Leaguer Reunion

Charles Flores looked at his watch when the thing beeped at him. A word flashed on the screen. He tapped the screen before anyone else could see it and realize his watch wasn't acting like a regular watch.

Flores looked at the work he had assembled in front of him on his desk. He would have to do a little more ahead for his column. Then he would have to leave town.

Having a double life could be a pain sometimes.

Flores finished his next three columns and sent them to the editor. He made notes for columns he could write and send in when he came back from his trip. He noted the deadline date for the next unwritten column so that he would have a reminder to get the job done. The editor in chief hated missed deadlines, and the people who missed them.

Flores shut everything down when he was done. Files went into his desk's drawers, the computer shut off. He checked his watch. He had a few hours before he had to take off. He could do one more patrol before heading into space.

He didn't mind the recall to Central every year. He just didn't like leaving his city unprotected while he was gone. He was one of the few capable of dealing with major catastrophes. Johnny Shield and the mysterious Fear did what they could, but he doubted they could equal his Leaguer armor.

Flores put his watch system on alert. It would call in the case of a major natural disaster, invasion from other dimensions, or an event of that magnitude. The system of beacons he put in place beyond Pluto would keep an eye out for any stray visitors. He hoped the safeguards were up to the task.

He felt it was like setting an alarm before you went on a long trip. Something would call the cops, but they still might be too late to save anything.

Flores headed for the stairs, using his cane to lever himself upwards. His bum leg hurt when he had to move up and down the steps. He could have it fixed he supposed, but he was used to it by now. He had walked away from a plane crash, limped away, to earn that.

Flores made sure to run a scan to escape observation by anyone who might be in the stairwell, or might have a camera looking down on him from somewhere. He activated his armor when he was sure he was alone and unwatched.

Glitter covered his body, absorbing his cane. He didn't need it when he was suited up. System activated the antigravity pods to get them headed for the roof access, and then up out of the gravity well. His watchdogs gave him the all green as he aimed for space. Radio traffic said the local criminals were taking it easy. He was free to answer his recall whenever he wanted.

He decided to head out even though that meant he would arrive early. He could wait for his evaluation, and the recharging of his aide. Too bad he couldn't use the place for his column. He would have to explain why Leaguer sat down to tell him about it in the first place. That would lead to other awkward questions.

He wasn't ready to give up his normal life yet.

Flores soared away from the Earth, listening to the chiming of the all clear as he headed for the edge of the solar system. System calculated the angle of entry into hyperspace, began charging the small gate projector that he rarely used. Leaguer matched trajectories and accelerated until he slid across the threshold into otherness. He reappeared moments later by his reckoning high above Central, home base for the Leaguers across the universe.

Flores saw other Leaguers appear, answering the recall signal. Most wore armor like he did, but he did see exceptions to the rule. Don Car Syp was there with his globe ship. R'ed R'edsun had a personal civilian ship. Sir Thosis floated through space, surrounded by a forcefield.

Flores didn't know why they adopted the nonconforming methods they were known for, but he did know they cleared cases. That's all that mattered.

The Leaguers descended toward the planet's surface. Flores hovered near R'ed's ship and Sir Thosis's protective field as they dropped toward a landing area behind the rest of the group. Don Car Syp's Leaguer ship floated off to one side, dropping a little slower than the man sized peacekeepers.

Flores would be glad to head back to Earth as soon as possible.

The various Leaguers let their armors and systems return to stand by. Flores pulled out his cane so he could limp along. He thought about using some of the methods he knew were in the library to fix his leg.

He was stuck on how to explain it to his colleagues on Earth who would be interested in the new development.

He knew from experience they would want to put the miracle doctor who had fixed his limp on the front page of the paper. And when they couldn't find said doctor, they would start delving into his background. He wanted to avoid that for more reasons than the fact that he was a Leaguer.

"Greetings, Charles Flores." Sir Thosis smiled, hand on chest. His avian face approximated a smile for the human. His worn brown tunic and pants could fit in with Earth's Dark Ages. "Well met."

"Greetings, Sir Thosis." Flores smiled. "I hope things have been well with you and yours."

"More bandits every year I'm afraid." The knight clucked to himself. "The king restrains me from dealing with them as they should be."

"He doesn't want you to arrest these bandits?" Flores frowned. Sir Thosis was the King's Chief law enforcer on his world. That the king should order him to stand down when he had the power to deal with things was unusual. "I wonder why."

"I fear that he wants them to rise in mass to be destroyed in one fell swoop." The knight took on a grimmer mien. "Many would be killed on both sides if that happened."

"That doesn't seem sound." Flores wondered how many bandits would gather before they became a major menace. "Wouldn't stopping a revolt be better than letting it start in the first place?"

"I don't know." Sir Thosis looked up at the sky. "I'm worried that something else is going on and I don't know what it is yet."

"Don't worry, big guy." Don Car Syp joined the pair of agents. A wide grin covered his red face. A loose coverall covered his squat bulk. "We'll look into it for you after the reunion."

"We?" Flores smiled at that.

"Sure, Floor Rays." Don Car Syp gestured with a wide three fingered hand. He had known the Terran for years, but still couldn't quite pronounce his name right. The effort made Flores wince.

"I don't know if that is wise." Sir Thosis blinked at the much shorter Syp. "My people have no knowledge of worlds beyond their own."

"We'll stay out of sight, Thosis." Syp scratched his chin. "I can look at things from orbit easily with my armor."

Flores restrained himself from saying anything. He was curious about the situation, but didn't want to put Thosis in a bad spot where he would have to violate his oath to his liege.

R'ed R'edsun stood off to one side, hands tucked in his belt. His broad brimmed hat shaded his thin yellow face from Central's sun. Hard green eyes watched the other three leaguers with something like amusement.

"I suppose I could use someone who is not bound by the same restrictions that I am to make sure things aren't going out of control." Thosis folded his hands across his narrow chest. "Please do not expose yourself to my people. They aren't ready for visitors from other planets yet."

"I understand completely." Syp grinned again. "Don't worry. I can't take that much time from my home base myself. There's always someone trying to be a pirate unless I keep an eye on things."

"What are you four plotting?" Castella Erekose marched to where the four friends stood talking. She was taller than Thosis, broader than Don Car Syp, and glared at the world with her amethyst eyes. Red gold hair fell down her back in a long braid. "We are here to report and return to our own places with a sense of urgency."

"We're going to." Don Car Syp waved the amazon away. "We're talking about private matters."

"Really?" Castella glared down at the barrel torso Syp. "What kind of private matters?"

"They're private." Syp grinned up at the amazon. "Now if you want to get together later with me, I'm sure we can work something out."

"Bodily injury is the only thing I want to work on you, little man." Castella glared down at the other leaguer. "Shall we go to a private place where I can break you?"

"I'll pass." Syp blew her a kiss on his stubby fingers. "Perhaps later."

Flores shook his head, holding up his hands. The last thing he wanted was to mix it up with another leaguer.

"Lady, I have no quarrel with you." Sir Thosis drew himself up. "Let us maintain that."

"Do you have something to say?" Castella glared at R'ed as he rolled up a cigarette from something that looked like purple tobacco but smelled like licorice.

R'ed lit the cigarette, blowing choking smoke around him in a cloud. He hooked a thumb in his belt, puffing his home roll. His stern features registered annoyance, but only a small amount of that.

"I'm talking to you." Castella looked down on the slim alien.

R'ed blew smoke in her face, choking her with the obnoxious smell. The amazon stumbled away, eyes tearing up. The cowboy leaguer smiled slightly at the coughing fit he had caused.

"Let's go, guys." Don Car Syp waved his friends on. "We don't want any trouble."

The Leaguers gathered at the central hall. One by one they filed into the interview rooms. Their actions were gone over by reviewers, Leaguers who had retired from active service. If everything checked out, the Leaguers under examination were allowed a banquet dinner and a night of relaxation before returning to active duty.

Otherwise, sometimes a court martial was convened and that Leaguer could be drummed out of service.

Flores had sat on one of those panels as a jurist. The Leaguer in question had used his armor to kill a large percentage of the population of his protectorate. He had set himself as a ruler for the rest. Naturally he had refused the recall. A Leaguer had been sent from a neighboring sector to find out what was going on. The resulting investigation had led to Flores being called as a jurist along with ten others. The Leaguer had been found guilty and stripped of his armor. He had been sent home with another Leaguer who had been sent to try and fix the devastation caused.

That had been one of the worst abuses Flores had heard of in his years as a Leaguer. He had looked through the evidence from the system assigned and felt ashamed that his service had failed the planet where they had recruited that member.

"I got us a table, Floor Rays." Don Car Syp stood by the exit, already pass his review. A wide smile was on his face. "We can check on this thing with Thosis after dinner."

"Have you seen the others yet?" Flores looked around, blinking against the setting sun.

"No." Syp shook his head. "But R'ed always takes a long time in his reviews. He has more uses of lethal force every review than anyone else in the whole corps."

"I've heard that before." Flores's eyebrows raised. "How does that work?"

"I don't know." Syp shrugged massive shoulders. "Most of us don't need to use more than a stun gun."

"Maybe his people are immune to stunners." Flores thought about everything he knew about R'ed's people which was very little.

"If he doesn't watch out, eventually they'll drop the laser blade." Syp shrugged again. "All it takes is one bad shot."

"I'm more worried about Erekose." Flores leaned on his cane. "She has a bad temper to go with an armor that can bust a building."

"So far she hasn't done anything on duty to be called on." Syp pointed. "There's Thosis."

The knight nodded as he came out of the central building. He smiled when he saw the other two Leaguers. Syp waved him over.

"How did it go?" Syp checked his chronometer on the back of his hand.

"Better than I expected." Sir Thosis nodded at Flores. "I am clear to wear the armor for another year."

"Should we go to dinner, or wait for R'ed?" Flores looked at the building, pulling on his sunglasses.

"Let's go to dinner." Syp wanted to use his system to send a message to the other's system. He didn't think that was a good idea while the other was having his every move questioned.

"What's the entertainment this year?" Sir Thosis looked ahead, marching toward where the banquet would be given. "I hope it isn't moving pictures."

"I hope it isn't a circus." Syp frowned at the memory from other reunions.

"I hope it isn't something the two of you will gripe about all night." Flores limped along. "Besides we're supposed to play poker against the Veri tonight."

"Card games are for children." Sir Thosis shook his head.

"Besides the Veri never lose." Syp also shook his head. "They're sterling."

"Tonight might be the night we get some of our money back." Flores limped to the door and held it open.

"That's what I like about you humans." Syp passed into the dining hall. "You're always optimistic."

"More optimistic than reasonable." Sir Thosis marched inside, hand on his belt.

"Everyone says that." Flores limped inside, letting the door shut behind him. "I don't think that's true."

"Trust me that it is." Sir Thosis followed Syp across to where the tables had been set up for dinner after everyone was through with their reviews. "We should secure drinks and wait for the dining to commence."

"I hope the speech is short this year." Syp secured a pitcher of golden liquid and a glass before taking it to his seat. He plopped the pitcher down and rearranged the seating order so his friends were in the slots across and next to him.

"They never are." Sir Thosis secured a tankard for himself, before going to his seat.

Charles Flores picked at his food, sat through the entertainment, put everything he saw down in his memory. Species from across the universe gossiped, compared notes, rubbed elbows with people they would have never heard of if they hadn't joined the Leaguers.

"The meeting will be breaking up soon." Don Car Syp topped off his glass as he looked around the wide chamber. "Then we can look into Sir Thosis's problem."

"I don't think it will be as easy we're thinking right now." Flores gripped his cane in one hand. "Sir Thosis has been restrained from action. We might be restrained also."

"I think Sir Thosis is using us to get around his system." Don Car Syp smiled. "He might come off as a rube, but he knows how to work things."

"The outsiders who aren't bound to the crown?" Flores smiled himself. "I get that."

"Here comes The Veri." Don Car Syp nodded at the tall, thin, skeleton in his gold robe floating to the head of the chamber. "Time passes."

"Tell me about it." Flores leaned on his cane to get to his feet as everyone else stood around him. "Looks like we're getting cut loose."

Hundreds of armors glowed golden as the Systems activated with a buzz as the Veri started speaking. Flores ran the checklist as he half-listened to the speech. Everything came back green.

Don Car nodded. His armor was a basic unit that was without modification. It stood out among all the modified armors around it. Flores knew it was because he used his armor to build a spaceship to perform his duties in his home system.

Once the ceremony finished, the wide alien would create his mobile base for transport.

The final fanfare sounded in a flourish of horns and string instruments. Leaguers launched into the air, powered by their gravity controls to the edge of atmosphere, and then to their home systems. Flores waited patiently as the crowd thinned out.

"Are we ready to go?" Sir Thosis held the sword created by his system as his symbol of Leaguer authority in his right hand.

"Almost." Flores looked around. "Is R'ed flying with us? What about that starship he arrived in?"

"He'll make arrangements if he needs to." Sir Thosis moved his sword to rest against his shoulder. "He probably already has talked to someone to have it returned to where it is wanted."

"Why doesn't he just use his system to fly?" Syp bounced up and down. "Wouldn't that be easier for him?"

"I know not." Sir Thosis shrugged. "If R'ed wants to tell us, I'm sure he will."

"All right, stand back." Syp raised his arms. "I almost have enough room to activate my second stage."

R'ed appeared out of the crowd, one hand holding his hat down over his face. His system clothed his arm and shoulder in gold. He nodded at the other three that he was ready to go.

"Second stage activate." Syp smiled as his system revved up and released billions and billions of nanos to build his golden globe of a ship. The swarm surrounded the group like an expanding smoke cloud.

"System, copy the plans for this." Flores had encountered aliens in the past. He had nearly burnt his suit out because he didn't have the right configuration of weapons. He had decided to add to his arsenal whenever he could.

A personal spaceship might be handy someday.

Flores considered the possibilities as System went through the planning checklist for any new addition to his armor. He had recently added stun guns to go with the force field and gravity manipulators, and the omni wave. He might be able to mix and match his personal armor with spaceship enhancements. He made a note for design variations to be considered in case they had to operate on a changing scale.

Earth sat on the rim of the Milky Way. Very few races from the other inhabited planets would come into his territory since it was essentially unimportant. He just wanted to be ready for the exception that decided that raiding his protectorate before heading to another galaxy was the thing to do.

Seats appeared for the passengers as Don Car Syp's armor materialized piece by piece out of the cloud he had released. The wide alien sat in the command chair, surrounded by floating screens. He frowned as he readied for take off.

"Erekose is standing in the blast area." He checked his readings. "What is she thinking?"

"She's thinking about being trouble." Flores let his armor retract to his watch. "Get us out of here."

"I concur, friend Syp." Sir Thosis let his sword and armor vanish. "We should flee the field."

"If I do that, I'll flatten her." Syp groaned. "Stand off, Castella. I'm leaving."

"Open up, half barrel." The tall amazon's voice boomed over the com system. "I'm going with you."

Sir Thosis's world appeared in the screens of Don Car Syp's command center. Preliminary surveying didn't find anything out of the ordinary in the space around the planet. That was good since the knight leaguer's various people had nothing that even resembled space travel.

"Doesn't look like much." Castella Erekose glowered at the picture of the potential battlefield. "I don't see anything that warrants five Leaguers to deal with from up here."

"No one asked you to come along." Don Car Syp directed his system to scan for anything unusual as they descended. "Matter of fact, we asked you to mind your own business."

"I can't let you ruin the reputation of the organization on some wild gallivanting." Castella glared down at the much shorter Don Car. "Neither of us is supposed to be here."

"I will have to report to my liege, friend Syp." Sir Thosis pointed at one of the continents floating on a screen. "If you could take a look around quietly while I do that, we can put aside my feelings with ease."

"This should be something you should be able to handle on your own." The amazon turned on the slender knight. "I don't see what the problem is."

"I have orders to leave the bandits alone." Sir Thosis pulled his sword from an expanding cloud of nanos. "I can't just throw my obligations to the crown away, but I also can't ignore the feeling in my stomach that something has to be done. I agree with Don Car Syp. You were asked to stay behind but you pleaded to come along against our better judgements."

Castella opened her mouth to refute what was said, but R'ed R'edsun held up a gloved hand. He shook his head. The female Leaguer turned from the comrades.

Charles Flores felt bad for the giantess, but she was judgmental and querulous at the best of times. Being stuck with her for the days it had taken to cross to their destination had frayed his nerves enough that he didn't feel like he should defend her when he agreed with the others.

"I'll take Castella with me." Flores felt a twinge in his bum leg when he said that. "We'll do a quiet flyby. If you could stay in orbit, Don, we'll let you know if we need firepower. That will let Sir Thosis check in without worrying about anything, and R'ed can be our back up in case we get into trouble we can't get out."

"Sounds like a plan." Don Car Syp smiled. Flores couldn't tell if he was smiling because they were finally in motion, or because their unwanted passenger would finally be off his armor ship. "I hate having to sit out on the fun."

"Don't worry." Flores activated his smooth gold armor. "If something is there, I will call you in to deal with it."

"Let's begin." Sir Thosis led the way to an airlock, created for them to use to leave the ship while in space. "Hopefully this doubt and anxiety is a figment of an overworked imagination."

"We'll see." Flores got the coordinates for the forest from Sir Thosis's sword before the airlock opened. They drifted away from the golden globe and descended toward the planet. The unusually silent Castella drifted down behind them, geared up in a modified version of the type one that Flores wore. Sir Thosis pointed his sword and his bubble carried him toward the castle where he lived as the King's champion.

"Why did you select me to accompany you, Charles Flores?" Castella used a private channel to keep their talk to themselves. "You don't think I'm a good leaguer."

"It seemed the thing to do at the time." Flores checked his descent slightly so he could glide into the atmosphere slowly. He wasn't in that big a rush when he was supposed to be acting with as much stealth as wearing a piece of gold could give him. "You'd make friends faster if you dialed down the attitude."

"I don't understand." Castella fell in at his side, broad shoulders made broader by her faceless armor. "I do everything I have marked exceptionally well."

"All I am asking is for you to watch and listen." Flores shook his head. If she didn't know how bad she bothered people by now, she never would. "Field action requires patience and quiet, not snap judgements and trying to throw your weight around."

"I will try." Castella didn't sound convinced over the com channel. "How will I know I am doing well in that vein?"

"The people you are counting on don't blow you off when you need them to show up and bail you out." Flores floated down, drifting toward the forest below. "In this case, if you can get along with Don Car Syp without problems, you might be on your way to a permanent post."

"I'll try."

Charles Flores led the way to the ground. According to Sir Thosis, high technology didn't exist. On Earth, it would be the Feudal Era in either Japan, or Europe. The locals couldn't scratch his armor, even without the force field he habitually used.

Don Car Syp's golden ship dropping out of the sky would be proof of the existence of gods.

System warned Flores of missile locks from the forest below. It offered a threat assessment as the Leaguer kicked in the speed, knowing that the others would already know something was up. He didn't worry about R'ed, or Don Car Syp.

He was worried that Castella would fry everything before they got a chance to figure out what was going on.

"Our shields should deal with this." Castella followed at a slower pace, force field powering up in a half bubble in front of her.

"Keep moving." Flores ordered as he picked more speed, ordering System to get ready to encase the missiles if they came too close. "We don't want to be blasted out here when no one is supposed to know we're here."

"Understood." Castella picked up the pace. Little beamers popped out of her armor. Her System would attack if the missiles got too close to her as she descended.

"At least we know Thosis was right." Flores saw the missiles start to correct to fly into his path. Bubbles leaped from his protective shielding as his artificially intelligent aide went on the offensive. He counted three missiles with his eyes but more glittered in his faceplate. Explosions marred the sky, but the blasts were contained by the small force fields.

"On the ground, Flores." R'ed's voice was a whisper drifting over the secure channel the Leaguers used amongst themselves. "There's a battery down here firing at you."

"How did he get down to the surface before we did?" Castella's voice crackled in time with the beamers reaching out with light tentacles, slicing the missiles aimed at her.

"Get ready to follow them, R'ed." Flores eyed the oncoming wave of projectiles. "I'm going to try and scare them."

"What are you doing?" Castella sounded amazed in the sudden clear as they followed the debris from the aborted missiles back to the ground.

"System, we're going to turn one of those missiles around so it scores a near miss on that battery R'ed was talking about." Flores marked the one missile he wanted as the rest started to turn and chase him. "Ready to institute?"

"Affirmative." System loaded scores of schematics in one corner of the head's up, placed a crosshair on the missile, and kept track of the rest. It sent the target over to Castella's system so it wouldn't fire the beamers at it.

"Do it." Flores closed on the missile as it tried to rotate around to charge him. System sent a signal into its inferior targeting computer, resetting its direction of travel. The projectile headed back to the forest of trees, avoiding even more missiles coming up. "Hit as many of those others as you can so we can make the thing move down below."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Castella let her beamers react to any that threatened her, as the signal went out to the rest of the missiles. She paused to watch the rain of fire below, letting her System lock on to the missile shooter moving below.

"If they lead us to the brains of this outfit, we're done." Flores checked his target designator. Nothing shared the sky with them. "We're done with this end anyway. Whomever supplied the technology will have to be dealt with eventually."

"Who would give primitives these types of weapons?" Castella floated down at her fellow Leaguer's side, beamers sliding out of existence.

"Someone wanting more than a home away from home in the boondocks." Flores headed for the forest in a power dive.

Don Car Syp hovered in orbit, watching the action below with his scanners and views from the others as they dealt with the threat. Missiles were out of the question for Sir Thosis's planet. The most advanced thing they had was the crossbow.

Don Car activated his stealth mode. A screen indicated the shield was up. If someone wasn't close by watching the action like he was, there soon would be. Bad guys interested in arming a rebel faction would answer a distress call from their clients.

The loss of their weapons to an unknown faction would trigger a response. Money and future gratitude had to be on the line. The real question was who.

And Don Car was the one who had the time to work on it while the others were investigating the forest bandits.

The first thing to do was identify the missiles and the launcher. Trillions of weapons filled the archives. System had the capacity to search through those files for a match in a matter of seconds. The leaguer got it started, ordering hardware from the closest systems to be searched first.

Don Car knew it wasn't a perfect method. Factors came into play that could foil his search. First and foremost the weapons might not be in the system. All the searching in the world wouldn't find the nonexistent.

If the weapons were there, they still didn't have to come from anywhere close by. Different technology had different means to surmount the faster than light barrier that kept most life forms below a certain level in their home planetary systems. That would extend the search for an unknown length of time.

The last factor was ownership of the weapon before it had reached Sir Thosis's planet. If the weapon had been stolen from the registered owner which Don Car could check for by calling the home system and using his aide to hack the records, that would give him another dead end to his search.

What he was doing required an enormous amount of patience and a little luck. Those were qualities he had, and were perhaps his best qualities.

System loaded a picture of the launcher on another screen. It identified the home planet manufacturer. The spatial coordinates were three solar systems over according to the galactic atlas. That was almost perfect.

All he needed was the serial number to load into their law enforcement computers and find out who owned it before it landed. He would have to get a shot of the launcher and paint it with a beam to get that information.

Maybe Floor Rays could get that information for him.

"Leaguer Terra." Don Car made sure he had a System to System contact for his call. He didn't think anyone could hear over normal communication channels but why take the chance. "Can you hack the launcher for a identification number?"

"Hold one." Flores sounded calm, even though someone had tried to blow him to little shards.

A number loaded into Don Car's System. He smiled with his block teeth. Maybe he was getting somewhere.

"System. Take this number and run it against the launchers that match what we have." Don Car hoped they finally had a lead to the cause of this problem. Basic nonintervention came with the job. Preventing others taking advantage went into that.

When planets had developed into space faring races, Leaguers often facilitated contacts with other species that were out there. Trade and knowledge took place and the newer species gave the other a jump start.

If a species with space travel contacted a species without like in the current situation, exploitation seemed to be the goal of the elder species. When that happened, Leaguers were expected to police the situation one way, or the other.

Sometimes that meant a simple exchange of ideas to bring the less advanced race up to par with their new alien friends. Sometimes the Leaguer had to cut off all contact. It was a judgment call for the protector involved.

In this case, Don Car had no doubts that contact would be severed. A missile launcher was too much of a change to a world still trying to figure out how to create a steam engine. That was why Sir Thosis didn't use most of the power the armor gave him. None of his protectorate could bring anything to match a Leaguer in combat.

"Registration found." System's voice cut into his thoughts.

Let's see who's responsible for this mess.

Charles Flores stood in a stand of trees, scanning the local forest. Castella Erekose towered above him by a good head. She covered the other side of their circle.

"What do we do?" The younger Leaguer stood at attention, almost bristling despite the safety locks being put on her weapons.

"We wait." The Terran crouched next to a tree. The reflective gold of Leaguer armor would stand out to anyone who happened to see it among the branches. "R'ed will gather enough information so we can act. We want to net the whole mob when we go in."

"Why do that?" The amazon flexed a hand. "Our armor can handle anything they have thrown at us."

"We want to make sure that once we lance this, no one can start again." Flores remembered when he would have charged in, using his armor to punch through the enemy. "That means finding the ring leader and all of his lackeys. Then we're going to have to find out the off world dealers and take them too."

"So waiting will get us more than one." Castella sounded doubtful.

"Hopefully." Flores smiled. "The trick is to not wait until its too late. If they take a run at anyone outside the forest, we'll have to step in no matter how much we want to grab everybody."

"I understand." Castella nodded. "Where do you think they'll attack?"

"I expect they'll go for Sir Thosis at the castle." Flores pointed to a blob of gray in the distance. It looked like a baby mountain. "They'll think about what we did, maybe put it down as a fluke, then go ahead with their plan."

"Nothing here can stop that artillery piece we saw." Castella consulted the records. "Their idea of a good weapon is a long knife."

"It's designed to destroy tanks from my planet's level of tech." Flores nodded at the files sent over by the rookie. "I wonder if they have a ship handy. That's the only way they could have dropped that thing here."

"Will Leaguer Syp be able to handle any such ship?" Castella flipped through the service record of Don Car Syp.

"Don Car Syp can handle the Nexus Fleet on his own." Flores's System flagged something moving in the atmosphere. "It's us I'm worried about."

"That's a big freighter." Castella turned her passive scanners on the ship. "Is it taking off, or landing?"

"Taking off." Flores stood, scanning the area around them. "Let Syp know. He's probably seen it from orbit, but you never know."

"Do we take it?" Castella's beamers popped out, ready to cut and rend with bright claws.

"Let Syp have it." Flores took flight. "Let's check where it came from."

The two leaguers floated through the trees. Their Systems marked the path of the disturbed air for them so they could find the exact place where the ship had been resting under camouflage.

"What do you think, Castella?" Flores scanned the surroundings to make sure no one was watching.

"It landed here long enough to unload the guns and tanks. I see more than one of the things. I also see at least five different impressions of varying age so this is where they landed and started meeting the locals to start supplying them with weapons." Castella pointed into the forest. "Locals came from that way according to some of the tracks I see. Maybe they were local contacts to make sure no one knew about the aliens."

"First contact could have gone bad if the primitives thought they were demons and not a different type of people." Flores agreed with her assessment.

"One projectile weapon might have impressed them enough to get them on the salesman's side." Castella scanned the area again, trying to delve deeper into the background. "The question is what do an advanced race want here when they can get resources in other places with half the trouble?"

"An expansion point for hyperdrive is the first thing to come to mind." Flores landed, still on alert. "If they get a port here, they can reach out to other planets in more advanced sectors in half the travel time."

"Starting a revolution for a section of the planet seems a little convoluted." Castella played the maps of the local spacefarers on her display. "Still there are several ports that can be reached faster if launched from here. That means cargo transfer and refueling is a viable option."

"But not the only one." Flores checked with Don Car Syp's System. The Leaguer had left orbit with the freighter. "We could be looking at a minor kingmaking deal. We could be looking at a combination of both of those deals. Or maybe it's something we don't know about yet."

"Are all missions out of your protectorate this complicated?" Castella seemed confused by the lines that had opened up on their investigation.

"There is only one real motive." Flores smiled under his armor. "Profit. Who profits from what is going on? Once you figure that out, the rest is usually simple."

"So once we figure out who, the why will become known." Castella sounded happy at the simple concept. "I like that."

"Sometimes the why will present itself first." Flores took to the air. "That will lead to the who before too long."

Don Car Syp watched the readouts on the screens of his armor. He smiled. His move to hide and follow seemed to be working out better than he thought.

All he needed was some hard evidence he could use to convict these smugglers in a court of law.

"Get ready to hack their computers, and upload everything they have in a back up memory." Don Car Syp edged closer to the freighter, hoping his cloak would prevent detection until it was too late. "We want to know everything they know before they get home."

"Affirmative." System created two memories. One would hold downloaded data from the other ship. The other would hold radio chatter. Both could be used to prove criminal intent barring complete ignorance on the part of the crew. The machine doubted that would be a problem.

"We're going to launch a spike into their systems." Don Car Syp reviewed the schematic, selecting an area behind the bridge for the target area. "Let me know when you're ready."

System checked the storage capacity of the memories, filtering messages from hyperspace into storage just because of proximity. A small hole appeared on the surface of the golden globe. A dart the size of a cat built itself out of dust.

"Ready for spike launch." System checked the motors to make sure its baby worked as designed.

"Launch when ready, then we'll drop back and follow at a slower pace." Don Car Syp settled into his captain's chair, eyes open for anything that might need attention while the ship piloted itself.

The spike leapt from its tube and crossed the space between the two in seconds of subjective time. It bore into the freighter's metal skin and began sending a stream of information back to its mother. System watched the computer flow with an eye for sorting the fine print.

"Bad guys, System?" Don Car Syp watched part of the information tree shape up with half an eye. His estimate already said these guys were going down, no matter what.

System could compile the charges much better than he could.

"Affirmative if every mention of farming equipment equals weaponry as we have observed." A list of charges matched every criminal offense gleaned from the stolen records.

"We're going to keep them in sight and track everything they do." Don Car Syp tapped the arm of his chair. "Once we know who the brain is, we're taking them back to Thosis's world."

System reached out for the home world the freighter had listed and began to rifle files over a secured beam relay. It would take some time even at speeds faster than light for it to secure everything it wanted. Still it had the freighter's own communication array to boost its signal and trigger the correct protocols.

It also served as a roundabout way to conceal the hack from the home world's port authority which may have one or more inspectors letting the 'farm machinery' slip out without a direct challenge.

Don Car Syp made sure to send word back to the others with everything he had learned so far. If he got jumped and taken out, he wanted someone to know what he had uncovered and follow up on it. Of course, Don Car had destroyed his share of ships in space combat with his trusty aid. One more, or a fleet more, wouldn't make any difference to him.

On the other hand, he didn't expect his weapons smugglers to just give up. Criminals confronted by the law rarely did that, no matter how outgunned they were.

It would be a nice thing if they did give up since he was out of his protectorate. He wasn't sure how his actions would be looked on at his next review of service.

He hoped with favor, but he didn't want to test that out any time soon.

Don Car Syp drifted behind his fish, recording its sounds as he thought about the next part of his mission. He wondered what had made the smugglers choose a primitive world and arm it with firepower far beyond its tech level.

He hoped the risk of getting caught had been worth it.

R'ed R'edsun moved with deliberate grace. He stood under a tree a few feet from the missile shooters following their artillery piece through the forest. It would be real easy to take them down one by one. He decided against that.

He wanted all of the rebels, not just a few of them. And if he couldn't bag all of them for Sir Thosis, he would at least get the head of the operation.

R'ed looked over his shoulder. His system marked Leaguer Terra and Leaguer Hyberion behind him. They kept well back, using the forest as cover like he was. He nodded at their tactics. They were far enough back to allow him to operate on his own, but close enough they could rush the scene if they had to.

Terra was giving him the point ahead.

R'ed examined the missile shooter for weaknesses as he waited for the column to keep moving. He didn't want to walk into a straggler. That would lead to fireworks and a blown mission.

R'ed paused. Instinct told him that someone had decided to look at their back trail. Maybe they weren't so sure they could duck the golden fliers. Maybe they had felt his eyes on them while they had been walking. Either way, they might walk back to make sure no one was following the parade.

R'ed waited to make sure no one was moving in his direction. He couldn't stand to use the armor that came with being a leaguer. His planet didn't have space travel, so he rarely left atmosphere. Still his system did grant him advantages over other sentients that he had encountered over the years.

R'ed pointed his sidearm downrange. System lit up targets with temperature changes in the air. If he had to shoot, the rounds in his sidearm would punch through most armor thanks to the modifications he had made thanks to System's ability to search the Leaguer library and show him how to change the firearm.

Many a bandit had been shot down when they thought that R'ed couldn't reach them through the cover they had chosen to use when they fired on him.

More bandits joined the existing column as he waited. System gave him numbers as he watched. He frowned. These people were a small army.

R'ed knew he didn't have enough slugs to stop all those hearts unless he had System convert his slug thrower to an energy based weapon. He would have to switch it back when he returned to his home world. For the moment, he didn't need to fire so he didn't.

The army made its way through the forest with the minimal amount of destruction they could with more armor in the line. They appeared ready to fight at any moment. Nothing Sir Thosis could field with his culture's level of technology could scratch the plate of those beasts.

R'ed sent a message back to Terra, with scans of everything he had encountered so far. The other Leaguer sent back an acknowledgment seconds later, and an aerial view marked with a possible destination. The Leaguer gunman thought about it. The site seemed the likeliest and well within range of rocket fire on the King's castle.

Sir Thosis would not like that.

The loss of life would be almost total if the missiles were allowed to fire. The only question was when. So far the bandits lived in the forests and the king's soldiers allowed that. Why would they suddenly decide to move where they could attack the capital?

Maybe the salesman had decided that part of things when he had made his pitch.

R'ed moved parallel to the line. He picked up speed as he avoided any outliers. The amount of noise the tanks made meant wildlife had scattered from the line as it moved. Villagers that foraged in the forest would do the same. No one would be watching for him to get into position.

He sent back his position to the following Leaguers. If things got hot, they could catch the bandits in a three way crossfire. That would buy time for Sir Thosis to clear the castle walls if he could.

R'ed settled into a tree and waited for the column to reach where they figured the firing line would set up. If they were smart, they would vanish into the woods and leave it. He didn't think they were that smart as a group, and individuals would be too scared to leave in case they were caught.

Desertion probably meant death the way things looked to R'ed. He understood that but wrong was wrong. Being fearful of doing the right thing was no excuse.

Charles Flores took a moment to examine the big picture. He didn't know a lot about siege tactics, and armed conflict, but he didn't like the way things were looking. Unless they did something, a blood bath was certain.

"Leaguers." Flores included Sir Thosis and Don Car Syp in his unit call. They would have to pick up the pieces if the three in the forest failed. "We're going to have to disable the tanks and frighten the personnel into fleeing the scene. R'edd start compiling a bulletin book for Sir Thosis to use after we're gone. Castella and I will stop the tanks. R'ed will take any stragglers who come across him while he is marking them. Sir Thosis will have to defend the castle from any attack that gets through our offense. The freighter will have to be shut down, Don Car. We'll have to act before they can shoot at the walls. How much time do you think we have, R'ed?"

"I think we will have until sundown, Leaguer Terra." R'ed's voice conveyed the calm he felt at doing his job now that things were clear and poised at a precipice. "My System's memory will pare down the input and export it to Sir Thosis for later use."

"Sir Thosis, better start moving your people from the wall." Flores judged the angle of attack as best he could from the position of the tanks. "Someone might get killed before we can stop the attack."

"I'm sending messengers now." Sir Thosis's voice didn't have the doubts that Flores felt. "I'll have the wall cleared of everyone but me."

"Castella and I will move into position." Flores nodded at the suggested flight plan she sent over. "Once we disable the heavy artillery, gathering up the outlaws will be a local job."

Flores and Castella took flight, heading for a position in front of the tanks. Their armor should be able to take blasts from the main guns without problems. Still, they directed their Systems to redirect any scanning technology away from them.

"We're in position to start our run." Flores made sure his call went out on the secure channel.

"I have about half the outlaws marked from the life signs around me." R'ed sounded calm, surrounded by enemies, with no armor at all. "Give me a few more minutes."

"I am still clearing the wall." Sir Thosis sounded frustrated. "It is taking time since everyone wants an explanation of what's going on."

"I think it's too late." Castella cut in. "They have noticed the wall is being cleared and have decided to attack."

"They're mounting up." R'ed sent over a ground view. "Looks like they're going now."

"No, they aren't." Flores flew down at the camp, spraying stun gun fire from the beamers on his arms. Bandits fell as he pointed fiery lances at them.

Castella followed. Her weapons of choice were EMP dispersers. She aimed for the hardware. A tank couldn't fire if the electronics had no power. She doubted any of the crew were technically proficient to know they could restart the vehicle with new breakers, or a software reload.

"We have one tank still operational." R'edd's firearm fired in the background of his call.

Castella turned in mid-air, firing a beam at the moving target. A blast of fire escaped the tank's main gun before the pulse blew out its working brain. She gave chase to the shell, shouting a warning into her com.

Castella marked the shell with a target designator and fired a laser into it. The shell went up in a cloud of shrapnel and fire. She flew through it, force field stopping the shockwave before it struck her armor.

"Are you okay, Castella?" Flores's voice reminded her they still had a job to do, and she was supposed to keep under cover. The amazonian dropped down, heading for the trees before she answered.

"I'm fine." Castella smiled. "Is everything done?"

"Just about." Flores sounded relieved. "We're still doing clean up down here."

"I'll be right there." Castella marked his position, and flew toward it. She changed the configuration of her weapons to stun guns as she went. A little longer and the job would be done.

Castella felt that the other Leaguers looked down on her. Her record was spotless. She did everything to be better than everyone around her. She should be respected.

She was missing something. She just couldn't see what it was. Maybe they would treat her better after this mission.

A bandit cut across her thoughts. A stun gun fired on its own, dropping the shabby looking outlaw in his tracks. The leaguer scanned the nearby woods, hoping she hadn't messed up and let some slip by while she had been thinking instead of doing.

"It looks like they're retreating toward where the weapons dealer landed." Flores's voice sounded calm over the steady stream of fire she denoted from his position. "Let's herd them together so we can wrap this up."

"They might be expecting some kind of rescue." R'ed's voice was also calm. "Maybe the weapons dealer said he would come back if the attack failed."

"They'll be in for a surprise if Don Car Syp did his job." Castella struggled but found that she was happy with glee.

"Let's get ours done before we worry about if Don Car needs help with his." Flores sent over the projected travel paths of the fugitives. "See if you can get in front of them, Castella."

"Already done." Castella adjusted her travel path. System marked targets running at her. "Firing at will."

"R'ed and I are trying to herd them at you." Flores's position was at the edge of the running line. His stun gun beams occasionally blinked among the trees in front of where Castella fired her own stun guns.

R'ed's sidearm roared on the other side. The rapid succession of blasts was enough to make the bandits flee even faster from the leaguer gunman.

"Sir Thosis here." The knight cut across the firing. "I'm leading a sortie from the castle."

"We'll take cover as soon as we finish wrapping this up." Flores shot another rebel. "Hopefully this won't be turned into a visit from angels."

"I'm clear on my side." R'ed moved to catch up with the other two leaguers once his shooting range was free of targets.

"It looks like we're done with the rebel part of this." Flores shot one of the last running rebels in the back. "Let's take care of the technology before Sir Thosis and the king's troops get here. Then we can get back to our own protectorates."

"What about the suppliers?" Castella dropped the remainder that crossed her path with a wide beam.

"Don Car will handle that without us." Flores smiled. "That's what he normally does from the way he talks."

Don Car Syp examined the ground action on one screen as he watched the freighter in another. It looked like a clean sweep of the rebels by the good guys. He didn't give them a chance under the type of ancient laws their society was built on.

Rebellion was a head chopping offense from the way Sir Thosis talked.

"I think it's time for you to bring in the big fish." Floor rays sounded happy for such an easy round up.

"I have them in my sights." Don Car flipped his weapons array to open. "Let me give them the heave to."

"This is Leaguer Syt." Don Car fed his message into the spike on the back of the ship. "Supplying arms to primitives is against the law. Stop engines and prepare to be hauled to the court."

The freighter poured all of its engines into a getaway. The crew probably had never heard of a leaguer, but the words stop engines and court seemed to have triggered a flight or fight reflex. At least they hadn't started shooting at him yet.

Then they started shooting with dorsal guns.

Don Car shook his head. System reported the small pulses of energy barely scratched his shields. He decided to give them something else to think about.

"Detonate the spike, System." Moments later, an explosion ruptured the back of the ship, flinging hull pieces into space. "Are they willing to surrender now?"

"Negative." System displayed a diagram of the spacecraft. "They are powering up a hyperspace jump system."

"Take out their engines." Don Car didn't want them getting away to set up shop somewhere else. He couldn't let the rookie do her part better than he had.

The Leaguer Globe aimed at the back end of the fleeing ship. Beams of light sliced the vacuum of space. The freighter's shields tried to divert energy from the beams so that the hull would remain intact. It didn't stop enough of the power.

"Direct hits on the nacelles." System sounded satisfied with the results. "Hyperspace jump averted."

"Bring us alongside." Don Car pointed to an undamaged part of the ship. "Anchor us, and get ready to board."

System carried out the commands with its usual efficiency. Tentacles emerged from their housings. Claws on the ends stabbed into the wounded freighter, securing a grip. The tentacles retracted. A cutting laser extruded from the golden skin. It sliced open a door for an airlock which connected the two ships.

"Send in the drones." Don Car watched the readouts for things that the machine mind might miss. "We'll need prisoners to take back to Thosis."

A swarm of round pellets on six legs scurried across the connection to the other ship. Screens floated to life to mark their progress through the ship. It also gave Don Car tactical command if the drones started having problems with the crew.

Ordinarily he would have just dragged the ship back to the world where the crime had been committed and let the locals do their thing. In this case, that was impossible. Sir Thosis was trying to protect his world from higher technology than what they currently had. Dropping a star ship in the middle of the castle would destroy that forever.

So prisoners would have to do as far as satisfying justice. The ship would be taken apart and destroyed after he was done, or maybe he could use it for something other than hauling freight. The leaguer had no idea yet, but he did know that first he had to subdue the crew before he could plan on sailing their ship into the local sun.

The drones spread out as they entered the ship. Life sign scanners had been built in so they could track the crew wherever they hid. And System had programmed them to multiply as they searched the ship.

If they had to, they would take the thing apart piece by piece until they had rounded up the entire crew.

Don Car disconnected his ship from the freighter. He didn't want the smugglers to think they could just leave the airlock and try to board his craft because it was in the vicinity. Better to keep them busy trying to think of a way to get to him while the drones did their work.

Don Car watched the hunt from his seat, sipping pas, and sometimes giving instructions that caused the crew to run into each other while trying to escape their pursuit. That led to small firefights where the drones stunned the crewmen as they tried to battle the overwhelming numbers with energy weapons.

"The crew has been neutralized." System sounded satisfied.

"Let's get them back to Sir Thosis so he can decide what he wants to do with them." Don Car started giving instructions to take care of that.

Sir Thosis stared at the numerous captives waiting on his judgment. As the King's Champion, he spoke for the crown. Sometimes he had to speak harshly.

Thanks to his friends, a small army of treasonous rebels and smugglers from off planet stared at him as he thought about the sentences he had to deliver. Death was demanded, but the knight favored leniency. He didn't want to put every one of them to the axe.

He couldn't let them live to be a threat to the kingdom again.

"The Crown has invested in me the power of judgement in this matter." Sir Thosis filed through his mind for a solution that would please everyone. "According to the testimony of the Leaguers present, you have bought munitions and mounted an attack on the royal keep. That alone is warrant enough for death on the execution block. You offworlders fomented and armed this rebellion. That's enough to sign your own death warrants."

Sir Thosis let the words sink in. Sullen silence answered his announcement. He looked at their faces. It would be better to put them to death. He certainly couldn't allow them to stay in the kingdom, trying to overthrow the monarchy at every turn.

"I am going to grant you the options of exile, or death." Sir Thosis saw the hope come back in the group. "Those who wish to face the executioner move to the right. Those who want to be exiled, stay where you are."

Sir Thosis was surprised when a few of the captives moved to the indicated position as fast as they could in their restraints. The rest begged them to come back, to choose life and another chance to fight for what they believed in. The entreaties were met with hostile refusal and disbelief that they wouldn't die for the cause.

Sir Thosis shook his head. He couldn't believe his eyes. He didn't want to kill anyone but he couldn't change people's minds if they didn't want to change. He gestured with his sword and the captives fell asleep as a fiery line cut through the air from the symbol of his power.

He had hoped to spare everyone the axe. He should have known better than that. He had been a champion much too long.

"The rest of you please wait for your transportation to your new home." Sir Thosis spoke for a moment to Don Car Syp through their Systems. The bulky alien agreed with the plan with a smile.

A golden globe descended from the sky. The broken triangle that marked the bearer as a Leaguer decorated the front of the gleaming vessel. Underneath the gold craft, another, rustier craft that appeared almost broken, hovered. Two golden attachments were welded to the back of the other ship.

Don Car Syp dropped the second craft gently in front of the survivors. One command and the doors opened. The rebels looked at the thing in amazement, while the smugglers cheered.

Evidently they thought they would have free passage away from the planet.

Nothing was free.

"All those who would leave, board now." Sir Thosis pointed his sword at the freighter. "This is all the mercy I can afford to give you."

The felons struggled to get up the boarding ramps. Someone would be released and then he could release the others. By that time, it wouldn't matter. They would be at their new home.

The knight hoped they made something they could stand to live with when they reached it.

Sir Thosis watched the freighter take off under the power of the borrowed engines that Don Car Syp had built with the aid of his System. They only had one purpose. After that was done, they would vaporize into inert matter. There was nothing the smugglers could do to alter that. The ship reached the coldness of space and then jumped into hyperspace, heading for its final landing.

Sir Thosis silently wished them good luck with their new home.

"What are you going to do about the rest?" Leaguer Terra looked at the slumped crowd with his faceless helmet.

"I'll have to turn them in to the Crown." Sir Thosis shook his head. "After that, the axe will do for them."

"Do you want us to wait until the trial is over?" Flores folded his arms across his chest.

"No." Sir Thosis shook his head again. "You all have been away from your protectorates too long. I'll call some of the infantry out to take them back to the keep."

"Take care, Thosis." Flores nodded at his colleague. "I'll see you at the next call."

"Be well, brother." Thosis started down the hill he had used for his speaking point.

Golden flares marked the passage of the leaguers into space.

epilogue

Charles Flores straightened his tie as he walked into the lobby of his paper. He nodded at the guard behind his desk as he walked to the elevators. He stepped in the cab and headed for the bullpen.

It felt good to be back in his city, moving with the citizens pursuing their work and leisure. It was like putting on an old sweat shirt to watch the game. He had been gone for only a few days but the short passage of time didn't dull his return.

Flores limped to his desk with the help of his cane. He settled in his chair, putting the stick in its basket. He turned on his machine, checking for the next subject of his column. He could work on that and turn it in ahead of his deadline.

"How did it go?" Emma Zierling sat behind her own screen, peering through the doorway formed by her cubicle walls.

"No problems." Flores had told his coworkers that he was going to a meeting out of town. "How were things while I was gone?"

"Pretty quiet." Emma leaned back in her chair, chewing on a cigarette. She hated the no smoking policy the building had. "There were some things but it looks like the Fear handled it in his usual mysterious style."

"How many sightings did he have while I was out of town?" Flores paused in his typing. Emma's following the creature of the night bordered on obsession and was strange for a human interest writer. It was safe ground for conversation. It kept him from trying to lie about his reunion.

"The only one for sure was at this apartment building." Emma shook her head. "He's still keeping out of sight as much as possible. He's being compared to the Nightmare from before I was born."

Flores nodded. His father had told him stories about some of the last generation's heroes that had moved across the landscape. Nightmare had been one of those, operating in Church Hill like a shadow while also helping form the Guardians during the second world war. His scarred face caused many a sleepless night for felons locked up in the prisons of those years.

Maybe there was a connection between the two even if the exact link wasn't known to anyone.

"I have to go to a reopening of a park later." Emma tapped the end of her cigarette on her desk. "You're welcome to come along."

"I have to finish my column." Flores checked his small amount of wordage. "How much time do I have?"

"Until one." Emma put the cigarette in her mouth again. "We'll have to take the bus to get there, and we'll have to leave in plenty of time to make it to the ceremony."

"Got it." Flores started typing. "I can finish my column in that amount of time."

Emma went back to her own struggle with the keyboard while Flores checked facts with a few fake calls and System. His work almost proofed itself as he went. He checked it one last time before sending it to the editor. If a problem cropped up, it would come back with corrections to the text before being sent to the print template.

"You done yet?" Emma burst into his thoughts. She checked her watch.

"Just waiting for confirmation before I start on my next column." Flores heard a beep as he spoke. His inches of print had been given the seal of approval. "I'm clear."

"Then let's blow this popsicle stand." Emma gathered her bag and headed for the elevators. Flores hurried to keep up, using his cane to hop along the smooth tile floor.

"What's the hurry?" Flores glanced at the wall clock as he tried to keep up with the woman reporter. "I thought you wanted to catch the one O'clock bus."

"We can get there earlier, and snag a lunch if we go now." Emma held the elevator for him. "Then we can come back here and work on our next five thousand words. We might be able to turn this into an early day if we're lucky."

"I guess I can't argue with that." Flores hopped into the elevator. "You buying?"

"You wish." Emma smiled. "I don't have anything in my expense account. I'm eating out of pocket."

"I guess I can spring for something." Flores mentally checked how much was left him in the account the paper allowed him to treat sources. "You'll owe me."

"Naturally." Emma smiled again.

Flores shook his head. Emma had a reputation for blowing her whole expense account and mooching off the other reporters the rest of the month until the accountants downstairs placed more money in their accounts.

"You need to get your spending habits in check." Flores waited for the cab to finish its trip, leaning on his cane.

"I have receipts for everything." Emma shrugged. "I just have expensive contacts."

The elevators opened and Flores limped after his colleague as she crossed the lobby for the front door. He noted that she already had cigarette and lighter in hand to light up once she was outside.

It was good to be back home.

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