"Colony X-000001 in the L-1 Colony Cluster has reported the possibility of a virus attacking their local network."

Arys looked up from her work at the computer to glance at the television across the room. She grabbed a remote control off her desk and turned up the volume on the TV. Standing to her feet, she came around to lean against the front of her desk as she watched the newscast.

"Freak storms, power outages, and consistent network downtime have been plaguing the colony for the past week. Colony leaders attributed the causes to a malfunction in the network, but a boy's encounter with an AI has revealed evidence that an intelligent virus has taken over the colony's mainframe computer. The virus remains at large. Computer experts estimate that it will take at least a week to determine how much damage the virus is capable of inflicting..."

"I see you've already heard." Colonel Une walked into the room, holding a file folder.

Arys nodded and flicked off the television. She eyed the file folder in Colonel Une's hand.

Colonel Une handed the file folder to Arys. "You're one of our best hackers, Arys. Go find out what's going on." The chief Preventer officer turned away and strode for the door.

"But..."

"Yes, Arys, I know Heero returns from his mission in the L-4 colony cluster tomorrow, but we can't afford to wait that long." Colonel Une stopped in the doorway and turned back to face Arys. "We need someone there, and we need them there NOW." She turned away, shutting the door firmly behind her.

Arys stared at the door for a few moments and then looked down at the file folder she held limply in her hand. Heero had been away for nearly two weeks and Colonel Une expected her not to put up a fight about sending her on a mission before he returned? Arys sighed. She supposed it was a reasonable request. She went back to her desk and sat down, absently flicking on the television again as she began to rifle through the papers in the file folder. The newscast was still continuing and the anchors had interrupted their other feature stories to air an interview with the boy who had discovered the virus. Arys looked up when the reporter's voice reached her ears.

"You say that the virus had taken the appearance of a girl?" The reporter said, turning away from the camera to hold a microphone to the ten-year-old boy's face.

He smiled. "Yeah, she was pretty. She called herself Infinity."

The reporter looked taken aback at the remark. "Well, that's a very interesting name. Did she say why she called herself Infinity?"

"Because she knew all..." The boy's voice trailed off. He shook his head. "When she said that, I began to suspect that she was an AI."

The boy's name appeared on the screen. Chase O' Connor. Arys committed it to memory. She would have to find this Chase and ask him a few questions of her own.

"What did this Infinity look like, Chase?" The reporter asked.

"She had dark hair and the coldest gray eyes I've ever seen." The boy nervously shuffled his feet. "I wouldn't want to talk to her again."

"Well, thank you, Chase, for answering our questions." The reporter faced the camera, a serious expression on her face. "This breaking story is getting more confusing as we speak..."

Arys stood up and walked over to the television. She watched the reporter speak for a few moments more and then manually turned it off. She glanced up to find herself staring at her reflection in a mirror across the room, above one of her bookshelves. Arys shivered suddenly. The image she saw had changed slightly. It was her, and yet, it was not her...

Arys broke eye contact with the reflection and went back to her desk. She would read over the papers in the file and then head back to her apartment to pack for the mission. Arys sat down in her chair again, almost automatically glancing at a photograph of Heero and her that she had sitting on her desktop. She picked it up and smiled as she studied it thoughtfully.

"Looks like we're going to be separated for a while, Heero," Arys whispered. "Just don't kill Duo while I'm gone." Arys had to grin. Heero and Duo were constantly bickering. Most of it was on Duo's side. Heero would just give him his 'omae o korosu' look and that was usually enough to make Duo back off. Colonel Une seemed to make it a point to send Arys and Heero on separate missions and as a result, when one was in town, the other was out of town. Duo would often attempt to take Arys' place as Heero's best friend but his attempts predictably failed.

Arys put the picture down and quickly skimmed over the information in the folder. For a few moments, she stared into space, deep in thought. Then, with a determined look, Arys gathered up her belongings and headed toward Colonel Une's office to tell her that she was leaving.

Duo threw his bags onto the floor and plopped onto the couch, yawning widely. "Boy, it's good to be back!" Duo stretched out on the couch and put his hands behind his head. He glanced over at Heero, who was making his way to his bedroom to put his suitcases away. "Hey, Heero! When ya going to see Arys?"

Heero turned to regard his roommate with solemn blue eyes. "We still have to report to Colonel Une for a debriefing, Duo. I won't be seeing Arys until tonight." With that, Heero disappeared into his room.

Duo grinned up at the ceiling. "That Heero. Always thinking about protocol." He leaned forward to yell down the hallway. "You need to lighten up, man! Colonel Une can wait!"

Heero came out from his room and sat down at their small dining table, setting his laptop down on the tabletop. He plugged it into a nearby outlet and began typing before he replied. "The mission always comes first, Duo."

Duo jumped to his feet and sat down at the table across from Heero. The pilot of the Wing Zero barely looked up at his friend's change in position. Duo stared at Heero for a few moments before groaning loudly.

"Heero, you don't know when you've got a good thing. Let me tell you, Arys is a good thing."

Heero glared at Duo and began pounding the keyboard a little louder. He did not need Duo to talk to him about Arys. He had missed her the past two weeks and had to admit that he could not wait to see her. But Arys would have told him to put the mission first; she could wait. Heero noticed that there was an incoming message. Heero stopped typing his report and accessed his message center. The message was from Preventer Headquarters. He pulled up the message and quickly read it. As soon as he had finished, he stood to his feet. Duo gave him a puzzled glance.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Colonel Une wants to meet with us. Now." Heero grabbed his coat off the couch and headed for the door.

"Hey!" Duo leaped to his feet. "Wait up, Heero!" He rushed out the door after Heero, slamming the door shut behind him.

Heero strode into Colonel Une's office without preamble, a panting Duo following. Colonel Une looked up from her paperwork to see Heero standing in front of her with that familiar cold expression in his eyes. She glanced over at Duo. He was bent over, trying to catch his breath.

"Did you run all the way here?" She asked, a slight teasing tone coloring her voice.

Heero's eyes focused on Colonel Une's face. "He did."

Duo straightened and glared at Heero. "You'd think there was an emergency the way he left the apartment!"

Colonel Une's expression sobered a bit. "Actually, you're not too far from the truth, Duo." Her attention centered on Heero. "I've sent Arys on a mission to the L-1 Colony Cluster, Heero. It was a last-minute job so we don't know how long we'll need her there. I thought you'd want to know where she'd gone."

Colonel Une thought she saw Heero suppress an angry retort, but she wasn't sure. He was silent for a few moments before he finally spoke again.

"When did she leave?"

Colonel Une was glad to hear the calm tone of his voice. "Yesterday. There's something going on at Colony X-000001 that doesn't look good. I'll tell you more after your debriefing."

Duo realized the gravity of the situation and nodded soberly. "We'll make it short."

For once, Heero agreed with Duo.

"Yes? How can I help you?" The woman asked.

Arys smiled and tried to sound non-threatening. "Does Chase O' Connor live here?"

"I'm his mother." Arys saw full suspicion enter the woman's eyes. "Are you a reporter?"

"No, Mrs. O' Connor. I'm not a reporter, but I would like to talk to Chase about his encounter with the AI. Everything he tells me will be classified."

Some of the distrust faded from the woman's eyes, but Arys knew that she was not out of trouble yet. Mrs. O' Connor allowed her into the living room. "Can I have your name? He would want to know."

"Arys Walker."

Mrs. O' Connor nodded and went upstairs. Arys stood in the living room, not feeling comfortable enough to sit down. She heard Mrs. O' Connor call for Chase. Arys noticed a picture on the mantle over the fireplace. Curiosity got the better of her and she walked over to take a look at it. As a result, she had her back turned to the stairwell when Chase came running downstairs. She heard a sharp gasp of surprise and looked up to find herself staring at her reflection. Behind her, she saw Chase. His face was ashen white and he looked ready to bolt. When she turned to look at him, his mouth pulled into a scowl.

"What do you want?" He asked.

Arys could see the fear in his eyes. Why was he so frightened of her? She made a move to step forward but when Chase backed away, she stopped. "I just wanted to ask you a few questions, Chase."

Mrs. O' Connor stood on the stairwell, wondering why her son sounded so angry. "Chase...?"

Chase glanced up at his mother. "Mom, that's her! It's Infinity!" He pointed at Arys.

Mrs. O' Connor came down to the ground floor and gave Arys a confused look. "I don't understand. You thought Infinity was an AI."

"I could have been wrong, Mom! She could be the one I talked to!"

Arys stepped forward. "No, Chase. You didn't talk to me. I don't know why you think Infinity looks similar to..."

Chase shook his head emphatically. "Not just similar to. She looked exactly like you!"

Now, Arys was just as confused as Mrs. O' Connor. "Exactly like me?"

Chase looked up at Arys, studying her face, the fear gone from his eyes. "She had your hair, your face, your eyes. Except your eyes are... warmer."

Arys bent down so that she could look Chase in the eye. She put her hands on his shoulders. "Chase, I need to know where you were when you met Infinity."

"I was in my room..."

"No, where in cyberspace were you?"

"A cyber community called CityTech. It's easy to get into. I can show you."

Arys smiled. "I'm sure I can find it, Chase. Thank you. You've answered all my questions without my having to ask you one."

Chase gave her a shy smile back. "You're a lot nicer than Infinity. What's your name again?"

"My name's Arys."

Chase gazed into her eyes as if trying to see if she was hiding something from him. "Arys, why does Infinity look like you?"

It was an introspective question for a ten-year-old. Arys was impressed. She shook her head. "I don't know, Chase. But I mean to find out."

Chase made a face. "Find out soon. She keeps crashing the network."

Arys stood to her feet. "I'll do my best." She shook his hand and smiled. Chase stepped back after the handshake.

"Go on upstairs, Chase. I'd like to speak to Arys." Mrs. O' Connor waved her son upstairs.

"'K." Chase ran toward the stairs, but skidded to a stop before he reached them. He whirled around to give Arys a clumsy salute. "Bye, Arys! I hope you catch Infinity!" He clattered up the stairs and into his bedroom.

"Your son is a very intelligent boy, Mrs. O' Connor," Arys said after the boy had left.

"He's a good boy, but sometimes he gets too much into his computer." Mrs. O' Connor walked over to the mantle and picked up the same picture Arys had been looking at. "This Infinity, Arys." She put the picture down and looked over at Arys. "How much damage is she capable of doing?"

"I wish I knew, Mrs. O' Connor. I was sent here to scout out what's going on. I just arrived today and haven't yet tried accessing the network." Arys walked toward the door. Mrs. O' Connor followed her.

"Thank you so much for your time, Mrs. O' Connor." Arys shook the woman's hand firmly. "I'm grateful for your help as well as Chase's."

"Just take care of this Infinity, Arys. It has always frightened me what computers these days are able to do."

"It's a healthy fear, Mrs. O' Connor." Arys stepped out onto the porch. "Goodbye." Arys walked down the porch stairs and headed down the street.

Mrs. O' Connor watched the woman disappear down the road. "That Infinity had better watch out."

Arys stepped into an alleyway and watched the people strolling by. This was hopeless. Infinity had probably chosen to reveal herself in CityTech for a good reason and would not reveal herself again unless she wanted something. While she waited, Arys tried to assess Infinity's motives from what little she knew of her. Was Infinity truly an AI or was she a psychopathic hacker? Was Infinity playing or did she have a more sinister purpose?

Arys leaned back in her chair and glared at the screen. And the biggest question of all. Why did Infinity look like her?

Without warning, her computer screen flashed to black. Arys leaned forward and tapped her keyboard. Had the network gone down again? She was about to reset her computer when three words appeared in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.

Hello, Arys Walker...

Arys looked at the words in surprise. So, Infinity had decided to show herself, but why to her?

Looking for the white rabbit? Go through the looking glass...

Coordinates appeared on the screen in large, green characters. The coordinates faded out and the black screen disappeared. A map replaced it. With lightning speed, the map zoomed in on the exact coordinates she had just seen. Arys saw the name of the building she was seeing.

"Looking Glass Insurance Company. What an unassuming name." Arys allowed herself a grim smile. "What do you want, Infinity?"

Arys' question reached it. Somewhere in cyberspace, it experienced a sense of satisfaction. It had snared its victim. Its reply was silent, as silent as it could be in the busy world of the Net.

Only you, Arys. Only you.