"We take on poachers in Africa tomorrow, but I stress that there must be no casualties. Nikoli, you will be in reserve, these are normal humans we face. We must deliver them unharmed to the World Court. I’m sorry if I sound harsh, Niki, but we’ll not be smashing down any walls this time. You’re far too strong for this mission. If however, they resist too much, you can try out your tremor trick on them.”

Nikoli smiled sheepishly and nodded his agreement. David continued,

“Theo, you have monitor duty until 0400 hours, then Steven will relieve you. Nikoli, grab some food and some sleep. Good night,” he finished dismissively. Nikoli and David exited the conference room and left Theo to his own thoughts.

It was nine am on Friday April Third, when Greg woke and sensed the sleeping presence in his mind. It was a glorious feeling, knowing that he could never wake up alone or unhappy again, not as long as she was with him. He thanked the universe and Professor Saber again for granting him this extraordinary gift. He felt her begin to awaken and sent his love in feelings rather than words. He felt her happiness and love wash over him in return.

she yawned.

she thought lazily.

he hesitated, searching for the right word,

he completed the thought.

They got out of the bed and went to the washroom. After showering, he let Trish practice shaving their face. Refreshed, they dressed and headed into the kitchen for breakfast. Trish spoke up almost hesitantly.

he prompted.

She sounded genuinely mystified.

Greg deftly handled his answer.

she began again but trailed off in continued puzzlement.

Greg mused.

Trish interrupted him suddenly.

she sounded slightly panicked, the fear evident in her voice. She was terrified of what his answer might be, but needed to know just the same.

he consoled her. She sniffled.

she pleaded.

Greg felt her wordless relief and love. He decided to change the subject.

he expertly changed tack and they headed to the kitchen terminal and logged in. Sure enough there were the instructions for the event waiting in the inbox. Most of the document contained tips on protocol and decorum. Greg was mightily amused by that.

he thought facetiously and it was wonderful to hear her giggle in his mind. The only important instruction was on the dress code, the rest was bureaucratic nonsense. They responded to the read request and logged off.

Trish remarked wryly and that made Greg laugh aloud.

she shot back.

He was more serious now.

she suggested. They stood and headed for the bedroom. Greg got out of his sweats and started to pull on the… the… what was he going to call this thing?

Trish piped up.

He felt her blush with his praise.

she answered proudly. He finished getting the suit on and activated it. It grew snug and form fitting. Then he pulled on the gloves.

he said,

he explained.

They walked to the lab and Greg touched one of the stand-alone PCs he had there. He focussed on it and it booted up. Well that worked, but testing for flesh-to-flesh contact would have to wait. Greg moved to the supply of cloth he had made and cut the shapes for two halves of a ski mask that would fit over the neckpiece of the ACM. He laid first one-half, then the other into place and had the bugs wire them in. Finally, he had the ACM connect the new pieces to itself. It worked like a charm, but he suddenly realized he couldn’t breathe.

he chided himself. He breathed in deeply

Greg said snapping his fingers. He picked up a long narrow scrap of cloth and placed it over his eyes. This time the nanomechs wired it in without waiting.

she surmised.

Greg was impressed.

Trish responded.

He concentrated and the dark spaces before his eyes seemed to disappear. He had an afterthought and created nose filters. They walked back to the mirror and he heard Trish gasp. The figure in the mirror was completely covered in the black matte suit.

Now it was her turn to be impressed. She clapped their hands. Greg heard nothing.

She concentrated and then clapped again. This time he heard it clear as a bell. Greg concentrated and discovered her addition to the suit design.

he asked.

she said.

he smiled.

Greg held his hand up and concentrated. The glove writhed and then peeled back to join with the rest of the ACM. He tried the same with the other hand and then with the headgear.

Greg observed.

she smiled.

“Genius, sure,” he grunted aloud, “I just wish I understood half of what I’ve created!”

Trish wisely kept her opinions to herself.

They settled on jeans, a flannel shirt and a parka with snow boots, and the ACM preformed flawlessly. An hour later, after a stop at the post office to pick up the official invitation, Greg dropped off the Rover at the local auto-detailing establishment. He left instructions for a complete and thorough cleaning, inside and out as well as a polymer wax and buff. He tipped heavily and was told to pick up the truck at 5:30. They walked to the Value Village again where Greg picked out a used topcoat that would go with a tuxedo. They dropped the coat off at the drycleaner for one-hour service and went to the Boston Restaurant for a late lunch. They ordered the ‘dinner for six’ and had a cup of green tea while they waited. Greg chuckled inwardly.

she reminded him.

he explained.

She was distracted by the arrival of plate upon plate and startled by the amount of food piled up before them.

she wondered.

he explained rationally.

Trish commended him. The television in the corner of the restaurant caught their eye and they focused their hearing on it. It was a newsflash on the delivery of forty poachers and their dealers to the World Court in The Hague.

“…-orty men, mostly native Africans. The real coup was the delivery of the men who paid the poachers for their grisly prizes. In a surprise decision, the data and eyewitness video of the member of The SIX known as Watcher is to be allowed as evidence. The decision was 9 to 3 in favour with one abstention from the United States’ judge. We’ll have more on this story as it unfolds. Gareth Dobson, GNN.”

Greg looked away. He was glad something was finally being done about the poaching of endangered species and he was glad that The SIX were doing it, but he was troubled by the court’s decision. It should have been unanimous. However, with three against and an abstention, it seemed to fit uncomfortably into the patterns of control they had seen emerging of late.

he asked her.

Trish replied.

he persisted.

Trish sighed.

she probed.

Greg was startled by her vehemence and had to think about it for a moment.

Trish heaved an even deeper sigh.

she finished solemnly,

They finished their meal and signalled for the check. Trish was fascinated by the fortune cookies. She read them all with unabashed interest.

she observed. Greg raised an eyebrow,

he told her, exposing the long held ‘ancient Chinese secret’. They were startled by a flash and looked up to see that the owner had taken his picture. The man ran to his office and came back shortly with a print of the picture and a marker.

“Please, will you sign this for our celebrity wall?” he said as he pushed the print and the pen towards Greg.

“Uh, sure thing,” Greg managed and for a brief second he considered signing the picture ‘To Wong Foo, thanks for everything, Julie Newmar’ but he resisted the impulse. Trish sniggered. Instead, he signed the photo normally and handed it back. The man thanked him and took his bankcard to the register. Greg checked the time and saw it was a 5:15. He paid for the meal and thanked the owner and the server, who was still staring at him in amazement. He winked at her and she jumped slightly and giggled nervously.

They picked up the coat at the cleaners and went to see about the car. The shop had done a wonderful job and the forest green of the Discovery gleamed and shone in the late afternoon sunlight. Greg settled the bill and went to the gas station he had as a research partner on the fuel project. They topped up the ethanol and the fuel cells and checked the lubricants. When Greg judged that everything was perfect, they drove on in the general direction of the Mayor’s house. After a leisurely drive, they pulled off the road about 5 kilometres from their destination. Greg willed the ACM into the form of the tuxedo he had conjured up a few days earlier and then put on the topcoat. He glanced at himself in the mirror and shuddered.

he fretted. Trish concentrated for a moment,

Greg looked again and now appeared clean-shaven. He finger combed his hair and sat down at the wheel again. They drove the last 5 kilometres and arrived in the driveway that led to the Mayor's residence. There was a valet present and he directed Greg to park in a spot not too far from the doors, under a powerful light. So the Mayor was going to display the truck, was she? He was glad he’d had the detailing done, but made a mental note to present the bill to the Mayor's protocol office. He made his way to the door and entered. An aide bustled over, took Greg's invitation and coat, and disappeared just as quickly as he’d appeared. Greg turned and saw Sophie zeroing in on him from the main room.

“Greg Dearest,” the Mayor gushed, “so wonderful of you to come tonight. My and don't you look sharp. Who would have guessed you’d clean up so nicely? And I see you've brought your lovely truck as well, is it under the lights?” she pushed.

“It’s wonderful to be here Madame Mayor. Yes, the truck is under the lights, and it’s a good thing I thought to have it cleaned. Will I be outside with it most of the night or will we all have a look at it as a group?” he grinned maliciously.

“Silly boy, we'll all have a look at it after dinner. Meanwhile, let’s get you a drink and introduce you around. I notice you're here stag. You didn't bring young Miss Saber with you?”

Trish giggled.

Greg admonished her.

“Word certainly travels quickly it seems, Madame Mayor. Ms. Saber is back at the AERI familiarising herself with the equipment and my current research. Truth be told, I did not even think to bring her. I suppose I have lived alone far too long to be up on all the social niceties,” Greg replied smoothly.

They approached the bar and Greg ordered a vodka martini. He felt it went well with the tuxedo. Trish blew a mental raspberry at him. The Mayor started him around the room, introducing him to her family and staff. They stored relevant patterns and moved on. She then introduced him to some government people who seemed to be watching the mayor and her people fairly closely.

Greg surmised.

He shook hands with them while Trish scanned for an open internet port.

she reported.

“Pleased to meet you Monsieur DeLongiles, Mr. Johnson. What do you do when you're not at a party?” Greg greeted the men.

“Monsieur Johnson and I are consultants in Ottawa, and you run the Alternative Energy Research Institute, if I'm not mistaken, Monsieur Howard? An interesting occupation for just one man. Do you wish to change the world all at once or a small piece at a time?” the gentleman responded in turn.

“Not all at once certainly, and certainly not alone either. I have recently acquired the assistance of a bright young woman to aide me in my researches. However, aside from that, I believe that many people around the country and the world will want what I can give them,” he replied. DeLongiles raised an eyebrow.

“Give, Doctor Howard? You do not wish to profit from your work?” he sounded shocked.

“Give, Monsieur DeLongiles. I make about 10 percent in royalties from my current patents and now I would like to give the gift of free electricity to the world as Nicola Tesla once had wished to. Corporations thwarted him then, however, I do not plan to be thwarted now. I will start here in Parry Sound and then offer my designs and hybrid construction techniques to any town or city that wishes them. The wind is free and so are my designs, Greg finished defiantly.

DeLongiles exchanged a long glance with Johnson and then made polite noises as they moved off into the crowd. Sophie introduced him to several other minor functionaries and dignitaries and then dinner was announced.

They were seated at a long table with Greg to the Mayor's right and several place settings down. He glanced around and noted that though Mr. Johnson was at the table, Monsieur DeLongiles was not to be seen.

she assured him,

Greg made polite conversation with the young woman seated across from him until the salad course was finished. The main course of Broiled Caribou with Parisienne Potatoes and Candied Yam was served and suddenly conversation was directed at him from an unexpected source. A woman he had not yet met and who was seated to the left of the Mayor spoke up.

“I overheard most of your comments about free energy, Professor Howard. Most compelling but you’ve seemed to upset Monsieur DeLongiles’ appetite significantly.”

“Well, it was certainly not my intention to do so, Miss?” Sophie rescued him.

“I'm sorry, Gregory, this is Ms. Natalia Ravensclaw of Austria. She is here visiting my daughter. They met while skiing in Whistler, I believe.”

“It is indeed a pleasure to meet you Ms. Ravensclaw,” Greg smiled. “As I was saying, M. DeLongiles seemed to object to the concept of my wanting to supply free electricity to the public. He also seemed to object to the fact that I was not that interested in acquiring a large profit. I found that disturbing and I'm afraid it aroused my ire slightly,” Greg continued unperturbed.

“How very interesting. Do you not believe in the idea of profit?” Natalia asked slyly.

“What I don't believe in Ms. Ravensclaw,” he countered, “is the concept of profit to the exclusion of all other considerations. That's simply greed and I believe it will prove fatal for our planet and our race, in the end.”

Greg instructed.

Trish was all business now and Greg felt somehow safer for that fact. Natalia coyly continued,

“Then you approve of the recent actions of these so called ‘heroes’ in Sudbury?”

“I'm afraid I don’t have all the facts behind the actions of The SIX, Ms. Ravensclaw,” Greg stated. “However, I did make particular note of the fact that the corporations pulled out of the town immediately after they saw their profit margins had disappeared. Meanwhile, The SIX remained behind to deliver aide and food to the residents of the town that had been beggared by the companies’ abandonment. Do you not agree that the corporations might have stayed behind to help the town out that had helped their bottom lines for so many years, Ms. Ravensclaw?” Greg asked pointedly.

“To what end, Professor?” the woman inquired brightly.

“Well, if for nothing else, the press spin and the free PR, to make themselves look like victims, valiantly helping the community in need,” Greg offered sincerely. “Instead, they managed to make themselves look exactly like the heartless moneygrubbers they truly are. What The Six did was extreme, hot-headed and, as it turned out, the wrong action. However, what the corporate interests did was criminal.” There was an expectant hush around the table as the guests waited to see how Natalia would respond.

“A very interesting take sir,” she responded after a pause. “You seem to have lived up to your title, Professor. You have given me much to think about. Touché.”

“Thank you Ms. Ravensclaw, however, if I may correct you on a point?” he suggested.

“Please do, Sir,” Natalia obliged.

“Well, several times now, you have referred to me as Professor. Unfortunately, though I do hold several doctorates, I'm not tenured at any University or College. It's my rather combative style, I'm afraid. If you still wish to address me formally, Doctor Howard is fine, although I'd prefer Greg,” he demurred politely. There was a smattering of applause around the table.

“Certainly Greg, but only if you’ll call me Natalia,” she parried deftly and smiled a Julia Roberts smile, 1500 kW at the very least. The dinner conversation quickly turned to less touchy subjects and the rest of the meal passed pleasantly, if uneventfully enough. After coffee had been served, the Mayor called for everyone's attention.

“Excuse me please, for those of you who wish to join us, Doctor Howard will show us his marvellous vehicle and attempt to explain it to those of us who aren't holding several doctorates,” Sophie attempted some humour. There were polite chuckles at that and Greg just smiled.

“I'll try to be as entertaining as I was at dinner, your Honour,” he grinned. “Natalia, will you accompany me? That is, if this is of any interest to you,” Greg stood and extended his crooked arm.

snickered Trish.

Greg responded.

Natalia stood and accepted Greg's arm. They collected their outer garments from the checkroom and while he was assisting her with her mink, he brushed her hand, seemingly accidentally.

Trish crowed.

The bulk of the party guests trooped outside after them and Greg opened all of the doors, access ports and the hood. He cleared his throat and fell into lecture mode.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, as you can see, the chassis of the vehicle is that of an ordinary internal combustion driven truck. If you look though, there is a secondary engine connected to the transmission. There, just behind the driveshaft but before the gearbox,” Greg pointed it out to the gathered crowd. “That’s the high torque electric motor and generator. It runs off 8 hydrogen fuel cells that are stowed under the cargo area. They generate enough energy to drive the truck at 80 kilometres per hour. There are also two standard industrial Ni-Cad rechargeable batteries there as well, to store the electricity generated by the regenerative braking system as well as the ethanol engine, when it's in use.”

“Excuse me Doctor, am I understanding you correctly? This truck generates so much extra power that you have to have a battery storage system as well?”

“That's correct Mr… Johnson, was it? You could probably run the ethanol tank flat, the fuel cells as well, and you would still have enough power to split water into catalysts for the fuel cells. Not the most ideal situation, mind you, but a good thing to know, nevertheless.” There were impressed murmurs all around.

Greg glanced around the crowd.

Trish wondered.

Greg speculated.

Trish replied.

Greg looked about again as Natalia raised her hand.

“Yes Natalia?” Greg indicated her with a nod in her direction.

“Does a vehicle have to be this large for the conversion to work?” she asked innocently.

“Not at all. I chose this vehicle out of necessity, before I moved to the Georgian Bay area. I used to drive a Mazda Miata. Totally useless for winter around here though. It also has the conversion, but I only get to drive it for between 6 and 8 weeks during the summer. It performs marvellously though. It seems the lighter the car, the less dependence on the ethanol engine.” Natalia seemed fascinated, so he continued,

“What I'd really love to try converting is one of those high-powered European cars and then trying the roads there, in Europe, I mean. I do love driving. It’s probably the main reason I got started in the alternative energy field,” he said grinning widely.

he commented. Natalia raised an elegant eyebrow.

“Really, Dr. Howard why is that?” she sought more deeply.

“I couldn't afford the gas and the city’s pollution was literally killing me. I knew I couldn't keep driving and contributing to my own demise, so I took a chance and came up here. The cleaner air helped to heal my lungs and clear my mind. It took me close to seven years, but then I finally made the breakthrough that allowed the three very different technologies to work together. That's the regenerative gearbox. It made the truck more than efficient, it made it truly effective,” he finished proudly. As most of the other guests began trickling inside for warmer climes, he soon found himself alone with the young woman.

“Would you give me a ride Doctor? I mean Greg?” she purred.

declared Trish.

Greg reproached her.

“I'd be delighted Natalia, if you're sure our hostess won't mind.”

“I'll ask… you just get the chariot ready.” She grinned and ran towards the house. Greg shut all of the access panels and was closing down the hood when he thought he felt something on the back of his head.

she proclaimed. Greg whirled on his right leg as the left caught their would be assailant in the jaw. His attacker went down like a sack of concrete and stayed there. They picked him up and Greg touched his neck to find a pulse. Trish absorbed his patterns and scanned him for future reference. They deposited him in the underbrush to sleep off the roundhouse kick Trish had delivered. The blackjack was hurled into the bay where it went through the ice and sank. They dusted off their hands and got back to the truck just as Natalia was approaching. She glanced around and cocked an eyebrow.

“Is something wrong, Greg?”

“Not a thing Natalia, I just wanted to see the stars by the Bay. Mayor Wallace has a beautiful piece of the planet here,” he observed nonchalantly. They drove off towards a rest area that overlooked the Sound, where they could share the view. Natalia snuggled closer as they watched the night sky together, the three of them.

Greg commiserated.

“You have a very passionate and poetic soul Greg,” Natalia attempted to play to his ego.

“Thank you, Natalia. You can’t live as close to nature as I do without becoming somewhat poetic. As to the passion, most would call it bull-headed stubbornness. I see something that needs to be done and I work at it until it's done, it’s that simple,” he responded logically.

“Well, I've always heard that real genius is accompanied by raw passion. Let's see if that's true,” she continued enticingly. Natalia leaned in and kissed him so suddenly, he almost panicked. Then he remembered what he was doing and leaned in closer to the kiss.

Trish surprised herself with her reaction. He felt her excitement.

Greg stepped up the kiss and let Natalia think he was responding. She broke it off and looked him in the eye.

“Passion, I was right,” she smiled sexily.

“So now what?” he asked with a crooked smile. “Or was that just an experiment on the poor ol’ doctor?”

“Well Doc, there is a motel just down the road from here, that is, if you’re up for further experimentation?” she replied archly. “Anyone wanna play ‘doctor’?”

They drove to the motel and he parked while she got a room. He went to the attached restaurant and bought a bottle of white wine. The bartender opened it and then placed the cork back in the neck. He saw her waiting outside the office and walked towards her. He swept her into his free arm and kissed her with a fire he hadn’t realized was building. He was quickly becoming unsure of whose lust he was responding to, his or Trisha’s.

he considered.

Trish responded eagerly to the game.

Greg panicked at the thought.

Trish rescued him. They finally made it to the room and Natalia kissed Greg once more and went into the washroom, he poured two glasses of the wine and started to undress. The clothing remained as it appeared to be. He was just folding his pants over the back of the chair when she came out of the bath. He looked at her and noticed that she looked like a young Sophie Marceau in the soft light. She was naked but her confidence had not dimmed in the least. He took her the wine he had poured and kissed her again. He felt his shorts heading south and now stood naked before Natalia.

They had sex. It was not tender, it definitely was not making love, it was sex, pure and raw. She was using him as much for her own purposes as he was using her. The passion was there, but it was empty, hollow. It just seemed to be a competition for Natalia. Who would exhaust first, who would be left standing? Greg however had an unfair advantage. 7 months ago, this would have killed him, now he just kept driving. He frowned inwardly.

he concluded.

he wondered.

Trish suggested.

he agreed.

Natalia suddenly switched positions and Greg found himself on the bottom of the equation.

Greg surrendered. He quickened his breathing and Trish triggered their orgasm. Natalia felt him spend and then let herself orgasm. She lay down atop him and looked into his eyes. She was startled when she realized that,

‘It wasn't there!’ she thought furiously to herself. The look she'd come to know so well was absent from his eyes. He was strong. Most men's wills would collapse completely and leave them putty in her hands. The Doctor was proving to be a true challenge, in more ways than one. Greg kissed her forehead and disengaged from her gently. Glancing at the clock he noted that more than 3 hours had passed since this tryst had begun. He took a sip of wine and spoke up.

“I think we should make a token appearance back at the party. However, this is not finished lovely lady,” he said roughly. “I'm willing to concede round one to you on that acrobatic manoeuvre you pulled, but I demand a rematch when I get back from the continent.”

He stood and held his hand out for her. She dressed slowly, but had a small smile on her face the whole time she did. He would succumb, they always did.

It was shortly after 2:00am when Greg dropped Natalia off at the Mayor's house. The party was winding down and although the Mayor offered him a nightcap, he politely refused, promising to drop in on her and Ms. Ravensclaw when he returned from his trip. Right now, he wanted to take a shower very badly. What he had done made him feel filthy. He drove back to his landing and wearily climbed aboard the snowmobile. Trish spoke gently.

Trish cheered him. She got no argument from him as she shifted his tuxedo to the ACM default mode then shifted their form to hers. She heard a gentle snore in her mind and knew that she had let him relax just in time. Trish let the headgear fold around her features and the gloves cover her hands. Activating the LAR, she determined it was safe and lifted the snowmobile and herself into the air. They were home in less than 15 minutes. She placed the vehicle in its normal spot and headed for the shower and bed.

Back at the Mayor's residence, Natalia was now in her own shower. She was slightly frustrated, although not sexually. She had never met her match in bed before and it intrigued her. Whoever this Greg Howard was, he would not better her the next time they met. She considered calling her father, wondering what his interest in the man was, but decided against it. She would complete this assignment on her own. That was a piece of good luck for Greg and Trish, as any direct involvement from Natalia’s father would have focused more attention on them than either of them needed or wanted right now. Natalia fell asleep with a small smile on her lips. Next time…

To be continued