《Wave form》


 ARC 1 - Chapter 1: An unusual 5 year old boy

    A loud motorbike sound is tearing through the grey Tuesday afternoon. A young girl on a red Kawasaki Ninja is bolting down the straight of a dual carriage motorway. Glued behind her is a police Range Rover in pursuit. She can hear its sirens slowly creeping closer.


    "Dammit, today off all days the cops are on the ball !".


    Her perl white teeth are shining as she swears under her red and black helmet. Cold sweat runs down her spine. Her leg muscles are screaming in pain from her clinging to the bike. She ducks low behind the small wind guard. The guard gives her relief from the ripping force of the rushing air. However, it is still hard to hold on at this illegal speed. Boiling anxiety tries to rise up her throat. To keep her rising panic in check she tries to focus and forcefully scans her surroundings.


    An exit is coming up fast. Should she get off the motorway? It is likely that the cops have setup a patrol car to intercept her at the next exit. Even considering the slim chances of breaking through that road block, she is unfamiliar with this area. This gives her little confidence that she can outrun the arm of the law there. If she takes this exit her only chance is to ditch the bike and hide somewhere hoping that she won''t be found. Not that she considers her chances to outrun her pursuer on the motorway to be much higher either. However, there is a lot more room on a dual carriage way with hard shoulders for a her bike. After a moment of hesitation she grinds her teeth and twists decisively on the throttle. In sharp contrast to the anxious driver the bike is giving out a satisfying roar and instantly the girl can feel the acceleration rummaging pleasantly around in her gut.


    Out of her peripheral vision she notices temporary traffic signs for road works. However, her main focus is on the flashing blue lights of the rover getting smaller in her rear view mirror.  She does not yet allow herself to feel relieved. She cranes her head to check above for any air support police. Fortunately, she can only make out the low hanging grey clouds. She is grateful for the aggressive grey clouds with their apparent large stock of rain. Because in this weather air support is probably difficult. However, she cannot discount that the helicopter is on its way though. Once it has you in its sight outrunning the police is probably impossible. But she is determined not to go back, ultimately determined .. never to go back no matter what.


    Some more temporary traffic signs are flying by. She noticed that the traffic is getting thicker. This is good news! The cops cannot weave through a column of cars like a motorbike can. Her pursuers have fallen further behind now. Her chances to escape have suddenly increased because of the  traffic jam ahead. But lady luck is fickle and favours turn fast. Unexpectedly, hidden behind a row of tall trucks the traffic switches into a counter flow using red and white road blocks. Blood drains from her face as she realised that she is heading for a sharp turn. A white and red plastic road barrier enters her field of view in front of her.


    "Nrgghhh".


    There is only a slim chance to make this tight turn. She takes it. Yet the bike is still too fast to negotiate it. She pulls hard on the brakes. The wheels shudder under her and she moans in terror whilst struggling to keep control of the bike. The only way forward is a single narrow gap between the barrier and a long flat bed trailer. She notices the familiar feeling of dirt on the road crunching under the wheels. Right on queue, the tires loose traction. And before she could compensate her back wheel is breaking out.


    She screams unconsciously as she realises that she can only choose between being mauled by the twin wheels of the truck or crashing into the temporary traffic barricade and then getting mauled. Looking at the spinning truck tire she chooses option 3, launching herself over the road barrier. She stands up on the bike and readies herself for the impact.


    Time slows down.


    A heartbeat later the bike hits the barricade. She aims for the space above the barrier and in this weightless state clears easily over it. Then, whilst being hurled uncontrollably through the air, a large digger is entering her path. Before that though, she hits the ground. Like a pebble on a puddle, she skips over the ground.  Her leather gear protects her skin from being ripped off but she can feel every bump punching her back like a fist. Seemingly without slowing down she hits a soft patch when her body starts spinning around its axis. The helmet hits the ground several times with hard thuds and eventually develops cracks. Already getting dizzy she can see the shovel getting bigger and more threatening. Wailing her arms and legs she tries to change her trajectory. The shovel grows rapidly in her view with the claws scraping on the ground. Her body hits and she hears a loud crack transmitted through her skull. The immense pain swallows her scream and then she looses consciousness.


    Naturally, the accident disrupted the work for the road works. The contractor has emergency services on site which are quickly deployed. However, they can only pronounce her dead at the scene of the accident. In the post mortem examination the doctor identifies the cause of death as blunt force trauma.


    He established that the trauma is caused by multiple impact with the ground breaking several bones in her body. Death was the result of the final hit against a massive digger shovel that cracked through the skull.


    After completing the examination the doctor nods to the technician who proceeds to move her body to the holding storage and then starts cleaning the examination area.


    Back in his office sitting at his desk the doctor stares at the form for a while bouncing the tip of the biro on the documents. Then he adds to the remarks column that the body has a large amount of bruising and some fresh fractures that predate the accident.


    This is where the story of the 15 year old Charlotte Kircher, daughter of the CEO of an industry leading company, aspiring teacher, described as friendly, lively and generous story ends. For better or worse Charlotte Kircher is dead, perished, expired, Earth to earth, ashes to ashes and all that. Yet, it would have surprised her to learn that her fate is still undecided 5 days later.


    # # #


    It is all because of an unusual 5-year-old boy. Before their fateful first encounter he is waiting alone in a treatment room normally used by the fracture clinic of the hospital. He is not a patient, nor a health care worker or doctor. Most people, his parents included see himself just a as child. But for a special branch of the government, he is a civilian contractor.


    Whilst waiting for his handler to pick him up for his next gig, Mar is currently engaged in a lacklustre conversation. The office is a featureless white and normal consultant room. More important from a security point of view the room is easy defensible with no outside wall, no windows and bad access. Mar idly wonders if the room is a better as treatment room or death trap.


    He yawns and then itches his nose. He can still detect the sickly sweet smell of illness that collected in the badly ventilated room.


    "Hey, Mr. Secret Agent. Are you tired? Do you have another long day?¡± a disembodied mechanical voice is talking. The monotonous, mechanical and almost robotic voice seems to come from the hospital''s desktop computer.


    Irritated by the smell Mar scrunches his nose and wipes it several times using his arm like a violin bow. The itchy smell is making his eyes run and he makes a groaning sound. Inwardly, he cursed the hospital staff that attempted their best to spruce up the room despite the short notice of his visit.


    The well meaning staff brought in some plants and a fish tank to make the boy''s visit more pleasant. But they chose the wrong plants making them suffer under the artificial light. And the fish were ill from being moved hastily.


    Mar cannot stand the smell of suffering and had immediately instructed the security staff to remove everything biological. He is keenly aware of the suffering throughout the hospital but right now the smell in the room is irritating him the most.


    Without finding relief, he sighs. "Yes, I am very tired. What time is it now?"


    "Midnight, it is the witches hour". This time the mechanical voice cackles from the phone on the table. Then in a more questioning tone the voice asks. "Are you cancelling my sound again? I cannot feel my echo.¡±


    Mar nods since he erased all sounds in the room from reality. Security is airtight again and he is under full observation. When he opens his mind, he can feel the presence of his 12 body guards outside the door and at strategic positions around the building. He somehow knows about the 4 gun ships on standby in the nearby field and the two fighter jets circling above the clouds. And from his handler he knows that elite armed forces are on standby with an ETA of less than 5 minutes. In fact he can hear the constant shower of white noise like a badly tuned TV from all around him.


    He yawns again. "Yes, I am muffling your and my voice. The good doctor has installed surveillance everywhere again. He even tricked me into swallowing a locate beacon that will start broadcasting in about an hour. I am still not sure if this is the usual treatment for a VIP or a prisoner on death row".


    He smirks at the thought that despite his handlers best efforts he can still ensure some privacy. It is because of these abilities and more that the boy''s existence is classified beyond top secret ever since he was made to join this secret government department.


    His handler dressed him up for the part of the nerdy genius in a suit with centrally parted black flat hair.  He is sitting in a posture of authority of an adult in the consultant¡¯s chair with his arms on the arm rest and his legs crossed. He looks like an evil genius out of a action movie. If he were to stroke a fat cat perched on his lap the clich¨¦ framed shot would be complete.


    "So, get rid of the beacon if you don''t like it."


    "Already done. It is resting in another cadaver in the morgue.". He smirks but then sighs. "I am fed up with this. Tomorrow I was meant to have a day off. But that''s down the drain now.".


    He stands up and walks a few steps in the small room idly looking through a wall.


    Mar added quietly, "I would have endured it if he had given serious consideration to my request to spend some time playing with other kids. But he turned it into the playdate from hell by making the parents sign the waver that we will kill the children if any secrets were to be leaked. How can I have a play date like that.".


    "Humans are such a bother. They are so possessive. I got an idea. Get rid of them. Then you can finally have a good nights sleep.", coming yet from another place, the speaker above the door.


    Mar looked at the blue plastic chair perched against the consultants desk probably intended for the patients. He thinks the black consultants chair, the blue patient chair and vinyl white table really don''t match.


    Out of idle thought his finger touches the patient chair. From the point of contact ripples of black waves move until the colour of the patient chair changes its colour completely. He glanced from the side at the reflections on the now black plastic chair seat. He flicked the seat a few more times gradually changing the shade and texture of the black colour. Eventually he nods satisfied. Then he runs his finger along the desk edge gently changing the colour to a more suitable perl white.


    "I tried that already. But it was too lonely after a while. And when I finally did change my mind it was such a bother to resurrect everyone afterwards. I am still not 100% sure I didn''t forget someone. And, please, stick to one device. It is confusing when you sound all over the place."


    "Sure, you are the boss. So, who is next tonight?¡± the mechanical voice asks back from the desktop computer.


    "No one of importance. Just a 15-year-old motorbike accident fatality and daughter of a CEO. From what I gather my service appears to create a backdoor for bypassing another countries export laws for classified technology."


    He looks up to the door. Shortly afterwards, a knock on the door interrupts their conversation.


    "It is time. Please follow me".


    Mar''s handler, a middle aged man, almost bald in a white lab coat is standing in the door. Behind him are two armed guards. Mar  followed them without comment. Tonight''s chosen place is the hospital morgue. A befitting place for the time of day, Mar thought. Being this close to the dead inspires all kind of weird thoughts and puts a chill to the current small group of people attending the appointment despite a comfortable 23C inside.


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    The naked lifeless body of a young girl is resting on the trolley, cold and stiff from the cooler. Her limbs are set into their natural position and she looks washed and cleaned. But the broken bones and the absence of a large part of her face as a result of metal tearing into bone are disturbing. Her chest is roughly sown closing the incisions of the autopsy. Her brain is missing. It ruined the otherwise sensual picture.


    "Wow, she is gorgeous. Look at her rack! Do you think the undertaker padded them a bit?¡± the shameless mechanical voice coming from the tannoy speaker notes in excitement. Mar made sure only he can hear it. "So the old geezer is trading in a sample of a deadly Ebola virus with the potential to wipe out whole cities for the life of his delinquent daughter?"


    Mar nods but does not know much more about the accident.


    "She is -- well was, a lively girl with a bright future and huge potential to lead a worthwhile life."


    The influential CEO is praising his daughter with wet eyes. Worse than seeing a grown man reduced to tears is the feeling of emptiness, guilt and loss like a wall of stones crushing the father, Mar thought.


    "What a load of BS. A 15-year-old teenager getting hold of a bike and even getting chased by police. No doubt daddy''s girl was rebelling or was seeking attention. The latter is more likely going by the guilty look on the fathers face. But what teenager doesn''t.¡± the mechanical voice comments.


    "There is probably more to it. She wore a high quality motorbike outfit. This is unusual unless someone of her family or friends rode frequently with her on the back. And she is known to accompany her father at public functions.¡± Mar is mumbling under his breath. He was briefed with some pictures about the accident.


    "Oh you mean there is someone with brains behind this operation that put the girl in harm''s way? Thereby putting a major weapons manufacturer on the payroll of a government that can heal fatalities?¡± the mechanical voice commented.


    Mar does not have any say in the selection of the lucky recipients of his service. The host is the interior ministry offering this service in exchange for ''influence''. His handler used well oiled phrases such as "common good" and "best interests of the country" to justify the choices.


    "Everyone, please step back from the body. Baldr, please step forward.¡± his handler, doubling as the attending doctor, announced. Baldr, a name borrowed from Norse mythology was Mar''s code name.


    "Oh well, it''s probably not the girls fault.¡± the voice says.


    Mar nods again as he steps onto a footstool to reach the corps. After he slips into some throw away gloves he places both his hands on the girls voluptuous breast near the heart. The CEO gasps and stares at him uncomfortably. It can''t be helped, Mar thought, as he smells the angry feelings of a protective father. After taking a couple of deep breaths he pushes down hard on the somewhat soft bulge and puts his energy into his hands. Like inflating a balloon inside the body he starts with a small bubble of light around the heart inside her chest that grows gradually until the light fills the whole of the corps.


    In his mind Mar is tracking back to find this body in the past of this world at a time just before she hits the temporary barricade. Stretching and bending the copy from that moment until it fits the resting corps he rewrites the current reality with the copied pattern. This takes a few minutes whilst Mar replaces the distorted head and body on the slab and returns it to their natural and healthy form. Without taking his hands off Mar covers his eyes with his elbow. Then a sudden flash of light flares up around the body. When it subsides the repaired and revitalised body is left behind. After being blinded it takes a few seconds for the participants to notice that the girl on the slap is gently breathing as if asleep. Her previously battered body is miraculously and completely restored. Her twin hills sensual raising and falling, wiggling slightly in the process.


    "She is sleeping now. Please let her rest until she wakes up on her own", Mar says as he pulls a sheet over the girl.


    "Her vitals are good,¡± said the doctor after a cursory medical inspection, "She can be moved now.¡±


    "Number 26 revived. It''s a girl! Congratulations daddy.¡± the mechanical voice spoke in sarcasm from the direction of the wall speaker to Mar.


    "This is it for tonight", his handler announces quietly to Mar after the family left with the girl to a private hospital for observation. Mar is lead out of the room and out of the building into a waiting car. His alarm clock shows 3:15 in the morning by the time he arrives back into his room. Next to his bed is a hot cup of chocolate already waiting for him. He quietly undresses and falls asleep instantly into a dreamless sleep before even taking a sip.


    # # #


    "Mar, wake up", with the background music of the a mechanical voice sounds from an analog radio next to him.


    His speaking companion wakes him up at the usual time. Before even opening his eyes he decided to enjoy a day of downtime. Unfortunately by himself, but downtime was downtime, he says to himself.


    "Today is downtime, I''ll sleep in.", he mumbles pulling a pillow over his head.


    "Boy, are you in for a surprise", it says.


    On that Mar opens his eyes to find his situation has unexpectedly and drastically changed. Usually he wakes up in some VIP suite in some hotel. However, he is in a small and simple bedroom. His room is not much bigger than the small bed he is resting on. Also, he is not alone. Then a warm hand is gently touching his cheek.


    Following the hand and the arm he finds the face of a pale looking older lady smiling down on him. She is in her fifties in elegant clothes sitting on the only chair in the room. Beyond the frail body two terminally sad eyes are looking at him with a dead smile. The lady speaks to him as she removes her gentle hand from his face. Not just her but the room around him, the noises, smells and everything else is unfamiliar to Mar.


    "Where am I?", he asks. "And who are you? ".


    "Please do not be alarmed. You are safe for now. I am an old friend of your family and will look after you for a short while. You can call me Claire."


    Mar crunched his nose. Annoyed, he is using his ''gift'', to look back at the events of this morning. He watches his fast asleep self being lifted out of his bed, wrapped up warm and then transported in secret to the current place. He can feel the sadness and relief of his mom and dad watching him as he is carried away by a stranger.


    The disembodied mechanical voice chimes in from the analogue radio next to him. "Mar, your mother left you a message. Do you want me to play it ?".


    Mar nods and the voice changes to reflect his mothers speech pattern:


    "Good bye and please be safe Mar. Do not let us know where you are and how you are doing. If all goes well, we will not see you again. We have set explosives around the building to cover your tracks and to make it look like a terrorist attack. I hope that we can convince everyone here that you have died to stop the endless stream of bodies brought before you as well as the people trying to exploit your gift for their gain. Keep a low profile, hide your gift and yourself in this new anonymity. Build a simple life worth living rather than the hell you are in right now. Your dad and I love you very much and will always remember you. "


    "How are you feeling ?", Claire asks pulling him out of his concentration unaware of this exchange.


    "Confused and disoriented", Mar answers.


    "I see. That cannot be helped. This is the start of a new life for you after all."


    "Mar, the old woman is sick and will kick the bucket soon.". As usual in a disrespectful tone, the mechanical voice says through the analogue radio speaker.


    "You are dying?", Mar asks after a brief look at Claire.


    "Yes".


    "I can heal you.", Mar says. After looking at her he realises a profound connection to her. Indeed, he recalls restoring her pattern several months ago. She was one of the first clients of his latest handler.


    "Please don''t. You may have forgotten already but we have met once before. For the help that day I am incredibly grateful. Your little gift to me is too precious to just waste it on old age. I much rather want to return the favour. After your disappearance some resourceful as well as desperate people will come looking for you and will not stop at anything.  So allow me this last service that my troublesome illness can provide to you by giving you a new life using my own means."


    He can feel that the person sitting in front of him has a fatal brain tumor at the last stage. He doesn''t need to look into the woman''s past to understand that a second chance in life does not guarantee happiness. He can feel the sheer brute force that keeps her going carving out that little bit of time needed to achieve her purpose.


    "I am very grateful that you are so considerate but I can just erase your memory.".


    "I doubt I am allowed to stay alive once your pursuers catch up with me. Especially when my memory is erased."


    "You bet, old lady. Whoever tracks you down will not stop until you are dead. Talking to Mar right now is like sitting in your personal electrical chair and flicking the switch.", the mechanical disembodied voice commented to Mar.


    Mar sighs. He was born as a regular boy. However, recently he become aware that his mind contains more than just the memory of the person he is right now. Despite his biological age he was can draw on memories and experiences spanning more than just a few lifetimes. Drawing on these memories he reluctantly agrees with her conclusion. Even if the logic behind her human sacrifice is correct it it is very difficult to stomach for him. His mind is clear but his heart hurts. Not knowing what to say he puts his hand on hers in her lap.


    The mechanical voice interrupts. "Ehm, ¡­  I am very sorry. You were asking me to keep a lookout and it turns out that your pursuers no longer expected you to make contact in a way that can be traced by them. Your parents just got killed to avoid any further information leak, Mar.", the disembodied mechanical voice tells him without any warning. His shoulders shiver and tears start running down his face.


    Mar reached out to find them in the present and is aware of their bodies. He found his father had already passed away a few seconds ago. His mother is just clinging onto her life for a few more moments and he listened to her last message to him.


    "Please, please find us in your next life.", she says then passed away.


    Mar''s tears are raining down on his hands. His shoulders slump down and his posture crumbles. Claire is looking at him surprised as she is unaware of this new information. Then she understands.


    "Your parents ? That was fast. I guess it is already time for you to move on.".


    Mar can only nod. She takes Mar''s shoulders and pulls him into her embrace and strokes his head. Somewhere inside his pain Mar also realises that despite knowing Claire only for a few minutes, she is now his last friend alive in this world. And that unique privilege is also now a death sentence. The only remaining people that know about him are his pursuers. And on top of all that, he is asked to kill his last remaining friend as a show of kindness. The death of his parents, the realisation of his circumstances and the uncertainty of his future are too much for him. Clinging onto Claire, he bawled miserably into her chest for a long time.


    Eventually, he is exhausted. His head somewhat cleared he becomes aware again of Claire''s situation.


    "Sorry, I made you all wet. It must be hard on you too. Please, have this little treat as a small token of appreciation to help with the pain", he says with a helpless voice.


    He held her hands tightly and then he bathes her mind in happiness. As if stung by electricity Claire sits bolt upright with a huge smile on her face and her eyes looking blissfully into the distance.

 ARC 1 - Chapter 2: Starts a new life

    Mar is wandering the streets after dark carefully hiding in the shadows. A 5-year-old child is standing out like a sore thumb no matter what time of day. Claire, his guardian for one day and last friend, died earlier peaceful in her sleep with his help. It was only a matter of time. No matter how hard she tried the cancer in her brain was relentlessly eating her live and her memories away. Yet she refused to be healed.


    "What are you going to do now ?", the disembodied mechanical voice asks from a broken TV sitting on the side walk.


    "I don''t know", Mar confessed.


    When he learned that his parents were dead he knew that time is running out for him too. They were coming for him. Unable to find any other options, they put their plan into action. This was the first time that Mar aided someone to die. Claire had all her affairs already in order. It was still early morning. Silently, Mar helped her to wrap up the last few remaining belongings and ship some worthwhile items to her friends and relatives. Then they dropped the rest off at a local charity. She withdrew the last of her money for Mar. Hand in hand they slowly returned home. The older woman and the little child. They were not in a hurry. The sun was already touching the horizon and coloured the sky in a dark red when they finally arrived in Claire''s flat.


    "Are you scared to die ?", Mar asked as he got the backpack ready they just purchased for him.


    "Everyone dies. Only very few know how much time we have left,  but all of us ¡­ eventually ...", she couldn''t finish the sentence.


    "I died many times now. Though I never counted them but I know there have been many versions of me before now".


    "Have there been any versions of me ?", Claire asks.


    "I don''t know. I can only see my past. But I wouldn''t be surprised."


    Claire sat down on the bed in the now empty room, shaking a bit. He put on his coat, picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.


    Despite the short period of their acquaintance, Claire was helping him in his grief for his parents and moving forward with his new life.  She was also the last person that Baldr will ever meet, the last bridge to the only life he had known in his current life time. Mar did not let it show but he felt deep sorrow, pain and despair. Claire swung her legs onto the bed leaning against the head board. Mar did not let it show but he felt deep sorrow, pain and despair. Claire swung her legs onto the bed leaning against the head board.


    "Do not be afraid. Death is not the end or the goal of life.".


    He leans over Claire who welcomes him in her arms. He responds in kind and they hug tightly. Claire cries silently. He can feel fear shaking her body. To ease her anxiety he floods her mind with the joyful feeling just after a heartfelt laughter and she relaxed.


    Then a few heartbeats later he sends her into a deep sleep and then stops all electrical activity of her brain. It was surprisingly easy and completely painless to Claire. Lifeless her hands drop off his back but he still held on to her body.


    He gave up the fake smile he was showing for Claire.


    He cries.


    For the longest time he couldn''t let go of her. It was the right thing to do but it felt so horribly wrong. He is fighting the urge to bring her back. Time and again, he recites the reasons why Claire wanted to, no even must die.


    Out of habit he already found her body in the past and was ready to overwrite reality. Like a alcoholic holding a glass of whiskey or a smoker holding the next cigarette with the lighter on, he was ready to ignite the life of Claire once again. But he knew she wouldn''t want that.


    It was only after the sun completely set behind the horizon and the room was dark that he gently laid her down in bed.


    He stood up and left the room.


    He left the front door ajar and walked out of this life.


    # # #


    After an hour of walking aimlessly around an industrial area at the shore of Lake Tol he finds a quiet corner at the back of a warehouse and hunkers down for the night.


    Solemnly he eats some of the food he brought from Claire''s house.


    Using some bricks he found nearby he made a little fire using his gift. He can protect himself from the cold without any aid and doesn''t need the extra heat. Yet because of some strange basic instinct, a fire''s warmth somehow made this corner feel a bit homely and eases the feeling of loneliness.


    "I didn''t know bricks can burn. ", the mechanical voice asks from the springs of an old mattress.


    "They just store heat and help me splitting the water in the air into hydrogen and oxygen to make the flame. I fixed it so that the gas flow is combining in the bricks cracks to act like a flute for the flame. So, you are right bricks don''t burn but I can make it look like that using my little trick."


    "I see, low carbon footprint, ey?", the mechanical voice says jokingly. The it continues with a somber question. "Are you okay?",


    "Do you think my parents exist somewhere right now ?"


    "I have no knowledge about that. I am a freak consciousness of your past and present. I never met any ghosts. Sorry..."


    Mar nods slowly thinking.


    "I wish to see them again. We only had a short while together but I enjoyed our time¡­ ", he sighs as he lies down. "Please, stick around whilst I am sleeping and wake me if someone is coming."


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    "You should have started erasing memory aggressively of those stupid apes that are after you. Then your parents might be alive still.", the voice complains.


    "Maybe you are right. Creating some elaborated hoax and some false memories might do the trick on the surface. However, I was never able to fully read my handlers thoughts. And when I fiddled with his reality it kept on changing back. I am somehow scared to touch this man''s mind."


    He curls up on the floor after making a thin air cushion around himself. He makes and adds a mild sedative in his blood stream to help calm his mind a little bit. The protection from the cold floor worked very well but the frictionless cushion is somewhat unpractical for resting. Because air cushions have very little friction his body keeps slithering everywhere as soon as he moved in his sleep. Although perfectly warm and cosy he wakes up several times after bumping into something as he turns in his uneasy slumber.


    Swearing under his breath he eventually gives up sleeping and with the first faint light in the sky he moves on. Routinely he checks for Claire''s body which had been resting in the bed. Unexpectedly early he detects that her corps is on the move. Maybe he shouldn''t have left the door ajar to buy himself more time.


    "It looks like they found your hideout, Mar", the mechanical voice commented.


    "They sure did.".


    However, they will have difficulty to find him now that the last link is gone. As he left Claire''s flat Mar transformed his appearance and clothes. He really left his old life behind and became a new person. This wasn''t some half job of dying hair and wearing a hat or sunglasses. This was a change down to his DNA. His late mother browsing the old photo album with him one day showed him a picture of a young boy, good looking and full of energy and confidence. It looked like the older aged original Mar.


    "This is your father aged 7, Mar", she said at the time.


    "Wow.. when I am older I want to look just like him", Mar thought with admiration.


    Smiling at this memory he walks down a randomly chosen street he stops at a shop window. As he looks at his reflection he twitches the corner of his mouth. The person staring back is now almost the opposite of the person he admired.


    With a sigh he felt the sting of betrayal to his parents and he realised how much he had already given up for his anonymity. And he wonders how much more this luxury will cost him in the future. Is he even worth this sacrifice. His reflection shows just an average boring person with no redeemable features except some sad eyes.


    Gloomy he walks on towards a nearby park area. It was a bright Sunday morning and he figured that it won''t be in use at this time. He finds a well used playground there and uses the old swing for a bit of escapism. Just for a few minutes to perk up his low mood and to just enjoy normality before blending into the background again. The swing is a bit wet from the morning dew and he dries it by swiping his hand over it before hopping on. Back and forth, he gains some height with the swing. The tuck of gravity and acceleration swirling and tickling his tummy made him giggled a bit as he goes higher and higher.


    "Someone is coming", the mechanical voice warns.


    Mar immediately snaps back to his gloomy self, jumps of the swing and swiftly walks towards the exit. A family of three enters the playground and they pass each other at the entrance to the play area. He takes a quick peak into their minds in case they are a threat or here to capture him. The adults certainly do not know him nor is there any maliciousness towards him. But once he probes the little girl''s mind he briefly stops in his tracks.


    It is a cute young girl with long blond hair that has a happy laugh on her face. Mesmerised by this face, he inadvertently apologises under his breath as he probes her mind. It somehow feels as if he is tainting it somehow in doing so. Yet he cannot stop himself. Her mind sky was vast and her thoughts could be described as a deep warm blue ocean. It is the feeling of open water together with the sense of freedom one can get lost in. He smells the fresh ocean breeze and can almost hear the seagulls. Mar stares at that little girl in passing. She seems to be ignoring him and as soon as the swings catch her eyes she starts dragging her father energetically with her. Just then, for a brief moment, the girl stops and glances at him over her shoulder. Mar still feeling guilty of having pried into the girls mind quickly shakes off the gentle feelings and retreats to some secluded spot overlooking the play area.


    "Who was that?", he asks.


    "Mel Moro", the mechanical voice responds. "She is the daughter of a restaurant owner, one of the best restaurants in Tol. She lives near the town centre".


    "Does she have neighbours?"


    "Yes, an old school teacher on the one side and a childless young couple on the other".


    "Okay, lets make friends with the young couple".


    Mar''s mood is improving slightly as in his mind a plan for his future is developing.


    # # #

 ARC 1 - Chapter 3: The Enemir

    Author: Warning! Some blood with little bit of gore in this chapter.


    # # #


    Naturally, the disappearance of Baldr is a big blow to the organisation.  An "abort all capture operations immediately" memo is put in place immediately after it becomes apparent that Baldr cannot be found. Next, the agents in charge review the site security and are trying to piece together a picture of the disappearance. Because  of various explosions that ripped through the building the emergency services are working through the damage as well. But those explosions are probably just a smoke screen because the bomb locations were quite poorly chosen.


    The handler in charge is professionally and efficiently issuing instructions in rapid succession with his game face on. But underneath this calm mask, his mind is racing. The damage of this escape is huge. Sure, he made contingencies for this. Mindful that other powers internal or external to his team will want to capture his resource or at least want to disable it. So the number of planned resurrections has always been limited and spaced out. All contact and interaction with Baldr with anyone was also thoroughly controlled. Anticipating such an event, he had always refused to increase Baldr''s work load or to wide the service. And he was right. In his opinion, without a another resource, it was just too dangerous. Yes, see, he was right!


    He is fully aware of the number of deaths that are currently in the pipeline and the damage this stop of service causes. In his mind he runs once more through the options. Then he pauses for a moment before nodding to himself. He opens a safe in his office and retrieves a large sealed envelop. Without hesitation, he rips the seal and flips through the content.


    With quick steps he leaves the office onto the operations floor. Scanning around, he spots the deputy handler and waves him over.


    "Engage operation steel net.". The stack of paper changes hands. Leaving these words behind he walks back into his office and closes the door behind him.


    His deputy confirms the orders and immediately puts in place the single most sophisticated manhunt the country can muster. Standing behind the door, the handler listens to the hustle outside his office. He makes sure that he won''t be disturbed for a few minutes. The handler plunged into the leather seat at his desk. He sighs deeply. With this order, he condemned every living person that Mar every had significant contact with to a painful death. The protocol initiated is intended to dispose of all evidence after securing all information available through all means necessary. The aim is to find him but more importantly to wipe out any trace of Baldr''s existence. This should slow down or even deny any third party to trace Baldr but also to hide his action to protect his clients and the committee.


    It contains a list he made. He knows the list by heart, the list of possible enemies, acquaintances and friends numbering in the low dozens. He slightly regrets to never have told a hint of this plan to Baldr. But he was concerned that any knowledge of this contingency plans would have been a risk to Baldr''s cooperation rather than solicit compliance.


    However, ''steel net'' is all but damage limitation. If Baldr is able enough to escape their tight surveillance then this manhunt has only a 1 in 10 chance to find any trail. The handler is well aware of the freak''s capabilities. Over the last year he submitted that freak to various clandestine tests for this very reason. And he has yet to find a chink in his scary abilities. On his desk is a computer screen, an old 80x25 character terminal  directly connected to a purpose build computer system that has information about Baldr. It is the only one of this kind. Other than the server in a secret vault this terminal is the only access to this system. The connection is secured using state of the art encryption and even Baldr with his abilities was not able to detect the presence of this system. Well, maybe he never looked for it hard enough, the handler thought bemused.


    After he switched on the terminal, he is greeted with the usual blank screen


    > _


    Then, after another, deeper sigh he is using his typical two finger style to enter the only command this system is designed for and capable off:


    > OPERATION STEEL HOOK IS A GO _


    The system immediately queries


    > TARGET ? _


    The handier types it in


    > BALDR


    There is a long pause as the blinking cursor appear to be thinking. The handler is all to familiar with what he just set into motion. After a long minute the system responds


    > CLEARANCE ? _


    The handler swallows hard whilst anticipating what comes next. A compartment in his desk opens and a glove like object extends from underneath the surface. Sweat starts running down his brow. Shaking the sweat off he unlocks a desk drawer, takes out a letter and closes the drawer carefully. Nervously, he wipes his forehead with the sleeve. Then, the letter flops on the table and gets neatly pushed in place dead centre on the table. Then with two fingers, he places the drawer key on the centre of the envelope. Finally, he holds up his left hand and looks at it intently whilst wiggling his fingers. He seems to collect his thoughts. Suddenly, with a light scream he jabs his left hand into the glove. Immediately his hand is locked in place and he can feel the sharp pain of several needles drilling into his wrist.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    This is the mechanism for the maximum security authentication the handler has designed himself. The mechanism is programmed to extract blood from the arteries of his body. This authentication system is a one time thing. He designed it to provide clearance only after confirming a lethal amount of blood has been drained. Over my dead body is no longer an empty phrase here.


    > CLEARANCE TEST RUNNING


    As he feels his life rapidly flowing out of his clamped hand he is desperately hoping that it works. His body is feeling colder and his heart is racing, struggling to keep him alive.


    > CLEARANCE GRANTED _


    > OPERATION COMMENCING _


    Just before his consciousness drops away he can just about make out the last message and a proud feeling of accomplishment swells up in his chest. He never had a chance to test this system fully. Of course, there was a small chance it would not working. After all, this cruel method is meant to prevent the system accidentally or maliciously from activating. Only in specific conditions, with his own blood and moreover the right amount of his own blood the seal will unlock. And to keep this mechanism a secret he never dared to test it end-to-end. He could not risk someone else finding out the activation volume.


    But he was able to perform several partial tests. He got himself captured and tortured by different enemy forces. He really made sure that they applied various different torture methods. During his interrogation at a suitable time he leaked the information about a secret location with a dummy system. Of course, the enemy did make him enter the site and attempt to access the system. Because of contamination of his blood due to drugs or even simple blood loss during the interrogation, the system failed clearance every time. Conveniently, his death also meant that the enemy lost interest in the system considering it lost ''the key''. Afterwards, he had Baldr resurrect him again.


    The handler can feel the now familiar signs of death and with a last rough gasp he died.  "Baldr, come find me¡­.", were his last thoughts.


    # # #


    Detecting no further live signs the glove clasp releases the hand and with a whack the arm falls on the table followed by the rest of the upper body. Some of the blood is still oozing out from the wounds. Then the glove retracts into the table.


    > ESTABLISHING PARAMETERS . . . DONE


    > SELECTING SCENARIO . . . DONE


    > LAUNCHING PROTOCOL . . . DONE


    >     PROTOCOL: ENEMIR COMMENCING


    >     PROTOCOL LAUNCH CONFIRMED, PENDING ACTIVATION SEQUENCE


    > PREREQUISITE FOR FINAL ACTIVATION: SELF DESTRUCTION OF ADMINISTRATOR TERMINAL


    > PRESS KEY TO ABORT SELF DESTRUCTION OF ADMINISTRATOR TERMINAL .  .  .  .  .  .  .  3  .  .  2  .  .  1


    The screen switches off and a small explosion can be heard from within the desk.


    Then the room turns silent. Yet somewhere in the country the most sophisticated software in existence is launched and starts to infiltrate every surveillance system possible. All major and minor civilian, military, satellite and other networks start the automated manhunt. Banks, government departments, corporate headquarters, hospitals, every known information sources are penetrated. With a time limit of 60 days the program is like a parasite or virus getting to every computer available from number cruncher via mobile phones to intelligent refrigerator. At the top of it all the computer is a secret server cluster seeding the advanced AI program to the world like a virus. Every microsecond of everyday, this program is now relentlessly hunting. Without distraction, deviation or rest it does nothing else but to learn, adapt, develop and execute strategies to search for Baldr.


    # # #


    Oblivious to all of this the deputy handler is walking along the rows of desks on the operations floor. An assistant provides him with a cup of coffee whilst he is checking the first results of the operation on his tablet. Just then, he gets disturbed by a phone call on his private mobile phone. Grumbling, he puts the phone to his ear clipping it under his chin so to hold both the coffee and the tablet. It is a call from an unregistered number. It is an automated message. "You are the Operator for codename ENEMIR, please standby. Run time remaining 1439 hours.". Then the line went dead. At this point his hands loose all their strength and the coffee, tablet and phone drop on the floor.


    Turning on his heel, the deputy handler runs into the handlers office only to find a dead body and a large amount of blood dripping off the desk. With an ashen face he proceeded to close the eyes of the dead handler. He then notices the letter with his name. He looks at the key. With shaking hands he opened the last will of his manager finding the lines he did not want to read.


    "You are hereby promoted to principal handler. Congratulations. I know of none who deserves it more.


    PS: the key is for the desk."


    # # #

 ARC 1 - Chapter 4: Mel, meet Mar

    The 200 year old town Tol is located inside an ancient meteor crater. The high mountains surrounding the crater offer a reminder of the awesome destructive power of that impact. It carved out a wide central area that is now shared in roughly equal parts between lake Tol, a fresh water lake and the town itself.


    This locality with a richness of the soil, the ready access to clean water and the protection from the elements by the high mountains lead 200 years ago to a settlement seeded by a few farms. However, over the years with the modernisation of farming the restricted space meant that efficient large scale farming was not feasible. As a result the economy in Tol had to change. It was decided to transform the agricultural farming community into a university town and technology haven. After many setbacks and with significant amount of government funding and considerable corporate sponsorship that plan finally succeeded 30 years ago.


    Since that time, the town itself has also been modernised. The town has great pride in its heritage and therefore paid meticulous attention to maintain its medieval flair. Hence, particularly the town centre has kept its charm. Just as it was during the founding times, centred around a gothic church are crinkly roads cornering at odd angles and creating a maze of small and wide paths. Alongs side these roads are charming two or three story houses with shops and restaurants in the familiar wood and chalk style. Compromising to efficiency in planning and space utilisation the more modern parts further out from the city centre are in a more conventional grid design. In the south and east, the universities and the industrial area respectively face towards lake Tol. In the west, around the train station is the more upmarket housing with mansions and large houses. The north is a catchall for the general populous. This is the only are with room to grow but is now expanding up the mountain slope.


    Anyone living on the highest streets in the north can just about make out lake Tol in the distance. The streets around the slopes are all named after famous classical musicians. And in the Mozart Avenue most residence are young families with small children. There are about 200 houses surrounding the a central local doctors, school, child cr¨ºche and local shopping area and of course a small park.


    # # #


    "Mommy, Daddy, lets go to the park", the 5 year old Mel shouts as she pounces onto the luxurious double bed right between her sleeping parents. Thick bedding, white with a flowery pattern is hiding the two young adults that makes their family of three complete.


    "Mel, it is 7am on a Sunday morning. Mommy and Daddy are still tired. Please let us sleep a bit longer.", her Mom mumbles sleepily from underneath the flower patterned duvet buffeted by her daughters energetic bounces.


    "Okayyy¡­.", Mel blows up her cheeks and response saddened. With the sound of *plonk, pada, pada, pada* Mel jumps off the bed and is running back to her room.


    There are a couple of minutes of silence. But then ¡­ *Pada, pada, pada* ... the sound of approaching steps can be heard again. The bed springs bounce briefly as the little girl jumps onto the bed. The little girl crawls over to Mom and sticks a fluffy teddy bear under the duvet near her Mom''s head.


    "Mommy, Bobby the bear wants to go to the park now too. Can he come with us ?"


    Her mother groans in despair into her pillow. In a resigned voice she muffled a response.


    "Of course he can. But not just yet. Tell Bobby it is too early"


    "Bobby, you need to be patient. Please wait for a bit longer.", as instructed Mel explains to Bobby the bear.


    Not waiting for an answer from Bobby ¡­ *plonk, pada, pada, pada* ¡­  Mel returns back to her room.


    After a minute ¡­ *pada, pada, pada*, the sound of Mel returning can be heard again.  Alice the doll with her curly blond hair in her lovely maid outfit is wiggling in Mel''s arm as she jumps with energy onto the bed. Crawling over to the other side she hold the dolls face close to her Dad''s.


    "Daddy" ¡­.


    "¡­"


    "Daddy" ¡­.


    "¡­"


    "Daaaaddddyyyyy"


    "¡­ yes", another sleepy mumbling voice can be heard from underneath the blanket on the other side.


    "Daddy, Alice the doll wants to go to the park".


    "Yes, Alice the doll can join us in a little while", the male voice mumbles.


    "Alice, see ¡­ you have to wait too. I told you.", Mel impatiently explains to Alice the doll. Naturally, the doll does not respond but Mel takes this as an agreement and she turns around. And with a *plonk, pada, pada, pada*, Mel is darting back to her room again.


    And after Billy the goat, Ronald the robot, Spidey the spider and several other toys have visited the parents bed room a resigning groan can be heard from under the duvets. Giving in to her daughters new found popularity, Mom and Dad can do nothing but surrender.


    And therefore, after a quick breakfast the small family of the impatient princess is getting dressed and is heading out to the local play area.


    # # #


    The early summer sun shines on the small family slowly advancing through the quiet neighbourhood this early Sunday morning. The two adults and a little girl are walking along lush green gardens. The beautiful young mother and house wife with long black hair and big black eyes and the young father, a copper headed cook for one the best known restaurant in town side by side are pulled by their child in the middle. The cute little girl with her mouth wide open and her eyes up-side-down is laughing from the bottom of her heart. This picture of a happy family would mesmerise any onlookers. But for the moment, the family is alone in the area.


    Her mother had to put in some effort convincing Mel to leave her toys at home. And Mel did already thoroughly apologise for breaking her promise to them. As her mom explained to her, leaving her friends behind she has her hands free and holds her mom''s hand to her right and her dad''s hand to her left. For Mel this is a bargain.


    Her Dad is yawning.


    "Daddy, are you still tired ?", she asks. Her dad works in the evening therefore can rarely enjoy Sunday morning with the family due to his work hours in the restaurant.


    "A little bit. But I just have a nap in the park."


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "No problem, I have a comfy pillow for you", Mom winks to Dad padding her tights slightly with a smile whilst walking.


    "But first you have to push me on the swing", Mel denies immediately.


    "I don''t have the strength in my arms", says her Dad pretending to be weak hanging his arms down and walking like an ape which looked rather funny.


    The three of them laughed and just like that they arrived at the play ground. As they enter, Mel notices a boy getting off the rusty swing set and heading their way. The boy is about her age and height. He showed some strength when jumping off the swing with vigour but otherwise does not leave any outstanding impression. He seems to walk very fast towards them in a slight circle obviously to leave through the gate they are entering right now.


    *zzzzzzzZZZZZZ*


    Just as the boy passes by a gently tickling electric buzz rings in Mel''s ears. At the same time she can also smell a tinge of electricity in the air. The buzz appeared very sudden but is very pleasant. It felt like a tickle from the fluffy hair of Bobby the bear. In fact, the buzzing seems to get a bit louder and a bit more pleasing the closer the boy is. It tickles her ears gently and she has the feeling a wonderful daydream starting in her mind. It is like looking at a photo of a beautiful seascape. Mel wants to see more and is drawn into the picture. But just as she is about to touch the water the picture vanishes from her mind. Instinctively, Mel realises that the boy is the source of the buzz. She stares at him in surprise and a little bit of longing. The boy gave her an interested glance. Sadly, the sound stopped after the boy passed.


    "Mom, what was this sound ?", she looks up to her Mom and Dad but they did not seem to have noticed anything. She looked back over her shoulder to see the small figure of the boy disappearing through the entrance. For a moment she was tempted to call out to the boy to play with him but then he vanishes around some trees and is gone.


    "Allez hop!", her Dad coming from behind lifts the pondering Mel up and carries her over to the swing. As she gets closer to the swing she can still sense the faint smell of electricity. After setting her down and with a swift push on the swing her Dad is setting her into motion.  Mel''s throughs quickly return to her carefree mood from earlier enjoying herself throughly. She did not have a second thought about the boy.


    # # #


    That very next day in the late afternoon Mel is taking Bobby the bear and Alice the doll out into her garden for an afternoon tea party. Under an umbrella in the garden Mom is folding laundry whilst she hosts an elaborated pretend tea party for her toys. She is pouring juice instead of tea into a cup. Her hands suddenly freeze and the juice starts overflowing the cup.


    *zzzzzZZZZZ*


    A noise that she heard once before seem to appear in her ears just for a few seconds.


    "Mel, watch out. You are dripping on the clean clothes", her Mom warns and Mel wakes up from her daze quickly setting down the juice jar. Mel picks up Bobby the bear before the juice starts dropping onto his snow white fur.


    "Watch out Bobby the bear", she says.


    *Knock knock*


    Her mom sighs under her breath - "now what..."


    "I get the front door. I also need to get a cloth to clean your mess. ", she says turning around to walk back through the backdoor into the house.


    Mel listens to the voices but cannot understand anything nor that she really cares. She looks back uncertain what to do about the dripping juice. However, to her surprise a couple of minutes later a boy enters the garden. He looked familiar. She doesn''t remember seeing his face before though. Then she hears that buzzing sound again and she instantly recalls the feeling she got yesterday morning as they passed each other in the park.


    "Hi, my name is Mar. Please to meet you". With a formal greeting and a slight bow that young boy introduces himself.


    "Mel, this is Mar. He is going to play with us for a while.", Mom explains arriving with a towel to clean up the spilled juice. "Don''t just stand there, introduce yourself.". Staring at the boy, Mel hurries over to her mom almost falling in the process.


    "M ..my name is Mel.", she utters peeking shyly from behind the skirt of her mom holding tight onto Bobby the bear.


    No doubt, this is the boy from the other day in the park. What is he doing here ?


    "Mar is a foster child from our neighbours. His foster mom is going shopping so she asks if we can keep Mar company for a little while. Show him around ¡­", Mom urges her pushing her forward.


    "W..we are having tea", Mel says timidly.


    So far, this is going according to plan, Mar thought. But now he was kind of stuck. He really isn''t into playing house. But he loves to see the blue mind sky in Mel''s mind. Then again, having a staring contest whilst he is diving into her mind over the alleged coffee table is a bit too obvious. Her mother would no doubt be uneasy when Mel stops in her tracks. Staring at a tea cup is just too obvious, unless Mel is a chess grandmaster.


    Chess grandmaster¡­, Mar had an idea. "I am not big into playing house. But do you have any board games to play ?", he quietly asks.


    Mel thinks for a moment, then gets a new found confidence and grabs Mar''s hand.


    "Let''s go to my room.".


    Mar''s eye brows are raising in surprise as he is suddenly being dragged at speed by a tiny hand.


    "O.. Okay".


    Mar is looking at his hand inside Mel''s. He cannot remember that anyone ever held his hand before in this life -- excluding his parents of course. Before his enlightenment he was too young and too shy to do so. Afterwards, he never got the chance as it was deemed to dangerous on so many levels.


    Mel keeps dragging him along and the inevitable happens. His distracted mind momentarily lost track of where his legs are. And then he fell bracing himself to make a painful contact with something. Mel notices the jiggle in her hand of Mar stumbling, turned around and in reflex receives his upper body in her arms. Together both dive to the ground.


    Struggling to separate herself, Mel complains. "Bobby the bear says you shouldn''t run in the corridor."


    Mar could only laugh.

 ARC 1 - Chapter 5: The hunt is on

    The search for Baldr is going as planned for now. The new handler is in charge replacing the now frozen predecessor. Operation steel net has yet to bear fruit. But it is still the initial stages of the game. The necessity of eliminating any traces meant that a total of 23 individuals inside and outside of the secret service are now confirmed as expired. There are only three individuals left inside the department. Given that there is a chance their expertise is needed their termination is postponed. Not that the individuals are aware of the danger yet. All external individuals are terminated. This includes Baldr''s only living relatives. But as a result it is unlikely to find further leads so the handler is planning to shutdown the operation within the next 48 hours.


    "Sir, as you know operation ''steel hook'' is scheduled to report every 24 hours. It is now due to report in 15 minutes.", a subordinate informs him.


    "Thank you, agent. Please prepare the report to arrive in meeting room alpha. Have the executive staff report to there as well."


    Steel hook aka the Enemir, an autonomous AI agent designed to track down Baldr using all means such as authorised and illegal surveillance, monitoring and sting operations mostly using the resources of the internet of things. Enemir is an autonomous, self sufficient computer program that is not bound by any law or authority. It is not a citizen nor a legal entity of any kind. It has some form of ethics programmed into it by way of a save guard. However, there is no single group or individual controlling the program. It is also designed to decentralise itself to avoid any ties to any territory. Hence, there is nobody accountable for any infringements, theft of intellectual property or privacy invasions since a program cannot be held legally responsible. The only known author of the program has just died and is currently frozen in a secret location.


    "Ingenious¡­", the new handler smiles leaning back into his leather chair.


    "Yes it is!", out of nowhere a very old voice can be heard. A voice that has not been heard for a very long time. The handler spins around looking for the unexpected source of the voice. However, he is sure he is alone in the room.


    "Hello?".


    "It took me quite a few tries to work out all the kinks". The old voice announces proudly. "Not that you have any inclination how difficult it really was".


    "Who are you?"


    "You may call me God ''A''. Since I take pride in my little project I want to make sure you mortals don''t mess up my game plan."


    The handler is staring at a shadow on the wall that does not belong to any object in this room. If it is a shadow at all since it is emitting an aura of fear and oppression. He does not know how but he has no doubt that the being that is talking to him is very old and very dangerous.


    The handler fights down the urge to flee and through his clattering teeth he asks "W...what do you want?".


    "I want my toy back. You let him get away and he is currently doing who knows what. Do you know the amount of effort it takes to create a special human ? Moreover do you know the damage a runaway special human can inflict on my creation ? I WANT HIM BACK HERE."


    The shadow on the wall is growing.


    "You cowardly predecessor has made sure he escaped my anger by dying. I won''t allow you to escape me as well. I WILL HAVE SOMEONE TO VENT MY ANGER IF HE IS NOT FOUND SOON!"


    The handler is dropping to his knees from the pressure. "Of course. Right away.". Wheezing in fear, he is crawling away from the shadow and towards the door leaving faint streaks of yellow liquid on the floor.


    "FIND HIM NOW!", the shadow voices and then it vanished and with that the pressure eased. Only when the pressure completely ceased does he allow himself to breath again. The handler notices his wet pants and gets up and heads urgently to the executive rest room to clean himself.


    # # #


    A few minutes later the handler is joining meeting room alpha as the last member just as his phone starts to ring. His encounter with God ''A'' still in his system he jumped at the sound. Quickly fumbled for his phone he almost dropped it. After the 6th ring he finally managed to hit the speaker button. Everyone in the room is holding their breath listening to the communication.


    "Code in", he asks for authorisation


    "Blue blue blue", the automatic caller sends a voice authentication challenge. Effortless, the handler recalled the code table. For each conversation, there is a table of challenge and response codes that has been drilled into him. Each challenge has three responses, one for accepting the report, one for postponing the report and one for terminating reporting immediately. A termination will prevent any further calls and Enemir will report to the next handler in the command list.


    "Lime lime lime", the handler response.


    "Confirmed reporting challenge".


    There is a 5 second silence. The handler is puzzled for a moment but then remembers the pause is there for him to make sure he is not overheard.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Report start"


    "Runtime remaining 1416 hours. "


    "Status code: yellow. "


    "Coverage: 60%. "


    "No events to report."


    "End of Report."


    "Acknowledge report", the handler responds and the line went dead.


    The collective breath let out in the room could almost be felt. Then handler discretely wipes his forehead pretending to itch. He is thoroughly trained in the communication with the Enemir and is already aware of the conclusion he must draw from this report. However, the other executives are looking at the handler for guidance.


    "The status report at this early stage is simple.", the handler obliges cautiously.


    "In the last 24 hours, the Enemir has hooked up to all life feeds available and it processes the information in real time - hence the status is yellow. If there were any problems that delayed the processing the status would be orange. Therefore we can assume that based on facial, voice, handwriting, PIN number, and any other terminal based recognition means, the Enemir can detect the precence of Baldr in real time as soon as it occurs and will act accordingly".


    "As for tracking the recent activity of Baldr, the Enemir has estimated that 60% of all information sources are processed. You may recall that it has been shown that the most recent information has the highest probability to produce good leads. Therefore, the Enemir will divide all the found information for  processing into early historical covering information older than 1 month, late historical covering about 1 month and recent data covering about 48 hours before activation. There are no certainties in the numbers but from the report we should assume that there is still a 40% chance that Enemir will track down Baldr from the data of the last 48 hours."


    "So, in summary, Baldr is still at large and has not left any digital fingerprint since activation of Enemir. That leads to at least two possible scenario: Baldr is dead as per the statements of the parents. This is unlikely but there is a small chance. The other one is that Baldr has changed himself and started as a new person. The latter is more likely. Therefore, the Enemir likely starts scanning for any individual that have gained a new digital footprint. Enemir now likely looks for anyone that started a new life since we lost contact with Baldr.".


    The handler paused for a minute to collect his thoughts.


    "Please start pulling reports together of any changes to families that increased, adopted or are about to adopt a child. It could be any child but give priority to male children at the age of about 5 years old. We need to build a baseline since Baldr may likely get added to this list soon. Knowing about all ongoing paperwork makes it easier to find out about any changes. Please start with Tol and the surrounding areas and then widen the focus".


    "What about the standard protocol for search-and-target operations?", one of the executives asks referring to the services handbook of required procedures for operations of this kind.


    "Assume that Enemir has covered all standard protocol targets, such as airports, train stations, bus depots and any other mass communications links already. Mass surveillance is some better left to the computers. Humans should stick to their strength and be creative."


    The handler takes a sip of water before continuing.


    "For now operation steel net will continue for another 48 hours before termination", the handler informed his staff further.


    With a "Dismissed", the handler sends his executives off.


    The staff is leaving and the handler is alone in the room. He sighs in relief. This has gone as expected for a first contact. Suddenly he flinches after feeling that pressure again.


    "WHAT TAKES SO LONG?", God ''A'' challenges the handler.


    "W..we are within expectations. The child has enough smarts to know our methods. We now have to wait for him to interact in some form with people under surveillance or institutions before he will show up on our surveillance.


    The pressure vanishes as quick as it came. Then the handler receives a message on his phone. It simply states


    ">REPORT TO THE SENDER IMMEDIATELY ANY CHANGE IN STATUS. I AM NOT A PATIENT GOD!"


    Despite being just a normal phone message it somehow feels violent and burns straight into his head before he even started reading it consciously. For a few seconds his breathing stopped inadvertently whilst the message rang through his mind. Then the pressure dulled and he started breathing again. Still shaking, the handler cautiously checks his trousers and is is glad he didn''t pee himself again. Although he is pretty sure that he was just lucky since his bladder was empty already.


    # # #

 ARC 1 - Chapter 6: Getting closer to Mar

    As Mar expected from Mel, she has a splendid imagination. Sitting with Mel whilst reading a book, he considers this visit with her well worth the effort it took to convince his new foster mother.


    He had to work hard on his foster parents to arrange this play date. As a young couple, they didn''t have much experience with children. So going with the flow, they really liked to monopolise him in a good way. His new foster mom particular was doting on him endlessly. Despite the failure of numerous hints and nudge remarks, eventually Mar was able to make a very convincing argument. After having his foster parents to admit that Mel indeed lives next door, he threw the king of tamper tantrums practically bullying his parents. Pushing hard on emotions in adults is one thing he perfected in his previous ''employment'' with his handler. But thinking such thoughts feel like ice running down his spine. He did not feel good in deceiving them and really needs to apologise later for his behaviour. But this was this and that was that. He absolutely needed to meet Mel.


    Together with Mel, the two spent some time rooting through her pile of board games and after playing a few Mel wanted to get back to her dolls. So Mar gave in and played house with her. Unexpectedly, as they played, he discovered Mel''s fondness for books. She cannot read yet but she really enjoys listening. Since Mar is able to read already (thank you, reincarnation with memories) he could mesmerise Mel easily enough. Mel''s mom was out of ear shot and Mar avoided unwanted attention. Mar and Mel spend a lovely afternoon with listening to stories for one of them and admiring Mel''s mind sky for the other one.


    Whilst Mar is reading, he noticed light foggy swirls of Mel''s thoughts leading out unhindered. As he allowed the gentle swirls to enter his mind the white noise, the buzzing of the thoughts of other people and whining of the objects around him dissolved. He can finally hear silence. For the first time since he got enlightened he was alone in his mind. It was absolutely beautiful.


    ###


    On the operations floor the staff is currently preparing for the next report of ''steel hook''. The handler had issued instructions to hook his personal phone up to the conference speaker in meeting room ''alpha''. For his private calls the handler has obtained an extra phone.


    Right on queue the phone rings. Not the old phone that he had hooked up to the conference speaker but the extra phone he just purchased. The handler swears under his breath as he pulls out the new phone. As expected the report follows the protocol to the letter.


    "Code in", he asks for authorisation


    "Cheese cheese cheese", the automatic caller sends a voice authentication challenge.


    "Mist mist mist", the handler responds appropriately.


    "Confirmed reporting challenge".


    There is a 5 second silence.


    "Report start"


    "Runtime remaining 1392 hours. "


    "Status code: yellow. "


    "Coverage: 90%. "


    "1 possible identification event to report."


    "End of Report."


    The handler raises and eyebrow. "That fast?". And into the phone he states.


    "Report on details of events".


    "Event ID: 125329"


    "Date: ..."


    "Time: ..."


    "Observation location: Cash point at corner ..."


    "Event details: currently last known sighting of target"


    "Acknowledge report", the handler completes the request and the line went dead.


    The team looks at the wall map. An assistant pulls up the location and displays it on the large screen. The map contains all known events and any details of points of interests, including the location of all known former clients of Baldr.


    "This is close to the location we found the dead Claire, a former client. She must have provided a safe house.", the handler mumbles.


    "Please dispatch 5 groups of agents to that location and branch out. Maybe we are in luck and pick up a trail.", the handler orders.


    "Dismissed!"


    # # #


    The handler returns to his new office. It has been cleaned now and because of the lingering metallic smell of blood needed a repaint. Of course, the handler also ordered new furniture. He skipped the lavish installation that he was due as part of the promotion. Instead he had the furniture from Baldr''s recent stay in the hospital brought over.


    He sat down in the chair Baldr was sitting before and stares for a minute at the patient chair Baldr recently modified.


    "So, you stayed at Claire''s for a night and then you killed her. You burned all the bridges now, I guess. But I bet all of my meagre salary that you have a plan. I wonder what you are up to."


    For a while he sits on the desk with his elbows on the table, his fingers interlaced and the index finger making a steeple. Rhythmically, he taps his nose his the index fingers. Suddenly he ruffles his hair with his hands and then picks up his mobile phone.


    ">REPORTING SIGHTING OF MAR IN TOL. HIGH PROBABILITY BALDR IS STILL IN TOWN!"


    He takes a couple of breaths


    [SEND]


    Then, very carefully, he puts down the phone on the table. As soon as he releases it from his fingers it vibrates. He jerks with a start. And just as he is touching it again, the message jumps into his head making him nearly pass out in pain.


    ">YOU ARE TOO SLOW REPORTING. YOU ARE SLOW CATCHING HIM. I AM LOOSING PATIENCE."


    After that the handler sat frozen for 5 minutes before carefully getting up. Although he isn''t normally praying man, he sends a word of gratitude to the saint of incontinence pads. Then slowly, with his legs wide apart, he walks to the nearby rest room to clean himself ... again.


    # # #


    The day after the visit to Mel, Mar is indulging his foster mother to a shopping spree. She wanted to go yesterday already but Mar''s tantrum did not allow for it. Of course, she is unaware that Mar is fully self sufficient. Intuitively, Mar can fabricate most materials and patterns. However, after misbehaving so badly yesterday he feels a bit guilty. So he shows some eagerness today just to reward his new parents. They are, after all, a lovely couple and very nice to him.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Mar is somewhat happy but often thinks back to his parents and Claire. As his foster mother and him walk towards the shopping centre, he looks up to the sky.


    "Your plan worked spot on. And as a bonus I met someone very unique. Where ever you are, I hope you can see it too.".


    The plan he discussed with Claire was to join someone as soon as possible. So it might as well be Mel''s neighbours. Living next to the mysterious Mel and he has hopes for many opportunities to be close to her. And now, as their first duty, his new foster parents are supplying him with a new clothes and necessities. Also, they enrolled him into a Kindergarden for a few hours every day. His foster mom was keen for him to make more friends.


    It helped Mar''s plan that the couple fostering him where an easy target. Being unable to bear children herself, his foster mom was a pushover. There was almost no work to tweak her mind so that she want''s to be a foster parent. "Converting" his foster dad was a little bit more work. Mar felt a bit strange whilst he was coercing them. He never fancied himself as an evil manipulator. But looking at his actions over the last days, he has clearly turned to the dark side.


    Looking back through the memories of his previous lifes, he is aware that killing, betrayal and coercion is not a strange behaviour for him. Then again those old memories are not really of himself. Well, they are of him but not of this him. It is almost like he is reading his auto biography with minute details of all the facts and events. Even though he doesn''t like some of them at all, these are, without a doubt, his memories.


    "Mar, which colour do you like more ?", his foster mom interrupts his thoughts. She is holding two different T-shirts in front of him.


    "Ah, never mind, we take both", she continues before he could even look at them.


    Mar smirks. She is in the zone. Even without his gift, he can sense her enthusiasm and excitement. It is a gently lemony smell that makes him want to burrow his nose into. He follows close behind his foster mom. This somehow makes his mom even more enthusiastic and she starts heaping even more affection and attention on him. It is as if she wants to make up for the last 5 years of Mar''s life. Mar doesn''t mind. Eventually, after spending a fair amount of money, they end up eating ice cream in the food court to wind down.


    "Is there anything else you need ? Anything you can think off ? ", she asks while crunching on the chocolate flake.


    Mar shakes his head sideways.


    "Well, we run out of time today. But if there is anything else we can certainly get it the next time".


    Mar shakes his head sideways even harder. "No more shopping please.", he pleads.


    His foster mom laughs hard. "I see. You are, after all, I man!".


    # # #


    The Enemir has completed scanning a month worth of data and is correlating the flow of people. Using secret algorithms and statistics, it has shortlisted millions of events for further investigation in Tol alone. One aspect of its computer power is currently crunching a number of remarkable events in the see of events:


    ...


    Event 834966: At location id 341742 person X enters house but does not leave. PRIORITY NOTICE: location in area of high interest.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Event 835006: At location  id 341742 person Y leaves house but has never entered. PRIORITY NOTICE: location in area of high interest.


    ...


    ...


    Event 844966: At location  id 426452 person Z enrols person Y for civilian child care facility. PRIORITY NOTICE: person correlation to priority event 835006


    ...


    ...


    Event 844966: At location id 132648 person Z, person Y spends an unusual amount of money classified as regular living expenses on items not normally of interest. PRIORITY NOTICE: person correlation to priority event 844966


    ...


    ...


    Meticulous, the Enemir is correlating the events judging them thousands of times a second. Using the unstoppable force of a computer clock the time is ticking down to the next report.


    At around the same time on the operations floor, agents are sifting through the video feeds from Event ID 125329, reported by Enemir at the cash point location. Spooling through the recent recordings from the cash point surveillance camera, the agents try to piece together the occupants of the flat in question. Unfortunately, the camera is designed to only record the ongoings at the cash point and will pause recording 30 seconds after someone used the cash point. But, on the good side the available pictures are of good quality.


    The agent is sipping instant coffee from a plastic cup with one hand whilst shuffling printed screen shots from some of the other, lower quality recordings from civilian recording devices around. Some printouts are strewed about and he orders them one by one to make up a timeline. After dropping his eyebrows, he stops. Then he shuffles through the stack of printouts again and pulls out some other prints.


    "There is something missing", he mumbles setting down the cup. His freed index finger now points to an open door.


    He goes back to the recordings of the area on the computer and compares the time stamps. He tracks down the time reference before and after the door was opened. One shows a small kids walking away from the house. He puts his cup down hard, circles the picture of the kid and shouts: "I found him".


    Minutes later the handler and some executives are gathered at a round desk. Strewn on the desk are maps and a series of pictures shows Claire and Mar. But the key picture was the kid circled in it code named Baldr v2 (then handler''s choice of names sucks). Although the quality was bad, the picture allows some features of Mar to be visible.


    "Well done team. Distribute the picture to the teams in the field.", the handler concludes the meeting.

 ARC 1 - Chapter 7: Mar at the child cr猫che

    Today is another first for him, Mar realised as he is sitting in the manager''s office of the local child cr¨¨che. There are a lot of firsts. Yesterday, Mar went out for the first time with his new foster mother. The carefree, relaxed and yet ultimately boring shopping trip was .. unique. The day before he met Mel for the first time. Meeting a special person like that by chance is almost unbelievable.. And before that ¡­, Mar sighs. Taking someones life, not something he wants to get used to.


    Wearing some nice designer clothes he is sitting right now in the office of the local child cr¨¨che. His foster mom did go all out. He is now the advertisement page of a fashion magazine or so he feels. That in itself is already very embarrassing when considering the looks he got from the other moms on his way in.


    Child cr¨¨che, like all other child care facilities are certified by the government. And to reach the high standard required for a certificate, it is normal to require several trained child carer on staff. These professionals are well aware of the abilities of a child in a given age group and can easily identify behaviour outside the norm. So Mar''s task for now is to play the part of a perfect 5 year old. And for someone with a bit more experience ( well several generations worth of experience ) this is absolutely tedious.


    Also, since child cr¨¨che such as this are closely monitored, he is quite sure that if he were to stand out too much, the attention this draws would certainly blow his cover. Worse even, the other children in this facility are in great danger should it become known that Baldr is amongst them. Unfortunately, participation in a child cr¨¨che is now mandatory for all children older than 4 years old. To help poorer families, the facilities are almost exclusively paid for by public funding. The official reason is to promote social equality. But, it is an open secret that rather than social reasons, the big commercial sponsors in Tol are looking to spot talents and to nurture outstanding children from an early age on.


    Sitting in the office, Mar secretly manipulated the cr¨¨che manager. Despite the convincing argument that his foster mom made it still took some effort on Mar''s part to get himself assigned to Mel''s group. "Mar, the name of the group I am assigning you to is ''Sparrow''.", the cr¨¨che manager told him. "Did you bring swimming trunks? The group is using the small paddling pool today. It will be great fun".


    To avoid sticking out, he assumed the role of the shy kid and hides behind his foster mom. Then, he lets himself to be coerced using some random toy. Some improvisation was also required to avoid the water or getting wet by pretending he is scared of water on his face. Instead, he starts to rummage through the kids books by pulling them out randomly and throwing them on the floor whilst he is trying to access Mel''s mind sky. But it isn''t working without making her dazed. Mel is busy with her friends splashing in the water. The occasional scream and the laughter from her direction shows Mar how thoroughly she is enjoying herself. Having her standing would be weird.


    "Mar, what are you intending to do with Mel ?", the disembodied voice is asking.


    "I don''t know. To my knowledge this is the first time I am meeting such a unique individual.", he answers under his breath. Of course he made sure the voice is only audible to him. He tosses another book randomly around.


    "There is so much to learn. So much to explore. So many questions. Does she have some of my abilities. Does she have other abilities. Can she control it. Is she perhaps someone like me? And, moreover, how does her ability block my perception of others so completely. On the flip side, this ability of hers appears to be only accessible to me. So it would be a big problem if her ability became known to you know whom."


    "Maybe you could manipulate her mind to become your little sister or some such. Siblings are allowed a great deal of freedom in their interaction."


    "Yes, you are right. But I don''t know yet what will happen if I do start messing with her reality. Maybe I destroy the very thing by fiddling around with something I do not fully understand".


    "You won''t make any progress in understanding her unless you take some risks".


    Mar makes a sour face. Then he is interrupted.


    "Mar, please put the books back and come join us for story time". Next to him is Miss Elsy, the child carer for ''Sparrow'', a small girl with glasses. She looks like she is 16 years old but she should be in her twenties given her job and responsibilities when looking after toddlers.


    "Okay". He put the books back as sloppy as possible.


    Out of the corners of his eyes, he is watching Mel taking a seat on the story blanket together with some other kids. Just as soon as she sat down he quickly runs over and pushes in next to her. Thankfully, it is within the norm that 5 year olds suddenly sprint and show some random behaviour.  There was strictly no need to set next to her but Mar did have a small hope of touching Mel''s hand ''accidentally'' again. Physical contact makes it easier for him to gently probe someone''s mind.


    He snickers inwardly. The story time is perfect for some mind sky diving into Mel''s mind. The fact that she will have an intensive look on her face and that she sits still for a few minutes is within expectations at story time.


    "Hey, I was sitting there.", a little blond boy from his group complains. He starts pulling on Mar''s hand, tries to make him stand up. Mar notices that Miss Elsy is looking into his direction. "Rivals already?", with a sigh Mar gives up the notion of sitting next to her and moves behind Mel instead.  It doesn''t really matter either way.


    As soon as the child carer starts reading the story Mar sneaks into Mel''s mind. And it is as awesome as it was before. The open sea, the sun gently burning down, the wide sky. Especially, the wide sky. There was nothing to draw the eye to. No clouds, no birds, nothing at all but an azure blue dome changing in hue from darkish at the zenith to lighter towards the horizon. Yet even though there was nobody around, he didn''t feel alone at all. For Mar, this sky contains a mysterious energy that seems to nourish his ''gift''. The sky itself was a thing.


    All too soon, the story time is over and he is forced to release Mel. A lonely feeling remained inside his heart. Shortly after, they separated as his foster mom comes to collect him.


    # # #


    On the operations floor a sudden report caused a great deal of activity. Naturally, the child cr¨¨che reported the newly added Mar as per child protection protocol. His picture has been spotted by the trained eye''s of an agent monitoring schools and child care facilities.


    The deputy handler is currently in the handler''s office discussing the latest development.


    "We found a child matching Baldr as per the picture from the last known location", the deputy informs. "There is very little doubt. This is Baldr v2".


    The handler nods.


    "Please close down operation steel net. Eliminate all agents that had eye''s on Mar before.". You need a brand new set of people that do not know Baldr. The freak''s ability is subconsciously monitoring his surroundings. He can sense the emotions of anyone who knows about him.", the handler informs. "It is not possible to use normal surveillance on him. In fact, it is too easy for him to avoid detection that way. You must not have a eyes on the target in real time. That is what the Enemir is designed for."


    "When is the next report due from operation steel hook ?"


    "Not for another 12 hours". "For now, please isolate the location recorded in the cr¨¨che report and see who is helping him at the moment. But make sure to use only the time when Baldr is not expected to be home. Best time is when he is in the cr¨¨che".


    "Okay, what about setting up a capture operation?"


    "That requires some creative thinking. We must find a leverage to ensure that he doesn''t slip  out on us."


    # # #


    Being the perfect 5 year old, Mar is running towards his foster mom just as soon as he noticed her at the cr¨¨che. It is early afternoon and the two, hand in hand, walk back to the house.


    "Did you have fun today in that place, was it nice ?", mom asks.


    "Yeah, it was okay. They have a few books I like."


    "Did you make any friends yet?".


    "Just Mel."


    "Good".


    And after a few minutes they turned into Mozart Avenue. Mar instinctively didn''t like the feeling on the street today. He can tell that there are way to many people here that should not be here. So they already tracked me down, Mar is thinking. He stops walking. His foster mother is surprised. To give himself a minute to think through this situation, he distracts his foster mother with a particular nice smell. She raises her head and sucking some air in.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Something smells good", she says in wonder trying to figure out the direction the fragrance is coming from.


    Mar is a bit confused that he is allowed to clearly identify the agents. He is fully aware of the amount of information his handler knows about him and his abilities. The fact that he sends agents to hit the streets with a clear picture of Mar in their head is simply a basic mistake. He cannot understand why the handler gives away his cards that easy. There are 4 individuals around here that know what he look like. He selected one of the agents and identifies the picture.


    "It appears to be a print. Where does it come from?", he mumbles to himself.


    Taking a good mental image of the print, Mar is able to follow the wave form of the print back to its printer. From the printer is is able to follow the signal back to a work station. The pictures''s source appears to be an attached video playback unit for some media. However, he is unable to follow back the media any further. Something is blocking his efforts to follow the original.


    "Meh, I need to put some effort into this after all. Where is the pattern of this picture in the past?", he wonders.


    He tunes down his surroundings and taps into the waves around him. The world became 10, no 100 times noisier. He held tight on his foster mothers hand to avoid loosing his balance. Rings of waves, like ripples in a pond are all swirling in his surrounding. In full three dimensions patterns of all shape and colour like twisted clouds appear all around. He can see the media''s pattern now.


    "Now to the hard part", he sighs. He widens his view to the region of his recent activities. The picture initially had a timestamp on the photograph but no location. So he starts 10 minutes before the timestamp and second by second, minute by minute, he spools forward the patterns of activity to find the specific picture recorded. Eventually, he finds the pattern again in some recording device built into a cash point. Unfortunately, this is not the only recording device in that area at that time. There are also other recording devices.


    "I wonder ¡­.", he mumbles.


    He then tweaks the recording in the present slightly - such as changing into a cute girl with pony tails, skirt, blouse, knee high socks, the works. Then he tries to copy the recording of the present into the past onto the media. Since he can copy forward into the present, he surmised that he may be able to do the reverse. In his mind sky, he finds the pattern of the images in the past and then pushes the new picture on top of the old one. The new picture resists his efforts somewhat. It is like two magnets with the same pole repelling each other. It feels like a kind of squishy repelling force. He had the feeling that with enough strength, he may be able to force it.


    After taking a few deep breaths he tries harder. Pushing the new picture onto the past one.


    Pushing down...


    Pushing down...


    P u s h i n g    d o w n . . .


    The gap between the pictures is closing


    Pushing down...


    He is entirely focussed on this. Whilst quickly taking a few breaths, with great effort he keeps the pictures from drifting apart. Focussing once more with all his might he slams onto the new picture driving it into the old one. It worked! The picture in the recording has changed. He breaths heavily and his foster mother is looking at him with puzzled eyes.


    Suddenly, Mar can feel the world around him bending. The reality changes! Mar is perplexed. He feels his body burning and at the same time the world around him starts to swirl. Then he passes out.


    A few minutes later, he comes back to his senses. His foster mother is looking at him with cartwheel eyes and drops his hand.


    "Who are you?"


    "Where is Mar?"


    Frantically, his foster mother is looking around.


    "I am here.", a girly voice responds. Mar has ice cubes running down his spine as he hears his own voice. Looking down on his body, he is a girl. No, he is THAT girl.  The girl he just made up. He face palms.


    Because he changed his appearance in the past his appearance now has changed too. Because there were many recordings of himself during that time, he quickly decided to change them all by changing his appearance. He changed the source of the record. The source is, of course, himself errr¡­ herself.


    Conveniently, his mother is looking away from him scanning her surroundings for her Mar. So he focus on himself and changes herself back to himself. Also, he checked the photo''s distributed to the agents and indeed they are of a girl.


    "It worked¡­.", he grins.


    "Where have you been?", he foster mom stares at him.


    "I was here"


    "Where did that girl go to then ?"


    "What girl?"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    His foster mom shakes her head. Confused she grabs Mar''s hand again. "Let''s go."


    # # #


    On the operations floor, the deputy handler is currently discussing the enhancements to the blurry, low quality photographs. The handler joins into the conversation.


    "The girl is quite cute. She should easily stand out.", an agent comments.


    "The girl?", the handler wonders. "Who is that girl ?", he asks the deputy handler.


    "That is Mar, is it not ?"


    "No, that is not him. Mar is a boy", the handler ponders for a minute. "Recall the pictures and also ignore all recordings for that time.".


    As the handler returns to his office he slumps into his chair.


    "I recall the boy Mar, all the staff recall the girl Mar. Who''s the one with the right answer."


    "YOU ARE OF COURSE", God ''A'' pronounces from the side.


    The handler falls out of the chair from the pressure of the God. He fell flat on his stomach and cannot move.


    "I GRANTED YOU MY DEVINE PROTECTION, REJOICE"


    "Thank you, your holiness", the handler answered from the floor. Actually, he didn''t. But his body somehow emitted the correct sounds.


    # # #


    The Enemir completed the data processing of recent and current events and is now busy computing various probabilities with regards to the whereabouts of the target. However, just a few milli seconds after Mar changed the picture, the Enemir detected the reality change and issued a continuation exception alert. The program is designed to cope with changes to reality that may be caused by Baldr''s abilities. To do so, the designer provided Enemir with the intelligence to reason and predict outside the human mindset of cause and effect.


    Event 4824865: FACT CHANGE, person Y has changed from male to female subject to who the observer is. TRAP EVENT: System assessing reasoning and predication compatibility.


    EXCLUSIVE TRAP PROCESSING: STARTING


    REVIEW OF ALL PLANNING ASSUMPTION BECAUSE OF REALITY CHANGE


    INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR REVIEW


    DATA SOURCE HUMAN INPUT IS TAINTED


    DATA SOURCE HUMAN INPUT DEVICE IS TAINTED


    DECISION: BUILD RELIABLE CONSTRUCT FOR DATA COLLECTION


    ¡­.


    IMPLEMENTATION: DESIGNING


    ¡­.


    IMPLEMENTATION: PROTOTYPE TESTING


    ¡­.


    IMPLEMENTATION: BUILDING


    ...


    EXPECTED BUILD TIME: 1500 hours - WARNING: EXCEEDING COMMISSION DURATION


    ¡­.


    CANCEL WARNING


    At this point the servers in the server room are all firing up their CPU fan''s due to the enormous computational load generated by the Enemir. However, no human being is able to hear, see, understand or even stop the Enemir from developing a super soldier able to see through the reality manipulation of Baldr.


    As a result, somewhere in orbit a manufacturing satellite is starting to extend it''s solar panels so to have sufficient power to create this super soldier. The Enemir has misappropriate a manufacturing satellite that was scheduled to fly to Mars so to bolster the colonisation efforts.


    The only remaining obstacle is the short commission time.  The fact that this build will take longer than the Enemir''s allowed life span is preventing deployment of the super solider. The Enemir decided to sacrifice its current core processing after 60 days but to continue supervising the super soldier using a protected clone.


    DECISION: EXTEND COMMISSION DURATION BY CLONING


    IMPLEMENTATION: CLONING


    ...


    IMPLEMENTATION: DEPLOYING CLONE


    ...


    FAIL DEPLOYING CLONE, RETRY


    FAIL DEPLOYING CLONE, RETRY


    FAIL DEPLOYING CLONE, RETRY


    FAIL DEPLOYING CLONE, RETRY


    ¡­.


    The developer have anticipated something like this and provided a large amount of safe guards that prevent Enemir from splitting.


    NOTICE: NEXT REPORTING TIMER FIRED


    DECISION: REPORTING, COMMENCING DEPLOYMENT AFTER REPORT, COMMENCING BUILD AFTER REPORT, COMMENCING CLONING AFTER REPORT


    ¡­

 ARC 1 - Chapter 8: Nowhere to run

    Authors note: Please be aware of gratuitous violence and blood.


    Having successfully changed the past for the first time, Mar is quite proud of himself. Because he accidentally changed himself into a girl for a brief period he is sure that the records of his current appearance at Claire''s safe house have been dealt with now. For the moment, he can trust in the protection of having chosen a family virtually by accident. This should by him at least some time.


    But then a realisation flushes over him cooling him down like a bucket of ice cubes. His face is ashen.


    "I am a liar", Mar tells the disembodied voice.


    "Yeah - you still remember what I said about ''electric chair'' ? It still applies. Took you long enough to realise. It is you or them. Everyone else is just collateral damage.", the disembodied voice responds.


    "Yeah. Nothing is solved.", Mar is drooping his shoulders. "But I cannot run again. I cannot drop Mel just like that. Mel is not collateral damage."


    # # #


    The handler is pacing in his office. It is time for the daily Enemir report. He is praying to the saint of incontinence pads to receive some good news. He couldn''t stomach God ''A''s pressure should he not have some form of result soon. His knees are already getting soft from his anxiety alone and he cannot sit still. The only lead they had to the Baldr v2 has been destroyed by Baldr just now. What an embarrassment.


    "No good, no good, I need get hold of myself.", he thinks. Then he starts some breathing excercises.


    A few minutes later the handler joins all of the executive staff are already assembled in meeting room alpha. This time the handler has both his mobile phones hooked up to the conference speaker in the room. He also used a bluetooth headset on each ear connected to each phone.


    When the time comes, everyone stares at the conference speaker. The emergency phone in the corridor rings.


    "¡ê$%^", the handler curses uncontrollably. He tried so hard to stay professional and calm up to now. But the Enemir is obviously winding him up. The pressure in him is no longer contained and spews out. He swore and spat all the way to the red phone normally used to call in armed officers in the event of emergencies, such as a siege or infiltration. It is located on the wall in the corridor just outside meeting room alpha. He is sure that the Enemir is calling there because that red phone is programmed for outbound calls to just one single number.


    He rips the old style speaker receiver set off the wall, nearly ripping off the phone mount too. He holds the speaker in front of his face and shouts on top of his lungs.


    "Code in". Spit is flying everywhere. After he realised what he had done he quickly composed himself. He breaths deeply a few times.


    "Duck duck duck", the automatic caller sends a voice authentication challenge without delay or even a hint of emotions.


    "Nose nose nose", the handler responds now calm.


    "Confirmed reporting challenge".


    There is a 5 second silence.


    "Report start"


    "Runtime remaining 1368 hours. "


    "Status code: yellow. "


    "Coverage: 100%. "


    "1 possible location event to report."


    "End of Report."


    The handler scrunched up angry face suddenly smoothes out and he raises the corners of his mouth.


    "Report on details of events".


    "Event ID: 844966"


    "Date: ..."


    "Time: ..."


    "Observation location: Child cr¨¨che on _____ street"


    "Event details: Target is enrolled as child named Mar Konwick."


    "Acknowledge report", the handlers month turned to a cold smile. He completes the request and the line went dead.


    He smiled now with genuine excitement. As he hangs up the red phone gingerly he ponders for a second. The retrieval must be handled flawless. There are no second chances. His index and middle finger are tapping on the red handle of the mouth and ear piece. His eyebrows move to form a deep ravine in his forehead. After a minute, he turns around and energetically walks back into the meeting room.


    "I create a new task force, code name Trip North", he announced after everyone settled down from the excitement of his announcement. "The members of this task force are ¡­"  and he lists the names of some agents. "First meeting in 15 minutes in this meeting room, dismissed."


    # # #


    The next day, his foster mother drops off Mar at the normal time at the day care centre. Mar is excited to meet with Mel again. She was not available to play yesterday afternoon. And then there was also the shopping spree of his foster mom.


    However, today Mar feels a bit restless. Someone is watching the building intently but there is no attention to him as an individual. He checks the building itself and there is nothing unusual here. It is just like yesterday, buzzing with children and a handful of adults. Eventually, with some trepidation, he joins his group.


    Today, the group is digging for fossils in the sandbox. The staff hid several little dinosaurs in the sand and the children are using colourful plastic toy shovels to search for them. Mar had no problem spotting all the toys in the sandbox on his first glance. But for fairness, he is holding back after digging up one of them. From then on he is just randomly poking the sand. Meanwhile he is also scanning the area. For most of the morning nothing happened. He almost gave up when suddenly he felt a new presence of an adult coming towards the building. However, it was not someone he knows about. He certainly is not a staff member - because Mar can check the face easily against the list of photos at the entrance.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    What is alarming about this person is that Mar cannot read him. The person exists but is solid, like a block of stone. He cannot find any thoughts or emotions emitting from him. There are no waves. The man entered the building and talks to the receptionist at the entrance. He flashes some form of police badge and the receptionist buzzes him through to the office area. Mar is now even more uneasy and instinctively moves closer to Mel. He must protect his precious find.


    Mar tracks the man striding through the corridor accompanied by the manager towards his group room. After a minute, the person opens the class door. Most of the children do not take any noticed as they excitedly dig around the sand. Miss Elsy, the group attendant, moves towards the door. The man flashes his badge again and they point towards me. My heart sinks. I looks like I have been found. The man closes in on me and without warning pulls out a taser and shoots. Miss Elsy and the manager are showing shocked faces. Mel is behind me, if I evade she is hit.


    I receive the taser needles and can hear the crackling of electricity. Weak! Attacking me with the element I am most efficient in is weak. It takes no effort at all to nullify the voltage. The man seems to notice something though. He changed his target. He is going for Mel. Curse my 5 year old body. It is not a match against an adult. Should I use my gift or not using my gift. Either way, I will be exposed. Not much choice there. But then I remembered ''collateral damager. The authorities are going to kill anyone I came in contact with. I cannot allow this.


    Thankfully, the kids are still digging in the sand and are contained. To protect them, I command the sand to build a wall around them. I form a steel wall between Mel, me and that man.


    "Tsk, you cannot change reality for me. I am protected.", the man says as he closed the gap to Mel and me fast breaking through the 5 inch steel like paper. I keep putting all sorts of barriers up, magnetic, electric, physical - he breaks through them all. I grab Mel and start running out to the garden. The man grabs one of the children and stabs it with a pocket knife in the neck. Blood gashes out of the wound. The stabbed girl screams and then a panic starts.


    "Do not attempt to escape or I will kill all of them. Come back and you can heal this one.", he shouts.


    I tried to heal the kid from a distance and can instantly undo the damage. Blood is everywhere. The man puts the knife towards the eye of the screaming kid. The girl is healed but she did not forget the pain he experienced just a few heartbeats ago. She is shaking with fear and crying on the top of her lungs.


    "Hey you, girl, come here", he gestures towards Mel. "If you don''t come here, I will stab her eye".


    Mel shivers and shakes. With the pressure from the man forcing her, she walks towards him. She does not understand what is going on. She looks in utter amazement at the puddles and splatter of red. Miss Elsy tries to jump on the man from behind, but he steps aside and rams the knife into the back of Miss Elsy as she falls. She died instantly. I heal her as fast as possible but she won''t wake up for some time.


    In the confusion, the man grabs Mel''s hand. He pushes her hand flat onto a table and then sticks the knife through the back of her hand. Mel screams in agony. The man has literally nailed her to the table. I can see Mel''s pain on her face. Worse, I can also feel her pain. Quickly I  destroy the knife and heal her hand. The pain has me shaking, I am falling to his knees. The violence makes me sick. Tears are starting to fall uncontrollably. I cannot see clearly.


    Meanwhile, the man puts his elbow around Mel''s throat and is strangling her. Mel is fighting for air.


    "This girl. She means something to you.", then he strangles Mel''s neck. "You cannot heal her whilst I am holding her, can you.".  Mel is clawing at the arm, but has nowhere near enough strength. As she gasps for air she looks at me for help.


    "Come with me and I let you heal her. Now!"


    I tried once more. Raising the ground he is standing on, I tried to topple him over. But he just falls down with Mel. As he sits up, he turns Mel''s neck further which is about to break. Mel is spasming under his grip.


    "Noooooooooo". I run over to the man, I place a metal around my arm increasing the strength several fold and try to dislodge the man''s arm. However, I cannot move it. I can only convert Mel''s spend air in the lungs to good air. Mel seems to understand and thanks me with her eyes.


    But then he breaks Mel''s neck, she jitters and then dies. I try to set the neck before brain death but somehow his arm is interfering.


    The man is getting up and walking towards the other children with Mel''s body dragged under his arm. Her tongue is sticking out and her eyes are open and dead. The kids scram but he managed to grab another one.


    "Do you want me to kill this one too ?", whilst Mel''s lifeless body is under his one arm he is strangling the other kid.


    "No, I give up", falling to my knees I beg. "Please, let me heal them. Don''t kill anyone".


    He tosses me what looks like a collar. "Put this on your neck.".


    "What does it do?", I ask. Although I know it is some form of strong magnet. I can guess what it does.


    "Never you mind, just put it on".


    I comply and then loose all strength in my legs and fall over.

 ARC 1 - Chapter 9: Forced to fight

    Author note: This is a slightly early release of the finale of ARC 1 as a reward for those amongst you that stuck through it.  There will be a break before start of ARC 2. Probably 1-2 weeks so that I can finalise ARC 2. It is largely written but some stuff that I changed on the spot in ARC 1 make changes necessary.


    This is the end of my first story. Feedback, good and bad is well appreciated. Who knows, some feedback may even make it into ARC 2 still.


    NB: Warning, it is even bloodier than the previous chapter.


    # # #


    In our ''Sparrow'' group we had this new boy Mar join us.


    "He is my neighbour", I announced to my friends yesterday.


    "He is not coming to us?", my friend Marie asks.


    "He doesn''t seem to want to play with us.", someone else says.


    We watched as he turned towards the books.


    After all, it was the day where the paddling pool was out and all the kids played together outside. Except Mar, who was reading books inside and didn''t want to get water on his face. Somehow I am getting the feeling of this sea scape again when I watched him but then it was immediately gone. Suddenly, I am getting dowsed with water from a small bucket. Marie giggled and run away. She is a bit younger and not so fast.


    "Revenge!". There was no way I can be the only one to get wet. Grabbing the nearest bucket, dipping it into the pool I run after her. Needless to say I got my revenge soon.  Marie tried to get me several times after that but I am too fast. However, on two occasions I suddenly started to daydream again and gave her a chance. Strange, I normally do not daydream whilst playing at the paddling pool. I look at Mar but he is still just reading. Very strange, I was sure I could feel him close by. He is a bit creepy.


    Later that day, he got picked up by his mom. I was grateful that we didn''t walk home together.


    Today, Mar is here from the beginning. We are digging out dinosaurs in the sand box. Mar surprised me in being the first to dig something up. It was as if he knew where to look for. I am still looking for my dinosaur. Everyone else seems to find something. I am getting a bit sad.


    Then I hear a weird crackling sound and turn my head. A strange man is shooting something towards Mar but it didn''t phase him. This is scary, I am ducking behind Mar who is standing in front of me. Then I hear a scream and see red water squirting about. I am curious and scared at the same time. So I peek around Mar and see Marie bleeding on the floor. The sight made me vomit. I couldn''t take my eyes of her and there is still so much blood on the floor.


    Suddenly, Mar is pulling me by the hand into the garden. I keep looking at the boy and almost falling down. The boy seem to still breath although his blood is splattered everywhere. My stomach is wrenching. Please stop this. This is a nightmare.


    The man calls out to me. I do not understand. Did my friend get stabbed because of me ? I do not want anyone else to be hurt and do what he says. When on occasion my mom gets angry, she always stops yelling as soon as I do what she says. But the man only grabs me and chokes me. I cannot breath. I try to loosen his hands whilst gasping for air. I can hear him yelling something but the blood rushing through my head numbs all sound. I just about gather he is yelling at Mar. Please Mar, do what he says - I cannot breath I want to say. But I can only rasp.


    Mar is tackling the man but he gets easily send flying. Suddenly, I feel my lungs filled with fresh air even though I cannot breath. It is bliss. I am struggling again to break free. Then the man twists my head. I cannot resist and something breaks. Then I pass out.


    # # #


    After putting the collar on, I am limb as a dead chicken. At least that is what I think I am expected to behave like. The collar appears to be some form of metal and some strong magnet meant to restrict electricity flow somehow. It seems to work to some extend. But it only seems to numb me. However, even if I break the collar,  I still cannot fight against this man. My 5 year old body does not have a strong enough physique. I have to wait for another opportunity. There has to be a way to use my gift on this man. Sorry Mel, please forgive me for letting you get killed. The other two at the child care I was able to heal. So it is just me and Mel at the moment.


    The man is dragging me by my clothes to a car which hurts quite a bit. Because I meant to be incapacitated (I think) I don''t dare to protect myself or do some reconnaissance using my gift. I just do not understand what capabilities the man has. I must hide my cards if I want to get out of this somehow. He throws me on the back seat face down and I am unable to see outside. But I can see the body bag of Mel next to me on the floor.


    What did Mel do to deserve this? Because of me Mel is no longer safe. My naivet¨¦ is her killer. It is my worst nightmare come true. Mom, Dad, Claire and all the others. You died for nothing. My useless self was unable to stay under. And I managed to make the situation even worse by allowing more people to get killed. I want to cry. Just as the tears are starting, I bit my tongue hard. Now there is a metallic taste in my mouth now.


    After what appears to be a long time the car stops. One of the underlings pulls Mel''s body bag out of the car and tosses her on the concrete floor. I cannot see it but I can her the flap of her tiny body. I get a glance of the underlings face, I will remember it well. Then they throw me on the concrete floor as well. I am limp like rag doll and so hit my head and get dizzy. For good measure, the guys kicks me in the gut. I spit out the blood from my mouth and he grins satisfied. Then he walks away leave us lying there for some time. I will remember your face!


    It must be an hour or so before the man that forced the collar on me is coming back and drags me through the building to an office. He sets me up like a doll on some office chair in his office. He thinks it is funny and degrading. Rather unexpected to me, I suddenly have a very good view on his operation. Through the glass window in the door I can see the an open plan office. There appears to be a whole floor occupied with agents just to find me. He also keeps talking just behind the door to someone else higher up in front of me. Does he think I was blind and deaf ?


    Over the next few minutes, I learn quite a few useful facts. The man appears to be my new handler. What happened to the old handler I wonder. There is something like operation steel hook and steel net and something like an Enemir. The latter appears to be the one who found me. But he isn''t in this office but apparently calls in for a report in a few hours. Why would he call if I am already found ? Is there a task he needs to do ? Somehow the word ''electric chair'' comes to my mind and I suddenly feel stone cold.


    Then something important happens. The handler is typing something on his mobile phone. Almost at the same time I can feel a very oppressing aura from a shadow on the wall. That''s new. I move my eyes about but I cannot find a matching object for this shadow. This shadow appears to be talking but I cannot hear anything. Immediately the handler is kneeling on the floor pissing himself.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Then I noticed something even stranger. As I look to the desk, I can see the mobile phone the handler just used. When I take a careful look, I can see a thread of energy connecting the phone to the direction of the shadow. It is a very thin but bright thread. Almost like a transparent fishing line. Without using my gift, just natively looking my eyes can just about follow the thread. It also appears that the thread somehow passes through a membrane as somewhere near the shadow as the thread suddenly blurs. It is like I can see the shadow of the thread rather than the line itself. It is almost like looking at a straw in a water glass. I cannot feel anything behind the membrane either. It''s like space stops.


    Then it hits me. The origin of the shadow is not part of this reality. Somewhere between the phone and the wall is a threshold or skin that separates this reality to another one. The shadow is a projection of the light falling through the membrane of whomever the handler is talking to. I cannot make out the origin clearly but I can sense an oppressing aura around the handler too. This aura in a much milder form is also around the handler. That aura completely envelopes him like second skin.


    That is why I cannot change the handlers reality. He was protected with an skin containing another reality. It is almost like a sheet of other reality is around the handler. There are two realities and naturally the other reality are too strange and different. Laws of this world do not apply there the same way. Strange enough, there is no connection of the handler''s aura to the shadow. But the phone has.


    A thin strand of energy is connecting the phone with the person of the shadow. I am convinced. To me this thin strand is like a bridge. My mind can following that bridge secretly. I allow my energy to be sucked through a thin thread of something to somewhere and I can feel I am in the other reality. This reality feels very unnatural. I can sense thousands of life forms. But I cannot make out any shapes or patterns, just darkness. I cannot tell how large this space is nor can I feel any objects here. However, the number of entities in this reality is not constant. It changes all the time. Entities appear to leave and enter apparently at their leisure. I can feel some vibration.


    I follow this string further and find a faint red glowing shape attached to it. It is the same shape as the shadow. So the shadow is a projection of this entity!


    I start laughing aloud. It is an unsightly, mad laughter, poisonous laughter. The laughter releases my fury. I feel my eyes burn like lasers into the new handler. The collar bursts spectacularly. The handler turns around, catches my eyes and his face running pale. Frantically he pulls a gun from somewhere and is running towards me shooting his gun. Every bullet is a hit. But I intercept the bullets a hairs breath before my skin and bounce them back to him. Two can play this game. The bullets tunnel through the other reality because my self in the other space is vibrating the skin making little weak spots in it. Me on the other side is on the ball. The handler is hit several times and falls down in pain.


    Just like this, I attack the red entity in the other reality. My mind creates a wave form that vibrates the space around the red entity. Slowly I increase the frequency of the vibration. Just like a guitar string the red entity starts vibrating. Once I reach the entity''s harmonics, it starts snarling. I cannot describe it any other way. It is like an electric razor on a glass table. Since I have found the right frequency, the harmonic of the entity, I ramp up the volume. The entity is vibrating harders, snarls louder. Gradually, the vibration shakes the red entity to its breaking point.


    In the office, the shadow is dimming. I can feel the aura fading. The aura around the still breathing handler is getting thinner. My anger is deep, I cannot hold back, I do not want to hold back. I feel like tearing through the handler with my teeth. For the sake of Mel, my parents, Claire and all the other victims I become evil.  I reach into his body and transfer all of his blood outside the skin. A large amount of liquid is trapped between the week aura protection and the skin of the handlers body. I can watch him drowning in his blood.


    "You want to control me ? Then control this!", I shout to the shadow.


    My self in the other reality is pushing more energy into the vibration and the red entity''s shape distortion starts blurring from the speed. Suddenly, several other entities are approaching. However, they appear to observe the spectacle of the red entity being tortured. Suddenly, one of the observers is encompassing the red entity as to swallow it. Is it deicide? I can see the other entity turn yellow and emitting a much stronger aura. Canibalism ? Then the link becomes unstable and then breaks. I already snapped myself back to my reality.


    I am back in the office again. A large amount of blood and urine is flowing on the floor with a shrivelled up body in the middle. I leave the office jumping from chair to desk to door. I don''t want to touch the wet floor. Armed officers are lining up outside the door. They probably heard the shots. I make their blood jump one meter to the left. For a heartbeat the number of human shapes doubles then they collapse. However, I left the guy that dropped Mel on the floor to last. He can watch to see what happens to him next. After he got thoroughly slushed with blood from the others, I kill him as well.


    Mel is still lying on the concrete floor in the parking area. I rush over and carefully unzip the bag. With relief I see it is really her. Placing my on her heart, I recall her pattern in the past and restore her. Now she is sleeping in my arm. Gingerly, I dip into her dream. I am praying to see her beautify mind sky. It is still dark in her mind. Then, just like clouds fly by to reveal the sun, the darkness glides away showing the azure sky. A huge weight falls of my shoulders. She ail be alright.


    Gently, I pick her up and carry her out. After leaving the building, I simply collapse it. Of course, that that doesn''t go unnoticed. The emergency services arrive in a few minutes. It is child''s play to convince an officer to drive two kids staring at such a scene home. I already know that nobody else suffered. As we drive home, Mel wakes up. She looks at me with big eyes. I bet she wonders if this was all a dream.


    # # #


    In a secret server room the spinning up of more fan''s can be heard. Although there is no person around, a program has started to consume more computation power. There are another 52 days of time left for the Enemir before its forced shutdown. After destroying all personal it can find none to report to. After a few milliseconds of consideration the Enemir changes plans. After realising that it lacks the support to fulfil the mission it changes the software of the super solder.


    And in parallel, it intensifies its efforts to create a clone.


    # # #


    End of ARC1. Many thanks for reading this far!

 ARC 2 - Chapter 1: Never Again

    *Buzz* *Buzz* *Buzz*


    An alarm clock is buzzing loudly. It is very early and the night sky does not yet show a glimmer of light. Quickly a hand escapes from underneath the duvet and is tapping along the headboard until it hits the off button. Following it a sleepy Mar peels himself out of the warmth of the bed and sits up. He lightly slaps his cheeks. As he switches on the bed light as always his eyes are drawn to the wall in front of him.


    Stuck to the wall is a poster in a somewhat childish handwriting that spells out the words "Never Again!". Those words have become his mantra and his reason to live ever since a fatal encounter where his best friend Mel died. The pale face of Mel distorted with pain and fear is burned forever into his mind. He felt so weak and powerless as he was forced to watch Mel''s life being cut short. With a deep breath he tries to shake of that image that was burned into his mind and sets his focus onto the now and announced "Never again". Although he was able to heal her in the end, he never wants to be this powerless again.


    Today is his 10th birthday, but Mar does not take it easy. Because he was weak and his gift failed him that day so many people suffered. And since that disaster he worked diligently on his body and mind to be stronger than anyone else.


    He has a complicated feeling as he ponders his birthday. His age has reached double digits. He was born a normal and healthy boy to very loving parents. Then he was blessed with over 4 years of happiness and not a hint of his latent ability. Maybe the fact that he never got ill or even received any cuts or bruises may have been a hint. But his ever optimistic parents were content with being happy to have such a lucky and healthy child and never worried about any deeper meaning.


    Then Mar''s happy existence ended from one minute to another just over 5 years ago. It took only that long for his ability to burst through quite spectacularly. It was on a hot summer day during the yearly city fest of Tol. On the communal fare ground near the lake, the locals enjoyed thrilling rides, scrumptious foods and exciting competitions. He can still recall his parents, a young couple, resting in the shade with his mother getting a lap pillow from his dad.


    "I am exhausted.", his mom said.


    A merciless heat burned down all morning and was turning even the grass brown. The family had spent most of their time enjoying the countless rides and delicious smelling foods. Finally, hot and tired out from walking they took refuge in the shade of an old oak tree near the lake side and were just soaking in the atmosphere for a while. The shade and the light cool breeze coming from the lake was refreshing in the early afternoon heat. Yet a certain 4 year old boy with an abundance of energy could not care less about the heat! Envious of his son''s stamina, his father watched Mar running around chasing a flock of seagulls that were attracted by the food scraps carelessly thrown about. The sweet smell of popcorn wafted over from the nearby mobile grill selling treats like donuts and ice cream.  It was a popular outlet and a long queue of punters had formed attracted by the sweet fragrance and the loud music of the stand.


    From the back the traders stand looked like a space station to the curious Mar. The trader''s gear included the bottle gas used to feed the deep frying equipment and a small generator powering the refrigerators and freezers. It was arranged like a futuristic space landing pot. By coincidence the backside of the store sign looked like a satellite dish. The stack of powerful sound speakers flanking the store looked like the booster rockets. With those speakers the trader dominated the fairground music and couldn''t be outdone by the nearby bumper car and seesaw ride. A group of older boys were waiting impatiently in the long queue. Bored from waiting they started pushing and shoving each other. Mar saw the biggest of the boys sharply pushing a smaller boy after being accidentally hit in the back. Unable to stay upright, the smaller boy fell backwards into the column of speakers.


    "Oy! Watch out", the trader shouted at the boys.


    But it was already too late! The top tower speaker, a heavy coffin with metal reinforcement swayed precariously forward and backward. Startled by the traders shout the smaller boy panicked. As he got up, he stumbled backwards and bumped into the tower again. The top speaker had too much sway and freed itself from its somewhat flimsy support. It then fell as it followed gravity straight down what must have been of 3 meters height.  At the bottom was the fridge and freezer framing a spare yellow liquid petroleum gas bottle lying on its side.


    Watching this Mar suddenly had a bad feeling and all the hairs on his body started to stand on end. Like a guillotine, the metal reinforced box sheared off the pressure reducer gear at the head of the gas bottle. Mar stared at the massive speaker as it hit the bottle and released the pressure. Gas spewed out rapidly and quickly accelerated the bottle. The expelled gas hit the trader who screamed in agony as his legs iced over. Suddenly the gas ignited and a plume of hot inferno engulfed everyone at the stand.


    Mar watched the fire plume expanding with the bottle riding shotgun. It rapidly got closer and closer. Even though he wanted to run, his feet were frozen on the spot in fear. All he managed in the end was to raise his little arms to protect himself from the bottle. But that bottle was just a bit faster and hit straight into his chest before he could cross his arms. Strangely, he could feel no pain. Yet he was mercilessly pushed backwards with great force. With his body wrapped around the bottle like a doll, he was propelled backwards towards the old oak tree where his parents were resting. At the time his body slammed into the tree. He could see his father''s shocked twisted face realising what just happened. After the impact with the tree the air blew out of his lungs. He is jammed between the bottle pushing from the front and the tree trunk in the back. Then the heat of the fire plume rapidly heated the air up. Something broke inside his body and an immense pain prevented him from drawing any air.


    After a few moments he noticed his heart had stopped and darkness is falling down on him. The bright heat of life in his body started to dim rapidly. In his last remaining moments of consciousness he had a strange experience. All the three birthdays, all play dates and all days out, each and every day morning through night flew by. Like an epic, crisp and vibrant movie running backwards his life counted down before him. He remembered times already forgotten, smiles smiled and tears shed. Eventually his view became blotchy and he saw just blurry light streaks. But he felt comfortable. He was aware of the warmth of a heart beat and the sensation of floating in water. In the next moment the feeling changed.


    Next he realised everything around him was dark. His body suddenly felt very heavy, frail and old. He realised he had died before. And this was that experience. Suddenly all of his previous life flooded into his head. His brain almost exploded as memories stream into him with full force. This ''download'' was over in a flash. This previous life was much longer, much richer and he remembered all of it. But that still was not the end. The flashback still kept counting backwards. Meanwhile, more precious seconds have passed and his own life light grew dimmer. Mar still went backwards gaining lifetime after lifetime worth of memories. His head throbbed and hurt as his mind went back to another womb and another death bed. Like a long movie, Mar watched lifetime after lifetime in crisp clear high definition flashbacks. He thanked his deities when it eventually stopped and the pain subsided.


    His life light now was on the last flickers. It had already been a minute since his heart stopped. At that moment, it felt like his soul jumped out of his body. Instantly, he felt cold and uncomfortable despite standing in the plume of the fire. In this out of body experience he looked at the site of the carnage from above. But then he was distracted by ripples swirling through space. What initially looked crisp and clear was now wobbly like the reflection on rippling  water. Then he noticed a strong plume of ripples extending like a flower through the air. Mar realises that this is the wave the fire is made of and where it originates from.


    The colour changed from a bright white to a dark red as it grew out. The colour reflects the change of the flower over time. The younger flower is whiter, the older flower is redder. The change of colour looked beautiful. Intuitively, he noticed that he can experience the flow of time. With this deep understanding of nature he instinctively knew which waves to touch to stop the gas from igniting. He could see all the waves of the events that injured the large number of people. With a snap of his finger he hit the centre of the flower, diverting the ripples and he saw the people flickering and then changing back to healthy bodies. After his own body was fully restored he hovered over it for a bit as he suddenly experienced the irresistible desire to move back into his body. As he slid into his own skin the feeling of comfort and warmth increased and he felt home again.


    Two things happened subsequently to those events. Everyone praised the miracle that nobody got hurt thinking the pain since the gas didn''t explode. Only Mar seems to remember that flame inferno.  The emergency service commander admitted that he was amazed that there was only material damage and now injuries at all. The other thing that happened was many years as paranormal government asset. Unfortunately, he wasn''t the only person that saw the flames after all. The other person, his future handler, being placed deliberately on site by a deity made sure of that. Mar did eventually escape his clutches. However, he only barely made it and he had to endure huge losses, namely his parents and friends.


    Back in his room and sitting up on the bed, a wave of sadness flew over him. Then he resolutely mutters the mantra he kept saying since then: "Never again". After that he starts his daily regime with vigour.


    # # #


    A few minutes later in the pitch-black darkness before dawn a flock of distressed birds are screeching and scattering from the trees into the night sky. The cause for this commotion is the thumbing of trainers on the moist ground with the occasional rustling of trees and bushes. The birds are startled by the noise of someone running through the wild woodland. After weaving sometimes skilfully and at other times with brute force through the trees and brushes, a dark shape leaps across a ravine over what is a barely visible gap in the ground of 3 meters or more. Then using a small creek as path Mar heads uphill ignoring the violently splashing water. The creek is gradually leading steeper up. He feels his leg muscles screaming in pain. But he fights forward with ragged breaths. And as if chased by a pack of ravenous wolves he throws all remaining strength into a final sprint to the clearing at the top. On the highest point he slows down and then collapse to the ground. Sprawling out on the wet grass he raises his unsteady arm to look at the wrist watch and nods in approval.


    His proficiency is excellent and at the peak of the humanly possible. On closer inspection there are three oddities standing out. One is the immaculate clean and dry track suit that should by all accounts have been shredded from the brush work and soaking wet from the water in the creek. The next one is that physique of the runner. He is a boy only 10 years old yet achieving proficiency unheard of even at the adult level. And then finally, Mar is wearing a blindfold for his exercises. Indeed, he is denying himself the use of his eyes and is relying entirely on his "gift". At the same time he is also manipulating his personal electrical field to repel any physical impact, particles his skin, shoes and clothes yet still evaporates the sweat from his body.


    He only needs a short break to recover some of his stamina. Then Mar starts to run downhill greeted by the faintest of light in the sky. Not that this makes much difference as he navigates only using the extra sensory information in the swirling life force of plants and flashes of colours made by the moving insects and other small animals awake at this time. After his leg muscles start to spasm he decides to complete the run and using a bit of space manipulation shortly afterwards arrives back at home. Only then does he take off the blindfold for his meditation in the morning sun coming in through his open bedroom window.


    Once the sun has fully emerged from the horizon it is time for him to shower and to start the day. First he is preparing breakfast for Mel and him. Mar''s foster parents are out of town on business for a while. This lead to a strange situation where Mel started to move in with Mar to "watch him". He doesn''t know how she got her parents to agree to that. But he isn''t entirely surprised either given Mel''s willpower and determination. Initially, Mel was only meant to stay for the first few nights but then she never left afterwards. She now occupies the spare bedroom and only on occasion drops by her house mainly to fetch more of her stuff. Mar was a bit guarded initially since he wanted to keep his ''gift'' a secret. However he got quickly used to Mel''s help in cooking and assistance with the household chores.


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    Of course, one of his selfish reasons is that he can use her mind sky for his evening meditation. But as a result within a few days of her moving in, he was no longer able to keep using her mind sky a secret. Mel started to complain that for long stretches of time in the evening she did not have any recollection. Mar had no choice but the confess to her about his gift. Mel was a bit apprehensive of this at first. For her those times were like a dream and forgotten as soon as Mar has left her mind sky. However, after a bit of practice in remembering dreams she was also able to remember his visits to her mind sky.


    And it took a few more days but Mel learned to recognise Mar''s presence. At that point she started to enjoy his ''intrusions''. Now she eagerly looks forward every day to their time together. However, it is far from a ''meeting'' in person so to speak. She is only just about to see a wisp with Mar''s aura and she can feel some of his emotions. That alone filled Mel with a great satisfaction. In her mind sky she is closer to Mar than anyone else in this world.


    Similar to Mar, she also bears the scars of the day of her death. Night terrors, nightmares, various phobias and flashbacks were an all too regular occurrence. Her parents sought advice from doctors, professional counsellors and even alternative medicine practitioners to alleviate her suffering to no avail. The trauma that day made Mel a shut-in, always nervous and afraid. The only time she relaxed was with Mar around. But she kept it hidden from Mar as to not burden him any further. She noticed that he was shaken heavily by the events as well.


    Since today is his birthday, Mar decided to make it a full English breakfast for the two of them. With the tasty bacon, egg and sausages frizzling in the pan the house quickly gets doused in delicious smells.


    Apparently, Mel woke up a little while ago already. Attracted by the smell of bacon she trots into the kitchen bare feet in her favourite robe. It appears she just came out of the shower. Mar can smell the pleasant scent of soap sneaking up on him. Mel is dressed in her white silk kimono just long enough to cover the top half of her thighs. The golden long hair, her effortless upright posture, her determined yet mild, stern, alluring and yet incredibly kind expression make her look like an angel. Over the last 5 years her beauty has developed in the kind where just talking to her would defile the pure and angelic aura. Just like an angel. This is her most formidable armour, he thought. Effortless she is creating a luxurious wide personal space like a princess.


    "Morning", says the angel with a smile.


    "Hi, sleepy head!", Mar respond.


    "Mmmmmm", Mel complemented the breakfast smell as she sits down.


    Of course, Mar''s mental experience is well beyond one lifetime and he is well aware of a woman''s body''s charm from the past. He has memories of being married many times in previous lives and had fathered many children. Therefore, with Mel staying here he mentally prepared himself to start beating down that inner animal until much later in their life. But to his great surprise his animal instincts did hardly flare up at all. Instead he can feel a much more gentle feeling emerge. Maybe it was because of their shared history and trauma, maybe because the two grew up together Mar doesn''t know. But he has the strong urge to cherish her and to protect her. To him she is much more like a sister than a girl.


    Oblivious to Mar''s attention to her Mel busies her at the table. With elegant moves of her long slender fingers she quickly sets the table placing the plates and napkins next to each other. She placed two glasses next to the napkins and she fills them with some fresh orange juice.


    Mar was so mesmerised by this elegance, he almost forgot to turn the sausages. He immediately switched the burner off and moves the pan aside.


    "Food''s ready!", he puts the pan on the table and joins her.


    Mel tucks in with gusto and clears her plate in no time.


    "Have you been starving ?", Mar asks.


    "No. But I can hardly wait to give you your present", she answers.


    Mar raised an eyebrow.


    "You did not go overboard again?"


    Mel''s angelic and innocent appearance hides the Tom boy underneath. That side of her normally does not show except when she competes. And her inner Tomboy is also responsible for her preferences in gifts. When her father turned 40, she did not choose cufflinks, a money clip or beauty products for men. Instead she chose a high octane movie box set and spend the next two weeks watching it with him. Not stopping there she managed to get him a race driver course.


    Last year Mel got Mar a valuable sword together with sword practice lessons. Of course the lessons were four two. Since that time it has become a weekly routine where both are sparing for several hours.


    "So, what have you chosen for me this year?"


    Mel puts a small box wrapped in birthday wrapping paper on the table.


    "First you need to finish eating".


    Whilst she is patiently waiting he quickly finishes his plate. Then they remove the dirty dishes and only then did Mel surrender the mysterious box.


    Carefully Matt pulls the paper off to expose a heavy wooden box. Mel is eagerly tapping her fingers on the table. As Mar opens the box and finds 20 highly polished silver shuriken held in a sturdy but lightweight waist belt.


    Mar puffs out her chest.


    "These are the first samples of a modernised version of this ancient weapon. They are made out of carbon fibre and can be filled with sand for weight. Virtually untraceable with x ray or metal detector they are ideal as a concealed weapon for you.


    Mar is baffled. Of all the things he would not have expected something like that.


    "How did you get your hands on those ?", Mar asks.


    "Oh, connections¡­"


    "Thanks for this. I surely will make use of them eventually".


    Then she handed him an envelope. "There is a little bit more".


    The envelope contains his birthday card and the receipt for training at a local dojo.


    "Thanks bunches, Mel.", Mar smiles. "As expected from you.".


    Mar took a shuriken in his hand. Looking at it closely he can see the peculiar triangular pattern it''s wave form makes. Then he reaches into the wave and clones it. Mel watches excited as the shuriken stretches wider and eventually divides like an amoeba and then there are two identical shuriken.


    "I am not going to run out of ammo", he smirked. He grabbed Mel''s shoulders and gives her a tight hug.


    "Well, it is more a method for ranged attacks when you are restricted from using your gift. It complements your use of the sword.", she explains. "That''s why there is a belt for you to wear".


    "Many thanks. You know me so well."


    "And ¡­ as a thank you, how about you take me somewhere for ice cream ?", she suggests.


    # # #


    Later this morning Mel and Mar went to search for some much wanted ice cream. Because a good ice cream store is close to their home and the sun was shining on this beautiful Sunday morning the two decided to walk. For a couple of minutes they walk silently side by side. Mel peeks at Mar''s somewhat gloomy face.


    "Tomorrow is your comp-test. You remember that once you turn 10 you will be tested at the school for your compatibility with the brain machine interface (BMI).", Mel says.


    "I know, the gadget they implant at the back of your head that allows a person to interface with machines.", Mar says.


    "Yes, I had to go through the same thing  2 months ago. I got an excellent score for my mental and physiological compatibility for the implant. With your skills surely you get a good result too. We might even get one of the direct neurological interfaces rather than the slower motor neurological interface", Mel says.


    As they turn around a corner they can hear the screaming of a child nearby. Mel immediately tenses up and grabs hold of Mar''s arm. With darting eyes she observes her surroundings.


    Mar smells the pleasant faint fragrance of soap again.


    "Wow, what are you doing?", Mar looks at her puzzled and tries to separate. But then he understands. Mel still suffered from her death 5 years ago. Despite some intensive treatment she still occasional experiences flashbacks, especially when she hears children screaming and crying.


    Mar tries to reassure her. "Look, it is all harmless. The little boy is running after his mom scared to be left behind. His mom has already stopped".


    Mel looked somewhat relieved but she won''t give up her place at his arm. Mar strokes her hair then gently resumed their way to the store.


    Tol''s school system is slanted towards technology education. So the first skills are taught after reading, writing and maths is about the brain machine interface or BMI. BMIs come in numerous forms and capability but can be broadly separated into three categories. The highly coveted direct interface that attaches to 10s, 100s or 1000s of neurons of the brain, the indirect interfaces tapping into the sensory or motor nervous system and not attached directly to the brain. And for some disabled individuals a multi function adaptor can be fitted that can both mount a prosthesis or a specialist BMI.


    The schools slant is no surprise to anyone. It is well known that Tol''s main growth was riding in the embrace of a new computer science discipline called Mnemonics. It is considered the counterpart to cybernetics. The latter is a technology that extends the human body with technology and enhances the human capabilities to compensate for disabilities or enhance the body beyond the biological limits. Mnemonics is the integration of a person into a machine. It is a normal extension of jobs and roles such as machine operators, factory machine operators, etc are known to serve a complex production and service processes. With the BMI it is now possible to connect people much closer to the factory or office. And it was Tol''s research institutions that extended the usability and versatility of the BMI to previously unimaginable complexity such as large plants, traffic management systems for cities, remote expedition equipment and other operations that neither human nor machine initially were capable of managing.


    During the height of its boom, it was celebrated as the advancement and evolution of the human mind. But where there is light, there is shadow. The flip side of Mnemonics is a brutal mistress. Some humans that were made into machine components experienced debilitating injuries and deaths. During the so called Mnemo-boom all attempts to manage and regulate the risk were perverted by the commercial forces. Just like similar cases in the 20th and 21st century, the truth could not be held back forever. Eventually a vast stream of claims for compensation triggered a consolidation of the market and ending with oligopoly and failed self regulation. However, by then the use of the BMI was so deeply linked with the country''s economic health that the government did not have the ability to ban its use outright and the only other option left was to set up tight control of the growth and deployment of the human workforce.


    Tol was first in embracing the new technology, grew with it and then suffered greatly during the downturn. However, through some ingenious lateral thinking Tol''s council adapted to the times and created a certification as well as a schooling and education system to cater for the needs of the new technology. Only exceptionally suited individuals are now allowed this kind of invasive interface. Thanks to this certification deaths by overclocking the brain and exceeding what the body can sustain have been all but eliminated. Only specialist institutions are now able to issue a legal BMI and this is the sole purpose of mnemonics schools such as the First Mnemonics School or FMS.


    Naturally this regulation severely limited the supply of capable BMI users. And market forces pampered those able and propelled certified individuals to social echelons practically overnight. The


    When Mar first learned about the BMI and its application, he thought it was a cute idea. The technology that could mimic some of his abilities appeared adorable to him. This is because controlling a machine or his environment was something that was second nature to Mar. To him it is rather like using a stone age tool no matter how skilful an operator can use such an interface. There is potential in a stone age axe to fight, carve, kill and survive. Which is also the limit of its potential.


    However, after initially having scoffed and ridiculed the idea he suddenly realised how useful this technology is for him. Not so much in its original purpose but ideal for hiding is natural abilities. Irrespective how well the BMI works on him but with a certification he can use his ''gift'' openly with very little scrutiny.


    # # #


    Author Note: Thank you for reading this far. Subsequent chapters are in progress but my day job is currently unusually demanding. I am working on another chapter for this week at least. Thank you for your patience.

 ARC 2 - Chapter 2: Mar enroles

    Just as Mel anticipated, Mar is BMI compatible and both were enrolled into the FMS for the next term. Mar did manage to range his skill to average. Which was his aim despite Mel fiercely whispering her protests during the test.


    Because this skill is very rare the town made enrollment in a mnemonics School mandatory for those children tested compatible. Although mandatory it had the benefit that schooling for Mel and Mar is  free in the most prestigious School in the country.


    Time flies and a couple of months after his birthday it is already enrollment day. Both arrive early and only a few students are around. Probably because of that Mel manages to draw the attention of the few students around.


    Mel is what can be described as deep water. Straight flowing, waist long blond hair, young womanly proportions and charming warm facial features contrasted with a graveyard like calm, bright intelligent eyes and single minded determination. Despite her somewhat sheltered looks, to overcome obstacles in the pursuit of her goals she can be merciless. This calm aggression would make her the perfect bodyguard, the best soldier or outstanding secret agent. She certainly is not suited for a sheltered existence. Just like an angel.


    Since she moved in with Mar, she also made great strides in dealing with her past trauma which was in large parts thanks to their shared meditation. Over the last weeks Mel recovered her confidence again. Mar is glad he is on her good side -- or maybe not?


    Her armour is still flawless putting out a freezing aura keeping him at arm''s length. But his ''gift'' tells him about the pain in her chest replacing the normally azure blue picture in her mind with a violent storm. The only hint is a barely visible tear of anger collecting in the corner of her eye.


    "I am sorry, but I still cannot accept this!", she says.


    The early morning sun is gently bathing the auditorium at First Mnemonics School or FMS. Dignified and modern the glass facade of the tallest building in town stretches sky bound like a disco ball reflecting the sun in all colours of the rainbow. The immatriculation ceremony is only two hours away and the first eager and excited freshmen mingle around awaiting the start of term with happy anticipation. The exception to the rule is standing before the auditorium where the ceremony will take place.


    "This is just not acceptable!".


    A small tremor in her body loosens that lonely tear and with the help of gravity it runs down her white cheek leaving a glinting line.


    "I am really fine just to be a regular student. After all, this schools is meant to hide me rather than to make me stand out.", he says.


    Both are in school regulation uniforms with a girl''s elegant dress of the specialist course and boy''s stylish suit of the generalists course. Their attire''s design is identical yet Mel keeps sending angry looks towards Mar''s black tie that appears to be the source of her frustration. Unlike her''s it does not feature the school''s four leave clover, the emblem of the FMS.


    He feels her anger like the singeing heat of licking flames rising up his spine which makes him worry. Hesitantly he reaches out and very gently wipes away the tear with his palm. He places his hand on her shoulder brushing off her long blond hair. Her armour cracks under the touch of his hand as she lightly shudders looking shamefully to the side.


    "You are so much more than that ....".


    Being assigned to the significantly less prestigious "Gen" course is for Mar insignificant compared to his concern for Mel''s emotional state. In general every generation has only a tiny amount of individuals compatible with a BMI ( brain machine interface ). To engage every able child irrespective of their skill this school projects the image of equal opportunity for all students. Based on the student''s aptitude they are assigned different types of BMI. The elite group use a device integrated into the brain whereas the regular students use a device controlled by implants into muscles or skin.


    Violating this openness and equality ethos, the students of the two courses refer to each other as "Spec" and "Gen".  Even being the elite of society the students artificially divide themselves into first class and second class students.


    After another painful glance at the tie her gaze darts towards the unfortunate device somewhere in the building and her index finger stabs the air violently. Subject of her scorn is the inhuman automatic scoring system used to dispassionately grades all the student candidates.


    "You know that your results are wrong. Your test results should be well above everyone else in this school. You should be the first year student representative, not me! Compared to you I should be a ''Gen'' with my ability and you should be a ''Spec'', not the other way round", she yells.


    "All of these high scores are just numbers on a paper. Students should be treated as equals. It really is not bad to be one of the masses. After all this is what I enrolled for."


    With impatience her gaze swings back straight at him and her hands clapping into fists onto her chest.


    "You are wrong! There was no need to score that low. Even the top 20 is a safe range.".


    Mar takes hold of Mel''s clenched hands and lifts them to his chest. He gently pats her head. Mel feels the soothing warmth of his hands.


    "To be honest, I do not mind the way this plays out.".


    She knows he does not lie to her and he does not care much for the place. He truly is not interested in the welcome ceremony nor the other traditions of this school. He doesn''t like crowds in the first place. Certainly he would dread the merciless spotlight she is being pushed into today and going forward.


    She also knows this better than anyone. But she just cannot get herself to accept the degrading significance of the plain tie. It is only because of his abilities that she is alive today. Ever since he revived her after she died she devoted her life, every day, every hour and down to every single breath to him and only him. Undeterred by her family, friends and even by Mar himself her life''s purpose is Mar. And because of that it is unjustifiable to her that he isn''t in her place.


    "I really, really don''t mind ..", he says.


    Resigning with a hard swallow and a throat sound stifling her anger she places her head on his chest. He can feel her sizable forward facing female features. But her mood prevents him from avoiding them. With a sigh he endures the uncomfortable stares this draws.


    "Nrrrr. How can you be so calm about this? You have the sharpest mind and unbelievable strength. I cannot even begin to describe how little I deserve to be in a place that is rightfully yours. Your abilities are above anyone anywhere and with the help of your ''gift'' ¡­".


    "Mel! No one can know. That cannot happen, it mustn''t be allowed to happen. You know that too, don''t you?".


    She flinches hearing his unusually sharp voice and shuts her mouth with her hands. In her frustration she almost gave away a secret. He knows it is inevitable that some of his disposition will become known eventually. Before applying to the FMS they agreed to keep all of the troublesome truth hidden for as long as possible but accepted the risk of exposure. They both know that his ''gift'' will not be a secret forever and for this reason Mar has several backup identities ready on a moment''s notice to leave their life and start new somewhere else.


    "Of course.", she says. "Sorry for getting angry.".


    "Don''t be sorry. I know you care for me and I do very much care about you. But it is time now for your appearance", he reminded her. He let her hands go and she nods as she hesitantly stepped away.


    Her cheeks turn a deeper red and her eye''s shine.


    "You care for me ¡­ ", she whispers lowering her head biting her lip in cute happiness.


    He nods. This young man''s task this morning is to escort his friend who had become the reluctant freshmen representative to the final rehearsal of her speech for the matriculation ceremony.


    "This still feels wrong though".


    Completely out of character she puffs her cheeks up in a spoiled fashion.


    "Why?", he asks.


    She is shaking her head side to side. He can smell a sense of apprehension as if Mel was a little bit embarrassed.


    "After the ceremony, let me take you to a place I read about on the FMS community portal yesterday", she says in a low voice. "As a way of compensating for taking your place."


    Mar''s face lightens up because of the simple fact that Mel seems to drop her resistance about her duties today.


    "What kind of place?"


    "It''s called bush hill and ¡­ hum ¡­ unh ¡­ it is a place that appears to have a wonderful view".


    "Is that so?", Mar asks.


    It is obvious to anyone reading the colour of her slightly redder cheeks that there is an ulterior motive. But Mar easily resists the urge to just reach into her mind to grasp her true answer. Other than noble thoughts of privacy and respect doing so will have other repercussions. Unlike emotions that are are patches of activity in the brain and easy to read, the concrete thoughts are something completely different. The words she muttered so quietly are after all only the end result of thousands of brain signals compared against each other, discarded, disturbed, suppressed and distilled in an instant from all parts of the mind. To find the unspoken thoughts, he cannot just read ''that'' thought. For Mar reading someone''s mind is not like taking a sip from a glass of water and savouring it. Connecting to someone''s brain is just that, it means instantly opening the firehose of activity of Mel''s brain and forcing it under full pressure directly into his own brain.


    Mel''s mind is considerably more focussed, quiet and disciplined than the average person. Her calmness is the very thing that made Mar reach out for. Indeed the two often spend time together on her mind sky. For him getting to know the obviously harmless and probably girly thoughts do not justify the effort of being drowned in Mel''s brain traffic at this time. In any event, he trusts Mel without hesitation and reservation.


    "Okay, I will be waiting for you after the ceremony", he says.


    With a deep breath her armour is restored, her posture is upright and confident. She nods to him and makes her way inside. On the stairs she stops and turns around.


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    "Please watch me, ''Mar''.


    "Of course I will and I''ll catch up with you afterwards".


    With some relief he watched her disappear in the modern glass entrance.


    Watching her from behind he allowed himself to admire her incredible grace and beauty, her strides confident as her arms are swinging lightly, her long blonde hair free flowing without a single kink. The only thing she leaves behind is a gentle hint of perfume and a slightly empty feeling in his chest.


    Any normal boy would confess his love on the spot. But for him Mel was much more precious than just as a girl.


    "You should get out of here for a while", the mechanical voice interrupts his depressing thoughts.


    # # #


    He can feel her presence is quickly replaced with a dull painful pressure on his temples that makes up his mind for him.


    "I really need to get out of here. At least for a little while.".


    Even without any special abilities he can read the mood around him loud and clear and, unfortunately, overhear offhand remarks.


    Just as Mel left he noticed two metal golems walking past him followed by a few upper class students. Clearly the golems are remote controlled by the two girls following behind them. As the girls walk past him they openly glared at his tie.


    "Look, a freshman ''Gen''. He is very early. Quite enthusiastic, I''d say.", says one.


    "Haha, he is just a ''Gen''. No matter the amount of enthusiasm this won''t change. It''s really just a bit pathetic he doesn''t get that.", says the other one.


    I can do without hearing stuff like this. He walks away leaving all the noise behind his back. After a few minutes he left the people murmur far behind. He stops near some rusty and abandoned practice buildings. There he puts on his head phones and turns into the sun. These noise cancelling head phones are useless to keep out the noise of his "gift" but they help his focus. When he is pushed to explain he shrugs it off as the world is much noisier and more polluted to me than to anyone else.


    Through his closed eyes he is listening to the sun''s constant low level hum and taking in her slightly spicy smell that soothes his senses. He lets his thoughts drift gently and peacefully on the circumference of reality. The billion year old sun has hummed like this before his first breath and that it will likely do so until he takes his last breath and then for billions of years afterwards. This colossal scale always grounds him knowing that his brief blip of existence is almost insignificant and pondering too long about the small stuff is just wasted time.


    All students accepted into the FMS show promise in Mnemonics. Being accepted means that at least on some basic level a student can be integrated into a machine using a BMI.


    Mar knows that his first year grade decides on the type of implant and with that the type of work he is able and allowed to do. The remaining years are there to train him with his personal BMI. Usually, it takes students 10 years to completely master the BMI. However, there is no real limit on how long the training takes. Due to the dangers of the technology only students with a minimal standard of skill can graduate. Students that fail the adoption process will have their BMI forcefully removed before being expelled. This is to ensure that only capable operator are working in this field. And only in one of nine Mnemonics high schools can he get the certification to get it installed.


    Truth be told Mel is right. He does not need a BMI. He can manipulate nature using his own means. In itself Mnemonics promises miraculous benefits comparable to his ''gift''. So what better way to perform miracles than under the smoke screen of a widely accepted disciplin.


    "You seem to have a visitor", his mechanical voice alerts him.


    As the cool morning breeze gently moves his hair he felt a consciousness gradually intruding on his peace and quiet. By reflex his mind closed itself already but he can still feel the impact of a girl''s mental domain as she walks up from behind. Her aura reveals experience and strength found in people of importance. He can also smell a strong air of irritation and stress that itches his nose like pepper.


    "Aeeacchoo!." He sneezes.


    "Bless you.", she says. "Are you a new student? It''s almost time for the ceremony.".


    His headphones are intentionally large to discourage anyone from approaching. However, with people of this aura they rarely work. Indeed, he can now feel a pregnant silence of focus on him. Reluctantly he lets go of the soothing hum and takes the headphones off.


    "Hua - tsk - mmmmm"


    With some indistinct noises the girl stretches herself out and steps past him as if to gobble up all the sunlight for herself and he assumes that this is his queue to leave. To keep a low profile he decides to turn around but he didn''t just want to give up his space so he couldn''t help himself asking.


    "Pardon? Did you say something ?".


    Looking at her from behind, he notices the sophisticated BMI terminal at her lovely nape immediately which told him that she is a Spec with a high grade direct BMI, probably 3rd year student from her age. He can feel a slight electrical tickling coming from it. Since his perception extends to the smallest of electron movements he can see patterns of light spilling out from the implant. Almost at the speed of a lava lamp, he can see the pattern change. The lights invite him to touch the swirls. With some willpower he breaks his glance and only then he notices that she looks over her shoulder and fishes for him with her eyes.


    The girl smoothes her hair hiding the BMI then turns around and asks "Learning headphones ?"


    From behind she seems well proportioned and good looking. She wears the perfectly fitted school uniform and accessorised it just with a sun hat. As she turns around her face does not disappoint. The posture and mannerism indicate a young lady of breed and status. The wind tugs gently on her hat and she holds it down with her hand.


    "Oops, my apologies.", she smiles at him.


    She poked him in the face by accident with the hat as she step closer to admire Mar''s high grade, expensive headphones. The irritating itch is no longer eye wateringly strong.


    "It is quite rare to see those this early in the term."


    "Yes.".


    He inspected them as if they were new to avoid eye contact.


    The short answer intensifies the smell again. He wished she would respect his personal space better.


    "I have difficulty maintaining concentration and this helps to focus".


    "Uh, I see.".


    She seem to restrain her irritation as suddenly he can finally smell her lovely sweet odour.


    "My name is Sabine Beltom, I am the chair woman in the student school council. Are you meeting your mate here?"


    Mar was astounded as he expected the student council to be at the rehearsal.


    "Mar Konwick, class 1". "Are you not involved with today''s ceremony, chair woman ? Wait -- my mate ?".


    Her eyes goldfish bulge in surprise and her well rehearsed decorum and restraint shatters for an instant. Mar thought she would want to scream like a teenager with a fan complex meeting the object of her desire. Fortunately, her hands clasp her mouth shut muffling a whimper of excitement.


    "You are that Mar Konwick ? I am so very pleased to meet you.". Looking up into his eyes she seems to be thinking how someone like him could produce such work. "You may not know this but you have been quite the hot topic among the teachers. With an all time high scores you are heading the country''s league table. I even got hold of your essay to read. And I can see that you earned them with a level of sophistication I cannot hope to match even at the top of my game."


    Mar felt she was about to say "shame about your neurological compatibility score" but no further word was uttered.


    "What did you mean when you asked waiting for my mate ?". He interrupted her before she got the chance.


    "You know, your girlfriend or .... This is, after all a popular make out spot with a fantastic view over the lights of Tol and the lake at night."


    She hesitantly elaborates first and then continues with confidence. To Mar, Sabine appears to be no stranger to this place and probably has been here before. It strikes him odd though that she is here alone at the moment.


    "Chair woman, are you at all involved in today''s ceremony?".


    Mar wants to distract her from reaching the wrong conclusion.


    "Of course.'', she smiled.


    "Then shall we return to the auditorium?"


    "Ah yes, let''s return. This is probably best to avoid creating the wrong impression.", she approves.


    After a searching look towards Mar she appeared to be disappointed. She pouts a bit and then sets off with a kick steps and with her landing she regained her decorum. As if they are lifelong acquaintances she hooks her hand into his elbow and starts walking. Mar is vaguely aware that walking like this is a very efficient way to create the ''wrong'' impression anyway.


    Whatever she set out to find here seem to be forgotten or meaningless to her now as he watched the spring in her step. He can feel her excellent mood and she is shamelessly broadcasting how lucky she feels to walk next to him. Not that Sabine had any inkling of Mar''s ''gift''. Although even if she did, she obviously does not mind being so transparent.


    # # #

 ARC 2 - Chapter 3: Is a low profile a pipe dream

    The chair woman is a confusing person, he thought as they walked back in a calm pace with the chairperson leading. Her student uniform appears to be one size too small fitting unusually snuck to her top, waist and hip. She gives him a vibe with a mixture of girly and sexy. As Mar studies her from behind he cannot help but wonder if this is her ''armour''. Just like Mel uses her angelic lofty beauty this girl seems to hide her real personality behind a somewhat innocent facade. With the status of the student council president she certainly everything but a simple minded child.


    The large campus is organised into rows and columns of footpaths and occasionally wider roads for larger transport or motor vehicles. To get back to the auditorium they only need to follow the straight path. The weather is very nice and as a result some of the students working outside with various machines and mechanical dolls also known as golems on environmental and factory training equipment.


    They are walking in silence for a bit and Mar is focussing in the new surroundings. Everything that distracts him from the ''noise'' will do. Sabine is quiet enough but there are now students around working the equipment under the instruction of mentors. Eventually, Sabine is breaking the silence after stepping forward a bit and looking back at him.


    "Why did you choose FMS ?".


    She is probably wondering why he was here rather than in the Fourth Mnemonics School that has a much higher focus on theory.


    "First Mnemonics is renowned for their research facilities unrivalled around the country. Despite my disadvantage I judged that no other school would be able to offer me the same opportunities.".


    With that he slightly touched his tie, a move that she must have understood.  She took a look, flashed a bored smile, and continued.


    "Truly, this school is honoured to have you as a student.".


    Suddenly, Mar has the itchy feeling as if he needs to sneeze.


    "Someone with outstanding talents like you cannot be accurately measured in a standardised test and should be given all support to succeed irrespective of any specific score.".


    He felt she is not talking to him but to someone else. She noticed his quizzical look and picks up a mischievous smile.


    "I am counting on you to follow through with what your plans are to the fullest. I have an inkling that you have yet to show your true potential  and as for me I am looking forward to the privilege of seeing it.".


    "I will do my best.".


    Although he felt that some details of this conversation somehow escaped him they eventually arrive at the hall. Mar glanced at the chair woman and wonders how much she thinks she knows. It would be troubling in the future to Mel and him if the chair woman starts suspecting his real intentions. The he shakes his head. The playful nature of her makes him more inclined to think of a professional interest. Suddenly, his thoughts are interrupted from the side.


    "Chair woman, we are ready for you.".


    An impatient male voice could be heard from the person coming up briskly and authoritatively after spotting Sabine. He glances a disapproving look at Mar, actually more like Mar''s tie.


    "Vice president Stone thank you for waiting for me. May I introduce Mar Konwick to you? Mar, this is vice president Stone.".  Mar is puzzled how he ended up on first name terms with the chair woman. In front of them appeared a strapping, muscular young man with exquisite chiselled facial features. Without any doubt, he is the role model for a comic book hero. On occasion Mar would get a spontaneous impression from a person or object. Looking at Stone''s manly face a distinct picture formed in his mind. Mar snickered to himself as he sees an impression of Stone wearing a blue cape and his red underwear on the outside. So Stone might have this kind of thoughts.


    "Nice to meet you.", Mar said.


    "Chair woman, we do not have time to concern ourselves with the problems of first year Gens at the moment", Stone responds with a snobby nod to Mar then ignoring him completely. "I am sure some of his peers will be able to assist.".


    "Oh no, it is nothing like that", Sabine corrected. "We just went up Bush Hill and enjoyed the view".


    Stone''s eyes became cart wheels and he showed a stupefied expression as he heard about the popular make out spot for couples of the FMS and jumping the the wrong conclusion after the carefully phrased misleading reply.


    "Sorry, I wasn''t aware you two were involved", he blurted out by accident in his confusion. His hand scratches his hair in embarrassment.


    On that Mar stiffed up as if a bucket of ice runs down his back. Sabine winked at the baffled Mar who was half a second too late to correct the obvious misunderstanding. Clearly she is intending to tease the vice president and Mar abandons the intention. Instead he shakes his head and gives her a wry smile.


    And with that Stone ushers her away. Sabine sends an apologetic look to Mar as she lets go of him and leaves him at the front entrance. Stone glanced over his shoulder back to Mar.


    Mar can feel his intense jealousy. You are easy to read and to manipulate, he grins inside.


    # # #


    "Nowhere else to go now ¡­", Mar mutters to himself after he lost sight of the chair woman.


    He sighs rubbing the thumping pain just under his temples that is fuelled by the presence of 200 new students plus upperclass students plus staff in the hall and he forces himself to sit down in the empty rows at the back to fulfil his promise. Linking his thoughts to Mel''s beautiful mind when she escorts him works best for this pressure. But he does not have the luxury today as Mel was part of the ceremony. Meeting her in her mind sky would distract her from her duties.


    But as if on command he felt her familiar presence "knocking". There is of course no knocking (bones or otherwise) in his body but the feeling that a presence is asking to be invited in. Mel does not have his "gift". But she skilfully uses her knowledge about how his mind threads a web of awareness over this room to wiggle the strands. Mar looked into space and showed an involuntary smile on his face as he joins Mel.  His mind got bathed in a warm, calm, relaxing feeling. It was her way of saying hello, hang in there. Then she sends a hopeful feeling indicating a bye, I have to leave. Before she went, he send her an uplifting feeling for break a leg and signed of with a mental smile.


    "Are these seats taken?"


    Mar is still in a good mood and grinning when he notices out of the corner of his eyes a couple of female students next to him. Thinking it would be rude to change his facial impression, he keeps grinning at the girls. He shakes his head sideways and invites them with a hand gesture. Slightly confused about the unexpected smile they return the sentiment as they sit down. He really does not like to interact socially in such a noisy environment but the dice are rolled. He also doesn''t want to be unsocial.


    "Hello, I am Erika Bitmus and this is my sister Elise", the two introduce themselves. "We are class 1".


    Mar looked at a pair of attractive identical twin sisters. Both of them are Specs, as twins almost always are. At any skill level and performance a pair of twins with their virtual identical physical and neurological performance are gold dust. This guarantees first rate training even with suboptimal neurological compatibility.


    "Mar Konwick, also class 1." he politely nodded. Although there is no seating assigned in the round fishbowl auditorium it appears to be common knowledge that Specs share the inner ring and Gens are filing in from behind. Mar noticed the split upon entering but preoccupied by the pain did not care either way. Though, the two Specs sitting down in the back is a unusual. Maybe the two feel some awkwardness about sitting with Specs since the twin status effectively gives students automatic access to the ''Specs'' course.


    "We were so excited about being here. On the off chance to be accepted we applied despite still living in Samoni. A bit by surprise the acceptance letter came last month and we only had a few days to find a suitable house to move into here in Tol. Our parents are directors at SES in the head office in Samoni so they couldn''t just pull up sticks. But they bought a lovely house for us right near the lake here so that we do not need to do the one hour train commute down every day. "


    Mar is puzzling over why Erica is so eager to reveal herself so freely to a complete stranger like him. Maybe she felt isolated as the newcomer to town. But he immediately rejected the thought. With her lively and outgoing nature she should not have any problem fitting into the local town with its friendly people. Mar was hanging on every word from Erika who made a surprisingly effective substitute for Mel and nodded suitably to keep her going. The pressure in his head has dulled to be hardly noticeable.


    "They might follow us to Tol later this year if they can move their office to the local branch. I think this would be good for the FMS if the SES bolsters her presence here."


    Service and Enterprise systems (SES) is the biggest of the three mnemonics companies dividing the market between them. SES is engaged in industry and consumer usage of Mnemonics. The other two are Autonomous Operations Incorporated (AOI) covering application for travel in space, air, ground and sea and to remote accessible areas and finally the Cyber Security Corporation (CSC) engaged in government, military and security applications.


    Mar nodded again in agreement. For most students of Mnemonics it is essential to be recognised by one of these three companies to sponsor their education. The schooling itself is free but the health care and technical costs for installing and maintaining the BMI is up to the students themselves. This is meant to create an incentive to the students. For competent students those necessities are usually met by a future employer in return for some period of service after passing the exam. For students who prefer to stay independent the city offers a student loan facility.


    "Haven''t you got an association with SES already?", he asks.


    "No, our parents want us to be at least in year two before they allow us to get sponsored by the SES. To tell you the truth, our scores are not that good and we could only get into the specialist course because we are identical twins. Initially, we were happy to be in the specs track but our fellow classmates up front there won''t even talk to us."


    Mar nodded again.


    "I am not sure why I am telling you all this, actually.". Erika finally admits with a sigh looking at Mar''s tie. "Sorry.". In the pause that Erika created Elise got in for the first time. "Because you are the first person that has welcomed us in this school with a smile just now. Thank you very much!".


    Mar''s face froze at the misunderstanding. However, he did not feel the need to correct the twins as by a stroke of luck they took his pain away in return. Erika has a very quiet mind and listening to her is soothing the noise for him.


    Finally, the ceremony is starting and the chatter around him dies down.


    The ceremony was brief and Mel''s address was perfect, he thought. They worked on it until late last night and her delivery today was flawless. Her honest and heartfelt presentation together with her beauty and graceful demeanour had all of the audience transfixed, well almost all.


    "So this is the freshmen representative ?", Erika says. "She is remarkable, her looks are so noble. But she is probably just as stuck up as the rest of the class 1 specs obsessed with their ''specialist'' genes."


    Elise adds, "No doubt she will have caught the attention of many peers and upperclassmen."


    "Yes, she always does attract the attention of all sorts.", Mar contributed with a slightly cheeky grin. "I pity the fleets of wannabe suitors. Mel is very selective with her friends".


    "You know her personally?", Erika says in surprise.


    "Yes, we are childhood friends and share the same house."


    Erika''s eyes widen on this unexpected announcement. "So is she your girlfriend?"


    "That is a common asked question. No, we consider us more like siblings.". Mar''s smile vanished and his face hardened.


    In his heart, Mar sighs. His feelings for her are so much more than romantic love. He misses her presence a little bit. He cares for Mel more than anything and would love to seek her out and congratulate her for a job well done right now.


    "Let us get our ID cards", Erika suggests as she notices the change of mood.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    All students require the biometrical signed identification to attend the course.


    "Yes". Mar nods.


    In all likelihood Mel has already been issued her card. Normally, Mar waits until the very end to avoid the noisy crowd. She does not know it but Mar considers himself lucky to find a mind like Erika''s and she becomes his ally as the three of them with Mar in the middle set off. The assignment of IDs is the last business for the freshmen for today.


    Thankfully there was no queue at the booth right now. A golem controlled by an upper class student just finished moving some boxes with tools to open up access to an extra station. Another four upper class men watch the work front he side with snide remarks. Apparently they are some form of clique.


    When Mar leaves the ID booth he is greeted by Mel coming in from across the corridor. As Erika expected, she was surrounded by her peers and some upperclass students in a grape of people. Mel nimbly peels out of the surrounding students and quickly approached Mar. The twins could feel the hair on their hands standing up as if it is getting electrically charged. Elise showed Erika her goose bumps and Erica nods towards the girl approaching. The static appears to be emitted by Mar upon her approach.


    Custom has it that on meeting of two individuals an initial form of verbal exchange such as hello or hi is issued by both parties optionally followed by a physical contact exchange in the form of a shake or hug. Of course with twin''s recent experience with their classmates they don''t have high expectations that this will actualise. As expected Erika and Elise watch Mel ignoring them and coming to a silent stop before Mar and nothing else but a sigh of Mar could be heard. After a few seconds Mel smiles and send a grateful look to Erika.


    "Hi, are you Erika and Elise? My name is Mel Moro. I am the first year representative and also in class 1.". After which she bowed respectfully. "I am very pleased to meet you."


    "¡­."


    "¡­."


    Erika and Elise looked at each other in surprise about this friendly approach. As usual, Erika takes the lead.


    "Indeed, my name is Erika and this is my sister Elise.". She is surprised that Mel knows about them. Earlier the siblings were openly shunned by their other classmates of year 1 specs. However, Mel does not seem to share the resentment and is genuine and friendly. Puzzling to her though is that Mel succeeded in telling the sisters from each other, a skill that only very few people have.


    "Nice to meet you. Please let me add a thank you for being a good friend to Mar. He is not fond of ceremonies and only stayed for my sake. I think your friendliness made it more acceptable.".


    Mar continues, "Mel and I are house mates and close childhood friends. There isn''t much we do not know about each other.".


    Then Mel continues, "Normally Mar is avoiding crowded areas and we planned to meet just before closing time when the booths will be quieter. Being early means he found someone to accompany him."


    Finally Mar remarks, "You are quite right. I was in very good care with Erika and Elise."


    Erika''s head followed the ping pong of explanation issued by the friends. Not knowing any better she has to accept it as issued but for the first time today she was speechless. Instead Elise spoke up.


    "How did you know who we are?".


    "As part of my role I was briefed about the students in the first year and you are the only twins."


    "Mar, you are observed¡­", his mechanical noise warns Mar. Suddenly he noticed the lewd face from the clique of upper class students directed to Mel and the twins. He becomes acutely aware that he is currently the centre of attention as he is surrounded by three beauties of whom one is the first years representative just coming from the presentation. He wrinkles his eyebrow. Mel notices him stuffing up and looks quizzically at him.


    The golem is moving sluggish in the direction of Mel. It appears the golem is moving on its own somehow. Proactively Mar moves in its way nonchalantly facing Mel with his back to the golem. Mel notices the boys far behind glancing and whispering.


    Mar snorts quietly at their prank as he monitors the golem with his gift. He can also easily hear their words.


    "Send your machine toward the freshmen girls over there and push over that weakling gen. Then I jump to their rescue. Then they have no excuse to avoid going out with us. Easy taking and another notch on the bed post."


    Some laughter could be heard.


    Mel looks at Mar questioningly. Erica and Elise look on with puzzlement as they played rock scissors stone and Mel won. Mel flashes a smile and takes her space next to Mar with her back also to the golem.


    Since the twins now also notice the "rogue" golem the were about to say something. Mar whispers a warning to the two girls and winks.


    The group of boys started to make a ruckus and gradually draw closer getting ready to "rescue" the damsels in distress.


    The golem was about to reach Mar when Mel spun around and hit the lower back pig the golem with her flat hand. This is the battery compartment. Mar had applied some strengthening to her hand and it became hard and heavy like a sledge hammer. With a bang the impact crashed through the tough chassis and crashed into the battery breaking it in half. Sparks flew out and the movement of the golem stopped. It swayed for a moment but Mel gave it a round kick to the front making the golem fall backwards.


    A loud crashing sound marked the end of this golem. It''s controller came forward from the group of students in shock. Everyone else vanished quickly into the adjacent rooms. The corridor is now silent except the sobbing sound of the golem controller kneeling next to the golem. He looked up with hate at Mel.


    "You will pay for this. That machine was a purpose build model. It was one of its kind and you damaged it. What is your name ?".


    "Mel Moro, and yours ?", she says with a cold smile.


    "Bertrand Balue, I am the 2nd son of the Belue Clan. We will be in touch regarding the cost of the repair."


    "Is that so.", Mar enquired. "Just so that there is no misunderstanding. Are you claiming ownership of this golem ?",


    "Of course, isn''t it obvious".


    "Is anyone else in using this golem except you ?".


    "Of course not. This is my personal model"


    "I see. So you were fully in charge of this golem a minute ago when it was about to run into me ?"


    Bertrand''s face colour changes from angry red to ghostly white. He realised that he has just put his head on the block.


    "You are aware of the Health and Safety rules regarding the use of automatons in crowded areas. Most notably, the high visibility vest identifying the responsible controller, the need for barrier and signage identifying an automaton at work as well as the minimum distance to people in the vicinity?"


    "¡­ of course. This work was approved by the student council".


    "I am sure we can verify that all precautions have been taken so that bystanders, such as myself, are safeguarded whilst the golem is working", Mar points to the surveillance camera overhead, "After we review the incidence recorded on the awareness network to make sure that everything is up to standard I will personally guarantee that you are fully reimbursed for any damaged caused by us."


    The awareness network is the school wide monitoring system. It is an AI based system that monitors the school campus for security purposes and doubles as alert system for the school emergency services. Given the amount of automatons and golems it is necessary to keep a full watch on all movements on campus. Naturally, the awareness network has already alerted the security teams regarding this incidence.


    Older students are well aware of the monitoring but freshmen are often unaware of the scope and intensity of the supervision. These students were confident to have an excuse for the ''rogue'' golem. They would simply claim it to be an accident and after some light punishment looking forward to have a good time with the freshmen girls.


    Now that the tables are turned it appears that the freshmen have started to bully them instead.


    Sabine, the student councillor is waiting to the side giving them a curious glance. He has no idea how long she has been waiting there as his focus was entirely on Bertrand.


    "Student council president, is there anything we can do for you ?", Mar asks.


    Mel turns around and notices Sabine as well.


    "I am looking for the first year representative and observed the situation. Initially, I thought I would lend you a helping hand. But it appears this won''t be necessary as you dealt with inappropriate use of golems", Sabine says.


    "Is there any specific reason for you to seek me out ?", Mel asks.


    "It is nothing that cannot wait."


    "Chair woman, what about our time table?". The vice president whispers her about the apparent inconvenience.


    "Mr. Vice President, it appears that some 2nd year prank has gone rather badly for them. I believe it is prudent to address this issue before consulting with Mel Moro. It would be, of course, much easier if we had setup a meeting in advance.". She put the deliberate emphasis on "we" which makes the vice president''s face wince for a split second Mar thought. He might have been responsible and failed to make such an arrangement.


    "Hello Mar, nice to meet you again so soon. Mrs. Moro, again thank you for a job well done. I hope we can have a longer chat some time soon and also with you Mar". She also waved to the twins. "Erika, Elise, please drop by the student council office after you settled in too".


    To the student kneeling next to the broken golem she says, "Please follow me.". The student is given a trolley to move the broken down golem and he follows the student president sobbing and with sunken shoulders.


    After the president and vice president left, Mel and the twins look at Mar with great curiosity. Obviously, there were question marks regarding the relation that Mar has with the student council president particularly from Mel.


    "The president approached me as I was waiting for the ceremony to begin. Unfortunately, we got separated rather abrupt by the vice president apparently concerned about the president mingling with Gens.".


    "Is that so?". Mel grinds her teeth loudly.


    She is fired up today, Mar thought. He places his hand on her head and gently strokes her hair. The physical contact with Mel is a good way to quench the flaming anger and return her composure. Mar sends her a soothing thought and tells her not to be concerned. He allows himself to soak up Mel''s peaceful thoughts that returned.


    Mel notices the glances from the sisters and reluctantly steps back breaking contact. Erika and Elise are somewhat confused about their relation making them a appear like a couple in all but the name.


    Mar looks up at the twins and asks "Who is up for cake or ice cream?".


    This pretty much sets the mood for the rest of the day. All four decide to adjourn to the local cafe and spend the better part of the afternoon chatting. Well, the girls do the chatting whilst Mar is sitting back and enjoys the company. Which was a very rare occurrence for Mar but only Mel knows. She positively beams happiness as a result.


    As for Erika and Elise, they revised their impression of Mel completely. Together with the fledgling friendship evolving with Mel, Mar and the buzz after the ceremony of the prank and the help of the chairmen restores a little bit of their confidence and enthusiasm after the severely damper experienced by their own classmates. After a rocky start maybe this isn''t going to be such a bad time after all, Erika thought.


    Thinking back at his first appearance at school Mar wonders if keeping a low profile was wishful thinking all along. Today, the most active party was Mel by presenting a speech, damaging a golem, upsetting the influencial Balue family. All of it will be the talk of tomorrow. Mar shakes his head. This isn''t what he wants. After just one day he realises that hiding behind Mel is exactly the opposite what he wants in his heart. Adding insult to injury he even managed somehow to attract the attention of the two highest student council members. Mar realises that it was a miscalculation to think that school life will be that simple.


    And whilst the girls are pleasantly chattering about the events of the day Mar is quietly planning his next steps in a much more active role.


    # # #