A SHIFT OF POWER

by S. E. Eggleston

Jasyn Rile smiled as the land cruiser crept to a stop above the transfer station in Chicago. It was his first trip to the Windy City and his expectations grew higher and higher with each passing kilometer. The trip from San Francisco Island was not a long one, with all of the transportation technology that had been pouring into the Earth sector over the past six months. In fact, he was pretty sure that his company had a contract with the transportation lines from West to Middle America. He stepped off the ramp and into the congested streets of Chicago that bustled with people and androids. He smiled whenever he saw one of the androids, knowing full well that his bionics rested somewhere in the machine. His heart raced as he stepped onto the conveyor walk that traveled north/south to Michigan Avenue, which his company called home. He told himself that this trip was not a futile one, but he would make sure not to let his excitement show when he met with Scott Gardener. He knew that his research chief had been quite excited when he contacted Jasyn. The phone call had come just two days before, waking him out of a deep meditation as the computer's chime sounded.

* * *

"Call from Mr. Gardener," the feminine voice softly called. "It seems to be of an urgent nature." Without a word Jasyn stood and approached the large viewing screen in the center of his master bedroom.

"Put him through," he said with a sigh. Jasyn hated being interrupted during meditation; the drain on his aura was one of magnificent proportions. As the image flickered to life Jasyn noted the aged look on his long-time employee's face. Scott Gardener's blue eyes seemed to have dimmed since the two last met about a month ago. The gray hair on the middle-aged man had multiplied and begun to spread from his temples to his head and even down to his beard. The skin of Scott's face was still smooth and young-looking, having spent its entirety in a bio-suit or sterilized residence. Gardener feared not society, but that which society carried, germs.

"Jasyn," Gardener said with a slight smile. "I am so glad I contacted you at home. I tried reaching you at the office and in your car, but you obviously were not there."

"Obviously," Jasyn said, as he poured himself a scotch. He took a sip before speaking again, admiring the slight burn as the alcohol slid down his throat. The taste of authentic scotch was unparalleled by anything on this planet. Some experts were known to have said that the average human couldn't tell the slightest difference between real and replicated products except for the price, but Jasyn had to differ with them. He had tasted his fair share of scotch in his time, replicated and not, and he knew first hand that the replicated brands lacked one thing, the burn. "What can I do for you, my friend?"

"It's the Chicago lab," Gardener managed to stutter, before wiping away the sweat that began to form in little droplets on his brow.

"What about them?" Jasyn's interest was piqued. His bionics lab in Chicago was his leading research facility. An annoyed look came across the twenty-five-year-old's face as he spoke again. The caring and deep-brown eyes that he was blessed enough to receive from his Italian mother turned from warm and relaxed to cold and stern. "Has something happened to it?"

"Oh, no! No, nothing happened to them," Gardener stuttered along, seeming to trip over each word. "More along the lines of IN them."

The older man's lips almost pulled into a smile before he spoke again. "We stumbled upon something absolutely fantastic with our research team. I want you to fly down here and witness this for yourself."

Jasyn said nothing as he shook his head. He spent almost his entire young life building his company; he didn't feel it necessary to be its babysitter at all times. "I hired you to oversee that facility, Scott."

"You'll be very interested in what we have here," Gardener said, a smile jumping on to his face. "Trust me on this one."

Jasyn just grimaced at the words. He set down his scotch glass and cracked his neck with a quick twist of his head.

"I'll be there tomorrow."

* * *

Jasyn stepped out of the elevator and onto the fifty-first floor of his laboratory facility. He let a scowl mask his excitement as he walked into the office. Hushed words sprang from his employees as he strode through the crowded office. He wore his traditional suit and tie, and over that a charcoal-black trench coat to fend off the unexpected rains that go hand-in-hand with Chicago. In his right hand he carried a silver briefcase that held his Utica VIII computer and various Marc Cards to purchase any essentials while on the road. As he rounded a sharp corner in the intersection of three hallways he came face-to-face with a gorgeous office attendant, making her almost throw the coffee tray she was holding to the floor.

"I am so sorry, sir!" she squealed as she balanced her tray. Her eyes met his for just a moment, but she quickly looked away as she blushed. Her golden hair, held up with pins, hung to her shoulders and was complemented nicely by her blue eyes, which seemed to radiate in the softly lit corridor. Jasyn smiled as he continued to examine her face: her nose was thin and turned up slightly at the end. And her full lips quivered as she watched his eyes travel over her smooth skin, taking in every curve of her.

Jasyn glanced down at her identification tag.

"Angelica, is it?" he said as he took her free hand. "Pleasure to meet you." He bent slightly and let his lips brush against the tender, tanned skin of the back of her hand.

"Thank you, sir," she responded, the flush still evident on her cheeks. "The pleasure is all mine." Jasyn smiled again at the comment, his ego boosted ever so slightly at the words that she spoke. He had always been found attractive by the opposite sex and never had trouble finding a date to take to annoying social functions or just to help him keep warm at night. Sliding a business card out of his coat pocket, Jasyn set it gently down on Angelica's coffee tray.

"Be at my hotel room at eight tonight," he said as he quickly scribbled the number down on her information card that hung at her side.

"See you then," she responded, her lips parting just slightly in a seductive fashion. Jasyn said nothing else as he turned and continued down the hall to Scot Gardener's office.

"Good to see that your trip was uneventful," Scot said as he stood up from his chair at the back of his large office. The curtains behind him were drawn tight, so that no one could see the ongoings in the bionics lab behind him. The air in the entire laboratory and office areas had traveled through strainers and filters numerous times before being reintroduced into the atmosphere of Gardener's workplace. The man was almost obsessive about the possibilities of germ infections and infestations. The filtration system was the best rated in all of the known universe, costing almost six billion marcs. With a quick handshake Scot got right down to business, knowing full well that Jasyn had little patience for small talk. "We have stumbled on to something so marvelous that it is going to make you the most powerful man in the universe!"

Jasyn smiled slightly at his Scot's excitement as he opened his briefcase, revealing his palm computer and notebook. Thousands of times Jasyn had heard that very same exclamation, and thousands of times he had watched as the words failed to come true. Not that it was so difficult being the richest man in the Milky Way, but it would have been nice to be the most powerful as well.

"Why don't you show me what we have cooking today?" Jasyn said with a half-smile, his enthusiasm definitely not peaking at that moment. Without a word, Scot led the younger man into the corridor and to a small compartment that opened to reveal a retina scanner. Jasyn quickly recognized it as one of his own design. As Gardener's identification was accepted, a hidden door suddenly opened with barely a whisper to Jasyn's left. He stepped through, not bothering to wait for Scot. Jasyn almost choked as he suddenly caught his breath in his throat. His eyes grew wide as his neck craned to see to the top of the bionics lab.

The portal was blue and silver with other colors swirling and diving into one another. The entire thing looked like a giant vortex, but the air in the room was remarkably calm even with the savage whirlwind in the dead center of the lab. Jasyn's response to the spectacle was pure astonishment, and he found himself speechless as his eyes shot from Scot to the manifestation that spun wildly before him.

"What in His name is that?" Jasyn's voice was hoarse in his own throat. "Jesus, it is absolutely gorgeous!" His sly smile slowly creeping onto his face.

"That's just the thing, Jasyn," Gardener said, his eyes not following the vision before the two men but resting on his boss's face instead. "Some lab techs were working on a new power system to incorporate with the z-series atmosphere ram scoops for the Jupiter sky mines when an accident occurred. It seems that one of the cold-fusion compact power tubes cracked during stress testing. Of course, all safety measures had been taken and the resulting explosion was contained with no problem or damage to other testing areas."

"Get to the point, Scot," Jasyn said, his voice lined with annoyance.

"Well," he continued, "I reviewed the tapes and it seems that the explosion managed to take out one of our prototype fusion generators. The tape ends quickly after that, but it seems the combination of the two created this." His hand waving forward in a sweeping gesture at the vortex.

"What, exactly, is it?" Jasyn questioned. "Or don't you know for sure?"

"We are not quite sure yet, sir, but preliminary examinations indicate it is a portal of some sort."

"Leading to?"

"We are not sure yet, either," Gardener said.

"You haven't sent any one in yet?" Jasyn said, his voice starting to grow cold. The younger man was not used to having to wait, and was known to not take the process very well.

"Not yet, Jasyn," Scot said, his voice slightly shaking as their eyes met. "We didn't want to sent someone in without your supervision and permission."

"Very good," Jasyn responded. "When I come back first thing tomorrow I will be the first to go in." Without another word, Jasyn turned to leave the lab area, his mind churning with the possibilities that lay before him.

Gardener's jaw dropped as the words registered, and his eyes grew wide. "Sir! I don't think that is a very good idea, not for a man of your ... of your ..."

"Of what? My stature? My position? My power? It is with my position, my stature, and with my power that I make the decision to go in first. My life is filled with too many certainties and not enough variables. I need an adventure, and this may well be it."

"And it may damn well be your death!" Scot's voice was almost enraged.

"You bite your tongue around me or you'll find yourself carrying it in a jar!" Jasyn snapped before he could catch his outrage. Gardener just nodded, knowing full well that such threats had been proven a reality on more than one occasion. "I'll be here first thing tomorrow. I want the operations manager to be here and the security team on standby at all times. Have my gear waiting for me and sterilized."

"Understood, sir," Scot responded, the look of a well-disciplined employee returning to his face. "Will you be leaving now?"

"Yes," Jasyn snapped. "I have to prepare for a meeting with a young lady tonight."

Gardener watched as the younger man turned on his heels and stormed out of the research station, his steps rattling into the air with each footfall. As the door slid shut behind Jasyn, Scot turned back to the lab area, his eyes searching for the operations manager. He had work to do that might make him the new owner of the most powerful business empire in the known universe.

* * *

Jasyn smiled as he looked himself over in the full body mirror that was built into the wall of his six-hundred-marcs per night room in Chicago's famous House of Plourde Hotel. The business had been run through the generations by a small family, which had originated in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The hotel's claim to fame was its amazing rooms and views. Being the first freely floating hotel in the world, the House of Plourde had the ability to move anywhere within Chicago's airspace, with the exception of O'Hare International Space Center's restricted zones.

Tonight the hotel's operators had chosen to give guests a dramatic view of Intel Field, where the once-great Chicago Raiders had played and won six solar titles with the help of the legendary Francis Green.

Jasyn's eyes lit up as the sound of the room chime sounded. Clearing his throat, he commanded the computer to patch the caller through.

The face of the young desk clerk that Jasyn had tipped very nicely for his assistance in acquiring the Presidential Suite without a reservation jumped into view.

"Sir," the young man said with a smile, "I have a young woman here who said she has an appointment with you. She just gave her first name, Angelica."

Jasyn smiled. "Send her up," he said, and shut down the call. He had the computer dial room service.

The image of a clean-shaven young man came onto the screen. "Mr. Rile, sir, how can I help you tonight?"

"I'll need two Grecian Duck dinners accompanied by dinner salads, a side of angel-hair pasta with a light white sauce. All other side dishes can be the choice of the House's chef -- I assume he is a competent man. Also, a small chocolate truffle with a cherry."

"Any drinks tonight, sir?"

"Two bottles of your best red -- preferably a 1999 French."

"Yes, sir," the young man said, and ended the call.

Jasyn smiled again as he quickly surveyed the room. The Presidential Suite of the House of Plourde was magnificent. The in-room spa was next to one of the gigantic windows that overlooked the bright lights of the Windy City below. Each occupant of the Presidential suite no doubt had different tastes than those of the previous rich bastard who had stayed there, so the room was able to change décor on command: Carpet or not? Red walls or white? Of course the room had a basic style, too, and that is how Jasyn left it.

The one bed was almost twice the size of Jasyn's king bed in his summer home. The walls were decorated with original art work from the early 20th century, and some looked older, although Jasyn had never paid much attention to the arts; he found them useless and boring. The room was furnished with a long sofa and loveseat, along with a matching recliner. Other items of furniture could be ordered with a verbal command. Most folded out from the floor, but some, like the extra bed, folded out from the wall. There were numerous coffee tables and end tables. The vertical bar slid from the floor and opened to reveal an impressive variety of liquors from around the globe. The ice dispenser was built into the wall and was hidden, to be folded inward at a command. There was also a holo-screen for viewing the numerous government channels, but Jasyn found no use for any programming spewed forth by a weak government that barely had control of its resources, or of its planets and citizens. Life in the private sector was a frenzy of murders and rapes, theft and fraud. The black market was in control, and that was why the strong survived. Jasyn had been to business school, and they taught you one thing: survival is for those who want it the most. Jasyn Rile survived, he always would. He not only had the resources but also the intelligence.

The door chime snapped Jasyn's grin back to his face, and he quietly strolled over to the entrance. He took his time; he knew that if he looked like he was in a rush to let her in, she might think she had an advantage.

"Welcome," he said, as he slid the door open. His gaze met her blue-sapphire eyes, and he let a toothy grin creep onto his face. Taking a long look down her slender body, Jasyn made no attempt to hide that he was admiring her every curve. Her golden hair was pulled up tight in a bun, which also showed off her beautiful, smooth neck. Her shoulders were covered with just the spaghetti straps of her long, red dress, which hugged her body as if painted on. Her full breasts hinted at the cold air that she had encountered on her way up in the shuttle. And her hips rounded nicely and slid down into slender, long legs that showed partially through the thigh-high slit that revealed her well-tanned skin.

"Won't you come in?" he asked, stepping back.

She parted her ruby red lips slightly. "Sure." Her walk was graceful, as she swung one leg in front of the other, giving her hips a slight swing. She turned as she neared a chair and sat down, as Jasyn closed the door with a swish.

"Nice."

"What, my suit?" he said with a laugh, as he made his way to the vertical bar that arose at his approach.

"The room," she responded. Her voice chimed in the air as she spoke, each of her words perfect and without any slur or distinguishable accent.

"It's nothing," Jasyn said, his modesty more than Angelica could possibly know. He handed her a Highlander scotch whiskey with authentic Highland spring water ice cubes. "Careful. Like a good love, the whiskey burns slow."

"Just the way I like it," she responded, with a raise of her left eyebrow. As she spoke, the door chime sounded with a quiet but audible "ping."

"Must be dinner," Jasyn said, with a grin as he opened the door verbally. "Enter." The waiter said nothing as he set up the marvelous dinner in front of the two. The duck was cooked to a precise crisp and the salads looked flawless. The chocolate truffle -- imported from the Mars colonies -- would be delicious. The server opened the wine and poured a bit into glasses made from Venusian crystal. Jasyn gave the wine a light sniff and then slowly tasted and swished it in his mouth before spitting it into a crystal goblet provided. Angelica merely sipped and swallowed hers, no doubt never having been introduced to the type of lifestyle that Jasyn knew. Jasyn handed the server a two-hundred-marc tip and waved him on his way.

"So," Angelica asked, as she poured some raspberry vinaigrette dressing onto her salad, "how does it feel to be the richest man in the known universe?"

Jasyn always smiled at the question. It was one that always made him wonder what it was like to be the poorest man in the universe.

"Good," he responded without hesitation. He took a bite of his salad and chewed in satisfaction. After swallowing, he wiped his mouth with his napkin. "What got you interested in working for my business?"

"Honestly?" Angelica asked, as she swirled her pasta with her fork. "To meet a powerful man like yourself."

Jasyn nodded at the answer and set down his fork. He clasped his hands together in front of him and leaned back in his seat as he spoke.

"And how powerful do you think I am?"

"I think that whenever you say something, everyone listens and obeys." She took another sip of her wine. Jasyn's smile broadened as she spoke.

He sat up straight. "Well then," he said. "Let's test this theory of yours."

"And how should we do this?" she asked, as she set down her eating utensil.

"Undo your bun," he said, and waited. Angelica said nothing at first, a look of hesitation running across her face.

"All right," she said quietly, and reached up to her hair. With one swift movement her gorgeous hair fell, shimmering as it did. The full length of her hair was nearly to her mid-back, and Jasyn could see shades of light brown in it.

"Set your hair clip on the table," he said, as he looked her over. She said nothing but did as she was told. "Now stand up."

Angelica's eyes met Jasyn's, but just for a moment. She could see immediately that he was not joking. Still silent, she stood, her arms hanging at her side.

"Your dress," Jasyn said, and motioned with his hand to the floor. A red flush jumped to the beautiful woman's face, and hesitation was present in her eyes. She slid her hand slowly up her side; it was visibly trembling as she slid one strap off her shoulder and then the other, the red dress sliding softly and silently to the floor. Jasyn smiled as he leaned forward, his eyes mentally caressing her. Her skin was equally tan throughout her gorgeous body. Her breasts perked upward, ending in tight buds at the tips of her rose-colored nipples. Her stomach was well-toned, slight muscle definition revealing itself to Jasyn's exploring eyes, and her belly button was pierced and held a hoop ring that looked to be made of gold. Jasyn's eyes ran along the thin black line of her black thong panties and down her long, exquisite legs. Her eyes would not meet his as he stood from his seat.

"On the bed," he said, and he walked behind her as she obeyed. She put her hands on the bed and she leaned to support herself as she climbed on. Suddenly Jasyn's hand at her waist made her freeze. He silently pulled her to a standing position and then slowly turned her to face him. "Does everyone do as I say?" he asked, with a look of evil flashing across his face. His other hand softly touched her waist and slid downward, sliding her panties as it did. His eyes followed his hands and watched as he revealed the rest of her body. With a shove Jasyn pushed Angelica to the bed, her surprise expressed with a yelp. Jasyn undid his belt and then slowly removed his shirt and pants. With a guiding hand he spread her legs and settled himself above her. "They always do," he said. "Everyone always listens to me."

"You'll never get away with this," Angelica sobbed as tears formed in the corner of her eyes. His laugh echoed in her ears as he ran a hand up her inner thigh.

"What makes you think you're so important?" he said. "I've gotten away with this same thing thousands of times. Besides, when the inspectors find your body in the private sector they'll think you were just another prostitute. Now shut your hole!" Jasyn screamed as he thrust into her. She bit her lip to stifle her scream. Blood streamed from the ferocity of her bite. She could feel the numbness of his touch as it seeped into her own skin. He finished quickly and spat at her as he stood from the bed.

"You're lucky you were not tainted like the others," he said, as he picked up her dress and threw it at her. "Instead of killing you, I'll just accept your resignation from the company and have hotel security drop you in the private sector." Angelica choked off a sob as she stood and pulled her dress over her head. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she headed for the door. As it slid open, she glanced back at Jasyn. He spoke, his cold words striking deep inside her as she nervously stepped from the room:

"How do you like powerful men now?"

* * *

Scot Gardener waited in his office as he watched through the open curtains the activities in the lab below. Technicians rushed about, most too busy with their tasks to look up at their supervisor. Leaning back in his comfortable office chair, Gardener shook his head as he thought about how the media would handle the disappearance of the richest man in the known universe. With a sigh, he turned at the sound of his office door sliding open behind him.

"Everything ready?" Jasyn asked as he stepped into the lavishly decorated office.

"Yes," Scot responded, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desk before him. "I just want to convey my concerns about this mission again, Jasyn. I have known you for a very long time and I hate to see you throw away your life on a project that we could send in a volunteer from the private sector to do instead."

"I've made my choice," Jasyn answered with a small smile. "After all the work I have done and the things I have accomplished, I think it is high time for me to have a little dangerous fun." He smiled again as he picked up a holo-pic of Gardener with his family. "How is your lovely wife?"

"Marilyn is fine," Gardener answered as he stood up. "Gayle and Jessica just started college at the University of Michigan, and Scot Jr. just finished his graduate studies at the Lunar University of Cosmic Studies."

"You must be quite proud of them," Jasyn said, as Scot nodded. He had never known anyone to be proud of him. It had been hard growing up as a genius with no peer.

Jasyn turned and began walking out of the office. Gardener quickly followed. "Are you really sure you want to go through with this, sir?" Gardener asked as they neared the entrance to the biotech research lab.

"As sure as I have ever been of anything," Jasyn said. Without any more conversation, Gardener opened the door with the same process Jasyn had witnessed the first time. As the door slid aside, the amount of activity in the lab compared to the day before was staggering. Technicians rushed back and forth, carrying various objects to different points and stations in the immediate area of the vortex.

"Sir!" the master of the watch called out as the two approached. "We have the safety harnesses and riggings prepared for an immediate emergency return. Preliminary tests show that the vortex does lead somewhere ... but God only knows!" Having to shout above the commotion in the lab, the master waved his arms in from of his face as he started speaking again. "We sent in a radio transmitter but no response came back, so whoever goes into that thing is going to find that they will not be able to respond via radio. We are setting up a link cable about as thick as nylon fishing string that will connect two Utica handheld communicators, by which messages can by sent back and forth using speech-to-text protocols!"

"When will they be ready?" Jasyn asked, his mind numb with excitement.

"In about the time it takes you to put on your containment suit, sir!"

"Good," he yelled back to the master, and then turned to Gardener. "Let's get started!" The two made their way through the hustle and bustle and found the suit station. As two technicians helped Jasyn put his suit on, Gardener went over the technical details of the suit.

"You're equipped with an atmospheric testing device, so you will know if it is safe to breath or not. Hell, if there is even any atmosphere at all!" Scot's false smile gave no indication of a true happiness. "You are also equipped with two beta-class lasers that will defend you if needed! A small camera is installed in your helmet and all proceedings that you witness will be recorded on mini chips we have installed. The atmosphere in your suit will only last four hours. If you find something of interest just tag the location on your tracker device and we'll look into it after you come back. Remember, don't get out of your suit, it will be your only sure bet of a safe return. A safety harness is going to be hooked to you in case we have to wheel you back for any reason, including the possible collapse of the vortex. All studies to this point show no instabilities that we can detect, but there isn't much that our research teams have found that is of any use about this thing anyway. If you have any trouble or you find anything that you might believe is a threat just call an SOS into your communications unit and we'll send in the Special Operations team, they are on standby as we speak."

Jasyn just smiled and gave the thumbs-up as the technicians clasped the helmet to his containment suit, latching it down, and sealed it. With a grin he tested out the mobility of the large, clumsy-looking device and found that it was surprisingly easy to operate. Gardener said nothing more as he took his friend's hand and led him to the winch and tow line, where he was quickly hooked up to the large machine.

"Here you go sir," the master said as he handed Jasyn the communications unit that was equipped with a long communications link. Quickly attaching various wires to Jasyn's suit, the master spoke again. "The messages sent to you will appear on a heads up display on your visor. Any time you want to send, just blow twice into the mouthpiece located at the left of your lips and speak. The computer will do the rest when you stop speaking."

"Understood," Jasyn said, the sound of his own voice ringing in his ears as though he were in a very small auditorium, but the words were apparently inaudible to the people outside of his suit. With a grunt he used his tongue to slide the mouthpiece into the grasp of his lips and blew twice. "Understood," he repeated and was satisfied as the master gave him a return message.

"OK," was all it read, the words glowing a bright green on his HUD. With a nod of his head Jasyn turned and stepped slowly towards the vortex. He fought back a sickening feeling that began to form in the pit of his stomach.

Now or never, he thought to himself. Either I go in or I make a fool of myself. His thoughts raced in his head as he neared the whirlwind of the unknown. Biting his lower lip he stepped in with his left leg first.

Nothing happened.

Taking a quick glance behind him Jasyn watched as everyone, including Scot, just shrugged his or her shoulders. He must have looked ridiculous at that moment, one leg ending at mid-thigh as he stuck it into the swirling vortex. Sucking in a deep breath, Jasyn stepped forward, his whole body slowly engulfed by the eddy around him. The thoughts that ran in his head were strange ones indeed, things of his childhood, of his life that had long been put behind him for things that were to come. Strangely, his thoughts traveled to a family, the picture of Scot's family on the shelf and of how he never even thought of having one until that very moment.

The vortex oddly had no pull to it, not even the slightest hint of a tug. Checking the gauges on his suit, Jasyn stepped further into the whirlwind that was around him. The computers in the suit could not make heads nor tails out of the manifestation around him, nothing reading accurately around him or on the gauges. Suddenly he felt a jerk at his body. His first thought was that the men had activated the winch and towline, until it pulled again. With a scream of terror bursting forth from his lungs Jasyn felt his legs being pulled from beneath him, his body whipped in several directions. The pressure in his head easily told him the speeds that he was traveling as he felt his stomach knot up. With another scream, light blinded Jasyn, his eyes thrown shut instinctively as he was hurled into the unknown. Forcing himself to open his tightly clenched eyelids, Jasyn was amazed at the view before him. The sight was like something out of a history museum: green grass and blue skies.

"Gorgeous," Jasyn said and the computer quickly relayed the message. Smiling at the bright sunshine Jasyn turned to see the view that was behind him. A quick flash of movement was the last thing that registered in Jasyn's brain and the thud of a spear's blunt end echoed in his ears as the world was shot into darkness.

* * *

"Message coming through," Scot exclaimed, his words thundering out over the various conversations in the lab. "Gorgeous," he read out loud so that everyone could hear him.

"At least he found something," the master called out as he patted a colleague on the shoulder. Everyone began talking at once, excitement rising into the air as Scot looked back at the screen. With no other words coming across it a strange thought suddenly crept into Gardener's head, a thought about the company and how he would run it.

* * *

"Jesus," Jasyn groaned as he opened his eyes. His vision was a blur and his head pounded like a drum with every beat that his heart rang out. "What in His name happened?" Reaching his hand up Jasyn rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear his vision. Suddenly he froze, his hand touching his face as his mind began to race. Why? How? His vision was clear enough to make out the tattered remains of his containment suit lying just feet from where he sat, propped against a wall of some sort of structure. Slowly getting to his feet, Jasyn quickly realized his predicament. His feet were shackled to a metal post driven into the ground. His hands were free, but the fingers of his right hand were not. A metal brace held them tightly together, binding them in an almost useless mitten of steel. Jasyn felt his anger building as his thoughts turned to kidnapping, to industrial terrorism. Without warning Jasyn let it tear loose into the air around him.

"What the hell is going on here?" he screamed, his voice breaking as he did. An answer, not a definite one, but at least an answer, came with in moments. As the metal door shrieked against it's well-rusted hinges it opened, revealing the blinding light of the world outside. The figure that stood in the door was too terribly tall; Jasyn estimated the height to be about one and three quarters meters. The frame of the silhouette was thin, showing the outlines of muscle but not sheer brawn.

"Who are you?" Jasyn demanded as he tried to struggle against his bindings, his length of chain at its fullest. "What do you want from me?"

"Juliana," came a sweet feminine voice. The figure stepped forward and revealed herself to Jasyn's struggling vision. She was breathtaking, her face was that of an angel and her body was one of pure dedication and vanity. Jasyn's eyes ran over her form as they tried to map out her lines, her very being. Her brown hair was pulled back in a tight braid. Her skin appeared to be so soft, so smooth. Her eyes were a deep brown, highlighted with a sparkle that was evident even in the dark of the small prison. Her cheekbones were high and well-defined; her cheeks were colored with a slight blush that complemented her pink lips that had the appearance of a small pout. Her clothing looked to be something from medieval times. Her top was tight and her breasts pushed together and upward, giving anyone who looked a full view of her cleavage. Her waist was small and her stomach flat. The dress was a dark red with gold lines decorating it in various locations such as the collar and the sleeves. Her hips were shown nicely by the dress as it rested on them with the help of a rather loose-fitting belt made from what appeared to be a leather of some sort.

"Excuse me?" Jasyn said, his thoughts jumping from the woman's attractiveness and back to the reality that was happening to him.

"Juliana," she responded again, her lips parting into a small smile. Jasyn's confused look made her slightly laugh. "You asked who I was and I told you. My name is Juliana."

"Oh," Jasyn said, lowering his head as though ashamed. He was not used to sounding like a fool, nor was he used to not being in complete control of a situation. He quickly took the opportunity to glance at the suit again. Good, he thought as he quickly surveyed the damage, no one thought to unhook my suit's safety line. Now the trick is going to be how to get back in it without getting caught in the act.

"And yours?" Juliana asked, her voice singing out in an angelic tone.

"Jasyn," he said, choosing to leave out his last name. Juliana smiled as she produced a bowl of water that she had been holding when she entered. Taking it with both hands Jasyn drank at it, his grip diminished thanks to the steel mitten of his right hand. The water was cool, refreshing to Jasyn's body. It had the slight taste of lemon to it, but not an overwhelming one at all. Jasyn gulped slowly, making sure that every drop successfully made it down his throat. He had not realized how thirsty he was until he let the cool water touch his parched lips.

"Sounds like a noble name," the woman said as she took the bowl from Jasyn's outstretched hands. "Where do you come from?"

Jasyn's head snapped up at the bluntness and strangeness of the question. He quickly examined her eyes as though he might find a hint of betrayal or deceit. "San Francisco Island," he answered her. The look on her face was puzzling; she acted as though she was unaware that the Island even existed. "Do you know where that is?"

"No," she answered and quickly glanced at the door, "I do not know of such a place." A slight sound of voices stirred outside in the bright light, causing Juliana to quickly glance over her shoulder. "Don't lie when they ask you questions. You may be very important to us." Without another word she left, closing the rusted door behind her and leaving Jasyn in his shackles and in astonishment.

"Impossible," Jasyn said aloud as he sat with his back against the wall, facing the entrance of the prison were he was being kept. "Even the smallest child knows where San Francisco Island is. It's the capital of the Sol System for Christ's sake!"

Suddenly the door swung open once again, this time the silhouette was not the small one of Juliana's, but one of a more sinister purpose.

"Come with me," the woman's harsh voice rang out.

"Where will you take me?" he demanded, as two more women strolled in, one reaching down and releasing his shackles as the other stood at ready with a drawn sword.

"To see Catherine," the first and largest one answered. The other two roughly grabbed the struggling man and literally dragged him from the dark room and out into the bright sunlight. One of the women dropped Jasyn's limp form into the dirt. He had learned long ago that the best form of protest was the non-aggressive kind.

"Walk!" the large one yelled again as she took a fistful of Jasyn's hair and pulled him to his feet. "Walk or I'll slit your throat like the pig you are!" she spat into his ear as the sound of a metal blade against a thick sheath whispered through the air. Without so much as a peep, Jasyn walked, his eyes scanning the area around him as he did. It seemed that he was in a town of sorts, one surrounded by a very thick and tall wall. The town was composed of various buildings and structures. Cows and sheep, along with chickens and other various meal animals walked freely about, grazing on the sparse grass that sprouted from the trodden ground. There were old women and young women everywhere, along with dogs and cats, birds and other animals. The whole place was like something out of an old novel, something from the frontier colonies outside of the Milky Way. Something besides the primitive lifestyle stood out, but that something Jasyn couldn't quite put his finger on. As they neared a rather large building that stood in the approximate center of the town, Jasyn suddenly realized he had not seen even one man.

* * *

"Reel it back!" Gardener screamed to the technicians that were working around him. "I want him back here now!" Workers began scrambling to activate the winch and tow line, a crystal/diamond cable-based machine that would pull Jasyn's suit back in minutes. The winch's whine screeched into the air as the motors tore to life. The cable began winding onto the giant spool as the technicians and the master of the watch scrambled to get everything ready for Jasyn's return. There had been no messages for almost two hours and the workers had run every test they could think of to find the problem; all results showed that the systems were working optimally.

"There is nothing wrong with the suit or any of its components," the master had reported to Scot.

"I'll kill him when he gets back, I swear!" Scot screamed and flung his safety goggles at the whirlwind before him.

"Uncle Scot," came a soft voice from next to the enraged man.

"Yes honey?" Scot replied as he turned to face the young lady next to him. Her blonde hair was tangled, her makeup was smeared from tears. The dress that she had been wearing was torn and her flesh beneath was bruised and scraped from a night in the private sector.

"I just want to thank you for sending someone out to find me last night, I don't think I would have survived much longer."

"Don't mention it sweetheart," Scot replied and gave his niece a long embrace. "When your mother called me last night I knew there had to be something wrong. You are my favorite niece, I couldn't ever let anything happen to you."

"You do believe me right?" she asked as tears formed in her eyes again. "About Jasyn?"

"Yes," Gardener responded, hesitating slightly. He knew that confronting Jasyn about raping and almost murdering his one and only niece would mean his job, but he was wealthy enough to tough it out. Family before business, that was and always would be his motto.

"Coming through!" the master hollered out as the cable began nearing the end. The suit came flying through the vortex and crashed into the winch like it was shot from a gun. "Son of a bitch!" screamed the master as he sprinted to the suit. "That shouldn't have happened! We had the pull ratio of the winch set to the combined weight of the suit and its occupant!" As Scot and the rest of the workers neared the suit they all found out why the suit had come so fast: it weighed less than half of what it did when Jasyn was inside.

"Get the Special Ops team!" the master of the watch called out above the gasps and hurried whispers of the crowd.

"Belay that order!" Gardener yelled out, his eyes transfixed on the suit. "Close down this area and seal it off. This is now a Type 6 priority; this information does not leave this room. Anyone who leaks any information about what happened today will find themselves and their family being used to test our unstable elements in the labs. Understood? Now seal it!" As Scot and his niece left the lab and headed for his office, his young companion turned to him.

"What is going to happen to Jasyn?" she asked with an authentic look of concern in her eyes. "Is he going to be OK?"

Scot just smiled at her as he draped his arm over her shoulder and led her down the hall. "I don't know, Angelica," he said as the door to his office opened. He walked to the window and watched the vortex swirl below.

"All I know," Gardener said as the last technician left the lab area, the automatic lights powering down and plunging the room into darkness, "is that he is going to get what he has coming to him."

* * *

"Inside!" the large woman yelled, shoving Jasyn to the tiled floor just inside the entrance of the large building. The interior was highly decorated with magnificent colors and sculptures. Every single statue and painting depicted women in powerful roles, or women in battle, or women with children. Everything was marvelous in its color or its craftsmanship; nothing was even a possibility at a bland piece of art. At the far wall of the room stood two female guards and a large throne decorated with gold and silver. The rest of the room paled in comparison to the gorgeous seat that Jasyn was being marched toward. With a shove of his shoulders the two women warriors escorting Jasyn shoved him to his knees and forced him to kneel before the throne.

"Let him stand," a feminine voice called out from somewhere to Jasyn's left. Releasing their hold the warriors allowed Jasyn to stand and wipe away the dirt from his clothes. The steel mitt on his hand restricted any great amount of wiping, but Jasyn managed. "What is your name?"

Jasyn's eyes met the radiant green eyes that were looking upon him as he followed the voice to its source. The brown hair hung to the woman's mid-back and flowed freely off her shoulders. Her face was rounded, her nose slightly curved downward. Her lips were thick and were slightly red in the dim light of the throne room. Her clothing was quite stunning, being that the only thing she wore was a cape that was tied with a golden rope around her shoulders. Her breasts were small but attractive, pale compared to the skin of the other five women in the room. Her hips were slim and her belly flat. Jasyn couldn't help but stare at the naked body before him.

"Jasyn," he responded without wavering his stare from her naked form. "I come from San Francisco Island." He figured that he might as well volunteer the information instead of wasting the time waiting for the next question.

"I am unfamiliar with such a place," the nude woman responded as she sat down in the throne, not bothering to cross her legs in the ladylike fashion. "I know almost all of the lands around my kingdom, but that one I have not heard of."

"It is very, very far away," Jasyn answered the woman's statement. It seemed pretty obvious to him that this particular woman would be the one he would have to negotiate with if he was to ever get out of this place.

"What was that clothing you were wearing when you were captured by our scout Zelda?"

"It was a containment suit to keep me protected by unknown germs in the air that may have harmed me," Jasyn responded, no need to lie about that.

"What is attached to it?" the queen asked.

"It is a cable to help me find my way home if I need to or if I am to get lost," Jasyn responded. He found the questions to be silly. The functions of the cable and of the suit were obvious, something even a child could figure out. This was precisely why he refused to hire women technicians and engineers. Sometimes they had excellent aptitude when it came to one thing, but almost all were totally incompetent when it came to other things. This woman was apparently a good leader, but didn't seem too sharp when it came to the apparent uses of equipment or technology.

"Are there more like you?" she asked, her eyebrow rising in a questioning manner. Jasyn's thoughts had no doubt given him a dazed and confused look so she clarified the question for him. "More people like you?"

Jasyn thought about the question before answering, "Not quite like me. Nobody is like me. What is your name?" Gasps came from the women that stood next to him as the woman before him let a look of surprise briefly pass across her beautiful face.

"I am not to be addressed with a question," the woman said before relaxing slightly. "I am Queen Catherine. I am the ruler of this kingdom around you. We have not been witness to a being like you in almost two years. We thought your kind was gone, like the white-tailed deer or the black bear."

"I am here," Jasyn said and raised his arms to his side, "It's pretty obvious that we must not be quite extinct yet." The queen slowly looked over Jasyn, as though she was unsure how to take him.

"Remove your clothing," she said without a hint of humor in her voice. Jasyn stared at her as though she were insane.

"I think not," he responded with a hint of arrogance in his tone. Without warning or hesitation the warriors at his side grabbed his arms and the large one behind him grabbed his legs. The two guards that had stood on either side of the throne now moved forward as the queen sat silently and witnessed the event. The two guards slowly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his well-toned abdomen. The queen let a smile crawl onto her face as the guards removed his belt and slowly slid his thermals to his knees.

"He seems to be what we need your highness," one of the guards said as her eyes grew wide at the sight of his bare body.

"You will not get away with this!" Jasyn screamed, spitting at the guards who were now running their hands upon him. "When they find out what you have done to me there will be war!"

"I am a very powerful woman, Jasyn," she said and pointed to a hallway that branched off the throne room. "I have a great need for you in my kingdom. I can see that you will be very valuable in my quest to make my people strong once again."

"I don't understand what you are raving about woman, do you need me to help you? I can assist you in any way, just tell your goons to release me!"

"I do not take orders from your kind!" Catherine spat furiously as she stood from her throne. "Take him to my quarters," she said as a sly smile spread across her lips. "I think it is time to repopulate our kingdom. Gather the others as well, after I am finished with him he will be for everyone to take as they wish. We will bring back his kind, but just as slaves to do our bidding. To help us regain the control on our lands that we once had."

"Wait!" Jasyn screamed as the guards and warriors pinned him down before tying his hands and feet. "I am a very influential man where I come from," he screamed as they lifted him to carry him away. "I can get you anything you want, just say the word and its yours!"

"That's the word that has been escaping us all these years," the queen said as the others carried Jasyn away. "'Man'. What a useless creature. No man can carry the sheer power that a woman has; I guess your kind will learn that the hard way."

Copyright © 2000 S. E. Eggleston