Flying High

Part 1

By Stephanie B

Crowds. It was something that John Watson was never comfortable with. Too many people in too much of a hurry. It didn't help when most of them were taller than he was, blocking his view of everything. Entering the Los Angeles transfer station required an act of will similar to an alcoholic walking into an AA meeting. John gritted his teeth and stepped into its revolving doorway. He could already feel his anxiety climbing as he looked through its glass partitions. A flood of sounds and smells assaulted him as the doors opened into the massive room. Attempting to make his trip through purgatory as brief as possible, John walked directly to the security hall and identified himself to the Officer of the Day.

A man in a nondescript uniform looked up from his console and asked, “Can I help you, sir?”

“I'm Special Agent John Watson of the DEA. I need to register my weapons before transport to Tenkei.”

“You have all your paperwork with you?” he asked. It was a ridiculous question since all of his information was on their computer system and no one filed 'paperwork' anymore.

Placing his eCom into the receptacle on the officers desk he answered, “Yeah, I have it all here.”

While accessing John's firearms permits, passport and work visa he added, “Please thumb the scanner for identification.”

Placing his right thumb on the scanner, John waited for the tone that signalled a successful scan. When he heard it beep, he removed his thumb, smiled, and waited. After several minutes the officer stated, “I have to remind you that firearms are strictly prohibited on Tenkei. Any violation will result in your visa being revoked and you being deported from the city.”

“As you can see from my inventory, I'm only bringing my Huey” John explained. A Huey, or more accurately a HEW3, was the latest in nonlethal hand gun technology. Instead of a bullet being fired by a chemical explosion, a Huey used a magnetic field to fire small needle like projectiles. Since these had less weight and little penetrating power, they were one of the few weapons permitted into the city and were widely used by the Tenkei police department. They were also not classified as a firearm. Its main advantage however was that its needles could be loaded with one of several nonlethal drugs to take down a suspect. Its high manufacturing cost was it's only reason for not being adopted by all police forces.

With a smile the officer replied, “Yes I noticed. It's standard operating procedure to remind all members of law enforcement of the restriction.” John simply nodded his understanding. SOP, standard operating procedures, it was the lifeblood of any government agency. Customs was no different.

The officer returned John's eCom and said, “Everything is in order. Have a nice day.”

Collecting his things, John shouldered his bag and made his way to a coffee shop to wait. He still had about an hour before the portal would open and the mad rush to get everyone and everything through would start. LA only had three openings per week with Tenkei and each one was only for thirty minutes. It wasn't much time to get cargo and people through, and cargo took priority. This would be his first trip to the orbital city, and was scheduled for one month. He was on loan to Tenkei PD as part of a 'transfer of knowledge' initiative that several agencies participated in. However his main job was to find, arrest and return Juan Marcos. Up until two days ago Mr. Marcos was a guest of California's department of corrections. There was a rumour that he fled to Tenkei after being bailed out and was hiding in its labyrinth of underground tunnels. After checking all shuttles and transfer points there was still no indication that he had made it, but John was going to check it out anyway.

As he finished his second cup of coffee a loud signal was heard over a nearby speaker followed by a woman's pleasant voice, “The portal to Tenkei has now been activated. All personnel will begin transfer after cargo has cleared. If you are not in the transfer area, please make your way to your designated area immediately. Thank you.”

Activating the timer feature of his watch, John slowly started to make his way to the transfer area. He knew it would be crowded and wanted to wait, letting it thin out before he had to enter. When his watch showed there was only five minutes remaining he quickly grabbed his bags and walked through the final set of doors. The transfer area was huge and almost deserted. He saw a set of doors on the far wall labelled A through F, and were at least a hundred metres away. Double checking his eCom he walked toward door C. Before reaching his doors he heard a popping sound followed a few seconds later by his count down timer reaching zero. John turned to look behind only to see the room was now half as long as it had been just a moment ago. A wall now separated it from the LA side. He suddenly realized that he was farther away from home than he had ever been in his life.

After wandering aimlessly for a few minutes he found an interactive map. John downloaded directions into his eCom and headed toward police headquarters. He had heard stories of how crowded the city was, but it didn't seem that bad to him. It was considerably better than LA. One thing he noted was how clean everything was when compared to any other city he had visited. His directions indicated that he could walk, but taking one of the automated subway cars would be significantly faster. Walking its short distance was an odd experience for John. He expected to have some indication that he was thirty-six thousand kilometres above Earth, but there was nothing. That was until he climbed the stairs out of the subway station. Tenkei's police headquarters was located under one of the many domes dotting Tenkei's surface. Through its spider web of thin steel and thick glass, John could see Earth. Even from this distance he was able to make out the east coast of North America and a hurricane that was forming in the Atlantic ocean. The sight was so breathtaking that he had to sit for a minute and stare at it. Everyone he ever knew, every place he had ever visited was there; on a blue and white marble that could be covered by his out stretched hand.

~ ~ ~

A faint hiss of compressed air brought a smile to John's face, as the doors slid open. It was nice not having to wrestle his bags through another doorway. A smiling young women in a navy blue uniform greeted him. Her straight black hair was pulled back into a pony tail under a navy blue baseball cap with a crest of the Tenkei Police Department. As he stepped up to her reception desk, John read her name tag. “Good morning Officer Sato. I'm Special Agent Watson of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration,” John announced with a smile, while showing his badge. “I'm here to see Captain Miller.”

She entering his name into her computer before replying, “Yes, I have you listed. If you'd like to have a seat I'll let Captain Miller know you're here.” John nodded and turned to look at the seating available. Since the bench she indicated looked like it was made from a solid piece of rock, John decided to remain standing and wandered through their small reception area instead. There were a few displays showing images of their inter-department softball teams; another set of images showing new graduates receiving their badges. Typical images that any police force would show to encourage people to join.

He was interrupted by another woman's voice, “Agent Watson?” Turning to see who had called him, John was greeted by a tall woman wearing a white shirt with fashionably large lapels under a tailored jacked and matching pants. Its beautiful mocha colour contrasted perfectly with her olive skin and black hair. Her black open toed shoes with a slight heel added a level of femininity that her business suit needed. Extending her hand she added, “I'm Captain Brenda Miller. Welcome to Vice.”

Accepting her handshake John replied, “It's nice to meet you. I'm looking forward to working with your team.”

Opening a nearby door and leading him in she continued, “I understand you're only with us for a month?”

“Yes, that's right. I'm scheduled to return to our LA office on the first.” It wasn't much time, but four weeks was all that Tenkei had requested. It seemed like an unusual request, but John wasn't complaining. It gave him a three-day weekend before having to be back to work.

“I hope that we might be able to extend your stay. We're a little overloaded with this new drug. We're still not sure how it's getting into Tenkei.”

“Why wouldn't it be coming in the same way that other drugs are getting here?” he asked. He had noticed that people seemed to treat this drug differently than others. It had been added as a schedule one drug faster than most because of its addictive properties, but it still should be distributed using the same infrastructure that already existed.

“We've never found anything during seizures of other drugs shipped to Tenkei,” she explained. “If they're using the same delivery system we would expect to see them there.” It was a good point and something that John would have to think about. As they arrived at a door labelled Squad Room she said, “And here we are.” Pressing her palm on a panel next to the door, it slid open with a hiss.

Inside was a room that looked more like an airport control centre. Several people sat at computers with pictures of people and data on them. An entire wall was dedicated to a map of Tenkei. Head shots of people could be seen around it with numbered balls of different colours. The same coloured balls could be seen on the map, several of them were moving on Tenkei's vast subway system.

“You're able to track people in real-time through the city?” asked John in amazement.

“We're a bit unique in that,” explained Captain Miller. “Everyone on the city can be tracked to some degree. With monitors and thumb scanners in so many places, we can get almost real-time updates of where people are.”

“What about people's privacy?” he asked. “I'm sure that someone would have complaints about this.”

She sighed at hearing the same argument again. “That's why we need to get a warrant before being able to do this. And it's not one hundred percent reliable. There are large areas of the city that don't have any cameras, or if someone thumbs a pad for another person we could miss them entirely.”

One man in black cotton paints and a black silk shirt standing near the map added, “This is really only our best guess as to their location. For some it's damn accurate,” he pointed to one of the moving points in the subway. “Like this guy. He's in view of a camera at the moment. And according to his destination, Donny is about to violate his parole.” He was a tall man and seemed to tower over everyone else in the room. His long black hair was pulled back into a tight braid that reached halfway down his back. At first glance it make him appear to have short hair. He either spent a considerable amount of time under ultra violet lights, or was blessed with a skin tone that always had a healthy tanned look. However it was his eyes that were simply breathtaking. They were so dark it was impossible to see where his pupils and iris met.

“Well then, maybe you and Agent Watson should go pick him up,” suggested Captain Miller. “Agent Watson, this is Samuel Price. He has the highest closure rate of all the detectives in vice. I've paired you two up so that you could get an idea of how we do business.”

“Pleased to meet ya,” Price said with a smile as he offered his hand. Watson tried to shake his hands, but it felt more like his arm was being mauled by some enormous animal. “Doesn't the DEA have height requirements?” he asked with a smirk.

“Yeah, we can't be over six feet tall,” Watson shot back. “Something about being an easy target.”

Turning to Captain Miller, Price smiled. “I like this guy. He'll be fine.”

“Just return him in one piece, okay?” she added, shaking her head.

~ ~ ~

“I DON'T KNOW!” the young man yelled again. “You've already asked me all these questions and I still don't know!”

Watson leaned across the table again, “I know you have some information, it's just a matter of time. And I have all the time in the world.” He sat down in his chair, pulled out his eCom and started entering a message. Agent Watson was just wasting time, until this idiot finally said something useful.

“We've been in here for hours now,” Donny stated. “When can I go?”

“You can leave anytime you like,” answered Agent Watson with a grin. “As soon as I get what I'm looking for.”

Donny just sighed and said nothing. He was dressed in what had become the unofficial uniform of almost all teenage boys in Tenkei. His black pants had more baggy pockets than would be practical, but they held everything that he thought he needed or wanted. His tight-fitting sleeveless silk tee-shirt was bright yellow and showed off his slim, almost anorexic figure. John didn't care about any of that. He was waiting for Donny to crack and looking at him in a completely different light, literally.

John Watson appeared to be about thirty-five with short dark hair, grey eyes and an athletic build. His career was the most important thing in his life. Actually it was the only thing in his life. He was often in his office early and usually stayed well past his shift. He would always answer comments about his hours by saying 'I love my job', but the real reason was much more personal than that. Something that he wouldn't talk about with anyone, even if there was someone in his life to talk about it with. John had been in Tenkei for more than twenty-four hours, but hadn't even made it to the apartment that had been provided for him. It had taken him six months to gather enough evidence against Juan Marcos and arrest him. When he made bail there was a good chance that he would try to run, but no one was able to figure out how he got to Tenkei and disappeared so easily. Donny was one of his low-level dealers and if Marcos was in the city, he likely had an idea where he would be hiding.

Among the many things that people didn't know about Agent Watson was that he was a MORFS survivor. He didn't become a hybrid, or gain any powers. He didn't change genders like some people. He didn't even change his appearance much. The only thing that MORFS had given John was his eyes. Specifically, his ability to see infrared light. He could see the light from a remote control, or the sensors on most alarm systems, but the most useful thing was his ability to see a person's body heat. This little trick turned out to be very handy recently.

A new drug had appeared on the streets of Tenkei with the street name of 'inferno'. It was extremely popular in dance clubs as it was very similar to ecstasy, but highly addictive. It had also become popular with the fitness nuts trying to maintain what they believe to be their idea weight, or the college kids trying to bump their metabolism for studying for exams. Though the effectiveness of that was marginal at best. Their increased metabolism was a side effects of this new drug, it significantly increased a person's body temperature when they were using it. Just like Donny was showing at the moment. He had no way of knowing that John was seeing this, or that he was waiting for him to crash.

Suddenly, the heat that Donny was generating started to drop and John knew he had him. He wanted to smile, but that would give it away. Instead, John waited a little longer.

Donny started to rub is bare arms and asked, “Is it getting cold in here?”

“I feel fine,” John answered with a smirk. “Maybe you're coming down with something. You should go see an MBE when we're done here.” It was a joke that John used with inferno users. Another side effects from the drug was that it made it almost impossible for a Medical Bio-Elemental to be able to treat them. The increased body temperature, decreased sensitivity to pain and the inability to be treated by an MBE, lead to the death of many users and put this new drug on the radar of the DEA in record time. It was hard to find a good reason for anyone to take it at all, but that was the same for most illicit drugs.

“I really feel sick, man,” stated Donny. John could see that his body temperature was dropping fast. It was still higher than normal, but was already three degrees lower than when they started. This was the time that John had to move, before Donny was too sick to be able to answer any questions.

John offered a carrot to Donny. “If you help me, maybe I can help you.”

“How can you help?” Donny asked while starting to shiver and rubbing his arms more.

“A warmer room, something for the cramps and nausea.” It wasn't much, but there weren't many treatment options for inferno withdrawal yet.

“Gee, thanks! That's so thoughtful,” Donny replied sarcastically.

“Well, how about reducing the charge to possession, instead of trafficking.” That got Donny's attention, it meant a jail term instead of prison. If he got a sympathetic judge it could be as little as six months in a rehab clinic.

“What do you want to know?” Donny asked. John just smiled. He wasn't expecting a break in his case this fast, but he'd take it.

~ ~ ~

“Can we believe him?” Agent Watson asked.

“Donny would lie to a priest if there was something in it for him, but I don't see any reason for lying about this,” replied Detective Price. They had just finished taking Donny's statement and getting him sedated before signing out of the hospital. He'd be unconscious for the next three days, while he was going through withdrawal. There was still a lot of pain and suffering for him after that, but he'd sleep through the worst part of it.

“So, what is this Alpha Three place anyway?” asked Watson as he signed the visitor log.

“Have you ever been to Amsterdam's Red Light district, before those New Morality people started buying up the place?” he asked.

“No, I've never been to Europe. But I hear that place was really wild,” Watson replied.

“Yeah, well I think they all moved here and went totally nuts,” Price explained. “Prostitution is illegal everywhere in Tenkei, except in Alpha Three. The same thing goes for gambling and public nudity. It has more hotels, casinos, bars and theatres than the rest of the city combined.”

“And what's with the name? Are there two other places just like it?” Images of Sodom and Gomorrah flashed in Johns mind as he tried to think of Tenkei's 'entertainment district'.

“No,” Price answered with a chuckle. It was a common mistake that people made. “The name Alpha Three is the domes location,” he explained. “It's the third dome on the first row of domes in the city. If you remember the wall map in our squad room, it's the largest dome in the top left area.”

“So is that where we're heading now?” asked Watson as they stepped into an elevator.

“Nope, my shift is over now,” Price answered. “I'll take you to your apartment and then we can pick it up again tomorrow.”

John was still ready to go, but understood. He was on LA time, while everyone in Tenkei was eight hours ahead of him.

“I got a message from Captain Miller that your gear was dropped off at your apartment. Where do they have you staying while you're here?” asked Price.

Pulling out his eCom to get the address John answered, “Logan's Terrace, apartment 1227. It says echo eight. I guess that's the dome it's closest to.”

“They got you into The Pit?” exclaimed Price. “Wow, you must know someone up here with pull.”

“The Pit?” John asked a little sceptical. “Is that supposed to be good?”

Stepping out of the elevator and heading toward another subway station Price explained, “The Pit isn't near echo eight, it is echo eight. It's an apartment block that's built into an old volcanic crater. Twenty-three floors that taper down to a small lake. All under one dome. You'll see why we call it The Pit.”

“A volcanic crater?” John asked with a bit of confusion. “Why would a space station have a volcanic crater?”

“Tenkei was an island in the south pacific,” Price explained. “The island was created by volcanic activity.”

“I remember reading that it was built on a south pacific island, I don't remember that it was part of the island”

“No. It was the Island,” Price corrected him.

“Tetsuo Sakamoto took the entire island?” John asked in disbelief.

“And some of the surrounding ocean with it.”

John shook his head at the information. It was always amazing what some MORFS were able to do with their abilities, but ripping an entire island out of the ocean and placing it into space was incredible. Looking into Tetsuo Sakamoto might be a good idea. It was always best to know the people he was working for.

A thumb scanner built into his apartment door allowed John access. It was about twice as large as his place in LA and considerably more upscale, with a definite modern design. Glass and stainless steel used throughout the apartment gave it had a distinctively modern decor. John stepped out to his massive balcony, which was more like a backyard. It was roughly a square shape and about five metres on each side. It even had grass. Something that was rare in LA. Looking over its fence he saw another yard below him. He realized that he must have been standing on the roof of the apartment below him. As he looked at all the other apartments that made up Logan's Terrace, it reminded him of an old strip mining operation. An almost endless set of terraces could be seen going deeper than John cared to look. The lake, hidden at the bottom was about a hundred metres down. There were a smaller number of apartments closer to the bottom, but above him there could easily be a hundred or more on each level.

Heading back into his new apartment, John decided to have a look around. This was going to be home for the next four weeks, he might as well know where everything was. He found his bags sitting on a king sized bed with a hand written note.

Agent Watson,

I had our tech people activate your tablet on the TPD network. You should have access to any current and past cases files that are level three clearance or lower. If you need access to any additional information, call me with the detail and I'll see you get them.

Please enjoy any services that are provided with the apartment. They're all included, complements of Tenkei PD.

I'll see you again tomorrow at 9:00

Brenda

He immediately pulled out his tablet and activated it. As soon as it was ready, he looked up any information that was available on Juan Marcos and any people he associated with in Tenkei. It was an extremely long list of people and took John longer to go through than he had expected. After more than two hours, his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten dinner yet. A quick look through the cupboard showed that they had even stocked him with his basics needs. After a light snack John though it best to get some sleep. Nine o'clock would arrive soon enough with Tenkei being on GMT instead of Pacific time.

~ ~ ~

At exactly nine the next morning, John entered the Vice squad's command centre to find a level of activity that he didn't expect. Several people were tracking suspects on their wall map and more were talking on phones or frantically typing at computers systems. While trying not to get in their way, John looked for Captain Miller or Detective Price. He was almost run over by a dark-haired officer who was staring at her tablet instead of where she was walking.

After glancing at her chest for more than one reason John said, “Hello again, Officer Sato.”

Finally looking up she replied with a smile, “Hi, sorry about that.” She looked through the crowd of people before suddenly yelling, “Captain?”

“Over here Sato,” came her reply. Sato and Watson found Captain Miller sitting at a computer reading information on another suspect.

“We've just received confirmation,” Sato said while passing her the tablet. “The shuttle is in bound from Cairo and should be arriving in ten minutes.”

Taking Sato's tablet and standing up Captain Miller yelled, “Price, where the hell are you?”

“I'm right here,” he said calmly. He was standing no more than two metres away, but John hadn't noticed him either. How a man his size could disappear into a crowd was a skill John would love to have.

“Get your ass down to hangar three,” she ordered. “I want you there before that shuttle sets foot on my city. Got it?”

“What's going on?” John finally asked.

Captain Miller looked as though she noticed John for the first time. “Good, you're here. Price, take Agent Watson with you.”

Price headed for the door. “You got it, boss. Come on Watson, I'll explain on the way.”

Even though John jogged three times a week, he was having difficulty keeping up with Price. With his long legs he was able to run faster. He was already in a subway car as John finished running down the stairs.

As he entered the car Price was setting their destination. “Authorization code sierra poppa one nine three,” he said to the system.

An emotionless female voice replied, “Voice print and authorization code accepted. Emergency Services mode logged.”

“Get into a seat and fasten your seat belt. And I hope you haven't had breakfast yet,” he said while buckling his own seat belt.

“Why?”

His question was interrupted by the same female voice, “Departure in three, two, one. Departing.”

“SHIT!!” exclaimed John as he was thrown back into his slightly contoured seat. On his thirtieth birthday, John had received an adventure day as a gift. It included a one hour flight on an old retired F22 fighter jet. The pilot seemed to push his jet harder and harder, trying to get him to lose his lunch. He never did, but he was very close to losing it in this 'ride'. Their sudden acceleration was followed by several sharp corners that threatened to leave bruises where John's seat belt held him.

Before their car had completely stopped, Price was already loosening his seat belt and waiting for the doors to open. Like a race horse at a starting gates, he launched himself through the doors the moment his body would fit. John was trailing again and he hoped he would be able to catch up. Price was so far ahead of him by the time they arrived at hangar three that John almost missed which door he'd run through.

Shear panic was John's first reaction when a siren blasted in his ear. This was followed by another level of terror as the hangar doors separated and open space could be seen through them. Fearing that he would be sucked out the open doors. John desperately looked for something to hang on to.

Noticing his fear Price explained, “Relax, there's a force field that holds the air in. Otherwise they'd have to build an airlock system for the shuttles. Or use one of the older shuttle bays. ”

It was an odd experience looking through the hangar doors, knowing that their air was being held only by an electrostatic field. John had heard of this type of force field but had never seen one before. Though there wasn't a need for them anywhere he had travelled to before. The technology had been developed by Sakamoto Enterprises shortly after Tenkei had been launched into orbit. By some weird trick of science and high frequency transmitters, they were able to repel gas molecules. After carefully tuning the system a wall could be build that wouldn't allow oxygen or nitrogen to pass through it. Anything else could pass though, but would usually become statically charged. Metal objects, like a ships hull, worked best as the field would mold itself round its shape and not affect any air within it.

Looking at his watch Price added, “We have a couple if minutes yet. Sorry about the ride, I guess I should have warned ya.”

John took a few deep gulps of air to catch his breath before asking, “What's going on anyway?”

“We got a tip that a shuttle is carrying cocaine,” he explained. Before he could explain any more details a small group of heavily armed police officers with thick bullet proof vests and helmets entered the hangar. They took up positions to surround the shuttle once it arrived. “Lets move over to those crates,” he suggested, indicating some large metal containers nearby. “No need giving them an easy target if this turns into a shootout.”

Soon after getting into position a large shuttle passed through the energy barrier, its metal skin glowing where it came into contact with the force field. The shuttles large triangular-shaped wing barely fit through the open doors. After finally clearing them it made a quarter turn, presenting a massive cargo door to the shuttle bay. Lights and a warning sound indicated it was opening. This was their cue to move in. Before the door had completely lowered to provide a ramp three police officers had their weapons trained in anyone who might be seen through it. Absently, John remembered the customs officers warning regarding firearms and wondered what type of weapons they were using. In this area, it was unlikely they would be issued anything that would shoot bullets.

One man wearing ear protection could be seen moving about inside the shuttles cargo area. As soon as he turned and saw them he immediately put both hands on his head and knelt. It was obvious to John that this wasn't his first time staring at the working end of an assault rifle. A member of the tactical team pointed at his head then pointed at the man. Taking the officers hint, the man slowly removed his ear protection, placed them on the floor and returned his hands to his head.

“Where's the pilot?” asked the police officer, his voice slightly muffled by his helmet and face shield.

“I am the pilot,” he replied.

“Then where's the copilot?”

“I don't have a copilot. There's only me,” he tried to explain.

Turning to the other police officers he ordered, “You two, go check it out.”

They took turns moving forward, checking in every hiding place they could find. They eventually disappeared behind a set of large crates further into the shuttle. While everyone waited, the lead tactical officer moved up and hand cuffed the pilot. Once restrained, he helped him to his feet and lead him down the ramp to Detective Price and Agent Watson.

“Where's your copilot?” Price asked again.

“I'm the only one on board,” he explained again. “I don't have a copilot.”

“You and I both know that you're required to have a pilot and a copilot on board for an orbital launch,” Price added. “So I'm going to ask you again, where's your copilot?”

“He got sick. I had to launch without him,” he answered. When he saw Price shaking his head he quickly added, “I know I need a copilot. I'll pay the fine. Did you need to bring in the SWAT team, for Christ's sakes.”

Before Price could ask any another questions the tactical officer walked up and said, “We just got the all clear. Shuttles clean.”

“Thanks, we'll be with you in a minutes,” he answered. “Where's Fido?”

“She's on her way,” he replied while handing Price the pilots identity card. “And you know she'll get really pissed if she hears you call her that again.”

“So don't tell her,” Price added with a grin. After looking at the pilots name he looked at him and asked, “Is this a joke? You expect me to believe your name is Mario Rossi?” Seeing Agent Watson's confusion Price explained, “In Italy a John Doe is named Mario Rossi.”

Watson pulled out his eCom and stepped behind the pilot. Placing his right thumb on to its scanner, he waited for it to beep before looking at its screen. “Mario Rossi, age thirty-one, from Rome Italy. It says here you're an independent.” Most pilots could never afford their own shuttle. In order to make a living they'd normally join a larger shipping company and fly with them. However an independent pilot could make a lot more money once they paid off any loans they had on their shuttle. “Oh look at that,” Watson added while showing his eCom to Price. “You've been banned from US air space. Now Mario, what did you do to get on our 'no fly' list?”

“Who the hell are you?” asked Mario.

“Special Agent Watson, US DEA,” Watson replied. The look in Mario's face was priceless. “Well? What was it Mario? Or do I need to make a call to the FAA to find out?”

“Okay, okay. You don't need to call. I took a couple of people into Miami, Florida that your government didn't want in the country.”

Price spoke up at this. “So you've moved from human trafficking to drug trafficking? Your mother would be so proud.”

“Drugs?” he asked. He was either a good actor or was genuinely surprised. “What the hell are you talking about? All I have in there is plastics and high-grade machine oil.”

A new voice asked, “Where do you want me to start?”

Turning to see who it was, John understood why Price had called her Fido. She was only a little shorter than Watson, but looked several pounds heavier. Every inch of exposed skin was covered in short, dark fur. Her skin actually hung loose on her face with deep wrinkles., giving her a perpetually sad expression. Long, triangular ears hung at the side of her head, almost reaching to her jaw line. It was easy to see she was a dog hybrid, which breed was the only question. While Watson had never owned a dog, he had seen a larger number of them throughout LA. She reminded him an English mastiff that a friend had when he was in college. Her navy blue uniform identified her as another member of the Tenkei PD with her name tag of M. Fidalgo.

“Hi Maria,” Price said before turning to their new guest. When he did finally turned and looked, Watson easily noticed his forced smile and overly friendly voice. “Could you check in Mr Rossi's cargo hold. I want to know if he's carrying anything that he shouldn't be.”

“What am I looking for?” Maria asked.

“I don't want you be biased by me,” explained Price. “Just let me know if you find anything other than machine oil in there.”

“Okay,” she added with a smile. “I'll let you know if I find anything.” Turning, she headed into Mario Rossi's shuttle. Watson was almost successful in not chuckling at her squad designation stencilled on her back. It read K9 Unit.

“We don't have dogs in Tenkei,” Price answered his unasked question.

“So you hire canine hybrids?” Watson asked in disbelieve. “Isn't that a little racist?”

“They're not all canine hybrids,” he explained. “And she's a member of Vice. We don't have a K9 Unit. I was told it was a joke when she was a rookie, but she liked it so much she kept it.”

It took over four hours before Price and Watson were able to get back to their squad room. It turned out to be a false alarm. Officer Fidalgo couldn't find a trace of any illegal substances. Mario was released and allowed to complete his delivery. His fine for flying without a copilot would be his last warning. The next time he'd lose his Tenkei flight clearance, that would cost a lot more to him than getting a copilot or any fine. The remainder of the day was consumed by filing reports, meetings and more reports. As his day came to its conclusion, John found himself still wondering about Alpha Three and whether Juan Marco was able to get to Tenkei after all.

Instead of heading back to his apartment, John decided to have a look into Alpha Three. He had always thought it was a good idea to get an idea of where things were and the people who visited places like that. Gambling, prostitution and alcohol seemed to go hand in hand with drugs and other illegal activities. It was only a short subway ride from his office which even dropped him into the heart of Alpha three. Stepping on the subway platform, John was presented with four distinct directions that he could go.

While Tenkei really didn't have a north, south, east or west, the map was still laid out with these familiar directions. It allowed people to find things easily. A pie shaped area on a nearby mapped showed north to be mainly water parks and beach resorts. East was Tenkei's theatre district with open air amphitheatres and movie halls. West showed at least half a dozen casinos. Some very small while one took up almost a third of the entire area. But John's destination was south, toward a densely pack group of bars, restaurants and dance clubs.

Any business under the dome of Alpha Three was definitely in the high rent area. Wandering through these didn't give John any reason to go in and look. A group of young men exiting an elevator caught his attention. They were dressed in the same style of clothes as Donny had been and he could see they were all running a high fever. This elevator went down to another level; a level almost a kilometre below Tenkei's surface. It opened to a tunnel more than a hundred metres wide and stretching farther than he could see in both directions. There was little light other than what was provided by various business signs, banners and posters. Most advertising another sin for sale. He had found what we was looking for; Tenkei's red light district. One of these businesses struck John's interest. It was a large, two-story business with bright signs and a large group of people inside. This was the largest group of people he had seen in a single place since arriving in Tenkei, but it was still only a moderately busy club by LA standards.

The Petting Zoo was a club dedicated to hybrids and people who liked them. More specifically it was a strip club that only hired dancers that showed a distinct amount of fur. Since there was nothing like it in LA, John decided to satisfy his curiosity. Stepping though its doors. John was greeted by a hostess wearing an extremely revealing outfit. Her long-sleeved white knitted dress hugged every curve of her body. With its deep plunging v-neck it was obvious that she wasn't wearing a bra. Though it appeared that she didn't need any, despite having an impressive chest. However it was her incredibly long bushy tail standing up behind her that commanded John's attention. From its colour and shape, he assumed she was a red squirrel hybrid.

“Welcome to the Petting Zoo,” she smiled. “Have you been a guest before?” Her voice was very pleasing with a mid-American accent.

“No,” answered John. “I've only just arrived in Tenkei.”

Hearing his accent she smiled brightly. “Oh, a fellow American. Let me show you what we have to offer.” She stepped up to him and hooked her arm through his. Leading him into the club she added, “My name's Mindy. What's your name?”

“John,” he answered.

She chuckled at his answer. “Of course it is.” John was about to correct her assumption when they arrived at a bar, staffed by three separate bartenders. “Michael, can you please get John a drink? On me.”

Michael was a bull of a man, complete with a nose ring and horns. His deep voice could easily be heard over the background music, “What can I get ya, John?”

“Orange juice, please,” John answered. If Michael was surprised by his request, he didn't show it. He simply poured some juice into a tall glass and handed it to John with a smile.

“We have an extremely wide selection of drinks available, both alcoholic and non,” added Mindy as she continued her tour. One area was sectioned off and contained a complete restaurant. Tables and booths could be seen on either side of them while they walked through. Guest would look up at them, but quickly returned to their meals as they passed. Most of the guests were hybrids, some more obvious than others. John noticed that every table had at least one hybrid sitting at it. Passing through another set of doors, they came to a room with a larger crowd. Several young women could be seen on stages through the room, dancing to loud music in various staged of undress. All the girls were hybrids as well. One girl who caught John's eye was a tiger hybrid, her yellow and black stripped fur was quite striking. Mindy noticed John's interest in that particular dancer and steered him to a table close to her stage. “I'll leave you here to enjoy yourself. If you have any question, please let me know, or ask any staff member.”

Her dancing was quite hypnotic to John. He had seen hundreds of hybrids in his life, but there was something about her that he couldn't but this finger on. Her skimpy leather outfit didn't conceal much as she moved in time with the music. Turning her back to him, she showed her flexibility by reaching behind and untied her leather bra with one hand while holding it on with her other. While still turned away, she looked over her shoulder at him and winked and tossed her garment to him. She stood in ridiculously high heels with an open toe, her claws peeked through and almost tapping the stage. Wearing only her leather thong she swayed back and forth with the music. Even though there was a large group of people in the club, it seemed to John that she was dancing just for him. When she finally turned to face him her breasts stood high and firm on her chest. Her pink nipples could just be seen peeking through a layer of white fur covering her chest and stomach. Kneeling on the stage and turning, she untied another knot on her only remaining piece of clothing. She turned again and untied its last knot before pulling it off and tossing it to him again. When her music was finished she casually walked to a small flight of stairs and stepped off stage.

Still completely naked she walked up to John and purred, “Thanks for holding my things.” After sitting and slowly putting her outfit on again she asked, “You're new here. What's your name?”

“John,” he answered with a smile. “And you are?”

“Mwindaji,” she replied. “In my language, Mwindaji means hunter.”

While he listened to her talk, John tried to identify her accent but couldn't place it. “Where are you from, Mwindaji?” He took special care in pronouncing her name correctly.

Smiling at his careful pronunciation she answered, “Kenya. But I've been here for over a year now.” Once she was dressed again, though only barely, she stood and asked, “Would you like a more private dance?”

“I think I'd like that very much.” he replied while standing. She towered over him by almost a full head, leaving his eyes level with her chest. Looking down John noticed she was still wearing extremely high heels, but even without them she would still be taller than he was. It was a common situation for John, something that he had grown accustomed to, but he looked up into her eyes to gauge Mwindaji's reaction.

A bright smile lit up her face as she said, “You're just too cute.”

John was about to enquire what her fee would be, when he noticed a new patron enter the club. Juan Marcos strolled in, surrounded by half a dozen thugs. Instead of entering a private booth with Mwindaji he quickly asked her to do him a favour, for a price of course. Ducking into a particularly dark area he waited for Mwindaji to make her move. Before Juan was able to sit, she was on him. Her passionate kiss had more of an effect on him than John had hoped for. He was clearly surprised and equally aroused by her. John was about to make his way up to his target and arrest him when things suddenly changed.

*John, please have a seat and don't let anyone see you,* said a female voice in his head.

Out loud, but very quietly he replied, “Who is this? Where are you?”

*I'm very close by, and I can help you. But you need to leave and don't let Marcos' men see you.*

From his vantage point he could still see the thugs that came in with Marcos. He didn't recognize any of them but that didn't mean that they weren't aware of who he was.

“Why should I believe you? I have no idea who you are,” he asked. It was odd talking to himself, but he was never sure if he was being heard telepathically without saying his words out loud.

*I understand, John. I'll contact you soon to explain. But if you make a move I can't protect you without exposing myself, and I'm not going to do that.*

“What do I call you then?” he asked hoping he'd get something from their exchange.

*Chameleon,* was her brief reply.

~ ~ ~

It still bothered John the next day. Why had he left? Just because a telepath had said he should? These questions and other haunted him the whole day. At the end of the day, as he sat in a subway car returning to his apartment, it finally got too much.

“New destination,” he said out loud.

The emotionless female voice replied almost immediately, “Please state your new destination.”

“Alpha Three.”

“All occupants must be scanned for age verification,” she stated. John pressed his thumb on the scanner nearest to him and waited for a beep. After a short tome she added, “Age restriction confirmed. New destination approved. Arrival time is approximately nine minutes.”

It was unlikely that Juan Marcos would go to the same club two nights in a row, but there was a chance that Mwindaji might have more information. That was, if she was even working tonight. Walking through the club district of Alpha Three, John quickly made his way to a set of elevators that would take him down to where he needed to go. Stepping out of the elevator into almost complete dark took a few minutes for John's eyes to adjust. He was able to see the glow of infrared light from people soon enough and started to look for signs to The Petting Zoo again.

Before he was able to get very far he heard the unmistakable sound of a gun shot. This was followed almost instantly by a ricochet inches from his head. Instinct, training and self-preservation kicked into high gear as John ducked for cover. His Huey was in his hand with its safety turned off before he even realizing doing it. While checking its digital readout to make sure it had a full set of rounds, he wished he had something with more fire power. Peeking over the edge of a stone bench, John looked for anyone that might be shooting at him.

Off in the distance, through a crowd of running people, John was able to make out a figure with the biggest hand gun he'd ever seen in his life. They walked in the open, swinging it around like a character in a bad movie. Taking aim at them, he waited until he had a clear shot. Suddenly something caught the person's attention and they turned. Stepping out from his hiding place, John quickly moved up. Something didn't seem right, but he didn't want this person to get another chance at shooting him. As soon as he was close enough, John pulled the trigger.

A very female voice yelled, “Ouch. What the hell was...” She stopped in mid-sentence as she fell face first to the ground.

“What the fuck did you do?” yelled a tall, thin man in his mid twenties. “I almost had her.” He was carrying another gun identical to the woman. For its size, it must have been very light. He was holding it like it was nothing.

Seeing another person with a gun John aimed his weapon and said, “FREEZE.” When he knew he had his attention he added, “Drop your weapon.”

“This thing?” he asked. “You've got to be kidding. It's not even...” That was as far as he got. While talking he made the mistake of pointing it at John. Not wanting to take any chances John immediately pulled the trigger again. The man stared at the dart in his chest for a full two seconds before his knees gave out and he fell to the ground. He was likely unconscious before hitting. John kicked the two weapons away from the unconscious people and checked to make sure there were no others.

Pulling out his eCom John dialled and waited. “911, what's your emergency?” asked a man after a few seconds.

“This is Special Agent Watson with the US DEA. I'm reporting shots fired and two people in custody at,” he paused looking for some landmark or sign to tell them where he was.

“We have your location from your eCom,” he said. “We'll have a police officer there in few minutes.”

~ ~ ~

“What exactly did you think you were doing?” Captain Miller yelled at him.

“I thought she was shooting at me,” John tried to defend himself. Finding out that they were only dart guns with impressive sound effects was a bit of a shock to John. They could have gotten themselves kill in LA with that kind of stunt.

“Didn't you check the schedule?” she asked.

“What schedule?” John asked with a confused look.

Price answered, “There's a gun fight schedule posted by Alpha Three. Any guests that have purchased that package are listed.”

“You can just keep quiet,” Miller yelled again. “Where the hell were you? I made you his partner for a reason. But no, you had something better to do than watch him.”

John was getting more angry at this. “I don't need a babysitter!” he said a little louder than he intended.

“Oh, you don't?” Miller asked sarcastically. “I have two unconscious people, one with a broken nose. I'll be fucking lucky we don't get sued by both of them!” After looking at his report again and the report of the first officer at the scene, Captain Miller just shook her head again. “You,” she said looking Price in the eyes. “Take him home and make sure he gets there this time!” Turning to John she added, “And you. You just stay there for a while! If they sue the city, you'll be on the first shuttle off this rock. Got it?” She stared at the two men for a moment before storming out.

“Man, she's pissed,” exclaimed Price.

“Tell me about it,” added Watson. “Maybe it's a good thing I only had my Huey. At least we only have two pissed off guest instead of two bodies.”

“Oh god!” Price said to himself.

“What?” asked Watson as he headed for the door.

“You're one of those 'glass half full' people aren't you?” Watson knew better than to answer. Instead they rode a subway car to his apartment complex before saying goodbye.

~ ~ ~

After a few hours sleep, Watson was back in the squad room pouring through video footage from Alpha Three. He was focusing on any cameras near The Petting Zoo. Since Officer Sato was assigned to Vice this time, he asked for her help to get information from their tracking system. She sat at a computer terminal while John looked over her shoulder, watching her make entries into the system.

Holding out his eCom with a mug shot of Marcos on it, John asked, “So if I wanted to find him what would I need to do?”

Smiling politely she explained, “First you'd need to get a warrant to track his activities.”

“He's in the city illegally. I'm sure that would be easy enough.”

“If that's true, we don't need a warrant,” she interrupted. “If he's not a resident and there's no entry date for him, we have the right to arrest him on sight.” Pointing to his eCom she asked, “May I?”

“Sure,” he answered while handing it to her.

Placing it into a receptacle on her desk she pulled the image of Marcos on her computer. First she checked his image and name against the city census database before checking any port he would have had to pass through if he came in legally. Once she had confirmed that he had entered the city illegally she added his image to a long list of people being tracked. “If he shows up on any camera your eCom will be sent an update.”

“Are you going to get me in trouble again?” asked Price from behind both of them. Sato jumped slightly when he spoke. It was clear she didn't hear him approach either.

“I'm just trying to do my job,” answered Watson.

Price looked at him seriously and asked “I thought your job was to train our people on this new drug?”

“That's scheduled for tomorrow. I have slides and brochures, even a puppet show for the kids,” he replied with a grin.

Since he wasn't getting a straight answer, he decided to change topics. “Who's that guy?” he asked, indicating the picture on Officer Sato's screen.

“Oh come on!” exclaimed Watson. “You're telling me you don't recognize Juan Marcos? His picture was on every news feed in the country.” Seeing only confused looks on both Sato and Price he explained, “He's a major supplier in LA. I had a team of investigators working on his case for over six months. We arrested him about a month before I got here, but when a bleeding heart judge set bail at a million dollars he disappeared.”

“So? Why do you think he's here?” Price asked.

“Because I saw him in a bar in Alpha Three two nights ago,” replied Watson.

Less than five minutes later, both Price and Watson were standing in Captain Miller's office again. She was angry again, but nowhere near as much as last time. “Why didn't you tell us that Marcos was here?”

“I thought you already knew,” explained Watson. “My office sent a message before I arrived saying that he was likely here.”

“There's a big difference between 'likely here' and 'seeing him!'” added Captain Miller. “I want the two of you to go back to that bar and get their surveillance files. If he was there, I want confirmation of it.”

Stepping through the door of The Petting Zoo Mindy said, “Hello John. It's nice to see you again.” Turning to Price she added, “And you've brought a friend. Wonderful.”

With a well choreographed flash of his identification Price said, “Detective Price. Tenkei PD.”

“How can I help you, Detective?” Mindy asked with the same pleasant smile.

With a quick flash of his identification Watson asked, “When I was here the other day, I saw a wanted man. We'd like to have a copy of your surveillance files so we can see who he was meeting with.”

With a genuinely sad expression she replied, “I'm sorry, but I couldn't possibly do that without a search warrant. We must respect the privacy of our guests. I'm sure you understand.”

“Of course,” Price offered. “I'm sure that Judge Mathews will understand as well.”

Mindy's expression cracked for a brief second. Watson thought he saw fear in her eyes before she was able to recover. “What I meant to say is that I couldn't give you a copy. If you'd like to take a look at them here with me, I'd be happy to help.”

“That would be wonderful,” Price replied with more joy than was warranted. “I knew we could count on your cooperation.”

“This way, please,” Mindy offered with a forced smile.

There was more electronic equipment in the small room Mindy showed them than most airport control towers, but only one person looked after it. He was a tiny man with a horrible complexion and thick glasses. After getting closer to him it was obvious to all that he was several days overdue for a shower.

Without any introductions Mindy asked, “Tony, could you please pull up all the video from two nights ago? Between seven and nine?”

“How do you know what time's to look for?” asked Price.

“I'm assuming your only interested in the time that John was a guest here,” she replied. “Is there another time frame you're looking for?”

“I was here for two hours?” Watson asked with a little shock.

“You arrived just before seven-thirty and left a little after eight forty-five,” Mindy explained.

“And you remember this off the top of your head?” asked Price.

Smiling she replied, “I have an extremely good memory.”

Suddenly John had an idea. “In that case, do you know when this man arrived?” he asked showing her an image of Marcos on his eCom.

“Juan?” she asked. Seeing both men nod she added, “He arrived at five after eight with a group of six other men. They didn't introduce themselves though.”

“I think we'll need to get that warrant now,” Price proclaimed.

“Perhaps not,” replied Mindy. “Tony, give me camera two at eight oh three on that night.” Tony simply pressed buttons on his console before an image showed on a larger monitor with an outside view of the bar. As the time stamp counted up Marcos stepped into view surrounded by six men. Their stance and movements clearly showed them to be body guards. When Marcos turned to look down the street at something Mindy said, “Freeze that.” A perfectly framed image of Juan Marco standing in front of The Petting Zoo with his entourage was shown with a date and time along its bottom edge. There was nothing that indicated that the images was from a surveillance camera or who it belonged to. It could have been a tourist taking a picture of the club at just the right moment. “Would that be good enough?” she asked.

“Do you record everyone that comes into your club?” asked Watson.

“Of course,” she answered. “We're more than willing to help the police in any way that we can.” Her sarcasm practically dripped off each word as she said them.

With a digitally signed copy of the image, Price and Watson headed back to the squad room to tell Captain Miller what they had found. As they walked through Alpha Three John asked, “So who is this Judge Mathews and why is she so afraid of him?”

“I have no idea how or why he came to Tenkei, or how he's able to keep his position as a judge,” Price explained. “But the honourable Judge Mathews is a devout member of the Church of the Genetically Pure.”

“Oh,” Watson said. He couldn't think of anything else to say.

“Yeah,” added Price. “He'd love to have any excuse to shut that place down. Even for a few hours or days.”

~ ~ ~

Two days later, Watson and Price were sitting in their squad room reviewing reports on a minor drug bust during a personnel transfer. It seemed that a new employee working in one of the farming domes had brought his own marijuana seeds to plant. While he was being held pending his deportation hearing, Price and Watson investigated him for anything that might lead to a bigger operation. It was mind numbing work and Watson was almost thankful when his eCom went off.

Reading the text message that appeared he became even more excited. “Holy shit!! We got a hit,” he said while getting up to see the wall map of Tenkei.

“A hit on what?” asked Price. He had to stand and follow the smaller man to get an answer.

“Marcos,” he explained. “He just showed up on the board.”

Looking at the wall map, Watson found his location and asked, “What is that place? It looks like he's in the middle of nowhere.”

“That whole area is just storage,” explained Price. “They store cargo in there before being loaded on shuttles for shipping to Earth, the moon or one of the shipyards.” Looking at the area again he added, “But that has been shut down for years. That's shuttle bay one, it's not used anymore because it still has airlocks.”

“What's the fastest way of getting there?” asked Watson. “I don't want him to get away again.”

“If we had priority we could use a teleporter, otherwise the subway will take us right to the shuttle bay,” answered Price.

“You have a teleporter in the police force?” Watson asked. “Why can't we get him?”

“We have two actually. But they're booked in advance or are on standby for emergencies.”

After his previous trip on the subway system for an emergency call, Watson would have preferred a teleporter. But less than five minutes after leaving the squad room, Watson and Price stood outside shuttle bay one. Looking at his eCom again they headed to the area that Marcos had been spotted in.

*It's about time you got here. I was starting to think you weren't interested anymore,* said an all too familiar voice in Watson's head.

“Where are you?” he asked out loud.

“I'm right here, can't you see me?” asked Price with a smirk.

Pointing to his head Watson replied, “I have a telepath talking to me.”

*I'm with a wonderful group of people in storage locker nine,* she answered. *Tell Sam to watch his fire when he comes in. I'd rather not get shot again, okay?*

“How many are in there with you?” Watson was concerned he and Price would be seriously out gunned if there was a large group of people.

*Just me and seven others,* was her reply. *And don't worry about guns. There are only two people armed. And you can't miss them. You better get in here though, they're about to move their stuff to a new location.*

Turning to look at Price again Watson said, “She said there are eight people inside storage locker nine, but only two are armed. I'm guessing they're at the entrance to the locker. How big are these lockers anyway?”

Checking a map on his eCom Price answered, “Nine is a mid-sized one. Only twenty by twenty metres. It has two entrances, one down that hall there,” he pointed to a wide hall a short distance away. “And a second entrance into the shuttle bay.”

“Okay, you have the map. So make your way to the other entrance and I'll take this one. We'll make our move in five minutes.”

Walking to the hall that Price had pointed to, Watson carefully looked down it. The hall ended at a large set of doors a few metres away. They were easily five metres tall and the same wide, with a smaller door built into them. Pulling out his Huey, Watson stepped up to the door, checked that five minutes had passed and knocked. When the door opened he shot who ever opened it. John grabbed the man's gun from his hand as he fell to the floor. As he looked at the people remaining in the room he did a quick head count. Six people!

“God damn it,” he said out loud when he realized Marcos wasn't one of them. Everyone suddenly turned and looked at Watson, which allowed Price to open the other door without being noticed. Price jabbed a stun gun into the ribs of the last man still armed. With very little noise the man went stiff and fell to the floor.

Aiming his confiscated gun at a random person Watson asked, “Where are the other two?”

“What other two?” he tried to bluff.

Stepping closer Watson pushed the gun into his face and growled, “I'm not playing games. Now where the hell are they?”

While trying the step back he answered, “They left about five minutes ago. They left us to pack up.”

Watson finally took another look at the empty room. A small folding table had been set up on one wall. Sitting on top of it were several tightly wrapped white bricks of a suspicious nature. Making sure that no one was out of sight at any time, he stepped closer and stabbed a small pocket knife into one of them. When he tasted the white powered that was on his knife he knew what they had found.

Looking at Price he said, “I'm guessing, but it looks like almost two hundred kilos of cocaine.”

“That's got to be worth more than twenty million dollars!” replied Price.

~ ~ ~

It was early in the morning and John just wanted to sleep. Filling in reports and having meetings to explain how they had found the drugs had taken the entire night. His Huey had been confiscated and its anaesthetic analyzed even though it was already on record from the last time. This was all topped off by Captain Miller adding her opinion before he finally headed home. It had been a wonderful first week in Tenkei. Things here were definitely a lot different from LA.

While mentally flipping a coin between eating or sleep, his eCom rang. Pulling it out and checking its caller ID caused him to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

“Watson,” he answered with a professional tone.

“Agent Watson. I haven't caught you at a bad time, have I?” His voice was clear and strong, with only a slight hint of a Japanese accent. For being so early, his image on the small screen still looked as though he was ready for the office with an expensive suit and tie.

“No not at all,” John answered. “How can I help you Mr. Sakamoto?”

“I was hoping you would join me for breakfast. Unless you have plans of course.”

During his spare time John had been trying to get information about Tetsuo Sakamoto. He wanted to know more information about the man who launched an entire city into Earth orbit. Or how he had made enough money to be able to afford all the work needed to do it. There was surprisingly little information available on him, despite being one of the wealthiest people in the world.

“I'd be honoured to join you,” John replied. “Where would you like to meet?”

“I've already made arrangements here,” answered Tetsuo. As he said this a large black oval appeared on the wall behind John before being replaced by a hole. Turning, John was able to see Tetsuo though it. He was standing near a long mahogany dinning table. Bowing slightly Tetsuo said, “Welcome to my home.”

Once they sat Tetsuo asked, “Would you like some tea or coffee? I understand you've had a long night.”

“I could really do with some coffee, thanks.” From nowhere a tall skinny young man appeared on John's right side and filled his cup with coffee. He then reached for a small silver tray and placed it within easy reach before stepping back. Since he drank his coffee black, John ignored the cream and sugar tray and lifted the coffee to his nose. Breathing deeply, he enjoyed the aroma before taking a sip.

Sipping what looked like green tea, Tetsuo waited for one of his people to start the service. A large plate filled with fruit was placed in front of Tetsuo, while John was served bacon, scrambled eggs and hash browns. All he needed was a glass of orange juice and it would be his favourite breakfast.

“Some freshly squeezed orange juice, sir?” asked another ninja in a waiters uniform.

“Yes,” he answered after recovering from being startled, “thank you.”

Taking his cue from Tetsuo, John didn't say anything until they had finished their meal. Once their plates had been cleared away and more tea and coffee served, they were able to talk about why John was really there.

“I asked you here because I have a problem,” explained Tetsuo.

“I'm sure you have an extremely large staff of people to solve problems, why me?” John countered.

With a smile Tetsuo replied, “I believe in getting the best people involved when something needs to be fixed.” Smiling at the compliment John waited for him to continue. “You see,” he started again. “I hate drugs, but I understand they are extremely difficult to completely eliminate from any city. Even a city as unique as Tenkei. I know my police force is getting results on most of them, but one in particular has been an ongoing problem. A problem that's getting worse each day it seems.”

John quietly said one word, “Inferno.”

“Yes,” admitted Tetsuo. John thought he heard a little anger in his voice as Tetsuo continued, “No one has been able to identify how it's getting here, or even who is in controlling of it. That's why I've asked you here.”

It suddenly occurred to John that Tetsuo might not be referring to breakfast. “Do you mean that you requested me, not your police force?”

“Exactly,” he answered with a brief smile. “I've already started an investigation, but I need someone who's more familiar with this specific drug to take charge of it. I believe you've already been in contact with my main investigator.” As he said this a person entered from a nearby door. John immediately reached for his missing weapon and cursed when it wasn't there.

Juan Marcos strolled into Tetsuo dinning room like a welcome guest saying, “It's been far too long, John. We need to get together more often.”

John jumped to his feet and was about to tackle the fugitive when Juan said, “Relax, I'm here to help.”

“What's going on?” John asked while giving Tetsuo a confused look.

“I'm not Juan Marcos,” said their new guest.

“I've been staring at your ugly face for months. I know who you are,” he spat.

*Are you sure about that?* the female voice from the bar asked, from inside his head.

Reports from several agencies, including the DEA and FBI, had given John more information on Marcos than he wanted to know about him. But none of these reports had indicated that he was a telepath. The fact that his telepathic 'voice' was female was another issue entirely.

Sitting down again John squinted and looked closely at the man now sitting across from him, hoping that there was something that was out of character. Finally he asked, “Who are you?”

*As I said before, you can call me Chameleon.*

Most agencies hired telepaths. Even if their testimony was rarely accepted during trials, they were extremely useful in gathering information. They still needed to get a wiretap warrant, but it usually provided additional avenues to investigate that wouldn't be possible otherwise. However John was never comfortable with a person who could pull thoughts right out of his head.

*You can relax, John. Your secrets are safe with me,* Chameleon sent to him. *I take my telepathic oath very seriously.*

“Who are you, really?” he asked again. “I mean you look exactly like Marcos.”

“I'm a shape shifter,” Chameleon answered out loud. “It's easier to get information on Tenkei's drug trade from this side of the law.”

“And you're a woman?” This was the information John had the hardest time accepting.

“Normally yes, but this is what the assignment calls for,” Chameleon explained.

“So where's the real Juan Marcos?”

Tetsuo replied, “He's in a medically induced coma at the moment. We intercepted him shortly after he arrived here a few weeks ago.”

“You realize that I'll need to arrest him and return him to LA?” John asked. He didn't expect to have access to Marcos, but it needed to be said.

“And I will personal make sure you are able to do that, as soon as our investigation is finished,” came the expected reply from Tetsuo.

“You'll be able to take him back now,” Chameleon offered.

“What do you mean?” asked Tetsuo. “You've made a breakthrough in the case already?”

Turning to look at the shorter man Chameleon corrected him, “Unfortunately it's quite the opposite. Marcos isn't dealing Inferno, but he wants to. He came to Tenkei looking for a source. His people aren't able to make it, but a major dealer is here looking for new markets. The cocaine was a down payment on his first shipment.”

“And Marcos is a big supplier to LA,” John added. “If he makes a deal to distribute inferno in LA, that would seriously alter the LA drug scene. That's something I would really like to avoid.”

“I'll help if I can,” Tetsuo offered. “But my primary concern is how this drug is getting into my city and who is involved?”

“Since your police have his payment, and several of his men, I'm sure the drugs won't be going to LA,” Chameleon added.

“But who was getting the cocaine here? Who was your contact here in Tenkei?” asked John.

“Someone named Dominic, but I'm still working on that lead.”

John asked, “Why not just read the mind of those guys? You could get the information that way.”

“It's not that simple,” Chameleon explained. “They've had to deal with telepaths before. That group was very low in the gang here. They've never met Dominic and have no idea what he looks like. They don't even have a last name for him.”

“You will be continuing your investigation, I assume?” asked Tetsuo. It wasn't really a question, but more of a statement.

“Of course,” Chameleon replied immediately. “Besides, there aren't too many places that I can let my shield down like I can here.”

“What do you mean?” asked John with a confused look.

“It's something to do with Tenkei's power grid. It causes a lot of noise for telepaths. It reminds me of the ocean,” Chameleon said with a smile. “But it tends to drown out thoughts from people. Unless I get very close to them.”

“It's a... useful side effect from our power plants,” added Tetsuo. “It makes negotiations more private than normal. But it has been hindering our investigation.”

After a brief pause Tetsuo continued, “I would like to make you an offer Agent Watson. Once Chameleon has taken another form you can take Mr. Marcos back to LA, but I would like you to return and continue your work here.”

“I'm not sure if or when I'll be able to return,” replied John. “Juan Marcos is a fugitive. Since he's my responsibility I'll need to escort him to LA for processing through booking and sentencing again.”

It was an answer that Tetsuo wasn't happy with, but understood. “I had expected that. Perhaps, in the future, your schedule would allow you to return.”

“Perhaps,” John offered, but he doubted it. “If I'm able to return I'll let you know.”

Bowing slightly Tetsuo replied, “Fair enough. I'll make a shuttle available to you for transport. That should be more secure than using the normal portal transfer station.”

~ ~ ~

John gritted his teeth and stepped into the revolving doorway of the LA transfer station. He could feel his anxiety climbing as he looked through its glass partitions. A flood of sounds and smells assaulted him as the doors opened into the massive room. A feeling of déjà vu gripped him before he realized he actually had been here before, and it had been only a few weeks ago. After clearing security and making his way through the massive transfer area, John looked around for anyone that he might recognize.

“You missed me so much you had to come back?” asked a familiar voice less than a metre away.

“Jesus Christ!” Watson exclaimed in surprise. “Do you like scaring the crap out of me?”

Price smiled and said, “Actually, yeah I do.” As they started to walked into a nearby subway station Price asked, “So what's this news you have and why did you have to come here to deliver it?”

“In exchange for a reduced sentence, Marcos was cooperating with the DEA,” Watson explained. “We have a little more information on inferno trafficking now.”

“You said he 'was cooperating'. Did he change his mind?”

“Marcos died of a heart attack two days ago,” Watson answered.

“How does a twenty-eight year old man die of a heart attack?” Price asked in disbelief.

“Oh, there are all sort of ways,” replied Watson, “But our medical examiner ruled out all that would be natural causes.”

“Okay, so why are you back in this hollow rock we call home?”

“Well...” Watson started to explain.

“Let me guess,” Price interrupted, “they're blaming you for letting him get killed?”

Watson just nodded his head and added, “I'm on paid leave pending their investigation.” Watson paused for a moment, but decided to tell Price the other reason as well. “I'm also here because of some information Marcos provided before he was killed. I turns out that Inferno isn't being shipped to Tenkei after all.”

“What?” asked Price, not understanding what Watson was trying to explain. “How the hell is it getting here then?”

“It's being manufactured here,” Watson answered. “It turns out that Tenkei is one of the major suppliers of Inferno to North America and Europe. I'm guessing that exports aren't being scanned, are they?”

“Shit!” Exclaimed Price, “this changes everything!”

< to be continued >