Well, I finally finished the first part of the BGC El Hazard fic I've
been working on.  People may recall the teaser I sent to the list ages ago.  I
was hoping to get some prereaders familiar with the series to look over my
work.  I've included the prologue in this post to try to entice people.

< > indicates thoughts
{ } indicates telepathy


      His daughter looked out at him from the screen.  Sylia wasn't his by
birth, for his wife couldn't have children, but he loved her as strongly as if
she had been his own, and not the child of a colleague who died in an accident
years ago.

      "When are your going to come home Daddy?  You haven't been here for a
week," she asked him, then added, "I can handle it, but Mackie misses you."
 He
smiled; for the last few months Sylia desperately tried to demonstrate she was
mature enough to have her bedtime pushed back again.

      "We're right on the edge of a break-through.  Once we make it, I'll be
back in two shakes of a lamb's tail," he said. <Assuming a new area of
research
doesn't suddenly appear, like two days ago.>  "Now put your mother on."  His
wife's pale face replaced Sylia's tanned one, with light blue hair instead of
Sylia's blue-black.  The expression on that face was not pleased.  "It looks
like I'm going to have to work here another night.  We've hit another problem
with the AI interface."  He sighed.

      "This weekend you're spending only with the family.  No engineering, no
work, just the four of us."

      "It's not like we're never together," he protested, idly twisting his
wedding ring.  A hair thin line of blue spiraled around the gold band.  He
hurried on to forestall her response.  "I know, I know it�s not the same.  All
right, the day after tomorrow I'll spend an uninterrupted two days with you. 
And after that our schedule here should be a little more sedate."

      "Anything looks sedate compared to pace you're setting."

      "Yeah, well, it'll slow down, I promise."

      "As long as it doesn't take you as long as the last time you promised to
come back."

      Green light threw his shadow over the console, and a lab tech cheered. 
"Doctor Mizuhara!  I think we've got it!"

      "Gotta go dear.  I love you."

      "I love you Makoto."  The screen blanked out. <Now if everything will
work according to schedule, I can keep that promise.>  He examined the
diagnostic's display.  The results certainly looked like he'd spend the two
days with his family. <Time to call that scuz of a boss and tell him we've
cleared all the major design hurdles.>  He was certain they'd try to claim the
androids were property, but as long as he was head researcher, they'd never
get
away with it. <Speaking of getting away, maybe I should accept that
headhunter's offer.  I don't like the direction our company's taking. 
Especially in the form of this weasel over me.>

      The phone rang twice before the other side picked up.  "Hello, I'd like
to speak to Brian Mason."

The World of Balance and Ruin



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                             _..`--'_..-_/  /--'_.' ,'
                           (il).-''  (li).'  ((!.-'

Beware of organizations that proclaim their devotion to the light without
embracing, bowing to the dark; for when they idealize half the world they
must devalue the rest.
                           -Miriam Simos