Dreamer

"Yo, Cap!" a leutennant called across six cubicles to the tall form of captain Arthur Raikan, jr. Captain Raikan was an immense physical presence, standing 6' 7" tall, weighing 250 pounds of solid, rippling muscle. Altho he looked somewhat older, he was in fact 22 years old. A very young captain, in semi-peacetime. He was not in full uniform, just a green T-shirt and olive drab baggy combat pants. Nobody in the office was in uniform any more than he was.
"What?" Captain Raikan looked around
"Got a hot name on the wire"
"Well?" He asked, waiting for details.
The Leutennant looked at him, then at the office on the left wall of the office. It had a small, blank red card in the slot that would normally hold a name. Raikan nodded and they both moved toward the door.
The room was small, and had no windows. THe door they entered through was extremely thick, with four layers of something on each side of the steel of the door itself. THe room looked like something out of an insane asylum, it's walls were padded in a black plastic that seemed to have a dull grey coating over it, cracked in places, and in other places repaired with shiny metal tape. As Raikan walked in and closed the door, his eardurms popped and he heard a slight hiss of air. Above the door, a digital readout read 02 - 06:00.
"Who is the hot name?"
The leutennant stammered, looking like he didnt want to reply.
"Come on, Blake, what's going on?"
"It isn't really a hot name, Cap, I just wanted to get you in here to see this"
The Leutennant handed Raikan a piece of paper.

IntCent Only: Eyes Only: No Replication: No Distribution: Scramble Delta: Hand Deliver: Project: Argentine Crew
Case Officer: Col Amb. Watson
RE: Argentine Crew Subject #2 sex partner Civ Fem Catherine Allennath found pregnant with healthy male fetus ten weeks of age. Amniocentesis performed today confirms genetic match Catherine Allenath and Project Argentine Crew Subject #2, now age 22. Action: Review immediately, Priority Alpha.

"What the fuck?" Raikan said, letting the hand holding the paper fall to his side as tho it were a burden of enormous weight.
"Congratulations, man. I didn't know Cathy was pregnant. So, why does IntCent call you Project Argentine Crew Subject #2? Or did I just tell you that your girlfriend is screwing around?"
"No, I knew. We were keeping it under wraps until we could figure out how to tell her parents. I don't know what the fuck the Argentine Crew noise is about. Looks like somebody is keeping tabs on me."
"Specifically, Colonel Ambrose Watson. You know, Ramrod Watson?"
"Crap. Look, Blake, follow all normal procedures, right? But memorize anything else that comes up on your shift and get it to me as soon as you can. I am going to talk to Redman."


Davida Riakan answered the door, and stared at the small knot of uniformed men. "Yes?" She asked, issuing the question with a terse smile, the smile of a strong, annoyed woman pretending to be curteous and feminine.
"Are you Mrs. Raikan?" Asked the man who had knocked, the man in the front of the knot. From his uniform and haircut, she knew him to be a captain in the Marine Corps. He was expressionless, and seeing that, she began to fear.
"Oh my god." She breathed, and her face went pale, and she staggered slightly. "Is it my little Arthur?" she asked in a plaintive voice.
The Captain jumped up the three steps and steadied her. "No mam. I am Captain Gerrold. We have come on orders from General Edgecomb. To deliver this"
She sighed a relieved breath, and then looked confused.
The Captain handed her a sealed envelope.
He then stood and looked. "We are to wait for your instructions, Mam."
She opened the letter and read. The color returned to her face, but the pensive, worried look remained. She looked up. "I'll get my coat. You are to take me to the base to see the General"
"Yes, Mam." the Captain said, relieved. He had orders to take her to the base, and was warned that she might not want to come. He was prepared to arrest her, but he was glad that he did not need to. Her husband had been a friend. Arthur Raikan had been one of his teachers. Arthur Raikan Jr had been one of his friends before he had been assigned to the hush-hush world of intelligence.
While he waited, Mark Gerrold, Captain, USMC, thought about how glad he was not to be delivering one of those ever more frequent "This message is to inform you that your (father/mother/sister/brother/son/daughter) has bought a 3 by 6 by 6 farm in a foreign land you can't find on a map more than six months old."
She was ready to go in such a short time the Captain wondered if the news she recieved wasnt at least as important as the news he was glad he wasnt delivering. He ushered her into the armored Humvee, posted a man in the 60 calibre turret, and got in. In front of him went another armored Humvee, a sleek black civilian jeep, and a police cruiser. Behind him came a second cruiser.
She hadn't even noticed.


The phone woke Sarah Raikan from a comfortable, light sleep in the arms of her lover. She muttered "shit" as she turned over, away from the warm encircling arms into the coldness of lonely air, and lifted the reciever.
"What?" she spat, annoyed.
"Sarah Raikan?" asked a cold, flat, expressionless voice. It's consonants hissed slightly, a bizarre distortion giving the impression, quite antique, that the call was being made from a great distance.
"Who is this?" She asked.
"I am calling to deliver a message to Sarah Raikan from a man called "arrow". Are you Sarah Raikan?"
She sat upright, hard. The bed shook from the motion, and the other occupant stirred, but did not wake.
"Yes" she answered, her voice now sharp with worry and surprise.
"I am to verify this by asking the following question. 'If the message is from "Arrow", who is it for?'"
"Song" she answered, the alarm in her voice, and it's volume, rising to a level sufficient to rouse the other occupant, a curvy woman with long black hair, in her early thirties. She looked groggily at Sarah, looked away, then looked back in rapt attention, as tho she had never seen the expression her partner was wearing. She began to speak, but Sarah put her finger to her lips, silencing her.
"The message is as follows: I need a song and dance at Weisthmuller's Pub on 23rd and Garden, as soon as possible, and bring your birthday present. If you encounter any people dressed like I would be if on duty, evade them at all costs. If you cannot get there, make sure I get my Dance.". I am instructed to ask if you understand this message?"
"I do" she said, quietly.
"Go fast" the voice with the hissing consonants said, and she immediately recognised it. It was a synthesized voice, a computer program. It hung up.
She bolted out of bed, rushing to her closet.
"Baby?" Asked her partner, "What's wrong?"
"I don't know yet. Go to my beureau and get the gun out of the second drawer on the left."
"Gun?" She said, as if unfamiliar with the word or even the concept. "You have a gun? Look, should I call the -"
"Megan, I dont have time to explain it, Okay, baby? Get dressed as fast as you can. We have to get OUT of here. Can you go to -"
"Wherever you are going, Sarah." Megan said, her voice resolute. From the chair next to the bed, she picked up her pants and pulled them over her very fit body, and looked around the room for her socks. Then she got the gun from the beaurau, and checked it with the efficiency of a professional. Then, from the wall rack next to the fron door, she pulled a shoulder holster srtap around her shoulders, and checked her own hardware. Sharah was pulling her black sweater over her pale skin, and tying her hair back with a leather thong.
"We have to go get my sister"
"Your?"
"Sister. She lives only a few blocks away. Meg, she is my twin sister, so don't be surprised if you can't tell us apart." Sarah smiled.
"Um." Meg started,speaking very slowly, as if unsure what the next word was to be "Am I a good friend, or.."
"It would be safer if you were just a bodyguard. Maybe a private -" Sarah stopped, and looked into her partner's eyes. For a moment she looked questioningly, then took a deep breath and let it out, relaxing as she did so. "I 'm not answering the right question, am I? I am not ashamed of anything, Meg. Unless you tell me not to,I am introducing you as my girlfriend."
The older woman grinned, dimpling.
"It might get you shot at, though." Sarah said, dead seriousness in her voice, and tension returning to her body.
"What the hell is going on?"
"I'll tell you when I know. Okay, look out the window. You are looking for army guys, cops, official looking vehicles."
Megan strode to the window and threw the drape back. "It looks clear to me" and then "Army guys? What the hell are you into?" Sarah shrugged.
She crossed to the door and took car keys gently out of Sarah's hand. "We will take my car" she said, smiling. THey left, quickly.
Once out the door of her apartment building, Sarah immediately flattened against the wall, and Meg walked out onto the sidewalk. Less than one hundred yards away, three soldiers were hustling a replica of her lover into an armored Humvee. Not even bothering not to stare, she walked to her car, a small black honda, parked in front of the building. She got in and started it up, got out and opened the passenger door, then got back in. As she stared at the odd sight of definitely armed and armored military vehicles, they finished loading Sarah's twin, and began to move toward her.
"Now!" she shouted, and Sarah sprinted to the passenger door, and was in and still closing it when Megan took off, in a hurry.


Yellow light flooded the room in which the boy mixed his chemicals. He wore darkened safety goggles.
A chime sounded.
The boy reached over to the wall of the room, which was tiny, almost a closet, and pressed a button. "Go away"
He fiddled with the settings on a magnetic stirrer, and closed a fume hood over his reaction vessels. Again, the chime sounded. This time he ignored it.
Banging came from behind him. he reached over, and again pushed the intercom button. "If you fuck this up by letting who-knows-what frequency light in here I will personally cut your -"
"You have an emergency phone call from the Base." a voice said, angrily.
"Take a message. Unless the world is going to SERIOUSLY come to an end, I will be done with this reaction in" he looked at his watch "about 11 minutes."
"He says I have to tell you the message if I have to shout, or break the door down."
"Listening" the boy said, button pressed.
"Message is: Arrow to Eyes. It has happened and I need you to explain it to me."
"Fine, thanks. Now go away."
"He says he wants an answer"
"Tell him Yes, I know where and when."
The boy began cleaning his area meticulously, cleaning glasswear, sorting and ordering the odds and ends of a laboratory. After eleven minutes, he turned out the yellow light, and turned on a white flourescent light, looked about himself, picked up a leather case containing his computer, exchanged his safety goggles for glasses, turned, and burst quickly through the door.
He stopped immediately, as he was surrounded by five armed soldiers in camoflage. He looked at them, standing out in greens and browns against the light pink color of the dormatory walls. "Subtle" he said, as he elbowed away from them toward his room, as tho they were simply none of his concern. He was very thin, and slid fairly easily through the large personal space occupied by men with guns.
"Are you Edgar Raikan?"
He turned and said simply "Yes?"
"You are to accompany us to the Base as per General Edgecomb's orders"
"Are you trying to tell me I am under arrest?" the boy asked, smiling slightly.
"No, but we have your mother's instructions that-"
Edgar chuckled. "Hardly sufficient for a military kidnapping out of a college dormatory in broad daylight. Are we at war? Has a state of emergency been declared? Habeas Corpus been revoked, modified? Hmm? Are any of you lawyers? Oh, come on, ONE of you at least must be an MP?" He said, slowly walking back toward the group of soldiers.
One of them stepped towards him, his hand out in front, palm out, as if saying 'slow down, now'.
The soldier came closer to him, and Edgar's smile widened considerably. Just as the soldier smiled and grabbed Edgar's collar, edgar's hand slapped at the dormitory wall. Another soldier saw what he was doing, a fraction of a second too late. His hand hit the fire alarm, and in a laughing voice, just as the near-deafening siren started to wail, screamed Fire! Fire!" as he pushed himself suddenly backward and down, out of the grip of the soldier. Almost immediately, a hoard of students came rushing forward. Almost, the surprised soldier thought to himself as his prey disappeared in a pack of panicking humanity, as if they had just been waiting for the word. Edgar was gone, and the soldiers with guns, their personal space cut down to nothing in a crowd of terrified young adults, were bodily moved towards the exit.

In the blackness, near total, a cellphone sang it's abrasive song.
"Hello?" a husky, deep female voice answered.
"Hey. It's Arthur. Where are you?"
"Lost. Why?"
"I need you to come to-"
"What part of the concept 'lost' has you baffled, Arthur? I thought they tought you stuff in the army..." Her voice betrayed a slight slur of grogginess or intoxication.
"This is important."
"So is my mental health, and talking to you people does nothing but depress the hell out of me"
"Sorry." Arthur said, and waited.
After a few moments of silence, the breathy voice said "Okay, what is it?"
"The army is searching for you" Arthur said, his voice flat.