It was a beautiful world. So peaceful and happy. People knew how to live here, how to enjoy themselves. Of course, there was some poverty as well—and he was not one to blind his eyes to such matters—but he wanted to bask in the serenity if only for a little while.

Zax used a walkway that shot through the sky and snaked between skyscrapers to reach the park. It hung a thousand feet above the ground, overlooking the busy streets, with gliders whizzing about—beneath, above, and all around.

He sat on a bench, closed his eyes, and inhaled the pure air. It was cleaner here than on most other worlds he’d visited, despite all the traffic. There were suction tubes hidden underground and in some of the rocks that would suck any traces of pollution and recycle it all into solid material that could be used in manufacturing plants around the Imperium. The trees also helped to keep the air fresh and renewed with oxygen.

The trees were everywhere, too. Not just in parks. They’d planted them on walkways, on balconies, and even in some offices.

A cry rang out and he opened his eyes.

“Help! Help! Please help me!”

Zax looked around until he found the source of the cries.

A small boy stood near one of the trees, waving around in panic.

He stood and walked up to him.

“What seems to be the problem, kid?” he asked.

The child stopped crying and pointed up.

“My cat went up the tree, but now it’s scared to come down!”

Zax frowned as he looked up. Squinting, he spotted the critter, hanging tightly to a branch, as if it dared not make a move.

He looked back at the boy.

“What’s your name, kid?”

“Alton,” the boy answered with a sob.

“And the cat?”

“Pix!”

The cat meowed when it heard its name.

Zax nodded as he ruffled the boy’s hair.

“Don’t worry, Alton, I’ll get Pix out of this.”

“Really? You would?”

“Of course.”

“That’s mighty kind of you, mister!”

Zax smiled and lifted his wristpad. Tapping on the screen, he started to rise in the air. The boy jumped back, startled.

“Wow! How do you do that, mister?”

“It’s called a levitation belt.” He pointed at his waist. “It has limited range, but it should be sufficient for our purposes.”

He looked up and held out his hands as he came nearer to Pix. The cat stared at him suspiciously. Meowed.

“Come, now, I just want to take you back to your friend.”

The cat bared its teeth.

“I know you’re scared, but there’s no reason to be. I can help you. Will you let me help you, Pix?”

When it heard its name, the cat calmed down. It took a tentative step toward Zax and almost slipped. The man caught it in time. He patted it on the head and the little thing purred.

With another tap on his wristpad’s screen, the levitation belt took him back down and he gave the cat back to its owner. The boy laughed, shedding new tears, though this time ones of joy.

He hugged Zax.

“Thank you, mister!”

Zax smiled. “My pleasure, Alton.”

He watched the two walk away before he started back toward the bench. He stopped when he noticed a couple had taken his place and were busy kissing.

With a chuckle, he walked down the path, deciding he might as well stroll for a while and enjoy the view.

He had been here before, but it had been a long, long time ago. The place had changed, of course, places always changed, evolved, with the passage of time. It was to be expected. Sometimes he hated the changes—oh how he despised some of them—but this was not one such case.

The park was truly beautiful.

Reluctantly, he decided it was time for him to get back to work.

Like before, he chose to walk rather than use a glider. He looked through the glass floor as he moved, watching the small black dots so far below that he knew to be people.

Ten minutes later, he reached his hotel and went up to his suite with the private elevator. It opened in a small hall with only four doors. Each one led to a luxurious suite that, together, covered the entire floor.

He unlocked his room with his keycode, slid the door open, and stepped in...

The explosion shredded his face and cut through his hand. Shrapnel lacerated his flesh, the largest chunk buried deep into his heart.

His body fell to the ground.