The temperature in the room was so hot now that Galaxy's throat felt parched and her clothes felt wet with sweat. Still, however, Galaxy watched the mirror, even though she could not yet see anything on the other side.
But then—quite without warning—the mirror's base stopped humming. The mirror itself ceased shining, although the temperature in the garage was still way too hot for Galaxy's tastes, and wasn't going down as quickly as she would have liked.
“What?” said Space, lowering his hands from his ears, his voice sounding too quiet after the loud humming noise, even though he wasn't whispering. “Sparky, is this what is supposed to happen or did something go wrong?”
Sparky, however, didn't seem to hear Space's question. He ran over to the dimensional mirror and, falling to his short knees, began pushing buttons and flipping switches rapidly as he said, “No, no, no! This isn't how it is supposed to go. I'm sure I did everything right, but why did it turn off by itself?”
“Because I don't want Captain Galaxy leaving this dimension just yet, tee hee,” said a voice coming from behind Galaxy and Space. “Not when she just got here, after all.”
Galaxy and Space whirled around to see who had spoken. Standing in the doorway was a strange, clown-like being, an ice cream bar in hand, which it bit out of every now and then with obvious relish. The being sort of looked human, but there was something about its appearance and its powdery face that let Galaxy know that this thing was probably not human, nor did it belong to any other major humanoid species in the Universal Alliance that she knew of.
“Hello, hello,” said the clown-like being, waving at them as though it saw them pass by its house every day on their way to school. “Captain Galaxy, I was well aware of your smarts and ingenuity, but never did I ever think you would attempt to achieve dimensional travel so soon after you arrived here. Really, you have proven yourself even smarter and braver and more daring than any other woman I know, as most women would be too traumatized by this unexplained experience to do even that much. Bravo, Captain Galaxy, bravo.”
The clown-like being did not sound very threatening, but Galaxy did not let her guard down in the face of this strange being's appearance. Space, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to run away, but since the clown-like being was blocking the doorway and the garage door itself was closed, he could only stand there and tremble.
“Who are you?” said Galaxy. “Where did you come from? Are you the reason I'm in this dimension?”
“Yes indeed,” said the clown-like being. It adjusted its large, frivolous pirate hat that it had no reason to wear indoors. “But who am I, who am I, who am I … ah, the question of the ages. Humanity has asked this question not only of itself, but of the gods it has worshiped and the other species it has run into in the grand cosmos. A terribly deep philosophical question, you see, one which has no real satisfying answer, except I am.”
“Stop blabbering,” said Galaxy. She pointed at him as threateningly as she could. “Or I'll knock you around just like I did to Omanx.”
“Oh, I am simply trembling in my pretty little boots,” said the clown-like being. Then it laughed, although it was more like a honk than a laugh. “A scrawny teenage girl is threatening to beat me up. Oh, how terrifying.” Then he frowned, as if thinking about what he just said. “Then again, you are no ordinary teenage girl, Captain Galaxy. You have the trained mind of an adult woman, which makes your threats a teensy bit more credible than they would be otherwise. Just a teensy bit more, though. Not enough to scare me in the slightest.”
“You're still babbling,” said Galaxy. “Don't you have a name, at least?”
“I go by many names, although they're all really one name,” said the clown-like being with a shrug. “But you can call me the Trickster. It is a name that someone gave me once, long ago. It was supposed to be an insult, but I liked it so much that I took it as my own. After all, tricks are fun, are they not? An insult backfire to be sure.”
“The Trickster, eh?” said Galaxy. “I've never heard of you before.”
“Of course,” said the Trickster. “Few have. And I prefer it that way, really, tee hee. Most people are idiots, no matter what universe they're from, so being known by them is hardly a compliment, in my opinion. But being known by you … why, that is indeed an honor above all other honors.”
“So what are you, exactly?” said Galaxy. She looked him over briefly. “You look human, but it's obvious that you are not.”
The Trickster threw his ice cream bar into the air, opened his mouth to comically wide proportions, and swallowed the entire bar whole. Then his mouth returned to its normal size and he said, “What am I? I was there when the first sentient life traveled among the stars. I was there when life itself was both complicated and yet simple. I was there when life began to question if their universe was all there is. And so they attempted to travel to other universes, never knowing the truth about what they were truly giving up.”
Galaxy truly hated beings like the Trickster, who rambled on and on about random topics that she could not care less about. Still, she sensed that he was a being of great power, so she said nothing about his stupidity.
“As for what I am, I simply am,” said the Trickster. “Though if it helps, I am a one of a kind. Or I would like to be, if you catch my drift.”
“So there are others like you in the universe, then?” said Galaxy.
“In the multiverse, you silly girl,” said the Trickster. He gestured around them. “There are many universes besides this one and the one you came from. Others like me do exist, but they have gone on ahead of me to learn more about the nature of reality itself, save for one who is not me. I, on the other hand, am a simple life form who finds great joy and fulfillment in interacting with you lower life forms, though sooner or later I will probably have to move on.”
“What do your people call themselves?” said Galaxy.
The Trickster smiled. “Irrelevant. Or that is what I call them, at any rate. Truthfully, I prefer to focus on the here and now, on what is and what can be seen and touched and felt, rather than what is far away and has nothing to do with our current situation. Savvy?”
“Hardly,” said Galaxy. “But let me see if I understand this correctly. You are some sort of strange inter-dimensional entity who can probably cross between dimensions on a whim and who has for some reason taken an interest in me.”
“Correct,” said the Trickster. He suddenly grew about a dozen pairs of arms and began clapping with them, the cramped-ness of the garage making them louder than they should have been. “Yes indeed, but I was not always this way. Through hard work and effort, I believe any inferior life form can rise to my level, yes they can. Perhaps I should write a book on it, perhaps with the title How to Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence. I could even publish it myself.”
“Rambling again,” said Galaxy. She then gestured at Space, who had almost hidden himself behind her entirely now. “And you're scaring Space here. So cut it out.”
“Galaxy, don't draw attention to me,” Space hissed in her ear. “That's kind of why I'm hiding, you know, so the crazy inter-dimensional clown thing doesn't notice me.”
“Fear is one of the necessities of a good life, Captain Galaxy,” said the Trickster. “Let your friend fear. Let all life fear. Truthfully, one does not live if one cannot fear. And even I can feel fear, though as I grow older it has held less and less sway over me, tee hee.”
Galaxy was trying to figure out whether there was any actual philosophical depth behind the Trickster's word salad when Sparky rushed up to her side. He glared at the Trickster, his tiny metal hands balled into fists as he said, “Did you mess with my dimensional mirror?”
“Such a loaded question,” said the Trickster. “Didn't your parents teach you to speak more politely to strangers? Truly, this generation is lost, as every generation is, and as every generation will be. The generations of man tumble head over heels, like a tumble weed in a desert, until they fall into endless o
blivion or rise to the clouds high above to join the gods.”
“Okay, now I am pretty sure you're just avoiding the question,” said Galaxy. “So, did you or didn't you mess with Sparky's mirror?”
“So I did, so I did,” said the Trickster. “But it was for a righteous and noble cause, or insofar as I am able to have righteous and noble motives. Righteousness and nobility can only be granted to those who strive from the bottomless pit known as sin. Those of us who do not dwell in that pit cannot gain such righteousness and nobility. It is thus why we superiors occasionally envy our inferiors, in the same vein that parents will sometimes envy the ignorance of their offspring.”
“I was going to ask why you did that, but I have a better question for you,” said Galaxy. She thrust her thumb at her chest. “Why did you put me in the body of my high school counterpart? What were you hoping would happen? Did you think that putting me back in high school would be the most effective form of torture for me? I mean, you wouldn't be wrong if that's what you were trying to do, but it's still strange.”
“Torture is a trivial thing, in the grand scheme of things,” said the Trickster. The dozens of arms that had sprouted from his body earlier vanished into dust, which fell onto the floor around him. “That is to say, in a roundabout sort of way, that I was not intending to torture you. No, that is not my intention at all. For I am no child who takes great delight in plucking off the wings of a defenseless insect. I have greater reasons for doing what I do, reasons you may not be able to comprehend.”
“I can comprehend way more than you think, Trickster,” said Galaxy, folding her arms across her chest. “So if you aren't trying to torture me, then what are you trying to do?”
“I could jump from word to word, directing your attention this way and that in an attempt to avoid speaking to you plainly, and indeed, that is what I have been doing right now,” said the Trickster. He tapped his chin. “But I see that I have been forced to play my hand. It is indeed no small thing for me to do so, but even superior beings such as I must, on occasion, bow to the whims of fate and reality … tee hee.”
Galaxy found the Trickster's little 'tee hee' to be the most annoying thing about him. “Get to the point already.”
“Very well, very well, very well,” said the Trickster. “You see, Captain Galaxy, most people are stupid.”
“I agree,” said Galaxy. “And I think you belong to those 'most people.'”
“On the contrary, it takes a superior mind such as my own to come to terms with such truth,” said the Trickster. “The mortal mind must perform many impressive feats of mental gymnastics in order to avoid this particular truth and its finer implications, tee hee. Thus, I—”
“How did you get into my house?” said Sparky, interrupting the Trickster before he could finish his sentence. “Are my parents—”
“Your parents rest, young one,” said the Trickster, though Galaxy was pleased to hear a note of annoyance in his voice, like Sparky's interruption had genuinely annoyed him. “I desired no interruptions in this meeting. Nay, not even one. But I question whether you can. in truth, call them your parents, because you did not come from your mother's womb. They may shower you with warmth and love, but it is to cover their own flaws as parents and as failures to carry on their genetic legacy. Biology is a sad field of study.”
Without warning, Sparky actually fell to his knees and sunk his face into his hands. He then began to sob. Not cry, because as a robot he was obviously incapable of shedding tears, but he sobbed nonetheless, as if the Trickster had just punched him in the face.
Seeing Sparky sobbing like that was strange to Galaxy, because the Sparky she knew never sobbed about anything. At the same time, however, she was angry at how the Trickster had caused him to break down and cry like that. This Sparky might not have been the Sparky she had built with her own two hands, but it still pained and angered her to see this Sparky hurt like that.
Much to her surprise, however, Space knelt by Sparky's side, comforting the little robot, despite the fact that he was still clearly trembling in fear from the Trickster's appearance. He put one arm around Sparky's shoulders, but Sparky hardly seemed to be paying him any attention due to how much he was sobbing.
Galaxy looked the Trickster straight in the eye. “Apologize to Sparky now.”
“Apologize? For what reason?” said the Trickster. “Should I apologize to the rock for telling it that it is nothing more than a rock? Should I apologize to water for telling it that it is wet? Similarly, apologizing to a robot for telling it the truth about its parents is useless.”
“Only if you are as cynical as you are,” said Galaxy, folding her arms across her chest.
“Cynicism is like the rain, in that it affects the rich and the poor alike,” said the Trickster, though it sounded like it was making more of an observation than anything. “In any case, I still have not told you yet about my reasons for placing you in this universe, now have I?”
“You haven't, but I'm starting to think that's irrelevant given what you just said about Sparky,” said Galaxy.
“Irrelevant or not, I must continue onwards, tapping across the river of words pouring forth from my mouth until I reach the truth,” said the Trickster. He sounded a little resigned, as if he had seen this coming. “You see, Captain Galaxy, I have brought you here because you are not one of the stupid people. Your own intellect has shown that you can overcome any obstacle that throws itself in your path, even when you are stranded in a completely different universe with no idea of how you even got here. Such tenacity and creativity is a beautiful thing, like the silver rain of Namox, to use a mental image that you might be familiar with.”
“So I'm not one of the stupid people, then?” said Galaxy. “That's the whole reason you brought me here?”
“Essentially,” said the Trickster. “I was going to offer you the secrets to attaining my power and joining me on the higher plane of existence which I occupy.”
“Let me get this straight,” said Galaxy. “You took me away from my universe without my consent and then placed me in this unknown universe, again without my consent and without any way of letting me go back home. Not only that, but you stop me from even getting a glimpse of my old universe back home, make an alternate universe version of one of my friends cry, and then expect me to accept your offer? Really?”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” said the Trickster. “A very good idea, one that I fear you are not able to see the brilliance. Suppose that is the way of things. Your brain, as brilliant as it is, may still be unable to see the brilliance of this plan of mine.”
“It seems to me like you didn't actually think through this plan of yours,” said Galaxy, “which is another way of saying that no, I am not going to accept your offer, because I don't think you're all that great and I don't want to end up becoming just like you.”
The Trickster pushed himself off the door's frame and stood straight. He was much taller than he had seemed. In fact, his waist actually stretched, like wet bubblegum. Granted, he couldn't stretch very much due to the low ceiling of the garage, but he nonetheless managed to grow taller than he normally was.
“Free will is a funny thing,” said the Trickster. “It has been granted to all sentient beings, this ability to make choices and determine our destiny has, but so rarely does anyone make good use of it. Instead, most idle away their days with pointless pursuits and decline the grand opportunities given to them.”
The Trickster snapped his fingers and a large cage made of glowing red energy appeared around Space and Sparky. Its sudden appearance made Galaxy jump back in surprise, while Space and Sparky looked around in fear. It had no door that Galaxy could see, which meant that there was no way that either of them could escape.
“Two choices you now have, Captain Galaxy,” said the Trickster. His head suddenly jerked to the side and a second head, identical to the first, popped out of his left shoulder. “Join me and ascend to an existence that even you cannot d
ream of, or …”
“… watch as your two friends die,” the second head finished.
The cage started shrinking. It was a gradual shrinking, almost imperceptible at first, but soon it became obvious to Galaxy. Space and Sparky drew closer to each other, but that did nothing to stop the cage's shrinkage.
“Make your choice,” the Trickster's first head said. “Accept my offer and achieve far more than you have ever dreamed, or …
“… return to your universe, knowing that this universe lacks its counterparts of your two best friends because of your selfish actions,” the Trickster's second head finished.
Galaxy's mind quickly tried to come up with a way to save Space and Sparky, but no matter how hard she thought, she could not come up with a good solution to the problem. She did not have any technology or weapons with which to attack the Trickster. Nor could she somehow teleport Space and Sparky out of the cage. Her backpack didn't have anything in it that she could use. After all, a pencil case would probably not be of any use against an inter-dimensional being as powerful as the Trickster.
But there was no way that Galaxy was going to join the Trickster. He may very well have been able to grant her the power he said he could, but she did not trust him in the slightest and wanted nothing to do with his 'power,' whatever it was, especially if it meant sacrificing her friends' lives.
Yet she saw no way out of this, except to accept the Trickster's offer. And perhaps she should. If it would make the Trickster spare Space and Sparky, then she might very well have to do it. That might mean never returning to her Space and Sparky, back in her home universe, but she knew that sometimes you had to sacrifice your own desires for the well-being and lives of others.
Of course, I wouldn't even need to be in this situation at all if that Trickster idiot didn't put me in it, Galaxy thought. But you can't always choose what situations life puts you in. Looks like I have no choice.
With a heavy sigh, Galaxy said, “Okay, Trickster, you win. I accept your offer. In exchange for Space and Sparky's lives, I'll join you and take the power you want to give me.”
The Spacetastic Adventures of Mr. Space and Captain Galaxy: Season Two Page 21
