An Avian's Past #15

        Crystal met Kevin, looking fresh, and dressed in his protectorate officer uniform, at eight o'clock on the second. He had his Manipulator clipped to his belt, and had his arms folded. Beside him stood another human, this one a woman with a rather pretty face and glossy brown hair that reached halfway down her back. It was well maintained in a single long ponytail. She stood in a slightly more open manner, hands clasped behind her back. She wore the same uniform as Kevin, but with her Manipulator clipped to the left hip instead of her right. Apparently she was left handed.
        Crystal waved, and Kevin introduced the two: “Crystal, this is Natasha, my usual partner in operations. Natasha, this is Crystal, my usual partner in saving the universe.”
        Natasha held out a hand, a slightly confused look in her eyes. Crystal shook hands with the human, and stepped back. “Saving the universe?” Natasha asked, looking at Crystal.
        “Very, very long story. It's how I got my wings.” Crystal said, fluttering the members Natasha had been staring at since she had first spotted the avian.
        “I see. This wouldn't have anything to do with Earth being torn apart two months ago, would it?” Natasha asked. She had been one of the few hundred thousand people that escaped Earth alive, out of roughly ten billion. She had been almost as lucky as Kevin, but only escaped after sustaining a scar that led from her right shoulder to her left hip, snaking across the front of her chest and stomach. Just the tip of the scar showed on her exposed neck.
        “It had everything to do with Earth being torn apart two months ago.” Crystal said, and stepped back, drawing a deep breath to end conversation. Natasha was clearly curious, but she didn't press further. This avian was shrouded in mystery: from the wings on her back to the Special Operations helmet she carried under her arm, Crystal was unusual to say the least.
        “Shall we go? We can answer questions in the ship.” Kevin said, showing the two others into the ship.
        Once they were all seated and buckled in, Kevin hit the button to jump to the location of the infamous apex geneticist. “Grace Able was last documented only about two hundred light years away, living on a planet in the Echelon Ravine. It is noted for extensive Floran/Hylotl turmoil, and heavy casualties among both.” Kevin informed Crystal. She assumed Natasha already knew all of this. She nodded.
        “She's a geneticist, right?” Crystal asked.
        “Yes, she is. She specialized in gene replication and modification. She was in a group known as Advanced Eden before she left. We don't know why, because it was a very high and prestigious position, but she did.” Kevin said.
        “Weird...” Crystal said.
        “Quite, especially considering she wasn't hunted down and killed. Usually, the Apex don't like high ranking officials retiring and living another twenty years to potentially spill their secrets.” Natasha said.
        “I don't see why they bother. Everyone knows that they've been practicing controversial science. It's common knowledge.” Crystal said.
        “Yes, but the thing that nobody knows is exactly what controversial science, and we don't have any proof that they're doing it, either. Besides, even if we did get a good lead past all the bribes and paperwork, we would just disappear like anyone else who tries to investigate.” Natasha said with a sigh.
        There was something that felt a bit futile about trying to do some muckcracking against the most powerful and secretive race in the galaxy. Humans came close, but the other races were hopelessly behind the two galactic superpowers. There were rumors about a seventh race, though...supposedly the one that gave the Avian their higher cognition and ability to travel through space, and maybe the one that built the first Glitch. It was widely dismissed as unimportant, though. And, truth be told, it was kind of unimportant to practical matters.
        “Honestly, if the Human race wasn't there to stop them, I doubt that the Apex would restrain themselves from trying to assimilate and dominate the other races.” Kevin growled.
        “Seems like the galaxy would be a better place if we got rid of the Apex, or at least got rid of their top bureaucracy.” Crystal mused.
        “Everyone thinks that, but doesn't say it.” Natasha said simply. She paused, then finally cracked: “What was Kevin saying about saving the universe?”
        Crystal drew a deep, deep breath, and began the story.
        [INSERT FANBOUND 1-64 HERE]
        She finally finished, her voice rather worse for wear and her throat very dry. Natasha just stared at her.
        “What?” Crystal asked.
        “That big tentacle meteor was the primordial force of destruction?” Natasha's eyes were wide.
        “A small part of it.” Crystal said.
        “Wow...” Natasha stared into space, gathering her thoughts, “If I hadn't seen the earth shattered before my eyes, I wouldn't even consider believing you. Now, though...I think I'll trust your account. Would you do it again?”
        Kevin and Crystal looked at each other.
        “Yes!” said Crystal, at the exact time as Kevin said “No!”.
        Natasha burst out laughing, prompting Kevin to do the same. Crystal was still too freshly exposed to her great loss to laugh, but she smiled.
        “I committed grand theft auto, I almost got killed at least twenty times, I almost lost a good friend, I almost died of boredom, and in the end I just ended up slimy.” Kevin complained, counting on his fingers.
        “I don't know. It certainly distracted me from the daily grind.” Crystal said.
        “I would have liked to grind for awhile before I was distracted.” Kevin said, getting more laughter from Natasha. It took Crystal a while to notice it, but she could see Kevin's slight awkwardness around Natasha; sort of jerky and overly precise movements, and a slight red tinge to the tops of his ears when she laughed.
        “I guess you two are friends? You said 'usual partner' in operations.” Crystal said.
        Kevin said nothing, and quietly swallowed, but Natasha responded: “Yep. I would say so, since we've been going out together for about a month.”
        “On calls?” Crystal asked.
        “Yes, of course...what, did you think we were dating?” Natasha gave her an awkward smile.
        “By the way you said it, it kind of sounded that way.” Crystal said, looking at Kevin.
        “I don't really think I have a chance with her, anyways. I always got past with C's and B's, and she was a straight-A student.” Kevin said with a smile.
        Crystal made a noncommittal hmmh and broke her lock with Kevin's eyes, leaning back against the wall. Her wings made a nice cushion against the metal. Then she remembered, and held out the document describing Cobalt's cloning, giving it directly to Kevin, who read it. Apparently, he understood more of the jargon than Crystal did, because he immediately frowned.
        “This is extremely illegal, but it looks like a government paper. I'm more convinced now. But...this looks more like something that would be mass produced and signed, rather than written out specifically for each person that required it.” Kevin muttered. Natasha gently took it from Kevin's hand, and read it.
        “I recognize some of these acronyms. There's the Apex Ministry of Advanced Sciences...Apex Response and Containment...and I think I know this one...” Natasha squinted at one of the lines of capital letters. “Apex Special Defense Operations.”
        “That doesn't sound good.” Crystal said.
        “Those are only the ones I recognize. It could be totally differently oriented, because it appears to be deliberately confusing.” Natasha growled.
        “Why do they do that?” Kevin asked.
        “Because they want to keep something secret. That's why.” Natasha sighed, sitting back and handing the paper to Crystal again.
        The ship slowed, and they settled into orbit around the target planet. It didn't appear very remote. They were currently over a desert, rotating slowly underneath them.
        “Everyone ready? I'm not sure about the concealed carry law on this planet, so I don't think bringing a gun along would be such a good idea.” Kevin's last comment was directed at Crystal, whose gun was in her hand. It had taken a beating from when the monster had knocked it out of her hand back at the station. Crystal set it down on the seat with a grumpy huff, but obeyed Kevin's suggestion.
        “We'll be landing at...Corven Plaza, a large port just a few hundred miles north of our position.” Kevin said, checking the monitor on the dash.
        “I'm ready if everyone else is.” Natasha said, standing up. Crystal stood up as well.
        Kevin pressed the button, and they all disintegrated, their particles hurtling down to the planet's surface.