“Good afternoon Major, yes I brought presents. I just wanted to tell you to clear the main airlock. I’ll be depressurizing it in 10 minutes and will be joining you and your team in the command centre in 20 minutes. Over,” Greg instructed.

“Copy that, Captain. 20 minutes, out.”

Greg had Lia attach the oxygen cylinders to the special coupling on the back of his ACM and sealed the suit.

Trish reported confidently.

Greg thought to Trish and then addressed Lia aloud.

“Lia, monitor the overrides on the airlock. If our vitals fall, initiate the emergency repressurization sequence, OK?” Lia nodded.

“You’ll be OK,” Lia reassured him, “but be careful please. We can’t afford to lose you.”

They entered the lock and sealed the inner door. Greg started the depressurization sequence and felt the ACM stiffen slightly. He checked his mobility and found it adequate. The green light above the outer lock activated and he swung it open. The ramp had already extended and was firmly on the lunar soil. He grabbed the duffel bags he had with him and exited the ship. He grinned happily.

Greg deliberately misquoted.

Trish chuckled.

He crossed the landing pad and keyed the main airlock on the base. The doors opened after a short wait and he entered the Lunar one station. He repressurized the lock and began to make his way to the command centre. Deactivating the suit pressure, he let his headgear withdraw.

He entered the command centre and was surprised by The SIX standing in a straight line. As one, they snapped him a crisp salute and then crowded around him, pounding his back and shaking his hand. After some very long embraces from the women that had Greg blushing intensely, Major Rasmussen spoke up.

“Welcome Doctor Howard, to our home away from home. Which, I must admit, until you contacted us originally, I also feared would be our tomb. There may be a slight problem getting to your ship however,” Nikoli grimaced. “When the U.N. depressurized the base that first day, our vacuum gear was blown out of the lock. We may be stronger than ordinary humans, but even we can’t survive a hard vacuum.”

“I’ve brought something along that might come in handy then… Ladies and Gentlemen,” Greg smiled, opened the duffels and started handing the team sealed plastic packages. David looked at his package and spoke up.

“What is this, some kind of a strange joke Doctor? Pyjamas?” he asked coolly.

The smile slowly drained from Greg’s face as he turned to address The SIX’s team leader.

“Only if you wish them to be so Dreamwalker. I would suggest that you try them on before making snide comments,” he said soberly as he willed his ACM to become a three-piece suit.

“Mãe do deus,” breathed Carina. “Did I just see what I thought I saw?” she asked, her voice filled with wonder.

“Seus olhos não o iludem, My Dear,” Greg said, his smile returning. “This is an Adaptive Camouflage Matrix. Probably the last uniform you’ll ever need. Go to your quarters and put them on, no clothing or undergarments are required, then come back here and I will activate them and give you some basic instructions on their use.”

The SIX went to their respective quarters and returned to the command centre some 10 minutes later just as Greg turned back from the main comm screen. The SIX were now garbed in their ACMs, which currently fit quite loosely on their frames.

“Very good, now don’t worry,” he nodded approvingly, “they’ll fit better in a moment. This may feel a bit weird, so bear with me.”

Greg requested.

Trish laughed.

Greg suppressed a smile as the suits seemed to writhe and adjust themselves to their wearers. He waited until they all settled down before continuing with his explanation.

“You are now wearing an invention of mine. As I mentioned they’re called ACMs or Adaptive Camouflage Matrix suits. They are now wired into your physio-neural interface suits and will respond to your will. Your individual nanomechs have received the operating parameters for the ACM from my own nanomechs,” he said. Sarida spoke up then,

“You say these suits will respond to our wills? Our thoughts?” she asked for further clarification.

“That’s right Sarida… for example… hmm… picture your costume in your mind and focus on the ACM,” Greg directed. She stood instantly garbed in her outfit. Carina let out another small gasp and then was garbed in her own fighting togs.

“É Mágico! This is fantastic!” she squealed, shifting her clothing to a formal evening gown and then to a saucy mini-dress and boots. Greg let them play for a few minutes then called them back to order.

“OK, playtime is over for now. I’m going to send instructions to reconfigure your suits into pressure gear and then we’ll attach the gas bottles and be on our way,” he advised them seriously.

Shortly, The SIX stood dressed and ready for vacuum. Greg quickly attached the O2 cylinders and they all trooped towards the main airlock. Greg had them aboard and strapped into their seats 10 minutes later and after stowing the tanks and adaptors securely, he returned to his command seat. He glanced at Lia who was sitting stiffly, staring straight ahead. He gave her a quick smile and another thumbs up. She grinned weakly back. He thumbed his headset switch to VOX and reported in.

“Mission Control from Rescue One, come in, over.” Betina’s voice responded.

“Rescue One from Mission Control, go ahead, over.”

“Flight from Rescue One, finalizing pre-flight checks, Hina reports green for go, over,” Greg informed Julian.

“Rescue One from Flight, copy that, green for go. Initializing Lunar one Abandonment Protocol in Minus 5 minutes, over,” came Saber’s reply.

“Flight from Rescue One, lift off in five, four, three, two, one… Anti-Grav to neutralization, fusion reactor to full…” Greg read off the screen.

“Copy that Rescue One, we show you at 1000 metres, standby, over,” replied Julian. Nikoli spoke up at that moment.

“Excuse me Captain, ‘Abandonment Protocol’?” he asked curiously. Greg thumbed his headset from VOX to manual.

“That’s right, we’re going to vent all of the atmosphere from the base and shut down its power,” Greg said without taking his eyes from the readout in front of him. “If nothing else, it will be inconvenient and expensive for the U.N. to reactivate the base. It’s a small punishment for their part in trapping you here.”

“And you really think this is a wise course of action?” Nikoli pressed Greg.

“It’s just a small token to let them know that they’ve got to play fair with all citizens of the Earth and not just kowtow to corporate interests,” Greg responded calmly. “Besides, they’ll be less willing to go along with people like Nathanial Ravensclaw from now on. We could have simply destroyed the base, but putting it on ice will be lesson enough.” They reached orbital altitude in silence, each passenger deep in their own thoughts. Theo kept staring towards the co-pilot’s seat and frowning.

“Captain, we have our return course plotted. Awaiting orders to proceed,” Hina announced.

“Thank you, Commander. Mission Control from Rescue One,” Greg reported in his best command monotone, “we are ready to break lunar orbit. Over.”

“Rescue One from Mission Control, you are good to go,” Betina responded. “Godspeed. Over.”

“Hina?” Greg commanded, “Break orbit and proceed at your discretion.”

“Aye Captain, thrusters in three, two, one. Burn and ballistic return orbit achieved, locked on the beam and green,” the AI responded precisely.

“Thank you Commander, steady as she goes. All hands can unstrap at leisure.”

Greg turned his chair around and grinned at his passengers,

“Congratulations, we’re homeward bound!” he exulted.

Theo decided he had seen Howard’s co-pilot before, but he couldn’t place where. He wanted to ask Niki, but not until he had more hard data. A vague feeling of having seen someone somewhere wasn’t enough. He decided to observe her some more and figure out what to do. Lia, on the other hand, was starting to relax a little bit. She didn’t exactly mingle with the guests, but she didn’t hide in her command seat either. She ate with Greg and slept in her bunk when she was off shift. She did feel their eyes on her a few times, but figured it was because she didn’t mix rather than that someone may have recognised her. The only time they had ever seen her, she had been in a garish costume with most of her face obscured by a mask.

The trip inbound was as uneventful as the outbound journey had been. At around noon on June the 8th, Hina announced that they had entered Terran orbit. Greg called Saber Base to herald their homecoming.

“Mission Control from Rescue One, we have achieved High Earth Orbit at 12:15 hours, over.”

“Rescue One, Mission Control, proceed with stealth and re-entry preparations. You are scheduled to deorbit at 14:00 hours Pacific Daylight Time, over,” Betina replied.

“Copy, Mission Control, re-entry starts at 14:00 hours PDT, over,” Greg confirmed.

“Welcome home Rescue One, out,” Betina finished warmly. Greg smiled at that and the thought of some well deserved privacy and quality time to spend with his beloved. He turned in his chair to face his passengers and cleared his throat.

“Excuse me Ladies and Gentlemen, I just want to get you all ready for our re-entry. While I don’t expect any problems, I do need to re-equip you all for vacuum. So if you will all stand while I reconfigure your ACMs for space, I’ll attach the re-breathers.” Steven raised his hand and Greg nodded towards him.

“Why can’t we just activate the reconfiguration ourselves?” he asked.

“Well, the design for the re-entry suit is in my head and not yours. We have tested this particular suit configuration from a low Earth orbit and I know that it works. That’s the reason. Shall we continue? I really don’t want to miss this re-entry window,” Greg smiled to take the sting out of his answer.

he thought tenderly.

she thought as she sent the information.

Once the protective suits were in place and the O2 sources were attached, Greg fixed up Lia and then, after checking his passengers were securely strapped in, he activated his own suit. Satisfied that the ship was ready, Greg checked his heads-up chrono and found they still had 5 minutes before they re-entered the atmosphere.

“Captain, we are on final approach for re-entry,” Hina alerted him. “All systems check green and Flight has given us the OK for burn on your command.”

“Thank you Commander. Burn in Minus 195 seconds. Initiate deorbital burn at zero,” he acknowledged.

“Aye Captain, burn at zero. Minus 180 seconds and counting,” Hina replied.

The seconds crawled by as everyone prepared for entry into the atmosphere of their home planet. Greg took one more wistful look at the green and blue globe that he’d vowed to protect and when the countdown hit zero, Hina activated the main thrusters to break through the strong but gaseous envelope around their destination.

“Hina, cut Anti-Grav to zero,” he ordered, “and watch the structural integrity.”

“Aye Captain,” the AI responded.

“Lia, hands on the controls just in case. My board reads green, external temperature reads within expected parameters,” Greg ordered calmly.

“Aye Captain,” Lia responded. “My boards read green as well. Structural Integrity is on the beam also.”

Theo’s head jerked upright. It was her! The giant from Washington. But how? Had they fallen from the frying pan into the flame? Someone had to do something and he was the only one who knew the truth. He raised his right arm and aimed it at the back of the co-pilot’s seat. A high frequency electromagnetic burst would do it, he was sure.

Nikoli was settled deeply into his chair when he glanced over at Theo. The boy had aimed his arm at the co-pilot and was powering up for some reason. He made to grab the reckless kid’s arm but only managed to knock it aside a few inches.

“Dr Howard! Incoming!” he managed to shout seconds before Theo fired. The high-energy blast ripped through the forward console between the command chairs and a welter of sparks and flame shot back.

“Jesus! Restrain him!” Greg shouted. “Hina how’s our re-entry?” There was no immediate response from the AI. The emergency alarm claxons began sounding at that moment. Greg pulled on the control yoke.

“Lia, my controls are non-responsive, any luck over there?” Greg demanded tensely.

“No joy here Captain,” Lia shouted back over the din. “Hina, status report!”

“Sorry Commander… I’m operating at 35 percent right now… that blast took out processors two through five and three of my five databanks,” Hina’s voice sounded distorted. “I’m managing to hold the ACM skin online right now, but thruster control is down as well as reactor control… I’m working on it but we may have a plasma breach. I recommend all hands abandon ship… I’ll try to regain control and land safely. I really don’t like how I’m feeling right now…”

Hina’s voice was choppy and slightly panicked. Nikoli had managed to restrain Theo by sitting on him. Theo was raving something about one of them and to let him finish what he’d started. Greg managed to work his way back to the passenger seating and glared down at the struggling figure.

“We’ll have to deal with him later. His actions have caused a major breakdown in the ship’s computer and command systems. The AI has given me the recommendation of abandoning ship, so she doesn’t have to worry about us while she regains control. I agree, so all hands, line up at the airlock. You,” Greg pointed at Nikoli, “are responsible for him. Make sure that he doesn’t cause any more problems,” Greg ordered tersely.

He turned back to the command cabin,

“Lia, procedure 15.9,” he directed. “Hina, the ship is yours, take care of yourself. Mark this as the final command log entry, code time and date.” He attached his O2 cylinders to his suit and opened the inner door of the lock.

“Two groups of four, stay together in a group when you bail out. When I join you, my suit will be taking control of yours for this manoeuvre. Take him out in the first group,” he pointed angrily at the still struggling Theo.

All eight of the passengers and crew of Rescue One met up in freefall. Greg triggered the suits’ communication systems.

“This will be like a long skydive. For the duration, your suits are linked to mine and will mimic my movements. Don’t fight it as you’ll probably be killed if you struggle. In three…two…one,” Greg directed through the radio system.

Trish reported.

moaned Greg back at her. There was a rumbling roar from above and ahead of them and Greg watched in horror as the shuttle began to disintegrate.

Greg directed with more than a hint of panic colouring his thoughts. They angled more steeply downwards as Trish began to call off altitude and airspeed to Greg. The ship was gaining speed away from them and was at a lesser angle of descent to the small group of people plummeting desperately away from it. This would work in their favour. At an altitude of 15 kilometres height above ground, they started to slowly bleed off airspeed and began to focus on finding their bearings relative to the landmass below them. They needed a clear uninhabited landing zone. They may have been invisible to electronic surveillance, but not to the naked eye. Suddenly, there was an almost soundless explosion in the upper atmosphere that glowed as brightly as the sun and faded slowly away. Greg knew in that instant, Hina had lost her battle to save the ship, but he also knew that the time to mourn her was later. If he were any judge, the shockwave from the detonation would hit them soon… and hard.

“Brace for impact!” he shouted. The shockwave tumbled them, buffeting them around like so many dry leaves in a March gale. It took Greg almost two minutes to regain his senses.

Trish greeted him.

he smiled.

She teased.

Greg chuckled at that, trust her to lighten the mood when he needed it most. He returned his attention to the rapidly approaching ground. There, he spotted his Landing Zone, a barren area somewhere in northern Alberta. Focussing his vision, he determined the most level spot and started a slowing spiral downwards to bleed off their excess speed. He wanted to be doing less than 20 kilometres per hour before landing. By the time they were at 100 metres above their landing target, Greg zeroed their velocity and brought the group down safely. He released them from the suit link and ordered his hood to retract.

“You, Dreamwalker, over here now,” Greg’s tone brooked no disobedience.

“You too Lia, I need your bracelet.” Lia silently handed her neutralizer to Greg just as David approached. Greg looked at the younger man coldly.

“You will place this bracelet on Mr. Baht’s wrist. It will neutralize his enhancements so he cannot cause any more damage then he already has,” Greg commanded. “You will all then accompany me to Franklin Island and my home, where Professor Saber will decide what to do with you… and him,” Greg pointed at Theo.

“Now wait a minute Doctor…” Dreamwalker began to protest. Greg cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“My instructions to you are not open to interpretation. You will do as I say or I will override your suits again,” he said harshly. “A considerable amount of time, energy and effort have been expended to rescue your sorry hides. One of your number destroyed our ship and nearly killed all of us. He was also responsible for the death of the ship’s AI.”

“Death?” Dreamwalker snorted derisively. “Oh come now man, it was just a program…” Overcome now by his emotions and the stress of the rescue, Greg froze the man’s suit and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him to his arms full extension.

“Just… a… program!?! That ship was as sentient and conscious as any one of you! Maybe more so!” he managed between clenched teeth. Greg then released his hold on the Dreamwalker’s throat and suit, dropping him to the ground like a bag of trash. “Definitely more than that young idiot that tried to shoot my co-pilot in the back,” he hissed.

Nikoli walked over to the two men leaving Carina restraining Theo with a gravity field.

“David, you had better do as he says and not antagonize him any further. Remember, he not only rescued us, but also has done more against The Council than we ever did,” he glanced at Lia, “and yes, young lady, I recognise you as well, but if you are working with Dr. Howard, I’ll wait to hear the full story before making any rash judgements.” The older man took control of the tense situation with an air of authority.

He took the neutralizer from David’s hand and walked back to clamp it on Theo’s wrist.

To Be Continued