Welcome Home

Vincent stood quietly at the hangar entrance. It was night time at the Impro and the hangar was quiet. Only ambient was the low hum of maglocks that kept gargantuan warmachines at bay. He stared at the golden sheened hull of the Arazu class Force Recon.

After srawing a long breath he started walking across the hangar. Favoring his left leg as he walked, grimacing every now and then when he put too much weight on the right one. Dimly lit red "Hangar 016" text shimmered across the metallic surface of the path way. A sight he had not seen for a long time.

Vincent paused along the walk way, to gaze at the empty docking clamps where his Carrier used to be. Now, only empty space remained to remind him of his failure. He brushed a silvery grey strand of hair of his face and put his hands in his pockets. Hanging his head low as his mind raced.

Not much had changed in two months, yet everything seemed different. It was the hangar as he had left it, and still, somehow, it was like it was out of focus. Desynchronized. Or maybe it was just him.

Finally he stood on the entrance lift to the Arazu. The scanner did not recognize him. The silver in his hair, the sunken features and what ever biochemical alterations they had done at the Nine to his clone made his bio-ident unrecognizeable to the scanner. He muttered a serial code for one-time entry and the retinal scan, effective if somewhat outdated mode of identification, confirmed his identity. Aura's voice echoed in the empty hall quietly.

"Evening, Vincent. Welcome Home."