She was cold. It was beyond her memory when she first felt cold. She would have been surprised indeed to meet the man who remembered the first day that he was cold. Yet she also did not feel cold as she knew it when she first felt it. Perhaps it was not so, but it seemed as if she was simply being told that she was cold by technology she did not understand, that as humanity triumphed over previously unbreakable barriers, it became less and less human. The greater the triumphs of humanity, the less they were accomplished by humanity.

It was dark, but as a tribute to her lack of humanity, she could see perfectly well. One of her eyes was false entirely; the other was biologically modified such that it had night vision superior to that of normal man. But then, what was normal anymore? She was curled up on her couch with a bottle of wine, staring out the window of her apartment at the nightlife of the city. She was wrapped in a blanket, but she did not truly feel all of it as it attempted to warm her. Only those parts of her which remained human really felt. Somehow she felt as if it was not she who felt it in her arms, in those modified parts of her... it was technology. It was not Mai Akita the young girl from what was once a sovereign nation called Japan, but Mai Akita the cyborg, the altered human, the agent of one of the powers that manipulated the world these days. Nationalism was a thing of the past. This? This was globalised earth, and capitalism was its god.

Even she was probably nothing more than a product of capitalism, for she was a part of a power that would not have existed but for capitalism. For so the globalisation came to pass. It was commented once that the Brothers Wright made the world shrink when they first flew their aeroplane. That comment was absurd when viewed from the standpoint of a literalist, but metaphorically it could not have held any greater truth. The world shrunk even further with the first transoceanic flights, and the first commercial flights.

Yet this was simply the tip of the iceberg that sunk the Titanic. Not to be ignored in their power were communication advances. Bit by bit it became easier and easier to speak freely with people from anywhere across the globe. And as transportation and communication caused the globe to shrink from a vast intraversible expanse to a region smaller metaphorically than New York City was literally, the powers of the world united and formed a common economical pact. It became necessary to have a global police force to be sure that this global economy was kept at bay; and something needed to be created that this police force would answer to. Global government was born.

It had been several years. Then cybernetics were an experimental technology and biological modifications were unheard of. Now it was almost commonplace. Mai Akita was modified as soon as she was old enough to give consent and long before she was old enough to understand what she was doing, and trained from that age on into what she was today. A deadly enforcer of the world's law, a servant of some mind that was ruling the world.

And she wanted more than anything else to be cold. To be truly cold. Yet, she mused as she finished off the last of the bottle, perhaps she was. Perhaps all of this technology had accomplished that much. Men often described technology as being cold... and what was she now if not a living example of technology?

There was a sharp knock at the door. "Mai, it's Kirov. Open up."

Kirov. The Australian man, or so his accent indicated, and another one of the special agents like to herself. She found him irritating; more so because he seemed to enjoy her exasperation at his antics and his remarks. He did not sound so cheerful now... of course, he was quite talented at masking his jest. This sounded different, somehow.

She sighed and pulled on a jacket and the glove with which she covered the cybernetics of her left hand. Then she removed the blanket and sat upright on the couch, closed the blinds, and called back, "It's unlocked."

In strode Nikolai Kirov. He was clad in his usual black attire, along with the sunglasses that she knew were more than simply accessory - they interfaced with his visual cybernetics; she owned a pair as well. He also carried his pistol at his belt, which was a strong indicator that something was up more than a casual visit. But then, his presence was enough to indicate that.

He did not turn on the lights. Nor did he speak until he was seated in the chair which was faced somewhat towards her couch, by the now blinded window. "I knew that this day would come. I thought I should warn you that my prediction will be coming true very, very soon. Something happened today. Something big."

"What?"

The man paused, as if looking for the appropriate words to say. Then he sighed and said, resignedly, "War's brewing."

War. The word was almost nonexistant, now that there were no more nations to fight with each other. There were terrorists and rebels, yes, but never warriors. War was dead. It was the legal versus the criminal. War implied that there were two equal powers fighting each other in some strange legal declaration.

"I don't-"

"Neither do I... Something big happened today. I can't talk; I don't have time. Be ready." He rose to his feet and left, while she simply stared after him. War?

Listlessly she reopened the blinds and watched the people in the apartment complex opposite her window go about their lives, late at night, believing themselves to be alone, believing that all would go on as it always had. Maybe they were not free, but they were safe. People like her made sure of it.

Her eyes wandered from the window to the locked metal box which contained her sniper rifle. She removed the glove from her cybernetic hand, and with the cold technology, seized control of the key to open that box. Meticulously she assembled that rifle. Now she truly felt cold... she was a machine, and she had been built for this purpose: to maintain. And maintain, she would.

***

"Doctor Carter, please. We are both businessmen here. You need funding to continue your research; I need your technologies and laboratories if I am to continue in my plans. It is a perfectly legitimate deal. This is capitalism at its core, my friend."

The doctor seemed reluctant to respond. When he did it was with considerable hesitation. "I do not wish to sign such an exclusive contract. I am sorry, Mr. Vaughan, but Carter Industries does not wish for any trouble from the authorities. Perhaps you wish to take your business elsewhere."

"You are the missing piece in my puzzle, Doctor Carter, you." The man smiled here conspiratorially, then lowered his voice and leaned forward. "I will keep you and your people free from government interference. You have nothing to fear. I can guarantee it."

"I am running low on funding for my research," he began hesitantly. With every word his conviction grew, until he nodded and continued with satisfaction, "I will take the contract. Present it to me at my office tomorrow some time during the day. Keep in mind that I do it so that knowledge will continue to develop, and not for your ends. I am very close to perfecting cloning at last, but I am closer still to losing funds... you are fortunate that my need outweighs my desire, Mr. Vaughan."

"You will become a very rich man, Doctor, a very rich man. And I am a man of my word, not a thief or a swindler. Anyway with these technologies the authorities will have more to worry about than who sold the technologies to whom. I believe you have nothing to fear, Doctor Carter. Are there any other concerns you wished to discuss?"

"None, Mr. Vaughan."

"Then we are adjourned. My men will see to it that you are returned safely to your facilities. Thank you very much for your time, Doctor Carter. You cannot realise how much this will do for me; and not just for me... for man. Farewell, Doctor Carter."

"Enjoy your evening." The scientist shook the other man's hand and walked out, flanked by two elite security officers; biologically altered humans using his technologies, in fact. The partnership was only loose before now, but war was in the making. So he departed the main office of Vaughan Enterprises.

So entered two people, both clad in black. Both wore sunglasses despite the hour of the night, which was a very bad sign. He knew enough about cybernetics to know that a lot of cyborgs wore sunglasses as a form of interfacing with their visual cybernetics.

One of them was bald, as if he shaved his head; the other was female, with black hair, and a complexion and facial structure that indicated Oriental descent. The man's descent was indeterminate from his appearance. His job was clear, though. He was the man with the pistol trained on the criminal's head. She carried a black briefcase, which she set down, and drew a pistol from her belt, as well, covering the door.

"I suppose you have been watching me for some time. I will speculate that you are from one of my opposing corporations and have an ultimatum you wish for me to digitally sign, in that briefcase she is carrying. This will provide you with access to some of my resources. If I refuse you will shoot me."

The bald man smiled. "Keep speculating. I'm learning a lot about myself." So he was Australian. Interesting.

"Then who are you?"

"I represent ECHO. I don't need to tell you that you are in violation of several hundred regulations. You're right about the ultimatum part, though. You will come with us now, or we will be forced to take you by force and dissolve your company permanently."

"Government agent, huh?"

The sound of automatic gunfire came down the hall. The two agents looked at each other. "I'll pretend that didn't just happen. Akita, go check it out." The woman walked off, pistol in hand. The Australian smiled. "So which is it going to be? You going to come quietly?"

"Who are you? Backup! I need-" the cry was cut short, and the woman came running back into the room. "We have an agent down. I dealt with the guards, but as you may have heard, there will be more coming." She snapped open the briefcase. Within were contained the parts of a sniper rifle, compacted for a more convenient travel size. She promptly set about constructing it.

Meanwhile the Australian looked to have almost lost his cool for a moment. Not of anger, but loss. Clearly that agent was his friend. Vaughan smiled; a weakness to prey upon. "So you've sacrificed your friend's life to come in here and stop a criminal. Is it really worth it, Agent? Did he really have to die so you could keep me from gaining power?"

"That is our job, Mr. Vaughan. Sometimes we end up with murderers such as yourself. Let me remind you that you are responsible for his death, and you will be given appropriate trial. And let me also remind you that I am even now recording audio playback." The Australian smiled and gestured with his pistol. "Stand up. Akita, anything?"

"Nothing."

"Come on. Let's escort Mr. Vaughan to his ride. You have the scanner?"

She produced a small wand such as those used at common security checkpoints. "Yeah."

"Sweep him." Apparently he came up clean, and he was allowed to walk unbound under the Australian's sights. "Now Mr. Vaughan. You will be allowing us to depart via the main exits. I will depart after you and Ms. Akita, and I will be covering you as you leave. If I suspect anything, I will not hesitate to kill you and your guards."

He left with Agent Akita walking at his side, the rifle back in the briefcase now and her sidearm concealed somewhere. The guards at the main entrance stopped them. "Leaving so soon, sir?"

"We're off for the evening, boys. I have business to discuss with this young woman here. One of her associates will be by shortly. Bald man in black; he's with us." Of course he had nothing really to fear. They couldn't have gotten Doctor Carter, and he was key to this war. Once he had agreed to one, he would be able to agree to more, especially if his insider at ECHO could deliver the message. He would start this war, whether the goons at ECHO would interfere or not. They would simply make his job somewhat more difficult.

He flashed a smile at Akita, who simply looked at him as if she had never smiled before in her entire life. Which made him smile all the more... he knew something that they didn't. And it felt good.

***

So that was it. That was the secret to it all... to humanity. What great knowledge he had gained - what great, pure knowledge. Knowledge, the greatest of treasures... for knowledge, unlike the treasures of the material, would never fade. Now he had before him in his laboratories what he was now certain was indeed the secret to human life. It was long work, and tedious, but every second of it seemed more exciting than the last. Man had been so limited before, in the past.

He was about to conquer the limitations of humanity once and for all. He was about to go beyond mere alterations of the human body... now, he could design man, with only the aid of his labs. Even his scientists would not be necessary. A delicate process, yes, but...

All that Doctor Edward Elgin Carter feared was that Vaughan was no longer safe. He saw the security guard shoot the agent dead, but he also guessed there must have been more agents there. Vaughan promised funds, much-needed funds. If he did not have those, he would be lost, and his knowledge would perish from the world, unused, forgotten.

That could not be allowed. Someone had to buy his technologies. And if it could not be Vaughan, then perhaps he could convince another company. Clearly these were all men who would start a war if they had the ability. His knowledge had to stay alive. He had to do this. This was why he was here, on this earth. He was born that men would no longer need to be born... he was born that he could create life.

The world was about to change drastically, and technology was the bridge to get there... but he should be the man to lower the bridge so that the common man could get there. The abolition of the lower class, the abolition of undesired labour. The realisation of a true utopia for mankind.