Caden's whole body trembled, sitting in the passenger seat of his car as it travelled 95 miles an hour down the freeway. Caden didn't know the woman who was driving, he'd only met her three hours prior to her kidnapping him and stealing his car. She told him earlier that her name was Catheryn, but now Caden wasn't sure what her name really was. She had posed as a kickboxer from Canada to test the advanced AI that Caden was developing for a Navy SEALS training simulation. Aries was the name of the AI, and he was the most life-like computer competitor ever created.

"I bet you're wondering why I kidnapped you, right?" the woman said.

You read my mind, Caden thought. He was afraid to speak.

The woman brushed her shoulder-length blond hair away from her face. She was still sweaty from the intense battle testing she had undertaken at the VR lab where Aries was being developed. Caden was suprised how pretty she was, taking into account how athletic she was.

"My name is Zoa, by the way," she said. "I'm not Catheryn. I assumed that identity so that I could infiltrate the VR lab and abduct you. But don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I only need you for your knowledge. So, obviously I wouldn't kill you."

Caden didn't respond. His mind was reeling and he couldn't think of the words if he wanted to speak.

"You know Aries, the AI that you're working on for the Navy?" Zoa said, looking briefly at Caden.

Caden nodded his head, but Zoa didn't see him. She spoke anyway.

"They told you it was for a state-of-the-art battle training sim, right?" Zoa said. "They lied to you. Another reason I infiltrated the VR lab was so that I could match fists with Aries, to see how good it really is. And it's good. At its highest difficulty level it's ... "

"Flawless," Caden said in a low voice.

"Exactly," Zoa said as she wove through a patch of heavy traffic.

Caden's knuckles went white as he held onto the sides of the passenger's seat.

"In reality," Zoa said. "The Navy isn't going to be the one using your AI. And it isn't going to be used for a simulation, either. When you designed and programmed Aries, you layed the foundation for the operating brain of a new mechanized soldier. A killer robot. It's a top-secret project that goes back fifty years."

"You mean, the military?" Caden asked.

"No," Zoa said. "It's not the military or the government that are developing the mechanized soldier. It's the organization that runs both the government and the military."

It was then that Caden realized that Zoa was either a super-secret agent working for some invisible insurgent organization, or she was plain crazy. Caden was betting on crazy.

"I bet you think I'm crazy," Zoa said. "But it's not like you have a choice in the matter. You'll see how sane I am. It's this country that's insane. You damn Americans are gonna kill us all."

Caden was suddenly confused. Zoa spoke with a perfectly American accent, she wasn't a foreigner. Maybe, Caden thought, Zoa was a flag burner.

"Let me explain," Zoa said. "I have to give you some background if you're going to understand any of this, and the significance of your role in this. I know I sorta sprung this on you, but I need you. I know it sounds cheesy, but the world needs you."

Zoa looked at Caden for a moment. Her eyes were totally sincere, and they were a little misty. She was either a very good actress, or she was telling the truth. Caden wasn't going anywhere, so he sat and listened to Zoa's story.

"It goes back two millenia, to the beginning of the Common Era," Zoa began. "The world was different back then. It was fragmented, diverse. In the Middle East, a jewish man began teaching very progressive and controversial ideas. He taught universal love and understanding. He taught forgiveness and acceptance. He taught that borders should be taken down, that those who are fallen should be helped up. He taught a oneness with nature and our fellow beings. He loved, and he taught love. His teachings touched the hearts of many people."

"You mean Jesus?" Caden said.

"Well, his real name was Yeshua," Zoa said. "Jesus is just his Westernized name. For the sake of your understanding, I'll use the Westernized name of Yeshua and his students. Are you a Christian?"

"No," Caden said. "I was raised Christian, but I'm an atheist."

"So, you know the story of Jesus," Zoa said. "It's basically true to what really happened, but the early Church interpreted it in a way that fit their desires. You see, out of Jesus' students, there were two that understood him best, Peter and Mary Magdalene. Along with the message of universal love, Jesus taught his students transcendent techniques of mentalization. This were the techniques that Jesus used to heal the sick and feed many people with only a little food. It was a way of altering reality through the use of our own subconscious mind. I don't totally understand it now, but it's still practiced today. In lay terms, it's magic or miracle-working. But it's simply subcoscious manipulation of conscious reality.

"Anyway, Jesus taught his students that even though the techniques he taught them could be used for evil, they should only use them for good, as he had shown them. Mary Magdalene understood this, but Peter was still ruled by his own desires and not the greater good. Jesus wanted to teach his wisdom and techniques to all indiscriminately, but Peter wanted to keep the secrets hidden from the public. Peter claimed that if the secrets are hidden from the public and used only by a select few, the public could be manipulated by the few and brought together in peace. Jesus made Peter aware of his error, saying that if the secrets were kept by the few, the few would invariably become corrupt, and it would turn the world dark. Peter ignored Jesus' advice because he was still consumed by his selfishness and fear.

"Peter knew that his selfish plan would go to spoil while Jesus still walked the earth, so he planned Jesus' downfall. Peter manipulated the Pharisees, making false claims that Jesus called himself the Messiah. This was and has always been a lie. Jesus wasn't conceived in the belly of a virgin, either. Peter twisted things that Jesus said to make him look like an egotistical blasphemer. In reality, Jesus said that Mary was the mother of his flesh and the Holy Spirit was the mother of his soul. He said that Joseph was the father of his flesh and God was the father of his soul. This was a simple principle he taught, and he taught that we are all like this, conceived simultaneously in spirit and flesh. Yes, Jesus believed he was the son of God, just as we are all sons and daughters of God.

"Once Peter had the Pharisees rallied against Jesus, he manipulated Judas into selling out his teacher. The story is true, that Judas fell under a great amount of guilt and hung himself. After the death of Jesus, Peter appointed himself High Master over the brotherhood. Mary Magdalene defied him and dissented.

"Peter established under him the Priesthood of Shadow, so called because their goal was to conceal the holy secrets taught to them by Jesus. Mary established its antithesis, the Priesthood of Flame, so called because its goal was to enlighten the world with the secrets Jesus taught to them. Both Priesthoods have as their ultimate objective, unification of the human race. The difference is in their method. The Priesthood of Flame unites through understanding and compassion, while the Priesthood of Shadow unites through mental enslavement. Both Priesthoods existed in balance for a couple of centuries, but the Priesthood of Shadow eventually outnumbered and overpowered the Priesthood of Flame. The Priesthood of Shadow's strength has always been its multitudes of blind followers.

"The first major organization founded by the Priesthood of Shadow was the centralized Christian Church. As historical irony goes, Peter manipulated the story and teachings of Jesus, painting him as a martyr and saviour. He encouraged his followers to have faith in their dead master, all the while having no real idea of who they are worshipping. The truth is, Jesus didn't want to be worshipped. His teachings weren't based on blind faith in an invisible God. He taught his students to have faith in themselves and their fellow beings. He taught them to be self-reliant, not subserviant. The truth about Jesus' death is that it was atrocious, not glorious. Jesus meant to roam the world and teach self-salvation. He didn't die for our sins. That doesn't even make any sense!"

In spite of Caden's atheistic conceit, he felt something deep inside of him become offended at Zoa's anti-Christian claims. Perhaps it was the last fossil of Christian faith left inside him. Nevertheless, Caden was through with being frightened. Now he was angry at the basketcase who was driving his car to God-knows-where. Maybe she just needed a ride to Wal-Mart and she didn't know how to ask nicely.

"So, you must be in the Priesthood of Flame," Caden said, playing along with Zoa's tale.

"Yes!" Zoa said, smiling. "You're a smart one."

"So ... " Caden continued. "You can do things like heal people and feed 4,000 with a few loaves of bread and some fish?"

"First of all, it wasn't 4,000," Zoa said. "Peter was obsessed with inflating numbers. It was more like forty, and they were fed with enough food that would feed four. Second of all, no. I can't do those things. I never learned priestcraft. It's not something you learn in a weekend. It takes years of dedicated practice. I found myself better suited to be a warrior."

"A warrior?" Caden replied.

"Yes!" Zoa said. "I fight for truth."

"You're a warrior who believes in understanding and compassion?" Caden said with a laugh. "What a silly contradiction!"

Zoa's face turned sour, and she began to boil inside. Her hands clenched on the steering wheel, and she jerked the wheel to one side. The car turned wildly and began spinning out.

"Oh God!" Caden exclaimed as he pulled his seatbelt tighter.

Zoa remained perfectly calm, letting go of the steering wheel to fix her hair. Then she grabbed the wheel and righted the car with ease. Just as quick as the car went wild, it was driving perfectly in the middle of the lane.

"Don't forget that I hold your life in my hands," Zoa said, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Think of that before you ridicule me again."

Caden was past being scared. He was petrified.

"S-Sorry," Caden mumbled.

"And to answer your question," Zoa said. "Yes, I am a warrior who believes in understanding and compassion. You see, despite the Priesthood of Shadow's insatiable thirst for blood, the goal of the true warrior is to prevent bloodshed, not to cause it."

"But ... " Caden said, stopping himself.

"What about those guards I shot while abducting you?" Zoa finished Caden's thought. "My gun is loaded with shock rounds. They are non-lethal bullets that tac into the target's flesh and administer a steady electric shock for about five minutes. The pain is debilitating, but the rounds aren't damaging. It generally takes someone an hour to recover completely after being shot with a shock round, but nobody is killed by them. Do you want me to prove it?"

Zoa pulled her gun from its holster and pointed it at Caden, who put up his arms to guard.

"No!" Caden said. "I believe you!"

Zoa put her gun in her lap.

"I've only killed one person in my whole life," Zoa said. "It was the most horrible thing I've ever experienced. After I killed her, I realized that my reasons for killing her failed to outweigh the value of her life."

"Who was it?" Caden asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Zoa said.

Caden noticed that Zoa's eyes were welling with tears, so he changed the subject.

"So, how did you find out about the Aries project?" Caden asked.

"A friend of mine informed me," Zoa said, wiping her eyes. "He's a priest and a diviner. He had a vision where he saw the whole world finally fall under the control of the Priesthood of Shadow. People were running in the streets. Those who wouldn't bow down and serve the Priesthood of Shadow were killed. But it wasn't real people who were doing the killing. The seeking out and killing was done by an army of mechanical men who extinguished life with no level of remorse.

"After my friend told me that, I started researching robotics. I learned of a top-secret project that began in post-World War 2 Germany. This was the work of the Priesthood of Shadow, and they intended their mechanical soldiers to overrun the globe in World War 3. However, the project experienced problems from the get-go. The first generation of robots could be compared to wind-up toys with guns and heat sensors. In fields tests with dummy ammo, the humans defeated the robots after discovering their weaknesses. The robots were built to fire at any source of heat they detected. The humans exploited this and began setting fires to distract the robots. The humans also exploited the robots' very limited fuel supply. They would hide out and wait for the robots to run out of gas.

"Later, hope came to the project when remote-control was introduced. No longer were the robots reactionary retards, they were smart human-controlled fighters. Although these remote-control robots faired better in field tests, they were economically inefficient. In order to send out an army of robots, one needed also an army of control modules and an army of controllers. Money ran this project into the ground. That's why the Priesthood of Flame doesn't worry about an army of mechanized soldiers overrunning the world.

"However, the project was taken back off the shelf in the early 90's with the rise of videogames in Japan and America. The idea was, if a computer enemy can find and kill a human player in a videogame, then a robot can be programmed to find and kill humans on a battlefield. The project went back online and new robots were designed. These ones were powered by batteries, which cut out the fuel costs.	Despite the project's added steam, it slowed down again when human soldiers beat the new robots. The fact was, the same programming used to control computer enemies in a digital environment was too simplistic to operate efficiently in the complexities of physical reality. The idea was right on, but the technology was still too underdeveloped.

"The project was put on hiatus for a few years as the project heads begged the Shadow High Priesthood to give them more time and allow technology to develop. Unwilling to put money toward in-project development, the Shadow High Priesthood gave modest financial contributions to the American and Japanese videogame industries to encourage commercial development. This last bit of information is really new. The Priesthood of Flame is generally unaware of it. After learning about the Priesthood of Shadow's dealings in robotics a year ago, I kept my eye out on any new technology."

"But, people know about robots," Caden interrupted. "One of the major Japanese car companies has developed a robot that can walk and everything."

"That's just what the public knows about," Zoa replied. "The Priesthood of Shadow staggers the knowledge of technological advances known to the public. That way, they're one step ahead. It's Peter's design multiplied. The general public is anywhere between 30 and 40 years behind the Priesthood of Shadow as far as technology goes."

"But, why would they need technology?" Caden asked. "Why don't they just bend reality or whatever?"

"Two reasons," Zoa said. "The Shadow High Priesthood is more miserly these days about what secrets they do and do not teach to their underlings. The last thing they want is an uprising. So, the number of Shadow Priests with real power gets smaller every few decades. 

"Second, the Priesthood of Shadow is getting lazier all the time. Back in days of Peter and Mary, the Priesthood of Shadow were a rag-tag group hiding from the authorities, so they were in good shape. But now, they are the authorities. Leisure has made them lazy. So, instead of wiping out a city with an energy-consuming reality alteration, they drop a bomb on the city. A retard could drop a bomb on a city, and it would take a score of very gifted Shadow Priests working for days to do the same thing. You do the math."

"So, let me get this straight," Caden said. "The Priesthood of Shadow employed my programming skills to develop the most life-like and deadliest AI in the world so that they can put it in their robot warriors so they can overrun the world?"

"Exactly!" Zoa exclaimed. "See, it's not that hard to understand!"

"And, that's why you abducted me?" Caden continued. "So that I can help you in defeating our new mechanized enemy?"

"Yes!" Zoa said.

"Why didn't you contact me earlier in the project?" Caden said. "Aries is all ready to be handed to the government programmers. My job is done."

"I didn't find out about the Aries project until a month ago!" Zoa said in her defense. "I had to plan! I had to get fake IDs that the government would accept! An infiltration like the one I just undertook takes time! You can't just make up your mind and go!"

"Okay, okay," Caden said. "So, what's your plan now?"

"I'm going to a Mr. Theodore Waterhouse's residence," Zoa said. "He's my next to abduct."

"Where does he live?" Caden asked.

"New York," Zoa said.

"But that's across the country!" Caden said. "They'll find us by then!"

"We're ditching this vehicle," Zoa said. "I have one of my own. It flies. We'll get there before morning."

"Where are they, anyway?" Caden said. "You'd think there would be government agents all over us!"

"I don't know," Zoa said, looking in her rear-view mirror. "I passed a highway cop a few miles ago, speeding, and he didn't do anything. Maybe they're following us to see where we go. Or maybe they don't care altogether. Maybe they consider you expendible at this point. But I'll get there attention when I abduct Mr. Waterhouse. They'll need him more than ever."

"Who's he?" Caden asked.

"He's the head engineer over the development of the body," Zoa said. "The project was handed down to him from his father. His father, Frederick Waterhouse, was the engineer who designed the first and second generations of robots for the project. It's a family affair. Theodore will definately take it personal when I kidnap him."

Zoa let crack a slight diabolical smile. Caden looked at her, wondering who had a personal grudge against whom.

The rest of the car ride was uneventful. The conversation had run out of steam, and both passengers in the journey were pleased with silence. Zoa was still buzzing on an adrenaline high, and Caden was getting very nervous. Zoa's story was interesting, even convincing, but Caden still couldn't rest. If the story wasn't true, then Caden was riding at the whim of a madwoman. If the story was true, then Caden was going up against the most powerful organization in the world. Either way, Caden just wanted to go home and go to sleep.

"Hey, Caden! Caden! Wake up!" Zoa's voice drew Caden out of sleep.

Caden looked around. They were on a desert highway, and it was late at night. The stars were brilliant in the sky.

"We're being followed!" Zoa said. "Don't look! That black car has been following us ever since we got off the freeway."

Caden flipped down the sun visor and looked in the mirror. His heart jumped when he saw a set of headlights.

"Are you serious?" Caden said, lowering his voice.

"Yeah," Zoa said. "I knew they were following us. The Priesthood of Shadow never lets anything slip. It's probably just two of them. They probably have guns. It won't be a problem."

"They've got guns?" Caden said, his voice going high.

"I've got guns!" Zoa said. "Don't worry. You're in good hands."

Caden was worried anyway.

"My hoverjet is only a couple miles ahead," Zoa said. "I'd better stop before then."

Zoa slowed down the car, pulling it over to the side of the road.

"What are you doing?" Caden exclaimed.

"I'm gonna talk to them like the civilized woman I am," Zoa said. "I don't want them to know I have a hoverjet."

"You're crazy!" Caden said, sinking in his seat.

"That's good," Zoa said, taking her gun from its holster. "Just get down and stay in the car. I'll make sure they don't get you."

Caden sank in his seat as far as he could. Zoa reached under her seat and pulled out another gun. She checked the clips in both of her guns, then opened the door and got out. She walked back to the black car, which had pulled over behind them, with both guns in her hands. She went to the driver's side of the black car and tapped on the window with her gun. Zoa watched as the window rolled down, revealing the face of a man she hadn't seen in years.

"Hello, Zoa," Maryx said. "What a suprise to see your pretty face here."

"Long time no see," Zoa said. "Why are you following me?"

"You know why," Maryx said. "When a young woman infiltrates a government operation and abducts somebody, it generally piques the interest of the High Priesthood. We were hoping you would lead us back to your base of operations, but you must have noticed us following you."

"Yeah, it wasn't that hard," Zoa said. "Unlike you, I can see past my own face."

Maryx laughed, then opened his door quickly, striking Zoa and knocking her back.

"Sorry," Maryx said as he got out of the car. "I didn't mean to open the door so fast."

"You bastard!" Zoa said, pointing one of her guns at Maryx.

"Who's your cargo?" Maryx asked, drawing a cigarette from his coat pocket. He put the cigarette in his mouth and touched the end with his finger, heating it up and igniting it. He inhaled and blew out the smoke.

"You don't know?" Zoa said. "Did't they brief you for this mission?"

"Yes, what they told me was very brief," Maryx said. "I've been commanded to detain you and your cargo, and bring you in for interrigation."

"But you know how much I hate interrigation!" Zoa said. "I'm an egotistical bitch! You'll get nothing from me!"

"But it's so fun to torment you!" Maryx said. "Or, perhaps we can strike a deal. I could return and tell the High Priesthood that you evaded me. Of course, in order for me to do that you'd have to compensate my efforts. You know how to do that."

"You mysoganistic asshole!" Zoa said.

"What's your problem?" Maryx said. "You weren't so reluctant in the past. In fact, you were quite eager back then."

"That's enough!" Zoa said, brandishing her guns. "This conversation is finished! You're not taking us in!"

"Just try and shoot me," Maryx said, taking a large drag from his cigarette. "You can't do it."

Enraged, Zoa opened fire at Maryx. All the bullets missed Maryx and hit the car.

"Dammit!" Zoa said, ceasing fire. "You tricky bastard!"

Zoa walked up to Maryx and held her gun to his forehead. She pulled the trigger, and the gun jammed. Maryx laughed.

"Fine!" Zoa said, holstering her guns and putting up her fists. "Let me see you fight like a man!"

Out of nowhere, Maryx struck Zoa with both of his fists, hitting her simultaneously in the chest and solar plexus. Zoa flew back and landed on the highway. She coughed, holding her stomach and muttering obsenities. Getting to her feet, she rushed Maryx.

Caden peeked over the back of his seat and saw Zoa and Maryx fighting in the faint moonlight. It was like watching a kung fu movie. Zoa was as good as she was in simulation, and Maryx matched her. Caden whinced when he saw Maryx slam Zoa against the side of his car. She kicked him away and tackled him.

"She's tough!" Caden said to himself with a streak of admiration in his voice. "She's the toughest woman I've ever met."

Zoa clenched one hand around Maryx's throat while she punched him in the face with the other. Maryx brought both arms to one side then twisted his body against Zoa, knocking her over and getting on top of her.

"I know you like to be on top ... " Maryx said. He headbutt Zoa, then spit blood in her face. "But you can't always get your way."

Zoa struggled against Maryx as he held her down. She put one hand under Maryx's chin to draw attention from her other hand as it crept down to her gun. Unholstering her gun, Zoa turned it toward Maryx's stomach and fired. Maryx screamed as the wave of electricity shot into his body. Zoa pulled her legs up under Maryx and flipped him over her.

"You overconfident imbicile!" Zoa said as she got to her feet.

Pointing her gun at Maryx, Zoa fired a few more rounds into him as he writhed in pain. She stumbled to Maryx's car and opened the door, looking in. The car was empty.

"You thought you could take me on alone?" Zoa said, cracking her neck. "You think too much of yourself."

Zoa walked back over to Caden's car and got in. Caden looked over at her, seeing that her face was bruised and bloody.

"Are you alright?" Caden asked, sitting up in his seat and looking back at Maryx's car.

"I'm alive. I'm fine," Zoa said, checking her face in the rear-view mirror.

"Did you kill him?" Caden asked.

"Did I kill him?" Zoa replied. "I thought I told you I don't kill people. He's in a lot of pain, but he's still alive."

"There was only one?" Caden asked.

"Yup," Zoa said as she started up the car. "He's a Shadow Priest. They are usually really cocky. Maryx thinks he can take on the whole world by himself. That's his biggest weakness. I at least acknowledge that I can die at any time. That's what keeps me alive."

Zoa pressed the accelerator and pulled back onto the highway.

"So, do you believe me now?" Zoa asked.

"I'm beginning to," Caden said. "It's just ... "

"Hard to believe?" Zoa said.

"Yes," Caden said. "It's quite impossible to believe."

"Well, you'll see," Zoa said. "You're going to realize that there is a whole lot more to this world and its history than you know. You are especially ignorant of your own country, America. It wasn't founded by pilgrims seeking religious freedom. It was founded by the Priesthood of Shadow. They savagely took over this land, killing off its natives, so that it could be use for power. You Americans are the worst people on the face of the earth, no offense. It's not your fault. Every aspect of your culture is ruled by the Priesthood of Shadow's twisted ideals."

Caden was once again offended at Zoa's words. He was also confused. Zoa seemed just as American as he was.

"Alright," Zoa said. "We're almost there."

Zoa turned off of the highway, onto a bumpy dirt road.

"We can finally leave this fuel burner behind," Zoa said. "Hey, Caden?"

"What?" Caden said.

"I'm sorry if I offended you," Zoa said. "I was insulting your country, not you. Just because your country is ruthless and bloodthirsty doesn't mean you are. And I'm sorry for making the car spin out of control earlier. That was stupid of me. I just get really mad sometimes."

Caden didn't say anything. He was touched by Zoa's words nonetheless. They drove in silence for a couple more minutes on the dirt road, then Zoa stopped the car next to a huge boulder. Zoa got out of the car and walked around to the passenger's side door. She opened the door and poked her head into the car.

"Come on," Zoa said. "Let's go."

Caden was tired, confused, angry, and scared. He pulled himself out of the car and sulked. Zoa pulled something out of her pocket that resembled a small remote control. She pressed one of the buttons on it and Caden watched as the boulder became scrambled and faded away, exposing what must be Zoa's hoverjet. It was large and bulky, weathered and worn, with short wings on each side. It looked like something out of Star Wars.

"I know it looks like crap," Zoa said. "It's pretty ugly, but it's tough. And it's where I live. That's why it's so bulky. But don't let its size fool you. This baby can go fast when she needs to. She's got guns, lasers, and bombs. But I'm all out of bombs and I'm running low on ammo for the guns, so I use the lasers a lot. It's hard to down bogeys with lasers if you don't know how. You just gotta get in real close and hit either the cockpit or the guns. Anyway ... "

Zoa walked around the hoverjet and Caden followed her. Zoa pressed another button on her remote control and a hatch opened up on the side of the hoverjet. Zoa entered and Caden followed her. Inside the hoverjet was crammed and unimpressive. It was like the inside of a high-tech RV.

"Over there is the cockpit," Zoa said as she led Caden through the hoverjet's interior. "You won't go in there. Right here is the private facilities. You know, the crapper. Over here is the armory. I won't open it because it's empty. Over here is the dining area. It's not empty, thank god. And over here is my bedroom."

Zoa opened the door to her bedroom and Caden looked in. It was a small space with two bunks, one on the floor and the other raised four feet above the other one. There was a small electric lamp beside the bottom bunk, next to a leather-bound book.

"I usually come in here to chill out," Zoa said. "I don't sleep a whole lot. This craft was designed for a crew of two-to-four. There's a ladder in the armory that leads to a gun turret and down to a bomb bay. Of course the turret and the bombs can be controlled from the cockpit, but when the action gets real thick it's good to have a couple hands. But, I run this show all by myself. I work alone. I mostly use this for simple transportation anyway. I park it out of the way, put of a holographic boulder or something, you know, keep it out of the way. I bet you think it looks like something from Star Wars, huh?"

"Yeah, actually," Caden said.

"That's what everyone says," Zoa said. "This hoverjet was probably made around the same time that movie came out. It runs the same type of engine that flying saucers run. Those are real, you know?"

"Really?" Caden replied.

"Yeah, but they're not alien," Zoa said. "That whole UFO thing was just a cover-up. Flying saucers were made by man. They're out-dated now. This is an old machine, too. The Priesthood of Shadow has craft now that can go around the world like nothing. The secret is in their fuel source. The new machines run on mercury. This runs on nuclear power, though. It has a miniature nuclear generator. But don't worry. It has radiation sheilds. I've had her for five years, and my health is as good as ever. No mutations either!"

Zoa laughed, but Caden was worried.

"What if it gets damaged?" Caden asked. "Don't you worry about leakage?"

"It's fine," Zoa said. "It's a fighter! You think they'd put a nuclear generator in a fighter without protecting against things like that? This thing wasn't made in America. It's not going to fall apart!"

"Alright!" Caden said. "I just have to ask you! You keep saying, you Americans and stuff like that. But you look and sound perfectly American to me! What's up? Are you American or not?"

Zoa looked slightly annoyed.

"You'll have to wait on my answer," Zoa said. "I have to go get this girl started up. She needs to fly before more Shadow Priests or Hunters come after us. Wait here. I'm going to get out of these gawdy American clothes."

Zoa walked down the hall to the cockpit. She went inside and started the ship's engine, which made a loud humming noise. After the engine was started, Zoa walked to the bathroom and went in, sliding the door mostly closed. It was slightly cracked. Caden didn't know if Zoa left the door ajar on purpose or on accident, but he was sorely tempted to go look in on her. Since the engine's hum was so loud, Caden thought he could sneak to the door quiet enough and peek into the crack.

As Caden spied shamelessly on Zoa, he watched her take off her top, though her back was to the door. Her back was very toned, though not too muscular. It gleamed with sweat, and Caden could see the side of one of Zoa's breasts. He pulled away, feeling ashamed. Then he peeked again, just in time to see Zoa pull down her pants. It appeared that Zoa hadn't been wearing a bra or underwear beneath her clothes. Caden was excited by this. Zoa's buttocks and legs were very toned, and Caden enjoyed the sight of them very much.

Zoa walked into what looked like a shower. Caden could vaguely see the profile of her body through the frosted glass. Zoa pressed a button, and Caden expected the water to start running. But it didn't. The frosted glass began to glow a yellow color, and a layer of grayish-brown material suddenly collected on it. Caden saw Zoa's arm reach out and grab a white body suit that was hung on a rack beside the glowing shower. The glass stopped glowing, and all that was left was the grayish-brown grime.

"Ah, that feels better!" Zoa said to herself as she put on the body suit behind the grimey glass.

When the body suit was on her legs and up around her shoulders, Zoa pressed another button and the grimey glass went down into the floor. Caden saw Zoa from the front now. The body suit was open in the front, from the collar down a couple inches past her belly button. Caden saw her toned belly and the inner sides of her breasts. Then he noticed that she was looking at him. He pulled away from the doorway and walked briskly back to the bedroom.

Zoa opened the bathroom and walked out. The front of her body suit was sealed now. She didn't look at Caden, but walked back into the cockpit and set a navigation plan, putting the hoverjet on autopilot. The hoverjet's engine hummed at a higher pitch, and Caden felt the lift as it lifted off the ground. The hoverjet ascended high into the air before it turned east and accelerated at a high speed.

Zoa walked out of the cockpit and joined Caden at the bedroom. Caden anticipated a passionate chiding from Zoa because of his voyeurism, but she just smiled.

"Thank god!" Zoa said. "I don't have to act like an American anymore! Oh, that reminds me. I have to answer your question. Come and sit with me."

Zoa walked into the bedroom and hopped up on the top bunk. She patted the bunk and Caden walked in, sitting next to her on the bunk.

"I know you were watching me in the bathroom," Zoa said.

Caden was scared again.

"I don't care," Zoa said. "I'm not ashamed of my body. Usually I change with the door wide open, but I thought you would be more excited if you thought you were spying on me. You Americans like that kind of thing. Anyway, about me.

"I was born and raised on an island called Miria. It was named after the Sacred Priestess who founded the Priesthood of Flame, known in the West as Mary Magdalene. It's in the Atlantic Ocean, between Europe and Canada. It was settled by Europeans. You couldn't find it on a Rand McNally map, but it's there. It's one of the last surviving strongholds of the Priesthood of Flame. It's surrounded by ground, air, and underwater defenses. My father was a soldier for the local guard, and my mother was a poet. I got my fight from my dad, and I got my creative flair from my mom. As I child, I participated in sports and drama. I've always a very expressive person and a compitent actor, so when I came of age they started training me as a covert warrior."

"You mean, a spy?" Caden said.

"Yeah, basically," Zoa said. "My father was pure-blood Israeli, but my mother is British. Since I already knew English and had inherited my mother's Western looks, I was chosen to be stationed in North America.

"I was relocated to America when I was of age, which is twelve years old, and I was placed in the care of an American foster family. My charge was to alter my English accent, and to learn American customs. I told everyone I was from England, but after a couple years you couldn't even tell. I mean, I'm basically an American. I had to stick with my personal training and spiritualism. My foster family was Christian, of course, but my spiritualism was totally different from theirs. I truthfully professed a faith in Jesus, but I meant something almost opposite of what my family meant. Jesus wasn't my saviour, I was my own saviour. When I was a teenager, I stopped going to church with my family because Western religion really makes me sick. I ended up hating my foster family because they stood for everything I detested. I had to live with it, though, for the honor of my real family and my real culture. There are certain things I like about America, like how carefree the culture is. But I also hate how undisciplined it all is. I like how bright and flashy everything is, but I hate how shallow and superficial it is. It's a two-edged sword, really. But I really wish I could go home. I know I'm here in this country because of the duty I have to what I believe, but I really miss home. I miss the people. I miss the culture. I miss everything about it. I miss the clean air and the lush forests. I miss the clear water and the beautiful wildlife. It's a paradise. It's one of the few places the Priesthood of Shadow hasn't poisoned yet."

"Wow," Caden said. "It sounds like a wonderful place."

"It is," Zoa said. "What about you?"

"What about me what?" Caden said.

"Where did you grow up?" Zoa asked. "How was your childhood?"

"Oh, my life isn't as interesting as yours," Caden said.

"Come on!" Zoa said. "It's only fair! I don't want you to know everything about me if I don't know anything about you!"

"Alright," Caden said. "But my story isn't anything special."

"Everyone's story is special," Zoa said. "No matter how plain it may appear."

"Alright," Caden said. "I was born in Utah. That's by Nevada, you know."

"I know where Utah is," Zoa said.

"Yeah well, I lived there only for a couple years," Caden said. "When I was two, my family moved to California. We lived there til I was fourteen, then my parents got divorced. My little sister stayed with my dad, and I stayed with my mom. My mom was calling and emailing this guy in Washington who she went to college with. A month after my parents were divorced, the guy came down from Washington to visit my mother. He brought a ring with him, and he brought me and my mom home with him to Washington.

"Because my mom was in love, I was alienated from my sister and my dad, not to mention all my friends and everything I knew. I became depressed and withdrawn. Up until then, programming was just a side hobby for me. But when I started shutting myself up in my room alone, I immersed myself in programming. It was my escape from reality. After a couple years I started making cheap little shareware games. Shareware is where you put a game up on the internet for free download. When I graduated high school, I got a job with a game developer called Sillhouette Studios. They make arcade games, mostly gun games. My specialty is programming AI, so they set me on the AI for their biggest gun game, Perfect Shot. Perfect Shot revolutionized gun arcade games, and it had suprising success in Japan, which is rare for an American game. The aspects of Perfect Shot that set it apart were its life-like and unpredictable AI, and its flexible level navigation."

Caden noticed that Zoa wasn't paying attention to him anymore. She was looking at her hand.

"Needless to say," Caden continued. "We began working on a new Perfect Shot for home consoles, but the president of Sillhouette Studios was contacted by the Navy. We were asked to develop the AI for a cutting edge training simulation for the Navy SEALS. You pretty much know the rest of the story."

"Ever had a girlfriend?" Zoa asked, smiling excitedly.

"Yeah. One," Caden said. "I don't know if you could call her a real girlfriend, though. We met online, in a chat room. She lived in New Zealand, so she was always awake when I would chat late at night. It sounds funny, but even though we never met or even heard  eachother's voices, I really loved her. And she loved me. I remember the night we were chatting, just her and me in our own private room, and she typed 'I love you.' I was just looking at words on a computer screen, but I felt more love at that moment then I've ever felt in my life."

Caden stopped speaking, caught up in the wonderful memory. He sat in the silent glow for a while, then he noticed that Zoa was sniffling. He lookd over at Zoa and saw that tears were running down her cheeks.

"That's so romantic," Zoa said, sniffling and wiping her nose with her sleeve. "What was her name?"

"Melinda," Caden said, rolling the name beautifully off his tongue. "So, what about you, Zoa?"

Zoa sniffled and wiped her nose again. "Yeah," she said, wiping the tears under her eyes. "I've had a girlfriend."

"Really?" Caden replied.

"No, I'm just kidding," Zoa said. "I've had a few boyfriends. I dumped half of them because they were boring, and I dumped the other half because they were egotistical assholes. I can stand wimps for a while because I kinda like bossing them around. But if a guy is egotistical ... No way, buddy. I'm not ashamed to say my ego is big enough. I tend to butt heads with jackasses. Kinda like Maryx back there. He has the biggest ego I've ever seen."

Caden stretched and yawned.

"You tired?" Zoa said. "You wanna lay down and take a nap? It'll take a couple hours to get to New York."

"Yeah," Caden said. "Today has been pretty rough."

"Go ahead and lay down when you're ready," Zoa said, hopping off the bunk. "There's no pillow, but the mattress is firmer at the head. You can pull the blanket out of the wall. I'll be in the cockpit if you need anything."

"Alright," Caden said, kicking off his shoes and laying down. "Hey, Zoa?"

"Yeah?" Zoa said.

"Thanks," Caden said. "I mean, this whole thing has been so crazy, and I wish I was at home playing videogames. But You've been so nice to me. Even though you kidnapped me and threatened my life, you've been more decent to me than most people I've ever met. You're a real decent person."

"Thanks!" Zoa said. "I've tried to stay decent in spite of living as an American."

Caden laughed. "I wish I could be more decent," he said.

"You're a nice guy," Zoa said. "By the way, whatever happened to Melanie? Did you guys break up?"

"No. I don't know," Caden said. "We never officially broke up. She just stopped getting online and writing email."

"Strange!" Zoa said. "Alright. Well, sleep tight! Hope you find your symbol!"

"What?" Caden replied.

"Nothing," Zoa said. "I'll tell you later. Good night."

"Good night."

When Caden woke up, the hoverjet was still and quiet. He rolled off the bunk and felt something under his foot. Lifting up his foot, Caden saw a book with a wooden cover. He looked around to see if Zoa was around. She was nowhere to be seen, so Caden picked up the book and looked at it. The wooden cover had text carved into it, which was imprinted with gold. Caden didn't recognize the language of the text. Opening the book, Caden saw that the pages were filled with printed text of the same language.

Setting the book down, Caden put on his shoes and walked out into the hallway. He looked in the bathroom to see if Zoa was in there. She wasn't, so Caden went to the bathroom. When he was done, Caden walked to the cockpit and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Zoa called from inside.

Caden slid the door open and poked his head in. The cockpit was larger than he expected it to be. Zoa was sitting in a chair, looking at a monitor. There were various levers, buttons, and meters across the control panel, along with a couple of monitors. There was a large window that wrapped around the cockpit in a semicircle which was stratched and stained from use. Out the window, Caden saw that the hoverjet had landed in a wooded area overlooking a large house.

"I thought we were going to New York," Caden said.

"We are in New York," Zoa said. "We're upstate. That's Heinrich Junghen's house."

"Is it alright if I sit down?" Caden asked.

"Yeah, go ahead," Zoa said. "Just don't touch anything."

"What are we waiting for?" Caden asked as he sat down.

"Nothing," Zoa said. "I just don't know what to do. Heinrich usually has today off, but he's not showing. I tapped the phoneline, and I heard his wife talking about how his job is working him overtime. Since your AI is finished, they're probably pushing Heinrich to put out a working robotic soldier."

"I wonder if they're going up against something?" Caden said.

"What?" Zoa replied.

"It's like in the videogame industry," Caden said. "If your company is developing a game that will compete against another similar game, sometimes you get rushed to put the game out on time with the other game, so that you don't put it out too late."

"Hmm," Zoa said. "I don't think the Priesthood of Flame would be developing something like that. But then again, desperate times could call for desperate measures."

"Wouldn't you know about it if they were?" Caden asked.

"It's hard to know," Zoa said. "The Priesthood of Flame isn't very secretive, but it isn't under centralized authority like the Priesthood of Shadow. The Priesthood of Flame works in scattered groups, with less emphasis on solitary leadership and more emphasis on individual responsibility. So, one group could be doing something that the other groups don't know about. This works because if one groups goes corrupt, they can be counteracted by other groups."

"So, what's your plan?" Caden asked. "Why don't you go pick up Heinrich where he works?"

"You don't understand," Zoa said. "He works directly for the Priesthood of Shadow. You were a third party to the Priesthood, but Heinrich works for them. He isn't a member of the Priesthood himself, but he's been on their payroll for his whole professional life. Breaking into his laboratory would be like breaking into Area 51."

"Was there anyone else on your abduction list?" Caden asked.

"No," Zoa said. "It was you and Heinrich. With you on board I'll know how the robot thinks, but without Heinrich I won't know how to destroy its body."

"Are you the only person working on this?" Caden asked. "With what you know, there must be more people trying to stop the robots."

"Yeah," Zoa said. "There are others working on it. But I always work alone."

"Do you communicate with any of them?" Caden asked.

"Yeah," Zoa said. "Everyone's having a hard time with this. The Priesthood of Shadow has secrecy down to an art. I know. I'll talk to Nikol."

"Who's Nikol?" Caden asked.

"He's my friend," Zoa said. "He's the one who got me concerned about the robots. You know, the diviner."

"Oh yeah," Caden said.

"We're out of here," Zoa said, starting the hoverjet's engine.

Caden watched through the front windshield as the hoverjet lifted off the ground. The lift-off was smooth and quick, and before Caden knew it he was looking down fifty yards at the ground. Just as fast as the hoverjet lifted off, it turned and shot toward the West. Caden sat in awe as he watched out through windshield. Zoa noticed the look on Caden's face, and she smiled.

"I remember the first time I rode in a hoverjet," Zoa said. "It was when I was twelve, when I left Miria. The hoverjet I rode on was bigger and nicer than this one, and it had areas where you could look through portholes in the floor. I just sat by one of those the whole time and looked down at the ocean. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I just wanted to jump out of the hoverjet and freefall into the ocean."

"Oh man!" Caden said. "I'm deathly afraid of the ocean!"

"Really?" Zoa said. "I love the ocean! My home in Miria was right next to the beach, and I would swim in the ocean every morning."

"I've never swam in the ocean," Caden said. "I can't even swim."

"Hmm," Zoa said. "Maybe I should teach you. It could save your life!"

"You wouldn't be the first one to try and teach me," Caden said. "I just don't get along with deep water."

A monitor next to Caden started flashing and beeping.

"What's that?" Caden asked. "The monitor's ... doing something."

"Oh crap!" Zoa said, getting out of her chair and going to look at the monitor. "It's a hostile entity!"

"You mean, an enemy?" Caden said.

"Yeah," Zoa said, tapping the monitor with her finger. The image on the monitor changed, showing a large jet fighter.

"What's that?" Caden asked nervously.

"Damn, I recognize that ship," Zoa said. "It belongs to our old friend, Maryx. I wonder if he's still pissed about getting shot with those shock rounds."

"I hope not!" Caden said.

Caden watched on the monitor as a few hatches opened on the sides of Maryx's jet. Moments later, a dozen small unmanned fighters flew out.

"Yeah, I forgot about those little guys," Zoa said. "Those are real annoying, but you can take those down with the lasers. I'll let you do that while I get in the turret and shoot at Maryx."

"What?" Caden replied. "How do I do that?"

Zoa tapped the monitor a few times with her finger, and the image changed again. The screen was split into six seperate boxes.

"You're good at videogames, right?" Zoa said.

"Yeah," Caden replied.

"This is a lot like a videogame," Zoa said. "Except if you lose this game, you die. So be sure to do good. This monitor is a touch screen, so all you have to use is your finger. These six subscreens represent the six sides of the hoverjet -- front, back, left, right, top, and bottom. If one of the subscreens flashes, it's being attacked by bogeys. Double-tap any subscreen and it'll magnify it. The bogeys will have flashing targets on them. Just press on the bogey with your finger, and it'll fire a laser at the bogey. You can hold your finger on the screen and follow the bogey, because it takes a couple seconds of laser shot to down these little guys. You can see the other subscreens beside the magnified screen, and if they're flashing you can double-tap them to magnify them. You can't neglect any side of the hoverjet, so you'll need to strike a balance. These little fighters are designed to swarm around a ship and attack it from every side. They're not hard to destroy if you keep a wide scope on them. Oh, and try to touch the screen with only one finger at a time, otherwise it confuses the lasers. Think you can do it?"

"Maybe," Caden said.

"Well, you'd better!" Zoa said, slapping Caden on the back of the head. "I'm putting my trust in you! If we both die, I'm gonna kick your ass in the great beyond, got me?"

"Got you," Caden said.

One of the subscreens on the monitor began flashing, and Caden double-tapped it. There were two bogeys and Caden pressed his finger on one of them until the flashing target disappeared.  He pressed his finger on the other bogey, taking it down as well.

"I did it!" Caden said. He looked back, but Zoa was already gone. He turned back to the monitor and went to work eliminating the bogeys. His heart raced as his eyes tracked the swift and numerous bogeys that swarmed the hoverjet. He felt the hoverjet shake and rock as the small fighters pelted it with mini rockets. Caden destroyed a couple of bogeys at the front of the hoverjet, and he saw them crash into the windshield. They shattered and went to pieces, flying back and around the hoverjet. Caden wiped sweat off his forehead as he concentrated on the deadliest game he had ever played.

Up in the turret, Zoa turned and gunned, trying to hit Maryx's fighter without wasting all her bullets.

"That bastard probably knows I'm running low on ammo!" Zoa said to herself as she turned the turret. "Stop fluttering around like a fairy and shoot at me!"

In Maryx's luxury fighter jet, he listened to classical music while he sipped a glass of red wine.

"I hope I'm making you sweat, my beloved," Maryx said as he watched Zoa's hoverjet on a monitor. Pressing a couple of buttons, Maryx maneuvered his fighter smoothly down below the range of Zoa's frantic turret.

"Oh no ... " Caden said as a very large bogey emerged on one of the subscreens.

"Dammit!" Zoa said as she unstrapped herself from the turret's chair and slid down the ladder. "What I wouldn't give for one god-damn bomb!"

Zoa ran into the cockpit and pulled Caden off of his chair.

"Sorry," Zoa said as she sat in the chair. "I'll take over from here. I think he's gonna lauch missiles up at us, and those are a lot faster than those mini fighters. Not that I doubt your abilities Caden."

"That's fine," Caden said, getting to his feet. "I understand. There are still two bogeys."

"Got 'em," Zoa said. "Give me all you've go, you Shadow bastard!"

Zoa's eyes tracked swiftly as a flurry of small bogeys appeared on the screen. Zoa's hand hovered an inch away from the monitor, and Zoa began tapping the screen with all her fingers taking their turn, as if she was typing one-handed like a madwoman. Below the hoverjet, the laser sliced through missiles as they flew out of the top of Maryx's fighter jet. The laser's lens turned and darted like a schizophrenic deathray.

When the missiles pittled down from a flurry to a mere few, Zoa tapped a button on the monitor that zoomed the view Maryx's fighter. Reaching over with her other hand, Zoa pulled a lever. The hoverjet fell toward Maryx's fighter, taking hits from a couple of missiles during its descent. As the top of Maryx's fighter got closer, Zoa pressed her finger on the monitor, tracing a steady line across the the fighter's missile tubes. As the laser beam carressed the missile tubes, the tubes warped from the intense heat. Zoa's keen eye spotted the tips of missiles as they peaked out of the missile tubes, and she knew Maryx was ready to launch again. Zoa zoomed the view out in anticipation of Maryx's next wave of attack.

"Come on," Zoa said to herself. "Throw 'em at me, big boy!"

Caden nervously watched the monitor, hunching just behind Zoa's shoulder. He was sweating more than Zoa was. They were both still and silent as they waited for Maryx to launch his missiles.

Maryx laughed inside his fighter. "Are you about ready to die from anticipation, my beloved?" he said. "I remember a trick you always reacted well to. Just when I was about to tickle you in the front, I would bring my hand around and strike your behind! Let's see if you still like that."

Drinking down the rest of his wine, Maryx maneuvered his fighter to the side, bringing it into a sharp ascent and rising up around the top of Zoa's hoverjet.

"Damn fool!" Zoa exclaimed, leaping out of the chair and running to the armory. She flew up the ladder and slid into the turret seat. Aiming the turret straight up, Zoa saw Maryx's fighter through the scope. The fighter was upside-down, pointing its missiles tubes down at the hoverjet.

"Shoot your load, Maryx!" Zoa screamed, firing the turret gun..

Maryx launched the missiles. The warped missile tubes sent their missiles in odd directions. Two of the missiles collided on launch, detonating and triggering a string of explosions that left Maryx's missile tubes in a mess of black smoke.

"You like that, bitch?" Zoa screamed as she turned the turret to aim at the fighter's cockpit.

Zoa squeezed the triggers of the turret, throwing a shower of metal straight at Maryx. The shots from Zoa's turret peppered the glass of Maryx's cockpit, cracking it. One bullet pierced the glass and cut across the side of Maryx's arm.

"Damn you, woman!" Maryx cried, bringing his fighter upright.

Zoa spotted the fuel tank on the underside of Maryx's fighter and unloaded her bullets into it.

"Damn!" Maryx exclaimed as the fuel light flashed. "I suppose you win this round, beloved. But fate will bring us back together. With that archaic flying machine of yours, I'll be able to track your magnetic trail wherever you go."

Maryx pressed and held down both EJECT buttons on either side of him. After a few seconds, the cockpit opened and Maryx's seat shot up into the open air.

"Damn!" Zoa said as she watched Maryx's ejector seat fly back. She let go of the turret's triggers and slid down the ladder. She ran back into the cockpit and sat in the pilot's chair.

"Sit down and buckle up, Caden!" Zoa ordered as she put her hands on the controls.

Caden sat down in the other chair and strapped on the seatbelts. Zoa took the hoverjet into a sharp descent, maneuvering to the side to avoid Maryx's falling fighter. The fighter self-destructed, rocking the hoverjet and throwing off its magnetism. The hoverjet dropped in altitude, swaying and going topsy-turvy.

"Hold on!" Zoa yelled as the hoverjet rolled in the air. She wrestled with the controls, trying to get the hoverjet back into its magnetic groove.

"We're gonna die!" Caden screamed.

"No we're not!" Zoa screamed back.

The hoverjet fell closer to the ground as Zoa struggled to right its course.

"There it is," Zoa said as she watched the navigation monitor. "There's the sweet spot! Right there!"

Pulling the altitude lever, Zoa drew the hoverjet toward the ground.

"No!" Caden cried. "Go up!"

"Be quiet!" Zoa cried as she maneuvered the wild hoverjet.

Just as the hoverjet was less than a meter from the ground, Zoa turned it upright and took it into a clean run. The hoverjet flew a couple feet above the ground, turning over rocks with its intense magnetic force. The hoverjet was headed toward a patch of trees, and Zoa pulled the altitude lever, taking the hoverjet up over the trees and into the sky.

"How you like that?" Zoa cried. "Her name is Zoa, and she ain't gonna pay back the money that she owes ya'! Bam, baby! Whoo!"

Caden was white as a sheet, clutching the armrests of his chair.

"Come on, Caden!" Zoa exclaimed. "Show a little enthusiasm! I just saved your bloody life, man!"

Caden let out a pathetic, "Woo hoo."

"That's the spirit!" Zoa said. "This is life! Breathe it all in, man! Just thank god you're not at home sitting on your ass!"

"Actually ... " Caden said. "I pray to god, wishing I was at home on my ass."

"Your distaste for life will fade!" Zoa said. "I'm riding high, man! This is the kinda stuff I live for! I'll tell you, when I was a little girl I swore that I wouldn't ever be stuck in one place doing something boring! I dreamed of this kind of stuff, and when I became of age I went out and made it happen! I came to a land that I hate so that I could root out the evil that lurks here! I'm actively doing something for the betterment of mankind! I'm putting my life on the line for what I believe in! Tell me, when you were a kid did you sit around and dream of making videogames for the rest of your life?"

"Yes, I did," Caden said.

"Oh!" Zoa said. "Well, no judgements here! Everyone's dreams are different. I at least hope this experience will give you some good ideas for action games."

"It has," Caden said. "I almost feel like I'm in a videogame right now. Or a movie."

"Hey, why don't you put me in a game?" Zoa said. "I bet all the guys would love me! And I'd be a positive role model for all the girl gamers! I'm a strong, intelligent, independent woman who isn't scared to throw herself at danger! Plus, I'm actually wearing all my clothes and I don't have breasts like watermelons! I'm someone the girls can really respect, and yet I'm still good eye candy for the men! I'm the total package, baby!"

"That you are," Caden said with quiet admiration. "Perhaps if I'm alive after this is over, I could start designs on Zoa: Action Goddess."

"Hey, I like the sound of that!" Zoa said. "I could do ... oh, what's that called where you put on that weird suit and the computer tracks your movements?"

"Motion-capture?" Caden replied.

"Yeah! All that!" Zoa said. "I wouldn't mind doing that. I could bring some real experience into the project. I could just be like, In a combat situation, you do this! That would be killer!"

"I'll definately tell my boss about you," Caden said. "But only if you promise to keep me alive! If I die, the game will never be made! You don't die either!"

"I can't die!" Zoa cried. "I'm bloody invincible!"

The hoverjet flew towards the setting sun as it headed toward its destination in Utah.

"Oh hey," Zoa said. "Guess what?"

"What?" Caden replied.

"We're going to your birth state!" Zoa said. "We're going to Utah!"

"Why Utah?" Caden asked. "Is that where Nikol lives?"

"Sure is," Zoa said. "I don't know why he holes himself up in a closed-minded community like Utah. He has so much more breadth of vision than those damned Mormons!"

"Perhaps he's trying to expand their minds," Caden said.

"That's what he says," Zoa said. "He's a teacher and a writer. He's trying to  spread the Mirian wisdom into mainstream American culture. I personally think he's wasting his time and his breath. He's a Priest, he should be fighting."

When they arrived in Utah, the sun was almost behind the horizon. Zoa landed the hoverjet in an empty field near a small town, checking the damage that had been caused during her battle with Maryx.

"I need to scrap this thing," Zoa said. "I need a new ship. The old girl is almost to the end of her line."

Zoa set up the holographic image of a barn around the hoverjet, and she and Caden began walking. After fifty minutes of walking, they arrived at a humble country home. Zoa walked up to  the door and knocked. A woman with long black hair answered, wearing a bohemian dress.

"Hello, Zoa!" the woman said in a deep voice. It was only after the woman spoke that Caden realized she was a man.

"Nikol!" Zoa said. "How you doing, girl?"

"Sublime!" Nikol said. "That's how I try to be!"

"This is my new friend, Caden!" Zoa said.

"Hello, Caden!" Nikol said. "May I take your hand?"

Nikol held out his hand, and Caden felt uneasy.

"Don't worry, Caden!" Zoa said, patting Caden on the back. "No funny business, he just wants to feel your energy!"

Caden reluctantly held out his hand. Nikol took Caden's hand gently and held it for a moment. Nikol looked into Caden's eyes, and Caden looked coyly back. Caden was strangely calmed by Nikol's presence, and by the feel of his hand. Nikol had a very calm, easy air around him. Caden's tensions seemed to rise off of his back like steam, and for the first time in 48 hours Caden felt relaxed.

"Thank you," Nikol said, taking his hand away. "You may come in. Both of your energies are very frantic. Come in and rest yourselves. Are you hungry?"

"Starved!" Zoa said, walking in past Nikol. "What'cha got cooking?"

Nikol stepped aside, motioning for Caden to enter. Caden stepped in and felt a very comfertable, home-like energy in the house.

"Take a seat," Nikol said, leading Caden into the living room. "I'll bring out some tea."

"I'm going to the bathroom!" Zoa said, running to the back of the house.

Caden sat down on one of the couches in Nikol's living room. The room was softly lit by a few distributed lamps. The interior decoration was very nice. On one wall was an impressive book case which held many important-looking books. On the other couch, a tall and skinny man was sitting back, a cowboy hat pulled down over his eyes. His breathing was deep and rythmic, which indicated that he was asleep.

"Here's your tea," Nikol said, startling Caden.

"Sorry, you kinda scared me," Caden said, taking a cup of tea from Nikol.

"I walk silently," Nikol said. "My friend over there is meditating. I didn't want to disturb him."

"Oh, sorry!" Caden said, lowering his voice.

"No worries," Nikol whispered. "I'll be in the kitchen making dinner if you want to talk."

Nikol silently walked out of the room, and Caden watched him. Caden was suprised at how good Nikol looked in his dress. I mean, Caden loved the ladies as much as the next guy, but he wasn't above recognizing another man's good looks.

Caden sipped his tea. It was really good tea. The smell and the taste somehow set his mind at ease. He sat in Nikol's living room, enjoying the atmosphere, as his mind wound down.

Zoa came into the kitchen after going to the bathroom. She sniffed the air, enjoying the smells of Nikol's cooking.

"Mmm, smells good!" Zoa said. "Were you expecting us?"

"Sort of," Nikol said. "I had a feeling someone would show up, so I put something on and I dressed up. Did you wash your hands?"

"What, do you think I'm a barbarian?" Zoa replied. "What's new in the truth trade?"

"It's going good," Nikol said. "In a time of war, people want truth in the spiritual sense as well as the official sense."

"So, when are you gonna come on a mission with me?" Zoa asked, sitting down at the table and grabbing an orange from the fruit basket in the center. "I could really use your priestcraft on the battlefield."

"I'm sorry," Nikol said, stirring the pot on the stove. "I'm a pacifist. I'm doing it Yeshua's way. I just like helping people and spreading truth."

"Does that include selling information?" Zoa replied as she peeled the orange.

"A man has to make money somehow," Nikol said, peeking back at Zoa over his shoulder. "In my reality, knowledge is power. In America, money is power. So, I trade knowledge for money. When in Rome ... "

"Yeah," Zoa said. "When in Rome, slay Caesar."

Nikol laughed. "I love your spirit," he said. "In spite of our differences in practice, we are very similar. You have a fire that bursts from your fists, and I have a flame that burns on my tongue."

"Heard anything new about the robots?" Zoa asked as she ate her orange.

"Actually, I did," Nikol said. "This morning I was mulling through some Shadow code, and I found something interesting. Did you know that the codename for the project Caden Remke was working on is 'Aries?'"

"I think so," Zoa said. "Maybe."

"I found two other names correlated with Aries," Nikol said. "They are Virgo and Gemini."

"Zodiac signs, huh?" Zoa said.

"Precisely," Nikol said. "The Priesthood of Shadow loves the Zodiac. They live by it. Oh, I forgot. The name Virgo was connected to another software company, Deep Blue Software in California. I did some research on Deep Blue, and it claims on their news site that the development of their latest title has been put on indefinate hold."

"The Priesthood of Shadow has recruited them, too," Zoa said. "I bet they're using the same story, about a training sim or something. But that's weird. Do you think Virgo and Gemini are different models?"

"Perhaps," Nikol said. "Aries will be used for combat. Virgo is known for its information processing, Zodiacally speaking. Gemini is known for its communication skills. Perhaps Virgo and Gemini are more civilian-based models."

"Sounds good to me," Zoa said. "I know where to go now. I can stay the night here, right?"

"Of course!" Nikol replied. "You're my friend. I don't even leave strangers out in the cold."

"Do you know anyone who wants to sell a hoverjet?" Zoa asked. "Mine is falling apart. I got in a dogfight earlier today. I'm all out of bullets now."

"I don't know anyone who has what you need," Nikol said. "Sorry."

"No worries," Zoa said. "I know this sounds weird, but have you heard anything about the Priesthood of Flame making any robots?"

"What?" Nikol replied. "Why would we do something like that? What can we program a machine to do to accomplish our goals that can't be done by us as humans?"

"Who knows," Zoa said. "It was just a thought."

"I'm not saying we aren't," Nikol said. "It just doesn't make sense that we would. And to my knowledge there is nothing like that in development. Dinner's ready!"

Caden and Zoa thoroughly enjoyed Nikol's dinner, and they enjoyed some good conversation.

"So, Nikol?" Caden said. "Zoa told me you're a teacher. Where do you teach?"

"I teach anywhere and everywhere," Nikol said as he ate. "I'm a spiritual teacher, and I impart my wisdom free of charge to anyone who wants to learn."

"Zoa was telling me about your religion," Caden said. "Well, she wasn't very specific. I was curious about your beliefs."

"I wouldn't say we have a religion," Nikol said. "A religion is comprised of rituals and dogma. My beliefs aren't restrained by these things. I follow a philosophy, an idea that Yeshua taught to his students, and that his students passed down. Zoa already explained how two of Yeshua's students carried the flame of his wisdom.

One of Yeshua's students, Shimon Kefa -- also known as Simon Peter -- took that flame and concealed it because of his greed and his thirst for power. It is recorded in the Gospel of John that when Yeshua met Shimon, he game him the name 'Kefa,' which means 'rock.' The followers of Kefa spoke of this name given by Yeshua as a sign that Kefa was to be the 'rock' upon which Yeshua's church would be built. However, Kefa's students misunderstood Yeshua's intentions. Yeshua called Shimon 'Kefa' because he was as dense as a rock. Just as Yeshua's teachings were the spiritual waters of life, Kefa was a spiritual rock, and Yeshua's teachings ran off of Kefa like water runs off a rock. It was Kefa that denied Yeshua three times. Later, after Yeshua's resurrection, Yeshua asked Kefa, 'Do you love me?' Kefa claimed to love Yeshua, then Yeshua said to him, 'Feed my sheep.' A lot of Christians don't understand the significance of that story. When Yeshua told Kefa to 'feed his sheep,' he was speaking in terms of feeding his students with wisdom. Yeshua understood Kefa's intentions to keep the secrets hidden, and to horde them to himself and a select few. Yeshua wanted the secrets to be given out freely. Therefor, Yeshua told Kefa to teach the secrets if he truly loved him. Kefa loved money and pleasure more than he loved his fellow man. He allowed the spirit of darkness to overcome him, and his light was tainted.

"Kefa was a mysoganist, meaning he considered women to be inferior to men. He particularly hated another of Yeshua's students, Miriam. Not only was Miriam female, but she had a deeper understanding of Yeshua's teachings. Yeshua taught things to Miriam that he didn't teach to the other students. Miriam believed in equality of the sexes. In Kefa's Priesthood of Flame only men can be priests, but in Miriam's Priesthood of Flame both men and women can be priests. In fact, the equality of the sexes is one of the most paramount teaching in Mirian philosophy. The truth goes deeper than social and political equality. As a Mirian proverb goes, 'Man is not stronger than woman, and woman is not more cunning than man. One who believes otherwise is a victim of their own inner schism.'"

"What about miracles?" Caden asked. "Does the Priesthood still perform miracles?"

Nikol laughed. "Sorry," he said. "It's just funny to hear it called 'miracles.' What we do isn't really miraculous. Priestcraft is a science. It's not magic. It's just energy."

"How does it work?" Caden asked.

"It works subconsciously," Nikol said. "Your subconscious mind is your link to 'God,' or the Ultimate Divine. Your subconscious actually has great power to affect reality. In order to perform priestcraft, you have to get in touch with your subconscious through focused dreaming. In order to alert or contact your subconscious in waking life, you must know its symbol."

"Its symbol?" Caden replied.

"Yes," Nikol said. "We as humans identify ourselves with names. The subconscious doesn't identify itself through words, it uses symbols. There is a practice that Priests perform when they are learning priestcraft. The practice is called 'Thirty Dreams.' It takes place over the period of a month, more specifically a full lunar cycle. The Priest dreams for thirty nights; each night before going to sleep, they vocally ask for their symbol to be revealed; upon waking each morning, they record their dream. After thirty nights, they review their dream records; whichever sort of symbol is recurring or prominant through-out the records is then adopted by the Priest as their symbol. Often, a new Priest's subconscious mind is cluttered, and several different symbols may appear to them in their dreams, but by the end of the Thirty Dreams one symbol stands out."

"What's your symbol?" Caden asked.

"Mine is an interesting one," Nikol said. "I had it tattooed on the inside of my right hand."

Nikol held out his right hand and opened it for Caden to see. On the palm of his right hand was tattooed an upside-down star inside of a circle.

"It's an inverted pentagram," Nikol said. "It's the symbol most commonly used in Satanism. You see, before I became a Priest of Flame I was an average American. I grew up in a Christian family, and I always had an interest in Satanism. I studied it in secret, and I was totally obsessed with inverted pentagrams. When I was thirteen, my parents were divorced and I stayed with my father. He fell in love with a Priestess of Flame who lived in Hawaii, and we moved there. I lived in a community of Flame Priests, where I shed all my old Christian beliefs and learned to be a Priest of Flame myself.

"After my Thirty Dreams, when the inverted pentagram emerged as my apparent symbol, I asked my step mother about it because I respected her wisdom. I was concerned that the inverted pentagram had become so ingraned into my mind that it was invading my new Priestly consciousness. My step mother told me that the inverted pentagram wasn't an evil symbol, even though it was associated with evil. She told me that the inverted pentagram had been a part of me my whole life, and that was why I was so attracted to it as a child. So, it's my symbol. Different people have different symbols. My step mother, who trained me in priestcraft, has a trapezoid as her symbol. She says that it is actually a triangle with one corner removed. Some people have the same symbol, and some people have very unique symbols. I've known Priests and Priestesses who have the pentagram as their symbol, but I'm the only priest I know of that has in inverted pentagram as his symbol. A lot of people think I'm a Satanist because of my tattoo, even though I tell them straight out that I'm not. I was going to get it tattooed on the back of my hand, but I knew it would have made my life a whole lot more complicated if it was more out in the open. I sort of like it, though, because if someone's mind is open understand the significance of my pentagram, their mind is open enough to understand my teachings.

"Yeshua's symbol was the cross, of course."

"It was?" Caden said. "I guess that makes sense."

"Yes," Nikol said. "Do you know the story in the New Testament where Yeshua defends the harlot who is to be stoned?"

"Yeah," Caden said. "Didn't he draw in the dirt or something?"

"Yes," Nikol said. "It doesn't mention that he drew a cross in the dirt. He was invoking the Divine for inspiration. Also, the story where he heals the blind man by spitting in the dirt to make mud, then rubbing the mud on the man's eyes. He rubbed two lines of mud on the man's face: a horizontal line across his eyes, and a vertical line from his forehead down to his nose."

"I get it," Caden said. "It's like, a power symbol?"

"Basically," Caden said. "When Shimon Kefa conspired against Yeshua, he had him crucified for the sake of irony. Then he had the cross used as a symbol for Yeshua, accept he distorted it. Yeshua's pure cross is square, but Kefa's cross is elongated."

"I see," Caden said. "So, if you heal someone do you have to draw a pentagram on them with mud?"

Nikol laughed. "No, thank goodness!" he said. "Actually, I use this ... "

Nikol reached down the front of his dress, drawing out a pendant he had around his neck. The pendant was round with an inverted pentagram on it. He disconnected the pendant from its chain and held it out for Caden to see.

"This is my laser marker," Nikol said. "I always carry it with me."

Nikol held the laser marker in his hand with his thumb on the face. He pointed the downward point of the pentagram at the table and pressed the face with his thumb. A red pentagram appeared on the table, projected by a laser. Nikol adjusted a slider on the side of the laser marker with his finger, making the projected pentagram larger and smaller. Then he pulled the marker's face back with his thumb. The projected pentagram on the table began to smoke, and Nikol eased his thumb off of the marker. When the projected red pentagram disappeared, a black pentagram was burned into the table.

"It burns with a laser," Nikol said. "It can mark a pentagram on virtually any surface. It can even burn a pentagram on human skin without leaving a scar."

"Wow!" Caden said. "That's handy!"

"I had it specially made," Nikol said.

Caden reached over and felt the burnt-in pentagram on the table.

"You just burned your table," Caden said.

"That's okay," Nikol said. "I'll always remember it as a memento of your visit."

Nikol leaned over, looking Caden in the eye and taking his hand.

"Caden, I want your permission to do something," Nikol said.

"What ... ?" Caden said, nervously pulling his hand away from Nikol.

"Don't worry," Nikol said. "It's not what you're thinking. I want to show you a sign. Yeshua showed signs to people so they would believe in him. To put it in your terms, I want to perform a miracle."

"A miracle?" Caden replied. "What, like turn water into wine?"

"Nothing like that," Nikol said. "That would be too easy to fake. What I want to do, I need your permission. The reason I want to show you this is to open your eyes. From what I understand, Zoa is taking you on a fantastic journey. You'll see many more amazing things, but I want to show you something that will instill faith in you. Faith is a very important force in this reality. Without faith, you can't hope to succeed."

"Succeed?" Caden replied.

"I would like for Zoa to cut your arm," Nikol said. "She won't cut it deep."

"What?" Caden said. "You want Zoa to cut me?"

"Do I have your permission?" Nikol said. "Don't worry, I will heal you."

Caden looked nervously at Nikol, then he looked over at Zoa, who was sitting back in her chair and looking around the kitchen.

"Do I have your permission?" Nikol repeated. "This is very important. Zoa won't cut you deep."

"Ummm ... " Caden said with fear in his voice. "With everything I've seen, I don't see why not. Yes, you have my permission."

"Thank you," Nikol said. "Zoa, would you please cut Caden across the top of his forearm? Don't cut him deep, but cut through the skin."

Zoa reached down to her boot and pulled out a combat knife.

"Give me your hand, Caden," Zoa said, reaching across the table.

Caden's stomach was in knots as he reluctantly stuck his hand out. Zoa grabbed Caden's wrist roughly and pushed up the sleeve of his shirt, exposing his bare arm.

With a surgeon's precision, Zoa took the blade of her knife and ran it across the top of Caden's forearm. Caden whinced as the razor-sharp blade cut his skin. Zoa took her knife away and wiped the blade off with a napkin. Caden looked down at his arm as the cut became red with blood.

Nikol reached over and took Caden's hand in his.

"Caden, do you have faith that I can heal you?" Nikol asked.

Caden looked down at his arm, watching as a drop of blood ran down the side. The sight of blood made him light headed.

"Caden," Nikol repeated. "Do you have faith that I can heal you? I cannot heal you unless you have faith in me."

Caden looked up at Nikol. "Yes," he said. "I have faith in you."

"Alright," Nikol said, holding up his laser marker. "This will burn a little bit, but the pain will go away quickly."

Nikol pointed the laser marker at the cut on Caden's arm, casting a red pentagram onto his skin. Nikol pulled the marker's face back slightly, and Caden felt the skin on his arm heat up. His arm began trembling as the laser burned his skin. Nikol eased off the laser marker, and the laser quit. Left on Caden's arm was a red pentagram.

Nikol fixed his eyes on the pentagram on Caden's arm, focusing his energy on it. As Caden watched his own trembling arm, he saw as the pentagram lit up, letting off a blue light. The blue light of the pentagram went onto the cut on Caden's arm, filling it. Caden's felt his arm tingle with energy, and the compounded pain of the cut and the burn slowly faded away. Caden's entire arm was filled with warm, comforting energy, and it stopped trembling. When Caden's arm was well, the light faded and disappeared, leaving Caden's skin mended. The marks of the cut and the burn were gone. Caden felt the top of his arm with his other hand, and the skin was completely fine.

"Oh my god," Caden said. "Oh my god."

"You see?" Zoa said. "I'm not full of it."

Caden laughed. "Wow," he said, feeling his arm. "Wow."

Nikol let go of Caden's hand and leaned back in his chair.

"Did you see the look on Caden's face when you asked me to cut him?" Zoa said, laughing. "He was scared stiff!"

"You're right, I was!" Caden said.

"I understand," Nikol said. "When I moved to Hawaii, I had to see a couple of miracles before I believed anything my step mother told me."

"Why isn't this more widespread?" Caden asked. "They should use priests in hospitals!"

"They should, indeed!" Nikol said. "But, the Priesthood of Shadow is constantly searching out and killing the Priesthood of Flame. If I was out on the streets healing people like Yeshua did, the Priesthood of Shadow would have me killed in no time. The Priesthood of Flame have to keep their identity and their activities secret in the interest of their own personal safety. That's why you've never heard of the Priesthood of Flame until now."

"So, how many people are in the Priesthood of Flame?" Caden asked.

"There are no real numbers available," Nikol said. "It's not like there is a Priesthood of Flame newsletter that we subscribe to. I'm not even sure how many groups there are operating in the world. There are many groups who are secluded and cut off from the rest of the world, like Mirians, of whom Zoa is a native. Then there are groups that operate covertly within cities or countries, like the Priesthood in Hawaii of whom I was a member. Then there are lone priests or practitioners, or couples, or families. Most members of the Priesthood of Flame simply strive to survive and retain their culture. The number of practitioner who actively fight against the Priesthood of Shadow is very limited. The only major group that actively combats the Priesthood of Shadow is Miria."

"Miria can do it on her own," Zoa mumbled. "She doesn't need help from anybody else."

"I'm sure you could do it on your own," Nikol replied. "And you will be remembered as Zoa the Destroyer, Princess of Swords."

"Damn straight!" Zoa said. "Nikol, you  are the only man that understands me."

Caden yawned. "Are we sleeping here tonight?" he asked.

"Yes," Nikol said. "I have the guest bed made up, you can sleep there. It's a very comfortable bed. Zoa, you can sleep on the hide-a-bed. It's not as comfortable, but you could sleep on a stone slab if you needed to."

"If I get to sleep at all," Zoa said. "Nikol, are you going to be on the internet tonight?"

"Yes," Nikol said. "I'll be digging for a client of mine."

"Could you dig up some info for a friend?" Zoa asked. "I'd like info on Deep Blue Software, the staff, their games, their licensees, and info on the game they put on hold. Could you do that for me, sweety?"

"Yes, I could," Nikol said. "I'll have an info pack printed out for you in the morning."

"You're a darling!" Zoa said.

Walked to the guest bedroom, noticing that the cowboy was still 'meditating' on the couch. Caden went to the bathroom before he went to the guest bedroom. He took of his shoes and layed down on the bed. Oh, it felt good. Caden was ready for a full night's sleep, something he didn't have in a couple of weeks.

When Caden woke up, he felt better than ever. He noticed that his shoes were in a different place than where he dropped them the night before. They were neatly placed side-by-side next to the door. On each shoe, the shoelaces were tied together in a loop knot, making a very pleasant appearance. Then Caden noticed an unopened package next to the shoes. He picked the package up and saw that it contained a new pair of underwear and a new pair of socks. There was a sticky note on the package that read, "Feel free to take a shower. There are clean towels."

"Wow," Caden said. "Nikol is quite the host!"

Caden took his shoes and the underwear/socks combo pack, and he went to the bathroom to see if anyone was in there. It was empty, so he took a shower. After his shower, Caden was unsure of what to do with his dirty socks and underwear (which he had actually been wearing for a few days). He noticed that there were two laundry hampers. On one was a sign that read, "Nikol's Clothes." On the other was a sign that read, "Unmentionables." Caden dropped his dirty socks and underwear in with the 'Unmentionables.'

Caden passed the cowboy as he exited the bathroom, and he noticed that Zoa was sprawled out on the hide-a-bed in the living room. Nikol had breakfast ready, and he invited Caden to help himself. As Caden ate the delicious breakfast, the cowboy came out of the bathroom and joined him.

"Howdy," the cowboy said as he sat down. He was only wearing his jeans and an A-shirt. "I'm Stone. Pleased to meet ya'."

"I'm Caden," Caden said. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, Zoa told me about you," Stone said as he dished up his breakfast. "She told me you make videogames. Is that true?"

"Yup," Caden said. "I'm a programmer."

"No bull?" Stone said. "I never met anyone who makes videogames. I love goin' to the arcade, practicin' my gunplay, you know. Ever play that one, uhhh, Perfect Shot? It's my favorite."

"Yeah," Caden said. "I helped make it."

"No bull!" Stone said. "It's a small world, ain't it? So what, you Zoa's brother?"

"No," Caden said. "I'm her ... colleague."

"Oh, I see," Stone said. "You the brains and she's the muscle?"

"Sort of," Caden said.

"Man, she's a fine woman, ain't she?" Stone said. "She must be out killin' folks every day, cuz I ain't never seen a woman in shape like she is. She's got endurance, if you knon what I mean?"

"What?" Caden replied as a flame of jealousy swelled in his chest.

"Ah, nothin'!" Stone said. "You a friend of Nikol's?"

"Not really," Caden said. "I only met him last night."

"He's quite a guy, huh?" Stone said. "He's got me on like, this whole new way of thinkin'."

"That's cool," Caden said. "He has some real interesting ideas."

"Yeah, he's got amazing abilities!" Stone said. "I seen 'im do stuff I didn't think was possible!"

"Yeah," Caden said.

Caden ate the rest of his breakfast in silence, trying to avoid conversation with Stone. Just as Caden was about to finish his breakfast, Zoa walked into the kitchen.

"Good mornin', beautiful," Stone said.

"Yes, it is a good morning!" Zoa said, stretching. She walked over to Stone and kissed him on the top of his head before she sat down.

"Did ya' sleep good?" Stone asked.

"Yeah!" Zoa said. "I always sleep well after a couple hours of making love."

Caden left the table without taking his plate. He went outside to get some fresh air.

"What's his deal?" Stone asked. "He ain't sweet on you, is he?"

"Yeah," Zoa said. "Unfortunately for him, he is. But, I don't blame him."

"Maybe he and Nikol should hook up," Stone said.

Zoa laughed. "Yeah!" she said. "I'll set up a date after we're done with this job."

"So, what's a videogame programmer doin' with a femme fatal like you?" Stone asked.

"He's desinging a videogame with me as the main character," Zoa said. "He's doing field research."

Caden sat on the front porch, crossing his arms and looking out across the misty morning fields. Despite Nikol's warm hospitality, Caden felt lost and alone. He wanted to go home. He wanted to go to work. He wanted something familiar. He didn't want to see Stone again before they left. He wanted to forget about Stone. What is so cool about Stone? Caden thought. Just because he's a cowboy. Just because he has a Texan accent. The first time Caden saw Zoa, when she was posing as a kickboxer from Canada, Caden liked her. But he knew he shouldn't form feelings for her. He did anyway, and now he was paying for it.

The door opened, and Nikol stepped out, sitting next to Caden. "You like her, don't you?" Nikol said.

Caden nodded his head.

"I understand," Nikol said. "The first time I met Zoa, I liked her. After my priest training was complete in Hawaii when I was eighteen, I moved back to to the mainland to work as a battle priest. I worked with a party of Mirian warriors, using my priestcraft to heal and protect them. Zoa was in the party. She was so flamboyant and attractive, and I thought that I had met the love of my life. I think she has that affect on people. She has a very intense charisma. But, my intuition told me that she didn't feel the same for me, so I dropped my feelings for her as much as I could. In the end, I had to start thinking of her as my sister. That way I retained my love for her, but I never let it go too far."

"Yeah," Caden said.

"It's funny," Nikol said. "It's hard to know who a woman will fall for and when. The game is totally different for them. For us men, we might have a chance with one in every twenty women we like. But for women, they might like one in every twenty men they have a chance with. But, that's the way it is."

"Yeah," Caden said.

"If it makes you feel any better," Nikol said. "Zoa has had her heart broken. She isn't invincible. It was on her first long-term infiltration mission. She posed as a member of the Priesthood of Shadow. She studied their doctrines and rituals, and I helped her obtain false documentation. She joined the Salt Lake City chapter of the Priesthood of Shadow, as a warrior. She lived in with the chapter for eleven months, getting tight with the local leadership. That's how I came to live in Utah, since I was handling the remote intelligence.

"While Zoa was in the with Priesthood of Shadow, she fell in love with a Priest. It helped her stay in favor with the local Priesthood, but it also made it harder to fight against them. In the end, she had to abort the mission early for the sake of her mental health. After she came out, she was different. The light in her eyes was dimmer. After that mission, she refused to do any more long-term infiltration. After that, the party suffered a string of failed missions. Zoa's performance was waining, and she wasn't getting along with her other comrades. After a year, I was the only member of the party who still wanted to work with Zoa. The others abandoned us and went back to Miria. Even I found that I could't work with Zoa anymore, and I took root here in Utah. I abandoned the war and became a civilian. Zoa, however, is still fighting. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if she knows how to do anything else."

"I'm worried," Caden said. "She abducted me and took me on this mission, but I don't even know what I'm supposed to do. I don't think she knows."

"Well, I don't totally disagree with you," Nikol said. "Zoa has a lot of spirit, but she doesn't have a lot of foresight. She will rush into whatever she feels is right, but she doesn't do a great job at thinking ahead. But, I don't distrust her either. My life went a diffrent way than hers, but I'm certain she's doing what's right for her. She's a very instinctive person, and her intuition is uncanny. She goes wherever the spirit moves her. I have a feeling that she is taking you where you need to go. If I felt otherwise, I wouldn't let you go with Zoa. But, I feel like you would be wise to go with her."

"Thanks," Caden said. "That actually makes me feel better."

"You're welcome," Nikol said. "I think one main reason she abducted you was because she's lonely. She likes having you around. So, even if you don't end up serving any practical purpose on the mission, you are doing a world of good for her morale. Zoa's a born champion, and she needs someone to cheer her on."

"Thanks for telling me that," Caden said, looking over at Nikol. "You're a real nice guy. Maybe when this is over, we could hang out sometime. I don't really have any good friends, and I think I feel more comfortable with you than I feel with anyone else. Do you play videogames?"

"No, I'm no good at those," Nikol said. "But I love going to the movies!"

"Cool!" Caden said.

The door opened, and Zoa walked out. "You ready, Caden?" she asked. "We have to get going. Stone is gonna give us a ride to my hoverjet in his truck."

"Oh great," Caden said, standing up.

"What, you don't like Stone?" Zoa said defensively.

"No, he's cool," Caden said. "I'm just suprised you two aren't riding off into the sunset on his horse."

Nikol laughed.

"Shut up!" Zoa said. "You're just jealous."

"Yeah, I am," Caden said. "I was hoping that Stone would sleep with me instead of you!"

"Faggot!" Zoa said jokingly, slapping Caden on the back. "Stone will be out in a moment. You got all your stuff?"

"Got my clothes?" Caden said to himself. "Yup, I have everything."

The ride to Zoa's hoverjet in Stone's truck was suprisingly quiet. Stone had the radio on a country station, and he sang along with every song. Stone actually had a good singing voice, which made Caden a little more jealous. When they arrived near the holographic barn that hid Zoa's hoverjet, Stone gave Zoa a kiss good-bye before he drove off.

"Did you tell Stone what we're doing?" Caden asked as they walked to the holo-barn.

"No," Zoa said. "I told him I'm a bounty hunter, and that you're desinging a videogame after me."

"Did he ask why you wanted to be taken to an abandoned barn?" Caden asked.

"I told him not to ask," Zoa said. "He didn't argue with me."

When they were onboard the hoverjet, Zoa went into the cockpit and looked through the info pack that Nikol made up for her.

"Where are we going?" Caden asked.

"Los Angeles," Zoa said. "We're picking up Leonard Kroeger. He's the lead programmer on the Virgo project. His company, Deep Blue Software, specializes in computer games that simulate cultures and societies. You heard of them?"

"Yeah," Caden said. "I don't play a lot of computer games. They make the System X series, don't they?"

"Yeah," Zoa said as she thumbed through the info pack. "It's the most comprehensive life simulator available. It starts out with a planet that has primitive intelligent life on it, and the player acts as a god who inspires the primitive civilization and helps them develop. Deep Blue put their latest installment, System X 3, on indefinate hold to work on Virgo."

"Hmmm," Caden said. "I wonder what Virgo's capabilities will be?"

"Before we go to Deep Blue Headquarters, we need to make a stop," Zoa said.

"Where at?" Caden replied.

"A thrift store," Zoa said. "I'm going incognito, and I need your help."

As the hoverjet flew west to California, Zoa flipped through the info pack before putting it down.

"It's too much for me to read!" Zoa said. "Are you good at reading, Caden?"

"Yeah," Caden said. "Why, you want me to read it?"

"Yes," Zoa said. "I have to go work out to get warmed up for the infiltration. We can use my covert communicator, and you can feed me information as I need it. Nikol used to do it all the time."

"Wow," Caden said. "It'll be like a spy movie, huh?"

"Yup!" Zoa said, tossing the info pack to Caden. "I'll be in my bedroom if you need anything."

Caden started reading the info pack, starting from the front and working his way through. It included detailed information on Deep Blue's staff including full names, birthdates, blood types, family, addresses, phone numbers, and even email addresses. There were detailed specs on each of Deep Blue's games including synopses, reviews, and awards. Caden noticed a note stapled to one of the staff profiles. On Reginald "Regie" Hollister's profile, the note read, "A search on Hollister's email yielded records of subject's habitual activity at local internet cafe, 'Java Surfer' -- 837 N. Briar St. Subject logs in every Mon - Thur, 2pm - 3pm."

Caden kept the note in mind as he read the rest of the info pack. When he was done, he went back to Zoa's room to ask her a question. When he arrived at the bedroom doorway, Caden noticed that Zoa was in the middle of doing an intense hand-stand. Her body pointed straight up, her toes pointed toward the ceiling, and her fell down away from her head. She lowered herself slowly until her elbows were pointed out to the side, then she raised up on her arms again until they were straight.

"Fifteen," Zoa said, her face as red as a beet.

"Zoa?" Caden asked.

"Yes?" Zoa replied, remaining in her hand-stand.

"Do you by any chance have internet access?" Caden asked. "I know that's probably a stupid question."

"It's not," Zoa said. "I do. In the armory, on one of the shelves is a laptop. It uses a pirated wireless connection with a spy browser. I don't use it a lot, because it can still be detected if it's online too long."

"Thanks!" Caden said. "I need to do more research. One of Deep Blue's staff members logs in at an internet cafe every day from two to three, and I was thinking you could talk to him."

"Good idea," Zoa said. "Just be sure to break the wireless connection every fifteen minutes, and wait a couple minutes before you log back on. I know it's annoying, but if you're on too long our position could be discovered."

"Thanks!" Caden said, heading toward the armory.

"Caden!" Zoa called.

"What?" Caden replied, turning around.

"Don't write or respond to any emails!" Zoa said. "And don't chat at all! Don't do anything but read, got me?"

"Gotcha," Caden said. He walked into the armory and looked around. There were a couple of rifles, half a dozen pistols, and a half-empty box of shock rounds. There were a few knives and other random devices on the shelves, and Caden found the laptop. The laptop was covered in a thick layer of dust, and Caden had to wipe it off. The laptop was plugged into the wall, and Caden needed to pull up a stool to sit on as he opened the laptop and turned it on. The laptop was slow to start up, and it started up in an old operating system.

"Windows 95?" Caden said in near horror. "Oh well. I guess computers aren't really Zoa's thing."

When the computer was started up, Caden logged onto the internet and surfed at an excrutiatingly slow rate. He went to his favorite videogame website and read the reviews of various computer games. Caden never was into computers, so he needed to do a lot of reading.

Caden's reading was suddenly interrupted by a wave of loud smacks and cries from Zoa's bedroom. Caden logged off the internet and put the laptop down, rushing out to Zoa's bedroom. Caden looked in and saw that the two bunks in the room had been folded back against the wall, and Zoa was punching and kicking the backs of them. She was letting out a battle cries as she struck the folded-back matresses. Zoa heard Caden and turned around. Her face was sweaty, and she was breathing hard.

"You like that?" Zoa said, pointing at the matresses. "They fold back and turn into a hitting wall. Isn't that nifty?"

"Yeah!" Caden said. "That's cool."

"Give it a try!" Zoa said, stepping out of the bedroom and pushing Caden in. "I want to see what you're made of. Just give it a good whack!"

Caden walked up to the hitting wall dubiously. He cracked his knuckles, pulled back his fist, and punched the wall with all his strength.

"Ouch!" Caden exclaimed, shaking his hand around. "That's not as soft as I thought it was!"

"Yeah, I like it!" Zoa said. "It toughens you up!"

"Toughen me up?" Caden said. "I think it just softened my hand up!"

"Oh, I forgot!" Zoa said, patting Caden on the back. "That laptop in there has hacking software on it. That's why I haven't destroyed it yet. You know how to hack, right?"

"Well ... " Caden said. "I did a little hacking as a teenager, but I'm not extremely good at it. I got in trouble for hacking into my high school's database and changing my grades, so I stopped."

"Damn it!" Zoa said. "I was hoping you'd be good at hacking. Maybe you should check out the programs and see if you can do anything with them. It would help us out a lot!"

"I'll see what I remember," Caden said. "But I'm not making any promises."

"Understood," Zoa said. "I can do it without hacking, anyway. One of my old comrades could hack, and she would de-activate cameras and open security locks, all that stuff. Anyway, we should be there in about 45 minutes. What are you reading up on?"

"Computer games," Caden said. "I want you to appear like a knowledgeable computer gamer, to catch Hollister's interest."

"Hollister?" Zoa replied. "Is he the Deep Blue staffer that goes to the cafe?"

"Yeah," Caden confirmed.

"I need to be more than just a computer geek," Zoa said, looking up as she thought. "If Hollister is my key into Deep Blue headquarters, I need to do more than seduce him. That would be easy, but I need to appear as if I have some business with Deep Blue. Hmmm. I'll think about it. You go back to reading, and I'll keep working out. Our subconscious minds will give us an answer by the time we get there."

"Alright," Caden said, walking back to the armory.

Sitting down and putting the laptop on his lap, Caden sat and thought for a moment. He picked up the Deep Blue info pack and looked through the staff profiles again. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that next to each of the staffer's email address was their email password.

"I wonder how Nikol got their passwords," Caden said to himself.

On the spy browser window, Caden cleared the web address and typed in the address of the email server used by Leonard Kroeger. He input Kroeger's username and password, and nervously hit enter. The browser window went into Kroeger's inbox, and Caden felt a wave of danger and excitement go over him. He remembered the old feeling, the same feeling he felt when he would hack. It was the excitement of doing something you're not supposed to do.

Caden waded through Kroeger's emails, finding a pile of worthless messages. Suprisingly, Kroeger had a lot of emails from Hollister, and it appeared as if they were very good friends. Caden also noticed a name that kept appearing in Hollister's emails. The name was 'Molly.' It was always used in the context of, "How's Molly these days?" or, "Is Molly going to be on ActioNet tonight?" It became apparent that 'Molly' was either Kroeger's girlfriend or his wife. Then Caden found an older email deep in Kroeger's inbox.

The email was from almost a year previous. The title of the email, from Hollister, was, "Re: My new girlfriend!!!" Being a reply to an email sent to Hollister from Kroeger, it included Kroeger's original message:

"Hey Reg,
Guess what?!? I was chatting last night and I met the girl of my dreams!!!! She is by far the coolest girl I've ever met! We chatted for like two hours, and we exchanged email addresses. I just wrote like the freakin' longest email I've ever written to her, and then I'm writing this to let you know that I think I'm in love. Her name is Molly! But I don't know what she looks like. I know this sounds weird, but we decided not to exchange pics. We don't want to know what eachother looks like, because we decided that aesthetics mess up so many relationships. We made a pact that neither of us will know what the other looks like, until we meet in person. I like it that way. Anyway, it's like 5 AM, so I'm gonna go to sleep. Talk to you later!
-Leo"

Caden looked down at the laptop screen as if he'd just discovered buried treasure. He took the browser back out to the inbox and looked at the emails immediately around the one he'd just read. The email just before 'Re: My new girlfriend!!!' was titled, 'Swimming in the Ocean of your Words.' The sender was 'Meadowlark,' a name that Caden had seen repeatedly in Kroeger's inbox but had payed little attention to. He opened the email and read it, confirming that it was from Molly.

Caden began systematically reading all the emails from 'Meadowlark,' skimming over anything that didn't seem important. By the time the hoverjet arrived near Los Angeles, Caden had read most of the emails from Molly/Meadowlark. Since Molly included all of Kroeger's messages in her reply emails instead of erasing them, Caden was able to read both sides of the relationship. He had a good idea for Zoa.

Zoa landed the hoverjet on the outskirts of Los Angeles. She and Caden walked a while before they got to a gas station, then Zoa called a cab to take them into the city.

"Aren't you afraid of attracting attention in that white bodysuit?" Caden asked as they waited for the taxi.

"No," Zoa replied. "This is Los Angeles. I'll fit right in!"

"I guess you're right," Caden said.

"Here you go, take this," Zoa said, handing Caden a headset with a microphone attached to it, with a cable that connected to a battery pack.

"What's this?" Caden asked, looking at the headset.

"That's my covert communicator," Zoa said. "You can press this button to speak to me, and it can click down like this so you don't have to hold it. I have a compact version that fits in my ear. It has a high-sensitivity microphone that digitally reduces fuzz, so you can hear me as well as anyone I'm talking to. Basically, you hear what I hear. I can repeat things you say as you say them so that it can appear seamless, like I'm not being fed lines. If you start to say something and I repeat it as you say it, just try to concentrate and keep saying it. I can pay attention to several things at once, so don't worry about my concentration."

The cab arrived and took them to the thrift store. Zoa payed the cab driver and checked her chronograph.

"It's 12:40," Zoa said. "We need to shop quick in order to get to that internet cafe on time. Any ideas yet?"

"I actually have a great idea!" Caden said as they walked into the thrift store. "Leonard Kroeger has an online girlfriend."

"Oh, like Melanie!" Zoa exclaimed.

"Yeah, like Melanie," Caden said. "But Kroeger has never seen her before, or even heard her voice. They've been in contact for almost a year, but they've never exchanged pictures of eachother."

"Oh, I get it!" Zoa said. "I'm gonna act like Molly in order to get in and see Kroeger!"

"Exactly!" Caden said. "Think you can do it?"

"Of course!" Zoa said. "Who do you think you're working with?"

"You're right," Caden said.

Zoa stopped walking, looking around the thrift shop for the women's section.

"Molly and Melanie ... " Zoa said to herself. "Funny coincidence, huh? Hmmm. Caden, what kind of clothes do computer nerd girls wear?"

"Well ... " Caden said, thinking. "First of all, we need to go to the men's section. We need to find clothes that are baggy and too big on you. Jeans will do. Maybe some skater shoes. Get a button-up shirt and wear it over a t-shirt. If we can find a Pokemon t-shirt, then that's great."

"To the men's section!" Zoa said. "Are computer girls really that boyish?"

"A lot of them actually are," Caden said.

Caden guided Zoa through the men's section, picking out clothes that he thought belonged on a girl who would spend most of her time on her computer.

"If you had more zits, it would be better," Caden said to Zoa as she put on the clothes in the fitting room. "Can you act like a computer nerd?"

"Got any pointers?" Zoa replied.

"Act like you have no social grace at all," Caden said. "Your laugh has to be real awkward, too. Try to make jokes and then laugh at them before Hollister has a chance to laugh. Also, act like you're totally unsure of yourself. Avoid a lot of eye contact. If a guy looks you in the eye, look away and back with shifty eyes. Got it?"

"I see what you're saying," Zoa said. "I'm a natural actress. I should have no problem playing the part, even though it is totally opposite of my character."

"Oh, and be sure to slump your posture," Caden said. "And act nervous and stuff. Try not to be confident at all. In fact, be under-confident."

Zoa was finished putting on the clothes. "Oh god," she said as she looked in the mirror. "These clothes look awful!"

"Great!" Caden said. "Let me see!"

Zoa opened to fitting room door and stepped out. Caden was shocked to see the difference.

"Wow!" Caden said. "You look like the kind of girl I'm into! You look like a brainiac!"

"I guess that's good," Zoa said, checking her chronograph. "It's 1:20. We have to make a stop across the street."

"What's over there?" Caden asked.

"I saw a hip clothing store across the street," Zoa said. "It's probably where hipsters go after they buy clothes at the thrift store. They probably have hair dye over there. I wanted to get some spray-in stuff. Red or something. The Priesthood of Shadow is on the look-out for a blonde woman, so I need to change my hair. Plus, I think it'll accent my look."

"Sounds good," Caden said.

Zoa folded her body suit up and paid for her clothes while wearing them. She and Caden went across the street to the hipster shop and found hair dye, just like Zoa suspected. As Zoa payed for the hair dye, Caden took a pair of thick-framed plastic glasses from the sunglass rack on the counter. Caden put the glasses on Zoa and looked at her.

"There you go," Caden said. "That totally completes the look."

"I'll pay for these glasses, too," Zoa said.

After they walked out of the hipster shop, Caden asked Zoa, "Where does all that money come from?"

"I have money," Zoa said. "I keep a mission fund that I only spend on missions. I don't ever go on shopping sprees. I only buy what I absolutely need."

Zoa called another cab, which took her two blocks away from Java Surfer. The taxi dropped them off outside of a diner.

"It's 2:14," Zoa said. "You can stay here at  the diner. Here's the info pack. If anyone looks at you weird while you talk to me, just say you're an actor. They'll understand. Just act like the info pack is your script. So, go in and grab a cup of coffee. I'll let you know when I'm moving in."

Caden went inside the diner and sat at a table away from everyone else. He ordered a coffee and waited as Zoa walked to Java Surfer.

"Caden, do you copy?" Zoa said as she walked.

Caden reached down to his battery pack and pushed the button down and set it.

"I copy," Caden said.

"What's Molly's full name?" Zoa asked. "Where does she live?"

Caden checked the info pack, looking at the notes he took on Molly. "Her name is Molly Gregerson," he said. "She lives in Chicago, born and raised. Her birthday is September 19."

"Any more information?" Zoa asked.

"Her favorite music is Japanese pop," Caden said. "She watches a lot of anime. She draws anime characters."

"What's anime?" Zoa asked.

"Japanese animation," Caden said.

"Oh, yeah," Zoa said. "The crazy cartoons with the big eyes and robots and stuff? Kinda sounds like this mission. Except for the big eyes. Anything else?"

"I'll let you know as you go," Caden said. "I've read a lot of her emails, so I have a pretty good idea of how she is."

"Alright," Zoa said. "Await signal. Over."

Caden looked back over the info pack, reading frantically as if he was cramming for a quiz. He sipped his coffee and looked over Hollister's and Kroeger's profiles.

"I'm ready to move in," Zoa said. "Copy?"

"Copy," Caden said as he sat nervously and listened intently.

"Caden!" Zoa said. "You have to remember one thing. Are you listening?"

"I'm listening," Caden replied.

"If you want to feed me lines directly, say 'Repeat' first," Zoa said. "If you say 'Repeat,' I'll repeat everything  you say until you say, 'Stop Repeat.' Do you understand me?"

"I understand," Caden said.

Zoa put on her character and walked into Java Surfer. After quickly scanning the cafe, Zoa saw a couple of guys sitting, drinking coffee, and surfing the web on their laptops. There was one woman in the cafe. Zoa noticed that all the guys in the cafe checked her out as she walked to the counter to order a coffee. After ordering, Zoa looked around at the men in the cafe, trying to distinguish which one was Hollister. She noticed that one of the men was wearing a System X shirt. His hair was long, and it looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days.

"That's him," Zoa said silently to herself. "Looks like a programmer to me."

The cashier was finished making Zoa's coffee, and she payed. She walked to the table next to Hollister's table and sat down. Hollister looked at her and smiled. Zoa smiled back and took a sip from her coffee. Hollister looked back at his computer and sipped his coffee. Zoa peeked over and saw that Hollister was playing a computer game.

"What are you playing?" Zoa asked Hollister.

"Huh?" Hollister replied. "Oh, I'm playing Omega General. It's a war game."

Caden was listening intently, and he remembered reading about Omega General. "Repeat!" he said. "I love that game!"

"I love that game!" Zoa said.

"I used to play Witches and Warlocks a lot," Caden said. "But lately I've been into more sci-fi stuff."

"Really?" Hollister replied, showing a level of respect for Zoa. "Who's your favorite general?"

"Yoshida," Caden said.

"Yoshida," Zoa repeated. "I like using the mecha. They take a long time to produce, but they last forever!"

"Me too!" Hollister said. "Yoshida is for Omega players who know how to play. Do you play on ActioNet?"

"No," Zoa said. "I usually play on LAN with my friends back home."

"Back home?" Hollister replied. "Where are you from?"

"Chicago," Zoa said.

"Are you visiting?" Hollister asked.

"Yeah, actually," Zoa said, laughing. "I'm here to visit my boyfriend."

"Your boyfriend?" Hollister said, disappointed.

"Yeah, he's a game programmer," Zoa said. "He works for Deep Blue Software."

"Oh, really?" Hollister replied. "I work for Deep Blue. Who's your boyfriend?"

"Leonard Kroeger," Zoa said.

"No way!" Hollister replied. "You're Molly?"

"Yeah!" Zoa said, laughing. "I'm Molly."

"I'm Regie!" Hollister said. "Wow! I didn't expect you to show up! I didn't recognize you. But, I guess that makes sense because I've never seen you before. Wow! Nice to meet you finally!"

"Yeah!" Zoa said. "I came into town to suprise Leo! I looked him up, but he didn't answer his phone and he wasn't home. I'm just lucky I came here. I was gonna use one of the house consoles to see if he was online. Lucky I ran into you here!"

"Yeah, Leo's real busy these days," Hollister said. "We're working on a really big project right now, except I can't tell you anything about it. It's actually sort of top-secret."

"Woah, really?" Zoa said, acting like she was excited. "Leo didn't tell me anything about it! But I guess if it's top-secret ... "

"Yeah," Hollister said. "Leo hasn't had a day off for the last couple weeks because we're trying to finish the project because they're pushing our deadline."

"Who are they?" Zoa asked.

"I can't say," Hollister said. "I shouldn't even be talking about it."

"Well, when will Leo be available?" Zoa asked.

"I'm not sure," Hollister replied. "He probably won't be off until the project is finished. That might not be for another couple weeks or so. They're working us like ponies!"

"Oh ... " Zoa said, acting disappointed. She looked away from Hollister and sipped her coffee sadly.

"Yeah, I wish I could help you," Hollister said. "But, I'm just not sure if Leo can even get off work."

"Can't I see him for just an hour?" Zoa said. "Or a half-hour even? I got work off and flew all the way here from Chicago, and I have to fly back tomorrow morning! I would just hate it if I came all the way here and didn't  see Leo!"

Hollister looked very concerned and caught in dilemma. He thought for a second, then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called Kroeger's cell.

"Hello, Leo?" Hollister said into his phone. "Hey, this is Regie. I'm just hanging Java Surfer, but guess who I just ran into. No, you won't believe me. It's Molly! No, I'm serious! Yeah! She came into town to visit you. Yeah, I know that! I know, Leo! You could talk to her in the foyeur. She wouldn't have to go inside. She won't see anything. Okay? Alright! Seeya." Hollister hung up his phone. "Leo says he can see you for a half-hour. He's sorry he can't visit with you longer, but he said that once the project is completed he'll fly you back out here."

"Yay!" Zoa exclaimed, acting excited. "Oh, can you give me a ride there? I took a cab here."

"Yeah, I'll give you a ride," Hollister said as he folded his laptop down. "We have to leave right now."

"Sweet!" Zoa said. "I'm so excited!"

Hollister took up his laptop, and Zoa followed him out to his car. They drove to Deep Blue headquarters, and Hollister started talking about computer games again. Caden helped Zoa sound like she knew what she was talking about. When they got to Deep Blue headquarters, Zoa noticed that the building was surrounded by Army soldiers. She was suddenly glad she didn't bring a gun.

After getting out of the car, Hollister showed his ID to the guards at the main entrance.

"Who's this?" the guard said, eyeing Zoa suspiciously.

Zoa didn't say anything.

"This is Molly Gregerson," Hollister said. "She's Leonard Kroeger's girlfriend. She's here to visit him. I called Leonard earlier, and he said she could visit with him for a half-hour as long as she stays in the foyeur."

"Do you have identification?" the guard asked Zoa.

Zoa reached in her pocket. "Oh, shoot!" she said. "I left my wallet at my motel room!"

The guard looked more suspicious of Zoa.

"I can vouch for her!" Hollister said. "I know her. She's Molly Gregerson for sure!"

"Alright," the guard said. "You can come inside, but your conversation with Mr. Kroeger will be monitored. We don't want him telling you any secrets. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Zoa said, looking at the guard with nervous, shifty eyes. "Thank you."

"She's only in town for a day," Hollister said.

"Come in," the guard said. "Be aware that every room in this facility is being monitored by closed-cirtuit cameras."

Zoa followed Hollister and the guard into the building's foyeur. The foyeur was decorated with posters of all of Deep Blue's games. There was also a Lord of the Rings poster. There was another guard inside, sitting down in a chair next to the entrance.

"I'll go get Leo," Hollister said, exiting the room.

Zoa looked at the guard, sizing him up. He had a gun at his hip, next to a radio. She looked at the other guard. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. He also had a gun and a radio. For a moment, Zoa considered rushing the standing guard, taking his gun and radio, throwing him onto the sitting guard, and taking them both out. But, she decided not to make a move until she was in Kroeger's immediate company.

Zoa waited a few minutes before Kroeger came out into the foyeur. He looked at Zoa with a level of confusion, looking her from head to toe. He looked at her face, which was hidden behind ratty hair, and smiled.

"Molly?" Kroeger said.

"Leo!" Molly said. "Wow!"

"Wow!" Kroeger echoed. "What are you doing here? I mean, when did you get here?"

"Just a minute ago," Zoa said, acting bashful.

"No, I mean in town?" Kroeger said.

"Oh!" Zoa said, laughing awkwardly. "Three hours ago. I had to look you up and everything, but you didn't answer your phone and I didn't know what to do. Then by luck I ran into, uhh, Regie at Java Surfer. Isn't that crazy?" She laughed again.

"Yeah!" Kroeger replied. "I've been real busy with ... "

The guard eyed him sternly.

" ... I've been busy with the project," Kroeger said.

"Regie said they're working you like a pony!" Zoa said, laughing at herself.

The guard eyed Kroeger sternly again.

"Yeah," Kroeger said. "So, how long will you be in town?"

"Just today," Zoa said. "I'm going back to Chicago tomorrow morning."

Another guard walked out into the foyeur, whispering someting to the standing guard. The standing guard looked at Zoa, then followed the other guard out of the foyeur.

"Damn!" Zoa said to herself.

"What is it?" Kroeger replied..

"Nothing," Zoa said, playing it off. "I just wish we could spend more time together. Can we go outside? I'm feeling crowded in here."

Kroeger looked at the sitting guard, who shook his head.

"I can't leave the building," Kroeger said. "I mean, I have to stay here and work on the project. It's a wonder they're allowing me this visit."

Caden sat in the diner silently. Looking outside, he saw a black car parked across the street. In the car were two men wearing suits and sunglasses. Caden's body thrilled when he noticed that the man in the driver's seat of the black car was looking right at him.

"Stop repeat," Caden said. "I think I'm being watched."

"Don't run," Zoa said silently to Caden.

"What's that, Molly?" Kroeger replied.

"Don't run from me," Zoa said smoothly. "I don't want to marry a man who is totally absorbed in his work. What are you really running from?"

"What?" Kroeger replied, confounded. "Marry?"

"I was ... thinking of proposing," Zoa said, putting on an Oscar performance. "I've never felt this way for anyone before. I know we've never met until today, but ... "

"But what?" Kroeger asked.

The standing guard returned with the other guard, holding a peice of printer paper in his hand.

"I love you, Leonard!" Zoa said, rushing over to Kroeger and throwing her arms around him.

Speechless, Kroeger put his arms around Zoa.

"I want to be with you," Zoa said. "Ever since that one night when we were chatting, and you typed 'I love you' ... I know it was just words on a computer screen, but I felt more love at that moment than I ever have before in my life."

"You mean when I sent you that email? " Kroeger said.

"Yeah, that's what I meant!" Zoa said. "Did you mean it? Do you really love me, or were you just hoping I would love you?"

"Ummm ... " Kroeger said. "Both, I guess."

"Ma'am?" the standing guard said. "Ma'am, can I ask you something?"

"What?" Zoa said, looking down at the paper in the guard's hand. She saw that it had a picture of her face printed on it. Suddenly, Zoa buried her face in Kroeger's chest and did her best fake cry.

"What's wrong, Meadowlark?" Kroeger said, rubbing Zoa's back.

"Ma'am?" the standing guard said again. "Ma'am? Could you please look at me?"

The sitting guard spoke up, "She's crying, Joe!" he said. "Can it wait?"

'Joe' walked over to the sitting guard and showed him the picture of Zoa. "I think she's the one who infiltrated the Aries project and abducted Caden Remke!" he whispered.

Caden nervously watched the black car across the street as the two men in suits got out. "They're getting out of the car!" Caden said. "They're onto us!"

"Don't run, damn it!" Zoa exclaimed.

"I'm not running!" Kroeger replied. "What's wrong?"

Zoa felt Joe the guard's hand on her shoulder. "Ma'am?" he said. "You're going to have to come with me."

"What's going on?" Kroeger said. "We still have a twenty minutes!"

Zoa slowly reached back and put her hand on Joe the guard's hand. It was his right hand. Joe's gun was on his right hip.

"What the ... ?" Kroeger said, looking at Zoa's hand on Joe's.

Zoa suddenly squeezed Joe's hand, letting go of Kroeger and spinning against Joe's back. Reaching back with her free hand, Zoa grabbed Joe's gun and unholstered it. The other standing guard was already reaching for his gun, but Zoa was quicker to the draw. She let the safey off on Joe's gun and fired two shots at the other standing guard, hitting him once in each arm. Twisting her body more, Zoa bent Joe's arm in the wrong direction, breaking it over her shoulder. She pointed her gun at the sittin guard, who already had his hands up. Zoa lowered her aim and fired, shooting the gun off of the sitting guard's hip. Zoa dropped the gun and grabbed Joe's arm with both hands, putting her hip against his and throwing him over onto the sitting guard.

Picking the gun back up, Zoa walked over to Kroeger and grabbed him by the  neck, pressing the gun against his forehead.

"What's going on?" Kroeger said shakily.

"I'll tell you what's going on!" Zoa  said. "I'm not Molly, and you're coming with me!"

Zoa pulled Kroeger roughly toward the front door.

"Don't go that way!" the sitting guard said from underneath Joe. "There are snipers watching the front entrance!"

"Don't tell her that!" Joe said. "We have to stop her!"

Zoa took her gun away from Kroeger long enough to shoot Joe in the buttocks. He screamed, and Zoa told him to shut up. Hearing footsteps running toward the foyeur from inside the building, Zoa decided to take her chances with the snipers. With Kroeger as her human shield, she figured she could get away.

Zoa burst out through the front entrance, hiding herself behind Kroeger.

"Who are you?" Kroeger asked. "Why are you kidnapping me?"

"Which direction is your car?" Zoa said. "Tell me now, or I'll fire a bullet into your arm!"

"South!" Kroeger said, motioning. "That way!"

Zoa briskly pulled Kroeger south, keeping her  back to the building and keeping an eye on the building's entrance.

"Why are you doing this?" Kroeger asked.

"I'll tell you once we get to your car," Zoa said. "We have to get to your car."

"Turn here!" Kroeger said, pointing toward a parking lot entrance. "It's parked here!"

"Just in time!" Zoa said as she watcheda half-dozen guards come out of the building's entrance.

Zoa pulled Kroeger backwards into the parking lot.

"What color is your car?" Zoa asked.

"Blue!" Kroeger said. "It's the Jetta  over there!"

Zoa spotted the Jetta and pulled Kroeger over to it. She hid behind the car, watching in all directions as Kroeger tried unlocking the door. Zoa saw a guard peek his head around the corner and look in the parking lot. Zoa aimed her gun carefully and fired. Kroeger fell on his behind when he heard the shot, and the peeking guard's hat flew off.

"Unlock the door!" Zoa commanded.

Kroeger quickly found the right key and unlocked the door. Zoa pushed him out of the way and grabbed the keys, getting in the driver's seat and starting the car.

"Get in!" Zoa yelled at Kroeger as she revved the engine high.

Kroeger scrambled around the car to the passenger's side door and got in, quickly sitting down and buckling his seat belt. Zoa put the car in reverse and screeched out of Kroeger's parking space, turning the car to face the parkling lot entrance.

"Alright!" Zoa said. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

Zoa put the car in first gear and revved up the engine, letting go of the clutch and burning out. A couple of guards came around the corner just in time to fly off the hood of Kroeger's car. Zoa pulled the handbrake, powersliding the car onto the street. Letting go of the handbrake, Zoa punched it down the street. She saw flashing lights in her rearview mirror and smiled.

"Now this is a getaway!" Zoa said. "This is what I like! Bring it on, bitches!"

"What is this?" Kroeger said as he fell apart in the passenger's seat. "Where are you taking me? Why are you doing this?"

"Shut up a moment and I'll tell you!" Zoa yelled.

Kroeger went silent. Then he started to cry. Zoa looked over at him like she didn't know what his problem was.

"This isn't happening!" Kroeger said between sobs. "What's going on?"

"What the hell did Molly ever see in you?" Zoa said.

"Molly ... " Kroeger said. "That's it!"

Taking out his palm pilot, which was connected wirelessly to the internet, Kroeger opened up his email.

"What are you doing?" Zoa exclaimed, looking over at Kroeger. She grabbed the palm pilot out of his hands, rolled down her window, and hucked the palm pilot out onto the road.

"What are you doing?" Kroeger exclaimed.

"What are you doing?" Zoa replied. "What's the project you're working -- oh no!"

Zoa saw some cop cars turn onto the street ahead of her. Jerking the wheel to the right, Zoa turned onto a cross street and accelerated.

"What's the projeect you're working on?" Zoa asked. "Who are you working for?"

"What?" Kroeger replied, sniffling.

"Who do you work for?" Zoa repeated. "Does the name Virgo mean anything to you?"

"Virgo?" Kroeger replied. "How do you know about Virgo?"

"The same way I know about Molly," Zoa said. "What does Virgo do? Tell me or I swear to god I'll shoot your arm!"

"Okay, okay!" Kroeger said, putting up his hands. "We're developing Virgo for NASA!"

"NASA?" Zoa replied.

"Yeah, NASA!" Kroeger said. "Virgo is the artifical intelligence program that will be put into an artificial astronaut."

"What?" Zoa replied.

"Yeah," Kroeger said. "Virgo is going to be put into a robotic astronaut. Virgo's main function is data collection and analysis. It's a program that learns. It can read, it can write, it can do math, it can judge distance. Of course, it's all being simulated right now. It hasn't been put in the artificial astronaut yet."

"Who's developing the artificial astronaut?" Zoa asked.

"I don't know," Kroeger said. "I heard that some Japanese company is building it."

"Which company?" Zoa asked.

"I don't know!" Kroeger said. "All I know is it's in Japan! I heard a couple of the military officers talking about it, but that's all I heard!"

Zoa noticed a police officer on the side of the road ahead of her. The officer had something rolled up in his hands, which he threw out into the street.

"Damn, a puncture strip!" Zoa said, jerking the handbrake and slowing the car down before it ran over the puncture strip. She turned sharply to the left, spotting an alley and driving into it.

"Watch out for that dumpster!" Kroeger exclaimed.

"I can see it!" Zoa replied.

The car squeezed between the dumpster and the building, and the side mirror was knocked off by the dumpster. As the car shot out on the other side of the alley, Zoa hit the brakes moments before she hit the side of a police car. Zoa put the car in first gear and burned the tires, turning the car around the police car and taking off in the opposite direction. She dodged a couple of other police cars before she was able to take the car into higher gears.

"Is Virgo done yet?" Zoa asked.

"No, not yet!" Kroeger said. "We're in the final testing stage."

"Have they tested it in any robots yet?" Zoa asked.

"Not that I know of!" Kroeger said.

Zoa noticed someone walking across the street, wearing a long dark blue trench coat.

"What's this idiot doing?" Zoa said. "Wait, is that Maryx?" She pressed the gas.

Maryx turned toward the car, standing in the middle of the road and lighting a cigarette. He took a long drag from the cigarette as Kroeger's Jetta speeded toward him. Taking the cigarette out of his mouth, Maryx flicked it at the oncoming car.

As the cigarette struck the Jetta's bumper a few feet away from where Maryx stood, the car's inertia was stopped instantly. The front of the car crashed and crumpled, and the rear of the car went up like the slow-motion video of a crash test. Zoa and Kroeger lashed foreward like living crash test dummies, struck by the shock of the unexpected collision more than the collision itself. The car settled back down on the street, lifeless.

Maryx walked up to the bumper, taking out his cigarette and putting it back in his mouth. He walked around to the driver's side door and kicked the window out. Leaning in, he blew smoke in Zoa's dazed face.

"You like that trick?" Maryx said.

Zoa's sight was blurry, and she tried to focus on who was talking to her. Before she saw Maryx, he walked around the front of the car to the passenger's side. Opening the door, Maryx looked in on the passenger.

"Oh, I see what you're doing," Maryx said. "You're starting a collection of programmers. Strange hobby. But then again, you always were a little eccentric."

Maryx reached in, unbuckling Kroeger's seatbelt. He took the cigarette out of his mouth, placed it in Kroeger's mouth, and leaned over Kroeger.

"I figured it out!" Maryx said. "You don't want him. You want his mind. He's not much of a looker, anyway. Well, I got bad news for you, honey!"

Zoa regained her focus and said, "Damn you!" She swung her fist at Maryx, who dodged her punch and took the gun from between her legs.

Maryx leaned back, taking his cigarette back from Kroeger. He pulled Kroeger out of the car and threw him down on the road. Pointing the gun at Kroeger's head, Maryx pulled the trigger and painted the street with Kroeger's blood.

"Too bad," Maryx said. "His mind is useless now. Sorry if I messed up your plan."

"Damn you!" Zoa screamed, trying to unbuckle her seatbelt.

"You have to watch that temper!" Maryx said. "I'm so sorry you couldn't control it after Kroeger freaked out, and you shot him. Maybe you should take some anger management classes. But for now, you'd better run. I hear sirens."

"You're not going to fight me?" Zoa said, hitting her seatbelt buckle with her fist.

"I'd love to, honey," Maryx said. "But I'm late for an appointment. I'm going to meet someone you know. They just picked him up in a diner, talking to himself like a schizophrenic."

"You bastard!" Zoa said, finally unbuckling her seatbelt. She opened the door and got out, running around the car to rush Maryx.

Maryx aimed his gun at Zoa and fired. The bullet struck Zoa in the shoulder, hitting her shoulder blade and knocking her on her back.

"I knew you would rush me without thinking," Maryx said with a degree of disappointment.

"That's because I knew you wouldn't kill me," Zoa said as she lay on her back.

"Good point," Maryx said. "Farewell, my love. I'm late enough already!"

"I'm not your love!" Zoa yelled, rolling over onto her front and getting up. "Ouch! That smarts!"

When Zoa turned around, Maryx was gone and the gun was laying on the street next to Kroeger's dead body.

"That bloody bastard!" Zoa said. "He has no respect for life at all!"

Zoa ran into an alley before she took off her outer shirt and tore the sleeve off. She wrapped the sleeve tightly around her shoulder and threw the shirt in a nearby dumpster. She looked up and saw a ladder up to a fire escape. Zoa climbed up the ladder and the fire escape, finding an open window and climbing into it. Inside, there was an old woman watching Wheel of Fortune.

"T!" the old woman yelled at the TV. "Say T! Huh?" The old woman heard Zoa and turned around. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm just passing through," Zoa said,  holding her shoulder. "I'm not here to rob you. I'm just passing through."

The old woman noticed Zoa's bloody shooulder. "Oh, are you hurt?" she said.

"A little," Zoa said. "It's not bad."

"I'll call an ambulence!" the old woman said, getting up and heading to the kitchen.

"What am I gonna do?" Zoa said to herself as she paced back and forth. "They already got Caden, and they're probably combing this neighborhood for me. Damn it! What am I gonna do? I need to go back to Nikol's. He can heal my shoulder and he can help me find Caden. Damn it! Why did Maryx have to kill Kroeger? What the hell am I gonna do now?"

Caden woke up in the back of a car in a half-conscious daze. There was someone sitting next to Caden, but he didn't recognize him.

Caden woke up on a medical bed. He looked down and saw that a nurse was giving him a shot.

Caden woke up on a bunk, and at first he thought he was back in Zoa's hoverjet. As he regained consciousness, Caden saw that he was in a small holding cell. The walls, ceiling, and floor were made of a black metal. The air inside the cell was cool, though not extremely cold. Caden's clothes and shoes were gone, and he was wearing a black jumpsuit. His head felt cold, and he felt the top of his head with his hand. All his hair had been shaved off, leaving only a slight stubble on his head. The inside of his right forearm felt raw, and he pulled up the black sleeve to look at his arm. On the inside of his forearm was a freshly-inked tattoo. The tattoo was a Christian cross with its head near Caden's wrist. The tail of the cross ran through a circle. The tattoo was done in thick black, and it had a layer of clear cream over it. Caden pressed his finger against the cream and felt that it was sticky. He noticed that there was lint from the inside of his black jumpsuit stuck to the clear cream.

Caden's mouth was extremely dry, and he looked around the cell for any source of water. There was nothing but a hole in the floor in the corner. Caden tried to sit up in the bunk, but his body felt extremely weak. Whatever drugs they had given him weren't yet out of his system. Caden lay back down, looking over at the only spot of light in the cell, a slit in the door.

Caden saw something pass in front of the slit, and his heart jumped. He heard the door's lock unlatch. He waited for the door to open, but it didn't. Staring anxiously at the door, Caden wondered what the hell was going on.

The door slowly opened, and a figure walked in. The person was tall, but Caden couldn't see who it was because of the intense light coming in through the doorway. The figure stood ominously in the open doorway, not moving or speaking.

Caden tried to say something, but only a groan came out of his dry throat.

"Hello, Mr. Remke," the man said.

Caden didn't respond.

"I am Maryx," the man said. "I saw you earlier when Ms. Renoas stole you from your place of work."

"R--Renoas?" Caden managed to speak.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Maryx said. "I mean Zoa. You must be thirsty."

"Yes," Caden choked.

"I have some water if you want it," Maryx said.

Maryx held up a plastic bottle agaist the intense light coming from behind him. The water shone brilliantly in the bottle, and Caden thought he'd never seen anything so beautiful in his life. He tried to get out of bed, but only managed to fall on the hard metal floor. He tried to crawl toward Maryx, but his limbs didn't want to cooperate.

Maryx looked at Caden as he squirmed on the floor, and he laughed at the pathetic mess before him. Taking pity on Caden, Maryx knelt down and rolled the bottle of water across the floor to Caden.

Caden grabbed the bottle with an animal's desperation and tried to peel the cap off. He turned and pulled at the cap, but it wouldn't come off. Desperate, Caden struck the bottle against the steel floor. It didn't break. Caden slammed the bottle repeatedly against the floor, but it didn't even crack.

"How ... " Caden said in a cracked voice. "How do you open it?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Maryx said. "That bottle requires a special opener. And good luck trying to break it open. I can open it for you, but you have to make me a promise."

"What?" Caden replied.

"It's nothing big," Maryx said. "I want you to talk to someone."

"Who?" Caden asked.

"He's a very important man," Maryx said. "He's the man I take orders from. He's a High Priest. You should be honored that he wants to talk to you, because he's one of the most powerful men in the world. Would you be so kind as to speak to him?"

"Yes!" Caden said, holding up the bottle for Maryx to open it.

"Well, that was easy," Maryx said. "But, I can understand. If Zoa were in your position, she'd probably break out one of her teeth just so she could throw it at me."

Maryx walked over to Caden and took the bottle. He pulled the bottle-opener out of his pocket and opened the bottle, handing it back to Caden. Caden poured the water down his throat. The water also went down the sides of his cheeks and his throat. It was the greatest feeling Caden had ever felt, and he drank the water until it was gone.

Maryx stepped out of the cell and said, "Get him."

Two men dressed in black suits walked  into the cell and picked up Caden. They carried him out of the cell and down a long hall behind Maryx. After walking down the hall, they went into an elevator and went up.

Caden was drug into a very large and fancy office. The decor was completely black, accentuated with gold detailing and flame-like lighting. There were various golden statues around the office, and a large fireplace with a raging fire inside it. In the center of the office was a very fancy desk, carved stylistically out of dark ebony. There was nobody sitting behind the desk.

"The Master must be busy," Maryx said. "Sit him down and hold him."

The two suited men threw Caden down in an uncomfortable chair and held him down. It was no use to hold Caden down, though, because he had no strength in his body.

Maryx walked to one side of the office and opened a door, looking in. From inside the unseen room, Caden heard the cries of a woman making love.

"Am I interrupting you, Master?" Maryx said to an unseen man in the room.

"I'm about to finish," said a brusk male voice. "Let me be a few more minutes!"

"Very well, Master," Maryx said, closing the door. "The Master is busy at the moment. I'll leave Mr. Remke with you two. I have some business to attend to."

Maryx walked out of the office, leaving Caden alone with the two suited men. There was silence, except for the faint sound of the woman's cries in the next room. Caden looked around the room, viewing all the fine decorations in the room. He noticed that everything was black and gold. There were no other colors, and absolutely no white. On the wall behind the desk was a large, stylized version of the same symbol that was tattooed on Caden's arm, a cross impaling a circle, made out of pure gold. There were lights in the ceiling that pointed at the symbol, making it shimmer and shine brilliantly. Caden deduced that it was the symbol of the Priesthood of Shadow.

The door at the side of the office opened finally, and a man walked out, wearing a long, fancy black robe. His head was completely bald and he had a long black beard which was streaked with gray. His eyebrows were thick and black, shading his dark eyes. He had a large belly, though he was muscular elsewhere. As the man walked into the room, Caden felt the room get colder. At least, he thought the room got colder. The man walked over to the desk and sat down in a very large, comfortable chair.

"You are Caden Remke, am I correct?" the man said in a very powerful voice.

"Yes," Caden said.

The man looked at Caden, who felt a million bad things staring at him. He began feeling sick to his stomach, and he wanted to leave the office.

"You have a powerful mind," the dark man said. "Aries has exceeded our expectations. The others are performing at a mediocre level, but Aries has destroyed every opponent we have set it against. Of course, our programmers have optimised Aries' capabilities, but it was you who created it. You are truly gifted, Mr. Remke."

"Thank ... you ... " Caden said, trying to avoid eye contact with the dark 'Master' who sat before him. The air around the Master seemed to darken in his presence, as if all the light was being drawn in by the Master, and he had no plans of giving it back out.

"You have done a great deal for us, Mr. Remke," the dark Master said, reaching down to a compartment underneath his desk and drawing out a stylized pipe and a baggy of white powder. "I lord over the mechanized soldier project, and I have been since the 40s when it began." The Master poured some of the white powder in the pipe and pressed a button on his desk. A flame sprouted out of the desk, and the Master lit his pipe over it. He inhaled a large quantity of smoke and exhaled it into the air above him. He continued, "The idea came to me in a dream. In fact, it was not an idea at all. It was a vision. In my dream, I saw the world in the future. That is, I saw the future from the perspective of over fifty years ago. Looking back on the dream, it took place in a day not far removed from this. In the dream, I was an old man basking in the glory of my design. The world was overrun by millions of dark, faceless soldiers. The soldiers had no heart, no fear or shame, and they did exactly as they were told. They did not disobey orders, and they could defeat anyone who dared defy them. Looking at these masses of heartless killers, I realized that they were my children. But they weren't my children by seed, they were my brain children. As the dream ended, I realized that these faceless soldiers were machines, armies and armies of machines being ordered from one remote location. These machines spread the message that I proclaim: Obey our every word or you will be destroyed."

The Master paused. He inhaled another cloud of smoke from his pipe and held it in. His eyes went fuzzy and dreamy for a moment, then he slowly exhaled the smoke.

"Ms. Renoas has told you about us, yes?" the Master said, sternly yet cautiously.

"Are you ... the Priesthood of Shadow?" Caden replied.

"She has," the Master said. "Then you will understand me when I say that she and her philosophy are both the result of sheer and utter foolishness."

Caden didn't reply.

"Let me explain," the Master said. "I say this only because I understand your value, Mr. Remke. It is a great honor that I am even speaking to you. But, as human nature goes, I treat you honorably because I expect something from you. I am not as pretentious as your friend, Ms. Renoas. She acts like she cares about you, or that she appreciates your friendship. But in truth, she only wants to use your brain to carry out her own agenda. So, her intentions aren't far removed from my own, but at least I have the decency to be completely honest with you. Mr. Remke, I understand you. Under different circumstances, we would probably be friends. You are like me. We are both from the same side of life.

"For people like us Ms. Renoas, they are given everything from childhood. Sure, they have their let-downs and set-backs, but something Ms. Renoas has never known is what it is like to not be desired. She has always been desired, her whole life, and it has got to the point where she is bored of being desired. So, she throws herself into rash and unplanned missions in order to justify a feeling of some higher purpose.

"Then, there are people like you, Mr. Remke, who have been handed nothing in life. There are people like you, who know what it feels like to be neglected, to be forgotten, to be disregarded."

Amidst Caden's guarded demeanor, a flame was sparked inside him by the Master's words.

The Master continued, "Men like you and me have been handed nothing in life, and so we must make something. In the end, we are more powerful then the others because we must strive from our first day to be desired. Ms. Renoa is a foolish girl throwing herself into foolish quests. If she had even the smallest fraction of knowledge that I possess, she would quit her quests out of sheer desparation.

"You would be a great asset to me, Mr. Remke. And I in turn would compensate you handsomely." The Master paused a moment, then said, "Let me ask you a question, Mr. Remke. Which do you prefer -- blondes, brunettes, or redheads?"

Caden was confused by the Master's question at first, then answered, "Brunettes."

The Master pressed a button on his desk and said, "Lola? Lola? Are you awake?"

"Yes," a female voice said on the intercom. "What do you wish of me, Master?"

"Come and join me in my office," the Master said. "I would like you to meet someone."

Caden was suddenly anxious. The confusion and despair of the situation was washed over by a red stroke of lusty excitement.

A minute passed by, then the door to the Master's private quarters opened. Caden's eyes darted to look at the person in the doorway. A woman in a robe walked out of the doorway and began a slow and dreamy walk toward the Master's desk. It was difficult to see details in the dim light, but Caden could tell that 'Lola' was wearing a loose robe. As she got closer, Caden saw that her robe hung open, exposing the insides of her breasts, her belly, and her vagina. Caden's body thrilled when he saw Lola closer, and he was instantly aroused.

"What is it, Master?" Lola said in a sultry voice when she arrived at the Master's desk. Caden saw her face in the light. She was absolutely beautiful, with long dark hair falling across her back. She approached the Master and put her hands on him, feeling him through his robe. From the side, Caden saw how large her breasts were, her nipples pushing out against her robe.

"Lola, dear?" the Master said, kissing Lola. "I'd like you to meet my friend, Mr. Remke."

The Master pointed toward Caden, and Lola looked at him. Caden's body thrilled again when Lola looked at him.

"Hello, Mr. Remke," Lola said, walking around the desk and standing in front of Caden. She licked her lips, looking as if she was ready to make love to him.

"Mr. Remke would like to view your beautiful body," the Master said. "Remove your robe."

Lola pulled off her robe without hesitation and let it drop to the floor. Caden's eyes popped when he saw Lola's nude body. Her skin was flawless, her hips were round, her breasts were large. Her body was, by all definitions, perfect.

"You like her?" the Master said with a smile. "She's a special breed. From childhood, she has received hormone therapy to achieve the perfect and natural body you see. There is nothing surgical or plastic about her figure. She has been trained from childhood to be a sex slave, and she is given a steady dose of drugs that keep her aroused. She will literally fulfill every one of your sexual fantasies. She will do anything you ask."

Caden was stunned. He couldn't speak. He had a hard enough time talking to women when they had their clothes on.

"Speechless?" the Master said, chuckling. "I understand. We have business to talk about anyway. Lola, dear? Would you leave Mr. Remke and I alone?"

Lola put her robe back on, turning and walking back to the Master's private quarters. Caden watched her, sad to see her go.

"She's not bad, is she?" the Master said. "This is just a small sample, Mr. Remke. I will explain now why I called Ms. Renoas a fool following a fool's philosophy. The Priesthood of Flame are foolish dreamers. They have this delusion in their heads that the world can live in peace and everyone can love eachother. They think that sharing the Divine Secrets openly will bring these things  about, but they are sorely mistaken. The Highest Master, Yeshua, taught his secrets to only a select few. He did not openly teach his methods to everyone. Do you know why?

"Imagine if everyone practiced priestcraft. Yes, I know what they say. People could be healed, diseases could be eradicated, famine could be eliminated, and so on. They say the world would return to a state of Eden, a paradise for all to enjoy. But consider this. How would you stop a person or a group of people from destroying a neighborhoor or a city with their divine skills? How could you stop someone from reading your mind and discovering all your secrets? How could you truly kill a vicious criminal, if he could simply raise from the dead?"

The Master paused and allowed his rethorical questions sink into Caden's head.

"Mr. Remke," the Master said, retaining Caden's attention. "It is plain to see from the Highest Master, Yeshua's divine example that the Divine Secrets are meant for the few, and not for the masses. The cursed Priesthood of Flame wants to scatter the Secrets to the wind, teaching them to every fool and imbecil they come across. Yeshua taught his students that he was the Son of God, sent to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. We are here to perpetuate that Kingdom. We, the High Priests, are the Lords of this Earth. Our purpose is to protect the people of this world from those who would use the Secrets for the ultimate detriment. Do you understand, Mr. Remke?"

Unsure of what to say, Caden said, "Yes."

"We are the superior ones, Mr. Remke, men like you and me. We have suffered already, and now is the time for us to claim what is rightfully ours. You are fortunate this day, Mr. Remke. You have been rescued from the clutches off that wild bird, Ms. Renoas, and you have been delivered by my grace. There are two types of men in this world, Mr. Remke -- those who deal well in the world of spirit, like me, and those who deal well in the physical world, like you. You are a master artisan. You have the potential to create amazing things for this world, Mr. Remke. And in return for your contributions, we will give you endless pleasure. Tell me, Mr. Remke -- would you like to go back to that lonely cell you awoke in, or would you like to retire to a nice room with a big comfortable bed, accompanied by Lola and a few of her friends?"

Caden didn't know how to respond. Both of his heads were in conflict with eachother.

"It's not a hard decision to make," the Master said, standing up. "We know what people want. The Priesthood of Flame tries to tell people that they want discipline and tranquility of mind, but we know that people want indulgence and excitement. I can give you what you want, Mr. Remke, in abundance. If you want women, money, power, drugs, anything, I can give it to you. That is, if you give me what you have to give. Human relationships are reciprocal, Mr. Remke. Don't let those fools in the Priesthood of Flame convince you that unconditional love truly exists. All love is conditional. I'll have my men escort you to your room, along with Lola." The Master pushed the intercom button on his desk and said, "Lola? Lola, dear? Could you come back in here?"

Lola came out of the Master's private quarters again.

"Lola, dear?" the Master said. "You'll go with Mr. Remke to his room." Then the Master turned to the two escorts and said, "Take him to the Nymph Hall. Allow Mr. Remke to choose three more Nymphs to his liking."

"Very well, Master!" the two escorts said in unison.

The escorts picked Caden out of his chair and put him on his feet. Caden's limbs had regained most of their strength at that point, and he could walk again under his own power.

The escorts took Caden out of the Master's office, followed by Lola. As they walked down the corridor, Lola caught the stares of all the passing guards and officers. They got to an elevator, and one of the escorts pressed the button to go down.

As they stood in the elevator, both of  the escorts stole looks at Lola, while not staring at her too long. It seemed to Caden that Lola had taken a liking to him, since she was standing against him and staring at him. As Caden looked back at Lola, he saw a very desperate, hungry look in her eyes. It appeared as if Lola was latching onto Caden not because she liked him, but for survival.

She's a 'nymph?' Caden thought. All she knows is sex. She must depend on sex for survival.

"Touch me?" Lola said in a small voice. Her eyes searched Caden for some sort of approval.

Maybe she thinks that I don't like her because I'm not touching her, Caden thought. I don't want her to feel bad.

Caden nervously reached up a hand, sliding it inside Lola's robe and stroking her breast. Lola smiled when she felt Caden's touch. Caden put his whole hand on her breast, squeezing it.

"Thank you," Lola said in a dreamy fashion.

Caden wondered if the drugs they fed Lola heightened sexual sensitivity, because she seemed very aroused by the simplest touch. Not wanting Lola to be sad, Caden reached around with his other hand and felt Lola's buttocks. Lola's body started to move, and she groaned as if she was ready to make love again.

The elevator stopped, and so did Caden. The escorts took Caden down a corridor and around a couple of corners, to a door that read, "NYMPH HALL." They walked inside, into a large open area with hundreds of women that were as attractive as Lola, all dressed in soft-colored robes. Caden thought for a moment that he'd died and gone to Heaven. Nymphs were lounging everywhere, watching TV, playing games, talking, eating. There were even a few nymphs kissing eachother. It was like the yard of a correctional facility for Victoria's Secret models.

One of the escorts took a small device from his belt and pressed a button. The device made a loud, high-pitched noise, and all the nymphs came turned their attentions.

"Nymphs, line up!" the escort shouted.

On command, most of the nymphs stood up and got into lines, standing at attention like soldiers. There were a few nymphs that didn't fall in until the escorts looked at them.

One of the escorts approached a pair of nymphs that weren't in line because they were too busy kissing eachother. The escort grabbed one of them by the hair and pulled her off of the other, throwing her down on the ground. He drew his gun and shot her dead. Many of the nymphs screamed, but then remained perfectly quiet. The other nymph who had been kissing fell in line, but she couldn't stop herself from crying. The escort let her cry. She had learned her lesson.

The escort rejoined Caden and the other escort as they began their walked down the rows of nymphs.

"You may choose three, Mr. Remke," one of the escorts said. "Let me know if you see one that you like."

Caden examined all the nymphs as he passed. They were all very beautiful, with nice bodies. Some were plumper, and some were slimmer. Some were taller, and some were shorter.

I wonder what their names are, Caden thought. I wonder if any of them are good conversationalists.

Caden saw a nymph with long, wavy red hair, fair skin, and pretty eyes. He picked her. The viewing continued. Caden saw a nymph with soft brown hair put into two ponytails. Caden picked her.

As Caden scanned the nymphs for his final decision, his eyes passed over a nymph with short blonde hair. He thought he recognized her, but he kept scanning. Then he stopped and backed up and looked at the blonde nymph again. His heart skipped a beat, and he almost cried out, but he stopped himself. He almost didn't recognize Zoa in a nymph's robe. She winked at him.

"This one is my final choice," Caden said, tapping Zoa on the shoulder. He looked her in the eyes, and they both smiled. Caden felt so peaceful looking at Zoa. Although he knew that Zoa wasn't going to fulfill every one of his sexual fantasies, Caden loved to just be near Zoa. He loved to just walk next to her. Her mere presence was enough to satisfy him, and he felt his monstrous lust begin to melt away.

As the escorts, the nymphs, Caden, and Zoa walked down the corridor to their next destination, Caden was suddenly struck with a great deal of shame. Had Zoa known the things that Caden was planning on doing before he saw her, she would abort the rescue operation and leave him to rot with the Priesthood of Shadow. Caden felt like he didn't deserve to be rescued. He felt like a weak person.

However, Zoa's presence brought him hope. He was thinking about the things the Master said about Zoa, about her foolish missions of self-validation. Those words had actually made a little sense to Caden. Zoa didn't seem like she knew what she was doing half the time. It seemed like she was riding on a wish and a prayer, when she wasn't riding on luck. But all of a sudden it made sense to Caden. He understood what drove Zoa to do all the crazy and foolish things she did. She had one thing that the Priesthood of Shadow didn't have. Hope.

It seemed to Caden that all the Priesthood of Shadow had to drive them was fear. It made sense to Caden that the Priesthood of Shadow used indulgence to quell their fear, and brutality to fight against their fear. But Zoa was different. She had absolutely no fear at all.

Caden was unsure of Zoa's plan. He knew that she couldn't talk to him because of the escorts. Even if she got him in private, Caden was sure that every square inch of the facility was bugged. For the moment, Caden just walked with the group and acted like everything was fine.

When they got to the room, the escorts let Caden, Zoa, and the others in. The bed was huge, enough to fit five people. But that's probably what it was made for. The escorts checked out the room, then sat on guard chairs outside the door. Lola took Caden to the bed, and they were followed by the redhead and the brunette with ponytails. As the nymphs got close and personal, Caden noticed that they all had the same tattoo on their arms as he had -- a cross impaling a circle. Looking over at Zoa, Caden noticed that she had it too. She must have painted it on to fit in with the nymphs.

Zoa hung back, walking back to the doorway and poking her head out. "Would one of you like to join us?" she asked in her sweetest, most nymphic voice.

"No way!" one of the escorts said. "We're on duty! We must stay alert!"

The other escort looked at Zoa. The look on his face indicated that he was less interested in following the rules, and more interested in getting lucky. Zoa leaned over to him and kissed him on the cheek, drawing him in with a finger gesture.

The lustful escort looked at the other escort, vying for sympathy. "I've been on duty for seven hours with no break!" he said. "I just need to replenish myself! It'll take ten minutes!"

The other escort ignored him, focusing on his duties. Victorious, the lustful escort followed Zoa into the room and shut the door.

Once in, Zoa noticed that Caden was being kissed all over by the nymphs. She took charge and said, "It's time to play a game!"

"Ooh!" Lola said, looking up from Caden's stomach. "I love games! What game is it?"

"It's called 'Who Has the Best Bottom?'" Zoa said. "All nymphs line up against the wall, bottoms out!"

Lola and the other two nymphs lined up against the wall with giggling glee.

"Now, disrobe!" Zoa ordered.

The three nymphs dropped their robes, exposing their bare backsides. Caden examined the bottoms, trying to decide which was the best one.

"What about you?" the escort said to Zoa.

"I ordered the game," Zoa said. "So I don't have to participate. Mr. Remke and I will judge the bottoms. We need a balanced judgement, don't you think?"

"I guess so," the escort said, staring at the nymphs' bare bottoms. "Am I going to judge, too?"

"No," Zoa said. "You will be judged."

"What?" the escort replied.

"You heard me," Zoa said. "Take off your clothes and get against the wall."

"Wait a minute," the escort said. "I don't stand a chance against those nymphs!"

"We don't know that!" Zoa said. "Take off your clothes and show us what you have! Perhaps you have the best bottom, and you just don't know it!"

"Oh well," the escort said. "I guess I'll have to take my gear off eventually."

Zoa watched in delight as the escort took of his light armor, gun, other gear, helmet, standard-issue jumpsuit, and boots. Completely naked, the escort went against the wall next to the nymphs, who looked at him and giggled.

"Hmmm, this is hard to judge!" Zoa said as she inched over to the escort's shed gear. "Don't you think, Mr. Remke?"

"Yeah!" Caden said. "The whole competition has been thrown into question."

Zoa quietly picked up the escort's jumpsuit, putting one foot gently in, then the other. She heard the door slide open a crack, and she dropped the jumpsuit. Glancing back at the door, Zoa saw that the other escort was peeking in curiously. When he noticed that Zoa saw him, the dutiful escort shut the door.

"We've got a winner!" Zoa said, walking up to the naked escort and slapping him on the bottom. "As your prize, you get this hot and willing woman."

Zoa took the redheaded nymph by the arm and placed her next to the naked escort. The escort began kissing the nymph, and they went to the bed. Zoa went over to the brunette with ponytails and whispered something in her ear. The nymph then went to the door, opened it, and pulled in the other escort.

The dutiful escort was reluctant at first, but he didn't stop the brunette nymph from taking off his gear and pulling him to the bed. As the lust began to break out, Lola went straight to Caden and began kissing him and taking off his clothes. Zoa took the chance to slip on the lustful escort's jumpsuit, boots, light armor, helmet, and gear.

Zoa took the silencer that was on the escort's belt and screwed it onto the escort's pistol. She walked over to the dutiful escort and pulled the nymph off of him, firing three shots into his belly. The lustful escort reacted, throwing the nymph off of him. Zoa shot him in the back, knocking him onto the floor. The nymphs screamed, running out of the room. Lola stayed, however, and the look on her face changed. It went from soft desperation to stone-cold malice.

Lola jumped on top of Zoa, grabbing the gun and trying to wrestle it away from her. Zoa was suprised by Lola's strength, and it was apparent to her that Lola was well-trained in combat. She was out of practice, however, and Zoa overpowered her, climbing on top of her and holding her down.

As the two women wrestled, Caden put took after Zoa's example and put on the other escort's jumpsuit and gear. He was barely finished suiting up when a guard came into the room, gun drawn and ready for action. Caden panicked, but then he acted without thinking.

"She went crazy!" Caden said, pointing at Lola. "She lured these two guards in here and shot them!"

The guard ran over to the female wrestle and helped Zoa. He put Lola's wrists in restraints, pulling her toward the doorway.

"Intruders!" Lola screamed. "She is the one who killed them!"

"She?" the guard said, not noticing that Zoa was a woman.

Zoa turned away from the guard, kneeling down and acting like she was hurt.

"Do you need help?" the guard said to Zoa.

Zoa shook her head.

"I'll take care of him," Caden said. "You get her to detainment right away!"

The guard took Lola out of the room as she kicked and screamed.

"Thanks," Zoa said, standing up and walking over to Caden. "That guard must've seen the nymphs run out of the room. The kill squad must be on their way to wipe us out."

"Kill squad?" Caden replied.

"Don't worry, I have an idea," Zoa said. "Follow me."

Caden followed Zoa out of the room and down the corridor.

"I saw a mess hall on the way to the room," Zoa said. "They have every square inch of this facility under surveillance. They're watching us right now. But I know what to do."

After running for a couple minutes, Zoa turned to a door and opened it. Caden followed Zoa into a mess hall full of dining guards. Zoa peeked her head out the door and saw the kill squad running down the corridor towards them.

"Caden!" Zoa whispered. "As loud as you can, call out, 'There's a bomb in this mess hall!' Got it?"

"Got it," Caden replied. Taking a deep breath, he called out, "There's a bomb in this mess hall! Everyone must evacuate immediately!"

There was a fuss at first, then everyone began getting up and running out of the mess hall.

"Run with it!" Zoa said, pulling Caden's arm.

Zoa and Caden went with the flow of people, which broke off in two directios. Zoa pulled Caden in the flow that went against the kill squad, running right past them in the confusion. The crowd went in a couple of different directions, and Zoa didn't know where to go. She just went with it.

After the panic disipated and the guards went back to their patrols, Zoa and Caden walked the facility undetected. To the surveillance, they looked like a pair of ordinary guards.

"Where are we going?" Caden whispered as they walked.

"I don't know," Zoa whispered. "I came in through the nymph's entrance. I don't think we can go back that way. Unless you want to dress up like a nymph."

"My tits aren't big enough," Caden said.

They wandered the facility, opening locked door with their key cards. Their security clearance was limited to a low level, but they still had more access as guards than they would otherwise.

A group of guards passed Caden and Zoa. One of the guards stopped and said, "Are you guys going to the testing?"

"The testing?" Caden replied.

"Yeah," the guard said. "You know, the mechanized soldier testing."

Zoa's interest was piqued instantly.

"It's ready for testing?" Caden replied, sounding like he knew his stuff. "Are they testing Aries?"

"Yeah," the guard said. "We have to go, come on! The first hundred soldiers there get to test it in a mock battle test."

"We're in!" Caden said. He and Zoa followed the soldiers.

They walked briskly down a couple corridors, down an elevator, and to a hangar. There was a large transport craft loading up with soldiers, and Caden and Zoa got in line.

"They're scanning IDs," Zoa whispered to Caden. "Get your ID out. It's hooked to your right hip."

Caden reached down and felt an ID card connected to a wire. He pulled it, getting it ready for scan. His belly got nervous as he got closer and closer to the transport craft. He was worried about Zoa, if the officers would notice that she was a woman. He looked at her face. Her helmet was drawn down to shade her eyes, and Caden was amazed how much like a man she looked. Granted, she looked like a pretty, feminine man, but she pulled it off.

Caden and Zoa passed the scanning without trouble and boarded the transport craft, sitting down. They continued to sit as the craft took off and headed out.

Caden looked around at the other soldiers as they sat. Zoa nudged Caden, and he looked over at her. She mouthed something, but Caden didn't know what she was saying. He put a confused look on his face, then she mouthed it again, slower. She mouthed, 'Bathroom.' Caden was a little confused at first, then realized what Zoa was implying.

Looking over at the soldier next to him, Caden said, "Excuse me?"

"Yeah?" the guard said.

"This is my first time on one of these things," Caden said. "Where is the bathroom?"

"Go over there," the soldier said, pointing to one end of the ship. "Go down that ladder and you'll find it."

"Thanks!" Caden said, getting up and walking over to the ladder.

Caden descended to the lower decks. He saw a passageway going to the engine room, and a door leading to the bathroom.

"Good idea, Zoa!" Caden said silently to himself. "I've been holding this in for a long time!"

As Caden urinated, he was interrupted by someone else.

"Occupied!" Caden said.

"It's me!" Zoa said, entering the crammed bathroom and closing the door. "Don't worry, I won't peek!"

Caden finished up and flushed, zipping up his jumpsuit. He turned around, coming face-to-face with Zoa. There was barely enough room for the both of them, and Caden could smell Zoa's breath. He'd never been this close to her.

"Caden?" Zoa said, looking in his eyes and then looking down at his nose.

"Yeah?" Caden said, swallowing.

"I just wanted to say thank you," Zoa said. "You've helped me out a lot! If it wasn't for you, I literally wouldn't be here, on my way to fight the robots. You know, Caden, I'm sorry for dragging you into all this."

"You don't have to apologize," Caden said.

"I know, but I want to," Zoa said. "I mean, I tore you away from everything you know and threw you into several life-endangering situations. I took you on a dangerous mission against your will and had the audacity to ask you to help me. I don't even know what I'm doing half the time, to tell you the truth. I just go out expecting the worst and hoping for the best. I go by my heart, and my heart has gotten me into a lot of trouble in the past."

Zoa paused, looking down. She took a deep breath and continued.

"After my cultural training was done in America, when I turned eighteen, I joined an independent band of warriors from Miria. They operated mostly in Canada, in the frozen north. The Priesthood of Shadow has a lot of secret bases in barren areas like the Yukon, Siberia, and Antarctica, and my band did small operations in the Yukon. They lived in the hoverjet that I now own. There were three of them, two guys and a girl. Both of the guys were all over me, but I didn't like either of them. One of them, Griff, was a total jackass. He was a badass fighter and a smart tactician, but he was an asshole. He thought I was attracted to him, but I wasn't attracted to him in the least. I'm pretty sure that's what started it. He resented me, and he was always starting stuff up with me. I couldn't contribute ideas to a mission, even if they were better than his ideas. Especially if they were better than his ideas. He treated me like crap. Of course the band wasn't going to break up over me, so they left America and went overseas somewhere. They left Nikol and I with the hoverjet. Nikol worked with me for a few months. That's how I met him."

"Yeah, he told me," Caden said.

"I tried to find another band," Zoa said. "But I found out that most of the Priesthood of Flame warriors and priests were leaving North America. They thought it was useless to fight in America, since most of the Priesthood of Shadow's operations are based there and the heat is too much.

"Well, I'm different I guess. I like heat. While others are hiding in caves and praying, I'm out fighting for what I believe. The sad thing is, there are fewer and fewer people like me all the time. A lot of Flame priests have decideed to hide out and wait for the Priesthood of Shadow to destroy itself. The thing I'm afraid of is, if the Priesthood of Shadow gets to the point where it might destroy itself, it will probably destroy the world first."

Zoa looked up into Caden's eyes, then looked away.

"I'm not quite sure what I'm going up against," Zoa said. "And I don't know how I'll beat it, but at least I'm doing something. Nikol said the best way to fight the Priesthood of Shadow is with ideas. He said that their greatest strength is their secrets, and that if you expose their secrets then they are vulnerable. I guess that's true for him, but I'm different. My mother was a priestess. She tried to teach priestcraft to me, but it just never worked for me. All I wanted to do was go outside and play. My little sister understood priestcraft and picked it up, but I wasn't born to be a priestess. I can't fight the Priesthood of Shadow with ideas because I have no grand ideas. All I have is action.

"When my band left me in America, Griff, that bastard, told me I should find some rich computer nerd to marry and pop out a few kids, because it would do more good in the end than fighting a battle I couldn't win." Zoa looked up at Caden and laughed, then continued. "But I'll fight until my last breath. If I can destroy one cog in the Priesthood of Shadow's machinery, then my life won't be in vain. And you've helped me get closer to that possibility than I ever have been. My parents taught me to never accept a gift or a favor without giving something in return. I don't really have a lot to give you, but ... "

Zoa looked around the bathroom nervously, biting her lip. She looked up at Caden, who was sweating already. Leaning in closer to Caden, Zoa tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes. Caden's body thrilled, and he closed his eyes just before Zoa's lips came into contact with his.

The door slid open, and a soldier looked in. Caden and Zoa pulled away from eachother.

"Oh, sorry!" the soldier said. "Don't ask, don't tell." He closed the door, embarrassed.

Caden and Zoa looked at eachother and laughed. They were both blushing.

"Well, we should get back," Zoa said. "I don't want them to suspect us."

Zoa turned to open the door, and Caden stopped her.

"Zoa?" Caden said.

"Yeah?" Zoa replied.

"Ummm ... I love you," Caden said. "I mean, not in the romantic way. It's just ... you're the most amazing person I've ever met, and I'm glad you kidnapped me. Meeting you is one of the best things that's ever happened to me. My whole view has changed. You've changed me, for the better I mean. I was so worried when they nabbed me at the diner that you had been captured or killed. When I saw you in the Nymph Hall, my whole world lit up again. I was so happy to see you again."

Zoa was silent. She looked down, and her eyes began to water. Then she hit Caden.

"Don't make me cry," she said, wiping her eyes. "Thanks, though. That means a lot to me. Come on, then. Let's go."

Zoa turned around and opened the door, walking out and wiping her eyes. Caden waited a little while before he walked out. He felt good. He wasn't disappointed that Zoa didn't say 'I love you' back. He knew that for once in his life he was giving love to someone without expecting anything back.

It was then that he knew the dark Master was wrong when he said there was no such thing as unconditional love. Caden knew this because he loved Zoa, and he didn't expect anything from her. At that moment, Caden realized the Priesthood of Shadow's biggest mistake. In their minds, love shrank when you gave it out, but it was the other way around. Caden realized that love grows when you give it away, and it shrinks when you hold it in.

The soldier waiting outside poked his head in the bathroom. "You can go now," he said. "Don't worry, I won't say anything."

"Thanks!" Caden said, smiling at his enemy.

Caden went back to the upper decks and took his seat next to Zoa. He felt so good sitting next to Zoa, like he'd never felt before. Although he was headed to danger and possibly death, he knew that he would be alright as long as Zoa was with him. He had never felt so alive in his whole life.

As they sat side-by-side, Zoa reached her hand down and grabbed Caden's hand. Her hand, though small, was rough and calloused against Caden's soft, unweathered skin. Caden turned and looked at Zoa. Her eyes were different that what Caden was used to. They weren't bright and fierce like they usually were, they were soft and fragile. It seemed to Caden like he'd stumbled upon the one soft spot in Zoa's eyes. The moment warmed Caden's soul. Zoa moved her lips, mouthing the words, 'I love you.' Caden smiled, and a single tear welled in his eye.

Zoa let go of Caden's hand, looking away from him. Caden looked away from Zoa after a few moments. Amidst the dangerous and extreme circumstances Caden found himself in, he felt completely safe. He felt invincible. He felt like he was ready to take on the entire Priesthood of Shadow by himself. Just sitting next to Zoa, not even touching her or looking at her, energized him. He was ready for battle, and he wasn't even a real soldier.

After an hour of flight, the transport craft landed in a remote desert base. Caden wasn't sure where he was, or even which continent he was on. He guessed he was somewhere near the equator, because when he and Zoa stepped out of the craft they were hit with a very hot, dry wind. The base was large and expansive, with many unseen levels underground. Zoa and Caden, along with the other soldiers, filed into a large truck which took them twenty minutes outside the base to a vast, terraformed battle test field. There were sloped and trenches dug out of the ground, boulders and walls placed around. There were two forts, one on either side of the field. It looked like a large paintball course. As the truck approaced the battle test field, Zoa eagerly looked for the robots. She didn't see any. She was more nervous than she ever had been. When the truck arrived at the battle test field, the soldiers were lined up and briefed on the test by an officer.

"Listen up, men!" the officer shouted to the lined-up soldiers, of whom Zoa and Caden were two. "The purpose of this battle test is to run our newly-developed mechanical soldiers against live infantry. That's right. You're fighting robots today, men!"

A wave of murmurs swept across the soldiers.

"Be quiet!" the officer ordered. "These aren't just life-sized G.I. Joes, men! These are the most advanced robots in the world, running the most advanced battle AI in the world! These are terminators! They are cold, ruthless, and efficient! They do not get tired, and they have no fear! They are designed to kill quickly and efficiently, so you must be on the top of your game when facing them!"

"Is this a live ammo test?" the soldier next to Caden whispered.

"I don't think so," Caden whispered.

"This is a dummy ammo test, men!" the officer shouted. "We will be using high-density chalk rounds. They are generally non-fatal, but you must keep your helmets and masks on. A shot to the face or head could injur or possibly kill you! Be careful and don't be stupid! Anyone horsing around and shooting anyone else will be removed from the test and disciplined! Be safe, be smart, and the test will go just fine!

"This is single elimination, men! If you get shot anywhere on your body, you are out. The chalk rounds will leave a pink mark on you. Anyone running around with chalk marks will be removed from the test and disciplined! When you are hit, hold your gun over your head and return here. The robots are programmed to not shoot anyone who is holding their gun over their head. However, if you hold your gun over your head before you are hit, for tactical advantage, you will be removed from the test and disciplined. This test is being surveilled and recorded from thirty-five different cameras, so we will see if anyone is breaking the rules. You will partner off and proceed to the red fort, where you will recieve arms and gear!"

When Zoa heard the officer say 'Partner up,' she grabbed Caden's arm and didn't let go.d

"Move out, men!" the officer commanded. "If you do not choose a partner, we will assign one to you!"

Zoa and Caden followed the flow of men as they jogged toward the red side of the battle test field. They stayed close to eachother, and Zoa kept a casual grip on Caden's belt. The jog to the red fort took Caden out of breath, and he had to sit down when they got there. Every soldier was assigned an automatic rifle, some clips, a helmet with clear face mask and throat guard, and a protective cup. Zoa could barely hold in her laughter as she put on her cup.

After every soldier was armed, geared, and partnered, they formed ranks inside the red fort for a final briefing.

"This is a tag match, men!" the officer said. "The robots are operating under the same rules as you are. When they are hit, they will hold up their gun and walked back to the blue fort. If anybody shoots a robot with its gun held up, they will be removed from the test and disciplined."

At this point, Zoa was wondering what 'being disciplined' entailed. She wasn't about to find out, though, even though she hated playing by the rules.

"When either all the robots, or all of  you have been tagged, the match is over!" the officer said. "You will be return to the base and wait for the other groups to finish their test. You only have one shot at these robots, so give them hell!"

The soldiers cheered, holding their guns up in the air. One of the rifles went off, peppering the ceiling of the fort with pink chalk. The soldier who accidentally fired was removed from the test and disciplined.

As the test commenced, the soldiers went out onto the field with lethal intentions and anxious expectations. Caden and Zoa quickly left the group and went off on their own path.

"Damned that they're surveilling this test," Zoa said once they were on their own. "I mean, it makes sense that they would, but that makes it ten times harder for me. Okay, I'll take point and you cover me. So, keep an eye on the rear and sides, and I'll focus on the front."

"Okay," Caden replied.

"Is your safety on?" Zoa asked.

"I don't know," Caden said, examining his rifle.

Zoa stopped, reached back, and clicked the safety off on Caden's rifle.

"Thanks," Caden said.

There were gunshots in the distance, and Caden jumped.

"Don't be stupid, Caden!" Zoa said. "We're not here to go balls-out and shoot a bunch of robots. We're here to see how they fight. Just follow me and don't get shot!"

"I'll try not to," Caden said.

"There must be a sniper tower somewhere," Zoa said. "If we can find one, then we can watch the battle from a safe distance. I wonder how accurate these rifles are at a distance."

Zoa found a trench and jumped down into it, Caden following.

"These boots are hurting my feet!" Caden said.

"Deal with it!" Zoa said. "Focus on the mission."

"Sorry," Caden replied.

There were more gunshots in the distance. The shots continued for a few minutes as Zoa and Caden walked cautiously through the trench.

"I can hear more gunfire coming from the human side," Zoa said. "The robots are probably more efficient with their shots."

"Aries' aiming capabilities are impeccable!" Caden said proudly.

Zoa looked back at Caden with a sour expression on her face. Caden apologized with his eyes.

"Does Aries have any weaknesses?" Zoa asked as she continued on.

"She had lots of bugs, but they were all corrected," Caden said. "I programmed her with flaws, like fatigue, just to make her more realistic. But if they're going to use her for world domination, I'm sure they took all her flaws away."

"She?" Zoa replied. "It's a girl?"

"Well, technically Aries has no gender," Caden said. "But I always pictured her as a girl."

"Interesting," Zoa said. "I saw Aries as a man. To tell you the truth, I pictured Maryx in my head when I was fighting it in simulation. There's a sniper tower!"

Zoa peeked her head out of the trench, looking around for any robots. There were none.

"Follow me!" Zoa said. "We're going to climb that sniper tower. Put your rifle around your back while you climb. Let's go!"

Zoa climbed out of the trench, Caden following, and they both ran to the sniper tower, climbing up the ladder to the nest above. In the corner of the nest was a tripod with something that looked like a telescope attached to it.

"Sweet, a scope!" Zoa said. "Alright, Caden. You keep an eye on the ladder. If you see anything, shoot. I'll look around for these metal bastards!"

Caden kept his gun aimed down the ladder as Zoa pulled the tripod over to one of the windows. She got on one knee, looking out through the scope and adjusting it. She looked around the field for any sign of movement. She saw a few soldiers walking toward the red fort with their guns over their heads. She followed their trail back, seeing more soldiers with their guns up.

"Either the robots are really good ... " Zoa said. "Or these soldiers really suck."

Zoa followed the trail of defeated soldiers through the scope. She saw a soldier still in combat, firing at an unseen enemy. He was hit, and a burst of pink dust flew off of him. Noticeably expressing his anger, the soldier fired more shots at the unseen robot. He was pelted by a few more shots before he surrendered and put up his gun.

"These robots seem real good," Zoa said with spiteful admiration. "But I haven't even seen one yet."

"That's how good they are," Caden said. "Aries was programmed to not only fight, but stay alive. She's very good at hiding and using the terrain to her advantage."

"She seems like a real bitch!" Zoa said. "I'm sure they're equipped with heat sensors, so they can probably see a human even if they're hiding. Dammit, Caden! Why did you have to program these killing machines?"

"I'm sorry!" Caden said. "I didn't know!"

Zoa felt a jolt of intuition, and she fell to the floor. A bullet flew in through the window and popped against the wall. Caden dodged away after the fact, then crawled back over to the ladder.

"They know we're here," Zoa said. "Don't take your eye off of that ladder! If you see anything move, just squeeze the trigger."

"Alright," Caden said, focusing his energy on the ladder.

Zoa crept over to the corner, pointing her gun at the window. She knew that she couldn't look out the window again. The scope was useless now. Caden watched stared down the ladder. His heart was racing, and his forehead was covered with sweat. He wasn't so worried about getting shot by the robots. He was worried about what would happen when they returned to the base. He assumed Zoa wasn't worried. She didn't seem to think at all about the future, being only concerned about the living moment.

Zoa reached out her foot and kicked the tripod away from the window. She rolled across the floor, under the window the other corner. Bending over as much as she could without exposing herself in the window, Zoa reached out and grabbed the tripod by one of its legs. Pulling the tripod over to herself, Zoa gripped it by the axis and threw it out the window. When she heard shots being fired, Zoa leapt across the nest, firing out the window as she passed. She landed and rolled against the wall, getting back into a squatting position.

"I hit one of them," Zoa said. "I'm sure there are more out there. They're probably surrounding us."

On a hunch, Zoa pointed her gun at the window behind Caden. She waited for something to happen, and nothing did.

"Did you hear that?" Caden said.

Suddenly, an arm reached up into the window, holding a rifle.

"Get on the ladder!" Zoa said to Caden.

Without thinking, Caden rolled out of the nest and fell out, grabbing onto the ladder just as the intruding rifle fired a spray of rounds into the nest.

Zoa stayed where she was, as chalk rounds colored the walls and floor beside her. Keeping here aim steady, Zoa waited. Then she saw its head and fired. She only saw the robot's face for a moment. Its design was very simple -- a plain gray with two eyes and two ears. No mouth, no voice. It recieved two chalk rounds to the head before it fell to the ground below.

Zoa dove over to the ladder, reaching down and pulling Caden up. A spray of chalk rounds dusted the ladder beneath him as he ascended, and one of the chalk rounds hit his boot.

"Damn it!" Caden said after he was in the nest. "He hit me!"

"Only on your boot!" Zoa replied.

"The officer said that if we are hit anywhere on our body, we have to surrender and return to the fort!" Caden said.

"Take off your boot, then!" Zoa replied.

"What am I supposed to wear?" Caden said. "My feet will get torn up!"

"Would you rather hurt your feet, or go back and be at the Priesthood of Shadow's whim?" Zoa asked.

"You're right," Caden said. "But isn't there some way we can cover it up?"

"I have an idea," Zoa said. "But we have to get out of this sniper tower first. Get back to the ladder."

Zoa got up and dashed for the window behind Caden. She climbed out through the window, slinging her rifle onto her back and pulling herself onto the roof of the sniper tower. Grabbing her rifle in one hand, she crawled to the peak of the pyramidal roof, looking over the top. She noticed a dark figure running through a trench toward the sniper tower. Settling onto her elbows and aiming her rifle, Zoa fired at the figure. The figure disappeared in a cloud of pink dust, then she saw its rifle go up into the air.

At that moment, Zoa heard a wrustling behind her and rolled over the peak of the roof as it was shot with chalk rounds. Zoa panicked as she lost her grip on the roof and slid off of it. She grabbed onto the side of the roof, saving herself from the fall, but she lost hold of her rifle. It fell, and she shot out her foot, catching the rifle's strap with her toe. Her legs hung in front of a window, and she swung her rifle into the nest. Letting go of the roof, she fell just enough to catch her arms in the window. She dug her boots into the side of the nest, pushing herself inside.

"We're surrounded!" Zoa said. "For some reason they're converging on us. I haven't heard any other gunfire for a while, so maybe all the other soldiers were tagged. Just keep your eye on that ladder. You haven't seen any?"

"No," Caden said, keeping his focus on the ladder. "They're smarter than that, I guess. Aries is a learning program. The longer you fight her, the better she gets. I'm sure this isn't the first time they've tested the robots on this field."

"I wanted to get to the blue fort," Zoa said. "But that doesn't look like a possibility before. I saw a foxhole about fifty yards east of here, so we could go there if you still want to take care of that boot. There's a trench that goes right by it."

"I guess so," Caden said. "What's your plan after this test is over?"

"I don't have one," Zoa said. "I was just gonna figure it out when we got there. But I don't want us to get seperated. If they take you back before me, that would be bad. I can handle myself, but I don't think you could handle yourself. No offense."

"None taken," Caden said. "I feel the same way."

"It's too quiet now," Zoa said. "What the hell are the robots doing?"

"They must be strategizing," Caden said. "We ran tests with multiple Aries programs running simultaneously, and she's programmed to devise group strategy. They must be trapping us in a checkmate."

"What, so no matter what move we make, we're dead?" Zoa replied.

"Basically," Caden said. "They can wait us out, too. They have all the patience in the universe."

"But Aries is programmed to be efficient on the battlefield, right?" Zoa asked.

"Yes, she is," Caden replied.

"Then she doesn't want to waste time, does she?" Zoa said. "They'll probably send a rabbit in."

"A rabbit?" Caden said, confused.

"Not a real rabbit," Zoa said. "A rabbit is when you send someone in to force your enemy to move, so that you can make your move on them. Usually when you send a rabbit in, you pick the least valuable soldier, but if they're all equal they won't care who they send in. Individual identity is literally non-existant to them."

"You're right," Caden said. "So, what are we gonna do?"

"I'm not too sure," Zoa said. "But I have an idea. They definately won't use the ladder, the tactical advantage is too high for us. They'll use one of the windows. The question is, which one. Have you ever slid down a ladder before, Caden?"

"Slid down a ladder?" Caden replied. "No."

"It's easy," Zoa said. "It's like sliding down a pole. Just put your feet on the outside, grip it with your hands and slide. When I give you the word, slide down the ladder."

"Okay," Caden said, tightening his grip on the rifle. A drop of his sweat fell off of his forehead and splattered on the face shield.

Zoa listened carefully to the silence, trying to hear any shred of sound. She heard the wind blowing over the battle test field, but no other sound.

They'll come up behind me, Zoa thought. They'll shoot me and then hit Caden. They're close enough, they can sense our body heat and know where we are in the nest. One of them is climbing up behind me right now.

Zoa heard a creak, and turned around. She saw the barrel of a rifle peek into the window, and she grabbed it. Pulling on the barrel of the rifle, Zoa saw the robot's arm long enough to fire a round onto it. Her face shield was dusted with pink chalk, and she wiped it off. Slinging her rifle onto her back, she grabbed the robot's arm with both hands and pulled it until the robot's head and shoulders were in the window.

"Now, slide!" Zoa exclaimed, grabbing the robot by its armpits and jumping out the window.

Caden nervously slung his rifle onto his back and jumped down onto the ladder, sliding down it. As the rungs quickly passed in front of his face, he saw the flash of gunfire from a trench. The ladder was hit by popping chalk rounds, protecting Caden from fire.

Zoa fell through the air, holding the robot in front of her as its body was hit by chalk rounds. Bringing her feet up, Zoa put them on the robot's knees just before it hit the ground. With the impact, Zoa pushed off of the robot's knees, springing back. She drew her rifle mid-air in time to see the robot firing at her. She squeezed the trigger, hitting firing robot with a barrage of chalk rounds. She landed and scanned the landscape for any other robots.

As Caden slid down the ladder, his rifle got caught in a rung. The strap caught on his armpit and stopped him from sliding any further. Since the robot who was shooting at him anticipated his movement, it continued to fire down the ladder. The chalk rounds from the robot's gun when between Caden's legs, missing him. Reaching up for the rifle, Caden accidentally squeezed the trigger. The rifle fired, dislodging itself from the ladder and subsequently hitting the robot with a lucky shot. Caden fell off the ladder and landed hard on the ground.

Without speaking, Zoa grabbed Caden by the arm and drug him into the trench as the ground was hit by chalk rounds from another robot. When they were down in the trench, Zoa took a canteen from her belt and opened it, pouring the contents onto the ground.

"Stamp your foot in the water!" Zoa said. "Muddy up your boot, and they won't see the chalk!"

"Gotcha!" Caden said, putting his chalky foot in the water and twisting it back and forth. Caden's boot mixed the dirt with the water, making mud.