“What do you mean, you won’t give us clearance? Mr. President, if the Preventors don’t move in soon…”
The President of the Earth Sphere raised his hand to silence her. “Miss Noin, I’ve told you that I will not risk Preventors for a bunch of criminals! You’re not going in there!”
“Sir! You’re not being reasonable! The Preventors could take care of this easily if…”
“I said no, Miss Noin, now if you want to do something, you can shoot that colony down.”
“WHAT!!”
“You heard me…”
“Yes I heard you Sir, but…you can’t be serious! Shoot it down? There are millions of lives on that colony!”
The President shrugged nonchalantly. “They’re criminals who are just going to die anyway.”
“Not all of them!”
The President groaned and removed his glasses before rubbing his temples. “Miss Noin, you’re fighting a losing battle. I will not allow you to send anyone onto the colony. If I decide the matter needs more attention, I’ll send in some of my own private police force.”
“Mr. President…” Noin said, stunned, “That’s what the Preventors are here for. I don’t understand…”
“You don’t have to,” He cut her off, “You just have to obey my orders. And my orders are that there will be no action taken by the Preventors on this matter. Now, on the issue in the Middle East…”
Noin groaned and sank down into her chair and listened to the President drone on. Outwardly she seemed to be paying complete attention, but her mind was wandering, racing, ‘Why wouldn’t he let us act on this…?’.
Saber Trong was up to his elbows in work when he got the call.
“Saber! There’s someone on the line for you!” Swift called, waving a phone in the air.
Saber groaned and pulled his head out of his mobile suit that he was fixing and wandered towards the ‘main tent’ for the Averis camp. He picked up the phone and prepared to glare at the person on the other line. However, the young blonde that popped up on the screen caught him completely off guard.
“Carol?!”
“Hey Saber! Long time, huh?”
“Y-yeah…why are you calling me here?”
Carol frowned. “Don’t you want to talk to me?”
Saber groaned. Serves him right for using a statement whose meaning could be twisted so easily. “That’s not what I said.”
“It was implied,”
“No it wasn’t!” Saber argued.
Carol just laughed, “It’s way too easy to do that to you.”
Saber was confused, “What are you talking about, Carol?”
She offered no explanation, but instead, she got completely off topic. “Anyway, did you hear about 1-975?”
“The penal colony?”
“Yeah, did you hear?”
“Hear what?”
“It’s been taken over! It went into lockdown yesterday and the Preventors have lost complete communications! And I just talked to Noin, and the Preventors aren’t even allowed to go in there!”
“What!”
“Yeah I know. David and Indy have been working to try and get to the security cameras or something, but so far…nothing!”
Saber scratched his chin. Taking over a penal colony was not an easy task. Especially not one like 1-975; he should know, he’d been there. Who could have possibly pulled it off? There were numerous groups who had the motives to want to take over a penal colony, but not nearly as many who had the skill.
“Well…” Carol urged.
“Well what?”
“What do you think?”
“I think this could be very dangerous. I don’t even think the Averis would have the skills and technology needed to take over a penal colony as heavily guarded as 1-975.”
“So it’s that bad, huh?”
“Who knows, could be worse. I’ll look into it.”
“Great!” Carol smiled. “And since you quit the Preventors, you could do something about it.”
“Wait a second, Carol; I didn’t say…!” But she was already gone. Saber sighed and hung up.
“Who was that?” Tech asked as he stepped inside and looked at the young teen.
“Carol,” Saber said simply. “I’ve got some things I need to look into.”
“O…K…”
The President sat at his desk, the window behind him offering a brilliant view of the moon. His head throbbed from stress. He’d been sick about his conversation with Noin. He didn’t like her poking around in 1-975’s issues.
“I’ve got to get the Preventors out of the way.” He muttered to himself. He would have to send his own, personal guys. There was no trusting anyone from a government organization. He would have to chase the rodents out before either them or the Preventors got too close. He couldn’t let them find it…
“And, BINGO!” Lizard cheered.
“Did you get it?” Aidan gasped, running up to her.
“Nope,” Lizard grinned,
Aidan started to groan.
“But,” She cut him off, “I did find it. But all these firewalls…” She grimaced and shook her head slowly. “This may take some time.”
“What, like as in a couple hours?” Aidan questioned.
“Try, a couple of days, weeks even, depending on how many locks they have on here that I can’t see at the moment.”
“Boss isn’t gonna be too happy about that.”
“Well, you tell him he’ll have to deal with it.”
“What exactly are you guys looking for, anyways?” Brittney questioned from her lounging position on one of the chairs.
“None of your damn business.” Aidan snapped.
“Whoa, touchy,” Brittney grumbled, burying her face in her oversized coffee mug once again. “I was just asking,”
“Yeah Aidan,” Lizard agreed, poking Aidan in the ribs, “She was only asking. There’s no harm in that is there?”
“There is when there’s a possibility that you might answer her.”
“I don’t see what the big deal is. This is only the first step, and what if the boss decides to let her in on it all?”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because, dumb ass, she was a Preventor you know. She could be useful. She even has experience piloting a Gundam, and at the moment we can’t brag about anything like that.”
“I don’ know why I bother with you,” Aidan sighed. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and sauntered out. Lizard frowned as she watched him. “What a jerk.” She scoffed.
“I’ll second that.” Brittney offered cheerfully.
“Are you still working on that, Davie?” Alexis frowned at her husband.
“Yeah…” David yawned sleepily.
Alexis groaned, “You spend way too much time working. You always have.”
“But this is important, Lex.” David protested.
“I know but…”
“But…” David urged,
“But you’ve been at it since Jason woke us up at seven this morning!”
“So?”
“So? So! David, it’s past midnight!”
Almost as if on cue, David yawned.
“See, you’re tired. Come to bed…” She stepped up behind him and began to massage his shoulders.
“Lex…”
“What…?” She giggled.
“C’mon, not toni…” He stopped in mid-word and his mouth fell open when he saw what he had managed to call up on the screen.
“David…?” Alexis questioned. She too, turned to look at the screen and she paused. “Where is that?” She asked.
On the screen was the picture from a camera inside the bowels of the penal colony.
A series of control panels and computers lined the walls, with a large screen against the far wall. At the door were two armed guards, and working inside was one teenaged girl tapping furiously on the keyboard.
“Hey…she looks familiar…” Alexis said, pointing at a second girl curled up on a huge chair, which David had failed to notice.
David leaned in and studied her. When she turned her head he gasped.
“Holy crap!” He cursed, “Lex, grab me the phone.”
Alexis wasted no time in getting it for him, and within seconds of the discovery Jason’s groggy face was on the screen.
“What the hell do you want, David?” He grumbled.
“Jason! I just got a picture from inside 1-975”
“What! That’s great David! What’d you find?”
“You wouldn’t believe who I saw inside, lounging in the control centre like she owned the place.”
“Who…?” Jason asked.
“Jason…it’s Brittney.”
