Here and now ..

He watched her carefully, making sure to remain in the shadows. It was always busy at this time of day, Omni-workers taking their break, the tannoys blurting out pro-omni messages every few minutes, the hustle and bustle around the Bronto bars. She shouldn't see him, she must not see him, complications, too many complications, the time was not right, it would never be right.

He checked the commlink, the message was already written, the red 'send' button flashed, an eary red glow, barley lighting up the dark features on his face. He was tired, so tired but sleep would not come, he wondered if it would ever come again, possibly soon, maybe, just maybe after this last assignment.

His gaze returned to her once more, she was still stood close to the terminal, oblivious to the hustle and bustle around her. People passed her by, some turning their heads, admiring the armour, wondering at her reasons, jealousy, bewilderment, anger, who knew, maybe a combination of all those feelings, Omni or not, the citizens were wary, some might even say scared. Times were changing, Rubi-Ka was changing and now after Ross's declaration that the accord no longer held as far as he or Omni-Tek were concerned, the people were changing.

She turned her head slightly towards him, forcing him back to reality. His breath caught, as it had the first time he had seen her, so long ago now, so much had happened. She looked different, still beautiful but different. It was taking it's toll on her, he knew it was hard, it was always hard, it had to be, there was no time now for a break in the programme, it had to be seen through, at all cost, any cost's, even if it meant....

A strand of hair had brushed across her cheek, her pure-black gloved hand moved effortlessly to brush it aside. He remembered how his own hand had once touched that soft skin, so long ago, so much had passed, pain, pain was all that remained now, for them both.

He sighed, almost silently his eyes returning to the comm-link. A simple press of a button is all it would take, such an easy task, everything was easy now, there was no effort needed, they were pampered, spoilt, treated like children by an over bearing parent who loved too much. Oh, they were loved, of course they were, they were valuable to them, commodities, each one an investment but the Corporation expected a return on their investments and what the Corporation expected, the Corporation got, if not, then files could be altered, records changed even disapearing. Eveyone was someone as long as they wanted it that way, when your worth was over, when the Corporation felt it had it's return or when you was deemed a faulty product, the hack of a terminal, the deletion of a file, you were no more, a simple accident, an internal enquiry, a fault to blame, another 'child' born in your place.

What was wrong with him? This was not him, he ws loyal, he always had and always would be, wouldn't he? For a moment, a fleeting moment, fear washed over his face, doubts, that's all it is, just doubt's he thought. But why, why now, why today? He knew why, he should never have come to Entertainment, he shoud not have been stood here now, a shadow, nothing more than a shadow, watching, observing but for all the wrong reasons.

What had happened between them was in the past, consigned to history, a memory for them both to remember one day, maybe to remember, maybe one of them would, perhaps it would actually mean something, that they had meant something. He hesitated again, knowing he had to press the button, knowing he would press the button but not right now, not just yet, soon, very soon, just a moment longer ..

He wanted to remember her now, as she was today, not as she had been the last time, not that way. He had hurt her, hurt her deeply, it had hurt him also but he had to be strong, he was strong, strong for them both. One day maybe he could explain himself, try to make her understand, try to bring some reason to the madness they found themselves in, that Rubi-Ka was in, Omni-Tek, Clans, ICC, they were all caught up in the madness, Notum was madness, did anyone understand, could they understand, did even he understand?

He would take a break, this would be the last assignment. He deserved a break, they owed him that. Time away, perhaps off planet, away from Rubi-ka, away from all of this chaos that he had surrounded himself with for what seemed now to be an eternity. She would get a break also, with her controller off-planet, it would mean time to herslef, a chance to rest, perhaps to remember, memories......

The faint, red, flashing glow was captivating, almost mesmerisic. The arrow hovered over the button, pixels, everything was pixels now, he looked at her once more, the only thing he knew that was real.....

The arrow disapeared, the flashing stopped, replaced with text 'Message Sent...'

She waited by the Terminal, her mind blocking out the noise of the City. Entertainment was always busy, Omni-Tek workers going about their business, grabbing a burger, shopping, chatting, living normal lives. Everyone oblivious to the ever present machines, observing the city, the people, the gates, even their own employee's.

She could sense the swing in the mood though, people's gazes su****ious of anyone not in Omni-uniform or armour. This was a hard time for the Neuterals', caught in the middle once again, ICC so weak to be able to do nothing to re-assure them of their safety whilst travelling in Omni or Disputed Territories.

Glancing at the screen her mind drifted again. She knew he was here, could sense it, feel his presence, pointless to look for him, he would be out of sight. She wanted to see him though, to remember his face, his voice, his laugh. She looked around but all she could see were strangers, busy people with busy lives. Her eyes fixed on the Bronto Bar, they always made her laugh, the sign's, the pressumption that everone had grabbed a Double Cheese Bronto Burger, Omni-Tek was like that, looking and planning ahead, making things so.

They had met at one such bar, way back when things were different, when there were no complications, before the promotion, the clash of interests, the pride, the stubornness. 'Time is a great Healer' he had told her but even now she still felt the pain, the sorrow, the emptiness. Absently, with gloved hand, she brushed aside the strands of hair, disturbed by the breeze that had fallen across her cheek. She was letting things slip, getting slack, she needed a break but there was always one more assignment, one more problem, one more test.

She was just a foot soldier to them, expendable, a number on a list. The promises of promotion were there, she had to work hard to become better, to make them notice, to make them see her loyalty. And if she did, perhaps, just maybe there would be a chance to talk to him, to tell him she understood the sacrifice he had made, the sacrifices they had both made. Perhaps then time could start to heal the wounds, both their wounds, make things better, somehow, someday ...

Her comm-link buzzed, 'You have recieved a new mission' flashed on the intergrated screen. She quickly released the link from the Op's plug on the machine, uploaded the map co-ordinates to her internal cpu and set the unit to decipher the mission info.

She looked around once more, almost wishfully, daring to imagine he might be stood there. Nothing, abstract faces in a sea of people. She suppressed the dissapointment and began to activate her Yalm' ....

He remained in the shadows a few minutes more from the time she left. To be sure she was gone or to try and hold on to the moment for a few precious seconds longer, he ws unsure. Seeing her, the first time since they had parted on such bitter terms, no, not bitter, he felt no resentment, no anger, just sadness, a deep rooted feeling that stuck in the pit of his stomach and churned whenever he thought of her, of what may have been if things could have been different....

'They can be different..' he thought. He knew what he had to do, he had to give it a shot, one last try, a chance that he needed to grasp and not let go of until he was sure, positive that there was no hope for them. That all those feelings had gone, blown away like the grains of sand in a desert storm, scattered and lost forever... he had to try.

He pulled the collar of his Omni-Tek supervisor cloak closed and began to make his way past the Arena area, heading to East towards the Trade Whompa. A fresh resolve in his step, in his manner, in his thoughts but something was nagging him, something at the back of his mind, what was it?

The transfer, the data transfer, it had been slow, it should have been almost instantaneous, yet from when he had confirmed the transfer there had been a delay, maybe a second or 2 but a delay, he was sure .. or was he? Had he been lost in the moment, so wrapped up in his own feelings, trying to satisfy his own craving to see her this once that he had imagined it was slow?

He quickened his pace, determination in his stride, a purpose, a reason. He knew now what he had to do. What they had to do....



*********************************************

The door close silently, softly, as the secretary retraced steps to his desk and carried on with his thankless task of sorting Omni-Tek documentation. In the room he had just left, a solitary female sat motionless behind a large, plasboard desk. On it's cluttered, yet organised surface a computer screen flickered, Omni-Tek logo blinking so fast the eye saw it only as a solid, permenant picture on screen. A slender, well manicured hand reached across, finger gently touching the data pad making the logo disapear, revealing the secure encrypted data transfer she had just recieved.

Green, emotionless eyes studied the words, drifting quickly from one sentence to the next. Confirmation, the task had been done, the data had been intercepted in the main-frame, blocked, a new transfer had taken it's place, almost instantly.

'Almost' she mused. She didn't like this word, it smelled of failure, something she would not allow to happen, something she despised more than anything else.

Her eyes drifted to the picture of Philip Ross, mounted on the wall, a solitary overhead lamp shining warm, bright light on the young mans features. For a moment it seemed that her eyes softened, as she was lost in the picture, Ross's eyes staring back, revealing nothing but saying so much. A shake of her head, gaze returning to the computer screen, thoughts returning to the matters at hand.

'Such a waste' she thought. Quickly, fluently, the file was closed. She began the process of permenantly deleting the file, opened a second data file and pressed the confirm button.....

:)

He strode out of Omni-Tek HQ feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The meeting had gone well, his Commander had agreed he desreved, no, needed a break. Once the current assignment had been completed he was free to take an extended leave of absence "Take as long as you need" she had said, smiling.

He didn't like her, had never liked her. She was smug, over confident and he partly blamed her for losing the one thing he had cherished more than anything in his life. She had been the one that had drafted Pecka into his Division, she had been the one who assigned him as Pecka's controller, she had been the one who offered false condolences once the relationship had floundered. He had spurned the advances that followed. She was a determinded woman who knew what she wanted and would do almost anything to get it. Their relationship had remained as proffesional as possible, he would not get mixed up in anything with her, she was not his 'type' anyway.

Pecka was though. She was everything to him, or had been once in what seemed a distant past now. They had met purely by coincidence in Omni Entertainment, him grabbing a burger, her sat there drinking a beverage. He was already established as an accomplished Controller, she was a Soldier, well trained, disciplined. They had chatted, passing comments on life on Rubi-Ka. They had enjoyed each other's conversation, company. From there the relationship had developed, he had brought her into the 'Company', introduced her to others, sounded out possible places she could fit in. It had taken time, their private relationship had flourished, with each passing day their feelings for each other becoming stronger.

However, 'she' was the one who had offered Pecka a place. Promises, showing what could be achieved here by a female in what many still considered a mans' world. She had known it would cause a conflict of interests, especially when he was Pecka's Controller. How coud he sit there and send her on assignments, risking her very essence with each
new Mission. He hated this, he hated it all. What he had become, a puppet with her pulling the strings, forcing him into positions he did not like being in. And she was Omni, through and through. Failure was not acceptable, 110% was required at all times, there was no room room for remorse, for feelings, especially for ...

Did he love Pecka? Was that what this was all about. He could not let go, he had broken off the relationship, bluntly, harshly. He had been cruel whilst trying to be kind. Was he trying to save his own feelings, to hide what he had felt the most, keep it hidden away so none could use it against him. He didn't know love, never had, even as a child. He was 'manufactured' his mother had died in an accident in a research lab when he was 6, an unknown father. He had been moved from orphange to orphange until the 'Company' had taken him in, begining his training as an 11 year old. All he had known was orders, feelings were not allowed, they clouded the mind, impaired the judgement, lowered the performance rating.

Pecka had shown there was more. Compassion, fun, happiness, sadness. He missed her so much, her company, her laughter, just her ...

It didn't make any sense to him. He could have walked away from the company there and then, when Pecka had been assigned to him. But no, he wanted to prove he could handle the situation. Prove he was strong enough, that there were no feelings to impair his performance. He could have done many thing's but he hadn't. He had stayed, called off the relationship when Pecka had refused to ask for a move. He had hurt her and he regretted that each and every day.

Now there was a small chance though. He would finish this assignment, go off-world. He would contact Pecka privatly, ask her to meet, ask her to talk, ask her if there was any way that what they had once had could be re-kindled.

He checked his data-pad, the visiting ICC Observer was not due to arrive for a few more hours. "One last assignment before you take your leave" she had said. A simple assignemnt, show him the Facility in Clon****, be his 'guide', make sure he only saw what the 'Company' wanted him to see. 2 days, then he was free.

He would send his resignation once he was off world, the delayed communication to Pecka was already written, timed to send 1 hour after his booked shuttle flight departed. He should get a reply before entering Hyper-drive-sleep.

Sleep.

He wondered if he would dream, dream of them together again, her touch on his skin, how soft her hair felt when she lay sleeping, head on his chest, her gentle breathing. He smiled as he remembered, the first time he had smiled for so long. There was a chance of a new begining, he would take it, he hoped Pecka would, that she could forgive and that given more time they could forget...