“A logical destination for the inmates. Good as any place to start our investigation.” Trent theorized that the inmates had to have commandeered a vehicle. It was the only way they could have gotten so far from the transfer ship. And what happened to the occupant of said vehicle was something neither one wanted to think about.
As they drove down the deserted roadway following the signs to the interstate, the hum of the traffic grew louder the closer they got to the raised expressway. The on-ramp two miles ahead slowly emerged on their left. Trent used his turn signal, slowed and turned onto it. He watched the oncoming traffic over his shoulder for a break between cars. He found it, accelerated to match their speed and merged into the traffic on the interstate. Just as he was taught to do in the simulator.
Jeff Trent and Genghis Khan drove at the posted speed limit. The three-lane expressway was congested with cars and trucks, some of which passed them by, others they were able to pass. It was overwhelming, and needless to say they were nervous. Would their replicated 1959 Ford Thunderbird attract undue attention? Would they be able to achieve the goal of illusion, and coexist among the human race without detection? Would they be able to pull off the greatest mission of their lives?
They drove with the eyes fixed straight ahead, afraid of making eye contact with the other occupants of the passing cars. After about fifteen minutes of driving like this, Genghis started to get a little curious. He started slowly rolling his eyes to his right. Using his peripheral vision he tried to see what the occupants of the other cars were doing. Were they staring at them? Were they pointing and talking? And to his surprise, no one seemed to be concerned. He then turned his head and started to look directly at the other cars and he was right. Not one of the humans in any of the other vehicles was paying any attention to them.
“You know,” Genghis said, while watching a small red sports car go quickly by, “I don’t think anybody is paying much attention to us.”
“You're not looking at them are you?” Trent said, not taking his eyes off the road.
“Well, yes. But I guess these old auto-mo-biles aren’t as unusual as we first thought.” Genghis started again to look at the passing cars. He fixed on one particular car. It was green with a white top. The young female was concentrating on the road ahead. Genghis watched her. He noted the little nuances, the way she brushed her hair from her eyes. The way she changed the stations on the radio. The way she adjusted her rear view mirror. Which drew Genghis’s attention to the back seat of the green car, where a small boy sat, strapped into an odd looking chair. Most likely he was an unruly child that needed restraining. Then Genghis’s eyes grew wide when he realized that the small boy was looking directly at him. Their eyes met and Genghis’s heart stopped as the two of them looked at each other. He was transfixed and could not turn his eyes away from the child. The small boy had a blank expression on his face and stared at Genghis for what felt like thirty minutes. The small boy started to grin at Genghis, then he broke out into a big smile. He waved and mouthed the words, Hi doggy.
Genghis’s heart restarted, pounding hard in his chest. He shot his head forward. “Oh, CRAP! Crap, crap!”
“What? What’s wrong?” Trent, asked, eyes still fixed to the road.
“Eye contact!” Genghis said, speaking quickly and a little panicky. “Eye contact. I made eye contact with a human.”
“What?” Trent said looking around. “What? Why? Where?”
“I don’t know, it just happened.”
“What human? Where?”
“The kid,” Genghis used a paw and pointed. “The kid in that auto-mo-bile. Crap! Crap!”
“A kid? What . . . that kid?” The green and white car with the small boy had accelerated, changed lanes and was heading for an off ramp.
“Yes, that kid! Crap! What if they alert the authorities?”
Trent thought about that for a moment. “And why would they do that?”
Genghis was silent for a second. He looked around at the other cars, then at Trent and asked, “Are human canines allowed to ride in auto-mo-biles?”
“I don’t see why not”
Just then a loud 1979 F-150 pickup truck roared by on their left. A hound dog sat in the passenger seat, head out the window, tongue and ears flapping in the wind.
“Geez O’ Cow! Doesn’t he look stupid!” Genghis said, disgusted at the sight of his first real human canine.
“Well, there’s your answer.”
“A dumb, drooling canine.” Genghis scowled. “What did I tell yah.”
“Perhaps you should do the same,” Trent suggested.
“The hell I am!” Genghis fired back.
“But, perhaps that’s what human canines do.”
“You are not suggesting that I emulate that ass!”
“Well, maybe that’s what they do.”
“No!”
“Yes, but just consider . . .”
“No!”
“But what if . . .”
“NOOO!”
“Very well.” Trent said. He too started to look at the passing cars. Cars passed on their left and their right. Trent watched as they traveled by. “You know, you're right. It doesn’t appear that we are attracting any attention at all.”
At that precise moment a car came up on their right and matched their speed. The driver, wearing dark sunglasses and a big bushy mustache was staring at them intently.
“Uh oh!”
The driver then pulled ahead. Glanced at them one more time over his shoulder, then gave a nod and a thumbs up.
“SHIT!” Genghis shouted, “What the hell does that mean?”
“I’m not sure,” Trent said, now a little panicky himself. “But he kept going. It doesn’t appear that he’s turning around or anything.”
Genghis watched the car as it went on. “Crap! . . . Crap! Crap!”
Chapter Fifteen
They drove on, eyes once again fixed straight ahead. The only other incidences were one more wave and someone shouting at them about how nice their wheels were. That was something they would have to stop later and compare with other vehicles.
After about an hour more of driving, they were able to see the city in the distance. The tall buildings of shiny metal and glass were encased in a blueish gray haze. As they drove closer they could make out smaller buildings surrounding the larger ones. These were constructed out of different styles of bricks, and were mostly brown in color and half as tall as their neighbors. Surrounding those and stretching out for a couple of miles were buildings even smaller and dwellings of wood and red brick.
Genghis was able to access the new information that the computer was gathering. “It appears that those taller buildings are fairly recent. If you look toward the right of them, that whole section over there is older. It’s the original part of the city. Some of those red brick buildings are over one hundred years old.”
As they drove, they passed several off ramps that lead to different types of subdivisions. The subdivisions further away from the city were large with large homes on large parcels of land. But the closer they got to the center of the city they both noticed the decline in the quality of the dwellings. The homes were older and in disrepair. There were rundown tenement buildings, parks that were overgrown, and cars left abandoned.
Trent put on his turn signal and merged over to the right lane. Using his turn signal again, he turned the cruiser onto an off ramp and headed toward the older section of the city. Trent felt, and Genghis agreed, that the inmates would have likely chosen an area such as this. It would be easier for them to hide within a large population.
They drove down the small off ramp which turned lazily to the left. At the bottom of the ramp there was a stop sign and a small intersection. Trent observed the one-way sign beckoning them forward. He looked both ways and proceeded straight onto the two lane roadway. Another sign stated that they were driving on Eighth Street, heading for the historic district of the city.
The street was brick and line
d with granite curbs. Set within the wide sidewalks were small trees and tall black decorative gaslight-style electric street lamps. They noted the architectural design of the red brick buildings. The tallest one was five stories. Almost all of the buildings had large sash windows surrounded by ornate wooden frames which allowed plenty of natural light into the structures. They saw corner stones on some of the buildings with dates, 1909, 1928.
“These buildings were once factories and warehouses,” Genghis said. “Main frame offline,” he said, which shut off his holographic computer console. “And as you can see, they have been transformed into shops and businesses. And obviously very popular with the locals.”
It was a very popular destination for tourists and shoppers. As they drove, they saw delis, boutiques, antique shops, bars, and nightclubs. The smaller buildings had elegant wrought iron balconies on their second stories, overlooking the roadway. There was a French bistro with al fresco seating. The small tables were large enough for the intimate dining of two.
Genghis was pleased to see two more human canines. Not as dumb looking as the last. One was walking by the side of a human male and the other was lying by the feet of a couple while they ate at a small outside table at the French restaurant. This made him feel a little better about his situation. At least canines were allowed to walk around freely.
Trent drove, taking in everything he saw. This planet was much different from their own. But with similarities. They too had areas such as this in many cities back home, where people would gather with friends and shop and eat. They both felt very comfortable here.
Jeff Trent and Genghis Khan were driving their 1959 Ford Thunderbird along with the flow of traffic. And when Trent observed the car in front of him put on his left turn signal, Trent followed suit. And when the car in front turned left down Fifth Avenue, a two lane one-way road, Jeff followed.
This street was a little more narrow than the first and they drove on the left side close to the curb. Traffic down this road was a little slower, which was fine with them. It gave them a closeup chance to observe the people of this planet, the way they interacted with each other, and their mannerisms. Some walked at a hurried pace. Others just seemed to be meandering about without a care in the world. Some walked slightly bent, looking at small devices in their hands.
Three cars ahead of them was a stop light that changed to red and the flow of traffic slowed and then stopped.
“You know,” Trent turned to Genghis, “one of the first things we should do is . . .”
“HI!” Came a voice over Trent’s left shoulder.
“BAAAH!” Trent shouted in startled shock. Genghis jumped at this sudden assault, letting out an unnatural yip.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she laughed pleasantly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
This was their close encounter of the third kind. Their first meeting with a human. A human female. No amount of training and studying of the one and only folder they had on the human race since The Great Fire of 4045 could have prepared them for this interaction. This would be the litmus test to see if they could accomplish the goal of blending in.
“May I interest you in a complementary latte with hazelnut flavoring from Dave’s Coffee Pot?” She smiled a big toothy grin and handed Trent a Styrofoam cup.
“Ah, nifty! Sure.” Trent said, noticing the silver wire on her teeth.
“And here’s a couple of coupons for breakfast sandwiches, compliments of the grand opening of Dave’s Coffee Pot. You should try one!” She gave a little giggle, “You could even give one to your dog.” She giggled again, then said, “Nice car.”
“Ah . . . thank you,” Trent said, looking at his cup. Then, as an afterthought, he looked up at her and quickly said, “Yes, we bought an old farm house in the country. Found this auto-mo-bile rusting away in the barn for the last thirty years and thought, ‘Hey, what the hell!’ Let's restore it back to its original condition and drive it around.” He made steering wheel motions with his hands.
She sweetly grinned, turned and started to walk to the car behind them. Trent watched as she went. He turned to Genghis, “Hey, it worked!”
“Yeah, I knew that story would work! Simple minds you know, but ah, wh . . . what is that?” He asked motioning with his nose.
“I’m not quite sure. It appears to be a hot beverage.”
“What? Like a soup?”
“No, she didn’t give me a spoon.” He looked at it, brought his nose close and sniffed. “I think we drink it.”
“You gonna try it?”
“Well,” Trent said, sniffing again at the cup. “I suppose I should. Wouldn’t want to do something to attract undue attention.”
He brought the lidded cup to his lips, saw the small opening and drank. “Hey, this isn’t bad.” He took another sip. “No, not bad at all. Hot, steamy.” Another sip, “Sweet and savory.”
“Hey let me try!” Genghis reached with both paws.
Trent held the bottom of the cup while Genghis gently grasped it between his human canine paws and took a sip. “Wow, this isn’t bad!”
Directly behind them sitting in a 2001 Corolla were a middle aged couple trying their own complimentary cup of coffee from Dave’s Coffee Pot. He hated this part of town and was only here because his wife wanted them to do more things together. He slowly lowered his cup staring straight ahead and said, “Is that idiot in front of us giving coffee to his dog?”
“Oh, my!” His wife said, “He should be brought up on animal cruelty charges.”
“Ah! C’mon, asshole let’s go!” He then tooted his horn.
“What the hell!” Genghis said, looking behind them.
“Oh! The light,” Trent said, realizing the light had changed. He drove a couple of blocks down, found a parking spot along the sidewalk, and nosed the Thunderbird in. They sat there and both finished the latte.
“You know,” Genghis said, looking around and making sure he wasn’t seen talking. “Our first encounter went very well.”
“Yes, it did,” Trent agreed. “Perhaps we should get out and walk among the people.”
“You think we should? It’s not too early, is it?”
Jeff Trent was feeling very confident and sure of himself. He felt that the female with the silver wire on her teeth seemed not to be alarmed at the sight of them, so perhaps no one would. Yes, it was time to walk shoulder to shoulder with the human race. Mingle with them. Perhaps even have a conversation or two. They had to get out there sooner or later. It might as well be sooner. He turned off the engine of the cruiser, opened his door, and stepped out. Genghis hopped over the console and exited Jeff’s door. They proceeded to walk down Fifth Avenue together, down the sidewalk of their new world.
Chapter Sixteen
They walked at a casual pace down the sidewalk of the world that would be home for them for some time. How long? Neither one knew. They didn’t say much. They just observed. They watched the pedestrians. They overheard conversations. They witnessed what looked like small telecommunication devices that some were using. They passed antique shops, stopping occasionally to peer into the storefront windows, looking at the wares in amazement.
It was getting close to six o’clock and many of the people were gathering their things and heading home. The sidewalks started to get a little more congested.
“Perhaps we should try out our verbal skills. And maybe test out our human currency.”
Genghis lowered his head and whispered, “Yeah, we might as well. How about that male over there?” He gestured with his head. “He seems to be selling something.”
The man had a shiny cart hooked to the bumper of his car. Steam rose from the cart in little wisps. The man was gathering things and placing them into a cooler.
Trent and Genghis approached the man, who had his back to them. They stood there for a moment until the man turned around. “Oh, how yah doing? I’m about to close up, but I can get you a dog if that’s what you’d like.”
Trent was puzzled for a mo
ment, “I, ah . . .” he glanced at Genghis. “I have one.”
“That you do, Mac.” He took a bun and slapped a hot dog into it. “What do you want on it?”
“On it? I, ah . . .”
“How ‘bout the works?”
“Boss!” Jeff responded using his newly required vernacular. “Yes, that sounds swell, proprietor.”
The man gave Trent a sideways glance, squirted some ketchup and mustard onto the hot dog, then topped it off with relish and diced purple onions. He handed it to Trent, “There you go. That’ll be two fifty.”
“This isn’t made of dog, is it?” Trent asked. Genghis cocked his head, ears pointed straight up.
The man laughed loudly and said, “God only knows buddy. God only knows.”
Trent reached into his inside trench coat pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed the man three ones and got change in return. Trent thanked the hot dog man and he and Genghis started again to walk down the sidewalk.
Trent sniffed at the dog and took a bite, “Hey, this is pretty good too,” he said with his mouth full. “If this is what the cuisine around here is like, this could be an enjoyable mission. Considering.”
He lowered the hot dog for Genghis, and he too took a healthy bite. “Mmm, not bad! Hope it’s not really canine.”
The sidewalk was a little more crowded with people now. Some shops were closing up. Some people were standing and talking, saying their farewells. Trent and Genghis finished their hot dog and were walking with the flow of people, just observing. It was then that Genghis noticed one particular human. He was about twenty feet in front of them. Walking with everybody else and constantly looking around. There was just something about him that looked off. Genghis looked at a couple of others on the sidewalk, then back to that human. “Do you see that human male over there?” Genghis whispered.
Trent looked around. “Which one? They’re everywhere.”
“That one ahead of us,” he motioned with his head. “White shirt, blue pants.”
“Oh, yes, I see him.”
“Do you remember,” Genghis whispered, looking around to see that no one was paying any attention to them, “a couple of years back, that stakeout we were on in Kenter? And we happened to stumble upon that narcotics deal just around the corner of us.”
The Interstellar Police Force, Book One: The Historic Mission Page 7