Part 2. Preparations
"I know someone who could be up to the project." Iyru said hesitantly, "But she’s a bit out of the ordinary of what the military usually hires for their missions."
"Like what, she has three eyes?" Tasrin asked.
"No, not physically at least, I worked with her a few years back and she was brilliant, the best of her class."
Tasrin quirked his eyebrows, "So why don’t you call her?"
"I’ll go make the call right now."

***

Fairlight pedalled a bit faster when she neared the top of the hill. Iyru had told her the place was hard to get too, but this hard? Come on, it was almost as hard to reach as a secret government building.
Finally she reached a dirt road, leading off the wider dirt road alongside a fence that ran endlessly into bushland. After a while a gate came into view, a wide, barbwire fence, guarded by two men clad in camouflage.
"Now this is odd." Fairlight remarked, "Haven’t I been here before some years back?"
"ID." The left guard asked her.
"Which one? My first? My present? Or are you willing to take a guess about a future one?" Fairlight asked, drawing out her tarot cards.
"Eh…" the guard said, "Who are you visiting?"
"Iyru Luna."
The dumbstruck guard turned to the watchhouse and picked up an old-fashioned telephone. "Doctor Luna?" he asked in the telephone.
"Speaking." Iyru answered.
"Are you expecting someone?"
"I’m expecting a colleague of mine, Fairlight."
"Could you give me a description of her."
"Well the last time I saw her, she was rather short, with long blond hair and very dark eyes."
"Does she sound like someone who would wear a wide skirt dating from the 60’s of a century back? Like the old hippie population?"
"That’s her. Hasn’t changed a bit." Iyru answered.
The guard stepped back outside and turned to Fairlight. "I’m going to have to search you miss for any hidden weapons or illegal substances."
Fairlight’s face darkened, "I don’t use drugs, and as for hidden weapons, I am the hidden weapon." She smiled, patting his shoulder and then suddenly touching a pressure point that made the guard faint.
"Fairlight!" Iyru called from the road. "Wait a sec!". As Iyru approached, she noticed a body laying at Fairlight’s feet.
"What did you do this time?!" Iyru called out, "He isn’t dead is he?"
Fairlight shook her head, "No, my motto is ‘live and let live’ except for bugs maybe."
"Well we can’t leave him here like this." Iyru said, "Let’s drag him out of sight and hope nobody notices him."
"Ah, this brings back memories." Iyru sighed happily when they were moving the unconscious guard.
"Now to business, Have they captured you?" Fairlight asked, "I knew there was some conspiracy going on! It’s been quiet way too long."
Iyru’s metal dragon flitter landed on her shoulder and took up his perch around her neck again.
"Is that a new way of confining people to jails? Can you take it off?… Oh… Does it explode when you cross a border?"
"No, no, not at all. I eh… made this one… genetically." Iyru admitted haltingly.
"They gave you drugs!"
"No."
"You… You have turned on us! I can’t believe you sold out our believes so quickly. What did they offer you? Money?"
"They promised me to fund my work with DNA of long-extinct animals."
"What kind of animals?"
"Dragons…" Iyru said.
"Real dragons? I want one!"
"The ones we tried to hatch here didn’t work out. So far only one of them hatched and she was too small for what they wanted her to be. We think they need an untouched planet to draw power from. This one is too polluted with our presence."
"My kind of creatures."
"I called you because we could use your help."
"What do you need me for? I’d think you have everything you need right here."
"We’re not staying here, Fairlight." Iyru said, "We’re moving off the planet. This little one," she said pointing at the flitter around her neck, "was a little violent and the military thinks we should relocate."
"Deep Space?"
"A new planet."
"A new Gaia?" Fairlight said with sparkles in her eyes, "This is wonderful! We could make this work! A new beginning!"
"And we need you to help me with the dragons and the plants. We need someone with a clear view. Who knows, the cure for cancer, AIDS or the common cold might be on that planet!"
"But so could be the next napalm."
"But you’re in right?" Iyru asked.
"Of course, I would come for the dragons alone, the possibility to thwart the plans of the military are a perk."
"Besides, knowing us, all we're going to find is a new tanning lotion."
"A very useful thing." Fairlight nodded.

Continue to Part 3

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