[Avia]

[Twelve Earth Years Later]

Even within a sea of humanity, I was alone and unwanted.

Except by Zach. And how fortunate was I to have my personal bounty hunter chasing me across the galaxy? How had I earned such obsession? Being on the run was a hard road for an introverted girl like me.

Ten Earth years ago, I fled the Cyber Assault Force, no longer able to stomach the killing. The only thing I regretted was Flint's disappointment, cutting into my heart as if failing a respected father. We didn't separate on the best terms. As a career military man, he disapproved of my decision to run away from the Cyber Assault Force. To him, it was like desertion, although he did not stop me. But the timing was fortunate, since not long after, the forced imprisonment began.

Should have known better than to pass through a busy place like Meridian Station, a central hub for starships going almost everywhere. Dumb mistake. There was way too much security, especially facial recognition systems and genetic scanners, that I could not find and hack them all to hide my presence. But how did Zach even know I would be here? That question troubled me the most.

The bustling crowd represented a cross-section of the Sol Federation worlds. Clothing varied from flashy bright to drab utilitarian to trade specific, and from revealing to modest. There were families moving to new colonies, business people visiting clients, miners hoping to strike it rich, and tourists off to see new wonders. Each followed their own dream within a moving tapestry of countless humanity. Actually, they were counted — the station security AI put the current number at seven-hundred-and-twelve souls within this expansive hall.

Suspended screens and holographic displays provided traveler information or hawked all sorts of products, but mostly, the rushing horde paid little attention. Since the Meridian Station was owned by Omni-Corp, a huge interstellar conglomerate, they commanded the prime advertising position at the very top of the domed space, proudly proclaiming new advances in medical nano-bots. The new technology promised health and long life, soon available for select customers, which meant the rich and powerful.

Across the way, separated by the surging sea of humanity, I spotted Zach, and he gazed directly at me with those mossy-green eyes. A thousand sparks crawled down my spine, settling in my gut. As I held my breath, wishing myself invisible, a hint of a grin ripened on his face. He made a small nod and a mock two-finger salute. Was that a sign of respect, or a promise that he would catch me? Regardless, with my life at stake, he came much too close.

Zach pushed closer, weaving through the moving masses. So, I did the same, but moving away. "Excuse me," I said as I collided with a gray-haired man in a business suit, who scowled in response.

Zach was tall enough that I could see him coming, especially as he lifted his head up to see me. I came to an auto-vendor, where a gleaming silver robot prepared drinks for paying customers. Several people clutching disposable beverage cups leaned against the low metal counter that surrounded the wheeled cart, engaged in several conversations. Ducking down to make myself shorter, I rounded the cart and took off in an alternate direction, hoping to throw off Zack.

It didn't work. I looked back to find his eyes on me with an I'm-going-to-get-you grin on his face. Pushing through the crowd, he came ever closer.

Time to do something desperate.

With a directed thought through my cybernetic implants, I accessed the station AI through a com-link and scrolled through the control matrix. The code flashed across my inner eye - there it was. They really should have updated the firewall. With a mental toggle, I shut off the local power, plunging the hall into darkness, and locked closed all the local isolation doors, then set a one-hour timer to automatically reverse the changes. Also, I scrambled all the com nodes in the area. That should stir things up.

Sure enough, startled gasps and cries rose from the agitated throng. After a tense moment, small lights flickered from hand-held coms like so many fireflies. I mentally flipped through the station schematics, then re-powered an overhead security camera in infrared mode, using it to guide me to a chosen maintenance access door.

"Sorry," I muttered to a frantic woman as we bumped into each other.

Within the narrow service alley, wall mounted lights provided little illumination while foul-smelling water dripped on my arm from the grimy pipes that traced the walls and low ceiling. I shuddered, wrapping arms around myself as an old fear escaped from my mind's recesses — I didn't like dark, tight places. It all came from a mission years ago where we crawled through long, dark tunnels to reach an enemy command center. I ended up trapped and nearly died — most of my team did. Deep, focused breaths helped calm my pounding heart until eventually, I came to another door to a transit corridor, away from the action. The rounded metal door squealed as I pushed it open.

"Excuse me," I said to the startled traveler as he veered around the swinging door

Now to figure a way off this station. Mentally accessing the ship departure schedules, I found the small inter-system shuttle, Corinth, soon bound for Hephaestus Outpost, a small mining colony in the outer ring, and purchased a ticket under a fake name. With a simple hack, I backdated it and created a false travel itinerary, sort of a backstory to cover my tracks. Zach was smart enough that he would screen for recent ticket sales. I had already hacked all the gate genetic scanners so that they wouldn't record my passing.

Just for fun, I hacked into the local security watch-list and listed Zach as a corporate fraud suspect. That should get their attention, especially at a transit station owned by Omni-Corp. He loves it when I do things like that (not).

Upon reaching the departure hall a few minutes until boarding, I sat at the end of a long bench along a curved wall decorated with space themed murals. I squirmed on the hard gray plas-steel surface, and failing to find a more comfortable position, leaned back against the wall and splayed my legs out. Not a glamorous look, but I was tired.

Peering through the security cameras within the arrival hall, I searched for Zach. The smoldering sneer on his face as he jostled through the darkened crowd brought a grin to my lips.

Nearly an hour later, a mental ping alerted me to a call from Zach on an untraceable com-site that I set up to communicate with my pursuer. He spoke through his com-viewer while I used a synthesized voice via my cyber implants. I shouldn't communicate with him at all, but perversely, he was my only friend.

"Hey, Zack," I said with a sarcastically cheerful voice. "What's up?"

"You didn't have to turn out the lights," he grumbled. "People panicked."

"Sorry. But it was necessary."

He sighed. "Anyway, good to see your face. Almost had you this time."

"So close, yet so far," I taunted. "But how did you know I would be there?"

"Trade secret. Meet me for dinner somewhere and I will tell you about it."

"Ohhh," I responded in a seductive voice. "Do you mean like a romantic candlelit dinner at a fancy restaurant where we sip champagne and gaze into each other's dreamy eyes? Like that?"

"Umm, whatever you want, Avia."

I snorted. "Like I'd fall for that! When are you going to quit chasing me?"

"And give up on my favorite Aberrant? Never!"

"Lucky me," I replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Might still have caught you, but some Omni-Corp spooks grabbed me outside the hall. Took me a while to convince them I wasn't the threat. You were."

"I don't know... You seem kinda threatening to me."

"Another thing," Zach said, raising his voice. "Someone drained all the Hunter operating accounts and filed a false expense report with my name on it. Got me in big trouble. Would you know anything about that?"

"Who, me?" I replied with a lilt in my voice.

"That's what I thought. The accounts were supposed to be hack-proof. How did you get in?

"Trade secret."

"So, you just took the money for yourself?" he accused.

"Some. Being a dangerous fugitive on the run is expensive. As for the rest, well, you should get a letter from the New Hope Orphanage thanking you for your generosity. You're such a good guy, Zach."

"You are chaos, girl!" Zach spouted. "Like some kind of cyber witch!"

"Hmm, I like that. From now on, my super-villain name will be Cyber Witch. The galaxy shall come to fear my wrath!"

"Spare me the drama, Avia," Zach replied in an acidic tone.

"You know, sometimes I put on the pointy black hat to remind people who they are dealing with."

Zach blew out an extended breath. "What I know, Avia, is that the time comes when I will catch you. Mark my words."

"Dream on, Zach." I disconnected the call with a smile on my face, reveling in today's little victory.