We exited the lift on the ground floor and headed out the foyer to the street. Then across a plaza and down Angel's Flight and past a Metro subway entrance. "We'll pass this one by, and enter the subway on the other side of Pershing Square," I said to Angela, adjusting my gun camera to cover our rear. In my head up display I could see the man tailing us, about 80 meters back. Pershing Square has some wall-like obstacles that could be used in shaking a tail.

We passed one of the walls on our way into Pershing Square and we sped up as we went out of sight of our shadow. Then passing a wall on the way out, we turned behind it and waited for our pursuer to pass. As he did so, I drew my gun and stepped up behind him. Hearing my footsteps he stopped and turned to face me. Seeing my gun pointed at his belly he froze. "Turn around," I said, "walk to the next Metro entrance and take the Blue Line south to the Green Line, and take it to the airport. We will be right behind you. Don't look back. Now move."

He did as I said and Angela and I followed him to the Green Line. After he got on the west-bound train to LAX airport, we got on the east-bound train to the spaceport. At the first stop, however, we got off and hailed a taxi.

"Our tail will probably have contacted others by now and they will be looking for us to arrive on the Green Line," I said by way of explanation to Angela. Just then, a taxi descended and grounded next to us. I opened the door and we got in.

"Where to, sir or madam?" said the taxi.

"Take us to the spaceport, terminal A," said Angela.

The taxi rose and sped toward the spaceport. "So I guess we'll get to try sex in zero gravity," I said to Angela.

"Yes, of course," said Angela, "But it's not what it's cracked up to be. It's more difficult for a woman to achieve orgasm in zero gee because it's hard to generate the right level of rubbing force. Certain kinds of acrobatic apparatus can help, of course, but most space people like to go to centrifuged hotels for high gee sex."

"Ah," I said, "That make sense. We'll have to try it both ways then!"

"Alright, new plan," said Angela. She was worried that we might have been picked up a tail from the taxi routing data in the communications network. She summoned our car that had been sent to LAX airport, and told it to meet us at the 9th hole at a Palm Springs golf course, that Angela knew to be surrounded by trees. She then gave the taxi a route that would arrive at the 9th hole at the same time as her car.

Just then we landed at the ninth. Across the green, Angela's car was also landing. I paid the taxi and gave it a generous tip, and we ran around the green in the shelter of the trees and got in Angela's car and headed straight to the spaceport. The car dropped us off and headed back to Angela's apartment.

Our diversionary tactics seemed to have worked. Angela had a VIP pass for me and diplomatic immunity as an agent for the AA, so we breezed through security and headed through the underground tunnel to the spire nosed rocket at launch complex A.

Ever since a group of armed citizens foiled a terrorist bus hijacking attempt in Florida in the early 21st century, and a subsequent Supreme Court ruling affirming that the second amendment means what it says, armed passengers have been regarded as the best insurance against hijacking.

We were shown aboard the passenger compartment and strapped into our reclining acceleration couches. These passenger rockets only hit three gees, but the couches were quite soft and fully reclined to accommodate passengers of any physical condition. After a brief countdown, we lifted off and acceleration increased linearly to three gees as we climbed out of the stratosphere. In 80 minutes there was another burn to circularize the orbit as we prepared to rendezvous with Space Station Alpha, the oldest of five now in low Earth orbit.

After docking, we were shown to our quarters to wait for the transfer vessel to the asteroid belt. It was my first time in space, but it didn't take long to get used to the zero gravity. Fortunately, the station designers put in plenty of hand holds.

Our chamber was small and cylindrical, with a viewing cupola on the end opposite the hatch. "I can hardly wait to try zero gee sex!" I hoped I didn't sound too much like an adolescent. I closed the hatch and floated toward the cupola to peak outside. I could see a vast expanse of habitation modules and equipment, kludged together over the years. Angela began checking her email messages.

Angela smiled, as she wriggled out of her clothes, and said "You may have to wait a little longer for zero-gee sex. The station security manager wants to see us both." She put on her space environment leotard, provided courtesy of the station hotel management. "You should put on your skin-tights too," she said, "there's less chance of snagging a sleeve or collar with these on."

So I changed into the clothing provided, strapped my gun on, and opened the hatch. A hover-bot was waiting there to escort us to the station security manager's office.

Copyright 2004 by Rick Wagner, all rights reserved.

Now it's really done. Look for chapter four later.

The long-awaited sixth chapter is posted.