Angel of Death

[stardust47]

Planet New London
September 3rd, 819 A.S.

James was on shore leave on Planet New London.
The shuttle dropped him off at Floor 101 of the Winchester Tower.
The Winchester Tower wasn an immense structure of plexiglass and high-strength metals, rising from five hundred metres below ground to an altitude where the stars were visible, at around fifty kilometres. It was, in many ways, a self-contained city; there were huge shopping centres towards the top, several offices where the Winchester Corporation was based and massive industrial complexes that operated to keep the tower running smoothly. Nearly the entire New London branch of the Winchester Corporation lived and worked in the tower, and several schools, both public and private, meant that entire generations could live their whole lives in the tower without leaving, except for universities.
The outside of the tower was quite different from the usually well-polished interior- three centuries of torment by acid rain, high winds and the occasional crash meant that the exterior was in a constant state of apparant disrepair, with crews working around the clock on various parts of the tower. Shuttle bays made up a large part of the outside as well, filled to the brim with the personal craft of anyone who had reason to leave the tower.
James hopped off the orbital shuttle and made his way to his mother's apartment. He knocked at the door and waited.
The door opened to reveal his mother, Jacqueline Barett. She was in her fifties- her hair still had its brown colour but her face was beginning to wrinkle and her blue eyes now seemed duller than before.
"Oh, James! I was wondering when you next had shore leave. Did you get the package?" she asked, referring to the old Webley revolver.
"It's in my quarters," he said.
"Oh, good," replied his mother, "Why don't you come on in for a cup of tea?"

Junction Station, Kansas System

Catherine's transformation continued.
She opened her new eyes and looked at herself in the mirror. Both eyes retained their natural appearence, even though they were much improved. Letting the surgical gown fall to the ground, she examined how she had changed in the past two days. From the shoulder downwards, her right arm was like that of a machine- wires and tubes intertwined with a polished steel frame. Picking up a spray can in her left arm, she painted the metal snow white to match her skin.
That was when her new eyes began to take effect. Using the zoom finction and the perfect focus to ensure that evcery detail was done perfectly, she put down the can. The heads-up display read out data about her surroundings directly into her brain. Turning her head back to the mirror, she looked at herself again.
She looked so different without her glasses. Her glasses had helped her greatly over the years, but they couldn't be adjusted across the EM spectrum or provide displays for any purpose.
Catherine got dressed and headed back to her workshop.
The next stage could begin.

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