Regenerate

One

Four months before Nikta's capture.

Heath Vox muttered impatiently as he waited for his car to be brought to him by valet.

He needed to be back at HQ soon, and he was already running late.

Heath worked with his mentor in an organization that fought against the abduction of aliens into slavery. The business was highly secretive, and involved hard, often barely successful work.

Having once been a slave himself, Heath was very driven in what he did.

While the things his group did was often considered illegal, it was the only way to stop the slavers effectively.

Finally, the valet brought his car up. Muttering a quick thanks he got into the car, peeling away from the posh hotel his meeting had taken place at.

"Contact Gill via video chat."

The car obediently opened the video screen compartment and began to dial his friend and co-worker, Gill Greys.

"Heath, where are you? How did your meeting go?"

Heath glanced at his friend, then back to the road.

"I just left the hotel, should be there within ten minutes. The damn meeting was near useless. He didn't have any locations, or contacts."

"Damn. Well did he give you anything useful?"

"He mentioned something about hearing that there was soon to be a ship leaving. His guy overheard it at a black market auction. Something about a new planet, and getting there before the NASO(New Alien Species Organization). No time, or destination though."

"Do you think it's just talk?"

"I don't know. This group we've been following is rich enough to afford it, so it's possible."

A glance at the screen reveled that Gill looked grim. Heath could relate to the feeling. If this poacher group did indeed learn of a new planet before NASO, and there was intelligent races there, then they would most likely receive a terrible greeting.

"I'll tell Joey. And be here soon, he's already irritated with you."

Heath winced, then nodded, and Gill ended the call.

Soon enough Heath pulled into the parking lot of their headquarters, a large, ugly white building.

Heath's organization publicly masqueraded as a private security company, and yes, it was an actual business. But, in the dark it hid AFO(Alien Freedom Organization), the secret group Heath worked in.

Swiftly walking through the doors, and nodding to the security at the doors, Heath began to navigate the maze like halls.

Finally, he stepped though a metal door, into what seemed simply like a small locker room. After typing in a passcode into the hidden keyboard on the wall, then doing a finger print recognition scan, Heath pressed enter, then leaned against the wall as the small room revealed itself to be a disguised elevator that took him down two levels before opening into a large room.

"Joey! Gill!"

"Study room!"

Following Gill's voice, Heath went to the study, which doubled as an office and meeting room for AFO agents.

While Joey was human, he was also a very intimidating man, nearly as tall as Heath, who was six five, and built like an ox. With brown eyes, black hair and a scarred face, Joey was not as handsome as he used to be, but, as he often said 'beauty does nothing but make you look like a girl.'

Right now, Joey was glaring in irritation at Heath, who offered him a sheepish smile.

"What took you so long Heath?"

Heath leaned back against the wall, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out some paperwork.

"The meeting ran longer than expected. I imagine Gill already told you about it?"

Taking the papers from Heath, Joey read over them, flipping through the pages. They mainly contained information about some men the group was tracking down, but they weren't pressing matters, so Joey would leave them until later.

"Yes, he did. Do we have any way of finding out if this alleged trip will actually be happening? And if it does, will we be able to learn a destination?"

Heath nodded, crossing his arms.

"Yes. Mike, the guy I met with, has a spy inside the black market. I told Mike to keep his guy on it, and learn everything he can then report back to me."

Joey nodded, satisfied, then turned to speak with Gill.

While they spoke, Heath looked over his friend. Gill was an Outsider, like Heath, but of a different race. Gill was an Aquiris, and while he was born on earth, he still sported the pale blue skin, dark hair and violet eyes common to his race. Gill was shorter than Joey and Heath, but just as built. Like all Aquiris', Gill had a fondness for water, as his planet was almost entirely covered in a similar liquid.

Gill was a great agent, and he and Heath, along with one other Outsider named Qwin, had been friends for years. They had met when they were all bought by the same slaver. They endured months of misery until Joey rescued them. None of the boys had any family or home to return to, so Joey had taken them under his wing, raising and training them until they were top agents.

Watching his two friends, Heath was forever grateful of the chance Joey gave him in life. A successful career, close friends, and adventure.

"Heath, Qwin should be arriving at the station in about an hour."

Snapped out of his thoughts, Heath focused on Joey, then nodded, straightening.

"I'll leave now, since the drive to the station is almost an hour. See you guys."

Swiftly, Heath left the room, his friends voices a low murmur in the background until the closing door cut them off.