"Estelle?" Estelle turned, hearing someone calling her name as if from a distance. When she recognized Matthew, her eyes widened. He must have thought her dead like the others, when in fact she had been the cause. The fear and sorrow he must have known when i vanished... Pain crossed her face then, but it was quickly stifled when an officer confronted the boy. With Matt looking so sickly, it immediately triggered a protective rage within her. Whatever had happened to him, she wanted to punish who had caused it. But she toned her power down to just a warning glow in her eyes, remembering the Psyon behind her, and kept her gaze fixated on Meyer. "You don't want to do that." she growled, a thin veil over her emotions. Then her gaze went to Matthew and the glow lessened. Worry was in her eyes. He knew what had happened. Would he judge her because of it? Would he think her a murderer? She wouldn't be surprised if he did, but she had no control over her powers. No control over whether someone's life was worth preserving unless her rage was checked. "Matt..." she whispered, taking a small step towards him. He'd always been the strong one when they'd worked in the fields -always kept her hidden when the guards had tried to find an excuse to make an example of someone. She'd cut, he'd bale. She'd climb up to the highest branches because she was the lightest and he'd catch whatever she dropped. They'd even made several games like that so the work didn't seem so tedious. Now, with his wasted and bony body, he looked vulnerable. It drove her insane knowing that that had happened to him and she hadn't been there to help. How much the both of them had changed. Ever since the incident, she'd been on the run. And ever since whatever had happened to him, he'd not been well off.
"You don't want to do that." Myers, satiated by the knowledge that the two teens knew each other, strafed one step to the side. Part of him considered putting a gun to the boy's head to threaten the wilder into submission but he thought better of it. If anything, it was likely to anger her even further and given what he'd seen so far, he really didn't want to face her in some sort of rage. Carefully, he cleared out of the boy's line of sight. "She is a high-priority dangerous wilder, don't do anything stupid," he hissed into Matthew's ear. "Matt..." He turned his head away from Myers and faced Estelle instead. Slowly, with his hands slightly raised to prove his innocence, he stepped towards Estelle. Scanning her from head to toe, he couldn't help but wonder what had really happened, the day that he'd been standing at her doorstep, or what had been left of it. There hadn't been any rubble, it had all just disappeared as if some invisible hand had tore the steel and brick away. Only the police had been there, to initiate an investigation, he'd been standing at the back, staring at the empty spot for almost an hour, not bothering to pick up the marbles he'd dropped to the ground in bewilderment. Even thought his parents had soon helped him forget about Estelle, he'd always felt as if she was still out there somewhere, he'd just stopped putting any thought into it. "What happened?" He breathed, separated from her by just ten feet of unearthed asphalt.
Asher stood as the girl moved towards the sickly looking boy just beyond the range of his force field. He could sense regret, sorry, happiness; an entire plethora of emotions. He thought perhaps these were dangerous feelings for one such as her to have. He also knew that, as long as he was present, there was little chance of anything tragic taking place. Asher waved a hand and the psychic barrier dissipated. He could feel frantic thoughts rolling off the officer...Myers? Asher moved to him and fixed his unblinking emerald gaze upon the officer. "These two are no long your concern officer. Thank you for your service." Asher turned to face the rest of the officers that had gathered. "This is now a Directorate Military affair," he said loud enough for everyone to hear. "You have performed admirably given the circumstances and I will personally put in for a commendation for all of you. I trust this will be sufficient."
"What happened?" He breathed, separated from her by just ten feet of unearthed asphalt. Estelle couldn't bring herself to meet Matt's gaze then, and instead looked at her feet, fists clenched and shoulders trembling. Shame burned hot in her cheeks, and when she looked up gain there was raw anguish in her eyes, the mask she had kept over her face shattered. "Dad was the one who thought I could control it. The first time it was harmless. I just crushed a bunch of berries he had bought and turned it into jam -and though we were all scared of it at first, i was able to use it properly for weeks. Use it for useful things, like making jam or crushing grain." her gaze seemed to go unfocused as she remembered something, "Remember the day the central beam in the farm collapsed and almost killed several of us -nearly crushed us beneath it? I . . . I stopped it." she swallowed. "I thought I could control it . . ." "But at school things started to go bad. I didn't tell you, even when you asked about the bruise on my face that one time. Those three boys who belonged to the higher-ups knew I was different -they just didn't know i was a. . . " she refused to say Wilder, but couldn't come up with a word for what she was." . . . a physic," she settled upon. "Again, i thought I could control it, even when I accidentally crushed the door to my locker. I didn't tell you that it was me, even when you assumed someone had just pulled some sick prank. But it was me . . ." her gaze lowered now; she trembling violently. But strangely, no sign of power resonated from her this time. "When our house was destroyed by the black hole, it was because I lost control. I wanted to get revenge on them, and my family and many others were caught in the crossfire . . ." A tear hit the ground.
"This is now a Directorate Military affair," he said loud enough for everyone to hear. "You have performed admirably given the circumstances and I will personally put in for a commendation for all of you. I trust this will be sufficient." Myers met Asher's gaze firmly, but even he wavered under the green, swirling barrage that were Asher's eyes. Myers remembered why he disliked Psyons so much, rumour had it they could sense your feelings and even read your thoughts. They had powers beyond ordinary humans like himself, and he hated that displacement of power. None of the chaos he or any other officer was trying to maintain would exist if it hadn't been for these anomalies. More than anything else however, he disliked the cocky attitude of this military psy-brain, as if the military didn't have enough power already! He anxiously awaited orders from Pardosa, praying privately that his superior would show some gut and ask the tough questions, like why the military was suddenly trying to maintain public order. "When our house was destroyed by the black hole, it was because I lost control. I wanted to get revenge on them, and my family and many others were caught in the crossfire . . ." Matthew listened patiently to Estelle's story, ignoring the Psyon for the time being. He sighed when Estelle finally finished. She seemed genuinely pained by her past, and even though Matthew was shocked to hear that she'd destroyed her own house and family, he suppressed the feeling and instead asked the questions that had been gnawing at his mind. "I went looking for you," he murmured as he came closer. He felt the urge to give her a hug, but a larger, darker part of him deeply resisted that idea. She'd left without a trace and had never made any attempts to contact him. For years now, he'd been thinking she had died in a mysterious event, or perhaps mugged in a dark alley. The pain of being left behind swallowed whatever joy he felt at seeing her alive. He stepped closer to her, wobbling on his knees, his voice just as coarse as the emotions that soared through his veins. "Why didn't you leave a note?" He asked, then lowered his voice, "after all, I am your only friend...."
The events that followed brandy seeing the Wilder seemed to tumble into being. Brandy ignored what emotions could be seen and she told herself she felt nothing for the creatures before her. She lifted her gun again and remained poised, ready to fire the weapon if she had to. "This is now a Directorate Military affair," he said loud enough for everyone to hear. "You have performed admirably given the circumstances and I will personally put in for a commendation for all of you. I trust this will be sufficient." Brandy rolled her eyes, so now the military would intervene and take away this girl, who should really be put down. She was a weapon to them. “A commendation isn’t going to change what I’m seeing,” she muttered. It wouldn’t matter to her bosses anyway, this wouldn’t send her racing up the career track. She longed to shoot the girl. Brandy pointed the gun down at the ground slid the safety on, and clenched the handle of the weapon until her hand hurt. The wilder spoke with a sickly man and Brandy stared on her lip twitching in annoyance. How long would they let this go on for? She’d been told to stand down, but she couldn’t leave, if she left without seeing the end of this then she’d have nightmares for weeks after.
Estelle shook her head. "I know -I know . . . But i had to stay hidden." she murmured, and a grey haze went over her eyes, but she quickly blinked it back. "Matt, i lost everyone but you! That's why i ran away. I couldn't let you know what had happened -you would have tried to find a solution as well, just like dad did, but look where that got him!" her voice broke, and when her fist clenched a chunk of earth right next to Matthew's foot crumpled and shrunk until it was nothing but a tiny marble. She looked at her hand in shock. Then the mask fell in place and she stared unblinking at some point over his shoulder for several seconds. Have to stay in control... can't let him be hurt.... “A commendation isn’t going to change what I’m seeing,” she muttered. Murderer. Monster. WILDER. The words assaulted Estelle's mind like a pounding hammer, and her eyes pulsed, then grew brighter. Brandy didn't know it, but her thoughts had just triggered something deep in the girl's core. WILDER. "Not a. . . Wilder . . ." she mumbled weakly. A blast of air suddenly shot up from beneath Estelle's feet, her clothes billowing about her thin frame, hair snapping wildly. Her eyes glowed brighter and brighter, until they seemed almost like twin stars. Pressure built up in the surrounding area, the hum deafeningly loud. NOT! The glow snapped -vanished entirely, and she landed lightly on the ground, the air going ominously still and silent as her now bleach-white hair came to rest upon her shoulders. She stood taller, shoulders back, and when she looked up... Her gaze was as black as the very thing that had stolen her parents. "What have you done . . ." she whispered to no one in particular, her head falling back as if her neck could no longer support it. Her vision changed until it was nothing but darkness and lines -endless lines that ran on and on . . . But some were broken. Fix it. The urge was uncontrollable, and her head came back up as some type of grid went over her gaze -always moving. Her hands twitched, then rose up, pointing to stone, glass, everything that had been torn or broken. Objects in the vicinity began to hover, then spin, break apart. Dust zoomed to where gaps had been made in windows, in the street, everywhere. Filling holes, smoothing over gaps. Then it all liquefied and settled. Everything looked as if it had never been damaged. Then she collapsed.
Nina ran through the door of Threkk’s shop. “Hello, Threkk!” Nina smiled at him but she couldn't hide the worried look on her face. “Nina! What a surprise, are you okay?” Nina shook her head. “Ty and I ran into some trouble with the police. Two of them came today. “ Nina retold the events to Threkk who sat there soaking up every word. “Then the nice Officer Pardosa, he saved me but he got hurt… I gave him a towel but I hope he is alright.” “Yeah that sounds like Pardosa. He’s an alright guy and I’m sure he’ll be just fine Nina, but that other man, sheesh you poor thing hope he gets what’s coming to him. I’ll keep you here until Ty gets back.” “Thank you so much, Threkk.” Nina smiled. “Brought you some stew.” “Bless you, Nina.” He opened the top and took a big whiff of it. “Mmmm… Nina that smells great. “ “Thank you,” Nina said as she headed into the back of the shop. Threkk had an extra room behind his shop that was hidden. He usually used it for hiding his most valuable goods, but there was also a bed in there. “Feel free to make yourself at home,” he said. “I will!” Little sweetheart, he thought. She’s gone through so much. Threkk took a bite of stew. ************** “Ty! We found the guy who tipped off the police,” Henderson said. Henderson was a rough guy who worked with Ty in the smuggling operations. No more than a lot of muscles that could follow simple orders. Ty walked into the room where they were holding the guy who betrayed him. “What’s his name?” Ty asked as he looked at the guy that was tied up in a chair. He looked no older than Nina and was bruised badly, no doubt by Henderson and his friend Butch. “Andrew Levielle.” Ty nodded and stood in front of the man. “So Andrew… what made you decide to rat me out?” Ty lit a cigarette. “Look. I’m sorry I’m so sorry. I wasn't thinking I just thought— “ “You thought you’d make a name for yourself, right? Getting the great Ty Epolipse busted. You made a few enemies doing this but you made one very huge one… Do you know who that is?” Ty was walking around Andrew puffing his cigarette. “Um… You?” Ty punched him in stomach. Andrew lurched forward and a stream of blood slipped from his mouth. “That’s right slumbag, me.” Ty took one more drag and blew the smoke in his face. He put out his cigarette and turned to leave. “Hey what do you want us to do with him?” Henderson asked. Ty closed his eyes. He didn't want to say kill him but he knew he had to. He needed to make an example of this kid that if any person tries to double cross him this would be their fate. He took one last look over his shoulder at the broken man. “What do you think? Kill him,” he said, walking away. He could hear the sound of Andrew pleading for his life as he closed the door. He walked into a little office-like place where he met Nancy, his boss’s secretary. “Hey Nance you got those new citizen passes for me I commed you about?” Ty give her a huge flirty smile. Nancy was a small lady in her mid-fifties and in no mood for his flirtatiousness. She looked at him over her glasses and handed them to him. “Mr. Jones is not very pleased with the trouble you caused,” she said. “Hey, it wasn't me that caused it but I took care of it and trust me, it won’t happen again.” He winked at her. Nancy rolled her eyes at him at went back to her computer. “So dinner tonight then?” Ty said. “Get out of my office, Epolipse.” Ty laughed and blew her a kiss as he walked out the door. On his way out Henderson stopped him. “Hey, the boss wants to know if you got the message about the meeting today.” “No. If you haven’t been noticing I've been a bit busy,” Ty said as he kept walking. “Well anyway, are you going?” “Yeah, tell me where it is.” Henderson handed Ty slip of paper. Ty nodded in thanks and left the building.
The scene was chaos as Jansen kept a keen eye on the surroundings. He didn't like losing control of a situation and this was one of those times. The Psyon was talking to the Wilder and the Wilder was now talking to the civilian that rode in on the officers bike. This couldn't be coincidence, he thought. Keeping his hand on the hilt of his pistol, Jansen watched the events unfold. What else could he do? Besides, technically it was his day off so a little excitement wouldn't hurt. The Psyon spoke loudly to the officers. "This is now a Directorate Military affair. You have performed admirably given the circumstances and I will personally put in for a commendation for all of you. I trust this will be sufficient." Jansen shot a glance to the other officers. They seemed just as offended as he was. One of their officers was injured, possibly dead and this Psyon wants to play therapist and then pull rank. Not on my watch, Jansen thought. As he walked toward the Psyon, the Wilder collapsed to the ground. He figured this should be a little easier now that he didn't need the Psyons help in arresting her. "Psyon," Jansen said. "The military doesn't have unlimited jurisdiction in this quarter. I assume you are aware that ZPD has a warrant out for this particular Wilder and seeing how she has assaulted one of our officers and damaged our station, you'll have to file a prisoner exchange request with my superiors." Jansen purposefully kept his hand on his pistol and he knew the Psyon would get the hint. Looking over to the officer that drove in on the bike, Jansen said, "Officer, arrest that man who came in with you. He knows this Wilder and I want to know what he knows. You," he said, pointing to the female officer. "I want full restraints and sedation on the subject and I want it done five minutes ago. I want her taken to Security Level 1 and the whole department placed on alert." He turned back to the Psyon. "And if you even think about doing anymore of your little brain tricks I will throw you in a cell right next to your little friend here. Because I don't care if your the fekking personal pet of Tombs herself, anybody that pisses in my pool becomes my business. Do I make myself clear?"
"Psyon," called one of the officers. "The military doesn't have unlimited jurisdiction in this quarter. I assume you are aware that ZPD has a warrant out for this particular Wilder and seeing how she has assaulted one of our officers and damaged our station, you'll have to file a prisoner exchange request with my superiors." Asher noted that the man kept his hand decidedly gripped on his sidearm. The officer looked over to the first one that Asher had been speaking to. "Officer, arrest that man who came in with you. He knows this Wilder and I want to know what he knows. You," he said, pointing to the female officer. "I want full restraints and sedation on the subject and I want it done five minutes ago. I want her taken to Security Level 1 and the whole department placed on alert." The blue eyed officer turned back to face Asher. "And if you even think about doing anymore of your little brain tricks I will throw you in a cell right next to your little friend here. Because I don't care if your the fekking personal pet of Tombs herself, anybody that pisses in my pool becomes my business. Do I make myself clear?" Asher nodded his head slightly though his face remained unreadable and his eyes bore down on the officer. "I assume an officer so dedicated as yourself is familiar with Directorate Article Thirty-Two? Any individual exhibiting psychic potential may be acquired by a Directorate Military representative for such purposes as testing and development. Until such time as these tests have been administered and potential has been adequately evaluated, all affairs in which the individual in question is previously engaged including but not limited to; prior employment, imprisonment, military, or civil service are suspended." Asher's tone was even and assertive, though not impolite. He was merely stating facts. The Psyon leaned in closer to the man so that only the two of them could hear, his voice barely above a whisper. "Imagine for a moment that you could simply think a thing and it would happen, with or without your consent. Would you, a grown man, be able control such a power? That is a scared young girl laying there. Do I make myself clear?" He spoke those last words slowly. Asher straightened up and turned back towards where the girl lay. "Ask what questions you will of the boy but I expect he will be treated with all the fairness that the law will allow. I'll have the documentation sent for his release into military custody as soon as I am able."
"Not a. . . Wilder . . ." she mumbled weakly. Brandy blinked taking a step back, it was almost as if the girl had plucked the thought right from her mind. Clenching her teeth she told herself this was why she hated these creatures, you were never safe when they were around. An intense glow emanated from the girl, wind seemed to tunnel up from her earth and the very pebbles at Brandy’s feet seemed to move. The glow vanished and the wind dissipated, Brandy stared on her eyes watering. The girl collapsed and brandy twitched struggling to remain where she stood. "Psyon," Jansen said. "The military doesn't have unlimited jurisdiction in this quarter. I assume you are aware that ZPD has a warrant out for this particular Wilder and seeing how she has assaulted one of our officers and damaged our station, you'll have to file a prisoner exchange request with my superiors." Brandy smirked agreeing wholeheartedly with the officer’s words. Better that the Wilder was handled in the right way. Her smirk quickly faded when he addressed her. You," he said, pointing to the female officer. "I want full restraints and sedation on the subject and I want it done five minutes ago. I want her taken to Security Level 1 and the whole department placed on alert." Giving the police officer a salute and muttering under her breath she strode over to the wilder and glared down at her. “No dirt naps for you today,” Brandy said begrudgingly and squatted down. Her skin crawled and she withdrew the sedative gun from her belt with shaking hands. She could just hear the conversation going on nearby. She rested the sedative against the base of the girls neck, but didn’t fire thinking of the girl in the ship she had been investigating. She looked at the man the wilder had been speaking with and then back at the girl. The memory of the girl was replaced with an older and more menacing memory. Darkness and a mental knife… “So am I sedating this thing or leaving her to the jarheads?”
"I assume an officer so dedicated as yourself is familiar with Directorate Article Thirty-Two? Any individual exhibiting psychic potential may be acquired by a Directorate Military representative for such purposes as testing and development. Until such time as these tests have been administered and potential has been adequately evaluated, all affairs in which the individual in question is previously engaged including but not limited to; prior employment, imprisonment, military, or civil service are suspended. Imagine for a moment that you could simply think a thing and it would happen, with or without your consent. Would you, a grown man, be able control such a power? That is a scared young girl laying there. Do I make myself clear?" Jansen stared at the Psyon. His eyes were unreadable with no emotions to be found. The other officers were waiting to see what happened and Jansen was in no mood to fight a Psyon, or the military. If this Psyon had any pull in the military then there was little ZPD could do to override their wishes. Damnit, he thought. He decided he had his own troubles to worry about without dealing with an out-of-control Wilder. "Ask what questions you will of the boy but I expect he will be treated with all the fairness that the law will allow. I'll have the documentation sent for his release into military custody as soon as I am able." Jansen leaned in closer to the Psyon and whispered, "This isn't over, Psyon." He held the Psyons stare and motioned to the other officers. "Do what he says," Jansen said with a touch of contempt. "Take the boy, leave the girl." He was tired and as the adrenaline began to wear off, the pain in his shoulder came back to life, reminding him of everything that has happened lately.
"What have you done . . ." Matthew gave Estelle an empty stare, too many thoughts were clouding his mind. What was she talking about? Had she just admitted to having killed fifty innocents in a fit of uncontrollable rage? She? It was almost unthinkable that the warm-hearted and somewhat quirky Estelle would be guilty of such an atrocity, but then again the constant bullying she'd been under must have planted a lot of anger within her. He snapped out of his considerations when she collapsed in front of his eyes. "Estelle!" he called, reaching her with two steps and kneeling at her side. The steady pulse in her neck indicated that she was still alive, and her chest was still heaving. "She needs he-" Matthew cut of his sentence when he overheard the police officer and the Psyon talk about him. Military Custody? What for? For a moment he considered to run away, but then he realized how foolish that would be. They were near a police station, one officer had his name already and the Psyon, having shown some level of interest in him, probably wouldn't even let him get three feet away. Besides, Estelle needed him. He noticed the female officer bringing a what looked like an medical applicant to Estelle's neck and he assumed she was just doing some scans on Estelle. "Do what he says," Jansen said with a touch of contempt. "Take the boy, leave the girl." Myers made no attempt to hide his annoyance at being commandeered about, albeit indirectly, by the military. Nevertheless he obeyed and grabbed Matthew by his shoulder, squeezing just hard enough to let him know that escape was out of the question. "Alright get up on your things," he said. Matthew scowled at Myers, but obliged. "Will she be alright?" he demanded. "Of course," Myers replied, bringing out handcuffs from his utility belt. "How can you be so sure? What are you going to do with me?" Matthew's eyes went over to the handcuffs that Myers was holding in his hand, "Do I look like I am about to run away?" "I don't know, now please shut up and stop asking questions," Myers said sternly, then put Matthew's wrists behind his back and cuffed him. "I am ready sir," he said, turning to face Jansen and shoving Matthew along in front of him.
The trio of smugglers casually walked the streets of Scorpio. Bishop, Miles, and Hutch joined up at the Populace hover-trolley depot exchanging greetings and lighting cigarettes before trekking to the other end of the Platform. Near the end of their trek, Bishop began to think back to his heated conversation with Celeste not thirty minutes ago. " What are you doing Eli?! You never used to buy into this smuggler ring crap before!" Celeste exclaimed as she paced around the apartment. "Sebastian will be there. If he's there something serious is going on. Something serious enough to get him back in the game." "I don't care about Sebastian! I care about you, Eli. I know what you do is dangerous but that doesn't mean you have put yourself in those situations. Please don't go", Celeste climbed back on the bed; her bra and thong were the only things covering her toned, fair-skinned body. "I don't have to be at the Leopard tonight. Why don't you come back to bed and let me show you how much I care?" Bishop smirked at her apparent discretion. Pulling his arm through the last sleeve of his nano-weave trench coat, he slowly walked over to her--the woman who has been in his life for the past year. He gazed into her deep blue eyes--those paralyzing blue eyes and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be back, I promise. Enjoy yourself babe." Bishop put one of his pistols in his boot and left the apartment. Celeste smiled sadly watching Bishop leave. She sat there alone. "I love you Eli." ----<>---- Bishop and his crew passed through the security check at the front of the warehouse that they found themselves now in. The building was once used to house building materials in the early days of the Zodiac station. Now it housed over 100 smugglers, con men, and other forms of low-life--all of them grouped in cliques murmuring to one another. Bishop could see that like him just about everyone present didn't know why this meeting was taking place. Suddenly, he spotted someone he hadn't seen in three months or so. Bishop shouted over the crowds to his old friend. "Tyson Epolispe! Now why am I not surprised to see Zodiac's youngest, up-and-coming business man in this hell hole?" he laughed.
Ty walked into the warehouse and chose a place over by a corner. He lit a cigarette and surveyed all the people that were there. Mostly petty smugglers but he eyed a few big shots and some older, retired smugglers were there. Whatever this meeting is about it’s going to be huge, Ty thought. Ty puffed on his cigarette went over the events that happened today. He was in it deep this time and he knew those damn porkers were really going to get it. He remembered the way that one guy, Mitrata, stared at his sister and it made his blood boil. How dare he think he could look at Nina like that let alone touch her, after he swore on his parent’s grave that he would always protect her? Well, he thought, that promise is twice as strong now, even it takes his last breath. He will kill Mitrata. Nina would have a fit if she could read my thoughts now. He wondered if she could actually read his thoughts. As he thought about it, he didn’t really know. He knew most Psychics had the ability but if she could, she never told him. He wondered how she was doing at Threkk’s. He knew she was in good hands but he still sent her a comm telling her that he had a meeting and to just hang tight till he gets back and he will have everything sorted out. Ty put out his cigarette just he heard someone shout out. "Tyson Epolispe! Now why am I not surprised to see Zodiac's youngest, up-and-coming business man in this hell hole?" he laughed. Ty turned and saw it was his old friend Eli Bishop. They worked on missions together back when he was in his early teens. Ty didn’t have many friends but he counted Eli as one. “Hey Man! Where have you been? I was starting to think you’d retired or something. In fact I was going to pay you a visit after this meeting. Looks like you saved me the trouble,” Ty said, shaking Eli’s hand.
Newt was on her way back to one of her make-shift shelters when it hit her, an overwhelming feeling knocking her to her knees. The word death was going rampage in her head. It took her several seconds to recover, by then the nearby people had all turned to look at her. A man with a fake smile on his face helped her to her feet. All around her were strangers looking to exploit her weakness. “Are you alright?” the man asked. She shook his hand of her shoulder and retreated a few steps. She knew how these people were like. They would always try to deceive her with their so called compassion. She was no longer a naïve little kid who believed in their non-existent emotions. For some reason they kept glancing down at her right leg. A look down made her fighting to keep down her meager breakfast. A long gash in her leg was bleeding a lot, a suspicious looking piece of metal nearby probably to blame. A feeling of dread followed. One of these people could have placed the sharp metal there and made her feel that feeling earlier. Maybe that word had been a warning of what was to come. Her parents’ murderer had finally found her and now he came to finish the job. She was going to die here, in front of those fake expressions of worry. She felt the trap slowly closing in on her neck. No. She wouldn’t let this happen. She wouldn’t go down like this. “NO!” With a cry she turned and ran, ignoring the stabbing pain in her leg. Another wave of energy hit her. Just as she was about to hit the ground, she felt strong arms catching her. Soothing words calmed her down a little. Kneeling beside her was the same man that had helped her earlier. “Don’t worry I won’t hurt you. I just have to take a look on that leg of yours before it gets infected. “ Newt was shocked. What was this man doing? She was so vulnerable right now. Why not just kill her and be done with it. A tiny voice inside her head told her another option, one she hadn’t believed actually existed. What if the man actually was helping her? She tried to relax. This man wasn’t even trying to hurt her. She looked up at him with new eyes. A long lost feeling of happiness returned. She wanted him to stay with her forever. “Hm… If we find some water then maybe-“ His he was cut short by someone shouting a name. His face went white as he pushed her towards a pile of crates. “You have to hide! Hurry up!” She heard the urgency in his voice and quickly obeyed. A group of people, all wearing similar clothes, confronted her helper. Newt couldn’t hear what they were saying from her hiding place, but judging from their expressions something bad was about to happen. Her eyes widened at the flash of metal right before it slid into the kind man’s stomach. Blood everywhere, startled screams and then silence. Images flashed in her mind. The man was replaced with someone else. She was a little child once more, hiding while watching her parents die. She vaguely noticed the gang leaving. Then she was running towards the man on the ground. She knelt down beside him and pressed her hands onto his wound, trying to stop the blood. Tears flowed down her face. Not again. Please don’t let it happen again. The whole world seemed to stop, as her field of vision narrowed. A white light shone around her hands. It played across the wound. The blood slowed down and then stopped completely. Flesh came back together until only a pink scar remained, then not even that. Her hands fell to her side. People were staring at her. It was too many people, too much attention. She rose from the ground and ran. Not even noticing the absence of her leg wound. The nice man would probably hate her now. She could read it in the eyes of her audience. She was a freak. Her feet brought her as far as possible before she collapsed in a dark alley. With no more energy left she felt darkness claiming her.
Evans sat in his apartment. Before him rose a steam engine, maybe 1.5 meters tall. This steam engine was the only thing Evans thought of and he had been tinkering with it all night. It was close to completion. Evans started up the electricity that was heating the water. It was a horrible waste of water, but Evans had saved up rations for weeks to get enough. Suddenly, hot steam shot out of one of the valves. Evans was prepared for this, and quickly grabbed a cloth to try and stop the leak. He turned off the electricity to the heater with his foot, when he heard a beep from the kashmir generator he had standing on what used to be a dining table, but now was more of a workbench. He lost concentration for a moment and his hand slipped. The hot steam scolded his left hand and he jumped backwards, falling on his back and emitting a loud noise of pain and surprise. His attention shifted to the table. He stood up and ran toward the generator. After a quick check he established a fact. "There are no particles spawning." He checked again, astonished by this event. "There are no particles spawning!" Louder this time. "This is impossible!" The light went out. This made sense bacause the generator was the units only power supply. It turned on again. It seemed as it was just a phenomenon. A very short, unlikely phenomenon, and almost foreboding- Death. Evans jumped. The feeling he had just got seemed unlike any other, it kind of seeped into his mind and lay dormant in one of the many corners, like it would never go away. His hand still hurt, but he didnt really mind. In the need for a break from the strange events, he went out of his unit and staggered down the stairs. He walked out in the not-that-clean streets of the Pisces platform, drawing in the scent of metal. He had always liked big constructions, and therefore Pisces was the place for him. He walked with no particular goal, but suddenly he thought he heard something. "Is the wilder hooked up to the machine?" a muffled voice bore out from one of the of the alleys. "Not so loud!". The same alley. Evans stopped. Wilder hooked up? This needed further investigation. He walked slowly into tha alley, there as a door on his left side, and he put his ear into it to listen to what was going on on the inside. "It's working! Excellent work doctor, using a wilder to power the machine was genius." "Why thank you, commander Derteron! This is a great step for science." Hooking a wilder up to a machine? Genius! But how could one transfer the wilder power to- wait, wasn't that slightly unethical? "I need to take my leave now doctor, but continue the good work." Garan jumped off the door and through the crowded streets back to his unit. Commander? Could the military be involved in this? Back in his unit, he established the most secure Z-net connection he could, and began spreading rumors. Thinks like this couldnt go unnoticed.
"I am ready sir." Jansen was tired. His shoulder was throbbing and he had never felt so exhausted. He squinted at the officers badge, his eyes dried and blurry. "Officer... Myers?" he said. "Just take him to holding and find out what he knows, and then cut him loose. I'm going home." Jansen pushed past the two and walked down the main street leading away from the square. He could still feel the gaze of the Psyon behind him and he didn't even care. I'll deal with all this tomorrow, Jansen thought.
Brandy watched Officer Myers walk with the male. Looking down at the female wilder she frowned before standing. The group that had formed to watch the girl began to dissipate and brandy guessed she should leave herself. She hated the idea of paperwork, but she wanted to try and finish up before the pain in her eyes became too intense. The palm held computer clipped onto her belt buzzed and let out an automated trill. Moving away from the ruckus of people Brandy slid the palm held from its place on her belt and opened it frowning at the woman that appeared on the small screen. “Oh it’s you. We were starting to think something had happened. The boss was worried.” The blonde woman smiled at Brandy, “well everything is fine Officer Rycee, if you want to know how fine meet me for coffee. There is a place on Capricorn I’ll send you the coordinates. Try and look the part, showing up in uniform won’t do.” “Capricorn?” Brandy rolled her eyes. “I’m not made of money you know.” The screen went blank and Brandy sighed heading back inside the PD. --- The café was located inside an office building. The lunch rush over three dinners remained picking at scraps on their plates. A waitress polished a countertop and another gathered plates. The aroma of coffee hung thick on the air. The informant smiled when Brandy approached her and nodded her head to a seat. No sooner had brandy sat down that a hot coffee was being placed in front of her. “White and none wasn’t it?” Brandy nodded and picked up the hot beverage sipping at it. “Something very interesting happened in the office I thought you’d like to hear about it.” Brandy nodded and waved a hand. “I’m not in the mood for your teasing HS so let’s get to the point.” “Okay,” the woman grinned and leaned forward in her chair. “Mr Jain had a visitor today, one wearing a blur mask.” Brandy blinked, “a blur mask?” Ellen smirked and reached for the inside pocket of her jacket she rested a small chip on the table and slid it over to Brandy. Brandy slipped it into her own pocket. “A few little treasures for you, but you should look at them later, alone. Looks like you’ve got a little work to do.” Brandy stood and nodded her head. The woman looked up at her expectantly. “What do you want a cookie and a pat on the shoulder? get back to work." Brandy picked up the coffee cup and drained the rest of the lukewarm drink before walking away from the table.
Twenty Nine Years Ago Free City Rokhal, Vandar Little dust devils spun through the streets of the Free City of Rokhal as the twin suns of Vandar reached their apex and beat mercilessly down on the desert world below. That unforgiving environment had given rise to all manner of strange life forms from the lizard like O'zhir, which fed on the tiny microorganisms kicked up during the planet's infamous dust storms by filtering the particles through its fibrous teeth, to the terrifying winged Ahrumin which was said to be able to kill at a glance. Yet to the Vandarin, a subset of humans that descended from the practitioners of an ancient Old Earth religion, it was this harshness that made them strong. In this time, the Directorate had yet to grow to encompass all thirteen planets for which it would become known. Many of the far flung human worlds had fallen into isolation after the events of the Day of Dark Skies. Indeed many of he smaller settlements, such as Rokhal, barely had a clue about what went on in the rest of the galaxy. Vandar was not burdened with the necessity for technology. The Vandarin did not make war on each other and thus had little use for the advanced weaponry that had permeated many of the human worlds. Yet, despite all its seeming unimportance, Vandar had one thing that made it a prize amongst the off world traders. Deep in the forgotten places of the unforgiving deserts there were rare and much sought after relics to be found. Rumor had it that Vandar had once been home to that legendary race of starfarers known as the Archons, for the planet was rich in their artifacts. For several Vandarin, this was how they eked out a living amongst the sands. For the Hir'sayad, the Relic Hunters, there was no dune or ruin too dangerous. One of these relic hunters was a man named J'ohl, and even amongst Hir'sayad he had a reputation for delving deep into places others would not dare. J'ohl, a man of dark complexion and hawk like golden eyes, carved out a name and small fortune for himself in this way. So it was that his name came to be whispered even in the circles of the Shahn Taitar, the lord of Rokhal. -~<>~- Little whirls of dust blew into the small bar as two men past the sliding door. They stood for a moment, dusty cloths wrapped around their heads and shoulders so that only their eyes showed. For a moment the few occupants of the bar turned to eye the newcomers and all was silent. The bartender, a jovial looking balding man wearing a pair of round spectacles and possessing a small patch of curly hair which he futilely attempted to push to one side, called out, “J'ohl! Dan'din! Come my friends!” As the other occupants resumed their quiet conversations, the two men unwrapped their heads and slung their hefty travel packs to the ground as they moved to the bar. “Ahril!” J'ohl said in a friendly tone, spreading his arms wide. “Two months passes quickly in the sands! It is good to see you.” Ahril, the bartender, stepped out from behind the bar and embraced J'ohl for a moment before holding him at arm's length. “And it is good to see the sands haven't managed to take you yet.” Ahril moved to the other man, Dan'din. “Dan! I see J'ohl has managed to keep you from death for yet another outing.” Dan'din, a tall and skinny man with sun darkened skin and dark curly locks that fell about his shoulders, offered up a laugh. “He does what he can despite my best efforts to the contrary.” Ahril eyed the two for moment, a small sparkle in his eye, before he began ushering the two to a pair of empty seats at the bar. “Come! Come! I'm sure the journey has tired you. Let me pour you something to wet your throats.” J'ohl and Dan took their seats as Ahril stepped back behind the bar and began pouring three tall glasses of a dark liquid. “Three drinks for three old friends!” He offered up his glass for a cheers, which the other two eagerly complied with. “Now, tell me, did you find anything?” J'ohl laughed. “Now Ahril, you know I can't tell you that. Such things could be dangerous if the wrong ears heard. Tell me though, what news since last we were here?” Ahril's face grew grave. “The slaver pirates have grow bolder every day. The Shahn does what he can to appease them, but they are a greedy sort. Their numbers grow each month. Some whisper that they will make a move on the city soon.” J'ohl's countenance grew dark. “Slavers!” he said with open contempt. “They have no place here. What of the Directorate?” “They are spread thin trying to hold the worlds they have. Their commanders fear that making a move to secure Rokhal will initiate an open conflict with the Pirate Lord Jadann Zarr. They are outnumbered and outgunned here.” J'ohl took long drink of the dark liquid. “These are trying times indeed. Let us hope the worst does not come to pass.” -~<>~- The desert winds howled across the top of the pit as Asher stared skyward. He could only just make out the moons beyond the torrent of sands that ripped across the surface of the desert. They had been named for those moons, his brothers and himself. Barely an arm's length away he could see his twin brother Aydin turning uncomfortably as he slept, his dark hair dirty and matted with a week's worth of sand and grit. At least Asher thought it had been a week, it was hard to tell time amidst the terrible sandstorms that wracked the wilds of Vandar. Azhal, the oldest of the three brothers, ambled up out of the darkness. Out of the three, he looked most like like J'ohl, their father. They had called J'ohl the Desert Hawk before he was murdered at the hands of the Pirate Lord called Jadann Zarr. “Wake brothers. I have found a path. I don't know where it leads, but if we stay here we will surely die.” Asher could see the desperation growing in his brother's eyes. If even Azhal was growing weary, what could that mean for the rest of them? Asher felt himself becoming faint, his vision growing dark. Only the image of the man who called himself Jadann Zarr was clear in his mind, the man who had murdered their father. Far overhead the storm grew increasingly violent with each passing moment. Asher thought he could hear Azhil calling his name beyond the howling din of that storm. “Asher! Asher! ASHER!” -~<>~- “Sir? Sir!” Asher was jolted from his reverie by the voice of the medical attendant. On the bed across from the chair in which he rested lay the girl, the Wilder, he had managed to wrest from the hands of the ZPD. She slept soundly. “Yes nurse?” “I'm sorry to bother you,” she said nervously. They were always nervous around a Psyon and doubly so with a Wilder in the room. “Under-Director Tombs has requested you in the conference room.” “Very good,” Asher said absently. He stood and moved to the door as the nurse began checking the vitals on the view screen next to the girl. He turned back just before leaving. “I trust I will be informed as soon as she wakes.” The carried the weight of a command as opposed to a suggestion.” “Of course sir,” replied the nurse, her eyes turning to the ground under the weight of his gaze. With that, Asher turned and began making his way down the narrow halls of the command center towards the conference room.
"Me? Retire? You know me better than that. I'll retire when I'm dead", Bishop laughed. He turned to his crew and introduced them to Ty. "You guys remember the Orion job?" Bishop began. "Well this is the guy that saved my ass!" "That was you?" Hutch asked. "Bishop told us all about it. Impressive." The small band continued their conversation among the multitude of other smugglers in the main area of the warehouse. But all conversations came to an abrupt halt as a loud voice pierced the air. Bishop's mouth fell open as he gazed in disbelief at the speaker. " Friends, brothers! I see many faces both familiar and foreign! My friends, it doesn't have to be this way!" Bishop could not believe his eyes. Above them all, standing on a walkway high over their heads was his old mentor flanked on both sides by two men in dark suits. He continued, " I am Sebastian Sullivan and I am offering you all an opportunity of a lifetime! For too long we have stayed to the shadows. For too long we have hidden from those who wish to put an end to our operations an our very way of life. But no more! My associates and I are offering an opportunity of employment under the Tanis Corporation." The awe-struck smugglers began murmuring and debating loudly. Sebastian spread his arms wide and everyone became quiet again. "We have acquired advanced technology that the military of the Directorate is just now beginning to delve into. Anti-Psyon weapons, shielding, and bio-tech to prevent Psyons from reading our minds and emotions. And Zodiac is ripe for the taking my friends! With arrival of the new Psyon and the display of power shown in front of the Zodiac police headquarters, everyone will want this equipment and the rewards for you all...well let's just say lucrative is not a strong enough word." A roar of approval consumed the warehouse as almost everyone showed their excitement at the possibility of becoming rich. Bishop, Ty, and a few others were not so happy with this new information. Bishop knew that Ty had his sister to worry about and even though it had been what seemed like ages since he had seen her, Bishop saw Nina as the little sister he never had. He felt just as uneasy about how this would affect her life just as much as a revolt fueled by fear would affect everyone on Zodiac. Sebastian unleashed his voice like a lion over the enormous crowd of his new followers, "Are you with me?!" Bishop needed to get himself and his friends out of this place immeadiately.
When Asher picked her up, Estelle hadn't shown any sign of reviving. Instead, she hung limp as a rag-doll, her body a far away place when compared to the state of her mind. One hand dangled towards the ground, but her fingertips twitched. Her eyes would open once in a while, taking in the hospital, the people, the stares, but it was all just a blur to her. Nothing worth remembering, and so she dropped off again. * * * When she opened her eyes, it was to a ruined world. Buildings lay scattered and torn apart as if a child's playthings, fire licking the ink-black skies. Whoever lived ran screaming in terror from one point on the horizon, and when the head appeared, Estelle gasped. A huge stone and metal beast rose up from the ashes, glowing eyes scanning the ground. It's muzzle and head were like that of a dragon's, with the body of an armadillo. Using its fore-claws and tail, it cracked open the few buildings that were left like eggs -it's long, liquid-like tongue snaking out and coiling around whatever people it found to devour them. Estelle could hardly comprehend what she saw. A beast made of earth and all things nonliving -yet it moved, it breathed. Muscles clenched, scales gleamed. In all aspects it was a living being. Then a blast of light came from below, and the beast screamed in rage when its chest was pummeled by a laser. But its armor was not penetrated. Looking down with menace, muzzle curling to reveal endless rows of shiny black teeth, it chomped down on the laser cannon. The few policeman fled for their lives, and she watched in awe as the beast gulped down the metal and electric contraption as if it was a treat. Something stirred on it's shoulder, and Estelle's eyes widened. The cannon took form right along with the creature's body as if it had been there all along. White energy swirled at it's core, and when the beast roared, the beam fired and carved a mile-long path across the ground. The tang of smoke and fire singed her nose, and Estelle backed up, trying to block out the screams when the beast attacked again. How could it be here? How could it do these things? How was it alive when it wasn't alive? Then the creature rose up on it's hind legs and turned its gaze on her. She froze, petrified. When it roared, she heard her father's words once again: "Wilders are monsters, Estelle..." * * * She gasped, snapping awake. But that took little precedence compared to the ceaseless pounding in her head, and she immediately clamped her palms to her temples, trying to block out the noise. "Ugh . . . what happened?" she rasped, blinking at the glaring lights. Someone flitted to the other side of the room, gasping something, and she started. "Who's there?" "J-just me." the nurse stammered, apparently trying not to have a heart-attack. Estelle could see many more faces staring at her through the window in the door, but when she turned her gaze towards it the people there fled. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she unplugged the clip from her finger and the machine went silent. "My head hurts. Is there any ice around here?" she asked, and the nurse looked a little disconcerted at the ordinary question. But then she was dashing across the room like a frantic mother hen, organizing bottles, nearly knocking over one, then snatching a blue bag out of an icebox. "H-here." Estelle took the bag gratefully, pressing it to her temple. How had she gotten here? Had they just let her go -and been so kind as to leave her in a hospital to be tended to? Confused beyond belief, Estelle stared at the far wall, trying to piece her thoughts together. "Th-the Psyon left earlier. He said for me to report when you awoke, so I assume you shouldn't go anywhere until he gets back." the nurse looked absolutely petrified at trying to give Estelle orders, but she nodded. The woman sighed audibly and left, the click of the door the only sound before she was left in silence. Estelle groaned when the pain returned, rubbing her head and moving the icepack over a tender spot. Yes, silence was what she needed right now...
Jansen sat awake in his bed, unable to sleep. He stared at the square ceiling tiles, lost in thought. As hard as he tried, he just couldn't keep the events of the day from his mind. Slipping from his bed he logged on to the Z-net. He read the news coverage about the incident at the police station, but most of it was lies. The military controls the news nets and always plays down any Psyon or Wilder activity. It said there was an underground air ventilation explosion on Aries platform. Sure, Jansen thought, they'll probably buy that. He inputted his ZPD clearance code and scoured the files for wanted criminals. He scrolled past the usual murderers, thieves and political fugitives until he found what he was looking for. He read the file on Tyson Epolipse. There was very little information on him, but Jansen noticed a brief reference to an orphanage on Sagittarius. Both Tyson and Nina had been kept there about ten years ago until the whole place burned down. The cause was labeled unknown. He remembered the table at the Epolipse unit. Perhaps Nina had something to do with the fire, he thought. After the orphanage, the brother and sister drop off the network completely until recently, when Tyson began getting mentioned in regards to the smuggling operations on Zodiac. His current wherabouts were labeled 'unknown'. Jansen leaned back in his chair and sighed. He knew there wouldn't be any sleep for him anytime soon. He splashed his face with some water from the sink and put on his clothes. Grabbing his jacket, he headed out the door. When he had gone through the police academy, Jansen had picked up a few skills on how to cope with long-term sleep deprivation. Most of them involved items or herbs that were not legally sold in the shops of Aries. The recruits would head down to the seedier platforms and buy all sorts of home-grown and offworld goods. One particular item, called Nonis Dormio by the locals on Larcius, a very hot planet that only sustained life at it's poles, was made from a crystal that grew in the caves there. The locals would grind the crystals into a fine powder and drink it with tea. The recruits just called it Non-D and it had some subtle mind-altering effects, but mostly it just negated all the ill effects of sleep loss. Jansen stepped into the darkness of Scorpio platform. It wasn't completely dark, as most of the aerial lights were functional but it was dark enough that it made him extra cautious. Winding through the alleys and streets he could hear news reports and drunken laughter coming from the various units. He walked up to Threkk's door and knocked. After a few minutes, a bleary-eyed Threkk answered the door. "Jansen?" Threkk said. "To what do I owe this late night visit?" "Sorry, Threkk, I need some Non-D packets. You got any?" Threkk wiped the sleep from his eyes and said, "Yeah, sure I got some in the front of the shop, head around and I'll open it for ya." Suddenly, Jansen got a whiff of something from inside the shop. It was a pleasant smell of potatoes and herbs and for a moment his thoughts flashed back to the young Wilder and Mitrata smelling her hair with a knife to her neck. Jansen stuck his foot in the unit, stopping the door from closing. "You don't mind if I just cut through the back here, do ya?" he said, pushing past Threkk and stepping into the main room. "Actually, Jansen" he stammered. "I'm ashamed, but this place is a mess and I'd rather you go around to the store." Jansen ignored him and opened the door on the far end of the unit and standing there, in the small kitchen, was Nina Epolipse, slowly stirring a simmering pot on the stove. Her dark eyes stared at him. Those same innocent eyes that had begged him to help her from Mitrata. "Hello again," were the only words that he could find.
"Friends, brothers! I see many faces both familiar and foreign! My friends, it doesn't have to be this way! I am Sebastian Sullivan and I am offering you all an opportunity of a lifetime! For too long we have stayed to the shadows. For too long we have hidden from those who wish to put an end to our operations and our very way of life. But no more! My associates and I are offering an opportunity of employment under the Tanis Corporation." Now we’re talking, Ty thought. Finally after all his hard work after everything he’s been through, everything Nina’s been through he can finally make his big break. "We have acquired advanced technology that the military of the Directorate is just now beginning to delve into. Anti-Psyon weapons, shielding, and bio-tech to prevent Psyons from reading our minds and emotions. And Zodiac is ripe for the taking my friends! With arrival of the new Psyon and the display of power shown in front of the Zodiac police headquarters, everyone will want this equipment and the rewards for you all...well let's just say lucrative is not a strong enough word." Fek no, Ty thought. This was insane he couldn’t even bear to think of the chaos it would cause. Not to mention Nina. He couldn’t do that to her, it would break her heart. He had a very bad feeling about this and as he turned to look over at Eli he could tell he didn’t like it either. “Look man, I’m all about getting rich but this is insane. Let’s bolt. If my boss wants in he can have someone else do it," Ty said.
Nina heard the beeping of Threkk’s comm. “Hey Nina, it’s for you it’s a message from Ty,” Threkk Said. Nina walked over and pressed the comm button. “Hey Nina, It’s me. I got everything taken care of I am just going to pop into a biz meeting. I’m not sure what’s it about but it sounds big. See ya later.” The message ended and Nina was furious. “Oh no, he does not do this to me are you kidding me? The police are on his tail and what does he do? He goes to a smuggler meeting. Gee, that’ll get them off our tail. He was supposed to go get this taken care of and come back here not go to a meeting. He’s such an idiot.” Nina went over to the stove and started cooking up some soup. “He’s a thick kid Nina what can you do?” Threkk said with a shrug. “Ring his neck,” Nina said, putting her hands out pretending to strangle the air. Threkk laughed and said, “Yeah, you and me both, kid. I’m gonna get some sleep. I got a big shipment coming in tomorrow.” Nina stared into the pot and wondered what kind of unsavory people would be at the smugglers meeting. Maybe he would see their dear friend Eli. He is someone who shouldn’t be involved with such a crowd either. She hadn’t heard from Eli in a while and hoped he was doing fine. Nina found her mind drifting back to earlier that day to Officer Pardosa. His eyes were what she remembered the most, those kind, blue eyes. She smiled to herself. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Threkk came out from his room half-asleep and looked at Nina. Threkk put his finger to his lips as he closed the door leading to the kitchen. She heard the back door open and could hear someone talking. "Jansen?" Threkk said. "To what do I owe this late night visit?" Jansen? Nina thought. The officer that had helped her? What was he doing here? "Sorry, Threkk, I need some Non-D packets. You got any?" Nina smirked. Apparently, even officers needed these shops. Nina found this very amusing and if they were friends she would tease him relentlessly about it. "Yeah, sure I got some in the front of the shop, head around and I'll open it for ya." "You don't mind if I just cut through the back here, do ya?" Nina could hear Jansen coming closer. Just stay calm, she thought, you didn’t do anything wrong. "Actually, Jansen" Threkk stammered. "I'm ashamed, but this place is a mess and I'd rather you go around to the store." Then suddenly the door opened and Jansen was staring right at her. "Hello again," he said. “Hello.” Nina smiled “Would you like some soup while you wait for Threkk to get your things?”
