The Whitney Powers Paranormal Adventure 3 Book Bundle

by Jason Paul Rice

  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.”