Plans

Clear of the city ruins, the two vehicles travelled at full speed towards their destination.

Bauer's driver had refused to go, calling it a 'suicide mission'. That left Score to drive the tank, while the other three rode a lightly-armed hover-jeep. Kyle drove, Norton sat in back, his 250-mm cannon ready to deal with any Cyberoids they may encounter. That left Sandy to brood on the details of this mission she found herself undertaking...

"The MME was created with a backdoor to the programming," Kyle explained to them. "I just need to get close enough to the Central Brain complex to activate this," he held up a small device with flashing red lights, "and I can shut it down completely."

"That's assuming," General Nelson had objected, "that the MME hasn't found your 'backdoor' and removed it."

"It's a risk," Kyle admitted, "but a necessary one. If it works, every Cyberoid on the planet will cease to function, and the rebuilding process can start."

"Whoa, whoa, let me get this straight," Score argued, "You want US to take YOU to Cyberoid Central, on the CHANCE that your plan will succeed?"

"Exactly!" Kyle told her.

"What you are proposing has a very low probability of success," Norton added.

"True," Kyle argued. "But did you not undertake a mission to rescue trapped civilians from a Cyberoid onslaught – one that had a far lower chance to succeed than this?"

Rumbling deep in his throat, Norton nodded in agreement.

"But why take us with you?" Bauer asked. "Why not just go yourself?"

"Two reasons," Kyle told her. "First – I may not get there on my own. The chances of pulling this off are greatly improved if I have an escort. I've mapped out a path that contains the least amount of Cyberoid activity, but we have to account for the possibility that I've missed one.

"Man's got a point, there," Score admitted. "And the second?"

"Because you four are the best at what you do. That improves the odds even more."

"Now remember," Nelson said to them, "this is strictly a volunteer mission – if you don't want to go, you will be shifted to other units until it is completed."

"You mean – we'll be split up?" Score asked, shocked at the idea. "Uh-uh, NO thank you! Besides," she paused to wink at Sandy, "who can refuse a good-looking older guy who pays you compliments – am I right?"

Sandy glared at her.

Norton stepped forward. "The odds for success are still low," he noted, "but not enough to make it impossible. I will go."

"I'm not about to refuse a family member of Sandy's," Bauer said enthusiastically, "I'm in."

They looked at Sandy, expectation clear on their faces.

She dropped her shoulders in defeat. "Okay, fine – I'll go, too..."

Sandy ran all of this through her head as the wind blew her hair back. She looked at Kyle, sitting in the driver's seat beside her. He's lying about something – she pondered – I can tell. But, what could it be? She didn't want to confront him about it, fearing the others would lose confidence in him. Maybe if we get a chance to be alone, or when the mission is over, I'll find out the truth.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the hover-jeep made a sharp turn. Looking up, she saw that Kyle was leading them towards the gaping mouth of a cave. "What are you doing?" she shouted over the noise of the turbine engines.

Slowing, they stopped at the entrance to the cave. The hatch of the tank opened, and both Score and Bauer jumped down. "What's going on?" Score asked.

"This is as far as you go," Kyle explained to them. "From here, I go on alone."

"WAIT a second!" Score demanded. "Didn't you say you needed us to be your escort? Doesn't that mean all the way?"

"Any closer, and the MME will be alerted to our presence," Kyle explained. "You need to remain here, in order to return and inform the General of what happens."

"You're expecting to not return," Norton suggested.

"Actually, I do hope to return," Kyle told him, then gave him a sideways grin. "But I have to take into account that possibility, yes. Stay here for twenty-four hours, then make your way back to your base."

"Go BACK?" Sandy exclaimed. "NO – we'll come and rescue..."

Kyle put his arms on her shoulders, smiling softly at her. "Beachcomber – if you haven't heard from me in twenty-four hours, there won't be anything to rescue."

Tears welled up at the corner of her eyes. "But... but... we just found each other again. I don't want..."

"I know," Kyle whispered to her. "I would like to have more time together, too. And if there is any chance that I can return, you know I will." He brushed a tear from her eye with a finger. "Don't cry, Beachcomber – I'm glad that I got to discover how the child I once knew has grown to be the strong woman that you've come to be."

Impulsively, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest. "Goodbye, Unca Kyle," she mumbled.

Kyle stroked her back with his hand. "This won't be a goodbye," he whispered to her, "think of it as – until we meet again." He reached into his pocket, and gave her the seashell he had shown her before. "You take the luck now," he said to her quietly. "One day, I'll be back for it."

Bauer stepped up to them. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. "I mean – things have been easy so far, but now you're heading into the most heavily-guarded part of the entire continent. Will you not take a gun with you, at least?"

"That won't be necessary," Kyle told him. Turning back to Sandy, he whispered, "I like him – you've chosen well," into her ear. Sandy blushed red at the remark, amazed that he had picked up on that in the short time he'd been around them.

Kyle then turned to Norton, looking up at the sensors that were in the place his eyes had been. "Keep them safe," he said as he offered his hand to the soldier. "And I trust you to keep them on mission."

"I will," the big cyborg said, "to both."

He turned to Score, who stuck out her hand before he could do so. "Been nice knowin' ya," she said with a grin.

Kyle returned her grin. "Likewise," he said.

"I still don't know how you expect to get their attention without getting smeared," she argued. "What are you gonna do – walk up to the place and knock on the door?"

"Actually, I was planning on ringing the doorbell," he quipped. "Don't worry," he said, noticing her skeptical glance, "I'll figure something out." He smiled at her. "Take care," he said.

As he started walking away, Sandy ran up behind him and placed her hand on his elbow, stopping him. "Are you sure about this?" she asked.

"Am I sure it will work? No, "Kyle admitted. "Am I sure that it's necessary to try? Absolutely. If I succeed, I can end this war without another shot being fired. Isn't that worth the attempt?"

She looked at his determined face for a moment, then lowered her eyes and nodded. Silently, she released his elbow, and he resumed his walk away from them. "Remember," he called back, "twenty-four hours, then you return to base – with me, or without me. Don't let me down."

Sandy waved back at him. "We won't, Uncle," she shouted at his receding form, "Good Luck!"

Shortly, his body became obscured by the wind-swept sand. Sandy realized that he was gone.

"I hope we get to see him again," Score said quietly, "He's a cool guy, for an older fella."

Sandy pulled the seashell out of her pocket, regarding it sadly. "Yes," she muttered under her breath, "Yes, he was..."