“Io has this garden, I forget the name…Celestial Garden maybe? Yeah, I think that sounds right. Anyway, in this garden, you’ll find some of the most beautiful females in the entire system. A lot of them are sex workers. One of my partners, he was talking to this one female, she was a pretty little Rabbid with a perfect figure, when an alarm goes off. We look around, none of us were sure what this alarm means. Well, we come to find out that on Io, there are strict laws about interracial fraternizing. They have all types of monitors there, they can sense your heart rate and your hormones and pheromones, and my mate was obviously getting a little worked up by this little slag.”

“No way! They enforce racial segregation up there?”

“Right, my bud almost got clipped all for a little piece of Rabbid poon. We barely escaped with all our fur and our lives intact. So, they don’t bat an eye at the sex trade, but you must only do it with your own kind up there. Pretty daft eh?”

Rocco laughed out loud listening to the Puma’s stories. He was of course, like many terrestrial locked Titans, fascinated with space, and he devoured the stories hungrily. But there was something specific that he wanted to know about, something that the Titannet comics and holo-vids all seemed especially obsessed with portraying.

“Ok, but you have to tell me about the one thing I’ve been dying to hear about. You said you worked security up there, and the security is mostly hired for one purpose.” Rocco began, leaning over the table on his large elbows. “Pirates. Are any of the vids or comics realistic or is it all complete bunk?”

The Puma looked knowingly towards the Procyon seated across from him, and he swept to the side of the table an empty plate of food. The symbolic gesture carried with it the weight that there was now nothing between his story and the listener. He may have sensed that he had the other Titan fully on the hook now, for he seemed to relish the art of storytelling.

“Ah yes, pirates. That’s what everyone on Titan wants to know about these days isn’t it?” The Puma, whose name, Rocky had learned, was Gunner, began. “Well the truth is everything you’ve seen and heard on the vids is pretty inaccurate.”

Rocco’s face turned crestfallen and his shoulders slumped. Gunner looked out the window on the other side of the food court and then looked back, a devilish smile playing across his jaws.

“The truth is, it’s much worse!” Rocco’s face brightened immediately, and the Puma continued. “It’s a vast open space where all sorts of villainy occur daily. Danger lurks in every corner and your life is constantly at risk from a threat just around the next corner. Let me tell you the story of the time we were boarded by Blackfur, the most dangerous pirate in the high sky!”

“Blackfur! I’ve heard of him! He’s real?”

“Aye, he’s real. And he was the scariest Titan I’d ever laid eyes on. I’m lucky to be alive this very day. Y’see, we were cruising through the Sheom Sector of the Crescent Reach, having just come out of the Strawberry Cloud Nebula, when on our viewscreens a fleet of ships appeared out of nowhere…”

“Hey! Something’s going on out there!” Came a cry from a Titan near the window.

Rocco glanced towards the sound and then back again, eager to hear the story, but as a few more Titans gathered toward the windows and some began to gasp in surprise, Gunner stopped talking. He nodded his head towards the window. Rocco sighed but got up and followed the powerful Felid that direction.

At first, he saw nothing out of the ordinary, looking far into the horizon for abnormalities, but then his companion pointed a clawed finger down and drew his attention to the spectacle. There were dozens of Trade Aliance vehicles parked outside the AstroBloc, and it looked like hundreds of combat bots were filing inside. Gunner stroked his chin and watched thoughtfully for a moment.

“What do you think this is all about mate?”

“Nothing good.” Rocco replied grimly.

Moments later, a voice sounded on the loudspeakers broadcast across the entire AstroBloc, on every floor.

“Titans of Towerview Center, this is Chief Security Officer Rymond of the Trade Alliance. We have tracked down a cell of terrorist agitators to this AstroBloc. Lockdown will commence in five minutes and will continue until all of these traitorous insurgents have been brought to justice. To the insurgents I say: give yourselves up now and face the consequences where we will take you before the Trade Alliance Tribunal. If you do not give yourselves up, then the entire AstroBloc will suffer until we root you out. Either way, we will find you.”

Red lights began flashing in various locations. A computerized voice announced that lockdown has been initiated. Many of the Titans in the food court seemed scared, and several ran for the safeties of their hab-units. A general panic began to break out when Gunner turned towards Rocco, his brow furrowed.

“Traitorous insurgents? Who on Titan do you think they mean? I’ve lived here for nearly ten years now and I haven’t…”

Rocco’s eyes fell to the ground and he pointed a finger at his face.

“What are you implying?” Gunner asked, stunned.

“They’re looking for me and my brothers. Sorry, I gotta go. We gotta figure a way out of here before we put any of these people in danger.”

Gunner looked at the Procyon and held out a paw, and then clapped it to his chest, an old-world Titan salute. Rocco smiled sadly and reciprocated the outdated gesture. Knowing he would only put the lives of any around him in danger, Rocco turned to leave the food court.

Rocco made it to the door before a familiar voice cried out.

“Wait!” Rocco turned to see the Puma jogging after him.

“Go back to your hab. Go to your family. They’re after me, and they’ll kill anyone with me when they find me. And I didn’t even bring any weapons with me.” Rocco looked towards his empty hands longingly. He did not expect to be out for too long, and he was only a few floors away from the scientists’ habitation unit.

Gunner’s hard eyes softened, and there was a knowing light behind them. The faintest ghost of a smile played across his mouth.

“Procyon, I’ve had more fun with you today than I have in the ten years since I’ve given up the adventurous life. There’s no chance I’m not finding a way to sneak you out of here to continue your glorious rebellion and rascality another day.” Gunner cranked his head toward the hall. “You make me yearn for my younger days mate. Follow me.”

Rocco looked stunned. He followed though, and together they took off running down the hall.

* * * *

“Psst.” Came a whisper from a hedgerow on the far side of the diner. “Psst.”

Reegan turned to look, sure in her heart after the second time that it was no random bird making the noise. Rocky stepped out to wave her attention his direction. She opened her mouth to shout his name, but he quickly put his finger to his mouth. She looked around her at the gathering of armed robots that were even now still patrolling for him and thought better of it. She instead ran over to the line of hedges, her father waddling close behind. A TASO soldier had come into the diner moments earlier to shoo everyone out.

“Rocky!” She whispered as she drew near. “You’re alive! I thought for sure…”

Rocky nodded and waved his hands at her.

“I know. The scientists made this pack for me. We have to somehow make it into there.” He pointed towards the towering AstroBloc that disappeared into the clouds a few blocks away.

“Come with us!” Reegan responded excitedly. “We’re going to try to make it to our ship. We can be away from here and headed to the Rook Coast soon. We’re parked a few blocks that way.” She pointed the opposite direction of Towerview Center.

Rocky shook his head firmly.

“I’m not leaving my brothers. I have to go back.” Rocky stopped speaking abruptly and ducked back into the hedges as another line of Trade Alliance transport trucks came speeding down the street. He continued after they had passed. “After we regroup, we’ll meet up with you.”

“Where? They are locking the entire Lower South Marker District! I’m not even sure if we are going to be able to lift off if we don’t hurry.”

“It will be difficult.” Rocky said. “If you run you might make it. Find a place outside the city and we’ll meet you. Let me send you an invite.” Rocky brought up a 3D holo-display and began typing in the information to their private server. A moment later she accepted the invite.

“Reegan has joined the room.” A computerized voice sounded over the Net-Comm, accompanied by a ding.

“Right. Now we’ll be able to stay in contact, our server is triple encoded. We use codes even so, just to be safe. I’m Bravo-Three.”

Reegan nodded and there was a plain look of concern on her face. There was a corporate storm gathering all about them, and Rocky was proposing to go into the heart of it.

“Be careful Rocky.” She pleaded.

Rocky smiled, feeling a little like his hero Raposa from his favorite vids. He knew he was in reality much more the nerd than the dashing hero, but for a fraction of time, about to head back into danger with a pretty female waiting on him, he felt like a hero and was glad for once his brothers were not there to mess that moment up for him. He nodded, and with a flourish of his poncho cape, disappeared back through the hedges.

“You get it all out of your system there, shooter?” The little cyborg waiting on the other side of the hedges, leaning against a low divider wall, asked dryly.

Rocky nodded back to him in the most heroic fashion he could muster.

“Well, let’s get at ‘er.” The Wolverine kicked off the wall as though he meant to follow.

“Where are you going?” Rocky asked, utterly confused now by this Titan’s actions and intentions.

“Can’t let ya run off ‘n get killed, now can I? I’m gonna help you get to your brothers. I assume they’re in that heavily guarded tower yonder?” He pointed at Towerview, which was indeed surrounded by transports and robots armed with guns.

“You can go your own way now. Why would you want to help me?”

“Well fer one, I’m not gonna get a chance to kill the lot of you if the corporate troops kill you first.”

“Lovely.” Rocky rolled his eyes.

“Second, I heard you mention scientists that made that there device you’re sportin’.” He pointed a clawed finger towards Rocky’s back, and the flight pack underneath his poncho.

“Yeah.” Rocky replied guardedly. “They’re part of a resistance cell they call the Union. They make all kinds of things from what I can gather. Most of them I don’t think I can understand or pronounce.”

“Good. Well I have my own reasons then. But you better not be lying about knowing some science techs, or I’ll tear your neck out.”

Rocky looked over at the heavily guarded AstroBloc, which was beginning to look like a military compound. How on Titan would he ever be able to get back in without being spotted?

“I guess I’d be glad for the help then. But I want you to promise not to try to kill me until we are out of the thick of this.”

“Sure thing.” The Wolverine smiled. The smile was without warmth and somehow appeared more menacing than his resting face. It sent a chill through Rocky’s body. “Standing around ain’t gonna get it done, come on then. I got a plan.”

What choice did Rocky have at that point? Reluctantly, he followed the maniac reaper through an alley leading away from the tower.

* * * *

Amiga walked over to the gathering of Titan workers that were adding logs to a campfire. It had begun to rain an annoying cold drizzle on the land a few hours ago, about mid-afternoon, and with it brought a deep chill. Her enhanced body was now largely immune to many effects from extreme temperatures but the warmth from the crackling flames looked inviting enough to call her over.

Several members of the detention center that she had brought with her were now at work with various tasks around the camp. Some were mending old clothing, some were cooking and cleaning, and those that had not been very badly malnourished were taking up heavier manual labor. A few of them were acting as hosts to the gathering and were bringing over tin cups filled with a pine needle and mint leaf tea. One of these were offered to the Foxen, which she accepted.

Some of the workers noticed as she came over, and they all made way for her. Some of them began applauding, and she was instantly shy and embarrassed.

“Cut it out.” She barked at them.

A large Canid mutt with two cybernetic arms stood and offered his prominent seat on a log next to the fire. She at first shook her head, but he took her hand gently and led her down to the seat.

“I insist.” He replied in a gruff burly voice.

One of the others, a thin ratling seemed to study her for a time as she accepted the seat and shifted to get comfortable on the grainy lumpy log.

“Who are you, dear?

Amiga seemed surprised at this question, and she did not respond right away. The ratling and now many others seemed to be holding out, waiting for a reply, and she knew she would have to say something, despite her ultimate wish to remain anonymous.

“My name is Amiga.”

Several of the males around her clapped their hands to their chests, a rather old-fashioned and strangely formal salute to Amiga’s modern sensibilities.

“I’m Colton.” The big burly Canid next to her said with a nod.

“And I’m Hendrix.” The Rodentia said, nodding as well. “Colton ‘ere is th’ informal chief of our camp.”

“We mean no disrespect ‘ere luv, but I ‘ave to say, I’ve never in all my years seen a female quite like you. Doin’ the things you do.” Colton added.

“Yeah well…” Amiga ran a paw through her long thick red hair sheepishly. “No reason to make a fuss.”

The two other Titans shared a meaningful glance, one that did not go unnoticed by the female Foxen. Colton eased the big hammer he had been resting on his shoulder to the ground, where it landed in the mud with a thump, and he leaned on it casually.

“Well y’see luv, I was just thinkin’ with that bit o’ strength ya got there. It seems to me ya might be one o’ those superweapons Zenith made a few years back.”

Amiga’s eyes shot open and she accidently spit a drink of her hot tea in the direction of the fire. She quickly turned to face this worker.

“What do you know about it?” She asked suspiciously.

“Admittin’ not much marm.” Colton shifted his weight and continued. “But see, I’ve been a debt slave goin’ on me ‘ole life now. A few years back ‘n I was stationed at a colony back on the Rook Coast. It was a right ‘ard place t’ get along, an’ I seen a good many ‘o me friends die there.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Amiga asked when the Canid turned to gaze into the blinking light of the fire. She immediately winced at the apparent cruelty of her statement and wished she could have retracted it.

“I run across a lad back ‘ome at that colony where I come from. That was ‘afore I come ‘ere, y’see. ‘E was picked for it. One day a bevy ‘o soldiers come in and pluck ‘im from th’ group and they says ‘es got no choice but ta go. And go ‘e did. Later I get word from th’ lad, says ‘es broke out and needs a place ta hide. Me an’ Hendrix ‘ere ‘id ‘im in th’ camp for a fortnight before ‘e moved on.”

“And this Titan was picked for a program? What kind of program?” Amiga was now moved to the edge of her seat intuitively.

“’E said th’ name o’ the thing was Project Genesis. An’ ‘e tol’ us a few stories about it.” Colton’s eyes were sad and sympathetic as he watched the Foxen’s reaction carefully, even humbly for such a powerful looking Titan.

“Genesis.” Amiga repeated the haunting name, a ghost from her past. She closed her eyes as though she were tasting the words in her maw.

“Aye. Right bit ‘o ‘orror it was from th’ sounds of it. Not the type o’ thing most Titans’ ‘d wanna remember fondly I suppose.”

“What was this Titan’s name?” Amiga asked, her eyes still closed, as though the reality of the thing were too much to bear at that moment.

“”E was th’ toughest, most ornery lad I ever did lay me eyes on and that’s the word o’ truth it is. “Is name was Domingo.”

“Dear sun in the bleedin’ sky!” Amiga cried, nearly dropping the tin cup she now held in rattling hands. “Domingo?”

“Yes’m. ‘At was ‘is name it wos.” Colton nodded. There was no trace of trickery or deceit behind those large blue eyes in his head, and in fact, at that moment, Amiga thought the Titan looked to be perhaps the most honest Titan she had run across in the past year or so.

“You’re sure his name was Domingo?”

“Doubly so luv. ‘E was supposedly some kind o’ warrior from Gunrock ‘afore ‘e got throwed in th’ camp with th’ likes o’ us. Used to go on and on about it as much as ‘e could. But ‘e was there at the camp with us for a solid year ‘afore they took ‘im. Can’t forget a chap quite like ‘im, I’m afeared.”

“Did’ja know ‘im luv?” Hendrix asked.

“Did I know him?” Amiga seemed to think about the question for a moment, as though navigating a flood of fresh memories. “He was the one that saved me from that place. If it wasn’t for Domingo, I’d be dead!”

“Right salty one there.” Hendrix smiled, seemingly pleased that they had found a connection with her.

“Salty. Right.” Amiga laughed, remembering the Titan that she had known briefly. “That’s probably an understatement. I can’t believe it, Domingo’s alive!”

Amiga stood and twirled in place, like a playful kit, her eyes were drifted far away into her past. She sipped the remainder of the tea in her tin cup and handed it off to another Titan nearby.

“Does anyone in camp have a Net-Comm? I need to contact someone.”

“Aye. I do.” Hendrix replied. “Be right back.”

Amiga stood by the fire gazing into the hypnotic flickering display. Her mind was deep in the past, remembering the boisterous young Titan who had saved her life. She had assumed he had died that day getting the rest of them out beyond the dampener fields the Bio-Dynamics security had set up around the compound to keep their powers in check. She had seen the Zenith Corp CMIs hit him with barrage of plasma rounds. He had gone down, and she had just assumed…

But no! Domingo was alive! And now she began to feel terrible that she had fled alongside the rest of the prisoners. She had fled to safety and had left their savior to his fate. The terrible scene replayed in her head, and she winced at the memories as though they were a sharp tangible object, poking at her exposed flesh.

“’Ere ya are now, luv.” Hendrix returned with a Net-Comm headset and handed it over.

Amiga had avoided these for the past few years now. She was well aware that they could be tracked and even hacked and could not risk the exposure. But now she would have to use one, even if it were reluctantly. She placed the unit on her head. It was a newer model, without the arm gauntlet where the power button would normally be and reached up to the side of the monocle. Her slender fingers found the button and the screen flared to life with a blue screen in the rapidly darkening twilight. The unit auto-adjusted the monocle to fit her face.

“Find Procyons, Ricky, Rocky, Rocco.” She spoke the command. “Kallerish Capitol City. Vector one-one four. Lower Market District.”

Amiga never got the chance to get their personal information on their private server, which she had overheard that they had. But she had got the information from Ricky before he had slipped into unconsciousness that they were under the call banner of one-one four.

“Searching.” The unit displayed into the monocle, as the processor sifted through probably millions of Titans in the call banner. Kallerish City alone held nearly one hundred million Titans, so there was plenty of data to sift through wirelessly. The 100-qubit mega processor ran at over thirty teraflops, or trillions of floating-point operations per second. She received a hit after seven seconds and sighed at how long the stupid device took. When would they invent the technology for these things to just be instant?

“E-Call.”

Amiga first tried Ricky and received no answer. Next, she tried Rocky, and got the same outcome. Last she tried Rocco and was about to send an E-Message, but she finally got an answer after a short delay.

“Yo. Who is this?” Came the rough voice on the other end.

“Rocco!” Amiga spoke, her voice full of relief. “It’s Amiga.”

There was a short pause and it sounded like the Procyon was speaking with someone in the background.

“Yeah, love. Good to hear from you. Wasn’t quite sure what became of you after we left. You never met up with us like Rocky said you would.”

“Right.” Amiga began. “Well I’m going to need you fellas’ help. I need to get to the Rook Coast. Discreetly. Not sure if that’s a word you boys ‘ve ever heard before but still…”

“Alright then. But it’s gonna have to wait. Y’see, I’m sorta in the middle of something right at the moment. Have you heard from either of my brothers?”

“No. I just borrowed this unit from someone. I wasn’t keeping one on me remember?”

“Ah right you are.”

“What’s going on? Did I just hear gunfire? Are you boys at it again?” After Amiga spoke this, another rattle came across the E-Call, and it most certainly was gunfire. No mistaking it.

“Well, the Trade Alliance has locked us in the AstroBloc, and we’re just busy trying to find a way to escape with our lives and all. Can I give ya a hit on the horn later?”

“Stay alive ya big lug.” Amiga laughed. “I’m comin’ to save you boys again.”

She ended the call and looked towards the others.

“Keep it if ya need it.” Hendrix smiled back at her, motioning towards the Net-Comm unit.

“Get your gear together boys!” Amiga’s voice rose excitedly. “We’re breakin’ you fellas out. From this day forward, you’re all free Titans!”