It was early morning when Phantom arrived at the Bedlama Warehouse, the Artificial Sun wasn’t even due to be turned on for another half hour at least. She had parked the Hummingbird over at the Spaceport and walked to the warehouse. She was expecting in a shipment from New Eden, of coffees and other related products. She had found that they were in high demand from the Coffee Bars and the grocery stores.

After unlocking the side door, she entered and keyed on the lights. Her next stop was the office and the coffee pot located there. Once the pot was brewing she sat down at the computer, turning it on. Leaning back in the chair, she closed her eyes and listened to the soft gurgle from the coffee pot and the beeping from the computer.

Once everything was ready she brought up the shipment inventory and started it printing. She then got up and fixed her a large mug of the dark sinful brew. With mug in hand, she left the office and headed for the stairs up to the catwalk up in the rafters. From the high vantage point she could look over the area below to see what needed to be shifted around.

“What the hell?” she muttered. One section of the crates had been stacked haphazardly. With a growled sigh she looked at her watch. Five minutes till Sun On and over an hour till the workers arrive. With a curse she slammed her hand on the railing and started down to the office. When she got there she downed the last of her coffee, removed her hat and jacket then left again. Her destination was the docking area where the Loaders were parked to recharge the systems when not in use. She grabbed one of the dozen or so hand held scanners and headed for the crates.


At the same time that was happening, up in Hawk Haven Quicksilver was preparing for his early morning patrol. Since the one incident with the Mob and the light bomb that had been planted on the first Sprinthawk, he was more careful. Everything came up clean so he got in and brought the ship to life. With his usual competence, he left the station. His destination was Bedlama this morning, and unlike the others, he didn’t dally about to admire the view. It was the same every morning, so after the first dozen times or so, he paid it no attention.

By 0615 hours, he was flying over the city. So far everything looked fine. Then he passed over the Space port and as he did he spotted the Hummingbird. With a small frown he adjusted the controls, making a slow second pass.

“Bedlama Space Port control, this is Lt. Quicksilver of the SilverHawks, please acknowledge,” he said after activating the Comm. system. There was a moment of silence before he got a reply.

“This is Bedlama Space Port Control, how can we be of assistance this morning Lt. Quicksilver?”

“How long has the ship on landing pad Delta-Three-Nine been there?” he asked.

“Delta-Three-Nine? One moment please,” replied BSPC. “Lt. Quicksilver?”

“Yes?”

“The ship on landing pad Delta-Three-Nine arrived within our radar at 0510 hours. The request for an all day landing pad was granted and she landed at 0520 hours.”

“I see. Did she make any other request?”

“One moment please…… Yes sir, she requested a landing pad near the warehouse district due to an incoming freighter that would be arriving around 0700 hours.”

Quicksilver frowned in thought a moment but filed the information away.

“Is there anything else sir?” asked BSPC.

“No. thank you.”

“Glad to be of assistance Lt. Quicksilver, have a good morning.”

“Same to you, Quicksilver out.” He glanced down and back at the ship before continuing on with his patrol. ‘I know you are up to something, I just have to prove it,’ he thought to himself.


Back at the warehouse Phantom was going through the stacks of crates. Each one had an electronic scan code as well as a shipping label on them. Most of what was printed on the labels was general information like shipping dates, weights, number of items in the crate. The electronic scan code contained more detailed information and also was part of a larger database that tracked everything.

Taking the hand held scanner, she taped the program key that would show shipping dates first and started with the neatly stacked crates. Everything checked out fine. When she started on the crates that had been stacked haphazardly, she found things a miss. Dates out of orders, some from several months prior next to those from the last shipment.

“Damn it all!” she growled out in annoyance. “Either someone is screwing around and not doing their job right or else someone is trying to skim off the top.” Returning the scanner to it’s place, she headed for the Loaders. Choosing one at random she climbed up into the control saddle, shutting the roll-bar cage door. Once she fitted the harness snugly, she brought it to life.

Little did she know that the employee that operated this loader had been tampering with the system. He was trying to pull an insurance and Workman’s Comp. Scam. The Loaders used an Anit-gravtiation load manipulation system that required a certified tech to work on them. Anyone not knowing what they were doing could completely mess the system up with ease.

After letting it idle a moment or two she made sure the systems were green before undocking and heading towards the crates. Everything was going fine as she shifted crates from the top areas first. That is till one of the AG systems on the arm went out causing the load she was carrying to shift dangerously. The system on the other arm gave out a moment later. The fail-safes kicked in a moment too late causing the shifted load to collapse down and forward into the bottom of the large stack.

Some of the crates at the top had been badly resealed and the fall knocked the tops completely off, dumping the contents. She had hit the emergency release for the harness, but it didn’t uncouple properly, leaving her leaning forward, half-trapped inside as several of the large Automatic Coffee Refill canisters came crashing through the roll bar cage. The first one hit her on the back of the head, side on, momentarily stunning her. The second hit end on, splitting her scalp and knocking her unconscious.

When the systems went out she was in the process of moving, one leg raised slightly off the ground. Because of that, when the system locked due to the failsafe kicking in, the Loader was unbalanced enough that the collapsing crates aided in it’s forward momentum, sending it crashing to the ground to be buried under the pile.


Not quite twenty minutes had passed before the manage had arrived. He had decided to come in earlier then normal since the ship was due to arrive this morning. He noted the side door unlocked and the lights were on. When he arrived in the office, he saw that the computer was on as well as the coffee pot. He figure the boss was out getting pastries or such for the rest of the workers. When he noted one of the loaders missing his curiosity was peeked.

Leaving the office he started looking around the warehouse. The sudden shrill alarm caused him to jump nearly a foot in the air. Though he had not heard it in a while, he recognized the motion sensor alarm that all the loaders were equipped with. They were designed to go off if the driver did not move for twenty minutes. He headed in the direction of the alarm at a fast pace. What he found was a pile of crates with the legs of a loader sticking out from under them.

From there he ran to the docks and got into his own Loader, which was equipped with a Master override control. As soon as the systems were green, he cut the alarm off. Moving as fast as the system would allow, he returned to the pile and started removing crate after crate, setting them to the sides. While he was working, the warehouse workers started arriving.

“Get your lazy asses in gear and help me move this shit. The Boss is trapped under there,’ he yelled at the group. “I want one of you to get on the Comm and contact the hospital. Tell them we got a situation.”

As the workers scrambled to their Loaders, one head to the office to contact the hospital. It was frowned upon to do a cold start with the systems, but this being an emergency it was overlooked. With everyone working, it took less then 5 minutes to uncover the downed Loader. Several of the workers dropped out of their loaders to climb under the one that Phantom was trapped in.

“She’s out cold,” one said, “and it looks like the back of her head is split open. There’s blood on some of the controls as well as the back of her head. Some of it is still fresh too.”

“Shit,” the manager said. In the distance, fast approaching the screaming wail of an emergency vehicle could be heard. “Someone get out there and show them the way in. Raise the bay doors so they can get in close.” He directed. “Everyone else, once she’s out I want the area cleared.”


It took less then fifteen minutes from the time they arrived, to pull Phantom out of the Loader and put her on the ambulance then take off, sirens a screaming, to the hospital. As badly as everyone wanted to go to the hospital and wait to see how she was doing, they new she would be pretty well pissed if they did. So instead they continued on with their work like normal, though their normal antics were subdued at best. The shipment came in on time, was unloaded and sorted as the Manager filled out the paperwork.

When the Freighter Captain asked where Phantom was, the situation was explained. He promised he would check up on her and let them know how she was doing before he left Bedlama. Once the freighter was unloaded, he headed for the hospital.

Upon entering the building he headed to the receptionist desk. “Good afternoon, I’d like to inquire on the status of a person that was brought in this morning, somewhere between 7am and 7:30 am.”

“Do you have the person’s name sir?” asked the receptionist as she brought up the information screen on her computer.

“Vernadeau,” he said.

“First or last?”

“Last, First name is Zannatasia, she also goes by Phantom and will likely have an authorization code required to give out any information on her,” he said with a chuckle as he pulled out his wallet to get his ID.

“The receptionist typed in the information and indeed, an authorization code was required for anything, including if she was there. “Well, it seems you are correct sir,” she said looking up at the freighter captain.

“Here’s my ID. Do you need anything else?”

“Just a moment..” she looked at the ID card, “Mr. Val-Kryn.”  She looked down a list of authorized names and found his. “Employee number sir?”

He snorted. “She would have to ask for that one.” He flipped though his ID cards till he found his ZIV Enterprises Unlimited Employee card. “Here you go,” he handed her the card.

“Than you,” she said with a smile then matched the numbers. Everything matched correctly and she handed back his ID cards. “She’s on the 5th floor. I’ll call the Nurse’s desk and let them know you are on the way up. Have a good day Mr. Val-Kryn.”

“You too, thanks,” he said with a smile and a lazy two-fingered salute before heading towards the elevators.

When Capt. Val-Kryn exited the elevators on the 5th floor, he headed to the nurse’s station. “I’m here to see Phantom,” he told the nurse on duty.

“One moment sir,” said the nurse on duty. Her nametag indicated that her name was Mavis. “Dr. Taugosu will be with you in a moment. He’s in charge of her case and is currently on his rounds.”

“any chance I can go ahead to her room and look in on her?”

“I don’t see any problems with that,” said nurse Mavis. “Room 571. Down that corridor, second hall on your left, about half way down.”

“Thank you.”

“Your welcome,” she replied with a smile.

As Capt. Val-Kryn walked away from the desk in the direction indicated, the elevator doors opened up and out stepped Condor. He looked around for a moment before heading to the nurse’s station.

“Hey Mavis,” he said.

“Condor! What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you? You’re not here to visit anyone are you?”

“You mean besides you?” he asked. “Should I be?”

“Oh no,” she said with a laugh. “If your looking for the Doctor, he’s on his rounds at the moment.”

“That’s fine. I got time to waste and a pretty lady to be wasting it with.” He gave her a lop-sided grin and a wink.

“Flirt.”

Capt. Val-Kryn found Phantom’s room easily enough. He wasn’t surprised that she had a private room either. Carefully he opened the door incase she wasn’t dressed or covered. But seeing as how she was, he entered the room, closing the door behind him. Walking to the end of the bed he watched her for several minutes.

She was a little on the pale side due to the blood loss and only the raise and fall of her chest indicated that she was alive. She would twitch now and then, her jaw clenching or a tiny frown would appear. Phantom was either asleep or still unconscious ad reliving some hidden memories.

He turned as he heard the click of the door being opened. It was Dr. Taugosu.

“You must be Mr. Val-Kryn,” he said softly. His words were accented differently due to the fact he was not human.

To the Captain, his accent sounded like that of someone from the Trans-Carpathian region on Earth, or either Paradise City or Huntington regions on New Eden. “Dr. Taugosu?” he asked, moving away from the bed and offering his hand.

“Ah! You are one of the few people that have pronounced my name correctly on the first try. I am impressed, and delighted.”

“I’ve had to learn how to get it right on the first time around in my field of work. I’m a freighter captain so I do a lot of travel.” At the doctors nod, he grinned. “ And I also heard how Nurse Mavis pronounced.”

“Aahh, I see,” he nodded. “What can I do for you?”

“How’s Phantom doing? The workers over at the warehouse are kinda worried and I told them I’d check up on her and let them know before leaving Bedlama.”

“Hmmm….” He retrieved a clipboard with her chart on it. “She suffered a major concussion and a lacerated scalp that required a dozen stitches to close. She is lucky. She could have bleed to death if her hair had not helped partially clot the wound.” He spoke bluntly, not trying to gloss over how serious it truly could have been.

The Captain winced. “She’s going to have a dozy of a headache for the next week or two from the sounds of it. When do you expect her to wake up?”

“She should have regained consciousness by now, but I’m not too worried about it at the moment. If she doesn’t wake up in the next twelve hours, or if there is any swelling of the brain in that time, then I shall worry. Our scans did not find any fractures, so that is a relief.”

“Indeed. So right now it’s a waiting game?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Dr. Taugosu replied as he jotted down some notes on her chart then put it back in it’s place.

“Damn, unfortunately I can’t stay,” Capt. Val-Kryn said with a sigh. “My schedule won’t allow it.”

“ ‘Tis a shame,” replied the doctor as he opened the door.

“Yes.”

The pair made idle small talk as they headed back to the nurse’s station.

“Thank you for your time Doctor, Hopefully there will not be a next time. No offense,” said Capt. Val-Kryn as he offered his hand again.

“It was a pleasure meeting you Captain, and I understand completely. Have a good journey home,” replied Dr. Taugosu, taking the offered hand and shaking it. When he let go he turned around and spoke with the people at the nurses station. “Condor, what brings you here? No emergencies I hope.”

“Oh no Doc, ‘Gaze wants ta let you know the new updates are in. As well as being time for the physicals…” Condor said, not particularly liking the Physical part.

“Tell Commander Stargazer I will be up sometime this week, I currently have a patient that is still not responsive. I want to be sure they wake before I leave.”

“That’s fine,” Condor replied as he turned to head to the elevators.

“Have a good afternoon Condor,” Mavis called after him.

“You too doll,” he said over his shoulder. When he turned back around he saw the elevator doors closing. He didn’t bother saying anything, since he could wait for the next one. But he was surprised slightly when a hand shot out, hitting the sensors along the door edge that would cause it to open again. The person that had done that was the same one that had been speaking to the Doc a few ago. “Thanks.”

“Not a problem. Floor?”

“Ground.”

The Captain nodded and pressed the ground floor a second time. He then clasp his hands behind his back and waited, studying his companion in the highly polished, reflective surface of the doors.

At the same time he was getting studied, Condor was studying the Captain. From his uniform, to the patches on his arms and his stance. Even replaying his voice over in his head to catch the accents.

When the door opened again, Capt. Val-Kryn held out his hand to indicate that Condor should go first. With a nod of thanks, Condor did just that. Both men headed for the exit. Outside, they parted ways. Condor heading over to where MoonStryker was waiting next to his Jet pack and Capt. Val-Kryn to where one of his crew waited in a ground vehicle.

As Condor picked up his jetpack, he listened in on what the Captain spoke to his crewman about.

“So how was she?”

“Concussion and a split scalp.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, I’ve got to make a full report to Lord Stefan once we get back aboard the ‘Huntsman’. Ever since she changed before coming here, everyone’s been worried.”

“Think she would appreciate it that she’s been under watch?”

“Hell no. Come on, we’re running behind schedule. Get your arse in gear boy. We’ve the high seas ta roam.”

“Arrgh, Aye aye cap’n, arrrghh….Plundering of the lasses when we’ve reached home port…. arrrghhh”

Both burst out laughing, it was an old joke between them. Anything else that was said was lost to the sound of the vehicle engine starting, MoonStyrker’s big mouth and the sound of his ‘fan’ kicking in.

“Come on Old man. Don’t want to stand around all day and gather dust,” with that he was up and away.

“I’ll show you ‘old’ you brat,” Condor muttered under his breath as he activated the wings of the jet pack and followed after MoonStryker.


Up in Phantom’s room, another visitor made their appearance.

“Time to wake up sleeping beauty,” said the person as they sat down on the edge of the foot of the bed and poking her on the bottom of the foot.

After several minutes Phantom finally responded. “Go the fuck away…..” Her voice was soft and slightly slurred.

“Well, good afternoon to you too.”

“Fuck off Raven.” Her words were not as slurred this time.

“And how pray tell you think I’m this person ‘Raven’?” he asked with an amused grin.

“Cause you like to annoy me when I’m stuck flat on my back in a hospital bed. And quit poking me, it’s like Chinese water torture.”

“Oh come now, how many times have I visited you?” he asked.

“This makes two,” she said opening her eyes finally, “and you lied last time.”

“I never lie, I might bend the truth to suit my needs, but I never out right lie.” He placed a hand over his heart and had a hurt expression on his face, though his eyes showed a gleam of something else.

“You told me the memories would not return….” She closed her eyes again, letting out a pained sigh. “They have.. every single one….”

“No, I said that they would not return if you followed my advice and stayed out of things.” He pointed out, one hand coming to rest on her knee.

She couldn’t help but flinch away from his touch. It wasn’t that he had done anything to her, it was simply the fact he was male and she was in a vulnerable position, unable to fight back.

He frowned, pulling his hand away. A moment later he was on his feet, pacing at the foot of her bed, one hand fisted behind his back and the other stroking his goatee in thought. “Everything?”

“Yes,” it came out a bare whisper.

“Well, I’ll see what I can do about it. But first, tell me what you have been up to,” he said.

“Why?”

“Call it my price for helping you.” He said, pausing at the foot of the bed, one hand on the foot board as he watched the number of expressions pass over her face.

She opened her eyes, then closed them again and took a deep breath. After letting it out in a shaky sigh she began to speak. “After your last visit, I returned to New Eden. I was greeted with a hero’s welcome….”

He could hear the bitterness in her voice, the survivors guilt still strong after all these years.

“..They would have given me a title of nobility, but I refused it. So instead they gave me lands and wealth beyond what I could ever use in my lifetime. I became the owners of companies that deal in R&D, Arms, Tech of all sorts….”

Her voice droned on softly as Raven listened to every word she said. Ever now and then he would ask a question or two that seemed completely out of place. But that was just Raven’s way of doing things.


Several hours later, Phantom reached an end of her tale. She was emotionally exhausted from it.

Raven had vanished into the bathroom for a moment and when he came out it was with a damp washcloth. With a seeming gentleness that belied how ruthless he could be, Raven sat down on the edge of the bed and gently wiped away the tears with the washcloth in one hand, the other gently exploring the back of her head and the stitches there. He chuckled softly at her flinch and hiss of pain. “Hurts does it?”

“What the hell do you think? Let me get a 10 pound can of coffee and bean you with it in the back of the head, several times and then you tell me. Fucking asshole.”

“Tsk tsk, language from such a lady.” He chided her.

“I’m no Lady.” She replied testily.

“You never know…” he trailed off a moment, then grinned again.

“What’s that suppose to mean?” she eyed him warily.

“Nothing… Nothing. Now, let’s take care of your other problem.” Holding up one hand, palm up, a glowing orb appeared. “Look into the orb Zannatasia, and all will be taken care of. Just look into the orb.” His voice took on a deep hypnotic tone.

As she looked into the orb, her eyes widened slightly. Pupils contracted then expanded out till only a barely seen ring of blue-gray could be seen. The Orb slowly started to glow brighter and brighter as the memories that had returned were copied into it’s depths and then hidden once again somewhere in the dark recesses of her mind. Hidden from all that might look by gossamer threads of  Fae power.

The Orb flashed once, then she blinked, and blinked a second time as she felt a hand pull away from her forehead.

“Well Phantom, you are doing remarkably well. You are free to go any time you are ready, though I would prefer it if you did not fly or drive for the next day or two. Just to be on the safe side.” The Doctor put away the penlight he had been using a moment ago to check her pupil reactions.

“Um… Thanks Doc.” She said slightly confused.

“Don’t worry about not being able to remember what happened for a while. It’s natural with the severity of the concussion you received. I would like you to come by again in a week so that I can have a look at the stitches again.”

“Yeah...What ever.” She closed her eyes as the steady pound of the headache increased. “Got anything for the headache?”

“Yes, yes in deed. I have you a prescription for some painkillers ready. But I don’t want you taking them unless it gets to be too much. They are very strong and very addictive.”

“Alright.”

“Part of your clothes are right over there in the closet. I’m afraid your shirt is quite messy. It’s in a bag at the bottom of your closet. Blood is quite hard to get out of material when it’s dried.”

“Yeah, a real bitch. I’ll call a friend and have them grab me some clean stuff. Any chance I can get a spare shirt? I’d rather wait for them down in the lobby then here.”

“Sure, I’ll send the nurse in with a selection to choose from,” the doctor said, patting her leg as he got up. “I’ll see you in a week. Good bye.”

“Later doc,” she commented as she picked up the phone and dialed. A few rings later and the phone was picked up on the other end. “Hey Jamie, yeah this is Tasia… can I speak with your uncle or Mom if she’s there? Thanks….”A moment later she spoke again. “hey Michelle… yeah… I’m ok. Listen, I need a favor…. I need someone to stop by my place over there on Fense and grab me a few changed of clothes…. I’ll tell you about it when you get here….. Use Seymour’s cab service, I’ll pay for it. Hell I’ll even treat you to lunch or dinner.. whichever. Thanks. See you when you get here.”  With that she hung up  and waited for the nurse to bring the shirts to chose from. Then all she had to do was wait till Michelle AKA Melodia, got there.


As Phantom waited down on Bedlama, up at Hawk Haven there was other things going on. General Landon had arrived earlier in the day for a surprise visit. He also brought the latest HUD updates for the visors, much to everyone’s dismay. Because that meant it was also time for the yearly physicals and fitness reports.

Steven smiled politely and nodded at all the right places, but something was distracting him, a ringing in his ears, a tingle in his muscles, telling him that something strange was happening, somewhere nearby.

Finally, the sensation was too much to ignore, and he stood, glad to be able to move, even a little. "Well, before we do anything, I'd like to run all this by Dr. Taugosu. Is he up here today?" It was a fairly safe question, since they had yet to install a full-time medical team.

"Not yet, sir," SteelWill said. "He's working out of Bedlama General right now. But we can call him up here if you-"

"No. Let's go down there. No need to haul the good doctor all over the place." With that, the General was out the door heading to the hanger where his small private shuttle was parked.

As soon as the Steel Twins were seated and strapped in, Steven brought the controls online and the trio was headed to Bedlama.


As the General and the Steel Twins were on the way down, Michelle had arrived at the hospital and was waiting for Phantom to arrive in the lobby, Seymour was out by the cab waiting with the meter running.

Emily greeted Seymour when she spotted him. “Hey Seymour, what are you doing here?”

“Letting the meter run. Passenger insisted for once. But I don’t mind, ya know what I mean?” He grinned.

Emily just shook her head with a laugh and followed her brother into the Hospital. She nodded her thanks to Steven as he held the door open for her. As they approached the elevators, one opened and out came a young woman with short brown hair, dressed in loose jeans and a baggy over shirt. She had apparently not been paying attention because she ran right into Will.

The girl was the one that went to the floor landing on her rump with squeak of surprise. Her green eyes got really big when she looked up at who she had ran into.

“Um.. sorry miss. Let me help you up…” he said, offering his hand to help her up.

“No, no… that’s all right…. My fault. Wasn’t paying attention.” She said in a surprisingly soft and sweet voice. She scrambled to her feet and was off before anything else could be said, vanishing though the revolving doors.

“What did you do Will? Scare her to death or something?” Emily asked. ~Like what you saw?~ she asked over the mental bond they shared.

“No idea sis. She just took one look and acted like she had seen a ghost or something.” Will replied as he rubbed the back of his neck as he entered the elevator. ~Cute, but not my type.~ he replied. ~ Though she did look familiar. Just can’t place where I’ve seen her before .~

~Oh really? Been out looking have you?~ she pushed the proper floor number after the General entered and the doors closed.

~No.~  He gave her a look.

~Then don’t worry about it.~ Emily snickered softly.

Steven watched the twins, raising one eyebrow slightly but just shook his head. He had other things on his mind right now.

When the doors opened, they were on the upper floors where all the Doctor’s offices were located. The twins were ahead of Steven as they headed to Dr. Taugosu’s office. Will and Emily were so engrossed in their debate as to who would be first on the list to receive the update, they didn’t pay attention to the woman passing them, just nodded absently.

Phantom on the other hand knew quite well who they were, she just pulled her hat down low over her eyes and nodded in reply.

As Phantom and Steven started to passed one another it was as if time had slowed down.

For Phantom, she instinctively knew this was someone she didn’t want to be around and took several steps to the side, away from him. Her eyes shifting in color from the normal blue gray, to a dark stormy gray of thunderclouds. Her expression became guarded, locked off from even the most observant of mortals.

For Steven, there was something about her as she moved past, stepping far to the side, out of touching range. The smell of a hot sun beating down on fields of waving grass, of flowers just a bit past their prime, of fruit a day past ripe. Something that smelled to him of home.

For the briefest of moments their eyes met. And he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt who this person was.

He could only stare in astonishment. Not only had he found a person that smelled of Fae power, but he had also found someone that for the last 6 years had been declared MIA/Presumed dead. He followed her with his eyes, turning as she moved away from him towards the elevators. Images flashed past his inner eye. Of a young woman, standing at attention with a cocky grin, impish gleam in her eyes and a Devil may care attitude as she was assigned yet another stint at KP duty. Of her with her hair pulled back into a pony tail but still reaching her waist gleaming soft brown in the light, howling in victory as she bested another top notch pilot in a simulation game. A face that had a ready smile, a laughing grin or a confidant smirk.

It was hard to believe that that young woman and this older one was one in the same.

Time resumed its normal flow.

He turned to catch up to Phantom but she had reached the elevator and stepped inside by the time he moved. Her hair was now iron gray and there were pale tracing of scars that vanished under her shirt sleeves. As she turned, the doors slid closed, but not before he say the guarded expression on her face, eyes blazing with bitter hatred for him. Then they shut, only his reflection stared back at him now.

He went for the stairs but was interrupted as SteelWill stuck his head out the doctors office and called him. “Sir? General Landon sir, we’re over here.”

Steven let out a sigh and quickly masked his annoyance at not being able to follow after the woman. He turned towards the doctors office. “Sorry, I thought I had seen someone I knew.” He said as an explanation for his actions. Silently he promised himself that he would some how, before he had to leave Limbo, he would find her again.


Phantom exited the elevator and looked around the lobby before spotting Michelle over near the revolving doors. Crossing the room, she draped an arm over the younger woman’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“I’m all for that!” Michelle responded as they exited the hospital.

“What time is it?”

“Almost 3 pm why?”

“Good, I got time to stop by the warehouse then,” Phantom said.

Seymour spotted them and got into the cab, cranking it up. “What’ll it be ladies?” he asked as the pair climbed into the back seat.

“Warehouse 12 over near the spaceport,” Phantom instructed. “Once I’m finished there, I need to go to the spaceport office then to the Omni hotel”

“You got it.” He said as he pulled out into the flow of traffic.

It didn’t take them long before they reached Warehouse 12. Phantom got out, leaving Michelle waiting in the cab and went into the warehouse. About 15 minutes later she exited, carrying her jacket and hat that she wore this morning. Once she was back in the cab, they took off once again, this time heading to the spaceport office, stopping at the Hummingbird so that she could retrieve her backpack.

When they arrived, Phantom once again left Michelle waiting in the cab as she went in to take care of business. Inside Phantom arranged for the use of landing pad Delta-three-Nine for the rest of the week. She also arranged for it to be covered with a shielding dome. She didn’t want it to become collateral damage in the war between the Mob and the SilverHawks. If that happened she would become highly pissed off about it. Since the ship would be inactive for the week, she also arranged for it to be refueled, the environmental systems to be purged and recharged, and the batteries to also be recharged.

By the time she got back into the cab, it was late enough that traffic was heaver due to it being quitting time for many. They reached the Omni without incident. The two women got out, making sure they had everything.

“Thanks Seymour,” Phantom said as she paid the fare and added a decent tip.

“No problem. A paying customer is always welcome, ya know what I mean?” Seymour said with a grin.

Phantom Chuckled. Yeah Seymour, I do. Oh, tomorrow can you stop by and pick up Michelle and take her back out to Fense? I’ll pay you up front if you do. Catch ya later.”

“Sure thing Phantom, see ya then.” With that he left. Though Phantom’s fare had paid the operating expense for the next several days, he liked to keep ahead of the game when possible.

The pair entered the lobby of the Hotel and headed to the receptionist’s desk.

“Good afternoon, how may I help you?” asked the young woman manning the desk.

“A room for the week. Single bed, upper floor somewhere and a connection to the Limbo Net if possible.”

The receptionist nodded as she brought up the selection of rooms currently available that fit the request. Tapping a button, she activated the built in counter monitor so that Phantom could see it. “This is the current selections we have available.” Using a pointer she indicated what the various columns were for. “Floor level, room size, special or extra features, and price per day.”

Michelle’s eyes got big at the prices of some of the rooms. “Wow!”

Phantom just chuckled then looked over the list. “This one will do.” Indicating a room on the highest floor possible. “I’d like to go ahead a pay for the week now then pay the balance when I check out.”

“Yes ma’am,” the receptionist said as she accepted the bank card Phantom handed her. “All the information is correct?”

“Yeah.”

Nodding the young woman filled out all the required information then swiped the card through the reader. A moment later a receipt was printed out. “Please sign here.”

“How late does Room service run till?”

“Room service is offered from 6 am till midnight. But there are snack, drink and ice machined on each floor.”

“Thanks,” she said as she scrawled her signature on the line that had been indicated.

“Your welcome, have a pleasant stay.” And with that the receptionist handed Phantom the room keycard.

Phantom nodded with a polite smile as she and Michelle headed to the bank of elevators. Checking the floor number then the numbers above the elevators, she hit the call button for the right one. Since there was no one else about, they had it to themselves for the moment.

“Everyone says that the mob rips people off but sheesh! The price of the room for one night could take care of the needs for at least a dozen people on Fense for a week or more. How in limbo can you afford this? I mean I know you got money and stuff but still….” Michelle said a she watched the lobby floor vanish below them.

“I write it off as a business expense. And you know how much I’ve been investing in trying to get the Warrens of Fense in repair.” Phantom shook her head with a tired sigh. “Every time I seem to be getting ahead slightly, something comes along and yanks the supports out from underneath me where Fense is concerned. It’s like no one wants to better their lives there.”

“Tasia, you’ve got to understand. Fense has been that way for ages. I was born there. Hell, there’s families that have lived there for generations! It’s not like we don’t want to better the life there, it’s that so many are in a rut and refuse to do anything about it.”

“Or are too proud to ask for help,” Phantom pointed out.

“Well, yeah, that too.” Michelle conceded.  “But still, you just can’t go in and make things better. The Peace Keeper have tried it in the past, to clean the place up. But their mistake was to try and enforce their laws on us. They were the one that kicked us off Bedlama. Now they are paying the price for it. There is a long standing hatred for the law on Fense.”

“So what you are saying is that I need to woe the people first to my side then try to help them?”

“Yeah, something like that. You got a head start too. You offer services that no one else thought of,” Michelle said. She would have said more but they arrived at Phantom’s floor.

It was easy to locate Phantom’s room, and once they closed and locked the door, they looked around.

“Holy Protector!” Michelle gasped.

Phantom just shrugged. “It will do. Now let’s see about room service, then I’m getting a bath.” She dropped her stuff on the foot of the bed and went to the menu beside the bed. “Here. You choose. I’m going for that bath.” She said handing the other woman the menu as she headed towards the bathroom.

“Sure thing Tasia,” Michelle quipped as she flopped down on the bed with a sigh of pleasurable delight. “I gotta get me a bed this soft!”

Phantom just chuckled as she vanished into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and locking it. Twenty minutes later, she came out wrapped in a hotel robe and carefully drying her hair. The delicious smell of food wafted about the room. Michelle was sitting at the table, already eating.

“When we’re done, can you untangle my hair and braid it for me? The damned stitches make it hard for me to do my normal brush job on it.”

“Sure. And then you can tell me what happened.”

“Alright.”


The rest of the evening went by as the two women talked of many things. When they both agreed that sleep was needed, they curled up together in the bed.

Michelle knew things about Phantom that no one else did. That at times, Phantom needed the physical presence of someone else at night and on others. That Phantom would vanish for days at a time getting high then sobering up from it. She also knew that Phantom would often work herself to exhaustion, catch a few hours sleep then be back at it the next day. She had managed to make a deal with her though, if Phantom would stay away from picking up one night stands, she would sleep with her. She knew she wasn’t into other women, that she preferred the opposite sex, but Phantom was and tended to unconsciously shy away from men.

This was one of those nights that slipped by in near mindless passions that ended in both sound asleep, limbs entangled together with the sheets draped across their bodies.


The next day Michelle left to return to Fense and her other life as Melodia, Moll of the Mob. Phantom on the other hand went back to work, starting with calling in a tech to look at the loader.

Steven, on the other hand was itching to get back to Earth so that he could start looking up the files on the Wild Hunt. He also had a copy of the current files on the Mob and those that associated with them. He wanted to find out if he wasn’t just trying to fool himself into believing that someone from the Wild Hunt squad had survived without anyone noticing it.


The rest of the week passed without incident, all the players in this cosmic game of chess once again resuming their roles. Though no one knew that someone from outside the game had had a hand in moving one of the pieces. That the being known only as Raven, had tampered with the memories and mind of Phantom. For he had set within her mind a suggestion that would build over time.


Open here I flung the shutter,  When, with many a flirt and flutter
In there stepped a stately Raven of the Saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mein of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door--
Perched upon my bust of Pallas just above my chamber door--
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore--
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

The Raven – Edgar A. Poe.



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