SImp

"Tut, tut, child!" said the Duchess. "Every thing's got a moral, if only you can find it."

Alice's Adventure in Wonderland, Lewis Carol.

From my vantage point at the crest of the surrounding earthen berm, hidden amongst the tall purplish green weeds, the above-ground part of the high-security compound looked too picture-perfect. A few puffy clouds in a sky too purple, yet those buildings, peeking through the trees, were definitely of Terran Oriental heritage. I mean a full-sized genuine Pagoda? Now look, I've been to the Japanese historical gardens in Frisco (that's a suburb on the north side of downtown Los Angeles), on Terra herself. I knew that building to be an authentic Pagoda, as authentic as anything I was likely to find on Terra, let alone clear out here, which was about as far away from home as I'd ever been. I had grown up in the eastern suburbs of Los Angeles; just a midge east of the Sierra's cuddled up next the Wasatch Mountains. I mean just how many Buddhist temples do you see nowadays? Like, there aren't too many, not after the big quake of '24, though Mount Fuji does make for a pleasant island memorial.

In the foreground, I could see streams, dainty wood and bamboo bridges; ponds, flower gardens, and a variety of trees, including weeping willows whose long branches arched gracefully to kiss the surface of the water. Silver flashed in the air over a pond and disappeared with a quiet "blurp" back into the green depths causing the water lilies to sway back and forth. All that was left to mark its presence was an expanding ripple on the glass-smooth surface of the quiescent pond. Waterfalls murmured. The moist breeze carried the delicate scent of the water lilies to me washing away the pungent sweetness of the crushed foliage that I lay on.

Indicating for enhanced vision—I took a closer look. It was similar to wearing a combat helmet all the details zooming into magnified detail. I was not anticipating any further problems considering the gauntlet of robotic defenses I had already run. ...Guards! Human guards! Robotics' were easy to fool, at least with Imp's help, but humans?

The guards appeared to be Imperial Marines, an organization with a nasty reputation—although, what would Imperial Marines be doing here? They were wearing dress blacks: red beret perched cockily on the head; mirror-bright black boots clung tightly to mid-calf; black sharply creased trousers, with a stripe of opalescent black glistening on the sides; black one-piece tunic, with rows of ribbons, and a pure white blouse—a crack platoon. The guards were carrying the new Mark XXIX Disrupter, guaranteed destruction within the line of sight—knowing the reputation of the Imperial Guards. I wasn't about to bet, even a centisol, that the guards had their Disrupters set to stun. That Disrupter is so hot that it was only last week that they were declassified from ultra-top-secret—'Imperial Research Labs Only.'

The Guards were on a regular beat, prowling through the maze of trails winding through the gardens and pools. Maybe, I thought, if I asked politely, Imp could analyze a pattern for me. Something, anything that would allow me to sneak through to the main building, the Pagoda. Imp wasn't talking to me now, as he had just reminded me a few minutes ago. However, he was very good at puzzles and had a hard time resisting them.

Now luck is everything in the spy business, especially if you are still learning! As a guard was crossing a bridge to the west of the Pagoda, she tripped over her feet and fell into the pond, a beautiful belly flop. The splash sounded almost like an old-fashioned target rifle fired from a distance.

She surfaced, gasping, tastefully decorated with white water lilies and slimy green algae, a ludicrous expression of total surprise on her face. Almost as if by magic she found herself surrounded by guards, weapons at the ready, prepared for anything, . . . except this.

Before anyone could speak, a Koi that had managed to slip down the front of her tunic wiggled out into sight, its red-gold and pale silver scales gleaming in the afternoon sun. With a flurry of flipping fins, it slapped her face and dived back into the depths with a soft 'blurp.' Startled, she pulled her tunic over her head—revealing a lacy undergarment dotted with bright red hearts showing through the now transparent algae-covered blouse that was plastered tightly to her amply endowed chest—this was too much for even this highly trained team. They cracked up, rolling helplessly on the ground with tears of laughter streaming from their eyes.

[Seems like old lady luck is riding with you Larry,] Imp said with a chuckle. [See that door] he said causing it to flash brightly as my eye traversed the scene. [Enter there.]

[Ummm . . . ] I said. My mind focused on the guards and their Disrupters, and for some reason, the spectacle of that guard belly flopping into the pool kept intruding on my thoughts—shaking the moment of introspection off. I stood; indicating for standard vision with a security risk overlay, and looked around to make sure that the guards were the only problem I was likely to encounter on the way. Running full out at my three-gee trained speed, I flashed over the intervening grounds, effortlessly leaping six-meter-wide ponds and eighty-centimeter streams alike. Panting from running a thousand-meter (well, almost) steeplechase—I paused outside the entrance to brush off the dust and catch my breath. Then trying to keep my laughter limited to some dull rumbles deep in my belly. I casually strolled into the complex.