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Richard at times wondered how he appeared to other people. He had a hard time telling what others thought of him. He looked Asian, and climbed regularly and led an active life. he would never consider himself handsome nor handsome but he liked how he looked. To be honest he did not give that much thought although he always dressed so as to be professional, presentable and if possible "smart".

>"Hi..Richard. I'm Charlotte. I was supposed to go glamping-"

Glamping.... Richard rolled the word around in his mind. His look of confusion and raised eyebrow must have shown (Richard did have a great set of expressive eyebrows, well he thought that but would never admit it to anyone) as Charlotte hastened to clarify.

>"I was supposed to go camping with my friend, but I think I'm lost.. or gave me wrong directions. I know it's an inconvenience, but would you mind if I stayed her for a bit? Just until I hear from my friend?"

Richard smiled. Here in the middle of nowhere a rather attractive lady stumbled into his camp and essentially played the damsel in distress. Richard caught the Oh-So-Innocent smile for what it was, but in this case he was happy to oblige. Never turn down attractive and potentially pleasant company.

"Of course. Umm if you don't hear from your friend you are welcome to use the tent and sleeping bag. I have a spare bag in the car. Besides it is a nice night to sleep under the stars." Richard was thankful that it was not a cloudy night and that it was not forecast to rain. Besides all the higher chance that he would get to see the sunrise, that glow when the first rays of the sun hit the tops of the mountains, setting them ablaze with glorious light (Alpine Glow). That....that moment was magical. Returning to the present he motioned to Charlotte. "Come grab a stump" he said gesturing to a numb er of tree stumps/Logs lying around. "Have you eaten? I always cook too much and it should be done in a few minutes." Said Richard scooting his log over so as to make room for Charlotte by the fire. Perhaps then he could get a closer look at the siloute that might share this campsite for the night.

Richard was letting his mind wander, he enjoyed looking at the stars. he liked to get away once in a while to places where there was no technology. He was.... at peace. Something tugged on the edge of his consciousness. A breaking of branches, the sound of things being dragged through the forest that were never designed to traverse said terrain. Thinks like luggage. Then as if to fully jar him from his happy contemplation a decidedly female voice rang out. It was a nice voice, and would have been pleasant to the ear if it had not been being used as a wining tool at the time.



>"Betttttyyyyyyy! There is nothing glamorous about this! Oh. You're not Betty.."



Richard rose to his feet. His hands in his pockets, it was a sort of awkward moment. "Umm, Hi, I am Richard. Can I help you?"



Richard said as he observed this newcomer. Well whatever she was, apparently adventurous was not one of them. Her attire and the state of her attire spoke to that. He wondered why she was here. He wondered what she was like. Richard enjoyed meeting people, there were always things you could learn and stories to hear if one asked the right questions.

The zombie duo duly reached the kitchen and soon the water was boiling and coffee was made. Richard sighed with contentment as he peered at Margo through the delectable smelling steam that drifted and wafted from the large mug of coffee in his hand. Margo had secured her own preferred source of caffeine and for a while there was silence in the Bent household, broken on by the sounds of sipping and the contented sighs of people waking up.

"Right let's set about making this breakfast shall we?" said Richard as he pushed up his sleeves and started making food. The smell of frying bacon and the sound of sizzling sausages soon filled the house and stared to play a symphony to the senses. This sensual serenade was soon joined by both the sound and smell of mushrooms being fried with diced onion and browned in a healthy (or perhaps not so healthy) amount of butter. Toast was duly made and popped in the toast rack (yes that is a British thing). Breakfast it seemed was well and truly underway, and it was going to be a feast.

Richard was rewarded with a rather cute and endearing "Ack!" but then again brothers were allowed to mess up their sister's hear and be slightly annoying now and then right? He was pleasantly surprised when Margo gave him a hug. She did not seem the touchy feely sort. He would have to work on that.

>"Yeah, thanks. You? I would have woken you up to see the sunrise, but I thought you needed your rest. Sorry?"

"That is fine Margo." Richard said smiling sleepily.

>"I promise I'll make it up to you later."

"Oh you had better." Said Richard with a twinkle in his eye. He proceeded to sleepily try to tickle her. Then turned and walked in an exaggerated zombie like fashion towards the kitchen, all the while murmuring "Coffeee....Teaeeeee" like the zombies do in the game Plants and Zombies (yes that is a real game, try it)

A few days had passed since "The Project", as it had come to be known as had started. a few very very busy days. Upon doing somme research Richard had found that Maya was not the only aeromancer with that same problem there were a number of them and as is often the case nowadays with the advancement of the internet, they had formed a group. Needless to say the group had welcomed the idea with enthusiasm and a number of aeromancers both male and female were flying down to the tech convention.

Progress wise they had printed some crude prototypes of a hand with various materials that contained voids, but these were more for dialing in the printers and parameters than anything else. Although It would be good to get Maya's feed back on them. The companies helping out with this project had welcomed it with open arms and enthusiastically allocated more resources to the cause. Soon they would have enough people from each sector to essentially work around the clock. In the middle of all this maelstrom of activity Richard was hard at work. He had become the de-facto manager of the project and thanks to his abilities and his sharp mind there was more than enough work to keep him busy from morning till evening. Still one had to make time for the press. Soon Richard was facing a wall of microphones and being barraged by waves of flashes from cameras.

"As some of you may have heard a number of days ago a person in need presented us with a request. Would it be possible to create or build a body for an aeromancer in need. An aeromancer is the term for a mutant that can control air. For a growing number of aeromancers, there is a possibility for their X-gene to become unstable. I am no geneticist so don't quote me on this but apparently, as this illness progresses, it becomes progressively harder for the aeromancer to remain, well, solid. As the condition becomes more advanced the aeromancer eventually turns incorporeal and... ceases to be. There is no
known cure for this condition. The challenge was put forth and a number of companies responded." Richard paused and indicated the display board behind him upon which the names of the various companies were boldly printed. "The challenge is to create at least a working prototype by the end of the conference in 3 weeks time. So that is the first reason for this challenge. The second is that there is considerable interest from the movie sector for the creation of suits that can be animated by aeromancers to help reduce costs of digital animation. I have time for a few questions." Microphones like lances were thrust forward with increasing vigor and it was as though a tidal wave of noise was suddenly unleashed. Richard immediately help his hand up and waited for the noise to die down. "Please, ladies and gentleman, one at a time or I will have to bring this meeting to a close". This time
there was a little more order, a little. The managers of the venue stepped in and soon there was something approaching an orderly queue of questions being fired Richard's way which he did his best to answer.
>"Was the person who met with you called Maya? Were you aware that she is involved in a  government investigation? Does that change your view on this project?"

"Firstly I thought it was one question only so my answer to you madam will be brief. Yes her name was Maya, no I was not aware of the fact. Finally, our goal is to help people who are in need regardless of where they are at. The same way you would not deny a wheel chair to one who could not walk for any reason. Next."

"Just what is so challenging about this project?"

"I wont bore you with all the specifics of the project, suffice to say that we are planning to 3D print a body essentially out of what we call polymer alloys. To 3D print something human size has been done before but with traditional materials like metal. To print with more than one material has also been done before, not so long ago a company 3D printed a shoe from 3 different materials, a durable plastic for the outer sole, a softer material for the inner sole and a rubber like material for the body of the shoe. As you all know the composition off the human body is vastly more complex. The polymer mix that would work for say the eyelids would be very different from that needed for say the knee. In fact there are so many variations in this one job that we are attempting to combine cutting edge technology from a number of companies and do what no one has tried before. We are attempting to create and mix polymer alloys of different composition on the fly and use them to create a truly multi-material structure. Another challenge is that it must be light enough so that it can easily be moved by an aeromancer yet stiff enough to retain structural integrity when the aeromancer exits the suit. I hope that answers your question."

"What about patents?"

"An agreement has been signed granting the right of usage to all companies involved, as to final ownership of the final patents that will be up for discussion, although join ownership is very much an option."

"What do you get out of it?"

"Excuse me? Come again?" Richard wore a puzzled expression on his face.

"DisCom gets to try out their new distributed computing algorithms, AcuPrint gets to show off their touted high precision printers, PolyMat get to design and tailor make the "Polymer Alloys" as you call them, I could go on. But you work for Firebird Industries, a weapons company, so what is in it for you and/or your company?"

The noise level diminished rather dramatically at this question. It was as though those in attendance partially wanted to say "How dare you ask such a question?" yet at the same time were very interested in his answer.

"It is true, I am currently employed at Firebird Industries, who among other things do manufacture weapons for law enforcement and the military, we also build armored transport vehicles, protective vest and armor and secure communication hardware. To answer your question, currently there is no direct benefit for my company. Although I am getting to know many potential business partners for the future. I am actually here on unclaimed vacation time with the blessing of my company. In my line of work, I design protective equipment that saves lives. I am told that last year our products saved many lives, the lives of people that in all honesty I will probably never meet. This however is an opportunity, not only to push the boundaries of what has been done but also to help improve the lives of one person or a few people who are actually on their way here from all over the country and some from overseas. I get to meet them, work with them and hopefully improve their lives. To me, that is reward enough."

Richard glanced at the clock. "Alright people, that is all we have time for today. Thank you for coming.If you have more questions you were all provided with an email address. There should also be another press release scheduled. We will try to keep you all posted." He had barely left when his phone started vibrating.

>"Is there anything I can do besides field questions?"

"Maya, good to hear from you again, actually yes, we have a number of test parts we would like your input on. Let me know when it would be convenient for you. The guards have you on their list, when you show up grab a badge and you can walk straight in. I hope the press have not been too vicious on you."

Just a Headsup. Going to visit friends out of state for a week Holiday time!! Not sure about internet connection. So... similar to Janelle, I will either be on alot or not at all depending on what they have. Just FYI.

Well someone was being a little bitter and grumpy and moany about the world though Richard. Out loud he did not say anything. Everyone was entitled to their own views. "Very well madam, I will do my best to keep my compliments to myself." Said Richard slightly smiling. If she was going to be grumpy he could be cheeky.



>"Easier than bob by pins." the lady said as she floated a ball of light into the lock and...well popped it.



"Why thank you very much." Said Richard. He stepped through the door after her and placed his hand on it. He blinked rapidly for a second or two, then his whole body tensed for another second or two then.. Click. "As good as new" Said Richard cheerfully and lead the way to the bus stop. When they were on the relatively empty but tottling its way to his house. Richard turned to the lady and asked. "Say, what should I call you? I am fine if you prefer to make up a name, it just feels a little more natural to be able to call you something instead of "hey you"." He reflected on her earlier comment as a street kid. It sounded like she had led a hard life. Perhaps that was why she was slow to trust and hand such a depressing view of life. Quietly Richard asked. "If you don't mind me asking, What is life like as a street kid?" He asked genuinely interested. He found it hard to imagine what leading such a life would be like, besides he always liked hearing other people's stories. It often gave him inspiration.