Wyldhearts and Lone Wolves

By
Chajo and Stefanina

(SteelHeart)
SteelHeart checked her bag to make sure she had everything she needed. Satisfied, she zipped up the bag, and headed out to wait for Phantom to arrive. Three whole days to herself! I need this vacation she thought, I'm closer to complete burnout than I care to think.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and grinned. Boy, is Phantom going to be surprised.  She regarded her reflection. Her armor was retracted, she still didn't understand where it really went, all she knew was that she was exhausted when she was done. Reddish gold hair waved down to her shoulders, hiding the flash of metal at her neck. She was just as trim as when she joined the Hawks, metabolism and continued training assured that. Her appearance was a strange meld of flesh and metal underneath the armor. All her major muscle groups were the cybernetic biometal, intermingled with her natural flesh, as if it belonged. The process that transformed her really was amazing, melding flesh and metal into a single form... she shook her head, and twitched the sleeve of her blue silk shirt. Leather jeans and ankle boots completed the outfit. She grabbed up a leather jacket, and headed out of her quarters to wait for Phantom.


(Phantom)
I had gotten a call from Heart earlier in the day. She had the next three days off. Man she must have done some talking with the Commander. Or else it was just her normal days off. Either way it didn't matter too much to me. I checked my watch and muttered. "Damn, gonna be late!" I had just finished making the pepperoni bread. Setting the timer I put both loaves into the oven then scrambled to put something decent on. I only wore really ratty clothes when I was alone.

I slipped into my flight suite, it would have to do, then tugged on my boots. I skipped putting my socks on all together. I'd need to take the HummingBird to be on time so I went straight for it as I exited the lift. Putting my helmet on as I clicked the switches bringing it to life. Had it only been a week or so since I had it checked out? Hard to believe. Especially as busy as I had been.

I waited as the Main computer did a sweep of the area. Good all clear. As the hanger bay doors opened the interior lights dimmed. I throttled up the HummingBird and took off. My usual style is to cut across the Limit then swing back though on a round about manner so no one would tell what direction I came from. This time I skipped it and went straight to Hawk haven. The normal 15-20 minutes was cut to 10. Good thing I didn't cross any of the patrols paths.

I pulled into Hawk Haven with about a minute to spare. I parked the HummingBird and popped the canopy. I didn't bother getting out since Heart said she would be waiting for me. Looking about I spotted someone.

"Heart?!?" Damn! I'm not afraid to admit, but she looked Hot! A glorious mane of red-gold hair, slim body, the works. I let out a low whistle of appreciation.



SteelHeart grinned. Yep, she's surprised all right, 'Heart thought, but I think she approves.

She swung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the Hummingbird, as SteelWill walked into the hanger. 'Heart swung up into the Hummingbird, Looking over her shoulder at her brother.

"See ya in 3 days?" Will asked her. She nodded. "Well, have fun then. Hi, Phantom" he continued, looking over his sister's head at her.

"I will" 'Heart replied as she settled into the Hummingbird


"Heya Bear." I say absently as I flip the visor up. I noticed he was looking at me. "What? Don't worry, I'll bring her back in once piece. Promise." Yeesh, He's giving me a look that most brothers give their sisters prom date. That 'You had better take care of her' look followed by a slight scowl as I use the nickname I tagged him with. Laughing I flip the visor back down.

"All ready?" I ask before keying the canopy closed. "Better strap in." Bringing the engines back up and maneuvering towards the hanger exit. Toggling though the displays in my visor, I locate the radar. Looks like the Maraj is returning. I go high and right as I exit, flashing past as the Maraj goes low and to the left.

"How much you want to bet I'll hear something about this next time I come in?"


"Uh-uh. I'm not in the habit of taking bets I know I'd lose." She chucked. "I'm sure Quicksilver was muttering imprecations down on your head as we left. I'm just glad to be outta there for a few days, and I'm sure the Commander was just as glad to see my backside."

She settled back and closed her eyes as Phantom headed out into space


Chuckling I head home, taking the longer route. I flip on the sound system and look though the selections. After choosing a few I hit play. It's not my regular rock and roll. It's 'New Age' stuff, Enigma and Deep Forest. The sound-scape the music creates blends well with view of the stars sailing past. "should be there in about twenty. Go ahead and relax if you…." I turn my head over my shoulder to glance at Heart. She looks like she's asleep. She must be more tired then anyone thought. Turning back around I adjust the music so that the volume is a little lower. "Never mind. I'll wake you when we're almost there." I say softly.

The trip was smooth. Nothing fancy this time around.


The soft sound of the music was hypnotic. She recognized one of the pieces as Enigma, but she couldn't quite place the others. No matter. She relaxed some more, letting the stresses of the past week begin to bleed out, and let herself fall into a half sleep trance as Phantom flew.

Soon, she felt the lightest of touches on her shoulder. She stretched sleepily and grinned.

"Here already?" she asked Phantom, trying to pull her wits together.  Wow, she thought,  I must have been more strung out than I thought, zoning out like that.


"Yeah, Welcome to my humble abode." I make a gesture to indicate the entire asteroid that I call home. Right now though all one can see is the hanger. It's pretty large. About three-fourths the size of Hawk Haven's hanger. But it's divided up into the workshop, the storage area and the hanger bay proper.

"I know, Not much to look at, at the moment." Chuckling as I climb down from the cockpit. I wait till she has looked around to her heart's content. No pun intended either.

Checking my watch I see that I have about 15 minutes left till the pepperoni bread is ready to come out of the oven. Yep, that's right. I do cook.


SteelHeart climbed out of the Hummingbird, stretching fully as she did so. She looked around her, at what was obviously a hanger. It apparently doubled as a workshop, too, as well as some miscellaneous storage.

"I do believe this is the coziest hangar I've ever seen", she remarked to Phantom, chuckling at the thought of a hangar bay as "cozy".

"So, am I going to get the grand tour?" She asked.


A snort of laughter. "Well I can tell where you wind up spending most of your time. Sure. Bottom to top. I need to pull something out of the oven so we'll start on level 2." I headed towards the lift set in one wall. By the placement one could tell it went though the middle of the asteroid. "I'll skip the basement. Nothing there but the normal stuff that keeps a place like this going. But if you really want to look around down there I'll give you the access code."

After pressing the call button, the lift doors open and I step in, followed by Heart. "There are five levels to this place. First though third is public. Fourth is my private level. And Fifth is the green house & garden area." The lift was smooth in its upward travels. A soft chime as the doors open sounded.

The wall directly across from the lift was covered in photos. In the wall to the right was a nice sized com station. There were several couches and coffee tables scattered about the room. "This is the foyer and living room area. To the right is the med bay." I said pointing to the door as we exited the lift. "Over that direction is the dinning room and kitchen." That was where I was headed.

The pictures that decorated the wall were mostly of different people. To the right, directly across from the lift was a picture of a squadron motif. A pack of wolves running across a grassy plain. Below it was a group photo of ten pilots. All were dressed in their flight uniforms. Below that were nine individual pictures. All but three had a black silk ribbon running across the corner. The other three held a small POW/MIA flag in the upper corner.

The Photos to the left was of a couple and their children. There was a banner above them that read 'The RunningHorse Clan.'


"Hmmm... that smells good", 'Heart remarked as she followed Phantom to the door of the kitchen. She stood there for a moment as Phantom checked whatever she had in the oven. 'Heart thought she smelled pepperoni.

Then she wandered over toward the pictures. She noted the silk ribbons and the POW/MIA flags. This must have been her unit that she had mentioned back at Hawk Haven a week before. Then she smiled as she studied the RunningHorse Clan.


"Hope you like Pepperoni bread." I call from the kitchen area. After pulling the loaves out I added some more cheese to the top and let the heat melt it. Leaving it to cool I stripped out of the flight suite. I wonder how she's going to react I thought to myself as I walked back into the living room area.

I noticed she was looking at the pictures of the RunningHorse clan. "The couple at the top is Michael and Lisa. They helped raise me. He's a Shaman and goes by Kestrel In Flight. She's a Wiccan High Priestess and goes by SilverMoon. The oldest set of twins is Jessica and James, age 20. Coyote and Raven. I'll let you guess who's who. Next is Elizabeth AKA Summer Rain she's 17 and will be graduating this year. The young man next to her is David. He prefers Winter Fire though. The next set of twins is Michael and Lisa, Little Moon and Silver Wing. I for see them sharing the twin bond like you and your brother have. The youngest boy is Nathan, He's known as Night Wind and last but not least, is Melissa Spring Fawn. She's got everyone wrapped about her fingers."

I was leaning against the door frame. All I was wearing a halter top and a pair of cutoff jeans shorts. But that's not what was eye catching. It was the fact that all of my midriff, and both legs down to my ankles were silver. Just like the armor she normally wears.


'Heart smiled as she listened to Phantom, then chuckled.  "Their parents will have quite a handful to deal with when they do."

She then turned around, an eyebrow raising when she saw Phantom. she was quiet as she took in the armor from midriff to ankle.

"Let me guess", she said "it was far worse than you let on to me at Hawk Haven."


I just nod. "My back was broken in two places, one side of my hips were crushed. Multiple fractures from upper thigh to lower calf. Basically I'd be paralyzed from about here down." I gesture to my upper stomach. "Main difference between what I have and what you have is that the cybernetics is not military grade and the 'Armor' is thinner. Only about half what you got."

Walking over to stand next to Heart, my arms crossed over my chest. I look at the pictures and smile. "Hellions every single one of them. Raven and Coyote are both notorious pranksters to boot. Just like their names imply."


"Isn't that in the job description of a child? I know Will and I put Mom and Dad through the paces, so did Michelle."

"That must have been hell. And you probably did not have the oblivion that we had while getting this done. Well, mostly oblivion. There was one really painful part. For what it's worth, you have my sympathies."


"It took the doctors over three months to complete the modifications. Mostly due to the extent of my injuries. And yeah, I was awake the entire time. Needless to say I now have a very high pain threshold. Took another year after everything was finished to complete my rehab. Had to re-learn a lot of things."

I nod to one of the hallways. "Want to finish this floor or head on to the next? Who is Michelle? A younger sister?"


SteelHeart gave a low whistle. " I bet you do. Three months? Our modifications were completed in 3 days. But I guess there' really no comparison. We were modified from healthy individuals for a specific function, whereas you were modified from severe injuries to save your life. You hated those doctors by they time they were done, didn't you?"

"Yes, Michelle was my younger sister"

She paused for a moment, remembering.

"This is your domain, I'm in no hurry, so feel free to show me whatever you want to."


"Ahh." Nodding at her words. There was a story behind them, but it would wait till later.

"One might say that. One of the first things I did when I got back to my feet was deck the doc in charge. Hehe I broke his jaw." I motion to the lift. "Grab your bag and we can settle you into one of the rooms. There are four to choose from. One happens to have a very long hallway leading to it and is more private then the others. But over all, they are all about the same size. Fairly large. They each have their own private bath too." Entering the lift I hit the level 3 key after Heart joins me.

"Since I haven't had anyone here since I arrived, decorating the rooms hasn't been on my priority list. One of these days I'll get around to it. But until then, they will be pretty bland looking. Just the furniture for now."


"Whichever one is the shortest route to the coffee in the morning sounds good to me, I'm not a demanding guest." 'Heart grinned, slightly relieved that phantom decided not to ask any further about Michelle. It hurt to think about it more than she realized. She picked her bag up from the floor where she had dropped it, and followed Phantom.


Chuckling. "Oh? You're a coffee fiend too? Well then the couch is the closest. Heaves know there's been days where I've been running for 30 hours straight, come home, not even bothered to try and make it to my bed. I got them for comfort not looks. That's the reason for so many pillows and throw blankets scattered over them."

The Lift opens out onto the third level. Straight ahead is one door, to the left is a second. "Those two are the closest as it were. The other two are around the corner from the lift and towards the back." I point as I step out. "oh, yeah, before I forget, there's a small com unit. And a PA system connected to the com. You can choose full broadcast or select a room. Haven't put it to the test yet." Shrugging.


SteelHeart slipped into the room on the left, and deposited her bag on the bed. "The com system's probably good for a place this size, especially if you ever start having company regularly." She grinned. "I know I called you up on the spur of the moment, but I needed to get out of Haven for a while." She absently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, as another fell down into her face. She blew absently at it, and sighed. Durn hair, she thought to herself


I watched as she kept blowing her hair out of her face. "Feels strange to have it down again doesn't it?" Chuckling. "I can either get you a hair tie, a bandana or clip it. Your choice. But I'd say keep it. It's a gorgeous shade of fire gold." I'd love to run my hands though it, but I don't want to scare her off.

Absently I run a hand though mine. It's silky fine and tends to tangle or fly away. That's why I keep it braided most of the time. That's the only good points to it. The bad points, its color. Mousy brown. I wonder what would happen if I dyed it. Maybe a dark auburn color. The gray would certainly be eye catching.


SteelHeart chuckled. "This is the first time since the age of 6 my hair has come past my collarbone. It was down to my waist when I first retracted my armor, but I couldn't deal with that, so I decided to see how shoulder length looked. The rest of the tail is back at Haven. You should have seen the other Hawks faces when I walked out! They looked at me like I had flown in from Mars. I think I'll leave it loose for now, I gotta figure out how to deal with it, and now when I'm not working is a good time."


To say I'm stunned that she cut her hair, is not saying much. "Damn! It's taking me just over six years to get mine this long. I swore that I'd never gut it again after what happened. Buzz cut is not a look that goes good with me. I looked like a walking zombie."

Shaking my head in disbelief still I enter the lift again. "yeah, true." I hit the level 5 button. "Might as well take you to the top and go down from there."


She smiled at Phantom's dismay. "I never went buzz cut, but it was short since I was 6, so I really don't know how to take care of long hair. Maybe I'll let it grow long again, I don't know. I guess I'll have to de-helmet on a regular basis to learn how to attend to it, not to mention to flummox a few co workers." She gave a mischievous grin. She then took off the leather jacket, is was warm enough without it, and followed Phantom out of the room to continue the tour.


"A few? Or a certain one?" Laughing at her grin. She had a hidden wild streak in her that I was determined to bring out.

Once again the lift was a smooth ride. A soft chime as the doors opened onto what could only be called, a secret tropical paradise. The humidity was higher here then anywhere else, along with the heat. Subtle perfumes of many flowers wafted on the constant soft breeze.

"In Xanadu did Kublai Kahn a pleasure dome decree… and I forget the rest of that poem." I step out of the lift and onto a graveled path. In the distance one can hear the gentle slash of water. Way up above it all is a clear dome. The lights from the stars and the strips of light at the edge of the path are the only illumination. "It's set for Night time currently. For day time I have the dome shields close so none of the light will give this place away"


"Okay, you got me. One certain Hawk. I do like to get his goat, he reacts so well. Overall, he's a pretty good sport about my ribbing, maybe because he know I can throw him across the room." She laughed.

As the lift doors open into the dome, her eyes widened. She heard the faint sound of water splashing. Then her eyes traveled up to the dome to the cool fire of the stars above. Tiny lights showed the path without disturbing the peace. A riot of flowers gave the room a soft perfume.

SteelHeart let out the breath she had unconsciously been holding. "It's beautiful" she breathed, as she stepped further into the room.


"I plan on adding some birds to liven things up some. But for now this will do."

If there was one place anywhere that I could come to let the go of the tension, it was here. There was a peace about the room that could be compared to a sanctuary, a temple or a church. The way I had the path set up, one could hide a large crowd here and still keep the feeling of quiet solitude.

Amongst the flowers were herbs. Almost everything had some use to me. Both earth species as well as native Bedlamian species grew.


SteelHeart walked along the path, frequently stopping to examine an individual flower or herb. The riot of plants was simply amazing, and for several moments, she allowed herself to be lost in the atmosphere. Finally she looked up at the stars again "Sometimes it's too easy to forget how beautiful they are" she spoke softly.


I followed silently behind her, watching, not disturbing the peace that seems to have settled about her. I smile as she spoke softly.

"Yes. One of the few things I miss from not living planet side is the night sky. Stretching out in an open field. No lights about, and just watching the heavens. Up here, all you see is rocks and dust and points of light. Down there you see wishes, hopes and dreams painted across the sky."


"I've forgotten the dreams I used to dream. It certainly wasn't this." She gestured at the metallic muscles that showed under the sleeves of her shirt. "My youth seems so far away."

She changed the subject abruptly. "This is absolutely amazing. How long did it take you to do all this?"


I noted the change of subject but didn't object. "Let's see." Tapping a finger against my chin in thought I studied the ground a moment, "I've officially been here in Limbo for.. oh.. about 6 months or so. But unofficial I've been here at least a year, with prior visits for another year before that. On my first visit I found this place and bought it. I had an engineer go over it with a fine tooth comb. The second visit I got together with the fellow and mapped out what I wanted and set up the funding to have it taken care of."

Looking up at her and tilting my head to the side, grinning. "I'm really surprised that none of you guys even noticed what was going on out here. But then again I suppose that you were pretty busy dealing with the Mob."

This time it's my turn to change the subject. "Come on, I don't know about you but I'm getting hungry and the pepperoni bread is getting cold" I head back to the lift.


"Heh, well, I'd have to go look back in archived reports to see if any of us made notes. You're outside our jurisdiction, so, unless we saw direct Mob ties, your activity would have been noted, then forgotten. Mon*Star has a personal grudge against Commander Stargazer, and the rest of us by extension. I'm not kidding when I say I get shot at just about any time I stick my nose outside Hawk Haven."

She chuckled at Phantom's last statement. "Hungry? Me? I'm always hungry." She followed Phantom back to the lift, with one last look at this little corner of Paradise.


Noting her look I smile. "Don't worry, it will be here for a long time to come." I press the button after she enters. The doors slide shut and we descend back to the main level. "Let me guess, you can pack away more then your brother." Arching an eyebrow slightly. "Thankfully I have a well stocked pantry."

The doors slid open silently and I stepped out, heading to the kitchen. "anything in particular you like? My taste vary so it's doesn't matter much to me. I could have a rice dish one day and stuffed manicotti the next."


"I'll eat just about anything. We all pack down about the same amount of food.. the amount of energy need to power out internal weaponry and flight abilities pretty much requires it. As a result, I'm not a picky eater. I'll eat just about anything, but I do need fairly high amounts of protein, even in a resting state. Another one of the lovely side effects of my alterations that wasn't disclosed."


"In other words, your one of those people that can eat tons of food and never gain an ounce of fat." As I enter the dinning room area I pass the buffet cabinet and grab one of the chopsticks that are in a dish there. Heading on into the kitchen area I gather my hair up into a pony tail, twist it around a few times then pin it in place with the chop stick. It's a little trick I learned a few years ago.

"I'll keep it in mind when I cook later." Chuckling at her look. "Yeah, I cook. Fresh food. None of that stuff that comes out of the food units. And I warn you now, I use a lot of spices. I can't stand bland food!" I snag a knife from the knife block, one of the loaves of bread and set both on a cutting board.. "There's drinks in the fridge." Nodding towards the rather large set of doors. "Help yourself."


SteelHeart headed for the fridge. "What do you want to drink?" she asked, as she rooted around for a pitcher of water for herself She grabbed out the pitchers, and set them on the counter. "Glasses?" she asked, and headed for the cabinet Phantom pointed out, pored the drinks, and put the pitchers away. She brought the drinks to where Phantom was cutting the bread. She grabbed up a piece already cut, and ate it quickly. "Mmm... that was good," She said when finished, and chuckled. "Maybe I should have eaten something before leaving. But I didn't dare to, or some emergency would have presented itself. She rolled her eyes, and absently pulled her hair back away from her face.


"Murphy's Law still hold's court even after all this time. If you had stuck around, you'd have been tagged for something. Anything will do. Thanks. Granny Mattie taught me how to cook amongst other things." Taking a bite out of my own piece and enjoying it. Moving to another cabinet I pull out a plate and pile the pieces up on it. After wiping my hands on a rag I motion for her to turn around a moment.

I've got those chopsticks all over the place so I grab a near one. Still chewing my own piece I gather up her hair, combing it back with my fingers, into a pony tail. Then twisting it about a few times I loop it once and slide the stick though the top of the loop, pinning it in place.

After swallowing, I speak. "There. Shake your head a few times. It should stay in place, your hair's thick enough for it. Unlike mine." I shake my head and feel the twist coming out, so I reach up and remove the stick. My hair doesn't artistically tumble down like in commercials, it just falls. "The curse of having baby fine hair." I say with a mock sigh.


SteelHeart shook her head a few times. Sure enough, it stayed.

"Thanks", she replied, smiling. "I'm sure I'm highly amusing to watch, getting flustered about something that's second nature to everyone else."

She chuckled at Phantom's last remark. "I don't have that curse, but my hair was the bane of my childhood. Too many people saying 'it's so pretty, why so you keep it short?'. Heh. I guess I'm still getting used to the idea that looking feminine is an okay thing."

She got another piece of the pepperoni bread. It really was good.


"Well, Not many can claim to have that particular shade of red-gold. Unless I miss my guess I'd say you have some Irish as well as German blood somewhere in your past. Hell, look at your Brother. Dress him in leather and furs, give him a horned helmet and a battle axe and you have a damned good picture of a Viking!" Laughing as I snatch the plate away and head towards the second hallway that leads out of the kitchen. "Come on. I have the selections laid out in the library."

I walk down the long hallway to the intersection then turn right. Entering the library I head for the large wood table that takes up the center of the room. Off to the sides are some comfortable chairs with lamps next to them. The walls are all bookshelves from floor to ceiling. The shelves are mostly empty though. Only a small section is filled with books. The selection ranges from fantasy and sci-fi to encyclopedias and dictionaries to books on plants and herbs. There are even a large selection of Business books and Law books.


"You've got it right on both counts; add a few other Western European bloodlines, and that's pretty much me. Oh geez, it's a good thing he's not here to hear you say that..." She laughed as she followed Phantom to the library.

She took note of the empty shelves as she walked in. "Still working on the book collection, eh?" She did notice the extensive selection of law and business books, and quirked a mental eyebrow.


"Something like that. I have very wide selections of taste when it comes to books, even have a few erotic ones." Snickering at the mention of those, "Oh? Why's that? Think he'll get an idea of dressing that way?" Setting the plate down on the table and motioned to a chair. Grabbing my own, I snagged another piece of the bread and nodded to the stack of papers. In between bites I spoke, "I managed to get a copy of the original Sentimental Journeys by Ella Fitzgerald."

"The ones to the left are the ones I'm thinking of for me. The other stack is just some ideas I had that seemed to fit you." Leaning back and propping my elbow on the arm of the chair, "Might even be fun to do a second set of CDs that have the original singers and dedicate each to a different person. Both good and bad."


'Heart rolled her eyes "I hope not. He'd scare the Bedlamians! I noticed the variety... most of my reading material is technical... although I enjoy histories, too." She sat in the other chair and scanned the song list, and chuckled "Heh, you did a good selection job. I thought I was the empath. Thanks for finding Sentimental Journey for me. that’s not a bad idea" she chuckled.


"Eh..hhehehe. Now I got that song by Ray Stevens in my head, Eric the Awful" Rolling my eyes with a snicker. "Na, no talent. At least not that I've ever found out about. Granted I seem to have a remarkable ability to predict some events. But that most likely comes from watching people. Comes in handy when I have to negotiate contracts and such. Also helps when I look for people to fill jobs that come open."

Leaning forward in my chair propping my elbows on the table and clasping my hands below my chin. "Did you know that there are people that live on Fense that have some of the most remarkable talents? And their only sin is to have run afoul of the law in some small way. A lot of the stuff would be considered misdemeanors back on earth. But here they are serious enough to get the people blacklisted."


"Oh my, I could see THAT one going over like a lead balloon. Nah, well, you don't have empathy, at least. I'd be able to sense that. I can see where people watching comes in handy, especially in your job"

She sat back for a moment, and contemplated Phantom's last words.

"Yes, I do. We are so bound up in contracts and legal stuff, we have to enforce the local laws, whether or not we like them. Bluegrass and I have both encountered Fense natives, but we've kept out mouths shut. if we don't tell, we don't have to do anything about it. But please keep that under your hat, for obvious reasons."


Nodding, "No worries there." I think a moment about telling her some of what I do over at Fense. There's something with her that I can't help but trust. "Next time you run into any of the natives, mention you know the Shadow Lady. You'll find you'll get a lot of extra help when needed. There are three key names you can use if you ever get in a serious jam over there, The Shadow Lady is one. Lady of the Night is the second, and if there are any children around, Mama-Zan is the third."


"Thanks, I'll remember that, it may come in handy one day. The situation on Fense is something sensitive to all of us. We want to help, but we're pretty much restricted from doing anything out there. The only thing we can do is make sure we never "officially" know that there's any sort of settlements."


Leaning back again after snagging yet another piece of the bread I smirk. "Well since you’re not On duty, then you haven't 'Officially' heard anything. Now have you?" With that I take a bite.

After I swallowed, I motioned to the papers. "If you’re done looking though them for now, I can show you the rest of the place. There isn't much left to see though. Just the Den and the Recording studio."


"Heard what?" "Heart said, eyes wide, as she took another piece of bread. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She grinned, and gathered up the papers back into a neat pile.

"Lead on, she said, smiling, gesturing for Phantom to go ahead.


Chuckling I stand and head out of the Library. Turning right as we hit the cross way again, I lead her down a long hallway. Spaced evenly along the walls are paintings and prints. Most depicting wildlife scenes of some sort, wolves, birds of prey and great cats, or native American scenes of some sort.

"Here's the den." Motioning to the room that opened up before us. It was pretty large. In one corner was an entertainment. The shelves next to it were packed full of vids and other disks. A couple of couches and recliners took up the space about it. Off to one side was a regulation sized pool table complete with rack and sticks.


SteelHeart scanned the room and smiled. "For someone who would prefer to be known as solitary, you certainly have a good party ready room." she was sure the vids and disks were as widely ranged in subject matter as the book collection.


"It never hurts to be ready for anything. Including throwing some wild parties." A lop sided grin as I gestured to the gaming systems. "Besides, if any of the RunningHorse kids ever decided to visit, I gotta have something to keep them out of trouble. Otherwise I'd go broke paying off their fines and bailing them out of jail ever other day."


"I hope those tactics work better for you than they did for my parents" 'Heart replied with a twinkling eye. "We led them a merry chase. It's a wonder Will and I survived childhood" Her eyes darkened at the memory of the one who did not.


I didn't see her expression since I was ahead of her. "Ha! You would have gray hairs if you knew some of the stuff I did as a Kid. I think the worse thing I ever did, and was caught for, was painting an archery target with Nitro Glycerin. Thank Heaven no one was hurt from that little stunt. When the target was hit, it exploded spectacularly. A crater over seven feet across and at least two feet deep was left behind. I was only about twelve at the time. I had my tail blistered so bad that day. Not only from Papa Charlie when he found out, but by Granny Mattie also. It was after that, that I went with papa Charlie on a job and learned how to properly handle explosives."

Flipping on the lights in the studio I walked over and sat down in one of the chairs that sat before the Mixing board. On the other side of the glass window was a few stools, some mikes and a pair of guitars. One of which was an old acoustic model. The other was an electric guitar, much like Bluegrass's.


"The worst trouble Will and I got into was the day we decided to disassemble Dad's car, to see how it worked. We got blasted for that one, but we did learn how that thing operated." She grinned. "There wasn't an electrical or computerized device in or near the house that was safe from us. Mom finally started getting two of everything, one to use, and one for us to take apart. Soon we learned to reassemble them to just as good, if not better performance. That got Mom and Dad's attention. But Dad still wouldn't let us near the car unattended." She laughed, and walked over to the mixing board. She whistled. "Sweet system. There are some professional studios that couldn't match yours."


"I went for the best. And even with the high price tag, I still have more money stashed away then I know what to do with. Between business ventures and other such things, I'll never have to worry about going broke. And if it ever does come crashing down, I have other resources to fall back on." I shrug as I sit down in one of the chairs. "I bet you'd go crazy then on New Eden." I smirk. "The highest tech they use there tends to be in the hands of the Military. The commoners tend to use natural power most of the time. Animals, wind and water are the most popular."


"Ah, but there's always ways to improve carriage design, or make the wind and water turbines more efficient and less disruptive to the natural order of things," 'Heart said, eyes twinkling. "Besides, if there's horses there, I could get lessons," she grinned broadly. "I've only ever ridden a horse once, but I remember every second of that ride."


Chuckling I lace my hands together behind my head and lean back. "Always thinking how to improve things aren't you?" I laugh at her 'Who Me' look. "Horse crazy? You? I'd think that the Cowboy would be the one that was Horse Crazy, but not you. As for ridding lessons, it depends on what style you want to learn. Western, English, Dress, Steeple chase, Show riding, Rodeo events. I've done it all at least once. And let me give you some advice. Never go without some type of support and never go bareback riding in the nude. With the first you come back sore and bruised, and the second you can get the worse rash imaginable." I hold up my hand before she can comment about the last two.

"Lets just say it was a dare and I was drunk. As for horses, I've lost count of how many I own. But I can say I have a few prize bloodlines. The Black-Hart bloodline is one. All the male foals are coal black with a white heart shaped blaze down their chest. That's the true mark of the Sire. The First Black-Hart was an Arabian, Clydesdale, Morgan mix. He was huge, but had graceful lines and was fast. The second prized bloodline is the Wind-Foot line. They are nothing but rangy, wild mustangs from the west. As the cowboy would say 'meaner then a rattlesnake' "


'Heart opened her eyes wide, earning a laugh from Phantom. she grinned and shook her head. "I wasn't 'horse crazy' the way most girls were, but I did kinda wish I could have had lessons. I just felt so free on the back of that horse, especially when we convinced them into a gallop. At the time, I felt like I was flying." A wry grin. "But getting lessons when you live in a big city is costly. We simply couldn't afford it"


"Lucky that I lived on the Cherokee Reservation, down side was I never went to the malls and such like the kids in the city did. I guess it was a fair trade off all things considered." What ever else I was going to say got cut off with a yawn. "ugh, sorry. Been running since well before dawn this morning. I swear I'm going to have to find someone to hire to take part of the runs I make. Maybe even two. The closer to the holidays we get, the more contracts I get. But I refuse to ask Seymour cause he has his own job to hold down, even though I'm sure he could use the money. And I refuse to even consider Zeek!"


Phantom's yawn set Heart off. "No need to apologize to me. I'm quite familiar with 18 and 20 hour days. The misery of having no backup out here. What say we call it a night, and start practicing and recording in the morning?"


"At least you can rotate who's on and who's off. I'm a one woman crew out here, with no back up." Standing and stretching, she yawns again. "whomever awakes first has to start the coffee. Don't worry about breakfast, there's bagels and other assortment of stuff in the fridge, I can cook once I'm up if you beat me." Waiting till Heart's in front of me before shutting the lights off. I could have the computer shut the lights and everything else down for the night, but I've never been comfortable using the voice recognition system. Besides I don't like the voice that it's programmed with. "And we can start working on the CDs tomorrow also."


"True, an 18 hour day is an 18 hour day, no matter how you cut it, and they're grueling", 'Heart said as she preceded Phantom out the door.

"Don't worry about me. I can cook, but, at Haven, if the choice is cooking or sleeping, I choose sleep, as do the others, and that's pretty obvious when you peek in the mess hall." She chuckled. "We really do need to hire a full time cook."

"Yeah, I don't even think I could croak a tune tonight" she said, as they reached the guest area.

"Goodnight, Phantom, I'll see you when I gain consciousness in the morning."


"Night" I waited in the lift till she had closed her doors then took it up to my own level. I got though the doors and headed to the bed, stripping clothes of as I did. Didn't even bother turning the lights on. I shivered from the cold. I kept the temperature way down so I could use the heavy fur comforters and flannel sheets that had been given to me as a b-day gift a few years ago, year round. Once I buried myself in the sheets and covers, I was out light a light.

The Next day when we had both gotten up and feed, we went though the list of songs again. Around time for lunch the lists were settled and I did a few sound checks. Everything was looking great. After lunch while Heart was going though some final changes in the listing, I was warming up on my guitar.

Everything was set and final. We started the CD.

By the time supper rolled around we were about a third of the way though the first CD. After eating we went back to the studio. Before we knew it, it was past midnight and both of us tired. Heart was pretty horse too. I'm going to be in the same shape tomorrow I bet. Only my fingers are going to be hurting from playing so much too. Don't know how the cowboy does it, must have calluses on his fingers.

After another night of sleep, we finished the second CD late the evening of Hearts third and final day. I know she will more then likely have an early duty shift so I go ahead and take her back to Hawk Haven.

Several days later I finished the last of final touches, did some work with a computer graphics program for the covers and the CD labels. I delivered her copy to her then headed home.

It was the next day when I met Gafad Situ and that weekend I went to the Concert and meet Cherri Berri, the band, and Mitsu Hasau. Needless to say things got interesting after that.


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