Prisoners of Paradise

by Brandon Lars Erikson

  A few seconds later, the monitor on the wall turned on, the Jalapo show was already in progress. Jalapo was interviewing an unfortunate guest. “So Chief Tipsy, what seems to be the problem now?” The fat, Balguran talk show host said with distain in his voice.

  Chief Tipsy was also a Balguran man of large stature, “well Jalapo! There is no problem that can’t be fixed with a little bit of love.”

  “And why are you saying such a thing, Tipsy? All we need is love? What a stupid thing to say!”

  “Well, we need love, and we need to make all the people aware of the fact that a whole bunch of worm farmers need their help. My organization is starting a legal fund for them so that they can sue the Ailanian government.”

  Jalapo seemed to get even angrier as he said, “And why would they need to do that?”

  Chief Tipsy said, “Because they done let all them big assed spaceships take off all at once the other day, and sir, the shock waves from the boom boom sound they made, done shook the ground real hard, and it done killed all these poor farmers’ worms!”

  “Oh is that right?” Jalapo scoffed back. “Are you sure they didn’t forget to feed them, and they starved to death?!”

  Chief Tipsy seemed a bit annoyed as he said, “no they ain’t starve ta death! The buggers eat dirt n’ shit! How can they starve ta death?”

  “Well, how can you be sure it was the effects of the launches that killed their worms?” Jalapo went in for the kill, “Ya know what Tipsy, this reeks of a scam that you and some dirt poor, struggling worm farmers came up with to take money from our government, by use of a fraudulent lawsuit!”

  “But Jalapo! This is a wrongness! It is an injustice that has been inflicted upon the common man by a corrupt system that does not value individual freedom since it protects corporate interests at the expense of the humanoid condition and the humanoid rights!”

  “This is about humanoid rights? Yeah right! This is what people like you do isn’t it, Tipsy? You are jealous of those who have money, so you create these sorts of problems in order to force some rich guy who owns a Hydroplantation to give you something that you didn’t earn! Isn’t it?”

  “But sir!” Tipsy protested, “those folks’ worms are dead cause of what the government did to em’. Now I’m going to give a concert real soon, and the money I raise will help, but we need to hire a lot of lawyers and such to draft the proper protective legislation in order to make sure that this sort of thing don’t happen again.”

  “But you can’t prove that it was the ships launching all at once that killed the worms can you?” Jalapo scoffed, “like I said before Tipsy, you and all these so called organic farmers need to go get real jobs already and stop causing all this trouble! There is a reason why The Hydroplantations still exist, pal…and it’s not because of some conspiracy theory all you idiots have engrained in your thick skulls! The reason why no one wants The Hydroplantations to go away, so that organic farming can take their place, is because people love Zoppy’s chili!”

  Jalapo’s audience began to laugh hysterically. A smile crossed Jhett’s lips. He began laughing, slowly and quietly at first, and then louder and louder, until an uncontrollably boisterous and unruly laughter filled the room.

  Location: Moke’s Office…The HanaPaloiFederalBuilding…Polynea

  Ailanian Standard Time: 1130 Hours.

  Moke wished that he had lasers in his eyes as he stared, with anger, at Jack and Audrey. He knew that he wanted this conversation to be as polite as possible, but his patience, was beginning to wear thin.

  Moke calmly took a breath and said, “I just want you both to know…that there is nothing to worry about. We still have the ability to keep everything under control.”

  Jack sighed as he carefully said, “Sir…I’m only saying that, maybe in lieu of our recent failures…maybe it’s time to ask for some help…from the outside. For example…this person that has been calling me with this advice they want to give us…”

  Audrey closed her eyes with worry as Moke said, “There is no asking for help…not from the Earth CIA…not from anyone! We are not involving them or any other agency with this.”

  “But sir…”

  “Do not take calls from this person!” Moke’s eyes became enflamed as he said calmly, coldly, “Jack, for all you know, that man, you were talking to that night we failed to arrest Jacob Colombe, was a reporter who had a really good counterfeit badge…and maybe, all these calls that you have been getting, with this so called information, are just pranks.”

  “But sir, please hear me out…”

  Moke shouted, “There is no white haired man at the Earth CIA! He doesn’t exist! And if you do see anyone from the Earth CIA, you are not to speak with them under any circumstances…it that clear?”

  “Yes sir,” Jack said with a respectful tone. Jack tried to not become unglued as he thought, “Don’t you realize that what you are doing is going to get us all fired and put on trial for insubordination and reckless neglect of our duties. I’m getting sick of following you into hell Captain Kalapana…”

  Location: Wram Karamotzain’s Office…The HanaPaloiFederalBuilding…Polynea

  Ailanian Standard Time: 1139 Hours.

  High Senator Brawnsworth nervously paced the floor while his anxious colleagues sat on couches and chairs trying not to sweat or appear flustered.

  “The son-of-a-bitch has us just where he wants us,” The Bontune High Senator said. “I had a bad feeling about this deal we made with him all along.”

  “Then why did you get us to go along with it…by a forced unanimous vote by the way?” A voice cried from the back of the room.

  “We had no choice,” the Bontune Senator said. “We had no choice, not after this mysterious person, who wanted to get rich and famous beyond their wildest dreams, got caught breaking his unwritten rules. I had no idea he was springing a trap for all of us.”

  Another High Senator yelled, “The bastard set us up and we walked right into it!”

  Someone from the back of the room calmly said, “We can fix this, we need to play the game his way from now on…and we may have to give someone up as a pound of flesh to satisfy his need to enforce his unwritten laws that keep Ailana safe.”

  A couple of High Senators looked at each other and said, “Who do we give up?”

  A different High Senator said, “Who is this person who he caught breaking the law? Who is this person who tried to make themselves rich and powerful beyond their wildest dreams?”

  “I think it was Klunka…he did what he did because he knew he was going to lose that election and he crossed the line and got caught. I say we give him up!”

  “Well, what about High Senator Glik? How about Semnor? For all we know it could be our beloved Auntie Ulu Jinkua!”

  A skinny man from the back of the room came unglued as he shouted, “These accusations against me have gone too far!”

  Another man shouted back at him, “Oh yeah, Glik?! How about we go see the Attorney General about your part in all of this? I’m sure that handsome face of yours will do you a lot of good in prison!”

  “Go to hell, Patterson!” Glik pointed his finger and shouted, “I did everything I was supposed to do! I did what I did out of loyalty to the Moralist Party…I did what you people wanted me to so that I might serve and support you in this mess we’ve created for ourselves! You told me my constituents would benefit from this mess when it was all worked out!”

  “They would have benefited, had you not gotten caught, Glik…you pathetic worm!”

  The room suddenly erupted into rancorous arguments as accusations and statements of defense flew across the room in the form of pointed, verbal assaults.

  “Enough!” Brawnsworth shouted as he stopped dead in his tracks. “We all know how complicated this matter is. We all know of the plan and we all had a part in it. However, we do not know who is resp
onsible for this mess because we were all contacted by different sources who were acting on this person’s behalf. All of us were given individual electronic memos with instructions that automatically deleted themselves…this secret perpetrator, who we have all been unknowingly helping, could be anyone of us.”

  “Or this could have been a plan by The Evil to expose and destroy us all!”

  “What have we done?!”

  The voices in the room became angry and blended together for a few chaotic moments until the front doors of the office opened and a tall, older, Ailanian gentlemen walked into the room and raised his hands.

  “High Senator Karamotzain,” High Senator Brawnsworth said loudly. “What are you doing here?”

  Karamotzain looked around the room and noticed the looks of disbelief and near distrust on the faces of his colleagues. He nodded his head and said, “I know of this unknown person of whom you speak…and let me assure you…the name of this person will remain a tightly guarded secret of mine.”

  The room erupted into a chorus of demands and grumbling until Karamotzain raised his hands again. “It is better that we do not know who this mysterious person is, that way we can all deny involvement in this plan. I have spoken with The Clandestine One…I have had words with Agent Van Dien. I know all about the plan…and rest assured, gentlemen…there is a place in it for all of us. Soon, all will be made clear to you. Soon, all of you will be elevated to a level of power and wealth beyond your wildest dreams, but we must do our part for the plan to succeed…and above all, we must crush the head of the Ailanian CIA. We must ensure the destruction of the one man who would dare to stand in our way! Captain Moke Kalapana must be defeated, and for this plan to succeed, we must all do whatever it takes to make sure he is eliminated from our ranks once and for all!”

  CHAPTER 24

  Location: West Central Apartments…Downtown Polynea.

  Ailanian Standard Time: 0700 Hours.

  Wallace gasped for breath as he leaned against the door, hoping that someone would soon open it. His brain was buzzing with fear. Out on the street, he could have sworn that he had seen men in dark suits and sunglasses following him. Each time he had looked over his shoulder the men appeared to be getting closer and closer.

  He slapped his hand against the door, gasping for air as his mind panicked, “Is the danger real…or is it all in my mind at this point?”

  His head pounded with rushing adrenaline-fueled fear. He gasped as he remembered how he had ducked into a subway tunnel and got on a hovertrain just as the men in black had started running down the station’s stairs, making their way toward him. He recalled how his heart throbbed as he tried to hide among the people, who were tightly packed into the subway car. He couldn’t shake the frightening feeling of being detained by those strange men in black after getting off the train in the Downtown District, and running all the way here.

  He knocked on the door again, his lungs aching for air, as he tried to keep the anxiety from overwhelming his senses. His heart felt as if it would explode and his breathing became shallow. Panic filled thoughts flooded his brain.

  “Why are we doing this? What you’re saying sounds crazy…have all these people and their conspiracy theories caused you to go insane as well?”

  His eyes burned as he remembered Rex Broadstein saying, “Do you know how you can tell when someone is crazy? When they refer to all the unknown forces that are oppressing them, as ‘they’. Remember, my friend, just because they say they are not out to get ya, doesn’t mean that they are not out to get ya! For example, all those warehouses that could be used by new Ailanian enterprises…they need them, it’s one of the reasons why they killed the economy on purpose. They won’t allow The Hydroplantations to be dismantled and given to locally operated organic farms because they need them! Why do they need them? Ya gotta ask yourself a lot of questions that are simply crazy! Are the agricultural commodities from The Hydroplantations being turned into emergency rations? Why? There’s no alien war going on, there aren’t any soldiers to feed. Why are those buildings that the government lost so much money on being outfitted with such expensive security devices? Why do we believe all these things while the rest of the Ailanian public believes we’re crazy? Are we crazy? Do we have a reason to be paranoid? How can you be sure that they are not out to get you? ARE THE VOICES IN YOUR HEAD MAKING ANY SENSE?”

  The sudden silence was deafening.

  “Oh my gods…have I truly gone insane?” Wallace tried to calm down as he remembered how the woman’s face had looked so warm all those years ago. He remembered how her arms felt so inviting. His heart ached as he recalled how they made love after an evening of dancing and joyous laughter.

  His mind raced with what she had said to him on the night she had disappeared from his life.

  “Our people are in danger…our world is caught up in a terrible struggle…”

  He remembered saying, “what can I do to help?”

  “What would you be willing to do?”

  “Anything…I would do anything for you…just tell me what you need…”

  “I need a good-looking guy, like you… to keep a secret for me…”

  Wallace lifted his head as the door opened. When he saw the Hokupi woman standing in the doorway, his eyes began to hurt and he coughed in an exhausted manner.

  “Wallace!” She said as she quickly wrapped her arms around him and led him into her apartment. She looked around the hallway for a few moments and quickly shut her door. She hugged him and said, “Oh my gods, Wallace! I’ve been so worried!”

  She released her hug and grabbed his face with her hands, her eyes were full of sorrow as she said, “I was so worried… they’ve had your picture on the news! They say you’re a wanted fugitive! What did you do, Wallace? Why are they after you?”

  “Landra,” Wallace gasped as he tried to stand up straight. “Everything is going terribly wrong…Jacob is dead…our friends, who went out into the desert, are probably dead as well…Rex is dead…our efforts to expose what our government is doing has us running for our lives…”

  “Oh baby!” Landra cried out as she embraced him again, “I am so glad you found me! I can help you. I can get you in touch with my people…they can hide you.”

  “Oh thank you so much!” Wallace closed his eyes and tried to keep the tears from falling as he said, would be great…but that’s not the reason why I came to talk to you,”

  “I love you so much, Wallace…I’ll do anything to help.”

  Wallace sighed and finally felt as if he had caught his breath. He took one more gulp of air and tried to calm himself down as he said, “Landra…we really need to talk.”

  “Oh darling,” Landra said as she unwrapped her arms from his neck and gave him a loving glance. She began walking towards her kitchen as she said, “You must be parched, let me get you something to drink. I know…I know about this mess you’ve gotten yourself into…and I appreciate what you’ve done for me. You don’t know what this means.”

  Wallace felt his heart racing with a different emotion as he remembered all the good times they had together. He felt a sense of calm and trust returning to his over-stimulated brain. He smiled as he saw her walk back into the room. She looked beautiful. She was a full-figured, Hokupi woman with long, purple hair and radiant eyes. He thanked her as he took the glass from her elegant hand and began drinking the red liquid as if it were the last bit of nourishment he would receive before crossing another desert.

  She gave him a soft look as she said, “I should say I’m sorry for getting you into this. If you hadn’t met me…your life would probably be a lot different now. You’d probably be a well-respected scientist working on important research instead of a fugitive. With your good looks and charm, you could have gone a long ways.”

  “Bullshit,” Wallace said as he finished off the last of the drink she had given him. “I’d be working for
those who are allowing our government to suppress our people and drain our planet’s natural resources in order to get themselves rich. I would have had a future as a mindless slave, not knowing what was really happening around me, not knowing of what the government was really doing to our world.”

  “I love a man with principles…when I met you…I knew you were someone I could trust.”

  Wallace suddenly felt his head becoming woozy as he said, “Can you trust me?”

  She looked at him and said, “What do you mean?”

  He gave her a worried look as he said, “I just came from my friend Megan’s place…she refused to hide me for the night. She said that she didn’t want to see me, or any of us, ever again.”

  “Why?”

  “She blames us for the voices in her head. She says that we only believe what we believe because there is something wrong with us. She said it all started with a pubescent need to rebel against authority…which had no basis in reality. She told me our desires to eat organic food and recycle our soda cans only stem from some subconscious need to give those in authority the proverbial finger. She told me that it was the drugs we took when we at the University that made us think this way. And for a few moments…I started thinking…I’m running around the city thinking that men in black suits and ties are chasing me. But when I look over my shoulder, they’re not there.”

  Her eyes were soft as she placed her hand on his arm in a comforting manner.

  His eyes were about to tear up as he said, “Why is it that none of my fellow Ailanians in the shopping malls see these men in black? Why is it that they don’t know the things I know…and why do I know these things? Did I just start blindly believing all those things Jacob said because of my subconscious need to despise those in charge? Is it my jealousy, of those who have more than I do, that makes me believe what I believe? Megan told me that I’ve created coping mechanisms because deep in my heart, I know those who have more than I do, worked harder than I did, and it’s the constant disappointment in my own self that causes me to think those people exist only to oppress me.”