Backstage at Aveline’s last concert, Bastian worked making sure that all the lasers, lights and LEDs illuminated to the music in the correct sequence without a glitch. Programming the show’s technical elements were his specialty. He monitored everything from a large, over-sized tablet device that he carried around like a poster board under his arm.

The concert was between songs so no music played in the air. Only the buzzing of Aveline’s fans could be heard. Bastian knew the pause was for Viviane.

Second-to-last song coming up. This is Viviane’s number. Bastian checked his tablet for the schedule. Right on time as he expected.

On stage, a spotlight shone on Aveline as she spoke into the microphone.

“Everyone! I’d like to introduce all my fans to a new girl who’s come from nowhere to become one of the fastest rising stars today. You may know her already. We’re happy to have her with us. She’s Viviane Fox!”

Viviane hid behind a set during Aveline’s introduction, but on hearing her cue, she walked out onto the stage to meet up with Aveline. The difference in height was noticeable. Aveline was more than six inches shorter than Viviane. Viviane waved not with her whole arm, but with just her fingers to the people in the crowd once she met up with Aveline and had the whitest smile on her face. Aveline continued to speak to her legion of fans.

“This next song was written especially for Viviane and it’s a brand-new song. You’re going to hear it for the first time right here everyone!”

The crowd cheered its approval at being allowed to be the first to hear this bonus song. Viviane walked off to her starting position and Aveline retreated back to a pedestal among the rest of her band where she sung this new song. Aveline ceded the spotlight for this song to Viviane who was ready to take center stage and grab most of the attention. If Aveline was at all unhappy or jealous not being the center of attention for a change, she was not showing it right now. The music started and the crowd hushed down to listen.

Aveline sang a melancholy but powerful ballad about a girl chasing a dream. Viviane, for her part, acted out the story of her own rise from unknown clothing catalog model to glamorous runway star. Most of the story was told on large projected video screens very similar to a music video. Except for key moments, the video faded to black and the spotlight turned to Viviane where she had undergone a costume change and she got a chance to walk a runway in front of the crowd before acting out a very small part of the story. Once Viviane finished her little scene, the spotlight turned off and the story resumed on the large screens. In this way, Viviane had time to change costumes three times in six minutes and got to act out three little scenes from the story. At the end of the song, the Viviane in the video attained her dream of becoming a model while the real-life Viviane walked out on stage wearing the last costume seen in the projected video.

Once Viviane reached the front and center of the stage at the end of the song, she glowed and sparkled in her last outfit dotted with sequins. The dress she wore had fiber optic threads woven into it which gave off the glow. She waved to the crowd thanking them and blew a kiss. She bowed to the fans and walked off stage. The crowd continued to applaud Viviane’s performance and Aveline’s new song well after Viviane left the stage.

Backstage, Bastian gauged the crowd’s reaction. He was pleased by what he heard. From the sound of it, Aveline’s fans approved of the new song and the music video storytelling format. They also sounded like they approved of Viviane, too.

All the stage lights went dark to prepare for the last song of the concert. Bastian consulted his huge tablet to monitor the preparations for the last song, but this time, he noticed an alert blinking red in the upper right corner of his tablet. Uh oh, what is that alarm about? Bastian’s attention was taken away from the show and his worried eye focused on the blinking alarm. He reached up with his finger and acknowledged the alarm by tapping on it. The alarm expanded to fill the upper-right quadrant of the screen. A schematic drawing of the National Laboratory filled the upper-right quadrant and showed a beam of data streaming away from the wire-frame building and into the cloaked anonymity of the dark cloud. Bastian recognized right away that someone breached the network of the University and the adjoining National Laboratory and was in the middle of stealing the laboratory’s data! A wave of panic overcame Bastian as the realization sunk in that foreign hackers had their hands on data that could compromise national security.

Enemies of the UEN are stealing information from the National Laboratory! They’re copying the data about teleportation research and technology into the dark cloud! What should I do? Bastian was paralyzed with indecision. He did not expect to be facing this kind of situation before. He hoped he was not the only one who detected this theft occurring.

Bastian searched his brain cells for an idea, any idea, to break his paralysis. His fingers raced to tap all over his over-sized tablet while he searched for something. When his fingers stopped swiping, a window on his tablet showed a picture of STS Agent Luc Coquin with his information beside his picture. Bastian’s finger hovered over Luc’s picture while his eyes stared at Luc, his old comrade from their time serving in the military. He concentrated hard but hesitated about what to do next.

I haven’t talked to Luc since I left the service years ago. But I don’t know who else I can talk to. Should I try calling him?

In the background, Aveline sang her final song closing out her concert. The song was a nostalgic old favorite of her fans. Many sang along having memorized the words from when they first fell in love with Aveline and her music. Some fans became misty-eyed realizing that the concert was coming to an end and with this old song Aveline had come full circle back to her first album, back to her beginning and her singing of that old song was never more beautiful than it was tonight.

Bastian made up his mind to call Luc after all. He tapped on the “call” button whereupon Luc’s picture changed into an icon of a phone waiting for the party to answer the call.

Luc answered the call after a few anxious rings and his voice and picture came across to Bastian’s tablet. Luc was a bit confused at first.

“Who’s this? And how are you able to contact me on a secure military channel?”

“Hey, Luc! It’s me, Bastian! Bastian Skateur.”

Luc could not believe his ears. “Bastian? You devil computer hacker! Is that really you? Why I haven’t talked to you since you left the force for civilian life! How’re you doing, pal?”

“I’m sorry for the abrupt call, but there’s no time for catching up.” Bastian was glad that Luc remembered him. Now, if Luc would be willing to help him? “Listen, I put a monitor in the dark net and I’m seeing that enemies of the UEN are siphoning off data from the National Laboratory. They’re stealing data and research about the process of teleportation and it’s disappearing into a cloaked part of the dark cloud. I can’t figure out who’s behind it and I can’t stop it.”

Bastian was not joking around, which was unlike him. This worried Luc. “You’re dead serious about this?”

“Yes, completely.”

“Where are you?” Luc’s military instincts kicked in. This was urgent. There was not a moment to waste.

“I’m at Aveline’s last concert at the Stadium.”

“Is Viviane Fox with you?”

“Yes, she’s here.”

“I’ll be right there! We’ll talk when I see you.”

Luc terminated the call with Bastian. For his part, Bastian only watched as the alert on his tablet showed data streaming away from the National Laboratory. A disaster unfolded in front of his eyes, but he was unable to do anything about it without compromising his anonymity.

Meanwhile, Aveline reached the end of her closing song. As the last chord faded away, her fans cheered with their undying affection for their green and pink haired princess of song. Aveline stood on stage waving to her devoted fans and soaked up the adulation. With a clear, cloudless night sky spanning the heavens overhead, Aveline closed her eyes and looked upward. Cool air fell on her face. Thousands of points of light were held up by the crowd and the stage lights casted a halo around Aveline. The moment was magical for both audience and performer alike as the concert drew to a close and the lights faded to black.

Aveline bowed and walked off stage feeling completely loved and satisfied with herself.