Yue

 12th September

19:32 GMT +1

"Keeping yourselves busy, then?"

Thaddeus Junior has gone back to his air car, but Georgia appears far more happy to see me-.

Ring, nothing's gone missing from my subspace pocket this time, right?

Subspace security remains in place. No objects detected as missing.

"Oh, yes. In addition to all the work with creating working versions of the Sheeda technology which Father studied while in the future, I've been trying to model probable modifications we could make to Human society in order to better resist their next Harrowing. You see, we received an offer from-."

"SOFT SUBJECT!"

Georgia turns her nose up. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

"Ah, I'm afraid that the only social scientist I know who might be able to help-."

She gives me a sharp look. "I don't need help."

"Alright, not.. 'help', but someone who could understand your work at your level and perhaps make pertinent observations. Thaddeus Junior has made his opinion known and I doubt that it's really your father's field."

Georgia considers for a moment, then nods. "No, it isn't. He tries to show an interest, but… You know him. Who did you have in mind?"

"My immediate superior in the Orange Lantern Corps is a genius by the name of Vril Dox the Second. I know that he's been studying social heuristic programming. If you've got a quantum entanglement communicator, or something else that can-"

She nods. "Yes."

"-commun-. Ah, okay. If you give it to me then I'll drop it off on his desk next time I go back."

She frowns. "It's a little big for that. But I can improve it. Give me… Two days."

"Okay. And there's a man in the Greek finance ministry, Professor Demetrios Prokopios. He's not a general genius, but-."

"Ooh, I've read his work!" She grins excitedly. "His secretary keeps screening me! And I could never persuade Thaddeus that we should kidnap him."

"Ah. Well, yes, don't kidnap him. I can either set up a meeting or arrange a phone call, whichever you would prefer."

"Probably a phone call. But I'd be grateful if you could get him to autograph a photograph for me." She.. blushes slightly. "After I read his dissertation of catastrophe theory I… Developed a slight attachment, and-."

"I will certainly ask. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to America."

"I would offer you our teleportation system, but if you've got your own…" She frowns, then pulls a not-tricorder out from her lab coat and points it at me. "Then where is it?"

"I'm afraid that it's an innate ability, but you're welcome to scan me when I use it."

She puts her hands on her hips. "As if you could stop me."

"Ready?" In lieu of a verbal answer she raises her scanner and presses a few buttons. Alright then, armour, invisibility, and step out. Now, aim for Alan's neighbour Mister Davis and step in.

12th September

13:35 GMT -5

I appear in Inwood Hill Park, with Mister Davis walking his dog a short distance to my right. Still invisible? Looks like. Good. I drop to the ground, walk over to a large tree and then walk around it as I send my armour back into subspace. That way, anyone who wonders why they didn't see me will just assume that I was behind the tree last time they looked this way. Then-. I stop for a moment as I look over to Alan's house. It feels a bit… Home-y. I mean, I have quarters on Ranx, but even after I decorated them, they didn't really…

I shrug, and start jogging down the path towards the road.

Ring, dial Alan.

Compliance.

I hear it ringing as I check both ways and then cross the road, pulling my key out of subspace as I go. The gate to his drive is opening before I'm even on the pavement, and I jog up his drive to his front door and insert my key.

"Alan? Are you in?"

I can hear his phone ringing-. Ring, end call.

Compliance.

The ringing stops.

I push the door open and step inside. I hope he wasn't taking a nap or something. "Alan?!"

I frown slightly as I walk through his house towards the kitchen. Not here, not in the garden… There's a small layer of dust on the windowsill. It evaporates as I see it, but it shouldn't have been there in the first place. Unlike pre-ring me, Alan's always very particular about his housekeeping. It's unusual for him not to be home at this time of day, but-.

…

I transition back to Mister Davis. "Excuse me Mister Davis, do you know-?"

He starts as he sees me. "Oh, hey Paul. How's Alan doin'?"

"I-I don't know. I've been away. Where is he, what happened?"

"Oh, ah… I'm not sure exactly. He.. kinda collapsed about two weeks ago? Ambulance took him to the hospital. I'm not on the contact list, so I don't really know-."

"Thank you." Blow secrecy. I transition directly to the foyer of the Allen Hospital, accelerating my perception as I dodge around a man pushing a boy in a wheelchair and run up to the front desk and why am I bothering? I turn my empathic vision up and look around there! Green! I transition again, coming to a halt outside his room before shoving the door open-.

Alan's lying on the bed, asleep and looking like death warmed up. But not actually dead. Okay, immediate panic over. Get-get-get his ring.

I transition back to his house, appearing in his office with my right hand outstretched as I focus my will. Nothing, okay, that was a long shot. I tear open the safe and grab the small box withinyes. Not glowing much, but I didn't expect there to be much power left at this point. Transition back to the hospital.

"Ugh?"

Alan blinks blearily as I reappear, grabbing his right hand and shoving his ring-.

His hand's cold.

"Oh. Paul." He smiles weakly. "You're back."

"Yes. I am."