by Teya Tapler
“Of course, my team and I will do our best.” Brianna picked up the receipts and stood up to leave.
“Please stay a while longer,” Field insisted. ”I’m expecting someone quite important.” He sounded proud that anyone from higher up was interested in him and the work of his teams.
The buzzing noise coming from the area outside Field’s office suddenly stopped. The voices silenced as the rhythmical sound of footsteps approached. Field straightened up his jacket and smiled. The steps stopped in front of the office and Field got up. Emil and Brianna couldn’t see who was about to enter the room, but suspecting it was an important guest followed protocol and stood up as well.
“Chancellor! It is such an honor to see you visit our humble agency.” Field started talking the moment the glass door opened.
Hearing that Emil and Brianna turned towards the door and bowed slightly. The Chancellor was wearing the ultramarine robe, white wig and make-up customary for his position in the Intergalactic Committee. He smiled and nodded in reply but his eyes remained cold and distant. He sat on the floating armchair furthest from the desk. The chair moved down and then up again as he spread his robe around it.
“Please sit,” the Chancellor hissed his invitation and everyone complied. “Please share the details of your mission,” he turned to Emil.
“We have successfully obtained and brought back the pearls. Zull and Kevin Mort have been captured as well and are currently in the Forever Calm Detention Facility in Antarctica.” Emil was brief.
Hearing the details of the mission made the Chancellor flinch a little but he quickly regained his composure and the slight change of his expression remained unnoticed.
“Dear Professor, I see that you have been given the task to discover a way to destroy the pearls,” the Chancellor nodded towards the paper receipts in Brianna’s hand. “Let me know if you necessitate anything, I’ll be pleased to assist you in your gracious enterprise. In fact you should transport your research apparatuses on the premises of the Galactic Committee Building. They’ve strengthened the security since last week’s accident and it is most advisable to store the pearls there.”
Field tried to protest but the Chancellor cut him short, “It won’t be a hassle, Field. It will be my honor to assist you,” he then stretched his hand, palm up, in front of Brianna and moved his fingers, indicating that she has to give him the receipts. She hesitated for a moment and her eyes quickly moved from Field to Emil. Field’s face was blank and unexpressive. Emil nodded slightly, keeping his facial expressions unchanged.
“Thank you for the offer.” Brianna placed the receipts on top of Chancellor’s palm.
A thin and cold smile spread across the Chancellor’s face as he hid the papers in his pocket, “It is very nice that we understand each other, professor. I’ll see you and your team in my office tomorrow morning.”
The Chancellor got up and headed toward the door. Emil, Brianna and Field followed protocol and stood up until the door closed behind the guest of honor and his steps disappeared in the silent room. A few moments later the chatter and buzz in the mission recording area continued again, a sign that the Chancellor had left the floor.
“Field, do you think that he will forget all about Zander?” Emil asked.
“He didn’t mention it but again I’m never sure with him.” Field was still vexed. “If Zander asks, tell him that he’s on indefinite probation or something. Try to soften it a little and don’t freak him out.” Field said then noticing Brianna’s sad look added, “Hey, cheer up professor Wilderness. There is nothing better than being under the Chancellor’s wing. Our department is flourishing. We’ve never had so many assignments lined up. It all started after he took the Chancellor’s position. The previous Higher Representatives were not that interested in establishing peace and harmony using our methods. Now we are the talk of the town,” he put two hands behind his head and pushed his elbows back, “enjoy the attention. You are smart and will go a long way with the right sponsor, and you have just found the perfect sponsor.”
Brianna smiled and got up. Emil followed.
“Here is your next assignment,” Field tossed a crystal at Emil. ”It’s related to the black hoods that have been showing up unexpectedly at random time and space locations.”
Emil frowned. The mentioning of the black hoods bothered him.
“Is there something I need to know?” Field asked.
“Would you excuse us, for a moment?” Emil turned to Brianna.
“I’ll wait for you at the elevator,” she left the room.
“Well?” Field asked once they were alone.
“It might be because of Andy and the locket,” Emil started. ”We’ve been moving them from one location to another just to run into the black hoods again after a few months.”
“It slipped my mind ... How’s he doing?”
“So far, so good,” Emil said. “Zander’s visiting him regularly and I keep an eye on both of them.”
“Good! Tell him I said ‘Hi’. We go a lo-ong way back, Andy and I,” Field said. ”I’ll try to keep your team off the assignment charts until you clear this. That way we’ll have all of you, including Andy, back at 100 percent.”
Chapter 5
When the blue haze dispersed, Zander found himself in the middle of the forest. It was raining. Heavy clouds hung over the tall trees. In those early morning hours his surroundings seemed darker than expected. He remembered Peter’s directions. They were clear, “You will land in the 19th century German countryside. Your father should be in a building about a mile north from the landing spot.”
Following the moss on the tree trunks Zander headed due north. After a few minutes he reached a gravel road. Huge puddles covered the muddy tracks along the woods. The rain was pouring, the huge raindrops splashing in the puddles ahead of him. Zander jumped on a big stone then to a raised area between two holes and from there onto the leaves covered ground on the other side of the road. He hid between the bushes and continued on his way. Back in the forest, Zander started to run; time was short and he ought to find his father.
It was late spring, the trees were covered with leaves, the ground was covered with branches and leaves shed during the seasons passed. Moving ahead was difficult. There was no road or path. Zander pushed braches and bushes aside with both hands as he tried to speed up. Wet leaves stuck to his face and clothes, his jacket soaked and his feet got wet. Soon the shape of a building formed in the distance between the branches. The structure gradually emerged and became clearer. It resembled an old manufacturing building.
Unexpectedly, a stretched wire fence appeared before Zander and he stopped hastily. The fence was four feet tall and winded between undergrowth and trees from left to right. Zander scaled it in all directions and sneaked between the top two wires.
He was getting closer. The roar of the nearby waterfall increased with every step. Peter had identified the location as a wood mill that according to the records had been closed in a hurry a few years before Zander’s visit to the 1800s due to the water powered machines being no match to the electric tools of the competitors. Once on the premises he headed to the two-story high wooden building. For some reason, the surrounding sheds, docking area and silos didn’t look like a place his father could be held in.
Zander opened the front door of the main building. The small corridor ended with stairs to the second floor. Leaving wet footprints on his way, he tiptoed up trying not to make the wooden steps creek under his weight. He carefully opened the single door on the first floor. At first glance through the tiny crack, the room looked empty. Zander pushed the door open a little bit more and peeked in. The room, that must have been the factory office once, was empty. Three desks and two file cabinets with partially opened drawers, piles of paper all around, toppled chairs and suitcases and a pair of heavy-duty gloves on one of the desks were scattered in front of him. Dust floated in the beams of daylight coming through the dirty, broken windows. Compared to the excitement on
the streets, the 19th century cities not far from there were offering; with their emerging population of cars and the latest fashion craze, that place was sad. Zander, transcaster gun in hand, meandered cautiously between the desks. The various markings on the gun made it look more like a centuries old, precious metal encrusted revolver and for some reason looked quite in place among the furniture in the room. Being Zander’s means for time travel, the transcaster gun was also the only weapon he was allowed to bring with him on any of the assignments. It was his trusted friend, ready to remove any enemy or item that threatened him in any way.
Zander approached the door at the other end of the office and peeked into the next room. The first thing he saw was the man lying on the floor; face down, hands bound above his head with a rope tied to the machine in front of him. His feet were tied together with another rope stretched in the other direction. The red marks on his wrists confirm the ropes were tight. The man was dressed in 25th century clothes and from a distance looked like his father.
All Zander knew was that his father had ventured to meet with Zoraida, alone, without a partner, regarding a very important and secret matter. Being the last official reader, sought by the government for annihilation, and by the criminal groups regarding the reader maker pendant she was guarding, Zoraida had asked for protection. Her old friend, Zander’s father had accepted.
That was what Zander learned after questioning Emil, Peter and Mary. Then they located Zander’s father and Zander was the first to transcast. Emil and Peter were to follow shortly.
“What do I see here?” Zull Mort’s voice roared behind Zander. “I wasn’t hoping for the honor to dispose of both of you simultaneously.”
Zander stopped in his tracks and looked back. The room behind him was still empty and yet the voice had come from there. He carefully inspected the furniture and the papers on the floor; everything looked unchanged since he passed through that room. Even the dust was still dancing in the beams of light.
“I’m glad you were able to come, Zander.” Mort’s voice spoke again.
The sound from the man in the middle of the room moving made Zander look in his direction. Their eyes locked and the man moved his head sideways, nodding a “No”. He had a black eye and his mouth was taped. Zander recognized him. It was his father.
Zander had found him. Now he had to save him.
He evaluated the situation. There was no one in the room behind him and the two of them seemed to be alone here as well. His eyes moved from his father’s face, along the rope tying his hands, down to his feet. He wasn’t able to see further in that direction. A few large, wooden containers were concealing the other end of that rope from his sight.
“I wonder … should I kill you both now … or wait for a while till the rest of your pathetic team arrives. You do everything together like peas in a pod.” Mort’s voice kept on talking. It was still coming from behind Zander.
Zander turned abruptly, but, once again, he didn’t see Zull Mort. The voice kept on coming from behind him. Zander focused on the sound of the voice, not its words. He listened more carefully. He was wrong. Mort’s voice wasn’t coming from behind him, it was coming from everywhere. It was echoing in Zander’s head, hammering every word, trying to drive him insane.
“The old man didn’t tell me where the reader maker locket is, but I’m sure you will.” The heavy sound of moving gears filled the room. “After all, no one wants to see his father get hurt.”
Zander saw how his father was lifted from the floor and his body stretched between the two ropes. His face shrank with pain but he shook his head as if saying, “Don’t listen to him!”
Zander took a deep breath. His eyes looked left and right, up and down and then … he saw it … the large concrete slab hanging above his father.
“Wake up sleepy head!” Mary’s voice came to Zander.
“Sh-sht Mort will hear you!” Zander spoke in his sleep.
“There is no one here yet. It’s just the two of us. I wanted to beat the morning rush and took the moveseat down the highway. I hate flying but I love driving it.” Mary bubbled in one breath. She was too chatty for the early hour. “I brought you some doughnuts and coffee. You like the cream pie doughnuts, don’t you? I got the last two. Hurry up before Emil and Peter arrive, or there will be none left.”
Zander opened his eyes. He sat up abruptly and the floating bed bobbled. He looked pale and was trembling as if he seeing a ghost.
“What are you doing here? Don’t be so loud! Mort will – “ Zander whispered, gradually realizing he had been dreaming about Zull Mort, again. He was reliving the events of the day when his father obtained the reader maker locket from Zoraida and was badly hurt. The Anaconda team called those events “the accident”. In his dream, Zander was experiencing the accident again, and again. His mind replaying them in different order every time. Regardless of how scrambled the sequence was, every time the result was one and the same; he couldn’t save his father from Zull Mort’s wrath.
Zander closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He held the air a little bit longer and then exhaled slowly. His eyes focused on Mary’s face, “Don’t tell the guys. Please, I don’t want them to think I’m crazy.”
Mary sat down next to him and touched his knee, “Don’t worry,” she reassured him, “your secret’s safe with me.”
“Thank you!” Zander said softly.
It had all started when the last official reader on Earth, Zoraida, was killed by the 906 Inquisitors. At the time they were after the locket she had inherited from the readers before her. The criminals were adamant to get their hands on it at all cost when Zander’s father and the Anaconda team came in their way.
Before those days, the readers were two kinds of people. The first kind was born that way. They had no choice but to follow their reader destiny; sharing their dreams of the future with the affected people, warning them about events to come or things that needed to be done to prevent calamities. They frequently spoke in rhymes and special protocol had to be followed when someone was visiting them. Before the banishment of the readers started, they were considered esteemed members of the society.
The second kind was the one who had their sixth sense enhanced by being allowed to wear the golden locket for several days. Those people were helping during negotiations, emergency situations and any time a deeper intuition was needed. Even though they were not formal readers, they were highly regarded in the society and often sought after for advice. Because they gained their special powers from the golden locket that item had often been referred to as the “reader maker”.
True to his word, Zander’s father had taken over the protection of the golden locket, until the readers became recognized and honored members of the society once more. After the encounter with the 906 Inquisitors and “the accident”, he continued protecting the golden locket when the Anaconda team ensured he was safe and received the right treatment. All that, however, wasn’t helping Zander. He was blaming himself for his father’s injuries. He criticized himself for not doing the right thing and not acting fast enough. He accused himself for being careless, feeling guilty for everything, even the events he wasn’t involved with. As the time passed his dreams turned into nightmares; replaying those events every night.
“I smell coffee and doughnuts!” Peter’s voice came from the entry hall. He slammed the front door and following his annoying habit, noisily threw his backpack on the floor.
The thud of the item hitting the tiled floor in the corridor brought Zander back to reality. He got out of his trance and looked around. He was sitting on the floating bed next to Mary. Both of them were at the Anaconda team base – a safe place, away from the 906 Inquisitors.
“Mary must have brought us breakfast.” Zander squeezed his eyes irritated by Emil’s loud voice.
“Come on, wash your face and join us in the big room.” Mary patted Zander’s knee and shouted at Peter and Emil, “Don’t eat everything!”
She approached the do
or and turned back to Zander, “It will get better, you’ll see.”
“You’re always such an optimist.” Zander said.
“Come on,” Mary took Zander’s hands and pulled him up, “Look at yourself,” she pushed him toward the mirror.
The mirror in the middle of the ornately decorated 17th century gilded frame showed Zander’s sad face and wrinkled clothes. He looked like a ghost; pale face and blankly staring eyes. Mary pushed the corners of his mouth up, “Smile!” she commanded him.
Zander looked at his image. The relic, they have brought back from one of their trips, showed his tired reflection graced with a weird smile. He frowned and tried to hold the smile up.
“Do you feel better?” Mary asked.
Zander nodded still holding the smile.
“Okay. Practice this for a few minutes then wash your face and come into the big room. I’ll ward the cream pie doughnuts from Peter,” she closed the door behind her back.
Chapter 6
The night was crisp and refreshing. The wind had cleared the clouds and the stars were lighting up the sky. The neighborhood was quiet. There was no one on the streets. When Evan and Mitchell got off the late bus it suddenly felt as if they were in a fairy tale. Windows were flickering along the street as people moved from room to room ready to go to bed. Even the usually loud barking beagle was nowhere to be heard. Only a few late crickets were serenading in the night.
Ahead of them the street lights marked the way from the bus stop to Evan’s house making the trees on the walkway look like giants strolling around. Their shadows moved and changed as Evan and Mitchell strode on the sidewalk, jumping over the puddles from the latest rain. They were not holding hands and seemed to be deep in their thoughts. They were walking three feet apart; Mitchell with hands deep down his pockets, Evan holding her jacket with both hands.