The thump of dishes being placed on the table drew everybody's attention off their conversation and back to the present reality. 23 finished up the story of how he and Michael first met with a quick summary, "We got back to base, Andy recovered, and Michael decided to stay with the Unit."

Looking over to Michael, Azami remarked seriously, but with a grin to lighten it, "I'm glad you decided to remain with Haz Lib." Rhin added her affirmation.

Michael grinned back at them, "So am I. New friends are always a bonus."

The comment started a amiable discussion between the four HazLib officers of the people in their unit, not with spite or mischief, but with honest regard and goodwill. Rhin and Azami hadn't been in the unit long, and were happy to find such a well-knit group that still opened up to let others in. The food on their plates was eaten in quick bites between sentences.

Jacine’s baked potato received the main part of her concentration as she mixed the butter and sour cream into it, but she listened to the others and smiled at the affection that was already blooming between them. A thought made its way unhappily though her mind, and her smile became tempered with wariness. She put down her fork and looked seriously at the two women called the Twins. Tamlynn had been a good friend of hers for years, but she didn't know Rhin or Azami. Michael had been hurt before... Jacine saw nothing in their gazes but forthright goodness and decided to spend more time with them. She changed her look to 23, but she doubted if he was ever anything but bluntly honest, a liability at times, but it would make for a good friend for Michael. But Michael has already decided he’s a friend. Jacine tried to haul in her protective instincts -- they weren't children any more, or even teenagers.

As she ate her baked chicken, Tamlynn watched Jacine evaluating the others. She had been expecting it, knowing something of her friend’s background, and she waited for the results. Tam chuckled as she saw everybody pass the basic test. Jacine looked over, saw her friend’s amusement, and a blush spread across her face. Tamlynn took mercy and changed the subject, even if the other topic had been conversed in silence. "How long can you stay?"

Jacine was glad of the change, "For at least a week, maybe two -- want some company?" She grinned at her friend. While Michael had been recovering, Jacine had spent many of the nights at Tamlynn's. "I’m here on my own time, but I’m doing some consultations for Cecilia, and I’ll stay until that’s wrapped up." A frown crossed her face, "That reminds me..." She raised her voice slightly to break into the other group’s conversation, "Excuse me..." When she had her brother’s attention, she asked her question, "Why did you have to engage the Recs in a direct battle? Why didn't you just stay in the vans and trank the Recessives with the turret guns?"

Michael coughed as food went down the wrong way. "Jacine! That's classified."

Four surprised and puzzled gazes switched from Jacine to him.

Jacine blinked. "It is?" Her eyes grew unfocused as she reviewed her memories, "I guess it was. But it was suppose to be declassified and active by June of ‘66, what's keeping Command?" The last part of the sentence was said with a slight trace of bitterness. Jacine hated to see waste of any kind, and was not impressed with bureaucrats -- or the High Council.

"A turret gun? A powerful trank that would be operated from within the van?" Rhin’s eyes turned slightly hard at the thought of a prime weapon that would save human lives that wasn't being used, "I second Jacine’s question. And how come we haven't heard about it?"

Michael grimaced and spread his hands, "Classified. I was drafted to help with the experiments with the early models on ranging and targeting."

Rhin switched her gaze to 23, "And Command's been holding it?"

"This command doesn't know about it." 23 frowned, "But at a guess, I'd presume that to make a turret gun from scratch takes a lot of resources, and they don't want the troops to be constantly waiting for something that can't be built." He answered Rhin’s question, but his concern was elsewhere as he worried about security, I didn't think Michael would tell his sister about projects...

Azami nodded at 23’s evaluation and remarked, "That sounds reasonable. We have trouble finding spare parts for our tranks, let alone to build one new."

Tamlynn added her part, "And if they put the turret on one unit's van, and not the others... Well, there would be a lot of resentment, anger, and general decrease in satisfaction level in the field personnel. Which would make them less able and more open to getting hurt."

The hard look in Rhin's eyes had faded, and she sighed, "But it's such a good idea!" She agreed in theory with her friends, but she hated to let go of something that could help.

Jacine had been listening to them with sorrow, but more for the loss of resources and knowledge that had been destroyed or made inaccessible by the Cataclysms. I could make them. But I have access to resources that others don’t. Still, I’ll have to talk to Cecilia about this. Would Michael have been hurt if they’d installed the guns? Her thoughts turned bitter and she marked it as another point against the High Council.

The other people around the table were silent with their own thoughts, just as serious as Jacine’s. Food that had been growing cold was suddenly consumed without comment.

After a few minutes of the silence, attention turned to one person as the others watched 23 draw figures in the air with a bread stick. Rhin and Azami looked at him, then at each other with half grins. Tamlynn chuckled and shook her head. Jacine raised an eyebrow, and Michael asked, "What are you doing, 23?"

A flush raising up his collarbones, 23 ate the breadstick to gain time and control his embarrassment, then replied, "I was just thinking of some of the things I could do to improve our scanners and other equipment if they could be budgeted for, and the parts found. In particular, I need better scanners. The ones we have now relay too much on old technology that didn't have our problems."

Azami made a mountain of her mashed potatoes. "I assume that’s mainly the O-Storms. Can’t scan anything worth a darn when they’re around. Actually, they’re one of our biggest problems in general, as well. Everytime we get somewhere, one of them starts up and we have to run to shelter." She sliced off the top of her mountain and chewed it thoughtfully.

"Communications through O-Storms would be a big help." Rhin agreed, thinking about times in the past she’d had problems. Back at her home, the Clan had their worst difficulties when O-Storms ran though.

"I have communication through O-Storms, I just can't get the range." 23 was a bit possessive about his electronics domain, and sensitive to a lack in them. He had managed to get a signal that would punch though the electrical interference, but it didn't carry through the usual coverage an O-Storm blocked out.

Azami looked with surprise at him, then recognized his intensity, "Simmer down, 23, that wasn't a crack about you."

23 had the grace to look ashamed, he hadn't thought before he spoke. "Sorry, Azami, Rhin. Didn't mean that how it sounded."

Rhin and Azami looked at each other in perfect accord, not accusatory, but amused, "We know, just thought you should know."

Tamlynn spoke with a sardonic smile twitching the corners of her mouth, "Trying to cure 23 of bluntness? Ha! Sorry, folks. It won't work."

Jacine coughed, trying not to laugh -- in even the short amount of time she’d been acquainted with the officer, 23’s directness had made an impression on her. Before she got off on a Tangent, Jacine tried to recall an idea that 23's earlier comment had given her... "Have you tried short-range carrier stations?"

23 looked grateful for the immediate diversion from Tam's statement. "Any permanent stations we try to stick up the Recs destroy -- unusual since they normally hide in O-Storms, but we can’t get around it."

Michael spoke up, "The electronics create a buzzing sound that can be very annoying to Recessive hearing. Wes mentioned that O-Storms pick up and amplify the feedback, which really drives them into a rage. That’s also why it’s not good for us to be out in the vans during a Storm."

"Wes?" Four people were puzzled.

Jacine looked at Michael and he looked at her. Jacine's face was stiller than any of the friends had ever seen it -- completely unreadable, but for a slight trace of pain. Michael’s face reflected the same pain, but more openly. He spoke softly, eyes lowered to his plate, "A friend of ours -- dead now."

The pain Michael showed reminded Tamlynn and Rhin too vividly of another's, and they both involuntarily looked to Azami. Azami felt their sympathy, and glanced up at them with a slight shrug -- Ten years. It doesn't hurt as much.

Tamlynn reached a hand to Azami's arm and squeezed slightly -- We understand, but we still care.

23 waited a few moments for the feelings around the table to work themselves out, then tactfully rerouted the conversation back to the original subject, "So the Recs track down our stationary buzzing mosquitoes and kill them. I don’t blame them. I hate mosquitoes -- I can never kill one when they're at their most annoying. Come back with bites all over me. Good thing they found a cure for malaria."

Rhin laughed openly at the rambling, and Tam and Azami grinned. Michael shook his head with amazement -- for a moment there, 23 had sounded just like Jacine on a series of Tangents!

Jacine's eyes widened and she spoke excitedly, "That's it!"

"What's what?" 23 looked with puzzlement at her. He had been facetious.

"Mosquitoes. We need to make the relay stations mobile to evade the Recs." Jacine's excitement was undeterred.

Michael looked at his sister with mixture of apprehension and resignation. There goes the rest of the conversation. Jas has an idea.

23 was curious, "Mobile stations? A tower can't just get up and walk!"

"Your electronics don't have to be large, quite the contrary -- can't you fit most of the data relays you need in just a couple of silicon chips?" Jacine picked up a bread crumb as an example of size.

Her excitement was catching and 23 tried the idea out in his head, "Yes, but the communications need a line of sight to beam to the next relay. Satellites are a no-go in O-Storms."

"So get lots of little ones, all scampering around, able to get out of the way of Recs but also able to keep in contact with each other..."

"Humm." 23 propped his chin in his hand and stared at his glass of water. "It sounds possible..." His face fell, "but it would need a lot of mechanical expertise. Not my forte."

Jacine laughed in a delighted amusement, "I guess Michael never told you what I do," she flicked her brother a glance. He shrugged in reply; a ‘never got to it’ type of gesture. Turning back to 23, Jacine continued, "I'm a Mechanical Engineer. Designing new stuff is my forte. I’ve worked with Cecilia Mede before -- the Gun Turret was one of mine; but Autobots and Servo units are really my specialty. I can design the RCF some mobile units if you’ll do the electronic communications."

"Really?" 23 leaned forward in eager anticipation, and not a little relief, so that’s how she know about the Turrets. "So mobile communication units are plausible?"

"If you really do have the punch on the communication. On the mechanical end, all you'd need are..."

The other four traded amused glances as the enthusiasm and technical expertise of the two got more detailed and focused.

Tam shook her head, "I can't eat dinner like this."

Azami grinned, "Well, we were mostly done anyhow."

Tamlynn pushed back her chair, "Come-on, people. Let's go get dessert!"

"Dessert!" Azami and Rhin pushed back their chairs as one, in action that had partly earned them their nickname as the Twins. Michael also rose, chuckling over the whole affair.

"But look, what if I attached the circuits...," 23 reached for another napkin, but there weren't any more on the table. He looked around and noticed with surprise that Michael and the others were gone. He vaguely remembered them leaving...

Jacine laughed, "I think we drove them off." She started gathering up napkins full of sketches and a couple that were folded in some origami-type shapes, "As long as we’ve run out of design material, I’d like to show you some autobots I've got that can be adapted."

23 agreed and accepted the pile of napkins from her as she rose a bit awkwardly from the chair. He watched, not knowing if he should offer help or not, as she flexed her left leg back and forth, then settled weight on it. After the first time, he hadn't asked again what had happened to cause such an injury, but he still wondered, an Engineer -- maybe she caught it in one of her machines. He shuddered to think of it.

After working the kinks out of her leg and making sure the weight-balancing servos that supported her leg worked okay, Jacine started heading to her brother’s room, with only one glance to see if her new partner was with her.

A few hours later, Michael walked back to his room. They had very nearly decided to stay the night in the Chocolate Shope, talking, but HazLib had a big meeting in the morning and none of the RCF people thought it would be wise to miss it. Tam had laughed at them, but admitted that she had work to do in the morning as well.

Michael opened his door. It took a moment for the scene to register in his mind. "What the..." He couldn't find any words to express himself as his gaze traveled over piles of metal, loose wires, blinking lights, scattered tools, sketches distributed everywhere, and 23 and Jacine calmly sitting in the middle of all the mess. Or not so calm at that.

"Look out, Michael!"

Following their gaze, he looked down and jumped out of the way as a giant metal spider walked out the door.

"Catch it! We don't have the directional stabilizers installed yet!"

I should have known. I should have known. Michael groaned silently as he took a few quick strides down the hall and picked up the contraption. He re-entered his room shaking his head, "Answer me one question, Jacine. Why my room??"

Jacine's puzzled look was quickly turning to dismay as she noticed the time. "Sorry. Since I'm bunking with you while visiting, all my tools and notes were here, and we just came over to look at something, but while we were here I wanted to try an idea out, and then--"

Michael held up his hand, interrupting the monologue, "Snowball. Never mind. I should have known," He surveyed the room, "I don't think I'll be sleeping here tonight. 23, what's your door code?"

23 blinked in surprise, then caught his drift, "Oh sure! You can use my room. I am sorry 'bout this, we never noticed the time... The code is 5791."

"Right." Putting down the 'spider' that he vaguely recognized as formerly being the luggage carrier Jacine had brought with her, Michael rubbed a weary hand over his face. Then he picked a way through the clutter and pulled out some pajamas and a fresh uniform for the next day. "5791. I'll see you two tomorrow."

Jacine and 23 looked at each other, 23 looking worried and Jacine amused. As Michael walked out, his sharp hearing caught Jacine whispering, "Don't worry, he's used to it." Shaking his head again, Michael laughed silently, Well, she's right. This definitely isn't the first time. I hope she doesn't corrupt 23, but I think it's a bit too late!

As the door closed behind Michael, 23 looked again at Jacine, "Are you sure it’s okay? I’d hate to..." lose his friendship, was what 23 was thinking, but he hauled that thought up short, considering it was Michael’s sister he was talking to. But then... Jacine was looking at him with a nearly completely expressionless face, with piercing eyes. It wasn't at all like earlier at dinner, and 23 found himself slightly afraid of the thoughts behind it. He tried to explain his sentence, "We’ve been friends for a few years now, and he sometimes hurts easily. I don’t want to cause him more pain." Jacine’s face opened up again with friendliness glinting behind, and 23 internally sighed in relief that he’d said the right thing.

"No, I’m sure it’s fine. Remember, you’re with me. He knows my habits well, and knows that you probably didn't have anything to do with it. If he was going to say anything, he’d’ve said it to me then." Jacine spoke more enthusiastically than she’d meant to, but she was so relieved... For a moment there, she’d thought 23 was afraid of Michael’s temper, of the half-Recessive genes. So many people came up to her looking for her to "protect" them from her brother... It’s me they should be afraid of. Michael lets too much go by. But 23 had surprised her with his understanding of Michael’s character. That’s good, we’ve been working well together with the Mosquitoes and I hate to abandon a project in the middle.

"Directional stabilizers..." 23 started hunting through the circuits. "You were talking earlier about a different type of Mosquito that could burrow?"

Jacine looked around the room, "Well, it would be easier to show you..." She pulled one set of sketches over, and looked at them. "The problem is," she admitted cheerfully, "I’m not quite sure how I can get the scales flexible enough to burrow, while still being made of a solar collector material."

23 leaned over to look at the sketch. "You don’t actually need solar power -- we’re in the middle of one of the biggest concentration of O-Storms. We can get it from them."

"Like you do for the Energy Shields?" Jacine was curious, "That’s not something I’ve ever encountered. I thought a field needed to be large to convert the energy?"

Sitting back against the coffee table, 23 looked up at the ceiling while thinking it over. "Ouch." He leaned forward again and looked behind him at the carving of a flower that had poked him in the back. The tulip slowly rotated to an angle, then stopped. 23 prodded it with a finger and it didn't move again. Shrugging, he settled down again.

Jacine’s attention had focused on her belt pack, where a turquoise light was blinking. When she saw the tulip that had distracted 23, she frowned. Then she got up, "Listen, I’ll let you work that out. I want to get some more supplies and see what’s available in resources to build with before we come up with an improbable design. I’ll be back in an hour or so."

23 started to get up also, but she waved him back down, and left with a rustle of designs. 23 didn't mind being left behind. He worked regularly with the Energy Converters, and had been involved when they were first designed, but Jacine was right in that getting a converter down to a small size was going to be hard. He pulled another sheet of recyclable flimsy towards him and started thinking about ratios.

Jacine’s thoughts were dark as she contemplated the ICS and their surveillance that had triggered the alert in Michael’s room. She knew that they didn't completely trust her -- and they had reason not to. Jacine may have lived half of her life in Island City, but she wasn't born there, and currently lived in a frontier town that was somewhat out of the reach of the High Council. They’d tried to get her to take citizenship, but she’d refused, citing need to have open relationships with other scientists. True enough, as far as it went, but more to the point, she didn't trust or like the High Council. Michael did, but he agreed with them on most points, including his black implant, and he tried hard to be a part of a group. Jacine didn't agree with the Council, and was content in being a loner. And she got in too much trouble. When she was young, the Soft Safe had caught her many times in restricted access codes, hacking her way though them. That was before she learned how to circumvent them. But there had been more recent incidents... .

This time, though, she was actually helping them. Jacine snorted with amused disdain at the thought of the ICS monitoring her while she was working on a project that directly helped the RCF. But then, she often was. That’s why they hadn't banned her yet, and continued to watch her with puzzled wariness. The good she did seemed to outweigh the problems she created, but the agents of the ICS were waiting for that balance to turn.

The money probably helped keep the scales in her favor. Jonathan had once told Jacine that the High Council took a percentage of all projects patented in the US. He’d told her how much in terms of her own patents that it amounted to, but she hadn't paid attention to the figures that had been presented to her in terms of ratios and subvariants. Accounting was something she left to him -- it didn't move or require circuits fixed.

Finally getting to the 7th floor in the North Pyramid, Jacine paused outside one door. The door was closed, but Jacine knew well that it was open -- Cal normally kept shop from midnight to noon, Thursday through Monday. After ringing the bell hooked outside, the door slid open, and a pair of bright eyes in a foxy face greeted her.

"Jacine! It’s been a long time. Wait until you see what I’ve saved for you!" The short proprietor of the ‘This, That, and Scraps Boutique’ moved back into the store and Jacine followed him in, but had to force herself to stop his enthusiastic listing of things he’d found.

"Whoa, Cal. I’m sorry, I’ll look over everything tomorrow night, but I came for a special project listing."

Calvin’s face reflected disappointment that she wouldn't see his stuff then, but he perked up at the thought of a large order from her. He took down the details of the project, suggested various materials, and they settled on a few for the experimentation that night and more later if the first models worked out. He would consign any truly large orders to another retailer he knew, but the percentage was always good.

"I’ll also need stuff for electronics..." Jacine was hesitant about getting things for 23 when she didn't know what he needed.

Cal saw her problem, "If you’re working with somebody, give me their number and I’ll talk with them direct. Your stuff will have to come out of the general warehouse anyhow -- I’ll send somebody with the whole package in an hour."

Jacine cheerfully agreed, and headed back to the room. This time she took a Gate, being eager to get back to plans.

She walked back in Michael’s room, hearing Cal’s voice on the com. 23 was at Michael’s desk, facing the comunit, and didn't hear her come in. Listening to them, she sank down on the couch and started loosening the ties on her boot, disconnecting the servos.

23 interrupted Cal with a comment, "But those are expensive."

In the screen, the shop owner waved his hand expansively, "You’re working with Jacine, correct?" He waited for 23’s puzzled nod, "Then don’t worry about it."

"Are you saying you give the stuff to her?" 23 was astonished.

The man broke up into laughter, "Oh no. No, I’d be ruined inside of a few hours if I did that! She pays for everything, it’s just that she cares more about the projects than the money."

On the couch, Jacine paused in working the boot off her leg. Well, that’s one way to put it. Actually, I guess it’s true. The thought that she was eavesdropping never crossed her mind.

"But how do I know you’re not cheating her?" Putting aside for a moment, the question of how Jacine could afford all that in the first place, 23 worried about entrepreneurs taking advantage of a single-minded scientist -- he’d seen it happen before.

Cal was looking horrified and amused at the same time, "Me? Cross Jacine? Never! If I did, her brother would skin me alive!!"

23 frowned at this reference to Michael. He’d grown sensitive to remarks about his friend’s Recessive background, and it wasn't a laughing matter.

But Calvin was still laughing, "Oh, I’d love to hear that get back to Jonathan! On second thought, no I wouldn't. Just the suggestion, and he’d be reviewing my books for the last six years!"

"Jonathan?" 23 couldn't help it, the puzzlement slipped out. There was a chuckle from behind him, and he turned to see Jacine sitting on the couch.

"I have more than one brother." She raised her voice to carry to the comunit, "You about finished with him, Cal? I want to get back to the Mosquitoes."

"If the gentleman will agree... Actually, he doesn't have to -- it’s your money." Cal grinned, "I’ll put the stuff together and shot them over. See you tomorrow night!"

Jacine tossed her boots to one side and pulled over some more design flimsies. "If we can get the energy from the O-Storms, that will reduce the need for the extensive back-up batteries, and I was thinking--"

23’s thoughts were pulled from asking her any of the questions that had been building up in his mind, "No -- I'll need the room for the extra circuits on the Conversion." He walked over and sat next to her, producing his own set of plans, "But I was wondering..."

Michael woke up to a door chime, the swish of the door opening, and Tom Valdoon's voice raising in a cheerful morning greeting, "Wake up, 23! We've got that meeting... Lieutenant?"

"Good morning to you too, Colonel." Michael responded in a light voice to Tom's tone of confusion. "23's in my room so I appropriated his for the night." Turning on the light, Michael walked to the 'fresher and splashed water on his face. There was no response from Tom's position and Michael turned to look at him. Tom was staring in amazement at him. Well, not quite at him.

"Where did you ever find such a horrid combination of colors!" Tom instantly covered his mouth with his hand, but when Michael started laughing, he relaxed.

Michael winked at the Colonel, trusting Tom enough to reveal some of his personal life, "I'll tell you a secret. The pajamas are a gift from Mom. She's blind, so she doesn't know about the colors -- she picked them on the basis of feel, they really are quite comfortable, but we've never told her how ugly they are!"

"Ah," The corners of Tom's mouth were pulling up in a grin, "I understand."

Also grinning, Michael turned back to the 'fresher, "Give me a minute here and I'll go down to my room with you."

Tom started playing with a hand game that was laying on a desk. Michael came back in his fresh uniform and waited until Tom had lost the round, then they started down the hall.

"I swear, 23 makes that game harder every time I encounter it."

"Geniuses. They always need something to keep their minds occupied." Michael laughed as the statement brought a mental image of the metal spider wandering down corridors. "I hope they finished the roughs of the project."

Valdoon looked at him with amused tolerance. It was six o’clock in the morning, and he didn't expect coherency out of anybody for at least a few hours, but Mendi had seemed to be awake... "What is 23 doing in your room anyhow? A project?"

"Oh, he and my sister came up with this idea in the middle of dinner last night..." Michael paused, then decided 23 would want to tell Tom the details, "They made a mess of my place while experimenting."

Chuckling, Valdoon thought of the last time 23 had gotten involved with an all night planning session with a female scientist, "I doubt they got much done." Then he blinked -- he wasn't quite awake this morning either. He looked at the tall Lieutenant next to him with apprehension; he knew that Mendi and 23 were good friends, but brothers tended to be awfully protective...

Michael turned his head to look at the Commander, puzzled, "Knowing my sister and 23, I’d think they’d have a whole line of the things already built. Why wouldn't-- Oh." Michael read the clues off Tom’s face and had to laugh. "It’s an interesting idea, but I doubt it. Jacine has a one-track mind when she’s designing things, even if 23 doesn't."

Valdoon felt himself blushing in spite of himself. I do not, he told himself firmly, apologize for things 23 has done. He firmly changed the subject, "What, precisely, are they working on?"

They’d reached the door to Michael’s quarters, and Michael paused, "I think I better let 23 explain that." Preparing himself internally for the electronic noise that he knew would greet him, Michael activated his door code. It slid open to reveal a busier, but much less disorganized than the night before’s, scene in the room.

The pile of flimsies and model designs were all stacked carefully on the coffee table, there were boxes stacked in corners with metal pieces and wirings sticking out of them, the computer was lit up with programs scrolled across its screen, little metal creatures scurried everywhere around the room, and the two humans were apparently still hard at work. Jacine noticed them first.

"Hi Colonel!" Jacine waved from her seat on the couch, left leg carefully stretched out on a chair in front of her. She greeted the Colonel audibly, but her brilliant smile was for her brother. A beep returned her attention downwards, and she jotted some notes on a pad, while adjusting a dial on the console on her lap.

Her voice made 23 look up in surprise from where he was sprawled on the carpet, a electronic tool in one hand and a metal critter in another, "Tom! Oh no, the meeting! Sorry, I completely forgot!" A sunny grin flashed its way across his face, full of enthusiasm and cheer, "But wait 'til you see what we've come up with!" He put down the round metal sphere that had legs sticking out at all angles from it -- rather like a sea urchin -- and bouncing up and over to the door, grabbed the fresh uniform that Michael had brought and was holding out to him. The urchin wandered under a chair. 23 went into the 'fresher to change.

Michael grinned as he stepped further into the room. He carefully ducked to avoid a 'spider' on the ceiling. A different sea urchin beeped as he came close to it, and then it trundled off rapidly. All the other spiders and urchins in the room seemed to come to attention at the beep, and then they all crowded to the opposite side of the room, the spiders on the ceiling, the urchins all hiding under something, and a few metal 'worms' trying to burrow under the carpet.

"Huh. It worked." Jacine adjusted a few controls on her console and the metal activity resumed.

"What worked?" Tom was watching the menagerie with amazement and amusement. It seemed that Michael was right. And the various critters in the room showed a sense of humor that Tom recognized, but that 23 normally kept out of his ‘serious’ designs. He looked at Michael’s sister with speculation alight in his eyes.

"Why the non-registered proximity alarm/reaction feature we've been attempting to program into the Mosquitoes."

23 yelled from the 'fresher, "I still think a general program of differentiating Recs from Humans would have been a better idea."

"Sure," agreed Jacine, "a better concept. The only problem is the specific parameters vary too much to efficiently code in the short amount of time we have. I mean had."

Michael had warily backed out of the room, and Jacine grinned at him, "Don't worry, Michael, you're registered now. I knew you’d be coming, so I didn't program your bio-scan in earlier. We wanted a wider variety of test subjects than just us. Which reminds me, could you step towards that worm on your left, Colonel?"

"It’s Tom," he replied as he obliged her, "You’re not RCF." The worm emitted a low toned buzz and frantically tried to dig into the floor. There was a sudden smell of smoking carpet as the friction increased.

"Uh oh!" Jacine’s console wasn't having any effect, and she swung her leg off the chair to get the worm, but Michael stepped over and picked it up. The metal scales slipped though his hands and he had to carefully grip it so as not to drop it. Tom stomped on the smoking carpet.

Jacine sounded contrite as she apologized, "Sorry Michael, I’ll get you a new rug."

"Or a potted fern over the spot. What do I do with this?"

23 came back in. "Here." Michael held out the worm, and 23 used an electronic tool to open a panel in the middle. He disconnected a circuit and the worm stopped wriggling. 23 started to toss it to the couch, then stopped as a tremor in his arms reminded him of the dystaxia. I must be getting tired, to forget. He handed it to Jacine, who put it on the ground by her.

"Well, one that works, one that doesn't. Console response problem. I’ll figure out what was different." Jacine jotted another note down, then paused, and looked up at 23 with a rather strange look on her face that was a combination of surprise, embarrassment, amusement, and confusion. "I can’t. That’s a communication-transmission problem."

23 grinned and put a hand on her shoulder, "Don’t worry about it. I’ll find the problem later, after I get off work. The Mosquitoes are good enough to extend the briefing this morning by at least an hour."

"Pardon me, but," Tom thought this was a good time to satisfy his curiosity, "what exactly are these?"

"Mosquitoes." 23 beamed at his Commander as he answered without an answer.

Tom made a mock frown at 23, while Michael laughed, "I see spiders, worms, and sea urchins, but no mosquitoes."

"The name came from something we were discussing at dinner." Jacine provided the real explanation, "Basically, they are short range communication devices that work in relay to extend communication reach. The mobile units allow possibility of communication during O-Storms."

Tom thought about it and the gleam in his eyes sparked to sudden light. "Mobile Communication Units... Well, 23, you've done it again. Our thanks, Miss Mendi.

Jacine raised an eyebrow at the order of praise, but let it pass with a half-smile on her face.

"I can just see the General now... ." It wasn't often that Tom could surprise General Mede with anything, let alone something that would be as valued as this. "All right. If you have the appropriate documentation and presentation format, let's take them down to the meeting." Tom noticed the dismay in 23’s eyes, and the sides of the Colonel’s mouth quirked up, "Never mind, we’ll fake it."

23 took the console Jacine handed to him and the Mosquitoes lined up by the door. "We're ready to go!" 23 headed out the corridor, Mosquitoes following. Tom left also, full of eager plans, working out a stunning presentation -- though having working models present would almost be all they'd need.

Michael waited 'til they'd left, then closed the door. "How are you doing, Sib?"

Jacine smiled up at him. "Just fine. 23 is fun to work with. I’d like to try out some other ideas on him -- later."

Her brother laughed at her enthusiasm, knowing perfectly well what she'd meant, and regarded her fondly, "I thought so." Michael rested his hand on her leg, which she’d stretched carefully back out. She had taken off the boots, but the left leg was still covered with the support padding, "It looks like you've been overdoing it, but I won't say anything."

"You just did!" Jacine grinned at her brother, who smiled back at her, "I can rest now -- we cleared off the bed. You'd better get to your meeting."

"Right. Happy dreams." Michael went out. The other two were not in sight anymore, and Michael paused for a moment before catching up to them. He leaned against the corridor wall and strained his hearing to listen to the sounds of little metallic scrapes, electronic whistles and beeps, and 23 and Tom eagerly anticipating the looks on their friends' faces.