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  A few minutes later, the van stopped outside of a small single story house. Four brawny, leather-clad men got out with two carrying a bound and gagged Sarah. After entering the house, they ungagged Sarah and threw her on a dilapidated lounge.

  "What do you want with me, is it money? You have my purse, take it!"

  "We don't want your money!" Said the larger and more dominant of the others. Sarah assumed he was the leader. The others let out a sinister laugh.

  "Then what do you want?" Sarah knew what they were after but feared to even think it.

  "WE WANT YOU!" The leader picked her up and threw her to another set of brawny arms which then threw her to another.

  Sarah screamed at the top of her lungs.

  "Your cries for help won't help you. Nobody cares around here."

  ********************

  "You’re wrong. There is one who cares very much!" Ryan sat in the pilot seat of the Eagle, eight kilometres above the people whom he was eves dropping. "Are we clear for beaming up?"

  "Negative. Other entities to close for single transportation."

  "Shit!"

  Ryan watched the monitor that showed an infra-red image of the incidence. He could see clearly that the gang leader was starting to molest the woman and wouldn't move away until irreparable damage was caused.

  "In a few minutes she will be dead! I'll have to intervene again." He pressed a button and the pilot seat and it disappeared into the floor with Ryan on it.

  Moments later he was standing in the matter transporter ready for beaming. "Put me down in the ally that is next to the side wall of the room."

  "Yes captain." Lucy confirmed.

  In a few heart beats, Ryan had activated his A.A.E.E.V. suit and with a flash of light, disappeared.

  ********************

  Sarah was thrust upon a table as large grubby hands pulled up her skirt. She fought against the numerous hands that held her, but to no avail. She said a silent prayer that requested death, rather than go through gang rape.

  The adjoining wall to the ally exploded in a fray of plaster and stone. From behind the explosion, dashed a figure housed in dark armour that struck the molesting group with incredible force. Bodies flew in all directions, but the assailed was left untouched. As quick as the dark figure appeared, it vanished with the crying woman in its arms.

  The leather-clad gang was not so easily deterred and they pursued the mysterious thief. As the gang came to search the ally, they found their quarry a short distance away being engulfed in light. With surprising speed, the leader travelled the space between them and crashed into Ryan and Sarah with the full force of his body. They were knocked clear of the transporter beam and all fell to the ground. Ryan and the gang leader fought on the ground while Sarah withdrew from the commotion. The leader stood some two and a half metres tall with thick brawny thews and a mighty frame. He would have little trouble of overpowering a normal man of Ryan's size, but Ryan was a well trained starfighter pilot and an expert in hand-to-hand combat. Also his suit was designed to amplify his strength to a level that can compete with superhuman aliens. Ryan quickly overcame the man and soon had him pinned down.

  Then another blow struck his body.

  Ryan looked up at three leather-clad men with clubs and chains in their hands. His body was assaulted by a continuous barrage of metal and wooden blows that caused a violent influx of data within his helmet. Despite the barrage, his suit held firm. He leaped to his feet and kicked three chins in one great sweeping arch of his heel. The three leather-clad men fell to the ground unconscious.

  Sarah screamed. "Look out!"

  Ryan spun on his heels to find the gang leader on his feet and pulling a one metre long samurai sword from behind his back. Ryan analysed his stance and recognised a typical Japanese style. He knew there was little chance of the gang leader harming him but he feared for Sarah. He also loathed these vermin and because he was bound to the preservation of twentieth century life. The best way to quench his lust for revenge was to totally humiliate him.

  Ryan reached for the sword hilt that was attached to the box on his back and drew it from its housing. As he removed it, a metre long energy blade appeared on the end. It shone of blue light that illuminated the ally like a lamp and it was shaped like a double bladed broadsword.

  The energy sword was another standard issue weapon for a starfighter pilot. The sword was the traditional weapon of the Warrians and they were experts in wielding them, so every Federation Soldier was required to study swordsmanship. Ryan's instructor was the famous Grandmaster Won Lee Chin, who was noted to be the greatest swordsman since the ancient times.

  The two clashed swords, cold steel against pure energy. The gang leader was well trained in the Japanese art of Samurai and withstood the initial assault of the energy sword, but after a few parries the fine steel was at the point of failing. The heat from the light sword was raising the temperature of the steel to almost melting point. The fine steel began to glow like its aggressor as if to match the energy sword's ability. The whole duration of the battle Ryan had to strike with the flat of his blade. One cut from the keen edge would sever the steel like a twig.

  Ryan decided he had enough and gave one mighty cut to the opponent's sword. The fine steel was severed at the hilt leaving the bewildered gang leader weapon-less.

  "What in the hell are you?!"

  Without replying, Ryan struck his opponent on the jaw with his left fist causing another unconscious body to complete the pile of the corrupt clan.

  Ryan turned to Sarah and found her face in a display of astonishment. Her expression quickly changed to fear, what did he or it want with her? Why did it save her life, and why did it care?

  "Who are you?"

  "A friend."

  "Why did you saved my life?"

  "I need your help."

  "My help. How could I possibly help you? You certainly don't look as if you need any?"

  "We can't talk here. I'll explain when we get to the ship."

  "The ship?!"

  In a flash of light they vanished from the ally leaving a pile of leather-clad bodies, unconscious and very humbled.

  ********************

  DATE - JULY 8TH 1987 TIME - 11:50 PM

  LOCATION - MISSISSIPPI, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  Joshua Goldberg sprinted through the sparse forest as fast as his legs could carry him. Although the cold night air blew at his face, beads of sweat dripped down into his eyes and nose while salting his mouth. The fear that his mind endured was evident by the amount of eye-white that showed and complimented by his terrified expression. For only one hundred metres behind him, ten men dressed in white suits and hoods stalked his trail. The white robed men were members of the Klue Klux Klan and Joshua was being hunted down like an animal because he was a black.

  Joshua was yet to turn fifteen. With every unsure step of his youthful legs, was kept the hope of reaching his next birthday. The forest had many logs and branches that littered the grassy floor and despite the moonlit dark, he regularly stumbled. He was heading for the main highway that lied another kilometre away and that road was the only hope for escape.

  Joshua came to a small clearing where he stumbled again, only this time he didn't regain his footing and fell to the ground. His feet were numb, his lungs ached and his mouth tasted of blood. He couldn't keep up this pace much longer. Despite his fitness, his heart pumped so hard that he felt sure it would explode. Joshua turned his head around to behold the ghostly figures maintaining their relentless pursuit. His tired arms and legs pushed his body from the ground like an Olympic runner to continue his fight for survival. As Joshua lifted his head to scan the oncoming terrain, he beheld a single ominous figure standing defiantly before him. Joshua stopped dead in his tracks about three metres from the dark, armour-clad body.

  He was trapped.

  The Klan members burst into the clearing behind him with guns at-the-ready. The mysterious figure leaped eight metres into the air,
somersaulted over his head and landed feet first on the ground behind him. The shocking presence of the stalwart individual before the Klan paralysed their legs where they stood. The white-robed men stared in confusion. After the confusion came fear and they opened fire with their shot guns.

  Joshua fell to the ground and awaited the thud of the stranger’s body on the ground; but no such sound occurred. The Klan stared in amazement. They pumped enough shrapnel to fall an elephant, but the ominous figure stood firm.

  Normally Ryan was like a thief in the night. He would beam the chosen person up to the Eagle, leaving no witnesses and no trace. He had witnessed so many horrific tragedies over the last few years on Earth, that the temptation to intervene was overwhelming. Racism was a conception he could not understand. His future world knew nothing of hatred between the different colours of the human skin and the only knowledge of such a word came from history lessons. The plight of this young man touched his heart and aroused his fury. This was one time he had to release his ache for vengeance.

  From his back, Ryan drew the laser machine gun and opened fire on the ghostly phantoms. The clearing was ablaze with blue lightening that dashed from Ryan to the ten robed men. Each weapon erupted into flames and scalded the hands that wielded them. As quickly as Ryan drew the weapon, he returned it to its housing. Six of the white phantoms turned and fled, while the remaining pulled other guns from their robes and fired again.

  Ryan moved forward despite the lead barrage on his armour and stood before one of the Klan members. The assistance of the suit's micro-servos gave Ryan incredible strength and he could bend steel like butter. He grabbed the pistol from the man and bent it in two, then tossed it to the ground. The Klan member turn to flee but Ryan picked him up over his head and tossed him at two other Klan members. White robes clashed into an unconscious heap.

  The remaining phantom produced a baseball bat and assaulted Ryan's head, but his quick reflexes stopped the aluminium weapon by blocking it with his forearm. The abrupt halt of the bat caused a terrific vibration that made the wielder drop it. The phantom threw himself at Ryan and again he out manoeuvred him. He used the man's momentum to throw him to the ground.

  Ryan threw a knee into the man's back, grabbed his head and turned it harshly to one side. The white robed figure groaned in agony. Only a margin further and he would have been a cripple for life. The urge to kill this vile pervert was great, but such an act could be catastrophic to the balance of time. Still, the sound of his pain would do. Ryan bent down so his helmet was close to the grounded phantom's head.

  Ryan spoke to him with great anger in his words. "Hear me this; I'll let you live so you can give a message to the others. I am everywhere. I see everything and hear everything. If any of you play this sick game again, I'll kill you all. Your kind make me sick! Also, for your own information. In thirty years your vile, twisted Klue Klux Klan will be hunted down like that poor boy. Only this time, God won't have mercy on your souls!" Ryan wasn't totally serious about killing them but what he said about the future was true. He thrust the man’s head into the ground and knocked him unconscious. He walked back to the young man sprawled on the grass.

  Joshua had his hands over his head and was shaking in terror.

  "Get up!" Ryan said.

  "Please don't kill me!" he pleaded as he remained on the ground.

  Ryan bent down, grabbed Joshua by the shirt collar and lifted him off the ground. Then brought Joshua's face up close to his visor. He strained his eyes to see the face behind the visor, but could only see his own reflection. Ryan spoke to him via the synthesised communicator. "As far as the world is concerned, you are dead! Join my quest and I'll let you live!" Anger still overwhelmed his mind and was dominating his tone of voice.

  Joshua was scared out of his mind. Whatever this metallic devil had to offer, must be better than death! One word escaped from his trembling lips. "Okay."

  Immediately the two were engulfed in white light and they disappeared from the clearing.

  ********************

  DATE - AUGUST 21ST 1987 TIME - 6:10 PM

  LOCATION - LOS ANGELS - CALIFORNIA, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  Professor Stephen Bane hung up the phone after speaking to his elderly mother. It was her birthday and because of his scientific research he was unable to see her, so he decided that a phone call will have to suffice. He returned to his experiment that was reaching its final stages. Before him stood a giant magnetic field generator that was the size of a large truck, and through a small window in its side Stephen could see the subjects for that he was to experiment on. The experiment was to measure what effects the strong magnetic field would have upon time, space and matter. Within the generator was a very accurate digital clock, a crystallisation culture that was under formation and four laser theodolites with their distance apart was being constantly measured.

  Stephen was in his mid forties, tall and wiry with a gaunt face. Upon his highly active brain was a quickly disappearing band of black hair and on his nose he wore a pair of fine bifocals. He was alone this day since the danger of an accident was great and he couldn't live with himself if any of his staff were injured, so he proceeded without his fellow colleges. When he was satisfied that all was ready, he took a deep breath and pressed the activation button. A great roar echoed through the lab while the instrument panel before him came to life. Stephen's eyes stared intently at the instruments hoping, praying, that they would record a change within the field. Seconds became minutes, minutes became hours and nothing happened. Stephen checked the voltage level that was running at eighty percent, he feared to push the equipment any further in case there was an overload. Eventually, he decided to take the risk and turned the voltage up to one hundred percent, then crossed his fingers and watched.

  Suddenly the time-piece within the field lost synchronicity with the identical piece on the control panel before him and the distance between the theodolites reduced a fraction in size. He couldn't believe his eyes, "It works. He shouted, "It works!" He laughed with excitement as his ten year old dream came true.

  A mighty explosion struck the lab as the generator burst into flames and Stephen was cast to the floor, unconscious.

  ********************

  Ryan watched the explosion on the monitor in front of him. Immediately he activated the matter transporter and the general quarters room of the Eagle was illuminated by the energising modules within it. Moments went by as he waited for the arrival of the potential recruit, but no one came.

  Lucy's voice startled him. "Error in the scanner signal. Unable to transport subject."

  "Noooo, I'll try again." Ryan reactivated the transporter.

  Lucy interrupted again. "Magnetic field interfering with scanner signal, unable to energise."

  "I'll try again." Ryan was becoming concerned. This time an image formed within one of the modules and as it grew, Ryan realised in horror that he was too late. The remains of a scorched body lay on the transporter floor.

  "Quickly, transfer him to the auto medical centre." Ryan shouted.

  The transporter energised again and a moment later the figure appeared within a sealed chamber in the adjacent wall.

  "Lucy, is he still alive?"

  "Ninety percent of the body is damaged beyond repair, but the brain is still functional."

  Few Brilliant scientists died during the nineteen eighties and a rare opportunity like this must not slip through his fingers. Ryan had to do something, he needed Stephen Bane alive. He considered the vast technology that was at his disposal and was sure that somewhere amongst it all, was the answer. "Isolate the brain and keep it alive. There is still a chance we can save him."

  CHAPTER FIVE - THE INQUISITOR

  DATE - FEBRUARY 28TH 1995 TIME - 7:35 AM

  LOCATION - NEW YORK, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  Katherine Mitchell pulled up at the accident site in her Ford convertible and stepped out. The accident involved a Cadillac sedan that was wrapped around a telegraph
pole and the occupant hung limp as two police officers removed him from the vehicle. Katherine, or Katie as her colleges knew her, approached the plain-clothes detective in charge.

  "Sorry Lady, no one past this point." He put his arm out to block her path.

  Katie reached into her top pocket and pulled out a leather wallet, then opened it while shoving it in the officer's face. "F.B.I. Officer!"

  "Sorry Miss...." He moved back to focus on the I.D. ".....Mitchell, you don't look like a Federal Agent."

  "That's AGENT Mitchell, Detective!" Katie was truly sick of men not acknowledging her rank.

  "Detective Wilson, AGENT MITCHELL!" Wilson was also sick of Federal Agents sticking their noses in where they were not wanted.

  "I believe you called for me?"

  "No! All I asked for was for someone to find out who he is so I can fill out my report. How did the F.B.I. get involved?"

  "That's confidential."

  "That would be right! Since your here, I might as well fill you in. His name is Howard Kenning and is a Canadian from Vancouver. It looks as if he lost control of the vehicle on the corner and crashed into the telegraph pole, he died instantly. No evidence of foul play, but get this - this is the second time this guy has died. When we checked out his name on the computer, it said he died in a car accident seven years ago. Maybe you F.B.I. guys could come up with an explanation?"