather Blu and Jewel's mechanical bodies and take them into the transfer lab. Fred, procure two data capsules and two cores for the bodies, and then join Tom and Karen. Everyone else, just wait here. I'm going to head out and find Blu and Jewel. I'll be right back."

After the respective parties split off and headed towards their destinations, Tom nodded to the diminished group and broke free from the circle.

Peeling open the front door of the structure, he stepped outside, emerging into the mild glory of the Rio morning. Drawing in a rich breath, he began a trek into the nearby jungle.

The eight macaws were allowed to fly free and live as much as a normal lifestyle as possible, but they usually didn't stray far from the building. As of late, they hadn't been doing much flying, for their semi-youthful bodies were beginning to tire.

Julius ambled briskly into the jungle for two minutes, pausing once finding himself next to a crystal pool they often used for bathing. Judging by the stray feathers lying around the perimeter, Julius deduced that the birds had been there recently.

He let loose a long whistle followed by a short one, briefly shattering the blissful silence. He strolled around the pond while he waited, and after completing a few revolutions, a flurry of wing-beats signaled the approach of his intended party.

Squawking mellowly, Blu and Jewel burst forth from the undergrowth in front of him, slowing their flight drastically. Julius extended his bare arm, a gesture that the macaws well understood. The pair of macaws alighted happily on the living perch, their talons tickling his skin.

Suppressing a laugh, he raised his right hand, scratching Blu under the chin first, and then moving on to Jewel.

"Hey there, you two. Looking good today! Have you eaten breakfast?"

A tiny speaker in Jewel's beak, connected to a chip in her brain via her nervous system, allowed her to speak as efficiently as any human being. Deep in the web of neurons inside her head, the chip processed what she wanted to say, then converted it into actual, recognizable sound.

Her beak need not move for the sound to be transmitted, but she did it out of habit.

"Yes, Julius, both Blu and I have eaten. The kids are still sleeping, though. Actually, your call woke us up."

Suddenly feeling sheepish, he chuckled and said, "Oh, did I? I'm sorry."

Shaking his head firmly, Blu replied, "No, don't worry about it. I was in the middle of a not so pleasant dream, and I have you to thank for getting me out of it. Anyways, what's up?"

Without directly answering Blu's question, he said, "I'll tell you on the way. I'm taking you on a little walk."

Julius turned gently and began a return journey to the sanctuary, Blu and Jewel gripping his arm rather tightly for balance. They appeared rather energetic despite their tattered appearances, but he knew they were acting spry to avoid worrying him.

After exiting the pool area, he said, "Today is going to be a very... momentous day for you two, to say the least..." he said, keeping his gaze trained before him.

Jewel's curious voice replied, "How so, buddy? Come up with a fancy new experiment?"

"Not really, Jewel. It's something more... serious than that."

"Do you mind telling us what it is? I'm starting to feel nervous now, Julius."

The man paused mid-stride, turning to Blu with a solemn expression glued to his face.

"In a short time, both you and Jewel will see. Just be patient, we're almost there."

He then resumed walking, his silence perturbing the macaws internally, leaving them both anxious and confused at his sudden change in demeanor. He was a normally talkative, imposing figure, and his reclusive attitude led Blu and Jewel to think that something was amiss.

They themselves refrained from speaking for the rest of the journey, their guts churning steadily.

After a few more minutes of walking in unnerving silence, Julius reached the front face of the sanctuary, stopping in the middle of the desiccated driveway.

"Now will you tell us?" asked Blu, somewhat irritated.

With a heavy sigh, Julius faced the two macaws one more, his face tight.

"My colleagues and I have come to a decision regarding the immortality experiment, something which you both know so much about."

Momentarily stunned, it was a few seconds before either macaw responded to his statement.

"R-really? What's going to happen now? What did you guys decide?"

"I, as well as they, are deeply concerned about your quality of life. We are growing weary of seeing both of you so frail, so vulnerable, so old. Concurrently, the two tungsten carbide forms we have been developing in your image are ready for use. Do I need to explain myself any further?"

As Julius's words sank in, the hidden meaning rapidly became clear to the mated pair of macaws. After giving each other fearful looks, they focused those same looks on Julius.

"You don't m-mean," began Blu, "that it's time f-for us to d-die, right?"

"I am sorry, but that's exactly what it means. We can only extract the information in your brains after they are shut down, which only occurs after death. We've spent many decades pursuing this goal, and finally, we are ready to accomplish it. If it succeeds, which is highly likely, you and Jewel will become part bird, part machine, and most importantly, immortal. Extinction will no longer be an issue. And before you ask, your children will eventually join you, but there's really no reason to argue that."

After drawing in a breath, Julius concluded his mini speech: "Don't you want that, Blu? To be forever by Jewel's side, as well with your children, never having to fear death by old age, predation, or sickness? To live on and on, until the very end of time?"

Blu nearly toppled from Julius's arm, his senses confounded by the brutal ultimatum forced upon him. Jewel steadied him with her wings, pulling him closer to her just in case he stumbled again.

After a short eternity, the male macaw finally gathered the will to respond.

"I... Julius... this is all so sudden! Oh man, this is so not what I wanted to hear on this fine morning."

After shaking his head in astonishment, he added, "But, for all it's worth, I have to agree with you. For the past year now, I've been feeling worn out all the time, not to mention my appearance is definitely sub-par. I've recently been taking day-long naps, but they don't seem to be helping. I genuinely look and feel old, Julius. I know this sounds wrong, but I'm tired of living, tired of fighting. But, before I let myself be subject to this massive alteration of existence, at least give me a day or two to prepare."

Jewel smiled widely at Blu, amazed by the perfection and honesty of his speech. She herself felt exactly the same way, but since Julius couldn't read her mind, she opted to clarify her own situation.

"Julius?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes, my friend?"

"I... have to agree with my mate. Life is no longer as enjoyable as it used to be. Just please let us inform our children and prepare for our coming ends. Please?"

Dipping his head in acknowledgment, the brown-haired man replied, "Of course, Jewel. I figured you and Blu would want to postpone the operation. If we've waited thirty years to reach this point, I believe a few days wouldn't hurt. I apologize deeply for traumatizing you with this information, and on such short notice. This is just as hard for me as it is for you, but I know in my heart that only positive ripples will emerge from this trial."

"Wise words, Julius," responded Blu, "you speak with nearly as much eloquence as our daughter, Esperanza."

"Thank you, my feathered accomplice. I owe you much more than you will ever owe me, and I will do anything to ease the distress these circumstances place upon you and your mate. Don't keep me waiting too long, alright?"

"Agreed, Julius. We will see you once we have settled all of our duties..." said Jewel with conviction.

With that, she sprang from his bare arm, wheeling about and gliding into the undergrowth. Blu departed moments later, hustling to catch up with his mate, issuing a series of screeches as he flew.

After Blu's vibrant hue vanished from sight, Julius crept back into the main meeting room, drawing the attention of more than a dozen humans.

"Where's Blu and Jewel? Did you not find them?" said Stacy strongly, twirling the pair of syringes in her hands for emphasis.

Ignoring the dark innuendo, he replied, "Yes, I found them. They asked that I give them a few days to prepare for the procedure, so I did."

"Ah," she replied flatly. "You know, I was kind of hoping to get started. We've been lounging around all morning." she added roughly.

"What would you do in their situation, Stacy? No different, I'm sure." countered Julius.

"Why didn't you just grab them and wring their puny necks?" she muttered under her breath, inaudible to all but herself.

"I think we should tidy this place up before we switch their bodies. Judging by how it looks now, I'd say it's in a state of disarray..." said a well-muscled Mexican man.

Feeling content with the statement, Julius said, "Good point, Miguel. That's a perfect way to stay occupied until our VIPs' return."

"No problem, J man! We're all homies around here, right?"

"Correct. Now, let's get to work, people! No more 'lounging around,' as Stacy so righteously put it..."

After clapping his hands a few times, the tight circle of humans broke apart, spreading throughout the room like a wave, intent on following the order of Julius.

Relatively far away from the humans' lab, Blu and Jewel flew on towards the abode of their six offspring with illuminated hearts. Though they felt strange for appreciating their coming deaths, being reborn into near-perfect entities far outweighed the absurdity of the notion.

Eventually, they came upon their destination, finding all six macaws sitting on the ground, eating a rich breakfast of starfruit and berries. Blu and Jewel's touchdown snagged the attention of the diners, who all issued warm greetings to their parents.

After recovering from the tight hugs they received from their delighted offspring, Blu and Jewel cleared their throats.

"My sweet children, there is something I must tell you."

Inching closer, Liliana, Stefano, and Josefina, the youngest triplets, all asked, "What is it, Daddy? Tell us! Tell us!"

Donning a mellow expression, Blu said, "Your mother and I are due to undergo Julius's master operation, one that will render us more than mere animals. The only catch is that... we will have to be dispatched prior to the procedure."

"Huh? What does that mean?" Josefina asked curiously.

"It means, dear daughter, that your father and I will have to be... killed."

At this, all six macaws slumped in their spots, as if their bones had become unhinged.

"Wh-what? You can't be serious! I must be dreaming!" exclaimed Stefano incredulously.

The three younger macaws' eyes became damp with tears, while the older three remained frozen with shock. Blu immediately ran his wing over the crying birds in an attempt to subdue their lachrymose states.

"It's okay, my little ones. Please stop crying. Let me explain."

Their wailing died down to occasional sniffling as they looked up at Blu, their faces damp.

"Jewel and I will only be gone for less than a week. Once we learn to control our mechanical bodies, we will come visit you. Eventually, you will receive your own tungsten carbide housings. Together, we'll be one big, happy, immortal family. Just imagine how wonderful that will be!"

"R-really?" queried Liliana.

"Are you sure you and Mom are going to be safe? What happens if... if... something goes wrong?" added the older Ricardo.

Jewel then took charge of the situation, drawing in a deep preparatory breath.

"I know this sounds horrible, but it's true. Now, although I don't know as much about the specifics as Julius and his team does, I am convinced he knows how to handle it. There's no reason to worry."

The macaws before Jewel still appeared less than positive about the announcement, but since their parents seemed so high-spirited, they felt compelled to emulate them.

Esperanza sighed and stated, "I suppose we can't prevent you from going ahead with this dastardly experiment, but deeply worried I will be, until I see you and Dad whole again. I probably won't get any sleep tonight."

Ricardo put his two cents in by saying, "It's noble of you to come and warn us of Julius's intentions. I know that sounds cheesy, but that's how it is. When are you planning on having it done?"

"Most likely later tonight, or early morning tomorrow. Aside from warning you all, there's a few other orders of business to attend to before we depart."

After receiving slightly disturbed glares from her children, Jewel turned to Blu and flashed him a sly look, causing him to blush.

After stepping sheepishly away from her, Blu chuckled nervously and said, "I think it's best that you just stay in the jungle until the transfer is complete. It is not worth it to put you through the trauma of watching us endure the operation. Julius will make sure that everything goes smoothly. We won't be gone for long. I promise..."

One by one, Blu paced around his offspring, giving each of them an encouraging hug bloated with fatherly love. Jewel then did the same, tacking on a light kiss to each of their cheeks.

Blu and Jewel then rejoined, rooting themselves side-by-side in front of their creations.

"From the deepest recesses of my heart, I want you to know that I love every single one of you. That's how it's been since the day you hatched, and it's never changed. We've been through an uncountable number of experiences as a family, both positive and negative, and nothing can tear us apart. Do not weep over the death of your mother and I, but rather rejoice, my children. Shortly after our transformation, you will undergo the transfer as well, and we will once again be united. Although we will have transcended the boundaries of biology, our spirits will remain linked, just as they are now."

A luscious smile capped off Blu's speech, at which point Jewel spoke for herself.

"Your father said everything I was going to say, and more. Tonight, I want you all to dream happy dreams. A brand new existence awaits us, and that is something to embrace, not reject. My love for you is endless, and that is how it will stay. Know this, my darlings, we will always be here for you..."

The combined speeches of Blu and Jewel left the younger macaws in tears for a second time. The small crowd gave them another round of crushing hugs before retreating, their faces beaming with pride and resolve.

"We love you too, Mom and Dad. Promise us you won't leave us behind for too long, okay?" they all chanted.

"We promise, with all our hearts..." replied Blu and Jewel, their voices laden with truth.

"I guess this is goodbye, then..." the children said softly.

"Indeed it is. Your father and I are going to share our last day together as normal birds." replied Jewel.

"Farewell, my sweets. We will meet again very soon." quipped Blu.

After waving to their offspring, Blu and Jewel lifted off from the ground, sending twin waves of cool air over the young creatures. Pleased with the perfection of their speeches, Blu and Jewel powered on towards their home, their minds clear and their spirits soothed.

Nonetheless, their premature awakening by Julius, coupled with the shock of his announcement, had drained their bodies of energy. As they landed with a tumble in their hollow, they both knew a righteou nap was in order.

After heaving himself off of Jewel, Blu said, "Now that we've taken care of the duty to our children, all that's left is to resolve the debt we owe each other."

Picking up on the veiled meaning in his words, Jewel flashed him a faint smirk. "I suppose you are right, but I desperately need a nap. We can repay that debt tonight."

Letting loose a yawn, Blu replied, "Yeah. There's no point in wasting the feeling when we're so... tired."

Blu retreated to the deepest corner of the hollow, plunking himself down in the nest. Jewel quickly joined him, squeezing in next to his toasty body.

After trapping him with her wing, she snuggled into him and whispered, "I love you so much, Blu."

"Over fifty years later, I still adore the sound of that. I love you too, my gorgeous angel. Sleep well."

"Right back at you, handsome..."

The two elderly lovebirds, content in their proximity to each other, were cast into the dream realm in mere seconds.

Just as they had asked their offspring to do, Blu and Jewel fabricated a heavenly world inside their minds, quiet and peaceful. In that imaginary space, they laughed, flew, and danced, appreciating the beauty of life and the beauty of love.

Although they were only hours from meeting their deaths, they did not fear. The gift of becoming immortal was something they would gladly die for, no matter how ironic it sounded.

They were proud to say that their earthly lives had been vastly fruitful, but it was time for them to move on. Although they were both nearly sixty years in age, it was merely the first sixty years of a limitless lifespan.

The hours crept by at a snail's pace for the waking souls, but such was not the case for Blu and Jewel. Mesmerized by the fantasies playing out in their heads, time dashed by like a rocket to the Moon. Once their souls were satisfied by the mental shows in their brains, they were ejected languidly from the folds of sleep.

Upon seeing Blu's face so close to hers, Jewel blinked rapidly, a delicate smile forming on her once-drowsy face.

"Well hello, sleepy head. Do you feel rested?"

Nodding his head in accordance, Blu replied, "Why yes, my love. My dream was most enriching, solely because you were inhabiting it with me..."

Feeling delighted by his comment, she tickled his beak with a deep kiss, his eyes closing reflexively from her maneuver. After she pulled back, she noticed him slumped against the edge of the nest, his head hanging in a half-stupor.

Playfully, she shoved him with reasonable force, assisting his exit from the mossy bed. He plunked lightly onto the floor, the sudden change of texture jarring him back to reality.

After righting himself, he said, "I would expect you to apologize, but that kiss... convinced me otherwise. Could you... give me another one?"

He tiled his head expectantly, his eyes narrowed in the manner of a puppy's.

"I guess you deserve a round two."

Hopping from the nest, Jewel allowed her partly-featherless chest to brush against Blu's for a few moments before taking Blu up on his request. She dug her tongue into his beak, enjoying the tingling that filled her body when her tongue met his.

She kept up the osculation for a few seconds, before her accelerating heart began to protest. Feeling short of breath, she withdrew, only to find herself staring head-on into Blu's faded chocolate irises.

"So delicious, Jewel. You still taste just as refreshing as you did when we first kissed. Thank you."

"As do you, handsome..."

She trotted gracefully past Blu until she reached the edge of the hollow, at which point she leaned out.

"Whoa, it sure is dark out here! I wonder how late it is? Perhaps we should... go see Julius and let him... you know..."

Jewel retreated back into the hollow, scolding herself mentally for ruining the mood.

Suddenly, an audible gurgle issued from her stomach, provoking a cheerful reaction in her mate.

"Your body's trying to tell you something, my angel." he stated, smiling.

Chuckling, she replied, "I can tell. How about we head out and snatch up some fine fruit? It'll be the last meal we'll ever have, so we should make it extra delicious."

Blu hopped past her, pausing on the edge of the hollow and saying, "Fair points, my love, but I'll search for the both of us. You just wait here, alright?"

"Sure thing, handsome. Thank you."

Blu flashed her a stern nod before peeling away from the tree, vanishing from Jewel's line of sight rapidly.

Detecting a wave of contentment ignited by her mate's take-charge attitude, she perched herself on the rim and gazed out. She caught the final glimpses of her mate streaking through the undergrowth, a comet-blue flash amidst the leafy green bowers.

His distance from her was already registering in her brain, and she let out a sigh of longing. Turning away from the blackness of the outside world, she ambled over to the nest, settling herself down in it, comfortably.

While she waited for her knight's return, she lazily toyed with the bundle of twigs below her, rearranging them into a more orderly design. She worked her way around the perimeter, inch by inch, until the entire nest was reorganized nicely.

She then set upon the moss, waving it around in the air with her feet to increase its fluffiness. She then spread it all over the inner surface, making sure than no stray sticks were poking through. Feeling rather pleased with her work, she fixed her eyesight on the oval entryway, praying that her mate would return soon.

Eventually, Blu slipped back into the hollow, his feet and beak laden with all the fruit he could carry.

Jewel carefully extracted herself from the nest and said, "I'm glad you're back. I missed you, handsome."

Blu released the dragon fruit from his beak so that he could speak.

"Huh? Oh, really? I missed you too! I picked only choice fruit for our... last supper, if you will. Here you go!"

Blu scooped up a passion fruit with his left foot and tossed it to her gently. She allowed it roll up to her, then raised her right foot and lifted it from the floor.

She gave the succulent orb a deep sniff, the rich aromas tickling her nostrils.

"This fruit even smells delicious! Thank you so much, Blu."

"Oh, you are most welcome, honey." he declared before taking a measured bite from his dragon fruit.

After watching him munch away with his eyes closed, she followed suit, gouging out a sizable chunk with her beak. True to form, the instant the insides of the fruit met her tongue, her entire beak was enveloped in a burst of tangy goodness.

"Oh, mmmm, this is... really good!" she exclaimed between chews.

Blu gave a hearty swallow and replied, "Indeed, Jewel. There's a fiesta erupting in my beak right now!"

"Same here, handsome. Same here..."

For the next fifteen minutes, Blu and Jewel dined merrily on the juicy morsels, tantalized by the flavors. Jewel, after finishing her passion fruit, devoured a starfruit.

Blu then consumed his own passion fruit, and after popping the last chunk into his beak and swallowing, was distressed that there was no more to eat. Nonetheless, he pushed away the disconcerting feeling and licked his beak, mopping up any sugary fluid that happened to be concentrated there.

Blu scooted over to his mate and said, "Well, that's the end of that."

He then let out a large yawn, his entire body feeling overburdened and out of steam.

"I'm really tired, Jewel. Can we... go see Julius tomorrow?"

Blu began to amble over to his sleeping place, but Jewel froze him in his tracks by planting a foot on his tail. As he turned around, slightly bewildered, she drew close to him, rich breath flooding over his face.

"Is there something you need to tell me?" he asked, intrigued.

Shaking her head with shame, she replied, "Don't you remember, Blu? There's one last experience we have to share... before our lives are over."

Blu blinked several times, trying to process what Jewel was hinting at.

"What are you trying to... oh..."

A nervous glint sparkled in his eyes as he shuddered visibly.

Jewel placed her wings on his shoulders and asked, "Don't you want that, Blu? To share the most wonderful sensation on the planet... with me? Don't you want to mate with me... just one more time?"

Though it was far from the season of spring, Jewel's proximity to him, coupled with the way she was staring into his eyes, triggered a primal reaction in Blu. Her reasoning became clear to him, and he realized that yes, yes he did want to mate with her, the final biological coupling they would ever endure.

Relenting himself to the inner pleas of his body, he replied heartily, "Of course I do, Jewel. I can't leave this Earth without feeling every inch of your body... just this once. We haven't had sex in so long, I... forgot what it feels like."

"There's no better time to relive it than now, is there?"

"No."

Inching even closer to him, she said, "Let's find out..."

In one fluid motion, she pressed her beak up against his, allowing her tongue to flirt with his for a few seconds. She pulled back momentarily, then repeated her maneuver, going in slightly deeper. Once again, she pulled back, but then paused.

She was not feeling satisfied, and the reason why was quick to surface in her brain: her body was unaccustomed to the pleasure of the act, numbed from years of abstinence. She dolefully opened her eyes, finding herself staring at her mate's confused expression.

"Is something wrong, honey?" he tenderly asked.

Jewel let her wings fall down to her sides, her mood turning rotten.

"I'm just... not enjoying kissing you. I'm so old... and we haven't been intimate for so long. The pleasure's just not there."

This time, it was her mate who was keen to press the issue.

"Neither am I, Jewel, but all we have to do is keep trying. Our bodies are just rusty machines that need a dash of oil. We can turn things around. Please?"

Touched by his sincerity, she pushed hard against the internal numbness, revealing a deeper layer of pleasure yearning to be awakened. Grabbing hold of his shoulders once more, her reply came in the form of a deep kiss.

She gracefully wiped the inside of his beak with her tongue, leaving no surface untouched. She then guided her tongue to his, and the two saliva-coated snakes coiled around each other.

As the electricity coursed up and down their spines, it provided the sparks needed to ignite the long-dormant fires of eroticism and seduction deep in their souls. A rolling wave of heat surfaced in Blu and Jewel's mentalities as the fire grew, feeding off of the rich stimulation they were giving each other.

Jewel issued a stifled "Mmmm..." as her tongue continued to wrestle with Blu's. Feeling the need to draw more pleasure from the osculation, she wrapped her wings around his back and guided him over to the nearby wall. She friskily pressed him up against it, allowing no room for him to escape.

She terminated the kiss and gazed into his eyes, seeing nothing but pools of flaming love and sexual desire.

"It worked, my love." he whispered. "Now we can finally... satisfy each other... in every way possible."

"That is all I could ask for..."

Drawing in a deep breath, Jewel stoked the burning lust inside her by kissing Blu's neck. She licked his sleek feathers this way and that, nipping his neck sharply every so often. The pain he would have normally felt was converted to spikes of rich seduction, leaving him desperate for another nip.

"Ohhh yes, Jewel, that feels amazing!" he moaned, his eyes sealed shut from the intensity of the sensation.

By now, both his and Jewel's breathing accelerated, the rhythmic brushing of their chests adding to the power of the moment. Blu reached out with his wings and began rubbing them across Jewel's back, titillating his already elevated senses.

Wanting to hear his mate emit her own shouts of pleasure, he worked his right wing under her tail, sliding the primary feather tips around until they swept across her cloaca.

Blu felt her ritual cease and her back arch, accompanied by a seductive, "Blu... do that again!"

His left wing still caressing her spine, he traced out a small circle with his right, teasing her most sensitive area once again.

"Ohhh my... Blu... don't stop..." she panted desperately.

Blu leaned forward and began licking her neck sensually, all the while dazzling her secret flower with his continuous wing movements. Blu could detect the sound of her talons scraping the floor each time his wing united with her moist cloaca.

Through the pounding of his pulse in his head, he heard Jewel calling his name over and over, ecstasy the driving force behind her heavy moans and gushes. It only persuaded him to lick her saliva-coated neck that much longer, to rub her damp underside that much faster.

The way Blu was sliding his feathers over her bare, drooling flower blew her mind; the only words she could get out were: "Blu... oh Blu... I... mmmm..."

With each passing second, she felt herself slipping closer and closer to the point of orgasm, judging by the warm feeling spreading across her lower body. She was so close, but she wouldn't let Blu drive her wild so easily. He had taken her to the very precipice of sexual fulfillment, and now it was her turn to repay him for his erotic acts.

As her muscles tensed in preparation for the explosive climax, she forced herself away from him, breaking his grip rather quickly. As her body realized it was no longer being stimulated, it began to relax, if only slightly.

Nonetheless, her chest was still heaving from the effort, her heart thumping at a vigorous pace.

Blu donned a mask of disdain and muttered in between breaths, "What was... that for? I'm not done... with you yet!"

Putting on a devilish grin, she replied hotly, "It's my turn... to take you away, handsome."

Jewel shoved him off of his feet, the wall behind him serving to break his fall. He ended up with his back flush with the wood in a half-sitting position, his feet and tail spread out before him. His eyes grew wide with confusion, his mind unable to grasp his lover's intentions.

Jewel, after throwing him against the wall, tilted her gaze to his lower body. She spied the warm pink patch of his cloaca beckoning to her, slightly damp from his internal fluids.

In one brisk motion, she flung herself against the floor at his feet, her head in prime position to devour the most private patch of skin he owned. She carefully lowered her head, hovering an inch above the sensitive tissue before diving in.

"Jewel, what are you-"

Blu's sentence was cut off as Jewel's tongue grazed his flower, caressing the outer surface sensually.

As a mystifyingly erotic pulse rushed up Blus spine, he instinctively croaked, "Jewel... that feels... mmmm..."

Emboldened by his baritone utterance, she leaned down once again, allowing her snake of a tongue to rub the warm skin. She traced the outline of his cloaca slowly, revolving her oral organ along the oval border repeatedly Each time she completed an orbit, she felt his feet grasp her shoulders and then release.

After her third tracing, he thrust his wings upon her neck, forcing her head down even lower.

"Closer, Jewel. Deeper!" he begged.

With no other choice but to oblige, she rested her beak against the soft feathers between his legs, a damp pillow that granted her full access to his secret garden. Tempted by the slickness of his warm skin, she dug her tongue in as deep as she could, scrubbing his inner walls rhythmically.

Jewel's previous stimulation was nothing compared to this; Blu felt as though he was about to explode from the ethereal, boundless pleasure ignited inside him. He kept his feet locked on Jewel's shoulders and his wings upon her back, guaranteeing that she would continue to devour him.

His back arching reflexively to maximize the glorious feeling, he cried his mate's name over and over.

"Jewel... ohhhh Jewel... you must... keep going!"

Following his dire order, she decided to switch tactics. Instead of swirling her saliva-doused appendage around, she withdrew it halfway, then plunged it back in, extending it as far as possible.

Blu, upon feeling Jewel's new style of oral, felt himself melting from the unreal signals his nerves were sending his brain. It was as if an ecstasy-soaked sponge was plunging in and out of his cloaca, a smooth rhythm that drove him insane.

"Ahhh... Jewel... you're... killing me!"

He prayed dearly that he would forever remain under his lovebird's sexual spell, but at the same time, he could feel his muscles growing tight in preparation for his wondrous orgasm.

Forcing his eyes open, he stared down at his mate's squirming head and cried: "Jewel... stop! I'm about to..."

He need not finish his sentence for Jewel to understand, and hastily, she jerked her head away, her beak dripping with fluid.

"Lie down... my love..." he ordered dizzily.

Blu drank in the lust and energy filling Jewel's eyes before she complied, tipping backwards and meeting the floor of the stuffy hollow with a dull thud. Eager to experience the timeless fury of an orgasm in time with his mate, he hopped over to her liquid-matted body.

Balancing himself carefully on her stomach – a maneuver made all the more difficult by his hazy senses and racing metabolism – he gazed lovingly at Jewel's face and asked, "Are you comfortable, my sexual goddess?"

Blu's feet pricked the skin beneath her belly feathers, but it was more scintillating than irritating. Blu's weight did put pressure on her stomach, but it was easily bearable.

"Of course I am. I need to feel you, Blu. I want you to make this a night... I'll never forget."

Nodding his head gently, he replied, "Anything for you, I will do..."

Immediately following his proclamation, Blu scooted forward so that his cloaca merged with Jewel's. A physiological response unlike anything they had previously endured erupted from their loins, made audible by the twin grunts they emitted.

"Wow, Jewel, that was... lovely..."

"Blu, you feel... so good!"

Jewel then brought her wings up and fastened them around her mate's neck, pulling his head very close to hers.

"Do it, Blu. Show me... your naughty side."

Wordlessly, he planted his beak against Jewel's tenderly, augmented by a calculated jerk of his hips. As his sensitive spot contacted Jewel's, he was stunned by how warm and damp it was, a living sea of pleasing skin yearning to be touched.

He maintained the stimulation by swaying back and forth, his pleasure spiking in time with his movements. Each time he pulled away from Jewel's enticing skin, a deep-seated force caused him to push against it again, not wanting to spend even a few seconds apart from it.

After nearly a minute of thrusting his hips, he changed directions, wiggling side to side. Delirious fire scorched his lower body as his cloaca slid over Jewel's, the most powerful feeling he had been subjected to as of late.

He broke their persistent kiss to moan, "That feels... so good! Ohhh Jewel, I... can't get enough..."

Indeed, she was enthralled just as fully as he, and maybe even more so. She assisted her mate by lifting her hips of the floor each time he writhed, driving their wet skin together for even longer periods of time.

By now, Jewel's breathing was cycling at a rapid pace, seemingly dangerous for someone as old as she. Trapped in the heat of the moment, she didn't care. She was making sweet love with the bird she adored most in the world, the bird who was sexually satisfying her beyond her wildest imaginings.

That teetering feeling from earlier was slowly rising in intensity, a silent signal that her biological enjoyment was nearing its breaking point.

She felt compelled to let Blu know that her orgasm was nearing, but she couldn't speak without moaning: "I'm close to... my climax... Blu..."

As his mate's telling words funneled into his ears, he too detected his sexual release approaching.

"So am I. Ohhh yes... it's... it's..."

He froze his movement, his muscles remarkably tense. He opened his eyes slowly and peered down at Jewel. Seeing that lustful, primed look in her eyes told him she was ready, ready to lose all control.

He leaned down quickly for one final kiss and, as his beak met Jewel's, he squeezed his throbbing cloaca against his mate's. In that instant, his musculature pulsing as waves of indescribable lust and sexual energy pulsed over his body.

"Jewel, I'm... I'm... ohhh yes, ohhh yes!"

Moments after his orgasm took hold, Jewel in turn began squirming about beneath him, crushing him against her body as forcefully as she could.

"This is... Blu, I can't... oh God Blu!"

As Jewel's marvelous cries of erotic delight echoed in his brain, something entirely new occurred deep inside him. As he shivered in time with his systemic jerks, he sensed a sticky river of fluid flowing out of him, pouring into Jewel's system in the process.

After all of twenty seconds, the euphoric orgasms had concluded for both birds, in order for their strained bodies to recover. Blu, suddenly feeling like jelly, toppled off of his mate, landing heavily to the right of her.

Blu found himself looking up at the ceiling, but after a few seconds of silence, Jewel's honey-like voice called to him: "Blu, we've never had sex like that ever before. Thank you. I feel... loved. I feel... complete."

He tilted his head to get a better look at her, his reply interspersed with residual pants: "As do I, my eternal angel. I'll never forget this night, whether in this life or the next. Once and for all... I love you."

"I love you too..."

Completely exhausted and unwilling to spoil the afterglow of their sexual escapade, they snuggled closer together. They supported their consciousness for a few more minutes, finally fading away to the realm of dreams.

They had engaged in the most unifying, powerful act known to man, affirming their boundless love for one another for as long as they both shall live. Due to the fact that machines they would soon become, their love would persist indefinitely, until the end of time itself.

As far as Blu and Jewel were concerned, they had forged an unbreakable bond of devotion between their spirits, and so long as that bond remained intact, forever happy they would be.

When Blu and Jewel awoke the next morning, quite a surprise awaited them: their undersides, not to mention their faces and necks, were caked with a dried-up, chalky residue. It was a clear reminder of the provocative nature of the previous night, and as they studied each other, they grew very coy.

After graciously cleaning themselves up by preening, they quickly contemplated all that they had accomplished in the recent days. Their children had been duly notified of the choice to end their lives, and they had enjoyed one last dose of sex, something that would eventually be out of the question.

As such, they felt truly ready to leave their degraded bodies and so, without even bothering to eat breakfast, they departed from their tree and streaked over to Julius's headquarters.

After forcing their way into the interior via one of many open windows, they alighted in the deathly-quiet main workspace, which was formerly Linda and Tulio's living room.

"Huh," said Blu oddly, "Julius and his buddies are usually up by this hour. They must still be sleeping."

"I think we should go and wake them. I, for one, am ready to die already! Man, I never thought I'd be saying that. It sounds so... negative."

Blu gave a light chuckle at her quite-truthful statement. "You are correct, Jewel, but this is the year 2075. Reality isn't what is used to be. Now come on, let's go wake our superiors."

"Right. I'll follow your lead."

Blu scampered off towards the rear of the building with Jewel close behind, entering a long, dim hallway lined with doors. He shivered, for the creepy passageway reminded him of a particular scene in The Shining.

Each door bore a silver plate emblazoned with the name of its inhabitant. Blu ambled quickly down the hall, since Julius's quarters lay at the very end. During his journey, he half-expected a lunatic Jack Nicholson to bust through one of the oak doors and yell "Here's Johnny!"

Stifling his nerves, he eventually came upon the target door, the last one on the left.

He waited for his mate to join him, at which point he rapped on the wood with his beak and muttered, "Julius! It's me, Blu, and I have Jewel here with me. We're ready to undergo your transfer operation!"

Faint ruffling sounds issued from behind the closed door, followed by a loud crashing and banging. Blu and Jewel grew tense, wondering what on Earth was going down that could cause such racket.

The female hopped backwards cautiously, while the male remained stoically rooted in place. Without warning, the door flew open, but both Blu and Julius seemed to have forgotten that it swiveled not inwards, but outwards.

Blu received a generous blow to the chest and forehead simultaneously by the edge of the door, tossing him forcefully against the opposite wall.

"Oh my God!" shouted Jewel, "Blu, are you alright?"

She scurried the few feet over to him, who lay folded awkwardly on the gray carpet.

"Hello? Blu, wake up. Wake up!"

Seeing the error of his ways, Julius bent down and scooped up Blu's still form, patting him gently on the back in an effort to bring back his consciousness.

Jewel cast the perpetrator a harsh glare as he did so.

"Lovely, Julius. You just knocked him out!"

"I'm sorry, Jewel. I tripped over a pile of computers, and as I fell, I grabbed onto the doorknob. You can guess what happened next."

"I guess that's a valid explanation."

As Julius turned his focus back to the male macaw in his hands, he noted a thin scarlet line on his forehead.

"Well, I split Blu's head open just a little. He's bleeding."

"More good news! Just wake him up, so that we can get this over with. He's not a machine just yet, Julius. He's not invincible."

After one more minute of patting, along with a few bouts of shaking, Blu awoke. His wings immediately shot up to his skull, as if trying to remove an illusory vice.

"Damn... what is wrong with my head?"

Once again, Julius apologized, tossing in a brief explanation of the mishap.

"I'm sorry, buddy, but I tripped and fell in there, opening the door by accident. Do you feel any brain damage? We've got a serious problem on our hands if you do."

"N-no, I'm f-fine. I j-just have a headache from H-Hell."

"I suppose that's a relief. How about I take you to the transfer room, before you somehow get injured again?"

"Fine b-by me. I am r-ready to be c-cured of mortal weakness."

The brown-haired man nodded and placed Blu on his outstretched right arm. He then plucked Jewel off the ground and plastered her next to the wounded male.

"Don't worry, Blu, you'll have nothing to worry about in about an hour or so."

He gripped onto Jewel for support, feeling mightily dazed and in pain.

"Can somebody get me some aspirin? How about some morphine?"

Eager to bring to fruition three decades of grueling study and experimentation, he hustled them into the confines of his lab, a cluttered space littered with documents, electronics, and wiring.

Julius motioned for them to hop onto the cold steel table and stay put. After jumping from his arm, they gazed up at him with twin expressions of readiness.

"Let me wake the necessary members of my team, and then we'll get started. You'll be born again in no time, I assure you both."

He then dashed from the room, his wrinkled lab coat flowing out behind him.

Blu and Jewel turned away from the door and scanned the room, keeping their eyes peeled for any intriguing objects. Almost instantly, a distorted sheet of material sitting on a far counter caught their attention. Whatever lay concealed beneath the grayish tarp appeared quite large, consuming nearly all of the counter's area.

"What's that, Blu? I don't recall seeing that before."

"Let's go check it out, shall we?"

Having mildly recovered from his headache, he strutted to the edge of the table, crossing the gap between it and the shelf with a short series of wing-strokes. Jewel touched down shortly after, her talons clicking loudly on the exposed steel.

Blu fastened his beak onto a free edge of the sheet, but try as he might, he lacked the fortitude to remove it.

Without relinquishing his grip, he grumbled, "Could you help me out, honey?"

Jewel chose a spot next to Blu and pinched the sheet with her beak.

"One, two, three, pull!" chanted Blu inspirationally.

They jerked backwards over and over, and the gray cloth began slipping.

"It's working, honey! Don't stop."

"No problem, Blu."

The focused macaw couple spent over a full minute heaving the silken load, aware of of the growing ease with which it moved. As they paused to rest, they noticed a large portion of the cloth hanging over the counter's edge.

"I say we give it a final tug and let gravity take over." stated Blu.

After fastening the heavy drapery in their beaks, they wrenched their heads to the left. As the shroud flowed from the counter, piling messily on the tile floor, Blu and Jewel observed with utter awe at the objects resting in front of them.

Two imposing figures tinted a lustrous silver hue sat side by side, their shapes uncannily familiar. Blu, his beak nearly touching the counter, stuttered, "It's... it's us! Two metal birds, modeled perfectly in our image. Julius and his buddies are nothing short of geniuses. I can't wait to become one of them!"

Enthralled by the crisp outlines and crafted beauty of the artifacts, Jewel brusquely walked up to the closer of the two. Reaching out bravely with her right foot, she tapped what appeared to be the wing of the figure three times. A trio of dull thuds was heard, signifying that the bird was not entirely hollow.

Jewel tilted her head back to better observe the upper half. The head was nestled nearly a foot and a half above Jewel's own, and as she studied its features, she realized it was hers.

As Blu crawled up on her left side, she said, "Blu, this one's mine. It looks just like me. It's marvelous!"

"No kidding! I'm going to go take a peek at mine."

Jewel took a few steps to the right and climbed on to the tail, a quick visual comparison revealing that its length was nearly double that of hers. Buzzing with excitement inside, she stalked up the rigid spine, turning to her right as she heard Blu knock on the second body.

Her elevated vantage point gave her a lovely view of Blu's larger-than-life shell, which rose just as tall as hers.

"Well, what do you think, Blu?"

"What do I think?" he replied incredulously, "I think Julius is a mastermind! He, a mere mortal, has replicated a fascinating creation in my image. He, a mere mortal, has designed for me an alternate body, an iron shell that will forever be my sanctuary!"

His chest swelling with adoration, Blu hurriedly made his way onto the bird's back, perching like a kingly human.

All of a sudden, a gruff voice snagged Blu and Jewel's attention: "I see you've found your future bodies! Not to boast, but I believe they resemble you both perfectly."

The man himself strode into the room, trailed by five groggy humans. The head researcher then moved away from the entrance to allow the others in, ending up to the left of the shelf the coy macaws were on.

As the lesser-ranked scientists clustered around the perimeter of the central island, the macaws were scooped up by their caretaker and set down in the middle of the human ring. The encircling beings rubbed their eyes repeatedly, donning expressions that were a fusion of irritation and elation.

"Well, this it it, my friends. The end of the line..."

Blu and Jewel rotated around in the direction of the baritone voice, only to be met by Julius's outstretched hands. Blu and Jewel received adoration-rich pats on the head, augmented by a few brief scratches under their beaks. They gazed up at the towering man proudly, only shreds of fear darkening their eyes.

"Are you ready?" he asked sternly.

Blu cast a questioning look at Jewel, who nodded solemnly in response.

"I believe so, my friend. Escort us to a more noble existence."

The female pulled the male closer and added, "Promise that you'll take care of us. Promise that everything will go smoothly. Of course we trust you, but our lives are in your hands now."

He knelt down on one knee, bringing himself to eye level with Blu and Jewel.

With a deep voice, he said, "I promise. Nothing malicious or unplanned will happen to either of you. You have my absolute word."

He received a pair of warm smiles in return, and he couldn't help but form one of his own.

With that, he rose to a standing position and asked, "Stacy, the R66 syringes, please."

"Here you go. I hope you can catch."

The mellow macaws watched as Stacy tossed two syringes in Julius's direction. He reached out and caught them gently, creating a clink sound as the glass syringes touched.

"Would you like to say any final words before we euthanize you?" Julius asked softly.

Jewel tapped her foot on the table a few times and said, "I feel honored to call you my friends. You helped Blu and I move forwards in the wake of Tulio and Linda's death. It's like we've become a second family, united in order to accomplish a common goal. I sincerely thank every one of you for all that you've done. If you can do my mate and I the favor of easing our transition from this life to the next, please do. Take care of us."

Stacy, Drake, Tom, Karen, and Fred chanted, "No problem, dear Jewel."

Blu cleared his throat and said, "This may sound wrong, but do not inform our children of what has occurred to us or allow them to see us. We told them that we will meet again in due time. They need not be traumatized any more than is necessary. I have one last thing to say..."

Blu then turned to Jewel and placed his wings upon her shoulders.

"My sweet Jewel, though we will only be separated for a few hours, I will be praying constantly for those few hours to pass swiftly. Whether I am a carbon-based life-form or a mechanical conglomerate, I shall never cease to love you."

With tears welling up in his eyes, he planted a tender kiss on her beak that lasted for many amorous seconds.

Jewel's eyes grew damp as he pulled away, and she muttered, "I'll never stop loving you either, Blu. My life was never complete until I met you, and I will forever remain faithful to you. I can't survive without you, but thanks to Julius, I won't have to worry about that any longer."

All five humans uttered cooing sounds in the wake of the display, the air growing thick with heartfelt love.

Blu then turned around 180 degrees, his eyes landing on the syringes brimming with clear liquid.

"Go ahead, friend. Bring our earthly lives to a close."

He gripped one of the glass containment units and lowered it towards Blu, aiming the glistening needle tip at his chest. Blu grew immediately nervous, taking a few tentative steps away from the needle.

Jewel was there to reassure him, halting his retreat by laying a wing upon his back.

"Relax, Blu, everything will be fine."

His agitation was dimmed by his mate's calming words, but he still closed his eyes as the steel lancet inched toward him. A piercing burn gripped his senses as the steel found its mark, followed by the injection of a comparatively cool substance.

"Oh, that hurts! Please hurry, Julius..." he panted.

Working quickly, he shot the rest of the R66 into Blu's system, then administered the second dose to Jewel. She squeezed Blu tightly to battle to pain spike, but relaxed as the strange medication flooded her veins.

Julius set the empty syringes on the table and stroked the macaws one final time.

"Farewell, Blu and Jewel. This is goodbye, for now..."

The mated pair of birds locked eyes with each other, dripping tears as the serum carried out its grim function.

Blu was the first to lose control of his body, collapsing onto the counter, immobile, but still conscious. Jewel toppled over shortly after, ending up next to Blu, her face inches from his.

As the surface of the table between them collected their tears into a steadily-enlarging pool, Blu whispered, "I... love you. See you soon... honey..."

Before a gooey blackness stole over her vision, she squeaked, "As do I, handsome..."

Neither macaw spoke another word as their damp eyes slid shut, two final smiles frozen on their faces.

Julius and his colleagues waited in depressed silence for three minutes, giving the serum ample time to rob Blu and Jewel's lives.

After those tense few minutes were up, the lead researcher lifted the male from the table, pressing his thumb against the skin above Blu's heart.

He initially felt a constant throbbing, as if the tiny organ was still functional, but when he removed his thumb, it vanished. He then realized that he was feeling his own pulse, and that Blu was no longer alive.

A quick check revealed that Jewel had also passed on, causing a sickening sensation to well in his gut.

After forcing the dread back down, lest it bring tears to his ocular organs, he declared, "They're both... gone. Let's get to work, team."

"Right." they responded in unison.

All six humans began milling about in the room, firing up all manner of computer stations and blocky machines. A buzzing noise resounded soon after as a micro-sized bone saw was brought to life. Steered by Julius's expert hands, its whirling blade dined on Blu's tiny cranium, sending powdered bone dust, shredded feathers, and drops of blood into the air...

I, after feeling my life slip away, my heart stop beating, ended up in a strange realm that most would call Heaven.

However, just as I began to appreciate the lost world that only the deceased could see, I was unfairly pulled out of that mystical universe. I felt as though I had been gifted with a new sense of consciousness, a new sense of life.

After fully grasping the otherworldly feeling, I realized that I held the power to end my imprisonment. Gripped with a deeply surreal sensation, I forced myself to carry out a task that would hopefully banish the blackness from my vision: open my eyes.

Although I felt like nothing more than a wandering, limbless, shapeless spirit, something deep within me complied to my silent decree. I felt a small spark of electricity course up my spine, so faint that it nearly went unnoticed.

As I waited for some sort of response, a blinding rush of color and light surged into my senses, illuminating them rapidly. As I adjusted to the photon-laden assault, an alien sight greeted me.

Tropical trees stretched away in every direction, surrounded by leafy plant matter and fruit-bearing bushes. Somehow, a flash of remarkable intuition screamed in my mind the word "Jungle."

"Okay," I thought smoothly, "I'm in the jungle. Now what?"

Detecting a tactile input from a point below me, I ordered myself to look down. That faint jolt of energy returned as my body complied, and as soon as I caught sight of a pair of zygodactyl appendages supporting me, a stunning mental explosion took me away.

"I'm... I'm... alive! This is a miracle unlike any other!" I shouted, wholly unable to restrain the infinite jubilation drowning my spirit.

I extended my right foot forward to better study its features, flexing my four toes out of sheer curiosity. I was momentarily shocked to see four greatly-enlarged, deadly-sharp blades where my talons used to reside, but that only added to my perpetual excitement.

"Amazing..." I whispered, though the awe was still evident in my voice.

Plopping my vicious-looking foot back down, I looked to my left, spying a sheen of blue coating my wing. Upon recognizing the filament-decorated texture, along with the way the slight breeze ruffled them, I realized they were feathers. My own feathers!

"What the hell? How is this possible?" I screeched mentally.

Hit with a second blow of confusion, I stretched my wing out to the maximum, freezing it in a horizontal position. Reaching around with my left flying appendage, I gracefully stroked the underside of my right, still clueless as to how such a modification could be performed.

The filament-upon-filament contact incited a ticklish feeling all over my body, and I found myself suppressing a burst of laughter. I mentally cataloged the fact that my wings were feather-adorned, but what of the rest of my body?

Assuming that my mechanized structure was as close to normal avian biology as possible, I craned my head around to try and observe my back and tail.

Mortified was I when my body remained in place, while my neck and head rotated 180 degrees cleanly. I whirled my head back around to its natural position, deeply shocked at my ability.

"An owl-like neck! How creepy! Is there anything else I can do that breaks the mold?"

Shaking away the unrest, I swiveled my head back around, providing me a very proper view of my entire back and tail. True to form, a youthful array of aquamarine feathers swathed every inch, right up to the terminus of my glorious, extensive tail.

Visually computing its length, I pinpointed the value at two feet. Deep inside me, I sensed a spark that convinced me I was right, as if some electronic device was certain of the answer.

I thought about wiggling my tail, and to my surprise, it split apart into an array of seven metal blades, each two inches wide. At my command, they re-melded into one unified structure, the separate blades overlapping with extreme precision.

I fanned my tail out again, determining the angle between the outermost flaps to be 30 degrees even.

"A tail that functions like a modified airplane rudder. How ingenious! Can it rotate as well?"

Eager to test my theory, I sent a mental rotation signal down to my appendage. With a clockwork clicking noise, it rotated to the left 30 degrees, tilted back to its normal position, then swiveled to the right 30 degrees as well.

"Indeed it does! Now, what else should I attempt?"

I restored my tail and faced forwards again, noting that I was firmly on the ground in a small grove.

"I should try walking first, just to be safe."

Milliseconds later, my feet escorted me at a slow pace across the grove, and walking felt completely natural, despite my altered body. My feet moved with the fluidity of ice upon ice, issuing not a sound.

My five-inch talons did scrape the damp earth slightly, leaving shallow furrows in the soil, but my movement was not impeded in any way.

I jogged one complete circuit around the inner perimeter of the grove, feeling pleased that I had mastered control over my new-and-improved feet.

"I suppose flying is the only logical choice now. Birds are meant not for the earth, but for the sky. Here goes nothing!"

Spreading my wings like a phoenix, I observed that they were impressively large, a fact that gave me slight pause.

"Hmmm. My extensive wingspan must imply that my weight is comparatively high. Why else would Julius give them so much surface area to generate lift?"

I brought my grandiose wings to a near vertical position and pumped them down forcefully. Aside from rustling the nearby plants with the turbulence, no other effects materialized.

Once again, I lifted my wings, flapping them twice in a row this time around. My spirits soared when my feet were lifted off of the ground – if only by a few inches.

"Come on, Blu! You learned how to fly once, you can do it again!" I urged myself silently.

Feeling a light breeze flow through the grove gave me all the inspiration I needed. I pointed my wing-tips toward the sky one final time, bringing them rapidly downwards and flapping them nonstop.

The dead weight of my body became evident as I departed from the earth, the pull of gravity threatening to bring me down, withdraw me from my element. I drove myself even harder as a result, beating my tungsten carbide wings mightily.

I focused on one stroke after another – and after counting of twenty of them – my eyesight granted me a marvelous sight: I was hovering in place above the grove, the lush undergrowth of the surrounding rain-forest beckoning to me.

Swamped by a surge of pride, I tilted my wings to provide directional thrust before zooming off to the east. The rush of the air upon my feathered metal body as I careened through the warm air was nothing short of spectacular.

I streaked this way and that, dodging whatever trees or vines happened to be in my way without losing a hint of speed. It was as though I had flown all my life, the instinct fresh in my blood – or in this case, my wiring.

I wheeled, looped and dived for what seemed like an eternity. Gone were the protests of my former shell, with its energy restrictions and need for rest.

If I truly wanted, I could fly forever, circumnavigate the globe in one direct trip. Such an undertaking was far from ludicrous, but I possessed no inclination to pursue it at any time in the foreseeable future.

After consuming ten minutes of daylight swooping around, I chose an appreciable landing spot, which happened to be the bough of a cannonball tree. I expertly braked during my descent by fanning out my tail, the drag it induced easily felt by my fine-tuned senses.

I clenched the branch tightly as I landed, the scythe-like set of talons on my feet scoring into the wood. I folded my wings against my body moments before a groaning sound filled my ears. Before I could even react, the branch split to the left of me, splintering under my excessive weight.

The drop to the ground was not far, and so I felt no reason to halt my fall, but I scorned myself for not doing so upon impact with the mossy turf.

I further smashed the bough as my legs sunk into my stomach like shock absorbers, but the sudden deceleration literally left my metal shell vibrating. It was a profoundly unnerving and pesky sensation, and I vowed to never endure it again.

"Geez, that was a rough landing! For being such an intelligent bird, I made a really uneducated choice. Now, let's see. Where should I go? Who should I converse with?"

As I pondered these thoughts, a glaring reality made itself known: I was obviously forgetting that there was one other being like me. In all my excitement, the bird of my dreams had been unable to penetrate my mind.

As I instantly crafted a mental image of her, I made it my sole mission to seek her out, to lay eyes on her true, tangible form. A burning sense of urgency scorched my mind; I absolutely demanded to see her again, to hold her again.

I highly doubted that anything could dissuade me from carrying out my task.

Now that I was gifted with the prowess of everlasting flight, I quickly took to the skies, beginning what could be the most important, defining search of my life.

My initial fervor to locate my hopefully-living mate persisted for nearly half an hour, but turned sour after not much longer.

I avoided going to the lab simply because Julius had most likely left Jewel out in the jungle as well, to allow her to condition herself on her own. Adding to that fact was that perhaps he felt a private reunion between us was important, and that he was confident we would discover each other in time.

My best guess was that she had adopted that same reasoning with respect to me, and so we were both engaged in a mutual search for our soul mate.

My usage of the sun's angle to calculate the passage of time was quite efficient, and as my positive drive turned into frustration after an hour's worth of searching, I zoomed to the ground to contemplate my options.

"I might as well drop by the lab and see if any of them know of Jewel's whereabouts."

Before consigning myself to a defeat at the hands of fate, I stared up at the clouds and shrieked, "Jewel? Where are you, honey? I can't find you! If you can hear me, follow my voice!"

Nothing but the symphony of the breeze and the jungle fauna was audible in the wake of my pleas. Shaking my head with disappointment, I launched myself into the clear blue sky.

Shortly after takeoff, a burst of sound down below caused me to abandon my flight. My vision raked the area all around me after I returned to the foliage-littered ground, scanning for the source of the disturbance.

True, I had nothing to fear from any would-be predator, but my advanced gut was telling me that I was being watched, stalked. I immediately switched into a defensive mode, crouching down low until my chest flirted with the soil.

"This isn't funny. Whoever is hiding, cease and desist!"

Another spike in the noise level resounded behind me, and so I whirled around, peering past the trunk of an aged cannonball tree. The foliage was devoid of any movement, and so I taunted, "Come out! I'm serious!"

Yet another audible din surfaced, bringing me back to my former position, my body oriented away from the tree.

I took a pronounced step towards a star-fruit bush, and was then promptly barreled into by a swift blue orb.

The blow rendered me airborne, the momentum carrying me backwards at least ten feet. Needless to say, a quite-solid obstacle brought me to an abrupt stop: the cannonball tree's base.

Hesitantly, I switched my vision back on again, and above me lay the most heart-wrenching sight imaginable: Jewel.

Before I could acknowledge her, however, the earth beneath me trembled. As a deep crackling sound emanated from behind me, I stared at the sky behind Jewel's head, spying the full length of the tree on its way to the earth.

The ground shook once more as the massive plant slammed into the ground, sending broken branches and cascades of leaves everywhere. Thankfully, the tree came to rest a few feet behind Jewel, its splintered trunk almost butting up against her.

Stunned by her appearance and odd way of greeting me, I stuttered, "Uh, its great to see you too, Jewel! Too bad the tree didn't fare so well..."

Instantly turning sheepish, she replied coyly, "I must not know my own strength yet! But that's beside the point."

After flashing an apologetic glance at her victim, she turned back to me and declared, "Oh Blu, I've missed you so much! Julius left me alone in the jungle, and after learning how to control myself, I came looking for you. The sad part is, I couldn't find you for over thirty minutes! I ultimately gave up, but then I heard you calling my name. I raced over here as fast as I could, and the rest is history."

She then helped me into a standing position and crushed me in a death-grip style hug. Aside from the strain she was putting on my back, it was one of the most succulent embraces she had ever given me. I returned the hug with an equal amount of force, then stepped back one pace and looked into her eyes.

She no longer possessed the standard ocular organs, rather her eyes were two perfectly-shaped slots, burning brightly with an intense blue light.

"So that's what my eyes look like. Is there no end to my creator's skill and design potential? I have many, many, questions to ask him before this day is done..."

Jewel's glowing vision centers reminded me of the way Aang's eyes glowed in Avatar when he called upon his powers, a feature that would never cease to thrill me.

As I continued to stare into those pools of blue light, I felt myself being drawn into them, swallowed up in the pure color.

I was torn from my reverie by her honey-sweet voice, that very special tone that I could never forget: "Blu, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Shaking my head in a blur of motion, I replied, "Nothing, my dear. I'm just fine. All this is... so much to take in right now!"

"Oh, it'll take time to get used to, but you're right, it is crazy. We're basically immortal, Blu! Sure, I don't think swimming is an option, but unless the military decides to take us on, I bet that nothing can hurt us!"

With a mocking tone, I chided, "We can rightfully test your theory, Jewel. How about we head over the city and wait for a Class K3 hover-truck to run into us?"

Jewel quivered with laughter, barely managing to reply, "Ha ha, I don't think so! That's one good way to attract the attention of Rio's flight security team. Remember, nobody outside of the lab even knows we exist. I say we let Julius and his cohorts take care of that. Speaking of Julius, why don't we drop by and see if he can help us learn more about ourselves?"

I nodded in agreement, since that was the most plausible option I could think of. Shortly after that thought, another sprung into my head.

"Jewel, I say let's not stay too long at the lab. Our kids need to see that we're alive and well. God only knows how confused and worried they must be right now."

"I have to agree with you there. One hour tops, and then we'll leave. I'm sure our creator won't mind."

"Correct, my love. Now, I'll race you to the sanctuary. One, two, three, go!"

I sprang into flight and took off, hearing my mate's protest of "Hey, no fair! Just wait until I catch you!"

If her bodily assault minutes earlier was anything to go by, I surely did not want her to get within wing-reach of me. Therefore, I flapped even faster, the foliage around me reduced to a uniform blur of color.

It was then I realized I wasn't even flying in the direction of the renovated sanctuary, and an immediate course correction was in order. Divining its whereabouts based on my current location, I prepared myself for a wild maneuver.

I deployed my tail and swiveled it to the right, executing a vicious banking turn that would have broken a normal bird's wings. As soon as I came out of the turn, my left wing clipped a protruding branch that happened to lay in my path.

As the sturdy leading edge of my wing met the wood, it severed it cleanly. I suffered no aftereffects from the minor collision, but I could plainly feel Jewel's wing-beats approaching.

"You're dead meat, Blu!"

"Not likely!" I screeched back, driving myself even harder to break away from her.

While blazing a trail through the rain-forest, my mate hot on my tail, I knew that I could not be more pleased, more content. Jewel and I were together once again, and more importantly, free from the fetters of weakness that biology placed upon normal living creatures.

No longer having to fear the prospects of sickness and death, our second lives were truly complete, truly uplifting. Before long, our six offspring would become an integral part of that fabric. A family of supreme beings, borne from the most humble, grueling circumstances.

In truth, we would become that and more, so much more...

Blu and Jewel's visit to the lab proved to be a wise choice, for Julius and his team satisfied their quest for knowledge fully. He described to them the receptacle that held the encoded information extracted from their brains, deeming it a Scion.

That tiny sphere in their chests held a top-of-the-line processor and data-storage bank, equivalent to an office building's worth of storage and computation power. In essence, as they soaked up whatever was told to them, it became a permanent part of their minds.

As they learned, so did their Scions, meaning that their intelligence was constantly being revised, expanded. There was practically no limit to how smart they could become, a notion that thrilled Blu and Jewel equally.

Every aspect of their bodies were directly controlled by the Scions as well, by means of durable wiring barely a millimeter in thickness. The total length of wiring in each of their bodies amounted to an astounding thirty-five miles.

Nonetheless, Julius told them, 90% of their mass was attributed to their two inch thick bodies – given the technical name of "Shells" – composed of pure tungsten carbide. Their six-foot wingspans were needed to establish enough lift to allow them to become airborne.

Blu and Jewel learned that a miniature hydrogen fusion reactor inside their heads provided the electrical power to run their Scions. The wiring that flowed from the reactor – aptly named a "Core" – passed through the Scion and then connected with the mechanical joints and servos, allowing them to function as thirty-five miles of thin cable thus functioned as both an electrical conduit and control channel.

Their eyes were screens modeled after LCD technology, yet massively more advanced. The macaws saw their world normally, as if using a HUD, but on the outside, the eyes glowed due to the power provided by the Core.

The hue of their eyes was a direct measure of the Core's power level, which would fade over the period of a decade. The Core could be replaced within minutes, a trivial action at most.

Most intriguing of all was the addition of the feathers to their bodies, which Blu and Jewel were desperate to discover more about. Samuel, the master of the adornment, informed the macaws that all he did was skin their old bodies, and then grow the solid piece sheet of tissue until it was large enough to veil their new bodies.

The sheet of feathers was then attached to the Shell's bare surface by means of cauterizing, in which the underside of the tissue was fused to the substrate by application of intense heat.

Even though the tissue was no longer living – which meant that the feathers would not be shed and renewed – Samuel had treated them for hours in a protective bath of chemicals. Those chemicals had been absorbed into the feathers, providing them with unnatural resistance to wear and tear.

Their artificial skin would have to be replaced once per year, but it was a simple procedure.

Blu and Jewel were enlightened tons of information, but they did not dare forget the set-in-stone reunion they had planned with their children.

After Julius and his team came to an appreciable stopping point in their conversation with the macaws, the avian duo fled the research building.

As expected, words were in short supply on the younger macaws' end.

Tears of joy, however, stained the ground from six pairs of eyes, and Blu and Jewel soon joined in the lachrymose affair. When the children were finally able to speak, they uttered phrases of bewilderment, joy, and most of all, love.

Separated from their up-bringers for a full day and night, they could not have been any happier to embrace with their dearly-missed parents. After emotions finally simmered down, Blu and Jewel took the time to graciously explain every facet of the recent events they endured.

They began with their individual memories of awakening for the first time, fitting in with their new designs, and their reunion with each other, concluding the chat regarding the deep discussion with the humans who had made it all possible.

Rendered silent for a second time, the still-ordinary macaws hugged Blu and Jewel tenderly. Spirits were high among the six macaws and their modified superiors, who could draw an infinite amount of joy from merely being close to their six little miracles...

Only one mere week after Blu and Jewel were transformed, the process was repeated with each of their six progeny, uniting the macaw family in the most inseparable of ways. Now that all was well with the eight birds, they finally were able to relax and lead much more serene lives.

In the years that followed, Blu, Jewel, and their offspring occupied themselves by studying heavily whichever topics interested them. The small store of books trapped in the lab was quickly exhausted, and, five years after Blu and Jewel's renaissance, Julius and nine of his fellow scientists embarked on a globe-trotting adventure.

The remaining ten scientists kept themselves rooted in Rio, thinking up new improvements that could be applied to the macaws, in the manner of updates.

All eight macaws tagged along with Julius and the others, for they were the real stars of the show. It was high time that the entire planet learned of the team's remarkable work and just-as-insane results. The band of brothers kept things local for one year, hopping around from place to place in South America.

Garnering much support from all of the researchers and enthusiasts they encountered, they had set the stage to burst out onto the scene. Naturally, the next visitation site was Mexico, and it was there that things got serious for the roving gang.

Deep in Mexico City, a stubborn drug lord named Ignacio "Iggy" Sandoval was working furiously to keep his cartel alive, battling the Mexican police and federal agents as they cut off his suppliers and captured his top buyers.

The struggle hit close to home for the robotic macaws.

While they and their scientist caretakers were chatting on the street with a group of amazed policemen, a drive-by shooting left two of those officers dead. Karen, Tom, and Fred were hit and rushed to the hospital.

Vengeance flowed into the systems of their fellow scientists, as well as the macaws' mentalities.

Seeing a chance to physically prove Blu and Jewel's worth, rather than simply showing them off at science meets and research labs, Julius requested to have the macaws inducted into the fight.

Impressed with the idea and hellbent to end the loss of his people's lives, the Mexican president agreed, and the two Spix's Macaws met with the top federal officials to be briefed on the situation.

The younger macaws were excluded, the reason being that they absolutely need not be subjected to the rigors and horror of death that the operation called for.

Blu and Jewel's vast capacity to soak up knowledge and analyze it on the fly amazed the assault squads, and needless to say, the avian duo were deemed the operation's key players. They were tasked with ensnaring the drug lord and killing anyone else with deadly force.

On the day of May 20th, as part of a high-level strategy, nearly all of the Mexican Government's forces retreated as Blu and Jewel were dropped off outside Mexico City, a mile away from Iggy's stronghold. With all of Mexico and most of the rest of the world watching, Blu and Jewel began their rampage.

With all the precision of expert assassins, the macaws slashed their way towards the hideout, using the land for cover and eliminating any who dared to stand up to them.

With nothing but their scythe-like claws and bone-crushing strength, Blu and Jewel penetrated the compound within three hours, leaving a smattering of dead and mortally wounded humans in their wake.

Though their Shells were pockmarked from bullet impacts and scratched from knife blades, they were eager to finish the fight. They slipped their way through the expansive hideout, silently killing all hostiles they encountered.

When all but the big man himself was left, Blu and Jewel found him defiantly standing in the doorway of a posh room, AK-47 at the ready. With twenty guards flanking him, all heavily armed, it seemed an unfair match.

That was not the case.

While bearing the brunt of lead showers from all directions, Blu and Jewel routed the enemy soldiers. However, Blu unfortunately took a clip-full of bullets in the back, and the short range allowed the pellets to penetrate his Shell deep enough to cause serious damage.

With her mate incapacitated – yet still conscious – Jewel redoubled her efforts to avoid being taken down herself.

She slaughtered the last ten humans with blind rage, but before the man behind it all could be captured, he committed suicide before Blu and Jewel's eyes.

Too consumed with worry for her mate, she did not care, and so she left the coward's headless body behind while airlifting Blu to safety.

With the operation declared a success, the president of Mexico bestowed award medals to the macaws, while thoroughly honoring the humans for their groundbreaking work in creating Blu and Jewel.

Julius and his diminished team remained in Mexico City to repair Blu while the drive-by victims healed, having to craft him an entirely new Shell and re-culture a new feather cloak.

Thankfully, his Scion and Core were spared any trauma, the only consolation conjured by the situation. The humans worked swiftly, having all the materials they required provided to them by the deeply-indebted Mexican authorities.

Blu was brought back to life by the end of the month, around the time that Fred, Karen and Tom made substantially lucky recoveries. After the once-injured parties engaged in a tearful reunion with each other, they departed to the grand U.S.A.

If anything, the 6 month long experience in Mexico had utterly convinced the scientists that there was always a price to pay for upholding the peace. Never again would they endanger the lives of their brainchildren for the sake of vigilante justice.

Little did they know, their intervention in that affair – while strongly supported in Mexico – would sow the seeds of doubt and exploitation elsewhere on Earth.

Upon arriving in the United States, namely Texas, Blu and Jewel's Scions were duplicated as a measure of precaution, as well as the Scions of their progeny. Following the completion of that side task, the true trail of enlightenment for Blu and Jewel's caretakers truly gained a foothold.

Countless expositions of the macaw family were organized and attended, with the masterminds behind them the guests of honor. Many times, Blu and Jewel were there to dispel the mystery of their lives, while Julius's entourage provided a more technical overview of how they were designed and how they operated.

Countless masses of notes and data were scribbled down at each and every site where an expo was held, with the hope that that same technology could be instituted in America.

After spending three years roaming the States, both parties involved knew they had accrued all the support they would ever need, and so all that was left to do was conclude the tour. Overseas they went, sweeping east across Europe at a reasonable pace, spending two years there, and by now holding worldwide fame.

Their reception among the European scientific community was no less divine than their previous visits, but came – unsurprisingly – with added bonuses. Julius and his cohorts were granted the collective honor of three Nobel prizes in Stockholm, Sweden, the reward money totaling five million U.S. Dollars.

Underneath the layers of supremacy, however, swelled undercurrents of displeasure from many observers.

Granted, it was natural for views to vary among the populace, but with such a crowded planet, a noticeable fraction of the humans on Earth bore negative feelings. The traveling stars pushed aside the oppression and growing tides of media outcry, since many more sympathized with them and craved to reproduce the technological marvels.

Russia, India, China, and Japan tacked on another four years to the trip's duration, the media-inspired unrest clinging to the group like a parasite. The Indonesian islands and Australia were set as the final stops for the global trek.

The feathered machines and their compatriots were always thankful of the praise and cheers they received from the enthralled Einsteins of the era, but the length of their trip and anxiety over the uprisings was clearly taking its toll.

Incredibly homesick they were, dying to return to the simplicity and benevolence of life in Rio de Janeiro. They consumed three trying years touring those two areas, counting off each day that brought them closer to their evacuation date.

On a brilliant Australian afternoon in August of 2089, heaving masses of people gathered at the Sydney seaport to bestow farewells upon the dubious travelers. A few riots broke out, incited by the less-than-appreciative onlookers, and the two-species team made a hasty retreat onto their allotted mode of travel.

Rather fittingly, they settled for a ride far more upper-class and convenient than a regular passenger jet, due to the crowded, traffic-laden skies. Instead, they boarded an undersea train that would ship them all the way across the Pacific to their homeland.

It functioned much like the Channel Tunnel, despite being many orders of magnitude more advanced and lengthy. As the shadow of night caught up with the train, turning the sea all around into a creepy black expanse, the humans drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, the feathered beings maintained a constant vigil of the outside world through the vehicle's view-ports. Their advanced vision centers allowed the birds to observe the dark ocean with clarity, spying all manner of creatures navigating the depths, both large and small.

The luxurious vehicle churned its way across the Pacific inside its fortified tunnel at a trance-like pace, balancing travel time with the opportunity to be awed by the wonders of the ocean.

The subsurface taxi erupted from Rio's bay close to noontime, proving to a rude awakening for most of the beings aboard. Groggily, all but Blu and Jewel roused themselves and were lavishly escorted via hover-limo to their jungle abode.

It was going to be a very long night for all the individuals involved.

The birds, untainted by the clutches of sleep, ambled through the front door ahead of the humans, which was wide open and drooping from its hinges. They were immediately paralyzed by the disaster in front of them: the interior looked as though a bomb had gone off.

Broken hand-held equipment lay strewn all over. Computers, data storage banks, and manuscripts littered the floor, abused and forgotten. The windows were all shattered, the walls riddled with large chips and gouges.

"Julius, get in here. We've got a hell of a problem!" ordered Blu.

Crackling sounds were heard as the human party came up behind the birds, plastic and glass being crushed beneath their feet.

"By the gods, our lab is wrecked! What happened in here?" questioned the brunette male furiously.

Turning to him with a sour look on his face, Blu retorted, "That is the million-dollar question..."

Karen piped up, "We have to search the place, see if we can uncover any clues."

Shaking his head, Julius plodded into the space and screeched, "I know! Get to it then!"

Slowly, carefully, the party disbanded, pecking through the debris inch by inch.

While the children rooted around near the back door of the trashed room, Blu and Jewel scuttled over to the sheltered transfer room, the site of their passing. Finding the door closed, Blu pushed against it with his wing, startling himself and Jewel when it tore away from the wall and slammed onto the floor.

"Yikes! Okay, that's one way to gain entry. You go first, Jewel."

She obeyed wordlessly, clambering over the fallen door and boosting herself onto the bent metal table in the center. While Blu scoured the floor, she slowly raked her gaze around in a complete circle, scrutinizing the walls, counters, and even the ceiling.

Destruction was everywhere, but as far as evidence went, there was none. Gritting her beak, she dropped to the floor in front of her mate, catching his attention.

"Any luck finding out who caused this madness?"

"Sorry Blu, but no."

"Ugh, damn it! Come on, let's go see if the kids had any luck..."

Blu excused himself from the room, his face hard with anger and confusion. Jewel trailed him closely, eying the ground while she walked.

Coming upon her children still plodding around at the rear of the building, she and Blu approached Liliana, the youngest, technically speaking.

"Anything interesting so far, daughter?" Blu asked, frustration lending an edge to his voice.

"Nope. Not yet..." she replied, tossing a shard of glass aside with a flick of her foot.

Blu peered over her and queried, "Ricardo? Vicente? Esperanza? What about you?"

"Sorry Dad, we're still looking..." they murmured in unison.

Turning back to Jewel, he chided, "Do you think the other half of his team could've had something to do with this? Why aren't they here?"

Scratching her head with her wing, Jewel said, "What reason would they have to do so? For all my intelligence, I can't think of one. And perhaps they're out frolicking in Rio. We don't even know if they know this happened. It could've taken place minutes ago."

Lowering his head in a thinking pose, Blu spied something clinging to his mate's foot.

"What the? Lift up your right foot, honey."

"Why?" she countered curiously.

"There's something on it!"

Complying, she extended said foot in Blu's direction.

Blu used his talons to pluck a folded piece of blue paper from one of her own sharp toes. Carefully unfolding it, he noticed a hole where it had been punctured by her talon.

Ignoring the scar, he realized it was a blueprint concerning Blu and Jewel's designs. Seeing nothing of importance there, he flipped it over to the normally blank backing.

His eyes seemed to burn brightly with emotion as he grunted, "Humans, kids, get over here. I believe we've found out whom the culprits are..."

As the others charged over and gathered around Blu, Samuel asked, "What are you holding? What do you mean?"

"Spit it out, Blu! This isn't funny!" pressed Jewel.

"Alright! Be quiet, so I can read it."

Blu better gripped the page with his left talon, giving his head a shake to refocus.

"We hope you enjoy the exciting new look of the lab. Think of it as a going away present from us. Stacy suggested we do it, so she gets all the credit. Anyhow, had we known you would coerce Blu and Jewel into such a heinous act, we never would have let you go. Being as you were in Mexico, we couldn't really stop you. As if that wasn't enough, you allowed them and their kids to be presented at science meets and studied like fantastic toys, with all of you there to support the endeavor without a hint of shame. Julius, you and your colleagues skewed the very purpose of creating the birds. You turned them into objects of worship for your own gain, with no regard for their self-worth or individuality. As far as we are concerned, you are no longer worth working alongside, and thus we have severed all bonds with your entire project. Many millions of people deem you and the others as exploitative, selfish, heartless humans, and quite frankly, we agree with them. We have fled Rio de Janeiro, though we will not reveal our destination. We are in the process of creating a plan to end you and your demonic practices. Once we bring you and your cohorts to justice, the world will see us as the heroes. The fame you have worked so hard to culture will become ours, and those countless millions will forever be appreciative of our actions. Be warned, Julius, expect retribution to arrive in many forms. Severe consequences will come to all of you who resist us, whether you are human... or otherwise..."

Blu glanced at the bottom of the note and continued, "Signed by Stacy, Kevin, George, Drake, Sonny, Liam, David, Tyrone, Kelly, and Janice. Created July 17, 2087."

Blu released the crumpled page, unable to find words to describe the treachery behind the chaos. After three full minutes of silence, Tom grasped his hair with his hands.

"Those... bastards! That paper is filled with lies! What on Earth are they thinking?"

Tom's words were quite true, only exacerbating the tense emotions in the room.

"What do they mean by 'expect retribution to arrive in many forms?' " yelled Karen.

"They betrayed us, slandered us and all we've worked for, based on a cluster of uneducated assumptions?" Julius asked fiercely.

He glared down at the macaws, the most victimized of them all.

"Make no mistake, they will pay for this uncouth attack. Rest assured, my avian friends, they will not harm you. While none of us know how they plan to retaliate, I believe we should prepare for the worst..."

While the humans marched around, bewildered and raging, Blu faced his family with an expression of sheer conviction.

"I am wholly convinced that the excrement has just collided with the rotary air circulation device..."

The torn-up team focused on tidying up the lab and attempting to pinpoint the location of their adversaries.

They set about petitioning various scientific entities to provide them with replacement equipment and supplies. Slowly but surely, aid trickled in, and within two months, most of the building was restocked with crucial tools of the trade.

Not knowing what to expect, the humans opted to conjure up improvements to the macaws that would improve their designs. The first item to come out of their fear-driven work was a mini-turbofan that would grant the birds powered flight.

Nine prototypes were crafted over a period of four months, until a final version was settled on and implanted in all eight machines. Able to be deployed at will, the miniaturized jet engines worked extremely well, boosting the confidence of Julius and his team.

That was the only major structural change bestowed to the birds, as the rest concerned mechanical and electronic upgrades. Their mobility was increased by reworking their joints, their responsiveness augmented by laying down more transmission cables inside their Shells.

Time seemed to rush on by as the researchers toiled away, and by the dawn of the year 2090, they began to wonder if the note was just one giant scare tactic. They took a long-awaited break and slowly restored their appreciation for the simple times.

It was not until July 17th of that year – an especially significant date – that the grim truth was revealed to them.

During the middle of the night, while everyone except Blu and Jewel were snoozing inside the renovated lab, the city of Rio was turned upside down.

A four-hundred strong armada of relatively large birds poured out from a rift of lightning. A few of the more curious townspeople emerged from their homes to investigate the alien experience, only to discover firsthand that what lay in the streets was far from normal.

The birds actually spoke to them, and although the onlookers believed they were sent by that famous group of scientists nearby, that notion changed swiftly.

The armada turned fierce and ordered the civilians to evacuate, lest they be forced to use violence. The humans were not the real targets, but they would become extraneous casualties if they refused.

Fearing for their lives, they complied, piling all they could into their levitating vehicles and streaking away to the northern skies.

News of the intrusion raced across the city like a tsunami, and not thirty minutes after the first sightings, the sky hummed with the soundtrack of thousands of refugees.

Those who were not fortunate to own such lofty means of escape fled on foot, taking with them all they could carry or transport in small carts and baskets.

Seeking the safety of the jungle, thick streams of people filed into the rain-forests all around the city, hoping to survive until the morning light, where they could cross over into the neighboring states.

It was one such river of frightened bipeds that alerted Blu and Jewel to the notion that something very malicious was occurring.

"Hey, wait! Can any of you tell us what's going on?"

Despite Blu's loud queries, the bustling people were simply too panicked to respond.

When a young girl clutching a few precious toys tripped and fell, Jewel saw an opportunity to acquire some answers.

She scampered over to the girl, and after propping her back up on her feet, pleaded, "Why is everyone running away? Please, young one, tell me!"

In a shrill voice – made all the more high-pitched from the stains of fear in her eyes – she cried, "Eu não entendo Inglês!" {I don't understand English!}

Jewel nodded and repeated, in the native language of Brazil, "Que diabos está acontecendo na cidade?" {What the hell is happening in the city?}

After gathering her keepsakes, the dirt-caked girl muttered, "Pássaros do ma estão matando as pessoas que não fuja. Eles estão vindo para cada oito pássaros azuis. Você deve sair, agora!" {Evil birds are killing the people who don't run away. They're coming for eight blue birds. You must leave, now!}

Before she could even say thank you, the victim ran off, finding her way to another who Jewel presumed was the mother.

She then ran over to Blu, who was still begging for answers, and whirled him around with her wings.

"Blu, we have to inform the others! Rio is under attack by birds, and I think I know where they came from..."

Shocked, he stuttered, "Oh no. You don't mean... let's get in there, then!"

Hastily, Blu and Jewel ran around to the side of the structure, smashing their way in through a window. Seeing their comrades huddled up in the center, they quickly announced the situation, persuading them to all stay inside and hunker down.

Their babies wanted to help, but Blu and Jewel wouldn't stand for it, saying that they would defend the building on their own.

Returning to the chaos of the outside world, the adult macaws tried to guide all of the willing refugees into the sanctuary. Small handfuls here and there entered the building, and although it was only a minuscule handful of the total number of escapees, that could not be helped.

As the interior became crammed with sweaty, exhausted bodies, the additional humans crowded behind the building and along its outer walls.

Meanwhile, Blu and Jewel flew over to the beginning of the long-forgotten drive as the river thinned out, awaiting the inevitable arrival of the aggressors.

Blu and Jewel could not directly observe the main sprawl of the city from their location, but faint screams and the whine of accelerating airborne vehicles was an assault on their ears.

"It must be Hell out there," he stated succinctly, "Jewel, get ready, because a fight to the death is close at hand."

Staring into his eyes with fiery malice, she declared, "Trust me, Blu, I will let nothing survive."

Emboldened by her decree, Blu replied, "Agreed, my love. We'll fight through this together..."

As the last of the fleeing bipeds blew past them without so much as a backwards glance, the adult machines stiffened their wills, training their luminous eyes on the plants that cut across the path in front of them.

With the drone of the airborne vehicles still present, any additional sounds were easily detected. As a rustling din poured from the foliage a mere thirty feet from the guardians, three metal birds exploded onto the path – only half the size of the Spix's Macaws, yet still very threatening.

Taking less than a second to identify their enemies, they charged at Blu and Jewel, turning into thee blurred shapes. Two of them were dispatched with relative ease, but the third, a Military Macaw, took advantage of the distraction.

Leaping on Blu's back, he tackled him to the ground, stabbing two of his talons into Blu's neck. The drawback of the cables that controlled his Shell was that any damage he suffered was converted into a familiar stimulus: pain.

Unable to hold back the mind-bending fire that stunned his system, he cried out, "Ahhh! Jewel, help!"

Rushing to his aid, she tore the grinning macaw from his back and wrenched his head off, separating Core from Scion and nullifying the threat permanently.

Blu was jerked back to his feet with Jewel's aid, and she proceeded to ask him quickly, "Are you hurt badly? Can you still function at maximum capability?"

Being that no more pain wracked his body, he determined that the holes in his neck were merely flesh wounds, so to speak.

"No, I'm fine. I won't give up now. The battle's only just started!"

Blu hunkered down next to Jewel in an intimidating stance, showing no signs of reluctance or weakness. They were only given a minute to recover before the next wave of enemies confronted them.

The second skirmish was a ten-on-two affair, and both Spix's Macaws flexed their talons in preparation for the slaughter...