Observing the planet Galf from the central orbital station was a sight for sore eyes. The illumination of the vast high-rise cities was mesmerizing, but the bar "The Lonesome Cowboy" was half empty at this time of night. The bar door opened, and a pretty reptilian lady came in. She was wearing a long red cocktail dress, and her long dark neatly braided hair covered half of her body. She slowly moved through the bar and approached the bartender. The lady took a sit at the bar counter and looked around with eyes full of desire. The bartender, whose silhouette resembled a giant gorilla, slowly bent over the bar counter.
"Hey, sweetie, looking for something?" It seemed like a ridiculous attempt of a huge ape to look charming. He was not a match for a lady of her style.
"Yes. Crane. Sheldon Crane, where can I find him?" The reptilian voice was so sweet and nice that even the ape couldn't resist.
"Why do you need him? He's not worth your time. Believe me." The bartender was clearly trying to convince her that she could have a better option. Looking straight into her bright yellow eyes he suddenly felt that he was under control. Her hypnotic gaze made the bartender weak to the point that he would do anything she asked.
"I need Sheldon Crane, that's all. Where is he ?" The mysterious lady continued to use her hypnotic gaze to make the bartender speak. Sounds were slow and nice, and she was uttering every word softly, as if putting a baby to sleep.
"He is at the far right corner, the last table." The bartender didn't want to talk, because he promised Crane not to, but the words came out of his mouth against his will.
"Thank you, you are so kind." The lady smiled like she won a jackpot and quickly moved away from the confused and numb bartender to the part of the bar where Sheldon was sitting. When she came there, she saw a man of a human race in the military uniform, who was drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. It was unusual to see a famous war hero sitting in the regular bar, but it was what it was. The lady joined the table and softly landed next to Sheldon. She elegantly put her head on her palm and looked at him.
"You haven't changed a bit, Shel. Still the same." She began.
"Still." Sheldon was brief.
"So handsome, so strong, yet still so vulnerable." The lady was clearly trying to draw his attention, but he was still showing no interest in her.
"True." Another purposefully short answer from Sheldon failed to fuel the conversation. The lady wasn't happy about the way the human treated her and decided to change the strategy.
"War hero, sitting lonely in the bar... Something's not right, I must say." Sheldon didn't even move an eyebrow. And the lady decided to stop wasting her time. "And then, I heard you lost your ship. At first, I couldn't believe that you lost "Scarlett", but later I discovered that it was bluntly stolen from you. What a shame!"
"What do you want?" Sheldon still seemed like a stone, but the lady knew that she has pulled the right strings.
"I know how to get it back. I need your help. I just need a favor."
"Why would a criminal like you want a favor from a man whom you previously messed with?" He looked at her and put newspaper on a table. Sheldon Crane was a handsome man with dark hair and a scar over his neck. His face looked calm, but it was obvious that he was trying to restrain himself. He took it seriously and was getting angry. The lady knew this look well – it meant that she finally drew his attention. She'd better tread softly now.
"Darling... I just..."
"Luckily for you, thief, I will hear you out. And I suggest you pick your words carefully." Sheldon meant every word, and the lady indeed needed to pay extra attention to what she was going to say next.
"I know, you would never forgive me for what I did. Saying "sorry" just won't change anything, but I really want to help. Please, give me a chance." The reptilian looked at him with the same gaze she looked at the bartender earlier, but it this time she failed - Sheldon was one of the fewest men, who could resist her hypnosis.
"Five years in the relationship didn't teach you anything, I assume, except for betraying."
"Wrong. I also learnt how to gain your trust." She pulled out a small device out of nowhere and gave it to Sheldon. He took it and after a few touches, the glowing small screen appeared. It was a holographic recording, where an unknown voice said that the thing the thief was looking for was in the vault, but there had to be a key. After listening Sheldon put the device aside.
"Another theft? I already lost my status because of your tricks. Can't believe that you still think that you can manipulate me." Sheldon turned back to his newspaper and continued to drink his coffee. The reptilian lady got visibly upset with what he said, although she had to admit that what he said was true. Few years ago, she and her team of thieves made, like newspapers said "Theft of the Century". They stole "Mona Lisa" - the last greatest art in the history of humankind. Ever since the Earth was destroyed after the invasion of alien species (which humans called "Faceless"), only few historically important things were saved. One of them was a picture by Leonardo Da Vinci. During the investigation it was revealed that Sheldon Crane was related to one of the thieves, and his authorization card was used to get to the "Galactic Museum". As a consequence, he lost his status of the Commander of the Seventh fleet. Since then, he was just a Commander of his own ship, which recently has been stolen.
"The name of the alien, who ordered to steal your ship is Adristan" the reptilian said with immense satisfaction, as if she had a winning hand. But Sheldon just laughed. She couldn't understand why he reacted like that.
"Really? Adristan? The Prophet? You must think I am a fool! With this kind of jokes, you should've been a comedian!" Sheldon was being rude, and the lady didn't like that one bit. She sharply stood up and threw a piece of paper on the table.
"You're angry. I hoped to fix something between you and me." She sighed and left without saying another word.
"There's nothing to fix." Sheldon whispered to himself, took the paper and read it.
"Want to see your sister? Lust 472"
He knew what it meant. It was a name of the hotel and a room number. Sheldon knew this place well – a perfect place for some bedroom fun. He used to visit it with her – the one he now calls a thief - a woman who broke his heart and his reputation. Sheldon looked at the paper again and withdrew into thoughts. Making the right decision was never easy for him. It was especially hard during the War of the Fourth Encounter. It became unbearable when humans learnt that the enemy were alien species, who could take any face from any human being and infiltrate into any organization. That is how the Earth was lost, that is how the human race was left without a home, but was timely saved by an alliance of other alien races led by the Prophet Adristan - a person whom every human should thank. He saved millions of lives, but the planet itself had to be destroyed together with the invaders. Believing that The Prophet could need his ship "Scarlett" was ridiculous! Yes, this was one of the strongest spaceships in the galaxy, and it was an honor to receive such a gift in commemoration of his heroic actions from Alien Congress. Sheldon was thinking so hard that one could probably be hit by the force of his brainwaves when passing by. What happened to his sister? Was she kidnapped? Is she a hostage or is she a part of some wicked plan? He momentarily stood up, grabbed the note left by his treacherous ex-lover and left the bar. He ordered a car and in drove to the hotel. In the next few minutes he appeared in front of the room number 472. There was a facial recognition scanner near the door. If this room was meant for Sheldon he would pass the scan and enter, if not – he would become furious for letting that woman make a fool of himself again. The screen of the scanner turned green and the door slightly opened. Sheldon rushed into the room and saw his reptilian ex-lover next to the octopus-like robot and a very familiar young girl of a human race, whom he instantly recognized.
"What took you so long?" The girl rushed up and approached Sheldon in just a few steps. She hugged him warmly, and it stunned him. This young pretty girl with short blond hair, dressed like a skipper from a pirate ship was his sister Rose, whom he hasn't seen in a very long time.
"Why are you here?" Sheldon asked in his usual strict manner, trying to hide his true emotions. Rose didn't let go the hugging grip.
"I missed you so much! I couldn't stay there in the Academy. Thanks to Miss L we can finally meet."
"So this is how you call yourself these days… Miss L?" Sheldon skeptically raised one eyebrow and looked at the one who betrayed his trust. She smiled, but said nothing.
Sheldon looked at Rose again, she was so young and naive, like always, but at the same time there was something different about her. She seemed stronger and more mature. She was the only relative he had left after the invasion of the "Faceless". Placing her in The Galactic Academy should have given him enough time to arrange her future, but since she was here, he had to improvise.
"I'm glad to see you, Rosie." Sheldon said with a short honest smile on his face. She released him and smiled back - they haven't seen each other in almost five years. Rose seemed really happy about this sudden reunion.
"Can I stay here a little longer? I will come back to the Academy, I promise." Rose hoped to get a positive answer.
"Fine, but first I need to speak with … Miss L." Sheldon pronounced that with the utmost mockery and made a step towards the lady, when a huge octopus-like robot jumped between him and Miss L.
"I am sorry, sir. I can't allow you to come any closer." The robot was pointing his laser beam strait into Sheldon's face. Rosie was stunned, while Miss L was being calm and motionless as if nothing weird has happened. Sheldon noticed that sly smile of hers, then he looked at the robot.
"Step aside. Now." Sheldon hissed straight into the octopus's metallic face. "Because if you don't, you will have two seconds left to live." Sheldon added in a more calming almost sweetening manner.
"Don't mess with Sheldon, Nate. I won't able to fix you." The reptilian woman was trying hard to hide the immense pleasure she was getting out of all that was going on. This man's boldness tied to his firm beliefs was the reason why she still loved him, despite what she did. She knew exactly what was going on in Sheldon's mind. Robot tried to calculate the options, then slowly took a step aside. Sheldon was now facing his ex-lover directly.
"So, what will it be?" She asked trying to sound as indifferent as possible.
"Fine." Sheldon heavily exhaled. She didn't change one bit. Theft after theft. "I will help you, but if this is another hoax of yours, you willingly turn yourself in."
"And if it's not?" Miss L interrupted him.
"Don't think for a second that you have my trust." Sheldon was serious and Miss L knew that well, she betrayed his trust once, but she still had strong feelings for him, which didn't make her feel any better. Deep down she wanted to be with Sheldon again.
"I will try my best. And if it works out well you would give me another chance to prove that I didn't mean to make your life harder."
"We'll see about that." Sheldon turned to Rosie. "Sorry about all of this."
"It's ok, I didn't listen anyway. Shall we go to the Alpha Centaury Space market?"
"Not now, the promise comes first. Do you have something to do?" Sheldon hoped Rose weren't angry on them, but he could see that she was a little disappointed.
"Don't worry, sweetie, it won't take much time." Miss L gently tapped Rose's shoulder and moved to the exit. Sheldon followed her to the door where she stopped and turned to the robot. "Priority mission. Take a good care of her, Nate, she is very important. "
"Yes, Miss L." Nate answered and closed the door after Sheldon. The ex-lovers quietly walked down the corridor and left the hotel.
Sheldon opened his mouth as soon as he joined Miss L in her car. "What's on your mind?"
"We must find Kelano, a "Faceless", who stole your "Scarlett". He would be on a thematic banquet, where all the richest crime lords of the galaxy are invited to. I don't know who he'll impersonate, but I bet it's going to be a human." Miss L wanted to continue, but Sheldon stopped her.
"Is that why you need me and my access to the database? To find the impersonator?" Sheldon was unhappy to learn what he heard. Miss L still needed his status to get the things done. "The recording I listened to in the bar, the vault, what's that about? What's in the vault? Tell me now, or I swear, I will not do another move."
"A Book. The Bible. The last copy." Miss L said it, hoping that Sheldon wouldn't decline her offer, because he was a man of his word.
"Who are you stealing for? How much will he pay?" Sheldon was thinking about something, but he wasn't angry, but Miss L noted that somehow he was different, didn't act like Sheldon Crane would usually do.
"I don't know his name, only nickname, but he pays a lot. Half a million." She played an open hand for the first time of her thief carrier. She didn't want to hide anything from Sheldon anymore.
"My offer has changed. You help me to find this person and put into prison." Sheldon changed like he had a plan of some sort, which Miss L failed to understand.
"His nickname is Knight. He used to contact me through our special source." Miss L finished and looked at Sheldon. The man she used to know - calm and emotionless was back.
"Let's go to that banquet." Sheldon was ready to find Kelano. He picked up a small electronic device without permission, entered his code of access into Galactic database and started searching for every dead or missed human crime lord, who could possibly be invited to the party. He memorized their names and left the database open. Then, he took his personal VR glasses out of his inner pocket, and put them on. He now had all the data on the person he was looking at. The data on Miss L appeared in his glasses on the right side. Her name was so long, that it was simply shortened to one letter. She was of alien species called Vesperians - very charming and pretty, who mostly looked reptilian. Miss L was born during the second invasion of Faceless on her own planet, which, unlike Earth, remained intact, but was harmed enough nonetheless. Miss L's recent status was "wanted" and there was a bounty placed on her to be taken alive.
"This channel is secured, don't worry" She told Sheldon. She was looking at the heavy traffic on the highway up ahead – it was no big deal for her, she could speed up and outdrive most. "You need to change. Behind you there is a bag with clothes."
"Fine." Sheldon said and moved to the backseat. Miss L was trying not to be distracted by Sheldon's appearance, but from time to time took a glimpse in the rearview mirror. That human wasn't a muscle machine, no, he looked like an ordinary well-built guy, but his whole body was covered in scars, which made him so attractive to her. She knew the story behind every single scar that Sheldon had.
"Still the same." Miss L smiled joyfully, but Sheldon didn't react. He almost finished changing when Miss L jerked the wheel and made a rough turn. The car then followed a long straight road to a huge mansion. "Almost there. Ready?"
"Yes." quickly answered Sheldon and joined the front seat next to her. Miss L slowed the car and gave Sheldon small electronic glasses. He put them on his face and in a few seconds a very high quality hologram covered his face. He became unrecognizable for scanners and people. He now looked like a young blond guy with wrinkles.
"I should remind you, that if you make any contact with water, the mask will turn off automatically. And one more thing… I will do the talking." Sheldon nodded.
The vehicle stopped next to the gates. Miss L looked at Sheldon again. The tuxedo fit him well, even better than she expected. Her admiration was stopped when a huge guy, with weapon in his hands looked at her suspiciously.
"Your invitation, please."
Miss L looked at him with her hypnotic eyes and slowly placed a few blank papers into his hands. The serious face expression of the guard changed into a smile. Seemed like he suddenly wanted to be a part of her company.
"Is everything all right, mister?" The voice of the reptilian woman was very soothing and enchanting.
"You can call me Fedder. Can we skip this meeting and move to a more private place?" Mr. Fedder was trying to charm her but it didn't work out.
"Next time, darling, perhaps. Now, if you excuse me, we would like to be on our way to the banquet."
Mr. Fedder nodded and Miss L drove to the parking lot. Sheldon was ready to get out of the car, but then suddenly stopped. Miss L got slightly surprised.
"I want to know, if you hypnotic abilities work on any individual?"
"Umm, I don't know really." Miss L was taken aback by this question.
"What about "Faceless"?" Sheldon stared at her waiting for the right answer.
"Definitely not. That is why I need you here. Your tracking abilities open a lot of opportunities…" Miss L wanted to continue, but Sheldon didn't let her finish. He opened the door ready to go.
Miss L was prepared for all the checks they needed to pass - scanners, guards and invitation checks. She even flirted with a huge ape, who looked suspiciously similar to a prime-minister of the Galaxy Council.
When Sheldon and Miss L - the two involuntary teammates - appeared in the banquet hall they saw a lot of aliens, who were chatting, mingling, dancing, dining, discussing the auction, and simply having fun. Sheldon was trying to be nice while looking for an infiltrator. His VR glasses were giving him all the information on every crime lord, so the tag "wanted" appeared above the "wanted heads" so many times, that Sheldon felt the urge to close his eyes to stop seeing this word over and over again. Finally, he noticed his first suspect and approached him. It was an old man, who was trying to impress his friends. Sheldon, who was trained well to recognize "Faceless", didn't notice anything unusual and continued to search. After a few useless attempts, Miss L approached him.
"Have you found him?"
"Not yet, but I'm going to keep looking." Sheldon continued searching until it was finally announced that the second auction round was going to begin shortly. Most of the guests slowly moved to the auction hall.
When Sheldon entered the room, he saw a huge guy, who looked like a crime lord that was missing. Sheldon came closer and saw everything he was looking for. This man was "Faceless". Sheldon couldn't get to his reptilian mate and moved closer to his target. He quietly grabbed a guy's hand and held it in a strong grip.
"Kelano, I got you. Don't move or everyone here will discover who you really are, I promise." Sheldon whispered knowing that the identity thief was going to fight. It reasoned with the alien and he stopped further attempts to get out.
"Fine, what do you want, human?" His voice sounded artificial with no emotions in it.
"A key to the vault."
"It's impossible... It was..." The impersonator wanted to fight but Sheldon held him so well and firmly that he could break his arm any second.
"What a funny thing human body is. It's so weak and vulnerable, which makes it a very bad idea to impersonate humans. However, if you do, you should be prepared to feel the same physical pain as we do." Sheldon uttered through teeth. He was itching to avenge the fate of humankind.
"It has always been your fault, not ours." The "Faceless" hissed, and attempted to look back at Sheldon who was standing behind him. With the corner of his eye he saw a man, whose virtual mask Sheldon was wearing, then he smiled. "Look at yourself, Sheldon Crane. You are much like us."
"I don't understand what you are talking about." Sheldon twisted the arm of his victim a bit more. "You have two seconds to give me what I want, otherwise I will expose you." Sheldon was losing his temper. If Kelano could feel anything, he'd probably be terrified right now.
"Hangar 77. The code 1.2.9.9.8.7. That is all. Take everything you want." With one single twist Sheldon broke his target's arm before the "Faceless" could even finish. The impersonator squeaked like a squirrel, but tried not to show his pain. Then, he started to lose consciousness and almost fell down. Sheldon grabbed him and helped him got seated.
"Thank you for your cooperation. Consider it a gift rather than a punishment." Sheldon quickly walked out of the auction hall and bumped into Miss L. He quickly told her about everything. Together they tried to get back to the car, but lots of armed men were standing next to the vehicle, waiting for the owner. Miss L looked at Sheldon, as if silently asking him if they should do it the easy way or the hard way. Sheldon looked back with satisfaction. "Let me do the talking now." He said and went straight to the car. The reptilian looked at him with even more admiration than before.
Sheldon approached the car and alerted all the armed men.
"Boss wanted to see you. He doesn't like uninvited guests…" One of the armed men uttered, but couldn't finish. Sheldon's fist met with his face and he fell down to the ground like a ragdoll. Others quickly aimed their weapons at Sheldon to warn him, but it was too late. With fury and rage he hit one armed men after another. His hits were so powerful and strong that armed men couldn't stand up or even use the weapon properly. In few seconds everyone who was on the way between the car and Sheldon was laying on the ground.
"If I were you, I wouldn't stand up." Sheldon warned them and without hesitation drove the car directly to Miss L, who looked like a happy little girl who saw a chariot for the first time. "Hop in." Sheldon said while opening the door. Miss L did it without questions, she didn't care that Sheldon was driving her car - everything was perfect, like the first time they met. It almost felt like a good old date when she felt needed and desired.
In half an hour together they entered the Hangar where amongst different rarities they found Sheldon's "Scarlett".
"I told you," Miss L smiled while moving to a shelf, where the books were. She saw "The Bible" and pulled it out. Suddenly, the alarm went off and all the doors have closed. And then, out of nowhere, hundreds of robots appeared and opened fire. There were too many of them, so fighting them without special equipment was going to be a suicide. Sheldon quickly grabbed his partner and they both ran into "Scarlett".
"Hello, Master. It's been a while since we talked." The nice voice of the operating system started the conversation. "I had so much to tell you before I was stolen."
"Don't worry, I will manually override you. Ready?" Sheldon started to input the codes, while robots were attacking the ship which had no protection field. The process took some time but Sheldon hurried as best as he could. "Systems online. Hold on." The ship finished the last update and on high speed left the hangar right when the robots were about to get into the ship. The thick walls of the vault couldn't protect "Scarlett" from leaving this place. Sheldon smiled like he never did before – he was finally happy and content. Then, he looked at Miss L. "Alright. You deserve a second chance, but only if you tell me everything about that notorious Crime of the Century. In details. Don't make me regret my decision."
"I won't fail you." Miss L said, while taking a chair of the second pilot.
"First we need to hide you. Is there a place where we can put you away from all those prying eyes?" Sheldon asked Miss L, who was thinking about something.
"You know, there is one contact, who can provide such a place. Besides, he may answer the questions you have. Give me one more chance to prove my loyalty".
Sheldon was skeptical, but agreed. Miss L eagerly input the coordinates - it was on the far side of the city, where only empty quarters were left. Something was telling Sheldon Crane that things would drastically change very soon. It was somehow connected to the invasion of "The Faceless". And so, he needed to recall his past like it was today.