Prisoners of Paradise

by Brandon Lars Erikson

  Kenny found his face becoming flush and his heart raced as he said, “Ya mean that night I helped our guys steal all those electronics and cash? That heist went off without a hitch…we made some huge money for Makula that night…don’t forget that.”

  “I ain’t forgotten the heist, Kenny…” Charlie said as he turned his head to give Kenny a stern look, “I just wondered why it took you so long to deactivate the alarm system…I mean, on other heists I’ve driven you to…you’re in and out of the mainframe area in less than five minutes. And I also remember seeing this long, black limousine pull up into the alley behind the parking lot where I was waiting for you. I saw this guy walk into that building you were in…the guy was wearing a black suit…the guy had white hair. Who was he?”

  Kenny sputtered as he said, “I never saw no guy…there was no guy in there when I was in there. Trust me, man…nobody saw me doing my thing. If they had…we wouldn’t be having this talk right now, we’d be in jail.”

  Charlie sighed, sat back in his seat and looked out the hovercar’s front windshield again as he said, “All I’m saying is…we got some strange stuff going on in our organization right now. Makani shipments getting stolen…members of our family getting mysteriously killed…Makula’s all pissed off about it and wanting to get even with whoever is responsible.”

  “What are you getting at, Charlie?”

  Charlie made a fist again as he said, “Makula’s family is not acting right, there is a lot of distrust among our gang members now…and we’re faced with a lot of rival gang members, who want us out of the picture. The bottom line is, Makula’s not thinking right, Kenny. The old man’s getting paranoid and we gotta be ready when someone takes a fall because of it.”

  Location: The penthouse suite of the Mele Entertainment Corporate Headquarters.

  Ailanian Standard Time: 2125 Hours.

  Loko was enjoying a drink, and a cigar, with several well-dressed Ailanian and human men. One of the balder humans, downed a drink and said, “Mr. Kalaheva, we would like to thank you, and your wonderful staff, for all of the hard work you have put into the Klunka campaign. The election is just days away, and so far, it appears that High Senator Klunka, will be reelected by a wide margin…the Ailanian people seem to love him as much as they love Zoppy’s chili at the moment.”

  Loko appeared a bit drunk as he said, “Oh, I can assure you, our media coverage and commercial ads will assure that Klunka will beat Karatau like a red haired stepchild!”

  There was laughter and agreement before tall, Balguran man said, “Tell me, Loko, why are you sending Jordan Tache on another tour of Earth? Why aren’t you working a deal to get him on that successful Ailanian tour Chief Tipsy is doing? Summer festivals are great money makers here on Ailana!”

  There was some uneasy laughter.

  Loko replied, “Well, I tell ya, that was an easy decision…Chief Tipsy is a radical, and a threat to our way of life. And Earth loves Jordan right now. But unfortunately, such an endeavor has its own complications, ya see poor little Jordan, doesn’t travel well, so he needs to go to Earth in a cryochamber.”

  A few of the obviously drunk men began laughing.

  Loko retorted in jest, “What? I don’t want risk my star’s youthful good looks in a warp jump, he might get damaged. Besides, I want him lying as still as possible. Ya see, before we load him onto the spaceship, I going to pay a surgeon to pack Jordan’s lower intestine with a plastic bag that has about a kilo of Cutz in it. The good stuff! When he gets to Earth, he will have another surgery just before he goes on tour. This way, my clients on Earth will get to sample my merchandise. That way, they can decide if they want more.”

  One of Loko’s intoxicated guests said, “Ya get that, boys? The guy wants to sell rock and roll and drugs now! Loko, I love the way are pulling my leg! You’re killing me, you actually think that…”

  “I’m not kidding! Selling drugs is the next big thing! And pretty soon, it’s gonna be the only thing,” The laughter stopped when Loko became dead serious as he said, “I am about to make a deal that is beyond lucrative. Trust me, gentlemen, I know something that you don’t know!”

  “What do you mean, Loko?” A human with a diamond stickpin in his tie said in a soft, worried tone.

  Loko fidgeted for a moment as he looked past the man with the stickpin. Loko smiled, until his lips began to twitch back into a serious frown as he gazed out of the enormous, south facing windows of his penthouse. He took a moment to admire the impressive view of the city that these tall, elegant windows gave him. He shuttered for a moment as he turned his attention back to his wealthy guests and said, “The rumors that you’ve been hearing, I’m tellin’ ya…I know that they are true. All that you see out there…it will all be gone soon. I know what the future holds for Ailana, and I’m telling ya, we’ve got to start grabbing up all we can before it’s all gone!”

  Another well-dressed Balguran man seemed worried as he said, “What are you talking about, Loko?”

  “I’ve got a plan to make myself a whole lot richer than the world we are about to inherit will allow. And guess what gentlemen, when the shit storm happens and the Ailanian system you know and love comes to an end, I’m going to be sitting somewhere, with a drink in my hand, and a whole lot of money to burn. And if you jack-asses want to get on board my train to prosperity…then you better listen to me because I’m telling ya THE END IS NEAR!”

  The entire group gasped before someone began laughing, then one by one, everyone began to burst into boisterous laughter, which covered up the sound of someone kicking in the front door.

  Loko’s jaw dropped as he saw the door fly open and smack against his finely plastered wall.

  “Oh shit…”

  Loko felt his heart leap into his throat as he saw Makula Pilikoa marching into the room with six heavily armed men.

  The party instantly stopped as the guests began to scream with panic.

  “Loko!” Makula roared as he strode forward. “We got a few things to talk about!”

  “Makula!” Loko said as his eyes opened wide with shock. “Whatever brings you here?”

  “Someone you know killed my boys and took my merchandise!” Makula roared back, “what the hell were you thinking, asshole? Did you think that you could get access to my Makani and my Cutz making facilities without paying me?! Is that what you were thinking?!”

  The finely dressed men ran for the corners of the room, leaving Loko alone in front of the tall windows.

  “Makula, I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Loko said as he shook his head.

  “You’re trying to cut me out of our deal!” Makula shook his fist and said, “and this is how I’ve come to say that our days of doing business together…are over!”

  Makula raised a large handgun up and pointed it at Loko’s face.

  For a brief moment, Loko saw his life flash before his eyes as he looked into the barrel of Makula’s gun. He froze with fear as he saw the twisted smile on Makula’s lips. In that terrifying moment, Loko’s thoughts were brief.

  “Oh gods…please help me…”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Loko saw a bright flash of light. Makula’s head moved back and forth rapidly as panic filled the penthouse while a series of small explosions filled the air. Loko froze as Makula stopped pointing the gun at him and began waving it all around the room, trying to find the source of the explosions.

  The terrified guests screamed even louder as the large windows shattered and collapsed.

  A red laser bolt flew into the room and struck Makula in the head.

  Loko’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he saw his enemy fall to the ground. His heart leapt out of his chest when he saw how Loko’s men began shooting in the direction of the broken windows. The guests screamed hysterically and ducked under their tables as laser fire began to tear the room apart.

  Lok
o gasped with fright when he saw the SWAT team repelling down ropes. The black-clad men landed in the room and began shooting back with extreme precision. A few of Makula’s men were instantly struck by the laser fire and they fell to the ground, their guns blasting as they went down. Bits of wood, plaster, and pieces of chandelier began to fly around the room as laser bolts blasted the ceiling and walls.

  “I gotta get the hell outta here!” Loko ducked under a table and began to crawl away taking full advantage of the mayhem around him. He gasped and fought for breath as he saw the SWAT team members swarming the room. Loko froze for a moment. The men in the black, armored fatigues didn’t seem to notice him since they were concentrating on killing the gang members who were spraying laser fire at them.

  Loko took a deep breath. His heart raced with fear as he saw one of Makula’s large henchmen get shot in the head and fall to the floor in front of him. Another gangster, who had been standing behind him, began shouting obscenities as he kicked over a table and took cover behind it.

  “Take that you goddamned cops!” The gangster yelled as he shot a steady stream of laser fire over the table which was close to where Loko was hiding.

  “Oh shit!” Loko shouted as he crouched down and covered his head. He heard a series of laser blasts and saw the table get blow apart as it was hit by two red laser bolts. The gangster, who had been hiding behind the table, realized his cover was gone. Loko covered his head as the gangster screamed and jumped up as he squeezed off several rounds before a volley of blue laser bolts tore his chest apart and knocked him off his feet.

  Loko glanced around the room and saw his redemption in front of him. “The stairs!” He thought joyfully, “I can make it!”

  Loko darted from under the table and began to run. He reached the set of spiraling stairs, located in the middle of the room, just as another gangster was shot in the face and chest. Loko jumped over the man’s bloody body and began running up the stairs.

  In the background, Loko heard more laser fire and someone shouting, “He’s going to the roof!”

  The shooting stopped as the last of Makula’s men fell dead on the floor.

  Loko was panting as he ran up the stairs, his heart ached since it had never run so fast, but he didn’t dare stop. He looked up and saw the door to the roof in front of him. He didn’t even remember opening it. The door just flew open and his next breath came from the cool, night air. Loko felt a wave of relief as he walked up to the edge of the roof and began panting as hard as he could. He saw the moonlight dancing on some large, puffy clouds.

  Loko’s sigh of relief suddenly turned into a gasp as he heard the ominous clicking sounds of guns being locked and loaded. Loko turned around and saw about a dozen men in black uniforms pointing laser rifles at him. He froze in his tracks.

  “Loko Kalaheva, you are under arrest for drug trafficking,” Moke said as he removed his face mask and stepped forward from the rest of the men in black fatigues.

  Loko stared at all the men dressed in black for a moment. His eyes widened as he saw how their uniforms had the word SWAT in white before he replied in a surprisingly cheerful tone of voice, “Oh, this is great! They told me that you guys would be coming! I’m willing to talk…and boy, do I got some things to tell you!”

  Moke’s hair stood on end as he heard a laser blast ring out. He felt a surge of terror as he realized it had just struck him in the back. Moke felt his entire body going numb as he landed on his chest.

  The SWAT team members began yelling orders and then poised themselves to return fire if needed. Moke found himself struggling for breath. The laser bolt had hit his body armor, but didn’t pierce it. The wind had been knocked out of him, and he felt a large bruise forming on his left shoulder.

  Moke felt his skin crawl as another laser blast streaked above his head. He looked up and watched in complete shock as the blast struck Loko in the chest and sent him flying over the edge of the building. His body seemed to shrink as it fell. Within seconds, Loko disappeared into the darkness of a neon streaked street.

  Location: Street level of the Mele Entertainment Corporate Headquarters.

  Ailanian Standard Time: 2115 Hours.

  Kenny felt the sweat dripping down the back of his neck, while the large, Kupano man continued to ask him questions in a threatening tone of voice, “do you know where those missing Makani shipments went, Kenny?”

  “No, Charlie…I don’t!”

  “What other kind of information is on your little computer there? Do you have any data that would allow some asshole cop to figure out where we make our Cutz, Kenny?”

  “No, Charlie…I don’t have addresses and stuff like that on the computer. I keep all that stuff in my head and I ain’t shared it with anyone. I swear I ain’t been talking to anyone! I don’t have anything to do with making Cutz! Makula ain’t told me shit!”

  Kenny screamed and covered his face with his arms as a loud crashing sound rang in their ears. The hovercar shook violently. Both Kenny and Charlie looked up and saw the twisted body on the collapsed hood of their now ruined hovercar. They gasped when they a flattened face pressing its bloodied nose up against the cracked windshield.

  “HOLY SHIT!” Kenny cried out.

  “What the hell is that?!” Charlie shouted as his thoughts of pressing Kenny for information turned into thoughts of panic and self-preservation.

  “We need to get out of here!” Kenny shouted as Charlie stomped on the accelerator and gunned the hovercar fast enough to get the mangled body off the crushed hood. Kenny felt his heart nearly stopping as he saw the body bounce and roll on the street a few times as they quickly speed away from the scene of Loko Kalaheva’s murder.

  Location: The PrinceBuilding…across the street from Mele Entertainment Headquarters.

  Ailanian Standard Time: 2130 Hours.

  The man in black flicked a switch on the stock of the long rifle. He slid the barrel out and quickly placed it into a padded case at his feet. He disassembled the stock from the butt and folded them into place. With a couple of quick clicks, he put the rifle’s components into the case, locked it up, and began to walk away from the window he had been positioned at. His long trench coat fluttered like a cloak as he walked out of the empty room and into a darkened hallway.

  His processors came to a sudden halt as he heard a voice calling to him, “I normally like to do things, such as this, in a manner that is quick and painless. I used to know a certain, humane side of you quite well…and from what I gather, you must be terribly lonely. Either that, or your cyborg brain has finally started to realize just how much money your talents can make you.”

  The man in black stopped and slowly turned on his heels to face the direction the voice had come from. Standing in the shadows, Van Dien was leaning against a grey wall, his lit cigarette illuminating his face. Van Dien didn’t move. His demeanor was calm and cool as he said, “Is there anything you would like to talk about? Anything at all?”

  The man in black stood still, his scarred face was void of expression.

  Van Dien exhaled a slow cloud of smoke before he said, “For instance, you could tell me all about this mysterious person, who you are helping with this crime that was committed tonight?”

  The man in black felt his nerves and circuits twitch with a low level of anxiety which he was quickly able to get back under control.

  Van Dien said, “I know what is going on here…and in a way, I am glad that you did it. Ya see, I actually made a deal of my own with Loko a long time ago…and now, that I have come to find out that he made a deal with someone else, behind my back, to do something completely against my rules…and quite frankly…I am glad he is dead.”

  The man in black continued to remain silent as he saw how the white haired man calmly took a drag and said, “Ya see, I know Loko bought small quantities of drugs from this smuggler named Marco in the past. And I know how drug habits wo
rk…the small quantities he bought from Marco, soon became large quantities.”

  Smoke filled the air as the man in black narrowed his eyes and began to think about what to do next.

  Van Dien cracked a half-cocked grin and said, “Soon, Loko and Marco were in business together…Loko was supplying the money needed to acquire spaceships and the money needed to bribe customs officials. But what I didn’t realize, until just recently, was that Loko had made a secret deal, with some mysterious person, who has a plan to make themselves rich and famous beyond their wildest dreams.”

  The man in black tried as hard as he could not to think for fear that Van Dien would somehow be able to connect the dots.

  Van Dien said, “Apparently, from what limited data I have been able to gather, Loko and this, mysterious person, came up with their own plan to have Marco and Makula killed so that they could take over an even bigger share of the Ailanian drug trade together. I guess this was all a very clever plan…until I realized that this mysterious person decided that they wanted to kill Loko as well, because he simply couldn’t keep his mouth shut.”

  The man in black felt his heart rate slowing down as the initial anxiety came under computerized control.

  Van Dien’s cocky smile melted into a frown as he said, “You see…this is where things get complicated for me. Loko was a necessary part of my plan to save this world from itself…and now, because this mysterious person has killed Loko without my approval, a line has been crossed…and the unwritten rules must be enforced.” Van Dien sighed and flicked some ashes on the floor and said, “Who is this person? Or maybe, there is a group of unknown people working on this plan I have stumbled upon. I know that I spoke with someone through a satellite communication and gave them a stern warning on the same day I dealt with those archeologists…but now, it appears that things have become much more complicated.”