The Bay of Cronus City was one of the finest sights in the world. Spanning a gap of nearly forty kilometers between the West Coast of California, and the city center, it was a drag net hung in the edge of the Pacific Ocean. A myriad of vessels cut their wake on its crystal blue surface each day. Heavy container liners, porting naval ships, even personal pleasure craft were all seen atop the Bay’s waters. Though it was called a Bay, technically it was more of a channel. The forty or so causeways that connected the former Santa Catalina Island to the mainland, formed flat calms of water between their massive lengths, while still allowing the natural currents of the ocean to flow underneath their spans.

The warm water and the large number of sunken structures formed the perfect environment for marine life. Within the waters of the bay, fish and other wild life flourished, making Cronus City one of the largest sources of seafood in the world.

Along the great bridges, many restaurants thrived, selling the freshly caught produce to customers hungry for the taste of the sea. From high-class sushi bars to the stomach filling satisfaction of raw bars, the dining area of the bay was a virtual smorgasbord of seafood, dependent only upon the price one wished to pay. Eric Corbin was seated on the outside deck of one of the classier seafood outlets. The Bayside Lobster House was normally a place of expensive dining, but during the lunch hours their prices were fair and the standard of their food did not drop too much. He took a sip of his drink, a cool blend of fruit juices, coconut rum and a touch of melon liquor. It ran soothingly down his throat, bringing an involuntary smile to his face.

He gazed over the pristine clarity of the bay and admired its deep-blueness as it mirrored the near cloudless sky. It was a beautiful day. Eric was glad he had decided to ride instead of taking the car. He sat up in his chair a bit, and peered over the railing to catch a glimpse of his motorcycle parked below, making sure it was still there. He knew he was being paranoid, especially since he was in one of the most crime free areas in the entire city. But considering he had invested quite a bit of money in modifications for it, it was certainly a possession worth worrying about.

“Hey there.” a soft feminine voice caught his attention.

Turning his head away from his bike, Eric saw a tall attractive woman standing next to him. She was in her late twenties with a athletic figure tucked into a pair of tight blue jeans and a green tank top. Her skin was a soft brownish orange and tattooed with tiger like stripes along the sides of her body from her shoulders to the top of her calves. Her auburn hair was grown long and hung thickly framing a face that was vividly alluring, with high set cheekbones, large pouting lips and eyes the color of crystal jade that sparkled lightly as she smiled.

Eric smiled back at her.

She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Nice to see you’re actually on time for a change.”

“I’m never late, Vanessa,” Eric grinned at his fiancée as she pulled away. “You’re just always too early.”

Vanessa chuckled, shaking her head as she took her seat opposite him. “So have your ordered yet?”

“Ordered? How am I supposed to know what you want?”

She sighed at him playfully. “You know all I come here for is the shrimp, silly.”

“Oh is that right?” Eric laughed. “And I bet if I would have ordered them, you would have wanted something else.”

Vanessa giggled. “Well, maybe.”

“So how’s your day going?” Eric leaned across the table towards her.

“Oh really good actually.” she nodded with a smile.

“Really?” Eric implored.

“Yeah.” excitement suddenly filled her voice. “We found a label that is really interested in producing an album with us.”

“That’s great, sweetie.” Eric shared her enthusiasm. “So which label?”

“Here.” She opened her purse and pulled out a small plastic card. “It’s called Edgeway Records. It’s not big or anything but if we can get an album out that would be great.”

Eric nodded receiving the card from her. “So does it look like a good deal?”

“Our lawyer is still looking it over.” she said, “We’re hoping for maybe a ten percent cut of sales.”

Eric was not very familiar with the standards of the music industry. “Is that good?”

Vanessa nodded at him. “That’s very good for a first album.”

“Well great then,” Eric smiled again. He was always supportive of her career, but felt a bit guilty about not being more involved. He wanted to seem enthusiastic about it and he was indeed interested, but music just wasn’t his forte.

A chubby Italian waiter suddenly arrived at their table and smiled towards Vanessa.

“Can I get you something to drink, miss?”

“Yes, ah...” Vanessa looked over at Eric’s drink. “I’ll have what he’s having.”

“Alright.” He tapped quickly on his electronic note pad. “Are you ready to order or do you need a few more minutes?”

Eric looked to his fiancé who responded with a nod.

“I think we’re ready.” He then briefly looked over the menu. “I’ll have the double stuffed lobster tail and she’ll have the shrimp combo platter.”

“Okay,” the waiter said scribbling some more. “And what choice of shrimp would you like?”

Eric thought for a bit, trying to read his fiancé’s mind. “Half beer batter and half scampi.”

“Very good then,” he collected their menus. “I’ll have your drink in just a minute.”

“Thanks.” Eric said to him, and the waiter turned and walked back into the dining room.

Vanessa started grinning. “I’m surprised you remembered.”

“Hey, I’m not just a pretty face, you know?” He gave her a wink and smile.

A ringtone sounded and Eric felt a vibration against his hip. He saw the smile drop from Vanessa’s face almost immediately. She crossed her arms and sat back in her chair with an indignant pout on her lips.

“The office.” Vanessa stated.

“I’ll be right back.” He rose from his seat. “And relax, it’s probably nothing.”

She didn’t say anything, but Eric could tell she was annoyed by the interruption. He swore she hated his job more than he did. Leaving the deck, he walked inside and found small private area near the restrooms before he answered.

“Mandy,” Eric spoke into the phone, “What’s up?”

“Hi, Sir.” she said, “Lance called me and told me to patch you through to him.”

“Patch me through? Where is he?”

“I’m not sure,” Mandy told him. “Just hold on though, okay? He said it was urgent.”

Shade didn’t like the sound of that. “All right.”

“Okay.” she said once more. There was then a pause and another click, followed by a garbled squelch of static.

“Hello?” Eric said.

“Major?” Shade heard Lance’s voice come through the phone somewhat distorted.

“Yeah,” he confirmed. “What’s going on?”

“There is a bank robbery in progress in the northern corporate district,” his subordinate informed. “CCPD has requested CDI backup.”

“Yeah?” Eric leaned against the wall. “So why the hell are you calling me?”

“We need a senior officer on the scene,” Lance conveyed. “Right now it’s just me, Lieutenant Ahn and one of her squads.”

“I’m kind of in the middle of something, Lance. Get someone else.”

“I already tried,” Lance told him. “Lieutenant Colonel Doris is out and Colonel Drake is still in Seattle. You’re pretty much the only one left.”

“She’s out?” Eric grew agitated. “Where the hell has she gone? She’s supposed to be the principle officer today.”

“A big sting she has been working on suddenly went active,” Lance said. “She grabbed two squads from the Anti Terrorist Unit and headed out an hour ago.”

“Shit,” Eric cursed. “What about Colonel Brontes?”

“He’s just in charge of ATU training,” Lance said. “He wouldn’t have the proper jurisdiction.”

Eric grumbled. “It’s times like this I wish you were a fucking Captain, Lance.”

“Just be sure you mention that next time the review board comes around,” Lance chuckled. He then asked him once more. “So are you coming?”

“Yeah,” Eric sighed reluctantly. “Give me the details.”

“Three armed men stormed the Tri Union Bank up on one hundred twenty-third street

A teller managed to trip the silent alarm and the cops showed up. That was forty minutes ago. Now they’ve in a stalemate.”

“So why don’t they just call SWAT?”

“The officer in charge said that the perpetrators have been threatening the hostages, and have made some demands, so technically it is an act of terrorism,” Lance said. “That basically falls into our category.”

“Vanessa is going to be pissed,” Eric muttered.

“What?” Lance’s voice broke up a little bit in the static.

“Nothing,” he switched the receiver to his other ear. “I’m on my way, where exactly are you?”

“I’m en route now,” Lance told him. “ETA two minutes. What about you?”

“I’m at the far end of Emerson causeway.” Eric roughly calculated the distance between himself and the bank. “I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes?” Lance echoed skeptically. “You’re like forty kilometers away.”

“I know,” Shade said. “I’ll see you there.”

He hung up the phone.

Zipping his leather jacket, he walked out the door and headed back towards the deck.

Vanessa looked up from the table at him as he approached. He could see the annoyed expression on her face. He tried to think of some nice way to tell her he had to leave, but couldn’t. Apologies and promises of him making it up to her had run out long ago.

“I have to leave,” he said plainly.

Vanessa sighed deeply and tossed her napkin onto the table. “What else is new.”

Eric took sudden offense. It wasn’t his fault. “Hey this is my job, okay?”

Rising from the table, she collected her keys from her purse. “And this is supposed to be a relationship.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Eric really didn’t need this right now.

“That being with me is such a burden for you.”

Eric felt uneasy as she raised her voice. “Look, this isn’t the time or place, Vanessa.”

“Then when is?” she blurted. “During the day when you’re gone? Or maybe later when you’re out till all hours of the night? When is a good time for you, Eric?”

“Hey, wait a minute.” Eric matched her indingnant tone, “You work late nights too alright? There are plenty of nights when I’m home and you are out singing.”

“Then why don’t you come down to the club to see me?” she rested her hand on her hip, “Like you used to. Remember?”

“Look, Vanessa, I don’t have time to do-”

“Exactly,” she cut him off, “You just don’t have the time.”

Turning abruptly from him, she stalked towards the door.

“Fuck.” Eric cursed to himself quietly. He looked down at the empty table, with the two half finished drinks sitting upon it. Eric saw the waiter and called to him. He hurried over and stood with an imploring expression.

“Sir?”

“Sorry,” Eric pulled his wallet from his pocket. “We won’t be staying for lunch.”

“But you’ve already ordered,” the waiter said a bit warily.

“Here.” Eric went through his wallet and handed the waiter a fifty-dollar bill. “You eat

it or something.”

Shade didn’t wait to hear his response. Still agitated, he strode towards the railing of the deck and vaulted over it, dropping down the side of the one story building and landing heavily to his feet. Breaking the fall with a bend of his knees, he rose up from his crouched position and then walked towards his motorcycle.

He freed the full-faced helmet that was locked to the side of his vehicle, and pushed the key into the ignition. Fastening the helmet over his head, he saw Vanessa pulling away in her car. She never seemed to understand. She was right about spending time together, but the circumstances were out of his hands. He had responsibilities.

Frustrated, he swung his leg over the saddle and pressed the starter. With a tiny electric whir, the engine roared to life with a sharp metallic exhaust note.

The restaurant was located right on the edge of the road, and its exit led directly to the three-lane expressway that crossed the causeway. Looking behind him, he eyed the traffic heading towards the city. He waited for a small gap in the moderate flow of vehicles, and then revved the engine, launching the bike onto the roadway with a massive jerk.

Eric leaned as the front wheel rose involuntarily upward with the onslaught of power.

The wheel remained in the air as Eric flew by three cars on his left. Bypassing the clutch, he toed the gear shifter directly into second.

The bike lurched under him, keeping the front wheel aloft with the new supply of torque. Second gear burnt out and Eric speed shifted to third, dropping the bike heavily onto its front tire. He peered down at his speedometer and saw it read just over 180 kilometers per hour. His lips formed a smile beneath the cover of his helmet. Shade was please with the bike’s acceleration.

The road was clear ahead of him and Eric pressed on. He shifted into fourth then fifth.

The air rushing against him forced his body to streamline against the large gas tank. He saw the entrance of the causeway approaching madly. Holding the throttle tight, he slammed his bike into top gear and was thrown slightly off the ground as his motorcycle leapt onto the smooth-paved concrete of the causeway.

Eric couldn’t hear the engine anymore; only the hurricane sound of the rushing air.

The wind pressed against his visor, threatening to tear his head from his body as the vast blue expanse of the bay whistled by him on either side. He dared to look down at his instruments again. His turbo read two bars of positive boost, and his speedometer slowly crept past 310 kilometers per hour.

He was near maximum velocity. All concentration was now focused on one thing; keeping himself alive at the break-neck speed he was travelling. One gust of wind, or slow-moving car could mean a death so quick he would barely have a chance to experience it. Eric didn’t keep track of time any longer, he merely watched as the forty odd kilometers of causeway were slowly eaten up as he barreled full bore down the concrete roadway. Cars and trucks flashed by as if travelling in the opposite direction. He held his speed tight and finally let up as the exit to the causeway rushed imminently towards him.

Gritting his teeth, Eric sat up in the saddle. The force of the rushing air blasted against his body, causing the bike to decelerate with its resistance. He applied the front breaks lightly and then dropped back a few gears, slowing the bike even further.

The exit to the causeway flew past as he rounded a comer and entered onto the grid like surface streets of the city. Speeding past the long lines of traffic in front of him, Eric rode ahead and finally pulled his motorcycle to a halt at the glare of a red traffic light. Eric breathed in deeply; coming suddenly out of the Zen like state the high-speed transit had placed him into. His heart was still racing, and he felt his innards being squeezed by the tense anxiety in his muscles. It wasn’t often he got the chance to top out his bike like that. It was dangerous, but it had served its purpose. Eric had released every drop of anger and frustration his argument with Vanessa had built up inside of him. The worse thing that he could have done was to head into the hostage situation with personal problems on his mind.

People could get killed that way.