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Fathom's Phantoms Great Impact

The Central Hub was one place on the station Lydia rarely went but she had always considered it to be the perfect place to evade capture; as much a shopping mall as a multi-deck social center, it was the busiest place on Sigma-Echo It wasn't that she'd ever thought she'd be hunted down but the young woman had enjoyed her fair share of entertainment vids and action packed thrillers were not out of her list of go-to movies. The fact that her idiosyncratic past time of considering her life one big Girl-vs-the-world screenplay actually turned to her advantage as she pressed her way through the crowd of off-duty workers and staff milling about the mall.

Other than the prime advantage of being shorter than a lot of the crowd Lydia also had the distinct bonus of being in communication with ALVIN, which she had conveniently patched into the security monitoring systems throughout the shopping district. The programmer kept constant watch on her pursuers who, thankfully, made much better programmers than they did detectives. Although the group of four were never excessively far behind they also hadn't come anywhere close to locating her. That DID make her wonder, however, how they managed to follow her at all.

As the woman passed under the second-story walkway leading out of one of the station's restaurants ALVIN updated her on her pursuers. "They have stopped again. Programmer Gary is once more objecting to this undertaking."

Lydia smirked. "Of course he is... he's the only one with any sense. What're they saying to get him moving THIS time?"

There was a pause in response, most likely for ALVIN to process the information from the security checkpoint. "Programmer Arni is accusing you of being a security risk and a danger to the station. Helen has suggested that you may be a VAC sympathizer. Programmer Carlton has not made a comment on the matter."

The Human smirked, taking the opportunity to slide through the open door into the restaurant and went to a booth in the back. "Of course he didn't... Carlton's just jealous of my mad skills and he'll do anything to screw with me."

Despite the length of time Lydia had been on Sigma-Echo she had only ever been to a few of the station's stores, and certainly not more than one or two of the eateries. In general she preferred the safety, comfort, and ease of spending her time in her own room and, if not there, then in the side passages (and occasionally service ducts) where she wouldn't have to deal with people. Other than those two primary hang-outs Lydia didn't bother with most of the station... but that, unfortunately, had recently started to change in a big way.

Ever since the failed apprehension attempt by security the programming crew made it their priority to find her. That made it horribly inconvenient. The newly encrypted electronic magnetic locks on the air system (most likely Arni's doing) still hadn't yielded to her bypass program, but she was determined to figure it out when she had a few minutes. As if that idea was suddenly recalled as a possibility in the girl's mind, Lydia turned on her typing bracer in preparation for a new go at it. She didn't get very far before she was interrupted.

A well-groomed red Fox dressed in a meticulously kept work uniform stepped up to her table, readying an order tablet in his finely manicured black paws. The server flashed a winning smile, left ear flicking welcoming gesture in Lydia's direction and when he spoke his urbane London accent (or was it East Martian? Lydia always confused those two) caught the girl's attention acutely. "Mmm... well you certainly don't look like one of the regulars ducky... I'm sure I'd remember seeing a piece of candy as sweet as YOU here before."

Lydia glanced toward the entrance, smiling as she saw the programmers go the other direction. Her eyes slowly migrated back toward the Fox, and stuck; she fought valiant to make sure her smile didn't come off as goofy. "Uh... no... I don't, uh... usually..."

The server glanced where Lydia had been looking before focusing again on her. "First time... in the commissary?"

"Yes-- well, no... I mean... no, but I don't--"

The Fox laughed, lowering the order tablet. "Relax, ducky... I'm just chuffed to see a new face in here."

Lydia raised an eyebrow. "Uh... 'chuffed', what?"

The server rolled his eyes and, still smirking, held out a paw. "Henry Maxfield... Lydia Parker, right?"

Lydia sat up immediately, staring down at the paw. "How did you--?"

Henry outright laughed at her surprise then turned her ordering tablet around to show Lydia's name on the top of the screen. "Biometric ID... got ya comin' through the door, ducky... don't get gutted... it's called 'personalized service'... just wish I had a little more to go off of... these things only update weekly so it makes current event chit-chat a bit more difficult."

At that explanation everything clicked, and Lydia suddenly realized her mistake. Commander Vanessa never bothered with any extensive biometrics for security but the fact that the businesses at the Central Hub used it could only mean-- Lydia turned away from the entrance as the four member programming team entered; Arni was looking at his PCD. "She came in here."

To make matters worse, the server Fox was still there, "You're a bit off-colour, ducky..." and he paused, following Lydia's glance to the programmers. "Hmm... who's the smart Gray?"

She frowned immediately, "He's not that smart."

What Henry found so amusing was lost to Lydia, but the Fox continued regardless. "I take it they're not drinking chums?"

Lydia didn't bother replying and instead asked "What's the best way outta here?"

The Fox smiled wider. "Front door... but if you mean an 'alternate exit'..." and he motioned with his muzzle over his shoulder. "Come on."

Henry grabbed hold of Lydia's wrist and brought her to the back of the eatery through the crowd even as the programmers were slowed by yet another objection from Gary. The young lady couldn't hear the specifics of it but, for about the eighth time that day, she was glad they decided to bring the Goat along. When the Fox pushed open a door labeled 'Employees Only', it gave Lydia a moment's pause. "Where exactly ARE we going?"

Once through the door, Henry took the Human past a group of four Voljoi working away at food stations. The server offered them a quick wave and they simply shrugged, rolled their eyes, and/or sighed; either the 'Employees Only' sign was only a suggestion or perhaps 'guests' were not all that abnormal for the Fox... Lydia was both concerned and intrigued at the same time... and 'intrigued' was winning out. She repeated his earlier statement. "Where are we going?"

Henry pushed open another door adorned a small label reading only 'Lounge'. Once inside the room, Lydia saw that it looked like some kind of break area. The Fox finally let go of the woman's wrist and announced clearly "We're here."

The programmer looked around the room seeing no other exits. "This isn't a way out."

The Fox laughed, flopping down on the sofa. "No... but the muppets following you aren't allowed back here, so you can just lay low till they bugger off."

"Oh."

Henry leaned forward, raising an eyebrow inquiringly. "Just why ARE they after you?"

Lydia let out a sigh, moving to take a seat on the couch on the opposite cushion from the Fox. "They're just jealous... most other programmers are."

Henry's smile widened, his second eyebrow raising to join the first as his tail swished back and forth. "So you're a programmer? That's brilliant. Programmers are my second-favorite kind of person."

Lydia felt a momentary blush come to her cheeks, looking to Henry as the Fox inched closer, crossing the distance that separated them. The girl swallowed hesitantly before speaking. "What's your favorite kind of person?"

Henry's smile split his muzzle ear-to-ear. "Withdrawn, socially awkward girl programmers that are easy to chat up."

"I... uh... wha?"

The uncertainty lasted only as long as it took for Henry's paw to gently reach down and take her fingers in his. She had no question what he meant by the look in his eye but before things could go any further they were both startled by an incredibly powerful heave; Lydia almost fell off the sofa and was further put off balance by ALVIN speaking up, but it went immediately quiet before it could say more than "Lydia, the--"

The programmer flicked her PCD twice and gave her arm a shake. Quickly activating her typing bracer, the girl went straight to work diagnosing the problem. Henry stood, cleared his throat and looked down at her. "Sod's law... back in a tick."

The Fox headed out of the room at a quickened pace leaving Lydia with a strong pang of displeasure at whatever had interrupted what had the capacity to become... well... she wasn't exactly SURE what it might have become but she really DID like where it had been heading. Grumbling to herself, she remained on the couch in the relative safety of the Employee Only area, typing away furiously in an attempt to reconnect to Alvin.

The whole situation seemed surreal-- short of the entire station's communications going offline, the young lady had enough back-up communications that it should have been impossible to lose feed. After nearly ten minutes of being unable to reestablish a connection, however, Lydia came up with only one possible solution: she would find the nearest communication hub and upload a relay that would give access to ALVIN on any system in the station.

The programmer realized that it would be overkill, but she had never been one to take failure with any grace, and whatever had blocked her access to her favorite Program was NOT going to do it a second time. Just as she was exiting the break room, however, her plans faltered; Henry was right there, "So... everything sorted?"

"Huh?"

The Fox crossed his arms with a smirk, leaning against the wall, "Never mind... looks like the station had a problem... really threw a spanner in the works if you ask me."

Lydia frowned. "I can't connect to my..."

Henry stepped forward, a bemused expression on his muzzle. "... to your....?"

She paused, not particularly interested in revealing all of her secrets to a veritable stranger, "... my OS."

Lydia then glanced around Henry, looking through the small window in the 'Employees Only' door. The Fox stepped into her view again. "I told em to clear off... didn't take much doing since they lost comms."

The Human's scowl deepened, "They lost comms too?"

Henry nodded, "Everyone did... it's like the station's out."

It didn't take long for Lydia to start piecing the puzzle together. "That crunch earlier... something musta hit the comm tower. Gotta go."

The programmer pushed past the Fox and rushed out into the dining room. Taking only a second to see that the coast was clear, the young woman exited the restaurant and went straight for the closest security check-point. She was pleased beyond belief to see that the two officers that had been manning it were in the process of calming down a concerned mob.

Sliding under the 'No Entry' sign on the gate arm, Lydia pulled open the maintenance hatch beneath the check-point and descended the short ladder to the crawl space. From there, she inched her way along at a shuffle until she located the panel that tapped into the hard point communications that the station's Director had been working to set up around the place. The human attached a fiber optics cable to her PCD and began running a modified upload, and after a moment she spoke aloud. "ALVIN?"

The program's reply was music to her ears, "Hello Lydia. I apologize for the disruption in our communication but it appears that Sigma-Echo's communication tower is now offline. My estimate is that it has been rendered inoperable due to a collision. I am attempting to gather more data-- who is your friend?"

The question caught Lydia by surprise; it took a lot of work to turn around in the confines of the access tunnel but, when she did, she realized that she had been followed. "Bloody hell... is that an Artificial Personality Program?"

Henry was crouched down to fit in the tunnel, even a tighter squeeze than Lydia, but he was attentive and his eyes shone with interest, tail swishing back and forth excitedly. The Programmer sighed. "Henry, this is ALVIN, the Artificial Life, Virtual Intelligence Network. ALVIN, this is--"

The Fox spoke for himself, even dipping his head slightly. "Henry Maxfield... a pleasure to meet your

"The pleasure is likewise, Mr. Maxfield."

Henry's smile looked like it was welded permanently there as he stared at Lydia's typing bracer. "I've never had a chance to work with an AP before... been interested in programs like you ever since I was a kit!"

"Thank you, Mister Maxfield. I am pleased that I have improved your mood to such an extent. Based on your service records, I see that you were discharged honorably from the TDR after six years of service, and that you currently work at The Ninth Eatery here on Sigma-Echo. May I inquire why an ex-military supply officer would seek employment at a restaurant?"

The Fox's ears raised in curiosity. "You reviewed my file that fast?"

"It would have been faster had the station's communications relay been active."

Henry did a double-take, adding "You have ACCESS to my file?"

Lydia puffed up a little in pride, "ALVIN has access to everything I have access to."

The Fox was visibly stunned, reached out slowly and pressed a finger against the girl's PCD as if verifying that it was indeed more than an illusion. "I don't usually think of myself as blinkered, but... ALVIN's more than an AP, isn't he?"

The program spoke up. "Thank you for the praise, Mr. Maxfield, but I am still rigidly bound by the limitations of my programming. Although I may desire at any point to open the airlocks and completely vent Sigma-Prime, I assure you that I still have a fail-safe against my numerous psychotic and sadistic machinations."

Lydia tittered, unable to resist due to the expression of abject shock on Henry's muzzle. "Wait for it..."

Precisely four and a half seconds later (what ALVIN had once told her was perfect comedic delay), the program added. "That was a joke, Mr. Maxfield. I have no desire to harm anyone and I do not possess the biological components necessary to create the processing faults that generate psychosis or sadistic tendencies."

The Fox carefully adjusted the tie of his uniform, clearing his throat. "Be that as it may... ALVIN... programming limitations aside, you really are a full-on artificial intelligence... aren't you?"

Lydia quickly stepped into the discussion, "Working on AIs is above my pay grade... ALVIN is my off-the-clock project."

Henry paused, one ear flicking. "So... that's a 'yes'?"

She smiled. "What can I say? I don't get paid enough."

Lydia was confused at first when the Fox murmured "Brilliant."

Henry stretched his legs, launching himself forward with blinding speed. The young woman was surprised and alarmed for a moment as Henry's paws forced her back against the bottom of the access tunnel, but the moment the Fox's eager muzzle pressed up against her lips things became MUCH clearer. Lydia had never considered programming to be an aphrodisiac for anyone aside from herself but apparently she had made quite a 'friend'... and she wasn't objecting.

It was difficult to maneuver in the tunnel since it was barely large enough for one person, but the two didn't need any space apart. Eventually, Lydia ended up on her back, hips raised just a little. Henry held the Human around the mid section with one arm, his body arched and draped across the programmer's abdomen. Much to Lydia's embarrassment, ALVIN took the opportunity to speak up, "Mr. Maxfield... just so you are aware, Lydia quite favors Gens, and particularly enjoys the act of having the side of her neck nibbled during intercourse."

Feeling every last millimeter of her cheeks blush red, the girl couldn't even muster up the strength to groan in embarrassment... but she did manage a gasp the moment the Fox did exactly as advised... and she swooned at the sound of Henry's response to the program. "Cheers, mate."

From there, Lydia's sounds only grew louder.

* * * * *

Although Kamrn wasn't entirely familiar with ship classifications he knew for certain that a Frigate was larger than a Shuttle and that meant that the DCS Largess needed a lot of landing space. Following orders, he used his security clearance to hitch a ride on a cargo lift down to the station's sub-level; from there it was a short trip to the landing pads. Considering there were a total of five there was a great margin of error but only one of them was large enough for anything bigger than a Hauler so that limited the choices nicely. Kamrn chose the third emergency pad.

Sigma-Echo's E-3 Pad had a retractable roof allowing for anything smaller than a Cruiser to complete a Y-Axis landing; Kamrn had no idea what that meant but he did realize that any roof capable of not being there meant that he'd need to be ready for Zero-Atmo... and that meant an EVA suit which, thankfully was stored in an equipment locker at the end of the station arm supporting the emergency pad. He wasted no time.

As Kamrn suited up he was joined by several other members of the security team. Mol was the first to arrive and even though she didn't say a word she still gave him a good-natured thump in the thigh with her tail; it was a sign of Cytkus affection. They were joined a few moments later by an enormous Gen 2 Rhino who was already suited up in a space suit with a "SGT GUNNER" name patch on the front; Kamrn didn't miss the fact that the big Geneticon had an APP on one shoulder and a chain gun on the other. The Gorumn silently wondered if Command had a reason to be so "well prepared".

Mol turned, her back facing Kamrn. "Hey Cam... mind getting the back of my suit for me? Damn things never connect right at the base of the neck... Humans just can't get a good Cytkus fit on these zip-ups."

Kamrn reached out and adjusted the neck seal for Mol. "You're good."

The Cytkus looked back to him and winked. "Damn right I am."

Their discussion was cut short as the Rhino snapped a salute while bellowing "Lieutenant Andrew Hayward in command!"

A middle-aged Gen 2 Leonberger stepped through the airlock followed by another Gen 2, a Jaguar, who was keeping pace right behind him. The Lieutenant offered a return salute to the Rhino, then stepped passed, providing the huge Sergeant a pat on the bicep. "At ease, Gunner."

Kamrn quickly offered a salute of his own to the Dog and was responded to in kind. The Gorumn introduced himself and the Cytkus both. "Sergeant Cameron and this is Sergeant Mol."

The Lieutenant nodded to each in turn then offered his paw for a firm shake then motioned with his head to the Rhino. "Lieutenant Hayward... this is Sergeant Gunner--"

The Jaguar, who had been standing behind and to the side of the Leonburger stepped forward. "Wow... lotsa sergeants..."

Lt. Hayward rested a paw on the shoulder of the Jaguar. "And Corporal Julio Lopez... but we just call him Aztec."

The feline responded with a smirk. "Mucho gusto. So they decided that we needed some 'aliens' to fill out the team, eh?"

Gunner grunted. "Don't be a dick, Lopez."

The Jaguar gave the Rhino a kick to the leg; the big Gen didn't even register it. "I'm not a racist, pendejo, I'm just pointing out that there ain't no Humans... as usual."

Mol smirked as she strapped on an episuit holster for her sec-pistol. "That sounded a little racist to me."

Aztec's tail lashed back and forth. "Well... think about it-- when was the last time you saw a Human member of security doing anything other than a cushiony inner-station job?"

Mol's smirk turned into a grin and Kamrn recognized her 'wanting-to-cause-trouble' face. "When was the last time you saw a Human security officer outside the exec deck?"

The Lieutenant silenced the squad with an attention-signal distributed to each PCD in the group. "Everyone who signed up for a spot on Sigma-Echo got a promotion or a pardon... that's why YOU--" he poked the Jaguar in the chest "--aren't a private, and YOU--" he looked at Mol "--still get to wear a badge."

The airlock leading into the station opened forestalling any further discussion. Although Kamrn originally mistook the female entering the ready room as a Human, the blue-tint to the whites of her eyes gave away her manufacturing. The Neo-Human woman looked around at the gathered security forces and pressed the button at the center of her ready-suit. Layers of flexible carbon plating deployed across her chest then spread down her arms and legs; Kamrn didn't miss the fact that the plating had orange indicators. Once the military spec combat armor was in place she finally spoke. "Specialist 4523. Who's in charge here?"

The Leonberger indicated himself. "Lt. Hayward... but security is supposed to be taking orders from the T.O.S. today."

The Neo-Human woman didn't so much as bat an eye. "Who is the 'Technician On Site'?"

As if on cue the ready-room's comm box's activity light turned green and a no-nonsense, to-the-point Voljoi voice spoke up. "My name is Technician Vayler. I will oversee the Largess' three landing support teams."

He wasted little time having the three teams sound off; he was in charge of Team 1 which consisted of himself, a secondary Technician, and four laborers; Lt. Hayward was in charge of Team 2, the security team which included Kamrn; and a company medic was in charge of Team 3, which was a mixed collection of security, medical, and communications.

Once the teams were all accounted for Technician Vayler provided a very basic briefing. "We have eleven minutes until the DCS Largess' automated recall AP returns the freighter to this pad. Although we do not know what to expect Central Command requested a complete load out."

Cpl. Lopez checked his combat rifle before quietly adding "Well... that explains us."

The Voljoi continued his discussion via the comm box. "Team 1 is already out on deck. Team 2 is currently at the upper airlock and Team 3 is at the lower airlock."

Specialist 4523 pushed past the security officers closest to the comm box and pressed the button on it. "Specialist Vayler, the Largess' condition is largely unknown. I question the wisdom of having ANY personnel on the landing pad before it has landed."

The Voljoi's response was less than welcoming and completely dismissive. "Noted."

The Neo-Human woman didn't let the issue rest. "Standard regulations regarding the--"

Specialist Vayler didn't bother waiting for her to finish. "Noted."

Although Kamrn had seen any number of Geneticons bristle before he considered 4523's unspoken response to be the closest thing to a Neo-Human's equivalent. She released the talk button before speaking to those in the ready-room. "Voljoi always THINK they know better."

Mol didn't bother giving the Neo-Human woman any space, choosing instead to walk right up to her with a follow-up question, "What DO regulations state?"

4523 looked the Cytkus woman up and down before declaring "You must be from mid-station."

Mol adjusted her stance, tail lashing against the corridor wall. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Lt. Hayward's ready alert signal broadcast on everyone's PCD, forestalling any harsh comments. "Gather up, people... I want to go over our portion of the deployment."

The Leonberger turned out to be admirably skilled at dealing with the overbearing personalities within the squad. He calmly and methodically reiterated standard operating procedure for those who were less familiar with landing pads and docking bays (Kamrn and Mol), and covered personnel interaction for those who didn't spend much time dealing with civilians (Specialist 4523). From there, he went straight into what was expected of the team.

Technician Vayler's crew were responsible for securing the Largess to the landing pad. They would override any lock down on the frigate and if necessary initiate a hull breach if none of the doors were responsive. Once the ship was opened up it would be Team 2's job to secure it-- locate any hostile threats and/or concerns. Team 3 was to follow them in and handle anything that couldn't be resolved with a show of force and to provide back-up to Team 2. Just as the briefing was coming to an end the call box sounded off again.

Technician Vayler's voice was tightly controlled but held a hint of concern to it. "The DCS Largess is approaching from an undesired angle. The vectoring is good but the threat level has increased. Teams Two and Three, pull back to the secondary airlock and await word. Team 1 is going to remain at the landing pad. Technician Allen, you are on shutter controls. Mr. Harold and Mr. Ivan, I want you at the support console. Mr--"

The orders the Voljoi was presenting to his team were cut short. Even as the group was filtering to the second airlock the entire hallway gave a sudden jump and everyone was thrown to the floor. An ear-splitting, rending sound like that of a building collapsing vibrated through every component of the hallway that was capable of carrying an auditory wave; the comm box immediately stopped broadcasting.

4523 was the first to get to her feet. "Damn it... THAT was a collision."