"Where the Heart Resides"

by CM Shae Kitane & CPT Lohr Zadash

 

 

 

 “Four weeks... ” Kayle handed Lohr a piece of paper, “... you know there will not be another free day the rest of the year?”  Lohr nodded.

  “Where are you going?”

  “O’treege. I'm going to... see her family.”

Kayle saluted briefly, then he showed Lohr out of his office. In his quarters LCM Zadash stood at his bed, checking his suitcase. Dead black suit, trench coat, overall, magnetic adhesive tape, his personal Z-92 handgun with polished stainless quadanium finish, identity papers, needle and thread, an empty sealable plastic bag a big teddy bear... from what he saw its content was complete. He went down on the knees and his right arm reached under the bed. Focussing the Force powers a metallic case slowly slid towards his palm. Lohr threw it on the bed, and then he stood and beat the dirt from his uniform.

The small circular plates on the case's front scanned the thumbs. LED’s flashed in a funny pattern, and then the case sprang open with a loud clicking noise. Embedded in foam rubber lay a bulletproof glass box containing some slides. Lohr's fingers tenderly caressed the hard surface. Before shutting the case again, he quickly pressed his lips onto the glass container. He reached into a pocket of his uniform producing handcuffs he had found amongst other gadgets in Shae’s bedside table.

  “I just borrowed those, Hon.. ”, he said apologizingly as they closed around the handle of the case and Lohr’s left wrist.

 

 

 

 

  “Good bye then, ... can I ask you a favor before I leave?”

WyldeFyre stopped crushing ice and looked up, “Of course, LCM Zadash. What did you have in mind?”

  “It’s rumored that there is a “real” oven back in the kitchen?”

  “Yes, there is. Ramon had that one installed. It’s not the most up-to-date technology and sometimes it’s hard to get wood... but “our guests deserve the best we can offer”. That’s what he used to say and his Pizza was legendary... but why...?”

  “May I enter “your territory” and take a look at it?”

Lohr was given a puzzled look, but then WyldeFyre lead the way, smiling friendly.

  “I hope you value the honor that will be granted to you... ah, here is it.”

  “Wow, it’s incredible...”, Lohr said in awe, “... it reminds me of my grandmother. She used to have a similar one...”

Some customers started calling for service and WyldeFyre rushed through the swinging door.

  “I’ll be back in a jiffy. Don’t you dare touch anything, okay?”

Lohr put the hands behind his back. WyldeFyre winked, then she began collecting the orders. As soon as she was out of sight Lohr opened the oven’s door.  As he had assumed it hadn’t been cleaned out for a while. Silently and moving fast he opened the backpack grabbing the plastic bag that he had placed on top. In a drawer nearby Lohr found a large spoon.

Two minutes later he had what he came for and left the cantina, thanking WyldeFyre again for showing him the kitchen and assuring her he would take care of himself.

 

 

 

 

Lohr took his seat in the shuttle a couple of minutes before it was going to launch.

A young pilot wearing a blonde wig planted himself in front of the passengers. “Everyone on board?”

A loud unison “YO!” he got as answer.  “Aye, then let's get out of here. There are no peanuts on this flight, no movie and no running around as long as I'm in charge. Understood?” He kicked the door to the cockpit twice.

  “Driver...” he shouted, “...  we are ready. Hit it, man.”  “Ahem.” At the sound of somebody clearing his throat he turned around, facing a superior officer glaring at him.

  “Will you please sit down Lieutenant...” “Mahoney.” “That's ‘Sir’.” “Sir Mahoney.” The audience chuckled.

  “Forgive me, Master...” the senior officer motioned his adjutant, “Sir Mahoney will be transferred to the VIP Suite.” The adjutant nodded briefly. Then he walked over to the largest overhead compartment and opened it.

Suddenly LT Mahoney was lifted off the ground, slowly floating towards the gaping opening, where he could see a large box of premium Bantha cheese. Little did his protest and excuses help him. The lid was slammed shut. The officer knocked carefully. “Have a nice flight, Sir”, he said with his friendliest voice. Then he turned to the others; “Nobody is to touch that overhead compartment before the shuttle arrives at Aurora Prime!”

 

  “... Ion storms, Sir?”, the pilot gave the senior officer a startled look, “As far as I know there won't be any turbu...” He stared at the credits that were held under his nose. “Oh yes, there *will* be! I have a bad feeling that the shuttle will be shaken pretty bad...” “A-as you wish, Sir.”

 

 

 

 

The flight to Aurora Prime had been a pain. Luckily Lohr had enough time to freshen and change.

Now, at Arenn V spaceport on O’treege he wore a black suit and a trench coat of same color. The line in front of the customs counter didn’t seem to move. Through a thick pane of glass Lohr watched people walking through metal detectors. From time to time the machine would beep, causing the nearby security guards to point their rifles at the suspect, forcing them to strip one piece of clothing after another. The only highlight of this boring show was a young man who had tried running away. He had been stunned and taken in custody.

Lacking more interest, Lohr looked around the waiting room eyeing the female passengers. He was just about to cancel his search as a not too bad brunette, little girl on her lap, caught his eye. The seat next to her was free and from what he could see she didn’t have male company.

Lohr retreated into the restroom carefully closing the door. The fittings of the hand-basin were large enough to put both cases on them and Lohr prepared his next move.

 

 

 

 

  “Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

 

Startled the woman looked up, sizing Lohr from head to toe.

  “N-no, please sit down...”

 

It didn’t take long until they were engaged in small talk. The woman introduced herself as Claire. She and her daughter Molly were going to see Claire’s parents. The handcuffs caught her attention.

  “I am collecting art...”, Lohr explained, “...from time to time I come to O’treege to look for interesting objects. I always carry quite an amount of credits with me and I’d like to keep the possibility of theft as low as possible...”

Molly impatiently wriggled on her mother’s lap. 

  “Mommy...”, she whined, “when are we going to see grandpa and grandma?”

  “Soon, darling. Look, there are only few people left.”

Claire reached into her handbag and handed Molly a small bottle, “Here, would you like to drink a bit?”

In an act of defiance the girl tossed it to the floor. The bottle cracked open spilling its content all over the floor. Immediately a small droid on four wheels appeared, collected the fragments and cleaned up the mess.

  “I’m so sorry, Michel...” Claire said embarrassed. She was just going to scold her child when Lohr held her back.

He opened his case and got the teddy bear.

  “I was going to give it to my niece...”, he said when he gave it to Molly, “... but I think she’s too old to for it.”

The little girl shouted in delight as she hugged the bear, “Thank you, Uncle Michel. I’ll call him Todd.”

While Molly danced around with her new friend Lohr argued with Claire.

 

  “... Don’t mention it. I’ll get a book for my niece... please put the money away. You are insulting me...”

 

  “... But then let me at least invite you to a coffee...”

 

  “Alright, but it will be me who gets it, okay? You will stay here and watch our luggage.”

 

Relieved Claire handed Lohr some coins and he set out for the beverage automata. A couple of minutes later he returned.

  “Forgive me, that it took me so long”, he apologized, “I had to wait two minutes. But it’s still hot.”

  “No problem...” Claire noticed the single cup that was given to her.

  “Don’t you want coffee too?”, she asked.

Lohr laughed, “That was a little accident. The coffee was hotter that I expected. I let it fall on the floor.”

He politely declined her offer to get him another cup.

  “Look...”, he said when she had finished her coffee, “... the queue has nearly gone. We better hurry so we will get a good place...”

Lohr helped Claire up and while she carried Molly, Lohr pushed her trolley. They were fourth and sixth as the customs officers turned to the next cases in front of them.

 

  “Okay, Mr. ... Pherland... err... Do you have anything to declare, Sir?” 

  “No”, Lohr shook his head.

  “What is inside that small case of yours, Sir?”

  “Please, it is of inestimable value for me... I assure you that it is neither a weapon nor any other illegal thing.”

  “Sorry, Sir. I insist that you open it so that I can make sure myself.”

The guards stiffened and Lohr could look down the barrels of their rifles. Reluctantly he removed the cuffs and opened the case.

  “What’s inside that container?” The officer was examining the grey powder inside the glassy box. Then he opened it and sniffed it. When he couldn’t tell, he dipped the tip of his index finger into the substance and tasted.

  “How dare you...” Lohr exclaimed, “... put Szimone back!”

The officer gave him a suspicious look, “What’s that Zeemon? A kind of spice?”

  “Szimone is my wife!”

The man looked at Lohr’s black clothes. Then his face turned white as a bed sheet.

  “I-I-I’m sorry, Sir. I’m so terribly sorry...”

Hastily he put the box back to its place, closed the case and handed it to Lohr.

  “You may proceed, Sir. Have a nice stay on O’treege... I’m so...”

Lohr nodded briefly, grabbed his belongings and walked through the gate without looking back.

His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. Quickening the pace he saw Claire and Molly standing outside the spaceport waiting for a taxi. Pushing some people aside he rushed straight towards them. He arrived just in time when a small yellow glider stopped to pick up its new load.

Lohr opened the door for Claire. She was surprised and pleased to see him again. Once inside the taxi, Molly cradled beside her mother drifting into sleep.

  “I’ll help the driver to upload your baggage, okay?” Lohr carefully shut the door.

 

  “Bring them home safe. I’ll put the last suitcase in myself.”

The driver took the money that was offered to him. “Righto. Thanks, Sir.”

Claire lowered the window and thanked Lohr again.

  “Please...” he said, “... don’t mention it. Just take care of Molly and yourself.”

Claire bent out of the window and gave Lohr a small kiss. She waved, then the taxi lifted up, soon vanishing in heavy traffic.

 

Lohr walked back into the halls of the spaceport. He took out the glass box and when he was sure that nobody was looking, he dispersed the ash over the ground. He didn’t have to wait long until an armada of cleaning droids rolled into his direction. Moving forwards, backwards and circling the droids removed the dirt. Lohr observed the robots until he saw the chewing gum on one’s back. He stepped next to it and reached under its underside. Lohr grabbed his Z-92 and quickly put it into his shoulder holster. Some guards must have caught the movement, but they relaxed as Lohr pulled out shades and put them on. Then he straightened his coat and walked out into the bright twin suns of a wonderful day, motioning for a taxi.

  “Do you know a small clean hotel where I can stay for a few weeks?”

  “Hop in, Sir. I know everything in this metropolis. Interested in hiring a cab for the duration of your stay...?”

 

 

 

 

  “Mommy, look at Todd!” Molly’s eyes filled with tears as she handed her mother the teddy bear. He had a long gaping wound on his back and was losing filling.

  “Oh no, that taxi driver must have hurt Todd when throwing him into the trunk. We’ll fix him after lunch, okay?”

 

 

 

 

Lohr carefully cleaned the slides. They still had some fibers of wadding on them. The glass box lay on the window-still, washed and almost dry. When Lohr had finished, he put the slides back into their original resting-place. He walked to the console on the wall, read the plate next to it and pushed some buttons. Classical music filled the room. Lohr lay down on the bed, crossed the arms behind the head and closed his eyes. Then he waited for inspiration.

 

Four hours of mental reflection has passed before Lohr's eyes and he had come to one conclusion and one conclusion only.  Infiltrating the now dormant Project "Bee Hive" would be next to impossible without detailed blueprint and holo schematics.  That would require "jacking in" to the OI mainframe, not an easy task but simply the only way to accomplish the mission without detection.

 

Putting on his three-button suit jacket, sliding his shades on, he locked up the rented room and left the hotel.

The streets of Arenn V were still busy as usual, the same as when he had first set foot on this planet many years ago with his family.  He had instantly loved the beauty and culture of the natives, despite the obvious oppression that existed under the strong arm of the existing government.

 

Street vendors lined the sides of the streets in this section of the city, selling everything from local produce to the latest illegal electronics and or secured weapons. The latter was available if you knew the right people to see.  People were milling everywhere; business had picked up from the last time he'd been here. Perhaps, the government had loosened its grip on its citizens, finally?  Lohr knew better than that, he'd been part of the system too long to accept any "real" changes.

 

Reaching his intended destination brought him back to reality.  Hello sir, how may I help you today?  The middle-aged man spoke from a small little booth set into a stone building; a reinforced door was to the right.

 

  “I'm looking for some portable computer equipment for a job assignment.” Lohr reached into his breast pocket and removed a list he had compiled before he left.

 

Taking the list, the  “vendor” quickly glanced at it.  “This is very expensive equipment Mr.?”

 

  “Mr. Charles, Mr. Charles Monroe.” Next, Lohr handed a man a card.  “I assure you that you will find sufficient funds to cover the expense of all the items I have requested.”

 

It took only a moment for the man to affirm Lohr's statement and he looked up with a smile.  “Give me a few minutes will you?  I'll have your items out shortly.”

 

He watched the man disappear as he walked into the back of the building to retrieve his order.

 

  “Time to see if this guy is all he thinks he is,” Lohr murmured.   Quickly walking over the door he inserted a small device into the lock.  Moments later he was rewarded with a small clicking noise. Turning the handle he walked inside.

 

Looking at his watch he pulled up the heartbeat sensor menu and set it for hostiles detect.   His earpiece suddenly alerted him to something, something that a simple black-market vendor would not do.  A call for backup to CCD headquarters.  “Time to act fast,” Lohr thought.  Upholstering his Z-92 in one fluid motion he burst into the next room.  There stood the vendor, his back turned, and wearing a communications headset.

 

  “Who are you trying to get a hold of at this hour?” Lohr said as he stood there, nonchalantly, his blaster pointing down at the ground.

 

Whirling around, the vendor stammered, “h-h-ow? What are you doing in here?”

 

  “You smell of the CCD,” Lohr's lips curled slightly as he spat out the words. “You shouldn't have tried to call for backup, you only succeeded losing a sale.”

Lohr brought his gun up and pulled the trigger two times, the projectiles from his Z-92 punching two neat holes is the undercover agents’ head.

  “Don't count on an open casket for the memorial service,” Lohr commented to no one in particular.

 

Quickly gathering the equipment he needed and putting them into a metallic case he found on a nearby bench, he left by the back way and headed for a nearby coffee shop. 

 

The local StarBart’s was very busy, and Lohr almost decided to forget about getting an all time favorite beverage of his, a rappiccino.  Nevertheless he prevailed the crowds and walked out the door ten minutes later, hot, steamy beverage in hand.

 

The crystal blue sky caught Lohr’s attention for a moment.  “I never get over the beauty of this place,” he thought.

  “Hmm, what I need is a path into the mainframe, something with lots of terminals I can bounce my signal off of.”  A brisk walk for a few blocks and his target caught his eye, a building with a government owned satellite uplink.

Ten blocks later, Lohr opened the glass doors and walked into the Public Library.  Quickly finding a somewhat secluded place to hook up his equipment, he opened the case he was carrying and the mini computer with the OI certified Level IV processor with built in crypto was set out.  Next was the Ghost module to scramble any approach and designed to send his signal using multiple sub-channels and finally, a couple of super density Lithium Oxide mini discs.

Popping a disc into the computers’ storage drive he pulled another disc out of his pocket and proceeded to boot the system with it.

  “Welcome Special Agent Zadash,” appeared on the plasma screen a moment later.  A few keystrokes and he had selected the ‘search remote host’ option.  Another quick keystroke enabled the ‘resolve host name to address’ option.  He entered O’treegian Intelligence Secured.

The results were available a few moments later and Lohr activated the module.  The ghost quickly punched a hole into several channels and then asked for a search sting.  “CCD and OI holo schematics” was entered.  The program quickly located the necessary files and began the download, but even with the high speed of the uplink it would take a few minutes to accomplish.

 

 

 

 

Somewhere, deep in the CCD headquarters, in the heart of Section I, Simon, weapons and technology specialist was hard at work in his shop.  He was reviewing the recent cycling of data communications for the day.  Something caught his eye, no fewer than 20 low priority channels were handling bandwidth that was normal of their high priority counterparts.

  “What the hell?” he thought.  A few rapid keystrokes revealed a core download to an unknown location bearing the complete architectural plans for all CCD and IO buildings.  But it was the last file on the list that almost made him have a heart attack, Project BeeHive - all related.

 

The download was almost complete when the screen on Lohr’s computer flickered for a moment and went black.  A chat window popped up and the message “Welcome back Lohr how can I help you?” appeared across the screen.

 

  “I need to temporarily re-activate the project, will you help me?”

 

  “That's risky, no one else knows about that project except you, the late Drake Kitane and myself.”

 

  “I didn't ask you to access the risks, I just asked for your help.”

 

  “Ok, but I expect to know what the hell has made you suddenly appear out of nowhere, and breach IO security.  If they find out about this, it'll be my ass!”

 

  “He's keeping me online, unnecessarily,” Lohr thought.  A warning chime sounded and the words flashed across the screen, “Location Security Compromised!”

Almost immediately his earpiece told him of a CCD sector alert.

Lohr took a quick look at the small progress meter on the upper left of the screen.  He had all the information he had came for and then some.

 

  “Guess I've overstayed my welcome, time to make a graceful exit.”

 

The last message he saw before he severed the connection was, “Watch out for the newly installed IR thermal security system.”

 

Lohr's earpiece was picking up a flurry of communications warning him of an incoming CCD razzia team and more backup was on the way.

 

Shutting down the computer and the rest of his equipment, he placed everything into the case and closed the lid with a metallic click.  Taking a quick look around, he could see many children and a few adults throughout the building.  “Too many people in here,” Lohr thought.  

 

  “Activate fire alert systems, local building.”

The computer in his earpiece immediately responded, “Activating now sir.”

 

The loud sirens and klaxons sounds a few moments later and Lohr could see all the children heading to the exits under the direction of the adults, except for one little boy.

 

Lohr, taking the pin from his right lapel on his jacket, reached under the desk and shoved it into the wood.  An audible beep was heard and small voice asked, “Orders Sir?”

 

Lohr grinned as he said, “Set to tactical spread with maximum stun capabilities.”

 

Grabbing the case with one hand he walked over to the boy, who was crying for it's Mother.

Lohr spoke in a calm and friendly voice over the noise of the alarms, “Hi there, are you lost?”

 

  “I want my mommy!” the child choked out despite the flurry of tears and sobbing.

 

  “Let me help you, I'm Lohr, what your name?” A smile on his part revealed no response from the child other than the previous distraught nature.

Lohr tried again, “I work for the government, I'll help you find your mommy.”

  “Would you like that?”

 

The child's tears slowed considerably at the mention of that and Lohr reached down and picked the little boy up and headed for the exit with the rest of the crowd.

 

Just as Lohr had reached the exit, he could see several skimmers pulling up with the words, “CCD Anti-Terrorist Team” displayed across their sides.

 

 “What's your mommy's name?” Lohr asked the child in his arm.

He received a puzzled look for his efforts and then the reply, “Mommy! I want my Mommy!” and the tears started again.

 

Lohr worked his way to the edge of the crowd that had gathered outside the Library.  He had calmed the boy down now and told him to sit on his shoulders so he could get a better look around. When the boy finally climbed up and stationed himself there, Lohr asked,   “Can you see you mother anywhere?”

 

Thirty seconds had not passed before he heard a frantic voice. “David! David!”

The cry of a familiar voice stirred the boy emotions; for, in his excitement he almost wrenched him self out of Lohr’s one-handed grasp.  Just in time, Lohr re-adjusted his grip on the boy’s leg and prevented a nasty bump on the head.

  “Is that your mommy?” he asked.

 

  “Yes, yes that's her!” the tears had completely disappeared now and a jubilant bouncing boy was what remained.

Lohr couldn't help smiling and wondered if future parenthood would hold the same trials and joys for him.

 

David's mother had worked her way through the crowd a couple of minute’s later and rushed over to her child.

Lohr, lowering the case in his right hand to the ground, reached up with both hands and lifted David off his shoulders and onto the ground.  Lohr watched with a smile the happy reunion of mother and son for a moment and then turned, and walked away, disappearing through the crowd of Public Emergency personnel and spectators.

 

 

 

 

The Anti-Terrorist Team burst into the library, weapons at ready. 

  “Secure the area!” the Team Leader barked.

  “Yes, sir” unanimously rang out of the nine other operatives' mouths.

Splitting up into two 5-man teams, one team went to the right the other to the left working their way forward.

For Team One the search had turned up nothing on their end of the building, that was, until they entered the Children Literature Section.  A cluster of computer terminals lay a few dozen feet in front of them. 

Pausing, the Team Leader whispered into his communications mouthpiece, “Tactical, we need a sector sweep in the local area.”

 

  “Team Leader, your team is approximately 10 meters from the target location.”

 

  “Roger that, sweeping forward.”

 

  “Ok men, this is it.  According to Intel, whoever it is, is still online.”

 

The sweep pinpointed the active terminals location and Tactical Command had uploaded the information onto the entire teams’ HUD’s.  Team Two was already doubling back onto their location, lining themselves up so that they could blitz in from the opposite direction.

 

 “Team Two in position.” the voice hissed into his headset.

 

 “On my mark, 1, 2, 3 Mark!” “Go, Go, Go!” “Move it!”

 

Team One rushed around a shelf of books; guns up and converged on the location. Team Two quickly joined them from the opposite side.

 

  “Tactical?”

  “Go ahead Team Leader.”

 

  “Nobody's here, the building is secure, all we have is a terminal still on and connected to the mainframe. From what it looks like, whoever it was, used this terminal for a bounce point.”

 

  “Acknowledged gather what equipment that might have been used in the attack for analysis.”

 

  “Roger that.”

 

At that moment, he heard a loud distinctive beep.

 

  “What the…?”

 

Then a huge bang and white light everywhere, he had suddenly gone deaf and he felt like he was flying backwards.

The collision a few seconds later into nearby shelf of books confirmed that. He struggled to rise.  He caught a glimpse of the aftermath, everyone was down, bodies strewn everywhere. 

 

  “Report, what happened in there?” It was Mobile Command.

 

  “A trap....” he managed to get out before he collapsed.

 

 

 

 

Lohr had made his way back to the hotel.  He set the case on the bed and removed his suit jacket.  Grabbing a chair from the nearby desk he made his way over the bed and sat down near the edge of it.  Opening the case with a click he pulled out the mini computer and started it up.  Loading the holo schematics took several minutes and he proceeded to study them with great interest.

 

 

Hours had passed, and frequent breaks for cold drinks and a bite of food ordered from room service, here and there.

Getting into the old labs wouldn't be easy Lohr had discovered for some reason the then entire level it was situated on had newly installed IR thermal sentry systems.  From what the schematics said, there wasn't any way around them, for, every living thing gives off a thermal readout of some kind.

 

  “Well, there always is a way,” Lohr thought. “I just have to find it.”  Lohr walked into the kitchen for a new cup of chicory a very black, very hot beverage.  While refilling his glass, a little bit spilt on his hand, burning it.  Holding his hand under the cold water tap, it suddenly came to him.  “Why didn't I think of that before he wondered?”

 

 

 

 

Lohr looked at his watch.  The bluish glow from the faceplate read 00:24 AM.  He was here at Lacent Technologies to spend the morning in their machine shops.  A sector scan revealed no personnel in a 3-block radius. 

  “Thank goodness for long weekends,” Lohr thought.

With a loping stride, he went over the nearest door and quickly defeated the lock system.  Once inside he patched his datapad into the alarm console grabbing the access code and shutting the system down before the 30-second grace period expired.  A few more minutes later and all the access codes had been changed and the system custom configured to his liking.

 

Pulling out his handheld scanner, Lohr captured and uploaded a real-time schematic outline of the building’s interior. Several areas appeared with hyper tags flashing.  As if speaking to no one in particular Lohr spoke, “Computer located Advanced Manufacturing facilities.”

 

  “Accessing, please stand by.”  “Located.”

 

A new hyper tag glowed on his handheld, which pointed to a lower level.  Lohr set of in that direction and after a few minutes of riding in a turbo lift he stepped out onto the main manufacturing floor.  A huge manufacturing system lay before him, machinery everywhere.  What it all did was of little consequence to him.  “Locate central control”

 

  “Accessing”

 

Lohr's datapad started blinking, “Ok got it.”

 

Stepping up onto a mini skimmer craft, Lohr headed toward the designated area.  He gunned the little craft to its maximum speed and let the little breeze that was generated blow through his hair.  Rapidly maneuvering though the curves and corners that the machinery presented it wasn't long and Lohr was at the control center.  Walking up a set of steps he survey the vast area around him.  Reaching down he inserted his datapad into the local dataport.  Within moments his datapad had complete access the mainframe.

  “Computer bring up Inventory list.”  With a flash a holo projector powered up in front of him and the list appeared.

 

Lohr brought up the sensors menu and then the sublist “Experimental”.  The screen flashed and the following information was displayed:

 

 

Classification: Chameleon XVPF Rev. 10b

Capabilities:          Thermal IR Shielding/Cloaking with local phase shift within 1ms.

Operational Parameters:          To be applied to a Nova-Lex (or compatible) body suit powered with an HS generation microprocessor.

Operational Limitations: Only provides protection from IR/Thermal detection.

 

Lohr selected a level 9 Nova-Lex body suit from inventory and selected the custom outfitting option.

A small box appeared before him on the holo display.  He selected the Chameleon sensors from the list.  With a flash another dialogue box had appeared with the larger words “EXECUTE?” in it.  Lohr touched it and almost immediately several machines powered up and began working.  Lohr could see of in the distance some large doors open and a robotic arm grab the suit from storage.  To the left another machine that looked like a huge sewing machine was loading some small canisters labeled ‘Experimental XVPF Rev. 10b’ into its dual arms.   While the first machine held the suit completely still, the “sewing machine” began fusing the sensors into the fabric with its laser net embedors.  It didn't take long and the suit was finished and now it was time for the processor.  The holo projection changed as Lohr selected the another customization option.  A wire-frame projection appeared, spinning in front of him.

 

  “Where should the processor be placed, sir?”  It was the computer.

 

Lohr moved his hand and touched the holo projection on the left side just below the armpit.  It would be perfectly shielded there without him having to worry about damage.

 

  “Acknowledged.”

 

The suit left the first two machines and headed down a long conveyor belt towards its next destination, microprocessor embedding and design.

 

At the last minute Lohr instructed the computer to add radiation and EMP shielding to the processor which was done before if left the automated manufacturing lab that was constructing it as he spoke.  When the suit had arrived, a large robotic arm lifted it off the belt and placed it on a large metal bed with several small robots mounted on its sides.

Lohr looked at the status bar; it read “Initiating Processor Integration.”

 

With a flash of light the robots had come to life and began constructing the necessary electrical conduits and data pathways that the processor would need to operate and control the suit.  Lohr could hear the plasma fusion welders operating with their familiar snap and cracking sound. Within a few minutes the suit was complete and was packaged into a hardpack.

 

  “Sir, will that be all?”

  “Construct ten magazines of Mark IV Encased Plasma projectiles from my design.”

  “Commencing Sir, they will be waiting by the hardpack when you arrive”.

 

With that, pulled his datapad out of the data-port and walked down the stairs and fired up the mini skimmer. Suddenly, Lohr’s faceplate on his timepiece began flashing an hour had expired.

  “Time to leave, Lohr thought.”  He gunned the little craft and pressed on to the pickup point.

 

Arriving near the exit, two droids stood there, each carrying a hardpack. Upon seeing him they each set their cargo down and walked back to where ever they were stationed.  Stepping of the skimmer, Lohr walked over and picked his night's work up and walked to the exit. Opening the door, he spoke to his earpiece, “Run cleaning program, I want this place exactly like I left it and leave the normal gratuity.”

 

  “Acknowledged.”

 

Lohr stepped out into the cool night air.  Looking up for a moment, he marveled at the solitary moon that graced O’treege each and every night.  “And some people take this beauty for granted,” he thought.

 

Walking for a few blocks, Lohr found his rented vehicle and dropped the hardpacks in the passenger seat, getting behind the controls. Closing the door, and putting his safety harness on, he pushed some buttons.  The craft’s thrusters powered up and he lifted off into the night sky, heading back to his Hotel.

 

 

 

The next day, at around 09:00 hours Lacent Technologies Inc. began a new workweek, the long weekend was over.

Jahn Brozowski, Senior Design Analyst began another week at his uneventful job.  Sitting at his terminal he brought up a list of new proposed designs he had been reviewing the previous week.  One in particular caught his attention.  He looked again, the time stamp said it had been completed and MANUFACTURED just hours before!  He looked the design over in detail and couldn't get over the genius behind the design.  Advanced nano-circuitry that he had never knew even existed before.  Simply put this design had come from the outside, someone who was familiar no, intimately knowledgeable of such things.  But how had they gained access to the building? Never mind that, he surmised this person or persons had left this design behind.  “But, why?”  He noticed a small note in the “Other Comments” field.  “For services rendered.”

 

  “A generous and honest thief?” he wondered.  Mr. Brozowski tapped his Comm panel. “I need to speak the head of security please.”

 

 

Back at the Hotel Lohr was in bed, blankets wrapped around him, sound asleep.  A sharp beeping noise awakened him a few minutes later.  He glanced at the nightstand by his bedside; the green flashing numbers read “09:30”.

Blinking slowly failed to remove the remnants of sleep from his eyes.  So, off he trudged to the bathroom to “freshen up” “Damn”, he thought, “Sometimes I wish I was Shae, she's so morning friendly.”  But, he remembered it hadn’t always been that way.  Nothing had been the same after the ‘accident’ involving Shauna. And now all this... was it worth it?  Did he love her that much? Brushing the terrible thoughts aside with splashes of warm water to his face, he teased his hair into place.  Grabbing a robe from the nearby towel rack, he went into the kitchen to make some breakfast. 

Looking out the large picture windows, off in the distance he could see the multitude of craft that made rush hour traffic so infamous at the weeks beginning.  Thousands of people oblivious the real issues that faced them in the near future.  Some would embrace the change; others would fight it, perhaps dying for what they believed to right and just.  Turning, and grabbing some utensils, he started making his favorite, waffles with fresh dewberries garnished with fresh grudesh creme. 

Lohr enjoyed the meal but it just wasn't the same.  Something was lacking, “NO!” he thought,  “He couldn't allow this to happen”.  He was losing his objectivity and that was the last thing he needed right now.

Breakfast was finished and Lohr put the dishes into the machine to be cleaned. 

Next, he walked over to the desk where his datapad was plugged into the mini holo emitter. The two hardpacks stood bedside it. 

Lohr opened the first one removing the chameleon suit and put it on checking for comfort and ease of movement.  It fit like a glove, almost like a second layer of skin. 

 

  “Computer run complete diagnostics.”  His datapad powered up and began a series of tests ranging from processor integrity under extreme stress loads to rate of adaptation.

 

  “Sir, suit is operating at one hundred percent efficiency.”

 

He opened the second hardpack and removed the ammunition magazines and deposited them in the belly pockets on the suit.

 

Taking of the suit he deposited it on a hanger in the closet.

 

  “Now its time to scout the HIVE”, he thought.

 

 

Lohr loaded a map of Arenn V into his datapad. He typed in the co-ordinates he had found on a blueprint. The computer scrolled to the industrial area outside the city limits and centred the map on a rectangular building.

  “Satellite mode. Zoom in. Factor 4.”

The drawn map was replaced by a photo-realistic image. The picture enlarged and Lohr could see a warehouse surrounded by a fence. Lohr looked out of the window. There still was daylight and he decided to take a walk.

 

The hotel offered vehicles for rent and Lohr took a small but fast glider.

  “Oh, excuse me, can you tell me where the nearest pet shop is?”

The woman at the reception desk gave him a puzzled look.   “I'm afraid our hotel does not allow animals in the rooms, Sir...”

  “Oh, I'm just getting food for my daughter's fish.”

The receptionist sighed in relief, smiled and gave him the information.

 

 

 

Lohr stood in front of the fence that kept him away from the “Hive”. He walked to the glider and carefully took one of the two cats he had recently bought. With a fluid motion he threw it against the thick wire netting. The cat screamed in agony as the current shot through its little body. Sparks flew and set the fur on fire. Although the wind blew into the other direction it soon smelled like burnt hair and meat.

  “Electric. Just what I expected.”

Lohr turned around and got the other pet. This time he threw it *over* the fence. The cat landed on its paws and sat down. From somewhere, Lohr assumed they came from the broad fencing posts, class 1 laser beams emitted and scanned the cat. Nothing else happened. Lohr was about to drive home as he heard the low hums of motors powering up. The sounds became higher and when they didn't change anymore Lohr knew that top speed had been achieved. The last time he had heard anything similar was when he had been part of a strike team busting a gangster syndicate and had been given an M-134. The cat ran away from the fence. Lohr shook his head.

  “No way it can outrun the bullets...”

He was right. Bursts of muted puffs... “Aha. Silenced. Not to attract attention...” Lohr thought... and the cat exploded. Blood and guts rained down onto the concrete. Lohr listened to cartridge cases hitting the ground. A noise Shae had liked very much.

  “50mm... typically CCD.”

With his experiments finished, Lohr returned to the hotel.

 

 

Lohr waited till nightfall and took the stairs leading to the exit out of the building where the glider he had rented earlier in the day awaited him.  Tossing his gear into the seat beside him he powered the craft up and headed out of town.

 

Lohr looked down while passing over the large city.  It was amazing how everything seemed to shut down in a city of such magnitude.  Perhaps people were so used to the curfews that were imposed from time to time that they just didn’t bother trying to change their “normal schedule.”

Spotting the building on his HUD Lohr first circled and then parked beside a building close by and donned his gear. First the suit then, he deposited his datapad in a breast pocket and his Z-92 slid into the concealed shoulder holster.

 

 

Lohr activated the suit and with a low hum, the processor came online and powered up the suit.  Almost immediately the suit began adapting to it’s surroundings.

 

The last thing in Lohr’s list was a small toolkit, which he grabbed  and then closed and locked up the glider.

 

It took several minutes to reach the southern part of the electrical fence and when he arrived he set the toolkit down.  Opening it he took out 2 bypass cables and carefully attached leads to each corner of the nearest fence panel. With the bypasses in place he next climbed up to the top of the fence and with his mini cutter quickly opened a hole in the razor wire.  With an inverse flip, he was on the ground running towards the nearest entrance of the building.  Just in time too, for at that moment the bypasses failed and burst into flame. 

 

  “Damn S.M.A.R.T technology.” Lohr was going to have to thank his mother sometime for making him take those gymnastics classes, the next time he saw her.

Well, he hoped he would find what he came here for because unless he found some bypass equipment inside, he’d be here for a long, long time.  Lohr looked at the surroundings.  No, that wasn’t a promising prospect.

 

Reaching the metal door, he keyed in his old clearance number. “Wow, it still worked!”

Looking up at one of the turrets hanging off of the building's wall he thought, “So far so good.”

Lohr turned the handle and the door opened with a groan.

 

It was dark inside almost murky.  A touch of a button on the side of his head brought up the night vision lens and everything turned a light shade of green.  Lohr’s earpiece that was wired to his datapad was feeding him a constant stream of information regarding possible threats and other navigational information.

 

Lohr spotted the elevator doors.  “Computer locate possible location of target zone.”

Within moments a three-dimensional wireframe layout of the building appeared in his HUD.  Hyper tags had appeared on a floor four levels below ground.

Something was wrong though, Lohr noticed as he zoomed onto that level, it seemed to just consist of a long corridor.

  “Well, the computer must know something that I don’t” he surmised.

Walking over to the double polished metal doors that as an entrance point into the elevator.

 

He knew the elevator had to be booby trapped somehow.  Scanning the area around Lohr noticed some machinery scattered here and there.  Walking over to a hover lift, he climbed up into the cab and pressed the ignition switch. Miraculously it still worked.  Grinning, he gunned the engines and started towards the doors lining himself up in a straight line with them.

  “Well why not?”  He pushed the power lever to the maximum setting and leveled out the forks on the machine. He then released the brake…  The hover lift shot forward quickly gaining speed, Lohr quickly fastened the available safety harness and grabbed the wheel just before impact.  With a loud crash the forks of the lift pierced through the double doors and ran through the entire elevator car, punching though the other side.  Pulling a lever, Lohr tilted the forks back as far as they would go.  Pieces of wall and masonry where everywhere as the whole elevator car assembly began to come through the wall.  He jiggled the movement lever back and forth, shaking the car even looser than it was before.  Finally when the elevator car was just hanging in mid-air, he backed the lift, complete with “cargo” and parked it to the side.

 

From the integrated pack on the back of his suit, he pulled a thirty-meter rappelling rope complete with mini grapple.  Fastening it to the nearby lift, Lohr began his decent into the depths of the building.

 

 

 

  “Attention! Go through this door only if you have the right opening it! Disregard of this warning will lead to punishment!

 

Lohr grinned at the small sign that had been fixed to the wall above a pair of levers labeled        “Open” and “Emergency Seal”. Lohr threw the first one; the heavy door slid aside with a hiss.

Carefully Lohr stepped through the doorframe and found himself in a corridor. A glance on his handheld assured, that no threat was ahead.

 

 

The sudden push knocked him back and Lohr landed on the ground. He quickly flipped back onto his feet. With an arm outstretched Lohr slowly walked towards the door on the other end of the corridor. Soon his hand touched an invisible barrier indicating that a force field had been created.

 

Lohr turned around as he heard the noise behind him. A part of the ceiling opened, and a large metallic object, Lohr identified it as one of those nasty auto-cannons, lowered down randomly turning into all directions. On the base of the gun, pointing into the same direction as the muzzle, Lohr saw the gun’s spheroidal “eye”, now glowing dark red.

 

  “It’s scanning the room for any thermal signatures”, Lohr thought.

Fortunately his Chameleon Suit had adapted to the temperature when he walked into the room. Moments passed, Lohr stood still, holding his breath. He sighed in relief as the lids of the eye closed.

 

The expression on his face changed to horror as the eye opened again, wider than before, revealing almost the whole eyeball. Light emitted from it, bathing everything in purplish blue.

 

  “Ultraviolet light! Damn!”

The Chameleon Suit tried adapting to the new environment changing its color. Quickly the gun pointed its muzzle into Lohr’s direction. He could hear the whine of the engines as the barrels began to rotate. Lohr dived under the gun just split seconds before a burst of 30mm projectiles hit the force field where he had stood. The cannon followed Lohr’s motion, still spitting fire. As Lohr rolled onto his back he saw the muzzles pointing straight into his face, the barrels not clearly visible due to the fast rotation.  Bright flashes were the last things Lohr expected to see in life, when the spinning suddenly slowed down and the gun began searching the room again.

 

  “It can’t see me anymore...” Lohr suppressed laughter and slowly stood up, “... Phew. Now I’ll have to find a way to get past that barrier...”

The violet light went out, obviously the gun had closed its eye again. Hoping that it had not damaged his retina Lohr examined the walls. They were thick and sturdy; the only way out would be the same he came in.

 

As he walked towards the door the cannon moved again tracking Lohr’s movements. Fortunately he was smart enough to stop dead. Ill at ease he watched the gun, barely breathing. It seemed like an eternity before the sensor closed again, just to change the detection process to visual mode.

 

  “Oh great, what can I do against that, huh?”, Lohr cursed aloud while the gun powered up yet another time. , “And what’s that shit about your life flashing past your eyes before death?”

 

 

  “Maybe its because your time has not come yet, Zadash.”

The automatic cannon retracted back into the ceiling and Lohr turned to the man who had entered the corridor through the other door.

  “You are late, Lohr. I’ve waited the whole day and nearly ran out of tea. What kept you so long, son?”

  “Hello Simon... how the heck did you get past that murderous thing?”, Lohr asked, thumb pointing to the ceiling.

  “I just stepped through the door like you.” The old man produced a small remote control from his pocket and pushed a button. For a second the force field lit up as it was deactivated.

  “I had the “right” opening the door, Lohr. You should have read more carefully. Nobody throws the right lever, you know? Now follow me, I’ll lead the way. There’s a lot you’ll have to explain to me...”

 

 

 

Lohr sat in a comfortable chair, holding a cup of tea in his hands. He looked around the room that had been elegantly arranged.

  “With you gone I was the only one left really knowing of this place”, Simon said as he put a plate of crackers with cheese onto the table. “I took advantage of it and built my own residence here. It’s remote, quiet and safe, as you can verify now. I even have a clone of my CCD lab here and I have worked on a few exciting new stuff that I’ll show you someday...”

Groaning Simon took the seat opposite of Lohr and sternly eyed his friend.

  “Now tell me what has brought you back to O’treege, Lohr?”

  “Project Bee-hive.”

Simon spilled a bit of tea over his hand and put the cup on the table, shaking.

  “You know it was stopped after Drake Kitane died.”

  “I also know that the equipment has not been disassembled and still must be here.”

The old man sighed deeply, worried and hurt expression on his face. From the wrinkles around the eyes Lohr could see, how much time has passed since they last met.

  “It is. Although it was not the most splendid and honest development that has ever left our laboratories, I have not been able to destroy it yet.”

  “I need it, Simon. I really need it.”

Terrified Simon looked at Lohr.

  “What are you up to? What do you need an army of cloned soldiers for?”

Lohr smiled weakly.

  “I’m not going to build an army, Simon. I am just in need of one individual. After the cloning process has finished, I’ll help you destroy Bee-hive for the sake of mankind...”

  “I can’t, Lohr. This is not right. I really am happy to see you again after that long time, and I offer you to stay at my place... but if Project Bee-hive is everything you’re interested in, I regret to tell you that your efforts have been in vain.”

  “Simon! Please, remember the times where I have saved your life? Although Drake respected you, you sometimes were very close to being cancelled!”

  “I saved your life today. I’m even with you. I don’t owe you anything.”

 

 

 

Lohr's hand reached into his suit. He pointed the Z-92 at Simon's face and cocked it.

  “Go ahead, Zadash. Kill me. You will never reach the exit alive.”

Knowing this was the truth; Lohr dropped his arm in frustration.

  “Simon... PLEASE!”

The CCD’s weapons expert raised eyebrows, expressing surprise and disbelief.

  “... In all those years we have worked together, this is the first time you said “please”.            “What is it, Lohr? What is strong enough to make you act unreasonable? What can make *you* lose control over emotions?”

Lohr silently shook his head.

  “Trust me, Simon. Have I ever lied to you?”

  “Surprisingly, not...”

 

 

 

They stumbled back as the bad air shot out of the opening. Simon walked over to a huge lever and threw it. Somewhere generators sprang to life and the ceiling lights began to flicker. Big fans in the ventilation system slowly commenced their work blowing fresh air into the large hall.

  “Welcome to Project Bee-hive”, Simon said theatrically as he spread his arms and turned around motioning to the rows of glass cylinders.

  “I have never really seen it”, Lohr whispered in awe.

His glance fell on a glazed balcony that was running along the side of the hall. Lohr pictured Drake Kitane standing there above all others, hands on the railing, monitoring the work below.

  “500 growing tanks, Lohr.  500 new soldiers a week, 2000 per month, 24000 per year. All genetically enhanced, modifiable with cybernetic implants and fully programmable...”

Simon coughed as dust got into his nose as they walked around.

  “And this is just the first hive. We could have built as many as we wanted.”

  “Is it operational?”

 

 

The screen lit up in a greenish light and asked for input.

  “The password, Simon?”

  “Domination. All capital letters.”

Lohr pounded on the keyboard and hit the “Execute” button. The text faded into blackness. Just when Lohr was about to call Simon, the screen brightened again, now producing a scheme of the hive.

  “Ah, now we have to...”, Simon pushed Lohr away and took control of the keyboard. His fingertips flew over the keys. Lohr crossed his arms watching his friend starting a system check. The screen was now filled with rows of those growing tanks. One by one, beginning from the upper left corner, the tank symbols changed from blue to black and Lohr could hear Simon curse through his teeth.

  “Damn, it's more damaged than I thought it would be! This is high-tech equipment and needs constant maintenance!”

  “Status?”

  “23% out of order so far. Ask me again in ten minutes.”

Lohr looked out of the Control Center's glass front. In the dirty window he saw his own reflection. As he tried cleaning it a bit, his hand blackened from the dirt and Lohr wiped it on his trousers. At least he had a view over the tanks.

 

 

  “Hey, kid...”

The hand on his shoulder brought Lohr back into reality. He followed Simon back to the computer.

  “The installation is 12% operational...”, Simon pointed to a cluster of green symbols, “... and there also are some tanks with minor damage.” Simon's hand moved to yellow spots.

  “Forget those red ones, they're heavily damaged...”

  “As I told you, I'll only be needing a single tank. When will it be ready?”

  “I'm not Simon the Sorcerer”, the old man protested, “Hmm... We’ll have to clean up, redirect the energy flow, get the nutrient solution, heck, we haven't checked the cloning lab yet...”

  “I'm not interested in details, Simon. I want a time.”

  “Three days. With your help, maybe earlier.”

  “Let's get going.”

 

 

 

Row 30, tank 8. For the last two days they had worked on the tank Lohr had chosen to be Shae's reincarnation place. Now it was filled with a colorless liquid, illuminated in gloomy red, ready for the seed to be planted inside.

 

  “Do you have the sample with you?”

Lohr reached behind his neck and handed Simon a small locket on a golden chain. Inside the scientist found a black hair.

  “Hmm, that should suffice... you still have the chance to call it off, Lohr.”

Zadash shook his head.

  “So be it. What do you need?”

  “Just leave it to the initial settings. No genetic manipulations, no cybernetic body parts, no integrated weapons systems.”

  “What use is it then?”

  “Simon.”

  “Alright, but I have a bad feeling about this...”

 

 

As they checked some hours later, the cells had already grown to a small embryo.

  “Oh yeah, it's a girl. Congratulations.” Simon half-heartedly joked as he stared at the monitor checking the vital functions.

  “I know.”

Before Simon could ask more questions, Lohr headed for the elevator up to the surface.

 

 

The little girl grew up rapidly while Lohr and Simon compensated the recent lack of sleep. When they checked the next time, Simon stared into a face he had not seen in this form for about 17 years.

  “OH MY...” the old man clutched to his chest, the other hand supported his weight on a nearby tank, “... this is Shauna!”

Suddenly Simon charged at Lohr, grabbed his collar and threw him against a broken growing tank.

  “You know the rules, Lohr! You know Kitane’s rules!”

Lohr was caught off guard and his head hit the thick glass hard. Simon was old, but tall and surprisingly strong.

  “Respect death! No matter in which form he came! No cloning of dead people!”

Simon stressed the words of the last sentence by banging Lohr against the tank.

A jab into the stomach robbed Simon of his breath. He was pushed back, then Lohr's fist smacked into his face. Simon felt his lips open up and his mouth filled with the salty taste of blood.

 

  “This is not Shauna”, Lohr said as he sat down next to Simon, their backs resting against a base. With the back of his hand Simon touched his aching mouth. The wound was closing and the stains on his hands were dark red in color. Turning his head he saw that Lohr had closed his eyes.

  “The mess started a few weeks ago when our mothership was attacked by Rebel forces...”

 

 

The next few days they didn't talk much. Silently they watched Shae growing, going through elementary, primary school and entering junior high. At least when it came to age. She was now equivalent to being 13 years old and her breasts, that were going to drive more than one person crazy, had started to bud.

Impatiently Lohr glanced at his watch. He didn't have too much time left.

  “How long until she's ready for extraction?”

  “Couple o’days.”

  “And the memory recovery?”

  “Two weeks.”

  “Good.”

 

 

The last drops of the nutrious solution had been drained. The machine had given Shae a short electro shock and the first oxygen she had pumped into her lungs escaped in an eerie cry of birth that made them shudder. As the glass lid of the tank slid open, Lohr caught Shae as she collapsed into his arms.

  “Follow me.”

Carrying Shae's wet body it was difficult for Lohr to match Simon's pace.

  “Come on, into here... quick!” Simon commanded as he held a door open leading into a totally white room. Carefully Lohr put Shae down on a bed that had been prepared. Simon attached some electrodes to Shae’s body. A small monitor started showing the pulses of her heartbeat accompanied by a steady beep.

Lohr stroked Shae’s head, caressing the hair and her cheeks.

  “There's no time for that!”

Simon fiddled around with some leather straps and tied Shae’s ankles to the bedframe. The frequency of the beeps suddenly rose.

  “Her hands, Lohr! Dammit, her hands!”

As fast as he could Simon managed to cuff one of Shae’s wrists.

  “What are you waiting for”, he bellowed, gesticulating.

  “I don’t...”

Lohr’s words were cut when Shae’s hand grabbed his throat. Her nails were burying deep into the flesh next to Lohr’s larynx. Although he could have broken her arm easily, Lohr was afraid of hurting her. He just closed his hands around her fingers and tried pulling them apart.

 

Simon rushed to a silver tablet and grabbed two small plastic bags. Hastily he ripped them open and attached the long needle to the syringe and filled it with a liquid from a small bottle. Lohr noticed that Shae’s pulse had normalized again and although her arm muscles were flexed, she showed neither strain nor any emotion on her face. She just fixed her gaze on Lohr, the emerald green dull without any sparkle.

  “Just a few more moments”, Simon shouted as he stabbed the needle deep into Shae's chest and pushed the piston, injecting the syringe's content into her heart.

 

Shae's arm dropped onto the mattress. While Lohr was drawing deep breaths Simon placed the last strap around Shae.

  “I guess the next time we should remove the basic commands before activation. She will sleep for some hours now.”

  “... memory...”, Lohr's voice was still a bit croaky and he cleared his throat, “... and the memory...”

  “Do you have a backup copy?”

Lohr nodded.

  “Give it to me tomorrow. Let's go upstairs.”

  “Is there a blanket somewhere?”

Simon handed Lohr a thin piece of cloth and Shae was tenderly covered. Lohr pressed his lips onto Shae's.

  “Come on, Romeo... I'm hungry”, Simon said impatiently. He waited until Lohr had passed him and dimmed the lights.

  “Night, Sugar.”

 

 

“Will she be normal?”

The old man shrugged.  I have formatted the brain, completely removing the killer program and anything that had to do with "Project Beehive", before I restored the data from the slides you gave me. Now she is in stasis."

  “Any problems?”

  “Well, the system detected memory fragments and immediately launched BrainFix. I guess that fragments came from bad clusters of her old brain. They were declared useless and have been deleted to save space. Say, when has that MRI last been updated?”

  “I have created a class IV holograph of Shae. I had taken the image shortly before. That was about three months ago.”

  “Holy shit, Zadash! Shae will be a whole quarter behind in time once she wakes up! This timely distortion will slowly drive her insane!”

Simon began to tear out his white hair.  “Special Agent Lohr Zadash, loyal lap-dog of the CCD, always cool, strong, unscrupulous and ruthless. Nothing and nobody can stop you from carrying out your orders.”  He contemptuously snorted.

  “But when it comes to *her*...” he pointed to Shae, “... you tend to act irrational! She is your weakness, Lohr. And now you are reviving her for... for your own pleasure. Shae should have stayed dead so she would be safe from people like you.”

  “Are you serious? Is that what you think?”  Lohr walked over to the life-supporting machines and put his finger on the main power switch.   “Say that you are and I'll put this to an end.”

  “No!”  Simon stretched out a hand. 

  “Then help me. I must write some additional memories into her brain so Shae will be up-to-date.”

The CCD’s weapons and technology specialist turned his back to Lohr and walked towards the door of the white hospital room.

  “She won't be ready for another treatment before 36 hours.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I'm doing it for Kitty. Not for you.”

 

 

 

  “I can hear birds”, Shae thought. Pressing a big teddy bear to her chest she turned around in the large double bed. Inside the soft toy she could feel the hard case of a remote control.

  “I'm... at home!”  Shae quickly sat up. The next moment she held her head. Tiny spots swam across her eyes and the interior of the room whirled around. When her blood circulation had normalized Shae looked around in the room where she had spent about 18 years of her life. Shae saw her reflection in a large mirror. On another wall she saw the diploma of the Military Academy next to a horse poster. Then her eyes traveled further to the stereo and a showcase, where she kept her considerable  'Blades and Guns' collection.

Shae slipped into a pair of shoes that lay next to her bed, minced into her bathroom and took a quick shower.

  “Hey, I've lost weight”, she said unbelievingly as she passed the mirror. Shae turned around in front of the it, caressed her waist and the other curves.  “Coooool...”

When she touched a panel, a part of the wall slid aside revealing another room. Shae walked into the wardrobe and randomly picked a piece of clothes. She put on the sundress and danced out of her bedroom. As always when nobody was looking she sat on the banister and slid down all the way to the end of the marmoreal stairs. Then she headed to the living room looking for her mother.

 

Shae finally found Elena Kitane in the dining room, where her mother was about to have lunch with Lohr.

  “Mom...”

At the sound of her voice the two turned their heads. Mrs. Kitane stood up, her chair toppled over, but she didn't care. She rushed towards her baby and took Shae into her arms.

  “Thank God, you're okay...”  Elena Kitane stroke her daughter's hair and Shae let go her tears.

Meanwhile Lohr discreetly looked away and picked up the toppled chair.

When Shae had calmed down she wiped her face dry. Holding her mother's hand both women sat down at the large table.

 

  “Hi Lohr.”  Shae smiled weakly at her comrade.  “What are *you* doing here?”

  “He brought you here yesterday”, Elena said.

Shae's eyes widened in disbelief.

  “What is the last thing you remember, Shae?”  Lohr carefully focused his friend.

The young woman gave a frown.  “I don't know exactly... it's strange... I know certain things, but I don't see any... pictures. It's like waking up from a dream... Kayle, Ras, Mike, Travis, you and me... we were on a special mission... had something to do with Fox...”

  “He had been captured and we were sent to rescue him...”

  “Yeah... we captured the Cruiser... noise... smoke... I jumped into a room firing at Rebel officers...”

Shae's mother shuddered and held her daughter's hand tighter.

  “One of them had something in his hand... I dove behind a desk... bright light, then darkness...”

Lohr looked straight into Shae's eyes.  “That was a Grenade, Shae. The desk saved your life. Nevertheless you were hit badly.”

Elena Kitane held her breath and now it was Shae's turn to shiver.

  “But I saw myself in the mirror. I didn't notice any scratch nor scar...”

  “You were brought to the ‘Last Hope’ and received the best treatment available. You recovered pretty fast and yesterday I asked to bring you here for a short visit. The doctors didn't raise any objections, free beds are always needed anyway...”

  “How long have I been inoperational?”

  “Three weeks.”

  “Our mission?”

Lohr smiled at Shae.  “Fox has safely arrived on the Colossus.”

  “Thank you, Lohr.”

  “Don't mention it.”

  “Are you hungry, Shae?”

  “Yes, Mom... hungry as a bear.”

A servant droid brought Shae a plate and filled it with food. As Shae drove the fork deep into her steak, the white porcelain was sprayed with blood.

 “Mmmhhh... just the way I like it!”

 

 

Shae obviously enjoyed the few days at home. Lohr couldn't remember when last he had seen *that* Shae Kitane. In the only place where she probably felt somewhat safe, Shae was relaxed, her eyes not constantly scanning the surroundings for any threat. Now she was lying under her favorite tree in the park behind Kitane Manor watching the light breaking through the treetop. Shae was partially covered with cherry blossoms, but she didn't make a move to remove them.

  “Do you remember the first time we lay here...?” asked Shae as she heard Lohr approaching, “... it seems like an eternity for me.”

That question struck him unexpected. Lohr sat down next to her.  “... Do *you*?”

  “Of course! All women do.”

A long pause followed and Lohr prepared to stand up.

  “Lohr?”

  “Yeah, Shae?”

  “Have I changed? Be honest.”

  “Well...”, Lohr grabbed a handful of blossoms and strewed them into the air, “...maybe a little bit. We all have. The world is turning, you know.”

  “But...”

Lohr bent over her. Then he gently kissed away a blossom that had fallen into her ample cleavage.

 

The first sun had already set. Lohr still sat under the Sakura tree leaning against its trunk. In his arm he held Shae, her head on his chest. Tenderly he placed a strap of her dress back onto her shoulder.

  “Thanks.”

  “You're not sleeping?”

  “I'm listening to your heartbeat.”

Lohr stroked her black hair.

  “Do you regret that we let it happen? It will cause us a lot of troubles.”

  “N-no...   Shae straightened up and anxiously looked up to him,  "... and you?”

Lohr shook his head and looked straight into her green eyes while she was trying to read his face looking for the slightest sign of a lie.

  “No regrets, Kitty.”

  “Yeah... no regrets.”

Shae rose from the ground and offered Lohr her hand.

  “Let's get inside. I bet mum is already looking for us.”

 

 

 The day of their departure had arrived. Seth had come by to give them a lift. Shae and her mother walked in the park, where they also visited the family crypt. When Shae had said goodbye, she and Lohr were brought to the spaceport.

Shae hugged her oldest brother and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

  “Take care, little sister.”

  “I will. Don't worry about me.”  Shae waved and walked through the glass double door that automatically slid open as she approached it.

The men silently shook their hands. Seth reached into his pocket and gave Lohr something that looked like folded paper. Then he saluted and drove away.

Lohr turned round the black envelope that was addressed to Mrs. Elena Kitane. On the back, the envelope had not been opened; Lohr stared at the golden Imperial insignia.

The flame of Lohr's lighter caught a corner of the black paper turning it into ash of the same color. When it was too hot to hold any longer Lohr let it fall to the ground. A breeze grabbed the particles and carried them away.

  “C’mon Lohr! Are you dead?”

Zadash straightened his suit and put on the shades.  “I'm as alive as you are, my dear.”

 

  “I wish I could stay a bit longer”, Shae said. She put an arm around Lohr's waist and leaned against him. Lohr got out of her grip and carefully pushed her away.  “What...”

Lohr gave Shae a passport he had obtained from her quarter on the Colossus.

  “That's yours. I used it to get you through the controls.”

  “Kitty...” Shae flipped through the pages, “... that's my old CCD passport... why didn’t you just use my real ID card?”

  “They still believe you are on the ‘Last Hope’”

Shae put her hands on her hips, eyes sparkling.  “Who is ‘they’?”

  “The Colossus. You are AWOL. I kidnapped you.”

Lohr caught Shae's wrist before her palm touched his cheek.

  “Lohr! Anything else I don't know?”

  “Yes. *I* am IOTA 3-1 now.”

Grinning he watched her swaying as she turned on the heel and walked to the security check.

 

  “I hope you had a nice stay, Miss Van Dyke.”

The man behind the counter stamped Shae's passport and gave it back to her. Shae returned a friendly smile, then proceeded to Gate 3, where the Shuttle to Aurora Prime waited for its passengers.

 

 

  “Excuse me, Miss. is this seat taken?”

Ignoring the young man Shae kept staring out of the window. She didn't show any intentions to remove the hand luggage from the seat next to her.

  “You didn't have any vacation left. They would never have let you go. I did it for you...”

Shae grabbed her handbag and put it on her lap. Lohr sat down.

  “What are those stains on you suit?”

 

With her chin Shae motioned to some spots on Lohr's trousers where the black textile even seemed to be a bit darker.

  “Coffee. Would you like a piece of chewing gum? Mint flavor.”

  “... Okay...”
Lohr grinned, chewing gum between his teeth.
  “Here you are. Come and get it.”
Fortunately, the narrow seats restricted her movement. Nevertheless, Lohr's upper arm started to hurt.
  “Hey, Shae... I was just kidding...”
Shae shook off Lohr's hand. A flight attendant came by, offering a
drink which Lohr gladly accepted.
  “Ice, Sir?”
  “No thank you, Miss. I'm sitting next to a whole block of it.”

Lohr lifted the armrest that was between them and put his arm around Shae.

 

  “You know, I was kidding don't you?”

 

  “Yes.” And with that, she settled into the comfort of his arm, leaning against him.

Looking up at him she said, “I love you Lohr.”

 

  “I know.” 

 

Lohr looked down into her eyes, smiled, and thought, “Yes, this is where the heart resides.”