Youssef froze for a moment in shock. "Can I contact my wife first?" he asked.

Huzeyfa shook his head. "You can talk to her on the way to our destination. But we have a schedule to keep, so please exit your vehicle and board the shuttle," he repeated.

Youssef, still lost in disbelief, could only get out of his car and follow the guard to the waiting shuttle. To him, it seemed that the gullwing door and ramp were a toothless maw, waiting to swallow him into the blackness within the shuttle. Of course, that was just his thoughts; the only reason the interior of the shuttle seemed dark was because it was one o' clock in the afternoon in Saudi Arabia and the contrast between the dim interior of the shuttle and the bright, sunny day outside made it appear darker.

Perception was a funny thing like that. Every human being had an innate fear of the unknown that was baked into their DNA and reinforced with subconscious selection in every generation. Despite modern times being safe and humanity the king of the food chain, their forebears had lived in caves and were closer to the bottom than the kingly position they now maintained. Thus, fear of the unknown had become a beneficial trait and cruel darwinian evolution took the reins from there.

Youssef slowly walked up the ramp, the guard standing beside it with his arm outstretched in a gesture that meant "get a fucking move on" in no uncertain terms.

After he ducked into the shuttle, the doors closed and the interior lights came up to a comfortable level, revealing a low-key luxury that would be impossible for anyone to see from the outside, as the shuttle itself completely lacked windows. Along the opposite side of the cabin from the door, a long bench seat covered in comfortable-looking burgundy velvet was secured to the deck and bulkhead, with safety straps tucked neatly into the back. Judging from the straps, the bench was meant to seat eight. To the rear of the cabin were two individual seats that combined the class and luxury of wingback chairs with the comfort and security of the captain's chairs found on the bridge of any of Aron's vessels, be they the seagoing ships or spacefaring vessels. Opposite the long bench and to either side of the port-side door was a full-service wet bar, fully stocked with rare and top-shelf liquors.A young, vigorous man wearing a plain pair of glasses and casual clothes was seated in one of the single chairs to the aft of the cabin. He held up a glass and toasted Youssef, then introduced himself. "They picked you up, too, eh? I'm Jeremy," he said in Creole, holding his hand out for a handshake.

Youssef, still in something of a daze, reached out and grasped the younger man's hand. Giving it a firm shake, he said, "Youssef Al-Mutairi. Do you know why we're here?"

"Not a clue. They just knocked on my door and 'politely escorted' me out. I figure if it's a good thing, it'll be a good thing. If it's a bad thing, it can't be avoided. So I'll figure it out, eventually, but until then there's no point in worrying. Still, with a ride like this," Jeremy looked around the luxuriously appointed shuttle cabin, "it's probably a good thing. I mean, can you imagine them picking up criminals in this?"

Youssef shook his head then took the seat next to Jeremy's and swiveled it around to face him. "No... no, you've got a point. I agree, this-"

He was interrupted by an announcement from a hidden intercom speaker. "We are lifting off. ETA at Avalon, nine minutes."

(Ed note: I'm assuming that the shuttle can fly at least four times as fast as the orbital period of the ISS, which is 90 minutes, giving it a theoretical orbital period of 15 minutes and cutting that to something that sounds good to cover the distance from Saudi Arabia to Eden. 9 minutes sounded good, so that's what the ETA is.)

The shuttle shot straight up and broke into low earth orbit, then oriented itself toward Avalon Island and almost immediately disappeared as it rocketed forward against the Earth's rotation, cutting the travel time to an absolute minimum. But even with the vessel's unimaginable velocity, the people in the cabin and the two guards in the cockpit only felt like they were in a slow-moving elevator, thanks to the shuttle's inertial compensators and internal gravity plating.lights

The two men settled into a companionable silence for the duration and, as if by tacit understanding, neither of them contacted their loved ones. Youssef because he had nothing to say yet, and Jeremy because his mother already knew he was in safe hands.

The shuttle landed in a docking cradle at the exterior shuttleport and compressed liquid helium was sprayed over it to counter the heat of reentry. As soon as the visible heat distortions in the air faded, the port-side door opened and the aegis guardsmen politely, but firmly escorted the two passengers into the enormous Cube. They passed through what felt like kilometers of labyrinthine hallways with power-armored Aegis guards at every intersection and dotted along the halls at security checkpoints, and eventually came to a nondescript, yet cozy, waiting room.

"Please wait here. The emperor will see you shortly," the Japanese guard, Yamaguchi Takeyama, said. He gestured to a desk, behind which was a holographic projection of a pleasant-looking young woman. "If you need anything, ask the VL Do not leave the waiting area here unescorted."action

The two guards strode back the way they came, leaving the two slightly mystified gentlemen in the waiting area.

The older and younger man traded gazes and chorused, "The emperor?"

"They're here," Nova told Aron.

They were in his office in reality in order to meet the new ministers of the interior and exterior, who had just been picked up by members of Aron's personal Aegis battalion and didn't have access to the inner circle meeting room in the simulation yet.

"Bring them in," Aron said.

Nova nodded, then sent the order to the secretarial VI in the waiting room outside Aron's office.

"The emperor will see you now," the VI told the waiting men in her pleasantly neutral voice. They nodded, exchanged glances, then stood and walked to the door behind the VI secretary's desk, which slid open to allow them access.

They entered the room and looked around. It was a surprisingly utilitarian office, for someone of so lofty a position as the emperor of humankind. To their left was a low, comfortable-looking white couch, and straight ahead of them was a glass desktop that seemingly hovered in the air with no supports. The walls were completely unadorned and there was no other furniture in the room save two chairs in front of the desk that Aron sat behind. Nova's nanite colony "suit" stood behind him and to his left.