Jonathon hummed softly to himself as he checked his appearance in the mirror. Frowning slightly at his tie, he made subtle adjustment to the image generator, tightening the lines on the tie and smoothing out wrinkles. He made a mental note to tone down the realism subroutine next time.

The fact that the tuxedo was holographic didn't detract from how well it looked on him. He had hired a personal image consultant years ago and never regretted it. Everything he wore and carried was carefully crafted to enhance his appearance and to look good on him.

There was nearly a skip in the doctor's stride as he headed out the front door of his house. Of course, calling his 20,000 square foot mansion a home was like calling a tank a car. The mansion sat on the side of a cliff, overlooking the water. It was lavishly furnished with expensive and beautiful pieces of art. The mansion had been in his family in one form or another since the time of the gold rush, when one of Jonathon's ancestors had made his fortune selling mining equipment to the new prospects coming west.

Thoughts of this history were not on the doctor's mind this night, however. He was looking forward to a lovely evening of music and dining. With a smile, he deactivated the hologram, standing revealed in his power suit. Mental commands flashed and he took flight. The short trip took only about 10 minutes and he landed just outside a newly built subdivision of large houses with elaborate landscaping. Reestablishing the hologram, he walked quickly and confidently to a certain door.

He rang the bell, then waited, smiling as he looked around, enjoying the scent of flowers on the air. It took longer than he would have liked, but he controlled his impatience with thoughts of the pleasant evening ahead. Finally, the door opened. A broad, genuine smile, unlike the ones he showed to the press and public, spread across Jonathon's face. He offered his hand to the lovely woman in the doorway.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting to long, Jonathon," she said as she put the backing on one her earrings. "I just couldn't decide what to wear."

"Not at all, Celeste," Jonathon responded. "The small wait was well worth it. You look lovely tonight." He wasn't lying. The tall, athletic woman before him was dressed in a beautiful evening gown that perfectly suited her trim, attractive figure. With her beautiful features at poise, Celeste could easily have been seen on a catwalk as a model. At first glance it was hard to imagine that she was one of the most brilliant bio-chemists in the world.

"Well, thank you, sir. You look quite dashing yourself." Even the faint blush on her cheeks was lovely as she stepped out the door, locking it behind her.

Jonathon had met Celeste at a medical conference nearby. Immediately drawn to her beauty, he had been further impressed by her intelligence. The two had discussed bio-chemistry and recent medical discoveries for hours, both delighted to find someone who shared their interest and was capable of following their thought processes. Tonight was a result of that evening.

"So where are we going tonight? You've been quite secretive about our plans."

"Not secretive, just mysterious," Jonathon replied, smiling. He led her down the driveway, enjoying the game. When they reached the road, Celeste stopped, looking at Jonathon, puzzled.

"No car? I hope we're going somewhere nearby. These shoes may look lovely, but they aren't well suited for hiking."

"Nearby is a relative term, Celeste," Jonathon answered with a mischievous grin. "I can assure you, however, you won't have to walk." With that, he dismissed the holographic tuxedo again. He enjoyed her surprised look, as well as the fact that she recovered quickly, demonstrating her mental agility. "Just a short hop over the pond." With a faintly challenging look, Jonathon held out his hand to her. "Assuming you trust me, that is."

Celeste looked at him for a moment, caught of guard. Finally, she stepped forward, taking his hand and smiling at him. "Exactly what pond did you mean," she asked, looking slightly suspicious.

"The Pacific Ocean," Jonathon replied as he gently picked her up. Before she could do more then squeak slightly in surprise, they were airborne. An energy field snapped into place around them both, protecting them from the wind and sound of travel. "You did say you liked french food, didn't you?" Jonathon smiled as she gaped at the houses passing below them.

"OK, enough games, Jonathon, where are we going?" Although still playful, Celeste's tone was slightly harder. Not wanting to spoil the evening, Jonathon relented.

"Paris, to the Taillevent. We have reservations at midnight, Paris time."

He could see Celeste making the time conversions in her head. She looked at him suddenly, "But that's in 15 minutes. We can't be in Paris in 15 minutes?" The last was barely a question, mostly a statement.

"Ah, my dear," Jonathon replied, "But we can." With that, he sent another cybernetic command to his suit. Once again, pathway's shifted. The configuration of the suit altered slightly, growing small projections and flight surfaces. Gently, since her evening gown didn't include the same inertial dampers his suit did, Jonathon increased speed. Soon everything outside the field was a blur.

The roar of the jets would have been deafening, but not a sound disturbed the two of them, nor did the wind ruffle a single hair on their heads as they crossed the globe at over 100,000 kph. In less the five minutes, the suit shifted again and returned to normal flight speeds. Jonathon landed gently and set Celeste down. The hologram returned and he offered her his arm. "Shall we," he asked, a smile on his face.

Dinner was spectacular, both the food and conversation. Celeste was a delightful as Jonathon remembered, and he enjoyed spending time with someone near his own level for once. The private dining room, normally reserved for parties of 6 or more, was filled with the sounds music and laughter.

As the two left the restaurant, Jonathon turned to Celeste. "Are you ready for the opera, my dear? We have tickets for Europa Galante in 30 minutes."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Celeste said, "But where at?"

"Why, Sydney, of course."