Book Read Free

Jump Starting the Universe Book Bundle

Page 82

by John David Buchanan


  Seconds later, the beam retracted, the gyrating energy loops spun down and disappeared, and Joules looked like her normal self again. “I’m the Blue Bantorians’ champion, Soe. It doesn’t matter how big the chancellor is.”

  The Bantorians were speechless, but Joules could tell from a change in their body language they had a renewed sense of hope.

  “I believe Elo’s words were – The wicked turn from their desire, when scourged with all-consuming fire,” said Wayne. “So, what’s our plan.”

  “We should stick together in case they have some more shenanigans planned,” said Amelia.

  “I agree,” offered Joules. “How about Amelia and I retrieve our things and we’ll bunk in Blackie’s room. Soe, Ute and Kar can have our room.”

  Before Wayne could agree, Soe plucked up the courage to speak up. “No,” he said. “Ute, Kar and I will sleep here, by the door. If more mischief is planned for tonight, the Chancellor’s lackeys will have to force their way past us first.”

  “I’m good with that. What about you?” asked Wayne., They both thought everyone would all be safer in the same room, and the Bantorians seemed delighted with the decision.

  They woke up early the next morning. Wayne, Amelia and Joules stumbled into the kitchen to find a fresh pot of coffee and tray of pastries on the counter.

  “Compliments of the hotel” said Soe.

  Ute sniggered a little and Kar’s face turned bright red.

  “Did we miss something?” asked Amelia who was first in line at the coffee pot.

  “Kar heard someone stirring in the hallway this morning,” said Soe.

  “He threw open the door and pinned them to the ground before we realized it was a waiter from room service,” laughed Ute. “We pulled Kar off the poor man while he begged for mercy.”

  “When we helped him to his feet, he offered us the beverages and pastries, and assured us they were compliments of the house,” said Soe, “and that Kar tackling him had nothing to do with them being free.”

  “What’s this,” asked Wayne, who slipped a small white envelope from beneath one of the pastries. The hand-written note inside was from the hotel manager. Wayne read it out loud. “Apparently, the management and staff were misled about who we are…blah, blah, blah, sincerely, the management. “Get this though,” said Wayne, who read the remainder of the note. P.S. – all drinks and food for the duration of your stay are gratis. “That’s cool, but more importantly,” P.S.S. We are working to recover the friend you are missing. “What do you make of that?”

  “I think Amelia scared them badly last night.”

  “Wait, I didn’t hear about that,” said Wayne, who was delighted to press the issue based on how badly Amelia had blushed.

  “She threatened to track them all down like scurvy dogs if Blackie was hurt,” said Ute. “Then, Kar told them who you are and demanded they undo whatever it was they did.”

  Wayne winked at Amelia, “Kar, I’m impressed.”

  They sat at the kitchen counter drinking coffee, eating pastries, and discussing events of the last evening and speculating how today might fair. Today was competition day.

  “We should go soon,” said Joules. “It’s midmorning already and I don’t want to be late.”

  “Why so dejected sounding?” asked Wayne.

  “I was hoping Blackie might be back.” She hesitated for a moment and continued. “Not so he can compete instead of me, I’m perfectly fine taking part in the competition. I’d like to know he’s okay.”

  “He’s okay Joules. For some reason I know he’s okay.”

  After the girls changed clothes they gathered up their things to go to the elevator. Amelia searched her backpack three times to make sure the Jump Starter was there. After the incident at the Phoenix Hotel, and the time she left her backpack in the Nomad on Gavalkia, she was borderline obsessive and never let it out of her possession.

  At the elevator Wayne punched the down button and the doors opened immediately. “Amelia, service has improved since your tirade last night.”

  After they stepped into the elevator, the squeaky sound of a stairwell door opening echoed through the hallway. Joules punched the ‘door open’ button before the elevator closed and stepped back into the hallway in time to catch Blackie coming out of the stairwell.

  “Blackie,” she screamed and ran toward him.

  Amelia and Wayne hurriedly stepped out of the elevator in time to see Joules grab him into a tight bear hug.

  “I told you he was okay, didn’t I,” said Amelia.

  “What happened to you?” asked Joules, who was holding his hand tightly in hers.

  “They must have been watching us,” said Blackie. “After you left the room, someone knocked on the door. When I went to open it, someone must have slipped through the balcony doors and darted me. Time suddenly didn’t mean anything, and I drifted in and out of semi consciousness.”

  “But when the drugs started wearing off, five guys from the hotel showed up, overwhelmed the kidnappers and brought me back here in the hotel’s transport van. All they would tell me is they were unhappy about what happened and they decided to intervene. They left the kidnappers tied up in a small cabin up in the Lake District.”

  “Do you feel okay,” asked Amelia.

  “Actually, I feel great,” said Blackie. “I take it you were headed to the competition?”

  “We were on our way down,” said Wayne. “So, what’s the plan now?”

  “I’m need to change, and then we can go to the competition. I’m sure how this is going to play out. I’ll tell you my theory on the way. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  Joules rolled her eyes. “Hah, I don’t think so,” she said. “The last time we left you alone you were drugged and kidnapped. We’ll wait in the room while you change.”

  In five minutes he took a quick shower, changed and was ready to go. As they rode the elevator to the lobby, Ute indicated the hotel staff had called while he was showering and offered to take them to the competition in their shuttle, but he didn’t think it was a good idea.

  “They’ve already crossed the Chancellor by helping Blackie,” said Ute. “Delivering him to the competition in the hotel shuttle is begging for a trouble. We can hire a transport van.”

  “We should drive the Nomad.” said Wayne. “The competition will draw an overflow crowd to the arena. We want them to believe we are the Wanderers, and it would add a measure of credibility.”

  “A ship like none have ever seen,” quoted Amelia. “The Nomad would add a nice theatrical element.”

  “I think they deserve the full treatment.”

  “I like that idea,” said Joules. “What do you think, Ute?”

  “It is a good idea, and it will fit nicely with special arrangements I made for our arrival. It will get everyone’s attention.”

  On the ride to the competition, Ute told them his idea, and they described the Bantorian Arena where competitions were being held.

  “It sounds like the Colosseum in Rome,” replied Blackie. His comment was met with blank stares from the Bantorians, so he described the Colosseum and briefly explained how the Romans had used it for everything from gladiator fights to naval battle simulations.

  “We are here,” said Ute, who was pointing at the amphitheater. “The crowd is noisy. A lot of Bantorians are here today.”

  “Which way?” asked Wayne.

  “Go right.”

  Wayne turned to right and followed the paving to a shaded area where he parked the Nomad under a Barley tree. Ute jumped out of the car and ran to the entryway where he talked with a security guard. Then he ran back to the Nomad.

  “Baz is my cousin, and he has agreed to help. Listen for the announcement of the competition, and watch for the signal for us to enter.”

  A short time later the competition announcer was explaining to the crowd why the competition was being held, then he asked each of the champions to take the field when their names were called. The public-address sy
stem rang out, announcing the government’s champion to be Chancellor Zir. When he was announced, Zir walked out onto the field, accompanied by an assistant.

  He was dressed in a long sleeve leather shirt and leather pants, and his waist was girded with a broad leather belt. The long sweeping cape he wore was embroidered with the Bantorian government seal. His entrance was approved by the clapping and cheering of thousands of Bantorians.

  Soe became excited and told them the announcer was a close personal friend of his family, and he did not agree with the Chancellor’s handling of the Blue Bantorians. “The Chancellor will not like how Blackie is announced,” he said.

  When clapping and cheering for the Chancellor died down, the public-address system rang out once more. “And now, the champion for the Blue Bantorians. One of the Four from one and two besides, he is one of the six Wanderers who have come to stem the tides for those in need. The Wanderers have come to aid the Blue.”

  Several government employees tried to force their way into the broadcast booth, but the announcer had locked and bolted the door from the inside. As the government agents banged on the door the announcer readied to continue the introduction, as Ute’s cousin Baz began waiving wildly to them from where he stood near the amphitheater.

  “We must go now,” yelled Ute. Wayne started the Nomad and drove it toward the facility.

  The announcer continued his introduction. “Retracing steps where they have been, in a ship like none have ever seen, two of six will render aid, and fear will stop and death be stayed. The wicked will turn from their desire, when scourged with all-consuming fire. The champion for the Blue Bantorians is a Wanderer.”

  Baz unlocked the amphitheater’s double gate and threw it open as Wayne stomped on the accelerator. The V-8 engine roared to life and the Nomad bolted through the entrance. When he reached the middle of the field, Wayne winked at Blackie, and as a grin erupted on his face he pulled the steering wheel hard to the right and gunned the engine. The Nomad went into a spin right in the middle of the field throwing grass and dirt everywhere.

  The engine was blaring, the car was spinning in a circle, and the tires were spinning madly. The crowd had never seen such a vehicle, and erupted into applause and cheering. When the car came to a halt, Ute reached through the back window and unlatched the hatch lock. To the delight of the crowd, he and Kar and Soe then climbed of the Nomad.

  They waved to the spectators, who responded with more thunderous applause. Soe then went to the driver’s side door, opened it and bowed as Wayne stepped out of the car. An audible gasp from the crowd was followed by more applause as Wayne stood towering over Soe.

  A small group of Chancellor Zir’s government stooges retrieved an axe and were now trying to hack their way into the broadcast booth while yelling threats of arrest and incarceration. In response, the announcer pointed out to the crowd insurrectionists were destroying public property, and were attempting to disrupt an official assembly, duly permitted by the government. Able-bodied citizens in the audience were asked to intervene and stop the break-in.

  While a group of approximately twenty citizens went to the aid of the announcer, Soe, Kar and Ute walked to the passenger’s side rear door and bowed as they opened it for Joules and Amelia. Once again, the crowd showed their delight by stomping the footboards and clapping. Kar closed the door then joined Soe and Ute to form a semi-circle around the front passenger side door.

  Their formation was the signal the broadcaster had been waiting for. Ignoring the scuffle right outside his booth he keyed the microphone and announced, “From among the six, the Wanderers have chosen a champion to represent the Blues, please welcome the Wanderer, Blackie.”

  Soe stepped forward and opened the door and Blackie stepped out. “You don’t like this attention,” he said softly to Blackie, “but it is necessary to convince the Browns you are who you are.”

  The government goons had now left off trying to break into the broadcast booth, and were trying to fend off twenty-five citizens intending to restrain them. The crowd was torn between watching the field, where the Blues champion stood surrounded by Ute, Soe and Kar, who were waiving to the crowd, and the fight at the broadcasting booth.

  In a matter of minutes, the five goons attempting the break-in were subdued and propped against the top railing with their hands tied behind their backs and their mouths gagged. Everyone in the amphitheater could tell Chancellor Zir was not happy with this unexpected development. His face was hot and dripping with perspiration, and his skin was inflamed.

  As the crowd quieted, Zir and his assistant stepped into a white ring that had been painted on the grass near mid-field. Soe looked concerned when he saw the two of them in the ring.

  “I’m so sorry, I didn’t foresee this,” said Soe. “The Chancellor, as the government’s defender, has decided to invoke a little used nuance in the rules allowing both champions to compete at the same time.”

  “He thought Blackie would be out of the way,” said Wayne. “Probably figured the Blues would forfeit rather than have Joules fight two on one or put me on the field.”

  “So, now he knows Blackie is here. What’s he playing at?” wondered Amelia out loud.

  “He knows about Blackie,” interjected Joules. “His stooges reported what they saw during our workout the other day. Fighting Blackie one on one would be a mistake and he knows it.”

  “No offense,” he said nodding to Blackie then turning back to Joules, “but you think he would rather fight you than him?” asked Wayne, nodding to Blackie again.

  “No, she’s right, Wayne. Remember, Zir knows nothing about Joules. He thinks he’s going to fight a regular girl, dispense of her, then go two on one against me with his assistant.”

  “I think you’re right,” said Amelia, “and I think Zir is nuts.”

  “You must enter the ring,” urged Soe, “or we will forfeit the competition.”

  Blackie asked Joules if she was ready and they walked into the ring. The crowd once again erupted in applause. Soe, Kar, and Ute waved to the stands again then got in the backseat of the Nomad behind Amelia, and Wayne drove off the field. Baz met them outside to tell them they had reserved seats on the front row and handed them tickets. Wayne parked the Nomad and they got to their seats as the referee finished talking to the competitors and announced the competition would begin.

  Zir was standing behind his assistant, Got. As Blackie expected, Got charged him, leaving Zir free to challenge Joules. Blackie side-stepped Got and gave him a push that sent him sprawling to the ground. Turning back toward Joules, he saw her parry Zir’s punch with the back of her hand and counter by landing a knife punch to his throat. Zir stumbled backwards gagging for air, and Joules didn’t miss the opportunity to taunt him.

  “What’s wrong Zir; forget to bring your defense from home? Did you think you were going to fight some delicate little blonde girl who had never thrown a punch before?”

  Blackie didn’t have time to watch Zir’s reaction; Got was on his feet and advanced on him throwing wild haymaker punches. Blackie raised his hands to his head using a helmet guard technique that blocked the wild swings from doing any damage. Then Got threw a straight punch that landed on Blackie’s forearms and followed by throwing another right-hand haymaker.

  Blackie saw it coming and blocked it by throwing up his left arm, and as the two collided he threw a straight punch that landed on Got’s chest so hard it knocked the air out of his lungs. As Got stumbled backwards gasping to catch his breath, Blackie heard Zir grunt painfully just before he rolled across the ground to his right.

  Zir had thrown a punch at Joules and grazed her shoulder as she turned away, but she managed to grab him and used his momentum for a hip throw to sling him to the ground. Zir was infuriated, and got to his feet scowling at Joules who stood a mere five feet, six inches tall. He towered over her by eleven inches and probably outweighed her by a seven stone. Throwing wild punches, he rushed her again. Before he could land one, Joules stepped sidewa
ys, dropped to the ground, and used a tiger sweep to knock his legs out from under him.

  Blackie was trying everything he could to fend off Got without hurting him. By throwing him to the ground each time he attacked, he was hoping he would wear him out. Got was more durable than Blackie anticipated, and surprised him when he quit charging straight forward and attacked with one flying spin kick after another. Forced to change his tactics, Blackie retreated. As Got advanced with another series of spin kicks, he timed his attack to land a hard punch on Got’s chin before he whipped his leg around. Got went to the ground hard and didn’t move.

  “I don’t think your partner is getting up Zir,” Blackie said, trying to taunt him into attacking.

  Zir was infuriated when he saw his partner. Breathing heavily, he backed away from Joules. As they watched he raged around like a maniac, swearing and goading his followers. Then his features changed dramatically, like a curtain being dropped to the stage at the end of a grand production. Blackie’s intuition warned him something was desperately wrong, and he moved sideways to join Joules, who was several yards to Zir’s left.

  As Blackie approached, Joules continued to stare intently into Zir’s eyes. A person’s eyes were a window to their soul, according to what her father had always told her. Staring deep into his eyes she had an overpowering awareness they were in extreme danger. Zir began making gurgling sounds deep in his throat and shuddered violently. Zir blinked his eyes several times in rapid succession. Each time he blinked, the irises of his eyes changed from soft brown to jet black.

  “Get ready, said Blackie, and Joules’ hands began to glow brighter than normal.

  When Zir blinked again, the entirety of his eyes remained pitch black and he let out an ear-piercing scream like someone had plunged an ice pick deep into his thigh. It was so loud everyone in the amphitheater could hear it, and every eye saw what happened next. In a fit of rage, Zir recklessly bolted at Blackie and Joules. Blackie parried a punch and jabbed him hard in the face, stunning him and sending him backwards several feet.

 

‹ Prev