Cynthia sat at a picnic table outside the Kelly residence, feet on the bench, knees pulled up to her chin, staring out into the desert beyond. She had called the American Embassy and a feeding frenzy of news crews and emergency technicians descended on the Kelly farm. A small girl whom survived a plane crash and the subsequent week alone in the unforgiving Australian outback then walked her way back to civilization all at the ripe age of 13, was the biggest story in these parts. 

Now the frenzy had subsided, the news crews all but gone, e.m.t's left, having given her a clean bill of health, surprised that she didn't even have a sunburn. The local police told her that some people from the U.S Government were coming to meet up with her shortly, so here she was waiting, listening to a far off helicopter droning on closer and closer.

                                                                                             **

Colonel William Forsyth sat at his desk, bored, shuffling mindlessly through papers. He perked up excitedly as the phone on his desk rang, knowing only the most important calls came through the secured landline.  He picked up the receiver, placing it to his ear.

"What a rainy day we're having..." the tinny voice recited, obviously one part of a code.

"Yes, like cats and dogs." he  returned, robotically.

"Number 2 has been found B." the now familiar voice said, at ease, having heard the response to the code.

"Very good." 

"She's in..."

"Not here, meet at our spot, 0800 hours."

"Copy."

Colonel Bill smiled to himself, the team was coming together, he thought.

                                                                                        ** 

The chopper flew low over the baron landscape below. It had taken off from the U.S.N Encino aircraft carrier anchored off the northern coast of Australia. Aboard were, colonel William Forsyth, lieutenant Stanley Windermere and Dr. Colton Stone. 

Colton sat quietly, eagerly awaiting touchdown, he hated flying, but this was a meeting he couldn't miss. The helicopter swung low over a small, pale blue farmhouse nestled at the edge of the expansive Australian Outback, as Stone stared out the small window in the side of the chopper. A small girl sat atop a picnic table as the Huey flew past and landed in the field beyond her. As it touched down, the blades still spinning, Colonel Bill and Dr. Stone hopped out, ducking low to avoid the spinning blades and walked over, Stone's hair flailing wildly in the inevitable gale created by the helicopter blades.

"Hello young lady!" The colonel chirped in the sing song way adults reserved for small children.

"Hey." Colton followed, waving his hand one finger at a time in an awkward, gawky fashion.

"Hi. You must be the "Government People" the local cops told me about. Names Cynthia." The girl said, using finger quotes, in a strangely sarcastic way.

"That's us. I heard you had quite the adventure." Bill said, being sure to sound authentic but not patronizing in the way children hated, especially bright kids like Cynthia.

"I sure did. Although I'm not entirely sure that I understand how I did most of the stuff I did out there...." Cynthia once again pointed out toward the blurred, wavering, desert wasteland. "...but I'm sure you do."

Bill chuffed humorously at her precociousness. "Well sweetie, how 'bout we take a little chopper ride and I'll tell you all about it and you can tell me about your adventure. We'll have plenty of time before we reach the states."

                                                                                       **

The chopper landed on the roof of an old abandoned warehouse. The colonel was sitting next to her in the back and Dr. Stone was up front with the pilot, Lt. Windermere. Cynthia looked rather comical in her oversized headphones, but calm and cool. She had no trouble following what colonel Forsyth had told her about the Implants and Nano bots, Knight as they called them, although a little overwhelmed. She wasn't completely shocked though, she had noticed that over the past few years she has been somewhat different then other girls her age. She was a bit angry though, they all had lied to her, tricked her with the plane crash. Her parents were alive, it was all set up as a test of her new found abilities, leaving her both upset and relived at the same time.  She was sad that she would never see her parents again. Colonel Bill had told her that she had a "big picture" purpose as part of an anti-terrorist unit.

The three jumped out as Lt. Windermere lifted off and flew away. Colonel Forsyth led them all to a door in the roof of this apparently run down industrial building. He reached out to the door handle and paused. He looked at all of them, lingering on Cynthia and said with a deep and prolific tone " In here is the future, you are the future, with you and your brothers we will all become the future." with that he opened the door into a shiny, brightly lit elevator and waved them in with a slight bow.