By this time 20 years in the future, Death has gone through half a dozen faces. Her current one is unknown to Lydia. But when the Duchess returns to the palace, @KalineBillington is up and around, albeit with a walker and with the physical guidance of a nurse.

“Kallie! You’re up! How do you feel, my love?”

Lydia had almost given up hope. Kaline was a whisper of her former self and there had been no word from Dr. Verrick in weeks. But right when things seemed at their darkest, @VivianVerrick appeared in the atrium of the palace with a silver case in hand.

Could it be? The Duchess races down the spiral stair to the foyer, a cautious grin on her face. When the doc answers in the affirmative, Lydia throws her arms around her wife’s savior.

There is surprisingly little to administering the cure, >

I will get you restored, my angel.

Dr. Verrick is close to a cure.

“Kallie?” Lydia pokes her head into the bedroom where @KalineBillington has been staying and has been cared for by a team of royal doctors. “Are you awake?”

It’s been a rough few months; Kaline’s condition has significantly deteriorated and the cyborg now needs round-the-clock care.

Take proper care of my wife, Dr. Verrick.

You do not want to know what will happen if you fail.