Steps

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

02/26/97:

"Your up a bit early." Sora said with a yawn as she came
down the stairs.

I shrugged. "Not really, you are. I'm just up, still."

She walked over to the couch, where I had been sitting,
rubbing the back of her head. "It must be strange not to
sleep."

I shrugged again, pulling on my shoes. "Well, not sleeping
really frees up a lot of time. I think I finally got most of
the bugs worked out of my ship by now. A few billion small
changes, and I'll have to come up with a name for it."

She smiled a bit. "If you say so."

"Still got the headache?"

She nodded. "How long until it fades?"

I stood up. "I'm not sure, two or three more days at the
most."

She nodded again. "I suppose I can last though it. At least
it's not as bad as when they first put that chip in the back
of my head."

I nodded back. "Look on the bright side. When it finally
settles in, you can talk to other people but me."

She gave me a smiled. "Is that what all this is about?
You're getting tired of talking to me?"

I could tell she was joking, or at least hopped so. "Not
really, but I want to get you acquainted with the rest of
Prid. Not to mention meting some of my friends."

She shrugged with her wings. "So, where are you off to this
early in the morning?"

"Ah... I'm going to see how much damage control I need to do
with the Council. I did leave in a rather less then ah...
approved way."

She shook her head, smiling slightly. "I suppose bringing me
back isn't a good thing either."

I snickered. "Actually... I used to do a lot when I first
started walking the folds. There used to it."

She put her head in her paws. "Fox, I don't get you."

I chuckled. "If you did, you're head would explode." Then
with five quick steps, I was out the door and through the
curtain.

About ten minutes later, I was into the Council area of the
Marble Hall. More accurately, I was standing in the
reception area of Rachel's office.

Walking over to her office door I gave it a quick knock.

"Go away!" She called from inside. "I'm busy."

I smiled to myself and opened the door, sliding into the
office. Rachel was at her desk, bent over a small pile of
paperwork reading over it and making a mark here and there.

I closed the door with enough force for her to hear it.

She sighed, not even looking up from her work. "Listen, I'm
busy. I'm not going to be able to see you unless your the
third coming, and she's going to have to make an appointment
for later today!"

I shook my head, and leaned against the door jam.

After a few seconds she let out a low growl. "I'm not in the
mood for this! Get out..." she trailed off as she finally
looked up, and saw me.

She sat up a bit, adjusting her blouse. "Fox! I'm surprised
to see you. I had though you would be gone for another of
your months or more."

I shrugged. "Things happened. Like finding out, the hard
way, that the fold I had used was a two year intermittent.
So it's pure luck, and a spaceship crash, that I'm back at
all."

She paused for a second digesting this, then broke a smile.
"You have a new sidekick don't you?"

I nodded.

She sighed. "It had to happen soon or later."

"Yep. Now, exactly how much damage control am I going to
have to do?"

She frowned just a bit. "Oh... well. After your departure
twelve of the Council members resigned. Three of which where
old members."

"Ick. Though I have to admit, I expect more people to leave
over my departure."

Rachel paused, the laughed a bit. "Fox, they didn't leave
because you left. They where forced out by Theo."

"Theo?" I asked, with a raised eyebrow.

She nodded. "Counselor Theodore Wraith."

I shook my head.

"The cougar you attacked in the hall."

I blinked. "Him? What exactly did he do to force these
others out."

She smiled. "Lets see. One," she said, ticking it off on her
fingers, "He told all the members, current or still wanting
meetings that you've already done more then you ever needed
to for the council, and they could carry on from there. Two,
he dug around until he found out who had threatened you in
public or private and got then to leave mostly on there own.
Third, and finally, he somehow got into the closed files and
found out who sent the probe to your world. She's also not
in the council now either."

I walked over, and sat down in a chair. "Shit... I guess I
got my point accost to him."

She leaned forward. "You attacked him, then turned your back
to him. He has told me that you earn his respect by doing
that."

I smiled. "Ok... I take it you had nothing to do with his
actions then."

She shook her head, though smiling a bit. "Nope, though I
did aim him in the direction of Page."

"Who I need to go see next." I said, standing up.

Rachel nodded. "It's about time." Then she scribbled
something on a piece of paper, handing it over to me. "She
actually as an office now, that's the number."

I smiled, glancing at it. "Thanks. I'll see you later and
you might as well pass on that I'm back."

She frowned a bit. "Are you sure?"

"Yep." I said. Then with a smile, slipped out of her office.

After a bit of wondering around, I finally found where
Page's office had been put. It almost entirely out of the
Hall it's self. It was stuck in a disused corner of the
massive structure, though I gathered that it would be
larger.

I knocked on the door.

"Come in!" I heard Page say.

I slipped inside the door. Page was at one of about thirty
computer consoles typing away. Most of the room, which was
only marginally larger then her old place, was covered in
computer equipment. Except for her desk. It was clean except
for a glass that was set to one side.

After a few seconds she turned around. She started to say
something, but stopped when her mind registered who I was.

She frowned. "Fox, what are _you_ doing here. No, let me
guess, you have some bit of computer stuff you want me to
take care of?"

I shrugged. "Actually... no. I came to apologize."

This caught her off guard. "What?"

I stuffed my hands in my pockets, hunching over a bit. "I'm
sorry. For the way I acted so many months ago. I was angry
about to many things and I took all out on you. It's not
your fault, I just needed to vent, and you showed up." I
hopped it didn't sound as hollow to her as it did to me.

She leaned back a bit. "I think I understand Fox. So I guess
I accept it."

I smiled. "Thank you."

She shrugged. "You're welcome, but right now I'm expecting
someone, and this is business."

I nodded. "No problem. See you later." Then I slipped back
out of her office, and headed back home.

* * *

Without so much as a knock, I opened the door into Page's
office, and went inside. As I closed the door, she looked
over at me, then frowned a bit.

"Oriana, Fox is back on Prid."

I frowned, sticking my fits into the pockets of my trench
coat. "I didn't even know he left."

She nodded. "I just though you would want to know." Then
with a pen, tapping the glass I had taken to try and ID Marn
with. "Good news and bad news. The bad news is there was no
DNA samples on the glass."

I groaned.

"The good news is that there was a decent finger print, and
I was able to get two matches for it from the worlds we have
access to."

"I get the feeling that the information I want is not
something I can get from on Prid."

She shook her head. "Most likely not. Now though, as for the
two matches, both are warrants. No name, just the finger
print. Your person is wanted for question in two murders."

I frowned. "I was hopping for more."

Page nodded. "Well, if I knew who it was I'm trying to find,
it might be a lot easier."

I shook my head. "I'm rather sure you've already done all
you can with the name. Keep looking though, and I'll start
asking some questions."

She nodded again. "Any more you can give me would help
tremendously."

"If I can I will." Then turning on my heal I left her
office, plans starting to form in my mind.