He approached the couple with a wide grin and tilted his head from side to side to get the water out of his ears. “It pains me to do this. I want nothing more than for you to enjoy a nice, relaxing vacation, free of worry. Unfortunately, the time has come for you to repay your loan, so to speak. Your space venture awaits.”
Whitney had mixed emotions about the adventure now. When she had agreed to it almost two years ago, it was with the best of intentions. As time passed, she started to forget about the arrangement after the ghosts had held up their end of the bargain and showed the couple where to find the hidden treasure.
In fact, they were using some of the recovered money for this vacation.
“I guess it’s time to pay the piper.” She smiled halfheartedly at Darominius.
Trent slid on his sandals. “When do we have to leave?”
Darominius lowered his head and mumbled some incomprehensible words.
“What did you just say?” Whitney asked as she sat up and dug her feet into the sand.
The dragon shifter looked up with a serious look. “Right now. This space organization is about ready to strike. We tried to give you as much time as possible and because of that, we might even be too late. Let’s go down the beach where we can find a private area. Don’t worry about bringing anything with you. This shouldn’t take more than a fortnight. If it does, I will come back here and take care of your belongings.”
Whitney was confused. “You want me to go like this, in my bikini? And him in just a pair of swimming trunks?”
Darominius explained, “We have all the clothes you will need. Perfectly fitted to your bodies.”
They walked down the white pebbles as the sounds of the waves crashing created a soothing song. They found a spot where Darominius could shift as dusk set in. Darominius transformed into a glorious golden dragon and leaned down so Trent and Whitney could climb onto his back.
“You sure you don’t want me to shift so you don’t have to carry so much weight?” Whitney offered.
Darominius shook his head slowly. “I think I’ll be just fine.”
The lift off was a little shaky, like an out of control helicopter, but the dragon soon straightened out his upward path. They rose at a forty-five-degree angle before flying parallel to the ground. The wind whipped through Whitney’s long hair as they picked up more speed.
The force of the wind started to dry out her eyes and she closed them when the dragon dove straight down. Immense pressure built around her temples and her brain threatened to explode. Suddenly, she was completely still.
She opened her eyes and discovered that she was sitting at the dining room table in the castle of her ghost friends. The mother and father, Raquel and Roland, sat on one side of the rectangular table and the kids sat on the other. Richard and Ruth-Ann said hello to Whitney and Trent.
Raquel said, “First of all. Congratulations on that healthy baby boy. I couldn’t be happier for the two of you.”
Trent sat down at the table next to Whitney. “Thank you. I just hope this doesn’t keep us away from Lancelot for too long.”
Raquel squealed. “Ooohhh, Lancelot, how cute. I’m glad to see that you have the agency nearly up and running already as well.”
“With many thanks to our wealthy benefactors who shall remain nameless. So, the time has come for us to help try to save your planet?”
The smile disappeared from Roland’s friendly face. “Unfortunately, it appears that way. A woman named Roxelle Idris is determined to pull off a diamond heist. She then plans to conquer our planet and turn us into slaves. She intends to use the diamond reserve to buy whatever she needs for the rest of her life. So we’ve heard.”
Whitney asked, “I guess they figured out a way to get through the planetary shield?”
Ruth-Ann answered, “That’s the part we aren’t certain of. But we know she is planning to attempt to break through our last line of defense and it scares the hell out of us. We can’t gamble on the chance that she might not succeed. We need her stopped. We need you two to stop her.”
Trent opined. “It’s kind of crazy to hear that a woman in space can be that powerful.”
Richard said, “Well it’s not really her who has the power as much as the owner of her company. Did either of you have a chance to study any of that interstellar information?”
Whitney and Trent lowered their heads. They had been so busy with the baby and getting the agency off the ground that they hadn’t studied the electronic readers that had been given to them.
Roland comforted them. “It’s alright, don’t worry about that. We have a friend who’s going to take you to Centimore for this mission. He is also going to give you a crash course while you are here to get you better prepared for this adventure. I know I use words like adventure and it makes this all seem like fun, but there is a very real possibility you may die out there and never return.”
“Well, unfortunately, we kind of mortgaged ourselves out on this one and we have to make the payment. We don’t have much of a choice at all.” Whitney said in a somber tone.
Raquel looked at Whitney. “I know we made it seem transactional for you to help us with this problem, but you are parents now and we would understand if you were to err on the side of caution and turn us down. We might be able to find someone else to carry out this duty.”
Trent said, “Really? Do you have someone else that could do this? That would be great.”
Raquel closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. “We don’t have anyone else right now, but we will find someone, somehow.” She tried to force a smile.
Whitney knew what had to be done. She turned to her husband. “Trent, we have to do this. I hate to say it, but we owe it to the world and now it seems like the universe to do the right thing. How could we live knowing that our friends here are imprisoned by some crazy alien? Alien is a cool word out there right?”
Richard answered with a chuckle, “Yes. Alien is quite acceptable. Being is probably preferred, though. Ozzie will go over all that with you in a little while, in that interstellar crash course.”
Whitney and Trent sat in a small room as far as castles go and waited for their lesson. They relaxed on a comfortable green leather couch that Whitney absolutely loved. Touch screen monitors and ancient Egyptian art decorated the gray walls. Whitney and Trent stood up when the door opened.
A tall man swathed in brown robes entered the room. The shoeless man with silver-tipped short brown hair seemed to be inspecting Trent and Whitney with his haunting emerald eyes. A well-kept beard framed his narrow face.
He said, “My name is Ozzie Lambert and I am here to educate you on the basics of Centimore and its inhabitants.” He bowed and sat down on the chair facing the green couch.
Trent and Whitney sat back down and eagerly awaited the lesson.
Ozzie thumbed his beard at the tip of his chin and appeared to be consumed in thought. “Let me start by saying both of you are rather lucky. You will understand most beings on Centimore as they speak the same language as you. How, you are probably asking yourselves. Earth 43 is the universe’s experiment with free will. Your home is like reality TV for the universe. You’ll probably pick up on most of their lingo because it originated on Earth 43.”
A floating silver tray lofted in through the open door and stopped in front of Whitney.
She looked at the red lights blinking on the side of the tray. She leaned closer to the tray. “Iced tea please.”
The tray moved in front of Trent and he ordered, “Iced tea too.”
The silver rectangle started to fly toward Ozzie and he simply waived his hand in front of the tray. The compact drink server zipped out of the room and veered left down the hallway.
Ozzie crossed his legs and leaned back. “You won’t be going into the future, but it will seem like you are. Almost every other planet out there is so far ahead of humans technologically, most people are going to think you are stupid. Some human minds are close to those of alien beings, but
that’s mostly the upper echelon. Don’t be intimidated though.”
Whitney and Trent hung on the man’s every word. His deep voice was also calming in a fatherly way.
Ozzie played with his cuticles as he continued. “Centimore is somewhat of a melting pot of alien creatures. The beings are plucked out of their original planets for a chance to make much more money than they could if they stayed behind. The parents are paid a ransom, so to speak, and they are bought more-or-less how professional sports teams on earth draft players.”
The floating tray came back in and dropped off the drinks.
Ozzie folded his hand over his belly and waited in silence until the floating tray left. “You will be introduced to many different looking beings, but they all have the same basic setup as you. There are different variations, colors, sizes and quirks. But there are common themes. Pretty much everyone has two legs, two arms, the same facial structure. Ears, you’ll see a lot of different ears in space. Some have a lot of hair, others none.”
Whitney squeezed the lemon wedge into her tea and mixed it up with the black straw.
She listened to Ozzie. “There are some mutants in space. You will run across some half-droids and animals crossed with beings. There will be a lot of were creatures running around. The basic rule for these mutants is that only half of the original being can be altered. Whether that is internal or external is up to the being and doctor. As for food, there are two ways people survive on Centimore. Basic foods are still around but there is another alternative.”
He reached inside his robe and pulled out a small white pill. He held it on the tip of his index finger for them to see. “This is a full, nutritious dinner. We will be sending you with a hefty supply so that you won’t have to worry about wasting time eating. Your pills will also have some vitamin B 12 in it for an extra energy boost in case you are lagging from the travel fatigue.”
Whitney sucked the sweet tea through her straw and enjoyed the lemony aftertaste. She set the drink down on the small black table next to her.
Ozzie sat back in the chair, folded his hands over his belly and crossed his legs. “You will also need to pay attention to breathing pills. When you enter Centimore, there should be pill centers before you exit the space craft. Don’t forget to say that your planet of origin is Earth 43. If you only say earth, you will receive the wrong pill and die.”
Whitney peeked over at Trent, who was on the edge of his seat.
Ozzie cleared his throat a few times. “From the information we have gathered, a woman named Roxelle Idris is planning a big diamond heist. She is also developing a laser that can break through the shield of Soro Exxo as I am sure you have been told. You two are being sent in to stop her. If she succeeds, all of your friends on this planet will either be enslaved or subject to this murderous woman’s whims.”
The older man slowed his talking down a bit as he started getting a little animated. “She’s employed a gang of about twenty in on the job. About seven or eight of them are in the tight circle that you will need to infiltrate. We will give you a list of their favorite hangouts but the rest is up to you two. To call this bunch dangerous would be a grave understatement. As far as criminality, they are the worst of the worst. Almost all are murderers.”
Whitney asked, “How is that possible? Are the laws on Centimore a lot more relaxed than on earth?”
The old man licked his top teeth and exposed the nasty underside of his tongue. “How can I put this in the simplest terms? Society as a whole is different. It’s focused on turning a profit at any cost, not free will. However, this planet provides workers with the most freedom if they handle their jobs properly. When a murder takes place, the murderer can either pay a fine that has been set or they can’t.”
Trent asked, “And if they can’t?”
Ozzie widened his glowing green eyes. “They die. If you have a good job and make a nice income, you can lead a relatively reckless lifestyle. Roxelle, for instance, could live in a much bigger house and have many more possessions if she wished. She prefers to murder at will and keep her money for paying the fine. Rather nasty business considering she’s never used a weapon in any of the killings.”
Whitney wanted to know. “How come nobody has shot her?”
Ozzie smirked. “Firearms of any sort or weapons for that matter have been banned. If you are caught with a deadly device of any kind, it’s the lethal injection. No questions asked. Theft is actually handled in the same way. Roxelle’s a big woman and has choked out most of her victims.”
Whitney got a cold feeling in her stomach. The fun space adventure had taken a serious turn with this conversation.
Ozzie said, “And as a visitor to their planet, you can be killed without impunity.” The older man coughed over the last part of the sentence.
Whitney said, “Excuse me?”
Trent added, “Yeah, that part doesn’t sound very good. What if we have to kill someone?”
Ozzie looked away. “You will likely be put to death.”
A crazy situation had just gone haywire. Whitney had a child to think about now and this mission sounded like a death wish. Doubt spread through mind her like wildfire as she leaned back on the couch.
Ozzie mentioned, “And there is just one more thing.”
Whitney shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Oh boy, this should be good. Let me guess, we have to swallow flaming swords before we leave?”
Ozzie smiled, exposing a set of busted teeth. “Not quite that. Any human that travels in space needs to undergo an alteration. Without one, you are sure to get killed. What that means is that you will have to decide between let’s say, a touch pad inserted in your forearm or a robotic appendage. Laser vision, perhaps? Steel hands with fingers that can form into scissors. We have a lot of choices so you can decide which one it’s going to be. Don’t worry, it will be removed after the mission and you will look the same as you do right now. I’ll have Roland give you the comprehensive list. You have about an hour to decide and then the alteration process must begin.”
Lost In Dreamland Page 15
