I travel the currents, following where the spirit moves me, and I find my way to the next convergence. And the way is something amazing to me. I have been away too long. The world of men has moved beyond the world I built them. They loved it once. They were part of me once, and now they have moved beyond me. They have built their own mountains, brick by brick. They have built their own canyons through the tunnels beneath the ground.

They have a billion points of light shining in the night; they have their own webs and currents, no longer of the life-force; but of electron and light, information and input. They have superseded me, redesigned my creations, remade it in their own image and quietly forgotten that I ever existed.

I remind myself that Wheeler existed in one of their great toy cities too; so if I am drawn to this place, there must be a reason.

I move past the towers and the roads of the islands, toward the boats along their coastline. One is different. I can feel the warmth, the energy coming from this place, but it has no toxins, not even a little and I am amazed. This boat has the Human energies, but it does not have the... unnaturalness of it all.

I am drawn to a young woman, with short dark hair. Her scent is of my oceans, even as she sleeps.

Gi.

She is important.

"Gi, we're leaving!"

Gi moaned into her pillow. It was enough of a response to satisfy her mother. The young woman did not move as the sounds of the door being closed and the boat being locked up came briefly.

Nevertheless, it served to wake her up. Enough that a slender hand reached out from under her doona and collected her cell phone. The hand withdrew back safe under the covers and Gi hit the speed dial without looking, or moving her head, or opening her eyes.

The automated voice picked up instantly. "Surf conditions today are perfect, with light wind and high swells. It's expected that the surf will last well into the morning, at least until noon-"

Gi was up in seconds; reaching for her I-pod. She was up and went for the doorway to her room. A crossbar had been set into the doorframe and Gi did a few chin-ups. Coffee was for the weak as far as she was concerned. She woke up in the morning by getting the circulation going. Her ear buds were in her ears and beating out a good rhythmic track and she worked out for a few minutes in time to the beat.

It was a mark of her experience as a University student and a surfer that she could go from asleep to full speed in a heart beat. After exercising only enough to get herself breathing deeply and her eyes focused, she dropped to the floor and grabbed her wetsuit.

She would eat breakfast on the way, if she could be bothered.

Gi was born in her home, a large houseboat; and she had spent more time in or on the waves than on solid earth. She lived in, or at least near, Shinagawa City was hardly the only one to make her home on the waves.

She knew her parents didn't approve of her lifestyle, but said nothing because she was still young. Having graduated from The Tokyo Institute of Technology far ahead of the average, Gi found herself with the future ahead of her, and little interest in any of it. Her parents had counselled that she had perhaps been working too hard. A student being burned out from the workload, especially one who skipped a year or two, was nothing unusual.

Gi had taken some time off, and had incidentally found a new passion. Something that affected her soul the same way a brilliant groundbreaking project did, only without leaving her overworked and exhausted afterward.

At first, it was a lark. Something opposite to how she had lived her entire life. She never thought when she met the 'surfies' around the beaches that she would become one of them so quickly.

But after catching her first pipe, she found she was still raving about the experience, even days later. She lived on a houseboat, and every breath of salt water, ever gentle rock of an ocean wave served to remind her of it.

Gi did not go to a regular surfing area. For one thing, the nearest regular Surf spot was fairly distant from where she was. For another, there were always a lot of people in the regular surf. Japan was made up of islands. Finding somewhere the waves hit the shore was not difficult. Finding a place within reach that had consistent surf was harder. But it was private, and Gi was an excellent swimmer. Enough that she didn't worry about not having lifeguards.

And she was rarely alone. It may not have been a popular spot, but there was always one or two that found their way to her little cove. Cho was one of them. The two of them had been surfing together for what felt like forever, though in real time it wasn't really too long. He had actually taught her how to surf, and she had made him a surfboard in return.

"Hey!" Cho called over. "Your boyfriend's here!"

Gi was confused. "My what?"

At that moment, the water before her burst upward, and Gi found herself nose to nose with a dolphin; who chattered happily at her from behind its perpetual grin.

Gi grinned back. "He's not my boy-ahh never mind; Hey you!" She turned to the dolphin and smiled big at it.

The dolphin chattered back and did a flawless flip over the end of her board.

Cho grinned. It was impossible not to be happy when there were dolphins about. "What is it with you and Flipper there anyway?"

"He saved my life once." Gi explained. "I was eight, and I fell off the houseboat when we were moving down the coast for a holiday. My parent's didn't see it at first, and I was going under for the third time, when this dolphin came up under me and saved me."

"I've heard about that happening." Cho nodded, impressed. "Shipwrecks and stuff."

"Well this was less than 400 yards off the coast. My parents were stunned; because there were no other dolphins around, and it was the wrong time of year. They looked over the side, and there was me, coasting along the water on a Dolphin's back."

Cho laughed delightedly.

Gi smiled. "That dolphin right there was my very first surfboard. You think he recognises me?"

"I think he likes you Gi." Cho called. "I mean look around. You see any other Dolphins?"

Gi did so. "Nope."

"I reckon that critter's been following you around. It's not the first time we've seen him."

"Maybe." Gi looked out. "Ohh, perfect wave coming!"

"How can you tell?"

"Look at the swells!"

"Looks like any other swells I've seen toda-waitforme!"

Gi was already paddling to catch up as the wave formed. Cho couldn't catch up to beat her to it, and hung back. When not surfing alone, there was a certain etiquette involved. He didn't know how she did it, but she had a natural skill for reading the waves.

Gi surrendered to the ocean and let it take her.

Surfers had long been viewed as stoners and morons for the most part by the general public, but in recent years; some people had finally discovered the spirituality of it. The Ocean was pure beauty and unmatched power. There was no other force like it.

It was like feeling the Universe. Pure power and you could only skim the surface of it. You could take nothing from the Wave, only accept what it gave you, and even then only a little bit for a little while.

There were no deals to be made with the Ocean. You showed it true respect; or it swallowed you and would not even be aware you were there.

Every wave was different, but the Ocean was eternal. There would always be another tide. There would always be another wave. There would always be another chance to catch the perfect pipe.

She was insignificant against the power of the Ocean, and still it gave her this. She could take nothing from it, only accept what it offered, and let it carry her. To be nothing that becomes part of everything, to feel its energy beneath you, to surrender to it and be given speed and strength and form and beauty; was to her and other surfers the very definition of a spiritual experience.

Until finally, freed of its eternal movements and left only herself again, Gi slowed down, balanced perfectly as she came out of the wave; a smile of perfect harmony and peace on her face, and she circled around to do it again.

And again.

And again.

Cho was whooping as Gi came gliding in on her board. "I don't know how you do that every time. You're a human surf...watching... predictor."

"Man you blew that metaphor." Gi laughed.

Cho chuckled. "I know." He suddenly snapped his fingers. "Ohh; before I forget. Hiro wanted to know where I got this board. I told him about you. He wants one just like it. He's willing to pay cash."

Gi nodded easily. "No worries. I'm always glad to help Hiro out. Just one thing. Who is Hiro?"

Cho grinned. "Well…"

"He's not some first year student that you think would make a good boyfriend for me, is he?"

"Gi, I don't send you men any more. You never slow down long enough to meet them." Cho laughed. "He's a first year student that-"

"Ha!"

"-That broke his surfboard in Katakai, and was looking for a good place to find a new one. I suggested you."

Gi smiled. "Okay then. Come by this afternoon, I'll have one ready. I've got a few boards mid-construction. I've been tinkering with the fins. In the meantime, I'm hungry. Want to head in?"

"You go ahead, I'm going to stay out for a few more."

Gi nodded and started paddling. Her dolphin, who had largely vanished once they started surfing, returned suddenly, and poked it's beak up next to her.

"Well, you are a friendly one aren't you?" Gi commented.

The dolphin chattered loudly and jerked its head up and down as though it was answering her.

Gi laughed and sat up on her board. Dolphins were something special in the animal kingdom. There were very few creatures on this planet so demonstrably smart. Although Dolphins seemed to like people much more than was intelligent for them.

This one nosed itself up against Gi's leg, and despite herself, she reached out and pet it. She knew that it was dangerous. Friendliness and intelligence aside, there were still wild animals, not trained or tamed at all, and she was in their territory while she was surfing. It could easily get scared and rip her hand off.

But then something amazing happened. The dolphin arched its back and dropped something straight into her hands.

Startled, Gi closed her fingers around it by instinct, and swept her hand through the ocean to keep herself from overturning.

It was a ring.

She looked up and saw the dolphin was well away from her already. It had not stayed to discuss the matter.

Gi stared at the ring in disbelief. It was a simple gold band, with a dark blue jewel set into the top. It had a rune… more like a character carved into it. It looked vaguely Chinese, maybe Japanese, but Gi could not tell what it meant.

Surprised, she looked around. It was not uncommon for surfers who didn't know better to lose personal effects when they got rolled by a wave. Money, keys, jewelery… a ring was not unusual, and there was no telling how long it had stayed at the bottom of the ocean, but to have a dolphin deliver it to you…

Gi slipped it on. It fit her perfectly, like it was a part of her hand.

The mornings were for the waves, the ocean centered her, calmed her, gave her a touch of the divine; and she could focus on everything she needed to.

The mornings were for the waves, the afternoons for her work.

The storage center was effectively little more than a row of warehouses on the edge of town. There was a fairly large houseboat population in Shinagawa City; and a lot of people kept their excess in storage.

Gi had a large one, but it was mostly empty, the space used for her projects, and her workshop.

Her surfboard had gotten some attention from the other regulars; and they had asked her where she got it. Given that she had made it herself; she had quickly received a few offers. Surfboards often cost huge amounts of money, and Gi had accepted, taking cash.

Gi had looked into foam boards, and they were light and easy to use. But when some of the plants had been shut down from the environmental damage, Gi had left it behind. Gi lived on a houseboat in an island nation full of people and industry. Protecting the environment, and in particular the oceans, was a very serious subject.

Wooden boards were outdated, but balsa wood still made a great looking board, and it was cheap to replace and easy to shape. Gi had a power sander on hand to make her Wave Rider, and most of her fiberglass went to that.

Finishing the sanding was easy, and Gi quickly moved on to painting it up. Making it complete with waterproof paints was the hard part, and making it pretty was the fun part.

Gi painted the board over in a strong water-proof undercoat, and let it dry. That gave her time to tinker with her main project.

Gi's first serious attempt at engineering something had been at The Institute, where she and her classmates had been challenged to create a solar car that could carry a set amount of weight. They had come in second to a team from MIT; but Gi was fascinated with the notion of a road worthy, Zero Emission vehicle; and had begun experimenting. She had money enough from her workshop making surfboards. Making them from balsa wood cost very little, but sold for high cost.

The money had financed some of her other interests. Rent for storage in a warehouse was not cheap; but it was a good place to keep her tools and works in progress. One thing a houseboat did not have, was a lot of spare room. Coming from a family that designed and manufactured cars for a living had given her a few ideas on transports. Of course, her parents worked in an actual factory, and Gi was left with equipment that had to be begged, borrowed, and scrounged.

She had met an ultra light enthusiast online, who had money enough to afford things like professional glider planes and hang-gliders. He had become one of her best friends online, and when he reported to her that he was getting married (And that his new wife had insisted he give up a hobby that could get him killed) Gi had quickly snatched up all the equipment he could bear to part with at a fairly cheap price.

Gi wondered now and then if her friend had sold it to her in the hopes he could still use it from time to time.

Gi hoped not. The first thing she had done with his Glider-plane was to hack the wings off and turn them into large water-skis.

The fiberglass plane, now a water going craft, dubbed the 'Wave Rider' had been adapted to waves, and then put together, piece by piece, over months of work. Gi knew it would never become famous or popular, and that was if it worked at all. At best, it could carry six people, and that was if he could get it moving.

In truth, the Wave Rider was not going to work. And every direction Gi tried to take in redesigning it, led to more problems. Problems without solutions.

But the Wave Rider was her design, her project, her baby. She wanted to finish it.

"You're never going to get any where with that thing."

Gi smirked, but did not turn as Cho let himself in. "I'll have you know, I made it all the way to Komatsu from Ishikawa on this thing. And I'm still improving the designs."

"You made that trip before you took the engine off."

"It'll work." Gi said stubbornly.

"It's a surfboard with a cabin on top and detachable wings."

"Off course it's got detachable wings. It started out as a glider."

"Hey, Gi, save the world, hug a tree, sure. You know I'm good for that, but every glider needs something to tow it, whether you're gliding on the wind, or the water."

"I still say I can make it work. Wind power to start it moving maybe…" Gi was already thinking it through.

"Wind powered watercraft? We've had sail ships since dinosaurs ruled the earth Gi, people lost patience with them. That's why we use engines now."

Go sighed and put down the sander, picking the now dry surfboard up. "Help me paint this thing. What would your friend like?"

"He's a pretty straightforward kind of guy. Plain color, something that'll show up in the water."

Gi stood the board up properly, and started ruling a pencil outline over the board. Very simple lines, divisions between the base colors, and over the top she did an outline of the glyph on her stone.

Cho noticed it. "Haven't seen that before." He commented. "Is it Japanese?"

"I think so. At first I thought Chinese, but now I'm not sure. I don't recognise the dialect."

"Where'd you see it?"

Gi held out her ring. "Found it today, while surfing. I already checked in with the locals, nobody reported it missing."

"Surfer's law says it's yours." Cho quipped, not really serious. "So what's the character mean?"

"No idea."

'Maybe we should find out, before Hiro pays you cash money for this board and carries it around with him for a long time." Cho had not let go of her hand, and was still leaning into it, her ring now just below his eyes. For a microsecond, Gi thought that he was going to kiss her hand…

But the moment passed, and he released her.

Gi flushed, fighting to recall the point of the conversation.. "Find out about the symbol? Yeah. That makes sense."

The two of them redrew the character carefully, and then took a picture of it with Gi's camera phone and uploaded it to the internet, putting it on a few symbology forums. She added a caption with a question, and then they had little to do but wait.

Gi took the opportunity and started mixing paints. They painted the whole thing over in a bright yellow, with a wide white stripe down the centre. Gi then mixed up some dark blue paint for marking in the character over the top once it dried.

It took some time to do it right, and when they took a break; Cho checked his iPhone. "We got a match!"

Gi came over. "A link to a mythology website?"

"Probably graphics heavy for a phone. Want me to email the link to you?"

"Thanks."

"If it's a just mythology sign, Hiro probably won't mind." Cho commented. "But it's getting late."

Gi nodded. "I can get back to it tomorrow if Hiro wouldn't mind waiting another day."

Cho licked his lips, suddenly nervous. "Or… we could take it back to my place and finish tonight. We'd have our privacy, and it's closer than your houseboat…"

Gi felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up suddenly. It was… an uncertain offer. He didn't know if she'd go for it… and he was uncertain about even asking.

"Cho... I appreciate it, but I think I had better go home now." Gi said awkwardly.

Cho took the polite brush off for what it was, and kept his chin up. "Of course. I should probably head out then, let you close up."

He took it gracefully, and Gi was glad for it. "See you tomorrow?"

"Same time, same place." Cho assured her. "Don't make me wait for you out on the waves." The tease was sincere. They were still friends.

Gi watched him leave and felt sad for some reason. She had been approached before, and it wasn't that she wasn't interested... there was just something that made her say no. And she wasn't sure what. She knew Cho. She'd known him for years. As a friend, and then briefly as a teacher when he taught her to surf, and then as more of an equal since then… She had never thought of him that way, but she saw no reason not to pursue it… except that she knew she couldn't. It felt like there was something more important coming and Gi couldn't afford to let herself get distracted.

She felt like she was waiting for something. And she didn't know what. And she didn't know why. But whatever it was, it demanded that she stay free of all possible distractions.

Gi hoped that whatever it was… she would find it soon.

The mornings were for the waves, the afternoons for making some cash and her side projects; the evenings for her home.

The houseboat had been half rebuilt by Gi once she had returned home from Tokyo Tech. And she kept tinkering with it.

Gi herself had been the head designer on the Solar Car team, and had made the point in a number of interviews that if even a fraction of the number of innovations that had been put into motorcars and computers could be brought to bear on renewable energy sources, the world would have been emissions free inside a decade. She had also been selected because of her work with the Tokyo Institute of Technology's Engineering programs, to take part in a number of student forums on Green Technology.

The forum had easily rebutted the misconception that raising environmental standards would have an adverse effect on the economy. If anything, it would increase the worth of products across the board.

Nothing substantial came of it however, so Gi made it one of her personal projects to prove that it could be done, using her own houseboat as an example.

There were solar panels and wind turbines all over the sides. They gave enough charge to run battery chargers and the lights. The light bulbs had been replaced by LED lights, which were bright, took almost no power, and lasted forever; and Gi had managed to set up a small purifier; which looped from the boat's own tanks, giving them most of their own water recycled back.

And all of that was nothing compared to the ideas that Gi knew could work. Once upon a time, things like solar panels and water wheels simply couldn't generate enough juice. But technology kept marching forward. Things like incandescent light bulbs had long since been replaced with fluorescent. And then with LEDs. Technology was becoming more energy efficient every day as costs went up. A concern over money was doing what concern about the planet could not.

Upon returning from Tokyo Tech, Gi had rigged up a large computer monitor against the wall and ran all radio and television from her laptop; and the family had sold off the whole entertainment system. Gi could run the whole thing off one power point.

Her parents were pleased with the innovations, and left her largely to her own projects for several months.

Today's project was the ring.

Gi got home before her parents did and quickly did enough tidying to make it look like she'd done her chores before leaving. Her parents had insisted on that more than once, but they didn't seem to get that surfing was an early morning sport.

Clutter was an unforgivable sin on a houseboat. It was a way of life that required strict controls on how much junk a person could accumulate, as well as a proper way of storing everything in case of guests or storms, or anything that could make possessions tip or roll about and break.

Gi rolled up her futon first, giving her space to work. A traditional Japanese bed, just a soft mattress that would be rolled up and stored, safely out of the way, during the day, and laid out at night when needed.

With enough of her chores done to get away with it, Gi turned back to her laptop. The true hive of her life when her surfboard wasn't involved.

After checking her usual threads and feeds, she had checked the link Cho had sent her. The characters were the old Japanese name of Susano-ô. An early Japanese god. Deity of the storms and oceans.

According to the legend, Susano-ô was born when Izanagi, the first god, the Creator, shed impurities collected in the Underworld, and created from them three gods, who were granted rulership over various domains. Susano-ô feuded constantly with the other two, till he was expelled from the heavens for his many indiscretions.

Legend said that after being cast down to the world of men, he travelled to West Japan, and began using his powers for good. Not the least of which, was to collect the water from the oceans, and bring it over the land as rain.

Gi read what little she could find on the subject. Japan had great respect for its history and it's traditions, but very few still worshiped the Shinto gods.

Nevertheless, Gi studied further than just the character on the stone. She still couldn't figure out what kind of stone it was. Light blue? Maybe a sapphire? But too pale. And where had it come from?

A dolphin gave it to her. A dolphin delivered a ring named for the Japanese Water god to a Japanese surfer girl out on the waves? What were the odds on that?

Her parents came home at that point. "Gi?"

"I'm here." Gi called back, staring at her ring. "How was your day?"

"Bad." Her father groused. "The factory is in some trouble."

"Again?" Gi asked, unsurprised. Her father made the same statement at least five times a year.

"The Corporation is going to make a bid on the company." Her mother explained.

"They've done that before." Gi pointed out, still tapping away on her laptop, unconcerned. "Yours isn't a public company. Mr Shijo won't sell."

"Except that Mr Shijo is now under siege from his managers." Her father pointed out. "With him gone, the managers will sell up."

Gi took that in and clicked over to a financial website. "Why does The Corporation care? You're only one factory. They have hundreds. Thousands if you include the factories they snagged in America and Britain."

"Yeah, but they can't sell internationally."

Gi read her screen carefully. "Says here that there's a deal being made with a shipping company to bring a load of American cars over." She clicked a few links. "It's a big deal because it's the first Shipment of American cars to be sold here."

"American made cars could never be sold in China or Japan." Her father explained. "They never met the emission standards. But now... With the Corporation backing a change in the laws, and once all the factories belong to them anyway..."

"And ours is the only factory left in the area that isn't on their payroll. It's cheaper to make cars in America and ship them here. It's never been done because you cannot make or sell them here. But now the law might be changed. And if it passes…. And without Mr Shijo it will…"

"And once that happens..." Her mother said numbly. "Our factory will not be able to compete alone."

Gi checked the stock market page. They were right. She did a quick search. "Looks like its happening. The news says that your company just filed for a Vote of No Confidence in Shijo"

Her parents jumped up and hurried over to her computer, reading over her shoulder. "My god, if they do that then-"

"Wait!" Gi interrupted. "There's an update." She followed the link. "The vote was cast already. It was unanimous."

"I don't believe it!" Her father growled. "The Managers were all handpicked by Shijo when he started that company. It started out with him fixing motor scooters in his backyard. He built that company from nothing. The factory, the contracts… the Board of Directors themselves! He hired every one of them. Where's the loyalty? Not one of them backed him!"

"WaitWait! Another update." Gi called.

"Already?" Her mother was surprised.

"TwitterNews." Gi explained. "It's new. Gives up to the second updates. Don't even have to reload the page."

"What's the update?" Her father pressed, impatient.

"A release by The Corporation. They say that they'll accept whatever offer is made on the factory, and they'll guarantee the position of every worker."

"That was the deal." her father realized. "They were going to lose anyway, so they made a deal. Their jobs are all secure; and so are all the workers, if they hand it all over on a plate."

Gi bit her lip. "This doesn't mean… I mean, if people didn't want to buy the cheap gas guzzlers, nobody can force them to, right?"

"All the Corporation has to do is stop production for local dealers. Sooner or later the Government will compromise. The Corporation can keep making cars here and ship them away to other countries. No competition left." Her father explained. "Who else will people looking for a car buy from?"

"Well, in any case this is good news." Her mother pointed out. "We don't have to worry about our jobs being downsized."

Gi looked up, annoyed. "Mom, what do you think happens once the cheaper cars come flooding in? You couldn't sell them here because they polluted the air too much to be legal. They go from outlawed to omnipresent in less than a week. That's not a good thing!"

Her mother shrugged. "How bad could it be?"

Gi knew how bad it could be down to the amount of carbon in every square cubic foot of air. One thing that the internet had no shortage of was frightening statistics.

Japan was the fountain of new technologies; and close by was China, the most hungry of technologically developing nations in the 21st century. When the wind shifted just right, the sheer tonnage of smog crossed from China to Japan and choked her home. Surgical masks were nothing unusual, and once a few hundred shipments of cars a month were added... Gi could already feel her throat close up from the smog.

When China had the Olympics in 2008, she was just a little girl, but she remembered the petitions that went across the school about the air quality. She learned later that there were hundreds of millions of signatures. So why had the situation gotten worse?

She didn't feel bad about her mom dismissing the problem. She was worried about her job. And she didn't know much about things going on in the world; and she didn't care that much. She was worried about her world; which consisted of her job, her home, her friends, and her family.

Gi was hooked into everything. She had a better idea of what was going on in the world than most; but she didn't know how to fix it. It wasn't that nobody realised there was a problem. The information was not hidden.

A story about the transport ships full of American muscle cars was linked to a story about comparisons between car manufacture. That story was linked to statistics about respiratory troubles. That story was linked to the rising cost of hospital rates...

Everything was connected in Gi's world. She could see how one thing related to many many other things; and that was just in this one tiny area that she knew about. But she was a student of some of the most prestigious universities in Japan, where a quick and adaptable mind was the only hope of getting ahead. She knew that everything else in the world had to be connected in a similar way.

She knew that the air and the earth and the waves were joined as well, and she felt cold, deep in her belly at the notion that her ocean could be at risk.

Gi knew that there was still time. A few years could be enough, could be all it took… the world went from eight inch floppy disks to fifty gigabyte USB's in less time. The world went from the Wright Brothers to the Apollo Program in less than seventy years. Vacuum tubes to microchips in less than a decade. Video Tapes to Blu-Ray in even less time than that. All it took was one breakthrough…

But inwardly, she knew it was worse than that. Technology had not magically solved all of yesterday's problems. Atomic power was discovered and the very first practical application was Hiroshima. A point in history that no Japanese scientist was eager to have repeated.

She felt like the world was a fishbowl. She could see everything in it; but could not change anything.

Night came, and she lay back on her Futon. If she strained her ears, she could hear the water lapping against the hull of her houseboat. She liked the ocean. Its sound was unchanging. She had spent so much of her life traveling between the land and the water she was at ease on both.

The water sounds grew sharply louder, and Gi was suddenly aware of it in its entirety. She knew she should have felt alarmed, but she wasn't. It was hard for her to feel any worry at all. Her room was filled with a deep rich blue, glowing from her hand.

The ring? She wondered. Is there a light in the stone?

Her quick mind started making a list. LED lights were small and light. That could be where the glow was coming from. Power sources? Body heat? Motion? Some watches were powered by the motion of the wearer…

Until finally, her mind was fogged out, her sense of self was simply drifting. And yet… It felt safe.

The water sounds intensified, no louder, but more in focus. She felt her body drift away, as though being carried by a wave... She could hear every drop as it made the wave... She could hear the many rivers, the rain on the ocean surface, as if it were everywhere. As though she was surfing every drop of water in the world.

How is this possible?

Everything is connected.

AN: Gi always struck me as the knowledgeable of the group, but a little naïve. The fun one, but technically brilliant. If not the cunning strategist, then at least the one with all the facts, and not just the conclusions. She was able to explain how things were happening, but not always why.

I'm not sure if the show ever specified where in Asia she came from, but I figured if I was updating this, then we needed to let newer technologies into the room. The internet, if it existed at all in the early 90's was just getting started, and very few people had access.

We've changed the whole way of looking at the world in a very short time thanks to that technology explosion. Somebody needed to be on the leading edge of that, and Gi and Wheeler were the logical choices for this team.

Oh, and the astute reader may have figured out what the Wave Rider that Gi's working on has to do with anything.

I'm sorry if it feels like I'm dragging this out, but the point of the fic is to take the series and its premise far more seriously than it took itself. I promise, once we let all the players into the room, the story will have a fair amount of meat to it. I'm just trying desperately not to make it so preachy.

Many thanks to all that reviewed. Reviews are like oxygen. I'll be honest; I never thought I'd get so many people marking this one as a favorite.