The events that day were still running through Rikyuu's mind as he returned to his campervan home. He could hardly believe everything that he had seen that night… Watching one of his closest friends transform slowly into a demon, only to be spirited away by what he could only describe as an Egyptian God, and then the demon in question ripped its way out of Volcan and was now out there, somewhere, wandering the world.

Rikyuu was a genetically engineered life form; grown in a tube. No parents, no family… Just a backstory straight out of Science Fiction. Yet even with all that in mind, everything that seemed to be happening now just seemed… Unreal.

He tried to put it out of his mind as best as he could… After the group had returned to the city and everyone went their separate ways, he made a path for his meagre home on the other side of the border.

After sneaking under the Alberta/Montana border crossing, he flew back to the parked campervan where he had been living since before the P.A.C.E incident. After living at the Lo'Raven Manor for some time, he found the van – while functional, was just… Ah, there was no point sugarcoating it, he decided. It sucked… But it was all he had.

Obsidian came by regularly, helping him keep the van running by bringing jerry cans of fuel he could use to fill it. The van was parked off the main road; its headlights were broken but the engine still ran, so he at least had power. But in addition to the busted headlights, it had two flat tires; it was not going anywhere, so all it was good for was hobo accommodation – and that's exactly what it was.

Landing outside the old van, he opened the side door and peered inside, making sure everything appeared to be as he left it. With that, he climbed inside, closing the door and-

“YEOW!" he exploded, feeling white-hot pain shooting up his back, starting from his tail.

He turned, feeling his tail being pulled taut with the motion, and saw the culprit. In his distracted mind, he had not been paying attention to himself and had inadvertently closed the van door on his tail. Scrambling to open the door he pulled his tail free before shutting the door again and sat down again, holding his tail in his hands.

“Well, that was just stupid of me," he said to no one in particular, rubbing his tail to ease the pain, and inspecting it to make sure he hadn't caused any damage. Fortunately, other than a few nicked scales, it hadn't left any real harm.

He let out a sigh and moved to the cot on the other side of the van, laying down upon it and making himself as comfortable as possible. Once again, living at the Lo'Raven manor had spoiled his otherwise Spartan lifestyle, living only on the bare necessities and nothing else… But living in that mansion had introduced him to entirely new luxuries to which he was unaccustomed.

Sure, he had running water; a nearby manual pump provided him what he needed, but it was cold and terrible for bathing in. All he could give himself were sponge baths and metallic-tasting drinking water. But under that roof, he'd experienced a shower, a bath, feeling truly clean for the first time that he could remember, and warm. The water had been warm; a luxury he sorely missed now…

Then there was the food… Real, store-bought groceries – yet another luxury he was missing since leaving the mansion. Aside from times when Obsidian or other friends treated him, he never got to enjoy quality food… He survived on wild plants and game in the wilderness; more of the knowledge he had been created with, he supposed. Certainly, no one had taught him these skills; how to identify toxic plants as opposed to edible plants, or how to skin and gut wild animals – hey he was a dragon; a carnivorous life form, regardless of the fact he'd been born or grown in a laboratory.

Overall, he had come to enjoy living at the manor, and enjoying basic home essentials – things people took for granted. 'Heh,' he thought, if they only knew…

Turning on to his side, he reached for the cellular phone sitting on the shelf above his bed. The same feather phone that Avory had given him; he didn't know if the raven ever intended to take it back, but so far, he had made no mention of wanting it, and the two still used it to communicate with each other. Thinking of that, he remembered something else he still had to do, and reached for another item sitting beside his phone.

A portable hard drive, containing the information that Avory had decrypted from P.A.C.E's servers. Information related to his creator, Nero Cornelius, and his activities after he and Rex had ended their partnership. He still hadn't had the chance to look over the information that had been uploaded… Aside from Avory himself, the only one he knew with a computer that would be capable of handling all of this information was Ayane.

Tomorrow, he'd have to go see her, he decided…

“Time to start looking for the fam," he thought aloud and placed the drive back on the shelf.

With that, he set his phone to play some music to relax him, setting it back on the shelf again and making himself comfortable in bed once more, shutting his eyes and going to sleep…

~~~~~

In Edmonton, at the University of Alberta, a wingless, brown dragoness walked briskly through the hall to the Physics Lab, a stack of papers in one hand, a hot paper cup full of coffee in the other. She dodged a few of the students and staff on her way to the doors, pushing them open with her back before stepping into the lab and making her way to her department.

Once more, she came to a pair of double doors. Unlike the last set, though, these ones were secured with an electronic lock; she set down the coffee cup to free one of her hands, and then extracted her I.D badge from the inside of her shirt to scan it over the panel beside the door. The scanner beeped, and the doors opened automatically; she hurriedly picked up the coffee cup and rushed inside before the doors could close again.

“Here! I'm here!" she called out to her senior researcher, Dr. Amanda Fischer.

“Just in time, Terra," said Amanda, looking at her watch. Amanda was a slightly overweight Caucasian human, with deep brown hair, standing shorter than Terra. At most times, she was pleasant, but she was notoriously intolerant of those who lacked punctuality.

 “We're about to get started. Did you bring the-" the doctor had not even finished asking her question before Terra set down the coffee cup and presented the papers she carried to Amanda. “-documents," she finished with a smile, accepting the papers from the dragoness, and looking over the cover. “Good job."

“And I brought your favourite," added Terra, retrieving the coffee cup, and offering it to Amanda. “Dark roast large with hazelnut creamer."

“Ah, perfect," said Amanda, taking the cup and sipping it, smiling as the hot, rich liquid flowed down her throat. “I was in such a hurry this morning; I didn't have time for coffee. Thank you."

“Can't start your day without a cup of joe~" Terra practically sang. “So, we're going ahead with the presentation today?"

“We are," replied Amanda. “Alex is bringing the showpiece for the financiers. If this prototype is approved, it will revolutionize space travel and maybe even colonization when it's finished."

“Can we even develop that prototype here?" asked Terra, looking around the laboratory. The University of Alberta's science department was well-equipped as a university laboratory went, but it was hardly what she would consider state-of-the-art…

“Likely not, but for now this entire process is theoretical," Amanda admitted. “We would need a better-equipped laboratory to be able to even try developing it, and for that we're going to need to impress some wealthy people."

Amanda took another sip of her coffee. “So, this presentation has to go right… We need this if we're going to move forward."

Terra nodded. She felt the tension from Amanda; she could feel it herself. The pressure of knowing how important this presentation was… If they were successful, and they were able to develop this prototype, it could mean a whole new era for space travel; artificial gravity, removing the danger that astronauts faced today from prolonged exposure to zero-gravity environments. 

Astronauts on the ISS - the international space station, could not stay on mission for more than six months at a time. It was for this reason that advancements in space travel had found little ground over the years since the Moon Landing. This prototype - an artificial gravity generator, was the key to solving that problem; the mission lengths could be extended indefinitely, and travel to other stellar bodies could finally become a possibility…

But only if they could finish the first step; proving the soundness of their theory, to a group of - as Amanda put it, 'ignorant rich boys,' willing to give them the necessary funds to begin development. It would be a massive investment, she knew… But it could change the world, if only they could see it.

Taking a deep breath and standing tall in what she hoped would show she was ready, she asked. “What more can I do, Dr. Fischer?" she asked.

Amanda smiled at her. “You've done everything you can, Terra. We all have… Once the presentation is done, it'll be out of our hands."

“I could beat up one of the financiers to convince-" Terra put up her hands at Amanda's sharp look. “Kidding! I'm kidding!" she assured the doctor. “Just trying to lighten the mood a bit, that's all."

Amanda let out a sigh and gave a light-hearted smile. “It did, Terra," she admitted. “You know, I admit I was skeptical when you came here, looking for a job. Your only credential, a paper on the mechanics on relative acceleration surrounding centrifugal and centripetal forces, leading into the theory of mass and anti-matter to enhance or replace such effects."

“Ever since then you've come up with the equations describing the required properties of such an element to create either a mass or anti-matter to overcome the necessity of such trivial mechanical gravitational solutions, we are so close to finding it. All we need now are the facilities to get us over the edge - to get to that final stage; that prefect element."  she shook her head. “To this day I still don't know how you know so much without having any apparent formal education on the matter."

Terra shrugged. “Truth be told… Neither do I!" she replied. “It all just came to me. But it was you who decided to give me a job here, so I owe you for that."

“I could hardly let such genius pass me by," Amanda stated with a chuckle. “People with your understanding of physics don't come as often as most of us here would like."

At that moment, the door opened, and the two looked up to see a male lupine entering the room, carrying a box in his arms. “Ah, there's Alex now. I better see how he did creating the showpiece."

Terra put her claws together, looking hopeful as she addressed her boss. “Are you sure there's nothing else I can do, Doctor?" Terra asked.

“Wish us luck," said Dr. Fischer. “Let me and Alex handle the presentation; we've been working on it for weeks now… We're as ready as we can ever be."

Terra nodded. “I'll be keeping you guys in my thoughts all the while," she promised, watching as Dr. Fischer went over to Alex, coffee cup in hand.

In truth, Terra had not been completely honest with Amanda. While it was true that Terra had come to them, seemingly no more than a homeless tramp, her understanding of gravity was attributed to two very particular factors. Innate knowledge, bestowed upon her since the day she was born… And personal experience. 

Of course, she could never tell Dr. Fischer or any of her colleagues about that. She liked and respected all of them, but there were some things that ordinary people just were not ready to know about… And she was one of them.

~~~~~

Rikyuu touched down outside Ayane's home, landing gently on the gravel driveway with the hard drive securely tucked under his arm. He double-checked to make sure he had a secure hold on the hard drive as he approached her workshop, knowing that in all likelihood that was where she would be. 

He knocked on the door, and in seconds, Ayane opened it. The red dragoness was dressed in grease-stained coveralls and had a wrench clutched in one her hands when she appeared; she must have been working on something before he'd arrived.

“Hey, Ayane," he greeted her.

“Hi Rik," she returned.

“Did I come at a bad time?" he asked, gesturing to her jumpsuit.

“Not at all. Just doing some work on my suit," she replied, “What's up?"

Rikyuu took the hard drive out from under his arm, showing it to Ayane. “Avory finished those decryptions I asked him for," he explained. “Supposedly, everything that P.A.C.E had on Nero is on here. I just don't have a computer to view it."

“Oh, sure thing," she replied, and stepped aside while holding the door for him. “Come on in. Let me just get out of these coveralls and we can look through them; you know where the computer is."

Rikyuu nodded, watching as Ayane headed off to a corner, unzipping her coveralls as she went. He respectfully avoided watching her; he was sure she had clothes on under the suit, but it was better to be on the safe side. Instead, he kept his gaze ahead as he crossed the workshop to the corner where her computer sat.

Ayane's computer used an older monitor, and the tower itself was custom made; she had built it from a collection of second-hand parts, picked up from thrift stores and computer stores with refurbished PC's. The components she used were top of the line during their time, but by now were technically out of date; computer parts that offered more advanced performance capabilities had been released, but those were expensive.

All in all, her home computer was an amalgamation of obsolete parts that she modified to improve their performance capabilities. But it suited her needs and, he hoped, would be enough to handle the data contained in the hard drive he carried.

'Maybe she ought to ask Avory for a job,' he thought, 'Freelance programming and tech support can't possibly pay as well as she could make working for Feather Technologies or… Whoever else his company owns.'

He waited patiently until Ayane finished changing and came over to him, now dressed in a black tank and green trousers. “Okay," she said, wiping her hands on a rag. “Let's see what our feathered friend found for us. Set it down there, next to the tower."

Rikyuu did as instructed, gently setting the hard drive onto the desk beside the computer tower and stepped aside as Ayane sat down. Her fingers danced over the keyboard as she logged in - then stopped to pull her hand away as her fingers trembled. Rikyuu noticed this and leaned over to look closer at her hand.

“You okay?" she asked,

“Yeah, gave myself a little jolt earlier," she replied. “Hand is still a little tingly from it. But it's okay now."

Rikyuu narrowed his eyes, suspicious of Ayane's answer… But when she started typing again, her hands seemed to function normally. She turned to retrieve a universal connector to plug into the hard drive, and then back to her computer monitor, her fingers going back to their dance as she accessed the drive and opened the contents.

Rikyuu could hear her computer's fans starting up as she worked, but his attention remained on the monitor. He felt his heart sinking when he saw the amount of content the hard drive contained, dismayed by how many files he could see.

“Holy…" he said, breathlessly. “What is all this?"

Ayane opened a few documents and gave them cursory looks before she answered. “Surveillance, mostly," she replied. “P.A.C.E was keeping tabs on Nero for years it seems. Looks like about five years ago, their surveillance came to an end - that coincides with his disappearance, at least."

Then, her eyes narrowed, and she leaned closer to the monitor as something caught her eye. “But… Hm. Let me sort these by date," she said, and grasped the computer's mouse to move the cursor. She selected 'Date Modified' on the window, reorganizing the documents by the date they were last viewed, instead of the alphabetical order her computer had defaulted to.

“Hey," said Rikyuu, noticing the date on the top. “Sixteenth of… That was three weeks ago!" he said, excitedly, realizing the prospects of finding another of his own kind had just increased.

“Just before we hit the base," Ayane added, clicking on the document and opening it, reading over the content and photographs they displayed. “It looks like once P.A.C.E became aware that you were helping Volcan and the others, they started looking for Nero again. They must have thought he was involved, somehow."

“Who were they tracking?"

“Looks like they identified a similar nanotech signature at the University of Alberta," Ayane replied, fingering a line of text.

Rikyuu gaped. A University? “Not exactly keeping a low profile, is he?"

“She."

“What?"

Ayane tapped one of the photographs, which carried the image of a wingless, brown dragon - or, dragoness, as it were. The dragoness was dominantly brown in colour, with earth-y tones and a silver undertone. She had short, spiky brown scalp hair and dark, yellow eyes - almost amber. She also boasted a muscular figure - though it was because of the lab coat she wore in the picture why he hadn't initially noticed the feminine features.

“That's who they were watching," Ayane went on. “They don't show a name or anything, but she apparently spent a lot of time at the university's physics lab, and she was in the company of many of the people known to work there - including the head of the physics department, Dr. Amanda Fischer."

Rikyuu read over more of the article while Ayane was speaking. “She's the research assistant to the head honcho herself," he said. “Again, not exactly a low profile… But how did P.A.C.E figure out how to track her?"

“If I had to hazard a guess, that fight they had with you when they went after Pavan," replied Ayane. 

“They got my nanotech signatures from just one encounter?" Rikyuu asked, shocked. “But there's no way! Kyle said they had no idea what I was when they found their Disruptors didn't work on me!"

“At this point, Rik, we can only speculate," said Ayane. “To find out how they figured you out, I'll have to do more research on these notes - see if they show anything. For now, what do you want to do about the gal in Edmonton?"

Rikyuu stood up straight, rubbing his chin as he considered his options. “Well, P.A.C.E is gone, so she's not in any real danger I suppose," he said. “But she may have some of the answers I'm looking for… Maybe she knows what happened to Nero - where he's been all this time."

“Maybe," said Ayane, though she didn't sound convinced. “How are you going to get to her, though? Edmonton is a long way away…"

A darn good question… Where Rikyuu was, was directly on the Canada/US border, and Edmonton was hundreds of miles away. Even by car, it would take him hours to get there and just as long to get back; it was a day trip at least.

Which led to the second dilemma. Who would take him? He didn't have a car of his own, and he only knew four people who did. But could he really ask them to take time out of their day to take him all the way to Alberta's Provincial Capital, to meet a girl? He smirked at the thought despite himself; it was going to be one heck of a first meeting, for sure…

“I'll have to think about that," he said with a sigh.

“Too bad you don't have a fancy suit like Avory or Avelyn," remarked Ayane, “something capable of breaking the sound barrier… You could get there in minutes." She leaned her head back as she considered. “And my suit's not meant for sustained flight, plus it's biometric - only I can use it."

“Flying there would take me even longer than a car, right?" Rikyuu asked.

“Not unless you can give yourself jet turbines with your hard light powers."

“Never thought to try, actually," Rikyuu remarked, rubbing his chin. “But someone would see me, for sure, plus I'd probably burn out my nanites before I reached the city."

Ayane sighed. “Your top flight speed's about sixty kilometres an hour, right?" she asked.

“Uh, I know the imperial system, not the metric system," Rikyuu replied. 

“Uh… Thirty-seven miles per hour, then," Ayane replied.

Rikyuu shrugged. “I mean, yes, but I can't maintain that forever."

“Yeah, long shot anyway. You'd need a favourable wind to carry you all the way, and the wind never blows from the south arou-"

Rikyuu looked over as she stopped mid-word. “Ayane?"

“Wind…" she replied, her eyes wide with realization.

“Wind?" Rikyuu asked. But then, he caught on, and his expression matched hers. “Wait…"

“Wind," they said in unison, and slowly turned to look at each other, speaking again in unison as they uttered a single name, both dragons pointing at the other and grinning as they had the same thought. “Pavan!"

~~~~~

The Wind Phoenix's response was quick. Ayane had only called him moments before he arrived; they stood outside her workshop to see him approach, watching as he fell into a dive toward the property. 

They tensed, instinctively fearing he was about to crash when he didn't slow down, until they saw him fly low over the gravel, pull back sharply and slow - with a gust of wind erupting from behind them when he did. With that sudden stop, Pavan dropped to the ground lightly, holding out his arms as if he were in a performance.

“And he sticks it!" the wind phoenix chimed, before regarding the two dragons. “Hey Rik! How's it going, Ayane?"

'Hyper as ever,' thought Rikyuu with a smile. “Doing okay, Pavan! How've things been for you?"

“Well, fresh off my graduation, I'm looking for a new job," he replied. “Dunno where to go, though. Dad thinks I should go back and improve my grades some more, and then head to university, to become a meteorologist like him."

“Not something you want to do?" Ayane asked.

“Heck no!" Pavan replied, quickly. “Sit in a classroom for years, only to be sitting in a stuffy weather station all day? No-ho-ho-ho thank you! I gotta stay on the move to keep my groove!" he emphasized his words by performing a backflip; he jumped back, spinning in midair, head-over-heels before landing on his feet again.

“Maybe you should join a circus," said Ayane. “You'd make a killing as a performer."

“I might do that!" said Pavan, nodding. “Anyway… What'd you need my help for?"

“It's actually me," said Rikyuu. “I need a favour."

“What's up?"

“I need to copy your powers," said Rikyuu. “There's somewhere I need to be, but it's a long way away and you're the only one I know with wind powers. I've seen them let you fly super-fast."

“Copy my powers, eh?" Pavan asked. “Well, I don't see why not… Doesn't hurt, right?"

Rikyuu chuckled. “Not as far as I've been made aware. I've copied Volcan and Tsumé before and they seemed alright." 

Pavan shrugged. “In that case, have at 'er. What do you need to do?"

“Just give me your hand for a sec," Rikyuu replied, lifting his hand in turn as it began to glow with the usual pink-ish energy of his hard light projections.

Pavan held out his arm, offering his hand to Rikyuu. The blue dragon gently grasped Pavan's hand, and the Wind Phoenix let out a light giggle when he felt a tingly sensation coursing up his arm. “Hehe. Tickles a bit," he said.

“And done," said Rikyuu. “Quick as a whip."

“That's all then?" Pavan asked.

“That's all," Rikyuu replied. “I've now copied your powers."

“Alright then! What's next for you?"

“I have to head to Edmonton to meet another of my own kind," replied Rikyuu. “Thanks again, Pavan; I appreciate this."

“Just be careful," Pavan warned. “You can surprise yourself when you use the wind to speed up, and if you overdo it, you could go spinning out of control and, ka-rash. It's painful."

Rikyuu chuckled. “Not my first crash even if it happens," he said.

“Believe me, it's way worse when you're close to making a sound cone."

Rikyuu lost his smile. “Whoa… You can go that fast?"

“Not quite the speed of sound but yeah, I can move. The only ones faster than me are Avory and Avelyn, and they're cheating."

“Cheating?" Ayane asked, arching an eye ridge at him.

“Yes, they're using those suits - they can't possibly go that fast without 'em."

“Not all of us have powers over the wind, Pavan," Ayane retorted. “Is it cheating for me to use my suit to be as strong as Volcan?"

“Well, it-" Pavan stopped talking, seeing the look Ayane was giving him. Slowly, his face turned to a frown, with a raised eyebrow to accompany it. “Hm… I sense I have made a mistake. So, I am just going to make like the wind and blow away. Bye!"

With that, Pavan turned and sped away, breaking into a run, and leaving before he could get himself into more trouble. Rikyuu and Ayane watched him leave, with the red dragoness offering a wry smirk when he was out of sight.

“His mouth is still slightly faster than his brain," she said.

“Yep," agreed Rikyuu. 

With that, the blue dragon stepped forward and stretched. “Alright. Time for me to get going," he stated.

“I'll keep looking over the information Avory provided us," Ayane promised. “There may yet be more to find."

“Thanks Ayane," said Rikyuu, looking back at her and smiling. “I'll be back soon."

“Take care," Ayane replied, giving a wave as Rikyuu's colours began to change.

As was typical of the dragon when he activated his copied powers, he took on the colours of the source subject from whom he had copied. His blue scales turned brown, head to toe, with white around his face and a black-tipped muzzle, matching Pavan's beak. He stretched out his wings, seeing that they had also changed colour, with lines of deep brown forming patterns across the lower halves of the membranes. 

'Okay, Pavan… Let's see what you can do,' he said, and shut his eyes to focus…

He could feel the air around him - more than usual, like a thousand gentle hands caressing his body… It was so different than what he was accustomed to with the powers of the other phoenixes he had copied. With Volcan, he felt powerful, like a living battery; hot to the core and waiting for something on which he could let loose.

With Tsumé, he became more aware of his surroundings. He could feel everything on the ground; every stone, every plant, every grain of dirt - it was almost enough to overwhelm him. The only consistency between the two he'd found was that their powers depended on mental command, and movement… Pavan, it seemed, was no exception.

Rikyuu half-crouched, ordering the wind to gather below his opened wings, and as he stood up, he leapt into the air and commanded the wind to go upward at the same time. His heart leapt into his throat as the wind caught his wings and sent him soaring skyward, carrying him into the sky. Instinctively, he began beating his wings to stay aloft, and looked down to the ground he had left behind.

“Holy sh-!" he nearly cursed, catching himself just in time. He was easily fifty feet in the air, in a single updraft! 

It was at that moment he noticed that he felt… Lighter, somehow. His powers did not typically copy physical traits of the people he copied - like he did not have Volcan's strength when using his powers, or Tsumé's denser bone structure when using hers… But with Pavan, it's like the wind was gathering within him, lifting him at all times - not something Pavan did consciously, otherwise it wouldn't be happening with him, but something the air seemed to do itself.

With that, he decided to assess himself further, flying straight ahead and summoning the wind again, commanding it to form a wind tunnel around him. He felt the rushing air as it spiralled around his body, and the force of it against every inch of himself, giving him a gentle push. He did not even need to flap his wings to stay aloft - the moving air itself held him up.

What a rush! No wonder Pavan loves this; this is awesome!' he mentally exclaimed, unable to stop himself from laughing as he soared across the sky.

The mountains to his left raced by, their images blurred as he flew. The ground below, seemingly so far away, passed quickly, the bends in the main road resembling a bolt of electricity between a pair of emitters, seeming to be dancing side-to-side as he raced over them.

'Hooooo man, I'm going so fast!' he wanted to scream to the open air, but he couldn't find his voice. At the speed he was going, the G-forces should have been causing him to lose consciousness, but he was fine! Again, he wondered how that could be possible - was he somehow impervious to the effects of the wind; or was Pavan himself somehow innately impervious to G-force? 

He had assumed that was a physical trait; that something in Pavan's anatomy made him immune to the wind and G-force when he flew… But apparently, it was connected to Pavan's powers; somehow, they gave him this immunity - just like Volcan's powers made him impervious to fire and heat; the phoenix did not burn, and neither did Rikyuu when Volcan's powers were active.

That made him think of Tsumé's powers again, and how he used them to tunnel under the border crossing so often; he shouldn't have her denser skin… And yet, tunnelling through the ground like the monsters in Ron Underwood's 'Tremors' didn't even cause him any discomfort, even though it technically should've peeled off at least a few scales…

'There is even more to my friends than I realized,' he thought to himself.

Bringing his focus back to the present, he turned his attention ahead. He flew higher, to make it less likely he would be seen by anyone below. Then, he summoned the wind to give him another burst of speed; the world around him passed by in a blur. He instinctively shut his eyes, only to find that - as with his apparent immunity to G-force, his eyes were not bothered by the wind rushing around him.

He was not sure how long he could maintain this pace in one go… But with the speed now available to him, he would be in Edmonton in record time. He still had plenty of time to consider how he might approach this other Project, and what questions he would have for her when they met…

~~~~~

Even though she was outside, the tension in the room was palpable to Terra… The presentation was taking place in the auditorium, with Dr. Fischer and Alex doing their presentation, but Terra had seen the people coming in for the presentation. She hadn't caught all their names… But she knew 'high rollers' when she saw them…

NASA, the Chinese Space Administration and the Canadian Space Agency being the most obvious; them, she had expected to see, but there were also representatives from private firms such as Dusk Spacecorp, Tenno Technical Solutions, Rosco Cosmos and Wick & Stanley Starcorps - the last which had actually created one of the most recent editions of the moon rover for NASA.

These were companies that anyone, interested in space travel in general, would know about… Any one of them could give them the funding they needed to develop the artificial gravity prototype, and everyone had much to gain from the success… But only if the presentation was a success.

'Is this what they call being on pins & needles?' she wondered to herself, smiling despite her concerns. She wished she could be part of the presentation, but Alex created the showpiece and could show it in detail, and Dr. Fischer was just, in general, a better speaker than herself. All she could do was kick back and wait.

She decided to get something to drink. Rising from her seat, she walked up the hall to a nearby concession counter and ordered a soft drink. While she waited, fishing cash out of her pocket, she started to feel… off. Something felt wrong to her somehow, like she was being watched…

She looked up and down the hallway, for any sign of someone watching her… All she saw was a red vixen - another school student, further up the hall with her books held across her chest, her tail swaying side-to-side with each step she took, but her back was to Terra.

The feeling passed, and Terra shrugged, thinking nothing of it as she paid for her drink and started heading back to her seat. But as she walked, the feeling returned; she looked side-to-side, but could see no one anywhere… Not back the way she had come, nor in the direction she was heading…

Terra decided to walk around for a little while, to see if the feeling persisted. She passed by the chair she had previously sat in, and made her way toward the Physics lab… The feeling did not abate, yet she still couldn't see anyone. She knocked back the rest of her drink and tossed the cup into a waste container she passed.

Terra decided that if someone was following her, she did not want to be cornered in the lab - especially not if whoever it was intended to do her harm and might threaten her colleagues. Better to move outside where she might find help before the worst could happen, or at least remove anyone who could be put in danger.

Changing her course, she made her way to the closest exit and headed outside. Once she was through the door, the feeling of being watched abated; it wasn't gone, but it lessened significantly. She avoided looking back at the door she had exited through - perhaps out of concern she might see someone there…

She walked around the building, out of sight of the door, and finally the feeling disappeared. She put her back against a wall, waiting, watching the corner she had just passed to see if anyone would come around… But no one did. 

Terra breathed a huge sigh of relief, resting her hand against her chest. 'I guess it was nothing after all,' she said. 

But then, all of a sudden, the feeling returned - stronger this time. The first indication came in the sound of wings flapping, and a male voice piping up behind her. “Excuse me-"

Terra reacted purely on instinct. She turned on the owner of the voice, hands raised and palms glowing with a bright orange colour. In an instant, the blue dragon that approached her went down; his eyes went wide, and he sank to his knees, baring his teeth as he fought to stay upright.

Rikyuu felt like he had gained a thousand pounds in the span of a second. He couldn't stand, he could not lift his arms, he couldn't even raise his head. It was as if a heavy load had suddenly been dropped upon him, and its weight was spread across his entire body.

'What… The heck… Did she do?' he thought.

“Who are you?" the dragoness demanded, not lowering her hands - which he could see now were glowing.

Rikyuu struggled to talk, having difficulty taking air into his lungs under the pressure of whatever the dragoness had done to him. “I'm… Rikyuu!" he introduced himself. “I'm… Not… An… Enemy!"

“Then why are you following me?!" she demanded.

“Following-?!" Rikyuu trailed off. “What're you…? I just… Got here!"

The pressure lessened on him then - only slightly. Enough that he could breathe more easily, but it would leave him sluggish to stand up if he were to try. He sucked in a deep breath, finally able to lift his head to look at her. The dragoness met his gaze, peering intensely into his eyes as she spoke.

“Say that again," she demanded.

“I just arrived here!" Rikyuu replied. “I've come from way down south; I flew all the way here, to meet with you. I can't have been following you; I've only been here for like, a minute."

The dragoness' eyes narrowed suspiciously. “...You said you were looking for me… Why?"

“Dr. Nero Cornelius," Rikyuu replied.

The name had the reaction for which he had hoped. The dragoness visibly stiffened, her eyes widening with alarm. Rikyuu felt the force around him lessening as her focus slipped, but he stayed where he was, knowing that if he attempted to move, she would just hit him again with whatever power she had.

She took note of her slipping focus… But also how Rikyuu did not capitalize on it even though he had the perfect chance to do so… Her hands continued to glow, but the pressure did not return. “How do you know that name?" she asked.

“Because I'm like you," Rikyuu replied. “I'm Project X mark two; I am also a creation of Dr. Cornelius, and I'm trying to find him and anyone else he created."

Slowly, he began to stand, and when the dragoness did not attack him, he took that as a sign to continue. He rose to his full height again, standing at eye level with her; she was the same height he was. Slowly, he lifted a hand and held it out to her. 

“Call me Rikyuu," he said, introducing himself a second time.

The dragoness looked at his hand for a moment, before slowly raising hers to grasp his, and met his eyes again. “Terra," she introduced herself. Then, her expression soured again. “But if you weren't the one following me, then who…?"

Rikyuu was alert then, furrowing his gaze as he looked around. “Do you still feel like someone's around?"

“Maybe… I'm not sure. With you here it's a lot harder to tell," she replied.

“One sec," he said, and before Terra's eyes his colours began to change.

Terra stared in astonishment as Rikyuu's blue scales turned to a forest green colour, and his pale undertones turned a chocolate brown. His eyes stayed the same colour, and his wings - both the limbs and the membranes - turned to the same green hue that dominated most of his body.

“What's happening to you?" Terra asked.

“Just a little something I got from a friend," Rikyuu replied as he lowered himself to one knee. He didn't want to tell Terra yet that he'd taken these powers from an Earth Phoenix - until he had met Volcan and his brother Lighris he had not even known that phoenixes existed. Telling Terra about them now might have been too much for her yet - plus, he still had his promise to keep.

Rikyuu placed his palm flat on the ground, closing his eyes and reaching out with Tsumé's inherent seismic senses. He felt for any movement in the ground; he immediately felt Terra taking a step back from him and knew only for its closeness that it was her. He sensed a nearby anthill, and the thousands of worker ants flitting about; he had to tone them out, finding them distracting as he reached out.

He spread his circle out further, away from himself or Terra. His senses reached the walls of the University buildings behind Terra; through the walls he could sense people moving around. Too many for him to single out any one among them…

Eventually he caught a flicker of movement behind him and opened his eyes to peer over his shoulder. But it was just a passing car by the roadside; the driver did not slow down, nor look their way. To onlookers, it probably looked like he was about to propose to Terra; that thought made him withdraw his senses and stand, realizing that there was another problem.

“We're too exposed out here," he said, making sure no one was watching before dismissing Tsumé's powers and returning to his normal blue colour, “And there's too much activity for me to find anything. Is there somewhere else we can go?"

Terra's suspicion of him, it seemed, had not lessened. “I'm supposed to be meeting my boss after she finishes a presentation," she stated, “I can't just take off. I need this job."

“Can you claim a family emergency? I mean, that's true… Sort of."

“I don't have any family; she knows that," Terra returned.

“Well, if someone is following you I can't sense them here," Rikyuu returned, looking around again. “There's too much activity for me to single anyone out."

“Single out?" Terra asked.

“Seismic senses - I was searching for movement," Rikyuu explained. “but there's a lot of foot traffic in the university - if someone is watching you they could hide in plain sight without me finding them."

That seemed to worry Terra even more. She looked back toward the university, her eyes drifting between the buildings like she expected some deadly predator to emerge from any one of them at any second. Rikyuu could tell by her stiff posture and the way she moved her hands that she did not feel safe going back inside…

“Alright… I'll have to think of something, then," she said, “But I don't want to lead… Whoever it is, back to my apartment."

“Rightly not," agreed Rikyuu, “it's unlikely that they will attack us anywhere with witnesses - not if they know what we are…"

“How could they?" Terra asked, and then narrowed her eyes as that question brought another. “And, for that matter, how did you know what I was? You said you're like me but outwardly neither of us have any sort of telling signs of what we are."

Rikyuu swallowed slightly, knowing that what he said next was going to be critical to earning the trust of this dragoness… “You were being watched," explained Rikyuu. “Do the names Jacob Rex or the P.A.C.E Directive mean anything to you?"

Terra shook her head, her suspicious gaze never leaving Rikyuu's face. “Jacob Rex was a scientist like Nero, specializing in cybernetics; a real Frankenstein, this guy. Apparently, they used to work together once, but their partnership ended on poor terms. Shortly after that, Rex founded the P.A.C.E Directive and started targeting… Well, it's complicated but in some ways they're kind of like us; people who can do special or magical things."

“...You mean Metagenes?" Terra asked, “or Wizards?"

“Both, actually, and more besides. Anyway, when I showed up to help someone he was after, he started looking for others like me - other creations of Nero. I have a friend looking into that for me, but I don't know much more than that yet, let alone how he knew you were one. But the files he left behind, when some friends and I took down his operation, included surveillance details and photographs of you - that's how I knew where to find you."

Terra's eyes rolled to the side. “Do you think this… Stalker I sensed, might be one of these P.A.C.E guys?"

“I don't know," replied Rikyuu, honestly. “As far as I was aware, we took down their operations. If this is one of them, that brings some uncomfortable questions that my friends won't be happy about."

“Not like it doesn't raise some even if it isn't them," Terra pointed out.

“Touche," agreed Rikyuu, nodding. “If it is one of P.A.C.E's boys, he's acting on outdated orders - he probably doesn't even know the Directive is gone. Either way, I know how to deal with them at least."

“Fill me in then," said Terra, “how do we get him?"

Rikyuu looked at her, impressed that she was so ready to jump into action. With a smile and a nod, he explained his plan. “Chances are if there is one there will be others; they won't make any sort of move until they think you're alone and isolated; they don't want witnesses to their activities.

“I'm going to make a show of leaving, and then I'll double back; I'll use those Earth powers I've got - when my scales turned green - to hide underground and follow you from below. As soon as they make any move on you, if they do, I'll spring out and help you take them down."

Terra narrowed her eyes again. “And how can I be sure you'll help?" she asked. “I still can't even be sure who you are or what you're after."

Rikyuu shrugged. “I can't prove it either," he said for certain. “All I can tell you is that I have come a long way, looking for you and looking for answers. Even if you don't have those answers, you and I are connected." 

Terra studied his face for a moment, searching for anything in his expression that betrayed other intentions beyond what he had said. Rikyuu hoped she wouldn't see anything she did not like; he'd been honest with her all through their discussion, and he hoped she was perceptive enough to know that.

Fortunately, she did not seem to find any indication that he was not being benign. Her expression relaxed, and she nodded to him. “Okay. Let's go with your plan then. Just one word of warning," she remarked, “try not to leap in front of me if you see my hands glowing; I can't guarantee you won't be caught in my gravity field too."

Rikyuu blinked. “Wait, that was what you did before?"

“Yep. My power is the control of gravity; Project G Mark 3, otherwise known as 'Terra'," she replied with a smile. “Why, what did you think it was?"

“Well… I know a telekinetic, so I thought of that first," replied Rikyuu, shrugging.

Terra giggled impishly. “Understandable, I guess," she said. “Alright; let's do this."

“Alright. Just act normal, and we'll get them," promised Rikyuu.

“You got it."

Conducting his plan, Rikyuu made a show of leaving Terra, flying away from the university grounds and into the city. With that, she started on her way back to the lab, considering the conversation she had had with the blue dragon.

'Could he really be telling the truth?' she wondered. 'I mean… A lot of what he said makes sense - especially how he knows about me, and not just anyone would know who Nero was.'

She had not had the chance to mention that she had not heard from their creator in some time… Terra had been dispatched prior to Nero's disappearance, but after everything had gone dark at the lab, she'd been left to fend for herself. She hoped he would understand when she finally had time to explain everything to him…

'Can I really trust him though?' she continued to wonder. 'I mean, he says he's like me… And certainly, that power he displayed was… Different. Shoot, didn't even ask him what it was he could do; should have him show me more when we have time.'

Then, a thought crept into her mind that she hadn't meant to think. 'And he was handsome too.~' 

Terra stopped mid-step, considering the thought she just had… She had just barely met Rikyuu, yet… A part of her mind was imagining more with him. She smiled despite herself, deciding the thoughts were not unwelcome.

She started making her way back to the lab - checking over her shoulder a few items to see if anyone was following her. A few students of various racial ethnicities passed her, and two seemed to be going her way - a male reptilian with his eyes on a smartphone held, and a vixen walking just behind him, her eyes glued to the back of a book she was carrying, reading the summary.

Nothing out of the ordinary… Yet, something still felt amiss, even as she turned her gaze forward again. It felt like someone's eyes were burning into her back; was it the lizard? Or the vixen? Or one of the others who passed her? 

'All this worrying is going to make me jumpy,' she thought.

Coming to the doors to the lab, she scanned her I.D tag and stepped through when the doors opened. The feeling disappeared once she was in familiar company again. Ahead, she saw Amanda and Alex speaking to one another; they looked over at her, and the trio exchanged greetings.

“How did the showing go?" Terra asked, eagerly. “Did anyone offer to fund the construction of a new lab?"

“Not yet," replied Amanda, shaking her head. “But I think we interested them in the idea. Some of them, anyway."

“The doubtful among them question whether or not we'd be able to develop a new element with the sufficient mass needed to create the prototype," Alex added with a huff. “I mean, the theory is sound. But we just can't do it here; the University doesn't have the facilities."

“They want to see proof that it can be done," Amanda added, “All we could give them was the theory, assuming any of them even understood it."

“So, round and round we go," said Terra. 

They needed the new lab to work on the prototype, including creating the new element core that would allow them to create the artificial gravity generator. But they needed to prove they could do it first, and they needed that new lab to do that.

“You'd think someone from NASA, or the CSA would be able to recognize that we have a workable idea here," Alex remarked.

“Unfortunately, those weren't scientists we saw; they were the financiers," Amanda replied, “The closest thing to science they've done is reviewing their accounts for auditing and finding ways to cut costs."

Terra snickered, but her laugh came out sounding shaky. She cleared her throat, seeing that neither Amanda nor Alex noticed. “So, what's next then?" Terra asked.

“All we can do now is wait," replied Amanda. “They need time to think about the proposal, so I guess all we can do is get back to our regular work."

“It's almost the end of the day… Should we just tidy up the lab and clock out?" Alex asked.

Amanda nodded. “Probably for the best," she said, “there isn't much else to do today so we can pick up again tomorrow."

Seeing an opportunity, Terra spoke up. “Why don't I take care of that?" she offered, “I'll clean up the lab and you guys and go home. It's the least I can do since you two handled that presentation."

Amanda and Alex exchanged looks, and the former smiled at Terra. “That's very kind of you, Terra. Are you sure you don't want any help though?"

Terra gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “It's nothing I can't manage," she assured her employer.

Alex shrugged as Amanda looked at him again. “I'm all for it, if she thinks she can handle it herself."

“Well, alright," said Amanda. “It gives me more time to go home and start preparing dinner for my husband and son when they get home."

“Didn't Dorian have soccer practice tonight?" Alex asked.

“He does. I'll ask my husband to pick him from practice on his way home," Amanda replied.

“Then I'll see you guys tomorrow," said Terra, cheerfully.

“Don't stay too late, Terra," said Alex.

“Goodnight," Amanda added.

After collecting their belongings from their offices, Alex and Amanda departed, leaving Terra alone in the physics lab. Sticking to the plan, she pretended to keep acting normal, retrieving the cleaning supplies from the broom closet, and getting to work tidying up the lab.

She swept floors, washed the windows, cleaned the bathroom and put everything away before she decided she was done. But she was hesitant to leave the lab, wondering if perhaps she was safer staying in there… The lab had surveillance cameras, and only two points of access - both of which required ID cards like hers to pass through. There was an emergency exit, which could not be opened from the outside but could provide a quick egress.

But she quickly dashed the idea from her mind. Yes, there were cameras in the lab. Still, if the stalker came after her regardless of their presence, she could not be seen using her powers on the CCTV, and Rikyuu's words still rang in her mind, mentioning that she had been being watched by the P.A.C.E Directive - whoever they were…

If they knew she was a Project of Nero Cornelius, they knew she had to have capabilities beyond ordinary people. How much did they know? Did they have plans to counteract her gravity-warping capabilities? She still didn't know what Rikyuu was capable of but from the sounds of things, P.A.C.E was dangerous even to him, and others who had been helping him. She couldn't afford to underestimate this target or risk compromising her anonymity.

With her mind made up, she exited the lab, ensuring the door was closed behind her before she started making her way to the exit - the way she always did. The stalker might still not know she was onto them, and she didn't want them to yet… If they chose to make their move tonight, she was ready for them.

Or so she thought…

Outside of the University, Terra crossed the grounds toward the road, taking a detour from her usual route home. If the stalker had been watching her for a while, they would know that this was not where she usually went when heading home from work - that might betray the fact that she was onto them. On the other hand, if they hadn't, and Rikyuu was close by as he promised, then as soon as they made their move and he jumped in, she and Rikyuu could take them down together.

Then there was also the possibility that Rikyuu himself was the stalker - even if his story made sense, she hadn't discounted that possibility, as much of a shame as it would be - she genuinely wanted to know him better. But that possibility was more worrying because he already knew what she could do and would not likely fall into the same trap a second time.

Either way, she was as ready as she could be…

Terra's home was off the campus grounds a few blocks from the university. She often took a direct route there, but this time she went to a local city park, humming to herself as she walked to hide her nervousness.

Despite telling herself she was ready when the stalker appeared, she was still caught off guard. Ahead of her, a figure stepped out from behind one of the trees - at first, she thought it was Rikyuu until they stepped into the light. It was no dragon that appeared; a leather mask covered her face, and a cowl pulled over her head and shoulders, with openings for her ears. 

The figure was dressed in form-fitting attire that accentuated the unmistakable figure of a female - the only reason Terra knew that her opponent was a woman. Terra noticed the tail swaying behind her and guessed that the figure was probably a vixen. Something about them seemed familiar, but without being able to see their face, she could not be sure…

Terra took a step back, raising her hands in preparation; she hadn't expected her 'stalker' to be a girl… 'Well, at least it's not Rikyuu,' she thought, feeling an unexpected relief.

“What do you wa-?" Terra started to ask.

The vixen vanished; in the blink of an eye, she was gone, with only a blink of light where she had been before. Terra's mouth fell open, and she tensed when she felt something poking into the back of her neck.

“No talking," came a voice from behind her.

A sudden vertigo, and Terra fell to her knees, losing her balance as her head spun. But it was what her knees touched that surprised her. Hard concrete… She had been standing on dirt before - where did the concrete come from?

In her surprise, her reaction was delayed as her assailant kicked her, making her vision swim again. She felt them onto her, pulling her arms back and slapping a pair of handcuffs on. All of this, in the span of a second, before Terra had even had time to process what had happened.

Terra pulled against the cuffs instinctively, but they of course didn't break. The assailant did not even try to stop her from rolling onto her back to face them, glaring at the vixen.

“You had better take these off, before I-!"

White hot pain lanced up Terra's arms; she tensed, her entire body igniting with pain as she spasmed on the concrete ground, gritting her teeth. The cuffs, she realized, were electrically charged - and by the remote in the vixen's hand, remote controlled.

“Spare me your threats, Project G," the vixen returned coldly.

Terra opened her mouth to retort, before she suddenly realized she could see the open sky… Why couldn't she see any trees? She finally took a moment to take in her surroundings, and saw that they were no longer in the park… They were back at the university - she recognized the surrounding buildings. They were on the roof of the auditorium building.

“Wha-" she started to ask, her words dying in her throat before she found her voice again. “How… How did we get back here?"

“Teleportation," the vixen returned. “Your power is gravity, but teleportation is mine."

Terra looked at the vixen again. “Wait, what?" she asked. “You can… But how? Who are you?"

“I have no need to tell you my name," the vixen retorted. “But my creator knows me as Project R."

“Wait, you're a Project?" Terra asked, surprised.

“I am," she stated, “and my master seeks an audience with you."

“Your master?" Terra repeated. “But if you're a Project, doesn't that-?" Her shoulders tensed with horrid realization. “Nero? Dr. Nero Cornelius? He sent you?"

The vixen didn't answer her; Terra noticed her eyes drifting slightly to the side… The silence only added to Terra's confusion. Nero could not have sent R to capture her - why would he? He knew how to reach her, and at his word she would have returned without issue.

“Okay, fine," Terra went on. “If you can teleport, why didn't you just take me to wherever he is?"

“I can only teleport short distances," Project R answered. “My colleagues are coming to retrieve us. I just had to bring you somewhere that dragon you were talking to would not expect."

With those words, Terra realized that this vixen had been onto them the whole time… Even if Rikyuu had been following them, as he promised, now he couldn't use that 'seismic sense' he'd talked about to track them. They were too far away, and no longer even on the ground - even if he somehow sensed them, how could he know it was even them?

In that moment, Terra knew… Help was not coming.

Once again, Terra began to pull at the cuffs again, struggling to free herself from them as she started to stand. Again, that jolt shot up her arms and coursed through her body and she fell onto the roof again, mouth open in a silent scream. She couldn't find her voice in the haze of agony the electricity caused her.

“Knock it off," the vixen stated. “You're not going anywhere. Just-"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something, interrupting her. A blurry shape rushed at her, and she teleported again just in time before the shape collided with her. A pale brown dragon touched down on the roof and skidded to a stop on the other side, digging his clawed hands and feet in the roof to stop himself.

“Terra!" Rikyuu called as he ran over to her, his colours reverting to normal again. “Are you okay?"

“The cuffs…!" Terra replied. “Get them off before she zaps me again!"

“Turn over!" Rikyuu instructed her as his colours changed again; she saw his scales turning bright red, with a yellow stripe running down his body from his forehead down to his waist before disappearing behind the hem of his trousers.

She didn't bother asking what had happened, but could not help but blush at the vulnerable position she was in as she felt Rikyuu looming over her… She was glad he couldn't see her face at that moment.

“This might hurt a bit!" Rikyuu warned as he grabbed the chain linking the handcuffs.

“Why, what are you - yeow! That's hot!" Terra cried out as she felt a burning sensation around her wrists as the cuffs heated up.

Then, the handcuffs snapped in two, leaving only the manacles around her wrists. She rolled onto her backside again and lifted her hands to look at them. She could see the glowing red of heat around the cuffs where the chain he previously linked them, and once again saw Rikyuu's scales returning to their normal colour right before her eyes.

“How did you…?" she asked.

“Long story short, I can copy the powers of others, and I have some really awesome friends," Rikyuu remarked with a smile. “Now, I don't know if that attacker is still close by - we should get out of here, now."

“She said someone was coming to get her… Well, us," replied Terra, “and also… Rik, she's a Project, just like us."

Rikyuu's eyes widened, and his mouth fell agape. “Wait, what?" he asked. “Are you sure?"

“She said so herself, and she said that her 'master' sent her to retrieve me," replied Terra.

“Well, that throws out my idea that P.A.C.E was behind this," said Rikyuu, shuffling over to kneel beside Terra. “Come on - let's go!"

“But I can't - whoop!" Terra yelped as Rikyuu slipped his arms under her knees and shoulders and lifted her up.

This time, she could not hide her blush as the blue dragon lifted her; thankfully, he didn't seem to take notice. He ran across the roof as his colours changed once again into the pale brown; from her current angle, she could also see a white undertone around his face and neck, with a little going down to the chest as well, and his muzzle had turned to a light orange with a black tip around his snout.

Then, the wind rushed around them as Rikyuu spread his wings and took off into the air, with Terra cradled in his arms. They flew higher and higher, the university shrinking behind them as they ascended.

'Oh man, I wish this was on camera,' Terra thought, 'this must so awesome~.'

“Where do you live?" Rikyuu asked, calling over the roar of the wind carrying them.

Terra snapped out of her reverie. “O-Oh! Uh… That way!" she pointed.

Below, Layer watched as her target raced away, carried in the arms of the dragon. Her plan had failed, in her efforts to evade him… Somehow, he had managed to find him again. 

She felt a vibration on her hip, and reached down - without looking at it, as her paw closed around the communication device. She lifted it to her mouth, and she heard a male voice coming from it.

“Retrieval is two minutes away. Status report," a young-sounding voice inquired.

“Unfortunately, the target has escaped," replied Layer. “There was an outside interference, despite my efforts… But I think I have found what our leader has been looking for."

“Whaddya mean?" the caller asked.

“I think I might have just found Dr. Cornelius' greatest creation," Layer replied. “I will keep standing by for pickup… But our leader is going to want to hear this for himself."