by Brian Bakos
“Quentin will get killed out there,” I said. “I saw him take a major hit already – and you’re all supposed to be friends.”
I expected some smart comment from Quentin, but he said nothing.
18: Nervous Days
The next couple of days were pretty similar. The boys practiced their violent game while I watched, chewing my finger nails. After each scrimmage, Quentin looked more beat up. He was by far the best player, though.
Kimmy, Tricia, and especially Ilona spent a lot of time with me. We had the usual conversations, about boys in particular.
“I’ve heard that we live in parallel universes, this must be why we are so similar,” Ilona said at one point.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that too,” I said, “whatever it’s supposed to mean.”
“Of course, we have many obvious differences,” Ilona said, “but we are also the same in crucial ways. Our medical researchers have determined that our two races can breed together.”
So, what was she driving at? I ventured a guess.
“You like Lord Eddie, don’t you?” I said.
“Yes, very much so.” Her face colored a little. “Since he has matured, he is the only one who – how do you Earth Americans say? – turns me on. He has always been my hero.”
“Yeah, he did come through for us on the space ship, all right,” I said.
“I wish that he would discontinue his disguise,” Ilona said. “He is so handsome on his own.”
“How does he feel about you?” I said.
“Ah, Lady Amanda, he acts as if I scarcely exist. Of course, everyone knows that I am spoken for, so why should he bother with me?”
“Spoken for?” I said. “Who?”
“The assistant captain of our team.”
“That guy!”
“Yes,” Ilona said. “His family is well-connected politically, and our engagement was determined when we were very young.” She lowered her eyes. “I do not care for him, for he is arrogant and cruel.”
“This sure is a lousy situation,” I said. “We got rid of this kind of stuff years ago.”
“Then you are more advanced than we.” Ilona sighed. “I would like to see your Earth America someday ...”
The girls wanted me to visit their houses, but I couldn’t leave the sports club. This was for “safety reasons,” as Eddie explained. The club became like a prison for me with its weird dimensions and blank whiteness. Without my girl friends, I’d have been climbing the curvy walls in no time.
My worst fears surfaced at night when I was alone hovering over my bed. Treachery was in the air, I was certain of it – that sneak attack from the skybot.
If the deal Eddie described was really in effect, why would somebody try to knock us out with gas? But the Purple Nazis had to be responsible for the attack, right?
Eddie had mentioned a possible spy. Who? The traitor could be anybody. In my worst moments, I even suspected the girls.
Not that I actually saw many Kintz besides my girlfriends – just the team and their much abused attendants. Dummy robots did the grunt work, like the one who cleaned my room. Scared me half to death when it first appeared.
Also, I saw the Council President when he came to visit Quentin. Since he was Ilona’s dad, she managed to get him to say a few words to me. He was polite but rather stuffy – treating me like some honored though essentially useless person.
Then the news came that we were moving out.
19: To Neutral Isle
A large group assembled by the sports club in preparation for the trip to Neutral Isle where the great flame ball competition was to take place.
“Man, it’s great to be outdoors again!” Quentin said, breathing in a great lung full of fresh air.
He was surrounded by his Kintz team mates, like a king in the middle of his court. All of them wore bright red uniforms now and carried helmets under their arms. Calvin might be the team captain, but there was no doubt that Quentin was the big star.
“Yeah, it’s wonderful,” I said, but I really wasn’t very enthusiastic.
I’d begun to feel a little bit safe in my room, now I was exposed under the incredible blue-yellow orangey sky. It was too bright for my Earth American eyes, I tried to shade them with my hands. The Kintz all wore big floppy hats with dark visors, and every inch of their skin was covered with jumpsuits and gloves.
“Try these, Lady Amanda,” Ilona said, “we had them special made for you.”
She handed me a pair of sunglasses. I put them on, and the world became more bearable.
Tricia clapped her hands and cried: “You look like those movie stars you were telling us about!”
No, she didn’t really clap her hands or raise her voice, she scarcely moved at all. I was just adding stuff – sort of a way to make better sense of things. At least I could still tell the difference between reality and make believe.
But what if I couldn’t anymore?
We’ve got to get home soon, I thought suddenly, before we go totally whack-o!
Already, Quentin was acting like a knight in shining armor. Would he even want to go back, or would he rather stay here and be a nobleman like Eddie?
Sure, Eddie had no reason to return. He had no family on Earth and no friends except us – and we were here. Quentin’s life back home couldn’t be rosy, either. He was the “man of the house” with a neurotic mom and two bratty sisters. Who wouldn’t want to get away from that?
Ilona took my arm, “You look unhappy, Lady Amanda.”
“Oh ... I’m just thinking about my home and family,” I said.
“Let us be your home and family for now,” Ilona said.
This was a nice thing to say, though kind of scary, too. Then again, none of this would matter if our side lost the game, would it? We’d all be doomed.
I forced myself not to think about that.
Many Kintz elders were about. The Council President gave a little speech about how great our team was, how victory was assured, and blah, blah, blah.
Like everyone else, I stood at attention. I did manage to glance over at Quentin, though. He had this weird, joyous look. Yeah, he was going native all right – fast. Soon he’d be bleaching his hair and whitewashing his face.
Then we were off.
The elders led the pecking order, walking with great dignity in their flowing capes. The flame ball team went next, with Calvin at the head, flanked by his assistant captain. Quentin marched right beside them, carrying his golden railroad spike no less.
Then came the attendants lugging the team equipment, including a large cage in which four referee robots hovered like big, silent vultures.
“Those things give me the creeps,” I said.
Ilona nodded and tightened her grip on my arm. Several police skybots hovered far overhead – no more surprise attacks with them around. They probably looked creepy, too, if you saw them close up.
The girls and I brought up the rear, along with the other less important persons. Tough looking men with gun type weapons guarded the procession. Two dignified older Kintz in white jumpsuits kept to themselves off to the side.
“Who are they?” I asked.
“Our top physicians,” Ilona said, “to remedy such injuries as might occur. They specialize in human ailments.”
That was reassuring, but very creepy at the same time.
The city around us was an incredible mix of glittering high-rise buildings, sprawling domes, and pointy towers shooting up into the fantastic sky. Among the high stories, narrow bridges connected the buildings. Cigar-shaped vehicles ran along these tracks like the cars of some amusement park ride.
I felt eyes staring down at us from those cars and from the great buildings, too, but ground level was deserted. The guards must have scared away any gawkers.
Trees and other plant type things poked up from the pavement – similar to the ones back home, except for their red-bluish color. I looked back the way we’d come.
“Wow!”
/> Behind us, a blocky cliff thrust into the air. Four large, roundish structures stuck out, as if flying saucers had crashed into it.
“That’s the sports club?” I asked.
“Yes, Lady Amanda,” Ilona said, “your apartment was in the uppermost pod.”
The place looked as weird outside as it did inside.
“How far do we have to walk?” I said.
“Three earth miles, four at most,” Ilona said. “No one may bring motorized vehicles onto Neutral Isle, and a foot procession through our city displays our confidence.”
Well, I wasn’t feeling all that confident.
“What is this Neutral Isle?” I asked.
“The parley ground betwixt the two halves of Core City,” Ilona said, “neither side controls it.”
We continued marching for some time, and I was getting tired. The huge, glittering buildings got smaller and more spread out. Open park type areas became more common. Without the giant structures hemming us in, we could see the distant sky. It was an ugly purplish color.
Ilona shuddered. “Our enemies reside over there, beyond Neutral Isle.”
That awful sky held my gaze, it seemed to boil with hate. We were creeping through an open area now, down a gentle slope. Ahead I could see water, and beyond it an island. The dark and bright skies mixed over the island into flat, dead grayness.
Then we were crossing a bridge, quiet and grim like a funeral procession.
Would we ever come back?
20: The Great Arena
An enormous building sprawled over the middle of Neutral Isle, like the granddaddy of all football stadiums. Huge archways surrounded the edges. A clear dome covered the top, glistening even under the dull sky.
“That’s the Great Arena, huh?” I said.
Ilona nodded. She and everyone else seemed awe-struck. The flame ball team craned their heads upward and slowed their pace, as if they were approaching some vast holy shrine. I half expected them to fall flat on their faces.
Okay, it’s big – I get that. I couldn’t afford to let it overwhelm me, though. At least one person had to stay clear-headed amid all this razzle dazzle. I fixed my eyes downward.
Several minutes later we arrived at a blocky little building, bone white all over. It reminded me of the mausoleum where Grandma Searles is buried.
Dad took me there once. I was badly creeped out by the rows of corpses stacked up in the walls behind neat little marble squares – like high-rise apartments for the dead. And that awful sweetish smell of flowers.
“I know I would have loved Grandma if I’d known her,” I told Dad, “but please don’t ever bring me here again.”
Did I really say that, or was I just inventing things? Dad never did bring me back – but I was here again, anyway. We entered the huge door.
Inside was very different, thank heaven. No layers of coffins in the walls, just the hum of machinery. This must be a maintenance building, I thought, generators and stuff. We moved down a wide ramp.
“We go to our quarters now,” Ilona said. “They bestride the Great Arena.”
We walked for a while down a tunnel, then got onto a huge elevator and zoomed up.
***
Before long we were settled in. I had a room like the one at the sports club. Ilona, Kimmy, and Tricia had similar apartments nearby. We were the only ones on our level. The elders and the flame ball team took quarters on the big shot floors.
A large commons area filled the next level up from us. I met Quentin there a couple of hours after we arrived. He had a gold railroad spike printed on the left side of his uniform. On the other side of his chest, he sported his Smile, It Kills Time Between Disasters button.
“How do you like my new look, Amanda?” He spread his arms wide. “Man, if the guys back home could see me now!”
“Yeah, it’s great,” I said with zero enthusiasm. Quentin didn’t seem to notice, though.
“I could get used to this real easy,” he said.
“And then what?” I said.
Quentin looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re blending in a little too much.”
Quentin took a dramatic pose and glanced at himself in a nearby mirror. “Oh, come on, Amanda. Can’t I have a little fun?”
I scarcely recognized the boy standing before me. Whatever happened to the easy going Quentin I used to know? He was turning into some sort of weird super hero – he even looked bigger in his Kintz outfit.
“Tell me this,” I said, “where did we come from?”
“Well, you know that, Amanda. The sports club.”
“No, I mean originally. Quick, tell me.”
Quentin laughed, “Why, we came from ... uh ...”
“Ever heard of Allendale,” I said, “on a little place called Earth?
“Yes, yes, of course,” Quentin said, “it was on the tip of my tongue. You know, Eddie says that – ”
“So, where’s Eddie now?” I said.
“He went with Calvin to watch the enemy scrimmage,” Quentin said, “they should be back soon.”
“I’ll wait,” I said.
Several minutes later, Calvin and Eddie arrived. They were both in their red team uniforms, and Calvin wore his fancy Captain’s cape and gold medallion.
“Hey, what’s up, guys?” Quentin said.
It was pretty clear what was up – they’d seen something scary. Both of them were highly agitated.
“Man, I won’t lie to you,” Eddie said, “those guys are tougher than we thought.”
“Oh?” Quentin’s grin faded.
A grim silence settled over everyone, then Calvin spoke.
“We’d best prepare,” he said, “our practice time draws neigh.”
I went back to my room.
21: Scrimmage
The girls stopped over a while later, and together we left for the Great Arena.
“This is our team’s opportunity to practice on the official court,” Ilona said. “Tomorrow, they confront our enemies there for the final contest.”
I didn’t like this “final contest” talk. It sounded too much like the “final solution” – Hitler’s plan to wipe out millions of people.
“Okay,” I said, “let’s go.”
“Okay, let’s go,” the girls echoed.
They’d picked up several English words such as: okay, cool, and get lost which sounded odd in their crackly, musical voices.
We took an elevator down to yet another tunnel. I was really getting tunneled out on this world. After many minutes of walking, we entered a high, bright passageway. Then we were inside the Great Arena.
“Oh!”
I stumbled back into the passageway.
“What is wrong, Lady Amanda?” Ilona said.
“It’s so huge!” I fought to catch my breath.
“Shall we return to your chambers?” Ilona asked.
I shook my head. “Give me a minute, okay?”
I rested my hands on my knees and took some deep breaths. The military voice in my head, the one Dad used when he wanted to make a point, spoke to me:
“You can do this, Amanda. Front and center!”
I stood up straight again. The world was spinning a bit less now.
“Hang onto me, please,” I said.
Tricia and Kimmy took my arms, Ilona moved on ahead of me. Again we entered the Arena.
It was totally overwhelming – a gigantic bowl zooming off in all directions. As if we were in an oval Grand Canyon. I felt my heart seize up.
We were down by the playing court, and mountains of bleachers towered above us. The glass dome floated high over everything like some horrid transparent umbrella. Needles of brightness shot along its surface – except for a big hole in the middle where the gray sky leered in.
The place was so quiet that it actually seemed noisy. How many people could sit in these infinite rows, a million? The vast dimensions tried to crush my spirit, they tried to suck my mind away. I yanke
d it back hard.
“You dumb pile of stone.” I kicked the wall. “I’m better than you!”
The girls looked at each other, surprised. I felt a little better, though.
“Well, let’s sit down.” I gestured into the huge emptiness. “If we can find a place, that is.”
We walked down a few rows and took seats at the end of a bleacher.
The flame ball court was much larger than the one at the sports club, but still just a tiny patch in the center of the massive building. I arched my hands around my face like blinders and kept my eyes focused down so as to avoid seeing the mammoth arena hulking all around me.
More spectators entered from the passageway, elders and various others. The doctors arrived, all dignified in their white outfits. Everyone sat well away from us to the left.
“Is it always like this?” I asked. “The girls get pushed off to the side.”
“Yes,” Ilona said, “our society is very much a man’s world. We are treated nicely, however, like delicate toys.”
Ordinarily, I’d be angry to hear this, but I was too worried now. The arena was pressing me down like the boot of some horrible giant.
The team attendants were entering the play area. They activated three referee robots and placed them on the court. The fourth robot stayed on the sidelines in reserve. Then the team marched out in two parallel lines, like a military unit, half in red uniforms, the rest in blue. Quentin swaggered in front with Calvin.
The audience cheered and applauded, a real racket in Kintz terms.
Ilona squeezed my hand. “Don’t they look magnificent!”
“Yeah.” I wished that I was feeling a bit more magnificent, or at least a bit less sick.
The scrimmage began. While the boys fought and shoved, huge projections of them appeared in midair so that people in the high bleachers could watch.
I turned away from the violent action and saw two tall, frightening Kintz males take seats between us and the other spectators. They wore purple jumpsuits, one also had a cape and a silvery medallion hanging around his neck. Danger radiated from them. I scrunched down.
“Who are they?” I whispered.
Ilona took my arm, Tricia and Kimmy huddled close from the other side.
“Observers from the enemy team,” Ilona said. “One of them is their Captain.”
No wonder Eddie and Calvin were upset. These purple guys looked plenty tough, like fierce cats ready to strike any second. The Captain glanced my direction with flashing red eyes that seemed to stab right through me. I felt an incredible thrill – half excitement, half terror.
