"This is going to be a quick search and retrieve mission at best, and a rescue mission at worse," Wilma Deering briefed her men in the hanger of the Earth Defense Directorate in the Inner City of New Chicago. "If they refuse to return with us willingly, you are authorized to use force; but set your weapons to stun, we don't want to create an international incident."

"What is going on, Wilma?" Buck Rogers asked, approaching her with Apollo, Starbuck and Cassiopeia following behind him. His hands were behind him, holding the silver chrome skull they had found while exploring the badlands beyond the city walls.

"Wait, you are here?" Wilma stammered.

"Yeah, our guests wanted to see the hanger again," Buck answered, "so I figured, why not?"

"We thought you may have taken them out into the badlands," Wilma said. "We were just about to mount a rescue mission to find you."

"Now Wilma," Buck said, "you know, that is strictly against the rules, and hardly safe with all the radiation zones and mutants."

"Right," Wilma answered, "then I guess we don't need to go out there." She dismissed her men, and Buck took the opportunity to pass the skull off to Apollo.

Starbuck nonchalantly took off his jacket, and used it to cover the skull when Apollo, in turn, passed it to him.

"So what are you off to see next?" Wilma asked, returning her attention to the three men, not completely believing Buck's story.

"I was going to take them to see Dr. Goodfellow," Buck answered, "I think he would be the best person to ask some of the questions they have."

"Yeah," Starbuck said, "What are we waiting for?" He started to march off, but Buck quickly caught up to him, and directed him in the correct direction.

"Good call, suggesting we came back when we did," Buck whispered to Apollo when he caught up.

"Actually," Cassiopeia said to Wilma, "While the boys are off doing their thing, could you show me one of your hospitals? I would love to see your medical technology at work."

"Sure," Wilma agreed. "Are you sure you weren't out in the badlands?"

Cassiopeia gave the most unconvincing nod and murmur of agreement Wilma had ever heard.

-oO0Oo-

Buck Rogers, Starbuck and Apollo left Dr. Goodfellow with their prize while they went to get something to eat. When they returned he was still thoroughly engrossed in the chrome skull.

"What can you tell us about this robotic head, Dr. Goodfellow?" Apollo asked.

"Well, my boy, based on the metallurgy results, this is definitely from Earth," Goodfellow answered.

"From Earth?" Buck asked, disbelievingly.

"Yes, manufactured more than a thousand years ago, if my carbon dating is accurate."

"That is impossible, Doctor. There was nothing close to this around 500 years ago, and we found this awfully close to the surface. I cant think of any possible scenario that makes since for something like this to be this advanced, older than I am, and from this planet," Buck protested.

"The results of these tests don't lie, my dear boy," Goodfellow tried to calm his friend.

"So what is it, exactly?" Apollo prompted.

"A robotic head, just as you suggested," Goodfellow answered. "Remarkably well preserved, and well made. The technology inside this skull is far more advanced than what I used for Crichton, although not quite as advanced as what the members of the Computer Council use."

"You weren't able to use the same types of chips the Council uses when you made Crichton?" Buck asked.

"Oh, no, my boy," Goodfellow answered, "the Council guards its technology very jealously. We humans can't be trusted, or we may destroy ourselves again, you know."

"Yeah, that is what I keep hearing," Buck said.

"I'm beginning to not like this council very much," Starbuck said.

"Were you able to figure out what this robot was programmed to do?" Apollo asked.

"This robot was programmed with a marvelously adaptable AI, but it's directives were simple enough to decipher. It was programmed to blend in and infiltrate," Goodfellow said, "and I know it sounds a bit cliché, but it was programmed to kill all humans. The programming language in its memory circuits is truly fascinating…"

"All humans?" Starbuck said.

"Indeed," Goodfellow confirmed, "until something changed, and it was issued a shut down order from the central computer that guided it."

-oOo-

"Col. Deering!" the shout came from a doctor at the far end of the busy hallway that Wilma was showing Cassiopeia down.

The doctor rushed towards them as quickly as he could, dancing around the other people meandering down the corridor.

"Thank goodness you are here," he said when he finally reached her, "We just got in another one. I was beginning to think the Directorate wasn't getting my calls at all."

"I'm sorry, doctor," Wilma said, "but I have no idea what you are talking about."

"You don't?" he looked crestfallen, "At least come at take a look at him, since you are here."

Wilma glanced over at Cassiopeia, who encouraged her to go along with the man. "Very well, doctor, what do you want to show us?"

"Come down this way," he said, "they haven't taken it down to the morgue yet. He wandered in from the desert, just like the others, and died of exhaustion, but the state of the bodies, I have never seen anything like it before."

He ushered them into a room, and on the bed lay a body covered in with a sheet. He pulled the sheet back to reveal an emaciated corpse.

It immediately piqued Cassiopeia's interests as she moved in and for once started to study the body more than the medical equipment available to Earth's physicians.

"The muscles are incredibly atrophied," she said.

"I know," the doctor replied, "it is amazing he was able to make it through the badlands at all."

"What are these?" she asked, pointing to one of many metal plugs that were grafted into the man along his arms, legs and spine.

"I don't know," he said, "some of them look to be designed to supply the body with nutrients, but others are seem to interact directly with the patient's neurological system."

"You mean it is some sort of cyber-jack system?" Wilma asked.

"Precisely," the doctor answered.

"Excuse me, a what type of system?" Cassiopeia asked.

"Basicly, it is a system that allows the human body to interact directly with a computer," the doctor explained, "I have seen them in use before, but never in a set up like this."

"But that is impossible," Cassiopeia said, "I have read all the research on those theories during my medical training, but the human nervous system cannot be made to interact with a computer system."

"I guess our science is just more advanced in that area," Wilma said.

"Maybe," Cassiopeia said, but her voice was filled with doubt.