Bertona Park

Ottawa, Canada

Rene was the last one back from the virtual meeting with the Prime Minister.

He saw his avatar talking to Paul, "What are you two up to?" He knew of course. The avatar was him, and visa versa.

"Dad?" Paul looked between the two identical men, "How?"

"When you can control every molecule in your body, you can take any shape you want." The avatar looked over the park. Something was still nagging at the edge of his senses.

"I'm thinking you need to Muddy the waters a bit." Avatar stopped looking around the park and heard Rene's unsaid thoughts. "Right you are." The avatar blurred his appearance a bit. "How's this?" The new AI-Rene android looked like a mix of Rene, his brothers, and Jean Paul.

"Better. At least this way when you join Ritchie and his unit of Special Forces operatives you will draw the heat away from the family." Rene knew that distance was not an issue between the three of them. Scarlett and Avatar were still at the back of his mental headspace. The android was just another data input. The two Artificial Intelligences existed in an energy state that was the Xerys System.

Rene saw that Paul was still playing with his phone. "Paul is this really the time to check your phone. I thought the network was still down?" Rene saw Paul going through his music selection.

"I'm just backing up my playlist, pictures, and videos. You have no idea how close I came to smashing my cell during the fight." He pointed at the AI android of Rene, "I thought he was you. I asked if there was a way to save my private data, as you did with the contact list. He showed me the memory management system. It's almost done." A popup from Xerys let him know that the backup was done. He also recharged his phone while he was at it. Being an Electrokinetic was the best.

Richard McLean walked over with the female officer. "I couldn't help hearing, you were able to transfer your data from the smartphone?"

"Hi, uncle Ritchie. Sure did." Paul remembered Richard from the time he was a student with his dad. They had him over for winter BBQs and stuff.

"Do you think you can show me? 'Cause your dad isn't sharing." McLean said it with a smile.

Rene gave him a light shove, but he too smiled.

The woman giggled at their antics. "You boys never do grow up." She gave Paul a dazzling smile and touched his elbow. "It's Paul right?" She shook Paul's hand while he looked her up and down.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

'Damn she's a looker, even in her parka. Why's she coming on to me like that?' he thought. She put her hand on Paul's shoulder and said, "Captain Eleanore Hastings RN. Nice to meet you"

 "Nice to meet you too Captain. RN?" He asked.

"I forget that Canadian society is not hyper aware of the monarchy. RN stands for Royal Navy dear. Still projecting the dazzling smile. "Will you show what to do Paul?" She breathed close to his ear.

Paul experienced a full body shiver. "S s sure." He walked her through the memory management system.

Rene was doing the same with McLean. "Isn't she laying it on a bit much?"

After making sure he went through the process to transfer and back up his data, "Nah that's pretty much her all the time." McLean put his smartphone away. "Are you sure you're okay with sending your android with us?"

"Ritchie I am my android." The android said as he came close to the two men. "Bio bro there's something not right about this place."

"Did you finish cleaning up the park?" Rene whispered.

"Yeah the park's clean, but there's stuff that got into the water table. There's no way to clean that stuff up." He scanned the park again. 

Rene saw where the avatar was looking. "You might want to change your first name." He concentrated on his spacial awareness and suggested, "How about Joe?"

"The middle name?" Joe shrugged. "So I am Joseph Rene Wilder. Cute."

"You guys do know that I am still here, right?" McLean asked.

"Don't be an idiot Ritchie. If I didn't trust you, do you think we would have said all that out loud?" Rene and Joe both said, "There!"

They pointed at the trees. "The trees?" McLean looking in that direction. He didn't see a thing. Other than trees and a couple of squirrels.

"The squirrels." They said in unison.

"Seriously?" McLean looked at the pair incredulously.

"They were there when the artifact crashed in front of me," Rene said.

"They took off," Joe said as the pressure he felt when they were under watch disappeared.

"I'll keep an eye out for them. After all, I still have to walk by this park five work days a week." Rene saw that Ae'url was walking in their direction.

When Ae'url reached them, she greeted each by name. "Captain Fo'Rkon has sent a dropship to pick up the rest of the Strike Group."

"And you will be joining us," McLean asked.

"I'll be joining him." She pointed at Joe. 

"Looks like you got your sys-admin captain, and a Galactic Federation liaison," Joe said with a smile.

"Sure. Why not!" 

Joe created a new party. He sent the invites to McLean's friends.

"Why are you making a new party?" McLean asked.

"Mine is more secure and has access to the Galactic Federation skill base," Joe explained.

"Oh. I'm all for the new Galactic level type of skills.

McLean warned everyone to expect the arrival of the dropship.

"Before it gets here could you create a copy of trooper L'ese power armor. It would lose face if it returns without it." Ae'url requested.

"No problem. I have enough mass to create another suit of power armor." Joe created a power armor around his body and stepped out of it.

"Thank you." Ae'url took the armor and went over to her squad. 

Trooper B'oxq met her with the other troopers. He saluted and said, "Strike Leader are you sure you want to stay on this primitive rock?"

Ae'url smiled with her new human appearance. She gave trooper L'ese his armor. As soon as he put the armor over the life support film that Joe made for him, the armor melted and reformed around the Drak' on.

"Much better. Thank you for getting me my armor back Strike Leader." The Drak' on the bow.

"You are welcome trooper L'ese." Ae'url bowed back.

"The dropship has arrived." Trooper F'ouh announced. 

"So it has." Ae'url did not show emotion. She knew the Alvear was responsible, but she could not do anything about it. For now.

When the dropship landed, the Troopers flew into the open bay. The bay doors closed quickly and the dropship left as fast as it arrived.

"So that's a spaceship?" Paul said as he looked at the dropship until it disappeared.

"Don't worry love. We have one just like it. I'll give you a tour if you're a good boy someday." Lady Eleanore laughed at Paul's stunned expression.

"Hey. I'm not a boy. I'm a man." He insisted. Lady Eleanore laughed even harder.

Paul gave up. She was just too pretty to stay mad at. 

"It's time for us to leave as well Rene." McLean and Rene shook hands.

"Be careful Ritchie. If the shit hits the fan you know how to reach out to get help." McLean agreed. If they needed a heavy hitter, Rene was about as heavy as it gets.

"Time to leave people." McLean gathered his party with two new additions and flew out of the storm front covering the capital of Canada and much of the eastern seaboard.