RP 2008 Chapter I

[OOC: Okay guys, I might not be able to make long posts right now but now that we're starting over, I'll try to keep up]

Atlas dusted off his boots and stepped inside his quarters on New Pandora. He had transferred to the colony a few months ago and was still learning the ropes as a member of New Pandora's elite security team.

He took the lift to level B4, scanned his hand next to the door, and entered the room.

Long day, he thought to himself. Even though he was on active duty, he attended training sessions every evening after his shift. "They're stricter than ever," he mutterd as he dropped his equipment bag and dropped down on the bed.

His girlfriend, Kara, was in the shower. Kara was a human cyborg living with him on New Pandora. She worked in the colony's intelligence agency. Despite her looks, she was quite adept at stealth and combat and had taught him a few new moves while out on dates.

Kara stepped out of the shower, wearing a robe and toweling off her metal limbs.

"Another rough day," she asked him.

Shell waved goodbye to Astas as she boarded a transport tube on her way home. As a student at the colony's exclusive university, she had to hurry back to her quarters to study every night.

"I'll let you know," she shouted to Astas, "when I have a free night. We'll have to grab dinner!"

On the transport, Shell looked over her built-in computer displays. She was required to access the university's network but was burdened by the requirement to install custom security software in her body. As a cyborg, Shell was used to giving up some level of privacy during routine diagnostics, but the encrypted security software felt like a major intrusion. After all, Shell knew the university could instantly see through her eyes and hear through her ears without her ever knowing. It gave her the creeps but she complied in order to keep her coveted scholarship.

As Shell arrived home, she continued the studying that she had started on the transport tube earlier.

"Access scholarly articles volume section A6, perform a search for the terms 'advanced biomechanical nanotechnology'," she uttered. The displays in her vision listed hundreds of article links. She scrolled through them until she found the one her professior had menntioned in the lecture earlier that day.

"Of course they want me to read a thousand pages tonight," she groaned. Of course, with Shell's augmented brain, she could scan text more rapidly than a non-augmented brain, but absorbing the information was still largely a human endeavor for her.

Jenna knocked on the door of Atlas' apartment. There was no answer.

She knocked again. This time, the door slid part of the way open along its tracks and a young military man peered through the crack.

"Excuse me, sir, " said Jenna, "but we have a situation. Please come with me to headquarters."

Atlas sighed. He and Kara were about to settle in for the night and watch an old film on their display screen. Being a disciplined soldier, however, he noticed the insignia on the woman's uniform and quickly pressed the button to open the door completely.

"Yes, ma'am," replied Atlas. "Please give me just a moment to gather my gear..."

"You won't need it," replied the woman. "This will only be for a moment but we need our team to meet in person."

Atlas nodded and gave a quick look back at Kara. She gave him a "go on" gesture and he followed the woman down the hall to the lift.

Shell finished scanning the text from the academic journal and closed the display window in her vision. She stood up for her desk and looked out the window of her living quarters.

New Pandora's days were much shorter than the days on the surface of Kaperth due to the speed at which the colony orbited the planet. It was a common probably for the residents of New Pandora to have disrupted, poorly-adjusted circadian rhythms. Shell, like most of the cyborgs, had an advantage that they could adapt to the conditions on the colony more readily but most of the humans often took drugs to regulate their melatonin and cortisol levels to adjust.

Staring out the window, she watched the sun set over Kaperth's horizon. She saw a faint speck of light racing across the darkened side of the planet, growing brighter and larger as it seemed to gain altitude.

Continuing to watch it, Shell saw the dot approach New Pandora.

"The transport shuttles aren't scheduled for tonight," she said to herself. "Something's... odd about this."