Measures and Countermeasures

The slow glow of her timepiece was the only light in Catherine's chambers, as the Galaxy Garrison officer waited in the pitch black room. According to her information, the captain made several rounds of the castle during the night, augmenting the castle security. His last round of the night should be completed in ten minutes, according to the instructions and the faithful timepiece.

She clicked the display off, shrouding herself in complete darkness. The next assignment was one of the most dangerous of her entire mission. Therefore, secrecy was absolutely vital.

Her pulse quickened as Catherine detected soft footsteps coming down the hallway. Although it would have been more beneficial to be in the wing of the castle the princess resided, her room's location on the team's wing of the castle was helpful tonight.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, she checked the time. The footsteps must be the captain finally retiring for the night. She would wait five more minutes to ensure the hallway was deserted.

The five minutes slowly ticked by as she analyzed and reanalyzed each move she was about to make. Catherine sighed inwardly as the appointed time appeared on the timepiece. Clicking the display off once more, she silently moved through the darkness of her chamber to the door. Taking a steadying breath, she pressed the panel, the soft swoosh assaulting her straining ears.

With almost perfect stealth, she moved through the numerous passages of the Castle of Lions to her distination. Her orders were correct as she encountered no castle security, hitting each station during a lapse in the guard. Within seconds she was at the doors of the Control Room.

Quickly punching in the access code, Catherine opened the doors and willed them to close immediately behind her. Trying to calm her screaming nerves, she crossed the room to the main instrument board. She paused, slowing her breathing before opening the scrambled communication line.

YOU ARE LATE, the message read, the green light of the letters bathing Catherine's face.

IT COULD NOT BE AVOIDED. EXTREME CAUTION HAD TO BE EXECUTED DUE TO SECURITY PERSONNEL, AS DESCRIBED IN ORDERS, she typed, her fingers flying silently across the keys.

WHAT ARE THE PLANS?

THE PHENOMENON WILL BE INVESTIGATED. ALL LIONS WILL GO. ARUS WILL BE AT MERCY OF CASTLE'S DEFENSES.

HOW SOON?

Catherine pressed her lips toward before giving her responses. SOON. WITHIN THREE DAYS MAXIUM.

AND THE PRINCESS?

COMPLICATIONS HAVE ARISEN.

WHAT COMPLICATIONS!

Panic nearly seized her as she read the exclamation. SUSPICION WOULD BE RAISED IF THE PRINCESS SUDDENLY BECAME A FOCUS. GREEN OR RED LION BETTER OPTION. TARGET CAN STILL BE OBTAINED.

Her panic grew as the cursor continued to blink, signaling no reply from the other side. However, the cursor suddenly began to fly across the screen as line after line of text appeared.

LION SUBSTITUTION FOR FOCUS ACCEPTABLE. NO MISTAKES MUST BE MADE OR DIRE CONSEQUENCES WILL RESULT. SEND NEW DEVELOPMENTS AS THEY OCCUR. CONTINUE TO FOLLOW YOUR ORDERS. DOOM OUT.

Catherine stared at the lines for a moment before coming quickly to her senses, closing the line. Then she accessed the current information of the phenomenon, absently scanning the data for any interesting developments. Satisfied, she closed that screen as well and left the Control Room.

She strolled casually back to her chamber, relieved that there had been no incident. She had reached her chamber door, when someone softly called her name. Assuming a normal, but tired, appearance, she turned around.

"And where have you been this time of night?" Lance asked.

"To the Control Room," she replied nonchalantly, enjoying the flash of emotion that crossed Lance's face. "I couldn't sleep and decided to check if there were any new developments."

"Find anything interesting?" Lance asked casually, leaning against the wall closer to her.

"Unfortunately, no," she replied, ignoring the new closeness. "The only way to get real answers to go and investigate this phenomenon up close."

She gave a sigh. "I'm going to bed now."

"Like some company?"

"No," she replied coolly. "Though you are persistent, I'll give you that."

"You haven't met the most persistent part of me, yet, Catherine," he said, the smile more smug now.

"Aren't we the optimist?" Catherine sneered. "Good night, flyboy." Without a glance back, Catherine entered her room.

Lance's smile vanished as the door closed behind her. He immediately went to the Control Room, accessing the log files within the past twenty-four hours. He was somewhat relieved to find that Catherine had entered the Control Room a few minutes earlier.

However, his relief vanished as he noticed the opening of a scrambled communication line during Catherine's time in the room. Lance's mood soured further as he could not discovered anything further about the communication, particularly its destination. Printing all the relevant records, Lance closed the log file.

With the papers in hand, Lance left the Control Room, taking an alternate route back to the team's wing of the castle. Glancing briefly at his watch, Lance passed his room and quietly on Keith's door.

The door quickly opened, the captain's green plaid pajamas the only indication he had been thinking about sleep. Keith immediately noticed the papers in Lance's hand and silently motioned him inside. Once Lance was inside, Keith punched the lock code for his door.

"We've had a development tonight," Lance began. "I found Catherine returning to her room when I headed to bed. I asked her where she had been and she replied that she had been in the Control Room."

Keith's dark brown eyes flashed with deep interested at the mention of the Control Room. "She said that she couldn't sleep and had gone to check on the latest developments on the phenomenon. I checked it out. She did go to the Control Room but a scrambled communication line was accessed while she was in there."

"What else did you discovered?" Keith asked.

"Nothing much. The line was opened for less than two minutes but I couldn't discover the destination nor the recipient of the message. She did access information concerning the phenomenon after the line was closed. Then she left the Control Room."

"I don't think I have to tell you how bad this looks," Keith said, absently running a hand through his wild black hair.

"What do you think we should do, Keith?"

"I think we should play along, for now," Keith answered after a moment's pause. "However, if the princess should become the target, we strike. However, we don't have anything substantial on Dr. Hamilton until we find out who she is working for."

"And if it's Doom?"

"Then the castle is going to need that back-up from Galaxy Garrison," Keith replied ominously. "I'll inform Coran and the princess of these developments tomorrow. You'd better get some sleep, Lance."

Lance looked at his watch for a moment. "You may want to think about it, too, Keith."

With a slight smile, Keith unlocked the door and showed Lance out. However, Lance doubted that he or the captain would get much sleep that night.


Measures and Countermeasures The slow glow of her timepiece was the only light in Catherine's chambers, as the Galaxy Garrison officer waited in the pitch black room. According to her information, the captain made several rounds of the castle during the night, augmenting the castle security. His last round of the night should be completed in ten minutes, according to the instructions and the faithful timepiece. She clicked the display off, shrouding herself in complete darkness. The next assignment was one of the most dangerous of her entire mission. Therefore, secrecy was absolutely vital. Her pulse quickened as Catherine detected soft footsteps coming down the hallway. Although it would have been more beneficial to be in the wing of the castle the princess resided, her room's location on the team's wing of the castle was helpful tonight. As the footsteps faded into the distance, she checked the time. The footsteps must be the captain finally retiring for the night. She would wait five more minutes to ensure the hallway was deserted. The five minutes slowly ticked by as she analyzed and reanalyzed each move she was about to make. Catherine sighed inwardly as the appointed time appeared on the timepiece. Clicking the display off once more, she silently moved through the darkness of her chamber to the door. Taking a steadying breath, she pressed the panel, the soft swoosh assaulting her straining ears. With almost perfect stealth, she moved through the numerous passages of the Castle of Lions to her distination. Her orders were correct as she encountered no castle security, hitting each station during a lapse in the guard. Within seconds she was at the doors of the Control Room. Quickly punching in the access code, Catherine opened the doors and willed them to close immediately behind her. Trying to calm her screaming nerves, she crossed the room to the main instrument board. She paused, slowing her breathing before opening the scrambled communication line. YOU ARE LATE, the message read, the green light of the letters bathing Catherine's face. IT COULD NOT BE AVOIDED. EXTREME CAUTION HAD TO BE EXECUTED DUE TO SECURITY PERSONNEL, AS DESCRIBED IN ORDERS, she typed, her fingers flying silently across the keys. WHAT ARE THE PLANS? THE PHENOMENON WILL BE INVESTIGATED. ALL LIONS WILL GO. ARUS WILL BE AT MERCY OF CASTLE'S DEFENSES. HOW SOON? Catherine pressed her lips toward before giving her responses. SOON. WITHIN THREE DAYS MAXIUM. AND THE PRINCESS? COMPLICATIONS HAVE ARISEN. WHAT COMPLICATIONS! Panic nearly seized her as she read the exclamation. SUSPICION WOULD BE RAISED IF THE PRINCESS SUDDENLY BECAME A FOCUS. GREEN OR RED LION BETTER OPTION. TARGET CAN STILL BE OBTAINED. Her panic grew as the cursor continued to blink, signaling no reply from the other side. However, the cursor suddenly began to fly across the screen as line after line of text appeared. LION SUBSTITUTION FOR FOCUS ACCEPTABLE. NO MISTAKES MUST BE MADE OR DIRE CONSEQUENCES WILL RESULT. SEND NEW DEVELOPMENTS AS THEY OCCUR. CONTINUE TO FOLLOW YOUR ORDERS. DOOM OUT. Catherine stared at the lines for a moment before coming quickly to her senses, closing the line. Then she accessed the current information of the phenomenon, absently scanning the data for any interesting developments. Satisfied, she closed that screen as well and left the Control Room. She strolled casually back to her chamber, relieved that there had been no incident. She had reached her chamber door, when someone softly called her name. Assuming a normal, but tired, appearance, she turned around. "And where have you been this time of night?" Lance asked. "To the Control Room," she replied nonchalantly, enjoying the flash of emotion that crossed Lance's face. "I couldn't sleep and decided to check if there were any new developments." "Find anything interesting?" Lance asked casually, leaning against the wall closer to her. "Unfortunately, no," she replied, ignoring the new closeness. "The only way to get real answers to go and investigate this phenomenon up close." She gave a sigh. "I'm going to bed now." "Like some company?" "No," she replied coolly. "Though you are persistent, I'll give you that." "You haven't met the most persistent part of me, yet, Catherine," he said, the smile more smug now. "Aren't we the optimist?" Catherine sneered. "Good night, flyboy." Without a glance back, Catherine entered her room. Lance's smile vanished as the door closed behind her. He immediately went to the Control Room, accessing the log files within the past twenty-four hours. He was somewhat relieved to find that Catherine had entered the Control Room a few minutes earlier. However, his relief vanished as he noticed the opening of a scrambled communication line during Catherine's time in the room. Lance's mood soured further as he could not discovered anything further about the communication, particularly its destination. Printing all the relevant records, Lance closed the log file. With the papers in hand, Lance left the Control Room, taking an alternate route back to the team's wing of the castle. Glancing briefly at his watch, Lance passed his room and quietly on Keith's door. The door quickly opened, the captain's green plaid pajamas the only indication he had been thinking about sleep. Keith immediately noticed the papers in Lance's hand and silently motioned him inside. Once Lance was inside, Keith punched the lock code for his door. "We've had a development tonight," Lance began. "I found Catherine returning to her room when I headed to bed. I asked her where she had been and she replied that she had been in the Control Room." Keith's dark brown eyes flashed with deep interested at the mention of the Control Room. "She said that she couldn't sleep and had gone to check on the latest developments on the phenomenon. I checked it out. She did go to the Control Room but a scrambled communication line was accessed while she was in there." "What else did you discovered?" Keith asked. "Nothing much. The line was opened for less than two minutes but I couldn't discover the destination nor the recipient of the message. She did access information concerning the phenomenon after the line was closed. Then she left the Control Room." "I don't think I have to tell you how bad this looks," Keith said, absently running a hand through his wild black hair. "What do you think we should do, Keith?" "I think we should play along, for now," Keith answered after a moment's pause. "However, if the princess should become the target, we strike. However, we don't have anything substantial on Dr. Hamilton until we find out who she is working for." "And if it's Doom?" "Then the castle is going to need that back-up from Galaxy Garrison," Keith replied ominously. "I'll inform Coran and the princess of these developments tomorrow. You'd better get some sleep, Lance." Lance looked at his watch for a moment. "You may want to think about it, too, Keith." With a slight smile, Keith unlocked the door and showed Lance out. However, Lance doubted that he or the captain would get much sleep that night.


Resolution The Heart of a Lion Sarah's Sanctuary