S3, 21 Nothing is Forever Part 1 (FB) (January 22, 2017)

Corresponding text underneath each picture.

**26th January 2097: Present Day**

It had been a quiet start to 2097. Since attending the Governor’s New Year’s ball with Riley, Eris and the rest of the gang, I’d done pretty much nothing!

I’d taken a couple of trips to the coffee shop and that was pretty much it. Mr. Grey had been in touch once with a small errand, but it had been a simple fetch and deliver. I’d picked a package up from a shipyard on the other side of Qoter and delivered it to him in his office.

The last time I’d been to his office was when I’d rescued him from the Collective soldiers during the Collective war. Nothing had changed in the year or so gone by, but the damage had been repaired.

I was currently sat on the sofa, watching the TV as I did most of the time. On the whole, I enjoyed my relaxed life, but there was a part of me that had enjoyed the adventures I’d gotten up to in the couple of years after I’d escaped jail. At the time, they’d been stressful as hell! But now, looking back on them, I kind of missed them!

I often found myself bored and wishing I had something more interesting to do. Now was one such time. As my eyes stared blankly at the screen before me, my mind was wandering. Suddenly, without really thinking about it, I leapt to my feet, went to the bedroom and retrieved the box of my parents’ belongings that had been given to me by Judas and Barnaby.

Barnaby…

I still couldn’t believe he’d gone. The last remaining link to my past life had been cruelly snatched away from me by a woman in a mask.

I didn't know who she was but I'd sworn that I would make her pay. I would kill her. There was no doubt in my mind. The next time I saw her, I'd be putting a bullet through her face!

I'd spent time recently thinking about it. About who she could be working for and why and the only logical explanation was that she worked for The Boss. Every person whom she'd killed, everybody that she'd beaten me to, had been an informant for either The Brain or The Boss, including apparently Uncle Barnaby. As much as I didn't want to believe it, for some reason he was. I'd asked Mr. Grey about it but he'd not been any more forthcoming than he had been the first time I'd asked.

I opened the box in my lap and pulled out each of the items one by one. I briefly flicked through my mum's bible, noticing that one of the pages had a corner turned down, but I couldn't see anything of particular interest on it so I set it aside again. I'd looked at all of the items numerous times over the past few weeks, but I'd still never played the holochip. However, this time, for no apparent reason, I decided to.

Clipping the chip onto my comlink, I hit play. A small blue image of my parents appeared - a video message.

Lana: "Hello Frank." My mom greeted with a smile and immediately a lump formed in my throat.

Jeremy: "Frank, if you're watching this, then it means that, for whatever reason, we are no longer with you."

Lana: "We wanted to record this message for you, just in case. We hope that you never have to see this, but we're recording it just to be on the safe side."

Tank: "Mom... Dad..." I whispered as I watched.

Lana: "You're currently 9. I don't know how old you'll be if you see this message, but I imagine that we'll update it over the years and record new, up to date messages, so if you're watching this, you can't be much older."

Jeremy: "We're sorry that we can't be there, son. For whatever the reason is, we're sorry."

Lana: "I wish that we could be there with you. Watch you grow up, finish school, go to college, attend your Graduation, meet your girlfriends, go to your wedding..."

Jeremy: "Okay, I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself now, he's 9!" My dad laughed, interrupting mum with a laugh.

Mum smiled in reply.

Lana: "I know." She responded. "The point is, Frank, we love you and we miss you. And we're sorry that we're not there."

Jeremy: "Son, I don't know why you're watching this video. For you to be seeing it, it means that something has happened to us and therefore you already know that life isn't fair."

I couldn't help but let out a small laugh at that. Yeah, life certainly wasn't that! I also hadn't realised before, the photos didn't make it that clear, but I looked a lot like father! Tall, slim with dark hair. It was remarkable!

Jeremy: "Life will put obstacles in your way, time and time again. Hurdles, if you will. Hurdles that you must learn to overcome. Remember, there's no harm in failing. Failure leads to learning and learning leads to success. Don't get down about the fact you couldn't get over the hurdle. Question *why*  you couldn't and then learn from what you discover. Questions are good, Frank. Remember that. Questions lead to answers and with answers comes knowledge. Knowledge leads you to success. Once you have the answers you seek, you'll be able to overcome all of the hurdles in your way. Life won't be able to stop you."

I nodded in understanding. I knew he wasn't really there, but I couldn’t help it.

Lana: "Have you been practicing that?" She laughed playfully and my father smirked.

Jeremy: "Maybe." The pair laughed and I took a shuddering breath as a tear trickled down my cheek. I vaguely registered Tracks entering the room and coming over to stand behind me, wondering what I was watching.

Jeremy: "The point is, Frank, don't let life stop you. No matter what else it throws your way, face it with a baseball bat and get ready to swing."

Lana: "We're truly sorry that we're not with you, but just know that we love you. So very, very much. No matter what has happened to us, our love for you will last for eternity."

I started to sob.

Jeremy: "Remember that, son."

Lana: "Now, I can't think of anything else to say, so, be good for Uncle Barnaby. If everything has gone to plan, he should be taking care of you now, so be a good boy, you understand? Look after him as well. You have to take care of each other now, okay?" My mum took a deep, emotional breath, trying and failing not to cry. My dad put his arm around her and gave her a small squeeze.

Jeremy: "Love you Frank."

Lana: "We'll see you again one day."

And with that, the message finished and my parents vanished. At the last second I tried to grab the hologram, but if course my hand simply passed through the blue light as it vanished. I knew I could play the message again if I wanted to, but it wasn't the same.

Tracks put his hand on my shoulder and for a good minute, I sat there with silent tears rolling down my face.

Tank: "I love you too." I whispered to the empty air.

**Elsewhere…**

In his dimly - lit office, Alberto Rinse sat on the edge of a breakthrough. He'd been following a trail of bank accounts for some time now, still on his quest to bring down the Foster family's legacy and working for Darkblade, and he was finally coming to the end.

The computer 'pinged' as a green success message appeared on the screen and Alberto gasped. Grinning hopefully, he clicked through several layers of security until he finally reached the bank account he'd been searching for. He still had no idea if the account was linked to any dodgy transactions or anything that could bring the Fosters to ruins, but it was the closest he'd gotten so far.

Looking through the account's registered information, he discovered that it had been set up by Jeremy Foster for their son, Frank. There had only been 11 transactions made. There had been one a year for ten years, each time was either Lana or Jeremy putting a substantial amount into what appeared to be a savings account for when Frank was older. Then the final transaction had occurred later in the next year.

Alberto's eyes widened as he saw the incredible amount of money that had been put into the account. Cross referencing the date with what he already knew, he realised that that amount was the Foster family's fortune. They had just died and all of their money had been transferred into this account, where it had sat, untouched and simply gathering interest for the past decade and a bit.

Alberto did a little more digging and finally decided to try and hack into the account. However, just moments later an incredibly complex firewall blocked his attempts and instantly shut down his entire system. He chuckled out loud.

This was one well protected bank account! To access it, he needed the pin. And to get the pin, he needed to find Frank Foster.

He knew that Frank had escaped prison during The Shift, but had no idea where to start looking now. It mattered not though. He would find a way. He was always up for a challenge!
Little did he know that Tank Rockwell, the man dating his daughter, was the very man he sought...

**Regentis**

Across the planet, in his luxurious Regentis office, Mr. Grey walked over to his desk. His computer was bleeping a warning message and so he sat down to examine it and see what was going on.
He frowned as he opened the message and read the alert.
His eyes grew wide as he saw what had happened. Reaching over, he picked up his comlink...

**Tank’s Apartment**

I had dried my eyes and made myself a drink and now sat, holding onto my mug, absorbing its warmth as I stared at the wall with un-seeing eyes. I wasn't really thinking; I was just a ball of emotion. Thoughts of my parents, memories of them and of the message I'd just seen playing over and over incoherently in my mind.

My comlink bleeped with an incoming call. I barely heard it.

I don't know how long I'd been staring at the wall, but my coffee had gone cold when Tracks nudged me back to my senses. He held out my beeping comlink and with a breath to steady myself, I took it and turned it on.

Mr. Grey: "Ah, so you *are* still alive. I was starting to get concerned." He remarked dryly.

Tank: "You? Starting to care?"

Mr. Grey: "Tank, the Brain broke you out of prison and has looked after you ever since, do you think he'd do that if he didn't care?"

I wasn't sure what to say to that, so I moved on.

Tank: "Is everything okay?"

Mr. Grey: "This may come as a shock to you, Chain, but The Brain has been alerted to the fact that somebody has been probing your bank account."

Tank: "My bank account?" I was confused at first, forgetting I had a bank account, but as Mr. Grey continued speaking, I remembered what had been read out by Uncle Barnaby in my parent's will and the conversation with Judas. In everything else that had happened, I'd completely forgotten about it!

Mr. Grey appeared to compose himself before speaking.

Mr. Grey: "In their will, your parents left you a bank account containing a substantial amount of money. The Brain has been alerted to the fact that somebody, he doesn't yet know who, has been probing it, trying to gain access."

Tank: "Did they?"

Mr. Grey: "It would appear not. The account is incredibly secure and it seems that only you can access it."

I frowned. How could I access a bank account I had no idea existed?!

Tank: "Okay. That's good."

Mr. Grey: "Chain, do you have any idea how to access your account?" He queried.

Tank: "No idea. I really haven't got a clue!"

Mr. Grey: "Did your parents leave you anything? Tell you anything? Something that you could use to gain access?"

I thought about it for a few seconds but nothing came to mind.

Tank: "No, nothing."

Mr. Grey 'Hmm'ed.

Mr. Grey: "Well, I will send you a link to your account online and if anything comes to mind, let me know."

Tank: "Okay, thanks."

**Later…**

A few hours later and I was sat at my usual table in the coffee shop I frequented. I'd gotten bored of sitting around at home and so had come out for a change of scenery.

I sat with a mug in one hand and my datapad in the other. I was still running through everything in my mind. All of the details about my bank account and the supposed fortune that lay within, and also how I could possibly access it! After looking at the account online, I'd discovered I needed a code, but I had no idea where to even begin looking! My parents must have left me a hint! A clue of some kind!

Then my mind flashed a memory from earlier in the day... A memory of a page corner turned down.
Frantically, I grabbed my satchel and pulled out the box of my parent’s belongings, which for some reason I still kept inside. I opened it up and pulled out my mom’s bible. Immediately opening it up onto the page with corner turned down, I skim - read the text, muttering it aloud to myself.

Tank: "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us..." I trailed off.

This was it! I just knew it in my heart. My Mom had wanted me to read this section. I looked the chapter and verse - Romans 8:38-39.

I loaded my bank account up on my datapad and entered 83839 into the code section, then, silently praying, clicked 'Enter'.

It worked! I was in! The account loaded up and gave me an overview of my statement, causing my jaw to drop at the staggering amount of money I suddenly had access to.

Tank: "Oh my God..." I breathed, in shock at the nine-digit number.

**Elsewhere…**

Alberto Rinse's smart watch alerted him to a notification on his computer. He excused himself from the phone call he was in the middle of and then headed upstairs to his secret office. There, he slid into his black leather chair and brought up the notification on his computer screen.

Somebody had accessed Frank Foster's bank account! After spending so long searching and after finally finding the account - a possible lead, he had never expected a result to come along this quickly! He frantically typed in several commands and then ran a tracer to find out where the account had been accessed from. He got a hit on an unregistered datapad in a coffee shop in Regentis. This was it! It must have been Foster himself! If he could capture Foster and get him to talk – tell him the access code for his bank account, everything would be so much easier! And!... If he killed him! Imagine how pleased Darkblade would be!

But he had to make certain it was him first. He punched a number into his comlink and a minute later, the holographic figure of one of his many informants appeared.

Alberto: "Tez, are you still in Regentis?"

Tez: “I might be… Why?”

Alberto: “Excuse me; Who’s in charge here?” he threatened.

Tez sighed.

Tez: “You are. They don’t call you The Boss for nothin’.”

The Boss: “Good. Now you’ve remembered your place, I have a job for you…”

**Regentis**

I had sat in the coffee shop for well over an hour now. I'd drunk my way through 3 lattés and eaten 2 cakes and all the time I had been engrossed in my new discovery.

I simply couldn't believe what I was seeing! After scrolling through my account's history, I figured out that it was a savings account that my parents had set up for me when I was born. I remembered Uncle Barnaby telling me that I was supposed to gain access to it when I was 18, but of course, I had been in jail and so knew nothing about it! It appeared that every year, a substantial amount of money had been put into the account and then, after their death, my mom and dad's entire fortune had been entered.

With the amount of money I now had access to, I'd never have to work a day in my entire life! It was crazy!

I knew that Mr. Grey had asked me to let him know if I worked out how to gain access to the account, but I figured that it was my account and neither he nor the Brain had any entitlement to knowing how to access *my* money! Besides, he'd probably been alerted to the fact I had managed to access it anyway!

Suddenly, and without any seeing reason, I began to feel uneasy. As if I was being watched.

I looked around the cafe but saw nothing out of the ordinary. People, some of whom I recognised as other frequenters, were chatting, eating and drinking. I glanced behind me out of the window but again, all I saw was people passing by - nothing suspicious.

I decided that it was probably a combination of the fact that I was sitting here looking at hundreds of millions of dollars on a datapad in the middle of a coffee shop, plus the coffee itself that was making me feel a bit on edge!

So, dismissing my unease, and now wondering what to do with all my money, I decided to treat myself and Riley to a nice meal. Using my datapad, I reserved us a table at a fancy restaurant as well as a booth at a bar beforehand. Then, I pulled out my comlink and called Riley.

It rang for some time but Riley didn’t pick up. I tried again but when she didn’t pick up the second time, I left her a message.

Tank: “Hey! Just me. I was wondering, if you’re not doing anything tonight, do you fancy going out for dinner? My treat! Meet me at '68's' at seven. I’ve reserved booth 46 for us. Then we can go to a restaurant from there." I explained. “So, yeah! I’ll see you there! Love you!”

At a nearby table, a man sat, sipping his coffee just like every other person in the establishment. However, unlike everybody else, this man had a recorder tucked into his pocket and had heard every word of Tank's message. Leaving his mug half full, the man stood and left. After rounding a corner, he pulled out his comlink.

Tez: "Boss, I know where Frank Foster will be tonight at seven o’clock.”

The Boss: “Are you sure it was Frank Foster?”

Tez: “I Dunno. He was about the age you said he’d be and had black hair...”

The Boss: “It’s him. It must be him…”

**Elsewhere…**

Elsewhere on Qoter, the same female assassin who had beaten Tank to the punch numerous times over the last few month, and who had murdered Barnaby Walsh, was just finishing up a job. Her comlink started bleeping and so she pulled it out of a belt pouch on her skin - tight leather catsuit and activated it.

The Boss: "You're needed. Tonight."

Assassin: "Where?"

The Boss: "Regentis. I'll message you the exact location."

Assassin: "What's the job?"

The Boss: "I want you to kill Frank Foster."

**Later That Night…**

I was sat on a bar stool in the booth that I had reserved in the fancy establishment that was '68's.' I had been here for about ten minutes now and was just waiting for Riley to arrive. She'd not gotten back to me yet after my message, but I trusted that she'd turn up. I had a cocktail of some sort in one hand and was swirling it with the little umbrella, watching the green liquid ripple away from the wooden stick. Tracks was sat at a table not too far away. I'd initially protested against him coming along, but he'd insisted and frankly, I wasn't going to try and stop him!

As I waited, I wondered what Riley would be wearing. 68's was a classy establishment, so it would probably be a dress of some kind. Hopefully something short or tight, I smirked. Or both!

**Outside…**

The assassin neared the bar. The eclectic mix of passers-by enabled her to blend in seamlessly. Nobody looked twice at a woman in a catsuit and helmet.

She reached the door and pushed it open. The smell of a million drinks filtered through her mask and the happy sound of music mixed with chatting voices and laughter filled her ears. She meandered through the crowd, seeking out her prey. She watched the booth numbers, looking for booth 46 - the booth she knew Frank Foster had reserved. Finally, she found it. Focussed on the entrance, she saw nothing else around her.

There was a moment's hesitation and then with a deep breath, she drew a long black sword and stepped into the booth's entrance way.

I heard footsteps behind me and, expecting Riley, stood up and turned with a smile, only to find myself facing the assassin who'd killed my Uncle.

I gasped and froze, but so did the assassin. She staggered back a small step, her sword clattering to the floor.

Just a second later, Tracks had grabbed hold of her from behind in a steely grip. No matter how much she struggled, she wasn't getting away this time.

Regaining my lost composure and becoming filled with a determination, I strode forwards and yanked off her helmet...

And found myself face to face with Riley.

I froze in shock, dropping her helmet and holding onto my bar stool for support. My girlfriend stopped struggling, tears rolling down her face and as Tracks let out a surprised burst of static, she managed to break free of his grip and sprinted away, out of sight.

A good couple of hours passed. I just sat at the bar, in complete shock. I couldn't comprehend what had just happened! Riley was the assassin?! It made no sense!

Tracks had wanted to take me home but I had refused. I simply sat and drank, switching between trying to work out what had just occurred and trying to forget about it!

I needed answers. This couldn't just lie. And the only person who could give me answers was Riley...
With a new determination, I finally got up from my bar stool and headed for the door. Tracks whirred questioningly.

Tank: "To see Riley. Go home, Tracks." I replied.

**BONUS PICTURES**

The set for the bar.

As my series is going to be jumping around though time, I will include a date on each episode and add it to the timeline at the end of each episode so that you can follow it.

TIMELINE