[B]1  -  Mall[/B]


April 18, 2373


Seth squeezes his mother’s hand, looking up into her dark, green eyes as they step away from the travel node. He glances to the right, looks at the building and its huge symbol, looks back up at his mother’s badge, and smiles with anticipation as they walked through the entrance.

He loved the mall. Every Saturday, she would bring him here. They lived in Brooklyn, so it wasn’t necessary to use the gates. They could easily walk to the mall, but Seth was fascinated with gate travel, so they always took a route that involved two jumps.

They enter the crowded mall and walk down the crystal-clear ramp. Seth lets go of his mother’s hand, stretching his arms out to his sides, looking down as he walks, pretending he’s flying. Reaching the bottom of the ramp, he smiles and waves to a group of police officers.

Arriving at the restaurant, Seth takes a seat at his favorite table, the one with the best view, and waits anxiously as his mother speaks to Mark, the man at the counter. He pulls his gaze from his mother, looking around at the mall. Such a great place, and so many people. He watches the people, walking, running, sitting, shopping … and he looks at their badges, seeing some of his mother’s friends. He looks back as his mother sits down, the smell of the pizza she puts on the table bringing a wide smile to his face.

…

As he takes a large bite of his second slice of pizza, Seth stops chewing, looking to his mother as one of her friends approaches and leans down to whisper to her. He swallows the pizza quickly, watching his mother’s eyes. Something appeared in them. It was deep inside, almost unseen, so unfamiliar … she was [I]afraid[/I].

The friend speaks quietly. Seth probably could have understood his words if he really concentrated, but the fear in his mother’s eyes draws all his attention. The friend’s message is short. As he finishes, and takes his mouth from his mother’s ear, Seth hears one word, a name … “Jennifer”.

A soft smile comes to his mother’s face. “Finish your pizza, Seth.” She takes one of his hands in hers, giving it a little squeeze. “I just have to pick something up at the market. I’ll be right back.” Another little squeeze and she stands, nodding to her friend as they walk toward the marketing terminals. She glances back at Seth, giving him a smile and a wave.

Seth sees his mother’s smiles, but in her eyes, he still sees the fear. He looks down at his unfinished pizza. He wasn’t hungry anymore.

He looks across the mall to the marketing terminals. His mother and her friend meet up with two more people. It’s hard to see their badges clearly from so far away, but it looks like they’re more of his mother’s friends.

He thinks about the badges, his mother’s, and his father’s. When he was old enough, he would have one. Which one? He didn’t want to hurt his mother’s feelings, but he really hoped he would have a badge like his father’s. The stories his mother had told him about his father’s work had always excited him. He would be a police officer, like his father had been.

He watches his mother and her friends talking. She glances in his direction from time to time. The three friends turn from her, walking past the terminals and up the ramp. She stands alone for a few moments, staring ahead. Seth is surprised as she turns and heads back toward the restaurant. She didn’t buy anything. Maybe she remembered that they already had some.

He watches her carefully as she sits back down … watching her eyes as she looks at the pizza and gives him a smile. “Not hungry Seth?”

He shakes his head slightly. “Nope.” He returns her smile, happy to see that she didn’t look scared anymore.

He always looked forward to the ‘after pizza’ time. They would sit and watch the people and he would listen to his mother talk about things, sometimes, about his father.

Seth always got to choose the topic of conversation. For the last couple of weeks, he had been looking up into the night sky, watching the moon and wondering. He had asked his mother about visiting, but she had told him it would be best to wait until he was a little older. Until then, he was happy to ask questions and listen to her talk about her visits there.

…

“  … and you can look right out into the stars. That’s where I was when I first met …”
Seth’s mother stops talking mid sentence, looking past him. He sees the fear return to her eyes and feels a shiver run through him. Before he can turn to look, she stands, taking his arm, guiding him up from his chair and putting her hands gently on his shoulders.

She smiles “How about a surprise, Seth? Let’s visit the moon.”

Seth beams a wide smile, nodding vigorously. “Yes! Please!” He moves to pick up the left-over pizza. It was always his job to clean up the table when they were finished.

“That’s alright Seth. Mark will clean up this time.” She takes his hand in hers, looking down at him and smiling. “Let’s go.”

Seth is happy to find that his mother is as anxious to visit the moon as he is.

They walk toward the ramp. Seth catches his mother taking a quick, worried glance back toward the restaurant. He turns, looking back, seeing a few people sitting, a few standing, and the cold pizza.

Seth raises his arms, ‘flying’ back up the ramp. As they reach the top, he hears someone call his mother’s name.

“Naomi!”

He stops, looking back. A smiling woman looks up from the bottom of the ramp. Seth looks at her badge … one of his mother’s friends. He looks away to find his mother ahead of him, entering the travel gate room. He races to catch up with her.

Seth smiles, watching some police officers while his mother purchases tickets. He feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up into his mother’s eyes.

“Next stop …” she smiles, giving his shoulder a little squeeze, “the moon!”

If the fear was still in her eyes, Seth didn’t notice it. His mind was full of thoughts of flying ,  flying on the moon.

. .

[B]2  -  Visitor[/B]


April 24, 2373


Seth sits on his bed, looking out the window, looking up at the moon, and thinking about his visit to the moon base.

His mother sits down beside him, leaning over to give him a hug and a smile. “Seth, tomorrow morning, one of my friends from the CMG is going to drop by for a short visit.”

Seth’s eyes widen and his mother gives him another hug, laughing softly. “Don’t worry. I know that Saturday is [I]our[/I] day. I promise, just a short visit and then …” she gives him a little squeeze, “it’s pizza time!”


April 25, 2373


Seth looks out the window of the flat’s main room, looking up at the sky.

His mother sits on the couch. She glances at the flat’s gate and looks over at the time, displayed on the vid-screen. Looking at Seth, she smiles. “I’m sorry Seth. It shouldn’t be long now.” She gives him a wink as he turns from the window to face her. “Then, we’re off to the mall.”

Seth nods and returns her smile before turning back to the window. He didn’t mind waiting for the visitor. They never had many visitors. Seth could only remember a few times that some visitors had come to eat dinner. That was always on Sunday, in the evening. This was Saturday, in the morning.

He hears a familiar, low, “snap” sound, and turns to face the gate.

A woman with blue eyes and long, dark hair, steps from the gate. She wears Seth’s mother’s badge. Seth recognizes her. She was one of the friends that his mother met with at the market in the mall last Saturday.

The woman looks at Seth’s mother and smiles.  “Naomi.”

His mother stands “Tristan”. They approach each other, embracing briefly. She turns to Seth and smiles. “Seth, this is my friend, Tristan.”

Tristan walks to the window and crouches down, taking Seth’s hand in hers and giving it a shake. “Hello Seth. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Seth stares for a few moments, looking at her long, black hair, her light, blue eyes … like stars in a dark sky. He nods. “Hello.”

Tristan smiles, touching Seth’s nose with the tip of a finger before standing, and turning back to his mother.

“Seth, I’m going to talk to Tristan before we go to the mall. How about you watch a vid in your room for a few minutes?”

Seth nods and walks to his room. He touches the screen. He had watched the moon base vid more than 20 times. Now he’d been there, and it was time to move on. With another touch, he brings up another vid, detailing the colonization of Pegasi 51. His eyes widen as he sees the volcanoes and glowing lava.

His thoughts are lost in the red glow, the conversation between his mother and Tristan, a soft buzz in the background. The minutes go by …

Then, he hears a word in the buzz … a name … his father’s name. His attention turns from the vid to the conversation. He hears his mother’s voice …

“… didn’t want me to know. For my sake … and Seth’s”

[I]Tristan’s voice[/I] … “Where are these records, Naomi? Do you have them here?”

Seth hears sadness in his mother’s voice … “No, Tristan, not here. It’s been five years. They’re somewhere safe.”

“Naomi, you know that we have to see them before we can do anything.”

“Yes, I know …”

The conversation goes quiet for a few moments. Seth moves a bit closer to the open door of his bedroom, listening …

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Don’t worry, Naomi. You’ve really handled this well. If even half of those records prove to be true …” A pause. “Take your time. As you say, it’s been five years. Only the four of us know anything about this, and at your rank …”, Tristan laughs, “I doubt that Jennifer even knows who you are.”

Seth’s mother laughs weakly. “I’m sure you’re right. It’s just that last Saturday, after you left the mall …” she sighs, her voice growing softer, “Sometimes I wish I hadn’t brought it back. After William died, I spent the next year trying to bury it … forget it … pretend it really didn’t matter … concentrate on my happy memories, my career … and Seth, especially Seth.”

“Naomi, it really [I]does[/I] matter. You know that, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. Let’s all meet next Sunday. I’ll bring the records.”

“Alright. Try not to worry. We’re here for you.”

“Thanks Tristan, I know. I’m glad that I decided to come to you first. I don’t mean to rush you out, but I promised Seth we’d have our day at the mall.”

“Of course, Naomi.”

Seth listens to his mother approaching. She stands in the open doorway, giving him a smile. Her eyes are a bit red. Had she been crying? She looks at his vid-screen and blinks, looking back to him, a combination of amusement and surprise in her eyes. “Pegasi 51?”

Seth smiles and nods.

She takes his hand, giving it a little squeeze. “Let’s say goodbye to Tristan, then we’ll go to the mall.”

Tristan stands by the gate, smiling. “Goodbye Seth. I’m sure we’ll meet again.” She gives him a wink. “Enjoy your pizza. I’ll see you at the marketing meeting, Monday morning, Naomi.”

“See you then, Tristan, and thank you.”

Seth smiles and nods “Bye.”

…

The mall isn’t as crowded as it usually is on a Saturday.

Seth takes another bite of pizza, listening to his mother talk. He always got to choose the topic of conversation. Today, he had lots of questions about volcanoes and lava.

[B]3  -  Pegasi 51[/B]


May 2, 2373


“Alright Seth. Time to go.”

Seth hears his mother’s voice and smiles, turning off his vid-screen. He walks to the main room. His mother looks anxious and worried.

She smiles, “I have a surprise for you today.” She takes his hand and gives it a little squeeze. “Let’s go to the mall.”

….

Seth flies down the mall’s ramp, stopping suddenly at the bottom. A man, dressed in red, runs in front of him. Seth turns, watching the man run up the ramp. Four police officers are following. One yells, “Stop!”   They raise their guns and fire. The man in red let’s out a grunt and falls to the ground as he reaches the top.

Seth feels a hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright Seth. Let’s go to the restaurant.” his mother smiles, taking his hand. He follows, looking back at the officers as they stand around the man who fell down. He thinks about his father.

They walk past the crowded market terminals. Seth looks across to the restaurant. He frowns a little. Someone is sitting at his favorite table. He chooses another and sits down, anxious for pizza, and to find out what the surprise is.

…

Seth’s mother swallows a bite and gives him a curious look “Seth, why are you suddenly interested in Pegasi 51?”

He smiles “The volcanoes.”

His mother looks at him, silent for a few moments. She smiles softly. “Well, guess what?”

His eyes widen.

“That’s where we’re going!” She takes his hand, giving it a little squeeze. “No rush. Finish your pizza.”

He eats quickly, thinking about flying … flying over volcanoes.

…

Seth steps away from the travel node. His eyes widen, as he looks across at the windows, and out to Pegasi 51’s surface. He takes his mother’s hand and they cross the bridge.
He presses his hands to the huge window, looking out at the red glow… flying over volcanoes.

Several minutes pass before his mother takes his hand, laughing softly. “Alright Seth, let’s look around.”

They walk through the colony, Seth’s eyes, wide, with wonder. His mother ends the tour at the apartment area. Two men stand at the bottom of the stairs, talking. Seth looks at their badges. They’re not police officers or mother’s friends. He runs to the windows, looking out. A few minutes pass and the men leave. His mother turns to him.

“Seth, I need to visit an apartment here. Come on.” She takes his hand and they walk quickly to the apartment terminal.

…

The apartment is small and dark. Seth couldn’t imagine living in a place without windows. No way to see the sky or the stars. Everything looked and smelled dusty. It looked like nobody had been here in a very long time.

“Wait here, Seth. I’m just going to pick up something for my work.” His mother disappears into the small kitchen area.

Seth turns to the vid-screen. It’s dark and dusty. He hears sounds of things being moved and slid around, coming from the kitchen. He reaches out with a finger, slowly writing his name in the dust on the screen. He turns back to the kitchen as his mother comes back into the room.

“Alright Seth, let’s go home.” She smiles.

Seth swallows, seeing the fear in her eyes again.

…

They step from the node, back into the apartment area. Seth’s mother looks around and takes his hand, heading up the stairs. He glances back at the windows, and the red glow beyond.

They walk quickly. Reaching the travel gates, his mother moves to the terminal to buy tickets.

“Naomi!”

Seth recognizes the voice, and turns to see one of his mother’s friends. It was the smiling woman who’d called out to his mother when they were at the mall, two weeks ago. She was still smiling.

His mother turns quickly. “Oh … hello Carry.”

Carry smiles at Seth. “Hello Seth!”

He nods, “Hello.”

“So, Naomi, what brings you to Pegasi on a Saturday?”

Seth’s mother smiles, “Seth decided that he was interested in volcanoes, so we came to have a look.”

“Ahhhhh.” Carry looks back to Seth, still smiling. “Did you enjoy yourself, Seth?”

Seth nods, wondering if her face ever got sore from smiling so big, for so long.

His mother speaks. “I’m sorry Carry, we’re in a bit of a hurry. I’ve got a late night at home, finishing up some reports.”

“Alright Naomi,” Carry steps back, smiling. “I’ll see you next week.”

…

Seth sits beside his mother in the main room of their flat, watching the vid-screen. They watch the Pegasi 51 vid, talking about the things they saw that day. He doesn’t know why his mother didn’t work on her reports, but he’s happy she didn’t.

She takes his hand and gives it a little squeeze. “Seth, I have to go to a CMG meeting for a couple of hour’s tomorrow morning. You’ll be alright here?”

Seth smiles and nods, wondering why his mother looks so worried. Perhaps it’s because she didn’t finish her reports.

[B]4  -  Visitors[/B]


May 3, 2373


Seth sits in the main room, watching the Terra Venture vid.

His mother comes from her bedroom. “Alright Seth, I’m ready to go.” She smiles, but her eyes look worried. “I should only be two hours, maybe three.” She takes his hand, giving it a little squeeze.

A tone comes from the vid-screen, indicating an incoming call. His mother turns and touches the screen. The Terra Venture vid disappears, replaced by the face of one of her friends. Seth knew her. It was Tristan.

His mother looks surprised “Tristan?”

Tristan smiles “Hello Naomi. I’ve been thinking that the mall might be busy today. Maybe we should just get together for a soda at your place.”

She hesitates a moment. “Oh … yes. Sure Tristan. Why don’t you drop by?”

“See you in a few minutes.” Tristan’s face disappears and Terra Venture returns.

Seth’s mother stares at the screen for a few moments before turning to him, giving him another worried smile. “Well Seth, it looks like I won’t be going out now. We’re going to have some visitors.”

Seth nods, smiling. He couldn’t remember ever having visitors two weeks in a row. No wonder his mother looked surprised. He turns his attention back to the vid-screen as his mother goes to her room to change her shoes.

…

Tristan steps from the gate, giving Seth’s mother a short embrace.

A low ‘snap’ and a tall, thin man steps from the gate. Seth looks at his badge … another of his mother’s friends. The man stands by Tristan’s side.

Another ‘snap’ ,  another man enters, wearing his mother’s badge. He has dark eyes and very big arms.

They exchange greetings with Seth’s mother. She turns to him. “Seth, these are my friends, James,” she gestures to the tall man, “and Telo.” she gestures to the man with big arms. “You’ve already met Tristan”.

Seth smiles and nods to each man, in turn. He turns his gaze to Tristan’s eyes … like stars. She notices his stare and winks at him, laughing softly. Seth blinks, feeling himself blush, and turns back to his mother.

His mother takes his hand, giving it a little squeeze. “We have to talk about some boring CMG business, Seth. It shouldn’t take too long.”

He nods. His mother smiles and goes to the kitchen area. The visitors take seats in the main room. His mother returns, handing him a cold soda. Seth blinks, surprised. He was never allowed to drink soda in the morning.

His mother smiles, but it’s a worried smile “Alright Seth, why don’t you watch the Terra Venture vid in your bedroom.”

James smiles, “Terra Venture One? That’s my favorite colony.”

Seth returns his smile, surprised that such a thin man could have such a rich, deep voice.

…

Seth sits on his bed. He sets his vid-screen volume to low. His mother hadn’t told him he shouldn’t listen to what she and her friends were talking about, just that it would be boring. Well, maybe it wouldn’t be boring.

He had often thought about his father’s work and how exciting it would be to be a police officer. Since he’d become interested in the sky, the stars, and the colony terra-forming vids, he realized how exciting the CMG was.

Seth takes a sip of soda, watching the screen, but focusing his attention on the conversation going on just around the corner from his open bedroom door.

[I]Tristan’s voice[/I] … “I know and I’m sorry Naomi. That’s why I kept my vid-screen call to you short. Something came up and we thought it was best to come here instead of meeting on TV1.”

[I]His mother’s voice[/I] … “What, what’s wrong?”

[I]James[/I] … “Did you pick up the records?”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Yes.”

[I]James[/I] … “Yesterday? On Pegasi?”

A few moments of silence pass before Seth hears his mother’s voice. She sounds upset and afraid.

“Yes, but … but how did you know?  I was very careful. There was no one at the apartment terminal when we entered or left and I …”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Calm down, Naomi. We’re not sure that there’s a problem. We just didn’t want to take any chances until we could speak to you. No one knows anything about the records but us, so it’s probably nothing.”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Carry! She saw us at the travel gate.”

[I]Tristan laughs[/I] …“Yes, little miss ‘smiles’ herself. Jennifer’s so called, lap-dog.”

[I]James[/I] … “I was visiting the club on Pegasi last night. Carry was there, at a table with two of our supervisors and an exec. I happened to overhear some of their conversation. Most of it was Carry, reciting CMG policy, trying her best to sound like Jennifer.”

Seth hears his mother’s friend’s laughter. He remembers one of his mother’s friends, whispering to her in the mall. He’d heard that name in the whisper. He wondered who Jennifer was.

[I]James[/I] … “Anyway, she also mentioned that she saw you and Seth on Pegasi earlier that day. I thought that it was rather strange that she would take the time to mention that to the high ranks.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “That’s why we thought it would be best to meet with you here, just in case Carry has developed some sort of an interest in you and your travels. In any case, it doesn’t matter about Pegasi anymore. We have the records here now.”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Not … not all of them.” No one speaks for a few moments. “William left me some instructions about the reports, instructions that I’ll honor. One of them was to retrieve the reports in two lots, not all at once. I have the first section here. The rest of the reports are still in the apartment.”

[I]James[/I] … “Well …”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Tristan, William purchased the apartment a year before he died. He purchased it under a false name and used the LED network to mask the purchase file. The records are very well hidden and there’s nothing in there that would give any clues as to who owns it.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Alright Naomi. We just wanted to be sure.”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Maybe I should pick up the rest of the records tomorrow night.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “No, wait. There are more than eighteen hundred units in the Pegasi apartment complex. If a CMG team made an effort to search them all, it would take weeks. Why don’t you wait a week or so?  Much less suspicious, just in case Carry, or someone else, is watching.”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Alright Tristan, you’re right.”

[I]James[/I] … “Okay, Naomi. Let’s see what you have.”

Seth hears papers being shuffled. Things go quiet for a few minutes.

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Wow.”

More quiet.

[I]James[/I] … “I can’t believe it. The interface, it’s so obvious! I’ve seen these hundreds of times.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “We all have. We’ve just never thought about their purpose.”

[B]5  -  Code[/B]


May 3, 2373


Seth takes another sip of soda. They were talking about records, records that had something to do with his father. He didn’t really understand what his mother and her friends were talking about, but he heard the urgency and excitement in their voices. He listens, fascinated …

[I]Telo[/I] … “So … a portable, local device is used?”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Yes.” More paper shuffling. “These are the schematics.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Show them to Telo.”

Silence ,  Seth watches the last minute of the Terra Venture vid and touches the screen, starting it again.

[I]Telo[/I] … “A simple device with a hard coded protocol. No AI or fuzzy behaviors.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “It doesn’t need to be complicated. Look at these reports showing sections of the GD master code, the highlighted sections. The function is hard coded, spread through the master code.”

[I]Telo[/I] … “But, how did …”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Two hundred lines of code, hidden within the billions of lines that make up the GD master code. They’d never be noticed. Almost impossible to find, even if you had an idea what you were looking for.”

[I]Telo[/I] … “Yes, I understand that they would be impossible to find now, but, how did they get there in the first place. There is absolutely no way to alter or add to the master code without the changes being detected.”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Look at the time stamp on those master code reports. That’s the alpha version.”

[I]Tristan’s voice grows soft[/I] … “No one had to add or alter anything … the function’s been there since the beginning, been there all along. How many times has it been used, and by whom?”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “These reports show the details of the interface, the device, and how the coded function works. The rest of the reports show details of the function being used … more than three-hundred times over the years.”

Seth hears the fear in his mother’s voice. He listens, trying to understand.

[I]Telo[/I] … “With these schematics, anyone could construct and use one of these devices.”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Yes, anyone could, but the rest of the reports show that only one group knew about the device and used it. The corporation that created it. the Colonization and Mining Guild.”

Another silence.

[I]Tristan[/I] … “No wonder you didn’t want to go to our high ranks with this. I wonder how many know of it?”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “I don’t know. The last of the records show the device being used six years ago. A year before William died.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “These records, are you going to keep them here?”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Yes. I have a safe place.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Alright then. We’ll meet again when you have the rest of the records.”

Seth hears more paper shuffling.

[I]Tristan[/I] … “You two go ahead. I’m going to stay a few minutes.”

[I]James[/I] … “It might be better if we all left together, Tristan.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “No one saw us come in. You go ahead.”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “See you guys tomorrow, and thank you.”

Silence, and then, two low ‘snaps’ from the Vortex node.

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Are you alright?”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Yes. I just want to finish this.”

[I]Tristan speaks softly[/I] … “I know. Once you have the rest of the records, it’s finished for you. We’ll take the records and get the information to the right people. There’s no connection to you Naomi, or to William. You’ve done your part … you can go on with your life.”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “I’ll go back to Pegasi next Saturday, with Seth.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Speaking of Seth, I want to say goodbye.”

Seth hears them approaching. Tristan enters the bedroom. His mother stands behind her.

Tristan looks at the vid-screen and then to Seth, smiling. “I’m leaving now, Seth, and I wanted to say goodbye.” She moves to the side of the bed and crouches down. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to join you and your mom for pizza at the mall some Saturday.”

Saturday was [I]his[/I] day, [I]his[/I] day to spend alone with his mother. Normally, he wouldn’t like the idea of anyone else being there, but … he stares into Tristan’s sparkling, blue eyes, nodding and smiling. “Yes, please.”

Tristan laughs softly and reaches to touch the end of his nose with a fingertip. “Goodbye Seth. See you soon.”

Seth blinks and smiles. “Goodbye.”

…

Seth hears the ‘snap’ of the Vortex node. His mother comes back to his bedroom. She sits on his bed, beside him, and looks at the vid-screen.

“Terra Venture.” she looks at him and smiles “Think that’s the next colony we should visit?”

He smiles, “Yes, please!”

“Tell you what. Next Saturday, we’ll make another visit to Pegasi. The Saturday after that, we’ll go to Terra Venture. Sound good?”

Seth’s smile grows and he looks at the vid-screen, thinking about flying ,  flying on TV1.

His mother’s eyes and voice grow distant. “Things are going to change Seth. Soon, when this business is finished, we’ll do a lot more traveling. There are so many places I’ve wanted to show you.” She blinks and turns to him, taking his hand and giving it a little squeeze.

[B]6  -  Dust[/B]


May 9, 2373


Seth sits at his favorite table, watching his mother at the restaurant counter. She talks to Mark, ordering their pizza.

“Stop!”

Seth turns, as a man dressed in red runs past the restaurant, four police officers close behind. Seth recognizes the man. It was the man that got shot and killed at the top of the ramp last week.

As the man reaches the corner, he turns, firing at the officers. People nearby, crouch down or fall to the floor. The police return fire, and the man in red falls back against the railing. Another shot, and he bends back slowly, slipping over the railing and disappearing as he falls to the level below.

Seth wasn’t surprised to see the man in red again. A few months ago, the first time he saw someone get killed in the mall, his mother had talked to him. She told him about things called ‘clones’. Everybody, except poor people, had them. When you died, you could use one and just come back. He asked her if she had ever died. She told him that sometimes, she had to go to dangerous places for her work and yes, she had died and come back. He asked her if he had a clone. She told him he did, and never to worry. He asked her why his father didn’t come back. She told him that it was a ‘terrible accident’.

“You okay Seth?”

He turns to his mother, nods, and smiles. His mother puts the pizza and soda on the table and sits down. He looks across the mall, wondering if Tristan is coming to join them. As they eat their pizza and talk about TV1, Seth notices his mother, glancing around the mall. Perhaps she was watching for Tristan too.

“It won’t be a long visit to Pegasi, Seth. I just have to pick up one last thing from the apartment.”

Seth nods and clears the table. He smiles at Mark as he puts the used containers on the counter.

…

Seth steps from the travel node. His mother takes his hand, giving it a little squeeze as she looks around the apartment area.

Two police officers are sitting on the stairs, looking at them. Seth smiles at the officers. One of them gives a small wave. Three people are at the windows. Seth can’t see their badges.

He follows his mother to the apartment terminal.

…

As he enters the apartment, Seth’s eyes widen. He hears his mother take a short, quick breath. It’s dark. Only the glow of the travel gate illuminates the apartment. Enough light to see that everything is jumbled … broken … smashed.

He looks to his mother, wide eyed. She stares at the room, blankly. Her face is very white, her eyes, very dark.

Her pale face turns to him “Wait Seth.” She walks slowly, into the kitchen area.

Seth shivers, backing up into a corner of the room, looking at the dusty, overturned furniture, the bits of glass scattered across the floor, the carpet, pulled up and thrown against a wall …

His mother comes back into the room. He almost doesn’t recognize her … the utter despair in her face. She stands in the center of the room, her legs looking wobbly. She stares at the cluttered floor and speaks softly, to no one in particular. Her voice sounds far away.  Seth shivers again.

“No … we … I was so careful … how could … nobody knew the apartment number … nobody … just William and me … no clues … no way to know …” She stops speaking and stares at something in a dark corner of the room.

In the dead quiet of the apartment, Seth hears a low moan escape her lips. His wide eyes follow her gaze to the dark corner. A desk has been overturned. Beside it, sitting on its side, is the dark vid-screen. A name is written in the dust on the screen … ‘[I]Seth[/I]’.

He looks back to his mother, trying to understand her fear, and shivering with his.

His mother stands straight, taking a deep breath and wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. She walks to the corner where Seth stands, and crouches, pulling him into a hug. “It’s alright Seth. Don’t be afraid. I was just upset about my work. I shouldn’t have been so silly.” She kisses his cheek. “I’m sorry.”

She stands and takes his hand, giving it a little squeeze. “We have to hurry home now Seth.”

Seth nods, looking into her frightened eyes.

…

Seth steps into the apartment area. His mother takes a quick look around before putting a hand on his shoulder. “Alright Seth, I’ll race you to the travel terminals.”

He raises his arms, like wings, and fly’s up the stairs, his mother following, close behind. Their run to the terminals draws some glances, but he doesn’t see any of his mother’s friends.

…

Seth sits by the window of the main room, drinking a soda, and looking out. He looks over to his mother as she speaks a familiar name to the vid-screen.

“Tristan”

Tristan’s image is on the screen … “Naomi. Everything alright?”

“No. Can you come here? Now?”

“Of course I can.”

“I’ve changed the entry codes. I’ll send them to you.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can, Naomi.”

.

[B]7  -  Lost[/B]


May 9, 2373


Seth touches the screen, bringing up the TV1 vid. He leaves the volume low and sits back on his bed, listening to the conversation in the main room. Tristan had come to visit, and the tall man, James.

His mother’s voice sounds tired and sad …

“I’m sorry, I … they’re gone. The apartment on P51. Someone searched it thoroughly and found the rest of the records. They’re gone.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Gone? How Naomi? There was no time to do a search of every apartment on Pegasi, and, as you said, nothing that would link you to it. Unless … maybe someone searched the apartment entry log for that day.”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “No. William made sure that entries to the apartment wouldn’t be logged.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Then how …”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “It was Seth.”

Seth blinks, hearing his name, straining his ears to hear his mother’s low voice …

“When we were in the apartment last week, Seth wrote his name in some dust. I didn’t notice it. Somebody else did.”

[I]James[/I] … “You can’t blame yourself for that, Naomi.”

There’s a short silence. Seth feels heaviness in his chest.

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Let me check something. I want to look at the CMG’s master work schedule.”

Seth hears the low tones of the main room’s vid-screen …

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Whoa, May sixth to May eighth.  Pegasi 51 property assessment tour. A team of four CMG members. No names given. They were to tour the P51 apartments to make a quick assessment of condition and value. If the owner wasn’t available, they were authorized to use master key codes for entry. The data was to be submitted to the economics department to update our asset records.”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “So … during their quick assessment of the apartment, they saw Seth’s name.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “That still doesn’t explain how they knew anything about this in the first place. Sure, Carry saw you on P51 last week, but there’s no way she could know anything about the records.”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “I don’t know, Tristan. I don’t know how they knew.”

[I]James[/I] … “Do you still have the other records here?”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Yes. The schematics and code reports are important, but without the rest of the records, there’s no proof that the CMG created the device or ever used it. I’m sorry, I’ve let you down. I’ve let … let William down.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Quit apologizing Naomi. We have to figure out what to do next.”

[I]James[/I] … “Give us the records, Naomi.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “No. Wait James. We can’t leave here with the records. Someone might be watching the apartment node. If someone suspects Naomi, they might suspect us. We need … we need a little time to think about this, but not here. Naomi, will you be okay by yourself here, for a couple of hours?”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Yes, we’ll be alright.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “We shouldn’t leave together. You go ahead, James. I’ll meet you on TV1.”

[I]James[/I] … “Whatever you think is best, Tristan.”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Goodbye James, and thank you.”

[I]James[/I] … “Take care Naomi, and don’t blame yourself. You did very well, keeping this secret for so long and bringing it to us. You can’t hold yourself responsible for this, all because of a bit of dust on a vid-screen.”

There is a short silence. Seth hears the ‘snap’ of the travel gate.

More silence, then, Tristan’s voice …

“Vid-screen?”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “[I]No[/I] …”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Naomi?”

[I]Naomi [/I]… “Seth wrote his name in the dust on the vid-screen in the apartment, but … I didn’t tell anyone that. Tristan, how did James know? Was he one of the four CMG that assessed the apartments?”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “No, not James. I can’t believe it.”

Seth takes a deep breath, his eyes getting wet as he hears his mother crying …

[I]Naomi[/I] … “It’s all gone wrong … [I]so wrong[/I] …”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Naomi. Naomi! Do you trust me?”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Yes Tristan, I do.”

[I]Tristan[/I] … “Wait here with Seth. I’m going to get Telo. We’ll come back and take you somewhere safe. Telo has a place. I promise, it won’t be more than half an hour.”

[I]Naomi[/I] … “Alright.”

The travel gate ‘snaps’.

Seth waits. A few minutes pass before his mother appears at his bedroom door. Her eyes are a little red.

She smiles, “Seth, we’re going to live somewhere else for a while.”

His eyes widen …

“A really nice place, bigger than our flat, with big windows, on a colony you’ve never seen. A really nice place that your father bought for us. We have to leave right away, Seth.” She holds out a hand.

Seth jumps from his bed, taking his mother’s hand and looking up at her.

She leans down to kiss his forehead. “It might be a while before we can visit the mall again. We’ll go there first and get some pizza to take with us.”

Seth smiles and nods, feeling confused, excited, and wondering why they aren’t waiting for Tristan to return. He follows his mother, leaving the TV1 vid playing on the screen. She gives his hand a little squeeze as they step into the travel gate.

[B]8  -  Naomi[/B]


May 9, 2373


Seth steps from the travel node, onto the streets of Brooklyn. He takes his mother’s hand, looking up at her.

She smiles, “You don’t mind if we walk to the mall, instead of taking the gates, do you Seth?”

He shakes his head and smiles back at her “Nope.”

They walk quickly, passing a few police officers and some others Seth doesn’t recognize. He notices his mother, glancing about like she’s looking for someone.

It was a clear night in New York. As they walk, Seth looks up at the sky; taking quick glances ahead to be sure he doesn’t stumble. The stars looked different on other worlds, like Pegasi. He wondered what the stars would look like through the big windows of their new apartment.

…

Seth flies down the ramp, careful to steer around people who were coming up. The mall was crowded. There were lots of shoppers and police officers. At the bottom of the ramp, his mother takes his hand.

She smiles, “Let’s get some pizza.”

They walk past the busy marketing terminals. Seth looks across to the restaurant as they round the corner, and smiles. His favorite table is empty.

“You can sit down for a minute, Seth. I’ll get us some pizza, and then we’re off to our new place, a real adventure for us.” She gives him a wink.

Seth sits at the table, watching his mother as she orders the pizza from Mark at the restaurant counter. His mind races, thinking about pizza, his mother’s friends, his father, his name written in dust on a vid-screen, and his new home with the big windows. He blinks and looks around the mall, wondering how long it would be before he could fly down the ramp again.

His mother comes to the table. “Okay Seth. I have five pizzas to take with us. We’re all set.”

Seth stands from his chair and takes his mother’s hand, smiling up at her. He looks into her eyes. She doesn’t look worried or scared anymore. The wonderful smell of hot pizza comes from her backpack. She gives his hand a little squeeze. They leave the restaurant, and round the corner to the marketing terminals.

They reach the second terminal and his mother stops suddenly, looking toward the ramp.

Seth follows her gaze. Standing on the ramp, looking at them … a smiling woman … his mother’s friend, Carry. For a few moments, his mother stands still and silent.  

Suddenly, she lets go of his hand and turns to him quickly, stepping in front of him. Seth sees the sadness in her eyes. She lunges toward him, her arms out as if she means to grab him up, into a hug.

Instead … she pushes him.

Seth falls backwards, landing on his bum, and slides a ways along the polished floor of the mall, the wind knocked from him. He struggles to catch his breath, looking to his mother, his eyes wide with fear and shock.

She looks at him with sad eyes. “Seth, [I]I’m so s[/I]…”

A bright blue flash of energy explodes against his mother’s back. She closes her eyes and another explodes against her legs. Her eyes open and meet his. Time seems to stand still for a few moments … three more blue flashes … his mother falls to the polished floor.

Seth stands, his eyes fixed on his mother as he walks to her. A pair of arms picks up his mother’s backpack. A pair of legs runs away with it. He kneels by his mother’s side, looking down at her and blinking away hot tears.

There are shouts and shots in the mall, but Seth doesn’t hear them. He looks into his mother’s eyes. She stares up, looking far away … like she’s looking at the stars.

Seth takes his mother’s hand in his, and gives it a little squeeze.

[B]9  -  Alone[/B]


May 9, 2373


Seth feels a strong set of hands on his shoulders, pulling him away from his mother. His hand slips from hers and he looks back.

“Get back boy. It’s not safe.”

It’s a very large police officer. Seth can’t see his eyes through his dark visor.

“Was that your mother?”

Seth nods, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“Is your father in the mall?”

Seth shakes his head “Nope.”

“Stay right here for a minute.” The large officer signals to another officer, who comes to stand by Seth. He leaves them, going to speak with the four officers that are standing around his mother’s body.

After a short discussion, the large officer returns to Seth’s side. “Are you Seth, Seth Tarot?”

Seth nods.

“Okay Seth.” He reaches to take Seth’s hand. “I need you to come with me. It’s not safe for you here.”

Seth looks back at his mother, wondering how she’ll get to her clone, and wondering how long it will be before he sees her again.

“Don’t worry. We’ll look after your mom.”

The officer leads Seth around the corner and down the ramp to the first floor of the mall. He raises his visor as they walk, revealing a scarred face and large, grey eyes. He smiles down at Seth. “Have you ever been inside LED headquarters?”

Seth shakes his head. He had always wanted to see the place where his father had worked. Through his feelings of shock and sadness, he feels a pinprick of excitement.

As they exit the mall, Seth glances back. His eyes grow wide as he sees a figure in the distance, looking at him … dark hair … sparkling blue eyes, like stars …

Seth’s heart jumps as he sees his mother’s friend. He turns quickly, pulling his hand from the grip of the officer’s, running back into the mall and shouting “Tristan!”

The large officer turns and yells. “Seth!”

Seth runs around a few people and into the first floor. He looks around quickly ,  but she’s gone. He feels tears in his eyes again, and a large hand on his shoulder.

The large officer looks down at him “Seth, who was that?”

Seth looks around, his hopes sinking. She’s gone. He looks up at the officer. “She’s my friend.”

The officer glances up the ramp. “Alright, you’ll see her later. Let’s go, Seth.” They turn back toward the exit. “Promise me you won’t run off like that again.”

Seth blinks and nods.

…

Seth sits back in the oversized and overstuffed chair, his legs sticking straight out, not reaching the end of the seat cushion. He hears muffled voices behind him as he looks around at the office’s walls of shiny glass and metal. A large desk sits in front of him, its console, bright with colored buttons and lights.

The LED building was even better than he’d imagined. Maybe his mother was going to meet him here. Maybe they could take a look around together. He smiles at the thought.

The muffled voices grow quiet and Seth hears boot steps. A lady officer walks into his view. She steps behind the large desk and seems to reconsider, instead, she pulls another chair close to Seth’s, and sits.

“Hello Seth. I’m Officer Lana.” She smiles gently, but her eyes look sad. “Seth, I’m sorry, but there’s been an accident.”

Seth feels like he can’t breathe. He remembers the mall … asking why his father didn’t come back and his mother’s reply … [I]a terrible accident[/I].

Officer Lana leans closer to him and puts a hand on his shoulder. “Your mother won’t be coming back, Seth.”

Seth slumps forward, crying.

The officer stands from her chair and crouches to hug him. “Don’t worry, Seth. The GD will take care of you until someone comes to pick you up.”

…

Seth sits on the bed in his new room. It’s nice and clean and it has a vid-screen … but it doesn’t have any windows.

He looks at the door. His mother and father were gone. Would someone come to get him? Tristan saw him in the mall. She would know what happened to his mother. She was his friend. She would come for him.

He watches the door … waits … and hopes.

[B]Part 2

10  -  Mark[/B]


April 16, 2383


Seth looks out the window of the residence room, watching the fast moving clouds as they pass over the high-rises of Brooklyn.

…

Ten years had passed since his mother’s perma-death in the Brooklyn mall. An identity search had revealed that Seth had no living relatives. No one had come to get him. He was taken into the care of the Global Dominion. The Dominion housed, clothed, fed, and schooled him.

…

“We’re out of here buddy!” Jax gives Seth’s head a slap. “Free!”

Seth turns from the window, rubbing the back of his head.

Jax pulls his jacket over his shoulders, like a cape. He crouches down, bringing up an arm, pointing a finger, and raising a thumb. His dark eyes sight down his ‘finger gun’ and he turns slowly, scanning the room.

“Three weeks from now, I join the proud ranks of the Law Enforcement Department. Then it’s …” his finger gun jerks suddenly, “BANG-BANG bad guys!” He stands, laughing.

Seth shakes his head. “God help us … I mean them.”

“Seth, we’re done! Graduated! Time for celebration! Something special! I say Tokyo.” Jax’s dark eyes turn sinister. “Let’s go to Club 69!”

Seth smiles “Sorry Jax. I’m going to the mall.”

Jax gives Seth a blank stare “The mall?”

“It’s Saturday. I go to the mall on Saturdays”

“Yeah, but Seth …” Jax shakes his head. “This is a special occasion! You [I]always[/I] go to the mall on Saturdays.”

“Yes, and you [I]always[/I] go to Club 69 on Saturdays.”

Jax smiles and shrugs. “Okay. See yah buddy.”

…

Seth walks toward the mall’s lower level ramp. A group of four CMG members stand by the entrance to the storage terminal area …

…

It was six years after his mother’s death that Seth had first returned to the mall. He had visited the mall every Saturday since. In all his visits, he had never seen any of his mother’s friends he knew as a child. He had forgotten their faces and names, except for one … Tristan.

Once in a while, he would dream about his mother, he would dream about his father, and he would dream about blue, sparkling eyes in a dark sky.

…

Seth smiles at the young woman behind the restaurant counter. “Hello Jullian.”

She returns his smile. “Hi Seth. The usual?”

“Please.”

Seth takes the pizza and soda to his table. He takes a large bite, smiling as his comfort food does its work. He looks across the mall. Not many people. The mall had grown quiet over the past couple of years. He’d heard that the market in Germany was growing and attracting more customers. His thoughts wander.

Three weeks from now, he’d become a member of the LED, like his father. Some of the stories his mother had told him about his father’s career were still with him.

Seth swallows quickly, suddenly aware that someone is standing behind him. He turns, looking up at a man he recognizes,  the man who used to stand behind the restaurant counter. His eyes open wide with surprise. “Mark?”

Mark takes a seat at the table. “I’m glad you remember me, Seth. I thought my new hair style might fool you.” He chuckles, running a hand over his, almost bald, head.

Seth smiles “Of course I remember you. I’m surprised you remembered me, surprised you recognized me after all this time.”

“Couldn’t miss you Seth.” Mark grins, “You have your mother’s eyes.”

Seth blinks, both surprised and delighted at Mark’s comment. “It’s great to see you again. Where have you been?”

“I left Brooklyn seven years ago. I’m in a place of my own now, off world.” Mark looks across the mall. “I haven’t been back here much.”

“I missed you Mark.” Seth smiles, glancing at his pizza “After all this time, you’re the first person I’ve met who I knew when my mother was alive.”

Mark is quiet, seeming to consider Seth’s words for a few moments. “I knew your mother quite well … and your father.”

Seth blinks.

“According to my calendar, you’re eighteen years old.”

Seth nods. “Two weeks ago.”

“Seth, the day your mother died, you came here. When your mom ordered your pizza, she gave me something, something for you. She told me to give it to you, but not until you’d turned eighteen.”

Seth opens his mouth to speak, but Mark continues …

“I’m happy to honor your mother’s wishes.” Mark reaches inside his heavy jacket, bringing out a thick envelope. He sits it on the table, close to Seth.

Seth looks at the envelope. A name is written in his mother’s handwriting … ‘Seth’. He picks it up, slowly.

Mark leans close, speaking quietly. “You don’t have to open it here.”

“Alright Mark.” Seth puts the envelope in his pack.

“It was good to see you, Seth. I’ve got to get back to my place.” Mark stands, takes a glance around the mall, and walks from the table.

“Good to see you Mark. Thank you.”

Mark doesn’t look back as he heads for the ramp.

…

Seth enters the quiet resident’s room. Jax was out celebrating. He would have the room to himself. He sits on his bed, looking out at the early evening sky, thinking of his mother.

He reaches into his pack, moving the pizza-to-go aside, and bringing out the envelope. He turns it over and runs his finger under the under the adhesive fold, breaking the seal. His mind races with the possibilities of what might be inside.

Seth pulls the bundle of folded papers from the envelope. He unfolds and scans the papers, his expression of expectation, replaced by one of confusion …

Several pages of what looks like computer code with highlighted sections, and schematics of some kind of device.

[B]11 -  Memories[/B]


April 16, 2383


Seth gives his head a shake, knowing that this should mean something to him.

He looks at the document titled ‘Interface’ … an image of a production terminal. An inset image shows the back of the terminal. A small, steel plate with two data terminals is highlighted. Seth had never used the production terminals. The photos brought back memories of the few times he’d spent running around, or hiding behind them as a child, waiting for his mother to finish some business.

Seth blinks as memories of bits of a conversation he overheard long ago come back to him …

…

[I]“I can’t believe it. The interface … it’s so obvious! I’ve seen these hundreds of times.”

“We all have. We’ve just never thought about their purpose …”[/I]

…

Seth lays the document on the bed, beside him. He looks back to the remaining documents and takes a closer look at the schematic. The scaling is shown as ‘size as’. Whatever it is, it’s small, only about five inches square. He stares at the diagram as more distant voices come back to him …

…

[I]“So, a portable, local device is used?”

“These are the schematics.”[/I]

…

Seth is startled by the sudden clarity of memories, long forgotten. He struggles to put names and faces to the voices.

He puts the schematics aside, and scans the pages of computer code, understanding none of it. His gaze wanders to the window. He looks up at the Brooklyn sky and the evening stars. Tristan’s distant voice comes to him …

…

[I]“Two hundred lines of code, hidden within the billions of lines that make up the GD master code. They’d never be noticed. Almost impossible to find, even if you knew what you were looking for.”[/I]

…

More memories were returning. Things he had forgotten, or perhaps, tried to forget. Memories of the few weeks before his mother’s accident …his mother’s fear … unexpected visitors …a tall man with a low voice … running through the Pegasi 51 colony … a smiling woman …and his mother, staring up as she lay by the marketing terminals.

Confused and shaken, he opens the envelope wide, looking inside for something he might have missed… nothing. No note from his mother. No explanations. Why, and why now?

Seth gathers the documents and slides them back into the envelope. He goes to his closet, placing the envelope at the back of a high shelf. He turns off the room lighting and returns to his bed, laying down and looking out the window.

How could he find out more about the documents? They were obviously important to his mother. Even though he’d been traveling around New York and frequenting the Brooklyn mall for the past four years, he’d never even caught a glimpse of any of the CMG members he knew as a child. No help there.

Mark had said that he was a good friend to both his mother and father. Seth sighs, silently cursing himself for not asking Mark where his restaurant was located. He lies back, closing his eyes. Scattered memories fade in and out…

He is still awake, four hours later, when Jax returns, announcing his arrival by falling over a chair … and then, a table.

…

April 17, 2383


Seth smiles as he approaches the restaurant counter and sees Jullian’s hair. The dirty-blonde had become a dark, shimmering purple.

“Hello Jullian.”

Jullian looks up from a stack of disposable plates she’s counting, “Hi Seth.” She notices his stare and smiles. “Well … what do you think?”

He had been attracted to Jullian since he first met her when she’d started working at the restaurant a year ago. She was short, a little ‘plump’, and she had one of the prettiest faces that Seth had ever seen. “I like it …” his smile grows, “I like it a lot.”

Jullian blushes a little. “I’m glad. So … the usual?”

“Not today. Actually, I’m looking for some help. I’m looking for a restaurant. All I know is that it’s off-world and it’s owned by a man named Mark, the man who met me here, yesterday.”

“That older guy? Sorry, I didn’t recognize him.”

Seth smiles. “That’s alright, Jullian. Don’t worry about it.” He turns away, taking a step before Jullian calls him back.

“Seth, wait.” Jullian looks around the restaurant, “Before I got my job here, I applied at just about every off-world restaurant and club. I didn’t recognize that man from yesterday, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t own one of them.” She looks back to Seth “If it would help, I can make you a list of the off-world restaurants and clubs I know.”

He gives her a big smile. “That would be great, Jullian. Thank you.”

…

Seth hadn’t been off Earth since his mother’s death. This day, he had visited six colonies. He had visited eight restaurants and clubs. He had talked to employees and patrons.

No one had heard of Mark.

He walks down the steps, approaching the Pegasi 51 travel terminals, feeling tired and hungry. Using his, soon to expire, student travel pass, he buys a ticket home and steps into the gate. As the beam envelops him, he catches a glimpse of a figure at the far side of the room , a figure with dark hair and sparkling blue eyes.

[B]12  -  Tristan[/B]


April 17, 2383


Seth steps from the travel node and enters the mall. He moves quickly, brushing shoulders with a large man in red as he rushes to the ticket terminal and uses his pass to buy a ticket, back to Pegasi. His heart beats fast.

It was Tristan he’d seen. He was sure of it. He steps into the gate.

…

Seth arrives at the apartment area and runs up the stairs, heading for the travel gates. Memories of his mother and him, making this same run, flash back to him.

Arriving at the gates, he scans the room. No sign of her. She must have been leaving, but he’s certain that she saw him. She was looking right at him. Looking across the room, he sees two CMG members standing by the railing and talking. He walks to them. They end their conversation, looking over as he approaches.

“Excuse me. Have you seen Tristan recently?”

The younger man looks to the older.

The older man looks at Seth, cocking his head slightly and raising an eyebrow “Tristan?”

Seth glances at the man’s badge … rank five. “Yes, Tristan, a CMG member. Dark hair, blue eyes …” He trails off, seeing the blank expression on both men’s faces.

The older man shakes his head. “Don’t know any Tristan. Is she a new member?”

“No.” Seth scans the room. “She was here a few minutes ago.”

“I’ve been with the corporation for eight years. There’s no ‘Tristan’ in the ranks of the CMG.” The man smiles, “Were you looking to do some business?”

Seth looks across the room, to the area where he saw the blue eyed figure “No … no, thanks anyway.”

The younger man grins, giving Seth a strange look. They turn away, returning to their quiet conversation.

…

It’s 6PM when Seth enters the mall and walks down the ramp, heading for the restaurant. He walks past the marketing terminals and smiles as he sees Jullian coming around the corner.

She stops, returning his smile “Hi Seth.”

“Hello Jullian.”

“I’m just finished work. Time for some dinner.” She glances back to the restaurant. “I suppose you’re getting some pizza.”

He looks at Jullian’s pretty face, framed by shimmering, purple hair …

Jullian tilts her head. “Seth?”

He blinks. “That’s what I was planning, yes.”

“Well, it’s not that I mind pizza, but I’m going for the best sushi on Earth.”

Seth makes a face “Raw fish?”

She gives him a playful, scolding look. “Come on now. It’s very tasty, and besides, it’s full of healthy oils and proteins.”

“The supplements take care of that.”

Jullian sighs. “I know, but there’s still nothing like the real thing.” She smiles. “Well, I’ll see you later Seth.”

She walks past him, heading for the ramp.

Seth turns “Jullian?”

She stops, turning back to him.

He smiles “Would you mind some company?” His smile grows as he sees Jullian’s look of surprise.

…

The Tokyo club is quiet. A young couple sits at the bar. Three members of the Asian Coalition sit at a far table, drinking and talking quietly.

Seth watches Jullian as she eats, obviously enjoying her large portion of sushi. He takes another bite of his pizza … not nearly as good as the pizza in Brooklyn.

Jullian finishes, a satisfied smile on her face as she pushes the plate aside. She looks at Seth, looking deep into his eyes in a way that sends a shiver through him. He swallows his pizza quickly and looks away, not really meaning to. He looks back to her as she speaks softly.

“What’s wrong Seth?”

He gives her a questioning look.

“I can see it in your eyes. Are you in some kind of trouble?”

“No. I’m just disappointed. I didn’t have any luck finding Mark. Then, when I was leaving Pegasi, I saw an old friend, a CMG member who was good friends with my mother some years ago. I went back looking, but she was gone. A couple of CMG members I talked to didn’t even know of her.” He shrugs. “I just wanted to see her again.”

Jullian thinks for a moment. “Maybe she left the corporation, or joined another.”

Seth nods slowly.

She smiles. “Why don’t you take a look at the CMG rosters? Can you still use the computers at school?”

Seth’s eyes widen “Of course! The rosters should be available through the careers node.” He stands, looking down at his unfinished pizza. “Well, I’m full.” He smiles at Jullian. “That was nice, Jullian. I’d … I’d like to do it again. I’ll see you at the restaurant tomorrow. I want to get over to the computer lab before they lock up for the night.”

Jullian stands, giving him a warm smile. “Would you mind some company?” She takes his hand, giving it a little squeeze, sending another shiver through him.

…

The lab is almost deserted.

Seth chooses a secluded terminal and sits. Jullian pulls a chair close to him. He logs into the corporate careers node and selects the Colonization and Mining Guild. He enters the ‘contacts’ area and finds the link to the roster archives.

He looks at Jullian. “You know, I would have thought of doing this … eventually.” He gives her a smile.

“I know, Seth. You’re welcome.” She laughs softly.

The CMG’s current roster appears on the screen. The president was listed first. Then, other members in descending rank. Seth calls up a search for ‘Tristan’.

No record is found.

Jullian watches the screen. “Well, she’s not with the CMG anymore.”

Seth nods and returns to the archives, displaying the roster for the previous year … no record found.  He continues the search … 2381, 2380, 2379, 2378, 2377, 2376, 2375, 2374, 2373.

Seth blinks as the roster for 2373 appears. Something about the name at the top, the president of the CMG, Jennifer Hamton. He remembers a whispered name … Jennifer.  He takes a breath and calls up the search.

A record for ‘Tristan’ is found.

Seth shakes his head as he calls up the record “She must have left the CMG the same year that …” He stares at the screen, silent.

Jullian leans close. “Seth?”

He feels sweat on his forehead as he stares at the text …

[B]Hire Date    11-07-2369
Dismissal Date    14-05-2373
Reason For Dismissal    Deceased
                                         Cloning facility accident leading to perma-death[/B]

13  -  Jullian


April 17, 2383


He looks at the name on the screen, ‘Tristan Donnar’.

Jullian puts a hand on his arm. “Seth?”

Seth speaks to the screen, his voice, sounding distant. “She’s dead … only five days after my mother.” He reaches out slowly, touching the screen to bring up the file photo. The file text is replaced with the face of a blue eyed, dark haired woman. He stares at the screen in silence.

Jullian looks at the screen and speaks softly. “She was very pretty, Seth.”

He turns to her, shaking his head and looking confused. “No …” He turns back to the screen. “That’s not her. That’s not Tristan.”

Jullian smiles “Wrong Tristan. That’s good news, isn’t it?”

Seth stares at the face on the screen. “I … I guess so.” He looks back to Jullian. “But she’s the only Tristan in the roster. Maybe ‘Tristan’ was a nickname, but …” He looks back to the screen, feeling tired.

Jullian slides her hand down his arm, taking his hand in hers. “Sorry you didn’t find her.”

His attention is drawn by the warmth of her hand and he turns to her, seeing the concern in her eyes. Thoughts of Tristan fade as he looks at her pretty face, framed in purple. He opens his mouth, but she speaks first …

“Seth, your parents, are they both gone?”

He blinks, surprised by her question. “Yes.”

A pleasant, female voice fills the room. “[I]The lab will be closing in ten minutes[/I].”

Jullian smiles softly. “Would you walk me home … please?”

…

Seth looks up at the dark, cloudless, Brooklyn sky as they walk. The cool breeze refreshes him. He looks at Jullian and smiles. “Why don’t you live in Brooklyn?”

She takes his hand in hers as they walk. “Well, because I work here, and I like Tokyo more … “, she gives him a mischievous smile, “and I’m close to my favorite sushi place.”

They near the travel gate. A small group stands by the street. Seth doesn’t need to see their badges. He can tell by their dress that they are members of the Guardians of Mankind.

One of the women in the group smiles and waves as they approach. “Jullian.”

Jullian returns the wave. “Hello Sylvian.”

Seth smiles at the woman, expecting Jullian to stop and chat. Instead, he feels her grip on his hand tighten, and her pace quicken. They reach the terminals and buy tickets.

…

A light rain is falling in Tokyo. Halos of colored mist encircle the neon signs and reflect in the wet surface of the street.

Seth takes Jullian’s hand, wondering about her encounter with Sylvian.

She looks up at him, seeming to read his thoughts. “I don’t have anything against Sylvian, or the Guardians.” She shrugs, looking away. “Both my parents are members.” She opens her mouth to speak again and closes it, changing her mind. She looks back to Seth. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

…

Seth smiles, looking across the neon lit city through the large window. “This is great! What a fantastic view.”

Jullian giggles as she comes from the kitchen, carrying cola’s. “See, I told you that Tokyo was the best.” She hands Seth a cola and sits on the couch, smiling as he joins her.

He takes a sip of cola. “I want an apartment here. I think I’ll join the Tokyo division.”

“Why the police, Seth?”

He hadn’t spoken to anyone about his parents in a very long time. “My father was with the LED. I was three years old when he died, but I don’t remember much about him. He was away a lot. My mother spoke of him, telling me about his career with the force. I think it’s something I’d like to be part of.”

Jullian smiles softly “Fair enough, and your mom?”

“My mother was with the CMG. She died when I was eight.  The GD took me into their care. Then, they took possession of our flat, and everything in it.”

Jullian looks down, nodding slowly, her voice almost a whisper “Down times.”

He takes a quick breath. “I haven’t really thought about my childhood or my parents for some time. Not until … until recently. That’s why I was hoping to find Tristan. I can’t remember my mother’s other friends or co-workers.”

She looks back to him, a smile coming to her face. “Tell you what; I have a friend who’s a third generation CMG member. I know that she’ll have old roster yearbooks. I’ll borrow one. You might recognize someone else.”

He looks into her eyes, surprised by her interest and generosity. “That would be great.”

Jullian sits her cola down on a small table. “You know, Seth, I’ve known you for a while. We haven’t talked a lot, but I always liked you. I would have talked to you more … gotten to know you sooner, but I didn’t think that you’d be …” She gives him an unsure smile. “Thanks for dinner.”

“Well, recently, it’s hasn’t been just the pizza that kept me coming back to the restaurant.”

Jullian blushes slightly, tilting her head. “So … what made you finally ask me out?”

Seth gives her a serious look. “Well, I’ve been thinking about that. To be honest …” He winks. “I think it was the hair.”

Jullian raises an eyebrow and laughs softly.

He brings up a hand, running his fingers through Jullian’s shimmering hair. She moves to him …

Seth’s entire world becomes the warmth of her body and the softness of her lips.

…

April 18, 2383


It’s 3am when Seth gets back to his residence room. He reaches to enter the door code, stops, and stares at the message displayed on the code pad.

The door was already unlocked.

Seth touches the entry pad and the door slides open, the blue light from the hallway making its way into the dark room. He steps into the doorway. A few feet inside, a cabinet drawer lies on the floor, its contents lying around it.

He steps into the room, touching the pad to turn on the lights …

The room has been ransacked. More drawers and their contents scattered on the floor, items pulled down from shelves, clothing thrown about, his closet door, open.

Seth moves to his closet, stepping over the items strewn about. The top shelf is empty.

14  -  Dreams


April 18, 2383


Seth stares at the empty shelf. He feels numb. The envelope is gone.

The hairs on the back of his neck stand straight as a strange, guttural sound comes from somewhere behind him. He spins around, scanning the room and catching sight of some movement by his roommate’s bed.

Seth moves to the bed slowly. There’s something lying between the bed and the wall ,  it’s Jax.

He pulls the bed away from the wall, kneels down, and puts a hand on Jax’s chest “Jax?”

Jax’s glazed eyes flutter open. He makes a short, unsuccessful attempt to raise his head. Seth takes his shoulders, pulling him up into a sit.

Jax turns his head slowly, looking at Seth “Oh … hi … Sittthhh.”

The overwhelming smell of alcohol on Jax’s breath makes Seth’s eyes water “Jax, what happened here?”

Jax’s head tilts to a strange angle. Seeming unable to turn his neck, he turns his body toward the middle of the room. “Thrrr gone … somebody took em …”

Seth looks at his open closet and sighs. “I know. I can’t understand …” he blinks and looks back to Jax. “Wait, what’s gone?”

Jax looks annoyed by the question “My papers! … my papersss r’gone …” He starts to fall backward slowly.

Seth reaches out, grabbing his shoulders and returning him to his sit.  “Jax, what papers?”

Jax narrows his eyes, trying to focus. “My pap’rs for the L’D ,  I looked efery place … can’t find em.”

Seth sighs, shaking his head. “So, you drank too much, you came back to our room, and you tore it apart, looking for your LED registration papers.”

Jax opens his mouth as if to speak. Instead, he lets out a loud, foul burp and slowly starts to fall back. Seth makes no effort to stop him. His head makes a soft ‘thump’ as it hits the floor, a crooked smile on his face

Seth moves back to his closet. He sorts through the nearby items, scattered on the floor. Pushing aside a pile of clothes, he finds his mother’s envelope. He picks it up and opens it. The papers are still inside.

He returns the envelope to the closet shelf and grabs up some of his clothes from the floor, placing them on top. Making his way to his bed, he turns off the lights. He lays back, exhausted by the day’s strange mix of pleasure and stress.

Seth sleeps deeply … and dreams …

…

[I]he’s making love with Jullian … it’s wonderful … her purple hair sparkles like diamonds … he smells fresh pizza …

a pleasant, female voice comes from a vid-screen in the room … ‘ and the CMG began the most challenging engineering project ever attempted by man … a permanent colony on the fiery surface of Pegasi 51 ,  planning had started by the year , ’

he touches Jullian’s nose and sits up on the bed … he looks toward the window, the skyline of New York, the stars above, a fiery red …he hears voices coming from another room …

“Did you pick up the records?”

“Yes.”

“Yesterday? On Pegasi?”

he looks back to Jullian … and wonders why she has blue eyes and dark, black hair …[/I]

…

Seth wakes to the sound of a loud groan, the dream, fading from his mind. He turns his head, looking at the vid-screen… almost 11 am.

He sits up, looking across the cluttered room. Another, softer groan comes from behind Jax’s bed. Seth shakes his head, knowing that he’ll end up doing most of the clean up. He heads for the bathroom to take a shower.

…

Seth buttons his shirt, looking at his closet. A low tone comes from the door console. He walks toward the door. As he gets closer to the small console screen, he sees a flash of purple. He smiles, surprised. It was Jullian.

Seth touches the pad to open the door. Suddenly, he remembers the chaos in the room and Jax’s present state. He reaches quickly, touching the pad again. The door stops moving, having slid open only a few inches. He hears Jullian’s voice …

“Seth?”

He looks at her through the gap in the door “Oh … Hello Jullian.”

She looks at him with suspicion “Um, everything alright?”

Seth nods “Just fine. How did you know my room number?”

“You told me last night.” She gives him a mischievous grin. “Don’t you remember?”

Seth smiles “I must have been distracted.”

“I spoke with my friend this morning and she let me borrow this.” She smiles and holds up a book with a large CMG symbol on the cover. “I’ve got almost an hour before I start work. I was thinking we could take a look through it. Can I come in?”

“Oh … sorry Jullian, I’m a little busy right now, a little tidying up to do.”

She frowns, looking disappointed.

Seth rolls his eyes as a loud groan comes from behind him.

Jullian stands on her toes, trying to see over his shoulder and into the room. “Who’s that?”

“Not to worry, just my roommate. He’s not feeling very well.”

“Well …” she sighs, “alright Seth, here.” She passes the book through the gap in the door.

Seth takes the book. “Thanks Jullian. I’ll see you at the restaurant.”

“Alright.” She raises an eyebrow and turns, walking down the hallway.

Seth touches the pad and turns from the door as it slides shut. He shakes his head and looks at the book.

He sits on his bed and starts turning pages, looking for his mother’s picture. He stops turning, as he sees a familiar face. He looks at the caption below the photo …

[B]Tristan Donnar
11-07-2369[/B]

It’s a woman with blue eyes and dark hair. The same woman he’d seen in the computer lab’s file photo. A pretty woman, but not the Tristan he knew.

[B]15  -  Mercenary[/B]


April 18, 2383


“Hey!”

Seth looks up from the book, startled.

Jax looks down at him, holding up some crumpled papers. “Found em. They were under the bed.” He smiles, looking like he’s expecting congratulations.

Seth blinks. “Go take a shower. You stink.”

“Who was that at the door? I heard her voice. She sounds …” Jax wiggles his eyebrows “nice.”

“That was Jullian. Go take a shower … please.”

Jax shrugs and heads for the bathroom.

Seth looks back to the book and turns the page. He scans the images, not seeing his mother. An image of a blonde man with a thin face catches his eye. He looks at the name below the image … James Ferris. It was one of his mother’s friends, the tall man with the deep voice.

He turns a couple more pages, stopping as he recognizes another face. It was a dark haired man, Telo Varschov, another of his mother’s friends.

Seth turns more pages, stopping again as he sees his mother. He stares at the image, looking into her eyes. Time seems to stand still …

A soft tone comes from the vid-screen … incoming mail.

Seth glances at the screen and turns his attention back to the book. He turns pages. He sees a man, and then a woman who look familiar to him, but their names mean nothing. He turns another page and a memory flashes back to him …

[I]… It’s the day he visited the mall with his mother for the last time. They stand by the marketing terminals. He looks up at the ramp. A woman is standing on it, watching them … and smiling …[/I]

Seth looks at the name under the image of the smiling woman … Carry Mattice.

“So …”

Seth looks up from the book. A clean, naked Jax rummages through the clothing scattered on the floor.

Jax picks up a shirt, smells it, and throws it to a corner of the room. “Who’s Jullian?”

Seth reaches down, picking up a pair of pants lying by his feet, and throws them at Jax. “She works at the restaurant in the Brooklyn mall.”

He turns his attention to the final, few pages of the book. On the last page is an image of the CMG’s president, Jennifer Hamton. She looks cold, and somehow, familiar. He closes the book, looking at the small date printed below the CMG symbol on the cover ,  2372. The year before his mother died.

Jax pulls on a shirt. “Is she hot?”

Seth nods “Yup.”

“Then, I want to meet her.”

Seth sighs, “Yah, well, maybe later. We have to get this place cleaned up.”

Jax looks shocked. “Why? We’re only here for a couple more weeks.” He turns, going to the small kitchen.

Seth shakes his head and looks at the vid-screen. The mail was for him. He touches the screen and enters his password. The message appears. He’s surprised to see the official CMG message header …

…

[B]Mister Tarot,

Our records show that you have recently made network inquiries concerning employment opportunities with the Colonization and Mining Guild.

As a recent GD graduate, the CMG is pleased to offer you unlimited career opportunities.

Benefits include …

Apartment on the colony of your choice
Extensive, Division Based Training
Travel and Exploration
100,000 UC sign-on Bonus

Please do not hesitate to contact us to arrange a personal interview. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have and to help you to discover your place in the CMG.

Lisa Griffin
Supervisor, HR Division.[/B]

…

Seth closes the message and puts the CMG book in his pack. Now that he had some more names, he’d visit the computer lab again.

Jax returns from the kitchen and flops down on his bed. He takes a large bite of a cold pizza slice he’s brought with him. “Wanna come to the practice range, buddy?”

“No, thanks.” Seth starts cleaning up, being careful to only pick up things that are his.

Jax watches, finishing his pizza. He stands and brushes crumbs off his shirt before grabbing up his crumpled registration papers.

“Time for some …” he draws his finger gun, aiming it at Seth, “BANG! BANG!”  He laughs, scooping his jacket up from the floor as he walks to the door.

…

Seth closes his closet. He sits on his bed and looks at the vid-screen … 1:46 PM.

He’d thought about taking Jullian back to the computer lab with him, but it would be hours before she was finished work. He picks up his pack.

…

Seth walks down the front steps of the residence building. The afternoon sky is dark with clouds. Thunder rumbles in the distance. He heads for the lab building, hoping to beat the rain. As he walks, his mind wanders. He doesn’t hear the man approaching from behind …

“Hey! DUMB ASS!”

A large, strong hand grabs Seth’s arm and pulls, turning him around. He looks up at the man, armored and dressed in red. He was big and wore a tarnished silver badge … a mercenary.

The merc glares down at Seth, squeezing his arm. “You have to learn some respect.”

Seth glances up and down the street. They are alone. He gives the merc a puzzled look. “Do I know you?”

The merc’s grip is like steel. He pulls Seth around the corner and backs him into a wall.

“You bumped into me at the mall yesterday. [I]That’s bad[/I].”  He tightens his squeeze on Seth’s arm, “But what’s worse, is that you didn’t say you were sorry.”

Seth winces, his arm going numb. “I’m sorry.”

The merc sneers “Too late.” He brings a gun to Seth’s chest. “You’re d…d….d…”

Seth feels the muscles in his arm tense suddenly, followed by relief as the merc releases his grasp. The merc wobbles, lowering the gun slowly. His eyelids flutter, his lips, pulled back into a toothy grimace.

Seth stares at the merc, blinking as he realizes what had happened ,  the merc had been tazered. He steps around the merc, moving to look around the corner. The street was quiet and empty.

He runs, heading for the lab building.

[B]16  -  Records[/B]


April 18, 2383


Seth holds his student card up to the scanner and glances back over his shoulder. No sign of the merc. He enters the lab building as a loud crack of thunder sounds, bringing a heavy rain with it.

He stands in the main foyer, lost in thought. Who tazered the merc? If it had been the LED, they would have stuck around to make an arrest. In the back of his mind he had a suspicion. No, it was more a hope. Maybe it had been Tristan. He hears the main door open behind him, and turns quickly …

A small man enters the lab building. Seth recognizes him. They had been in a mathematics class together. Seth didn’t know Trinn well, but he’d heard that he was a computer wiz that had his sights set on finding a position in the Global Intelligence Service.

Trinn gives a small nod as he walks past. “Seth.” He walks on, toward the computer labs.

“Hello Trinn.” Seth follows.

…

Seth logs into the corporate careers node and finds his way back to the CMG roster archives. He searches and brings up a file …

[B]Carry Mattice

Hire Date    10-10-2365
Dismissal Date    05-08-2374
Reason For Dismissal    Recruited by the Guardians of Mankind[/B]

She had joined the Guardians. Seth brings up her smiling image. He thinks back, remembering seeing her in the mall and on Pegasi. He searches again …

[B]James Ferris

Hire Date    28-02-2366
Dismissal Date   
Reason For Dismissal [/B]

Seth brings up the image. The man looks older and perhaps thinner, but it was the James he remembered. He was still with the CMG. Seth searches …

[B]Telo Varschov

Hire Date    09-05-2369
Dismissal Date    14-07-2373
Reason For Dismissal    Deceased
                                         Cloning facility accident leading to perma-death[/B]

Seth stares at the text for a few moments before bringing up the image. It was the Telo he remembered.

He sits back in the chair. Three cloning facility accidents in such a short period of time ,  his mother, Telo, and someone thought to be Tristan. He couldn’t believe that someone wouldn’t have found it suspicious at the time. Then, there was his father’s accident five years before.

Seth thinks about the envelope in his room. He knows that the contents must be important, that they probably have a connection to his parent’s deaths, might even be the reason for them, but he has no idea how, or why. He knows he needs help, but who can he trust? He had seen Tristan on Pegasi, but had absolutely no idea where to look for her.

He thinks about Mark and his unsuccessful attempt to find his new restaurant. Mark said that he’d known his parents well. Perhaps he had been a member of the CMG or LED at some time in the past.

Seth searches for ‘Mark’, wishing that he knew his last name. A long list of past and present members named Mark appears. One by one, Seth brings up the files and the images, looking for a familiar face …

No luck.

Seth logs into the LED career node. He finds the roster and searches for ‘Mark’. An even longer list appears …

No luck.

He logs off and rubs his eyes. He had a question for Jullian.

Seth stands and stretches. He heads to the lab door. As he passes by Trinn, he glances at the lines of code, scrolling up his screen. He stops by the door and turns back “Trinn?”

Trinn touches the screen and looks up. “Yes?”

“I was wondering if I could ask a favor.”

Trinn looks at him, silent.

“I have some computer code I’d like you to take a look at.”

Trinn glances back at the screen, looking anxious to get back to whatever it was he was doing “Alright, if it will not take too long. May I see it?”

“Oh, no, I don’t have it with me. Maybe this evening?”

Trinn looks suspicious.

Seth smiles “If you’re not busy, I’ll buy you dinner to pay you back for your trouble.
I’ll bring the code and you can look at it at the restaurant.”

Trinn is silent for a few moments, seeming to consider the offer. He nods. “I know a good place. Do you like sushi?”

Seth sighs.

…

Seth runs through the rain, heading back to the residence building. He looks left and right as he runs, peering through the heavy downpour, watching for the merc.

…

Seth takes the envelope from the closet shelf. He sits on his bed and pulls out the papers, separating the pages of computer code from the rest. He flips through them, looking at the small, highlighted sections. He wonders if he’s doing the right thing. He hardly knew Trinn, but perhaps that was a good thing.

He moves to the vid-screen terminal and sits the papers beside it. He lifts a pile of Jax’s clothes from a chair, throwing them onto the small mountain of clothes on Jax’s bed. He takes a seat and starts to copy the code, just the highlighted sections, to a new document. It would take time, but he didn’t want to make any copies of his mother’s papers.

…

Seth walks down the ramp, looking across the mall to the restaurant. He smiles, seeing Jullian cleaning a table.

She smiles as he approaches. “Hi there.” She reaches out, giving him a hug.

Seth gives Jullian a squeeze, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “Sorry about this morning. I would have invited you in but …”

Jullian steps back, faking a big pout. “Well …” she smiles and winks, “I forgive you, this time.”

Seth smiles “I’m meeting a friend from school for dinner tonight. Would you like to join us?”

“Sure, I’d love to. I’m almost finished my shift.” A customer, standing at the counter, attracts her attention “Gotta go.”

…

Seth sits at a table, watching Jullian as she cleans and serves up hot pizza. He looks out across the mall and up at the ramp, his encounter with the merc, still fresh in his mind. He takes the CMG roster book from his pack.

Jullian comes to the table. “Okay, I’m ready.” She smiles as she sees the book. “Oh, did you find an image of your mom?”

Seth nods. “Yes, but I wanted you to look at someone else first. You said that you have some connection to the Guardians of Mankind.”

Jullian’s expression sours. “Seth, I don’t really …”

“Please Jullian. I think that one of my mother’s old friends is now a GOM member. Could you tell me if you recognize her?”

She looks bothered. “Yes … alright.”

Seth opens the roster and points to the image of the smiling woman. 

Jullian raises an eyebrow, her expression, changing to a smile. “Yes, I know her. That’s Carry.”

[B]17  -  Trinn[/B]


April 18, 2383


Seth blinks. “You know her?”

Jullian blushes.  “Not well. I’ve spoken to her a couple of times.”

“Why the smile?”

She turns away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Seth closes the roster book and puts it in his pack.

Jullian turns back to him, her eyes not meeting his.  “I’m sorry Seth.  I don’t want to talk about the Guardians.”

He stands and smiles. “Don’t be sorry. It’s alright.” He pulls her into a hug.

She smiles up at him. “So, where are we going for dinner?”

“We’re going to Manhattan, to a, um … sushi place.”

Jullian raises an eyebrow.

Seth rolls his eyes. “Don’t ask.”

…

The evening is cool and the sky is clear. Seth is surprised by the number of people on the Manhattan streets. He looks up at the stars as they walk.

Jullian rests her head on his arm. “Have you known Trinn for a long time?”

“Not really. He was in a class with me. He studies computer programming. I have some code I want him to look at.”

“Computer code?”

“Yeah, a little side project I’m working on.”

They round a corner. Trinn stands waiting, in front of the restaurant.

…

Seth eats his pizza, not as good as Brooklyn’s, but much better than Tokyo’s.

His mind wanders as Jullian and Trinn discuss the finer points of sushi, between bites. He wonders about the purpose of the computer code, and what Trinn’s reaction will be to it. If Trinn wanted to know where the code came from, he would tell him that he’d found it amongst some old class papers that he was …

“Seth, you have the code you want me to look at?” Trinn wipes his hands, his plate empty. 

“I did.” Seth takes the page of code from his pack and hands it to Trinn.

Trinn looks at the code. Jullian reaches under the table, taking Seth’s hand in hers. He looks at her and smiles, trying to hide the anxiousness he feels.

After only a minute, Trinn hands the page back. “It is a data shifting routine. An advanced algorithm, but nothing very complicated.”

Seth blinks “Data shifting?”

Trinn gives a small nod. “It simply moves a large block of data from one place to another, very quickly.”

Seth looks at the code “Nothing else?”

“No.”

“Alright, thank you Trinn.” Seth folds the page and returns it to his pack.

Trinn stands. “Thank you for dinner. Perhaps we will talk again sometime. I have some work to finish at the lab this evening. I must go.” He turns to Jullian, bowing slightly. “It was nice to meet you Jullian.”

Jullian smiles “I’ll have to take you to my favorite Sushi place sometime.”

Trinn smiles and gives a small nod before turning to leave the crowded restaurant.

Jullian looks to Seth. “Are you okay? You look … disappointed.”

Seth nods. “I’m fine.”

She looks into his eyes. “Well, alright.” She smiles “So, any big plans for tonight?”

“Nope.”

“Want to come to my place? We could watch a vid, or something.” She gives him a mischievous grin.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” Seth smiles, getting lost in her eyes for a few moments. “I’ll pay the bill and we’ll go.” 

“Do you want me to get this one, Seth? I know how broke I was when I finished school.”

He takes out his UC card. “I’m alright. I managed to save most of my monthly student allowance.”

Jullian stands from the table “Nice to know that you’re responsible with your money.”

Seth smiles “Well, it had a lot more to do with the fact that I don’t drink alcohol.”

…

Seth takes Jullian’s hand. “Let’s go this way.”

They take a different route back to the gates, enjoying the sites of Manhattan, the clear sky, each other’s company, and the anticipation of the night to follow.

Jullian stops suddenly. Her voice is quiet, almost a whisper “Seth …” She points.

About a dozen robed figures protest on the steps of a dark, towering building. Seth looks at the enormous, chrome lettering above the entrance … Dolly Inc. He turns his attention back to the protesting Guardians. Amongst the angry faces, he catches sight of a smiling one. It was Carry Mattice.

[B]18  -  Conspiracies[/B]


April 18, 2383


Seth’s pulse quickens.

He and Jullian would wait for a while. Hopefully, the demonstration wouldn’t last much longer. When it was finished, he would approach Carry. Seth watches her, considering his best approach, knowing that Carry wouldn’t recognize him after ten years.

He looks back to Jullian as she stares at the group. He sees the anxiousness and discomfort she’s feeling, reflected in her eyes,  Carry could wait.

“Jullian.”

She looks up at him

Seth smiles “Let’s go to your place.”

Jullian’s eyes brighten.

They walk on, turning a corner and leaving the protesters behind. They walk in silence, each deep in their own thoughts.

…

Seth relaxes on Jullian’s couch, finishing off a soda. Soft music comes from the vid-screen. The CMG roster book sits on the table, open to the page with the image of Seth’s mother.

Jullian comes from the kitchen and settles next to him. “Thank you, Seth.”

He smiles, raising a questioning eyebrow.

“Thank you for not getting me involved with the Guardians.”

Seth shakes his head. “You’ve already been a great help. I don’t want you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

Jullian leans over, resting her head on his arm. “I’ll look up Carry’s number and you can contact her tomorrow.” She turns her face up to look at him. “You were wondering why I smiled when I saw her image in the roster book.”

Seth nods. “I was.”

A small grin comes to her face. “Carry is really well known, within the Guardians. She has a reputation. Some people call her the queen of conspiracies.”

He gives her a curious look “Conspiracies?”

“The Guardian’s are always on the lookout for secret plots being hatched behind the scenes by the GD and the corporations. It’s part of their job to help protect the common man. Carry makes uncovering secret plots her life’s work.”

Seth smiles “I see.”

Jullian looks at the open roster book. “I didn’t know that she used to be with the CMG. Was she a good friend of your mother?”

“I’m not sure. I guess I’ll find out.” He leans down, kissing her soft lips.

Jullian takes his hand, and gives it a squeeze. “Why don’t you stay here tonight?”

“I’d like that a lot.”

They move into the bedroom. Seth takes off his shirt.

Jullian looks at him with concern. “What happened to your arm?” She gently runs a finger over the dark bruising.

Seth looks at the bruise. “I um, had an unplanned meeting with a merc.”

Her eyes grow wide “A [I]mercenary[/I]?”

“Just a misunderstanding. I’m alright.”

“Seth …”

He pulls her into a hug. “Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

…

April 19, 2383


Seth watches Jullian pull on her boots “Dinner tonight?”

She smiles. “Why don’t we have dinner here? I’ll make something special.”

Seth hesitates …

Jullian giggles. “Don’t worry. No sushi, I promise.”

He smiles. “Alright, sounds great.”

She stands from the couch, and joins him at the apartment’s gate. “Come by around seven. I’ll have dinner ready and you can tell me how things went with Carry.”

…

Seth walks up the steps of the residence building. He feels good. Thoughts of soft lips and purple hair …

The main door opens and Jax emerges. “Hey buddy! What happened to you? Where were you last night?”

“At Jullian’s place.”

Jax shakes his head. “Whoa, has she got a friend, or a sister?”

Seth smiles “I’ll be sure to ask her.”

“Wanna come to the range?”

“No, thanks.”

Jax shrugs. “Okay. See ya.”

Seth turns to the door as Jax speaks from the bottom of the stairs.

“Oh, Seth, somebody was here looking for you when I was coming into the building last night. He said he was an old friend of yours.”

He turns back to Jax “An old friend?” He thinks about Mark.

“Yeah.”, Jax grins. “I was coming home from the club so it’s a bit, um, fuzzy … but I’m pretty sure I told him you weren’t home and gave him our room number. He said he’d be back.”

“What was his name?”

Jax shakes his head. “I don’t think he told me his name, or I don’t remember if he did. Real big guy. Scary looking.”

Seth sighs.

WHOA!!!!
this is so damn good!
you've got a very very very very very active imagination
i love this

I’m glad you’re enjoying the story.

Better put on your seatbelt - lots of curves and twists ahead 

[B]19  -  Carry[/B]


April 19, 2383


Jax turns away, throwing his jacket over his shoulder as he heads for the range.

Seth takes a look up and down the street before he enters the residence building. He goes to his room quickly, making sure that the door is locked once he’s inside.

…

Seth looks at the page of copied computer code. A simple data shifting routine? Trinn’s information had only made him more confused. Why was this code so important to his mother? He slips the page of code into the envelope with the other papers. He puts the envelope at the back of the closet shelf and puts the CMG roster book on top.

Seth goes to the vid-screen and sits down. He checks the time ,  almost noon. He pulls a small piece of paper from his pocket and unfolds it.

--------------------
[B]CARRY MATTICE
54821-548-6557[/B]

[I]Dinner at seven
Jullian[/I]
--------------------

Seth touches the screen, and calls Carry’s number. He’s startled as a smiling face appears, almost immediately. It’s Carry. He opens his mouth to speak, but she speaks first.

“Seth Tarot! It’s so good to see you!”

He blinks, surprised that Carry recognizes him, and so quickly. “Hello Ms Mattice. I’m surprised you remember me.”

She smiles, silent.

“I don’t want to impose on you, but I remember you as a friend of my mother, Naomi. I’ve been looking through an old CMG roster book and …”

Carry interrupts him. “Seth, could we meet? Today?”

“Today? Yes.”

She nods, still smiling. “Come to Aquatica. I’ll send you my apartment code. Say, two hours from now?”

“Alright, Ms Mattice. I’ll see you then.”

“Seth …” her smile grows, “Please call me Carry.”

Carry’s image disappears from the screen.

Seth looks over to the window and out at the sky. He hadn’t known what to expect when he contacted Carry but he’d never imagined this. Why was she so quick, and so eager to meet with him?

A tone comes from the screen. It was mail from Carry, the apartment code. He writes the code on the back of Jullian’s note.

Seth stands and picks up his pack. He’d never visited Aquatica. He’d leave now and have time to tour the colony before the meeting.

…

Seth walks down the main hall of the residence building. As he nears the entrance doors, he catches a glimpse of a large figure through the front window. He stops, stepping back. It was the merc, waiting outside, across the street. Why hadn’t he come inside? Maybe Jax hadn’t given him the room number after all, or more likely, given him the wrong one.

The rear doors of the residence were a possible escape, but he’d still end up having to come around to the front of the building to get to the street. He could wait it out, but he didn’t want to miss the meeting with Carry. He’d have to try the rear doors.

Seth turns to head back up the hall. He glances out at the merc and something catches his eye. A group of five men, dressed in blue, coming down the street.

Turning back again, Seth takes a deep breath and moves quickly to the main doors, opens them, and runs down the stairs to the street. He comes along side of the LED patrol, walking close to them and smiling.

“Good afternoon officers.”

One of the officers turns to him as they walk, nodding slightly. “Good afternoon sir.”

Seth keeps pace with the patrol, staying close. He takes a quick glance back at the merc, and wishes he hadn’t. The look of pure hatred in the merc’s eyes sends a shiver through him.

…

Seth looks through the large, floor to ceiling windows. The vast plane of the Aquatica Sea stretches to the horizon. He’d enjoyed his walk around Aquatica, and its stunning views of the watery world outside.

He turns from the window and follows a sign, down a wide corridor to the apartments. He’d timed his tour well. He was only five minutes early for the meeting. He reaches for the terminal, entering Carry’s apartment code.

…

Seth steps from the gate and takes a quick breath, his eyes wide. He’d never been inside a penthouse. The main room was huge. Soft laughter draws his attention.

Carry stands by a doorway to his right, wearing a long, white robe, and smiling. “Do you like it, Seth?”

He nods. “Yes. It’s very … big.”

She turns, walking through the doorway. “Come in here.”

Seth follows Carry into another large room. Shelves of books and paper files line the walls. Stacks of paper files, a few inches to a few feet high, clutter the richly carpeted floor.

She directs him into a large, comfortable chair and takes one beside him. He looks at her badge … rank six.

Carry looks at him, her eyes, locking on his. Her smile fades away. “I wanted to speak to you, Seth. I know why your parents were killed.”

[B]20  -  Dolly[/B]


April 19, 2383


Seth is taken off guard by Carry’s words.

Her voice grows soft. “Your parent’s perma-deaths were not [I]accidents[/I], Seth.”

He blinks. “What do you mean?”

Her eyes narrow, “I believe that your mother was in possession of some important documents.”

Seth feels Carry watching him closely. She knows about his mother’s papers? He does his best to disguise the surprise he’s feeling “Documents?”

Carry watches him in silence for a few moments. She stands, smiling. “Would you like something to drink?”

His throat feels dry “Soda, please.”

She turns away and leaves the room.

Seth takes a deep breath, trying to relax. How could she know about his mother’s papers? Maybe she had been closer to his mother than he knew. Until he was sure he could trust her, he wouldn’t offer any information. He hears Carry’s voice, coming from the main room. He can’t make out the words. Who was she talking to?

Carry comes back into the room, a tall drinking glass in her hand. She hands it to Seth and returns to the chair beside his.

Seth takes a sip of the cold soda. He’s surprised again. It’s his favorite flavor.

Carry smiles. “I’ve arranged for us to be left alone for a while, so we can talk.” She leans closer, looking deep into his eyes for a few moments. A look of satisfaction comes to her face and she leans back into her chair, smiling.

Seth blinks.

She looks at him. “I want you to know why your parents died. Only a handful of people know anything about any of this, Seth. I need you to promise me that you won’t repeat anything I’m going to tell you.”

He hesitates, but only for a moment. “You have my promise Ms Mattice … Carry.”

Carry nods slowly. “What do you know about cloning?”

Seth shakes his head, surprised by her question “Very little.”

She smiles “A marvelous thing. A technology that allows us to cheat death …” her smile vanishes, “but, at a terrible cost.”

Carry rises from her chair and moves to a large, cylindrical safe in the far corner of the cluttered room. She enters a code and opens the door. Seth gets a glimpse of the safe’s contents … more paper files.

Carry removes a thick file and closes the safe. She returns to her chair and sits the file on her lap.

Seth looks at the handwriting on the report cover … [I]File 126 - Dolly Incorporated[/I].

Carry looks from the file to Seth, a strange spark of excitement in her eyes. “I’ve done a lot of research, Seth, research I couldn’t do as a member of the CMG. That’s why I came to the Guardians. I’ve been looking into Dolly Incorporated and the development of the cloning process. I’ve uncovered something, something called the Dolly Factor”

Seth thinks of Carry and other Guardians, protesting in front of the tall, dark building in Manhattan.

“To put it simply, cloning involves a complete scan being made at the moment of death, everything from DNA sequencing, to the state of every neuron in the brain. It’s the information contained in that scan that is transferred to the ‘dumb’ clone that’s waiting to become you.”

Seth nods. “It’s an incredible feat of technology.”

“Yes, and when the process was first developed, it was flawless. But there was a problem. Dolly Incorporated is an independent. Their invention would benefit all mankind, and they wanted to see a healthy profit from it. The original process was far too expensive. Only the wealthiest people would be able to afford it.”

She looks down at the file, resting in her lap. “They went back to work and discovered that they could reduce the cost drastically, by lowering the ‘resolution’ of the scanning process. There was a trade-off for this, and it became known as Dolly Factor. The Dolly Factor was the acceptable level of risk that small mistakes could occur in the scanning process, 0.0000000001 percent per data point.”

Seth raises an eyebrow. “That sounds like a very small risk.”

She looks back to him. “It might sound like a small risk, but trillions of data points are read in a scan and thousands of scans are done every day.” Her voice grows quiet. “Mistakes are happening, Seth.”

He considers her words. “Alright, but if someone is scanned and one or two of the trillions of data points are wrong, it wouldn’t hurt you, would it? Would you even know it had happened?”

She shakes her head, slowly. “No, and that’s the most terrible part. Don’t you see, Seth? The cloning process is changing people in ways we can’t detect or predict. Slowly changing, mutating the human gene pool.” She stares past him, into the distance. Her voice is soft. “There are so few of us left.” She grows quiet, staring.

Seth swallows, feeling the awkward silence. “But, what does this have to do with my parents?”

Carry’s eyes focus back on his. “Your father wasn’t a regular LED officer. He was part of the secret service branch. I believe that he came across this same information. Before someone made him quiet, he passed the information to your mother. Then, someone made her quiet.”

Seth stares at her, confused. The papers his mother had left him didn’t seem to have anything to do with this. “Carry, who killed my parents?”

Her eyes narrow, “I don’t know, Seth. Perhaps we can find out. The most important thing is that Dolly Incorporated is stopped. I need your help.”

Seth blinks. “I don’t …”

“Seth …”, again she leans close, looking deep into his eyes, “you’ve never been cloned.”

“No.”

“I can see it in your eyes, the [I]purity[/I].” She smiles, “Don’t you see, Seth, you and I are still [I]pure[/I], part of a dwindling few. We have to stick together. I [I]need[/I] your help.”

[B]21  -  Pure[/B]


April 19, 2383


Seth feels the intensity of Carry’s eyes. The large room seems to grow smaller around him. He’s suddenly aware of a strong smell … the smell of paper. His throat feels dry again.

“I’m sorry Carry. I really appreciate the information you gave me about my parents and I understand your concerns about cloning, but I don’t think I’m the right person to help you.”

Her eyes remain locked on his. “You’re wrong, Seth. You are [I]exactly[/I] what I’ve been waiting for. You are [I]pure[/I], and you have a direct connection to Dolly. Your parents died in cloning accidents” she smiles, “and you’ve just turned eighteen.”

He takes the last sip of his soda. The smell of paper, even stronger now, masks its flavor. “I don’t understand.”

“I’m so close, Seth. So close to having everything I need to expose Dolly and the Dolly Factor. I just need a little more time, and a [I]distraction[/I].” She extends an arm, resting her hand on his leg. “You’re eighteen now, old enough to file for legal proceedings. I need you to file a suit against Dolly Incorporated for the wrongful deaths of your parents.”

Seth swallows, the smell of paper growing stronger. He can taste it. He shakes his head. “Carry, I’m sorry, but this is a bad time for me to get involved in this. I’ll be joining the LED in a few days to start my training. Perhaps … perhaps I could get back to you in a few weeks?”

She smiles. “Don’t worry. It won’t take you any time at all.” She opens the file on her lap and pulls an envelope from among the papers inside.

Seth looks at the envelope. His name is written on it.

“Everything is here for you. All the paperwork completed. You simply sign them. I’ll handle everything else.” She holds out the envelope, smiling.

Seth looks at the envelope. The overwhelming smell of paper blurs his senses. He has to get out. He stands quickly, knocking the empty soda glass from the arm of the chair.

“I’m sorry Carry … no.”

He leaves the room and stands in the main room of the penthouse, breathing deeply and feeling light-headed. The smell of paper begins to fade. What had happened to him? He tries to relax.

Carry comes into the room and walks past him. She stands by the vid-screen. “Seth, I can’t understand why you’re reluctant to help me. I’m not sure that you realize how important this is to me, to your parents, to everyone, but it is your choice. Please think about it, there isn’t much time.”

Seth nods, feeling drained by their short meeting. “I will.”

He turns toward the gate, and stops, looking out a circular window at the clear blue water of Aquatica. Three bright stars twinkle in the daytime sky. He turns back to Carry.

“Have you seen Tristan recently?”

She gives him a curious look “Tristan?”

“Yes, I remember her as a friend of my mother’s.”

Carry is quiet for a few moments. “Tristan is dead, Seth. She died shortly after your mother did. She was another victim of Dolly Incorporated, another cloning accident.”

Seth blinks. “I see. Goodbye Carry. Thanks for your time, and the soda.” He moves to the penthouse gate.

“Oh, Seth?”

He turns back to her.

Carry looks at the vid-screen. “The number you reached me at isn’t available through normal channels. Very few people know of it. Where did you get it?”

Seth hesitates. He doesn’t want to bring Jullian into this. His tired mind scrambles for a believable answer.

She looks at him and tilts her head. “Did Jullian give it to you?”

He feels his stomach tighten. How did she know?  “Yes, but I …”

Carry smiles and turns away, looking back to the vid-screen. “That’s alright, Seth.  Go … and stay [I]pure[/I].”

He turns away slowly, and steps into the gate.

i don't trust carry not one bit!

[B]22  -  Symbol[/B]


April 19, 2383


The street in front of the student residence building is empty.

Seth walks quickly to the entrance. He felt tired. He’d have a shower before going to Jullian’s place.

…

Seth dries off and puts on fresh clothes. He felt better, and hungry. He was looking forward to seeing Jullian.

So, Carry thought that Tristan was dead, but he’d seen Tristan on Pegasi, and the dead woman in the CMG files wasn’t her. He looks out the window. He’d have to tell Jullian about Carry, somehow knowing that she had given him her number. He wasn’t sure how she would react, but he knew that she wouldn’t be thrilled by the news.

Seth goes to the closet, opening it and checking the high shelf. The roster and envelope are right where he’d left them. He closes the closet door, picks up his jacket, and leaves the room.

The blue-lit corridors are quiet.

He approaches the main doors and his eye is caught by something on the wall ,  a small, crudely painted symbol in a rusty brown. He moves closer and swallows. He’s not sure, but it looks like blood. Was it there when he came in? He might have missed seeing it.

Seth pales as he remembers where he’d seen the symbol before. He’d seen it on a tarnished badge ,  the merc’s badge.

The main door swings open suddenly. Seth turns quickly, his heart racing.

“Hey buddy!” Jax smiles and raises his eyebrows. “What’s the matter with you?”

Seth takes a deep breath. “Hello Jax, I …”

“Holy shit!” Jax stares at the symbol on the wall. “Where did that come from?”

Seth doesn’t like the fear he sees on the normally fearless Jax’s face. “Do you recognize it?”

“Yup, [I]Blood Creed[/I]. Probably the worst mercenary fringe cell there is. Only a few members. Really bloodthirsty.” He lowers his voice. “Somebody around here is in big trouble.”

Seth closes his eyes, shaking his head slowly.

“Wait …” Jax turns to him, looking like he’s had a revelation “That big guy that was asking about you last night ,  what happened?”

Seth sighs. “Apparently, I bumped into him at the mall. The next day, he met up with me when I was walking to the computer labs. I apologized and he decided to shoot me, but he didn’t get the chance. Somebody tazered him and I escaped.”

Jax’s eyes widen. “Whaaa? Who tazered him?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t?”

“No, I don’t.”

Jax looks at the symbol on the wall. “You’re in big trouble buddy. He won’t give up.”

“I know. Tomorrow morning, I’m going to report the incident to the LED. If any Blood Creed members are on a wanted list, I might be able to get him put away for a while at least.”

Jax shakes his head. “That’ll make things worse. The rest of the creed will be after you.”

“Do you have another suggestion?”

Jax shrugs “No, sorry buddy.”

Seth puts a hand on Jax’s shoulder. “Thanks for the information. I’m going to see Jullian. Be careful Jax. He doesn’t know our room number, or he would have visited by now. I don’t think there’s any reason he would go after you but, be careful.”

Jax frowns. “Wish this had happened a few weeks from now. I’d have my badge, and a big gun.”

…

“I met with Carry this afternoon.”

Jullian looks surprised. “You met up? That was quick.”

Seth nods. “Actually, she was quite anxious to see me. It was kind of a strange meeting.”

“Well, I want to hear about it, but first” she smiles, “we eat.” She walks into the small kitchen area.

Seth smiles “Great. I’m starving.”

Jullian returns, carrying a large plate. Seth’s smile vanishes as he sees what’s on it ,  sushi.

Jullian sees his expression and giggles. “Don’t worry. This is for me.” She sits the plate on the low table and returns to the kitchen.

Seth breathes a sigh of relief. A familiar smell brings the smile back to his face.

Jullian sits the pizza and a soda in front of him, giggling again. “Fresh from the mall”, she looks at her sushi, “and my favorite restaurant.”

for a second i was confused
u didnt let us know he stopped talking to jax n was then with jullian. . .

[B]23  -  Flying[/B]


April 19, 2383


Jullian looks at the blank vid-screen. “I’m not surprised that Carry figured I gave you her number.”

Seth blinks. “You’re not?”

Her voice is flat. “My parents are Guardians. They keep an eye on me. Don’t worry about it, Seth.” She turns to him and smiles. “You needed to get in touch with Carry and I wanted to help you.”

He leans over and their lips meet in a slow kiss. “You know,” Seth licks his lips, “sushi and pizza are an interesting combination.”

She giggles, giving his belly a soft poke. “So, why was Carry so anxious to see you?”

“Well, it was kind of a strange meeting.”

Jullian laughs. “I’m not surprised. It’s Carry.” She grows silent as she sees Seth’s expression turn serious.

“She wanted my help. Something to do with Dolly Incorporated.”

She gives him a puzzled look.

“I told you that my parents are dead. They were both killed in cloning accidents.”

Her eyes show her disbelief “Both of them?”

He nods. “Yes. What are the odds?”

“What’s it about Seth? Are you getting involved?”

“No. I have to concentrate on my career, and something else has come up that I have to deal with ,  somehow.” He rubs his bruised arm, unaware he’s doing it.

Jullian’s looks at his arm and her eyes widen, “The mercenary?”

He sighs. “He’s after me, all because I bumped into him at the mall. He knows that I live in the residence building, but he doesn’t know which room. I’m going to the LED to file a report tomorrow morning.”

Jullian frowns, shaking her head. “Seth, this is really serious. The mercenaries …” She trails off, reaching to give him a tight hug.

He wraps his arms around her. “I know.”

Her voice comes in a whisper “[I]Down times[/I].”

They embrace in silence for a few moments before Jullian pulls away, urgency in her voice. “Stay here Seth. Move in with me until it’s over.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t want to put you in any danger.”

She puts a hand on his cheek. “Seth, he knows where you live. Please.”

Seth hesitates, but the look in Jullian’s eyes washes away his concerns. “Alright Jullian, you’re right.”

She sighs with relief, pulling him into another hug.

He gives her a squeeze. “I’ll get my things together after I visit the LED, first thing tomorrow morning.”

She kisses his cheek. “Stay with me tonight, and you can leave from here in the morning.”

Seth thinks about his mother’s papers, and the ever-celebrating, unpredictable Jax. “I’m going back to the residence tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow, before you have to leave for work.”

Jullian looks disappointed “Oh … alright. Be careful, okay?”

He smiles. “I will, and, um,  I don’t have to leave for an hour or so.”

She gives him a mischievous grin.

…


April 20, 2383


Seth struggles, trying to sleep.

He lies in bed, staring at the ceiling of the residence room. His mind buzzes with thoughts of Carry’s strange request, the Blood Creed, and the new prospect of moving in with Jullian.

When he finally finds sleep, he dreams …

…

[I]he’s walking along a corridor … he looks up at the stars, bright and white … he follows the corridor as it turns to the left … he smells paper … the corridor walls are high stacks of papers … he follows the paper corridor as it turns to the left …

“Seth”

he hears Jullian’s voice, calling to him softly … he looks up at the stars … he walks quickly, following the paper corridor as it turns to the left …

“Seth”

he runs, following the paper corridor as it turns to the left …

“Seth … are you there?”[/I]

…

Seth wakes, opening his eyes slowly. A strange, blue glow illuminates the room.

“Seth?”

He hears Jullian’s voice, soft, but urgent.

“[I]Seth[/I]!”

No, it wasn’t Jullian, it was …

Seth sits up quickly, recognizing the voice from the past. He looks toward the source of the glow. It was the vid-screen. The screen had a blue glow he’d never seen before, and there was a face … it was Tristan.

He stands from his bed, rubbing his eyes as he walks to the screen.

“Seth. Are you there?”

He glances across the dimly lit room. Jax lies sprawled out on his bed, head back, and mouth open. Seth sits at the vid-screen and smiles at the dark haired image, with sparkling blue eyes ,  like stars.

He speaks quietly. “Hello Tristan. It’s great to see you again.”

She doesn’t return his smile. “Hello Seth. I don’t have much time. Are you alone?”

Seth glances at the unconscious Jax. “Yes.”

Tristan lowers her voice. “Seth, your parents, they aren’t dead, they’re [I]flying[/I].”

I have got to ask:

did you really write this??

he accepted the compliment to his imagination so im guessing he did?

Yup, I’m writing it.

I wrote the first fifteen chapters, some time ago. A few weeks ago, I found the old files on my computer and decided to continue and (hopefully) finish it.

Next chapter is coming up