Little White Lies

"Terry . . Terry. Terry! Are you listening to me?"

Terry Ruiz looked up from his blank computer screen. He sighed, "I'm sorry Ian. I can't concentrate."

"Well, concentrate on this, Terry, I have only so much time to continue this project."

Terry frowned. "Is that supposed to matter to me? You're the scientist."

"You're under contract with me--"

"My parents are, you mean. If we hadn't needed that money . . . ."

"Well, you did, and you're bound by contract --"

"I know that! I can't concentrate, dammit! My friends are missing, okay? Can't I be allowed to think of anything but this stupid project!"

"This 'stupid' project might just well save your ass!"

Lena rolled her eyes. Boys. And they just got worse every day. She shared a glance with the other member of their team. Mikal rolled his eyes in response. He leaned forward to the microphone.

"Look, can we get on with this? We've already missed too much time."

Terry scowled into his screen.

"Don't just sit there, Terry," Ian grumbled. "Let's get on with this. We don't have all day."

"I thought they found Nik," Lena murmured to Mikal.

He shrugged. "They did. He's in the hospital. But Terry's been here working with Ian nonstop. He might not have gotten the news."

"Hey, Ian," Lena said, "let's stop for today. I'm bushed."

"We do have finals to study for," Mikal added.

"That's why we've got to finish!" Ian insisted. "We've got to have this project ready for the review board by finals week. Otherwise, we won't be able to graduate this year."

"But, Ian, we're way ahead of schedule as it is. Come on, we can pick it up tomorrow. Or, better yet, let's not meet again until Saturday. Give us all time to rest."

"At this point," Terry said, waving a hand at his controls, "a couple of days won't make a difference."

"I want to finish this. You've no idea what this means to me."

"Yes, we do," Mikal said, leaning on one hand. "We all got that letter."

"You didn't think they were only interested in you, did you, Ian?" Lena studied the older man. “Did you?"

Mikal exaggerated a yawn. "I don't know about you guys, but it' late and I'm not sticking around to get into another argument."

"Wait up, Mikal," Lena said, "I'll go with you. See you Saturday, Terry. Ian."

"Look, Ian, I'm exhausted. I haven't been home in a week. Can't I have a break?"

Ian sighed, running fingers through his thick, blonde hair. "Fine, whatever. I want you back here tomorrow. We've got work to do."

"But, Ian, I have school. I've been missing so much lately."

Ian lifted an eyebrow. "Don't be ridiculous. See you tomorrow."

Terry sighed softly, picking up his things and heading for the door. He looked back over his shoulder to see Ian rapidly typing into his computer. He shook his head, walking slowly down the corridor. He called home from the phone in the main building. Concord picked up.

"Terry!" he exclaimed. "Hey, are you done? Need a lift? Hang on, be there in five minutes." He hung up before Terry could even open his mouth.

Terry had to wonder just how fast his brother was driving when the old car pulled up a few minutes later. "Thanks, C.J.," he said, sliding into the passenger's seat."

"Hey, no problem, Terry. What's been so all-fired important in there, anyway?"

"Only our graduation, C.J. Ian's really into graduating with this class."

"Then where does that leave you?"

"Free of them, certainly. If I hadn't missed so much school this year, I could have graduated early. Then gone to the University full-time."

"I thought you were doing okay in your classes?"

"Okay, yeah, but nothing great."

"Oh, well, it's not as if your grades mean anything. High school is high school, after all."

"What about you, C.J. ? Any word on your draft notice?"

"You have to promise not to tell Mom and Dad."

"What is it? Are you going to University next year like you wanted?"

"No. Well, not exactly. Terry, I was selected for OTS!"

"Is that good?"

He smiled. "Yeah, Terry. It's great. I get four years of in-depth training to become an officer in the UF. Then, I do my time in space, and they pay for the University of my choice. I could go anywhere!"

"But, C.J., you have to survive. The war may go on for a long time."

"I know, Terry, but if I die, either Aquamarine or Q will have an automatic exemption from the draft. So at least one of them will get to go to school."

"I thought you wanted to be a doctor."

"I do. That'll be part of my time at OTS. It's an accelerated program, Terry. Only a few hundred people get in every year from this country."

"When?"

"June sixth."

"That's right after you graduate!"

"I know, but it's worth it. I'll be helping people when they need me most. And protecting my family, too. It's everything I could want."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Hey, don't be so glum, Terry. I won't be gone forever. And guess where OTS is? It's on the moon, Terry! You know I've always wanted to go there. It's going to be great. Don't worry."

"Me? Worry about you?" Terry didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You'll be gone so soon."

"Yep, so you'll have to help me figure out how to tell Mom and Dad. They're not going to like it at all."

"That's an understatement," Terry muttered.

"Look, just don't say anything, okay? I don't want anything to spoil my graduation party."

The brothers shook hands silently as Concord turned off the car. They walked inside together, both with their own thoughts.

"Terry," his mom said, smiling happily, "are you hungry? Dinner's not for a while, but I can fix you something?"

"That's okay, Mom, I'll wait." He gave her a hug. "Can I just take a nap? I'm real tired."

"You work too hard."

“Mom, I have to. And it's almost done. We're trying to finish for this year. Then I can do what I want next year."

"Your counselor called today. He's worried about you."

"I have missed a lot of school, but it's okay, really. There's nothing that important going on this close to the end of the year. And you know I don't have to take those placement tests."

"I know, but . . . ."

"Don't worry, Mom, I'll have everything I need to graduate on time."

"That's just it, Terry. Bob asked if you were interested in graduating this year."

Terry stared. "This year?"

Concord slapped his brother on his back. "Wow, Terry! Just think, we can actually do something together!"

"But, C.J., I --"

“Oh, Terry, I took care of everything," his mother continued, oblivious. "We should have your gown next week, there's the announcements . . . ."

Terry stared at his brother. "I don't believe it."

"Believe it. I overheard Bob say that if your graduation project is as much a success as he thinks it will be, he can give you a recommendation to work on the Terra Project."

"The what?"

"Oh, that's right, you haven't heard. It's a military thing. Some sort of new technology that's supposed to give us an edge over the Riez. Everyone is clamoring to work on it, it's been all over the news."

"Do I have to?"

"Don't you want to? It'll be a great opportunity. It's based somewhere on Mars. They didn't say, exactly."

Terry sank into a chair. "Why can't I have a normal life, C.J. ? Why can't I just go to school and be drafted just like any normal kid?"

"Being normal is highly overrated."

"Don't laugh, C.J., this is serious. I want to pursue my own studies, do what I want for a change. Not what everyone else wants."

"Terry, you're only thirteen. Do you know what you want to do?"

"No! No, I don't. I've never been given the chance, C.J. What am I going to do now?"

"Well, why don't you take an aspirin for your headache and go lay down. You really do look tired."

"How do you know I have a headache?"

"Who wouldn't with everything going on lately?"

"What has been going on?"

"Well, the cops found your friend Nik. He's still at County General. And your other friend Ace is missing. The police called the FBI in to find her. Apparently, she's been linked to the Scorpion Gang. They robbed a jewelry store yesterday and a bank today. Umm, let's see. The crater downtown apparently was just some kind of trick. The place is burned up all right, but nothing like the pictures shown all over the news. The observatory said there was some
'unexplained phenomena' that saved our butts in the first place. They showed some fuzzy pictures of the missiles blowing up last week. Really weird stuff. Oh, and the Arabs are feuding with the Egyptians again. The UF is sending in more troops."

"That's all? Seems like more should have been happening."

"Isn't that enough? There's always more, but that's all I've heard since coming home this afternoon. If you want to see for yourself, Q's been staring at the screen for the last few hours. No doubt he can even give you quotes."

"I'm not that interested. Wake me up for dinner, okay?"

"Sure."

Terry went to his room and shut the door. He sat down on his bed with a thump. He knew that his brother was far from happy about the two of them graduating together. He knew this as surely as he knew his powers were growing stronger. He didn't know how he was going to continue to hide the increase from the team. Ian would think it was all due to his wonder drug and would insist on even more tests. Not for the first time, Terry wished he hadn't been in that particular group. Then perhaps none of this would have happened. Flopping over on his stomach, Terry dialed Libby's number on his personal phone, the one he'd gotten for his birthday.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hi, Mrs. Van der Grif. May I speak with Libby?"

With a jolt, Terry realized that Libby was in some serious trouble. He sat upright, shaking suddenly with the knowledge that he had almost read the woman's mind.

"Terry? Terry, what's the matter?"

"Ah, nothing, Libby, just wanted to see what I missed in history class."

"Nothing important. Our test was postponed. And the placement tests are going to be next week. The principal made an announcement at the beginning of class today. She said, Terry, that anyone not there won't move on to the next grade. Are you okay? Haven't seen you in a while."

Terry could plainly understand her meaning. Libby's mother was still in the room, monitoring the conversation. "Yeah, I'm okay. I've just been doing some research at the University." He concentrated on her face. They'd tried this in the lab, but it hadn't worked. Perhaps now, with Libby, he could do it. Libby. Libby, can you hear me?

Libby started. "Is your research finished now?"
She stared back at Terry. Yes, I can hear you. What is going on? What are you doing? How?

First, your mother is really mad. Why? "Yeah, mostly. We've still got a lot of work to do. Will you 'mail me the assignments?"

"Yeah, I'll send 'em to you. Any particular time?"

"Just before tomorrow. I've got an early start." I'll talk to you later.

"Will you be in class?"

"No. We've got too much work to do. I'll see you around, though, okay?"

"Okay. 'Bye, Terry."

"See ya."

Libby turned off the phone.

"I hardly think you'll be going anywhere with him," Sydney said. "You are grounded. I want to know where you are at all times."

Libby sighed. "Yes, Mom. Can I e-mail Terry now?"

"Yes. You can then spend the evening catching up on your homework."

"Yes, Mom." Libby gratefully escaped the room, typing up her message to Terry in the privacy of her room. She sent the message and waited.

Libby? Are you there?

Yes. How are you doing this?

I'm not sure. But listen, what's going on? The news says Nik is still in the hospital.

Yes. His parents are filing a lawsuit against the CWA. Apparently, we're the only ones who know where he really is. The military sure is keeping this quiet.

What are we going to do? Without Ace, we're short. We've got to find her.

Mack said he would keep looking. Terry, I'm worried about Ace. She wouldn't just disappear like this. Her house is empty. I stopped by last night just to be sure. The place is deserted.

You're right, but I haven't a clue where to even start looking. What about you? Your mom is really mad.

She knows I've been sneaking out. I told you the police came by yesterday. Somehow they found out I was missing last night and they went to my mom's work today. Terry, this is getting serious. They want my ice-crystal. That guy thinks I got it from Ace. They think she's turned criminal.

That's crazy. Ace told us she didn't steal. Doesn't steal. What about her brothers and sisters? Did you see any of them?

No one. The place is deserted. And that cop won't leave me alone. I have to wear a monitor now. If I take it off at all it sounds an alarm.
Why are they tailing you?

Aren't they bugging you?

No. They must think I've been spending the last week in the lab at the University.

But you've been with Mack.

Not all the time. Hardly at all really. I haven't slept much. We're trying to finish our project before the end of the year.

I'm afraid, Terry. I've never been in trouble like this before.

You know, I've been thinking, Libby. You said you moved around a lot, right?

Yeah. So?

Why? Two or three times a year? That doesn't sound like a real reason to me.

My mom's a psychologist and sociologist. She studies different cultures.

Are you sure? And didn't you say it was the FBI who was looking into Ace's disappearance?

I don't know anymore, Terry! I'm so mixed up I don't know what to think!

Libby. Concentrate. Don't let them shake you. Trust your instincts. I've got to go, my head feels like it's about to split open. Be careful, Libby.


Terry came back to himself slowly. He maneuvered his way to the bathroom medicine cabinet and shook a couple of aspirin onto his hand.

"Are you okay?" Concord asked from the doorway. "You don't look so good."

Terry sagged against the counter. "I feel awful." He put a hand to his head. "My head hurts."

"Terry, what are you doing? Don't take those!" Concord slapped the pills out of his brother's hand. "Are you crazy? That's not aspirin."

Terry reeled away. The room was spinning around him and his stomach heaved in protest.

"Oh, Lord," Concord cursed, catching his brother. "You're burning up." He half-carried, half-dragged his younger brother back to his bed. "Here, lay down. I'm going to get Mom. No, no, lay still, Terry." Tugging off Terry's shoes, Concord gently tucked his brother in. Already, he was almost asleep. "Mom," he said, going into the kitchen, "Terry's sick. He's got a fever and he says his head hurts."

Natalie put the cheese back in the refrigerator. "It's probably nothing," she said, following her son to Terry's side.

Terry tossed and turned restlessly.

Natalie touched her son's flushed cheek. She brushed back the hair from his face. She took his temperature. She frowned at the reading. Shaking it, she tried again. Same results.

"What is it, Mom?"

She looked up at her eldest son. "He doesn't have a temperature, Concord. But I don't understand. He's hot, but he seems okay other than that."

"Maybe it's something from that experiment."

"Impossible. They're not doing that sort of thing."

"How do you know, Mom? Terry's not allowed to talk of what goes on in there."

"Concord, now is not the time to argue about that. We'll let Terry rest. Come on, dinner's about ready."

"But, Mom, what about Terry?"

"He needs to rest. I'll take him to the doctor tomorrow if he's not better. Okay? Let's go."

Concord left dinner as soon as he could. He sat by his brother's side long into the night until finally Terry slipped into a deep, restful sleep.



Ace woke to the semidarkness of her prison. The light came from the computer screen in the corner. By the door, one of the ever-present guards kept an eye on her. She pulled herself out of the mothy sleeping bag and typed in a query. Her search had not yet finished. Casting a quick look over her shoulder at the guard. He watched her stoically. Ace turned back to the computer, rubbing her eyes. With effort, she kept her mouth closed around the obscenities rising in her throat. Her cheek still burned and her muscles protested against the words which resulted in such a beating. Shawn turned a blind eye to her troubles so long as she got him the information he wanted.

Typing fiercely, Ace again tried to contact her home computer and her private files. No luck. She sat back, rubbing hands sore from constant work. She wondered why her computer wasn't responding. Could it be someone had managed to disconnect? Or was it that her safety systems were keeping it shut down. Ace pursed her lips with the thought. Surely that FBI agent knew she was gone now. They would not want her on the loose, she smiled grimly, but would they have thought of her computer? Only her private codes and passwords would let a hacker make the piratized connection. Otherwise, it would stay silent. Damn, she needed those files! They could get her out of this mess, if she could only download her personal bug into this computer. The police would be on them before Shawn could blink twice. Meantime, she and her cousins were stuck with the madman. So far, he'd been pleased with her information, but what would happen if someone actually got caught? What if she made a mistake?

She had to think. How could she get at those files? She had to find a way to lead someone to her. But how without raising any suspicions? She didn't even know where she was; there was some sort of block on the computer she hadn't had time to disable. Her stomach rumbled hungrily, but Ace knew there would be no food until she gave up the next bit of information. Digging for this sort of thing left a bad taste in her mouth. But it wasn't as if she hadn't done it. Giving the information to Shawn was another matter. In the police report of the robbery, Shawn's men killed someone, the elderly owner of the bank. They had also wounded one of the janitors.

Ace fingered her lip. Come on, Ace, think of something! There's got to be a way out of this. Got to be!

She chewed on a dirty fingernail, scowling. She shifted her weight, sure that there was no comfortable way to sit on the chair. She rolled her shoulders, stiff and sore, rubbing her neck with one hand. She knew Shawn would never give himself away. He was covering his own tracks, pretending to be merely the owner of a sleezy dance club. She knew he already had a way out if things went wrong, as well as an escape plan for all his booty. From the police reports she read via the computer, Ace well knew she was being blamed for all the robberies and thefts and she knew she would take the fall for it. But how to make sure it never went that far? She had to save her cousins from the man. Couldn't let them suffer the same fate as their mother. How she stop it?

On the other hand, why should she? She should be happy to be pulling all this off and not get caught, but there was no thrill in it, only shame. This was different. She relished tough puzzles, hacking through encrypted and confidential databases, but she didn't hack for the information to be found, though that was usually interesting. No, Ace leaned on her hands, she didn't want to do this. It was wrong. But, her conscience nagged at her again, it was basically what she'd been doing all along. Stealing. Misdirecting information on the electronic network that effectively ran the world. Just so that it would appear as if the bills were really paid and the creditors would cease their attacks. Just so her mother could run up the credit cards again to buy more drugs.

The computer beeped at her. Looking up, Ace watched as the search finished, displaying the information. With a sigh, she began to scroll through it, looking for the backdoor, the way through the 'enemy' database and a way to download all the company's secrets. She settled into the work, pushing aside her concerns and worries and her irritating conscience. The hours ticked by as she worked, until the desired result finally flooded her screen. She printed quickly, then raced to cover up the breach before the company's security programs could detect her. A sudden cramp in one hand almost lost the race for Ace. She was sweating and shaking by the time she could safely disconnect.

"Is this all?" Shawn demanded as soon as she turned to retrieve the printout.

Ace shrank away from the man. "That's all there was." She cleared her throat. "They must still keep a lot of their records as hardcopy--on paper."

The papers slapped across the edge of the desk. "This will not do. I need more."

"I can't get more!" Ace whimpered. "I was almost found out. It'll take hours to get in again!"

Shawn stared down at the girl before him. "I'm beginning to think you're not worth your keep." He enjoyed the fear he invoked in her. He tapped the sheaf of papers. "You must get me more. We cannot go in there for the few hundred thous that's in here. No good."

"But the bank, the stores -- I got you those cards with unlimited credit! What more do you want?"

He slapped her. "I wouldn't talk back to me, girl. Get me what I want or kiss your brother and sister goodbye." He straightened, missing her confused look. Digging into a pocket, he produced a roughly-drawn image. "Find this. Get me in and get me out. Then we'll see where you stand."

Ace reluctantly took the drawing, staring without comprehension at the design. "What is it?" she ventured.

"That is the prototype of the new weapons being made for the war. I want them."

"Wh-why?"

He laughed. Turning, he left.

"Wait!" Ace called after him, "you promised me something to eat!"

Only the man's back answered her. That and the sneering smirk on the face of her guard. Frustrated and full of helpless rage, Ace swept the printout onto the floor, too worn out to cry anymore. She stared at the blank computer screen, mechanically flipping the switch that brought the machine back to life. She waited while it warmed up, trying to think where she might find such a weapon and how. The only answer that came to mind was to break into MI, military intelligence. But last time she'd tried, she'd gotten caught. The database took more than a year to crack. And the program she'd used was safely stored in her personal files. At home. In a computer that wouldn't respond to her commands.




"I don't get it, Dan. There's so much memory in this thing and I can't access a bit of it!"

The agent scratched his head. "You know I'm no good with those things. Can't we just send it to the boys back at HQ?"

"Yeah, right. I don't even know how to turn the damn thing off, let alone take it apart. This piece of junk might look simple, but there's nothing simple about it. There's parts here hardwired on that I can't think of a use for. Wires seem to go nowhere, but if I take out one, I might crash the whole system. Plus, there doesn't seem to be any security, only this damn word-processing program with all those files I can't access for whatever reason."

"So what's the problem?"

Paul twisted around to face his partner. "The problem is, I can't find any reason for the incredible amount of information here. The computer keeps telling me there's nothing there, but I know for sure I wasn't dreaming when this thing turned on the other night."

"Are you sure? Look, we've gone over each one of those disks with the best equipment we've got. Nothing except reports and homework. Useless. The poor kid is certainly no literary genius. Our last hope of finding the kid is that computer." He stood, pacing restlessly. "She was about to come clean, Paul, I know it. She had my number, she was about to call. What I can't figure is why she didn't."

"You still think she was kidnapped?"

"Of course! It's the only thing that makes sense."

"But all the robberies . . . ."

"Don't mean shit, you know that. We can't even prove they've really happened. Seems like all the computers in this accursed city are lying to us."

"Perhaps that's why the police let her roam free all this time," Paul replied, amused, but worried about his partner. "They could find nothing on her last year, what makes you so certain it's different this time?"

"I've been into this case for years, Paul. We've been keeping an eye on this girl for most of her life. Discreetly, of course, but we've never been able to catch her. Never, Paul. Do you realize what that means? This girl, this sixteen-year-old could throw this country into chaos or set herself up as Emperor or something. So why hasn't she? The only thing we could pin on her was a little credit card fraud. And she lived here, Paul. Here. She doesn't have any money, the landlord says the rent is late most months and they don't have any insurance to speak of. That doesn't sound like a criminal to me."

He shrugged. "It just sounds like she's either very, very smart, or covering up for someone."

"Exactly. And who else but for someone who wants the unattainable, and doesn't want to get caught?" Daniel stopped pacing, standing stock-still. He snapped his fingers. "Of course!" He pulled his mobile phone out of a pocket. He spoke rapidly to the agent who answered. “Mahoney, Maguire, here. Listen, will you run a search on the local gangs? Anything out of the ordinary will do. Thank you."

"What are you up to?" Paul asked suspiciously.

"Whoever is behind the robberies, is certainly doing a good job of hiding the money and their involvement."

"Hey, we don't know that they're related."

"Yes, but when you put that together with the rash of crime in this city, it speaks of organization."

"You're crazy. You're taking this thing too far, Dan. There are other things we have to worry about."

"We're staying on this case, Paul. HQ sent me out here to find out the truth about that girl. I asked for the assignment. I'm not giving up now."

"Yeah, whatever, I --" He spun back to the computer, hitting keys. "What . . . ," he murmured.

Daniel moved closer. "What's wrong?"

"The thing shut down. It's on, but it's off. What's with this damn thing?"

Daniel watched his partner fiddle with the computer, trying to figure out why it was unresponsive.

"You won't get it turned on that way."

Both agents whirled toward the doorway. The younger child, Will, leaned against the doorframe, one arm in a sling and a bandage still affixed to his head. He was a mess of bruises, looking even worse than Daniel remembered from the hospital.

"How did you get here?" he asked.

Will shrugged with one shoulder. "Heard you were looking for Ace. I want to help."

"Can you?"

"Of course. She's my sis. I know some things."

Daniel still wasn't convinced. "You would help?" he asked again.

"I said I would, didn't I? But you got to promise," he licked suddenly dry lips, "promise to let us stick together. We're a family. Ace takes care of us." He blinked away the tears in his eyes, breathing shallowly against the pain of his cracked ribs.

"I can't promise that."

"Yes, you can."

Daniel could hardly believe he was having this conversation. "How can you be so sure?" he questioned.

"We both want to find my sister. I know how. You don't. Do you want to negotiate, or don't you?"

"You could be lying to us," Paul said into the silence.

Will shrugged. "Suit yourselves, but you won't find her how you've been looking. Not until it's too late."

"Ace isn't the only thief in your family, is she?" Daniel asked softly.

"She isn't a thief!" Will snapped. "We did what we had to." He raised his chin, looking Daniel squarely in the eye. He wasn't the first to look away.

"You help us with this," Daniel conceded, "and I'll do what I can to keep you kids together."

Will shook his head. "Not good enough. I want your promise. You won't break that."

"How do you know?"

"Ace said so."

Daniel blinked, taken aback. He'd only spoken with the girl for a few minutes, but it seemed he hadn't fooled her at all. He made the decision. Nodding, he said, "Very well. I promise to keep you kids together. But you have to help us find your sister."

Will limped his slow way into the room and held out his hand. Daniel solemnly shook it.

Will moved toward the computer. Paul pushed his seat back and out of the way. From his pocket, Will drew out a disk.

"I can't access Ace's files, but I can access mine."

"What good will that do?" Paul asked, annoyed at being pushed aside by a child a third of his age.

"I want to see if Ace has tried to contact me," Will explained, inserting the disk. He waited. Both agents watched, curious and suspicious. Long moments passed, then the computer led out a beep. A single message flashed onto the screen.
ACCESS DENIED

Will frowned. He tapped out a command. No response. He typed out an inquiry. Two beeps and the computer spat out the disk.

Daniel and Paul exchanged puzzled looks.

Will turned to the two men. "Will you hand me that laptop, there?"

Paul turned to where he pointed. He grasped the ancient device, giving it to the boy. "What are you going to do with that?"

"This is mine," Will told them, attaching one of the wires from the main computer to the laptop. "Ace fixed it up for me." he inserted the disk in one side, smiling as the menu appeared on the tiny screen. He typed out his request.

Daniel started as the computer appeared to go crazy. It beeped and hummed and screeched and the screen flashed on and off. To his relief, the commotion lasted only a short while.

"Ace told me once," Will said, oblivious to the antics of either computer, "that her computer would shut down if accessed by anyone other than her. You have to know all the passwords and stuff." He patted his laptop. "She gave me this," he pulled out another disk, "and this so I could bypass the security. But, she has to give the final code."

"So what good is all this?" Paul asked as the boy inserted the second disk in the main computer drive.

"If she's accessed or tried to access her computer recently, my trying to break into it will send her an emergency message. That's her last line of defense. Once she contacts me, we can figure out how to help her."

"How long will this take?"

"Depends on where she is. And if she needs her computer."

"Sounds awfully risky," Daniel murmured.

Will looked up at the man. "Do you have any better ideas?"



Libby scrutinized the device she wore on her ankle. It looked like a simple band of a silvery metal, but Libby knew better. It was soft and waterproof, more like a sort of bracelet than a tracking device. She tried the scissors first, wincing as she scraped her skin. Nope. Perhaps the knife. She set the edge against the band, sawing at the device, but she couldn't even make a scratch. She picked up her father's laser cutting tool.

The doorbell rang.

Libby? It's me. Open the back door, will you?

Back door? Then who's out front?

No one, but I couldn't get your attention until a minute ago. What are you doing?

"Trying to get this thing off," Libby answered, sliding open the door for the pink-clad Terry. "What are you doing here?"

He pulled off the goggles and ski mask. "I thought I'd help you with that device. So, I went over to Mack's and he gave me this." Terry held up a metal ball.

"What's that?"

"This thing will fool the cops into thinking you're still home. Here, give me your foot."

Libby stuck out her bare foot with the metal band. "What are you going to do?"

"If they think you're in here, you're free to help me and Nik."

"Help you do what?"

"Mack's been tracking some signals from out on the moon. He wants us to go check it out."

"Why, Terry? What business is it of ours?"

Terry stood, setting the device aside for the moment. "The signals are coming from here, Libby. Not our city, but all over the world. They're being sent to that place on the moon and from there out into space. Nobody else knows about this. Sort of like the pink fog and these clothes. We have to do this, Libby."

"Why? What is so important about this? We're just kids, Terry."

"What's wrong, Libby? It's not the cops, is it?"

She shook her head. "You don't understand, Terry. I can't live like this, not lying to everyone the way we have. And it's not as if we can tell anyone, they'd never believe us."

"Oh. Well, if that's really how you feel . . . ." Terry looked away. "I'll tell Mack, I guess." Terry pulled on his mask and goggles. "If you change your mind . . . ." He let himself out, looking back once at the silent Libby, staring at the ice-crystal she had instinctively clutched. He sighed. She was certainly mixed-up inside. He could sense her turmoil and was willing to give her the time she needed. What she would decide, Terry didn't know. When she looked up, aware of his gaze, he waved, then let himself sink into the ground.
The trip didn't seem to take quite as long as it had. I must be getting better at this, he mused.

"Where's Libby?" Mack asked, after getting over his surprise at Terry's sudden entrance.

"She's not coming. What about Nik?"

Mack shook his head. "Still in there, Terry. He's been through a lot. I wouldn't expect anything from him soon."

"I guess it's just me, then."

"Terry, as important as this is, I don't want you going alone. It's too dangerous."

"We don't really have much of a choice, do we?" Terry snapped. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that quite like that. Have you found Ace?"

Mack shook his head. "Not a trace." He smiled slightly. "But we do, now, have a decent map of the city."

"That won't help Ace."

"Terry, you're tired. Go home and rest."

"No! No, I can't do that. Don't you understand, Mack? Those aliens are here, on my planet, like some kind of disease that we can't shake because we don't even know it's there."

"Terry, are you all right?"

"No, goddammit! I'm NOT all right! I can hear them, don't you see? They're like a constant humm, always there, noisy, oppressive. And I'm not crazy! They're here, they're here."

"Terry . . . ." Mack was alarmed.

"No! Stay away from me!" Terry shrank back, unable to control his own outbursts. He shook with reaction, his head filled with the ever-present aliens and the noise of the bustling city.

Mack's eyes widened in comprehension as Terry sank back against the wall, covering his ears, sobbing something about noise. Too much noise. Mack moved quickly. Drawing the weapon strapped ûto his waist, he shot at the boy, knocking him unconscious from the low beam. Kneeling beside Terry, Mack scanned him, checking for damage. Satisfied, he sighed in relief. His weapon tended to react unpredictably against humans. Gently, he picked up the boy, taking him to his cylinder. There, at least, Mack knew he would find relief.

Staring at the silver cylinders, Mack had to wonder. He worried for them. They were young. Really young, by his standards. Too young to be doing the sort of things they were called upon to do. When they had showed up on his doorstep, he knew he couldn't wait any longer. Now he was afraid they'd been pushed too hard. Nik was still unresponsive, had been since his rescue. Ace was missing. That bothered him. He shouldn't have been so preoccupied so as to lose not one, but two of the children. He knew, though he hadn't told Terry, that Nik had been caught by the aliens and that was why he hadn't appeared on his scans. Now he feared Ace had been captured as well.

"You're sad."

"I'm worried, Dog. These kids are this planet's only hope."

"They are good."

"They are. They're proof that what the Riez are doing is wrong. These people have so much heart, Dog. I cannot bear to see them enslaved."

"We will win."

"I hope you're right. Right now, only Libby is left."

"She's not here?"

"No. I don't know what's wrong. I thought I could trust her the most to stick with this, but I guess not." He patted Dog's head. "We'll just have to wait and see.”



Libby sat outside in the dawn, watching the sprinklers water the lawn. She shivered in the chill, still unable to come to any kind of decision. She wiggled her toes, splashing in the small puddle. Grasping her ice-crystal, Libby asked for help.

"Libby?"

She looked up. Her mother stood there, in her robe, puzzled.

"Libby, have you been out here all night?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I've been thinking. Mom, can I talk to you?"

Pulling her robe more firmly about her, Sydney stepped outside and sat down beside her daughter. "What do you want to talk about?"

Libby picked up a foot, pointing to the band. "This, Mom."

Sydney looked away. "We have already spoken of this, Libby. It stays on."

"Mom, why do we move around so much?"

"My job keeps me moving."

"But why, Mom? Why can't we stay in one place for longer than a few months?"

"Why all the questions, Libby? Are you sorry we came here?"

"When you said your next assignment was in America, Mom, I was happy. Really I was. But know, I don't think I like it very much."

"That is good news."

Libby's head snapped toward her mother. "What do you mean by that?"

"I do need to tell you and now is good. I am being sent to Ireland, to --"

"Mom!" Libby groaned. "No more moving, Mom. I just want to stay in one place for a while. Please, can't we stay?"

"I am afraid not," Sydney said, shaking her head. "We leave after school ends."

"But Mom! I don't want to go to Ireland!"

"You are not going. This is hard, Libby, but I think you will be happier there."

Libby's eyes narrowed. "Where, Mom?"

"It is an international school."

"Where!"

Sydney recoiled, getting up and going inside. "It will be better this way," she said to the young woman who followed her inside.

"For who?" Libby demanded.

"For whom," Sydney corrected, "and is that important? You will be fine and you will make some new friends, put all this behind you."

"Is this what you're worried about, Mom? That this place has somehow altered how I think? That's ridiculous. Terry and Nik and Ace are my friends, Mom, not some kind of alien bent on destroying me."

"That is exactly what they are doing!" Sydney spun on her daughter.

Now it was Libby's turn to take a step back. "What do you mean, Mom? They're just kids, like me."

"No, not like you," Sydney argued. "Today I spoke with Nik's mother. They have lost their son, Libby. I do not want to lose you."

Libby pushed out of her mother's embrace. "You won't lose me, Mom."

"I thought that was true, Libby, I thought I could keep you with me forever, but I cannot. I cannot keep you safe. Not by myself."

"What are you talking about, Mom? Nik's parents didn't threaten you, did they?"

"No, of course not. But if this American government can take their son, what makes you think they will not take you?"

Libby shook her head. "But they don't have him, Mom. Nik's in the hospital."

Sydney shook her head, "No, that is just what they say to everyone. The military took him, hon. They will take you, too. That tracker is only the start."

Libby's mouth fell open. "What?" she gasped.
Sydney moved away, agitatedly heating some water for coffee.

"What is it, Mom?" Libby pressed. "What are you hiding from me?" She went to her mother. "Tell me, Mom!"

Sydney sat down heavily on the kitchen stool. "Libby, I am not a psychologist or a sociologist. I am . . " she forced the words out, ". . under protection, of sorts."

"What kind of protection, Mom?"

"Your father works for the UF."

"I know, Mom," Libby said, nodding.

Sydney caressed her daughter's cheek. "He works in intel, Libby."

"No, no, Mom, he's a soldier. He wrote to me, telling me so."

"Your father and I, it is so hard to explain, Libby. It was a long time ago."

"Mom, what is so hard to explain?"

"I thought having birth in water would be so fun. Many people did it then."

"You're not making sense, Mom," Libby said. "Lots of people do that."

"But you were different. It did not go well. I, oh this is so hard."

Libby squeezed her mom's hand. "It's okay, Mom."

"I have kept you from water, Libby. I did not want anyone to know. The UF protected us, kept us moving around. My work and your father's work, Libby, that is how they keep finding me."

"Who, Mom?"

"Does it matter? I thought here I would be safe. You would be safe."

"Mom, it's okay. I think I understand. But I can take care of myself. Really. You have to trust me, Mom."

"You have lied to me. The police know of you. They will not be long finding out the truth."

"Mom, these American police are not like that. They're only worried about Ace. Mom, believe me. There's more going on here."

"What are you talking about?" Sydney fixed her daughter with a worried-suspicious look. "What are you in to?"

"It's not bad, Mom, honest. But I can't tell you. I promise I won't lie to you anymore."

"I cannot believe."

"Mom, when I've been gone lately, it's complicated. Nik and Terry and Ace are involved, yes, but don't worry, it's not illegal. You see, I know the military doesn't have Nik. He's safe. He really is." Libby pressed on. "You know that crater that appeared? It was the aliens. They can somehow hide themselves from us, right in the middle of town. Nik set that place on fire, destroyed their hide-out. That's why the crater disappeared. That's also why the military wants him. I can't do anything like that. I'll be fine. I have this." She held out the ice-crystal.

"This is a story. A fairy-tale. A rock cannot protect you."

"It can, Mom, I'll prove it to you." Libby dashed out of the kitchen, fetching her pink clothes. "Watch." Libby slipped on the jacket and gloves. "Do you see? The aliens use this stuff to just disappear. Mom, you've got to believe me!"

"This is bad. No, you are tricking me."

"It's not a trick, Mom!" Libby hugged her mom. "I'm real. You just can't see me. This part of me, anyway."

Sydney hesitantly touched her daughter. She could feel her arm, but she couldn't see it. Libby's head and legs seemed disconnected. "I . . do not understand. How do you do this?"

"It's the aliens, Mom. Terry figured out how to do it. Please, let me do this."

"What are you doing?" Sydney asked, unsure that she really wanted to know.

"We're, the others and me, I mean, are, well," she hedged, "we stopped the missiles. That's when it began. That's when I first snuck out." She winced inwardly. Poor choice of words, but no taking them back now. "We did it, stopped the missiles, but I can't tell you how."

Sydney stood. "No, do not lie to me. Tell me no more. I want to trust you, Libby--"

"Then let me do what I have to do. Terry and the others need me. Promise you won't question what I do? Please, Mom, this is really important to me."

"I cannot."

"Mom, I can't keep lying to you! It's tearing me apart!" Libby burst into tears, letting her mom pull her into an embrace.

Sydney hugged her sobbing daughter. She sighed. "I do trust you, sweetheart. I see we both have our secrets. But I could not bear it if you were hurt."

"I won't be, Mom, I promise I'll be careful. Will you help me? Please, Mom."

Sydney wiped tears from her daughter's face. "We will keep the little white lies then, yes?"

Libby frowned, puzzled. "What are those?"

"Little things. I ask if you like my dress. You say it has character."

Libby giggled, remembering that ugly dress. "Okay, Mom. The little white lies, then. Can I go?"

"You have school."

"Tell them I'm sick?"

"No. School is important. You go to school. Then do what ever. Remember you have that tracker."

Libby smiled and hugged her mom. "I love you."




There was a message waiting for Libby when she arrived home from school. She gave her mother a hug, saying, "I have to go, Mom. Terry's coming."
Sydney gave her daughter a kiss, trying not to show the fear she felt.

"I'll be careful, Mom, I promise."

"Will you want supper?"

"I don't know, Mom. Terry didn't say how long we'd be gone. Oh, there he is."

Sydney watched, perplexed, as her daughter opened the back door and talked for a minute to no one. She closed the door a minute later and suddenly Terry's head appeared out of midair. Sydney gasped, grabbing the counter for support.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Van der Grif," Terry said with a smile.

"Hello," Sydney whispered. She watched them fiddle with a sort of metallic ball. Satisfied at last, Libby vanished into her room, reappearing a moment later as a floating head. Terry set the metallic ball in Sydney's hand.

"Take care of this," he said. "That's Libby. Sort of."

Sydney could only stare as both heads vanished and the door opened then closed. She looked down at the ball in her hand. Stay safe, Libby.

Libby and Terry paused in the control room. Mack went over the schematics again, stressing to the two that they had to return to their starting coordinates no later than midnight. "That's enough time," he said. "Get a look around and come right back. You can't take on a major outpost by yourselves."

Libby nodded. "What about Nik?"

"He's still recuperating, getting better," Terry explained. "Come on, let's get out there."

In short order, the two teenagers found themselves rocketing toward their destination. Terry took a look at Earth as they traveled.

"It sure is beautiful from up here."

"Yeah," Libby agreed. She looked away, out into space. Her dad was out there somewhere. Or was he? Now she didn't know, and she wondered.

"Libby, are you okay?"

"Fine, Terry." She pointed toward the moon, now approaching very fast. "Where do you want to land?"

"The base Mack was talking about is in the north pole. This way."

They kept very quiet, scanning the landscape eagerly.

"Look," Libby said, pointing toward a large mountain range. "Do you see that?"

Terry slowed down, circled around. "Yeah, that looks like that same pink stuff. Let's go closer."

Libby skimmed over the surface slowly, leading the way over the ridge. She hovered there with Terry, watching. "What is it?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. It looks like a beam of sunlight, you know, when it shines through a window on a hot day, with all the little dust motes and stuff."

"Like one of my lasers."

"Yeah, that too. I wonder how they're doing that. I didn't know that was possible."

"If they're talking to the rest of them, we should destroy that thing."

"We don't know for sure. Mack said we were to just get a good look and come back."

"Terry, we can't leave that here."

"Let's just get a good look, okay? We'll argue about it later."

They sped over to the device, shining like a flashlight from a square box of some kind. Libby stuck her hand in the middle of the beam, deflecting it into the ground. She shook her hand.

"What did you do?" Terry asked from where he knelt by the box.

"My hand's tingly," Libby said.

Terry frowned. "Don't touch it." He tapped on the box, trying to open it somehow.

Libby picked up a rock, tossed it into the beam. For an instant, the rock was surrounded by the strange light. Then it fell back to the ground. "Terry," she said. "Terry, the beam just passed right through and over that rock." She stared, hypnotized, at the moon rock. "Terry." She turned, annoyed to be ignored. That movement saved her life. The enemy's weapon sliced through the space next to Libby's elbow, the explosion as it contacted the moon's surface slamming Libby to the ground. She looked up, into the muzzle of a nasty looking ship. Terry was nowhere around.

Libby reacted. She slammed on her jets, streaking underneath the alien vehicle. Darting up the far side, she dodged their weapons, firing back. The craft broke into tiny pieces as Libby connected. Another appeared right behind her, the explosions throwing her back toward the beam. She landed hard, bouncing back up. She used her jets to speed the trip, barely escaping the weapon's fire.

"Terry!" she screamed.

With a yell, Terry launched himself at the underside of the craft, smashing through. He waved at Libby. "I'm all right. Are you?"

"Yeah, but we've got to get out of here. Who knows how many more of those things there are?"

"But we haven't found the installation yet."

"Isn't this enough?"

"We don't know what it does, Libby. I want to look around."

"Can you go through the ground?"

"Yeah, I can. I didn't think so and it scared me for a minute there. Sorry."

"Fine, fine, go then and hurry it up. I'll keep them occupied here."

"What?"

"Go, Terry, there's another craft just behind you. No don't look. They know we're here, they must know who we are, too. Get what we need so we can go. The clock is ticking."



Nik yawned, rolling over onto his side. Still the voices pestered him. "Go away!" he murmured. His hand flopped about for his blanket. There was a dreadful draft. But his searching hand found nothing. Irritated, Nik opened his eyes a slit. The orangey-red lava filling his vision woke him up. He rolled to a sitting position, floating on top of the lava. He blinked, rubbing his eyes.

"You are awake."

He turned around. The Phoenix crouched on the rock beside Nik's pool. It stared at him sleepily.

"Did you speak?" Nik asked.

"Yes," the Phoenix inclined its head. "It is time we wake and rise again."

"Rise again?" He sank down into the lava, his heart plummeting further. "I thought it was all a dream."

"You have a purpose," the Phoenix reminded him.

Nik looked away. "No, I won't go back. Not to that."

"To where, child?"

Nik shook his head. "Can you understand I can't live in bondage like that?"

The Phoenix switched its tail feathers, chuckling. "I think we did rather well."

Nik frowned. He regarded the Phoenix quizzically. "We aren't in that room, are we?"

"No. The earth itself came to our rescue. Even water aided us."

"Terry and Libby? They found me?" Nik was amazed, stunned, relieved. He smiled with sudden joy. "I knew it! I knew they could rescue me. Why did I ever doubt?"

"Strange things, human minds."

Nik laughed, splashing the Phoenix. "Come on, let's go find them."

"Listen."

Nik obediently fell silent. What he'd taken for the movement of the lava was actually voices. He could recognize one for sure.

"Terry?" he whispered.

Libby screamed angrily as she was broad-sided, slamming into another craft. "Hurry up, Terry," she muttered, cursing as she dodged another alien weapon.

Nik sat bolt upright. "We have to help them, Phoenix! They're in trouble."

The Phoenix yawned and stretched. "If you are ready."

"Fire gives me purpose," Nik chanted, "I call upon your purpose. Transform!"

Nik strode out of the cylinder and to the control room. It was empty. "Mack?" he called. "Mack?"

The empty room echoed back emptiness and silence.

"Oh, no," Nik whispered.



Ace stopped what she was doing the moment the message flashed across the bottom of her screen. She quickly opened the file, gasping over the contents. Her fingers flashed over the keys, typing in commands and working her way to her home computer. She typed in a query.
Will sat up from his light doze when the computer bleeped. Paul looked up from where he crouched, studying the computer and its parts.

"I didn't do it," he said.

Will pulled his laptop closer. Onto the screen, he typed, "Ace, where are you?"

The reply came a few seconds later. "WILL???"

He grinned as he answered. "Of course. Who else?"

"Will, are those FBI men there?"

"Yes."

"They're dangerous. Don't let them know I'm here."

"I already agreed to help them, Ace. What's wrong?"

"I need some files from my computer."

"No," Daniel said, reading over Will's shoulder. "Where is she?"

Will typed in the question again.

"I don't know."

"Did she run away?" Daniel asked.

"Who snagged you?" Will typed.

"I can't tell you. No doubt that Captain Daniel Maguire is reading over your shoulder. I can't tell them. They'll kill me."

"Who will? Daniel? He's nice, Ace."

"No, he's not. I'm not going to argue with you, Will. Turn off the computer before . . . ." The message ended.

"What happened?" Daniel demanded.

"She was interrupted," Will said, glancing up at the FBI man. "Is what she said true? Are you trying to kill my sister?"

"She didn't say I was the 'they' did she?"

"No."

"I don't want your sister dead, Will. She's much more valuable alive. Can you contact her again?"

Will shrugged. "I'll try." He typed a question, but received no response. Without hesitation, Will switched off his laptop.

"Why did you do that?"

"Ace told me to. She must be in big trouble if she needs her files."

"How do you know that?"

Will chewed his lip. "Well, Ace writes computer programs for difficult hacks. She must be trying to break into something big. I don't know why she'd do that."

"Another crime spree," Paul grumbled.

"No! My sister is not a thief. I don't know why she --"

The main computer flickered to life, the word processing program vanishing quicker than the eye could blink. That main menu was replaced by another and information scrolled down the screen too fast to be read. Then the computer turned off again.

"No, don't!" Will stopped the agent, going over to the keyboard.

On the screen flashed a question.

"No," Will typed. "We haven't touched anything. What are you looking for?"

"Got it, Will. Thanks. I'm going to download a file to your laptop. Turn it on."

Will flipped the aged computer back on. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's my program to hack into MI. And another file, a copy of one I made. Read it. Don't trust those FBI guys. They won't keep their word. Be careful, Will."

"Ace, wait! Tell me how I can help."

No response. Will turned back to his laptop, noticing Daniel's stricken look. "What's wrong?"

"Your sister is hacking into MI?" Daniel sputtered.

"What is it?"

"Military intelligence," Paul growled.

"I won't be able to keep the military from pulling her to pieces," Daniel told the boy. "If she gets caught, that's the end."

"But why did she send it to me?" Will asked. "I can't hack into that database. And Ace did get caught."

"Yes, but we could never prove it," Daniel replied. "What's that other file?"

Will opened up the file. He couldn't make any sense out of the formal jargon. "What is this?" he asked Daniel, poring over the words.

Daniel clenched his jaw, so shocked and furious he almost couldn't spit the words out. "Your sister was right."




WHAT DID ACE SEND TO HER BROTHER?
CATCH THE NEXT EPISODE,
"Ace's Coup" ,
TO FIND OUT!