Dreams and visions

**** ok from here on in Koma is going first person ****

"Austin, Austin..." Lin whispers softly in my ear.

I can see her walking thorough the garden while I sit in on the verandah of the bungalow.

Then I see a woman with a crow.

Then I see Lin again in dark glasses.
"I'm living my life now Austin. Its strange but I'm living it." Lins voice trails off and I wake up.

I should have cut off all connection to Lin but even if I did that VADAR would keep sending messages about where Lin was. VADAR is a little bit too overprotective of Lin but maybe thats a good thing. Anyway after last nights party its going to be hard enough trying to get all the jobs that need to be done today.

I get to the lab before everyone else. Well thats easy I don't need much sleep even after I'd had a bit too much to drink. Also it helps when you can open a door that changes an eqipment closet in the Lab into a doorway from the workshop. I look at the clock its 5:45am. I'm early. Oh well I get some time to go over the files of the super humans I'll be managing.

At 7:30am the lab rats start filing in. They all great me with a hello or a hi they don't know me. Only Annabell worked here when I last worked here. When she comes in all eyes are on us.
"Good morning Dr. Peters" her smile is polite and cordial. Whats she up to.
"Morning Professor Lorenzo." I smile back just as polite. The lab rats all know the history between us. I can read it from the messages they are currently sending each other.
"So you've beaten us all here this morning. Have you reviewed our current projects?" asks Annabell.

I tell her I have but I'd like to go over the project with her and the team leaders. She gives me the usual polite office talk and tells me that they all are very happy to have me as the new Asisstant Administrator. Annabell arranges the meeting with the project leaders at 11am. I go back to the psychological reports on the super-humans.

At 11am Annabell came to get me.
"The team leaders are waiting in the conference room for you Dr. Peters." her tone was the same cordial polite office tone. Something was wrong I had to ask her now otherwise I'd be thinking about it all the way through the team leaders meeting.
"Whats wrong Annabell?"
"Pardon." she replied.
"Look this charade of Dr. Peters and Prof. Lorenzo. This have anything to do with last night?" I had to ask. Last night was a nice time but Annabell was a bit over clingy.
Annabell gave me a look of frustration and muttered something like 'Bring it up now why don't you.' Then she took my hand and dragged me into the closet. Now because I was entering the closet the gateway portal activated and we ended up in the workshop.

At first Annabbell didn't realise that we weren't in the closet anymore.
"Austin you very well this isn't just about last night this is a..bout...." She stopped there and looked around.
"Cool Austin very cool." she chuckled a bit and then remembered why she'd dragged me into the closet in the first place. He face changed from amazment at the workshop to a firm mask of determination.
"Last night I was drunk and yes I wasn't totaly in control of myself. But I thought we could pickup where we left off. But seeing you want just a professional realtionship...." she was hurt. Even a blind man could see it.
"Annabell at the moment I can't have you throwing youself at me in front of everyone."I explained.
"Oh so thats it. Your still with Lin." she snaped.
"No thats not it." I snapped back. "We need a realxed feel in the lab, but what we don't need is the lab rats thinking they can sleep with the boss to get a promotion."
"Me promoted. Your putting me in charge of the lab. really?" she shouted excitedly and then the penny dropped. "Ohhh! so because your promoting me you don't want everyone to think that I got the job cause I was sleeping with you."
"Exactly." I explained. "Anyway from what I hear you just got dumped too."
"Yeah one of the pilots got transfered a while ago. Sorry I went all clingy on you."
appologised Annabell. "Oh and by the way this is a really cool lair."
"Its not a lair its my workshop." I corrected.
"Its lair Austin. And I'll prove it. Your name Santa?" she asked
"No." I answered
"Well then its a lair." She put her hands on her hips and triumphantly.

"SHE HAS A POINT MASTER." chimed in VADAR.

"Et tu VADAR." I exclaimed.

"And you have a talking computer thingy." she added. "This is so a Lair."

After that we went to the conference. It was the usual stuff for a secret govenment lab. Weapons, drugs, robotics, genetic mutation of farm animals. Then a project code name came up that got my attention.
"Slipstream! Your working on that!" I rudely interupted the young scientist who name was Fletcher Tran.
"Yes Dr. Peters. The Adminsitrator reopened project Slipstream last year. As to date we have made no headway at all. Because of this the Administrator has diverted almost all funding into Slipstream, and still we have made no progress." Tran sounded as if he was defeated by the Slipstream project."But with you here now Dr. Peters I believe you can give us the support to finally deliver a brekthrough." Trans confidence in my ability to make the breakthrough was optimistic, but well placed.
"I'm sure your right. But Slipstream was closed down because of saftey concerns how have you gotten around this?" Slipstream delt with a dimensional construct similar to time travel yet quite different. When opened the 'Gateway' as it was named would create localised gravity and time distortions.
"We have been able to create saftey barriers that keep the disturbances to a smaller area then before." ansered Tran.
I had my reservations about such barriers but I felt it was better to see them in action. I asked for a demonstration. Tran was very happy adn wanted to give a demonstration right away. Annabell said it'd be better for the demostration to be tomorrow. I agreed and with that the meeting ended and the project leaders walked out. Annabell stayed behind.
"So you want to help Tran or stop him?" she knew what happened last time Slipstream was opened up we both did.
"Cut his funding, cut his team back to five. Tell him he has my full support but he does't need the resources." I replied.
"You want to stop him?" asked Annabell. "The Administrator isn't going to like that."
"Tran will continue but under my direct supervision, the Administrator's just going to have to take it. Now I've got to deal with the Super-Humans."

The New Job

Still in the roadhouse Koma gets more information dealing with the new job he's just agreed too, of which he knows nothing about.

"So I'll be working in which division of The Pegasus Agency. R&D?" asks Koma optimisticly.

"Spearhead." replies Falstaff.

"What. Thats just the Australian knock-off of the suicide squad. Murderers, criminals..." begins Koma.

"Evil geniuses." adds Falstaff.

"Oh!" stops Koma. "OK so what am I doing with these fellow scoundrals."

"Your the new Assistant Administrator." answers Falstaff.

"Well thats good sit back do the lab stuff and notify the next of kin when one of them dies." smiles Koma.

"No your going to be the on-field assistant administrator." corrects Falstaff. "There are two AA's. The other is comming to pick us up about.... now."
Instantly a man in a suit and tie appears beside Falstaff and Koma. "Koma this is Prescott. He's the other AA. He's taking us to Spearhead central."

--- Later at the end of the tour of Spearhead central---

"And here Koma is where you'll be doing most of your work." explains Falstaff. "But you've been here before haven't you?"

"Yeah I ran the labs here after Dr Wicker went nuts. Does the old crew still work here.?" inquires Koma.

"Go on in and find out." urges Falstaff.

Koma steps forward to enter into the lab, pauses.
"Falstaff..." he begins but Falsatff is gone. "Damn. Well lets just get this over."

Koma opens the door and enters.

"Austin!" shouts the woman in the lab. She rushes up to Koma and hugs him. "Its so good to see you again. We've all been following your exploits as 'Captain Koma'. So is it true about you making a synthiod copy of Lindsay Lohan? 'Cause Vincent thinks you did, I'm not sure. We all we're so excited when Prescott told us you were comming. Its so excting."

"Thats a lot to answer Anabell but, its good to see you too." Koma smiles, looks around the lab. "Its good to be back home."

"We're having a party tonight. You are the guest of honour and you need to be their and you can't go alone. Soooooo." Anabell rocks on her heels arms folded looking elsewhere, waiting for Koma's reply.

"Are you free tonight Anabell." asks Koma. "Cause if I had to choose anyone it'd have to be you."

"I'd be delighted too Austin. Or should I say AA , sir." salutes Anabell.

"Sir? Thats a bit too formal." corrects Koma. "So do I pick you up or are you gonna find me."

"Oh I'll find you." smiles Anabell suggestively. She turns and leaves the lab. Koma exhales.

"Not ready for that were you." Behind Koma is Prescott.

"You always 'port in without even a voip or a bamf. Its just not polite." complains Koma."And yeah I didn't expect that."

"So how are we going to do this. You going to hate my guts from the start or are we going to try and make a go of this." Prescott folded his arms waiting for the answer.

"I don't even know you. But I get the team, the labs, and the risk. You get the administration, paper work, and have to ring the next of kin. Sounds good to me." answers Koma.

"No you have to ring the next of kin. Apart from that your right." corrects Prescott

"Ok deal." Koma holds his hand out for Prescott to shake.

"I don't make deals. Consider this a verbal agreement." And with that Prescott dissapears.

"Arrogant bastard." mutters Koma.

Koma's new direction

Koma sits in the workshop, alone.

'THE MISTRESS HAS LEFT THE BUNGALOW.' announces VADAR.

"Did she take the gift with her?" asks Koma

'AFIRMITIVE' answers VADAR.

'Well thats all I can do for her right now' thinks Koma.'That could have gone better. But I did better than when I broke up with Kerrick.'

'WAS THIS A GOOD DECISION?' asks VADAR
"Pardon!" responds Koma."Who gave you a brain?"

'THE MISTRESS UPGRADED ME.' replies VADAR. 'WAS THIS A GOOD DECISION?'

"I'm not sure VADAR." questions Koma. "I hope she understands why I've done this."

'YOU KNOW SHE DOES NOT.' states VADAR.

--- A few days later at a dingy roadhouse somewhere in Australia ----

Koma walks into the roadhouse. He looks up and down the interior.

"You lookin for sumone." enquires the lady behind the counter.

"Yes. A man named Falstaff." answers Koma. "But I see there's noone here but you."

"You blind." accuses the lady.

"Excuse me." replies Koma.

"Did you not see the bloke in the last booth." the lady points to the man in the booth. Who wasn't there when Koma looked before. Koma doesn't bother to reply and walks to the booth.

"Take a seat Koma." orders Falstaff.

"You can take the major out of the army but you cant cure him of ordering people around." quips Koma as he sits opposite Falstaff.

"You were never good at jokes Koma." grimly replies Falstaff."And the fact that your here means your in and this.." Falstaff tosses a picture of Lin at some resort. "Proves you have pushed IT away."

Koma picks up the picture glances at it.
"Thats Lindsay Lohan not Lin. I know the difference." Koma passes the picture back. "Lin is in the Mojave desert. ANd if you call her IT again I'll find a way to kill you."

"You threaten me." Falstaff smiles and chuckles. "I had my doubts about you. But that puts you in the lead for this job."

"How many people did you ask?" enquires Koma.

"Just you." answers Falstaff.