by Sarah Noffke
Sophia dropped her chin, wondering what headache she’d have to endure next. “Fine, then direct me to someone who can help me. I just need some technology that you all apparently have.”
“I would,” Ricky Bobby repeated, his voice trailing away.
“But?”
“But, something else has come up first.”
“What?” Sophia asked, feeling like she was close to hyperventilating from all this.
“Me,” a woman’s voice said at Sophia’s back.
She turned to find a futuristic soldier dressed in all black with long blonde hair, glaring at her as she held a gun in her hand, appearing seconds away from firing it and ending Sophia forever.
Chapter One Hundred Thirteen
Sophia’s instinct was to pull her sword, but instead, she held up her hands, knowing she was the trespasser here. She didn’t want to fight these people. She needed their help.
Her hands into the air, Sophia’s eyes widened.
“Hi!” she yelped.
Then her face scrunched up with mortification.
Hi?! Really, she thought to herself. That was what she led with, facing a gun pointed at her by a badass looking futuristic soldier on a space ship in a different galaxy, she spurted out a very diplomatic “hi.”
“I can explain why I’m here,” Sophia said, happy logical words were coming out of her mouth.
The woman, who was both beautiful and looked tough enough to break her into pieces, narrowed her blue eyes. “Is that a sword on your hip? What are you from, the freaking middle ages?”
“Scotland, actually,” Sophia answered.
“I’m going to need you to remove that weapon and put it on the floor,” the woman said, stilling aiming the gun at Sophia.
“I don’t think that’s necessary.” Sophia tried to sound diplomatic.
Her words caused a new tension in the soldier. She pulled back the hammer on the gun.
“That’s too bad,” the woman said. “I was hoping to do things the easy way.”
Chapter One Hundred Fourteen
Sophia was prepared to keep talking it out with this woman, who seemed level-headed, but was just trying to defend her territory. She understood. Sophia would be the same if the situation was reversed, and she was defending her Castle from an outsider.
Before she could offer a reply, something grabbed Sophia’s neck and tugged her backward. There was an arm around her throat, and a strong body behind her, cinching her in tightly. The woman lowered her gun, giving the person holding Sophia a pursed expression.
Sophia could have fought the figure holding her, but she was trying to get these people to help her, not get thrown in their brig. So, she did something rare and let the person restrain her. It was a man, she could sense by the size and smell. He wasn’t hurting her. Only choking her slightly and pressing her arms down.
“I had this,” the woman said, giving the guy a terse expression.
“I know,” the man said. “I’m helping.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “I don’t need your help.”
“You’re welcome,” he joked. “So, what’s her story?”
“Well, she doesn’t appear to want to fight,” the woman observed.
“Her name is Sophia,” the AI named Ricky Bobby said overhead. “She is from Earth from the year 2020.”
“Whoa,” the guy said, sounding impressed.
The woman tilted her head to the side. “You’re a long way from home. What are you doing here, sweetheart?”
Sophia tried to talk, but the guy’s arm was across her windpipe. The gasping noise must have told him she couldn’t talk, and he loosened his grip.
“I need your help, and my fairy godmother said you would have the technology to aid me in a battle against someone I think could destroy our planet if not stopped,” Sophia gasped out, surprised by the tears that almost spilled at her words. They were true and right, and she realized for the first time ever how important it was they win against Nevin Gooseman.
Chapter One Hundred Fifteen
“Did you say fairy godmother?” the woman asked, relaxing slightly.
“Yeah, it’s sort of weird, but you have to believe me,” Sophia pleaded.
“Oh, I think we can wrap our brains around fairy godmother,” the woman joked. “We’ve got some things that might throw you for a loop, though.”
Sophia couldn’t see how that was possible since she’d just had a dress fitting done by a giant tarantula, but she was careful not to be too confident. She was in outer space, after all.
“What do you want me to do?” the guy restraining Sophia asked the woman. “Keep her here?”
“Ricky Bobby,” the woman said, looking up to the ceiling. “Shine a little light on this, would you?”
“From everything I’ve been able to determine, I think she’s telling the truth,” the AI stated. “Her heart rate and other vitals remain static when talking. I have no reason to believe she poses any threat to you unless she fears for her life.”
“Let her go,” the woman ordered, putting her gun in her holster. She held up her hand when free and said, “Hey, I’m Bailey, and this is Lewis.”
Sophia turned to get a glimpse of the guy who had been holding her. He was wearing a suit and had his short brown hair slicked back. He gave her a crooked smile.
“Hey, sorry about restraining you,” he said shyly.
“I get it,” she replied, rolling her neck back and forth and working out the tension.
“So you are from Earth. Like a long time ago, huh?” Bailey asked.
“Yeah, although I didn’t get that I was time traveling,” Sophia said. “Mae Ling must have cleared that with Papa Creola or something.”
“I have so many questions,” Lewis said, checking his watch. “First, I think we have a meeting on the bridge, Bailey.”
“I think,” she began, “that a time traveler from Earth trumps that bore fest of a meeting.” The combat soldier gave Sophia an appreciative look. “You said something about needing our help. What for?”
“I need something that can defend the dragonriders against a magitech army,” Sophia explained.
Lewis laughed. “Dragons are real? You’re a dragonrider?”
“She has a sword, which I want to play with later,” Bailey said and then added, “Carefully. I promise.”
Sophia nodded. “Sure. Anyway, I don’t know if magitech makes sense to you based on what you call it, but I need technology. Something really advanced that can bring down planes and tanks and missiles that use advanced technology and want to destroy one of our most treasured properties. A place that, if destroyed, will undoubtedly slowly erase humanity. Do you think you have something like that?”
Lewis whistled. “Damn. These are some bad guys you are facing.”
Sophia nodded.
“What are they going after?” Lewis asked.
“The Great Library,” Sophia answered. “It holds every book ever written.”
“Oh, no, they didn’t,” Lewis said, sounding highly offended.
“Do you think that you can help me?” Sophia asked. She sounded desperate, she realized. “Something that will fight their special army?”
Bailey pursed her lips and nodded. “I don’t know what this technology could be, but I know the alien who will, and he will undoubtedly be able to help. Get ready to have your mind blown.”
Chapter One Hundred Sixteen
To say that Sophia was overwhelmed as she strode through the spaceship flanked by Bailey and Lewis was a severe understatement. The ship was unlike anything she had ever seen. The rush of cool air under her boots was both disconcerting and refreshing. Glowing blue lights ran the length of the corridor, providing illumination but not enough, making the darkness further increase Sophia’s anxiety.
“Where are we?” Sophia finally asked, wondering where they were taking her and how far it was. They’d already walked a long distance, but the ship seemed to go on and on.
“Space
,” Bailey answered at once.
“I think she was hoping for something a bit more specific,” Lewis said, a laugh in his voice.
“Outer space.” Bailey pointed to a window that looked out of the ship attached to what Sophia thought was an airlock. “Don’t open that unless you want to have a really, really bad day. It’s cold out there.”
Sophia tentatively approached the window, for a moment, fearful she might fall out of it if she wasn’t careful. The darkness of space was bright, filled with twinkling stars and planets. She could hardly believe she was standing on a space ship in the middle of a strange galaxy, talking to…well, Bailey and Lewis were humans. But they were from the future.
Oddly, they didn’t seem that different from her. Lewis appeared as though he’d stepped out of a portal from Earth wearing a tweed suit with elbow patches and sporting an old watch. Bailey fit the bill as someone from the future in her shiny black catsuit and carrying a gun that Sophia didn’t think shot bullets, but that was only a guess.
The importance of stopping Nevin Gooseman from finding the information in the Great Library to destroy the demon dragons and then destroy the Library really hit Sophia then. Papa Creola didn’t allow time travel hardly ever, only under extreme circumstances. For Mae Ling to create a portal here, it would have had to be approved by the father of time. Which meant he knew she needed this weapon to combat and hopefully stop Nevin Gooseman and his army.
“Pretty cool, huh?” Bailey asked when Sophia stepped back from the window, overwhelmed.
“To say the least,” Sophia replied as they continued walking through the ship.
“To answer your question,” Ricky Bobby began, his voice echoing overhead. “We are in Precious Galaxy, in the Cacama System, having just left the planet Tueti and are headed to a space station.”
“Thanks.” Sophia wasn’t sure she understood most of what the AI had said.
“You’re from Scotland,” Bailey said, sounding casual. “Do you live in a Castle?” She laughed like this was a joke.
“Actually, I do,” Sophia related a bit sheepishly. “I’m from Los Angeles, but that’s not really relevant. It’s pretty complicated.”
“I can’t wait to learn everything,” Lewis said excitedly. “We have to have a long conversation over a cup of coffee. You know what coffee is, right? We just got a shipment of beans, and we’re taking them to the Precious Galaxy Coffee Company right now. They will be extra fresh.”
Sophia nodded. “We have coffee, but I’m not sure how long I can stay.”
“Yeah, Lewis,” Bailey said dryly. “She has to save the Great Library, remember.”
“I remember,” he fired back at the girl, winking. “She time traveled, so I just figured that…” He gave Sophia a sudden look of horror. “How are you going to get back?”
She spun to face the way they’d come, although they’d taken so many turns and there were lots of passageways she was lost. “I’m not sure. I’m guessing that I go back to where you found me, and Mae Ling will open another portal. She couldn’t leave it open for obvious reasons.”
“That’s your fairy godmother?” Bailey asked. “Mae Ling?”
“Yeah, she’s watching my dragon while I’m here,” Sophia said, laughing at how absurd it must sound to the space travelers.
“I want a fairy godmother,” Bailey gushed.
“I want a dragon,” Lewis added.
“You don’t even know how to ride a bike,” Bailey countered. “How do you think you’ll figure out how to ride a dragon, Sherlock?”
“When do I have a chance to ride a bike around here?” he asked.
“When do you have a chance to ride a dragon?” Bailey teased.
Lewis whipped around to face Sophia. “Is Sherlock Holmes real? I’ve read all his stories and researched the history, but he seems so incredible, I’ve always wondered if he was based on an actual person.”
“I don’t know, actually,” Sophia said, tentatively.
“Lewis is sort of obsessed with the detective.” Bailey pointed at his clothes. “Hence the inspiration for his suit. He was before his time and definitely dropped into space against his will.”
He shrugged. “I like it, but Earth, that’s where we are from. How can you not be curious?”
She pursed her lips and shook her head, indicating the floor under their feet. “I’m from here. I’m curious about the fastest way to take down a Trid, and how the Saverus shapeshift and how a Kezzin flosses its teeth.”
“Did you say Saverus?” Sophia asked, suddenly concerned. “They shapeshift?”
“Yeah, well, the one we have does, but she’s the only one left in existence at this point,” Bailey answered. “Why? You heard of them?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I met the guy who is probably responsible for them.” Sophia thought of Mika Lena and his bizarre and inhumane organization known as Saverus. He was dead now, but what if the things he created went on to become a species of shapeshifters? Anything was possible and it wasn’t really her concern. She was there to get technology and stop her current enemy—Nevin Gooseman.
Chapter One Hundred Seventeen
Sophia was unprepared for so many aspects of the next area they entered. They’d gone from snaking through narrow passageways to entering a huge warehouse type space filled with small and large spacecraft. Everywhere was filled with tons of technology Sophia didn’t recognize. Crates were stacked high from floor to ceiling, and music was playing loud overhead. The thing that struck her as most odd was that standing at a workstation and banging his head to the music was a guy wearing a kilt.
How had she traveled through space and time and ended up in a place where people were still wearing the Scottish kilt? Sophia wondered, studying the guy.
He was incredibly attractive with dark hair and piercing blue eyes and a studious expression on his face. One of his eyebrows arched as he studied something in his hands.
The three of them paused a few feet from the guy.
“We’ve got a treat for you, Pip,” Bailey sang, having to talk loudly to be heard over the music.
“Leave it on the table,” the guy muttered, all his focus on whatever he was working on.
“I don’t know if it will fit,” Lewis said with a chuckle.
Sophia thought he was right. Although the workspace was long and wide, it was so crammed with wires and pieces of equipment there wasn’t any room for much else.
“Shove something over to make room for my spring rolls,” Pip ordered.
Bailey crossed her arms. “We didn’t bring you spring rolls.”
“Well, then you’re dead to me,” Pip retorted.
“Too bad, because we really thought you’d like this better than spring rolls,” Lewis said with a teasing quality in his voice.
“Unless it’s a cake then you don’t know me at all. That’s the only thing better than spring rolls.” Pip’s face was scrunched up with concentration.
“It’s not cake,” Bailey stated.
“I’m busy!” Pip exclaimed. “Can’t you two loons see that? Go and play your hopscotch somewhere else. I’ve got to get this frequency converter fixed, or this bad boy we call a space ship is going down. Is that what you want? Do you want the ship to fall into a black hole?”
“You mean again?” Lewis asked, pretending to sound serious. “I didn’t like it the first time we fell into a black hole, so no.”
“The ship is not in danger of falling into a black hole if Pip doesn’t fix the frequency converter,” Ricky Bobby informed them matter-of-factly overhead.
“No one asked you for your two cents RB,” Pip sang.
“Okay, well, never mind.” Lewis sighed disappointedly. “We’ll just take the visitor from Earth and the year twenty-twenty elsewhere.”
“Wh-What!” Pip yelled, spinning around to face them.
Chapter One Hundred Eighteen
“Damn!” Pip spurt out. “She’s hauuute!”
He dropped what he was working on and strod
e over like a hungry wolf. On top of his green and blue kilt, he was wearing a T-shirt that said:
What’s the most terrifying word in nuclear physics?
Oops!
Sophia froze as he lowered his chin and appraised her, walking around her in a circle.
“She’s a dragonrider,” Bailey added proudly.
Pausing in front of her, after making a complete circle, Pip extended a hand. “This might be a bit soon, but will you marry me?”
Lewis laughed loudly. “Maybe a bit soon and premature.”
“You’re premature,” Pip fired at him, not taking his eyes off Sophia.
“Hey,” she said, wringing the hand he offered. “Nice to meet you, Pip. I’m Sophia.”
He leaned forward and kissed her hand. “She has manners. No one on this ship knows what those are. Just a bunch of barbarians.”
“Yet somehow, we manage to save the universe over and over again without all the pleasantries,” Bailey said dryly.
“Anyway, Sophia.” Pip continued to hold her hand. “About my question. Seriously, what do you say?”
Lewis laughed. “You just met her.”
Pip cut his eyes at him briefly. “Just because you never experienced love at first sight, doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t have a fairytale. Stop trying to rain on my parade and go iron your tie.”
Lewis glanced down to check his tie, like it might be suddenly wrinkled.
“Actually, she has a fairy godmother,” Bailey explained. “That’s how she got here.”
This didn’t seem to surprise Pip. He nodded. “Yes, to meet her Prince Charming. Anyway, about my proposal? I will make a fine husband, although we can’t have children since I’m not a real man. I’m real enough in all the ways that count if you know what I mean?” He winked at her.
Sophia tilted her head to the side. “You’re not a real man?”
Pip’s hand in hers felt real. It was warm, and his skin was calloused.