“Hello.” Nina smiled “Would you like some soup while you wait for Threkk to get your things?” “I think I would,” said Jansen. “Thank you.” He couldn’t believe what was happening. He felt completely mesmerized by this girl, drawn into her smile and hypnotized by her innocence. Her smile lit up the room more than any artificial light could. Jansen didn’t believe in fate, but even he was taken aback by this turn of events. He forgot Threkk was nervously ringing his hands next to him. “Look, Jansen let me just get your Non-D packets and you can be on your way, okay?” Threkk said. Jansen looked at him and smiled. “Relax. The young lady offered me some soup. It would be rude if I refused.” He breathed deep through his nose. “Besides, it smells wonderful!” Threkk didn’t seem to be in the mood for any of this. “No,” he said sternly, “you don’t understand. You can’t stay here. It’s not safe.” Jansen remembered the way Tyson had looked at him, with anger and malice. He would love nothing more than to take some revenge on Jansen. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep or the contagious smile of this young Wilder, but he knew he couldn’t leave. “Threkk,” he said. “I’m the police. I’m the guy you call when it’s not safe, remember?” “Yes, you’re the police, which is why you need to leave, now. If her brother comes home and finds you here he’ll—“ “He’ll what?” “It won’t be good, I’ll tell ya that much.” Jansen decided to ignore him altogether and looked at Nina. “You know,” he began. “We haven't officially met. I’m Jansen, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand.
“You know,” he began. “We haven't officially met. I’m Jansen, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand. Nina smiled warmly at him and took his hand. “Nina, and Threkk’s right,” she said. “You really should get on your way. When Ty gets mad there isn’t much I can do to stop him.” And there are some things I won’t do, Nina thought. She stared into those blue eyes again and realized she didn’t want him to leave. All the time Ty spent protecting her from the world and he never gave any thought to whether she was lonely. We have to be alone. It’s the only way to keep us safe, to keep me safe. But she was lonely and Ty wasn’t around most of the time. She figured it was time to start taking care of herself. They couldn’t stay disconnected from the world forever and here was this kind young man with the deep blue eyes. She believed in fate and didn’t think it was an accident that she met him here tonight and she wasn’t about to waste the opportunity. Nina grabbed a bowl and filled it with soup and handed it to Jansen. “Actually,” she said. “Ty won’t be home for a little while longer so you have plenty of time to try my soup.”
“Actually,” she said. “Ty won’t be home for a little while longer so you have plenty of time to try my soup.” Jansen savored every bite if the soup. It was very good, actually, and reminded him of the home-cooked meals Bertie used to make for him when he was a boy. Nina watched him take bite after bite until finally he spoke. "So," he said. "Word is that you're just as good with engines as you are with potatoes. You and your brother are quite the mechanics. Seems you could make a living from that if you were that good at it, so why does your brother get mixed up with the smugglers?"
Matthew Kane Matthew was lying down on his back, trying to count the number of times the TL-light bar had flickered. So far, there didn't seem to be any pattern to it. He rolled over to his side, the stiff metal of his bunk creaking dangerously. He imagined that laying down on the ground would be equally comfortable as the flimsy matres he was currently occupying. Out of all places, he'd never expected to see himself behind bars, not ZPD bars anyways. Myers had been reasonable enough to inform his parents of the situation, but Matthew was convinced his mother wouldn't close an eye tonight. As the minutes went by, he grew confident the same was true for him. No matter how hard he tried to remind himself that he was innocent, he couldn't rout the uneasy knot in his stomach. Blood and DNA samples had been taken from him to make sure that he was not using a fake identity. How anyone could think he was family of Estelle was beyond him, but evidently, protocol demanded samples to be taken. Myers had even insisted on taking two blood samples after he'd told him how he'd woken up from his coma. Puzzled, he wondered if some part of him had gone mad, or if they were simply lying to him. He had sensed that crushing, mental blast, even though it was almost impossible to describe, and the more he thought about it, the more he became certain that it had been real. What else could have awakened him? But if anyone thought he was some sort of psychic because of it, they were dead wrong. He had been tested when he was 8, and he'd turned out to be dreadfully normal. Becoming a psy-brain later on was simply impossible and had never happened, as far as he knew. With a sigh, he rolled over to his other side, facing the blank wall. Finally someone in the police office shut off the lights. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and allowed himself to sink into a different world entirely.
"So," he said. "Word is that you're just as good with engines as you are with potatoes. You and your brother are quite the mechanics. Seems you could make a living from that if you were that good at it, so why does your brother get mixed up with the smugglers?" Nina smiled at him warmly. “I think you may have gotten your data confused. Ty is the only mechanic. I know nothing about machines. Do you like the soup?” Nina asked, clearly avoiding the smuggling subject. She was beginning to feel as if Jansen was trying to get information out of her; she had to be careful of what she said, after all Jansen was still a cop. She didn’t blame him for trying to do his job and she had offered for him to stay.
Wilder. Growing up on Aries, Jansen had only heard rumors and stories of Wilders and Psyons. Whispers and insults were the only knowledge he had. That was, until he met Sherrine. Before he was enrolled in the military academy Jansen would spend his time with Bertie on Virgo platform, running through the crops and tasting the mineral-rich soil that hung in the air. Sherrine was the daughter of a turkka root farmer and her eyes were as blue as the planet Zodiac orbited. Being the same age, Jansen and Sherrine became fast friends and every summer they would sneak off and go swimming in the irrigation reservoir. One particular afternoon they had been lying in the sun, next to the sparkling water and Jansen found her staring at him. She was smiling. “What?” Jansen said. “I want to show you something,” she said, sitting up and crossing her legs. “Oh yeah? What?” “I’ve never showed this to anyone and you have to promise you won’t tell a soul.” Her face grew stern. Jansen laughed and made an ‘x’ with his fingers over his chest. “Cross my heart.” “Alright, stay still,” she said and she closed her eyes. She made an up and down movement with her hands and repeated it over and over. She was graceful, like she was conducting a symphony that only she could hear. Jansen noticed the water beside them was rippling, and then it was bubbling until a pillar of water rose from the surface and just hung there, like an upside-down waterfall. It was then that he noticed Sherrine had opened her eyes and they were glowing. They were a light blue that seemed to waver between the color of the sky and the color of the water. Her hair billowed around her face as her hands continued to caress the air. Just as soon as it started, she closed her eyes and the water collapsed into the reservoir, splashing them both. With her eyes back to normal, she waited for his reaction. “Well?” she said in a pleading whisper. Jansen searched her eyes and he could tell she was scared that he would run from her. He grabbed her hand and smiled. “Sherrine,” he said. “You’re perfect and I don’t care if you’re a Wilder or not.” Her face brightened and she smiled. “Besides,” he continued, “now we don’t even have to move to enjoy the water.” Sherrine laughed and threw a towel at his face. “You bugger!” she said, pushing him onto his back. They laid there in the sun talking until they had to head home for supper. A year later Jansen turned fourteen and he was sent to the military academy. He enjoyed the classes and the training, but he missed his visits to Virgo and his time with Sherrine. Every new recruit went through a year of seclusion before they could have contact with anyone outside the academy. After his fifteenth birthday, he had commed Bertie and had her send a message to Sherrine. They met in secret and got together every weekend after that. Even though they were both older, it was as though the time apart had never happened. One weekend they met behind the recycling facility and Sherrine was making small cans filled with water dance like toy soldiers in the grass. Jansen was throwing rocks at them, trying to knock them down when he heard someone yell out. “It’s a Wilder!” the boy said. “Someone comm the police!” It was a group of boys from the academy that had been looking for a place to smoke. There were four of them and Jansen knew that Sherrine had to get out of there. He turned to her. “Run!” he shouted. She ran as fast as she could away from there and from that moment on they decided to find a better place to meet. That didn’t stop the boys at the academy from taunting Jansen and spreading rumors that he was a psy-brain lover. He would get randomly tripped in the halls and his backpack would mysteriously go missing, only to turn up in the garbage bin. One day he was called to stay after class with one of his teachers so he was late to meet Sherrine. He was running down the hall and didn’t notice the boy in his path until he smashed into him and they both tumbled to the floor. It was Reggie, one of the boys that had found Sherrine and Jansen that day. “Hey! Watch where you’re going, freak!” he said. “S- Sorry,” Jansen said, gathering his things off the floor. Reggie laughed at him. “Where ya going? Got to meet your slumbag, psy-brain girlfriend?” Jansen began to walk away. “Well you don’t need to run, Pardosa,” he said with a wicked grin on his face, “I think Gavin’s already taking real good care of her.” Reggie laughed and walked away. A knot formed in Jansen’s chest and he left his backpack on the floor and sprinted out the door. Standing almost a foot taller than Jansen, Gavin Chadbourne was the strongest kid in their class. He was the guy everyone wanted to be, good-looking, strong and the Chadbourne family was as close to royalty as you could get on Zodiac without being a Jain. Gavin’s father was the vice president of Jain Corp and the rumor was that Gavin was almost guaranteed to be a military general someday, only because of how much money and power his father had. Jansen could hear Sherrine yelling before he even reached the deck. His arms were burning as he tried to climb the maintenance ladder as fast as he could. The wind was especially strong that day at the top of Aries platform and it threatened to blow him off. He didn’t care. Quickly grabbing rung after rung until he reached the top, he sprinted across the walkway and onto the deck. Jansen had found a maintenance hatch that was always open and one day he discovered he could climb all the way to the top of the shell that protected the Zodiac from the vacuum of space. Below the deck was the grey metallic backside of the imaging system that simulated the sun and sky but above them was nothing but the emptiness of space, drowned out by millions of stars. This had been their special place where they would spend hours talking and laughing. Now the laughter had turned to cries for help and Jansen’s lungs were on fire when he finally saw them. Gavin was on top of her, his hands around her neck, her golden hair contrasted against the black metal. Jansen was still unnoticed as he ran toward them at full speed. He dropped his shoulder to try and catch him in his ribs and hopefully injure him enough to give Jansen an advantage but Gavin spotted him and was able to deflect the hit enough to send both of them careening off in different directions. Sherrine wasn’t moving. “Sherrine!” Jansen yelled, running over to her. He held her head in his hands and checked her pulse. Nothing. He poised his mouth over hers when Gavin’s foot connected with the back of his head, knocking him onto the ground. Gavin towered over him. His head must have caught the handrail because he had a large gash across his face and blood was now running down his cheek. Jansen tried to pull himself up. “It’s about time you learned your place, Pardosa!” Gavin’s fist came down and hit Jansen, hard. “Wilders are a freak of nature” he said, “and there’s a reason the military rounds them all up.” Jansen could already feel his cheek begin to swell. “And you’re no better than they are and deserve the same fate!” He said, finding Jansen’s ribs with a hard kick. Jansen used the kick as momentum to roll away. He picked himself up from the floor and ran directly at him, smashing into his torso and pushing him across the deck and into the railing on the other side. Gavin tried to throw a punch but Jansen had his head to close to Gavin’s body and just kept pushing as hard as he could. He looked over at Sherrine’s lifeless body and felt a wave of anger wash over him. He didn’t care about anything anymore. Nothing mattered. He screamed. In one action he grabbed Gavins thigh and launched him up and over the railing. He helplessly tumbled through the air until his body crashed into one of the panels below, sending sparks flying everywhere and dislodging it from its frame. Through the cracked panel, Jansen could see Aries platform hundreds of feet below them. He walked over to Sherrine and lifted her head onto his lap and stroked her hair, tears streaming down his face. “I’m sorry,” he said, wishing he could see her blue eyes one last time. “I’m so sorry.” Jansen nostrils were filled with the smell of fresh soup and a beautiful Wilder was staring at him from across the table. Nina, he thought. "Do you like the soup?” she asked. She looked at him nervously and Jansen composed himself. Swallowing a spoonful of soup he set his spoon down in the bowl. "The soup," he began, "is wonderful. In fact I'd say it's the best soup I've ever tasted. You may not be a good mechanic, but you can cook for me anytime," he said smiling. "Look, I know your brother is going to be home soon, but do you wanna go for a walk with me? I promise I'll protect you and no more questions about Ty." He studied her eyes. At this distance, the dark violet in her eyes was noticeable, and he wondered if her eyes would glow when she used her powers, like Sherrine. He put that thought out of his head, remembering the burnt table. Fire is a little more dangerous than water, he thought. Still, something about her put him at ease and he wanted to find out why.
“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. Bishop nodded in agreement. He motioned to Miles and Hutch to follow suit and the four of them started making their way toward the exit. "I trust you will all be understanding", Sebastian began. No one will be allowed to leave until each of you have been tagged." Bishop's heart skipped a beat as Sebastian eyes met his. ---<>--- Hutch kept scratching the back of his neck where his micro-locale chip was implanted. Every single smuggler that attended the meeting was now a part of a large organic network whether they liked it or not. They were all given the option not to be involved but were warned not to leak any information as they were constantly monitored by the Tanis Corp. "Dammit this itches! Hey Bishop, man can't we get these things cut out er something?" Hutch kept scratching his neck like a feral dog. They all were feeling the irritation that the chips were causing but the others were displaying a higher level of self-control. Bishop's mind was processing and discarding thoughts so rapidly that he almost didn't hear the question asked if him. "We go see Threkk. If anyone can help us, he can. Ty, give em a call. And remember to keep your mouth shut about what just happened."
"The soup," he began, "is wonderful. In fact I'd say it's the best soup I've ever tasted. You may not be a good mechanic, but you can cook for me anytime," he said smiling. "Look, I know your brother is going to be home soon, but do you wanna go for a walk with me? I promise I'll protect you and no more questions about Ty." “No way, Pardosa you got a death wish? Nina, you gotta stay here,” Threkk said. Nina stood there looking at Threkk then at Jansen. She thought over whether to go or not. Ty would be mad but it’s not like he thought of her when he went and did stuff that made her mad. It was time she did things for herself. It was time for Nina to be selfish. “You know what? I would love a walk, I’ve been cooped in here all day,” Nina said as Threkk shook his head. “Nina are you crazy? Imagine what he will do when he comes here and finds you gone?” “No worries, Threkk I’ll just comm him and tell him where I am.” Nina went over to the comm. “Hello, Ty dear. I am going for a walk with Jansen so if I’m not at Threkk’s I am with him and no I’m not going to say a word about anything to him. Also don’t kill Threkk I am capable of making my own decisions.” Nina finished then turned to Jansen. “Ready to go?” She had a big smile on her face and her hands on her hips. It was time for an adventure. ****** "We go see Threkk. If anyone can help us, he can. Ty, give em a call. And remember to keep your mouth shut about what just happen." Ty nodded at Eli. “Yeah no prob,” Ty said looking at his comming device. The small light was blinking and he pressed the button, playing the message. “Hello Ty dear. I am going for a walk with Jansen so if I’m not at Threkk’s I am with him and no I’m not going to say a word about anything to him. Also don’t kill Threkk I am capable of my own decisions.” Ty looked over at Eli with a look of outrage. “I do not need this right now.” He shook his head and called Threkk. “Ty, hey look I’m so sorry she wouldn’t listen,” Threkk said. “I don’t care if she wouldn't listen you should have made her listen.” “How I am supposed to do that with a police officer right there?” Ty rubbed his face. Threkk had a point and it was probably best if Nina wasn't there anyway, not with this chip in his neck. “Whatever. Let Pardosa know he’s a dead man walking. Anyway that’s not why I am calling. Look, I got Eli and Hutch with me. We’re in a jam and we need your help.” Threkk sighed. “Sure, sure come over," Threkk began to mumble, "it’s not like I need any sleep.” “Excuse me?” “Nothing, see you in a bit.” Ty ended the call and looked at Eli and Hutch. “Let’s go,” he said.
"Matthew Kane, 16 years of age, Z-ID: 0789-two-two-fiver, passed basic education. Occupation: farmer in, let's see...sector alpha on Virgo, in training for pilot..." Myers was reading Matthew's files aloud. So far Myers hadn't mentioned anything out of the ordinary about him, not that he had much to hide. "Looks like you've been a good boy so far, kiddo," Myers said as he straightened the pile of papers on the table. Matthew leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed, wondering why Myers put good kids in interrogation rooms. Aside from the brushed-steel table and the two shabby folding charis they were occupying, the room was empty. "So you came out of the hospital. What put you there to begin with?" "Disease." "Don't get cocky on me." "I am not, it's true." "What kind of disease?" Matthew shrugged, "I dunno, I can't even remembering being brought in there." "Well, what can you remember?" "The house, the farm, my parents...you want me to lay out my life for you? What kind of cop are you?" "You can leave out the details, I wouldn't want to know anyway," Myers said. He rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward, "I just need to know what happened before you got into the hospital." Matthew sighed, if there was any subject he'd rather avoid, it was how he'd passed out. He still hated himself for what he'd done, particularly because he'd done nothing of the sort any time before. "Hoptrop leaves." Myers chuckled, then his expression grew more serious. "Don't you think you're a little young for that? You do realise that it's illegal, right kid?" Matthew lowered his head and stared at his shoelaces, "yea," he murmured. "Listen, I never ever did anything like that before. Not ever, my parents they..." He decided it was best to leave his sentence unfinished before Myers would call up his parents. Biting his lips, he glanced back up at Myers, expecting some form of reprimand, but he received none. Myers made a note in his files, then met Matthew's eyes. "So you smoked hoptrop, then what happened?" He didn't answer. "Don't make this tough on yourself. What happened?" Matthew let out a long breath, "alright, I had never tried something like that before, perhaps I overdosed," he shook his head, "it's a little fuzzy from there on out, but I remember taking a shower-" "-A shower? Since when do farmers have showers?" "I broke in." Myers eyes widened, he'd witnessed much crime, but the thought that a sixteen-year old with a blank slate would break into some rich-man's house, boggled his mind. Especially considering the extensive security measures most had in place. Above all however, he was wondering why none of the files on Matthew described anything like that happening. "You...broke in, then what happened?" "I can't remember why I did it, or how," Matthew confessed, averting his gaze to the ceiling. He scratched his nose, let his eyes flick about the room, then murmured, "last thing I remember seeing was the bathroom floor." "So you are saying you passed out underneath someone else's shower?" "Yea," Matthew said under his breath. He shifted his weight uneasily in his chair as he waited for Myers gaze of bewilderement to fade. "I don't believe it, this is far too sketchy for me, you just earned yourself a few more days here kid," "What! I just confessed to you! Aren't you supposed to let me go now?" Myers stood up and shook his head. "First off, I am not supposed to do anything but keep shady types such as yourselves off the streets. Second, we know you are a wilder, kid. You aren't going anywhere." Matthew's jaw dropped. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, blinking sheepishly all the while. "What?" he managed to say. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" A smile began to curl his lips, "I get it, you're just messing with me...right?" Myers flared his nostrils and shoved two papers underneath the kid's nose. One bloodtest and one DNA-sequence rapport. Matthew looked down at the papers, his eyes scanning the near endless sea of text, full of technical abbreviations which he knew nothing about. Then he noticed a fat, red stamp had been put over a passport photo of him, it read: Wilder type 2. ~--~--~--~--~ Myers strutted down the hallway to his office. He only stopped to fetch himself some dark, watery slurry, or coffee as others would call it. Taste be damned, he thought to himself as he gulped down the much needed caffeine. He plopped down at his desk, the air-conditioning casting blade-shaped shadows over his paper-littered desk. His thoughts soon returned to the boy. Altough he didn't believe the lad's story, he had appeared to be suprised by his wilder-status. Hell, the kid had walked over to him to begin with, no wilder would ever do that. Besides, he had checked with the hospital and the kid had been there on monitor for two weeks flat. Stranger still was that his medical papers indicated that he'd been in a deep coma. The question was what put him in and what pulled him out. Sifting through the twirling mess of his own thoughts, Myers concluded that he needed to contact Pardosa about this. Perhaps the Zodiac Police could keep the kid stuffed away for a little while, to perform it's own, independent research before those greedy military gropers got a whiff of him. He grabbed his comm-device from his desk, but then thought better of it. The lines were probably being tapped by the military, they designed all the police's crappy equipment anyway. Instead, he paced towards the door, grabbed his coat and headed out to find Jansen Pardosa, the only independent, trust-worthy police officer in town.
Hours seemed to pass before Estelle's headache finally abated. Relieved, she slumped back against her pillow and tried to take a nap, but then she remembered Matt and sat up with a start. Dammit! I see him for the first time in how many years an I don't even wonder what happened to him!? Enraged at herself, she punched air, the wall ahead of her suddenly caving in on itself to leave a small fist-shaped dent. There was a shout of alarm from the other room, but she paid no heed to it. Her eyes and hair had changed again, were glowing, and she was completely pissed off. But it was at herself this time. But I can't just leave here to go find him-what do I do? Then an idea occurred to her. Maybe she could try that mind-link thing the Psyon had done? Got to try. Gritting her teeth, she tried to imagine how to do it, but after several tries and only dimly sensing a startled nurse on the other side of the wall, she had to give up. Plus, her head was pounding again. Curling up in a tight ball with a groan, she vented her frustration outward, causing a nearby glass of cotton swabs to expand and shrink rapidly until it finally turned into a tiny marble with an audible pop! She stared at the tiny orb for several moments, pain eating her up inside suddenly. He used to love marbles . . . Flicking from angry to agonized within the span of several seconds, Estelle crawled off the bed and tugged the blanket with her, huddling beneath the iron framing before she cried herself to sleep.
“Ready to go?” Nina said, smiling. Jansen stood up and ushered Nina to the door. "After you," he said. He knew Scorpio well and even though there was a high crime rate, Jansen knew the places to avoid. The platforms on Zodiac were just large enough to create thermal currents which resulted in the occasional breeze. They stepped out into the night air and walked in silence for a while. Nina was following his lead. They came to a small unit that had a serving window that was closed. He smiled and looked at Nina, then knocked on the window. A small man with thick glasses slid the window open and an aromatic steam escaped the unit. "Jansen!" the man said. "Jun and I were just talking about you. We saw the reports on the news about that explosion and we hoped you were alright." Jansen smiled. "Come on Kaoru, you know me, I never make the news." "You better keep it that way!" Kaoru said, laughing. He noticed Nina standing there. "And who is this? Official business, neh?" "Not tonight. Kaoru, this is Nina." Kaoru bowed his head to her. "Konba wa, Nina. Good evening. Jansen has good taste, you are a lovely girl." "Hey now," Jansen said. "Is Jun in there sleeping? Should we wake her up and tell her you're fawning over strangers? Jun!" He laughed and pretended to bang on the side of the unit. "Same old Jansen," he said. He turned to Nina. "You watch out for this one, he's as stubborn as a Trallaxian gruffon!"
"Same old Jansen," he said. He turned to Nina. "You watch out for this one, he's as stubborn as a Trallaxian gruffon!" Nina laughed. “I bet he is.” Nina looked up at Jansen and smiled. It felt nice to be normal for a change. Normal enough to laugh and joke with people, to enjoy the company of another person. It was nice to not feel so isolated all the time. She was enjoying the moment when a thought just hit her. He doesn’t know I’m a wilder. Slight panic came to her. This was a bad idea. She tried to calm herself and enjoy the moment. Maybe he won’t notice.
“I bet he is,” Nina said. "Don't listen to him, Nina. I'm actually a nice guy sometimes." Jansen smiled. He turned to Kaoru. "We would like two taiyaki's, please." "Excellent!" Kaoru said. "Hold on a moment while I prepare them." He disappeared into the unit. "So, Nina," Jansen began, "it must be difficult, someone with your... abilities. I knew a Wilder once, she had amazing abilities but had difficulty controlling them." Jansen remembered the scar across Tyson's face. "Don't worry Nina, I have no intentions other than getting to know you. You seem like a really nice person and I know how hard it is to hide from the military. The only reason I became a police officer was to protect the people who live here, like Threkk, and Koaru... and you, Nina."
"The only reason I became a police officer was to protect the people who live here, like Threkk, and Koaru... and you, Nina." Nina could barely believe it, how did he know? She was very frightened and she wasn’t sure if she could trust him. She looked into his kind blue eyes. If he really was going to turn her in, there would be ZPD all over the place and if he was really out to get her, would he go through all this trouble? Nina took a deep breath, she could smell something absolutely delicious. After what seemed like an eternity, Nina smiled at him. “Those smell amazing; I can’t wait to try it. I never had a taiyaki before."
“Those smell amazing; I can’t wait to try it. I never had a taiyaki before." "I get it. I probably wouldn't trust me either." Jansen smiled. "But trust me when I tell you that Koaru makes the best taiyaki on Zodiac. They're these small cakes filled with custard." Koaru emerged from the window and handed Jansen two small cakes wrapped in paper. He handed one to Nina. "This is the best part," he said. "They're shaped like fish!" Jansen took a bite of the cake. He knew why Nina didn't want to talk with him. If she were to be found she would be locked away and forced to focus her powers. Most Wilders didn't survive training if they were found after adolescence. It was a win-win for the military because they would rather have a brain-dead Wilder or a lap-dog Psyon. Roaming Wilders eating taiyaki was not something they were very keen on. "You know, Nina, the officer that attacked you... He still hasn't shown up. For all I know he may even be lying dead in some alley somewhere..." He trailed off. "If they find out what I did they'll probably send me to prison." He wasn't sure if that was true but he wanted her to understand that he was an outcast just as much as she was. Surely she could see that?
It had taken almost two hours to reach Threkk's housing unit. With the Zodiac police locking down hover lanes and closing down streets in search of the renegade Wilder, it was anything but easy. The smugglers had just reached the front door when Bishop's com-device beeped and Miles' voice came through the speaker. "Bishop, I've found some others that are against what Sebastian is trying to do. We're meeting at the docks on Pisces. They're going to try and figure out a way to stop him. I'll contact you as soon as the meeting's over." "I hear ya. Stay safe." Bishop disconnected as Ty knocked on the door. Threkk emerged with a fearful look in his eyes as they met Ty's. Hutch pushed passed them scratching his neck rapidly. "Threkk, whatever the hell yer gonna do to get this damn thing out, you better do it fast. I think I just broke the skin!" Threkk quickly brought Hutch to a back room with a long table covered with old papers and random pieces of outdated tech. "Sit down ", Threkk instructed as he began cleaning off the table. He then asked the others, "What's wrong with his neck?" Bishop spoke up, "He's got a tracking device in his neck...we all do." He turned to Ty, "I'm gonna go smoke a cigarette. Keep me posted." Before he stepped out into the street Bishop stopped, "Threkk! You still have those Hustler cigars? I need something heavy."
"You know, Nina, the officer that attacked you... He still hasn't shown up. For all I know he may even be lying dead in some alley somewhere..." He trailed off. "If they find out what I did they'll probably send me to prison." “I never did thank you for that, did I? Thank you for saving us. It means a lot. I’m glad you understand that it’s not that I don’t want to trust you and sorry for putting you through so much trouble.” Nina took a breath and smiled sadly at Jansen. He was a really nice guy and she felt bad for putting him through so much trouble. He could go to jail for what he did. Nina looked at her little fis- shaped cake. It smelled like heaven but she couldn’t bring herself to take a bite yet. “If you weren’t there I… I don’t know what would have happened but it wouldn’t have been pretty,” Nina said giving him a knowing look. “I’m glad you were there and I am glad to have met you.” Nina smiled and took a bite of her taiyaki . “Mmmm! This is fantastic!” Nina said with her mouth full. “Thank you for getting me one of these, too.” She took another bite and smiled. ********** "Threkk! You still have those Hustler cigars? I need something heavy." “Yeah, I’ll get them,” Threkk said as he left the room. Ty grabbed a flask out of his bag and handed it to Hutch. “Take the edge off bud.” Hutch nodded in thanks and took a swig. Threkk came back with a pack of cigs and a tray with a syringe, a bottle of numbing unit and a scalpel. “So, Threkk where the hell did Nina go?” “Don’t start with me Ty I’m kind of busy here,” Threkk said as he slipped some gloves on and started prepping the area on the back of Hutch’s neck. “Don’t start with you? That’s my sister and you let her wander off!” “She’s a grown woman, Ty.” Ty slammed his fist against the wall. “If a hair gets hurt on her head I’ll turn you inside out.” “She’s in good hands. Pardosa’s a good guy, I’ll vouch for him.” Ty snorted at his remark and lit a cig of his own. If anything happened to Nina he didn’t know what he’d do. The thought of Nina getting hurt and the thought of what happened to Nina this morning enraged him. He needed to find Mitrata. He’ll admit Pardosa did help them but he’s still a porker and Ty wanted to know exactly what was he doing with his sister out this late? His face paled a little. No, Nina would burn him if he tried anything. Still, that porker is barking up the wrong tree if he thinks he can get with his Sister. Just wait until that porker comes back here, I’ll kill him. Ty thought as he watched Hutch squirm. “Alright, I’m gunna take it out,” Threkk said as he prepared to put the scalpel to Hutch’s skin.
“If you weren’t there I… I don’t know what would have happened but it wouldn’t have been pretty,” Nina said giving him a knowing look. “I’m glad you were there and I am glad to have met you.” Nina smiled and took a bite of her taiyaki . “Mmmm! This is fantastic!” Nina said with her mouth full. “Thank you for getting me one of these, too.” She took another bite and smiled. "You're welcome," Jansen said. "I don't know, I think if your life was in danger or your brother was in trouble you wouldn't be as helpless as you think." Jansen studied her expression. "Or maybe you think you'd be too helpful. I can't imagine what it would be like, to have something so powerful living inside me, like a caged animal." Jansen had seen what Wilders were capable of and he knew that there were some Wilders who kept their powers locked away, removed so far from themselves that perhaps they could live a quiet, if not sheltered life. Could this young woman ever truly be normal? Could she grow old, find a mate and even have children? Children. Jansen wondered if the psychic abilities were genetic and if she would have little Wilder babies. No, he thought, if two Wilders could have Wilder children the government would have already created a forced breeding program to churn out an army of Psyons. No, it must just be a genetic roulette wheel we all had to spin before entering this world. How many Wilders cursed their own gods for bringing this down upon them and how many of them praised those same gods for giving them such a gift. Jansen finished his taiyaki and took Nina's hand. She was warm, almost too warm but he felt her soft, small hands grip his own. "Well," he said. "I suppose we should be getting you back to Threkk's. Your brother is probably there by now and I have a feeling he isn't going to be too happy about you running off with me." Jansen smiled. "Who knows, I might even get beaten up again today. That would be a new personal record."
Jansen smiled. "Who knows, I might even get beaten up again today. That would be a new personal record." Nina continued to hold his hand as they walked. “I’ll protect you.” Nina laughed looking up at him. “You’re right though, I would have been too helpful.” Nina sighed. She thought of Ty telling her to burn Mitrata and how torn she felt. “It is really hard for me to control my emotions," she said, "but I have to. I hate using my abilities. I refuse to be seen as a monster or a murderer even if it’s out of self-defense. But that doesn’t matter, does it, because I will always be seen as a monster.” Nina gave Jansen a look and he just smiled at her still holding her hand. Nina smiled back. It was easy to talk to him. He was so sweet. It was nice to have someone to talk to. In a way he was like her because he didn’t fit in either. Nina admired his nobleness and kindness. “Thank you for being so nice to me. I get really lonely sometimes.”
"Hold him down! I have to sedate him!" Threkk screamed as Ty and Bishop tried to restrain Hutch's flailing body. Hutch began foaming at the mouth and trying desperately to grab his chest. Bishop shouted, "What the hell happened to him Threkk?" "I don't--Shit! Grab his leg!" Threkk now realized that Hutch was having a heart attack. "Ty grab me the painkillers, quick!" Hutch's spasms suddenly ceased and everyone froze in place. With a sudden burst of energy Hutch sat up and released a roar of pain. "AHHHH--ack!" He collapsed onto the table completely still and silent. Ty checked his pulse and shook his head. Bishop slammed his fist down on the table, "Son of a bitch!" Threkk rolled Hutch's body on its side, examining device that had kind of released its grip on its host. Threkk hold the tiny piece between his thumb and fore finger. He then brought it to his workbench and placed it under a magnification prism looking for some tell to confirm what was already thinking. After what felt like a lifetime Threkk spoke up solidifying Bishop and Ty's inner fears. "The device released a toxin into Hutch's blood stream and traveled straight to his heart", he sighed but continued. "If anyone tampers with these devices the results will be the same. I'm sorry boys but I can't do anything to fix this."
"Thank you for being so nice to me. I get really lonely sometimes." Jansen walked through the streets, listening to the sounds of their footsteps. "Nina, you could never be a monster. Believe me, I've seen pure evil in people before so I'd know if you had any." Steam rose from a grate in the middle of the street. Their fingers intertwined, Jansen squeezed her hand tighter as they turned down the alley toward Threkk's unit. For a moment he thought of how his life could be if Mitrata never turned up. Perhaps things could be different. Here was this girl, this Wilder who had so much goodness in her it was almost contagious. Jansen felt like a better person just being around her. Maybe it was just a part of her psychic abilities or maybe, he thought, it was just her. It was then that he noticed Nina had stopped walking. He turned and saw that her face was pale and her eyes were wide. It was a look of utter dread. Jansen had seen that face before and he knew something was wrong. "Nina?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
Unable to find Pardosa, Myers decided to use the comms anyway. Perhaps, no one would be listening in this time. He stopped in a small, almost empty, street. The bright, xeon lights making the platform look strangely lit, not quite like day but not quite like night either. He pressed a few buttons and soon enough his voice was put through to Jansen Pardosa. "Pardosa, Myers here, I have discovered something interesting and need to consult with you A.S.A.P." He paused for a second, letting the static crackle through the air. "It's confidential. Can we meet?" --- Matthew's mind was zip-zapping from utter disbelief to shock, and back again. A Wilder? That couldn't possibly be right. If he had been, surely he would have noticed earlier? Weren't Wilders supposed to be emotionally unstable? He didn't feel unstable. In fact, he could recall several instances of being upset without causing grueling deaths, like so many Wilders did, according to the media. Still, he could find no good reason for the ZPD to be lying to him. If they had such extensive files on him, they probably knew all his history with Estelle, possibly even more accurate than his own, fuzzy, memories. Then again, perhaps they were suspecting a deeper connection to Estelle since they, if the documents were to be believed, were both Wilders. "Your arm please," a distant voice said. Matthew unshackled himself from his buzzing mind, his eyes flicking to the nurse who the voice belonged to. She appeared to be stuck in that dreadful age between thirty and fourty where not much happens on one day and too much on the others. Today, it appeared, too much had happened for her taste as she looked tired and her voice contained a foul undercurrent. Judging by the subtle, but stinging scent of tobacco, he was standing between her and her smoke break. Matthew complied and rolled up his sleeve, exposing the thick vein in the pit of his elbow. The cold air tickled his skin, threatening to freeze it if he even thought of squealing. "Another blood sample?" he inquired as the nurse fetched an injection needle. "Sedative," she returned sharply. Before he could retreat his arm, the icy needle had intruded his skin, pouring in an even colder substance into his bloodstream. Seconds later, the nurse pulled it out and set a tight bondage around his newfound injury. Already beginning to feel fuzzy and unfocused, Matthew was barely able to stumble a simple phrase. "What...does it- what's it for?" "It supresses any unwanted impulses. Now go rest, that way the side-effects won't be as bad." "Side-effects?" Matthew stammered. By the time the words rolled off his tongue, the door of his prison had slammed shut and he was left alone in his frigid room.
"Nina?" he asked. "What's wrong?" Nina could feel the blood leave her face. She felt uneasy and knew something bad had happened. “Somethings happened at Threkk’s, come on hurry!” She grabbed Jansen's hand and they both ran down the alley. "The device released a toxin into Hutch's blood stream and traveled straight to his heart", he sighed but continued. "If anyone tampers with these devices the results will be the same. I'm sorry boys but I can't do anything to fix this." “Fek! Oh shit… Aww, Fek!” Ty said, running a shaking hand through his hair. “Fek! We’re screwed, Eli!” He had a million thoughts running through his head. Nina was right, he thought, he should have quit while he was ahead but now he was in big trouble. Nina! he thought. He had almost forgotten about her. What about Nina? His selfish actions have put her in danger as well. Nina came bursting through the door wide-eyed and pale with Jansen in tow. “What’s going on!?!” she said. “Nina, you need to get out of here," Ty said trying to block the view of Hutch's body and the blood on the floor. "...and what the hell is this porker doing here?” Nina pointed at Hutch. “Is... Is he dead?” “Nina go into a different room.” “No! Why is he dead?” Nina looked over and saw Eli. “Eli, what happened?” Eli was silent. “They have a tracking chip in them sweetheart,” Threkk said gently. “What does that mean? How did he die?” “Don't tell her another word Threkk,” Ty warned. She didn't have to know about the chip in his own neck. “She has the right to know," Threkk said. "Nina, they have tracking chips in their necks and if you tamper with it, well…” He looked at Hutch's lifeless body. Nina sat down and started breathing heavy. “Is there anything we can do?” “I'm afraid not kid,” Threkk said. Nina put her head in her hands. Why doesn't he ever listen to her? If he had then none of this would've happened. Now she didn't know what they were going to do. She began to cry. “Nina, calm down,” Ty said. Nina ignored him. How in the world did he expect her to calm down.
Jansen knelt down and comforted Nina. "Hey, don't worry I'll figure this out." He wiped the tears from her cheeks. He didn't know what to do. He was in a room full of smugglers, one of them deceased, and a Wilder that was becoming hysterical. This can't end well, Jansen thought. Someone was tracking the smugglers and also wanted to make sure they could be dealt with if they got out of line. This went much higher than just some petty smugglers and Jansen knew he had to find out who was pulling the strings. He also knew that the information he needed was going to come from these two smugglers. His comm chirped in his ear. "Pardosa, Myers here, I have discovered something interesting and need to consult with you A.S.A.P. It's confidential. Can we meet?" Officer Myers. Jansen had run into him at ZPD when all hell broke loose with the Wilder. He remembered that Myers had brought the boy. The boy that knew the Wilder. Perhaps he had found something out about the Wilder, or the connection with the boy. Jansen looked at Nina, then he looked at the dead smuggler on the table. If he was going to figure out this mess, he was going to need some help and he remembered the look in Myers eyes. It wasn't hatred or fear. No, it was understanding. He wasn't sure if bringing Myers into this mess was the right choice, but considering the circumstances, he didn't really have a choice. If he was going to protect Nina, he would have to protect Tyson as well and that meant he couldn't go to the department with this. He had to do this on his own, or at least off the record. He tapped the comm to his ear. "Myers," he said. "Yes, we can meet, but I have something important I need to share with you. I'm sending you an address, how fast can you get to Scorpio?"
Bishop had not said a word in quite so time. Instead he just kept staring at Hutch's lifeless corpse wondering if he would meet the same gruesome fate. Even after Nina and the cop burst through the door the only change in Bishop's countenance was the sorrow of seeing Nina's reaction to Hutch's corpse. He listened intently to the cop's conversation and instantly snapped into survival mode. Shit! Another one 's coming, he thought. Bishop calmly walked into Threkk's sleeping quarters and emerged with a long, thin blanket. He walked past everyone as they continued to yell and argue. He unfolded the blanket and covered Hutch's body with it while simultaneously equipping his concealed pistol from its resting place on his wrist band into his left hand. He quickly spun, aiming the sights directly between the cop's eyes. Without taking his eyes off of his target he asked, "Ty who the hell is this and why is he with Nina?!"
