Darkness fell across the land,

[THE RIVAL]

December 17th, 2258 nChr.... The world stood still, when the huge eagle with a white head landed on the roof of the "New Baden-Baden-Countyside-Hospital". Some moments ago, a boy was born. His first cry made the electricity diasppear on the whole planet... the cold glow in his eyes had been the only source of light... The eagle jumped into a window and landed some steps away from the little bed, where the baby was in. He picked up the little bunch of flesh and went back to the window. After he had spread his wings, absolutely loudless, he climbed the sky and went away

Three years later.... The doc surrounded the table and had a last look at his experimental work.
"seems we made it, huh ?" he said to the young man, standing next to him. "the electricity in his body can keep this mashine running for years... " "It's a sin, Doctor - we are not alowed to do things like this. A boy is a boy - and a mashine is a mashine. Did we really made them become one ?" "Yes, Frank. The boy can't live without the mashine and the mashine will be senseless without the boy. We only have to change the size of it, when the boy grows."

Frank turned. He was the Admiral of the Naval Fleet of the Rheinland Army. He wanted the job so bad. But if he had known, what time would let him do, he had refused or simply ran away. "It's a sin", he murmured, "It's a sin." He went back to New Berlin, because the Navy had some problems with the "Phantoms", guys, only wanting to destroy the Rheinland System. For a long time he didn't think on the experiment - and when he did, his brain still refused to work. It became a dark, cold memory... Then, one day he recieved the message, the try to connect humans with mashines had failed and he held his breath a moment. He answerded, that everything should be destroyed - nothing should show, what had happened. First time, since years, he had a "normal" sleep. The pictures did not follow him, any longer. "thank god - it's over"

February 23rd, 2273 nChr.... A marsflyer launched from Baden-Baden. His movings were a bit like as if a rookie was flying it. But within the following days it became more and more elegant. After some weeks it launched again - set course and disappeared. On the wings, there was a picture of a huge eagle with a white head.

"What do you mean - he set course and flew away ?" The angry voice of the doctor was loud and close to a "salto mortale" The nurse looked into his eyes and her cheeks were burning: "As I said... he is gone... it seems all your security-business failed... he sliped though your net... who knows, where he's going to..." "You... you... do you know, what this means? A bionic man" he shook his head "a bioninc being slipped away... The work of 15 years - gone... " He rushed to the control-panel and grapped the microphone. "This is Dr. Peter Saalheim, Security-Allert, all kinds of space-craffts ordered to Baden-Baden. Code red - open file "Roswell" and follow the instructions!"

"So," the nurse said... "will they bring him back ?" "You silly dumb nut !!! They can't !!! He is the ship - he is the pilot.... He is a huge body of metall and flesh and a strong computer with no electrics but his nervs and muscles... If they hit the ship... they hit him... They will have to kill him... all the work and time is waisted... We can only hope, he's not after us - we made him too strong."

"Incoming message from unknown origin, Dr." a voice snarred...
"let it in..."
"This is a NeuralNetCommunication from me... just call me "The Rival"... You never taught me to speak... but I can use the ship to do this... I had a look at my programming, Sir... There are still some things, I don't understand... one thing's for sure... I don't come back for your experiments... the neural memory tells me, you robbed me once... I'll not get into your hands a second time... your try will be your dead... and to prevent this..."

The building was hit by a massive pulse of energy.... The walls came down and burried everything in it... Within a few seconds, the whole laboratory was a ruin and the back staff did not find any living person...


"He's out there... " the last intercom was interrupted by a massive eplosion...

---