Two weeks seemed to rush past. The Navy gave me a departure date. The Marines threw a party. Givens sprained his hip, but I fixed that. Ashley packed up everything the Secret Service had sent her. And I packed up all my clothes and the rest of my books.

  “Ashley, look. Forget Dancer costume have tools for Minor Working attached!”. I showed Ashley the coin shaped tools on the palms of the hand ornamentations.

  “Why do you have a dancer costume, why does it have magic uh, coins? And where is the rest of it?”

  “Combat instructor lover was professional dancer. Got older, start teaching. Learn at night after combat training. Gave me show outfit. Never wear, show dancing for humans have bad end.”

  “And why the tools?

  “Manipulate dance area for better show. Light, sound, feeling.”

  “You can manipulate feelings with magic?” That gave me pause.

  I pulled Ashley over to the bed and sat her down, then sat beside her.

  “I’m going to drop the cutesy act here because you need to know and your bosses need to know. Can I use magic to directly change what you think or remember or hear or see? No. No Aether Worker I have ever heard or read about could.”

  I got comfortable.

  “The brain is a complex and individual thing. Which means if I want you to feel a touch, I have to touch you. If I want you to see a light, I have to show you a light.” I made a light shine in my hand with a quick Working.

  “In my world I am your equivalent to a field trauma surgeon, and I'm very good at it. But the intricacies and delicacy and precision and scope required to completely alter perceptions or write memories to order is beyond the abilities of any mage I've ever read about in the boldest of hero's tales.”

  I paused and flicked her in the forehead.

  “What I can do is the same thing that any performer in this world can do to make you think or believe a specific thing. Influence your body chemistry and use psychology.”

  I leaned back on my elbows.

  “Magic is good for direct action. Something you can visualize. I can visualize runaway cellular mitosis coupled with targeted tissue destruction to steer the body's repair. On the other side of that coin, I can visualize a targeted rupture of very specific arteries in delicate places.”

  “So you're saying my mind is safe from you but my brain definitely is not.”

  “Correct.”

  “So how do you all stop people from just wandering around magically assassinating whoever seems important?” Ashley asked.

  “Everything that generates mana has some measure of protection against outside magical influences. Even with healing, over half the effort is just to overcome the body's natural barrier to opposing aether.”

  “Which we here on Earth don't have.”

  “Yes.” I nodded. “Defenseless. A castle with no wall.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah. Luckily for you, I am pretty awesome coupled with the fact that I don’t have access to any real power.”

  The Marines carried the boxes downstairs for us.

  We sat on the boxes for a few minutes until Tempo sent a bus with some drones to pick them up.

  “Are you ready to go to the MEPS?” asked Ashley.

  “Yes, want to get started.”

  “Do you have your armor handy?”

  “Yes, I go put it and my human disguise on now.”

  Givens had traded duty with someone to get to drive us to Raleigh in the Suburban.

  “You make Sergeant while I train, find several someones approve with share you with others.”

  “Don’t make Givens wreck the car.” demanded Ashley.

  “What? I no worry about jealous lovers if already sharing when return.”

  “I’ll work on that.” muttered a tight lipped Givens.

  MEPS was straightforward. With a signed contract already done the officers swore me in and got started on the medical check and travel arrangements. Some of them seemed disgruntled that they wouldn’t get credit for signing me up, but I was unbothered.

  The doctor was confused by me at first, but after I walked him through what the expected vital signs were for someone of my race and level of modification he signed the paper.

  Ashley insisted that MEPS book the whole last row of the airplane and bill the other four seats to the Secret Service.

  Then I got to see a real airport for the first time. I was expecting it to be bigger.

  “Don't let this one fool you. We are going from here to the largest airport in the United States.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Going to try to rest on the plane. Givens told me this is going to be my last chance to sleep for a day or two.”

  “Good plan.”

  Ashley gave the airplane people her suitcase and we got thick paper slips to get on the plane with.

  Then Ashley made a phone call and someone came to collect us. We were escorted around the line of people waiting to take their shoes off. Ashley talked for a few minutes to a very serious looking man who was wearing clothes that looked terribly uncomfortable while I pretended not to notice. A woman in a uniform waved a squeaky wand over me while Ashley listened very closely to the man.

  When the man finally stopped talking we were released back into the airport. Only a handful of planes were currently docked. Ashley put me with our backs to a corner where we could still see the place where our plane would dock.

  “Try and keep your interactions on the plane to a minimum. You no doubt heard that the security director told me there should be two Federal Marshals on the plane. They won't identify themselves to us and try not to pick out who they are. You'll look suspicious if you do.”

  “Will stick to nap plan.”

  “Our boarding passes say we’re waiting till somewhere in the middle to get on the plane, but I'm going to take us on first. Once they staff the counter, we'll hang out in the jet way until they're ready to start boarding.”

  As predicted, the airplane people arrived at the counter after a few minutes, and Ashley steered me over to them. She showed one of them her badge and asked to go through the door, and the airplane person opened it for her. There was a slight ramp down on the other side, and we waited inside the door for several minutes while the airplane people got themselves ready. After they had beeped our paper cards, we walked down and got on the plane.

  Ashley introduced herself to the crew of the airplane, and told them we would be staying in the back for the flight. I just studied a text on my telephone through my sunglasses and tried to remain inconspicuous. I went to sleep as the plane started to move and Ashley woke me as we came down to land.

  We waited for all the rest of the passengers to get off before the pilot came back to meet us.

  “Sorry to intrude on you like this, but I could not resist seeing for myself who rated getting my plane escorted by two Navy F-15s.”

  “The Pentagon has been remarkably hands-on for being so hands-off.” muttered Ashley.

  “Well, I am not going to pry further, but it was nice seeing my boys again after being retired this long.” The pilot went back to the front of the plane, and Ashley led me out to the waiting area.

  “Ok, we have until 10:30 to get to Terminal 2 so we should eat something.” I recommended.

  “Let me get one of the others over here and we can take a break.”. Ashley agreed and pulled out her phone.

  “Cheeseburger?”

  “Only because it is the last one you are going to get for months.”

  In another few minutes another woman came jogging up, looking far too serious for cheese burgers.

  “Kos-Api, this is Special Agent Bianca Winters.”

  “Good evening, Ma’am.” deadpanned Bianca.

  “Fix face Bianca, you look like someone shoved a sour pickle somewhere distasteful.” I greeted her. “Just breathe. No one has tried anything yet, so you likely have time for food before things go cross-directional.”

  “We have some hours, so we are going to take turns eating. Go get something while I stay in line with Kos, then I’ll go watch the car so Tracy can come eat.” instructed Ashley.

  “Yes Ma’am.”. Bianca turned right around and headed for a line next to a place to get burritos.

  “Cheese burgers that way.” Ashley pointed. I ordered my favorite. Double with extra cheese, bacon, mushrooms, grilled onions and barbecue sauce. Heaven you eat with your hands. Or in this case a fork Ashley handed me, because she has no joy in her life.

  Bianca sat with me while Ashley stood by the table.

  “Do you have any questions? Once we go over and hand you over to the Navy all we can do is stand and watch.”

  “Just want to say again that these last few months have been great mostly thanks to you, and I hope that you can use your new days off to go meet a partner and catch up on everything you’ve been missing while looking over me.”

  Bianca choked on her burrito.

  “You’ll get used to that should you stick around a while, Winters.” chided Ashley.

  Sensing a weakness, I kept going.

  “You should go with her sometime maybe. Close time builds team and friendships.”

  Her skin was too dark to really see her blush, but she made the expected expression.

  “Blood in the water now Winters.” Ashley warned her, still examining the room rather than us.

  “I am not predisposed to sharing, Ms. Wammat.”

  “wem Wammat, and just Kos-Api is fine. Wammat is my mother’s name, and the wem is like how you would say Richardson.”

  “Is this one the life of all the parties, Ma’am?”

  “If the party doesn’t involve cataclysmic destruction she is actually pretty tame. Well, when she isn’t breaking Marines in CQC or her bed.”

  “I’m on my best behavior because humans outnumber me pretty good.” I confirmed. “And that was one time.” Ashley just looked at me. “Alright, fine. Twice.”

  “Ok, game face. I am going to go get Tracy now.”

  Bianca tossed her trash and then stood at my shoulder with her back to the wall. Ashley moved away briskly, and after another several minutes another woman joined us.

  “Special Agent Tracy Smith.” she said as she shook my hand.

  “Kos-Api. I am glad you are helping.”

  “Get something to eat and when you are done we will head for Terminal 2.” Bianca reiterated.

  Tracy came back to the table shortly with a sandwich and a banana. She ate quickly and we moved along. We were close, because it was just five minutes or so before we reached the suitcase machines. There was a group of people waiting with a man in a tan uniform.

  “Petty officer.” I greeted him.

  “So you’re the one. Do you have any luggage?”

  “Petty Officer, I do not, Petty Officer.”

  “Get in with the others, recruit. We will get started in another thirty minutes.”

  I saw that the petty officer had the others standing in formation, so I got at the end of one of the lines. Bianca and Tracy stood apart where they could still see everything. Another petty officer got in my face.

  “First space alien in the Navy. What do you have to say?” he demanded. Everyone standing with us looked at me. “Eyes forward, recruits!” snapped the petty officer.

  “Petty Officer, I request permission to speak freely, Petty Officer.”

  “Granted.”

  “The Navy saved me from certain death and life debts must be repaid.”

  “Lose the sunglasses.”

  I took them off and he looked me closely in the eyes.

  “I look forward to seeing what becomes of you, recruit. Don’t screw this up.”

  “Aye aye, Petty Officer.”