 
### Quantum

Copyright 2017 David Petrey

Published by David Petrey at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty Two

About David Petrey

Other books by David Petrey

Connect with David Petrey

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Kay Jones for reading my material and offering thoughtful critique.
Chapter One

#

Søren felt himself fall. He flung out his arms, his hands clawing desperately in an attempt to reach out for anything in the complete darkness surrounding him to help stop his descent. He gave a short cry before heavily breathing inwards as if having just surfaced from beneath water. He wasn't falling; that had been confined to his dream which was now merging with reality in his half sleeping state.

Taking back his flailing arms he quickly pulled himself upright. Thick streaks of burgundy trickled their way down his vision. Blood. His heart was thumping in rapid succession against its ribbed prison as if trying to escape the horror from within him. A cool glistening of sweat enveloped his skin and he gave an involuntary shiver. The bloody vision before his eyes melted away as he fully awoke from his disturbed slumber. Still he slowly rubbed his hands down his face and checked his palms just to make sure it had indeed been a dream. Only then did he try and breathe more steadily to help calm his heightened anxiety. He swallowed with laboured effort, his heavy tongue rasping against the dryness of his palate.

Sensing that Søren was awake, the dorm-capsule he lay cocooned within gradually increased the light intensity, along with an adjustment to the ambient temperature and humidity in an effort to bring his physical state back to a homeostatic norm. It proved a wasted effort though. Søren couldn't detach his thoughts from what had transpired yesterday. Additionally he had recorded the entire thing. So now with a whole day's vacation to fill because of the events at work he was left to stew over the same repeating thoughts that had haunted his dreams, but each time with subtle changes so that he now wasn't sure exactly what had transpired. Some perverse impulse overcame him and accessing yesterday's file through his ocular implant he began replaying the day over again.

#

Søren left his apartment. A mixed sense of excitement alongside anticipation coursed through him at the prospect of the first day in his first job. Stepping into the clinically white corridor a call came through to his OculoWave Comms implant. Søren scanned the prelim-message; the beaming smile of a company representative was offering to act as his personal guide. He declined the offer with a pre-programmed 'thanks, but no thanks'. The guy at the other end looked genuinely hurt, near suicidal, as if having failed at the one and only responsibility entrusted to him. It was enough to make Søren reconsider. He was too soft, and reasoned to himself that his would-be guide probably wasn't even real anyway, just an algorithm of over-friendly helpfulness, designed to respond to any topic of conversation Søren could spout. He hesitated, this new thought almost making him change his mind yet again, just to see how difficult it would actually be to get round the programming. But after second thoughts he decided to leave the caller to snooze in digital limbo. He wanted to make his own way to work and could hardly get lost with his implant guiding his every step anyway. In the past his life had been contained within the School. Now with an apartment and a new job every recent experience seemed like a bit of an adventure.

Making his way to the Magvac shuttle terminal at the end of his sterile corridor he stood and awaited an available ride. A sign informing of the current Sector he was standing within was the only decoration along the entire corridor. He considered augmenting his view, giving the place some personal character each time he made his way to and from his apartment, visible to his eyes alone. Scanning through some options he chose a woodland scene. Trees immediately sprung up along the corridor. The occasional bird was programmed to flit in and out of view. And even an animal appeared from behind a tree. His Comms identified it as a deer and asked whether he would like more info on the animal. He declined.

Behind him a sound chimed. His Comms informed him that a one-person capsule had arrived, to take him on his way through the maze of tubes that twisted their way through the very fabric of society. The shuttle's doorway opened with a recompressed hiss. Søren reset his vision and the corridor melted back to white. Turning to the shuttle, the surroundings he entered appeared as equally bare to those which he was leaving. The shuttle immediately requested permission to access his Comms implant, or failing that a non-implanted Personal Electronic Device. The alternative was the manual display in front of him, the only form of decoration to be found within the shuttle. Søren granted the capsule access to his implant and it synced with his own navigation system. He had already decided his route, wanting to be taken up and over the Sector. Having never held the privilege to access all these upper levels before he planned to make full use of the view before becoming desensitised to it all.

'Please take a seat,' his ride politely instructed.

He did as told whereupon it locked him firmly into place before finally disengaging from the terminal and instantly whisking him on his way. A faint humming fell upon his ears as the shuttle proceeded on its friction-free way through the airless magnetic tube.

Søren set the recording of his journey to fast-forward, condensing the already rapid five hundred miles-per-hour journey to more like a five thousand miles-per hour one that vanished in seconds. The route he had purposefully chosen carried him through a part of the network that ran outside; up and above the urban sprawl which moved by below him in a blur of uniformity, except for the sight of the quoQuantum tower, the headquarters of his new employer, a rising sentinel that stood above everything else. As the capsule reached its destination Søren returned his view to normal speed.

Dismounting his ride he was presented with the huge transparent domed hub of quoQuantum's grand entrance. It was designed to impress with its gargantuan dimensions that were filled with absolutely nothing; pure decadence when space was such a prized commodity. Edging forward the small mobiTile platform he stepped onto began to shift itself and with his head tilted skywards at the view he almost fell over. It traversed across the room to its centre. The openness of the surroundings overwhelmed and Søren instinctively reached out to grab the stool centred upon the moving platform to help steady his balance. A collective stream of others were also being moved progressively inwards upon their own tiles as if the tower was leisurely ingesting everyone for its breakfast. Relatively few people were escaping in the opposite direction.

Continuing his gawp at the expansive surroundings Søren gave a smile as he thought over his new life. He and his friends had joked about this day back at the School, when they would eventually sell their souls. But it was the reason they had all been chosen by such an esteemed educational establishment. All of them were to inevitably end up working in research for one of the big Corporations. Focusing his eyes upwards he was met with the sight of the qQ tower spiraling above him. Clouds greyed the sky above so rather than being the glistening beacon the tower was usually portrayed as in promo material, it looked more like a jagged tooth rising up menacingly to take a bite from the heavens.

Feeling light-headed he finally took some weight off his legs by propping himself against the stool he had been clasped to like a barnacle. The action initiated a greeting from an attached transparent screen. It was Sumi, quoQuantum's familiar digital representative. She appeared in most qQ ads and Søren, like most others, found her familiar appearance a comfort. He always wondered if she had ever actually been a real person rather than a fictional character dreamt up one day in a marketing meeting. He liked to think there was a two hundred-year-old Sumi sat within a darkened room, vocal chords perfectly preserved, still providing the voice recordings for her character even now.

'Welcome to quoQuantum, bringing you the future today,' Sumi began to beam her propaganda at him. 'My name is Sumi and I offer my assistance in any way I can. For starters, please may I have your identification?'

He offered his digital signature.

'A very warm welcome, Doctor Zalys,' Sumi lit up.

Søren cringed. Just being accepted into the School gave him that title. He didn't warrant being called Doctor though. He had yet to contribute what he considered significant research to the world. Sumi continued, unaware of his discomfort.

'As this is your first visit to the quoQuantum HeadQuarters let me provide you with a plan showing your current location and where you will be personally received by the President. Please follow the route I have delineated. It's easy to get lost here.'

Søren knew fine well that the current mobiTile he was riding upon would take him all the way to his destination so there was no chance of getting lost. And even if he tried to step off someone would be right there to guide him on course once more. Not that he had reason to veer off anywhere else. And there had been the promise of a breakfast at his destination which his stomach reminded him it was looking forward to with a gurgle. The map would come in handy in the future no doubt.

He scanned his route, marked in red like a major blood vessel snaking its way through the tower's innards. It travelled some distance up. The journey would take a while. Sumi seemed attuned to a growing inner boredom.

'Can I interest you in a variety of channels to browse? You may wish to purchase from our exclusive employee shopping channel, offering discounts unavailable elsewhere?'

For a nanosecond it sustained Søren's interest, making him wonder what he could possibly buy that the Corporation hadn't already supplied in his apartment. But with shopping being of no real interest he changed his mind and just shook his head, which his Comms interpreted for Sumi as a polite 'No thanks.'

'Ok,' she continued, undeterred by his disinterest. 'How about an informative insight into quoQuantum's past?'

Søren smiled. Sumi's programming was better than that of the welcome he had received outside his apartment, which had given up at the first 'no'. She had recognized he wasn't interested in shopping, so the offer of light entertainment had already been by-passed. Instead she had skipped straight to the boring documentaries, something that might just interest a crusty researcher such as himself. He nodded, with his Comms accepting the offer. It would be good to get to know the Corporation a bit better.

'Excellent choice,' Sumi commended him. Would she have said the same about shopping? She vanished to be replaced by a video feed hailing, 'quoQuantum: Bringing you the future today.' Søren had a feeling he would quickly grow tired of hearing this.

#

'Muck out the stables and then get to the milkin', lad,' rumbled the baritone command from indoors.

'Yes father,' came the obedient reply from Seth upon leaving the farmhouse for the first time that day.

Dawn was just breaking. The young man stepped out to greet a fresh summer morning. The smell of damp and wholesome, life-bearing earth hit his senses along with the tang of manure that he would swiftly grow accustomed to. Beside the entrance he knelt to pick up a well-worn boot from a pair left there overnight. Lifting it well above his head he then swung it down, hitting the ground heavily to help dislodge the clods of red mud caked upon it, the same action also being applied to the other of the pair. Yesterday's work mending fences in the rain had been tough. It had certainly been a storm to remember. Seth was surprised the river banks had held; thankful that they had. A flood meant loss of crops, loss of animals, more damage and more hard work.

A cockerel crowed across the awakening farmyard. ' _Late as usual_ ,' Seth thought as he pulled on his weather-stained boots and proceeded to the stables. But spying his little sister Elisabeth at her bedroom window just below the thatched eaves of the cottage he stuck his tongue in good-humour. Seeing her giggle she then pulled her head back behind the curtains. He stopped and waited, their morning ritual as regular as the rain, knowing she would eventually peep her head back into view once again. She did, and he stuck his tongue out once more. Fits of unheard laughter came from behind the window pane, his imagination adding the peals of delight he had come to cherish over the years. He gave a small salute, which she dutifully returned, before crossing the yard to begin the regular pattern of a day's work on the farm.

A couple of hours later, with the worst of the back-breaking behind him, a hot, summer morning was now in full control of the day, and Seth was feeling the heat. Beads of sweat lined his brow soaking his mouse-brown hair at the edges, which stuck to his temple like dampened moss. Thirstily he left the stable on the hunt for a drink and spied Elisabeth feeding the chickens with scraps of burnt bread. He paced over to the feeding frenzy and scratched the ground with a boot, making a clucking noise whilst folding his hands under his armpits. This encouraged laughter from his sister and she threw a morsel of bread in his direction. He bent forward pretending to peck at the offering but leaned that bit too far and lost his balance. Rolling forward into the feeding crowd he set in motion a chaotic flapping and squawking as the chickens scattered in all directions. Squeals of laughter burst from the little girl whilst also shielding her face from the flurry of feathers.

'Silly chicken,' she scolded playfully as the temporary act of excitement subsided.

Seth leapt to his feet and ran towards Elisabeth who shrieked at being scooped into the air and swung round and round and round, her legs dangling freely. Carefully placing Elisabeth back on her dizzy feet he looked up to notice Violet standing in the yard observing their play. Time froze for Seth and he could do nothing but gaze helplessly into Violet's sparkling sapphire eyes; study her sweet, ruby lips and yearn to gently sweep back her crimson hair and kiss her long, slender neck...

'Good morning Seth; morning Elisabeth,' Violet greeted them, interrupting Seth's fantasies. She gave a sly suggestive smile which only sent Seth even further into a fluster.

'Morning Violet,' Elisabeth chirped.

'Er, mornin' Miss Violet,' Seth stammered, pulling himself free from her enchantment and patting down his dust covered overalls in a futile attempt to smarten his appearance. 'What brings you here so early?'

Violet cast a sideward glance at his words, with a slight frown creasing her near-perfect complexion.

'Didn't ya pa tell ye? I'm here to help with the milking.' she replied.

' _Trust pa to embarrass me so,'_ Seth thought, but mumbled, 'It musta slipped my mind.' He instantly regretted his words. How could he possibly forget something as important as a visit from Violet? So he added rather unconvincingly, 'I mean, I knew you would be shortly arriving but I have been busily undertaking work all morning so unfortunately I temporarily forgot.'

Violet smiled, holding back a laugh. 'With such big words filling your head I'm not surprised you be forgettin', Mister Seth, Sir.'

Seth went red. He had overdone it, trying to sound important like his father at market. But Violet was only teasing.

'Well then, let's get to it,' she announced.

'Oh,' Seth said somewhat downcast. 'I just need to finish in the stables first.'

'You mean you haven't finished yet?' Violet mocked light-heartedly. 'Then you'd best hurry along or I'll be ' _busily undertaking_ ' all the milkin' alone.'

'I'll get to it right away,' he replied with urgency, not wanting to miss out on Violet's company. With a polite nod of his head he took his leave and dashed back to the stables to lay fresh hay, forgetting completely his earlier thirst.

Once Seth had rushed through his task he hastened his way to the cowshed, passing Elisabeth on the way.

'Taking Moll and Sooty for a walk,' Elisabeth told him. Moll was Elisabeth's ragdoll; Sooty being a jet-black pup that she had acquired recently. Born the runt of the littler, and with a mild limp making it utterly worthless as a farm dog, there proved little doubt no-one would even buy it as a pet. So like the solution to the ever-expanding population of feral kittens the situation cried out for a tightly-knotted sack and the duck pond. But Elisabeth had taken to it and wouldn't allow them to kill the poor wretch so she had adopted it on the spot. Not even their practical-minded father had the heart to deny his little girl.

'Don't go wandering too far,' Seth called after his sister as she skipped down the dirt track swinging Moll in hand and Sooty bounding at her heels. Seth headed into the shelter and was greeted by a smile from Violet that could surely calm even the hardest of Winter storms. With a stupid grin upon his lucky face Seth felt himself lured towards his Siren.

The sun rode on all too quickly that morning for the pair, with less work and more chatter and laughter coming from the cowshed.

'Those animals won't milk themselves,' a chastising voice came from the entrance-way.

'Sorry father,' Seth replied and lowered his head to continue the work.

'Plenty of time for that nonsense at the Midsummer festival,' Seth's father added with an all too obvious wink before turning and heading off. Seth blushed a hue of bright scarlet. His father had managed to embarrass him in front of Violet for the second time today now. Violet just looked down into her milking bucket and chuckled silently. For Seth, his father's words brought back a happy reminder of things to come. He was eagerly awaiting Midsummer. The food, the laughter, the dancing, chasing Violet through the fields of growing wheat. Could life get any better? Of course it could, because it was at the festival that Seth planned to ask Violet's father for her hand in marriage.

Lunchtime came and Seth's father returned, inviting Violet to dine with them. 'Where's that sister of yours skipped off to?' he asked Seth.

'Isn't she back yet? She just went to take the pup for a walk. She can't have gone too far. I'll go find her,' Seth said.

'I'll come with you,' Violet suggested with a smile. 'Two pairs of eyes are better than one.'

The couple set off strolling hand in hand down the track Elisabeth had trodden earlier.

'I think she'll have made her way around the woods,' Seth told Violet. 'She'd have been too scared to venture in.'

So they followed the river as they advanced around the trees, every so often calling Elisabeth's name. The going was slow thanks to the recent heavy rain making the terrain muddy underfoot. Yet after almost an hour of searching along the river, trying not to think the worst as they stared into the muddy, high-flowing water, no trace of Elisabeth could be detected so they decided to double back along the other side of the river. Finding a suitable place to cross they had merely ventured a hundred yards when Violet raised her arm and pointed.

'Look, would Elisabeth play in there?' Seth followed her gaze to an outcrop of rock on the other side of the river and noticed the yawning entrance to a small cave. They wouldn't have noticed it from the other side they had traversed, having walked above it.

'That hadn't been there before.' Seth was sure. He had played along this river all through his childhood. 'It musta been exposed by the heavy rain. I'll go give it a look.'

Making their way back over the river they first located the rocky outcrop. Then Seth climbed down its side, occasionally slipping in the muddy ground. He helped Violet make her descent before they clambered round the rocks to the cave's entrance. In an instant Seth spotted Moll lying in the mud at the mouth of the cave and made a grab for it.

'Elisabeth!' he shouted into the cave, fear filling his cry. No reply came except his own voice echoing back at him before dying away into silence. 'I'll take a look,' he told Violet, handing her the doll.

'Be careful Seth.' She grabbed the doll in one hand and his forearm in the other. Her face was pale like the moon, but still just as radiant in Seth's eyes.

'Don't ye worry,' he reassured, giving her hand a light squeeze. She reluctantly released him to go and he turned, tentatively stepping through the mud and ducking his head to avoid the toothy stalactites that hung from the cave's palate. He kept one hand reached out to touch the nearest wall for balance. Stale and mouldy air filled his lungs as he ventured further into the dank cave, eventually melting from Violet's sight. She waited for five, ten minutes, then called his name. She waited one, two, more hours, hugging the mud-caked doll for comfort. She waited even until it grew dark, where a search party eventually found her. But not a fleeting glimpse nor breath's whisper of Seth or Elisabeth did Violet ever encounter again.

#

Like clockwork, another significant anniversary means yet more propaganda, this time from quoQuantum. But before you automatically switch feeds, let Matthew Symmonds offer up a review that might just persuade you here is a film to finally deliver something a bit different.

Chapter Two

Søren lay in his dorm-capsule, his stomach performing cartwheels at the expectation of food. He stopped the Comms feed and his vision returned to the present, offering him a view of the confines of his sleeping quarters.

'Open,' he hoarsely commanded, and with an almost imperceptible hum the pod began to slowly shift sidewards to reveal the compact cube of his apartment. Sitting up and swinging his feet off the edge he stood up. Sensing the lifting of weight the dorm-capsule slid neatly back into the wall. Søren watched it retract and contemplated a shower but with no plans of going anywhere this morning he decided it wasn't worth bothering. Food was his priority.

'Bread and cheese,' he muttered internally through his Comms to the Creation Unit in his apartment, there to supply all his dietary requirements. 'Glass of water,' he added. He was in the mood for something plain, which would be quicker for the Unit to fabricate.

'Søren, your salt level is low. May I recommend...'

'No you may not!' Søren snapped audibly, showing a rare sign of irritation which had the desired effect of cutting short the interfering implant's advice. There was no real reason to take his disturbed sleep out on his Comms. It was only doing its designated role. But Søren wasn't in the mood for being preached to so early on.

Taking the few short steps along his apartment the unit whirled into life. He studied the model the Corporation had supplied him with. Top of the range for a mere domestic appliance. He could host dinner for a hundred if his apartment had the capacity, and would almost allow him to undertake his research here rather than at the lab.

Less than a minute had passed before the unit informed him his meal was complete. Opening the hatch there lay a perfectly portioned plate of what had been ordered. Perching at his eat-station Søren slowly chewed at a piece of bread and took a sip of water. An alert came through to his Comms. It was Wallace. Søren accepted the call.

'Søren, sorry if I woke you.' Wallace looked terrible. His sunken, bloodshot eyes stared out across the Comms Wave unblinking. Søren wasn't surprised after what had happened. 'Something's been playing on my mind all night.' A pause as he geared up to inevitably ask what was haunting his thoughts. 'You were stood right at the spot where Sinclair fell. Did you by any chance record it?'

Søren hesitated. 'No, sorry,' he lied. 'I, er, didn't.' He couldn't even think of a decent excuse to lie to his friend with. He knew it wouldn't give Wallace any comfort to see it. He had been building up to watching the fateful moment himself.

Silence ensued.

'Oh,' eventually came the reply. 'I just thought that maybe...never mind. Sorry for bothering you.'

'Wallace, I...' Søren tried, but the call abruptly cut off. 'I'm sorry for your loss,' he still ended up muttering to himself.

Søren stared at the food in front of him, his appetite gone. He lowered the piece of bread in his hand and contemplated doing some work. But he knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate until he had relived Sinclair's final moment. And there was also her, Alicia. How could he forget her? He had their first encounter to witness all over again. And from it there had come a date. A date! He had never been on a date before. That definitely required some research.

#

'Dr Zalys, you will shortly be arriving at your destination.' It was Sumi from the screen attached to his mobiTile. 'Please feel free to help yourself to nourishment and speak to a quoQuantum advisor. The other new recruits have steadily been arriving. Please introduce yourself. I wish you all the best of luck and hope you have a great first day as part of the quoQuantum family. Salutations.'

Sumi disappeared and Søren was left looking along a white corridor. At its end a room opened out. The closer he got the larger the room unveiled itself to be; a high ceiling with walls as blank as a canvas, it would play host to the gathering of a thousand new recruits from across the globe, from Service Staff to the Higher Division of Research like himself, all for a personal reception with quoQuantum's President. A cynic could argue that the event was orchestrated as an advertising stunt to show how quoQuantum was investing in the future at all levels of employment. The President's speech would be broadcast around the world, with many expecting an announcement that would see shareholder investment rise.

The mobiTile Søren was balanced upon neatly arranged itself next to a long line of others. He straightened up and stepped off, walking over to the crowd. He guessed that most people had arrived already, distinguishing those in more casual attire like himself to those in the light shade of blue that comprised the quoQuantum uniform he would soon have to adopt. At the far end of the cavernous room was a huge window from floor to ceiling that extended outwards. He could see several people standing on the transparent surface looking down and pointing at various features of recognition way below them.

'Salutations, Dr. Zalys,' a Service personnel greeted him, Sumi clearly having informed of his impending arrival. 'Whilst you wait for the President to arrive there are representatives from the various divisions of quoQuantum here to explain their work. The people in red jackets are from the media, here to broadcast the event. They might ask for an interview. My advice, keep it short and act naive.' The man smiled with zeal at his choice piece of advice which Søren felt like he had to return, albeit with less enthusiasm. He then thanked the man and ventured on further. The first stand he passed dealt with construction. A vision of his unfortunate parents flashed before him and he quickly moved on. The next detailed the Green Sector, the huge agricultural laboratories growing food en-mass. A stand about Creation Units had displays of early models up to the latest designs, led by a female representative who repeated their history to her audience.

'..And this is where the modular build that quoQuantum pioneered became defacto, allowing anything from appliances to whole rooms and homes to be removed and replaced relatively effortlessly, making construction as quick and seamless as possible. And this is our latest model with innovative chameleonBeta, permitting our units to change colour and effect effortlessly.'

The woman demonstrated by rolling two dials that turned the unit from a matt black through a spectrum of illuminations to a glowing white.

Moving on Søren spotted a familiar face presenting at the next stand. It belonged to Maxwell Chamberlain. He had left the School last year to work for quoQuantum. Hugely self-confident, others often found his presence overbearing, but Søren had always worked well with him. Beside him stood a tall, striking woman with short, black hair. It fell like a rigid nylon curtain covering most of the side of her face as Søren approached. Only the slight point of her nose and half her thin deep burgundy lips were exposed behind the veil of dark hair. Edging closer Søren caught the end of what was being explained.

'We've even managed to get the tail of a mouse to grow back after being cut off. The eventual aim is for everyone to have this technology present in their blood at all times so the healing process starts as soon as the accident occurs.' Maxwell finished the explanation to a small round of applause, lapping up every clap.

'He's winging it,' Søren realised. 'That's not even his research. He's standing here talking about someone else's work.'

Søren knew Maxwell's area of research was macro-robotic technology, building humanoid formations, though specifically what he was working on he was always evasive about. He was probably here to talk about his whole lab's research capability, but was now trying to pass it off as his own. A sly smile crept over Søren's face. Maxwell needed to work a bit harder for his praise.

'So what guarantee is there that these critters won't start a catabolic breakdown of the body instead?' Søren spoke out.

Everybody turned to him at the question, including Maxwell. The accompanying woman who had appeared mildly bored until now also raised her head, with the curtain of hair finally drawing back to reveal her entire face. Her cold silver eyes and they leisurely inspected Søren up and down making him feel ill at ease and he began to regret he had ever asked anything. But Maxwell recognized Søren and a grin spread across his face. With a quick rake of his fingers back-combing through his thick dark-brown hair he braced for his comeback.

'Well, if your name happens to be Søren Zalys, you'll simply get broken down into a pool of grey goo. For anyone else, their implants or non-implanted PEDs can monitor everything the little critters get up to and they can control what changes occur, or whether to deactivate them altogether. There's even a command to get them to completely disassemble.'

Søren laughed at Maxwell's retort along with the rest of the crowd who sensed the friendly rivalry. He gave a salute and headed on. Surveying the room he spied an empty stand in the corner. Attending to it was someone else he recognized from the School, who was stood aimlessly staring at the floor, quietly humming under his breath.

'Hey, Wallace,' Søren said as he approached.

Unlike Maxwell, there wasn't a single person Søren knew who didn't warm to Wallace. He was a kind, genuine, but incredibly shy person. Søren knew he could sink quite low into depression, his past plagued with family issues so that he didn't really see them much now, if at all. It made Søren glad in some ways that it was a burden he didn't have himself.

Hearing his name Wallace flinched and his face twitched as if being stabbed from various angles by tiny pins. Søren noted his friend seemed quieter and more withdrawn than usual. Maybe he was working too hard. But as the spark of recognition hit him he smiled and reached over to clasp one of Søren's hands as if he didn't intend on letting go.

'It's good to see you Søren,' Wallace said, truly meaning it.

Søren was hit by a reek of champagne sailing its way upon Wallace's breath. He was drunk and the event had only just got underway. But before Søren had a chance to express any concern their attention was called to a balcony overlooking the room.

'Ladies and Gentlemen, please may I have your courtesy?'

Everyone looked up recognizing the voice to be that of Sumi. Gasps came from the audience when their sight beheld not a screen but a smiling Sumi actually standing there in real life. Had the company found a lookalike, or had someone been subjected to months of surgery just to look like that? Or maybe through some legal loophole they had cloned a new Sumi from centuries-old DNA. Søren noticed several people glancing around the ceiling, looking for some sort of new projection technology. If real, it was the finest and most discrete yet seen. But these days projectors were considered a thing of the past. Therefore it must be some mass augmented reality hooking into their Comms. But no, that was illegal without user consent. So whatever was helping Sumi stand upon that balcony up there was sure to be the expected announcement that would wow the audience at home and send shares rocketing.

'I would like to cordially welcome you as new members of our family,' Sumi beamed, showing off her perfect dentures yet again. 'I hope you have a splendid time working for such a fine and world renowned establishment. Now without further delay please let me introduce you to the President of quoQuantum, Professor Fraser Quofort!

#

To: deave.p@.cu.qq

Subject: Exquisité ad

Deave,

This is the kind of style I'm after. Continue to format and send it back for proofing will you.

Charlie

Marketing Manager

quoQuantum Creation Unit Division

Global Surface Cover Types

Chapter Three

A loud bang awoke the deep slumber of Professor Pilkington and his wife. It was the darkest of nights locked deep within winter's icy clutches, with no moon to provide even the palest shimmer of ghostly light. Blinded by the night the Professor clumsily reached around in the dark and lit the oil lamp beside his bed. Upon lighting, it sent a flicker of shadows dancing around the room.

'Who in blazes is calling at this hour?' he exclaimed. In all actuality the Professor had no idea what the time was, but he felt a certainty it was either stupendously late or inexcusably early, given how tired and disorientated he was.

Another louder bang caused his wife to visibly jump beside him. She pulled at the bedding in order to tuck it up around her face as if it would somehow provide shelter from the furies of the Rapture itself.

'Calm down dear,' he reassured. 'If a band of ruffians were at our door I'm positive they would have stormed the place by now rather than announcing with loud knocking that they were here intending to pillage.'

His reasoning only had a marginal effect upon his spouse. So rising with an arthritic groan from his bed, he shuffled his feet into a pair of slippers, kept as always by his bedside. Then making his way over to a wardrobe he unfurled a thick furred dressing gown and laboriously wrapped himself inside. A third boom from the front door sounded.

'Stop that infernal banging, I'm on my way!' the Professor shouted at whoever it was seeming so eager for his attention. The night was chill but there was no wind or rain to be heard. The Professor had a good mind to keep whoever it was waiting a bit longer for their insolence.

With a foul temper dampening his spirits the Professor stomped his way down the creaking set of wooden stairs. At the foot of the staircase he registered a time of four-fifty upon the face of the old grandfather clock as it stood guard over the lifeless hallway, rhythmically ticking away the passing seconds. Shaking his head at the somewhat early hour the Professor shuffled over to the grand, oak door at the front of his home and turned the cold iron key that unlocked it. With a grating of metal the key snapped into place and the Professor took the effort to pull the heavy door open, which groaned on its cast-iron hinges. Peering out into the uninviting night he held up his lamp with his warm breath fogging before him as it hit the chill air and the face of Billy his lab assistant came before his vision from the mist. About to give Billy a piece of his mind for the disturbance his mouth remained half ajar as he noticed the ghostly look upon his assistants face, who was also fighting for breath as if he had run all the way here without pause. Curiosity got the better of the Professor's anger.

'What is it Billy? What's the reason for disturbing me at this hour?'

'It's Dr. Ellison, Professor. They say he's vanished.'

Currently escaping his memory, the Professor took a moment to recall what activity the ever erratic Doctor had been engaged with last. His still sleepy brain finally told him that the Doctor had undertaken an expedition to a cave that had recently been uncovered during a flood a few days ago. Several fossils of interest had been discovered in that region lately and the prospect of a cave holding unknown wonders was too much temptation to resist. The Doctor had prepared immediately, once the flood waters had eased so that any vagabond plunderers couldn't take their chance and ruin what the Doctor believed would be the archaeological discovery of the century.

'Disappearing acts are the playthings of conjurers and the fantasies of fools, Billy,' the Professor advised, once again showing the calm and logically reasoned wisdom he had a reputation for. 'We live in a growing age of Science. Now come inside and take several deep breaths to calm yourself. Then you can tell me the absolute facts of all that has befallen the Doctor.'

#

Applause as the imposing, muscular figure of quoQuantum's President emerged, a smile fixed upon his face. Every part of him, from the thick jet-black hair, square jawline, broad shoulders and confident stride exuded power and control. It was all no doubt cosmetic, but there was a reputation to uphold after all. Nobody wanted to behold a frail, stick-insect of a man being wheeled into view struggling to catch each breath as they addressed the crowd through their bronchitis.

Coming to a stop at the centre of the balcony the President faced forward and rested his ursine hands upon the railing set before him and surveyed the crowd below with a sense of pride welling from within as he awaited the clapping to subside.

'Salutations and thank you,' he said with his deep and gravel-hewn, and probably synthetic, voice. 'But I would like to begin by giving the round of applause to all of you.' He gestured to all below him for the benefit of the cameras, giving a well-rehearsed smile before proceeding a one-man congratulate-a-thon to the minions below.

'I want to warmly welcome you here and say a big thank you for accepting a placement at quoQuantum HQ. You all represent the wide spectrum of talent that we aim to encourage, from those at the bleeding edge of research whose ideas can often sound like the realms of fiction, to the humblest of technicians who are busy helping our communities and giving us all what we are after most; space.

It makes me proud that of all the great companies in this world, on average quoQuantum employees enjoy the largest living space of all, which is no small feat given the billions of people we employ. We've all heard the stories from our parents or grandparents who drone on and on about how they grew up in a room so small that if they stretched out their arms they could touch both walls. And they had to live, eat, bathe and sleep in that space. But we just roll our eyes at what they went through, when really it's not much worse than what we ourselves are now suffering. And although our space is increasing I will say here today that it will never be good enough until we can actually walk less than a hundred yards and be able to see the sky above us. That is how I see our company helping the world. And so the continual aim is not to rest on the fact that our employees have more freedom than that of any other company, and to not be satisfied at keeping that bit ahead of them, but to keep that space increasing year upon year in greater amounts. And I don't want to just be able to say these things about our company either. I want all the people of the world to feel the benefit. It is only by working together that we are strongest. Global surface-cover percentages are the evidence for that, with more and more greenspace being brought back from the brink. Things are nudging in a positive direction for the entire world's population, proof that humanity can pull together from a crisis and work towards fixing our planet. Everyone has the right to feel proud of that.'

He paused, giving people a little time to feel good about themselves.

'Today marks two hundred years since the passing of my beloved great, great, great grandfather, the visionary who established quoQuantum and steered not just this company to success but helped usher the entire world from humanitarian crisis. Our motto had always been to give you the future today, and with that in mind I would like to share with you all a little something that the very near future offers.'

Another pause, this time to suspend his announcement. The anticipation of the crowd below became a vacuum of silence.

'quoQuantum has been establishing a new type of privately owned EcoZone with the specific intention of offering quoQuantum employees a place to spend their vacation. This is a first for any Corporation.'

The President fell silent, allowing his news to be absorbed. Murmurs of disbelief washed over the crowd before translating into adoring applause and shouts of delight. The prospect of visiting a Zone was beyond most people's dreams and here the President was offering them the chance. Søren recalled the video feed he had watched about an hour ago; five billion employees were a lot of individuals to accommodate for one small Eco-Zone.

'I can see by your reaction that this is a welcome gesture. I would first like to extend my thanks to the media agencies around me for helping us keep that story secret for over a year now.' He nodded his thanks to the various people in red jackets in the crowd. 'I can also reveal that a second Zone is planned for opening in another year's time, and then one after that every five years.'

Applause again burst from the adoring crowd. This was the kind of news they thrived on.

'Obviously, those of you doing the math will know that due to our considerable number of employees there is going to be huge demand for these Zones. Comfortably they can host up to ten thousand individuals whilst sustaining a harmonious ecological balance. And I can tell that a lot of you hearing this will already be thinking of the cost; that the price for one of those coveted places is going to be so phenomenally high you could be saving a lifetime just to get one.'

That's exactly what Søren had thought, and what someone nearby had rather bitterly muttered under their breath.

'Well,' the President smiled, purposefully slowing his announcement once again for maximum effect, 'I can tell you all that the price will be free.'

Stunned silence from the crowd, with more than a few puzzled expressions.

'Places will be allocated by lottery each week. That way the process remains a fair selection for all. And those chosen will be able to take up to five friends or family members, so the more people you know working for us the greater the chance you have of being one of the fortunate few. The first lucky individuals will receive their invite as soon as this broadcast ends.'

The President paused once again. His smile seemed to have grown even larger. Like Søren, he was probably imagining the responses of those watching the broadcast now; those dreaming of the possibility of taking a vacation to an Eco-Zone. At this very moment the Comms Wave would be straining under info-overload as people connected to reserve their places on each other's lists. And those not working for quoQuantum would be seething with jealousy, massaging the egos of those they knew who did, whilst searching for jobs with the Corporation in order to be included in the process.

Søren stole a quick glance around. Everyone was Comms-zombie; the glazed stare that came from looking inward to an ocular implant, transfixed as they spread the news.

'That's not the only exclusive reveal today either,' the President interrupted after a while, wrenching the crowd from their trance so that they stared up at their Master once again, hungry for more.

'Our friend Sumi here,' the President gestured to the person on his right whom everyone recognized, 'is another groundbreaking enterprise that quoQuantum has entered into; Organo-Robotics. Yes, we're fully aware there are humanoid robotic forms helping us in our lives already, but nothing as advanced as this. Since the world spiraled into its ecological downturn centuries ago certain technological progress has inevitably grown at a slower rate. Fixing the environment and food security rightly being humanity's primary goal. And the rise of Comms had helped people retreat into a world to forget their troubles. But with the increase in frivolities such as Sumi, this can be taken as a sign that life is well on the road to recovery. Sumi is our first artificial presence, designed to look and respond like any normal person, whilst having more living tissue integrated within her being than anything currently on the market. And being manufactured at a reasonable price, soon households will be able to have their own personal helper, going beyond the electronic systems currently installed. The first series in our bioticRobotic brand will be available within the coming months. But as this is a special occasion I am going to give away some units to quoQuantum employees after this broadcast. I'll say a thousand, seeing as there are a thousand new faces below me today. Who knows, against the odds one of you may be fortunate enough to bag a vacation and a personal assistant in just a short while.

So, I'm going to end now by thanking you all once again for your attention. I will be coming down to welcome every single one of you here on your first day. Sumi will be joining me. Feel free to put her to the test. Good luck everyone with the lottery and thank you.'

Everyone in the room erupted into feverish applause for the final time. Those at home were probably doing the same, as well as praying for an alert over the Comms Wave telling them of a win. The President raised a hand to salute the crowd, lapping up the adoration, then mouthed several thank-yous before retreating from the balcony. Job done.

#
History 1 – Semester Plan

Lesson 1: **The Global Revolution** ; an introduction.

Lesson 2: **Global Climate Catastrophe**. Explore the processes which led to oceanic calamity, climate mayhem, the breakdown of the food-chain and ultimately global crop failure and world hunger. Discussion on the oceans as a catalyst for change; the reliable giants that suddenly stopped being a buffer to all that the world threw at them.

Lesson 3: **World Civil Unrest.** Dissatisfied populations blamed their own Governments. Civil unrest, civil wars, holy wars and land wars - battles for the most fertile regions on the planet ensued.

Lesson 4: **The 3** rd **World Rebels**. Holding most of the world's resources the developing world rebelled against those wealthier nations they had long supplied food to. Case studies: Sugar and Iron.

Lesson 5: **Nuclear Regrets.** A look at the parts of the world that resorted to nuclear strikes with the spiteful aim of deliberate loss of valuable agricultural land, and how total world war seemed inevitable.

Lesson 6: **World Unification and the Dissolution of State: The Role of Multinationals.** Global corporations stepped in where individual Governments had failed; asking populations to show trust in them. One by one nations voted to join a new world order. Those that resisted eventually succumbed, seeing how beneficial the new eco-friendly, carbon-zero system was for a peaceful life once more. Now only seven small nations exist outside the new world order, choosing to close themselves off from the world; religious back-to-basics states or those island states that were less severely hit if not actually benefitted from the climate change.

Lesson 7: **World Unification and the Dissolution of State: Brave New World.** Laws were rewritten and a 300-year plan was set in place to bring the natural world back from the brink and reduce the human population and its impact. Citizens completely migrated to centralized cities holding billions. Discussion of space and sunlight as major commodities.

Lesson 8: **New World Analysis**. 'The key to success was not to change lives too much.' Explore this statement by quoQuantum founder George Quofort. Would people have felt uncomfortable/untrusting in a world too alien to them?

Lesson 9: **Historical Critique.** With hindsight 150 years on, where did history go wrong with the new world so that the 300-year plan became a 400-year, possibly 500-year plan? Are things still getting worse before they can get better, or has the turning point finally been reached?

Lesson 10: **Lust for Life: The Dorm-Capsule Debate**. Discuss QuasiCryo technology pioneered by global corporation Vespion to send individuals into semi-stasis as they sleep, helping increase life-expectancy by up to 75%. Should this now ubiquitous technology have been banned to help alleviate population pressure, condemning everyone to an early grave?

Chapter Four

The President reappeared from a discrete door at the back of the room, shepherding a small entourage which included a young male assistant, a young female assistant and the bioticRobotic Sumi. Søren would never forget that moment. It was as if having lived his whole short life so far inside a sealed box and someone had finally prised open the lid to reveal a dazzling light. A light that he simply had to keep staring into regardless of the danger of going blind. And for the first time it seemed that he had finally been allowed to breathe fresh air. All this just from having first laid his eyes upon her.

It was the female assistant having this effect on him. There was something in the subtle way she moved. The curves of her body undulated suggestively to feed his imagination. Her hair was a purest golden shade, but as she moved it reflected the light that glanced upon it giving it a shimmering glow of the entire spectrum. Around the back of her head it was shaped into immaculate cubes of varying size, and to the front an arc of hair that curved out above her glittering face. Everything about her seemed too perfect. Søren wondered if he was actually dreaming.

He paused the Comms-feed and cropped his vision solely round her image.

'Display,' he muttered, and his vision returned to the surroundings of his apartment with Alicia's picture materialised upon its floor to ceiling window. He stood for a while totally entranced.

'Staff records, Alicia...,' he didn't know her surname. Before him came a list of all the Alicia's working at quoQuantum; a mere one hundred and thirty three thousand six hundred and twenty one individuals. But he could filter the list for those populating the quoQuantum Headquarters sector. Or was this a bit obsessive of him?

'Clear,' he told his implant after second thoughts and the list dissolved from view. It would be far better to make himself wait and get to know her in person. But for now he was rather keen to relive their first encounter. Play resumed.

'Søren you're starting to drool,' came the voice of Wallace to his ears. Breaking from the hypnosis he looked over to see Wallace grinning. He felt himself going red.

'Is that embarrassment I see from stone-cold Zalys?' Wallace joked. 'I think this is a first. I wish I'd recorded the moment now. Maybe one of these reporters caught it.' He made an obvious point of swiveling to and fro, pretending to search for a representative of the media. 'Looks like you have a heart after all. And there Maxwell was convinced you'd end up marrying the Exquisité 5.1 Deluxe.'

'She's stunning,' Søren unexpectedly found himself disclosing, not taking the bait of Wallace's mocking. He looked back her way. She was laughing now, at something the President had just said. The smile lit up her entire face. It was infectious. He found himself smiling too, as if sharing the conversation. A hint of something else rose within him and he paused to search inwardly as to what he felt. Jealousy. He found himself actually jealous of the President, all because of a simple smile that he wanted to be on the receiving end of. The thought suddenly struck him that this vision before him could well be robotic, just like Sumi. This seemed more of a depressing blow than he thought possible. But it would make sense, considering how perfect she appeared.

'So it's the girl is it?' Wallace said. 'Personally I think the guy is cuter.' A pause, and then he added, 'I tell you what, I bet you a thousand credits I can get a date before you can.'

Søren broke his gaze again to look over at Wallace. He laughed at his friend for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he couldn't imagine Wallace going over and asking anyone out on a date, and secondly he couldn't imagine himself doing it either. He had never approached a girl romantically before, but then he hadn't felt like this before either. And this particular person seemed to exude such confidence, a worldly knowledge that was the antithesis of his own life having been holed up at the School with equations floating through his brain day and night. He felt a huge sense of inadequacy compared to this girl. He grew hotter and wanted to leave before realising he was genuinely nervous, an uncommon sensation.

'What if they're not real?' Søren said, sharing his thoughts with his friend. 'What if they're just bioticRobotic?'

'Then we'll see exactly how true to life they actually are,' Wallace grinned, giving a sly wink. And with that he tipped back the drink in his hand and marched his way across the room, still humming in the usual way he did to help calm his nerves. Søren stood amazed at his friend's uncharacteristic display of boldness, but positive that the alcohol was helping in a major way. However if Wallace could do it then why couldn't he? But trailing behind he noticed in the distance both the President's aides disappear from the room, leaving only the President and Sumi remaining. Wallace stopped and turned back with a shrug of disappointment.

'You scared them off,' Søren joked.

'They'll be back,' Wallace said as he returned. 'I'm going to win that bet.'

Behind Wallace Søren noticed Sumi making her way over towards them.

'Dr. Zalys,' she greeted as she got closer. Wallace turned and she greeted him also. 'Pleased to meet you in the flesh Dr. Schwartz.' She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. They both remained silent. It seemed too strange. How to respond to an artificial being? Particularly one that resembled such an iconic figure; almost a film star.

'I sense you have questions burning,' Sumi said encouraging them to speak. 'Please feel free to raise any subject you desire. That's why I'm here today after all.'

Søren wondered if her programming was intuitive enough to read people's reactions, given their silence.

'Well,' Søren began slowly and methodically, looking Sumi up and down. 'Let's start with your body. How much of it is organic?'

Unphased by his directness, Sumi smiled and offered her response. 'Most of the superficial parts of my body comprise of genetically modified cells that don't trace back to any one person in particular. I have a modified blood system that is actually more efficient than a typical life-form's, allowing me to deliver extra energy to my muscular system and to help my skin heal quicker. I also have a graphene-enhanced skeletal system to take the strain of tasks well beyond that of a living being whilst providing elasticity for supple movement control. Every other component of my being is electronic.'

'And what about your brain?' Wallace piped up, it being his area of expertise.

'I can sustain up to an Exaflop when fully charged, helped by my central cooling system and using at capacity five thousand nanoprocessors that maintain my ten billion neural connections. I have pattern matching linked to a centralised database to recognize over a billion everyday objects. The knowledge and learning algorithms from each bioticRobotic unit will rapidly expand upon this figure. Neurologically my response times for motor control are ten times faster than that of a typical human.'

Søren stared at her as she smiled at them. Her specifications were certainly impressive, yet there was something about her he found strange. Taking a moments consideration it then dawned on him; it was her eyes. Though they were real, comprised of cells just like his own but no-doubt with added electronic enhancements like his OculoWave implant, they still seemed to give her away as being artificial. There was a certain lack of humanity behind them. They appeared cold and distant, despite Sumi's warm and smiling exterior.

'What's the primary goal of your learning algorithms?' he enquired.

'An excellent question,' she responded, still smiling, which was also somewhat unnerving. Nobody smiled this much. He would have to feed that back to Maxwell whom Søren was sure had been involved in her production, but up until this unveiling will have had to keep what he was actually working on a secret. 'My aim is to simply best serve my designated owner.' Sumi continued to beam a smile.

'And what about those with fears you'll turn against us all and run rampant?' Søren was beginning to enjoy his questioning now, forgetting his initial uneasiness as the less than human qualities of what stood before him were allowing him more freedom, which would be considered rude in front of a real person.

'By law every android has to come with a manual off switch and a deactivation vocal command. I am continuously connected to Comms for surveillance, which also provides me with an ever evolving encryption code otherwise my vital processes would simply fail to function anymore. I'm sure you're aware of all this, Dr. Zalys.'

Busted. Sumi knew he was being facetious. Her programming was smart enough to recognize the fact.

'You'll have to excuse me,' Søren said, thinking on an escape. 'I need to use the bathroom.' He nodded a goodbye to Sumi who responded with a courteous bow. Making to leave, Søren accessed the building plan he had received earlier and was slightly startled when he noticed the location of the bathroom already being indicated for him. Stopping, he turned back and saw Sumi still looking over at him with a smile. It was she who had helped him locate the bathroom before he even knew it. He mouthed a thank-you and turned away again. Maybe having a personal helper wasn't such a bad idea after all. He had to spend his earnings on something, and with someone to assist in the lab he would be able to work faster. If nothing else he'd never be found wanting for the location of a bathroom.

With these thoughts distracting him he turned a corner and failed to notice the person in front coming the opposite way. Colliding with the unfortunate individual he caused them to drop most of the items they had been holding.

'I'm so sorry,' Søren automatically apologized. 'I was distract...' he stopped at recognition of the person before him, with her distinctive curve of golden hair across her forehead. Now he could see her eyes, like deep pools of water, lighter round their edges and darker towards their centre. There was no way these eyes belonged to anything remotely robotic. She frowned at his excuse, her face still perfect despite its edge. Bending down, she began gathering her belongings.

'Here, let me help,' he offered, and did the same.

His hand rested on a familiar rectangular object. Looking at the cover he read 'The Cave' upon the same red leather-bound book he also owned. He raised himself slowly with a smile.

'I'm reading this as well,' he said.

She looked up and then at the book in Søren's hand. Having grabbed the rest of her belongings she stood up straight and took it from his grasp. She was still annoyed and he felt he should say something else to break the tension. But then the anger in her face seemed to evaporate at some thought sparked within her mind and a smirk even broke out from her.

'Personally I like the idea of having a farm-hand want to ravish me,' she declared bluntly.

It took a moment for Søren to acknowledge that she was talking about the book. Her unexpected words sent his pulse racing. He didn't quite know how to reply. In the book Seth had wanted Violet badly. Now he knew how Seth had felt, and couldn't bring himself to meet the gaze of his new acquaintance in case she guessed his feelings. But by looking down he found his eye-line instead staring directly at her breasts so he quickly lifted his head before she noticed.

'Yeah, er, poor Violet,' he said weakly. 'Being left all alone when Seth was about to propose.'

'Never mind poor Violet,' she answered. 'What about the farmer? He has no-one to help him work the farm now.'

Søren laughed at the practicality of her mind compared to his drippy romanticised analysis. She smiled back. Her whole face lit up the same way it had done earlier for the President and Søren felt his legs weaken.

'You aren't cybernetic as well are you?' he joked.

'No,' she replied shortly, her smile instantly vanishing at his lame joke.

Søren could have kicked himself and quickly tried to recover the situation.

'Er, what I mean is I could tell really,' he tried to backtrack. 'It's the eyes that give it away. Sumi's eyes don't quite give her that sense of being alive. Whereas your eyes light up your face.' He stopped and turned red at the drivel he was spouting. Where did this crap come from? However, much to his surprise, she smiled back.

'I'm Alicia,' she said.

' _Alicia,_ ' he repeated to himself to burnt it onto his real memory. 'Søren,' he answered her back. And with that she seemed to open up to him, as if now they were officially best friends.

'I have to admit, I didn't know Sumi wasn't real when I first saw it,' Alicia confessed. 'I thought it was _the_ genuine Sumi in person. How dumb is that?'

'I think everyone else thought that as well,' Søren agreed, but then he'd probably agree with anything she said at this moment in time. He noticed Alicia referred to Sumi as 'it'. He gathered she wasn't a fan of the android.

'I've only been here a few months and already they're wheeling out the robots to replace me. And I kind of like it here as well. There's so much open space.'

He knew what she meant. The amount of space was dizzying.

'Don't worry about your job,' he reassured. 'They mostly look the part but their AI has a long way to go before becoming as intuitive as that of a person.'

She smiled at his support. 'So, are you from this Sector, or did you have to move for the new job?'

'I was actually born in this Sector,' Søren replied. 'But I moved away when I was only two, to the Vermillion Sector. So really I'm new to this area.'

'Vermillion,' Alicia repeated. 'That's some distance. Do you still have family round here?'

Søren shook his head in reply, doubting she wanted to hear his life-story.

'That's no good,' she said. 'I'll have to find some free time to give you a quick tour.'

Søren was about to mention he had a few friends who had shown him around various parts of the Sector, but then another part of his brain finally engaged and screamed at him to shut his big mouth. Did what she just offer class as a date? If so, Wallace owed him.

'People round here could do with being a bit friendlier,' Alicia told him in more hushed tones. 'Particularly the Researchers. They can be so rude sometimes. Some of them even demand you call them by their title rather than their first name. How pathetic is that?'

Alicia then quickly frowned as she noticed someone approaching behind Søren. 'Speaking of one of them...'

She nodded behind him and he turned to notice Maxwell heading their way.

'I see you've met the gorgeous Alicia,' he said to Søren on his approach. 'I hope she's as friendly to you as she is to me.' Then to Alicia he said, 'You know, there _are_ options for modifying your behavior. Hormone rebalancing implants perhaps, or a hysterectomy, or maybe even just some psychotherapy. It's not like you really _need_ to be you.'

Søren sensed there was a history between the pair, or Maxwell wanted there to be, and he was being particularly cutting about it.

'Drop dead!' Alicia spat. Søren turned to see a fierce stare thrown at Maxwell, but all he could think was how amazing she looked even when angry?

'I'm free tomorrow evening Alicia, just let me know,' Maxwell said, deliberately trying to provoke her.

'What a shame, I'm busy,' Alicia replied with sarcastic venom. 'I'm giving Søren here a tour of the Sector.' She added a matter of fact smile.

'I'm not sure Søren's dick here is big enough to satisfy a woman of your needs, Alicia.'

'And how do you know?' Alicia replied. 'Hack his Comms whilst he's in the shower do you? You perv!'

Søren shifted uncomfortably. He wondered how the argument had suddenly turned to the size of his manhood.

'Dr. Zalys,' Maxwell said to Søren, ignoring Alicia now to purposefully cause more irritation. 'Good luck taming the shrew.' And before she could respond he quickly darted away.

Søren looked back at Alicia expecting her to be furious, but she seemed suddenly distant and saddened.

'You're a Doctor?' she said rather quietly, not looking at him directly. Then she repeated her words with what Søren sensed as added disappointment, 'Of course, you're a Doctor.' She finally looked back up at him.

'I don't know why they keep calling me that,' Søren argued feebly. 'I haven't even completed any research yet.'

He could tell she was mortified. She clearly hadn't thought he was a Researcher. If he could change anything at that moment it would have been his job title. The crazy notion even crossed his mind that it wasn't too late to quit. He hadn't even started his post really. But to his surprise she just laughed. He found her utterly bewildering. She certainly didn't react like he expected, but this just made him even more mesmerized by her.

'Ok then Dr. Zalys,' she said, finally regaining her confident composure once again, 'I'll see you tomorrow at seven. I'll wave you my location.' And with that she walked from him still smiling.

Søren watched as she left, moving in that hypnotic way she had. Finally he reluctantly pulled away his gaze and continued to the bathroom with a lighter step in his stride.

#

Chapter Five

The Professor stood staring into the void. An inexplicable primordial fear crept its way through his aged bones. Bones that were meant to be built on logic, but bones that now felt to be crumbling to dust. He tried to reason with the rational, scientific part of his brain. People simply didn't disappear without due cause.

'Billy, how long ago did we send them in?' he asked of his assistant by his side, but still remained staring ahead into the chill depth of the mysterious cave.

'Almost half an hour ago,' came Billy's response, which was exactly the same response he had given when the Professor had asked this of him only minutes earlier.

'But I told them to walk for only five minutes,' the Professor snapped, annoyed at what seemed like a willful display of disobedience from the ill-educated country-folk who were supposedly here to help with the current predicament. The rest of the ill-educated crowd surrounding him were growing restless, sharing a different inner opinion to the Professor. Finally one spoke out.

'This cave's cursed I say. My grandpa told me about it when I was a young'un. He bought the farm up the road after the whole family went missing. First thing he did was cover it over. There's Devil's work here, make no mistake.'

The Professor turned to look at the outspoken young man with his irrational opinions as wild as the tufts of hair that spouted from all angles upon his head, never having known what a comb had been invented for.

'Superstitious nonsense,' he replied to the young man's absurd remark. 'That's just the kind of story a grandfather would tell a boy to keep him out of too much mischief. What lies before us is a medieval mine perhaps, the floor pocketed with danger at every step in the dark.'

'We've already been through this,' the young man argued back. 'That's why the last group we sent through had a length of rope tied to each other's waists. Then should one fall the rest would easily take the weight.'

The Professor had no more answers as the crowd awaited his response. Instead he fell again to admiring his ingenious idea of using the rope in such a way. The people around him became more and more convinced that some demonic being stalked the cave's shadows, silently snapping the necks of each poor soul who led the way, before devouring them one by one.

'A build-up of toxic gas,' the Professor offered. He was bringing to mind the stories passed on by colleagues studying the sulphurous volcanic activity of tropical climes.

'What can be done against it?' came the reply. The Professor had to confess that death was the most likely outcome and sending any others would be a suicide mission. Not that anyone else was volunteering any more.

The crowd waited the rest of the day till the sun fell heavy in the sky. The Professor had been defeated in his reasoning and the local horde got its way. Well into the night they worked to trap the beast inside, with the cave gradually becoming hidden from the world once again by a pile of rocks then mud, its secrets not yet ready to be revealed.

#

Søren dismounted the treadmill, his Comms' recommended minimal exercise of a brisk walk satisfied for the day. Slowly he strolled over to the glass front of his apartment. Holding his palms out flat against the cool surface he gazed out. The sun was finally beginning to set over the endless sea of urban landscape as far as his eye could see; an interconnecting labyrinth of buildings, walkways and shuttleways playing host to everything from people's homes, workplaces, bars, stores, and any kind of entertainment or vice imaginable. And despite it looking like assembled chaos the entire mass was meticulously mapped and planned and maintained thoroughly.

The sun's pink-orange rays illuminated the horizon across the lavender sky and refracted off the glass surfaces below him, bursting into a dazzling kaleidoscopic display across the spectrum, giving the impression of gazing over a field of diamonds.

Of course the view was all an illusion. His window was actually showing the view from the qQ tower. In reality on the other side of the glass screen was another cube-shaped apartment, and another beyond that. Søren knew he was privileged enough to be located reasonably high up. It must be at least ten thousand credits a month to rent this place and yet quoQuantum had generously handed it to him as part of the job, along with an annual salary of one hundred and fifty thousand Credits. They must really rate his work highly, but not enough to warrant an actual outside wall with a view; never mind to be at the absolute pinnacle with nothing above you except the endless universe.

He stood there motionless, watching the sun being swallowed at the edge of the world, with his faint breath gradually fogging the glass in front of his face. The twinkling of lights began appearing below him to fill the darkness that the sun was leaving behind. Soon he was looking out over a glow of artificial light whilst behind him his apartment had sunk into night. Turning into the darkened room he accessed the apartment's control system through his Comms and raised the light level. 'Shit. Too bright.' He shielded his dazzled eyes, still getting used to the sensitivity of the controls and turned the light down to a more comfortable level.

Moving away from the window he instinctively wanted to follow the edge of the apartment but forced himself to walk through the middle of his living space instead, feeling almost naked by being exposed to such a sheer volume of open air around him. There was at least ten square yards of just emptiness; probably the upper legal limit of what was permissible size for a 1-person apartment. He hadn't felt this level of exposure before, even at work which had much more open space. Maybe it was because no-one was around now. It left the individual feeling less secure.

With his arms held slightly out as if he was going to fall at any moment he looked back to his window. Accessing the apartment's controls once again he set the window's appearance like that of the other off-white wall of his apartment, bidding salutations to the outside world. Then through his Comms he scanned over the message received from Alicia a few hours ago. This was probably the millionth time he had done so.

Søren,

It was nice to meet you yesterday. My location's attached. See you this evening.

Alicia.

It was brief, but why say it was nice to meet if she didn't mean it? Of course something like 'it was great to meet you', or 'wonderful to meet you' would have been better. Maybe she just didn't want to overdo it, or come across too strong. Søren held the belief she was still interested rather than just using him to get at Maxwell.

As if on cue Søren was notified of an incoming call from his friend. Responding, a translucent image of Maxwell appeared before him, augmented onto his vision by his Comms.

'Søren,' Maxwell greeted him. 'Everyone's just throwing themselves at you these days.' His friend laughed. Søren offered a thin smile. He didn't really want to keep being reminded of Sinclair by others. In time he would make his own way back through his recorded memories.

'So, do you really have a date with Alicia of the glass pussy this evening, or was she just making it up? Tell me honestly. She's one mean bitch if you don't mind me saying.'

'You did anyway,' Søren said.

Maxwell laughed somewhat nervously. 'I'm just telling it as I see it. Speaking of which it's hard not to miss those pair of beauties she carries around in front of her.' Maxwell cupped his hands to his chest as if weighting cantaloupes. 'Do you reckon they're real? Otherwise they would have cost a packet. Not a bundle that someone living down in Dumpsville could afford easily. I bet they helped to secure her the job though. I reckon they are fake; the kind that grow larger with arousal.'

Søren was about to sign off. Maxwell suspected and changed the angle of his questioning.

'Kidding. Look, for the past few months she hasn't really spoken to anyone since she started, and then all of a sudden I see her chatting away to you as if you were best friends. Do you know each other?'

Søren shook his head. 'I just accidentally bumped into her.'

'What?! I'm surprised she didn't knock your head off. So when are you meeting her?'

'In a few hours. She sent me her location earlier.'

'You looked up the address?' Maxwell asked. 'Just how far down does she live?'

Søren nodded in response to the first question, ignoring the second. 'There are five people in residence.'

'Sounds family sized,' Maxwell grinned. 'Imagine having to meet her old man!'

The thought had already crossed Søren's mind. He found that the idea genuinely chilled him. So doing what he did best, he had researched the matter. Still the prospect left him no colder.

'Any plans of where to go?' Maxwell added.

Søren went silent. 'I haven't thought that far ahead.' He was growing nervous again. It had all been Alicia's idea anyway. Wouldn't she have the evening planned?

'Don't worry. Just go for something to eat. That's the easiest thing to do.'

'Thanks,' said Søren. Finally something helpful.

'And don't talk about work. You don't want to bore the poor girl to death. Oh, and another thing, I'm right in guessing that you and the lone company of a female is somewhat foreign territory, what with you having your head buried in books all your life?'

Søren didn't respond.

Maxwell gave an evil laugh. 'Good luck, kid. She'll eat you alive.'

He disappeared leaving Søren stewing in growing anxiety. Checking the time he decided to take his mind off this evening by finishing his recording of yesterday. At least he could get one thing over and done with.

#

Upon returning from the bathroom Søren looked around for Wallace. He wanted to let his friend know their bet was sealed. But not being able to see him Søren decided to avoid the large crowd swarming round the President and go grab some food instead.

Picking his way through what was spread on offer Søren exchanged a polite greeting with another new starter, glancing at his name-tag. 'Jasper Fawkes,' it read. Likewise Jasper did the same.

'Søren Zalys,' Jasper said, scratching his stubble and looking as if trying to remember where he had heard the name before. 'What line of work are you in?'

'I'm here working on a new line of research,' Søren answered. 'The plan is to make the next generation of Creation Units by having them fabricate atom by atom, and across vast distances.'

Jasper nodded thoughtfully. 'The Zalys Quioxtry, that's where I've heard it from. Is that your idea? But you're barely shaving! And it's one crazy concept you've got there, if you don't mind me saying.'

Søren got this a lot; from the skeptical to those who regarded his research as pure childish fantasy.

'May I interrupt?' came a familiar voice. Both Søren and Jasper looked behind to see the President of quoQuantum addressing them.

'M...M...Mr. President,' Jasper stammered. 'It's such an honour to meet you.'

Søren grimaced uncomfortably as Jasper gushed over the President, half expecting the man to drop to his knees in appreciation. The President smiled cordially, as if used to this kind of reception.

'In a time when everyone sees a flat world and sees the sun moving around us, one man looks up into the sky to regard the arc of the sun and the moon high above; he looks at the shadows cast around his feet; he traces the rotation of the stars in the night's heavens and he sees a spherical world; he sees us moving round the sun. Søren is that man in our time. His research is certainly wild, and certainly visionary. It's the kind of thinking we need to save this broken world of ours.'

That was all the President said to Jasper. He then turned to Søren.

'Dr. Zalys, it's wonderful to finally meet you.' He reached out and shook Søren's hand firmly. 'I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to see you at the School before you left. I was there recently. I'm a graduate myself. I was having my ear chewed off by old Nelson all day long. He was milking me for funding, as usual. And I just couldn't turn him down. I always was terrified of him.'

Søren smiled at the mention of his Professor, as if suddenly being old enough for nostalgia to kick in. It already seemed like an eternity since being at the School, when in reality it was only a couple of weeks ago. But Professor Nelson was like a second father to most at the School; an only father in Søren's case. Søren then regarded the imposing figure of the President, who looked like he could bend a girder with one hand, and doubted he really feared Nelson. The President still retained an element of youth; no doubt most of it grown in a lab. Even his eyes seemed to have a certain artificial glow to them, like they had their own light source to give better vision in the dark, or the ability to read the text upon another's ocular implant from across this room. Then the realization that something wasn't quite right with the man stood before him hit Søren abruptly.

'You're not real are you?' he said to the President, his curiosity piqued.

Jasper, who was still hanging around for attention despite having been sidelined, gave an audible intake of breath at Søren's rudeness. Søren realised his error, not meaning to have come across that way. He was just stating fact.

'What I meant was you're a robotic replica,' he clarified, but this seemed to have no effect upon the reaction of Jasper. If anything it made his astonishment all the worse, his eyes bulging as if making ready to leave their sockets at someone having blatantly accused their Boss of being a fake. But as they both looked at the President a huge grin spread over his face and he laughed. It echoed throughout the large room and everyone stopped their conversations to look over, if they weren't already. Then a familiar voice rose from the back of the room.

'Congratulations Dr. Zalys.'

Every head in the room turned in its direction and astonishment crossed their faces to see yet another President stroll across the floor from where the previous one had arrived.

'Damn Søren here spotted there was a fake in your midst,' he said to the crowd in general. 'I thought I had everyone fooled with my own bioticRobotic lookalike. I apologize for the deception, but I simply couldn't resist. Please forgive me.'

He had now reached Søren and the twin Presidents looked down at him. Shifting his gaze from one to the other Søren could sense the difference in their eyes.

'This time you're real,' Søren nodded.

The second, real President laughed loudly, placing a muscular arm over Søren's shoulder.

'Yes, this time I'm the real deal.'

He ushered Søren gently off from the crowd who were still watching them. Some turned back to their previous conversations whilst others kept staring from a distance. The robotic President made to leave, with Søren and the real President reaching the edge of the room that contained the extruding window. Both paused to look out upon the steaming metropolis below them.

'I'm glad it was you who uncovered my little joke,' the President confided. 'It was me speaking through the bioticRobotic and I really meant it when I said I was looking forward to meeting you. I've been following your research for a few years now, and from day one I was fascinated, even when a lot of my advisors joked that your place was in an institution. I sacked the lot of them.'

He stared at Søren for his response, who didn't say a word. It seemed rather severe to sack those poor individuals for merely speaking their mind. The President bellowed out another laugh. 'Only joking. I think I need to work on my sense of humour. But seriously, I had to make the choice to go against the grain of the advice being handed to me. And then when I found out you were still at school I couldn't believe it. People spend their lives building up to what you have been working towards. I want to help you prove all those doubters wrong.'

The President sounded in awe of Søren. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

'Thank you Mr...' Søren began.

'Don't say Mr. President or I'll fire you on your first day,' he joked. They both exchanged a short laugh.

'See here, Søren,' the President continued in a more matter of fact manner. 'I can tell that you're at ease in my company. You don't call your boss a robot otherwise. There's not a lot of people I can say that about. I want no 'yes Sir', 'no Sir' from you. Call me Fraser.'

There was a pause as Søren weighed the name in his head, before the President continued.

'I see your research as being key to our future. This company was founded on taking a risk and believing in something new. If you can achieve only half of what I've read then that's still going a long way to improving this world.'

The President swept his arm in front indicating to what they looked upon.

'You're a uniquely gifted person, Søren; a theorist who's also an engineer. I'm told you've asked for no team to assist you at all. Is that correct?'

Søren gave a nod in return. 'I should be okay. It would take time to explain my needs to a team and I feel confident in achieving my initial aim in three months.'

'Three months!' the President repeated with surprise, though in reality he must have been made aware of Søren's estimation. 'We have teams here having worked three years with barely anything to show for their efforts. You know, you remind me of how I was after school, but without my arrogance. It took a long time for me to learn to get rid of that. You on the other hand have a confidence that can't be shaken.'

'Well that's probably thanks to the School,' Søren reasoned. 'It was always an open and supportive place. Everything was so relaxed and learning seemed to come naturally.'

The President gave him a curious look and then bellowed his signature laugh, tilting back his head so Søren could witness his teeth.

'You're joking right?' The President slapped Søren's shoulders sending him forward a few steps so that he was in danger of head-butting the glass in front. 'Only you could think that. For those like me, who aren't an utter genius, the School was a cut-throat world with endless hours of studying, where even the slightest of faltering was looked upon as utter failure. I should know, I graduated from there myself just short of a nervous breakdown.'

Søren looked up at the President, not knowing how to respond to all this flattery. But at that moment something caught his eye and he looked up past the President at the movement. The President turned to follow Søren's gaze and they both found themselves witnessing a man plunging towards them from above. He was staring directly at them. However a second later he had hit the top of the transparent roof above them. An impact thud, the twist of a neck, then a body crumbling on top.

There was a splatter of claret, to help mask the horrific scene. The sturdy window easily took the impact and the man bounced off and continued spinning down into oblivion, limbs flailing uncontrollably. The dark red stain that had haunted Søren's dreams slowly trickled its way down the side of the window.
Chapter Six

Søren headed to the shuttlepoint and synched his destination to the terminal closest to where Alicia populated. It was just beyond the qQHQ Sector, nestled on the edge of the Sargasso Sector. He would have to switch midway and go on foot in places for his descent. Throughout the journey the face of Sinclair still haunted his thoughts. Søren had paused the recording to look upon his expression the moment before impact. It presented a vacant look of absolutely nothing. But his eyes were different; there was an intent behind them. Sinclair had wanted to do this, there was even a hint of hated held within them. What had caused Sinclair to do that? There had been no suicide note left behind. And despite wanting closure, there was no way Søren could show Wallace that final moment.

Immediately following the incident a team had been dispatched to search for the body, which could have fragmented into any number of pieces, maybe even finding some route all the way to the ground over a mile below. Luckily nobody else had been hurt by Sinclair's foolish actions. Suicide, particularly in such a careless way, was a societal intolerance, bringing shame on the family and friends left behind. Someone should have recognised the signs and acted.

A review would be commissioned as to how someone had managed to find a breach in a barrier; a particular embarrassment for such a high-profile corporation as quoQuantum. Share-prices had ended flat, which was a huge disappointment considering the day had been all about the big recruitment drive and quoQuantum's future presence. They had managed to persuade the official news reporters present into not showing the images taken of the blood-stained window behind the President and Søren. But that hadn't stopped leaks into the Comms network. Søren had seen several images. His expression was that of horror in each one but from different angles, unlike the President who had shown the professionalism that made him the leader of a global corporation. He had remained calm and ordered the clean-up immediately.

Making his gradual descent down the levels he checked at regular intervals to make sure he was taking the correct route. At one point he realized his journey took him not too far from his old family home. The thought wasn't worth dwelling on. It wasn't as if he could actually remember anything of the accident, being so young. But searching inwardly he did feel something strange, not attributable to the thoughts of his past life however; he was nervous. Despite the confidence Søren had at work, here he was actually trembling at the thought of spending an entire evening alone with a woman. What if she wanted more from his company? Though surely he would just bore her to death. His research was his life and he didn't have much in the way of conversation beyond that. He actually felt sorry for her. She had only really agreed to endure his company to get at Maxwell.

Approaching the door to her apartment he went to access its neural interface but couldn't link. It was like searching blindly in the dark and the sensation slightly spooked him, as if the apartment had lost its soul, or had died even. He frowned. What to do? Taking a small step back he surveyed the doorway. There was a small panel to the right. Reaching out he touched it lightly with the tips of his fingers. A screen flashed into life with a notice:

Visitor Alert

It made him feel like an invader rather than a guest.

'The Atkins family have been notified of your presence and will be with you shortly,' a tinny voice from the control informed him. The Atkins family; he now knew that Alicia did indeed populate with her relations, more than likely including a father figure.

Waiting in silence he wondered how long this impersonal message would take to be responded to. But it was only seconds later that Alicia was opening the door, beaming such a warm smile that he found himself smiling whole-heartedly back at her. She looked very different to her appearance at work. Gone was the raised and structured hair, which was now hanging loose and seemed to flow in endless golden curls around her shoulders and down her back. She wore a tight fitted dress that curved around her cleavage, which is where his eyes ended up feasting. The words of Maxwell came back to him concerning their authenticity.

'You coming in some time today?' she asked.

Looking up at her face and regaining his composure he managed to stammer a response.

'Hi, sorry. Yes. You, er, I just didn't recognize you at first.'

Alicia smiled again at the awkward fool in front of her.

'Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment. Anything is better than having to wear all your clothes fitted at right-angles, like the work uniform.'

'Yes, it was meant to be a compliment,' he explained somewhat flustered. 'I mean, it is a compliment. You look...beautiful.'

Søren fell silent and his cheeks reddened at how stupid he sounded. He wasn't sure whether that was too much for a first date. Was this even a date? He could hardly take anything he spouted back now anyway. And if he backtracked she might think he had been lying and that really she looked awful, which wasn't true at all. The situation was way out of his comfort zone. His head spun with too many thoughts and he found himself reaching out for balance, his groping hand narrowly missing one of her breasts and luckily finding the doorframe instead.

'Are you okay?' he heard Alicia say and he looked up for the third time, her face etched with concern.

'Yeah, just...travel sick from the decrease in altitude.' It was the best excuse he could come up with, but she seemed to buy it. Giving another smile she grabbed him by the arm and escorted him inside.

They entered a living space, maybe two or three times the size of his own apartment, which was society's fair way of allocating space to those further down the levels. Søren found three extra pairs of eyes fixed on his every move, plus a teenage boy on a treadmill within a transparent cubicle in the corner of the room, absorbed by whatever was being streamed to the headset he wore. Alicia introduced them in turn.

'This is Valerie my mum, and Sophia my grandma.' Both women gave a smile.

'And Red my dad.'

Red begrudgingly grunted a hello, just as Søren had expected. Alicia shot a glare at her father that told him to back off.

'And finally Mason my younger brother,' she added pointing in the corner to the treadmill.

Søren did a double-take, which Alicia picked up on.

'Yeah, naughty us, we have two children in the family. Not really helping with the one-child trend to help reduce the population are we?'

'Sorry. I didn't mean to appear rude,' Søren said, making a mental note never to raise the issue ever again. 'Though with the increase in space the President was talking about yesterday it will become more and more common in the future. It's just yours is the first family I've come across which wasn't single child.'

'Sometimes I wish it was,' Alicia laughed, not taking any offence. 'He can be such a pain, but at the same time it's often good to have someone around closer to my own age. No offence to the rest of you,' she addressed the older generations in her family, 'but you're all kind of out of touch.'

'Try working all day to raise two kids and see how out of touch you get,' Red grumbled.

Alicia ignored her dad and turned back to Søren. 'I've just got a few finishing touches to make. I'll only be a few seconds. Everyone make him feel at home.' And she departed to what he presumed was the bathroom leaving him as the star attraction. Further panic rose within him. Gone were the worries about being left alone in the company of a female to be replaced by worries about being left alone with her family instead. A noticeable time elapsed without a word spoken. It was Alicia's mum who helped break the tension.

So Alicia tells us you're a Researcher. Are you helping with those new robots? Though we didn't win one, or a holiday.'

Søren shook his head. 'I'm researching a new area. It could change the way Creation Units work.' Saying this he glanced around to see what model their home contained. It wasn't a quoQuantum branded unit. In fact nothing in here appeared to be. Red seemed to guess Søren's observation.

'We all work for Vespion. There's only Alicia who's the traitor in the family.'

'Red!' Val frowned. 'She could hardly turn down the opportunity.'

Red muttered something inaudible to get in the last word. Val purposefully ignored him and turned back to Søren.

'So did you travel far to get here?' she asked.

'I only had to change once on my way down from...' he stopped short of saying which tier he had descended from. '...from my apartment,' he said instead. But he noticed the wheels in Red's head contemplating how high up he had to populate in order to require a shuttle change. Thankfully they were all saved from any more awkward conversation by the appearance of Alicia who now clutched a small bag.

'Shall we go?' she smiled and headed out.

'Nice to meet you all,' Søren said with a wave to the family and followed her out.

They headed to the shuttle terminal.

'Sorry about my dad,' she said with a roll of her eyes. 'I could hear him complaining from the bathroom. He's loyal to Vespion. I get the distinct impression he doesn't like me working for quoQuantum.'

'That's alright,' Søren replied. 'He's just being protective towards you. At least that's the behaviour I read up about on fathers before coming over.'

'You read up on how my father would react before you came round?'

Søren nodded, not understanding why Alicia then burst out laughing.

'It seemed like a perfectly reasonable bit of preparation,' Søren explained in a defensive and slightly higher tone of voice. 'The advice was to be polite and avoid confrontation, agreeing where possible, otherwise smile and remain quiet if not.'

This only made Alicia bend over with fits of giggles as they waited for an available shuttle. Once again Søren was left ogling over her presented cleavage. He really would have to stop lowering his gaze as eventually she'd notice, though it was hardly his fault. Instead he attempted to keep the topic of conversation on track about her dad. 'Though Red seems to be particularly aggressive,' he observed. 'Takes after his name I guess.'

'His real name's Jared,' Alicia said, finally calming down from her fit of laughter. 'But you're right, he's so angry all the time he got his name shortened to Red. He's already had one cloned heart replacement.'

A shuttle pulled into the terminal and the door opened allowing a young guy wearing overalls to step out.

'Alicia,' he said, his face lifting at her appearance. He hungrily eyed her up, which she didn't seem to notice or chose to ignore, before looking at Søren like something Alicia had stepped in and was trailing along behind her.

'Hi John, this is Søren,' Alicia said.

They exchanged a pleasant 'hello', but Søren knew he was jealous. It was exactly how he had felt when seeing the President make Alicia laugh. He had wanted it to be his doing.

John made to leave but Alicia called after him. 'Oh John, I just remembered, the voice command was playing up on Granny's dorm-capsule this morning. It stopped half way and she had to prise it open to escape, poor thing.'

John nodded. 'I'll head round later and take a look.'

'Thanks John,' she said. His eyes lingered upon her a moment then shifted to Søren for only a brief second for yet another jealous glare before turning back on his way.

'John lives next door,' Alicia explained as they entered the shuttle and took a seat, clearly not sensing the brief burst of testosterone. 'He's also our Vespion engineer.'

She tapped their route into the control panel. Søren found it odd to see manual control in use. Then it suddenly dawned on him that she didn't have an implant. It explained her apartment's lack of neural interface. She registered the look on his face.

'One hundred percent organic,' she declared. 'There's only dad who's got a chip in our home; to help him in the warehouses. I don't need one for work yet. They'll offer me one in a few months I think, if they want to keep me. In some ways I'm kind of against them as I can tell all the others in the office use them to chat away. It's probably only cos they're talking about me and Perry.'

'Perry?' Søren asked, annoyed at feeling a rush of jealousy at the name.

'He was the other assistant to the President at the event yesterday. We both started working three months ago.'

Søren recalled Perry, and then thought of Wallace and their bet. 'I have a friend who seemed interested in Perry, but...' Søren suddenly remembered Sinclair and realised this was the first time his head had allowed him drop the awful memory. 'But he was quite close to the guy who jumped.'

'It must be tough for him then,' Alicia agreed. 'What with the shame of killing yourself in such a selfish way. I bet he's taking it personally. At least nobody was hurt.'

Søren nodded in thought. It was selfish of Sinclair. He was a talented researcher and he had taken his gift from the world. Such individualism wasn't something that society agreed with.

'Sorry,' Alicia said at his silence. 'I'm making you remember all over again. Let's just drop it.'

Søren focused back on her, studying the soft skin of her face. 'I have the whole thing recorded on Comms,' he confessed.

Alicia raised her hand to her mouth, shocked at the idea. 'Did you watch it back?' she asked.

Søren gave a nod.

'Delete it,' she said. 'It won't do you any good having it there, infecting your memory.'

Søren gave half a smile. He almost expected her to have asked to see it. But he was glad. He felt she had passed some test he hadn't actually intended giving her.

'My friend Wallace asked me if I had a copy,' he said to her. 'I told him I hadn't. Do you think I should have allowed him to see it for himself?'

She shook her head. 'You were right not to. Seeing it would destroy anyone's sanity.'

The shuttle they were travelling in perceptibly began to decelerate. In seconds the door slid open and a swirl of vapour and neon climbed on board to greet the pair. Søren stared out amazed at just how much seemed to be crammed along the confined walkways that snaked up and down his vision. There was so much. His senses were quickly overwhelmed.

'Your first time at Totality?' Alicia asked, seeing his dazzled expression. Søren didn't need to respond. 'The best entertainment in the Sector.' She smiled, which Søren returned. He felt so at ease in her company. Maxwell had her all wrong.

Into the evening they stepped. The narrow walkways already filling with those out to enjoy the night. As they meandered their way through the merriment. Søren slowed his pace to gaze around, not used to spending his free time in such a way. He felt a hand gently make a grab for his own and pull him along. He looked over to see Alicia smiling and he obediently followed where she led.

They arrived at their first destination, a bar not too far from the shuttle terminal. The square space was littered with circular terminals to order from, most of them unoccupied this early on. They glowed neon with drink advertisements rotating round their screens.

Choosing a free one close by to lean over, Alicia ordered them a drink on the attached console. For Søren the console pestered him to Comms-link. He sent a permanent decline its way to avoid further interruption.

After only a minute two glasses appeared, rising from the centre of the pedestal with a white light glowing up through them from beneath.

'So yesterday I remember you mentioned that this was your first job,' Alicia confirmed, initiating the conversation over their drinks. 'If you're a doctor then that must make you at least twenty?'

Søren shook his head. 'I haven't gone down the usual route. I don't really like being called Doctor as I don't think I deserve it, but it comes with anyone who graduates from my School.'

'Oh, so you're a bit older?' she asked.

'I'm seventeen.'

'Seventeen!' Alicia seemed genuinely surprised. 'And here I was thinking I was with a slightly older guy. They must really work you hard at the School. You'll have to learn to relax a bit.' She gave a small laugh at her mistake.

'So I'm guessing if this is your first job then you're eighteen?' Søren asked.

Alicia nodded. 'So how is it being so far away from your family at such a young age?' she asked. 'Vermillion is at least a day's travel away.'

'I don't really have any family.' Søren fell quiet.

'Sorry, I didn't mean to pry.'

'It's okay,' he reassured. 'It's not like people advertise their family history to others. My only living family were my parents and grandmother, and they died in a freak construction accident when I was a baby.' Alicia started to give the look of sympathy he hated. 'Yeah I know it's a sad story, but it's not like I can remember them to feel sad about. And I was well looked after in care, and then spotted by the School at a young age, so they have always felt like my family. I have the life archive of my birth family, which includes pictures and even vids of me towards their end. Sometimes, on the occasions that I access them, I think I can see traits of myself in their behaviour. But that's probably just my over-analysis.'

He paused, realising he had divulged quite a lot of inner thoughts he hadn't really revealed to anyone else before, and Alicia remained silent.

'Look at me bringing the evening down,' he joked. 'Shall we move on from here?'

Following their first drink they headed to the Sector's OpenZone; a chance to see a slice of the night sky and maybe, if they were lucky, a star or two through the haze. Plus Alicia thought Søren was looking pale from all the commotion of Totality and could do with a bit more space.

'You're not good in crowds?' she asked.

Søren slowly shook his head. 'I...' he was about to say something then stopped. It was enough to raise Alicia's interest.

'Go on,' she encouraged.

'It's just that I'm hypersensitive to the lights, that's all,' Søren explained.

'You can see Infra-red?' Alicia asked with raised excitement. 'Or is it your implant? I thought you could turn that off.'

'It's natural,' Søren said. 'Probably one of the reasons I spend my time holed up in a lab.'

'And here I am dragging you along a sensory overload. I'm sorry.'

'It's not your fault. I'm fine honestly. You learn to live with it.'

There was silence for a while. But Søren knew what was coming.

'So what's it actually like?' Alicia eventually asked.

'I just see things brighter, almost glowing with a shimmer when they're hotter. That's the best way I can describe it. But because the lights are already bright around here, they tend to dazzle when looked at directly. My old Professor used to say I naturally see the world in a different way to others, and it shows in my approach to research. I think it was probably how I knew the President was a fake yesterday as well.'

'Oh yes. I forgot all about that because of the incident. I hear the guy next to you had a fit when you went on to accuse the President of being a fake.' She laughed and linked his arm. She seemed impressed with him, as if he had some kind of superpower. Or maybe it was just that he was being open and honest with her. He had read up about that being a good trait before their date.

Turning down the walkway that revealed the OpenZone they could see a large group were gathered, more people than expected. Something different was happening. Banners were raised and shouts of protest came to their ears. They could see one man lifted above the crowd stirring them up with his words.

'Repent against corporate evils!' he cried. 'God is angry!' He threw his arms to the sky as if expecting an almighty answer.

'A religious demo; how retro,' said Alicia.

'Best not mention who we work for or we'll get staked through the heart, burnt, or drowned, or maybe all three,' Søren added. 'I think those are standard for a sacrifice.'

They both smiled at each other.

'It's weird how millions, if not billions of people used to believe that,' Alicia said.

Søren just nodded and they both went to turn away but then Søren stopped short. There in the crowd, a familiar face. Alicia turned back and scanned the same direction as Søren's frown.

'What's wrong?' she asked.

'That woman,' Søren said, but half the crowd was female. Then Alicia saw her, instantly recognisable.

'She's Maxwell's girlfriend, isn't she?' Alicia said. 'They were giving a demo together at yesterday's event.'

'Ursula,' Søren confirmed, her distinctive dark curtain of hair obscuring half her expressionless face. But that was still enough to know it was her.

They watched as Ursula weaved her way through the crowd which seemed to part before her negative aura. She was keeping her gaze fixed upon the preaching man, like all the others, but remained the sole individual not cheering on his words. Soon she had moved out of sight.

'I wonder if that creep is here as well,' Alicia said, meaning Maxwell. 'They seem suited to each other.'

Søren didn't comment but kept scanning the crowd a moment longer. Finally he shook his head. 'Let's go.'

They traversed the narrow walkways to Alicia's next chosen destination where they ordered a platter to share. The place grew louder until all at once each table burst alive with a brighter light as screens automatically redirected to an announcement.

Team Paradigm

Vs

Team –X

Countdown: 10 mins

Swipe to start your BetSetTM

A hush descended as the aerial scene of a sport's ground glowed from beneath everyone like a pot of gold. Then the place erupted into fervent chatter. Søren turned his head each way wondering what was happening. Alicia registered his bewilderment.

'You're not a Titanball fan then? Don't worry we won't stay long.'

'Never really given it a chance,' Søren defended. 'I've had my head in too much research.'

So Alicia gave him a quick crash course.

'I didn't realize it was quite so popular,' he said after her explanation. He again took time to gaze around at all the faces transfixed at the screens upon their tables or staring blankly through their Comms.

'People have to squander their hard earned credits on something,' Alicia said. 'And this is the penultimate match of the season. It's a decider to see who goes to the Titanbowl to face Team Inferno, the team qQ officially sponsor. Dad's a big Negative X supporter. They're sponsored by Vespion and are this Sector's team to support. They're easily the favourite here but I have a feeling Paradigm could cause an upset.'

'Do you support Paradigm then?' he asked.

'This season I am, yeah. But I don't believe in sticking with a team for life. It's not like they really care about the fans. They're all just after your credits, like everyone else in life. My dad got me into the game from when I was very young though, and I like watching it, so I tend to pick a team at the start of each season after seeing who I believe has the best line-up.'

She sounded like an old hand, so with only a minute left Søren swiped the screen in front. Given a range of quick-bet options he went for a straight Paradigm win, connecting with his Comms to complete the payment.

'One thousand five hundred credits!' Alicia nearly spilt her drink.

'Is that a bit much? I've got to squander these credits on something. And I can blame you if I lose.'

'And you can pay our bill if you win,' Alicia laughed.

They stayed to watch the game, with Alicia guiding Søren through. He could have easily used his Comms to view the action but found that sharing the screen brought them closer, so much so that he could feel the warmth of her breathing upon his cheek. Therefore most of his attention ended up being drawn to the siren by his side instead. Regarding her as she watched he could she had such a passion for the game. He felt it was akin to his own feelings for research, maybe more so with how vocal and animated she became, with her arms raised in cheer when events were going Paradigm's way, to insightful criticisms such as 'that lump's run too early, the idiot. He'll tire and get caught by a Sprinter now,' when going not so well.

At half time, with Negative-X edging the lead, they ordered food.

'This place fabricates the best burger around,' Alicia said. 'Their Creation Unit is one of the earliest models you can get these day, but they stand by its authenticity.'

How could Søren refuse but to try one?

'Have you ever wondered if burgers actually taste like what they are supposed to?' he said. 'You know, from the time when they were actually real meat? Or even anything we get from a Creation Unit for that matter. Do you actually think it tasted like that?'

Alicia shrugged. 'I suppose as long as you try something and you like its flavour it doesn't matter if it tastes of what it was supposed to. It had to be called something.'

'Good point,' Søren said and let the matter drop. He felt like he was being a bore, and stupid things like this weren't something Alicia interested herself over.

For the second half of the game Søren was now more aware of what was going on and they both cheered on Team Paradigm who managed to clench victory just as Alicia had predicted. She wrapped her arms around Søren in celebration.

'You won!'

'Have half,' Søren insisted. 'I wouldn't have won if you hadn't told me.' But Alicia flatly refused so Søren dropped the matter.

Suddenly an alert came through to his Comms, noticeably different from the usual ones he received. The screen on the table before them also lit up in unison.

Congratulations!

You have been selected for a pair of honourary tickets to **Titanball CCXLIV**

courtesy of **BetSet** TM, the world's leading bookmakers.

They both stared at the message flashing before them. It was Alicia who reacted first.

'No way! The chances must be several billion to one!' she exclaimed.

Søren didn't appear as overwhelmed as Alicia would have expected.

'You're going to the Titanball final,' she added. 'Held in the Titanbowl.'

A slight smile from Søren now, mainly for her benefit though.

The rest of the bar also noted something different had happened, some overhearing what Alicia had said. After a few enquiries the whole place was soon buzzing round Søren giving their congratulations and offering drinks, maybe in the faint hope he would offer them the spare ticket. But to Søren there was only one person who deserved that honour. He was more bothered that their date had now been hijacked by the rest of those in the bar. But luckily the novelty soon wore off and the couple were again left in peace.

They stayed and talked for an hour more. Alicia described the colossal grandeur of the Titanbowl and seemed so excited at the prospect of actually going. And as the place grew quieter Søren didn't notice. He was too entranced by the person he faced and his head felt lighter with the alcohol.

'I'm sorry,' Alicia apologised. 'I said I would show you round and we've only visited two places.'

'Then we'll have to do it again,' Søren suggested.

'Smooth.' Alicia smiled, then tipped back the rest of her drink. 'I'm just off to the bathroom.'

She hopped delicately from her stool. Søren watched as she ambled her way across the bar, her buttocks undulating suggestively in their tight prison. What would happen after this? Back to his place? He inhaled deeply thinking of the possibilities, knowing he was nervous. Making a run for it at this very second was always an option.

'That's one fine ass,' came a voice to his side.

Turning he found himself confronted by a guy towering over him. The man wore a short-sleeved shirt which appeared one size too small just to emphasise the biceps that were almost splitting the sleeves apart. The guy awaited a response. Søren gave a half-smile and nodded, trying to turn away to ignore him, but his new friend wasn't ready to be dropped just yet.

'So what's a guy like you doing sniffing round Alicia?'

Søren turned back with surprise. 'You know her?'

The guy nodded. 'She's mine,' he announced. 'So I'll ask again, what's a guy like you doing daring to sniff round my girl?'

'We, er, we just work together,' Søren stammered. Inwardly he knew there was no way Alicia could be single. 'I'm sorry,' he apologized feeling like a complete loser now. 'I didn't know.'

'That makes it alright then,' the guy said sarcastically. 'It doesn't matter that you try and steal someone's girl if you don't know.'

He had edged close enough for Søren to smell, and almost taste, the reek of alcohol on his breath.

'I'm sorry. We just work together,' Søren repeated with a squeak. 'I'm new to the area and she was showing me around. Tonight's really more like an extension of her job.'

'So you're saying her job is to take guys out like some kind of whore?' This guy wasn't going to let the matter drop and Søren knew it wasn't going to end well. He should have just holed himself away in his apartment and been content with his research for company rather than having fantasies that he might have a chance with a girl.

The guy moved closer again and stuck his solid index finger into Søren's chest, trying to provoke him.

'What the hell are you doing Shane?' It was Alicia. Søren had never been so relieved.

'Alicia,' he smiled backing off slightly and raising his hands in defense. 'I called you yesterday. You not get my message?'

'What part of 'fuck off outta my life' didn't you understand, moron?'

He grabbed her wrist tightly.

_Oh shit_ , thought Søren. Now he had to attempt the daring rescue which was only going to end in an uncomfortable stay in hospital sipping food through a tube whilst they cloned him new parts. But just as he had built up the courage to stand Alicia had grabbed the back of Shane's head with her free hand and pulled it down, lifting her knee to meet it halfway. There was a crack and Shane dropped to the floor, motionless.

'You killed him!' Søren wailed.

Alicia gave him a look that said, 'don't be so stupid,' but actually said 'there's part of me that wishes I had, the idiot.'

A groan and a twitch from Shane reassured Søren he was now only an accomplice to gross assault rather than murder.

'Come on, let's go,' Alicia ordered, grabbing her handbag.

Søren didn't have to be told twice. They left as people looked on. Some were grinning, others looked concerned. Søren was embarrassed and a bit afraid. He didn't know what to say so catching up with Alicia they just marched down the walkway in silence.

Reaching a shuttle terminal he finally mustered the courage to look at her. She was smiling.

'I had a great night,' she told him. 'Even the bit of exercise just then.'

Søren managed a faint smile. A chime from the terminal indicated an available shuttle. Alicia looked at the panel whilst Søren had already read the terminal's message through his Comms.

'Looks like this one's mine,' she said, then after a pause she tilted her head to the side suggestively. 'Though maybe I should make sure you get home safely.'

Søren wondered if she could see his jaw hit the floor. His legs felt like they were going to give way. Alicia gave a teasing laugh then leaned over and brought her lips to his. He melted and closed his eyes. But the moment ended all too soon and she was suddenly retreating into the shuttle still gazing at him, his eyes still half shut and his head stuck forward with his lips still puckered. The door closed then the shuttle disappeared taking her away and leaving him grinning stupidly.

#

Countdown to the CCXLIV Annual Titanball Finale, 5pm Central Global Time this holiday weekend, where Team Inferno take on the challenge of Team Paradigm. Celebrate with our recommended 50 hours of features before the live event:

T minus 50 hours – **Titanball: The birth of a global sport**. Documentary charting the birth and rise of the sport from the vision of quoQuantum founder George Quofort and its first star, Tobias Brown.

T minus 48 hours – **Tobias the Legend**. Movie biopic of Tobias Brown, the first Titan, from his early years and the military accident which left him limbless and paralysed, to his prosthetic resurrection that led him to found _the_ power-sport that no mortal bodied individual could endure; Titanball. Follow his rise to fame to his tragic untimely death playing the sport he lived for, leaving a legacy for future generations.

T minus 45 hours – **Inside the Titanbowl.** The decision for the hundredth Titanbowl Finale to be moved to an arena twice the size of a standard Titanball arena was controversial for both the sport and in society where space was a premium. The gamble of playing in an arena with a half mile circumference paid off with a game that required even more skill and tactics. This documentary looks back at that decision and the construction of each Titanbowl to the latest and greatest design of Titanbowl V.

T minus 40 hours – **Titanball Review.** A look back at classic Titanball moments including Team Nova's unbeaten run for a decade to their crippling defeat at the hands of relative unknowns Team Sentinel. Scan to see a full list of scheduled bygone classics.

T minus 18 hours – **Team Paradigm.** An in-depth video-diary of this year's finalists as seen through the eyes of each team member including exclusive interviews with team members capturing their thoughts and preparations for the grand finale.

T minus 12 hours – **Team Paradigm Versus Team Cascade** – A repeat of Team Paradigm's chosen game of the season which saw them claw back victory from an historic shortfall.

T minus 10 hours – **Team Inferno.** An in-depth video-diary of this year's finalists as seen through the eyes of each team member including exclusive interviews with team members capturing their thoughts and preparations for the grand finale.

T minus 4 hours – **Team Inferno Versus Team Subzero.** A repeat of Team Inferno's chosen game of the season against their firmest of rivals.

T minus 2 hours – **Titanball CCXLIV Preview**. Prematch analysis live from the Titanbowl, featuring victories of Team Inferno and Team Paradigm leading up to this year's final, as well as speculation as to who will make the final team.

T minus 1 hour – **Team** **Declaration**. Announcement of final teams' line-ups. Be sure your bets are placed by now as odds are slashed immediately.

T minus 55 minutes – **Titanball CCXLIV Preview.** Back to prematch analysis focusing on the team announcements and what it may mean for gameplay tactics.
Chapter Seven

'Have both tickets,' Søren had told Alicia.

'What? As much as my dad would love to go, there's no way I'm letting you part with your ticket and the once in a lifetime opportunity to witness the Titanbowl. We go together okay?'

Søren agreed, inwardly performing somersaults with delight. That was the response he had been hoping for. And so it was, just over two weeks after their first date that he escorted Alicia out once again to the Titanball finale.

The day started with Søren receiving a call whilst perched at his eat-station having breakfast.

'Salutations Dr. Zalys...' the young man at the other end began.

'Please, call me Søren,' he interrupted.

'No problem Søren,' the man smiled. 'My name is Preston. I'll be your official guide today as part of your Titanball experience. If you don't mind me hooking up to your Comms...?'

Allowing him access the image of Preston augmented onto Søren's vision as if now standing in the apartment.

'Oh, I'm terribly sorry,' he said as if having really offended Søren. 'I didn't realise you were eating. I can come back later...'

'It's fine,' Søren reassured him.

'Excellent, though I just called to quickly say hello. I will be sending through your itinerary for the day. All you dietary requisites will be catered for. And at the moment we have a private shuttle scheduled to pick you up in about an hour, but if that's not good for you then we can easily rearrange. Can I ask who will be accompanying you today, and if they populate this apartment also?'

'Alicia Atkins, my, er, girlfriend. She doesn't live here though.'

Technically was 'girlfriend' true or not? It hadn't been officially spoken, but Søren was taking the sign that she wanted to accompany him as a positive thing and that they were at least on the verge of becoming an item. Of course she could just be using him for the ticket and he might never hear from her again afterwards.

'If you could flash me her details that that would be most helpful so I can also give her a call and let her know what is planned for the day.'

'Sure,' Søren said, sending over Alicia's details.

'That's great. Well, I'll leave you in peace to finish your breakfast, and let Miss Atkins know. Any questions then just give me a call. Okay?'

He signed off, his image dissolving in front of Søren.

Seconds later an alert came through to his Comms; his itinerary.

-T-minus 6 hours: Private shuttle pick-up;

-T-minus 5 hours:

-Arrive at Titanbowl;

-Shown to private viewing gallery;

-Dine in style – nourish on fabrications by superchef Vimi Surchelle;

-T-minus 1.5 hours: Escorted for a personal reception with a Team Paradigm Titan;

-T-minus 1 hour: Opening Ceremony

-The CCXLIV Titanball Finale

\- Private shuttle home

Søren scanned down the list. It was going to be a busy day. He disengaged his Comms to finish breakfast. Then about to take a shower yet another call came through. His initial reaction was slight annoyance. Was he going to be pestered all day like this? But it was Alicia. His mood quickly lightened.

Accepting the call the first sound was Alicia's scream of ecstasy before she finally managed to string together a coherent sentence. 'Søren! Have you seen what we're up to today?' She squealed once again. 'I can't believe it. A dining experience by Vimi! And we get to meet an actual Titan! Though it probably won't be someone from the first team. But still it'll be amazing. Dad's saturated with envy. He'd have been even more so if Negative-X had gotten through to the final. But since they lost I've had to spend the past two weeks listening to his grumbling instead.'

She finally paused, for a breath if nothing else.

'I'm glad you're gonna enjoy it.' Søren said, really meaning it. He wore a smile from ear to ear at her reaction alone.

'Oh there is one thing,' she said. 'An hour is not nearly going to be enough time to get ready in. I asked Preston for an added extra half-hour if that's okay? It should update automatically on your itinerary. And the shuttle will pick you up first to give me that bit extra time.'

'No problem. Have all the time you need.'

Alicia gave another squeal and clapped her hands in rapid succession.

'So excited,' she said. 'Well, I'd best sign off and get ready or we'll never get there. See you later.'

She parted the conversation, leaving Søren standing there very pleased with himself.

For maybe the first time in his life Søren deliberated over what to wear. Nothing in his currently fabricated collection seemed to satisfy and he even chucked away a few items to be reabsorbed by his Creation Unit. Perusing a catalog of fabrications he was about to settle on a purple shirt, it being the primary colour of Team Paradigm, but then the thought struck him, what if Alicia wore the same colour? It wouldn't look good.

'Please provide me with a list of colours matching purple,' he queried his Comms. It gave him the choices: Black (too morbid); white (too clinical, he'd melt into the walls of the corridor); grey (a potential, but dull); dark pink (a flat no); a dark and dull pastel blue. That would do. It was better than the grey, whilst almost being the same colour. He sent in his order, paid his Credits, then his Creation Unit whirred into life.

All in all it only took Søren about twenty minutes to get ready, despite the setback over what to wear, with most of that time awaiting his Unit to finish fabricating his shirt. Impatiently he waited for a notification that his shuttle would be engaging with his nearest terminal. During the intervening period he attempted a stab at some work, but couldn't seem to gain any focus, his mind constantly shifting to thoughts of Alicia. In fact he had noticed this a lot the past two weeks, the migration of his concentration, despite not meeting up since their initial date as they had both been preoccupied. This was their first opportunity to meet up. Was that a good or bad thing? It wasn't as if she was avoiding seeing him. He had been equally as busy at any of the times she had suggested. Maybe she thought he was the one avoiding her. Again he noted his mind was wandering. He really wanted to put a stop to his head from racing away with these kind of illogical conclusions. It wasn't his usual way of thinking. It annoyed him. But what was the alternative? Not see Alicia ever again? He didn't want that. He would just have to learn to get over it and into a more comfortable place. Easier said than done.

Finally the call came through from Preston and Søren found himself impatiently bounding down the corridor to his shuttle terminal, tapping his foot as he waited for it to engage and allow him to climb aboard. As the shuttle's door slid open its interior assaulted his senses. It had a marked difference to the usual bland décor of a standard shuttle. It was longer, so more spacious, with the seating upholstered, and other surfaces covered by fabricated wooden veneer. At least Søren assumed they weren't made from real solid wood, otherwise someone would have probably been lurking in the corridor behind him to race in and wrench them from their fixtures before making off to sell on the black market.

He took a seat, wriggling snugly into place. A man then appeared before him which caused him to jump, making him think someone actually had followed behind him for the fixtures after all. But it was only a holographic augmentation of Preston.

'Did I startle you? My apologies. Your Comms let me through straight away. You should look into your security settings. I just wanted to welcome you on board. I was expecting to be here before you arrived but you seem to have been quicker than I anticipated. Eager for the day to begin, eh? It should take us twenty minutes to reach Alicia's apartment. A bit longer than usual, but there are some engineering works which means an unavoidable detour I'm afraid. Still, it's better than having to change shuttles. The table in front is equipped with refreshment facilities.' He gestured as he spoke. 'Just order what you like, it's all courtesy of BetSet. The seating comes with safety harnesses and we recommend their use, but you're free to move around if needed as the shuttle is designed for a smoother ride than most. Bathroom facilities are though this door. And that's it really. If you need me at all just let me know, otherwise I'll leave you to greet Alicia,.' he gave the subtlest of winks, 'and I'll see you at your destination.'

His image disappeared as the shuttle disengaged from the terminal. Initially Søren just ordered a water, but the closer he travelled to Alicia's apartment, and the more he thought about it and overanalyzed the situation, eventually he decided on something stronger.

Arriving at her terminal he was left to await her appearance. One minute, two minutes he waited, until a slow five minutes had past. He was alerted to the approach of another shuttle. His own was forced to manoeuver away to make room for it. So he temporarily disengaged from the terminal alone, with more irrational thoughts plaguing him centred mainly around her having changed her mind and deciding not to come after all. However once re-engaged the shuttle door slid open and there stood Alicia. She was wearing a purple dress, interwoven with flashes of shimmering dark pink as she moved. His hunch about her attire had been right. He stood to greet her and felt his excitement rising from below his midriff, so quickly took his seat again to hide it.

'Sorry to keep you waiting,' she said, not noticing his flush of embarrassment.

'Don't worry,' he replied. 'This place is a palace.'

She stepped inside and took a look around their mode of transport. 'Wow, this is smart,' she said, and despite the wealth of space she lowered herself into place next to Søren, who couldn't help but ogle as her tight derriere came to nestle down beside him.

'Your shirt goes well with my outfit by the way,' she remarked.

#

'I think I'm through. Give me that more powerful torch, Andy. The light from my headlamp's too weak.'

'You mean _my_ torch,' Andy said before handing it to the flailing hand of his friend Jimmy, the top half of whose body was now out of sight. Jimmy had managed to squeeze himself through the rocks and mud they had been excavating all day. The sun was just about to fall below the horizon for the end of another day and darkness would imminently creep up behind. Not that it really mattered to cave explorers like Andy and Jimmy when they were underground surrounded by complete darkness anyway. But the pair had been above ground all day, digging their way down on the rumour that there would definitely, possibly be a cavern underneath their current location, with local legend referring to the Hell Mouth.

Half an hour ago, and standing in a healthily excavated depression with nothing to show for their day's effort, they were just about to admit defeat. The idea of returning to the hostel with everyone they knew awaiting their failure and to laugh at how gullible they had been for falling for the hoax had spurred them on that bit more. And then a piece or rock had given way to a puff of stale, warm air belching out to greet them. There was definitely something, or rather a whole lot of nothing, down there; the emptiness they had been searching for.

With renewed vigour the pair concentrated their digging at this one spot to widen the opening enough to get through. Jimmy had gone first, wriggling along with his right arm stretched out in front and his left trailing behind him like a superhero learning to fly. He had squirmed his way slowly forward until half of his torso had been swallowed by the earth, which is now what Andy was looking at as he handed Jimmy the torch.

'Be careful with it. It's expensive.' Andy said, instantly regretting his words and knowing what fate would inevitably have in store for his torch.

'Then why bring it, idiot?' came Jimmy's predictable remark, and before Andy could change his mind and snatch the torch back, the hand and torch had disappeared from sight. Andy watched his friend gradually wriggling his way further into the ground, like a slug. With only the lower half of his legs left in view there was a sudden give in the earth and they quickly disappeared. This was followed by a short cry from Jimmy who hadn't expected the sudden drop. Andy heard him thud against a surface and come to a stop. All was quiet below.

'You okay in there?' he asked after Jimmy, his voice echoing into the nothing.

'Yeah,' came an unconvincing reply. 'I just sprained by wrist. There's a bit of a drop. You might want to come in feet first. I can't see anything. I dropped the torch.'

'Aw man, my torch,' complained Andy. Then sitting at the entrance of their excavation he pushed his legs through the hole and gradually edged his way further in. He felt his feet begin to dangle in mid-air and kept his arms pushed out to stop himself from slipping down too fast. But eventually he had to make the decision to let himself fall.

'How far is it?' Andy asked.

'I don't know. I can't see shit,' Jimmy offered unhelpfully. 'The light also went out on my helmet when I landed head first, but thanks for the show of concern.'

'Can you feel my legs?' Andy suggested, somewhat annoyed at Jimmy's unhelpful tone.

'Feel them yourself, you queer.'

Andy swung out his right leg. It caught Jimmy.

'Watch it! You trying to break my ribs?'

Finally a bit more helpful info. Andy guessed there was only about a two to three foot drop below him. Relaxing his shoulders, his grip on the surrounding earth gave way and he dropped down with his arms stretched out above him, landing on his feet after only a second of falling. Shining his headlamp to get his bearings the first thing he saw was Jimmy fist come smacking into his body; a rib for a rib. He should have expected that after kicking him.

'Dickhead!' was all Andy said. But if he physically retaliated their argument would never end. So ignoring Jimmy he shone his lamp across the floor and spotted his lost torch. Stepping over and picking it up he shook it and looked into the end. Nothing. He smacked it onto the palm of his hand several times and it blinked into life, to his relief. With the better illumination he glanced it to the nearby walls which made up the space that enclosed them. It was a much larger volume than he had been expecting. Shining it into the distance the cave bent round slightly to the left, with still just as much open space to walk completely upright. The pair gave a brief glance to each other with a reconciliatory smile, their previous quarrel forgotten, before delving their way further underground.
Chapter Eight

The shuttle engaged with the Titanbowl's terminal and its door slid open. There stood Preston, or rather his augmented image, whilst a bustle of people moved by behind him. Alicia was begrudgingly wearing a slimline CommsVisor to compensate for having no implant.

'They don't go with my outfit,' she had complained to Søren in the shuttle. 'You can just tell me what Preston's saying.' But even she knew that was a dumb idea, so had donned the glasses moments before their arrival.

'I hope your journey was pleasant,' Preston said, motioning for them to leave the shuttle. Søren waited for Alicia to descend first before stepping into the Titanbowl terminal. They both craned their necks round to take in the impressive surroundings. The terminal was shaped in the form of a glass bubble attached to the side of the immense Titanball arena. Søren was reminded of the entranceway to the qQ tower, his eyes drawn upwards. The huge dome of the Titanbowl rose up, sparkling white. And above its towering dimensions was actual blue sky. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

Looking down beneath his feet, the floor was transparent affording a view way below him where the Titanbowl emerged from the sands. Finally looking aside he could see the vast expanse of desert in the middle of which the Titanbowl was sited.

'Please, follow me,' Preston instructed, after giving them time to absorb the impressive entrance. 'It's easy to get lost in all this open space.

The pair followed their guide across the terminal dodging through the excited crowds before reaching another but smaller shuttle point, marked for VIPs. Alicia gave a small hop of glee at their exclusive treatment. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, which meant Søren was also. Their new ride glided through the innards of the Titanbowl. Søren only had the slight feeling that they were changing direction, sometimes moving upwards, sometimes to the side. It didn't take long for the shuttle to announce their arrival. This time their view opened out onto a more personal space. It proved to be a lot like the shuttle that had brought them here, with seating and a table, and also coming equipped with bar facilities, along with an accompanying bathroom through a side door.

Preston directed their attention to the front wall, a full floor to ceiling screen. But upon being summoned it altered its appearance to that of a window.

'There she is, Titanbowl Five,' Preston announced.

The window looked out onto the phenomenal proportions of the Titanbowl arena.

'And that's not just a display screen, it's an actual window in case you weren't sure,' he added.

They both stared across the vast gulf. Though because there was such little sense of depth to be had from being so far away, the other side of the arena actually seemed more like a screen's display. Søren could just about make out the movement of people in other private pods on the far side. He switched his sight to his implant and zoomed in to get a better look. It told him he was at a distance of a kilometre away from his target.

'That's a thousand metres across!' he told Alicia.

She nodded, the way any Titanball fan would, already aware of such trivial facts.

'I'll just shut up trying to explain anything, shall I?' he said, more to himself than her.

She gave a short laugh and bent her head onto his shoulder affectionately for just a second, but it caused Søren to melt with a mix of both warmth and fear stabbing through his insides at her simple action. His Comms alerted him to an increase in his metabolic rate, which he was well aware of, so he shut off his bio-signal warnings. And then after further consideration he decided to shut off all communication completely. He wanted nothing interrupting his time here with Alicia.

Preston waved his imaginary hand to the side of the window, which caused it to slide open. 'Not just a window, but also a door.' He motioned for them to follow him out onto the private balcony. 'Just in case you want to get a bit more of the atmosphere.'

The pair gazed round the circular innards, ribbed with rows of private platforms nestled at the same elevation as they were. Further down were orderly arrays of standard seating for the majority of spectators.

'How many people fill this place?' Søren found himself involuntarily whispering as he circled his head around.

'Exactly three hundred thousand,' Alicia replied without hesitation.

'Someone knows their Titanball,' Preston said, and then led them back into the room to continue his explanation of the facilities. 'The control screens set into the table allow you to see the action from a diversity of angles. They can be lifted from the table and work wirelessly if required. For our VIPs we even have player cams linked directly to the Titans' very own OculoWave implants allowing you to get right into the action. Just be careful of the motion sickness. But that's all for later. You must be feeling hungry now? For the next few hours you will dine the Vimi experience.'

Alicia gave a squeak and hopped a few times. She had been looking forward to this just as much as the game.

Preston smiled at her reaction. 'I'll leave you now,' he said. 'Your meal will present itself at the table during which unfortunately you won't be able to order anything else, including drink. Those are Vimi's rules. Everything about to be presented has been meticulously crafted by him. Anything else would just ruin his careful planning. If you need me at all just call my name. Enjoy.'

He smiled and was then gone. As if on cue a faint humming emitted from the table, drawing the attention of Søren and Alicia where a hollow rectangular section began to slowly rise outwards. They stared as if expecting some marvel to unfold. Two transparent sealed boxes were carefully pushed from inside the now risen section before the table adjusted back to its original flat position. Within each box sat a small pale brown ball.

'Is that all?' Søren said. 'It's going to be a hungry day.'

'This is just the meal preview,' Alicia explained. Søren looked at her blankly so she elaborated. 'Vimi is famous for inventing the taste of a complete meal in one mouthful, from the entree all the way to after dinner coffee. It's what he offers his guests before they actually begin the meal, as a little taster of things to come.'

They each took a seat at either side of the table and looked down at the small offering. It didn't take much effort to crack open the fragile case, which may well have been some edible construction of sugar or proteins. Søren picked up the small orb between forefinger and thumb and raised it for inspection. He gave it a sniff. Nothing much.

'You're supposed to pop it straight in your mouth and bite down,' Alicia told him, then did so to demonstrate, as if Søren was unacquainted with the act of eating.

He gave a shrug and did the same. As he bit down an explosion of flavour burst across his tongue. His teeth then encountered slight resistance; just enough time to savour the taste before the resistant layer of the ball dissolved. A palate cleaning flood of liquid then washed over the inside of his mouth before allowing the flavour of the next course to come through. This repetition of flavour burst followed by slight resistance followed by mouth cleansing continued until Søren had bitten right through to the centre of the ball, where it had then all effectively dissolved into liquid and he swallowed. The entire process was all over in about five seconds but it was a truly unforgettable experience. The pair spend the time immediately following trying to pick apart the tastes they had recognised, but a lot were completely unique and certainly left them anticipating their forthcoming meal.

Miniscule portion after minuscule portion presented itself at varying intervals, proving the topic of conversation every time thanks to their amazing culinary invention. Vimi's art lay not in the attempt to fabricate authentic foods from the past, but in providing combinations at the molecular level for the invention of new flavours and textures in ways that hadn't existed before. The food presented came shaped sometimes as simple cubes, balls or pyramids, but also as more complex shapes, with each meal being assigned its own name. Other times, as the table jumped into life with the expectant pair hungrily eying its movement, it was an equally exotic beverage that was offered up of varying viscosity and temperature. After all courses a small glass of tasteless liquid also appeared to cleanse the tastebuds before the next offering. And the experience wasn't limited there. The lights dimmed and brightened and changed hue. Sounds crept from hidden speakers. And at times even various scents filled the air.

'What was your favourite?' Søren asked Alicia when their meal finally came to a close, a whole three hours after it had commenced.

'I liked the OmniGusto,' she replied.

Søren recalled the flat, elongated half oval. It had even come with tasting instructions:

Hold the curved end between thumb and forefinger then carefully insert all the way into mouth, avoiding contact with tongue, before swiping over tongue from front to back and removing fully from mouth. Discard without repeating!

It had played on all flavour centres, from bitter, sweet to umami. Texture wasn't really a feature of the dish.

'I want to try it again.' Alicia had said immediately afterwards. Like many of the offerings the experience had proved all too fleeting.

'It explicitly says not to,' Søren had warned. 'Look there's even an exclamation mark,' he joked, pointing to the instructions.

But Alicia had still felt the urge to touch it onto the very tip of her tongue. But quickly she pulled it away with her face contorting in disgust. Dropping it back into its case she had then reached for her water to remove the unpleasant sensation.

'Discard it,' she advised after a long draw of water, to which Søren had laughed.

'So what was your favourite?' Alicia asked Søren.

He took a moment to consider. 'I quite liked Purgo at the very end,' he replied.

It had been the last item offered for their meal. What had appeared was a rather dull and very small grey ball of solid paste sat at the centre of the large box before each of them. But being reminded of their very first offering the pair had bit down with much expectation. However the taste proved to be just as bland as the food's appearance.

'Well, I must say that's the most disappointing of the day,' Søren had said at the time.

Two small glasses of water had then presented themselves signaling the end of their meal. They downed them to cleanse their mouths of the heavy, tasteless fudge. But no sooner had the drink hit their stomachs and reacted with the grey paste when they had bloated and let out an uncontrollable vibrating belch. And riding out on the gas was the fresh hit of zesty lemon. They both looked at each other and burst into fits of giggles. A neat trick of Vimi's indeed. And it had proved to be a breath freshener as a finale to their meal.

#

'Stupid fucking idiots. What the hell do they think they're doing? They've done this plenty of times in the past, and each time they just turn up late. If this is another waste of my bloody time then that's it, I'll break their fucking legs and leave them down a hole as I squat over it and take a shit. And they can just stare up at my hairy arse before they get covered in my fucking crap. And I'll make sure I have a roaring curry beforehand as well so that it splatters everywhere.'

'Kev, you're a true poet in the way you've mastered the art of complaining,' said Dave. 'And your hairy arse features so much in your moaning it deserves an agent to represent it.'

With a face like thunder Kev continued to stomp his way along at the head of the group of five. They had all been expecting the arrival of two of their friends from a day out caving. Now two hours after sunset, when the pair really should have made an appearance, or in the very least sent word of their safety, the larger group had decided that some sort of action was needed. Kev and several others still held the belief that at any moment a call would come through saying the pair had arrived at the hut late and without the common sense to let anyone know they were okay. It had happened often enough before. But for now, Kev and four others were out in the dark trying to locate where their two missing friends had mentioned they were heading, to seek out the amazing cave system of the Hell Mouth.

'Maybe they got sidetracked by all the treasure as well,' Kev scoffed. Murderous intentions ran through his mind at how irresponsible Jimmy and Andy could be. Then on seconds thoughts he scrapped that idea; it was Jimmy who was irresponsible. Andy was just plain stupid. Together they were worrying. However subconsciously Kev was only deliberating all these acts of violence towards two of his closest friends because deep down he wanted to deny that this time there might actually be something wrong.

'Are we nearly there yet?' he said impatiently. Turning abruptly he unintentionally shone his torch into the eyes of poor Fiona behind him, who had been following their route on a map held out in front of her. Dazzled by the light she stumbled and smacked her head straight into the torch Kev was holding out. He lost his grip and it fell to the floor, accompanied by the sound of broken glass.

'Fuck my arse!' he shouted in complaint. Other torches shone Kev's way. He said nothing but wildly kicked his broken torch into the undergrowth beside the trail they were following.

'Would you stop going on about your f-ing arse for one minute,' said Dave.

'Why, you getting a stiffy?' Kev retorted.

'We're here,' Fiona interrupted, pointing on the map she held. 'It should be just around this corner.' She then gave her sore head another rub.

Kev glanced at the map and was making to stomp away but turned back. 'Sorry,' he muttered to Fiona and allowed her to take the lead with the torch and map.

Rounding the final bend, as everyone cast their lights ahead, the group met the small excavation site that Jimmy and Andy had created earlier that day. At least they didn't have to spend their time searching for some inconspicuous opening. The pair had thrown mud and rocks everywhere, and at the epicenter was an unmistakable entrance hole. They all apprehensively huddled their way around the opening, as if expecting some giant serpent to sliver out from the depths and attack.

'Jimmy!' Kev called down the hole. His voice briefly echoed back at him and then silence reigned once more. The night was calm, with no wind and little other sounds, which seemed to make the silence around the group all the more ominous.

Dave leaned over and shone his torch into the hole, trying to see how far it went. 'I can't make out what happens down there. I think it opens out,' he said.

Picking up a small stone he threw it into the hole. It didn't take long for it to make contact with the ground inside. 'It doesn't seem like there's a big drop. I'm going to have a look.'

Getting down to the floor he proceeded to slot his legs backwards into the hole and then reversed his way down. The rest of the group watched until there was only his head and shoulders left in view before he took the chance and relaxed his grip, quickly slipping from sight. The others waited, leaning further forward over the entrance.

'I'm down', came Dave's voice again. 'It's only a three-foot drop. Come on in. There's loads of room here. I can't believe it's been hidden all this time.'

The rest of the group followed Dave's lead and eventually, one by one, they descended below ground. Surveying their surroundings there were no obvious signs left behind by their friends.

'We'll go in a bit, just to see if there's anything we can find,' Dave suggested. With no arguments against the idea the group proceeded on.

'How far are we expected to actually go?' said Matt after a short distance. It was the first time he had said anything the entire journey. He had been reluctant to come along, more so than Kev. Now he led the way, keen to get this over with.

'I've got work tomorrow,' he added. His torch flickered momentarily, interrupting the flow of his words. He frowned then continued. 'We all know this is a waste of time...'

Matt's torch went dead completely this time, quickly followed by his head-lamp. Bewildered, he turned to the others behind and witnessed Kev's torch fail right before his eyes. One by one the lights of everyone else quickly blinked into nothingness.

'What the fuck!' came Kev's voice, which was the start of a period of commotion as the group became disorientated by the sudden blackout.

'Which idiot checked the batteries?' Kev continued his grumbling.

'Ow! Watch where you're standing,' complained the voice of Sarah, to whoever had trodden on her foot.

'Sorry,' came Dave's reply.

'We're gonna have to make our way back.' Everyone recognized the voice of reason belonging to Matt. 'There's no way we can continue now. Is everyone okay? Dave?'

'Yeah,' Dave responded.

'Kev?'

'No,' came Kev's reply, which Matt ignored.

'Sarah?'

'Yeah,'

'Fiona?'

Silence.

'Fee, are you alright?' Matt repeated. There was no still reply.

'Oh God,' came a whimper that everyone recognized as Sarah. 'We're all going to die.'

'What? Sarah, that's crazy,' Matt said. 'Where'd you get that idea from? Just cos one of us has been misplaced. Come on, keep it together, we've just been separated. Fiona was at the back wasn't she? Maybe she stopped earlier than the rest of us without anyone realizing. She can't be too far back.'

His words were tinged with uncertainty, repeating the idea that they had just drifted apart in the darkness to reassure himself as well as the others. They were all trying to see the logical side of their situation, but it was difficult under the circumstances. The darkness had a way of poisoning an individual's thoughts. As a group they were a lot more confident.

'We all know the rules, we have to leave people behind if necessary. We can call an emergency when we get out. Let's make our way over to the wall and follow it along.' Matt suggested.

He proceeded to walk slowly to the side, the others hearing his footsteps. 'Follow my voice, everyone,' he added as he went.

'Hang on, that's the wrong way,' Dave warned.

'No, it's this way Dave,' Matt argued.

'No it's not. Cos I was behind Sarah when I trod on her therefore we turn around and go the other way. Isn't that right, Sarah?

No reply.

'Sarah?'

Still nothing.

'Come on Sarah, this isn't funny!'

There was still no response from Sarah.

'But she was just here a minute ago, Matt.' Dave's voice was unmistakably panicked now.

'Matt?'

There was no reply from Matt.

'What the fuck!' came Kev's voice. He seemed more irritated than anything. 'Where the hell is everyone going? Right Dave just give me your hand and let's get out of here.'

Silence.

'Dave?'

It was Kev's turn to panic now, the realization hitting him now that somehow he was all alone.

'DAVE!' he shouted. But his voice seemed to get swallowed up in front of him, rather than echo around as expected. He stopped to listen. Only the occasional sound of water dripping from the cave's roof could be heard. He was hot and sweat ran its way down his forehead, stinging his unseeing eyes. His breathing turned into panting, which he tried to control, imagining he could hear movements or whispers. He turned blindly in the dark taking the occasional swipe in case something was lurking in wait. Then a noise, a stone being overturned.

'Who's there?'

More silence. It was deafening. Kev's sanity eventually failed him and he sank to the floor. Curling up his body he wrapped his arms around his legs and rocked back and forth. His body shook and tears filled his eyes as he was left there whimpering all alone.
Chapter Nine

The announcer gave a pause, building up the anticipation of the crowd, relishing the power he wielded for the briefest of moments as the spectators hung on his every word. Søren and Alicia were nestled into seats in their VIP capsule high up the inner edge of the Titanbowl awaiting the start of the game. But before this, following their meal, they had been escorted to meet an actual Titan from Team Paradigm, Weyland Green.

'He's only a reserve player and probably won't be playing today,' Alicia had explained afterwards. 'But it was still a thrill to meet him. And he was so nice. I've heard Titans can be complete jerks and act like they're immortal, like being built of artificial parts makes you indestructible or something.'

Søren agreed. At first Alicia and Weyland had chatted away like old friends, with Søren feeling very much like a spare part. But when he had enquired about the augmentations to Weyland's body, the Titan had responded in a highly knowledgeable way. Even Søren had to admit he had been stereotypically expecting to meet someone who was going to grunt their way through a minute of awkward conversation.

The voice of the announcer began again.

'Now please give a Titan's welcome to the challengers for the two hundred and forty fourth Titanball title; Team Inferno Versus Team Paradigm.'

The crowd erupted as from opposite ends of the arena appeared the miniscule sight of each troop of Titans. Spectators turned to their screen to get a better view of their heroes. And then a murmur began to grow from the crowd. Someone else was on the field of play, nearer to Team Paradigm, but clearly not meant to be there. Søren moved over to the balcony and along with thousands of others used his ocular implant to get a better view of the unknown figure, who wasn't being displayed on the game's official live feed.

'He's not wearing any clothes,' Søren remarked, bewildered, and sent his Comms link to the screen in front of Alicia. 'Is this normal?'

'No, just some idiot. Though I'm impressed he managed to make it onto the arena floor without breaking any bones. It's quite a drop down to the ground, especially without any clothes for padding.'

Others were also watching. Some laughing, some booing at the delay in proceedings. A different figure broke away from Team Inferno. Søren focused on the new action.

'If I'm not mistaken that's a bioticRobotic that Inferno have sent out,' he said.

All eyes around the arena watched. From afar, and without an implant, the action appeared as two mere dots. The dot causing the disturbance had now stopped to take appreciation of his disturbance. Glancing around he then realized his predicament of being pursued so set off in an alternate direction, but with the chasing dot gaining all the time. The distance shortened to mere yards before everyone who was able focused in on the moment of capture. They saw the android cleanly lift the man off his feet by wrapping a single hand round his neck. The man fell limp and was dropped to the floor, unmoving.

The whole crowd of three hundred thousand spectators gave a collective intake of breath with such force it seemed in danger of turning the stadium into a vacuum. Then there descended a disbelieving hush at what had just taken place. An eerie atmosphere enveloped the whole arena after such loud shouting and cheering.

'Is he...dead?' Alicia said, breaking the silence around the pair, but still not taking her eyes from Søren's viewpoint that was being streamed to the table.

Søren remained staring out over the balcony and shook his head unable to answer her question. His implant remained firmly glued to the scene. The android also remained unmoving, standing there looking down at its victim. It wouldn't have been surprising to everyone watching if it had then pounced forward and began to feast on its prey, such was the scene set up. But that would have just been the onlookers bestowing animal qualities onto the android which wasn't actually alive.

The guy on the floor gave a slight twitch and his arm moved to his throat just as a rescue team were being dispatched onto the scene. The rescuers appeared to be real people, and as they approached they commanded the android to deactivate. It did so obediently and then both the injured party and the 'droid were taken away.

'Maxwell's gonna have a fit when he hears about this,' Søren said.

'Well then, at least one good thing came of it,' Alicia said under her breath. 'Haven't you got one of those on order to help you in the lab? It could twist your head clean off.'

She looked at Søren. They both already knew the answer, but she was making a point. She didn't see the need in their existence at all.

'It arrives in a month,' he told her. 'It'll have been patched by then,' he added. Was that to convince her or himself?

#

'Here she is,' Maxwell proclaimed as he swept into Søren's lab like a new and proud father, with a huge grin taking over his face.

'It's not a she,' Alicia said defensively, as the android of conversation came floating into the lab on a mobiTile. She'd already decided not to like it.

'Well she has all the right parts,' Maxwell added with a wink just to antagonise.

The mobiTile came to a halt and the small collective of Søren, Alicia, Maxwell and Wallace all stood gawping at Maxwell's triumph which was now Søren's new purchase. The 'droid had a svelte female form with shoulder-length brown hair. At the moment its eyes were closed, which were usually the only giveaway for Søren that that there was anything other than a normal person stood before him.

'So what are you going to name her?' Wallace asked and received a thunderous stare from Alicia. 'I mean it. What are you going to name it?'

The correction had little effect on Alicia's mood. 'It's not a baby or a pet. There's no need to give it a name,' she declared.

'Okay, we get it, you don't like her,' Maxwell said. 'But these things are here to stay. You'll have to start getting used to them being around.'

Alicia glared at the android. It gave her an uncanny feeling that sent her shivering. It looked too human, yet not human enough. Søren wanted to say something of reassurance, but Maxwell was right for once, and Alicia was being unnecessarily negative.

'Well, I've got to get back to my post,' she announced. 'You boys have fun with your toy and its anatomically correct holes.'

She departed without offering Søren a kiss goodbye.

'Great, she's gonna be in a mood for days,' Søren muttered.

'Well here's the substitute, Søren,' Maxwell suggested. 'She'll do anything you want without the complaining. Anything.'

'What do I do when it's _not_ needed?' Søren asked, trying to steer away from the tone Maxwell was setting.

'Well she can still help out with cleaning,' Maxwell offered. 'And she charges wirelessly so shouldn't run out of juice. Though I'm going to show a rare bit of agreement with that hormonally charged girlfriend of yours for once and tell you to try not to think of the unit as a person. She has no feelings, so telling her to be quiet and leaving her to stand staring in the corner all night is perfectly acceptable behaviour. She is merely here to serve. Hey you could even take her home to help out.'

Søren could feel the fury seething from Alicia at Maxwell's suggestion without her even being there. The 'droid would most definitely be staying at his lab.

'Let's get it started,' Søren suggested.

'She was registered to your digital signature the moment those shiny Credits of yours passed through the accounts,' Maxwell told him. 'Just summon her to wake up.'

Søren took a small step towards the 'droid and cleared his throat.

'Er, wake up, please.'

He shrugged, feeling somewhat awkward, but not entirely sure why.

The 'droid's eyes shot open. Søren and Wallace jumped. Wallace even let out a short squeal of fright. Maxwell snorted with delight.

'I love witnessing that first reaction. We're fixing the eyes in the next patch to make them open a bit slower.'

'That's not fucking funny!' the normally mild-mannered Wallace snapped. His two friends looked at him in surprise.

'Calm down, mate. It's not like it leapt at you with scissor claws,' Maxwell reasoned.

'Or went to strangle you by the neck,' Søren added, with purposeful reference to the Titanbowl incident of a month ago, just to keep Maxwell's ego in check.

Maxwell chose to ignore the comment. It had been a troubling month for him, though he would never openly admit it. Immediately following the incident the Comms Wave had been set ablaze, with conversations focusing more on the actions of the rogue android than Team Inferno's victory.

A dissident group known as Reality were claiming responsibility for the unit's actions, claiming to have hacked its Comms and taken it over. Reality were known for such hacks, the most notorious being their first one that brought them to attention about three years ago where the group simultaneously managed to hack the Comms of over ten thousand individuals within the Vario Business Sector and subject them an augmented reality nightmare. The thousands of people were led to believe a raging fire was sweeping through the sector. It caused utter chaos, and also proved that people rely too much on their Comms and their sense of sight, as despite it all being a visual trick, with nobody actually being anywhere near real flames, in the aftermath people still swore they had felt the flames and the choke of smoke fumes.

quoQuantum swiftly denied Reality's claims, saying no such hack had been detected and pointed out that this was the first, and still non-fatal, incident related to a bioticRobotic unit. A flood of statistics were then unleashed concerning how many other incidents, fatal and otherwise, that had been caused by inferior models manufactured by rival companies. But mud sticks, and the uptake of bioticRobotics had been slower than expected. Maybe people were biding their time, waiting to see what other, if any, incident occurred.

Others opposed to bioticRobotics were claiming the 'droid at the Titanbowl had deliberately acted the way it had. Augmented feeds were then circulated of the 'droid sporting a wicked grin across its face with fanged teeth as it stood over its helpless victim. But Søren had his own recording. He had looked over the feed several times and had passed it Maxwell's way. The android had appeared nothing but neutral at all times, as was expected. There was no premeditation in the way it had acted. It was merely responding as an accumulation of its algorithms. Human error was to blame for not finding the loophole during testing that had made it act in the way it had. Therefore for the most part Maxwell was in the clear. Those in the testing department would see their head's roll instead.

'Salutations Dr. Zalys,' came the smooth voice of the 'droid. 'How can I be of service?'

Everyone focused their attention back to the android, which was smiling down at them. But Søren frowned.

'You can start by calling me Søren.'

#

Søren stood in his lab, motionless. He had paused to think over his life. The past three months since starting work had been the most eventful of his life and had seemed to slip by so effortlessly, sharing his time between Alicia and his research.

A contented smile grew its way over his face. Was it the thoughts of is recent life or the fact that now his device was finally ready for testing. Maybe both. He had spent these months modifying a Creation Unit, splitting it in half and then adding his requirements to make two new devices which would act as his Origin and Destination Units. Today he would finally begin to lay the Zalys Quioxtry to bed and deal in tangible theory made reality.

'Test number one.' He grinned as if conspiring with the camera directly in front of him. Others positioned around the room were also recording the scene from different angles. Each would follow his movements and string together an edited version of his actions from the best vantage-point. Søren was smiling because he had the confidence this was going to work. He was recording the event as it would be important to have it logged for history. None of this was out of ego; it was for Science. And on the other hand, if it did fail then he could look back and laugh at the recording at a later date, as he was sure his test would prove successful eventually.

On the table in front of him lay a seemingly ordinary flat, black slab adorned with a control panel on one edge. It could easily have been mistaken as a set of weighing scales for a person to weigh themselves upon. But sat atop it was a large transparent box about a cubic metre in size to act as a container for the sake of his experiments. This was the Origin Unit.

Søren looked into the nearest camera. 'I will now attempt the first experiment to fabricate an object atom by atom from this Origin Unit to that Destination Unit.'

Saying this he pointed across the room at the other device. The most appropriate camera would be focusing in on the other, larger device, similar in appearance to the Origin Unit but also coupled up to a vat of atomic ingredients from which fabrication would be made possible.

Then from under his jacket he withdrew the small book that would make history, holding it up to the camera in front, still not able to contain himself as he grinned from ear to ear.

'Who are you speaking to?' came the voice of Inge, his android, from behind him. He had decided to give it a name, much to Alicia's annoyance. Though if up to her it would be called Jobsnatcher, which was one of the politer names offered up. Maxwell was of the opinion that Alicia was jealous of Inge. 'You spending your evening with that robot again?' she had asked on more than one occasion. And it annoyed her the way he was polite to it, always adding please and thank you in his requests of it. 'It's a robot. You're not going to hurt its feelings,' was Alicia's comment. And she was right. But he was probably just being polite out of habit. At the time of naming he had reasoned that people even named their Creation Units, so why not give a name to something that actually looked like a person? Alicia hadn't argued any further, but his words had done nothing to make her any happier about bioticRobotics.

Søren turned to see Inge watching him. 'I'm speaking into the cameras,' he said, interested in the way it questioned the world around it to keep learning. There was a pause. He could tell it was searching its database for what a camera was and how they were used. Inge was learning before his eyes like a child in many ways. It smiled and gave a nod. 'I understand. Apologies for the disturbance, please continue.'

'Thank you,' he replied, finding it amusing that it had given him permission to continue. But the hint of sarcasm was lost on the android. So he began his experiment again.

'Test number one. I will attempt the first experiment to fabricate an object atom by atom from this Origin Unit to that Destination Unit.'

He raised the book again before laying it flat in front of him. Opening it to the inner page he then picked up a pen and proceeded to write his name. The pen, he had fabricated using his lab's Creation Unit. It felt clumsy in his hand, having never written with one before until today. He had practiced with writing this morning. Now he proceeded to carefully scrawl his name in the book and then stood back for the benefit of the camera above him to pick it up. His signature appeared thin and spidery, but at least it was unique and would serve as a bit of visual proof for his experiment's success.

Carefully he opened the transparent lid of the container upon the Origin Unit and placed the small, red book within, the title staring up at him with its distinctive gold lettering. History lessons at school would continue to mention physical books in even more ways thanks to this symbolic gesture, and not just as a historic source of knowledge, or that they were made from paper which came from trees, which were obviously now highly protected.

Turning to the control panel he registered the foreign item that lay upon the base of the Origin Unit. The device would analyse what sat atop it, minus the transparent casing. He had created an algorithm that recognised the boundary between solid objects and the surrounding air, and then formulate a convex hull around the solid object to fill any hollow spaces with air. This meant there wouldn't be any vacuum regions created at the Destination Unit.

He had chosen not to include a Comms link upon the device. Whilst this would have made his testing infinitely easier he wanted his work to remain a secret, and a Comms link was a sure-fire way of exposing it to hacking. It brought back memories of having to sit through the tedious training about industrial espionage on his induction into qQ, and about a million reminders after that as well.

Next he initialised contact with the Destination Unit and fed the registered data stream across containing the make-up of the book right down to the last atom of dust and even the flakes of Søren's own skin that were no doubt encrusted onto its surface.

He executed the command to initiate fabrication. The Destination Unit sat in thought. Søren knew it was calculating where each atom should be placed, to align those from its reserves in the appropriate way before injecting just the right amount of energy needed to create the bonds that would make the fabricated book a reality, all in an instant. From what appeared to be nothing there would suddenly be something.

The seconds ticked by, soon becoming a minute. Søren had calculated it would be approximately two minutes and seventeen seconds. He kept his eye on the Origin Unit's timer. As the allotted time almost came to pass he shifted his gaze to the Destination Unit. Nothing yet. Eyes back to the timer. Two minutes and seventeen seconds exactly. Back to the Destination Unit. Still nothing. He kept his resolve. There was nothing from the diagnostic that suggested this test would fail. And only a second later his resolve reaped its reward; in an instant there appeared a red object the same shape as that which lay on the Origin Unit. His theory had worked.

Taking a few steps across the room he then remembered what he had planned for the benefit of the cameras, so stumbling back to the Origin Unit he flung open its casing and made a grab for the original copy of the book. Floating on a cloud of glory he proceeded over to the Destination Unit. Lifting the lid of the container upon it he now slowed his actions and delicately retrieved the copy of the book from within, almost expecting it to dissolve at his touch. But it remained firmly between his fingers. Placing the books beside each other on the table he opened them to the first page. There lay his poor handwriting, identical in each copy. He stepped back to allow the camera above a decent shot of his accomplishment, whilst the other cameras picked up his dance of celebration across the lab.
Chapter Ten

'How about slumming it in the lower levels after work?' Maxwell suggested.

Søren remained mute. He had planned to spend this evening with Alicia.

'What's the point of having a day off tomorrow if you're not gonna waste it by feeling utterly shitty?' Maxwell went on to say.

Søren still didn't appear swayed.

'You can bring Alicia along as well,' he tried. 'She's from somewhere down in that hole isn't she?'

Maxwell had crossed a line and he knew it. Søren was this close to end the Comms.

'It'll give us all the chance to get to know her better,' he backtracked. 'You seem to be keeping her locked away in that sex dungeon of yours all the time.'

The added statement had the effect Maxwell had hoped for. Partly because there was truth nestled within his crude words. Søren had been neglecting his friends and spending all his spare time with Alicia.

'I'll see if she's available,' he replied and signed off. He was left staring at his lab. Ever helpful Inge was cleaning up. It turned to face him, sensing that it was being watched. It was a feature Søren found off-putting.

'Dr. Zalys, do you require any assistance?' it asked.

Søren gave a groan. He thought Maxwell had got it to stop calling him that. Maybe it was malfunctioning. Subconsciously he raised a hand to his throat in memory of the Titanbowl. That had been over two months ago and there had been no further major malfunctions from a bioticRobotic unit in society. But he had a brief list of his own minor ones, including its overhelpful nature which resulted in it causing more harm than good to his research. He had already opened Inge up himself for a quick look, gaining a basic understanding of its workings. Though Maxwell would be able to give him a better insight.

'Not for now thanks, Inge,' he replied to the android. 'I'm heading out for some lunch. Don't under any circumstances touch my research in the corner.' He was sure the damn thing would begin to tidy bits away the moment his back was turned. ' _It's my own fault for buying first generation_ ,' he chastised himself.

Making his way to Alicia's office he spied Perry but no Alicia.

'Is Alicia around?' he asked.

'Eating,' Perry almost begrudgingly said before glazing over into his newly acquired Comms. How quickly people fell under its trance.

Popping his head into the nearest commune space he spotted her. She was sat eating with two other personnel who were chattering away. He could read her well by now, though it didn't actually take a genius to notice that she seemed utterly bored, chewing slowly on her food as if mulling over whether to take her fork and stab her colleagues in the eye, or maybe even herself, just for any kind of diversion from the current topic of conversation.

'I don't think I'd want to grow it myself,' Søren overhead one of them saying as he came within earshot to hear what was being discussed. 'I'll let it grow in a nutri-womb. That way I won't lose my figure.'

A nod from the other un-named woman, before giving her opinion. 'I've already booked a place into Castle Daventry. Have you done that? Otherwise you might not get any placement until they're at least three. That means you'll have to care for it yourself.'

The first woman pulled a face at the very idea of what Søren could only assume was the care of their as yet unborn and probably even yet to be conceived offspring.

'Hi,' Søren interrupted meekly. All eyes ascended, mouths gaping in his direction. But Alicia's face lifted, making him feel much more at ease.

'I was just wondering...' he started, still conscious of the audience. To his relief Alicia rose from her seat and linked his arm, clearly wanting to escape the current situation as much as he did.

'A few of us are heading out after work,' Søren told her as they strolled off. 'I thought you might like to join us.'

'When you say a few, does that include Maxwell?'

Søren didn't reply.

'I've got work tomorrow,' she said, beginning to lay down her excuses before deciding not to bother. 'Frankly I just can't stand to breathe the same air as him. Plus I haven't been home in days. Everyone will be worried.'

Søren did his best to appear as pathetic as possible. It worked.

'I'll stay for just a short while,' she conceded with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head. Søren grinned over his victory.

#

'Test number two,' Søren said into the camera.

He held up a bright green apple. It was the real deal; a lab grown specimen, the seeds of which could if wanted be used to grow a plant from; not some fabricated pretender made by a current generation Creation Unit, incapable of such a feat. The apple had been specially delivered this morning, costing a small fortune which at least he could add to his research expenses. It felt chill and firm at his fingertips, inviting enough to eat. Søren took a crisp bite. All in the name of research. The cameras would pick up a fabricated copy with exactly the same bite mark.

As he chewed he had to admit that he couldn't tell the difference with a fabricated apple. The Apple Test was a common experiment with Creation Units where so called connoisseurs maintained the taste difference between a fabrication and a real apple was obvious. But when actually put to the test results always proved statistically insignificant. On the plus side from the rather disappointing taste difference though, with the cool feel of the apple it got Søren to wondering if his experiment would be able to replicate the same temperature. He had no reason to doubt otherwise.

Quickly adding the apple to the Origin Unit before it warmed he once again prepared his test. The size of the apple wasn't too dissimilar to his book. He had estimated a time of two minutes and three seconds.

As he looked down at the timer ticking away on the control panel, to his surprise it told him execution had been successful after only one minute and fifty seconds. Sure enough, shifting his gaze to the Destination Unit there rested the fabricated apple as if it had always sat there, accompanying bite included. He quickly paced over the room and held the latest evidence aloft, feeling the smooth coolness, just like the original specimen. Pondering over such a rapid fabrication time he wondered if maybe the lower temperature had played a part. It would perhaps have meant less energy was required in the process. He knew he would have to undertake more carefully measured experiments in the future, changing conditions only slightly each time. For now his method was rather unscientific, but he had a set list of items he wanted to successfully fabricate and he was just glad everything was going according to plan. He took a further bite from the fabricated apple. No taste difference in the slightest.

Søren repeated the experiment with the cameras turned off. This allowed him to package a fabricated apple and dispatch it off for testing the viability of its seeds. The ability to mass produce fertile specimens was an equally important aim of his research, a feat not currently supported by existing Creation Units.

#

It was a modest group who ended up congregating at a regular spot. Some sport was being screened, definitely not Titanball Søren noted as the people playing the game didn't have any enhanced limbs that he could tell. Or maybe this was a softer version, the original version, just ball without the Titan.

The place chosen to host them for the evening faced out onto a spacious gap of several yards. This afforded a view upwards to a distant streak of murky sky, as well as downwards to squalid depths. Søren looked out and his sight followed the reflective patterns of illumination there to channel light from mirror to mirror down to the lower levels. When viewed from beneath the zigzags of cascading light appeared like the vision of some heavenly deity. But when looked down upon from above they descended until finally being swallowed in an orangey-yellow soup before ever reaching the toxic ground which lay untouched and unlived upon.

Alicia arrived not too long after, and with Perry in tow. Søren was stood with Wallace. Upon seeing the arrival of Perry Wallace froze then knocked back his drink. He gave a deep breath to calm his nerves and began humming under his breath in his usual anxious way. Søren was concerned at the amount of alcohol his friend was consuming, turning up clearly already having had a few.

'Hi,' Søren greeted the new arrivals. 'I'm glad you could make it.'

'Would you like a drink?' Wallace said abruptly to Perry, his nerves still showing despite the liquid courage.

Perry just gave a smile and accepted so Wallace led him to a bar for a drink. Alicia took her place beside Søren.

'I though bringing Perry might cheer Wallace up,' she whispered to him. 'He seems down lately.'

Søren agreed. Wallace had been quiet, more-so than usual. He hadn't really seemed to recover himself since Sinclair's incident. But drink wasn't going to be his salvation.

'First round's on me,' the loud voice of Maxwell declared even though several were already nursing a drink. Everyone turned to see his entrance. He arrived alone.

'It's a big dick day today,' Maxwell proclaimed.

'A what?' Alicia said on autopilot, instantly regretting engaging Maxwell's twisted imaginings. He smiled, knowing it irked her.

'A big dick day,' he repeated as if she should know. 'A day when you step into the shower and it's like there's an anaconda in there with you. And you know everything's gonna go your way.'

Not awaiting a response he turned and interfacing with a bar sent round an order for an estimated number of drinks. Seconds later they were served up small steaming glasses of his chosen beverage with tiny lights twinkling from underneath their glasses.

As they approached the bar Alicia could tell by the look Søren gave that he didn't have a clue what was being put in front of him.

'Xisynth,' she whispered. 'One the strongest you can get. It doesn't quite do the job of melting away your insides for you to require an organ clone, but it comes close.' She picked the small glass up and tipped her head back along with the drink.

'That's how it's done!' Maxwell declared, impressed.

Søren picked up the glass. He took a sniff and almost gagged on the fumes alone. Holding his breath he tried to copy Alicia, but could feel the fiery liquid as it went down, incinerating his insides. He tried to brave a smile afterwards.

'Maybe something a bit lighter next time,' he wheezed, followed by a snort and a fit of coughing.

Alicia gave a faint smirk and looked down at the control panel affixed to the bar to select their next drink.

'I'll get it,' Søren offered, already interfacing the panel with his implant. Alicia threw a murderous glare his way and he quickly disconnected.

'You'll be able to connect yourself in a couple of weeks,' he said, trying to divert her annoyance. She didn't respond. He knew she was nervous about the implant operation, even though she wouldn't admit it.

A roar of laughter caused them to both turn to see Maxwell leading the conversation amongst the group.

'Let's face it guys,' came his loud voice. 'I'm the only one here who has actually led to a manufactured product.'

The crowd fell silent. His words were true. They were all researchers, yet to experience their moment of glory. Maxwell's had arrived first.

'Yes Maxwell,' came the voice of Morton, a nanotech researcher who was collaborating with Wallace. His area of research was using nanotechnology to effectively deliver drug-treatment. Everyone now awaited what comeback he could stab Maxwell with. 'I can only dream of leading the design of a new algorithm in artificial intelligence. What was it for again? The most lifelike dolls yet for personal pleasure?'

A smile flooded through the group. Sex was reported to be one of the most common uses for androids.

'That's just one of the many perverse ways certain twisted people come up with to try and deride my work, yes,' Maxwell replied aloofly at the criticism thrown at his work. 'Though I'm told once you try one you might never go back,' he added along with a wicked cackle. 'And at least my work's getting out there. At least it's making a difference.'

'Would now be a bad time to mention my android seems a bit defective?' Søren remarked.

'Søren!' Maxwell spun, rising to the new challenger. 'Now the rest of you slugs and slags might all be just a bunch of wannabes.' He deliberately pointed his finger at each of the losers in front of him in turn before finally leaning in to put his arm around Søren's shoulders. 'But Soaring Søren here is the real deal. He wants to give you more space in your lives. Soon you're all going to have our very own patch of desert to shit on when he's finished, with one of my androids on hand to assist in wiping your backsides.'

Everyone laughed. Even Søren saw the funny side, but shook his head all the same.

'Well, I'll need a test subject for my work Maxwell,' Søren replied. 'I'll make sure your name's at the very top of the list. I'll even attempt the impossible and make sure I fabricate every bit of you, including the smallest parts.'

Without warning Søren swung his arm round and grabbed Maxwell's groin, to indicate which smallest parts he meant in case it wasn't already obvious enough. Everyone screamed with laughter. Maxwell looked beaten, not expecting such a reaction from Søren. So he embraced defeat and leant over, giving Søren a huge kiss on the lips. 'I love you, Dr. Zalys, you shit.'

Søren turned back to Alicia, happy with his victory. She seemed to be enjoying herself also and was smiling at him in a way he hadn't seen from her before. He found himself blushing under her gaze.

'Unfortunately I'm also still stuck in the testing phase,' the voice of Morton said to attract everyone's attention. Initially he appeared downcast but then his expression changed to a sly grin and he reached into a pocket to reveal a small clear sachet of pills. 'Anyone care to help with the testing?'

Those in the group made the link with his research to what was in his grasp, some quicker than others.

'Delivering effective drug treatment for maximum effect, whilst clearing up any after effects,' he explained for those who needed the prompt.

A murmur suddenly shot round the bar and Morton quickly withdrew his hand. A look of fear chilled his face thinking he had been caught red handed. But all eyes were being drawn to the screens. No longer streaming sport they were now announcing a fugitive on the run. The report was fed through loudspeakers around the area for all to hear.

'The individual is claimed to have ventured his way down to the smog in order to avoid detection; and having no implant will make it harder to trace him. Authorities are advising those between levels twenty through thirty to remain vigilant should the fugitive make a reappearance.'

The broadcast ended almost as soon as it had begun, with little in the way of extra detail for the populace at present. But in an instant people commenced the betting process; anything from how long it would take, dead or alive, to how many casualties might get caught in the crossfire. Shouts circulated round the bar of where to get the best odds.

The frenzy of betting ended and the group resumed their chatter. Maxwell was stood by the outer edge of the bar. He looked up and frowned at not being able to see much of the sky. Then he looked down into the smog and his brow creased further still. 'How come all the decent haunts are so far down? It's such a bore having to travel all the way here. And it's depressing. For one thing everything's falling apart.'

To make his point he grabbed the railing out front and gave it a good shake. To his and everyone else's surprise it came away in his hand and for a second it looked as if he was going to take a tumble. Søren and a few others rushed forward to make a grab for him but he managed to steady himself. However his glass fell from his grasp. Down it tumbled only several feet before hitting a safety barrier. Maxwell looked stunned at first as he watched his drink shatter. But then he just burst out laughing and held the rail aloft. 'See, utterly decrepit.'

'You infinitely stupid idiot,' came the voice of Alicia.

Maxwell turned her way, ready to start a war. But Søren took the opportunity to usher Alicia off. 'Drink?' he offered. She accepted, giving one final glare to Maxwell who decided, possibly for Søren's benefit, to let it go. 'That needs reporting,' she said to Søren, meaning the gap in the railing.

'I'm on it,' he replied, already accessing his Comms to report a compromise to a safety barrier. Someone would be dispatched to repair and investigate, most likely in the next hour. Maxwell would be questioned, and would probably get away with just a caution.

'He just doesn't give a damn.' Alicia was still complaining about Maxwell. 'All because of his stupid robots he thinks he's untouchable.'

It was true, Søren agreed. Maxwell behaved with reckless abandon. And even the Titanbowl incident had only temporarily knocked him down to the level of the other mere mortals around him. But Søren knew the deep, unseen scars Maxwell held from a never-present father. And other things, such as allegations of stealing the ideas of another whilst at the School, but were never proved.

'It'll catch up with him eventually,' Søren muttered, sure that his friend couldn't keep getting away with the way he acted forever.

Screens were announcing the latest developments concerning the fugitive. His crime was illegally cracking his Creation Unit and fabricating illicit goods. It was a crime taken seriously. All fabricated items had to be licenced. The betting odds were suddenly slashed as there was now the worry that the criminal had fabricated some dangerous weapon or explosive. Therefore the chances had increased that the individual would be taken out completely rather than being brought in alive.

Awaiting their drinks Alicia turned and looked out over the room. She watched Maxwell and Morton conspiring over the pills and gave a sigh.

'I've changed my mind,' she said. 'I think I'm gonna head off.'

Søren refrained from mentioning that he had already bought her a drink. 'I know what you mean,' he agreed. 'I'll join you. My place? I'll set my Creation Unit to have us some nibbles ready for our arrival.'

She took his hand and they slipped off.

#

Søren turned in bed and propped himself up with his elbow in order to face Alicia. He lay there for a while watching her, just soaking up her features. Alicia, whose eyes were closed, faced upwards and remained still, except for the slow rise and fall of her body to the rhythm of her breathing. Gently Søren ran his index finger from the base of her neck, down her body and drawing the curved outline of her breast. She smiled as it tickled and then opened her eyes.

'What are you up to, Zalys?' she said rhetorically and closed her eyes again.

There was silence for a while.

'Remember that book we were reading when we met?' he eventually said.

She opened her eyes again and turned her head towards him. 'You mean the one you were too scared to read and kept calling me so I simply had to come over to make you feel better, even though it was so obviously an excuse to lure an innocent girl into your bed?' she teased.

'It worked, didn't it?' he grinned, and they both laughed.

'Go on,' she said, meaning about the book, prompting him to get whatever it was on his mind out into the open. She knew from experience now that he could dwell on a thought for hours, often letting it cascade into a host of other ideas.

'Well, I was just thinking about it the other day in the lab. It kind of reminds me a lot of my own work. It's something mysterious; uncharted, and I often wonder if I should continue or just stop meddling in the unknown and leave it well alone.'

'Your problem is you think too much,' she responded.

'But it was dangerous. Wouldn't it have been better to leave the cave alone?'

She propped herself up at this comment and faced him.

'Is that what you thought?' she said. 'I decided that it led to paradise. Who would want to return from that?'

She lowered herself again and Søren held himself silent for a moment, contemplating her words. He hadn't thought of it that way. His mouth slowly spread into an affectionate smile. That was one of the reasons why he adored the person in front of him. She helped him see the good in life. Slowly he bent over and kissed her lips, pressing his body into hers.

'Again already?' She smiled and leaned in to return the kiss.
Chapter Eleven

'I'm reporting live from the location that has caused so much controversy over the past forty-eight hours. Behind me you should be able to make out the entrance to a cave where so far an astonishing twelve people are believed to have ventured into and not returned. It is thought initially two people, an Andrew Wilson and James Surtees, discovered the entrance the day before yesterday but then failed to materialise. A search party of five people are then reported to have attempted a rescue, all of whom haven't been heard from either. Since then five individuals from the Emergency Services have entered and all have disappeared without a trace. Any further attempts to venture into the cave have currently been suspended. Recent tests for high levels of carbon monoxide have proved negative. One theory circulating the local community concerns an abandoned mine shaft which could still hold true. Right now the entrance is about to be widened to allow people to walk in upright.'

'They're starting up the machines Frank!' Belinda shouted from the darkened room, the glow of the TV screen providing the only source of light.

Frank came rushing in doing up the zip of his trousers. 'Typical. Just as I head to christen the throne.'

'You washed your hands?' complained Belinda.

'I hadn't done anything,' came the response.

'Well that doesn't matter,' Belinda argued back. 'You've had your hands all over your ... thingy.' She screwed up her face and wagged a finger at Frank's crotch as if it concealed something utterly rotten.

'Shush. Look they're advancing.'

Frank lowered his ample frame into the seat next to his wife and they both gawped at the twinkling screen in front of them showing the mechanical digger approached the side of the hill. Huge floodlights lit up the scene where a ring of striped red and white tape cordoned off the small hole marking the entrance to the controversial cave. Into the earth the metal teeth chomped, scooping up a mound of dirt before backing off at an angle to dump it in a heap nearby. Time and again it advanced until there was a gaping hole at ground level leading into the dark unknown.

The reporting of these most mysterious of events had become compelling viewing across the nation and beyond. There was something about a good unexplained puzzle that everyone loved. Or maybe it was the speculation surrounding it they loved even more, chattering away on the phone, in the aisles of grocery stores, at a street corner or on the sofa, conjuring up all manner of offerings as to what might explain current goings on.

Finally the digger came to a stop and backed off once a suitably sized entranceway existed. A man in overalls approached the ominous opening. He held aloft a long strip light attached to a cable which snaked its way back to some battery off-screen for power. Belinda and Frank held their breath as the man took several tentative steps into the void. The camera followed behind with its telescopic vision, keeping the man in focus as he cautiously edged further in.

After moving only twenty yards the light he held flickered. It was enough to force him to lose his nerve. He dropped the light and sprinted back to the entrance, the camera showing a close-up of the fear etched into his face, a product of what had unfolded over the past few days.

'That's what happened before,' Frank whispered. 'Someone went down with a light and they didn't return. They pulled the light back out by the cable but the end was missing, just a frayed bit of wire as if it had been chewed off by The Beast!'

Frank raised his hands like claws and bared his teeth. He had said this many a time much to Belinda's annoyance. He probably repeated it specifically to annoy her. And there were a couple of reasons why it did indeed annoy her. She didn't like the whole 'Beast' business. It was one of the major theories thrown around and Frank had latched onto it. She just found the idea complete nonsense. But the main reason she was irritated with her husband was his way of lording over the fact that he had the staying power to have rooted himself in front of the television screen for the past twenty-eight hours. Belinda fell just short of pointing out that it was no different to how he usually spent his life. But she was also annoyed with herself; annoyed that she had invested the time but missed a key moment. However bingo was every Thursday evening without fail.

Being reminded of his lack of slumber Frank reached over to the nearby table and took a long slurp from a can of super-caffeinated energy drink to keep him alert. How long could he keep this up without sleep? He hoped the episode would come to a conclusion soon. But at the same time he didn't ever want it to end.

The couple watched as the machine advanced for more digging. It had been decided to keep burrowing into the hillside if necessary. Once more the mechanical jaws set to work. It seemed to be having trouble at one side of the hill as it struck into solid rock. So it changed direction and edged its way round to nibble at the other flank of the hillside. With a crunch the teeth bore down into the earth. And then the machine faltered. Its headlamps flickering and the engine cut out. A split second later the great floodlights providing illumination to the whole scene gave out plunging the screen Frank and Belinda stared at into complete darkness.

Instinctively the pair reached out to grab each other's hand for comfort, sensing a key moment in this saga was again upon them. Still they refused to avert their eyes from the drama playing forth in front of them even though the screen presented nothing but emptiness. Shouts could be heard from the darkness; a call to get a back-up generator running for the lights. The sound of the generator could be heard chugging into life. And seconds later the powerful lights flooded the arena once more. There was the familiar, almost comforting, sight of the cave's entrance allowing Frank and Belinda to both breathed a sigh of relief at the restoration of their vision and that which they had invested their recent lives into. It was only the hysterical voice of the reporter standing beside the camera who informed them that all wasn't well.

'The digger, it's gone! It's completely vanished!'

#

Søren closed the book he was reading and stared across his apartment, thinking in silence. This was the second time he had visited its pages, having first read it a few months ago. The small, red leather-bound item had caught his eye on one of the rare occasions he bothered to pay attention to an advert, probably because he hadn't much to do upon arriving to the Sector. And as physical books were something of a novelty, rather than reading from a PED or augmenting the text onto your vision with an implant, he had impulsively decided to give it a go. So the marketing had won this time and he had purchased the design and sent it off to his Creation Unit to fabricate. He was interested to see how reading a physical book compared. The main problem he found was just holding the book in place, and having to turn pages constantly. At least with his implant he could be anywhere and move freely about. But it hadn't cost much. He was reading it again now because its story disturbed him. He tried to take heed of Alicia's advice; stop thinking too much. He was the only one making a connection with the story and his own work.

He found his fingers tracing the texture of the raised gold lettered title upon the book's cover. 'The Cave' it read. The tangible nature of the book was a minor plus in its favour over an electronic copy, he decided.

He placed it down on the glass table in front. As he did so his Comms lit up.

'Perry,' Søren answered, a bit surprised.

'Søren, you need to get here, quick.'

'What's wrong? Is Alicia ok?'

'She's fine....but her family. There was a fire. No-one survived.'

Silence.

'I'll be right there.' Søren signed off, racing out of his flat to be met with two startled men.

'Dr. Zalys?' asked one of the men.

Søren gave a nod.

'We've replacement ingredients for your Unit,' he said patting a large cube-shaped container nestled between the two men. A blank look from Søren. 'You should have been notified?'

Søren recalled a message he had been sent. His Creation Unit had automatically set an order for ingredients as its reserves were running low. 'Do you need me here? I really have to be elsewhere.'

'Not really..'

'Okay, thanks.' Søren didn't wait for any more and raced off to his shuttle terminal.

Arriving at qQHQ he made straight for Alicia's office.

'Where is she, Perry?' he asked, turning his head each way but unable to locate her.

Perry pointed to a side room and Søren was off. 'She's talking to an incident representative. They're letting her know all the details.'

Perry's words were a hint for him to wait. But he ignored them and burst in. Alicia was sat facing another woman. She looked drained. The other woman looked up annoyed. 'This is a private...'

'It's ok,' Alicia interrupted. 'He's with me.' She stood and Søren wrapped himself around her. She seemed smaller and for the first time allowed him to take control.

#

Nobody had been allowed to venture into the cave since the digger's disappearance. The team were waiting till dawn, when at least they didn't have to rely on electricity for lighting. It had been a chance for Frank and Belinda and the rest of the watching world to get some temporary respite from the compulsive viewing. This included an old woman who had nervously watched each broadcast through her clouded rheumy vision with a ragdoll held in her arthritic clutches. The doll had been passed down through generations, with a cautionary tale attached. Now as the woman watched she felt as if the tale was being re-enacted in the presence of millions around the world.

'What good could come of it, Moll?' her cracked voice asked of the old ragdoll in her grasp.

At sunrise viewers eagerly tuned in, expecting more of the unexpected. But the rather disappointing update was that no-one had returned from the cave, and no-one or nothing else had disappeared. Various tests had been undertaken, from the use of Geiger counters, thermometers, barometers, seismometers, gravitometers and magnetometers, even resorting to divining rods and swinging crystals on a piece of string; all returned negligible results, so the attempt to dig had continued. Without a large mechanical digger jackhammers were employed. And the world watched on as these failed to respond, as if someone had forgot to pay the electric bill. The appetite to discover what lay at the source of this phenomenon was insatiable so the team resorted to pickaxes until a specialist explosives crew arrived on the scene. The entrance was primed. With the idea to keep advancing up the tunnel, manually removing debris created from the blast. And with electricity proving ineffective the explosives would be ignited the old fashioned way, with a match. Viewers watched eagerly as a single crew member lit the fuse then ran for safety. The camera zoomed in on the flame as is flickered its way to the explosives. People placed bets with each other; would or wouldn't it just extinguish before their eyes. But the flame reached its target, marked by a deafening boom and the rain of dust and rock.

As the cloud settled and the picture cleared all looked on. There was a brief moment of calm and the lonely cave at first appeared unscathed from the explosive onslaught, as if standing up to such bullying treatment. But then a few stones dislodged their way from its roof and clattered to the ground, before an almighty avalanche of rocks and dust fell to the earth and the cave collapsed upon itself. Far back into the hillside the ground subsided as the cave shrunk into nothing. And those standing nearby, along with the microphones for viewers back home, picked up the sound of an expelling of air above the sounds of the crashing rocks. It was like a death-sigh from the cave, sending out a last gasp in the throes of its demise. Yet it also proved a regretful sigh to those hearing it. And as the dust settled, with not a word yet uttered by anyone witnessing the spectacle, a strange and disheartening sense of gloom filled hearts across the world, as if something truly special had just been lost, beyond all understanding.

The End.

#

As Søren descended upon Alicia's apartment the communal corridor seemed too normal, as if nothing had happened, belying the tragedy that he and Alicia had been suffering through the past week. He had left her sleeping at his place, thankful that she was finally getting some rest. She had seemed reluctant to return to her family home so he had volunteered to see if anything was worth salvaging.

Facing the apartment door, the security system was still in working order so revealing her PED that she had self-signed for him he flashed it before the control panel which lit up green and the door opened. A charred aroma hit his nose. As he stepped in, walls blackened by flames reared up around him. He stepped his way into the heart of the blaze. Everything visible was in utter ruins.

A noise from across the small room drew his attention, and then someone appeared from behind the charred corpse of a unit. Søren recognized John, the family's Vespion engineer and neighbour.

'I, er, I was just checking the damage,' John explained.

Søren felt something about the situation seemed odd. John shifted his weight and looking around nervously. And hadn't the incident investigation already taken place? Now they just awaited the final result. Something definitely didn't seem right.

'No worries,' Søren replied casually. 'I'll let the Vespion incident team know you did a follow up.'

The reaction on John's face said it all.

'Now tell me what you're really doing here,' Søren demanded.

John tensed, and Søren suddenly realised he had backed himself into a dangerous situation. About to raise an alarm via Comms he paused upon noticing John's shoulders lower in defeat.

'I was checking the Units I had recently serviced,' John said. 'I needed to know if it was one of those that had failed. I need to know if I was responsible. The incident team have kept me in the dark so far. I got paranoid that I was done for.'

He looked at Søren who said nothing.

'Get my service records from Vespion if you don't believe me,' he urged.

But Søren did believe him, though he would check just in case. 'So how did the Unit malfunction?' he asked.

Again John seemed evasive. 'I'm not sure,' he eventually said. 'It looks like... it looks like it had been tampered with.'

'You mean someone deliberately set out to cause a fire?' Søren asked.

John shook his head. 'No, you've misunderstood. That's always a possibility of course, but usually in these cases it means someone in the household was messing with the Unit, most likely to be able to illegally fabricate unlicensed products without payment. That's more than likely what the official report will conclude, and Alicia will instantly know who I've always have to keep telling to leave things alone. She'll know it was her dad's fault. I should have just reported him. At least then they'd all still be alive.'

Søren's heart sank at the news. John had his own demons to fight. Things were only going to get worse before they could begin to get better.

'Thanks for letting me know,' he said as John took his leave. He knew he would have to break the news to Alicia before the report did.

Chapter Twelve

Goodbye to all the bees.

Goodbye to buzzing upon the breeze.

Now you're gone we miss you dearly,

Our crops yields ever decreasing yearly.

#

Søren left civilization behind; the lonely, overpopulated island which rose abruptly within the vast stretch of dust and sand. Then there was just the blur of desert whirring by beneath him as the megacity completely vanished from his hazy view. Occasionally the glint of a solar farm would flash across the landscape, array upon array of panels sucking up energy from the sun to provide power for the masses. He was sat within a 680mph Espress-shuttle, destination unknown. The President had personally invited him to discuss his research.

'The location's a surprise,' the President's message had said. Søren wondered if the President had to keep his location a secret when not at qQHQ. There was probably a queue of nutcases out there wanting to do him harm.

Søren's thoughts fell to Alicia. It had been a month since the accident that took her family. And despite having been prepared for the incident report's contents, when she had at last been presented with it and been given the chance to truly appreciate its meaning she had at first unleased her fury, then her sorrow. Søren had been there to help absorb the outpouring of grief and then help piece her life back together. After an extended absence of leave, today she had finally returned to work. Søren wanted to know how she was doing. He hesitated to send her a message. She would take it that he was fussing, which he was. She hated that, so he refrained.

A lonely mountain range loomed in the distance. It approached fast, and then the shuttle was underground, boring its way through the rock. It would only take a minute or so to reach the other side, but the shuttle frosted over, concealing the outside world and so Søren was blind to his whereabouts. But after only another half an hour he sensed the shuttle was slowing, more than likely meaning his destination was approaching.

Sure enough minutes later there came a noticeable change in speed and the shuttle gradually ground to a halt. The door slid quickly open, making him jump. Removing his security clasps he rose from his seat and edged to the doorway, poking his head from the vehicle.

'Dr. Zalys,' he was greeted, by someone in a quoQuantum uniform. 'The President sends his sincere apologies; he's a busy man and is running somewhat late. Can I get you anything to eat or drink whilst you wait?'

The man gestured to a small waiting area where Søren obliged by moving himself to, craning his head around to view the new surroundings. It was a shuttle terminal, a new one at that, and quite large. There were several platforms to host shuttles from a multitude of directions, but nowhere existed any decoration to indicate what Sector he was visiting. Empty spaces awaiting the installation of modular restaurants, entertainment or shopping were dotted all around. Wherever it was, this place was being designed to be quite a hub.

They didn't walk far before soon coming to a stop at a pre-installed eat-station. Søren took a seat. As the man awaited his order the words of Maxwell rung in his ears.

'Whenever you go anywhere with the President and they offer you food ask for a beef steak and a glass of red wine. They might just be the real deal.'

Søren hesitated. Was it too bold a request? And drinking alcohol when he was working seemed inappropriate.

'Steak sandwich please, with mustard,' he compromised. 'And just a glass of water.'

'You idiot,' Maxwell answered in Søren's head.

The man smiled and left. Søren rotated his position in the chair to gaze around and take a better look at his surroundings. All surfaces were like a blank canvas, giving no hints as to his location.

When the man returned with the order he placed it down then simply left without a word. Søren bit into the sandwich and the steak oozed with beef juice. Was it real steak? How would he know? So he simply ate in silence. It was rather unnerving having no-one around in such a large area, and with his Comms offline he felt isolated and lost.

Nearing the end of his sandwich a door on the far side of the room opened and in strode the President. Spotting Søren he marched over. Søren gave his mouth and hands a quick wipe with a napkin and stood to greet him.

'Please, Søren, finish your lunch. My apologies for the delay.'

'Honestly, I've had enough,' Søren replied, rising to meet the President. 'I was only eating it because there wasn't much else to do.'

The President smiled at Søren's honesty. 'This place is a bit of a mystery,' was all he offered. 'Please come this way.' He gestured across the terminal and they each stepped onto a mobiTile that began traversing the room.

'How is your research progressing?' the President asked him as they smoothly shifted along. 'You have a live demonstration scheduled for next week don't you? If you think you need more time don't be afraid to delay.'

Søren stared ahead, thinking of how successful his tests had been so far.

'I'll be ready,' he replied with a nod of confidence.

The President studied him for a moment. 'That's what I like to hear. But still, don't be afraid to ask for more time.'

Søren wondered how much confidence the President actually had in his research. Maybe he had doubts just like most others. If so then his demo would lay all doubt to rest.

'I don't know the exact details of what you've planned, but I've heard you've involved the Lunar Base,' the President said.

Søren replied with a nod.

'Not ready to give anything away yet, even to me?' the President asked. 'I guess I'll have to wait like everyone else. Am I right in thinking that the device will construct anything at the destination, including a lifeform? Even a person?'

Søren shook his head. 'Definitely for plant material but I'm not sure about an animal. I don't think it could just spring a creature's brain into life. Maybe with greater research and time, but it would certainly be unethical for a person. You would be effectively making a twin, not helping with population pressure, and we don't know what side-effects it would have.'

'Of course, of course,' the President agreed, nodding liberally. 'I meant hypothetically. Your device seems to have such enormous potential, that's all.'

They were ascending up an enclosed walkway. The tunnel went ahead and a faint noise could be heard; a bit like the wind, but different.

'Where exactly are we?' Søren asked. He had been told nothing of his destination, and his CommsNav had been jammed the entire journey.

'My turn to be cagey,' the President replied slyly. 'You'll see when we reach the end of this tunnel. There's limited Comms access up there, though I've been wondering whether to block it altogether. Sometimes people need to learn to switch off I think.'

He pointed forward and Søren looked ahead at where the walkway ended. It was decorated with a refreshing burst of colour. Søren looked closer at the green pattern surrounding them as they approached and realized the tunnel was adorned with leaves. And the leaves were attached to vines, and these vines were wound around trees.

'Are those real trees?' he asked as their mobiTiles came to a stop. The President didn't answer. He didn't need to. Søren already knew the answer. He had visited an artificial growing house before. It was the size of the trees that shocked him the most. They just didn't fit with how crowded the world was now. They were too big and yet had been described as small compared to those that grew naturally. But here it was different. There seemed to be a certain openness, even though the trees and plants grew at regular intervals, blocking any immediate view.

He looked up to see sky and sun poking through the canopy of lush vegetation the likes of which Søren had never experienced before. How high up were they to afford a view of the sun? He was sure trees had an altitude limit to their growth. And there was also a faint breeze as if they were stepping outside rather than into a growing house. It rustled its way through the leaves, but was warm. It had a refreshing, uplifting sensation to it. Not like the stale recirculated air of a ventilation outlet, or the cold dryness of conditioned air. It was fresh, pleasant and wholesome. Surely air at such an altitude should be colder?

Something darted right past his vision, perhaps only an inch from his face. It caused him to jump back wildly. He searched for movement and spotted it. Some tiny creature buzzing through the air. In fact there were many of them, all sorts of insects flitting through the air. He took a picture on his Comms and asked it for identification.

Honey bee: a flying insect. Once renowned for making honey and helping in the pollination of flowering plants, their numbers have dwindled to such an extent they are now a rarity in the wild and have to be continually bred in laboratories to feed the demand of our natural agricultural needs...scan for more info on honey bees...

The information helped confirm to Søren that they were outdoors and he began to get the impression that they weren't as high up in altitude as he expected. He looked at the President who just stood watching his reaction to the surroundings with a smile. The President motioned for them to continue on foot, not saying a word. And as they proceeded onward the ground underfoot grew softer and walking seemed strange, almost difficult to venture forward.

'Sand.' Søren muttered, looking to his feet.

He stopped for the second time to examine the most unusual surroundings, this time picking up a handful of what made up the path they walked upon. He let it fall, sifting through his fingers.

'Are we on the ground? Søren hesitated to ask. The question seemed ridiculous.

The President gave a smile, then a nod, and kept moving forward. There was clearly more he wanted Søren to see. But it wasn't any new sight that Søren began to notice, it was the sound. What had started off as some distant background noise was quickly growing to fill the atmosphere as if some supersized air conditioning unit was raging away within the depths of this impossible forest. Or could it be a tropical storm? He had seen these on video feeds. However the proof of the sun poking through the greenery above them told him otherwise. Was the vegetation even real? Maybe it was all an illusion and the noise was a series of projectors producing all the images he could see. His other senses told him it couldn't be an illusion. There lingered a damp, but also fragrant smell to the air. Still he found himself reaching out to touch one of the trees to test how solid it was. Its skin felt rough and hard. His hand moved to a large leaf. It was thick and waxen. The Scientist within him felt the urge to pluck and examine the specimen, but he resisted the temptation. They were endangered after all.

As they ventured further still the vegetation rapidly parted, and there it was before him, the cause of the noise which filled the air; the ocean.

Søren gazed out in wonder. It stretched far beyond the horizon. Despite having only seen it on screens or fed through his implant, actually being here felt an altogether different experience. The sight, the sound, the smell and even just the feeling of the air all interplayed much more to give a truer sense of marvel. Søren found it hard to believe that such experiences used to be common for people in the world. Why had they let their encroachment go so far? He envied the freedom of the past. Sure, they had less than a hundred years of life, but it was a life well lived, richly filled with plants and animals and open space.

A movement to his side broke his thoughts and caused him to turn his head. There stood Alicia.

'Is this a dream?' he said with a small shake of his head.

She smiled and strolled over, taking his hand. 'As first days back at work go this will do,' she said.

The President who had been hanging slightly back stepped forward.

'Welcome to our latest EcoZone, yet to be opened to the public,' he said, though Søren had already guessed by now, what with the reduced Comms, locational secrecy and the vegetation at ground level. 'This will be quoQuantum's second vacation retreat for its employees. This place is a special place by the sea offering a tropical beach environment and our exclusive AquaDome facilities.'

The President swept his arm over the vista and Søren looked around taking a few more steps forward to see the facility came into view beyond a cluster of trees along the beach, its huge dome rising from the water.

'We've been trying to grow a coral reef around it,' the President explained. 'The hope was to have people see marine life from inside the dome as they ate or slept. Unfortunately the water's still too acidic to host that kind of life. But we'll keep trying.'

He led them along a walkway which ran parallel to the beach. After a short distance it moved back under the canopy before descending to a tree-lined pool. Something fluttered past their heads; a butterfly Søren's Comms told him. Its wings had a striking shade of glistening blue and looked like they were spun from silk. The three took the time to watch it delicately drift down near to the water below. Occasional splashes came from the pool and they found themselves staring into the blue-green depths as the butterfly drifted off. Søren did a double take as he noticed some rather large animals swimming round.

'Those things are our pride and joy,' the President said. 'They're..'

'Dolphins!' Søren finished the sentence for him, looking at the President with continued astonishment at this place. He didn't even need his Comms for identification this time. 'You've got real dolphins? Not some robots?'

'The real deal,' the President answered, taking pleasure from Søren's reaction. 'Cloned from the Global Gene Bank. They've been sitting there for hundreds of years just waiting for their time to be awoken. They're a sign the world truly can be put right. Though it took a lot of failed attempts and then several years to successfully nurture them to the size they are now. But they're still not sexually mature. And even when that time comes we would have to wait another full generation to increase their numbers. But then that's where your research comes in handy. We'll be able to instantly clone populations of flora and fauna for EcoZones across the globe. Your work will be the sole driver for kickstarting life across this desolate planet once again.'

Søren was beginning to get a glimpse into the inner workings of the President's thoughts. Was this the real reason he had taken Søren on at the company?

'Of course careful management of the gene pool needs to be established,' the President continued. 'As populations from each EcoZone are effectively living on isolated islands in an ocean of desert, too scattered to promote natural genetic variation. So inbreeding and genetic homogeneity will prevail all too much, and the rise of a single disease could wipe them all out again. Again that's where I see your research being key. When you've realised your current goal I then want you to get involved with the Quantum Biology division. We'll be able to control those factors that play a part in genetic variety to help with the conservation process all the more. And in the meantime we will begin the process of trying to expand the EcoZones along corridors to join them up, until they are all as interconnected as possible and gradually the gaps get filled. And before you know it we have a world full of life again.'

Saying it like that made the task sound much easier than it actually was in practical terms. But the President was thinking big. That was his job. And he wasn't done with his vision for Søren.

'And then looking beyond conservation, I see your work having vast potential for helping increasing the efficiency of our photosynthetic units. Think of the energy security that would provide.'

It amazed Søren that his research was already being thought about in such ways, to be applied in areas that he hadn't even imagined. There was a brief moment of silence as they all imagined this better world, which suddenly seemed achievable in their lifetime. They stood mesmerised as the playful animals in the water below darted round each other, occasionally surfacing for air. Then the President turned to them.

'Well, that's my playtime over. I'm needed elsewhere for business needs unfortunately. Søren, the main reason I brought you here was to accompany Alicia. She's had a tough time recently, and I look out for my employees. Sorry for interrupting your research, but I didn't think you'd mind. Now enjoy the rest of your day.' He then turned to Alicia and took her by the hands. 'If there's anything you need just ask.'

She nodded, slightly embarrassed at his show of generosity. The President then bid them farewell and left.

'He's been so kind,' Alicia said to Søren, lifting one of his hand and giving it a small kiss. 'And I can't believe we get a free day in an EcoZone; a completely unopened one at that.'

Søren agreed. Along with probably the rest of the world he found the concept of the EcoZones fascinating and had always wanted to visit one. But what proved a dream for most people had come true for him and Alicia today. And this one was so different to those in existence he had seen advertised, which now came across as overpriced, scrubby bits of desert where you had to walk within fixed confines. Here you could roam freely in the open and lush environment. And all for free.

They spent the rest of their time just enjoying the freshness and openness of the surroundings. The green shades were such a relief from the sterility of their lives back home. However Soren had to admit that even though the insects were fascinating he got a bit freaked out by them being everywhere at the corner of his vision and then suddenly darting out in front of him. Alicia had laughed when he mentioned this but had agreed. 'And you always want to itch yourself,' she had added.

They also had a chance to feed the dolphins with actual live fish, dropping them into the pool and watching the dolphins dart after them. They were playful creatures and came to the surface to inspect their new audience. 'Stroke them. They don't bite,' their guide had told them. Tentatively the pair had reached out, the noses of the dolphins rising to meet them. Connecting with a different, and what appeared to be intelligent, lifeform that had been missing from the planet for so long was an experience that couldn't be put into words for the pair.

'These specimens will never see the wild,' their guide told them. 'They're too accustomed to people. With future generations we plan to minimise contact and even establish lagoons where fish can thrive, creating a whole local ecosystem. But sorting out the world's oceans is going to be an even greater challenge than the land.'

Following their dolphin experience they were taken for a tour around the Aquadome, where tanks of aquatic life were being bred in an attempt to introduce the populations to the surrounding area. However the rest of the complex felt more like being back home with the everyday facilities that were being installed in the typical modular-build fashion. The main difference with the Dome was the mobiTile circuit running round its periphery for underwater viewing. Even though there was nothing on show, having now seen the dolphins at play and the other life thriving in the tanks, it wasn't as difficult for Søren and Alicia to imagine seeing life on the other side of the transparent walls.

Following a lunch of fresh produce they visited the farmlands where the crops had actually been growing. Their guide explained how this type of farming worked, a method used back before the climate turned.

In the shuttle back home Alicia curled herself up to sleep with her head in Søren's lap. He tenderly stroked her hair, his thoughts turning to his research once again and what the President had said. It made him overjoyed to know his work was going to make such a difference. He stared from the window over the darkening sands. The moon rode above them, sending out its silvery rays. A smile crept over Søren's face. The President had been trying to second guess his demonstration that was due to take place. And although it was pretty obvious to anyone involved that he planned to replicate an object all the way to the Lunar Base, there was one thing he hadn't told anyone, had kept no digital record of, had been so secretive about for years now; how shocked they would all be when they realised his research was in fact an elaborate lie.
Chapter Thirteen

Maybe lie was the wrong word for what Søren had been telling people about his research. It was more a diversion. For five years now Søren had realized the full potential of what he had started at the School. The moment had been an exhilarating epiphany, also laced with fear at just how momentous his stem-cell of an idea was. At merely twelve years old would anyone have believed him anyway? He wasn't sure he believed it himself being so young, so he had kept quiet about it. But every day, month, then year that had passed the mitotic process breathed life into his precious idea. And with Søren carefully going over his theories, he knew within every cell of his being that he was right. So whilst everyone had it in their heads that he was going to atomically replicate the exact image of an object, an idea which some found preposterous enough to call it the Zalys Quioxtry, in reality Søren had been working on something far more complex. Initially his research simply stated to register an object and its component atoms at an Origin Unit and recreate it from a pool of more atoms at a designated Destination Unit. This meant using a signal passed from the start and end point, relying upon the cumbersome limitation of the speed of light. But what he was really going to do was actually send the original object; no Destination Unit necessary, to physically move the object from one place to another instantly. His method was simplicity itself in his opinion. The atoms just needed to be told they were in the wrong location and given the correct relative location. The object could even seemingly appear in two places at once before moving to the second location. And the beauty of his plan was that he had the limitless possibility of choosing exactly where the destination would be, effectively making any distance needed to travel obsolete. It could be across the room or all the way to the moon. It wasn't replication; it was transportation. That is what Søren would unveil to the world.

Yet it nearly hadn't all been. Søren had struggled to gain any funding initially to further his research in the months before he was due to leave the School. But then out of nowhere it came to pass that he had managed to attract the attention of one of the big Corporations, quoQuantum no less, and they had offered the backing he needed, when word around the School had expected him to fail in any attempt to secure funding. Søren half suspected Professor Nelson had a hand in quoQuantum unexpectedly stepping in. The thought didn't damage Søren's pride in the slightest, rather he took comfort because someone was there to look out for him, and believe in his work. So whilst he was doing this to help make the world be a better place, he was also personally doing it for his old Professor. And Søren even wondered at times whether Nelson had an inkling that he had been hiding something greater.

#

'Test number three.'

This was it. Søren looked down at the familiar red book laid flat upon the Origin Unit. For the first time he felt apprehensive about his work. With the other tests he had felt a certain confidence of their success. This time doubt clouded his thoughts. Tests one and two were all about the easy part, the research everyone already expected. Now he was venturing into the unknown. Was what he attempted actually possible?

Turning towards the control panel he typed a series of commands that would tell the Unit where to send the book. For the past three days he had checked and double checked, and then checked over once again, his calculations to make sure he had taken into account everything needed to get the location correct. It was a completely different process to his first test where most calculations came from the Destination Unit. Now it was purely down to the Origin Unit. The chosen location was to be right beside the Destination Unit, though he could just as easily have chosen to locate the book in a different location entirely. As he tapped his instructions into the panel he could see that his hands were trembling with excitement. Checking over what he had commanded he pressed the send button and turned to the expected output. Because the unit had already analysed the book effectively the process should be instantaneous, but he had added a two second delay.

They were the longest two seconds of Søren's life. He held his breath and initially assumed his experiment had failed. Then within a blink there was suddenly a red book lying beside the Destination Unit as if it had always been sitting there. Looking back to the Origin Unit below him he saw the book had vanished. It was indeed the same book.

Words couldn't express the ecstasy Søren experienced. He jumped up, punching the air and laughing out loud, before hopping across the room. He grabbed his book and kissed it. It took a moment for his brain to register that it was burning hot and he let go in surprise. It fell to the floor and with the addition of a breeze from the fall, or more correctly with the addition of a greater oxygen supply, it burst into flames upon its descent. Søren only watched, perplexed. It was Inge, programmed to deal with such eventualities, which instantly sprang into life and extinguished the fire. His lips and fingers tingled with a slight burning. He frowned at this turn of events. There was clearly a surplus of energy somewhere manifesting itself as heat, resulting in the fire. However he disregarded this issue for now as his eagerness to see the process in action again proved greater. Leaping over to one of the camera units he asked it to play back what had just happened. Sure enough they had managed to record the book leaving the Origin Unit and reappearing beside the Destination Unit. Pausing the feed and playing it in slow-motion he isolated the frames where the book was at the Origin Unit in one instance then at the Destination Unit the next. Visually speaking the process wasn't really an eye-catching spectacle of wonder. There was no dramatic effect of the book shimmering into existence as the atoms coalesced. That's how poets and dreamers would have wanted it, but that would also mean certain death for a living specimen. In practice the book was simply in one place then in another, as if the movement itself was insignificant. Unfortunately he hadn't managed to capture the phenomenon of the book appearing in two places at once, even with the help of the hi-speed cameras, but disregarding the rather unfortunate conclusion he regarded the experiment as a complete success and he had the proof. It was the moment instant translocation had been realised.

He stood for a long time in a trance mulling over his achievement. Had anyone entered the room at that moment they would have been forgiven for thinking that perhaps there were two androids standing there awaiting an order. But one of them wore a smile. It smiled because there had been so many doubters; even to his initial theory that he knew was already a guaranteed success. But what he had certain doubts about even himself was realising his second theory. But he shouldn't have ever doubted his own ability. It had just about worked first time.

#

'Test number four.'

He reached into the nearby refrigerator and produced an apple, holding it up to the camera.

'I will now attempt to transport this apple, with living cells, from one place to another, atom by atom,' he said cordially into the lens.

Just like his last test he took a bite for good measure. Then placing the apple within the transparent box of the Origin Unit he closed the lid. Again there was no need to adjust the initial settings the unit had previously registered. However this time he decided upon two crucial changes. The first was to shift the output location to be inside the transparent box of the Destination Unit. After the fire from his previous experiment he thought it better to err on the side of caution. The second change was to half the input energy in reassembling the atoms. Hopefully this would stop any overheating issues. Though with the lower energy amount would the process be successful at all?

Once again he hit the command to execute the test and two seconds later there sat the apple within the transparent casing of the Destination Unit as planned. Moving over to the unit he began lifting the lid and heard a hissing coming from the apple. It was steaming hot. Quickly he closed the lid and as he did so the apple exploded. He instinctively stepped back and raised an arm to shield his face, but the unit's cage contained the blast. He had been wise to move the output location after all.

'Make sure you don't test it on yourself, Dr. Zalys,' warned Inge, observing from behind.

Søren looked over at his android and burst out laughing. He was sure it had made a purely sincere and logical observation, but the comic timing proved perfect. He would have to congratulate Maxwell on his AI programming after all.

#

'How could I have been so stupid?' Søren muttered to himself.

He was staring at the Origin Unit, having just spent a day reconfiguring his mistake. It was now ready to test once again. The more he thought of his amateur oversight now the more he could kick himself. The solution had been so obvious. He had let his earlier work cloud his judgement. It was only the replication process that required the input of energy because there was a procedure taking place; new atoms were being aligned and joined. For translocation the atoms and their bonds already existed. No energy needed. He had known it all along, but because of his need for secrecy he had dared not put his theory down in case of a leak. This had led to his own confusion between the theory everyone was aware of and that which he harboured solely in his head. Ultimately it had led to an error. It was a first for him. It was worrying. He considered booking himself in for a medical. But maybe when he was less busy, or if he made another ridiculous error of judgement. His implant would tell him if there was anything seriously wrong anyway.

Resolving his emotions with a quick shake of his head he got back to business and looked up into the camera directly in front.

'Test number five,' he proclaimed.

He held up another apple specimen and gave it the obligatory bite.

'I will once again attempt to transport this apple, with living cells, from one place to another, atom by atom, this time without the need to create apple sauce, otherwise I need to get me another apple.'

Placing it with the Origin Unit's casing he ran the diagnostic. Once complete Søren again executed the test. Following a two second delay the apple disappeared from the Origin Unit and reappeared instantaneously at the Destination Unit. This time he simply strode up to the unit, opened the lid and retrieved the apple, such was his confidence at not getting covered in hot apple chunks. The apple felt cool and firm, as it should. He took a second bite, the sweetest tasting yet.

#

'Test number six.'

Søren looked down at the small white mouse that scurried round the inside of the Origin Unit's transparent casing. It lightly padded over from corner to corner. Occasionally it took a moment to raise a paw then sniff and probe with its whiskered snout to try and find any means of escape through the invisible barrier before it.

'I will now send a living animal, atom by atom, from one place to another,' Søren said for the benefit of the cameras.

This was the final test before giving his demonstration tomorrow. Today it was only a lab rat but Søren was already envisaging every Magvac terminal being converted into a translocation hub instead, and the miles upon miles of shuttleways that strangled society could simply be removed, freeing up that extra bit of space. Then people could travel wherever they wished in a matter of minutes.

Focusing his attention upon the control panel he set the diagnostic running to register the small creature. The whole process could really do with catchier terms. No doubt quoQuantum's marketing department could help, particularly the word 'Execute' which flashed up onscreen. It seemed so morbidly final.

The screen flashed, but it wasn't with the word he expected.

Diagnostic failed!

He gave a frown and tried again. The same result; another frown. So tapping away at the control panel he ran a more in-depth analysis of the data. It seemed the unit was having trouble obtaining a sufficient lock on the moving specimen. He would have to tether it in place. Not such a good look for the cameras however. But then an idea struck him. He opened his refrigerator door and took out an apple. Biting off a chunk and taking it between forefinger and thumb he lifted the lid of the unit's casing and dipped his hand inside, placing the treat at the centre of the unit. With a twitch of its nose the mouse registered the presence of food close by and abandoned any further attempts at escape to waddle over to the offered fruit. There it contentedly sat chewing away, its lunch held up between its front paws. So Søren repeated the diagnostic again, this time a success. There was nothing else for it. Execute.

Strolling over to the Destination Unit he awaited the appearance of the mouse. And then, as with the apple, it was instantly there. Or rather this time something was there, but gone was the small, white-furred creature and in its place was a congealed, tumourous blob of purple-pink. It gave a shudder and a thin pink bubble popped from its surface causing Søren to step back in alarm. Then slowly from it out stretched a quivering limb that could have a minute ago been a paw. It was attempting to move, but with its rear firmly glued to the base of the unit it only had the effect of stretching itself apart, very slowly, like gum being pulled in two.

Søren's face cracked in revulsion, but still he kept watching. After various tugs and stretches the poor mouse finally gave up its attempt to move so Søren fully lifted off the casing not knowing how he was actually going to help. The creature seemed to sense the shift in air pressure and raised what was apparently its head. Then opening its gelatinous jaws it let out an ear piercing screech the likes of which Søren had never heard before. It was a scream of absolute agony, the suffering of pain in its purest form. And it didn't seem to stop. The shrill cry kept on and on, ringing in Søren's ears and through his head. It needed to be put out of its misery. Søren grabbed the closest object to hand, his replica book. Raising it quickly he slammed it down upon the unfortunate monster he had created, bringing to an end its tortured life. He stood there was a good minute, not moving apart from the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed heavily, trying to keep control. With a final deep sigh he regained himself and slowly peeled away the book from the base of the unit, a mess of stringy, slimy flesh pulling away with it.

His Comms flashed before his vision and he jumped. There was a visitor waiting outside his lab. He granted access, not actually bothering to see who it was. The face of Wallace appeared as the door glided open. He had been making regular appearances lately. Søren took it as a positive sign of recovery. Glancing round the lab Wallace appeared confused at first but then smiled.

'Is everything going okay?' He looked at Søren, who failed to respond, then looked at what Søren held. 'I was wondering if you wanted lunch, but it seems you've already made a start. What exactly is that you're eating?'
Chapter Fourteen

Søren entered the modestly sized room. It welcomed him with the same sterile appearance as any other room would. Behind him Inge wheeled in his pair of Units. Rows of chairs were arranged before a raised platform where Søren was to give his demonstration from. From a quick visual assessment he guessed there was seating for about a hundred. Standing centre stage was a man giving directions to the camera crew who would broadcast the event live around the world. He lifted his gaze and spotted Søren.

'Dr Zalys?' he asked. Søren gave a short nod and approached the platform. 'I'm Kato Suleiman. I'll be directing proceedings. Is this all you need?' he looked almost disappointed at what had been brought. 'And you say this will replace a Creation Unit? It'll certainly make room in people's homes. Well, tell me what you intend and I can plan the recording.'

'This here is the Origin Unit.' Søren gestured to one of his devices. It will send the signal to recreate an object at the Destination Unit'. He gestured to the other device. 'There's also a Destination Unit installed at the Lunar Base which I'll be fabricating towards first.'

He paused and looked around to locate a screen, but couldn't see one.

'It'll be projected,' Kato clarified and pointed to the projection unit before gesticulating in the general direction it would cast its image to.

Søren continued his explanation. 'The idea is to replicate my own object before asking someone from the audience to offer something to send, so they can see it's live.'

He had decided against any live animal testing given previous results. He had gone over what had possibly gone wrong and what he needed to do to set it right. Was it because the specimen had been moving. He would need to either isolate the diagnostic at the smallest possible time period and produce a simultaneous scan across the whole object of interest, or isolate the object from the background and make sure each atom attached to the next stayed in sync. He had opted for the latter but had yet to perform any tests to confirm his latest changes. His new method would at least offer a subject to remain clothed during the process. But he also knew that he couldn't accept another failure. There needed to be a failsafe, a way of retrieving what had gone wrong, pulling the specimen back to the Origin.

'Okay,' came the voice of Kato breaking Søren's reflections. He seemed rather disappointed at the simplicity of it all. 'So we can place each Unit at either end of the stage, if you chose to use both down here. And you'll be stood at the Origin Unit?'

Søren nodded confirmation and Kato turned elsewhere to bark his directions. In response a man approached and lifted the Origin Unit. Søren winced as the man placed it heavy-handedly onto a raised plinth. He directed Inge to do the same with the Destination Unit at the other end of the stage before his other helper had a chance to throw it about as well. There were wide-eyed looks as the seemingly delicate lady picked up the larger of the two units with ease.

'It's a 'droid,' Søren confirmed, which was met with yet more stares of wonder at how realistic it looked. They had clearly never seen a specimen of the bioticRobotic range in real life. Or maybe they were just expecting it to attack at any moment.

Søren approached each unit and checked each console was ready for production. Around him lights were tested as if simulating the experiment, occasionally blinding Søren's view. A flicker to his side suddenly lit up the opposite end of the stage. A man stood there beside another Destination Unit.

'Dr. Planck,' Søren said to the projection. 'How's the weather up there today?'

'Sunny,' came the usual response. 'Everything is ready for the demonstration I hope. I wish you'd tested it beforehand though.'

'Time got the better of me, and there's a back-up unit down here if needed,' Søren explained.

A murmur outside the room drew his attention. The first visitors were arriving. He had no idea who they were; researchers, academics, reporters or perhaps stakeholders coming to see where their investment was being sunk. And then a commotion erupted as the President arrived, towing his usual congregation of worshippers, which included Alicia. She gave a discrete smile to which Søren returned.

'Here's our man,' the President said, as if everyone hadn't already guessed who Søren was.

'All set?' the President asked, and approached the stage.

'Ready as I'll ever be,' Søren responded.

'Excellent. Today's your big day. Soon, everyone will know your name. Ten minutes to go.'

The President glazed over as he tuned into his Comms. Everyone else took a seat as Kato talked them through what would happen. Søren was sat aside as the President took his place in front of the audience. He was personally going to introduce the show. It didn't seem long had passed until Kato was counting down the final seconds to the live broadcast.

'Five...four...three...two...one...'

'Salutations and a good morning.' The President flashed a smile into the camera opposite. 'My name is Fraser Quofort, President of the quoQuantum Corporation. I'm connecting with you today not just for the benefit of my company, as what will be shown here today lies at the very core of the type of people we have become.

We all dream of a more spacious world. Every one of us bears the weight of the insane choices dreamt up by our ancestors. Whether blind ignorance or by the pursuit of pure greed, everyone ignored the warnings and sat back for a better life in the short-term. As populations exploded resources were stripped from the land and they even looked to the moon, asteroids and nearby planets for their consumption needs. And still they wanted more. 'Technology will save us anyway,' they chirped. But technology couldn't save the rest of the natural world as it incrementally crept towards disaster; from the mass extinction of flora and fauna to climatic unpredictability. And so it came to pass that within an alarmingly short space of time the damage racked by our species finally led to the world imploding. We became a species on the cusp of racing towards extinction, like we had achieved for so many other species on our planet. But we didn't. The human world changed, reorganised itself to set right the imbalance of the haves and have-nots, with the assistance of companies like quoQuantum at a time when the gap between the rich and poor had grown to an unbelievable level of resentment. And we must now all look to the future, and keep in mind the plan that my great, great, great grandfather, along with others, helped to put into place, to help right the wrongs against our planet.

But in hindsight that has been a tougher challenge than even my grandfather and his peers foresaw. And we all sigh heavily when that vision must be delayed further and further still. And we have good reason to sigh. We have the right to sigh. But we must keep our hearts firm and set on the course to what we all know will be a better world for both people and nature.

With that in mind, today you will be witness to a groundbreaking moment, not just in the history of quoQuantum but that of the world. It may be one of those times when I can honestly say that maybe, just maybe, rather than having to push the clock further into our future for the world to feel less broken we might actually be bringing that time closer to the present.

In our midst there is an extremely young yet superlatively gifted Researcher who now holds a position at my company. In a mere three months he has taken the ideas developed whilst just at school and turned them into reality. He is the sole mastermind behind this new vision that could change the lives of all. It involves revolutionising the Creation Unit, the very hardware that made quoQuantum what it is today. Without taking any more of your time I will now step aside and let this most remarkable individual explain his own work in more detail. It is with great pride that I introduce a name that will most assuredly make the annals of history, Dr. Søren Zalys.'

Applause from the small seated crowd. Was that for Søren or the rousing speech the President had just delivered? The President extended his arm, inviting Søren onto the stage from the side where he had been cowering under the praise being thrown at him. He felt a flush of blood and knew his face had gone red. He wasn't used to such commendation, and the President seemed to have a knack of constantly dishing it out in spades for him. All eyes turned to him as he ascended onto the stage. The President shook his hand and descended to take a seat within the watching crowd in front.

Søren stood a moment looking at the expectant gazes before him. His mouth felt dry and he took a laboured swallow to suppress the nerves that tried to rise through him. Reaching under his jacket he produced the object he would send. Everyone looked upon the small red object and frowned, some unsure of what it actually was.

'This is a book,' Søren explained. 'There's not much use for physical copies these days. Everyone reads digitally, and fabricating them is widely seen as a waste of resource. Nevertheless they hold knowledge, the ideas of people; that's why I've chosen it as the first object to fabricate using my new method.'

Saying this he opened the lid of the Origin Unit and placed the book inside.

'When instructed this device is going to register the book's atomic structure. It will then send these details all the way to the Lunar Base where an exact replica will be recreated.'

Søren pointed across the stage to the holographic projection of Dr. Planck and the Destination Unit.

'The device pairing works in a similar way to existing Creation Units, though current models use a store of molecules for their building blocks. Mine goes down to the atomic level. The other difference here is that no moving parts are needed to build the output layer upon layer. The unit will take each atom as needed and position within the unit in such a precise way before adding the energy to build the required bonds, that they will form an exact replica book.'

Using the console upon the Origin Unit he accessed the Destination Unit at the Lunar Base. A green light flashed confirmation at both ends. He then made sure the Origin Unit had a fix on the book. At the same time he noticed Kato waving from the back of the room at his technicians. There followed a noticeable dulling in the room's illumination so that the Lunar Base feed glowed more clearly over anything else in the room. Søren paused and briefly looked out over the crowd; at the President, at Alicia, at the cameras. Everyone seemed to hold their breath. The air was heavy with expectation. Søren pointed his index finger down and hit the Execute command.

Nothing happened. The audience still waited not realizing that something was amiss. Søren glanced back at the Unit's screen and gave a quick check to make sure all input were correct. He checked the system diagnostics were functioning as expected. Everything seemed to suggest nothing was wrong so he hit Execute once again. Still nothing. Now there were stirrings in front of him with several coughs and whispers. The crowd had begun to suspect all wasn't well.

'It looks like reaching for the moon is a bit ambitious today,' Søren said with a nervous laugh. 'Let's try something a bit closer to home.'

He reached for the Origin Unit's console yet again and connected with the Destination Unit across the stage. Again a green light flashed confirmation. Making a system check once again he hit Execute. Still nothing. For the first time in Søren's life he felt a rising panic. His whole body flushed with a prickling sweat. The audience was growing more and more restless at the lack of results.

'It seems the curse of the live demo strikes again,' Søren tried to joke, but felt absolutely mortified. 'Maybe something got broken in the move from my lab.'

He recalled the man who had moved the Origin Unit, who wasn't exactly delicate in his handling. Something must have been dislodged internally.

Søren caught a glance of the President who remained expressionless. It was far worse than if he had produced a fake smile or clenched teeth. This way Søren has no way of knowing what he was thinking.

'Here's one I made earlier,' Søren said to the audience with a half-smile half grimace. Using his Comms he quickly accessed his digital library, intending on projecting his demos from the past few weeks. All his files were missing.
Chapter Fifteen

'They seem to have disappeared,' Søren muttered slowly. 'How's that possible?'

The crowd had lost patience now and the murmur was rising. Finally the President stepped in to take control.

'Well folks, it looks like that's going to be all for today. As Søren said, it's live and these things happen. But we'll get to the bottom of the technicality and broadcast a full demo for all to see.'

The cameras ended their broadcast and the seated crowd began to move. The President turned to a group in the crowd, no doubt stakeholders, and began his apologies as he ushered them out for refreshments. Søren was left still standing there as the room emptied. Alicia gave him a look of sympathy and mouthed several words across the room.

'I love you.'

Then duty demanded she follow the President. Only the camera crew remained to clear up. They silently worked around Søren, who stood there for a good while completely perplexed at what had just befallen.

'Take the units back to my lab,' he finally told Inge, totally defeated. So this was how failure tasted.

#

Søren walked through the winding corridors of shelves. All around him were thousands, if not millions of books. There was a strange, musty odour filling the air. He presumed it was the aging books. Craning his head up he gawped at all the knowledge before him that had been inscribed upon the books' pages. And yet all this could easily be condensed to fit on a memory chip that he could hold within the palm of his hand, rather than take up so much room. It suddenly seemed like such a waste of space and resources. But at the same time he was fascinated.

The sound of a voice calling took his attention ahead once again. It was Alicia's voice. 'Søren,' came the muffled cry.

He frowned. She didn't seem happy. The call came again. This time closer, but more urgent. He felt the need to find her and rushed down the corridor of books. The call had come from the left. But turning at the end of the shelf he was met with more endless lines of books. Another call, this time fear laced the cry.

'Alicia,' he cried back, but his voice was deadened in the enclosed space. He began to jog, winding his way through the shelves. Then came the faintest of screams. His heart gave a jump and he began a sprint down the aisle. Turning he came to an abrupt stop. There in front lay a congealed mess of living tissue, all pink and purple, with veins pulsing and various appendages undulating under the rhythm of its strained breathing. It gave a shudder and seemed to try and crawl towards him, reaching out some mutilated limb.

'Søren,' it croaked in pain. He recognised Alicia's voice and his stomach churned. He took a step back and knocked into the shelf behind him. Several books came dropping down and he ducked to avoid them. The shelf continued to sway and suddenly it was falling. He dived aside and the shelf tumbled, burying the monstrosity. Other shelves began to sway and soon Søren was running, dodging books being flung his way as if there were miniature people up on the shelves throwing them directly at him. Dust and pages of paper filled the air. Søren continued to move, his head down, until he knocked into a shelf that blocked his path. He looked up anxiously. The shelf in front began to rock. He took a step back as its motion brought it back his way. It reached the edge of its sway and stopped at an angle, as if deciding to rock away again, but instead changed its mind and came towards him, raining its book upon him. Søren crouched, bracing himself for the mountain of books to hit him, crushing him with their knowledge.

He awoke, finding it difficult to catch his breath.

Alicia stirred beside him. 'What's wrong?'

He was still struggling to breathe.

'Calm down, everything's all right.' Alicia pressed the command to open the claustrophobic dorm-capsule and held Søren's hand. It seemed to take longer than usual to shift outwards but once in the clear Søren managed to breathe more easily.

'We all make mistakes,' Alicia reassured him over breakfast a few minutes later. 'And it wasn't your fault. You need to learn to switch off. You spent the whole of yesterday after the presentation in your lab fixing your research, taking no breaks, eating no food. It's not gonna do you any good, hence the weird dreams and panic attacks.'

'Then why the summons to the Office of the President?'

'He probably just wants to discuss it. He didn't get the chance yesterday, what with all the shareholders and reporters to fend off.'

Søren had already checked the latest news over Comms. It was lit up about the qQ failure. Share prices had dropped. Back at his lab following the fiasco he had checked over the Origin Unit. Something had been broken causing the malfunction, though he wasn't sure if the move was to blame. The damage seemed a bit too internal, at places that shouldn't really suffer from a knock or a fall. So instead he had suspected that darn android was potentially culpable, being too overly-helpful for its own good. In response he had set up a surveillance to catch it out and could then go to Maxwell with proof to get it properly fixed, or maybe even a refund. Though what had happened to his test recordings? He had no idea.

He turned to Alicia who had zoned out. She had her own worries today, so he gently took her hand.

'Listen to us going on and on about some useless experiment when you're the one with the big day today. But by this afternoon you'll be able to contact me through your very own OculoWave.'

Alicia remained silent. It was his turn to reassure.

'Don't worry, these procedures are routine. They get through hundreds a day. I remember when I first got mine and it immediately informed me I had a cold-like virus and then prescribed and ordered the drugs I needed.'

She raised a small smile for his benefit then cleared up breakfast before heading for a shower.

#

Søren was stood in a waiting room. He shifted his weight first between one leg and then the other, too agitated to sit. This was the third room he had been made to wait within. How many more through this labyrinth till he got to see the President? Maybe this was a way of foiling any would-be assassination attempt by making the place a complete maze. But Søren was a loyal servant. No need for all the waiting and subterfuge. At least this room didn't come with the usual sterile white decor. The walls and seating here were wood-effect, and even felt rough along the grain as if hewn straight from a tree. This must surely be the last gateway otherwise why bother to decorate?

'Dr. Zalys, the President will see you now,' a hidden speaker announced.

Søren jumped and a light above the door he paced beside lit up green. He grabbed the handle and turned, opened it onto a hallway leading to more rooms.

_Not another waiting area?_ he groaned to himself.

A man in a suit was leaving through a door to the left. Hearing Søren he looked over his shoulder for only a glance before disappearing. Søren wondered if he was meant to follow or stay, or use the door he could see on the right. As if answering his unspoken question the door to the right opened and there stood the President himself.

'Ah, Søren, come in.' The President turned back into his office and Søren followed, but not before pausing and looking back at the other door. The man he had just seen seemed familiar. Søren was sure he had seen him around somewhere before but couldn't place his face. It would bug him if he didn't remember so he set his Comms to search through his recordings for a pattern match.

The President moved across the room and stood behind a large desk that appeared to be made of wood. He leaned forward slightly to rest his large hands flat upon the table's surface and noticed Søren looking at it.

'My very own great, great, great, grandfather's desk,' he said with pride, giving it an affectionate stroke like it was some family pet. 'Take a seat Søren, you look nervous. It's not like you.' He gestured to a chair on the opposite side of the table.

Søren did as instructed. The President then sat and leaned over the desk towards him and leisurely brought his hands together, fingers interlocking. There was a pause. Søren knew this was a power play, designed to intimidate the opposition. Something learned at the School. He told himself the President probably did this automatically without even thinking now.

'Listen, don't worry.' The President finally broke the silence. 'I still have faith in your work despite our minor setback. We'll show them yet, won't we?'

The words put Søren more at ease.

'I blame myself really,' the President continued. 'Taking you out of work for a trip to an EcoZone at such a crucial time. How is Alicia?'

'Better, thanks,' Søren replied.

The President nodded. 'You know, we all have a life to live, but there are times when you have to look at the bigger picture. You know what I mean?'

Søren slowly nodded acknowledgement. He had been spending too much time away from his research, the thing that really mattered, the thing that could change the world. A rising guilt made its way through him and he nodded again. He recalled his tests, the burning book and the exploding apple. They were caused by his own stupid errors. Errors he had never made in the past before. Had life's recent distractions been the cause? Had he himself been the cause of the demo's failure? Maybe he had even managed to erase his own recordings.

'We need some hard evidence now to show us that your research is paying off,' the President told him with all sincerity. 'Do you think you can come up with something in the next few days?'

'Absolutely,' Søren replied with confidence.

They both stood and the President shook his hand. Søren left with a determination to prove his research, his real research and headed for his lab. On the way his Comms notified him of a positive pattern match for the image he had set it searching with. Up popped a picture with his Comms telling him there was over a ninety-nine percent chance that the man Søren had asked to match was from the displayed image. Søren recognised it as a picture of the crowd of protestors from his first date with Alicia. There highlighted by Comms, jeering the crowd on, was the same man. That very man who had been preaching the evils of corporation was only half an hour ago leaving the office of one of the most powerful men in the world. Did the President know who this man was? Surely anyone getting that close to the President would have been background checked first.

Somewhat confused Søren dismounted the shuttle and walked along the corridor to his lab. He spied Ursula outside.

'I'm looking for Maxwell,' she said, appearing troubled, not her usual cool self. 'The idiot's not responding to Comms.'

'If I see him I'll let him know,' Søren replied and they both parted.

Entering his lab Søren set his mind straight to work. There stood Inge, as ever.

'Salutations, Søren. How may I be of assistance?' At least it had finally dropped calling him Dr. Zalys.

Surveying the room he also noted the instruments he had laid out yesterday around the Destination Unit were still where he had left them rather than having been tidied away thanks to some over-zealous cleaning algorithm.

'Please turn away and stay like that until I say otherwise,' he told Inge.

'Certainly,' the 'droid responded and dutifully turned to face the opposite direction.

Søren crept to the far end of the room and accessed his Comms to open the secured cupboard in front of him. Inside was the Origin Unit. Since yesterday, seeing that it was potentially being tampered with in some way Søren had decided to keep it locked up. Was it overly paranoid of him? His main suspect was Inge, and he was sure it could hear what he was up to, deducing from his noises what he was doing, but still he made it turn away. As for the Destination Unit, that was a secondary concern. In fact, if someone was messing with his research, deliberately or otherwise, he would rather sacrifice the Destination Unit. It was the Origin Unit that was the key.

Placing it upon the counter he usually worked from he allowed Inge to turn back again. About to commence a bit of fine tuning for testing his Comms flashed. It was Maxwell. He gave a sigh at the early interruption and sent the feed to his lab's display screen.

'Søren,' said Maxwell. 'I just heard about yesterday.'

Søren waited for the dig at his research. He glared at Maxwell in preparation, who appeared red-eyed, probably having been out all night. No wonder Ursula couldn't find him.

'I just wanted to say...'

' _Here it comes,'_ Søren thought, awaiting Maxwell's dig.

'...I believe in you Søren. If anyone can achieve the impossible it's you. Now, get back to work, and don't expect me to give you any more encouragement...ever.'

Søren was genuinely moved by his friend's words. Giving a compliment didn't come naturally to Maxwell that was for sure. About to sign off Søren suddenly remembered Ursula's words.

'Oh, by the way, Ursula has been looking for you.'

Maxwell frowned. 'I've been working away in my lab all night. She couldn't have been looking very hard. Though I suppose I'd best check-in and see what she's after.'

He signed off, leaving Søren puzzled and with a growing suspicion gnawing at him. Had Ursula really been looking for Maxwell? Out of curiosity he connected to Comms and checked the room's logbook. There was Ursula's signature, the only one since he himself had last been in. Ok, that was all as expected. He then went over to the hidden surveillance he had set up and looked back several minutes. It showed Ursula enter then briefly look around to see who was about. Then she approached Inge and said something too quiet for the device to pick up. Søren was annoyed with himself. He hadn't thought about sound for his surveillance. The hi-def audio version would have given him what he wanted. And the way Ursula was positioned meant he couldn't even see her lips to try and match the pattern to speech. However the recording showed Inge responding, which Søren easily recognised as 'No'. Then Ursula spoke again, to which Inge responded with a nod. Then she left. Nothing too suspicious really. If anything it backed up Ursula's own account of events. She could just have asked Inge about whether Maxwell had been around, he found himself logically reasoning.

'Stop being paranoid,' he muttered under his breath. But saying this he looked over at the Origin Unit. Had someone tampered with it?

He turned, and there was Inge right by his side. Søren jumped and stepped back a few paces. His muscle fibres twitching with tension, he was prepared for the 'droid to attack. But it didn't. It just stood there awaiting an instruction.

'What did Ursula want when she came in?' he asked of it.

Inge remained unblinking for several seconds. Søren's unease elevated further still. Should he raise an alarm about a potentially rogue android? But then it spoke.

'She asked if Maxwell had been here. I responded with 'No'. Then she asked me to keep her informed if he showed up. I agreed.'

Søren breathed out slowly and told himself to stop being stupid. He set down the surveillance and stepped over to the Origin Unit. It appeared untouched. He gave another suspicious glance at Inge, which just stood there awaiting an order. He tried to drop the matter. It was he himself who was making up any conspiracy theories. There was no evidence at all apart from his growing unease. And maybe Ursula simply hadn't checked Maxwell's lab. Søren had to admit to himself that looking there probably wouldn't be at the top of his list of places either.

'Let's get to work,' he said.

Inge nodded and gave a smile. It walked over the Origin Unit and awaited instruction. Then it started humming. Søren looked at his helper and smiled at the curious algorithm. The humming certainly made Inge appear a lot more human. Søren wondered if it was preprogrammed or if it had picked it up. Within that same moment the thought caused his blood to chill. He wanted so much to deny what had just crossed through his mind. Grabbing the surveillance once again he rewound it further, keeping his eye fixed to the screen until a blur of movement appeared. Someone else had been in, bypassing the room's security. He stopped the recording and pressed play. It showed someone enter the lab. Someone Søren recognised; the source of Inge's humming. It was Wallace.

Chapter Sixteen

Søren watched his recording aghast as Wallace walked over to the Destination Unit and moved his hand over it. He then hesitated and turned his head slightly as he looked at the arrangement of instruments round the device. Søren had a feeling Wallace was deciding whether any action could be taken without disturbing anything. His hand retracted as if thinking better of it. Then he went over to Inge and said something before opening a hatch leading to its manual control panel and typing in a command. After that he left and the room was empty.

'Inge, has Wallace been in here today?'

'Negative,' the 'droid replied.

Wallace must have erased its memory.

Søren connected to Comms and located Wallace's signature. He was in his lab. About to call he had a change of mind. He needed to see Wallace in person. If his friend was going to lie, Søren wanted it to be face to face when confronting him.

He left the lab, traversed the corridor and stepped onto an awaiting mobiTile. Setting his destination he tried to calm the rising anger. Of all the people he could have suspected, Wallace wouldn't have even registered.

#

Søren entered Wallace's lab and stopped at the entrance. There was his friend perched at his desk, his nerves in tatters from the abuse thrown at them over these past few months. What Søren had hoped was the beginning of a recovery seemed unapparent at the moment. He could see Wallace was putting more effort into keeping his body from uncontrollable twitching with the urge for more alcohol than he was in reading whatever he was focused upon via Comms. Surprisingly Søren now found within him sympathy. Despite what Wallace seemed to have done it wasn't pleasant to see him like this and Søren was already hoping there was a simple explanation.

Sensing a presence Wallace glanced over and faintly smiled. Søren remained like stone.

'Why?' was all he ended up saying. His voice was soft, almost a whisper of disbelief.

The recognition of his uncovering spread across Wallace and his smile dissolved. Bringing his hands to his face with shame, his body began to convulse under tears. Søren waited, his suspicions having been confirmed.

'I had to,' Wallace finally managed to croak. And then, when Søren had managed to calm him enough, there came an outpouring of the misery he had endured over the past year.

'My research was originally to unlock the mechanism behind memory assisted by nanotechnology. The idea was for it to act as a teaching aid, or to assist with memory recovery, and to possibly help reverse degenerative brain diseases. But then only six months ago Sinclair and I managed to actually suggest thoughts to the lab rats. Sinclair was the one who augmented a Comms to work with our nanotech which meant we no longer had to have the specimen hooked up to a machine. We hadn't told anyone, but one day a Company representative showed up and in minutes began suggesting human experimentation. Our research simply wasn't ready for that. And it was the insertion of thoughts they were interested in, not the reversal of dementia. At that point we knew our curiosity had gone too far.'

Wallace stopped. He looked blankly ahead as he recollected the nightmare of his recent life.

'We refused of course. Sinclair looked into exposing our research so it would be condemned. But quoQuantum were forcing our every move by then. So Sinclair tried to consult with a Reporter. But they must have been under the Company's influence as straight afterwards Sinclair lost his father. It broke him; too much happening at once. He tried to think of another way out. He didn't tell me what he was planning. I wouldn't have let him.'

Wallace looked up into Søren's eyes.

'Sinclair injected himself with our nanotech and then jumped off the roof the day you started work. He hoped it would lead to a proper investigation as to what the strange augmentation to his Comms was, and then the exposure of the nanotech. But nothing came of it, his sacrifice was in vain. They didn't care about him anyway. He was the engineer that they could replace. I'm the one doing the neural research.'

'Why didn't you expose them following Sinclair's death?' Søren urged.

'Where was the evidence? His Comms could be made to have been lost or damaged from the fall, and the nanotech destroyed as it never officially existed anyway. It would be my word against theirs and a ruined reputation. And you forget that they were monitoring my every move. I doubt I could have finished a sentence to expose them before I was taken down. It's too late anyway. I've gone too far. And I've also noticed Ursula watching. I'm sure she's part of it.'

There was a pause. Søren didn't mention Ursula having been around his lab.

'They'll twist your research in the same way they did to mine,' Wallace warned him. 'If you manage to revolutionise the Creation Unit who knows what they'll start manufacturing. More than likely it will be people. So I had to do it; I had to make it look like your research was failing. I'm sorry. I was only ever trying to protect you from what I've been through.'

Søren was reminded of something the President himself had mentioned in passing at the EcoZone, about fabricating people. Søren wasn't sure it was even possible with is Unit. Had he been naïve to think it wouldn't be attempted. His goal had always been translocation, not fabrication.

'You could stop right now,' Wallace urged, taking a tight hold of Søren's arm. 'Make your research lead to a dead end. They have no hold over you. You have no family...'

Wallace's voice fell dead and both he and Søren looked at each other now, thinking of the same person; Alicia. At this very moment she was about to undergo surgery to have an ocular implant installed. There was always the faintest of chances that it could go wrong. Or the biggest of chances it could be made to look that way. Søren began to sense a rising panic.

'They won't hurt her, yet...' Wallace advised, but unsure. 'It depends if they think she can be used to control you. They might just make it so she comes out needing specialist care. Or they might think she's too much of a distraction, what with all your experiments failing.' He went quiet. 'That would make it my fault.'

Søren recalled the President's words only an hour earlier. They implied Alicia had indeed been a distraction to his work. It was all starting to make rather unnerving sense to him now.

'Direct me through to qQHQ alphaAzure OculoWave Clinic,' Søren ordered his Comms. He couldn't let either scenario happen and needed to put a stop to the procedure.

A woman answered almost immediately. 'Salutations and a good morning. You're through to the alphaAzure OculoWave Clinic, qQHQ branch. How may I be of assistance?'

'I need to speak to Miss Alicia Atkins. It's urgent.' he told the woman. 'She's currently due to undergo an ocular implant operation.'

The woman took a brief second to check her records.

'I'm sorry but Miss Atkins has already been taken through to preparation. Surgery is scheduled to begin in exactly sixteen minutes fifty seconds. I'm sure the matter can wait. The procedure is relatively straight-forward and you should be able to directly contact her implant in three hours.' The woman signed off without letting Søren argue back any further.

'I've got to stop them,' he said to Wallace and turned to rush out.

'Wait,' Wallace replied. He rolled up a sleeve of his shirt and proceeded to pull at the skin of his forearm between forefinger and thumb. It stretched with amazing elasticity. Then suddenly out popped a small hatch from his arm, enough of a surprise for Søren to fully turn back. It was a secret compartment, actually hidden within the body.

'Sinclair arranged for this little hiding place to be implanted when we realized the Company was snooping on our work,' Wallace explained. 'There's something they never managed to uncover about our work. I've tested it on myself though; the ability to actually extract an individual's thoughts via Comms. The method needs refining but it works. I stopped any further tests once I realized the danger the work posed. I didn't want it to fall into their hands.'

From the small cavity he extracted several minute items which he then held out for Søren in a shaking palm.

'Take these.'

Søren hastily stepped back over, but was impatient to get away.

'The chip contains all my research. Please, do what you feel is necessary with it. The pill is for your protection. quoQuantum may know you suspect them now, just for coming here if nothing else. I'm not sure what they will do. The pill contains nanotech that will harmlessly dismantle your implant. That way it can't be used to locate your whereabouts.'

Wallace choked back his tears. 'I'm sorry,' he said before breaking down again.

Søren stepped forward and gave his friend a hug.

'We'll sort this out somehow, I promise.' He then turned. About to exit the room Wallace spoke once again.

'I know you were hiding something in that unit of yours. There's too much tech for just replication. Perhaps the true potential of your work?'

Søren turned back. 'Something wonderful,' was all he replied.

'Get rid of it all,' Wallace told him, his face like stone. 'Don't let them have it. They'll only use it for their own twisted means.'

Søren didn't reply. There wasn't the time. So he just left the room.

Working out the best route to the Clinic he knew he could make it in eight minutes. That was enough time to find Alicia and demand they stop. What then? What reason could he give? What would the Company do?

He raced to the shuttle-point but a shuttle wasn't immediately available.

'Damn!' Søren slammed the panel with his palm, as if that would encourage one to arrive any quicker. Fifteen minutes. Alicia could be whisked in and out of surgery in that amount of time.

The wait was agonising. Søren spent the time contacting the Clinic once again.

'Salutations and a good morning. You're through to the...'

'Hi, I rang not so long ago,' Søren interrupted. 'About Alicia Atkins. Could I please speak to her, if only for a moment?'

'I'm sorry Mr...?'

'Zalys, Dr. Zalys,' he emphasized, for the first time trying to use his title to gain some kind of leverage.

'I'm sorry Dr. Zalys, but only family members or the Authorities can contact a patient at this late stage, which I'm sure you're aware.'

'Bitch,' though Søren, but instantly felt bad. She was only doing her job. She signed off once again leaving him to await his ride in the dark about Alicia, then endure another excruciating eight minutes of travel.

Upon arrival at the clinic he burst through the entrance, turning his head one way then another before spying the reception desk. He headed straight over.

'Alicia Atkins,' he said, before he had even reached the desk. 'I'm looking for Alicia Atkins. It's important. We need to stop her surgery.'

'Dr. Zalys,' the receptionist said flatly in recognition of the man who had pestered her earlier. 'It seems you're not the only one with that intention today. A woman came and escorted her away just moments after you last called. All this is most irregular, and the patient had been administered anesthetic.'

'What? Who?' were all the words Søren could find. This was totally unexpected.

'She was called Roselyn Dante, I think. She had all the official paperwork and insisted on taking Miss Atkins, despite her sedation. She just wheeled her out of here only minutes ago. I'm surprised you didn't pass each other.'

'What did this woman look like?' Søren asked.

'Well she was sort of plain looking, thin, with short blonde hair, but very cold and insistent.'

'Ursula,' Søren muttered. She was the person he instantly though of at the 'cold and insistent' description. Except her hair didn't fit. Though she could easily have been wearing a wig. But why would Ursula have reason to take Alicia? Maybe he was completely off the mark.

His eyes wandered across the room as he stood dumbstruck, wondering what course of action to take next. It was at that moment his eyes caught sight of someone he recognised, the protester he had witnessed exiting the President's office. Yet now here this chameleon appeared dressed as a doctor, and was actually approaching the desk Søren was stood beside. All Søren could think about were the words of Wallace; that the company might be out to hurt Alicia. Surely this traitor was involved.

The man had now reached the desk and casually opened a file within his hands.

'Where's Alicia?' Søren found himself barking at the man who looked up with a frown.

'I'm sorry?' the man said, confused at being addressed in so angry a tone.

'This gentleman is seeking one of your patient's, Doctor Birch,' the receptionist explained. 'Alicia Atkins, who was discharged so suddenly.'

'Ah,' the Doctor said in recognition. 'I've absolutely no idea where she disappeared to. She'd left before I was even made aware.'

Upon saying this his eyes flashed down at the file within his grasp. Søren looked at it also and found himself unable to believe what he was being told. This man was connected to the Company in more ways than just being a Doctor. What if there was something in that file that contained the evidence he needed?

Without any more thought he lunged forward and made a grab for the file. But the Doctor held on resulting in a confetti of papers.

'Security!' Søren heard the Doctor call, sending the alert through his Comms. He looked down at the scattered sheets, and realized he may have acted rather a bit hastily due to his frustration. So he just turned and ran from the clinic.

Racing back to the shuttle terminal Søren found a ride awaiting, maybe the one he had left previously. Entering, he set his destination back to his lab and took a seat. He was unsure where to go next. Should he report Alicia's disappearance to the authorities? But say what? That he suspects there is a conspiracy to kill his girlfriend because she is distracting him from completing his work, and now she has disappeared for all of five minutes. They'd lock him up in an institution. He was also going to have to explain his actions at the clinic.

His Comms flashed. A message from an anonymous sender. He opened it with a frown.

'They're jamming your Comms! This special alert is going to light up the Wave any time now.'

Søren opened the attached document and read.

Dr. Søren Zalys is wanted in connection with the arson of a quoQuantum laboratory which led to the death of Dr. Wallace Schwartz. Dr. Zalys is also wanted in relation to the assault of individuals at the qQHQ alphaAzure OculoWave Clinic, and the abduction of a patient, Miss Alicia Atkins.
Chapter Seventeen

Søren reread the message in disbelief, astonished at the fabricated accusations. And it talked about the murder of Wallace who he had only just been talking to. They had murdered his friend and were now framing him. That was his initial, sickening thought. He tried his Comms, to get through to Wallace. Nothing, not even a connection. Was that the signal jamming the message mentioned or just because Wallace was dead? He tried Maxwell as a further test. No signal. He was officially off the Wave.

His next idea was to head to Wallace's lab, just to make sure. He needed to know if it was true. But the more he thought about it the more he became convinced that Wallace's departure hadn't even been quoQuantum's doing. Why else had Wallace handed over all his research? Søren was left with a vision of poor Wallace going about his final act, his life no longer tolerable. It was always going to end that way for his poor friend. Søren wondered how much Wallace had managed to hold back from the Company; the knowledge which was now nestled in his pocket. A sense of guilt washed over him, laying heavily upon his shoulders. Now it was his turn to see the other side of quoQuantum. They had acted quickly, far faster than he would have expected. Turning all his recent actions into lies. He hadn't been involved in Wallace's death and he hadn't hurt anyone at the Clinic. Yet all these events were being pinned on him. Søren wondered what else they were going to fabricate about him.

His Comms flashed once again.

'It's all complete lies about your involvement of course, but who's going to believe you against qQ? Now get out of that shuttle, and take that pill Wallace gave you! Head down. It's the only choice of a fugitive. And try to stay alive, Dr. Zalys.'

Who was this? There was no way of replying to the message to find out. Søren tried to think clearly. This was all happening too quickly. Should he even trust this person? But in response to their advice he ordered the shuttle to stop at the next terminal. Then reaching into his pocket he took out the pill Wallace gave him and studied it suspiciously as it nestled in the palm of his hand. Could he put his faith in his friend? He was sure Wallace's last words had been the truth. So tipping back his head and opening his mouth he pushed in the pill and swallowed. A warmth grew in his stomach. He began to feel slightly nauseated. Was this the end? Had he been lied to by Wallace? A prickling sweat broke out across his forehead and he found it difficult to breathe. His Comms went once again.

'What is up with your vitals? Calm down, you're making yourself ill. The pill is safe. Trust me.'

By just reading the message Søren managed to calm his breathing. But who was this person, who seemed to have so much access to his personal systems? The sooner he got rid of his implant the better if it was so easy to gain control over. The strange feeling in his stomach subsided and he began to feel like his old self once again.

The shuttle slowed to a stop and the door glided open. Søren bowed his head, not wanting his face recorded on anyone's Comms, and left the shuttle. Even though the alert had yet to be issued, once it was riding the Wave a lot of people would set their implants to pattern match their day against the picture issued. He'd have to avoid everyone. His anonymous message was right, he needed to head down. Of course the anonymous messages could all be fake, and his guardian angel could actually be working for the Company, trying to remove him so they could lock down his research. But why alert him? Why not just come to detain him immediately? Somehow he felt he could trust his helper. But he still couldn't leave his research. He couldn't let qQ get their hands on it. If he acted now he could quickly head back to his lab and either take it or destroy it. The anonymous tip-off had at least given him that much time.

He turned back to the shuttle entrance, but it had already been called elsewhere. Why had he just disembarked? He could kick himself for having acting on impulse, or for not appropriately thinking through the consequences of his actions. But there had been so little time to even think, with so much to take in. So now he was forced to await another shuttle. Thankfully it was less than a minute for another to arrive and nobody else turned up.

Boarding the shuttle he kept this head down, trying to avoid his face appearing upon any surveillance within the ride. It requested access to his Comms. He declined and chose to use the manual display instead, the downside of his decision being that it took him longer to work out how the controls worked to then punch in his destination.

'Please take a seat,' the shuttle politely requested.

Søren knew what would follow. He would be locked into place. The idea, which in the past he hadn't given a second thought to, now seemed riddled with uncertainty. But he had no choice. Declining would mean the shuttle refusing to take him, possibly even raising an alarm somewhere. Therefore reluctantly he took a seat and the shuttle held him firmly in place.

It only took the shuttle one minute and fifteen seconds to arrive at the terminal located on the same corridor as his lab. In that time Søren used the shuttle's control panel to check local news. No report issued yet. So then he had Søren laid out a plan. He would grab the Origin Unit then head down, thankful that it was the slightly more portable of his pair of devices. He knew his planned actions meant being a fugitive on the run. After that he wasn't so sure. He was hoping his anonymous helper might give him some further direction. Maybe meet up and explain how they knew so much. Maybe help him look for Alicia.

With the shuttle coming to a stop it was with more than a little relief that his shackles were loosened and he dismounted the ride in haste. Once again fortune sat by his side; no-one was in sight, but still he made a dash for his lab just in case.

Once inside the familiar surroundings he felt slightly safer. But there nestled a new sickly feeling within the depths of his stomach. It was a mixture of betrayal and lies. He felt angry also. All he had ever wanted to do was help the world. But now it felt like it was against him.

Turning back to the entrance he accessed its control panel through his Comms. He locked it down, allowing absolutely no-one through. To make doubly sure he hacked the security and completely deleted any digital access, then encrypted any further access so only he could restore functionality. Now someone would have to blast their way through the door to gain entry. Again he checked the local news. The Comms Wave was alive. The media agencies had issued their alert about him. He was officially a wanted man, and his Comms was being hacked to try and stop the news spreading his way.

He turned and leaned against the door with his eyes shut, allowing himself just the smallest moment of peace to help calm the rising anger and let him think with more clarity. Opening his eyes they registered something was amiss before his brain finally caught up with his vision to inform him what it was. Inge was gone, and so was the Destination Unit.

'The Origin Unit!' Søren said aloud to himself in a panic. Had someone taken it also? It must have been Inge.

He leapt across the room. Doing so a strange sensation overcame him. It was hard to describe, but felt like a lonely emptiness as if something in his life was missing, like having a limb severed. He attributed it to the panic he felt from potentially losing something he regarded so highly.

Reaching the far side of the room he went to access his Comms to unlock the cupboard. His implant failed to respond. It had degraded thanks to the pill he had taken. That was the emptiness he had just felt; his severing with the rest of the world, a more tangible feeling than just having his Comms blocked to outside messages. Gone was his extra memory store and the reassurance that his natural bodily rhythms were functioning normally. It was like his heart had stopped; like his sight had been taken from him. It seemed alien that several years ago he had once lived his life in this kind of isolation before having his implant inserted. He attempted access once again. Still no response.

'No!' he cried, panic filling his voice. There was no way into the cupboard now. Still he crouched and grabbed at it with his fingers, but the door's edges were flush with the rest of the unit it was built into, so instead Søren just ended up clawing away in vain like an animal.

He turned and looked around for something, anything, to prise open the cupboard with. But his attention was drawn over to the entrance he had used only a minute earlier. The control panel was flashing away with a green then a red light. Someone was trying to gain access to the room.

He stood staring at the entrance. Then tripping his way over to his lab's screen he manually accessed its control panel to view the outside security surveillance. On the other side of the door were three armed officers, no doubt there to apprehend him for the fabricated crimes.

A flash of light blinded his vision and he fell to the side, grabbing the surface in front to keep himself from hitting the floor. At first Søren thought they had blown the door open. But the lack of accompanying noise and a sudden flood of messages told him his Comms was back online and no longer being jammed, and that there were a lot of people trying to contact him about the breaking news. He set his Comms status to unreachable and locked down his messaging. The last thing he needed was any disturbance. Then turning immediately to the cupboard holding his unit, he accessed it before his implant failed for good. The security mechanism responded instantly. Søren's legs failed with relief and he dropped down to open the door. There his Unit awaited. At last something was going his way.

His Comms flashed yet again. Another message from Anonymous. It had gotten through despite the setting Søren had put in place.

'What are you doing in your lab? They're not going to let you leave alive. I hope you have something to take them down with.'

Søren found the news hard to digest. This unknown helper had been right about the news alert. They were probably right about the intentions of the Officers locked outside. He wasn't sure how he would fare against three of them. He certainly had nothing to 'take them down with'. There was nothing for it but to destroy his research. At least then nobody would have it. Unless... Søren looked at the unit and mulled over his latest, crazy idea. He could either die at the hands of those waiting for him outside, or die trying to escape using his own research. At least the latter option had a sliver of a possibility of him staying alive.

Sliding the Origin Unit onto the floor he removed the transparent case and set it aside before steeping on top of the unit. Crouching to access its controls he began running a diagnostic of himself, including the Unit itself also. There was no reason why he should be able to take it with him. If anything it might even make for a more stable ride.

Thoughts of the last failed attempt with the lab rat flashed through his mind. Would his last moments be spend in agony as he materialised as a blob of mutilated tissue? Would the Unit register his heart, his blood, his thoughts? He tried to shake the memory and looked up to the door. Any moment it could burst open. He also wondered about Alicia. He hoped she was being treated well, but Wallace's last words didn't fill him with encouragement. Why kidnap someone and pretend it was their boyfriend? There was no way she could be released to tell the world of that lie. Anger simmered within him again. His unit _had_ to work. And he would make them pay if they harmed her in any way.

The diagnostic ran without issue. Next was deciding his destination. Dr. Planck's lab on the Lunar Base was still registered with the Unit. It was tempting, as that would be the perfect place to hide, but Søren needed to know what had become of Alicia.

He switched to his Comms again. It was still functioning. Bringing up a map of the nearby area he chose a location towards the lower levels and found a shuttle terminal. It was registered as still being in use, but Søren couldn't imagine there were many people using one so far down. It seemed like a good place to try. The danger, other than the unit failing of course, was trying to translocate to a place where a solid object already existed. That would most likely end up messy. But at this moment his options were limited. So triangulating the distance from his current position he fed it into the Origin Unit. This was it. All that was left was the execute command. The words the traitorous Inge had spoken came back to him, uttered following one of his experiments. 'Make sure you don't test it on yourself, Dr. Zalys,' He had no choice. And once again the image of the failed lab rat sat before him. Was that to be his fate?

The strange, empty feeling washed over him once again, helping to break his thoughts from doubt. He attempted to access his implant. It was dead. Wallace's nanotech had worked. He was completely disconnected from the Wave. It felt truly lonely. But at least now there would be no tracking his location.

The door to the lab gave a shudder. They were attempting manual entry. He wasn't going to hang around any longer. Reaching down he hit 'Execute'.
Chapter Eighteen

Darkness. Søren could see or hear nothing. Where was he? The last think he remembered was registering himself with his Unit. The registered version of himself contained within the Unit wouldn't know what had happened afterwards. Therefore he had to presume his idea had been a success and he had transported himself to the lower levels. But he was blind. A panic gripped him, thinking he had lost his sight. Did he even have eyes at all? This prompted a hand to automatically move to his face and touch his eyelids. Yes, his eyes were there. He felt okay within himself which was a positive sign. Reaching down into the dark emptiness he could feel the Origin Unit underneath him. So at least it seemed to have worked and this wasn't some darkened hell he had been banished to for playing with nature.

Taking a tentative crawl forward he moved from the unit and felt something in front. Rising to a stand vague shapes began forming as his eyes adjusted to the low light. He was stood beside a shuttle terminal. It didn't appear to have been used for some time. But groping for the control panel a flash of light initiated it back to life. Søren regretted his action, hoping it hadn't triggered any notification of use. He looked up at his surroundings and gazed straight into the lens of a surveillance camera.

'Shit!' He might as well have given them a personal call.

Turning away he looked down the now dimly illuminated corridor. It didn't matter now which was he went, he supposed. So taking up the Origin Unit he headed down the corridor, away from the shuttle terminal, the main source of light. But there was another faint light ahead. It grew as he approached the end of the corridor and came upon a walkway at the edge of a building block. Craning his head back he viewed the towering metropolis above him with faint lights twinkling where society started once again. Looking down he could see a light mist in the air that rapidly grew thicker to obscure the waste of humanity that lay below. Still the series of reflective mirrors were in place, bringing illumination from above and shedding the only light over this bygone time where people used to live and work. But eventually even the poorest in society were choked upwards as the smog rose to claim the depths of what was supposedly civilisation. The reflective lights only penetrated so far before being extinguished in the yellow clouds.

Spying a ladder nearby dropping its way into the gloom he decided to make the difficult descent with his unit.

#

'The lab was empty, Chief,' the officer informed his superior over Comms.

'But his signal was traced all the way there from the alphaAzure Clinic,' came the commanding officer's reply. 'That means he's managed to hack his system. I doubt he was ever there.' The Chief paused for a moment of bitter thought. 'We're unlikely to get any further signal from him. He could be miles away by now. Keep searching for any suspicious devices.'

'Like what, Sir?'

'Anything that looks suspicious,' came the angry reply. In all reality the Chief was just as in the dark as his subordinates. All he knew was that a notable device belonging to the quoQuantum Corporation had gone missing and that a Dr. Søren Zalys was the most likely culprit, having already left a trail of destruction in such a short space of time. The unit's retrieval was considered top priority, no matter what the cost.

'Sir, there's an alert just been issued that I think you need to see,' came another message from a different officer.

'Didn't I tell you no disturbances? The current issue is priority.'

'But Sir, this in a related matter.'

The Chief suddenly became very attentive of the new officer, who continued his explanation.

'The alert just came through. We've a visual match on Dr. Zalys.'

'Patch it through, now,' the Chief ordered. He then stood in a glaze, looking inward. At first his Comms appeared blank. Thinking he had been given a broken feed, irritation was nano-seconds from taking over when the video feed illuminated into life. A light had lit up from a control panel screen casting an eerie glow across a shuttle terminal entrance to reveal a man groping around in what had been darkness. The young man then looked up directly into the camera, before beating a hasty retreat.

'Where is this?' he commanded.

'Level twenty five, Sir,' came the response.

'Level twenty five! How the hell did he manage to get all the way down there undetected from the clinic in such a short space of time? That would take at least five shuttle transfers. Get a team down there, immediately! And proceed with caution. That thing he's carrying could be quoQuantum's device. Or it could be an explosive to try and destabilise the lower levels.'

#

Søren gradually clattered his way down the shaking ladder, the sound of his footsteps ringing on each step before being swallowed by the soup of sulphurous air. The going had been difficult with the burden of his unit and he was beginning to feel its weight. A large pipe running down to his side sprayed out mists of hot fumes, making him feel all the worse, belching out the unwanted waste from the purified air of civilisation all that way above him. Running on adrenaline, first one foot then the other blindly reached out for the walkway below. Søren allowed himself time to stop and fully appreciate his situation. He was exhausted and began shaking from his ordeal. He even pondered what his odds were of being caught; dead or alive, imagining the masses above tuning in to the betting channels, seeing with interest that unusually it was a Researcher on the run, but deciding it wouldn't take long for him to be brought to justice.

For now there wasn't a sole in sight, not that he could see very far through the humid swirling vapours. He guessed his position at about twenty floors up. This toxic dumping ground certainly wasn't any place to stay if you valued your lungs, the only lifeforms probably being the toughest of single-celled microbes. Søren was already suffering, a slight burning catching the back of his throat. Yet people would have to venture down here at times just to repair the decay to stop society above from crashing down.

He guessed it wouldn't be too long before the authorities made an appearance, if his likeness had indeed been reported by the shuttle terminal's surveillance. That's what he had to assume. Therefore he needed to stow his unit. It would at least reduce his burden and help increase his chances of getting through this. During his climb down the ladder he had even considered the possibility of using it to move elsewhere. But he needed to know exact distances and what lay at each destination. He had been able to use his Comms for triangulation last time, and had still taken a gamble. And although it had proved successful he didn't want to push his luck. His unit was still merely a prototype.

Scanning the area he realized there were a wealth of places to hide his life's work. Everything seemed to be corroding and hanging loose. He chose a concealed hole near the ladder, making it easier for him to locate on his return. Then he headed with trepidation along the walkway, spreading his weight across a wide stride as he felt like the rickety old panels would give way under him at any moment.

At the end of the walkway drew up a gaping entrance to some cavernous room. Søren peered in. Any light from outside was rapidly consumed by the dark. However there was nothing for it but to press on. So he hugged the wall, following the room round. By continually staring into the nothing his eyes eventually adjusted to the low light. He was in a large empty space. The only thing he could make out were the room's supporting pillars. After a certain distance of groping his way along the wall he felt the outline of an open doorway. More darkness lay before him. He decided to walk through, carefully testing the ground with a foot at first in case nothing but a severe drop lay beyond. All seemingly okay he ventured incrementally on. There was the danger of becoming hopelessly lost; though surely that would help make it impossible for him to be found.

Progressing blindly along he felt his way round the edge of the latest room, came to a corner and so continued against this other surface. At the back wall he located yet another doorway and continued through. A bit more groping suggested he was now within a corridor. This he followed. It felt like an age without being able to see anything, occasionally stopping and listening out for anything that sounded like footsteps. But there was always silence. And the silence got his mind ticking over. He knew he couldn't stay down here forever; for the sake of his lungs if nothing else. He would also need some food and water if nothing else. He shouldn't have come so far down. And above all he needed to find out what had become of Alicia. The thought of her name sent him spinning and he stopped to hug the wall and regain his balance.

Looking ahead he could discern some source of light. He waited just to see if grew any brighter or duller, in case it proved to be a flashlight searching for him, but it remained constant, so he assumed it led to an outside space. Heading on further the air grew thicker once again, telling him it was definitely outside he was venturing towards.

Returning to the lifeless smog he looked around at his new surroundings, the light taking some getting used to after being in complete darkness. It looked the same as before, decay and abandon. How many people once lived here, in a time when the air was still tolerable? Exactly how long ago was that?

Looking along the walkway, first one way then the other, he spied a ladder which led upwards. Maybe he could risk ascending just a bit from this vile air. But as Søren contemplated this the realization hit him that the ladder could well be the one he had used to descend. He looked at its surroundings, and up to where it led. It _was_ the ladder. He had basically come round in a complete arc, having been disoriented in the darkness.

A noise caused him to jump and turn towards the sound. Something had broken free, having rusted away from years of decay to now finally part with its fixture and clatter down to the toxic ground. But on its freefall it had managed to hit one of the reflective mirrors funneling light down from above. The place grew perceptibly dimmer, as if it wasn't already murky enough down here, whilst the smashing and shattering that filled the air followed the falling debris to the depths below, only ever so slightly echoing across the urban canyon before being consumed by the thick air.

Like an animal being hunted Søren instinctively backed up into the dark safety of the corridor he had traversed, as if it was his own protective den. But curiosity made him look up to where the fixture had come loose to locate its cause. There it was, a shadow moving, or had he imagined it? His heart-rate soared, but continuing to watch, his eyes those eyes with the special keenness to sense heat, unmistakably recognised the shimmering silhouette of a man moving across the walkway above. He was being pursued.

Søren watched as the Officer precariously climbing down a flight of aging stairs, slowly progressing his way. Søren studied his adversary. By the way the Officer kept looking around every so often Søren guessed his exact location was still a secret. But surely his opponent could see infra-red also, albeit from an artificial sensor. But one in all actuality which was likely to be more refined than Søren's natural gift.

Søren's gaze briefly shifted to the pipe which was spewing out hot gas. It was no doubt saving his life at this moment in time, masking the Officer's implant.

His pursuant disappeared from view, round some corner. Søren didn't dare move, other than to crane his head slowly around the pipe in an attempt to bring the Officer back into view. In response the pipe seemed to increase the gush of hot air it expelled forcing Søren to move back. But it was as he did so that part of the Officer suddenly came back into view, striding out onto the walkway right in front of him.

Søren pressed himself right up against the back of the pipe, feeling its heat through his clothing, close to burning. He didn't dare to breathe and no longer had a view of his hunter. With any luck the Officer would continue down the walkway, towards the ladder, giving Søren the chance to escape back into the darkness of the corridor he had emerged from and lay low for a while. Everywhere else around here appeared too exposed.

But the Officer didn't move, which was agonizing for Søren, not being able to see what was going on, expecting to have the Officer appear round the pipe with his gun held up. And following what seemed like an age he finally saw the back of the Officer come into view and move away from him down the walkway. Søren knew this was his chance. About to make a dive back down the corridor he first moved from the scorching pipe. It gave a shudder at the release. The Officer instantly spun round at the noise and he and Søren stared each other in that instant.

Søren just froze, aware that all was finally over as the Officer went for the gun holstered at his waist. But the quick action over having turned and gone for his gun sent him ever so slightly off balance and with his other hand he reached out to the nearby railing for support. But rather than help break his fall the corroded railing simply crumbled away in the Officers hand, causing him to continue falling. Søren remained locked in place as the Officer gave a short cry before tumbling head first over the walkway and down into the toxic depths below.

For several seconds Søren continued to stand and just stare, now at the gaping hole in the railing, yet to fully comprehend what had just befallen. The fact that he was safe once again finally seeped through to his consciousness. Yet part of him still felt guilty over the Officer's demise. But the only other outcome would have been his own demise. It was little comfort and he took a step forward with some part of him wanted to approach the edge just to make sure the Officer wasn't hanging on to some ledge in pain. As he did so a flash lit up his vision immediately followed by a loud bang. It sent him tumbling to the floor. His eyes dazzled and his ears ringing he looked up to see the pipe he had been hugging was rent open. It had been shot at. Casting his eyes in the most likely direction the shot was aimed from, Søren caught the movement of yet another figure. It was at the top of the ladder, pointing a gun his way. Søren rolled just in time to miss another shot. Now out of sight he scrambled to his feet and charged as fast as he blindly dared back down the darkness of the corridor, away from the pursuit of the second Officer.

After a short while his thoughts began to catch up with his panic. He had already traced this route. It led back to the walkway, to danger. He needed to find another exit. Moving to each wall of the corridor he tried to feel for an opening to escape through. But none presented itself. It was the same on the next room, and the next. Finally Søren was back in the large room he had initially decided to step into after descending the ladder. There was an inner fear rising that he tried to keep suppressed. It was the worry that there was no other way out from the path he had chosen. He could see the faint light of the doorway that led back outside across the long room. Feeling along the wall he tried to find any other doorway or even window. Anything that didn't leave the entrance before him as the only option. But there was nothing, and his fear now was the pursuing Officer catching up behind. He had no option but to try his luck back on the walkway.

With haste he crossed the darkened room, but his growing paranoia caused every shadow in the room to appear to move at the corner of his vision and imitate the shape of someone in pursuit. Finally he slowed as the rectangle of light before him grew. Then a faint noise of footsteps breached the doorway ahead of him.

'Don't move!' came the warning, but the shower of sparks that brushed just inches from Søren's ear told him to dive for cover behind the large concrete pillar. Either this was a trigger-happy rookie, or the intent definitely wasn't to be brought in alive at all. Søren now felt like an idiot for having come back here. The Officer would have a complete schematic of the building layout down here, knowing Søren would have gone back into the tunnel, with the only other possible exit being this one. He had simply waited for Søren's appearance.

Weighing up the possibilities Søren was sure the company had finally decided to get rid of him, even without his device. Maybe it was the lack of proof that his research was leading anywhere that had caused a shift in their belief in him. Though if they discovered where the Origin unit lay hidden he was sure they would work out its true power eventually.

'Damn them,' he muttered under his breath, then picking himself up he circled the cylindrical column. Manoeuvering to view the entranceway he was surprised to see the room remained empty. The Officer must be outside again, possibly awaiting the arrival of back-up. Soon the place would be swarming.

He began to back off through the room, keeping the pillar between himself and the doorway in case another shot was sent his way. All he could hear was his own footsteps treading over the layer of crumbled debris build up from years of decay. He hoped some other exit lay behind him otherwise he was cornered. With his Comms he would have been able to find out in seconds. But that was no longer an option.

Reaching another column he pressed his back against it and slowly circled round. With just the faint crunch of rubble underfoot he was met with a silhouette holding up a gun pointed to his head. Was this the same Officer or a different one from some other entrance? It didn't matter. Even in the faded light Søren recognised the slow smirk that spread over the Officer's face, no doubt imagining how he would spend the bonus credits for a job well done. Pleading for his life would be worthless.

With his life in the hands of the Officer all Søren could think was that he had let Alicia down. Then there was a flash and Søren hit the ground.

From the shadows stepped a figure behind the Officer. Revealing a gun and with no warning they fired into the Officer's back and watched the body crumple to the floor. Sidestepping the fallen Officer the figure bent and checked Søren for any signs of life. Satisfied that he was gone from the world they placed the gun beside him, then made for the entranceway. Making their way over to the ladder that Søren had made his descent from they scanned the area as if already knowing Søren had hidden his Origin Unit here. Sure enough they found what they were looking for and knelt down to take the unit from its hiding place.
Chapter Nineteen

'Drink this, Alicia,' Inge suggested. 'It will help against the sedative.'

'Drink it yourself, you stupid tin can,' Alicia slurred. 'When are you going to let me out of here? Isn't is against your programing or something to keep me a prisoner against my will?'

Inge didn't respond to the provocation. This annoyed Alicia even more than if it had argued back. In a sulk she looked around at the burnt out remains of her family home where she was being held captive by the android. She had no recollection of how she had come to be here. The last thing she remembered was being sedated for surgery. And she guessed the operation hadn't been undertaken, otherwise she had no idea how her implant was supposed to work.

This was the first time she had returned home since the accident. Because of the drugs she at first hadn't been fully aware, but as her brain started to recognise the surroundings it felt like a living nightmare. At that point she had been given something to drink, and becoming more lucid she had fully appreciated her situation. The appearance of the place had been too much and she had broken down, with Inge not understanding her reaction. Everything had been reduced to ash. She kept imagining her family, trapped in their dorm-capsules as the flames consumed the place. She hoped they had remained asleep through it all.

Situated in the room with them lay some piece of machinery. Alicia had a feeling it was part of Søren's research, but embarrassingly she had never taken enough notice to be entirely certain. She wondered if Søren knew she was no longer at the clinic. She guessed it had been several hours now, and surely he would have contacted the clinic and realised she was missing. And he must have noticed his android was missing. Were all 'droids across the globe at this moment rebelling against their creators? Alicia knew they weren't to be trusted.

'You got anything to eat?' she asked, trying to provoke any kind of interaction that she could disagree with.

'Just this,' Inge said, holding up her previously offered drink. 'It will make you feel much better Alicia.'

Alicia scowled. It was acting all helpful, or at least pretending to, despite not helping her leave. Although technically it wasn't actually stopping her from attempting to leave either. Alicia had already tried her front door. It was locked firmly shut, and its control panel was out of action. But it still refused to answer any of her questions, and was the only thing around she could be angry at.

A noise from the front door drew her attention. Someone was coming into the apartment. Alicia hoped it would be Søren. But it was a woman. Alicia recognised Ursula. She was carrying a device similar to the one already in the room.

'What's all this about, Ursula?' Alicia snapped. 'You can't hold me here. Let me go now!'

'The door's open. Help yourself.'

Alicia paused. That response she hadn't expected. Then cautiously she rose and took a few unsteady steps round the room, keeping her suspicious eyes between both Ursula and the android. Ursula was placing the device she had carried here beside the other one, seemingly ignoring Alicia.

'Then why have I been held here for so long?' she asked.

Ursula stood up and looked directly at her.

'Søren's dead, Alicia. And your life is in danger.'

'What? How? You're making it up. How?'

Alicia hadn't expected that either. She didn't believe it of course. Not entirely. At least, she certainly didn't want it to be true.

From a pocket Ursula produced a PED. Alicia recognised it was her own model. Ursula offered it back.

'Check the news. He's all over it.'

Alicia's reaching hand retracted. She suddenly didn't care for the return of her device. That would mean having to accept what Ursula had just said. She felt sick inside. A tear broke its way from her left eye and rolled down her cheek.

Ursula's face softened. She had been too harsh, but Alicia wasn't her primary concern.

'It's not worth hearing anyway,' she said. 'And it's all lies what they're saying about him. The Company set him up and he was forced to go on the run, but they caught up with him in the lower levels.'

None of this helped of course. Instead Alicia had already sunk to her knees and was sobbing without relent, her head held in her hands. Ursula turned away, her mind set elsewhere. Examining the device she had retrieved from the lower levels she looked through its records on the attached control panel. It had been initiated in the past few hours. There was an entity registered. Ursula had an understanding of the basics of Søren's research. Her hunch was that Søren had used his research to create a clone of himself and sent it to the lower levels. But where the original Søren now hid remained a mystery. However if she was right she could do the exact same thing, create a clone and maybe get some answers and find out where Søren actually was.

She spent some time examining the command system and managed to find the menu to connect to the Destination Unit. The second unit flashed into life upon being linked. As far as Ursula could tell that was it. Now all that remained was to discover was exactly what was locked up in the memory of the Origin Unit. She hit the execute command.

Estimated time of fabrication: five minutes and twenty-seven seconds

Ursula watched the readout as it counted down. Nothing else seemed to be happening. Both units remained static. She had at least expected some moving parts despite being aware that Søren's method was all about in-situ fabrication. Maybe something had been damaged. However there was nothing she could do now but wait. She turned back to the distraught Alicia.

'There's one thing I didn't mention,' she said.

Alicia looked up, her face red and soaked with tears.

'I don't think the person killed in the lower levels was your Søren.'

A frown from Alicia, not quite knowing what Ursula meant by 'your Søren', but at least her crying had ceased so Ursula continued.

'What I mean is... Søren's research was about cloning objects. I believe he made a clone of himself at some point as a diversion and sent it down, knowing it would be taken out. I think Søren is hiding somewhere. I think he's still alive. These Units here belong to him.' She pointed to the devices on the floor, which Alicia glanced at. 'If I'm right then I've just initiated the cloning sequence and we're going to get a clone. It may be able to give us some answers and help us locate the real Søren.'

Turning back to the device Ursula noted there was about two and a half minutes left.

'You mean he's still alive?' Alicia appreciated Ursula's theory and was clinging to it.

'We might be able to find out in two minutes,' Ursula replied.

Both women stood around the pair of devices, watching the seconds tick away. They were agonizingly slow.

'Is it doing anything? Alicia asked, worried that nothing appeared to be happening.

Ursula gave a shrug. 'Your guess is as good as mine. Only Søren really knows how to use them.'

As the seconds continued to pass on the Unit, and the more Alicia thought about the situation, the more Ursula's words didn't make sense. Particularly about Søren sending a clone down to get taken out. It didn't sound like the kind of action her Søren would take.

Finally the countdown neared its end. As the seconds went from two, one, then zero, still nothing had happened. Ursula was out of ideas.

'If Søren is indeed still alive we're going to have to wait for him to surface,' she said, but then found herself looking at Søren, or rather the fabricated clone of Søren, knelt upon the Destination Unit. One instant there had been nothing, the next there he was. It was enough to encourage both women to take a step back in shock at the sudden apparition. The clone raised its head and looked back up at them and gave a puzzled frown.

#

'We've located three bodies,' the Officer reported over Comms. 'That of two fallen Officers and one believed to be that of the suspect. One of the Officers' bodies has yet to be secured. It has fallen down to Level Three and will need specialist equipment for retrieval.'

'From your initial assessment can you tell me what happened?' the Chief asked.

'It's difficult to say exactly what went down, but one Officer fell from a balcony, whether he was pushed or it was an accident still needs investigation. It seems that the remaining Officer managed to neutralise the suspect, but not without sustaining injury himself, which led to his death. It appears the suspect was in possession of a firearm.'

'Any sight of the device he was carrying?'

'Negative,' came the reply. 'However we have a lot of ground to cover down here. The suspect could have even thrown it over the edge. If so then it will most certainly never be retrieved.'

'Keep searching, and let me know the moment you find anything.' The commanding Officer ended the transmission. It had been a bad day. Two Officers down along with the suspect, and nothing to show for it. He was aware the President of quoQuantum himself had taken an interest in the matter. That did nothing to ease his anxiety.

Another message came through his Comms marked with the highest priority. He responded.

'Sir, we've just had a signal from the suspect's Comms.'

'He's dead. Didn't someone tell you?'

The Officer didn't know how to respond to what was an attempt at humour by his superior.

'I'm not spending the day chasing ghosts,' the Chief added. But he also knew that not responding would only raise questions in a report, which the media would have a field day with. 'Send two on routine patrol to check it out, and relay any other locations their way if they surface. Make sure they're armed, just in case.'

That would covered him without expending too much resource.

#

'Alicia,' said Søren, turning the initial frown into a smile of delight. 'You're safe.' He stood and turned his head to register surroundings, again another frown. 'What am I doing here? I should be in the lower levels.' He turned his attention to his feet and saw his pair of Units. 'I'm, I'm standing on the wrong device.' He looked back up, first at Alicia, then at Ursula as he realized what must have happened. 'I'm a clone?'

The world went spinning around him. His head felt blank, as if all of his memories were scattering, having never been his anyway.

Ursula nodded in confirmation. 'I needed to find out what became of the original Søren. The clone he sent down to the lower levels was killed. Does your memory include Søren's original plans? Can you tell us what became of him?'

Søren took an unsteady step from the device. He again looking down at the pair of units. 'I'm dead,' they heard him whisper. Then he turned back to Ursula. 'There was no clone. The person in the lower levels was the real me.'

'But...' It was Ursula's turn to be confused. 'Then how did you, I mean, how did Søren get there? He was in his lab the last time I sent him a message telling him he wouldn't make it out alive.'

'Those messages were from you?' Søren rung his hands through his hair and looked back down at the units yet again. 'This can't be happening. They weren't supposed to be used to clone people.'

'I still don't understand,' said Ursula.

Alicia didn't either, but she didn't care. The person stood before her was Søren. It looked and acted like him, seemed to share his memories. Maybe Ursula had got it wrong and this was the original after all. Who could tell the difference anyway?

'It doesn't matter,' she cried. 'You're alive. You're here, safe, with me.'

He looked at her and she ran forward into his arms. He held her, but still wore a frown from his troubles. Finally they parted and Alicia looked up gazing into his eyes.

'It _is_ you,' she confirmed.

Søren gave an unsure nod.

'What people know of my research is only part of the story,' he began. 'My true intentions were far more ambitious. I didn't just create a pair of units to fabricate replicas. I created one unit with the ability to take any object and move it, anywhere. That's what the original Søren did. He used the unit to escape from his lab, taking it with him. What you achieved Ursula was to use the image held within the Origin Unit and create a clone. That's all I am now, nothing but a clone.'

The truth was finally out about his research. Søren felt lighter for it, having kept the secret for years now. Ursula was stunned, but eventually managed to speak.

'But that's...that's...impossible,' she stammered, losing her composure. Then she pulled herself together. 'I'm sorry. I thought the Søren who went down to the lower levels was a clone. I could have saved him.' She paused, feeling the guilt of her inaction. Should the situation have really made a difference? Was a clone just as expendable as the real thing? That made her no better than quoQuantum. But Søren's work remained dangerous, more so now.

'If I'd known about your true research I would never have activated them,' she confessed. 'I would have destroyed both units instead.'

Søren knew she wasn't being malicious. He would have done the exact same thing. His units were unnatural. There was something wrong with what he had been attempting, at least the cloning part. He should never have hid behind it. It was a disgusting abuse of his perfect idea for instant translocation.

'You're right,' he began to agree, then noticed how Ursula glazed over into her Comms. She appeared concerned.

'Our position's been compromised. Søren, it seems your image held in the Unit had a Comms not fully degraded. Part of it must have jumped back into life again when you were cloned. They picked up the signal and are coming to check it out. We need to get you both out of here. It's not safe.'
Chapter Twenty

'We can uncover what they've been doing,' Søren declared. 'We have a slim trail of proof.'

Ursula shook her head. 'They can hide anything they want to Søren. You're underestimating their stranglehold on all parts of society. And nothing will ever lead back to the top. Does your proof stretch that far, or just to some lower worker?'

She was right. It pained him to admit it. He needed more proof. He needed time. But time was a commodity he didn't have. If it had been his own life at stake he wouldn't have cared so much, but the thought of any harm coming to Alicia was too much to think about.

'Getting yourself to an independent nation might help by giving you the time you need to gather evidence from there,' Ursula continued, as if guessing his thoughts. 'The priority now is escape.'

'Is there anywhere in the world that actually is safe?' Søren said, feeling defeated.

Everyone knew the answer already. But saying this Søren's eyes rested on his research.

'Anywhere in the world,' he repeated.

'What's going on in that head of yours, Dr. Zalys?' Ursula asked.

'Well, part of my demonstration the other day was going to send something to the Lunar Base. The location's still registered with the Origin Unit. Plus there's a Destination Unit up there that needs dealing with. I can tamper with it in such a way that the company thinks my theory has flaws, or doesn't work in quite the expected manner. That way they might just close the area of research down altogether. But I'll need your expertise Ursula to intercept my past communications with Dr. Planck and remove or corrupt the blueprints I gave him for the unit. Specifically references to the Organic Processor need to be obliterated. After that we can go anywhere, one of the handful of nations who chose not to agree to the three hundred year plan, where quoQuantum is already considered a dirty word.'

Ursula liked his thinking. Total destruction would only make them seek answers for the unexplained. It would encourage them to ply more effort into the research.

'Then that's what we'll do,' she agreed. 'Plus it fits well with what quoQuantum currently know of your research, which is almost nothing. They had Inge monitoring you, but I've been intercepting it all. It became suspicious you were holding something back, which we now know you were. But as far as they're concerned your research is still theory. The fact that your demonstration failed only helps add to that. Maybe they'll think you were holding back the fact that your research doesn't actually work.'

Søren thought of his trip to the Eco Zone. It explained the President's questioning about his research amounting to anything.

'Everything's wrapped up nicely then,' he said.

'I'm coming as well.' Both Søren and Ursula turned to Alicia. She stood there, hands on her hips, determined not to be left behind.

'It's too dangerous.' Søren argued. 'It hasn't been tested properly.'

She didn't look convinced so he tried a different angle.

'Everyone always puts my research on a pedestal. I was supposed to find a way to make all our lives change for the better. However quoQuantum's only agenda seems to be to exploit it for other purposes. The most special thing that I ended up discovering was you.'

He noticed Alicia's face soften.

'She's right,' Ursula interrupted. 'I don't want to ruin your tender moment here but can I remind you that they're looking for you both. The best place is up there for now. It will buy you some time. And it means you don't have to risk coming back here for her first. You can head straight for one of the independent nations.'

Søren gave a slow, defeated nod. 'I need to check the Unit over.'

He stepped up to the Origin Unit. There were no tools available so if it was damaged they would need to flee and find some.

'How long do you think we have?' he asked Ursula.

'That depends how long it takes for them to actually dispatch the team. Ten minutes perhaps. Do we need to move from here?'

He bent over the Unit and opened its outer shell to reveal its innards. The others watched on as he meticulously inspected each element, always wearing a frown.

Finally he raised his head. 'It doesn't appear to be damaged,' he admitted.

'Two Officers have been sent our way,' Ursula warned. 'It will take them exactly seven minutes and twenty-three seconds to reach the terminal down the hall.'

'I'll go first,' Alicia demanded, not wanting to delay.

'I need to test it first,' Søren explained.

'There's no time,' Ursula said. 'But we need to get rid of Inge and the Destination Unit. Send them somewhere, anywhere. Into outer space?'

Søren nodded and turned to his 'droid. 'Step up here please, Inge.'

He indicated to the Origin Unit. Inge did as told and stood atop the device. Søren tapped away at the controls briefly. Satisfied he stopped and looked up to Alicia and Ursula.

'Fingers crossed,' he said, then hit execute. This time there was no waiting, just the disappearance of Inge.

'Where did you send it?' Alicia asked.

'Anywhere,' Søren replied. 'I didn't give the Unit time to run a diagnostic. Inge's atoms were dispersed at random. It's part of the Universe once again.'

'Six minutes,' Ursula warned, so Søren took the Destination Unit and placed it atop the Origin Unit. Once again inputting a few commands he then paused and stared at half his life's work with mixed feelings.

'There's no time for regrets, Søren,' Ursula insisted.

Søren hit execute again. The Destination Unit vanished.

'My turn,' Alicia steeped forward and onto the Unit. 'I trust you,' she added.

Søren took a deep breath and exhaled.

'The Unit had been configured to follow the Lunar Base, tracking the moon's orbit. The destination should still be Dr. Planck's lab. If he's there he might raise the alarm. We need to choose a different room on the Base. Ursula, can you use Comms to view a schematic of the Base and choose us a more suitable location?'

The stress was beginning to show for Søren.

'There's no time. The shuttle is approaching,' Ursula said.

Saying this she revealed a gun.

Søren raised himself slowly and both he and Alicia tensed as they stared at what Ursula held, pointed at them.

Ursula looked down at the gun, then their reaction and gave a short laugh. 'You think I'm double-crossing you?' She laughed again 'I don't blame you. I don't come across as the overly helpful type.'

She laid the gun flat in the palm of her hand and offered it to Alicia.

'You may have to deal with whoever awaits at the other end. It's ready to fire.'

Alicia was hesitant in taking it.

'Use it on yourself if you can't use it on another,' Ursula advised in her usual cold but pragmatic way.

All eyes then turned to Søren.

'Do it,' Alicia told him.

'Stay very still,' he advised, the thought of his dream from last night still lay fresh in his memory, even though it seemed like years ago after all that had happened. What if he was sentencing Alicia to that fate? He punched in a few commands and the Origin Unit ran Alicia's diagnostic, whilst Ursula continued the countdown.

'Four minutes...Three minutes.'

The diagnostic ended successfully. Søren looked up at Alicia, taking in her appearance. She smiled for him, possibly for the last time. He hit execute. Once again the irony of the command wasn't lost on him. Alicia vanished.

'Quick, the shuttle will be engaging with the terminal in two minutes and eleven seconds,' Ursula warned. 'Get yourself out of here.'

'But what about you?' Søren asked.

'I've managed to take care of myself for some time, Søren. Now go. Plus, someone has to hack the Lunar Base's surveillance and the Comms of all those you encounter up there to remove any trace of you. At least the alert for your capture wasn't released beyond the quoQuantum Sector, so nobody should be set to recognize you.'

Søren actually managed to laugh a little.

'Thank you for sending Inge to save Alicia,' he said. 'The company was responsible for the fire at Alicia's apartment, wasn't it?'

Ursula nodded confirmation. 'They may have been after her, the distraction from your work.'

'Well as least we stopped them killing her at the clinic,' he said.

'Personally I don't think they were out to kill her,' Ursula noted. 'They perhaps needed her close to you, so she could be used as leverage if needed. Killing off her family meant you would either grow closer, or break up. A win-win situation from their twisted point of view.'

'So I stormed the Clinic and made myself a fugitive for no good reason?'

Ursula slowly shook her head. 'It doesn't matter really. The more you delayed, the stronger their hold on you would have been. Even though I don't think they were going to kill her, she might not have come out of it the same. She's safe for now. That's all that matters.'

'How much do you know about the Company?' Søren asked.

'So much you'd have nightmares. They monitor everyone, and they'd probably know about your research as well if I hadn't intercepted everything which that android of yours could lay its hands on.'

She paused while the recognition hit Søren. That's why she had been in his lab. Both she and Wallace had been looking out for him.

'I know the Company want to actually fabricate lifeforms, people, with your device,' she told him. 'Though I'm not sure why they have such twisted purposes. But with that madman running the company who knows what they have planned. That doctor, the one who was going to operate on Alicia, you've seen him before haven't you? He was leading a crowd of protestors the day you spied me there also.'

The bewilderment upon Søren's face was answer enough. Ursula raised a wry smile.

'They even control the people who protest. It's all a con. If the protestors act stupid it makes the Corporation look better. And George Quofort, far from being the visionary who was our all caring forefather, one of his ideas was to shut out an underclass and starve them to death because it was believed the population was totally unsustainable. Thankfully that didn't happen. Though that's how they now justify all their lies and control, as if it was for everyone's benefit. But at least they're not letting people die. How gallant of them.

She smiled. It was as if she was in control of everything. She seemed to know all that had happened or was going to happen.

'What do you have to gain from all this, risking everything to help me?' Søren began to ask.

'Can't someone simply fight for what they believe is right without suspicion?'

'What about your research?' Søren asked. 'And Maxwell's?'

'Maxwell or myself aren't being bribed,' she replied. 'The fact is our assessed abilities just aren't that good enough, so the company is happy to let us resume normal work and life without interference.' She paused with a smirk. It didn't seem to bother her what quoQuantum thought about her. In fact it kept her safe. Though if Maxwell knew it would crush his overinflated ego.

'I became aware of a limited amount of surveillance upon myself for a brief while. It piqued my interest enough to delve a bit further behind it. And although the company might not rate my research into cybernetics, what they don't know is how adept I am with hacking electronic systems. I formed a group of what I thought were like-minded individuals and we called ourselves Reality. You might recall the augmented hack of people's Comms in the Vario Business Sector five years ago; that was all my doing, back when I was younger and naïve. What I stupidly hadn't foreseen were the twenty accidental deaths that took place because of my actions. Everything I do now is to atone for that mistake.

The others in Reality didn't give a damn. 'Casualties of war,' they called them. They were all idiots, mostly men. I outgrew their childish pranks and left the group. They're too sloppy anyway. They'll get caught soon I imagine. I work alone now; using no name, targeting my hits not for publicity, but to actually help imbalance. And with my skills it didn't take long at all for me to locate the report detailing my research and usefulness to the company. At the same time I found reports for every employee, and even everyone who comes into contact with the company. People are assessed for their strengths and weaknesses and the value they contribute to the organization. It's basically a database for how to blackmail an individual, or to decide upon their expendability. The shock was seeing the mess they were making of poor Wallace. But it was too late for me to help him by then. He was in too deep. Then he finally had enough of their control and the twisting of his research. Bypassing the fire detection system he torched his lab after you left, along with himself. He'd been through a lot the past few months and it all got too much. He was a good man. He loved you a lot.'

Ursula stood quiet for a moment and Søren looked upon her sorrow, as if she felt responsible for Wallace. She appeared warmer than he had ever seen her. Then she resumed her story.

'I waited for your report to surface. What Maxwell kept telling me about you made me sure you'd create at least a ripple in their system. What I didn't expect was for that ripple to come flooding in like a tsunami. You jumped straight to Priority One, which meant you were to be given anything you ask for. Amusingly, they also had you down as low risk in terms of causing problems. But that all changed when you got to know Alicia. They marked her as a distraction, but also as leverage. The rest you know. I'd give you a copy of the entire dossier I unearthed under countless layers of security and encryption but you don't have your Comms. It reads like the stuff of nightmares. And yet the twisted amusing side to it is that quoQuantum try to justify all their actions with warped logic, like it's all for humanity's benefit.'

Søren produced the chip that Wallace gave him. 'Put it on this.'

Ursula reached over and held it in the palm of her hand, the simple act allowing her Comms to connect to it remotely, and she copied the document over. 'What's on this thing?' she asked, handing it back. 'Is this a physical copy of your research?'

Søren shook his head. 'The only place that information is stored is my own memory. This is the last thing Wallace gave me. It's all his research. I should have realised at that point what he was going to do.'

'Promise me if you are even close to getting caught you will destroy that thing. My entire Comms is wired to blow if that happens to me. I know too much.'

'But won't that kill you?'

'It's the sacrifice I'm more than willing to take. Thirty seconds left. We've talked too much.'

Søren stepped onto the Unit then knelt to access its control panel. He configured it to update the original diagnostic taken of himself plus the Unit hours earlier. It took next to no time to register successfully.

'The shuttle's arrived,' Ursula told him. He looked into her eyes for the last time.

'Good luck, Dr. Zalys,' she said.

'Thank you, for everything' he said and hit the execute command on the unit, disappearing before her eyes as the door to the apartment burst open.

#

quoQuantum future strategy summary for the ultimate benefit of humanity:

EcoZone expansion.

Current reported rates of recovery remain suppressed to the general population. The world's major corporations agree that until EcoZones are self-sustaining allowing any spread of human population into their fringes would only result in their damage. However it is agreed that small patches be set aside to continue the perception that the world is going the right way. quoQuantum have already announced their supposed EcoZone plans. Vespion will follow suit in the near future, to be seen as a response to quoQuatum's actions.

Nanotechnology synergy with the human brain: Perception manipulation and motor control.

The work undertaken by Dr. Wallace Schwartz will continue, despite the death of his colleague and his now lack of cooperation. The hosts chosen for the experiments remain select individuals from Team Paradigm. The team went on to claim victory at the Titanbowl with over a ninety nine percent probability that it was due to the increased synaptic responses our technology provided, alongside offering an individual an innate sense of what action another team member was about to undertake. Further monitoring into the next season will provide confirmation. Incident at the Titanbowl finale needs further assessment. The android in question was a bioticRobotic responsible for administering the nanotech to the team. Dr. Schwartz becoming a liability and an increasingly unnecessary part of the equation.

Creation Unit evolution.

The work of Dr. Søren Zalys is of personal interest to the company. If it delivers on its promise then its application in all areas of research can proceed. However absolutely no evidence has yet been submitted by his bioticRobotic unit to suggest he is actually attempting to bring his research to fruition leading to an intervention by the President, who was assured that all was going to plan. An imminent unit demonstration will provide answers.

Quantum biological application research expansion.

Upon success of the Creation Unit evolution programme the technology will be applied to the following areas:

-increase the efficiency of synthetic photosynthesis units;

-promote genetic diversity amongst the flora and fauna of EcoZones;

-research potential advancements in bioticRobotic evolution;

-research potential advancements in human evolution.

Nanotechnological immunity.

Undertakings for nanotech as a first responder support to the immune system, and for the administering of drug treatment is moving to human trials.

Interstellar travel.

The current research into our nanotechnology travelling near light-speed shows promise. Encouraging the nanos to reassemble into a Creation Unit from afar is also a possibility. Upon success of the Creation Unit evolution programme the opportunity to fabricate living across the galaxy becomes a possibility. The process is currently limited to plant tissue according to Dr. Zalys but research will be conducted into the feasibility of replicating animal tissue. If successful the option then exists to simply abandon this world, identifying a suitably hospitable replacement planet for creating replicas of individuals. However the individual's original body would have to be destroyed. The nanotech synergy programme will be escalated to the general populace, delivered through the nanotech immunity programme to alter public perceptions that this the right course of action to take.

Without the Creation Unit evolution programme's success then our planet must be saved after all. With a population still too large for such an undertaking the nanotech synergy programme will again be escalated to the general populace via the nanotech immunity programme, but this time to alter perceptions as to the expectations in life, ultimately for the benefit of all.
Chapter Twenty One

One second Søren was thanking Ursula then the next he was staring at bright, white nothing. It took a second for his eyes to register he was looking across a laboratory. He held a hand out in front of his face, checking it over for irregularities as if expecting a missing finger. He then looked down at his body, gently patting at his torso. Everything seemed in place. All intact. His device had worked yet again. And there were no side effects. He felt exactly the same, as if having just walked across the room rather than having been catapulted all the way to the moon.

Remembering Alicia he looked up and around the room. There she was. She gave a smile which he returned. He stood and stepped from the unit, and they moved towards each other and shared a kiss in celebration.

'What do we do now?' Alicia asked.

'Find my Destination Unit and unfix it. Then we need to find somewhere to lay low. There's got to be a store room we can bunk down in somewhere. We can decide what our next action will be at that point.'

The door to the room opened. Both Søren and Alicia ducked. It was all they could do, hidden behind a counter and its cupboards.

'Just place it there please,' came a voice. Søren recognised it as belonging to Dr. Planck.

There was movement and all Søren and Alicia could do was wait, trapped as they were, expecting to see the face of Dr. Planck round the counter at any moment. But when the task at hand seemed to be over the door closed and the room resumed its silence. They were alone again.

Søren exhaled a long sigh of relief and they both stood. 'That was close. We need to get out of here,' he suggested. 'But first I need to alter the Destination Unit.

Alicia pointed across to the edge of the room, already ahead of his plans, having arrived several minutes before him and taken stock of her surroundings. Søren walked over to his work and lifted off the transparent casing, then removed the outer cover of the Unit's control panel. He knew what he was after, the processor that controlled how living tissue was fabricated. But this only made him think of his own fabricated soul.

'Don't you find it disturbing that I'm not the original version of Søren?' he asked of Alicia as he underwent the task at hand.

'No I don't, and stop talking about yourself as a different person. That's the only disturbing thing. You _are_ Søren. You look the same, sound the same, have the same memories, right?'

Søren gave a nod. 'Though not _all_ the same memories,' he clarified. 'Technically I'm missing a few hours, which makes me a few hours younger. Which actually changes my birthday come to think of it.'

'Even better, I'm now dating an even younger guy than before,' Alicia joked, and they both managed to smile. 'And if you want to think about it another way,' she said with more sincerity, 'then how about this; live for the version of you that lost his life.'

Søren looked into her eyes and smiled again. She was right. He could spend the rest of his days agonising over the mistake Ursula had made. But it was a mistake that had given him another chance. He had to learn to live with that.

'Let's get going,' she said.

Søren picked up the Origin Unit and clumsily made his way to the lab door. On the wall beside him was a stand of lab coats. He temporarily placed the Unit on the nearest counter and reached for two lab coats, handing one to Alicia.

'We have to attempt to blend in. There's only Dr. Planck who will recognize me so it's best we move to another sector of the base.'

With lab coats donned they left the room trying to act as casual as they could. But each felt their faces etched with guilt, even though they had committed no crime. Several times they passed an individual, avoiding eye contact and continued on, walking with purpose. Nobody seemed to pay them any overdue attention. The hope was that Ursula would be able to take care of any trace of them on the Base's surveillance and people's Comms. But right now Søren could feel his arms growing weary after having only walked down several corridors. Carrying anything for such a duration wasn't a familiar experience. His arms burned. He could feel the prickle of heat over his body and began to sweat.

'Let me carry it,' Alicia suggested.

'We shouldn't be carrying it at all,' Søren snapped. 'It was a stupid idea. Any other Researcher would have at least used a trolley, or got a Service Personnel to undertake the work for them. So much for being discrete and not attracting attention.'

Someone else came into view which ended the small quarrel. However this time Søren glanced at the passer by, who returned the gaze. The onlooker seemed puzzled. Søren knew it was because he was struggling with the Unit. However there was no choice but to continue.

With the passer-by gone Søren stopped once again and placed the Unit down for a rest. He rubbed away the build-up of lactic acid within his sore arms and stretched his aching back. Alicia removed her lab coat and grabbed the Unit, taking control of the situation.

'At least now it doesn't look like a Researcher is carrying anything,' she explained.

Søren couldn't help but smile at their ridiculous situation, despite the potential danger they were in.

'Why do you love me?' he asked in all sincerity.

Alicia frowned, finding the question odd. 'In that you're such an unlovable creep? What do you mean? Are you just fishing for sympathy? I could ask the same question anyway.'

'You're kidding right? You're gorgeous and confident. Every guy I notice looking at you wants you, which is pretty much every guy alive.'

'I'm glad that I'm such a sought after possession,' she said flatly.

'I didn't mean it like that.'

'I know what you meant, but you need to give yourself more credit though. Before you came along I was the worst judge of character. After ending it with my ex Shane, who you met on our first date, I decided I needed to go for someone completely the opposite to the usual loser. When you bumped into me that day and I found out you were a Researcher my first reaction was to crucify you. But then I realised the opportunity I had been looking for was right there. It was the best decision I've ever made.

The reason I love you is because there's no falsehood with you. For a start you turn up on our first date admitting you've researched the whole thing thoroughly, without even the slightest idea of actually how funny that is. And you care about the world so passionately, and you're a genius, and you want to use you're brilliance to make the world a better place for all. I had nothing like that to offer before you came along. Now I know I can offer my support and be there for you. It's not much, but it's something. And it's nothing without you.'

Søren gazed at this person he knew he wanted to share the rest of his life with. They both smiled. But the moment was broken by the sound of footsteps ahead. Alicia re-adjusted the Unit in her grasp and marched forward with intent. Søren followed. This time they passed two people who seemed too engaged in a conversation to even notice them. It gave Søren a little relief.

Further on down the corridor two doors blocked their way. With a shrug they chose the left-hand door. The other side led to a large spacecraft bay. Here they came to a stop. At least there appeared to be no-one around.

'We could take one of those,' suggested Alicia, motioning across the large room to the nearest craft.

'I think they'd notice a spacecraft taking off,' Søren pointed out.

'What if it just disappeared?' she offered.

Søren got her point and his face lifted at the suggestion. They could use his device for that. They could travel anywhere they wanted in theory, completely out of the company's reach across the galaxy.

'Do you care about leaving it all behind?' Søren asked, looking into her eyes to read the truth.

Alicia took no time in her response, staring back at him with conviction. 'No,' she shook her head. 'We've both got nothing to go back for.'

'We could go anywhere in the Universe,' Søren said. 'Anywhere at all. We could choose a star that's known to host a planet like our own and just go there. See what it's like. Be the first to ever do so. The craft will have a Creation Unit on board for all our needs. We could live happily, together.'

This new idea sounded so tempting for them both.

'We could at least give it a try,' Alicia said. 'Maybe come back in a few years,' she reasoned, 'and help a smaller nation that chose not to abuse the three-hundred year plan.' She knew Søren had always harboured the idea of helping the world from its current struggle. Considering the needs of the individual wasn't society's way, in fact highly condemned by it. Yet here they were planning on simply abandoning it, going against what they were raised to believe. But for the chance to see what no-one else had seen before; a new world, maybe one that even hosted life, possibly intelligent life at that. How wrong the idea sounded in their society-conditioned minds made it all the more alluring.

'What if the Unit fails?' Søren was thinking of his failed experiment with the lab rat. He hadn't mentioned it to Alicia. If she knew she might change her mind.

'It got us here didn't it?' she replied. 'Why wouldn't it work again?'

There was a moment of silence as Søren thought. 'Let's go for it,' he eventually said with an emphatic nod, making the final decision. They each gave a supporting smile to the other.

Making a move, they traversed the hanger. It felt spacious with too little to conceal them. Six crafts lay waiting for them. They approached the nearest.

'This one will do,' Søren said, and Alicia went to board.

'What are you doing down here?' a voice said. They turned to see a young man in overalls coming round the craft. They remained like stone.

'Which section are you working under?' he asked as he approached, studying them.

They hesitated, and the man before them registered their doubt with a frown. In that moment where a hasty decision was so urgently required Søren just stood helpless and inactive, unable to think of a plausible excuse. All he could think was that their plan had failed. Gone was the chance to start a new life and they would eventually be handed over to the company. But whilst Alicia was troubled by the same thought she reacted otherwise. Revealing the gun given to her by Ursula, in a focused spray of sparks the Engineer dropped to the floor at their feet.
Chapter Twenty Two

'It had to be done,' Søren reassured Alicia, but she remained sitting in silence, staring at nothing as the shock of what she had done finally consumed her.

'There had to be no witnesses,' Søren kept reasoning. 'At any second he could have raised an alarm through his Comms. You reacted instinctively, knowing that truth.'

But deep down Søren was likely thinking what Alicia was being haunted by; she had killed an innocent man to save themselves. All because the company was out to get them. If anyone it should be the President and his entourage paying for it, not a helpless individual.

The unexpected event that had unfolded had meant a rethink of their plan. So they had stolen the body of the unfortunate Engineer onboard a craft with them. Now they planned to leave the Lunar Base for everyone to see. It was a better idea than having a craft simply disappear without explanation. Their hope was for blame to be attributed to the Engineer. Though this only meant more guilt on top of what they already felt. They were framing someone who had only been doing their job. Did that make them any better than the company? Søren knew the circumstances were different. He now knew what his research meant to quoQuantum, and that it had to be kept from them at all costs. Should he have just killed himself? Maybe. It might have been a better solution rather than what had just happened. But then the company would have always tried to pursue the idea, knowing there was a prize to work towards. At least this way his research was now leading to a dead end.

Søren took another look at the lifeless body laid out across the floor of the craft once more and then turned away to the controls.

'Take us away from the Lunar Base,' he ordered.

Smoothly the craft made a move, and Søren kept watch on their course as they left the docking bay, heading into the darkness of space. A red light flashed above the Comms screen. It was likely someone on the Lunar Base, wanting to know about the unauthorized flight. Søren ignored it. He wondered if anyone would try to pursue them. His hope was that by that time they would be far away and could use his device to leave altogether.

Setting a course across the other side of the moon and out of radar Søren then turned to deal with the lifeless Engineer. Just as with Inge he decided the best option was to give the body back to the cosmos. It was an unceremonious end for their victim, but it needed to be done. Lifting off its transparent casing he took the main body of the unit over to the lifeless body in the corner. Resting it upside down on top of the sheet he ran a diagnostic which captured the Engineer and the sheet and sent it away as quickly as possible. All the while Alicia just sat there, not really looking at anything, not saying a word. Søren wondered if they would ever be the same again.

With the body out of sight, but not out of mind, he turned back to the controls and began sifting through a database of planetary science, limiting the results to extrasolar planetary research, specifically those planets believed to have sufficient water with an air composition similar to home. He found the manual style of working very difficult to adjust back to, compared to the lightning fast responses of his Comms. Eventually he decided upon two likely candidates. Planet H391X3 of star H391X. And if this solar system didn't work out they could always try the second; H742V.

Next Søren set to work getting the location correct. They didn't have to be too exact at this point. Just escaping to safety was still the primary goal.

The craft's Comms flashed. An attempt was being made to communicate from the Lunar Base.

'Shit,' muttered Søren and raced over to the ship's main controls. There was a message:

Phil, where the hell are you taking the craft? Your flight is unscheduled. Bring it back immediately.

Instinctively Søren locked down the craft's Comms in case whoever was contacting them tried an override to gain access. He read the message over several times, his mind whirring into life. He guessed Phil was the Engineer. Suddenly having a name brought the reality of what they had done home to Søren. They had killed a man. An innocent. How long did he stand there thinking over their monstrous actions? He wasn't sure, but it was another message that stirred him back to life:

Phil, please respond. Are you okay? Sending out a recovery vessel.

What to do? They needed to get out of here. But they needed to be out of range or they would see the craft vanish. There would already be an investigation launched into a missing craft, but suddenly have it vanish would raise even more suspicions. His paranoia ran through numerous scenarios. They all concluded with quoQuantum finding out he was on board and that he had used his research to escape, the very outcome he didn't want. He increased the speed of the craft to maximum. They would have to head across the other side of the moon, out of detection. Another wave of guilt flooded over him. All the blame was going to be placed on Phil. He turned this time to see the victim of their actions. It almost caused him to stop the craft. But there was Alicia also, sitting silently, wrestling with the demons of their actions also. Søren knew he needed to get her to safety. They could have a lifetime to think it over and if they decided to return and pay for what they had done then so be it. For now they needed distance and a bit of time to think clearly. The recent turn of events weren't allowing for this.

Another message, this one more formal that the previous:

An increase in speed has been detected. Cease operations immediately and await recovery.

They had guessed that the increase in speed was a direct consequence of their last message. It had become a criminal concern to them now. How long would it take for them to dispatch a craft in pursuit? Maybe they already had. Søren scanned the vicinity. There was no sight of anything having left the Base. He considered changing course as an initial reaction, as if having awoken some innate animal instinct to try and dodge a predator by weaving this way and that. But what help would that do? It would simply mean taking longer to get out of range. The best course of action was to keep on a straight path around the moon directly away from the Lunar Base until out of contact.

With their course fixed Søren prepared for what else needed to be done. Approaching the Origin Unit he turned it upside down upon the deck and tilted his head to work the controls upside down. Tapping away he asked the Unit to register everything touching its pedestal, which was effectively the craft, as well as all contained objects within the craft.

He looked over to Alicia. She hadn't moved all this time. She was staring at the floor, as if engaged with Comms. But he knew she was thinking about what had happened, playing it over in her mind without the need for a recording.

'I'm about to run the diagnostic,' he said. She didn't stir. 'Please keep still,' he added, knowing it wasn't really necessary.

He began the diagnostic. Twelve minutes and forty two seconds later it came back with a successful result. But Søren wasn't convinced. He looked it over. There was the craft, Alicia and himself, even poor Phil. For a moment he considered abandoning Phil. It seemed heartless, but what else could they do with his body? Plus if they left him he might be discovered. More unanswered questions for them. He knew there was only one course of action. There was no option but to dispose of Phil the same way as Inge. Isolating Phil's image from the rest of the diagnostic he hit Execute, the word that kept coming back to haunt him. Phil and the sheet which covered him vanished without a trace, scattered through space. It was sobering how instant and effortless the act of removing a being from existence was.

Søren checked over the diagnostic again, this time minus Phil. Everything seemed in place. He wasn't an engineer, unlike poor Phil his conscience was quick to remind him, but everything that was part of the craft he had to assume was being taken along. If the Unit had picked even himself out then there would be no reason for it to have omitted anything from the craft. It was all in place. It just needed a last minute update before the actual execution. And yet Søren still felt as if there was something amiss. He stood looking at the diagnostic for a good while then realised what it was. The diagnostic was filled with emptiness. There was no air. He had never had to worry about that before. He shuddered at the thought, the moment he would have hit execute that's exactly what it would have been.

Running the diagnostic again it took nearly twice as long, but this time including the vital component to actually let them breathe. There was nothing else he could think of. All it took was one mistake and that was the end. But it had worked several times now. It would work again.

The next task was to find a suitable location to make their final getaway. He returned to the ship's main controls.

'Is anything in pursuit of our craft?' he asked. It performed a scan as requested.

'A craft has been dispatched from the Lunar Base and is following behind your current route.' Onscreen in front of Søren there appeared a chart of their current location with the Base and the pursuing craft also marked out.

'Is it catching us up?' he asked.

'Negative,' came the craft's replied. Various statistics also appeared onscreen relating to the movement of each vehicle. They were effectively travelling at the same speed. Søren felt he had a decent head start and a chance to hide.

'When do we get out of range for the Lunar Base to detect our location?'

The map updated itself, zooming out to cover a wider area. Søren could see that within ten minutes they would be over the curve of the moon and out of the Base's eyesight.

'Could I have a detailed view of the terrain beyond the non-contact zone?'

The map onscreen changed from a planar view to a three-dimensional terrain model. Søren quickly scanned over the moon's cold and barren terrain. At any other opportunity he would have found the detail engaging, taking a more in-depth look at the craters, maybe asking about the rock composition or how many hours that places were exposed to sunlight. Now it was all about winning this game of hide and seek.

'Can you extrapolate our route beyond that zone as a straight line, as well as that of the following craft?'

The ship did as asked, showing the positions the two craft would effectively be in twenty minutes.

'Can you run an analysis to determine which locations would be invisible to those following behind us based on the terrain ahead, bearing in mind any course alterations we take would be mirrored by those following us?'

The ship pondered for about ten seconds, then overlaid red shading onto the terrain, indicating potential places to hide.

'To each location in red can you add the time it would take for the pursing vehicle to pick up contact once again?'

The ship thought about Søren's request yet again. After only a few seconds a series of values appeared onscreen beside each red zone.

'Where's the maximum?' Søren asked, trying to visually sift through the numbers himself. A location flashed attracting Søren's vision. Three minutes and sixteen seconds it read. Would that be enough time? He decided to run the terrain analysis over a wider area. It was worth a shot at least to know what the best they could get might be.

'Can you run the same analysis on this trajectory all the way across the moon? Then pick out those locations which produce results greater than three minutes and sixteen seconds.'

Søren knew there were better ways of questioning their route. For instance he could take into account a change in direction once out of range. The pursuing craft would then be unaware of their course and it might let them sneak ahead, maybe even lose them altogether. However the duration it could add might only be incremental. Plus the time available for more complex analysis like that wasn't something they had the luxury of. It would mean having to wait for the craft to think about each scenario. With the moon limited in size they could easily have completed an orbit by the time the optimum result was achieved.

The map panned out to encompass a much wider area, almost showing the majority of the moon. Locations blinked onscreen in red with times attached. The largest flashed up, allowing them four minutes and thirty one seconds before the craft on their tail picked up their signal again.

'Magnify the longest time,' Søren said. The map spun into life and centred upon the location chosen by him. There existed a long a line of craters. It was a good bit of cover.

'How long till we reach that destination?'

'Eighteen minutes and fifty one seconds,' the craft replied.

'Take us down there, then come to a stop.' Søren said.

He now needed to prepare their departure. The Origin Unit already had the majority of the craft registered to it, helping save time for the final diagnostic. So now all that was needed was their destination.

'From the location you will bring us to a stop at can you triangulate the coordinates of any place just outside the solar system of H391X? Use Euler's Interplanetary Grid Reference, extrapolating beyond its traditional boundaries.'

Søren had used the reference system when setting up his demo to the Lunar Base. It was designed for use within the solar system, but here he was extending it across the galaxy. His thinking was that they didn't need to be too accurate and could then run a better analysis and find out where, if the theories really ran true, the planet considered hospitable to life lay within the chosen solar system.

He waited again. A life in science was often about waiting, but things were different now and waiting so much was proving to test his patience. Would the craft be able to provide the coordinates he needed in time? The seconds then minutes ticked away and still nothing. He would have to change their plan. Either hide in a different location, or just shift across the solar system for now, before making the big jump afterwards. He would prefer to do it only the once. Whilst his unit had proved itself successful he didn't want to keep tempting fate.

With only a minute left to their destination the ship gave its answer. Søren checked the result as quickly as he could in the time available, concluding it appeared sound. He leapt over to the Origin Unit and set the destination, double checking the correct number of zeros he had to tap to cover such a vast distance.

The craft informed them they had come to a stop. This was it; four minutes and thirty one seconds and counting. He ran the final diagnostic and the waiting continued. Four minutes, three minutes, two minutes. Søren kept his eyes on the screen counting down the time. What to do if they didn't make it? At worst he would just have to make the jump in plain sight of the other craft if it meant their escape.

The diagnostic succeeded with one minute and twelve seconds to go. Søren initially felt relief, but then a lingering doubt over the Unit's safety came to him. He shook his head. They had been through this. If it failed then that was that. Without any more hesitation he hit the Execute command. But this time nothing happened. A stab of doubt cut through his core. Then the Origin Unit before him burst into flames and he fell back. The craft's fire alarm sounded.

'Warning, a small fire has broken out on the main deck.'

'No shit,' Søren shouted back, scrambling to his feet. 'Where's the electrical extinguisher?'

'Behind you, beside the craft's Creation Unit,' it answered.

Søren spun and scanned the craft. The Creation Unit was always identifiable. Seeing it, and the extinguishers, he raced over and grabbed the appropriate canister for fires, then shot back to his device. Bathing the flames in a cloud of carbon dioxide the fire choked and went out in an instant. But how much damage had been caused in the short while it had been engulfed?

He looked up, noticing a movement in the corner of his vision. Alicia had stood and walked over to the controls and screen. She turned with an anxious look on her face and gestured outside.

'It's gone. We're no longer on the moon,' she announced.

Søren let go of the extinguisher and rose, then made his way over to Alicia. Outside there was nothing. Gone was the moon where they had been sat just minutes before. Now they were surrounded by nothing but darkness. It was a lonely feeling. Alicia felt it too and she pressed herself closer for comfort.

'What's our location?' Søren asked the craft.

'At the outer limits of the solar system of star H391X,' it replied.

His device had worked once again, and now rather than loneliness a sense of relief rinsed over him. They were safe at last.

'How long would it take to get to planet H391X3?' Søren asked.

The craft took a while to respond. 'Of the planets around this sun, one has been identified as the most suitable for life, containing a substantial amount of liquid water; most likely H391X3. It would take one year three hundred and fifteen days to reach that destination.'

The ships display lit up showing a chart of the solar system and their current position. Both Søren and Alicia studied it.

'Two years is quite a long time. Can't you repair the Unit and get us there quicker?' Alicia asked. She seemed a lot more herself again. Maybe she also felt the burden lift as he did.

To answer her question Søren paced back to the mess that was his research. The control panel had melted causing it to fuse with the Unit's outer case so he couldn't remove it to see the damage inside.

'I need some tools,' he told her. 'Are there any basic engineering tools on board?' he asked the craft.

'Negative,' came the response.

'Can you fabricate a set using the Creation Unit?'

'Affirmative,' it replied again. 'But the Creation Unit's reserves are running too low.'

The news was a crushing blow. Without the Creation Unit they wouldn't even have food. And Søren wasn't sure how long his repairs would take. He would definitely need to fabricate new parts as well, which would mean further depletion of the Creation Unit's reserves, that's if it even had enough for what he required.

'Are you equipped with the facility to mine extra Creation Unit reserves?' Søren prayed for the right answer. Though it would be folly not to include such functionality on a craft.

'Affirmative,' came the craft's response, much to Søren's relief.

'Can you point out where in this solar system is suitable for such activity?'

The computer thought for a while, scanning as best it could for the basic reserves the Creation Unit required. After several minutes it flashed up its results upon the chart. Søren and Alicia studied the output. Every destination was almost a year's travel away.

'The only choice is stasis,' Søren told Alicia. 'We might as well head straight for planet H391X3. That way we'll know if it's suitable for living, or in the least we'll get the reserves needed for the Creation Unit.' Then turning to the craft he asked, 'Does the planet have a breathable atmosphere?'

'Unable to confirm from this distance,' the craft told him.

Søren resigned himself to their fate, stasis for just under two years, with a month spent analyzing their potential new home. And if it proved uninhabitable they could still make the necessary repairs, stock up and move on. Maybe even weigh up the options for returning home.

#

Alicia lay in the capsule, worry written over her face. Recently Søren had noticed a role reversal between them. At one time she had been confidence itself. Now she seemed lost. The decision she had made back on the Lunar Base had definitely been the catalyst.

'Relax,' Søren said. 'Everything will be fine now. We've made it out of there. It's what we wanted, remember.'

Alicia nodded, but he knew she was replaying recent events in her head. To further reassure her he bent down and kissed her on the lips.

'Goodnight,' he said. 'That's all it will feel like. I'll be seeing you in no time.'

She smiled, and he pressed the control to close the capsule. It slowly slid horizontally, merging into the surrounding wall, and she disappeared from view.

'Alicia is ready for stasis now,' he told the craft. 'When I close my own capsule you can do the same for me.'

'Affirmative,' the craft acknowledged.

He lingered over Alicia's resting place for a moment and stared at the panel.

The craft accessed the controls of Alicia's pod and instructions began to blink away.

-Initializing stasis routine...

-Examining specimen...

-Body mass registered...

-Stasis in progress...

He turned and wearily shuffled to his own chamber. Everything was behind them now, a new life on a new planet awaited when they awoke. He faintly smiled at what lay before them with optimism. Then climbing into the capsule he pressed the control panel by his side to enclose him in. As he settled into place lights around him flashed into life to run through the stasis routine.

-Initializing stasis routine...

-Examining specimen...

-Body mass registered...

-Stasis in progress...

-Stasis achieved.

However from outside the lights upon Alicia's capsule blinked into life once again.

-Heart-rate and blood pressure consistently above average...

-Multiple life signs detected...

-Commencing automatic protocol to bring underdeveloped life to full term upon awakening unless overridden in 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...

-Stasis in progress...

-Stasis achieved.

#

Søren opened his eyes. His head was swimming, like he had been intoxicated the previous night. Had he been out last night again? This was becoming a bad habit. He searched his memory, but it was still rather vague. Where was he? There was a dull light around him and he realized he was inside something other than his usual dorm capsule. Turning his head he could make out it was another, smaller capsule. Slowly his memories returned. His job, his research and realizing what quoQuantum was actually up to. He felt a pang of heartache upon remembering Wallace's suicide. He couldn't bring himself to be angry at his friend's betrayal. Wallace was merely another pawn in the corporation's game.

The escape to the colony and other memories came back to him now. He was a clone. Søren had ridden through the cycle of emotions that came with this notion already, but he still found himself doubting his own being once again. But he was safe, and with Alicia. Remembering her now he felt the urge to see her. Clawing at the edges of what felt like his final resting place, he could feel a sense of panic rise within him now and needed to get out of the confined space and see she was okay. Locating the release button he pushed it several times, as if this action would make it respond faster. The pod gave a judder and slowly moved out to reveal the shuttle.

Attempting to sit up his head swam again but he fought through it and raised himself clumsily from his bed. Stumbling over to the next dorm unit he pressed the release button. A hiss emitted from the wall and out from the wall it smoothly slid. There rested Alicia, her eyes open, smiling up at him. He smiled back. It was then that he saw the rest of her, his mouth dropped. She rubbed her hand protectively over her pregnancy bump.

'It's yours, by the way,' she remarked at his disbelief.

'How...' he began.

'I'm not even going to answer that one.'

Søren glanced down at the control panel of the pod and scrolled up through the re-awakening routine. There it all was, which had he hung around a moment longer before entering stasis himself he would have seen, the instructions to bring the pregnancy to full term. He gave a short laugh and looked back at Alicia with still a touch of bewilderment.

'Here, help me up instead of gawping at me,' she told him.

Søren gave a smile. Maybe the big sleep had done her good, or maybe it was awakening to see that she was now responsible for a tiny life. Either way she seemed more back to her usual, headstrong self. He reached his hand out and she took it, helping sit herself up. Søren bent and kissed her gently on the lips. Then with more difficulty he helped her dismount from her capsule.

'Here take a seat,' he said, guiding her to a chair as if she had suddenly lost the power to walk unaided.

'Stop fussing. I'm not an invalid.' She shrugged off his grasp.

He smiled as the fire within her returned. It made him glad.

'Well, we need to prepare. It can't be long before it's due and I need to read up about it.'

Alicia glared at him then burst out laughing. 'Good luck preparing for a baby,' she said.

Søren ignored her. 'I was more concerned with the birth.' Then to the craft he asked 'Can you tell me how long until the baby arrives?'

The smooth voice of the ship responded. 'Having monitoring the activity of the growing foetuses I have estimated that labour will commence in about twelve to twenty-four hours.'

'What! Foetuses?' Alicia cried. 'As in more than one?'

'That is correct. You are pregnant with non-identical twins; a male and female to be precise.'

The pair stood dumbfounded for a moment. Alicia instinctively reached to touch her bump, looking down protectively. She smiled and Søren responded the same. He moved closer and kissed her forehead.

'You see now why we need to prepare?' Søren said a bit too smugly so that Alicia deservedly elbowed him in the ribs.

'I can assist with the basic preparations needed for their arrival,' the craft offered.

'Okay,' said Søren. 'But what about our destination? What can you tell us about planet H391X3?'

An image appeared onscreen of a planet. It was breathtakingly blue where the sun's light reflected from it, with white swirls of cloud dancing across its atmosphere. Søren imagined that at one time that is how home must have looked.

'H391X3 is the third planet from the yellow dwarf H391X. Like our own planet its surface is primarily saline water, making up approximately seventy percent of total land cover. Atmospheric composition also stands similar, with a balance of approximately seventy nine percent Nitrogen, twenty percent Oxygen, and the remaining one percent are trace gases, mainly carbon dioxide. There is intelligent self-aware life on the planet having the same human form as our own...'

'Wait, wait!' Søren interrupted. 'You're telling me that there is life down there exactly like us?'

'Affirmative.'

Søren and Alicia looked at each other. 'The Davis Hypothesis,' he said to her. 'It states that life will form in a very similar way across the Universe. It looks like the Universe likes bipedal mammals. Either that or God created us all in the same image.' Then to the ship he asked, 'how technologically advanced are they?' He wondered if they should expect a craft to intercept them at any moment.

'The human inhabitants are at a stage of development similar to approximately three hundred years back in our own history. This equates to having harnessed the power of electricity, but they have yet to venture beyond their atmosphere. The people are divided into territories that have their own Governments, but this leads to constant tension and conflict between nations.

'You seem to know an awful lot about them,' Alicia said. 'How come?'

'I have been aware of the planet's lifeforms since receiving the electromagnetic signals they radiate for communication and cultural entertainment. It is from this I can recommend a large and politically stable nation should you choose to remain. I can assist you to discretely integrate by teaching its culture and language, and can begin by informing you that the name of your new world in your new language is called _Earth_.'

THE END

###

About the Author

David Petrey is an online author. His day job revolves around more mundane tasks of making digital maps where he dreams of being a full-time author. When not writing he is most likely reading, gardening or sighing at the growing pile of videogames he finds no time to entertain. See more of his work at http://www.DestinyIsWaiting.com

Other books by this author

Please visit your favorite ebook retailer to discover other books by David Petrey:

The quoQuantum Saga

Quantum

The TimeSunder Histories

The Mischief of Apprentice Brown

Forging Amber

Connect with David Petrey

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Visit my website: http://www.DestinyIsWaiting.com

