

Black Science Fiction:

KINGDOM THIEF

By Dennis Osondu and Lashawn Gholson

Copyright 2013 by Dennis Osondu and Lashawn Gholson

Smashwords Edition 8/2013

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be given away or resold to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please have them go to smashwords.com and let them get their own copy. Thanks.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

For All Black Honies:

### ADDICTION YOU.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

.

This novel is the fourth in the Black Honey series. Summer is over, and winter is on the way. Keep this ebook with you at all times, as a shield against the frigid air and the somber skies. Let it comfort you when all seems hopeless...know that there is ALWAYS hope. You are a writer and it is your turn to create.

Dennis Osondu

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

1.

MILEY V

Twenty-three year old Timmy Carson didn't have the slightest idea that he was really a Scavenger, but Miley Vespucci did. The information had been provided to her via a mini-snooper someone must have slipped into her bags before she left Alphius Ten. She had a few culprits in mind, people who she felt could have done it, but it was nothing she could ever discuss with anyone else. The mini-snoopers meant a mission; and the first rule when given any new assignment was this: you never recieved anything. There was no new mission. So she had to go about her days in Dimensional Studies as if nothing had happened. If there was homework to do, she did it. When a test came up, she studied for it harder than she had ever studied, and passed it with flying colors. She no longer arrived at school late, but often stayed way past the last bell for extra credit. You see, Miley V was being watched, and she knew it.

The trip to Alphius Sixteen had been arranged by her father, and surprisingly approved by her mother, who rarely if ever, agreed with anything her father suggested regarding her upbringing. Being only sixteen, Miley V hadn't considered the possibility of this surprise vacation (which was how her father had first put it) really being a cover for the espionage her family was so well known for. She had foolishly accepted her father's seemingly heartfelt words regarding the progress she was making in school, and how happy he was to see her studying more, and running the streets at night less. Of course, in their minds "running the streets" was the equivalent of Miley V visiting a few of her friends who lived a mere block away, where they gossiped and watched old vid-discs from Alphius Sixteen.

But the point was, she had fallen for it completely. Hook, line, and sinker. It was simple. She had worked really hard to clean up her act, as her mom would often describe her transformation, and she was now reaping the rewards of her labor. A free trip to Alphius Sixteen! Yay!

Yes, it had worked on her like a charm. She thought her mother had been in particularly good form during their little performance. She even managed to make Miley V feel guilty for watching the vid-discs behind her back. The Alphius Sixteen discs depicted things even the most sex depraved men on Alphius Ten would consider outrageous. But Miley V didn't feel that way at all; she was only filled with curiousity, and a strangely burning desire to meet some of those rather hunky Alphius Sixteen Glint and Brownie males. Particularly, the Brownies. They didn't have any whatsoever in her dimension and she wanted to see if the rumors were true.

She would be traveling by Escape Hatch for this trip, they told her, not sand crystal, and she was thrilled. Sand crystals made her feel sick and weak in the knees, and a few times, had even caused her to vomit all over herself. With an Escape Hatch, she simply waited for it to open, and then she walked into it. Wherever it was programmed to go, was where she would immediately wind up. And she would always feel the same as she felt before stepping through it; no different than walking through a door into another part of some dwelling-structure (which was an Alphius Tenian's word for building), and saying: "Monather!" Which was Alphius Ten's word for "Hello!" Miley V spoke Tenika of course, but was fluent in English too, which was the common language used in every dimension known and would be of use on Alphius Sixteen if she wanted to communicate properly.

The Escape Hatch was programmed to transport her to a place called Saint Albans, New York. It was there that she would meet the human females the mini-snooper had told her she needed to befriend. This mission would take at least a year, and by the winter season of that same year, she should be ready to complete the mission. What was this mission, exactly?

That was an excellent question, but Miley V wasn't sure if she could provide a satisfactory answer to it.

As she gazed out the window of the speeding car, she wondered about the storm again. The apparently strange storm that should have shown up on her snooper-crystals, but hadn't. The weather had changed in an instant, the skies growing dark, and the temperature dropping so quickly, even Miley V had become alarmed. After perhaps an hour of the thunderstorms, the wind had picked up and the reports of an oncoming blizzard had begun. This was a big deal judging by the reaction of the humans who tracked the dimension's weather patterns for a living. A snowstorm in November? they asked the audience. Had they ever heard of such an odd and crazy thing?

It apparently never snowed in November, and Miley V didn't like it one bit.

After a few minutes, she exhaled, and glanced at the girl sitting beside her. She had brunette hair, tan skin, and wide hazel eyes above a button nose. That was Lisa Riverton. She was a pretty Glint girl, with a nice personality, who Miley felt wouldn't stand up to Tara Baker if her very life depended on it. Tara Baker was the girl driving. She was short, and cute, and she had a really big behind that the Alphius Sixteen Brownies went crazy over. Tara was also a Glint, but they didn't call them Glints in this dimension. They called them White. It made no sense to her on one level, but on another, it did seem more logical than calling them all Glints. Because all the Glints Miley V had ever seen were as short as her people were, and they always had pale eyes. But all the Whites she'd seen in this dimension came in varying heights, and most of them had dark brown eyes.

Tara didn't, however. Her eyes were an astonishing shade of blue Miley V had never seen before. She thought they actually matched the color of the skies above them, which she found exceedingly strange. Tara had extremely pale skin, and red hair, and she wore it down to her waist because she said the Brownie men (who were called Black for some reason Miley V couldn't understand) liked that hairstyle on her. Miley V didn't think that hairstyle made much of a difference in the girl's looks, and she hadn't seen any evidence of that being the case with the Black guys, either. They did go to the same school after all, and hung out at the same places, and for the most part, the Black guys spent more time looking at Tara's ass, and staring into her blue eyes, she thought, than anything. (They appeared to enjoy looking at Miley V's ass too, and barely a day went by without some Black guy complimenting her pink eyes. "Are those contacts?" they would ask her. "Damn, them shits look real shorty!" Of course, she always told them they were contacts, even though they weren't. Her people had pink and purple eyes but what was she supposed to do about it? She certainly couldn't admit they were real to humans!)

But who was she to judge Tara Baker? That wasn't her mission. In fact, her mission didn't have anything at all to do with Tara; and not with Lisa, either. It was Ebony and Timmy that she was most interested in. They were the ones she was sent to contact, and then eventually, to kill.

She hadn't met Timmy yet, but she absolutely adored Ebony, and thought there had to have been some kind of horrid mistake. Was she really expected to murder that beautiful, soft-voiced, kindhearted girl? Who was one of the nicest life forms she had ever met in any dimension? And a Brownie with pale blue eyes? That was unheard of!

When she eventually sent the mini-snooper back to Alphius Ten expressing her doubts and concerns about the mission, it had returned a day later bearing one single word: ERADICATE.

That single word had stunned her; the finality of it, perhaps. Eradicate. It was a code word in her dimension which meant the equivalent of exactly what it meant in every other dimension: Destroy.

Now, she peered up at Tara; she could barely see the top of her head over the back of the car seat, but she could see her face clearly in the rearview mirror. Her almond shaped eyes were trained on the road, and they were still angry, and the blue color seemed to have gotten bluer somehow. Miley V had to remember to check the snooper crystals regarding human eye color. She didn't recall reading anything that mentioned the ability to do that. But it was possible that she had simply missed it in her hurry to leave.

She understood why the girl was so upset, though. Her boyfriend Danny, had turned out to be what Miley V believed they called an "asshole" in this dimension. And she was relieved when they finally left him at that bar, or nightclub, and started back to the theater to pick up Ebony, because this storm they were travelling through just didn't feel right to her. Violent weather was the least of the tell-tale signs foretelling the arrival of a dimension traveller, but it still felt like someone had used a sand crystal recently. Sand crystals were dangerous if used improperly, and it was entirely too possible that using one could open up a dimensional tear, and disrupt the events of time. She'd even heard horror stories about souls merging and becoming one, due to a sand crystal's activation.

She wasn't sure if she believed that, but finding out if it was a fact or fiction, didn't happen to be on her current list of things to do. Her instincts, carefully honed by years of training, told her that someone had just crossed over into Alphius Sixteen. And if that was the case (and it seemed apparent that it was, judging by the way all the cell phones had suddenly gone dead at least), she knew that the Blood Leaker assassins on her trail had finally found her.

2.

Braving The Storm

Timmy Carson glanced out his window again, watching the rain tumble from a dark and somber sky. He saw the electric-blue flash of lightning, heard the crackle, and then a split-second after, there was a booming explosion. He closed his eyes and exhaled, placing one fingertip upon the windowpane, and feeling the frigid air outside through the nearly transparent glass. He knew a blizzard was headed their way, and it was worrying him. I'll have to leave pretty soon, he thought, because whoever these friends of hers are, they're obviously not coming!

But he didn't want to leave. He wanted to sit right there on his green loveseat, and think of all the sorry-assed people who had to travel in this strange weather. He couldn't recall ever experiencing a thunderstorm during a blizzard. But if the weather hounds on television were right this time, he was about to do just that. So the last thing he wanted was to become one of those travellers, himself. He could tell the temperature was dropping quickly, and according to the latest weather reports, the rain he was watching fall would soon turn into heavy, blizzard-like snow.

Timmy Carson loved the snow, until it was time to travel in it, of course. He felt snowfall was best around Christmas time, and only when experienced from the warmth of a well heated living room. Like the very comfortable one he was currently sitting in, as a matter of fact.

His eyes wandered to the half-filled mug of hot chocolate sitting beside him on the coffee table; it was cold by now, he guessed. And he would definitely be needing lots of that if he really planned on doing this crazy shit. If not before he left, then certainly afterwards. Assuming, of course, that he managed to make it back without any trouble.

He glanced behind him, and smiled at the girl sitting on the matching green couch. Her first name was Ebony, which was one of his favorite names, and he found her utterly beautiful. She smiled back at him, giving him a little wave, and then returned her attention to the rain falling outside the window. He wondered if she was thinking about her friends again; the ones she claimed were supposed to be picking her up two hours ago. "They're not coming Ebony," he'd felt like telling her in a somber voice. "If they were coming, they would have been here by now."

But he simply couldn't bring himself to utter the words. Not with the wind howling, and the thunder, and the rain falling from a pitch-black sky. Not with the temperature dropping as fast as it was. And she was so damn pretty. She was amber skinned, and had startling blue eyes, and she wore her hair cut short in that cute Miley Cyrus style which had become so popular in 2012. There was some kind of tattoo on her forehead, but he hadn't drummed up enough courage to ask her about it yet. She had an amazing body, like Eddie Murphy's ex-wife or whatever, he felt; the one who was dating Michael Strahan. And she also had one of the warmest, most sincere smiles he'd ever come across on a female, too. Black or White. Hispanic or Asian. It was the kind of smile he usually associated with girls who hadn't been corrupted by society yet. The kind of girl he'd always thought had gone extinct decades ago.

Apparently, they hadn't, because here was one of them, now. Ebony Davenport, age nineteen, last seen standing on the corner of Jacob and Grand streets, while waiting for her girlfriends to return in the burgundy Ford Taurus her best friend Tara had borrowed from her mother. The car was a piece of shit, according to Ebony, but she didn't think it was anywhere near to breaking down. What actually happened (more than likely, she'd said), was that Tara (who had made this hellishly long trip just to visit her supposedly well-endowed black boyfriend, Daniel) got into an argument with Danny over the slew of females he communicated with on his Facebook page (that Ebony was one of those females, Timmy wouldn't learn until much later), and instead of coming directly back here, Tara had probably driven in the opposite direction as fast as she could, until she'd released some of her pent-up anger.

But they would return, she'd said, and that was the main point. Timmy, who had eventually come to realize that Tara was a white girl, agreed that it was the main point, assuming it happened. Whether it happened or not, however, remained to be seen. And in the meantime, Timmy thought he should travel to the rest stop down the road where the Venus Drive Motel was located, to look for them. "Why can't you just call the place?" she'd asked him after he made the suggestion.

"Because, old man Johnson doesn't have a cell phone," he'd replied. "And if the storm's knocked out the power down there, his telephones aren't going to work. It's some old-assed, bullshit set-up, but it's what he has. If your friends went back to the Cinemaplex looking for you, and we missed them somehow, they may have gone to the Venus thinking you'd go there, yourself." He had smiled at her. "There aren't many places to go in this town; especially, not on a night like this."

Ebony had looked doubtful, but she also admitted that it was really the only option they had. There was no way she would ever hook up with her friends if they just sat there. None of them knew where she had gone, and for some strange reason, her cell phone no longer worked. Which she found weird, considering she had just used it a minute before Timmy had ridden up to her on his bicycle. But what was even stranger than that, was the fact that Timmy's cell phone didn't work either.

"You think the storm has something to do with it?" she asked him as they peered through his front window. This was a little after he'd escorted her up the three flights of stairs to his two bedroom apartment, and told her to make herself at home. She could see the pink neon lights that bordered the SKYLARK CINEMAPLEX, and the area where she was standing when Timmy first showed up. "Is that even possible with a cell phone?" she said.

Timmy had shrugged. "Who knows?" he said. "Electrical storms may affect them, or maybe the rain dampens the signal somehow." He had turned to stare at her face, using her distracted moment to soak in her beauty. "I only know that you can't walk around in this shit, and your friends can't find you if you're in here with me. As much as I like the idea."

Ebony smiled. "I like it too," she said. "So when are we leaving?"

Timmy had immediately shook his head. "We aren't going anywhere," he said. "You're gonna stay right here where it's nice and warm, and wait for me to come back. If my girlfriend returns before me, explain things to her as best you can, and leave it at that. You'll be okay until I return."

"Won't she be upset?" she whispered, looking worried.

"Most likely," he said after studying her body, again. He couldn't help shaking his head in wonderment. She had a body to die for, and if Rachel chose to be a bitch about things, he might mean that in literal terms.

"And you don't care?" she said, watching as he walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. She watched him bend over and look inside; she could see that the tiny light in his fridge was still out.

He shrugged again, and stood up with a forty-ounce of some kind of beer in his hand. She watched him drink from it and then return it to the refrigerator. "Not enough to kick you out into this storm," he finally replied, and belched.

Ebony exhaled, hugging herself. She was wearing one of Rachel's three sizes too large hockey jerseys, because everything she'd had on except her underwear, had gotten completely soaked through, and it only came down to her ribs. Which meant she was walking around wearing nothing but her panties, and she was fully aware of her huge butt. Rachel was five-one, while Ebony was six-three she'd said, and the jersey fit her like lingerie. Timmy knew nothing about hockey, other than to associate Mark Messier with the New York Rangers, and Ebony knew even less. But he figured it was the only garment his girlfriend kept in his apartment that might remotely fit her. And he was correct. "Are you still worrying about that?" he asked her, staring at her with genuine surprise.

"I don't know David," she said. "I'm not trying to start any trouble between you and your girl. If she comes here and finds me wearing her clothing..." She stopped speaking as the sound of lighting struck somewhere out in the storm.

"Don't worry," he said. "I've written a note explaining things. You'll be fine."

"Where's this note?" she said, turning back to the window, where the wind was beginning to slam the rain into the glass like an angry fist.

Timmy had given her the note and let her read it. "Not bad," she'd said, after a moment, handing it back to him. "Remind me to give you my number; I could definitely use your writing skills in school." She had glanced up at him, grinning. "You know," she said, "for doctor's notes and essays, and things like that?"

"Is that all?" he asked her. "I can't help you with anything else?"

"What do you mean?" she said, but he thought she knew. At least, her smile said she might.

"I'm just saying," Timmy said, "maybe we can hook up some time?"

Ebony smiled. "You've got a girl, Timmy. And judging by the photos of her I've seen around this place, the girl is fine as hell. She's pretty with a slamming black girl's body. Why would you want to cheat on her?"

Timmy grinned. "Who said I'd be cheating?" he said. "Our relationship is different; she lets me do me. If I come across a chick I like enough to fuck with, which rarely happens, it's up to me how I handle it."

"Sounds good," she said, "but I wonder how she'd really feel if she caught you in bed with another girl."

"Maybe we should find out?" he said.

"That's okay," she said. "Even if I was interested in you on that level, right now's about the worse possible time in the world to be thinking about it. I'm really starting to get worried, Timmy. I keep thinking about our phones. Why aren't they working?"

Timmy sighed, and strode across his living room until he reached the window. He bent over and glanced outside into the storm. "We'll be getting some answers soon," he said. "If the answers explain what happened to the phones, and the television and my stereo system, we should be in good shape. That would mean it is the storm fucking up the sonic waves or whatever it is cell phones and televisions operate on. But if they don't..."

"If they don't," Ebony said, "something else is happening, and we can't even find out what it is without power."

Timmy had glanced at her. "Yeah," he said. "And it's about to snow, as well. That won't help matters."

No, it wouldn't help matters, Ebony had agreed. So, maybe it was for the best that she go with him, in case it started falling before he made it back, she'd explained. She didn't feel it made much sense for him to go out there by himself, when she was perfectly capable of going with him. But Timmy had stuck to his guns. He worked better alone, he'd told her. He would ride his bicycle down to the Venus and check things out. It would be much faster than walking, and if he learned anything (if he ran into her friends, for example), he would immediately ride straight back to her.

She had eventually relented, but still persuaded Timmy to wait just a little longer. In case they finally showed up across the street at the movie theater, she said. If they didn't show up by nine o'clock, he could still go.

3.

A Reason To Worry

That conversation took place at 8:23 pm, and it was now 8:59 pm. No one had shown up; not her friends, and not Timmy's girlfriend, either. "Aren't you worried about her?" Ebony asked him, and Timmy had replied: "No, of course not."

But he'd been lying, because he was very worried about her. Extremely worried, as a matter of fact. Rachel drove a black Hummer, and while she drove well, she also had the annoying habit of talking on her cell phone as she drove. He'd averted too many accidents to name by yelling at her to watch out, or by simply reaching out with one hand, and grabbing the steering wheel just before she could collide with another vehicle.

Rachel would probably say he hadn't prevented even one accident by doing these things. Furthermore, he bet she would even go so far as to say it was kind of his fault that she nearly hit the blue Accord on the night they went to see Stephen King's new film. It wasn't the six-pack of near-frozen Natural Lights they'd shared in the back of the theater, or the fully packed blunt wrap of chocolate-tai. It was his fault, because when it came to laying blame for her fuck-ups, Rachel never shied away from laying the blame on someone else. So, Timmy was worried about her. He was concerned that she might be talking and driving, and not paying attention to her surroundings. And with the heavy rain, and slick roads, there would be no Timmy there to jerk the steering wheel hard to the left, avoiding the Daily News truck that suddenly appeared from nowhere, and swerved into her lane.

She might be laying in a hospital bed right now, for all he knew. It was very dark out there, and the roads in New York City could become treacherous during nasty weather. Plus, Rachel wasn't the greatest driver under the best of circumstances, and her abilities didn't suddenly increase with a storm. Of course, it was always possible that her cell phone had stopped working, as well. Which would effecively eliminate the talking-while-driving scenario depending on when the phones had conked-out. He wasn't a hundred percent sure about that, and reminded himself to ask Ebony about it. But instead of making him feel better, that idea only made matters worse. If she didn't have an accident, where was she?

Now, he turned from watching Ebony, and blinked away the bad thoughts about what might have happened to Rachel, and turned his attention to what he knew for a fact. The storm was getting worse, the rain was coming down harder than ever, and the wind was blowing so hard, the SKYLARK CINEMAPLEX sign across the street was flapping like a flag. Few cars had passed this way while he was watching; and none of them had been a Hummer, or a Ford Taurus. He'd seen a delivery van or two, and at one point, a huge eighteen-wheeler had blown by the intersection as if it were on fire, and that was about the extent of the traffic. But none of that mattered now, because it had finally reached nine o'clock, and if he was still leaving, it was time to leave.

As if reading his thoughts, Ebony said: "Are you sure about this, Timmy? It's really getting bad out there. Wouldn't it be smarter to wait and see if the electricity comes back on?" She had glanced around the living room at the electric candles he'd gotten from somewhere while she was using his bathroom, and had to admit that as inventions went, this was a pretty good one. The lights were designed to resemble actual candles, only they were battery operated, and the illumination they provided was much brighter than any candle. He had about ten of them, and the way he'd positioned them about the living room made her feel safe and cozy. It was difficult remembering that the lights had even gone out until she glanced at his fifty-six inch flat screen television. Or glanced out the front window at the theater across the street; the lights were still on over there.

"I'm tired of waiting!" he said. "And wait until what happens exactly? Rachel may be in some kind of trouble."

He thought he heard her gasp. "You think?" she said. "What makes you say that, Timmy?"

Timmy shrugged. "I don't know, I've just got a funny feeling about this. I feel nervous, but I can't explain why."

"Storms have been known to cause that in people," she said. "Particularly, electrical storms."

"I've heard that somewhere too," he said, "and it's not that. I've felt that before, but this is different."

"Are you still going?" she said. And he clearly heard the slight pleading in her voice; the tone that said: please say no, he often heard in Rachel's voice when she wanted to get her way. But just like with Rachel, he ignored it.

"Yeah, I'm still going," he said. "Nothing's changed."

"And you'd rather I stay here? You trust a complete stranger in your apartment while you go outside for God knows how long?" She was scared of the storm, he realized. This big, tall very healthy looking female, might as well have been five years old at the moment. And he couldn't say that he really blamed her.

Timmy grinned. "I'm not the best judge of character ever born, but I think I can trust you. At least, for a little while."

Ebony laughed. "Oh, for a little while, huh?" she said. "Well, you'd better watch out. Everything could be gone and sitting in a pawn shop by the time you get back!"

Timmy laughed, too. "I'll take my chances," he said. "But I'm betting you're even prettier on the inside."

He saw how touched she seemed by his comment, and felt a little guilty about it. What he hadn't said, was that the concept of anyone moving his stuff out of his apartment in this weather was crazy, but the notion of her doing it, was ludicrous. There was nothing she could take that he really cared about, anyway. All of those items were locked away in a safe, and besides that, he actually did trust her not to rob him while he was gone. It wasn't that she seemed too pretty to do that (although, sadly, that was a part of it); it was mostly her demeanor. She was actually the type of black girl he'd convinced himself no longer dwelled on earth, since he'd had such a hard time finding one.

It was his greatest excuse to himself for why he only dated American white girls.

"You're right," she said. "I wouldn't do that. And where the hell would I be going with your stuff in this storm?"

Timmy glanced at her, saw the expression on her face, and understood that she had read his mind again. "My thoughts exactly," he said, smiling a little. "Just wait here until Rachel gets back, and keep watching the Skylark...your friends might still show up, if they didn't already."

"We were both sitting right here, Timmy," she said. "Do you think we could have missed them?"

Timmy thought about it briefly. At least, to her it seemed brief; he'd actually been considering that for the past hour or so. And his answer was no, he didn't believe they had missed them. What he believed, was that Ebony may have misread these friends of hers. First of all, he had a really hard time imagining her with any real friends. He believed she had enemies (whether she knew it or not), and he figured she would have no shortage of lackeys, girls who wanted to be around her because of the guy-magnet she most certainly was. But true friends? No, he doubted that. He felt it was more likely that these friends of hers couldn't wait to ditch her gorgeous ass, and had used the movie theater as the opportunity to do it. The agreed upon plan was that she would watch the Elke Sommer film festival by herself, and they would come back to get her once Tara was done visiting with her boyfriend.

"Why didn't you just go with them?" he'd asked.

She had shrugged and exhaled. "I don't know," she said, "it seems like Tara and Danny only get together to fight. And the fights seem to escalate when I'm around." She had stopped and gazed at him. "I mean they get really bad Timmy, and I guess I figured it would be best for everyone if I just stayed behind this time."

Something about her explanation hadn't made sense to him, but it wasn't important enough to question at the time. He had listened to her story, nodding in all the right places, but he was mostly staring at her face, and at her eyes, and at her body. He wanted to run his fingers through her short frizzy hair while he sucked on her huge, shapely lips. And the more she spoke, the more he became convinced that her friends not coming back for her was no accident. He realized that Ebony Davenport wasn't just beautiful; she was also personable, and sweet, and she seemed like the type of girl who would always stand by a friend. Simply put (though he would never put it to her this way), Timmy thought that Ebony Davenport had been stranded by some jealous bitches.

"It's possible," he said. "But even if we did miss them, they could come back. The Skylark's closed, so they wouldn't have to go inside. Just keep watching, because you never know. And look out for a black Hummer, too. That's what Rachel's driving."

"I will," she said. "Though I'm not sure what you expect me to do if I see it."

"I don't expect you to do anything," he said, getting up from the loveseat. "It's just something to do until I return." He stood up straight, arching his back and stretching. "And by the way," he said, "around what time did your phone service shut down?"

She frowned. "I'd guess around six-forty or so," she said. "It was just before you showed up. Why?"

Timmy thought about that as he walked over to the closet with the mirrors attached to the doors, and got his coat. "I left here around six thirty-five," he said. He pulled his North Face parka out, the dark blue one Rachel had surprised him with for his last birthday, and turned to her. "It takes about five minutes from here to the Skylark," he said. "Plus, I was riding very slow because of the rain and wind. I was thinking about heading down to Bakersville for some smoke at first."

He put his coat on. "They've got some fat dimes of sour over there," he said. "But then I saw this fine female standing by the movie theater. She was mad tall with a beautiful ass, and I forgot all about the weed."

"Sorry," she said, laughing. "Maybe, it's for the best. Too much weed makes you paranoid. But I called Tara just before I met you. I tried contacting Lisa and Miley, too."

"But none of them answered?" he said.

"Tara's phone just kept ringing," she said, "while I only got dead silence when I called the others."

"Didn't you say that you used the phone just before I arrived?" he asked her.

She nodded. "I used it to check my bank balance."

"So, it's possible they missed your call," he said. And it's also possible, he thought, that Rachel had driven most of the way here when it happened, assuming she left the gym as soon as it hit five o'clock. It was looking more and more like she really did have an accident, and his heart was beginning to pound in his throat. This was the main reason he'd decided to get out of the apartment and go searching for help. He felt completely helpless just sitting there on his couch, though the idea of getting soaking wet in such frigid weather, didn't appeal to him either. It was thirty-nine degrees the last time he'd checked the thermometer Rachel had placed on his front window. And for November, that was fucking cold!

But cold or not, sitting around and looking for sympathy while bad shit happened to him, wasn't something he did well. He had to get up and do something; even if it meant riding his bike through the storm all the way to the Venus, to see if old man Johnson had finally caught up with the rest of the world, and purchased a damn cell phone. Or at the very least, see if he had any clientele who were carrying one. Timmy thought he could at least count on the average American having that, if nothing else. Hell, he'd even seen homeless people with cell phones!

"Go on," Ebony said. "The sooner you leave, the sooner you get back. I think I'm starting to feel a little of whatever it is you're feeling. I'm really getting nervous, Timmy." She gazed at him, into his eyes. "I'm pretty tall for my age," she said. "I always have been, but I'm only nineteen, and that's still old enough to know a few things about reality. I've been in all sorts of storms before. But my cell phone has never done this shit. Has yours?"

"I can't say that it has," he replied. "But there's a first time for eveything, and I'm not basing my actions on such simple logic. Though it's totally understandable logic, don't get me wrong. I think you're right for the most part. But what happened to the phones, and the TV, and the lights, really could be a product of this storm. Do I actually believe that?" he asked her. "No, I don't. But that isn't the same as having proof to the contrary."

"You're right," she said. "But I still know what I know. And I know that the whole point of a cell phone is to avoid this happening. Having a cell phone was supposed to mean you were always within reach of assistance. That help with that blown tire, or that hanging muffler, was never beyond your grasp. Cell phones don't just blank out like this," she said. "And definitely not all of them at the same time!"

"Okay," he said. "I'll give you that. But what do you think it means? And how does it explain the electricity?"

Ebony shrugged. "That's the problem," she said. "There is no connection...or at least, none that I can see."

Timmy exhaled, and finished buttoning up his parka. "There is a connection," he said. "But we simply can't imagine what it is right now. We'll figure it out though; I give you my word on that one."

"You just be careful," she said. "Don't try and do anything heroic. Watch out for falling trees, and stay off the sidewalks. I don't like the idea of explaining your whereabouts to your girlfriend while I'm wearing her damn jersey!"

Timmy laughed. "Rachel's not that bad," he said. "I bet you'd love her if you met her. She's a very friendly girl, and she hardly acknowledges jealousy from other females...when she gets a lot, she's like that."

"Well, I'm not used to being jealous of other chicks," Ebony said. "So, that shouldn't be an issue."

Timmy grinned. "I heard that!" he said. "You go girl!" He just couldn't help snapping his fingers at her.

He chuckled and reached into his coat pockets, searching for his shank. It wasn't much as far as weapons went, he'd be the first to admit that, but he still never left his apartment without it. And since Timmy was actually the descendant of a Scavenger, any weapon was considered deadly in his hands. He didn't know he was a Scavenger, of course. Miley V was the one who would teach him about them, and he hadn't met her yet. He only knew that whenever he really needed to win a fight, his hands would suddenly come across something to help him do it. Be it an empty beer bottle, or an old stereo system someone had discarded in the trash. Timmy wasn't merely good with his hands, he was great.

Back when he was sixteen, he got arrested for attempted robbery, and served six months in the Nassau County Jail. The NCJ was known far and wide as one of the most violent jails in America, never mind in New York State. But by the time Timmy left, they were calling the joint Tim's Weapon's Ward, and Timmy Carson had become a violent legend to surpass all legends the NCJ had ever known. Of course, he never spoke about his time spent in Nassau County, and had mostly blocked it from his mind. Timmy Carson was pretty good at blocking things out.

"Just stay alert," he said. "I'm going to see to it that you make it back to Saint Albans, young lady. I think you're one of the sexiest females I've ever met, and I'd do things to your body that would make you scream. But like you said, I already have a girl." He shrugged as his hands finally found his blade, tucked away beneath some glossy cardboard fliers he'd collected at some point. The sense of relief that washed through him wasn't just his imagination. "It doesn't change how I feel though," he said, barking harsh laughter. "I'm sworn to protect you black honey...!"

Timmy stopped speaking. He suddenly felt strange; like his mouth was being controlled by some unseen force. Those words had just come out of his mouth, he hadn't meant to say them! And sworn to protect you black honey?

He knew black girls could be gorgeous. He didn't need to sit down at a desk with a pen and pad, and write down the name of every fine black female in Hollywood, to know that. And if he decided to add the chicks who only looked like African American girls (in Timmy's mind, African American girls included Nikki Minaj and Rhianna, and he knew they were both from the Caribbean, he simply didn't care), the list would go through the ozone layer. But he didn't chase them as a rule. And had certainly never referred to them as Honeys!

Perhaps, it was because of some traumatic experience he'd had with one of them as a child, and he had simply blocked it out. He couldn't say, but for as long as he could recall, he had always gone after white girls whenever he got the opportunity. And they were always drop-dead gorgeous. No settling for less than the very best, for Timmy Carson.

"Sorry, I don't know what just came over me." He smiled, and shook his head."That felt strange," he whispered.

"Strange, how?" she asked him, positioning her feet beneath her on the couch. He thought she looked very sexy like that. And her picking up her still-steaming mug of hot chocolate and sipping from it so demurely, didn't hurt the image.

"I don't know," he said. "I felt like a person only reciting words written in a script and shit."

She smiled wanly. "Well, I think you'd better get going," she said, glancing towards the window again, where they could both hear the wind and rain blowing like a tornado against the building. "Didn't you say it's about to snow?"

"Yeah," he said. "I was trying to forget that shit." He checked to make sure he had his keys, and then he went and got his bicycle from the kitchen. "Keep checking your cell phone too," he called out, as he rolled the bicycle up to his front door. "Whatever's wrong with them might get better, eventually."

Ebony, who had gotten up from the sofa, walked over to him. "Be careful," she told him again. "And I really appreciate this, Timmy. When you first rode up like that, I didn't know what to think. Part of me wanted to scream and run off into the rain. All types of bad ideas had flashed through my mind. I remember thinking about how easy it would be for a girl to get raped in such horrible weather. With all the rain and lightning, who would hear her screams?"

"But you didn't run away," he said. "Why not?"

"Because, I saw your face up close," she said, after awhile. "And call me dumb, but I guess I trusted you."

Timmy only stared up at her for a moment, noticing for perhaps the tenth time just how short his girlfriend Rachel was. He never had to look up at her, not even when she stood on a stool to reach something in a kitchen cabinet. He couldn't help wondering again what it would be like to make love to Ebony. He had never had sex with a black girl, six feet tall or otherwise, and he wouldn't mind making her the first one. "Stay awake," he told her. "And keep monitoring your phone. I'll be checking mines every twenty minutes or so, and if it comes back on, I'm going to call you."

"No problem," she said, nodding. She just stood there for a moment gazing down at him with her right hand braced against the wall beside the door. It occured to Timmy that he couldn't reach that hand even if he tiptoed, and he felt like a new kid in class getting harassed by the school bully. "What should we do now?" she asked after a full minute had gone by. "I would normally ask for a hug I guess, if someone I know and like, is going on a trip or something. Do we qualify as friends, Timmy?"

Timmy laughed. "Friends or not," he said, "I definitely want a hug, shorty!" At which point, he immediately stepped into Ebony's open arms, and warmly embraced her.

4.

White Tea & Lily

When the door closed behind him, Timmy immediately regretted his rash decision to venture out into the raging thunder storm. Part of it, he told himself, was definitely because of Ebony's hug. He didn't want to leave her. She was a very big girl, and he had to rest his face against her tits while hugging her or he would have suffocated. She smelled wonderful too; it was a popular scent from some R&B singer called White Tea & Lily, but he couldn't recall which one. It may have been Keyshia Cole, but he was leaning more towards Kelly Rowland. Whoever it was, it smelled damn near hypnotic to him. And he had imagined himself standing with her that way for hours, feeling his dick rise against her leg and inhaling that wonderful fragrance as they embraced.

When she cleared her throat, and slowly moved away from him (Timmy guessing she had apparently felt it too), he seemed to come back to his senses. He had never hugged a black girl either (not like that, and not other than his mother or sisters), and thought he could get used to it if he really had to. "Good luck," Ebony had whispered into his ear, and kissed him on the cheek, just before she reminded him that he had a task to complete by pulling away. Timmy had barely heard the whisper, even though she'd whispered directly into his ear, because his mind had wandered off to a fantasy place where Rachel didn't exist. Just him, and Ebony Davenport, and the glorious aroma of White Tea & Lilly.

But now he was already longing for that hot, wet kiss, again. And was struggling with his mountain bike as he carried it down three flights of stairs in relative darkness. The emergency lights had come on at some point, and the hallways were bathed in a strange orange-tinted light. He could hear the rain drumming into the roof of his building, and against the windows located at the end of each hallway. He wasn't positive, but thought he could feel the entire building swaying a little in the gusting wind too. And while the sounds of televisions and radios would usually bleed into the halls, letting him know when someone was watching Big Brother or the Jets or the channel five news, the hallways were deathly silent now. As if whatever had knocked out the phones, and his electicity, had also knocked out the residents.

His dick was no longer hard, but Ebony's perfume was all over him, and the haunting aroma made him suddenly feel a deep sense of nostalgia that nearly overwhelmed him. What the hell are you doing? he asked himself. Are you really going out there into that storm? Into thirty-nine degree weather that's about to get even colder? And why? Because she's so tall and pretty, right? Is it her eyes? Or is it her fat ass? Shouldn't you just wait for Rachel?

Yes, he was going out there, and it wasn't just because of Ebony, either. It wasn't even his worrying about Rachel, which was eating at him like a cancer, or any misplaced concern for Ebony's invisible friends, that was making him leave the warmth and safety of his apartment. It was what had also bothered Ebony about the whole thing. The thing she kept going back to no matter what he said to her on the topic. The cell phones, of course. Why had they simply blanked out like that? he wondered. It was a good question, and Ebony was right, it was basically unheard of.

It had happened before. But that was just after 9/11, and it was Homeland Security testing out some brand new communications system. The cell phones all around the city had simultaneously lost service, and before the citizens could panic, there were news reports on the radio and on television explaining what had happened, and why. Timmy could recall listening to some of those newscasts as a child, and while he had never fully understood what was taking place, he had no trouble figuring out that whatever it was, it had scared the shit out of his parents.

Now, he finally reached the building's lobby, and he rolled his mountain bike down the long hallway that led to the front entrance. Before he even got to the bank of metal mail slots which were built into the left wall of the lobby area, he could hear the wind howling mightily just beyond the glass front doors. The lobby was dimly lit, as usual, as if the emergency lights were always on. And someone had apparently just been smoking weed, because he could still smell the pungent aroma drifting in the air.

Probably one of the security guards, he thought, ignoring their little booth as he finally reached the doors, and rolled his bike to a stop. For a moment, he just gazed out into the storm, feeling stunned. The wind was blowing through the trees across the street like a hurricane, and it was more rain than he had ever seen falling at one time. The way it was hitting the asphalt was nearly frightening. What would happen, he wondered, when the temperature dropped so low that the massive puddles forming in the street began to freeze?

I'm going to bust my ass, he thought, that's what!

He was grinning a little as he finally pushed open one half of the swinging glass doors, and carried his mountain bike outside into the wind and freezing rain. The cold air hit him immediately, biting at his face like invisible pirahanas, and he threw the hood of his parka over his head to block it. The ensuing warmth felt surprisingly comforting as he placed one leg over the bicycle and sat down on the cushioned seat he'd just purchased off Ebay. It would be very awkward trying to ride in his huge parka, he knew this from experience, but he would somehow manage.

He considered which way he should ride first as the rain drops tapped steadily on his hood. A brief glance across the street at the Skylark revealed nothing but an empty corner. Even the metal trash can that was normally chained out front by the lamp post, was gone. Probably taken by the wind, he thought, and took a moment to consider the implications of that. How strong was a wind that could rip a chained metal trash can right off its chain?

Pretty strong, he figured. And he also realized that the trash can had been right there when he first met Ebony; he could even recall reading the huge white sticker someone had put on it: ONLY BIG QUITTERS LITTER! it had read. Ebony had been standing beside it, holding her cell phone in one hand, and a rickety-looking bright red umbrella in the other. Either she was really down on her luck, he could remember thinking, or the wind was wreaking havoc on the umbrella.

He could also remember thinking that it would be the perfect time for a rapist to get a little work in. The entire area, starting with the intersection of Jacob and Grand, and branching out into the surrounding neighborhoods where an assortment of dirty bodegas and mini-marts were located, was completely deserted. A rapist wouldn't even have to hurry in this weather, he'd thought, as he coasted his mountain bike through a lake of dark water to reach the brightly lit intersection. He could simply lay his victim down in the street, right beneath the Cinemaplex's blinking lights if he felt so inclined, and happily have his way with her. Who could possibly hear her screaming over that hellish wind?

He'd thought those things as he approached the tall, hopefully gorgeous, girl who was standing in the rain in front of the Skylark Cinemaplex. He had cursed himself for not having a car at a time like this, but decided to curtail his trek for weed just long enough to check out what appeared to be a very fine young lady. That she was a very fine young black lady, he didn't realize until he was right on top of her. And it had literally shocked him, nearly making him tumble from the mountain bike and into the street. Luckily, the wind had picked up at that exact moment, giving him a viable excuse for his clumsiness, but the shocked feeling had remained even as he greeted her, and went into his most impressive line of bullshit to date. I won't repeat what he said, but it was clearly enough to get the beautiful young woman damn near naked.

Now, he placed his right foot on the bike's pedal and pushed off, making the bicycle roll from the curb and into the street. He had already made up his mind to check out the motel, but was waiting for divine inspiration. Maybe, something would occur to him at the last minute. Something he hadn't considered before about the situation that would change his course of action. But since nothing had come to him, he decided to stick to his original plan.

He would ride down to the motel, locate Mr. Johnson, and ask him a few questions. How the man answered them, would dictate what Timmy did next. Of course, he would try and locate a phone too (regardless of what Mr. Johnson said), because he needed to contact the police, as well. He felt it might be a good idea to at least mention that Rachel was missing to the cops, just in case. As the mountain bike rolled smoothly down the slick street, Timmy remembered his promise to Ebony regarding the cell phones, and retrieved his from his coat pocket. He had taken a heavy pair of gloves with him, but wasn't wearing them at the moment, so it was easy operating the phone's buttons with one hand while he steered the bike with his other. And despite the rain blowing into his face, it didn't take long to see that the phone was just as dead now, as it had been while he was sitting on his couch staring down at it. As if trying to will it back to cellular life.

What could possibly make that happen? he wondered, slipping it back into his pocket. How does a cell phone's battery drain in a split-second, or whatever it was that happened to it? And that was the hell of it, he thought. Unless he came across a reliable source of electricity, there was no way to use the charger in his pocket; and no way to tell if the battery had actually been drained or not.

There were plenty of pond-sized puddles on Jacob Street, which was the street Timmy needed to take to reach the Venus Drive Motel, and it made the going pretty slow. But maybe slow wasn't such a bad thing right now? It at least gave him time to think. He was beginning to feel a little better about the situation, despite his growing concern for Rachel, and simply being out there in the elements, braving the biting winds, and the rain that was steadily turning into snow, brought a sense of exhilaration he couldn't explain. As I've already said, under normal circumstances, Timmy absolutely loved the snow. But there was barely any traffic going in either direction, so he could afford to simply let the bicycle glide down the black, rain soaked street, while his thoughts drifted to other things. Timmy only had about an hour or so more to live, but he was blissfully unaware of that.

5.

Rachel Makes It Home

Rachel had just placed her key in the lock when she noticed something pecuilar. A black smudge; on the lower half of the front door. She wouldn't bet her life on it, but she knew a bicycle tire tread when she saw one. Tommy went out riding in this weather? she thought. As far as she knew, he was the only one with a mountain bike in the whole building. She glanced over her shoulder at the line of maple trees standing across the street. The violent winds (sixty mile an hour winds, they were claiming on television) were bending the tops of the trees towards the ground as easily as she might bend a pipe cleaner between her fingers. Timmy trying to ride a mountain bike in this storm was insane, to say the least. There were others who might call it suicidal.

She had swerved to avoid more fallen trees on the roads between McNally's Gym down in Thatchston, and Timmy's apartment building on Landry Lane, than she had ever seen in her six years as a driver. She thought the fact that she'd made it home safely, without the slightest incident, was an utter miracle.

She glanced down at the black mark, again. That the rain hadn't washed it off the glass was suprising. But where could he have possibly gone? she wondered. She would simply call him and ask him, only her cell phone didn't work. It was fully charged (she'd charged it while she was on the treadmill), and she didn't owe any money to SPRINT. But one minute it had been working, and the next, it hadn't. Her conversation with Donna Johnston (the pleasent woman down at the Goodwill store) would obviously have to wait. She only hoped Donna didn't think she had hung up on her...they had been in the middle of a slight dispute, after all. It was no big deal, not really. It was just that the new cashier girl had charged her for two purchases she never made, and Rachel was trying to correct the error.

But hadn't she thought Donna had hung up on her? Yes, she had thought that. At least, it had crossed her mind, because it was that abrupt. They were right in the middle of a conversation (Donna was actually in the middle of a damn sentence) when it happened. Now, finally turning the key and unlocking the glass door, she whispered: "Where the hell did you go, Tim? You promised me you wouldn't leave before I got home!"

A nasty idea occurred to her, the perfume you smelled on his sweatshirt, Beyonce's shit, but she pushed it away. She swung the door open and walked inside. And she was immediately struck by the deep silence that geeted her. She paused at the door, actually still holding it open with one hand. What the fuck? she thought, as she gazed around. The lobby's never this empty at night! And when she said never, she meant never. Normally, two of the security guards would be milling around somewhere, waiting until the coast was clear she figured, and they could sneak off to smoke weed or drink, or both. No matter the time of day, she could always count on seeing at least one of them.

Terry Blackwell from apartment 4H (whom she affectionately called, Heineken Man) collected empty bottles and cans, and routinely searched the trash for any items in good enough condition to sell. Sometimes, he'd even tried to sell Rachel the things she had already discarded. (Timmy often teased her about that, calling her a spoiled rich white girl, the kind that threw out appliances and electronics after a year, whether they still worked or not.) But he had greeted her at this very glass door every single night for the past year or so. He always held the door for her, which always earned him a twenty dollar bill (despite the fact that he always reeked of stale liquor, and she knew he would use at least some of that twenty bucks to freshen up his odor), and he always had something new to offer her. Half-filled bottles of expensive perfumes, DVD's, CD's, even clothing at times. Sometimes, even brand new stuff still in the original packaging, and he would never say where he'd found it, or stolen it, which she guessed was closer to the truth, but he was always willing to give her a great discount on it.

So where was he?

Hell, she thought, where is everyone?

She thought of Timmy also saying: "You give him twenty dollars a day? That's nearly five thousand dollars a year! Are you crazy, Rachel? You white girls are nuts!" as she continued into the building, seriously appreciating the warmth of the lobby despite her confusion, and the strange anxious feeling that had suddenly come over her. Something was very wrong. It was in the way the wind was howling outside, and the way the rain was drilling into the glass doors as if a hurricane was fast approaching. It was in the unseasonably cold air, and in the thunder and lightning and also, she thought, in the way the lobby's silence seemed to envelop her as she strode across the white tiled floor on suddenly jittery legs, and over to the front desk.

Timmy had passed this same desk earlier, and hadn't paid any attention to it, whatsoever. But that was mostly because of the weed he'd smelled. He knew it meant there wouldn't be anyone behind the glass partition that enclosed the front desk anyway. Plus, he'd had other more pressing concerns on his mind at the time. Rachel, however, didn't have that particular problem. She didn't like the way the building felt. It wasn't her building (she was only nineteen, and still owned a two-family house over in Thatchston; and as much as she hated to admit it, Timmy was right...she was a spoiled, rich, white girl; outrageousy rich, in fact), but she spent so much time with him, everyone considered her an honorary resident. She had her own key, and came and went as she pleased, and she knew when things were off, because they were clearly off now.

So where the fuck was everbody at?

She didn't know, and for the first time since she'd met Timmy and had basically moved in with him, she felt like a stranger in this building. She stopped at the bulletproof glass separating the scurity guard station from the lobby and peered inside. It was empty, but now that she was right on top of the glass, she could hear the tiny sounds of a radio playing at a low volume inside. She thought it may have been 1010 WINS.

"Can I help you?" a deep voice spoke up in the silence of the lobby, making her scream and spin around. She came face to face with a tall black man who wore the dark blue parka of the security guards she always saw patrolling the lobby and halls. Her heart was racing as she searched his coat, looking for a name tag. They rarely wore them indoors, and she figured he had just come inside out the rain because his fur-lined hood was covering most of his head, and it was beaded with moisture. His entire coat was. She relaxed a bit as she recognized his face despite the furry hood. "If you're looking for Mr. Brown," he said, "he's off tonight. Storm's got everybody around here scared to death."

Rachel smiled. "Lance?" she said. "Hi. I didn't hear you come in." And she didn't; but she figured it was because she'd been concentrating on trying to hear what the radio inside the security booth was playing. But now she wondered about that. Maybe, he didn't even come from outside? Of course, that didn't make any sense to her (there was no place to hide in the lobby, and she'd surveyed the entire area after she first walked in the building, and he wasn't there...nobody was), but she still couldn't get that impression, as silly as it was, out of her mind. And why would he be hiding anyway?

She peered up at him, trying to gauge the expression on his handsome brown face. Rachel wasn't adverse to dating white men, but she had always had an affinity for black guys. African American guys, in particular. She would date a Jamaican, or a Hatian, or an African, if she happened to meet one that attracted her, and if it felt right to her. But she preferred dating African Americans, if she wasn't dating a white boy, and always had. They seemed to approach her more confidently than the foreign black guys did. And they weren't intimidated by her curves, they were drawn to them like a moth to a flame. It made her feel good to know there was something about her body they would like no matter what, as long as it looked nice. Black guys didn't just want a big butt either, she'd learned, they wanted it to be round and firm, too.

Rachel felt that her butt, which was natural (despite the claims made by a few jealous females who were members at a certain fitness club), was all of those things. And judging by the response she got from most black guys, they concurred with her assessment. Of course, Rachel wanted more out of a man than just his appreciation of her looks. She wanted him to be intelligent, and thoughtful, and patient, and sensitive to her needs. But, every relationship had to start somewhere, and she wanted hers to start by having a man go crazy over her body.

Lance had been no different. From the moment they met, he let her know how he felt about her ass. It was another thing African American guys did well; they wasted no time in letting a female know what they liked about her looks. But only if they truly felt she looked good enough to tell. "You sure you're a white girl?" he'd asked her as he helped her carry grocery bags from her Hummer to the elevator. "No disrespect," he'd said, "You look good. I'm just not used to seeing a white chick with so much fat, round booty. Damn! And I can tell it's real, too."

Now she gazed up at him, remembering the earnest expression on his face after he'd made that comment. He wasn't hitting on her exactly, he was simply stating what he saw as a fact. She never mentioned what he said to Timmy, and she didn't get upset with Lance for saying it. In fact, she had actually been somewhat flattered. "I was just wondering where everyone was," she said. She glanced around briefly. "It's so quiet in here. I don't think I've ever seen it like this. Or am I exaggerating?" She turned back to him.

Lance only peered down at her for a moment, his dark brown eyes seeming to shine in the cave of his hood, and then he laughed. His voice was loud and echoed in the shadowy lobby. "It is pretty dead around here, ain't it?" he said. Lightning struck outside the building at that exact moment, and Rachel flinched. "But this is supposed to be the biggest storm New York has seen since the nineties," he went on. "And you know how people get when the weather stations start trumpeting up a good storm!"

Lance stopped talking and cocked his head at an angle as he gazed down at her. Rachel could hear the wind picking up outside, and the sounds of thunder booming and lightning crashing. The expression on Lance's face had changed from one of whimsical amusement, while the storm played in the background, to a look of almost childlike curiosity, as he said: "But didn't I already see your older sister going upstairs with Timmy just a few hours ago?"

6.

Timmy's Great Transformation

By the time Timmy reached the Venus Drive Motel, the snow had already begun to fall. He couldn't say for sure exactly when it started, but one minute it was pouring rain, and the next, the air was filled with some of the heaviest, whitest snowflakes he had ever seen in his life. The wind hadn't stopped blowing, however. It blew the snow into his face and made it difficult for him to see where he was going. Luckily, not long after that, he saw the huge portrait of Venus Williams that adorned the roof of the six-story building which had thirty rooms in it of varying sizes, and as far as Timmy knew, had no actual affiliation with Venus Williams, at all. He was surprised when year after year the motel continued to operate under that name, and no lawsuit was ever filed against it. Rachel, whose mother was an attorney, said she thought Mr. Johnson had probably paid Venus Williams for the right to use her name and likeness on the establishment, but Timmy just couldn't see that happening. Not only did that sound like a pretty expensive proposition (and he didn't believe a cheaper person than Mr. Johnson lived anywhere on earth), he wasn't sure if Mr. Johnson even knew who Venus Williams was.

Of course, that didn't explain the sign or the name of the motel. But the old black man was senile, and Timmy thought his senility was getting worse by the day. Who the hell really knew, other than Mr. Johnson, how the motel came to have that name? He was sure it would turn out to be something as weird as he found Mr. Johnson. None of that even mattered as he rolled his bike up the long, paved driveway which stopped at the motel's registration office. It was already turning white from the falling snow, and with a bitter grunt, Timmy noticed that the snow was sticking. It would be all kinds of hell trying to ride his bicycle back home if the snowfall continued at this insane pace.

The sudden arrival of snow hadn't distracted him enough to prevent his heart from sinking when he looked up and first noticed the Venus Drive Motel sign, however. Under normal circumstances, he would have noticed it perhaps a mile back because it was normally lit up like a Christmas tree. But whatever happened to his electricty had apparently happened to Mr. Johnson's, as well. This shit is bigger than we thought! were the first words to come to him, as he lowered his head against the blowing snow, and continued up the path.

When he finally reached the registration office, Timmy was breathing harshly, and his legs were throbbing. It had been awhile since he'd come down here, and he had forgotten just how long the driveway was. And the snow was literally pouring now. In the time it took him to get halfway to the motel, what looked like two inches had already fallen, and Timmy had begun to get nervous. This isn't normal, he thought now, as he let the mountain bike fall sideways to the ground, nearly disappearing in the drift. He peered up at the office window that faced the parking lot, doing his best to block the heavy flakes dropping from the sky with one hand.

There were no lights on inside the office. He knew that would be the case, but couldn't help hoping for the best. No electricity meant no working pay phones or land line phones, which wasn't good. He turned from viewing the office window, and gazed across the parking lot, looking for vehicles that would indicate customers. He saw a few, but couldn't tell the individual makes or models from so far away. But then, he thought he saw something. Something that seemed to glitter in the snow. Like glass, or maybe metal, he thought, that the snow hadn't managed to cover yet. Timmy squinted his eyes, peering harder at the area. It was a spot located right next to one of the vehicles he'd noticed earlier. What is it? he thought, vaguely considering the pros and cons of going to investigate that shining object further.

One one hand, it could turn out to be a cell phone that was working. It didn't make any sense on a logical level, but on an instinct level, it seemed very plausible. On the other hand, it could turn out to be a tin can, and Timmy could simply get stuck in the snow, and probably freeze to death right out there in the parking lot. Both scenarios strained credulity in his mind, but the first one seemed most probable to him. He couldn't leave that object shining out there, and simply walk away. It could be anything. It would torture him forever as his mind routinely threw him suggestions on what it could have been.

So, he simply had to go and take a closer look. Rachel was counting on him making it back alive, not to mention the stranger who he certainly wasn't treating like a stranger, but who was a stranger nonetheless, and was also relying on him to not get lost in the storm. He turned back to study the motel's office one last time. Still dark. Still no sounds other than the outrageously strong winds that were blasting everything in sight with snow. He would be wasting his time going inside the office to investigate, if there was something important over there by that car, that he had ignored. And might get covered with snow very soon if he didn't hurry.

The time came when you had to face facts.

So, he faced them. "I've gotta get over there!" he grunted into the wind. "Who knows what that shit is!"

And with that, he started trudging through the snow that had reached his ankles by then, and was still accumilating. It didn't take long to reach the area, which wasn't so surprising when you consider that Timmy was energized because he didn't have to take the bike with him, and besides that, whatever the object was seemed to be pulling him over to it. It was the type of thing he'd heard about happening in ghost stories and books on aliens, but had never experienced personally. It was like a drawing sensation, most of the abductees in the stories had said, like having your energy sucked from your body as you lay helpless, and feeling it happen. A part of him had always believed the stories, no matter how seemingly outrageous. And it appeared that whatever was happening to him right now, had a good deal to do with his belief.

He came to a stop just before he got to a black BMW that was mostly submerged in snow. The snow had already covered most of the wheels, and was on the verge of swallowing up the license plates, as well. But the BMW didn't matter to Timmy at the moment. What mattered, was the strange object he saw laying in the snow perhaps ten feet from the black BMW. The wind was still smacking the heavy flakes into his face, but he could tell it was a camera. Nothing fancy; not one of those new digital thingys that could take pictures sharp and clear enough to sell to your local magazines. This was an old fashioned camera...a polaroid if he wasn't mistaken. His grandmother had shown him one once, and he still thought it was an amazing invention, because even the highest priced digital cameras couldn't produce an instant image you could simply hand to another person. There were tiny but expensive flash disks, and memory cards, involved with digital cameras.

But this was a polaroid, Timmy was nearly positive about it. He knelt down in the snow (vaguely feeling like the astronauts on Heavy Metal who found the neon green sphere that had reminded him of kryptonite) and picked the camera up. As soon as his hands touched it, there was a sharp zapping sensation in his ears, and Timmy was thrown backwards about fifteen feet! He slammed into the ground hard enough to shatter his skull and break his back, only the snow had really been falling while he stood over by the registration office, and it was now almost four inches deep. It cushioned his fall just enough to prevent what may have been a very nasty situation.

But he was still very, very hurt. Timmy couldn't move for a long moment, and then he slowly got to his feet, groaning, and staring across the parking lot to where he'd dropped the camera. But Timmy was in for a big surprise, because there was no parking lot, and he saw no snow, at all! Not on the ground beneath him, or falling from the sky either. There was no wind, no freezing air, no reason to believe he'd just been walking through one of the worse blizzards to hit New York City in fifty years. Both of his hands were tingling now, as if he'd stuck his wet fingers into a fucking light socket. But he couldn't see the parking lot; the fucking area was entirely empty. No...not empty.

There was a weird darkness surrounding him suddenly, and a rancid odor that reminded him of train tracks, and subway stations. And he could hear a loud squealing noise that seemed to be advancing towards him at an alarming speed. And there was a rumbling sensation beneath his feet, as if the ground had come alive and was pissed he was standing on it. And then, he saw a bright pinpoint of light, and even though it was far away, it seemed to approach with the squealing noises, and the rumbling, and when he finally saw it clearly, it was too late to do anything but what he did, which was to throw up his hands in a futile attempt at stopping the subway train that was bearing down on him.

The lights were glaring in his face as it came, and just before it could strike him, he heard a voice yelling, a voice saying: "Take my hand Vince!" And when he reached out and grasped the nearly invisible hand that appeared before him, even though he didn't know who Vince was, or who the owner of that slender pale hand was, the world went dark again, and the roaring sounds of the train passed over and all around him, and he could feel himself changing; his appearance, his thoughts and memories, his name and his very essence...

7.

Timmy Becomes Vince

When Vince and Evian finally puffed into existence on planet Valon, the startled boy immediately noticed three distinct things. First, he realized that they were somehow still alive, which was shocking of course, but was awfully good, because it meant they had outrun the massive explosion on the subway train! _But not outrun,_ he thought, still feeling dazed and like he badly needed to puke. He guessed it was more like _out-flown,_ because the pretty white girl with the big tits, who jumped through the window and grabbed his hand, had literally been _flying._

Secondly, he realized that they had fallen hand in hand from thin air, into a dimly lit room that seemed as big as the Times Square subway station (at least, this was his first impression of it), and smelled of a pleasent but unfamiliar scent which still brought a powerful memory back to him: _The snowy December day he'd spent getting high and drunk with David and Paris at the Camelot Hotel. The Camelot was a shelter but Paris's name, of course, and her incredible wolf-like eyes, reminded him of the sweet and personable Paris Jackson, as crazy as it may have seemed to him at times. (There wasn't much he found sweet about David's girl, after all, other than her extraordinary looks.) But her facial features made him immediately think of the actress, Lorna London, who was a certain rapper's baby mama, in ghetto parlance._

The lovely aroma he smelled now, though different for the most part, still reminded him of the hypnotic perfume she was wearing on that gray, frigid afternoon. They had smoked blunt after sour-filled blunt as the snow fell from a sullen sky, and the wind howled outside David and Paris's horribly cracked window on West Blake Street. _His mind had just made a sensory connection too; the scent he was smelling now, had somehow linked to the scent his memory recalled._

But this particular room, he saw, had dark drapes, and incredibly high, almost dome-like ceilings. He saw no windows, and long candles sat in shiny metal holders that stood nearly as high as his head. Not too far beneath them, he saw a shiny black floor which resembled marble. Glancing up again, he noticed at least a dozen huge, ornamental chandeliers which were filled with more of the long, fat candles. The flames were skipping and jumping as if caught in a breeze he couldn't feel, making sinister shadows move against the walls and floor. _And the room was extremely cold._

The third thing he noticed (not to mention the most interesting), was the small white girl with the wild eyes, and the absolutely _amazing_ chest, who'd somehow prevented him from slamming into the floor. She caught him in her slender arms as if he weighed no more than his backpack. _I'm_ _dreaming_ , he'd thought, feeling a strange sense of weightlessness as she floated them to the ground, knelt, and lowered him gently to the floor.

The glowing, purple cloud (that she'd somehow made appear back on the speeding C) had flown them through the entire subway train (the fire gaining on them by the second), and up into the freezing night air, just before it exploded.

She had never let go of his hand. Even when the flames finally caught up to them, burning Vince's hair, and filling his lungs with suffocating heat; even as the subway seats began to melt behind them, running down the aisles in colorful flowing rivers of plastic, she hadn't let him go. He'd fainted at some point (for how long, he couldn't truthfully say), but she'd still held onto him. As if she'd known him forever, and it was her sworn duty to protect him. Eventually, she must have carried him (flown him, actually) to safety, because he was still alive and thinking these bizarre thoughts.

The next thing he knew, he was awake, and they were emerging from thin air. She somehow managed to beat him to the ground, catch him, and then, she collapsed forward on her face and lay still, her small body barely moving as she breathed. He could hear her inhaling and exhaling softly now, as he gazed down at her, and couldn't help grinning a little. He'd always found it weird how people, no matter how they may have sounded when awake, always made the same sounds while sleeping.

But his grin slowly evaporated. She hadn't made another sound the whole trip there. She had spoken to him when she first jumped through the window, of course. Had yelled at him to grab her hand, and then, to get the last squirell trap that had somehow fallen from his bag. But besides her screams after the initial explosion, it was the last thing she'd said.

Vince blinked down at her, feeling equal parts frightened and bewildered. _If_ _only_ _she_ _could_ _have_ _said_ _more!_ he thought. Told him what the _fuck_ was going on for starters. Or at least, told him where the hell he was!

And then, Vince heard voices far off to the right of the room, and froze. People were talking over there in hushed tones, it seemed. _Two people_ , he thought, _maybe more_. He thanked God they appeared to be speaking Enlish, and at the very least, wherever he was, he would be able to communicate with the motherfuckers.

Considering the situation briefly, he decided to check out the voices in a moment. But first, he had to see to the sexy little white girl currently passed out at his feet. Because whoever shorty was, she had just saved his life.

Vince reached up and touched his face, hissing sharply from the ensuing pain, and vowing to never do that again. The skin across his forehead felt stiff and tight, and crackled beneath his fingertips like burnt paper. He groaned in his mind, not daring to make noise.

When Vince felt his hair, a strange thing happened. It felt as if he'd grabbed a fistful of ashes, and when he brought his hand down, that's exactly what tumbled from his open palm in a drift of black snow! It sprinkled to the floor, and immediately disappeared on the marble. The fire had caused this, he realized, the fire from the explosion on the train.

A voice spoke up clearly in the room, causing Vince to quickly kneel to the floor. He held his breath, trying not to move a muscle; even trying to lower the sound of his frightened breathing. "We have to do _something!_ " the voice was saying. "We can't just _leave_ her here! How would you feel if it were you? And be honest! Would you want people to come and see this horrendous situation, only to ignore it? I'm telling you, the shit she did to her..."

He knew a male was speaking. Whether boy or man, was difficult to tell, since the room was really more like a chamber. Hollow and cavernous, the echo reverberated back on itself, further distorting the tone of the already muffled words. And then, he heard another voice; this one lighter and obviously _female_. He could tell it belonged to a young girl.

"I believe you," the girl was saying, "but, what can we possibly do? She did something to me by just _talking_. She paralyzed me, David. What kind of power is that? How can we stand against it?"

_David?_ Vince thought, and was momentarily stunned. He considered the coincidence of someone being called that name in a place he had never been, and shivered. It was only coincidence, of course. But it did bring the question of where his friend was, back to his mind. And the truth was, Vince couldn't find _his_ David, or help him if he was in some kind of trouble, until he figured out what the fuck was going on. And why it was happening to _him_ in the first place.

But first he had to move this girl out of sight, before the owners of those voices happened to come his way.

Vince crouched over on his knees, gently shaking the girl. Her body moved a little on the floor, but she didn't wake up. Didn't even stir. She coughed a bit, and seemed to mumble something crazy about sand, but that was all. Vince considered whispering her name, but didn't know it, and plus, he remembered the echoes. Even a whisper might get trapped in the vortex of sound, and reveal him.

Instead, he lifted her from the ground, grunting at her amazing weight, and carried her over to an especially dark group of shadows. His feet were silent on the marble, barely whispers moving across the slick surface.

She was definitely one of the smallest females he had ever seen. If asked her height, Vince would have said: four-foot two. His first guess, before lifting her at least, would have been around eighty pounds if asked her weight. _And that was despite her enormous Anna Nicole Smith tits, which looked like they weighed forty pounds each, to him_.

But he would've been completely wrong about her weight, even if he'd added the eighty pounds of boob. Vince was into weight training, and could tell the girl in his arms was at least two hundred-fifty pounds. The difference between what he expected when he picked her up, and what he actually _got_ , caught him off guard and he nearly dropped her.

She was _shockingly_ heavy, he thought. Impossibly, heavy. Like picking up a fluffy white pillow, only to find out it was filled with bricks. Vince still couldn't help imagining that hot weight on top of him, weighing him down, _riding_ him with her lithe and sexy white body, those warm massive tits swinging against his face, and he grinned. His dick was rising slowly, but with enormous effort, he forced the sensation away. This was hardly the time for a hard-on.

He placed her down carefully, despite his aching back, and did his best to ignore how impossible it was that she was so fucking heavy. How utterly impossible _all_ of this bullshit was, he thought; particularly the fucking flying part!

Then, he straightened up a little, exhaling quietly, and began tiptoeing towards the people he could still hear talking. The voices were undulating now, rising and falling, as if in a hot debate.

********

David couldn't seem to get through to Little Sonia. No matter what he said to the gorgeous black girl, regardless of how strident his voice, or how sensible his argument, she came back with the same defiant reply: "No, David!"

David told her about wanting to find the magic rodent kingdom. He told her again and again, that the females living on Valon (which was apparently the name of the dimension they were trapped in) owned slaves. And were extremely proud of the fucking situation, in his opinion. He could never, ever, imagine one of them feeling guilty about having other people bow and scrape to them. But she truly seemed to have a hard time accepting that. Like some people had a hard time accepting the word nigger, he thought. And it was most likely, he'd also thought, due to the fact she had befriended one of them so easily.

But he also mentioned the dreams he'd had all the previous summer, that he believed (or Paris believed, to be accurate, though he didn't mention her name to Sonia even once during his arguing) had triggered his deep interest in the rats. Sonia had simply gazed at him while he spoke, as if she couldn't seem to grasp the meaning of his words.

He had already told her about his novel based on Lorna London, but mentioned it again, just in case she'd forgotten. And to his surprise, she hadn't. Little Sonia was as smart as a whip, he had to give her that. But what really counted, was that he told her they should do whatever they could to save Evian, if saving her was even possible.

Sonia felt it was entirely too risky; especially since they were obviously in a fucked-up situation that defied all logic. The things they had both witnessed couldn't be explained, and the last thing they needed, she'd said, was to get involved with this weird place's bullshit politics. David knew she was right, but he didn't care. He would save Evian or die trying.

"Are you listening to me?" she'd said at one point. "There's no way we could ever beat Rat King!"

"A rat king?" he'd asked. "I read a book about those. I was headed down to lower Manhattan before this crazy shit happened. Going to try and find one, hopefully catch it."

"What?" Sonia said, thinking she had misheard him. "You were going to catch Rat King? What are you talking about?" She paused. "And what book did you read that mentioned Rat King?"

Sonia didn't know what was going on, but once again, she could tell the boy was telling her the truth. Or at least, what he thought was the truth.

"It's a book on rats," David said. "From the public library. I was in there looking for books on editing when I noticed it. Someone must have placed it on a table and left it. I picked it up and read the cover. Before I knew it," he said, "I was taking it out. It's pretty good, too. Even Vince loved it, and he fucking hates reading."

"Who's Vince?" Sonia asked. She couldn't understand this. Marlana Carter never mentioned that they might know of Rat King. But apparently, David (and whomever this Vince person was) already did.

She was looking at him doe-eyed, when he said something that really caught her attention.

"Vince is the kid I was meeting at Cranberry Street; he was helping me hunt for the rats. He was even bringing some of his father's squirrel traps."

"Squirrel traps?" she said. "For what?"

"To catch the Rat King with," he replied. "They're kind of small, but the book showed how you can connect..."

David stopped talking. Sonia was giving him a very strange look. "What?" he asked. "Why are you looking like that? Like I just grew another fucking head and shit?"

"Why would you try and catch Rat King in a squirrel trap?" she said. Sonia's voice was quiet, and lacked any emotion whatsoever. By Marlana Carter's account, the creature was a little too big and strong and dangerous, to attempt catching in the first place. Has he lost his fucking mind? she wondered. Squirrel traps? What was going on?

"Are we talking about the same thing?" she said.

A likewise puzzled David, stared back at her. "What are you talking about?" he said.

"Rat King guards this world," she said. "Now he's gone, and I think Marlana wants us to find him. Or find out where he is, don't ask me why. Or, how we're even supposed to do it. I'm not sure I understand any of this shit!"

David frowned, and rose to his feet. "Rat King is not a person," he said. "It's a pack of city rats with their tails knotted together. The book said sometimes as many as fifty-five get stuck together like that, and..."

Sonia shook her head. "That's disgusting," she said, "but I mean something else, entirely. I'm referring to the ancient warrior who once protected Realm. I'm going by what Marlana Carter said, of course. Whether you choose to believe it is up to you."

David seemed thoroughly confused. He wiped his mouth with one hand. "What else did she say?" he asked her.

At that point, Sonia revealed the rest of what the giant told her on that strange morning. She could recall the day easily; they were standing on a balcony that overlooked the oceans and oceans of sand that made up the Void. The four suns were blazing up in the amber-hued sky, but the glass dome surrounding them, somehow diminished the sunrays, and the balcony was still nearly dark. Marlana had shared many things with Little Sonia that day, and she now shared them with David. She told him about the Black Diamond, and about how it was somehow weakening. Whatever the hell that had meant; she still wasn't positive about it.The Realmian women, she'd found, often spoke in riddles that she had to decipher as best she could. Unfortunately, there was no one around to tell her if she had deciphered them properly.

She explained what Marlana Carter said about the portals, anyway. And about the rats, too. David especially got excited at the rat part; he seemed overly fond of them, to her. And when she told him they were both supposed to meet the Queen, it appeared he already knew a little about that, because someone named Kia had told him. Kia was apparently the alien female with the big ass and huge tits, he claimed had done all that horrid stuff to Evian.

Evian, it seemed, was another alien chick he'd met, and had fallen for. David never came out and admitted that, but Sonia could tell. His eyes seemed to light up whenever he mentioned her name. Finally, Sonia relayed Marlana's statement regarding Doctor Yarakki, and some kind of equipment. She assumed this equipment would turn out to be a weapon of some sort.

"So Rat King is an actual...what? A man?" David asked.

"No," Sonia said. "That's not the impression Marlana gave me. It's some kind of creature, I think. I don't know, this is all fucking crazy," she said, exhaling. "I'm still trying to cope with even being here, nigger!"

David sat down on the floor, again. "I think our wires are getting crossed," he said. "I thought that..."

And that was when he'd heard the sound. The fairy dust getting sprinkled sound!

David hushed Sonia with one upraised hand, and listened intently. His heart was thumping in his chest. Then, he made a Pac-Man motion with his other hand, meaning she should keep talking.

Sonia immediately understood what his pantomime meant. "Um, yeah," she said, shrugging, her eyes darting this way and that. "I thought it was strange, the way it tasted, I mean. Sour like lemons and it smelled horrible." She shrugged again, staring at him wide-eyed; waiting for his instruction.

David began to crawl around the massive throne. "I know what you mean," he said. "I only drank it because I was mad thirsty. Where did it come from, anyway?"

David glanced over his shoulder at Sonia. She was standing up now, and she was still staring around the dark chamber, her hazel eyes were two dazzling jewels. David made the Pac-Man gesture again when she glanced at him, making her jerk and glance around. "It came from some kind of fruit," she said. "Uh, I think that woman made it last night. The really tall one? She said it would help me sleep...did you sleep after you drank it?"

**********

David winced as he crawled across the marble floor. The girl was beautiful, and she was a slimmy with a fat ass (which he knew was Vince's favorite type of girl; he himself, preferred much thicker chicks), but as an actress, she really sucked. He didn't think she would be taking Kerry Washington's, or Paula Patton's place, anytime soon. David only hoped that whoever had just snuck up on them couldn't tell how phony Sonia's half of the conversation was.

The fairy dust sound. A little tinkling noise, almost like breaking glass, he'd thought.

When Kia summoned Evian earlier, she appeared from a purple cloud which made that exact sound. David guessed a fourteen-foot tall Realmian wouldn't have to hide in a cloud, and he couldn't believe it was Evian. Not only because he couldn't imagine her sneaking around and listening to his conversations. But also because of the way Kia had physically abused her; if the woman could even stand up without a cane, it would be a miracle.

Someone had just shown up, however. And at the moment, who they were, didn't really matter to him. David moved quickly and quietly, sliding through the shadows like a black ferret. He strained his ears (if such a thing were possible), trying to detect the slightest sound, and thought he heard low grunting. Like someone was lifting something huge somewhere. It appeared to be coming from the opposite side of the chamber.

David crossed the floor and headed towards the far wall; towards the grunting sounds. He didn't realize how quickly he was moving, and soon he was at the back of the large shadowy room, feeling more and more sure it wasn't Evian he'd heard grunting. In her condition, she wouldn't be able to lift herself, let alone anything much heavier than her.

And he did hear something, he thought; breathing sounds, and harsh panting.

After a moment of searching, David actually saw him! A dark shape crouched along the wall, perhaps fifteen feet away, mostly hidden in shadow. And he was right, the shape was the size of a normal human male.

The chamber was now dead silent, and when the dark shape suddenly moved, David made a quick decision to use the element of surprise. He leapt from his own shadows and grabbed him, slamming into him as hard as he could! They tumbled to the floor, rolling over violently. David's bones banging the unforgiving marble, sent a current of jarring pain through his entire body.

"Get the fuck off me!" the man said. "Back off, motherfucker!"

His body was bucking wildly on the floor, and when he finally threw David off of him, the boy's head smacked the floor so hard, he saw bright twinkling stars in the darkness. The pain was incredible; it felt as if someone had struck him in the skull with a cement-filled bag. David wanted to feel for blood (for surely his skull was cracked after such an impact), but he couldn't move. He was literally sore all over, especially around his hips and knees. It felt like piranhas were biting away at his flesh, gnawing him down to the very bone.

Then, he heard a stealthy movement, and what seemed like rubber soles squeaking on the floor behind him. He tried to roll over, and was suddenly snatched up by the back of his shirt. The man was trying to lift him!

When David was finally forced to a stumbling, standing position, he firmly planted his feet, and kicked back from the floor, knowing he would crack his head again and not caring. But this time, instead of hitting the floor, his entire body flipped backwards and completely over the man holding him. He landed far behind him in a jaguar's crouch!

David was startled. The flip had utterly shocked him; it felt like his body had moved without him, like he was merely a puppet on invisible strings. He knew what he had just done was impossible; he had never done a flip in his fucking life, not front or back ones, and his knees felt rubbery and weak. But now, he could see a horrible thing: the man had turned again, and was still coming at him! He wouldn't fucking quit!

Still crouching down with one hand on the floor, David timed it perfectly, and leapt at his head! The dark shape met his attack, clothes-lining him with a vicious Kung-Fu chop. David went with the sharp blow, and this time, landed with his legs split, and his hands beneath him, supporting his body five inches off the ground. Like an Olympic gymnast doing a routine on the horse.

The man rushed at him yet again, and David did a windmill with his legs, as if performing a dismount, and kicked him in the face! The man flew backwards into his own flip, but landed on his hands, somehow; balancing himself with his booted feet hanging over his back. His agility was utterly frightening!

He's just like a clown in the fucking circus! David thought, convienently ignoring the crazy shit he had just done himself, and charged him again, thinking he was vulnerable in that position. But he was wrong, because the stranger immediately glanced up (his face partially hidden, but seeming to grin), and kicked out with both feet!

His boots caught him squarely in the chest; knocking the air from his lungs with a startled Oof! David tumbled backwards, landing hard, and sliding across the floor. He slammed into the far wall, barely getting his hands up in time to protect his head. He should have become really frightened then, that had been a powerful blow. But he wasn't afraid, only angry. And filled with a crazy urge to continue fighting.

So, David sprung to his feet, and he didn't say a word; just used his hands as weapons. He ran headlong at the man now, swinging at him with all his might, breathing heavily, but light years from feeling tired. David did his best to fully see his face as they fought, but he managed to stay in the shadows no matter where he moved; as if the darkness had somehow become a part of him. David was quickly realizing how versatile his technique was, and that he could really fight! They glided across the floor, dancing the dance of seasoned fighters. Throwing blows that sometimes connected, sometimes didn't. Later, they would barely recall exactly what they had done to each other, only knowing it had felt magnificent while it was happening. Not as good as having sex with Paris, he'd thought, but pretty damn good!

The stranger tried to elbow him, but David easily blocked it, and swung at his head. The man did an impossible move, his back arching, as David's hand struck empty air! He seemed to pause in the shadows after the blow missed him, like the freeze frame on a DVD player. Then, the guy was bringing his torso back up, and was lunging at him, again!

David jumped back, and the wild punch missed him completely. He leapt straight up, kicking the man in the face, and felt something crunch. His nose, perhaps, and the shadowed figure was screaming as he crashed backwards to the floor. But just before he hit marble, David saw the shadows gather together into a black net, and cushion his fall! Then, he was thrust back up to a standing position by those same shadows, already turning to face him!

This is ridiculous! David thought, what the fuck is this fucking nigger?

He strode forward confidently, and the shadows followed, killing the lights on his face as he moved. Soaking up the light, David thought, and realized that the shadows were somehow, alive. Or the man was controlling them with some strange power; using them to keep his identity hidden!

And then, his eyes began to glow bright red in the darkness! Like Terminator android eyes, he thought. And when the dark figure rushed him, without thinking, a startled David suddenly leapt straight up as if launched from a trampoline. He did a somersault high in the air, twisting and turning his body like a professional diver, and came back down with his fists aimed at the floor.

His toes were pointed toward the ceiling, as if diving into a pool. But instead of striking the floor, he connected with the stranger's face (as he finally made the mistake of glancing up), and the blow drove him straight down to his knees! The thud was sickening, as if his kneecaps had shattered like egg shells.

But he apparently wasn't hurt!

David couldn't believe what he was seeing as the man jumped up again, and actually began kicking at him! Left-right, sideways, roundhouse, scissor-kick, and an impressive right-thrust that nearly took his head off. But David blocked them all with one arm. Then, counter-attacked with his other; driving him backwards through the cool, silent shadows.

David's blows were exquisitely precise, he felt like Bruce and Jet Li, all rolled into one. Yet the stranger still blocked them, seeming to anticipate his every move before David could perform it. They had clearly reached a stalemate, he thought. And without any warning, they both heard a loud crackling noise. Like electricity, or like lightning, coming from somewhere high up in the air. The darkness was suddenly split open with the sounds of thunder and lightning striking over and over. Like an electrical storm had formed somewhere inside the chamber!

They stopped fighting, both of them staring up into the gloom with shocked faces. David yelled as the noise got noticeably louder, and then, he immediately covered his ears, dropping to his knees, and hurting them badly again. And he didn't even notice the pain this time, because his mind was too filled with those violent smashing sounds.

Through squinted eyes, he saw the stranger was kneeling too, and he was clutching at his head and shaking it wildly, as if also in tremendous pain.

David was shocked to see Sonia suddenly come running from the front of the chamber! She was also covering her ears, wore a panicked expression, and her eyes were bulging from their sockets. She was running out from the deep shadows around the throne, and David could see she was screaming something at him, but he couldn't hear her at all. He had completely forgotten about her while in the throes of his sudden, overpowering, urge to fight. And even in his agony, he still wondered about how he'd felt while fighting with the stranger. How alive! How really and truly alive!

As if he'd been born to fight!

Even as tears of pain began to roll down his brown cheeks, David could still feel that marvelous energy pulsing through his veins. And he wanted it again; wanted to get up and fight with the man, again. He was thinking in a much deeper part of himself: Fuck the thunder and the lightning, I want to kill! Fuck the pain drilling into my ears and brain! Goddamn it, I need to destroy something!

David saw Sonia kneeling down beside him, still shouting something to him that might as well have been a whisper. And it was as he managed to stagger to his feet, with his head pounding, Sonia pulling frantically at his right leg, and the memory of Paris's sweet perfume still invading his naval cavity, that the outrageously violent noise completely shut off.

8.

The Glowing Arena

Lights snapped on, immediately flooding the entire room. It was a brilliant light, that made all four of them blink rapidly, and use their hands to block the glare. David glanced around as Sonia released his leg, suddenly feeling more exposed than he had ever felt in his life. Sonia was kneeling on the floor a little to his right. She was wiping tears from her face, while coughing harshly into one hand.

He saw his formerly hidden adversary slowly turn around on his knees, as if searching for his contact lens. And David fully expected to see a man, or at least a male. But when he actually saw the person kneeling beside Sonia, his shock was complete and total. Every thought he'd had so far, since he and Sonia ran through the door on the C train, trying to escape the man in the spandex shorts, was obliterated into nothingness. As bright as the chamber was, David's mind was somehow black and dark, and filled with a mixture of sorrow, and incredibly, a strange species of joy. The man he was just fighting stood up shakily, clearly trying his hardest not to fall.

David looked up, noticed people sitting around high in the air (his heart lurching in his chest), and trained his attention on the man staggering around, again. He wasn't a man, however. The person getting up from the marble floor, his face haggard, bruised and partially burnt, was only a boy. He was six-foot two, yes; a tall boy for eighteen by earth's standards, but was still just a boy.

His smooth, once pale skin, was covered in what appeared to be ashes. His hair was disheveled and raggedy. It stuck up in places like Pee-Wee Herman's hair, David felt, except the boy's hair had apparently been torched.

Perhaps, by a flamethrower, he thought, feeling crazy, and unable to comprehend exactly what he was seeing. Could this actually be real? he wondered. What would he even be doing here?

He could see ashes on the boy's head too, covering his remaining hair in a layer of grayish soot that made David think of the exaggerated dandruff commercials he often saw on TV. His normally glossy black hair (Fonzie hair, David, had called it once) had been totally nuked. His eyes appeared swollen and red, as he slowly glanced up at David. And when David finally, completely, saw his face, he was shocked.

"Oh fucking no!" he whispered, with his body beginning to tremble violently. Because, God help him, but he was right. He had hoped he was wrong; had apparently wanted that to be the case even more than he'd known. But unfortunately, the operation performed on his eyes after he thought he'd gone blind, had worked wonderfully. Because, he could see just fine, and there was no question that the stranger he'd just finished fighting really was Vince.

9.

Per Chance To Meet

Vince Collins was stunned, his mouth was actually hanging wide open with pure wonder. He resembled Tom Cruise in Interview With The Vampire, of course. He always did; or at least, David and Paris seemed to think so.

Sometimes, Vince looked Hispanic, at other times, Italian. At no time did he look like what he truly was: Black and Irish, and Native American. A fucking mutt, in other words. Or in David's words, to be factual.

He and David had been friends for a long time, but for a moment, he didn't know whether to hug him, or continue fighting his ass. He'd recognized him immediately. But the adrenaline flowing through his body, just wouldn't let up. His limbs were literally twitching from the energy dying to break free...dying to fight a motherfucker!

And suddenly the heavy silence erupted into applause! Drawn out applause, that went on and on and on. It was a thunderous, roaring sound, that seemed to come from everywhere at once. Then, Vince heard strident cheers and whistles; the noise getting louder and louder, building upon itself like an avalanche of sound. Wild shouts were piercing the din of riotous noise, and crazy cat-calls. Like ballers yelling at hot girls with fat asses twerking in a strip-club.

Meanwhile, David, who was only just getting over the shock of seeing Vince, yelled, "What the fuck are you doing here, nigger?"

But the noise drowned out his words. And when he finally turned from staring at Vince, and glanced up again at what he thought he saw earlier, his heart sank. He had hoped he was only seeing things, but the previously dark and empty chamber (too empty, he'd felt, as if the emptiness had somehow reversed itself on this world, and had gained substance) was now brightly lit, and packed with people!

People standing up from the rows of long stone benches and clapping furiously. People jumping around and waving red handkerchiefs above their heads, others tossing funny-colored, wide-brimmed hats. David saw a few of them tumbling down from far above with bright colored ribbons trailing behind them. Other people saw the falling hats, and desperately tried to snatch them from the air. Some of them were so excited, they nearly fell from their seats to the ground far below.

Mostly, normal looking people from what David could see; and most of them were dressed in plain brown and white clothing. Some among the crowd stood much taller than the rest. These people were dark skinned, had long dark hair, and were clearly women. Realmians, David thought. He guessed the dark hair would actually turn out to be long beaded braids if he got close enough.

There were also tiny women among the crowds, he saw. Their white skins, and naturally flowing hair, stood out in stark contrast beside the much darker Realmians. They wore pretty gowns that billowed softly in the artificial breeze.

Glints, he thought. And then, music began to play from somewhere far above him.

Strange music, that David felt had a groovy, near hypnotic, rap beat to it. Something Kanye West would probably like, he thought. Him, TI, Wayne, or Jay-Z; those other god-like forces of nature. But the instruments accompanying the rhythm made weird echoing sounds he didn't like as much, and he immediately thought of whales playing flutes in the deep, dark ocean.

High above the bleachers, David saw a sudden glaring light, and quickly threw up his hands against it. The motion brought pain to his entire body. But the four suns outside had burned his eyes badly, and he hadn't forgotten the ordeal. These lights were just as bright as the suns were, yet he felt no heat. The normal caress of warmth he associated with sunlight, wasn't there. The room had become a colossal arena that was as cool as it had always been, maybe cooler. The lights were clearly an attempt at duplicating the rays of the suns, he thought, without creating the same harmful effects.

The applause continued as David turned, peering up to the very top tier of the arena now, and saw a ridiculous amount of people. The place had become gigantic somehow; a Coliseum to rival the nature of the women who ruled the planet, he thought. He figured there was room enough to place three Madison Square Garden arenas straight across the marble floor, end to end. David was flabbergasted as he made a complete circle, gazing up as far as he could see.

He was searching for Kia, of course (any male would have done the same), and couldn't find her. But he didn't know for sure if she was even there. And furthermore, he hadn't seen her enough to pick her out of a crowd just yet; that would probably come with time. But he didn't like the implications of that particular thought at all!

David finally stopped turning, and saw a girl he hadn't noticed before. Only, she wasn't sitting up among the crowd of people filling the stadium. She was sitting on the floor, about twenty feet away from where he stood. The girl finished looking around the arena, clearly as surprised as he was, and finally glanced in his direction. David, perhaps more confused than he'd been so far on that long, strange day, saw her clearly for the first time...

And amazingly, he realized that it was Evian.

Their eyes touched, and his heart jumped. "Evian!" he screamed. "Where the fuck were you?"

Evian said something that he couldn't hear, reaching out for him, and his confusion nearly overwhelmed him.

He saw that Sonia was standing up now, and she was also gaping at the hordes of people surrounding them. She seemed as confused as he felt, and David wondered if she too, were thinking of Russell Crowe and Gladiator.

The roaring sound coming from the jubilant crowd simply wouldn't go away, seemed to be increasing in volume as David glanced at Vince. He was still panting, and he was staring up at the waving, cheering people, as well.

Turning back to Evian, David saw her still watching him, and finally started towards her.

And then, the crowd noises stopped.

Everything seemed to stop. The silence was so shocking, David stumbled and nearly fell. He came to a halt and peered up into the arena, his heart thumping. The crowd was just standing in place like statues, and they were all peering down at them! Nothing moved, but the fluttering of clothing, and long hair billowing in the wind. Nobody spoke, or giggled, or coughed, or sneezed. It seemed as quiet as a fucking cemetery.

David couldn't see their faces, but the mood had clearly changed. It was a feeling that seemed to come from the previously celebrating mass in slow waves. It was as if the thousands of eyes he couldn't see were filled with malevolence.

Cool air was blowing across the stadium, and it made a thin, whistle-like sound in the stillness. The whistle sound had a hollow quality to it that spoke of winds blowing across a frozen desert at dusk. David could even see the cacti in his imagination, like broken fingers against the orange and blood colored skyline.

David glanced at Vince, again. He was staring back at him, and their eyes met. But this was a wholly different kind of connection, he thought. Much different from the one he'd just had with Evian. Having been friends for so long, he and Vince shared many secrets. One of the secrets, was that they could communicate just by making certain gestures. David made one now, a slight frown that really said: "Do you see this shit, nigger? I've got a lot to tell your fucking ass!"

Vince appeared to read it perfectly, nodded, and looked up, again.

Evian was walking over to him now, and the arena was so silent, he could hear her sandals tapping on the floor as she approached. She stopped in front of him, and glanced over her shoulder. "David, we really have to talk!" she whispered. "So, act normal." She was watching the people up in the stands. "Not here of course, but..."

David grabbed her arm, a little too forcefully. "What the fuck is going on?" he said. He pulled her slim body up against his, feeling her intense heat, and spoke into her ear. He kept his eyes on the crowd as he spoke, vaguely thinking that whatever the scent was called that the Glint was wearing, smelled damn good. "The last time I saw you, I thought you were beaten to a fucking pulp!" he grunted. "And now I find you sneaking around, doing what? Eavesdropping on me, bitch?" He jerked at her arm, prepared to say more, and stopped cold.

Despite his anger, David easily felt the hard muscle beneath Evian's sleeve. It felt as if he were gripping steel cables, and when she pulled away from him, she did it easily. David's grip was strong and tight, and was made more powerful due to his anger. But his fingers parted as if he had opened his hand, himself.

Stunned, David could only watch as Evian turned to face him. She reached out with one slender hand, somehow grasped both his wrists with three of her fingers (the first, second, and thumb), and squeezed. The pressure was enormous! As if he had placed his hands in a vise grip, and had someone (perhaps her) close it upon his wrists as much as they could manage. He wildly jerked his body in anger (and yes, in fear, too), and couldn't even budge them in her casual grip. She was holding both his wrists completely still using only three fingers! It was impossible!

David stared into her strange pale eyes, and tried to calm his pounding heart.

"As you can see," she said, "I am far stronger than you, and it seems you've underestimated Valon, kingdom thief. I wasn't sneaking around," she added, snidely. "I didn't know anyone would be in here, and you were supposed to be meeting the Queen by now!" She stopped and glanced up. "As you can see, it was all a trap. A clever trap to catch me," she said. She peered at him again, her eyes twinkling. "And catch you," she finished.

"Catch you?" he said. "Catch me? What are you talking about, Evian?"

"Not now," she said. She exhaled, and whispered: "Witness God's plan, David. We all walk in the shadow of God."

Evian jerked his wrists once, as if to underscore her immense strength, released him and quickly moved away. She was now standing at attention with her head down. He thought her face looked sorrowfiul; the way she'd looked when Kia was tormenting her.

David, carefully examining his hurt wrists (and his mind swirling with her cryptic words), suddenly heard a loud trumpet blast. The shrill sound made him jump and glance up, as the echoes rolled towards them from somewhere across the arena. He spun around, and saw a group of people striding purposefully in their direction. What looked like hundreds of people, and the majority of them were clearly the giant Realmian women he had already seen.

Even from so far away, their incredible height, and their enormous tits, were quite obvious. Ridiculously wide hips appeared to slope out on each Realmian's lower body. And walking alongside them, heads no higher than the women's hips, was a crowd of white-complexioned men. They were balancing long poles with flags attached at their very tops, and the flags whipped and snapped in the wind. David couldn't hear them, but he could easily imagine the snapping sound.

Other darker skinned men were carrying what to David, looked like silver trays. The artificial sun ringed the trays in sharp curving radiance. To the right of that crowd, he saw a group of pale skinned females, all even shorter than the men, and the tops of their heads barely came up to the Realmian's knees. David couldn't see their faces, but he could see their hair blowing in the wind. He could see the bright light above sparkling and glittering in that shiny hair, and on the short chains around their slender white necks, as well.

10.

Kia's Desperate Plea

"It must die!" The Realmian woman screamed. "To violate even one of the Ten Royal Demands means death! This fucking Glint has broken all of them in my eyes!"

She was strutting about in a wide circle, her brown fists clenched, the end of a thick chain dangling from one massive hand. It rattled in the silence as she paced back and forth, her boots striking the floor loudly. The Realmian soldier was peering up at the impressive female seated before them. Her black body suit shimmered as she moved, glittered like the surface of a still lake beneath the bright lights above.

The artificial sunlight, David thought, glancing up to the top of the arena.

The chandeliers had vanished, as had all the furnishings. The large room had transformed into a coliseum that was easily bigger than any man-made structure on earth, he thought. At the other end of the chain, far below where the chandeliers had been, was a small woman who was currently cowering on her knees before the throne of Queen Priscilla, awaiting her sentence. Her eyes were lowered, the silver links of chain around her neck, seeming to weigh her down. It was actually Evian Cerati!

David fought his urge to run to her, knowing it would be the last thing he ever did. It was difficult with the energy still racing through his body, though. He longed to do violent things to someone, to almost anyone. A part of him whispered he should do it, anyway. He should throw caution to the wind, and help Evian regardless of the outcome. That small inner voice was getting louder by the minute; and was getting harder to ignore.

Surrounding the throne, were what seemed a legion of men; none of them taller than the waists of the dark-skinned females standing beside them. Most of the men were brown complexioned, as the giant females were. Others were very light, and had straight, bowl-shaped heads of hair. The hair was cropped just above their narrow shoulders.

Each and every man, regardless of skin color, wore brown pants, and a plain white tunic similar to the one David had on. There was a strange symbol tattooed on each of their foreheads, and what appeared to be wooden sandals covered their small, bare feet. The sandals seemed raggedy, and were laced together with strips of leather. He couldn't actually see this from so far away, but it was what immediately came to his mind when he first noticed them. Wooden sandals were always laced with strips of leather in old Bible and gladiator movies.

He could see that Realmian women held chains, and that the chains were attached to metal collars. The collars were clamped around the necks of the tiny, paler men. A few of the giant females were resting their huge hands on their heads, and were gently running their talon-like fingernails through straw colored hair. One of the men glanced up, smiling at his Mistress (David supposed that particular title would fit them best), and leaning into the Realmian's caress. David thought of a person absently stroking the fur of their pet cat, the cat arching its back to receive the rub.

As he'd noticed earlier, some of the darker men were carrying metal trays. Now that they were closer, David could see huge crystal buckets sitting in the middle of the trays. Right beside the buckets, were a collection of much smaller objects. They looked like drinking glasses to him, and sparkled in the pale light shining down from the ceiling.

The sound of a trumpet filled the air, and four of the white complexioned men suddenly walked ahead of the others, and were leading the procession with their silver poles held up to the ceiling. David could see flags waving in the breeze at the top of the staffs. Red flags, with strange twisted symbols on them, and fancy writing that he couldn't see clearly from his distance. But one may have read: NUMBER ONE & WITHOUT EQUAL! only the flag was whipping in the wind so much, when he looked again, David was nearly positive it had said something else entirely. And in an alien language, to boot.

All of the white skinned women were likewise tiny, wore gowns of the same material the female kneeling before the throne had on, and appeared totally naked beneath the sheer, colorful, garments. The gowns came in different colors: pink, gray, blue, or green. Sometimes, a mixture of the four. All blowing against them, exposing magnificent bodies, and molding to their abnormally large breasts like plastic.

David watched them finally reach where he and the others were standing, and come to an abrupt halt. The white women seemed mere children in height compared to the Realmians, and at the most, only came up to their thighs. David thought of what Kia told him earlier, how they kept them so small on purpose.

These were obviously Glint women. Basically, Caucasian chicks, he thought, only much, much, smaller in stature. He guessed the tops of their heads would barely reach the average white girl's elbow. And yet ironically, they weighed almost twice what most American white females weighed, if Evian was to be believed.

The pale men getting their heads stroked like dogs, were Glint men. The darker men holding the trays were Realmian men. The Realmian females had enslaved everyone on the fucking planet it seemed, assuming these were all the people living here. David had a very hard time trying to imagine his fate turning out any different.

Now, he watched Kia Plazine, who was staring up at the throne, saying:

"We didn't survive this long to get careless, My Goddess! Rat King has disappeared. His army is no longer guarding the tunnels. Our world is open to trespassers, Queen Priscilla, My Goddess Queen. We must at the very least, seek out and destroy the enemy within our borders, if we can't defend the perimeter!"

"You are getting out of hand Kia," Queen Priscilla said, raising one eyebrow. And her voice was calm. Oh so calm. But her tone said they had been through this all before. She glared down at the imposing figure of Kia as if she were only a rude daughter needing a stern talking to, David thought.

"As far as Rat King goes, Marlana will handle it," Queen Priscilla said. "You already know I assigned the duty of locating him to her. This outburst is unbecoming, and I must say, quite upsetting."

Queen Priscilla glanced down to the small female wearing the chain at the foot of her throne. "Release it," she said. David could hear the authority in her voice. Hard and clipped, it brooked no refusal. "Since when do we chain toilet slaves?" she asked. "Do you know their value on the open market? What has gotten into you, Kia?"

"My Goddess Queen," Kia said. "Since they have begun to conspire against us, what choice do we have? We have given them too much freedom. Now, the accursed imbeciles want the same rights as Realmians! Now, they feel we are on equal footing, my Goddess Queen. Does that fact alone not eximplify their delusions of grandeur?"

Queen Priscilla laughed. A soft sound that still carried well in the arena. There were a few, hesitant chuckles from the audience, but that was all. David peered around the quiet stadium, wondering what the people were doing, and saw them all looking down at the Queen. Every one of them it seemed, a frightening sea of eyes focused on the magnificent throne.
"If any slave feels this way," the Queen said, "the idea must have come from you."

Queen Priscilla leaned forward, staring down at Kia. "I have heard about these acts you have been forcing them to perform. Making slave fathers couple with their adolescent daughters, and with infant female Realmians? Acts that in no way benefit this Queendom, and border on blasphemy? Your lust knows no boundaries, Kia. You speak of perimeters?" she growled, squinting her beady rat eyes. "What about the perimeters of your common sense?"

"Have we become so stiff, My Goddess Queen?" she said in a dead, almost somber voice. Kia lowered her head. "So much like Glints, that we can't enjoy our own deepest fantasies?"

"You can't help but disturb me," Queen Priscilla said, exhaling. "I've known this since you were six feet tall. I was taught to give children room to develop. You are already a teen, but have not developed. In fact, I wouldn't consider it too much of a stretch to say you have gotten worse, child. The Glints are our slaves and our pets," she told her. "I don't ask Realmians to refrain from their sexual pleasures, they are free to do as they please with their personal property." .

She sat back on her throne, sighing deeply again. "But our world is in danger," she said. "You should know this better than most. The Black Diamond is dying, and both of those mixed bitches have resurfaced. It would take nothing for that London slut to destroy us all. This is no time for frivolity. Release it, Scavenger; you have already murdered its mother."

"You cannot be serious, Goddess?" Kia said, but dropped the chain immediately, and raised her hands towards Queen Priscilla. "This Glint has broken our laws Goddess Queen!" she said. She turned to peer at Evian, who was still kneeling on the floor, and was still looking down. "Not only did I learn she has discussed our business with the stranger, she..."

"She what?" Queen Priscilla said, her voice a low growl. "What has she done?"

"Forgive me My Goddess Queen," she said. "It has stolen from me, My Goddess Queen."

"And what did it take?" she asked her. "Something integral to the defense of Realm, I presume?"

Kia turned back to the Queen, purposefully ignoring her question, David thought. "My Goddess Queen," she said, "when I learned of its treachery, I overreacted. I admit that, now. Perhaps I shouldn't have removed its eye, but..."

Queen Priscilla raised one taloned finger, causing Kia to immediately stop speaking. For a moment there was utter silence, then Queen Priscilla broke out in girlish laughter. The sound was surprisingly pleasant, almost infectious, David thought.

The entire arena began laughing along with the Queen. David glanced up into the bleachers with sudden, wild laughter roaring in his ears like thunder on a dark horizon. Everywhere he looked, people were shaking, and bending over holding their stomachs, clearly trying to outdo one another.

Maybe, he thought, someone was watching to make sure they found the Queen's jokes humorous. It wasn't a pleasant notion at the moment. He snuck a peek at Kia, and the Realmian woman wasn't laughing. She was glaring around the stadium, seeming to mark exactly who the laughter was coming from.

David thought she couldn't possibly identify every person, unless she had capabilities he was completely unaware of. But her glowering expression said she would pay back those she could see. And as soon as she got the chance.

As the laughter tapered off, because Queen Priscilla's had tapered off, Kia rolled her eyes at the crowd, flipped her long braids, and turned back to the Queen. "It snuck into my quarters," she said. "And took back the eye Goddess Queen. No sin is greater than stealing from their God-Lady. They all know that, and death is the penalty!"

"Let me see," Queen Priscilla said, still giggling. "Raise your head, Glint!"

Evian immediately looked up at the Realmian Queen. "My Goddess Queen!" she said, in a trembling voice. "Above all, you are most high! Even above the gods that bathe us in sunlight!"

Evian bowed three times from her knees, and fully stood up. She scampered over to the Queen's huge feet, and smothered her bare toes in wet kisses. She began to suck on them, and lick between them.

Queen Priscilla said: "A pleasing compliment, but I wouldn't go quite so far, slave; I am hardly a god."

But she allowed the woman to do it for a full minute, giggling a bit, then kicked out with her smallest toe still in Evian's mouth, and pushed her off. Evian flew backwards, slamming to the floor and screaming out in pain

"Enough, Glint," Queen Priscilla said, softly. "Heel, you filthy, scum-driven plague. Now!"

Evian scurried back to her original position, and stood at attention. The Queen leaned over again, her elbow resting on one arm of the throne. She studied Evian's bruised face. "Is it true?" she asked. "Have you been gossiping, Glint?"

"It is partly true My Goddess Queen!" she admitted. "But I was told to speak to the stranger!"

David heard the surrounding crowds murmur, as if shocked by this admission. "I was ordered to go to the stranger," Evian continued, raising her voice a bit, "and prepare him to meet you, My Goddess Queen!"

The crowd got louder, some people shouting harsh things down at them. David thought he heard the word "Liar!" screamed down from the upper rows. Trumpets blew high and piercing in the arena, and the noise suddenly quieted to a low hum.

There was a commotion far up in the rafters. David saw that Realmian women were now beating the smaller people around them! Grabbing them by their long hair, two or three in each hand. Lifting them high in the air, and swinging some of them like lassos. The people weren't fighting back or struggling at all. Just hanging there, screaming in a pain he could only imagine. He hadn't noticed before, but could now see chains around the necks of all the shortest people in the stands; male and female, alike. The Realmian women holding onto the leashes were apparently chastising their slaves for whatever reason. They were active now, but hadn't joined in the Queen's laughter, and hadn't reacted to Evian's statement, at all.

David wondered what had set them off.

A loud scream rang down from the top tier as a man fell. There was a brief silence, then the dull thud of him striking the floor, was horrid. It was a wet, splattering sound, and the sound of his rattling chain finally landing atop his shattered body, was somehow worse. Queen Priscilla didn't seem to hear the noise, even though she was much closer to where the man had fallen than David was. Kia only glanced at the spot for a moment, rolled her eyes, then dismissed it.

"It is lying My Goddess Queen,"she said. "Demand it tell you who gave such orders!"

"That won't be necessary, My Goddess Queen," a voice spoke up in the quiet. A calm, reserved voice, David had never heard before. "Since the order came directly from me."

The entire crowd seemed to ooh and aahh.

David immediately scanned the air, but saw nothing whatsoever. And then, a yellow cloud appeared just beside Evian, accompanied by the metallic fairy sprinkle sound he'd heard earlier; the sound that should have told him Evian was somewhere in the chamber while he was speaking to Sonia.

David watched in wonder as a huge indistinct shape formed from the empty air. A hazy image was materializing, and getting sharper, as the colorful cloud slowly dispersed. And now, a beautiful Realmian female was standing there, and she was bowing to Queen Priscilla! The boy figured she was a Realmian, because she resembled the average Realmian he'd come across in the most significant ways. In the beauty and physical areas, for instance.

Her yellow gown was flowing in graceful waves about her curvacious, nude body, and David wondered if it was humanly possible to fall instantly in love with three separate females, in three separate days. Because, humanly possible or not, he believed he had somehow just done it.

11.

Queen Priscilla

David thought Kia's throne had been immense, but what he saw before them now, was the grandest chair he had ever observed in his entire life. The figure occupying the chair was likewise, the most conspicuous female he had ever laid eyes on, even taking into account the gargantuan women of the Realmian race.

Once the progression of people carrying the flags finally reached them, a massive hole began to form in the granite floor. A hole that made people scurry back from the edges of it before they could tumble in. It was an enormous rectangular opening which was at least twenty feet wide, and about fifty-feet in length. There was a deep, rumbling noise, seeming to come from far, far, beneath them, and then, David saw something rising slowly from the dark space.

He thought it looked like the crest of a gilded chair. It was resplendent in the glaring light, and the crowd buzzed with what to him, seemed like true exhilaration. Trumpets again blew loud and clear in the stadium. The cheers that began as soon as the throne emerged, were more reserved than the earlier shouts and screams had been. While the people still applauded loudly, they now seemed to clap with a mixture of shocked awe, and adoration.

There was the sudden pronouncement of: "ALL HAIL QUEEN PRISCILLA! ALL HAIL THE QUEEN OF VALON! ALL HAIL THE QUEEN OF REALM!" through what David guessed was some kind of megaphone.

When the mighty structure finally came into full view, rising steadily, inexorably to the surface of the arena, David was astonished. The female sitting in the chair (which could only rightly be called a throne, he'd decided after further scrutiny) was the ugliest thing he had ever seen in his life. David only knew it was supposed to be female, because of the huge mammary glands swinging from the thing's broad chest area.

He glanced to the left at Sonia, wanting to see her reaction. But she wasn't reacting in any particular way, she only seemed transfixed. Evian was still standing with her head bowed; the chain that had suddenly formed around her slender neck, lay coiled beside her feet. It was Vince who inhaled sharply, and nudged him in the arm.

"She looks just like a fucking rat!" he said. "You see that shit, David? What the hell is it?"

David didn't answer him, he was too busy watching the Queen of Valon. He could tell the creature was much bigger than Kia, even though she was sitting down with a huge golden shawl draped across her shoulders. Massive shoulders, that had to be at least ten feet across, he guessed. Her hands were the size of Paul Bunyan's in the old fable. Her feet were also ridiculously over-sized, yet resembled normal human feet, to him. But some of Queen Priscilla's other, more distinguishable features, he saw, were far from human.

As Vince had already remarked upon, her face was really a long rat's snout, bristling with whiskers. And when she spoke, Queen Priscilla revealed a cave of dagger-like teeth that caused a crawling sensation in the pit of his stomach. Slanting black eyes, which tapered to a point in the middle of her grizzled forehead, were near bursting with gleeful intelligence as she studied them. David knew those eyes wouldn't miss very much.

Her black hair was matted in dirty clumps, and buzzing with flies, or some other winged insects. What resembled alien lice climbed frantically through this forest of kinky filth. David also saw tiny glowing specks migrating across her diseased scalp in a steady, unending flow. Things were crawling all over her face too, but she didn't seem to notice them.

When she finally peered down her nose at him, David felt like slithering down a drain. Which as far as he knew, didn't exist in this particular chamber.

"I see that we have visitors," Queen Priscilla said, ignoring him again. She was sitting back on the throne now, carefully observing the rest of the people standing far below her. David couldn't fully see the expression on her face, but could imagine it. From his angle, all he could really see was her frightening grin, like stalactites overlapping before a dark cave. Her eyes were sinister black slits, her ears poked up like a jackrabbit's.

"Kia Plazine?" Queen Priscilla seemed to exhale. "Stand before me, and give your status report," she said, and her voice was shockingly normal. Actually rather pretty, David thought. Almost as pretty as she was physically horrendous. When he realized that the soft, sultry voice, was actually his queen's voice...!

David smiled before he could stop himself. He turned to Vince, dying to see his friend's reaction (nobody in the universe watched her movies more than him), but in that instant, the unmistakable, but terrifying sound of lightning shredded the silence, again! As it had while he was fighting with Vince in the dark; only this was far more shocking, because he wasn't distracted this time, and the totally unexpected sounds seemed to travel through his entire body.

Then, a dark shape dropped from the sky, blocking out the light, and slamming into the ground like a piano dropped from a roof! He saw Evian glance up in terror, frantically backing away on her knees, her chain rattling across the floor. His own fear made him stumble, again. While on both sides of him, Vince and Sonia were diving to the ground, Sonia yelling something he couldn't make out above the noise.

High above their heads, the entire crowd went wild.

All around them people were cheering as if they had gone insane. Whistling and yelling, and throwing things.

David saw some of the white skinned women getting fully naked; they were stripping off the thin, nearly invisible gowns, and were sucking their own breasts! It seemed some were sucking both nipples at the same time, which David felt was a good indication of just how big they were. It was as if every white girl in America had suddenly grown natural, gigantic tits.

The air was filled with colorful floating gowns, too. And the Realmian women, who had flipped out for no discernible reason, didn't appear to mind this pecuiliar display. David figured the slaves would eventually get dressed, and might recieve beatings for their actions, but for the moment, they were all getting naked. He wondered if it was a part of some weird alien tradition.

"You summoned me my Goddess Queen?"

David glanced up and saw Kia, and was completely taken aback. For more than one reason, too. The things she had done to Evian were beyond reconciling, and on one level, he hated her fucking guts. They could never be allies, or friends of any kind. She was a fucking racist, no doubt about it. But for all that, David thought she looked fucking extraordinary.

She was as exotic as the word got, he felt; Lorna London, painted dark brown. He thought Kia's skin color was intoxicating, and he even found her murderous black eyes attractive. The boy didn't know what mental disease made people think black chicks weren't utterly beautiful (when they were, as it was with any race of woman, of course), but he was glad they had it. He supposed that in a perfect world, it meant more black honies for a real motherfucker like him to fuck. Of course, it wasn't a perfect world, and more to the point, Kia wasn't actually a black girl.

But she was close enough for his needs, for his darkest sexual fantasies, and David only knew he was in utter awe of her. She stood tall and erect, almost defiant, as she stared up at the Rat Queen. He wasn't sure if he could handle so much female in bed, but he would certainly have the utmost fun trying.

"Where have you been?" Queen Priscilla asked. "I expected you to be here to greet the earth visitors."

"I was dealing with a situation, My Goddess Queen." Kia turned and glared at David, and his throat clenched with a fear he had never known. Kia's eyes were fathomless pits, as black as deep mine shafts, he thought. Far back in the darkness, like a distant star across the galaxy, David saw a red light blinking. Faint in the shiny black eyes, but there.

"You have consorted with traitors!" Kia said. "Enemies of the Dark Realm. I knew it was a mistake to bring you here!"

David was shocked. "What do you mean bring us here?" he asked. He blurted it out before he could stop himself, but it was too late now. "You told me you saved us because we stumbled into your world by accident!"

"I never told you anything," Kia said. "I only let you think what you wanted to think. In fact, I diverted you from such questions. I have many abilities, but misdirection takes no special powers against humans!"

"So, you're responsible for us being here?" David asked in disgust. "When I asked about Vince you already knew what was going on, because you caused it!"

"I had my orders," Kia said. "I can't help being efficient. This is not about me and my duties. I am a Realmian, I don't answer to—"

"How dare you stand before your Holy God Mother and argue?" Queen Priscilla said, but she didn't raise her voice even an octave. She didn't have to. "Calm yourself Kia," she said, "your emotions are leaking from your pores. Now, who is this traitor of which you speak?"

"The disgusting Glint My Goddess Queen," Kia said, and frowned with distaste. "The ugliest, filthiest, female sand dog among us!" Kia pointed at Evian, screaming: "She is a fucking traitor, Goddess Queen!"

12.

The Great Marlana Carter

Now, David carefully watched the alien woman who'd just appeared from a yellow cloud, shocking the whole arena. Clearly, she was a Realmian female, but she was even taller than Kia was. Not quite the German goddess Elke Sommer in looks, he felt, and not Lorna London, either. But she was very, very beautiful. Hypnotically so, David thought, and realized with a sense of wonder that this was actually the woman Sonia had mentioned back in his room: Marlana Carter.

Her rather descriptive description of the giantess matched this female perfectly. He didn't know if Sonia knew who the actress Logan Browning was, but he did. And Marlana Carter was Logan's exact duplicate.

So, Lorna isn't the only face these aliens find attractive, he thought. Interesting.

Marlana (a dark skinned Logan Browning) was holding the end of a thick chain in one large hand. David saw a small woman standing beside her, who was grabbing onto her massive right leg. Clutching her, really. She was resting her pale face against the Realmian's dark skin, and she was smiling, dreamily.

Every now and then, she lovingly kissed the leg. Then, the giant rattled the chain, and the female glanced up.

"Sit," the Realmian said. And the tiny woman grinned, immediately sitting down, where she went back to staring up at the giant, again. The Realmian turned her attention to the Queen and bowed.

"My Royal Goddess Queen, Superior God-Mother, most high above us all," Marlana said, bowing again. "You honor us with your presence. Allow me to clarify this matter, if you will."

"Please do," Queen Priscilla said, gathering her robes about her. "My patience has already been tried this day, Marlana. See if you can't clear up the dilemma, then we can move on to the true problem. I have a great deal to explain to our human guests."

Kia started at that. "With all respect, Goddess Queen," she said, "do you suggest that a spy within the palace is not a problem? The rats are missing. You above all, know how dangerous they are!"

"I also know the rats wouldn't dare attack me," Queen Priscilla said, clearly not liking the tone of Kia's voice, David thought. "We share blood and deep race memory. Plus, Rat King trained the mangy rodents to worship us just as the Glints do. I see no cause for concern."

"What of the earth rats, Goddess Queen? Do they still defend us? You saw the reports from the snoopers for yourself. The rodents have become lackadaisical, only concerned with eating and multiplying. That will not change overnight, and even if it did, they will always scurry in the shadow of gods. Even you made the joke, My Goddess Queen. You said yourself, the rats seemed to be trying to overpopulate the planet."

Queen Priscilla smiled. "A joke, Kia. Nothing more. Have you been smoking grain-leaf with the cooking Glints again? Might that explain your strange ideas?"

The crowd erupted in raucous laughter at this. Queen Priscilla observed them, a pleased smile on her rat's face. David found it creepy that he could tell she was smiling.

The hoopla went on for a few seconds before the trumpets blew again, and a deep silence fell. Kia frowned up at the audience, waving her hands in anger. "Please My Goddess Queen," she said, "don't listen to them. They are only slaves or low level Realmians. They have no idea what dangers we face. I do. The rats have become stubborn and independent. They are no longer satisfied with having a new place to call home. I have even heard rumors that their hybrid spy, Benn Bratticus, has considered communicating with humans! Do you know the implications of that?"

Queen Priscilla absently fingered her kinky hair. Tiny glowing dots with many legs, immediately covered her hand and wrist, blinking off and on like fireflies. The glowing bugs seemed thrilled that the Queen was touching them. David thought he heard them chanting Queen Priscilla's name in a chorus of voices nearly too high-pitched to hear.

She absently sucked the insects from her fingers, picking up the ones that had fallen in her lap, and popping them into her mouth. "What have you been doing Kia Plazine? You now get personal reports?" she said. "Since when have you become a figure of authority?" Her rat mouth chewed the chanting lice, munching loudly, her eyes squinted shrewdly.

"I am royalty my Goddess Queen," Kia said, "and a valued warrior in Mount Chrysler's Scavengers."

"Don't flatter yourself," Queen Priscilla said. "There are plenty I can get to replace you. Do you think you look as good as Naomi Ree? Do you feel your fighting ability is any match for Lana Aria? Or Taya Cutey for instance, she has shown great promise. And let me decide just how valuable you are, bitch. You speak above your rank!"

Kia snorted laughter. "She is a fool, My Goddess Queen. They all are."

"A fool who knows her place!" Queen Priscilla fired back. She patted her massive belly and rolled her black eyes. The Queen turned and studied the new Realmian woman. "Marlana, please step forward," she said.

The Realmian stepped closer to Queen Priscilla's throne. "My Goddess Queen?"

"You say this Glint speaks the truth? You gave her permission to speak to the boy?"

"I did, My Goddess Queen," Marlana said. "Following reports from the snoopers. I sent Evian to see how much the boy knew. His ally was still trapped on earth. A creature from Realm was attempting to retrieve The Book."

Queen Priscilla's eyes widened. "The Book?" she breathed. She lowered her voice, speaking so only the people standing in the immediate vicinity could hear her words. "Surely you don't mean the map to our world? That book was destroyed centuries ago, Rat King saw to it personally. I actually saw him do it! That happened at the beginning of the Dark Villanous Empire! Before the Sagittarius first stole the Holy Grail!"

Marlana lowered her eyes. "Yes, My Goddess Queen," she said. "I know of the legend." She glanced up. "The legend of the Kingdom Thief. Unfortunately, it appears that Rat King, who knows it as well, is no longer on our side.

"No longer on our side?" she echoed. "You surprise me Marlana. Now, you speak as hastily as Kia does. Whatever happened to Captain Rat King, it certainly doesn't involve a conspiracy. Perhaps I should get more involved in this matter?" she mused. "Maybe the Scavengers suffer from dull sun blades, and overworked imaginations?"

Marlana nodded. "Believe me Goddess Queen," she said, "I too felt doubt. The snoopers have been known to make mistakes. But never of this magnitude. For the information to be false, the snoopers had to be tampered with. Either that, or I have to accept what they showed us as truth."

Queen Priscilla leaned forward. "Who is us?" she whispered.

"Doctor Yarakki," she said. "You know of his origin. His loyalty to our people is beyond question. He—"

"Yet, you expect me to doubt Rat King?" she said, incredulously. She spoke in her normal voice again, so everyone could hear. "A creature who has been loyal to Realm and Mount Chrysler, for generations of my people? Yarakki's lifetime is but a split-second in Rat King's existence! What actual proof did you see?"

David listened closely to this exchange, feeling like a person walking in on the middle of a bad movie. He glanced at Vince and Sonia, and saw them both staring up at Kia. Their expressions were filled with questions, and Vince seemed especially stunned. His eyes roved up and down the Realmian's body, lingering particularly long on her face.

David guessed his friend had noticed Kia's eerie resemblance to Lorna London. A beautiful model, but an even better actress. It was odd watching Lorna's face (a darker skinned Kia) talking to her own voice, but coming out of a hideous rat woman. He could imagine some idiot director trying to make a movie out of it.

"I saw Bratticus speaking to a human, Goddess Queen," Marlana said, and turned to face Kia. The other Realmian gave her a stare that could freeze ice, David thought.

"Kia is correct about Benn Bratticus," she said. "He is in league with black humans." She glanced down at David again, making him jump. "These males were located by the snoopers three nights ago," she continued. "At first, we were confused, thinking the mechanism that controlled the snooper's tracking controls had malfunctioned."

Marlana turned back to Queen Priscilla. "We programmed them to find Rat King," she said, "or any of his top agents, as you ordered. The coordinates are automatically set; Dr. Yarakki only had to press a button. The snoopers went to work, flying into the tunnels, searching for Rat King. But alas, no Rat King. The search was thorough, however. So thorough, that Dr. Yarakki had given up, and was just about to switch them to auto-seek, which would have let them roam the sewers beneath New York unattended, when the snoopers suddenly left the tunnels. Straight out of Queen's Cave they flew, speeding across the night sky like bats!"

"That is impossible!" Kia blurted out. "Snoopers never leave the lowest levels of any place they explore! You said Doctor Yarakki set the controls to search Rat King's world. How did the snoopers override that command on their own?"

Marlana didn't acknowledge Kia. "Goddess Queen, the snoopers were following Dr. Yarakki's orders," she said. "They were instructed to seek out Rat King or his top agents." She frowned. "They eventually stopped at a building located on a quiet city block in New York City," she said. "We watched as the snoopers swept down towards the building, and only hesitated a moment before actually going inside." Marlana's frown slowly morphed into a smirk. "Can you imagine what we found?" she whispered.

Queen Priscilla's ears twitched violently, a shower of lice spilling down to her shoulders. David clearly heard them fall, like dry rice from a bag, followed by the strangest mewling sounds. It was as if the alien lice were screaming now.

They began to race around on the Queen's shawl, chasing one another, some already beginning the trek back to the long furry ears where they had built nasty-looking nests. David thought only a nest of roaches, which he was unfortunately used to seeing, looked more disgusting.

"Have you gone mad?" Queen Priscilla said. "Snoopers in human dwellings, and without permission from me?" She chuckled musical laughter. So did the crowd.

Marlana was nodding. "I know my Goddess Queen. Both of us were amazed. Dr. Yarakki surmised the snoopers had latched onto something, something important, perhaps. From what little has been learned from studying the machines, Dr. Yarakki believes a special directive was triggered; maybe a royal command in case of treachery that has long since been forgotten. If it was ever known."

Kia smirked. "A special directive?" she said. "In case of treachery?" She waved a hand in Marlana's direction. "Nightfall tales, My Goddess Queen. Perhaps, Marlana and Doctor Yarakki, are the ones dabbling in grain-leaf?"

The listening audience roared with laughter, and David felt as if he were watching a sitcom, and knew exactly when the laugh track was coming. It was obvious that the two Realmian women weren't the best of friends.

"I am sure that Marlana truly believes everything she has said," Kia began, grinning. "However—"

"Silence!" Queen Priscilla said, and her voice echoed throughout the entire arena. "Continue Marlana," she said, in a quieter voice, adjusting the golden shawl across her shoulders again. "What did the snoopers find?"

David peered up at Kia, thinking she appeared somewhat nervous. She was glancing sideways at Marlana, her face a dark cloud of emotion. Marlana smoothed out the bodice of her gown, clearing her throat. Since the Realmian was basically naked, this amounted to simply caressing her enormous breasts. They jiggled, and bounced, like balloons filled with honey, making David's penis stir involuntarily in his pants.

"We saw Benn Bratticus, Goddess Queen," she said. "Down in the basement of the building." Marlana glanced over her shoulder at David. "He was speaking with men that I believe this human David, has knowledge of."

David blinked, taking a step back, his aroused penis forgotten. The crowd above them erupted, as both Sonia and Vince immediately turned to view him. Even Evian was watching him intently.

"Kill him!" somebody screamed from the stands. "Murder his treacherous ass!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" David stammered, glancing towards the bleachers. "What men?"

He didn't know any men on personal terms. Unless, the woman was referring to men from the shelter. From the Camelot Hotel. But he only dealt with them if he had to. He occasionally bought used shit from them, when he had money to spare, but mostly just to be kind. The stuff he bought usually amounted to nothing more than broken junk.

"I don't know what's going on," he said, looking at Marlana again, "but this woman is wrong! What makes you think I know these people at all?"

Marlana stared down at David for a moment. "Who is Paris?" she asked, finally. "When the snoopers finally arrived at their destination, we saw Benn Bratticus, and the black humans." She grinned, sarcastically. "They were in a small room towards the back of the building. A female was tied up, strapped to a chair. The men continually called her Paris. Nearly every other word out of her mouth was David. Your name," she said. "Do you deny knowing this female, human?"

"I know a Paris," he said. He hated the guilty tone in his own voice, and couldn't do anything to stop it. "But how do you know she was my Paris? It's a beautiful name, but she's not the only girl in New York with that damn name!"

"Agreed," Marlana said. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl, and once the snoopers had locked onto the target, Benn Bratticus in this case, Dr. Yarakki was able to control them manually. He made them process the image of the female, then programmed them to seek out her previous location. Before the men had kidnapped her, in other words."

The Realmian woman gazed up at Queen Priscilla. "Can you imagine our surprise Goddess Queen," she said, "when the snoopers swept from the basement, up through the building, and back outside into the night air? They flew to the back of the building, up to the third floor, and came to a stop outside of a small window."

"You're saying this building was—" David began.

"The Camelot Hotel," Marlana finished for him. "The snoopers stopped outside your room, David. Number 300. The lights were on, the front door cracked open. All of your possessions were strewn about. The window was closed, but snoopers can infiltrate anything; one light tap on the control board in Dr. Yarakki's lab, transported it through the glass and into the room." Marlana peered down at him. "It didn't take long to find the photographs of the both of you," she said. "She is your girlfriend, is she not? An abnormally attractive female, almost as pretty as the famous Paris Jackson, herself?"

David didn't know what to say. It seemed that the entire arena awaited his response. Vince was giving him a strange look, one he couldn't read despite their extensive friendship, and secret language.

Sonia's expression, however, was one he could read quite easily. He could read the gesture she was making with her middle finger, too. "What happened to Paris," David asked, trying to ignore it, and that angry look in Little Sonia's eyes, but still feeling a surprisingly deep sense of hurt. He could feel the vibration of his heartbeat in his throat. His hand shook badly as he wiped his dry mouth. "Why the hell was she tied up?" he whispered.

Marlana turned back to Queen Priscilla. "My Goddess Queen," she said, "we learned that Benn Bratticus instructed the blacks to take the girl to the basement. We have yet to discover the purpose." She glanced at David, again. "Personally, I believe whatever they're up to down there, involves the creation of the clone to replace Nacirema Wolf."

"What happened to Paris?" David repeated; none of this made any sense to him. Who, or what, he wondered, is a Nacirema Wolf? And what clone? He was beginning to feel sick, lightheaded, loose-bowled. The artificial sun was annoying him. The rays were cold, but were extremely bright, like winter stars, he thought.

David said, "If something happened to her, please tell me!"

Marlana frowned. "As of this moment," she said, "the girl appears to be fine. How long she will remain that way, is another question. You might assist her best by cooperating with me."

David thought of Paris; she had been sleeping as he left the room two days ago (or at least, he believed she'd been sleeping), and he clearly recalled the gentle curve of her back, and the huge swell of her hips and ass as she lay in bed, with a nostalgia so powerful, he nearly cried. All he could think of, was the moment he'd decided not to kiss her goodbye. A moment he might live to regret forever, were she to die.

David had considered going to her before he left, just to kiss her on the neck and whisper I love you, Paris.

At the last minute however, at the point where thought becomes action, he had turned away, easily manufacturing a deep and satisfying anger. It was amazing just how easily he could do that, too. And he wondered if it was a common human trait, present in every person and in every relationship, because it felt so terribly comfortable.

Why should he apologize? he'd wondered. She wasn't his fucking mother, fuck her! And with that, David had left the room, feeling sorry for himself, sorry for Paris having to deal with an asshole like him, and mostly, sorry that he hadn't kissed her when he'd had the chance. Knowing full well (even through his manufactured anger), he might never get the chance, again. Hell, he could have stepped through the Camelot's doorway, shut the door, and witnessed the entire building behind him exploding immediately after. "A gas leak," the firemen would tell him. "It happens sometimes, Mr. Jackson."

These thoughts occurred to him now, and his heart was beating so hard he could barely breathe. He eyed Marlana warily. "What kind of cooperation?" he asked. "I still haven't heard why I'm here." He turned and looked at Vince and Sonia. "Or why they're here?" he added. "What is this place? How can you people really exist?"

Queen Priscilla clapped her massive hands, the entire arena seeming to jump at the sound. "Have you never questioned your existence?" she asked, cryptically. The sudden hush that fell over the stadium was palpable.

The rat-woman glared down at David, her shining eyes seeming to tremble in their black sockets. "Have you never wondered about what's beyond your planet?" she asked him. "Do you believe in aliens, David? Certainly, you aren't arrogant enough to think you are alone, or are you? Yarakki said you humans were like this. Particularly, you black humans. But I chose to wait and see for myself."

It was Lorna London's soft, musical voice. And even coming from such a monstrous face, the voice was incredibly reasonable, and almost soothing.

"My Goddess," Kia began. "I think—"

"SILENCE, BITCH!" Queen Priscilla roared. And it really was a roar. A deep guttural sound that couldn't have come from a human throat. A sound David imagined a dragon might make if dragons existed.

On the heels of that idea, he realized where he was, and how he got there. Maybe dragons did exist somewhere in this eerie world? he thought. David didn't know, and certainly didn't care at the moment. Who needed dragons when Queen Priscilla was more than enough to deal with? Even worse than a fucking dragon, he thought. Davidn't didn't doubt that for a second.

And then, he saw a startling thing: Kia actually kneeling down with her head bowed! David watched in amazement while the Realmian trembled before the Rat Queen of Realm. He wondered if Evian was feeling the same way he felt.

The men and women currently gathered around the throne, moved away nervously. Even the elite Realmian soldiers, the Blood Leakers, David thought, appeared afraid of the great Priscilla. And when the chaos finally came, David actually saw it happen. He was probably the only one in the entire stadium of thousands, who did.

He happened to be watching one of the Realmian women, thinking she looked familiar, and had just realized she resembled Miley Cyrus (if Miley had suddenly grown as dark as Fantasia, he thought, or turned over twelve feet tall!) when a Glint woman reacted to Queen Priscilla's tremendous roar, and shrieked.

In turn, the woman's shriek startled one of the Realmian men, who then dropped his silver tray.

The tray crashed to the floor, the crystal bucket and drinking glasses exploding on marble. Shards of glass slid in every direction, one of the shards unfortunately, landing right beneath the Realmian Miley Cyrus's boot.

It was only chance that made the splinter of glass a perfect blade sticking up from a crystal base. Only fate, when the Realmian Miley stepped on the shard, the glass puncturing first her boot, and then the tender flesh of her size thirteen foot, and she immediately snatched up the hapless woman and began to throttle her. As if it had somehow been her fault.

The Realmian suddenly looked psychotic, and evil, as her body shook from her unreasonable wrath. The Glint woman's tiny frame eventually grew limp as she died of a broken neck, spine and legs. But the beautiful Realmian continued to shake her viciously, her small body gushing green blood, and swinging as if boneless.

David couldn't say what had triggered it, but Queen Priscilla really went berserk then. She rose from the throne like a titan in Ulysses; her mouth yawning, revealing those crooked black teeth, again. Meanwhile, the knotted dreads upon her head began to grow, to lengthen and thicken into elephant trunks of hair!

They seemed to have minds of their own, suddenly darting out, and snatching up people by the necks, arms and legs! The people resembled grotesque barrettes hanging from the Queen's ragged tresses. And they were also screaming.

Queen Priscilla's eyes were glaring so brightly, the former spectators she'd missed, covered their faces as they ran. As a result, there were plenty of horrid accidents on the arena floor that day. But Priscilla wasn't aware of them, and didn't care, as her body continued to rise, going up and up, and up, until everyone in the stadium bleachers began to chant.

But whether from happiness or fear, David couldn't tell. He only knew it reminded him of the breath taking Jessica Lange as she'd looked in King Kong. He could recall the dark skinned savages chanting like this as the hollow drums beat, and the heavy foot steps crashed through the surrounding jungle, because King Kong was finally coming.

David shook himself, as the men around the throne dropped everything and scattered. Flagpoles slamming to the ground, silver trays hitting the floor and rolling in a dozen directions. Women ran away wildly, quickly distancing themselves from the raging Rat Queen. Even the Realmian females raced from the immediate area, dragging screaming slaves across the shiny floor with them. By arms, legs, and one of them, even by his neck. It didn't take long for his entire head to pop off, at which point, the rest of his blood soaked body was left behind as the Realmian kept on running.

People got caught up in the multitude of chains and became entangled, whole groups of Glints and Realmians stumbling to the marble floor. David thought of the rats in the book for a moment, the rat kings, with their tails all tangled up. Then, shook his head violently, again, desperately trying to clear it.

He glanced up just in time to see Queen Priscilla peering down at the fleeing people, and she suddenly thrust her shaggy head forward, with her fearsome jaws spread impossibly wide. A torrent of flame shot from her open mouth, slamming into the floor, and scouring the ground in a wide sweeping arc! Everyone in the range of the blast was immediately fried, and lay crumpled on the black surface, their scorched bodies still burning.

Queen Priscilla raised her enormous head and laughed.

"Quick!" Evian screamed. "We must escape while we can!"

David turned to her. She was waving at him, frantically. The chain around her neck was swaying and clinking with her movements. "Follow me!" she screamed, running off and into the stampeding crowd.

David watched her leave, the arena seeming to rock with noise all around him. It was a madhouse of violent sounds as he spun in all directions, frantically looking for his friends. He wasn't going anywhere without them! Deep relief flooded his body as he finally saw Vince, and Sonia, standing huddled together like small children before a storm.

They were both covering their ears, but they weren't looking in his direction. Their eyes were trained on Queen Priscilla. The rat woman was now stomping away from the throne, bigger than Godzilla, and she was still spitting rivers of flame down upon the ground.

Those who ran first were far away now, mere specks to the naked eye as they fled to the other side of the arena. It turned out to be a huge mistake. Queen Priscilla saw them, and spit a ball of flame high in the air! The fireball went an amazing distance, arced in the brilliant light, and crashed into the arena's floor with a mind numbing explosion!

The ground shook beneath David's feet, causing him to stagger sideways, as he turned in the direction of the explosion sound. All he could see was the mushroom cloud drifting up from where hundreds of Realm people had once been. The people were gone now, the area as empty as the desert outside the palace walls. Clouds of smoke were drifting up to a ceiling he could no longer even see.

Queen Priscilla roared again, swinging her massive head, black tentacles of hair twisting like pythons. She started towards the bleachers, towards them, and her every footstep made the ground shudder. Her hair was still snatching up people and shoving them into her hairy jaws, as she went. Green blood poured from her muzzle in streams and rivers.

"Vince! Sonia!" David screamed, and they both turned to him, with their eyes wide and their chests heaving. "Run!" David shouted, and pointed across the arena. They both looked and saw Evian racing across the stadium.

"Follow her!" David yelled, and chased after the small Glint woman himself, grabbing Vince's arm and pulling him along as he ran past them. Vince followed him, after the briefest hesitation, with Sonia close on his heels.

Evian was far away, headed towards the bleachers too it seemed, but David was surprised he could still see her. Despite the people running all around them, some fleeing from the stands, others falling hard to the surface like rag dolls.

Others were storming the floor like the fans of a baseball team just after winning the World Series. (A World Series which David no longer had any interest in watching. He felt too many players had to cheat to compete.) But many of the women were still naked, their tits and butts bouncing madly as they also fled across the stadium.

And then, David remembered the Realmian women. Kia and Marlana Carter. He didn't notice them in all the commotion. He tried to glance around as he ran, but nearly slammed into a Glint fleeing in the opposite direction. He decided to keep his eyes forward, at least until he made it to the other side.

They eventually reached the bleachers without incident. He had lost sight of the Glint, but could hear Queen Priscilla still going crazy behind them, her screams reverberating in the air, and another crashing boom jarring the ground. (Queen Priscilla shooting more fireballs, David thought, feeling nearly shell shocked.) When they got to the wall that separated the stands from the arena's floor, David finally saw Evian.

She was standing at the entrance of what appeared to be a doorway. She held the door open with her back as her slender arms beckoned to them to follow. Then she slipped into the shadows and the door closed.

13.

The Great Escape

They were running through a maze of dark, twisting corridors. Vince was in front, responsible for keeping an eye on Evian as she led them. Sonia was in the middle, and David was bringing up the rear. Evian was far ahead, but they could hear her sandals slapping the stone floor and the rattle of the long chain trailing behind her.

David imagined it scraping sparks from the concrete, and wondered why she wasn't carrying it instead of leting it drag behind her like that. And he wanted to call out to her, to tell her to wait up, but didn't. He was too busy thinking about Kia and Marlana again; wondering where they were.

Where had the women gone? He couldn't say for sure, but knew they could reappear at any moment, and screaming would only pinpoint their current location. So, he remained silent and kept on going.

The going was rough, but at least they could see the path ahead of them. Dim light was glowing from small squares of what appeared to be plastic, and were fastened to the walls, somehow. He couldn't see them clearly, they were running much too fast, but he knew the difference between electricity, and the unsteady light of wax candles as they sped down passage after shadowy passage.

David, no stranger to physical fitness, was still surprised he wasn't getting tired even as Sonia tripped over something she couldn't see in the shadows beneath her, and tumbled violently to the ground. Without stopping, he reached down, snatched her by the arm before she struck the stones, and tossed her onto his back. It was a smooth, effortless motion, that Sonia was clearly surprised by, but she still grabbed him by the neck and desperately held on.

David kept on going, picking up speed now (vaguely wondering how the fuck he'd just done that), and steadily gained on Vince who he could see running in the gloom up ahead. He had no idea his friend could run so damn fast.

Suddenly Vince came to a stop! David nearly crashed into the boy, but managed to swerve at the last second. He stumbled with Sonia still straddling his back, her added weight driving him dangerously forward, then he regained his balance before he could really fall to the concrete beneath them.

They had come to a wide intersection, but the main corridor was completely blocked off. Separate tunnels branched off to the left and right. More of the dim electric light illuminated the narrow hallways, providing a poor view of their surroundings. Vince was standing in the middle of the intersection, frantically glancing both ways.

"Where did she go?" David yelled. He crouched and let Sonia slide from his back. "You were supposed to be watching her, nigger!" he screamed.

Vince turned on him, his eyes glinting in the amber light. "I saw her come this way!" he said, gasping. "I didn't see her turn! She couldn't have turned!"

"She had to turn!" Sonia said. "Where else could she have gone?" She started coughing into both hands.

Sonia had her back against the wall blocking the corridor they'd just come through. She was breathing as if she'd just run a mile, her coughing spell over, and she was staring around, wildly. David saw a white hand suddenly reach out from the wall and grab her shoulder! She screamed, a long piercing shriek, which was suddenly cut off as she fell backwards.

Straight through the brick wall!

"Sonia!" David screamed, lunging after her without thinking. Vince tried to stop him by grabbing his arm, but only managed to go with him. They fell forward together, both of them staggering against the wall, and then into the wall! Like hot coins melting through a stick of butter.

David saw the world go pitch-black, and then a faint light appeared. They crashed to the ground on the opposite side of the wall, both of them yelling out in pain as their bodies struck rough, flat stone. Rolling over, and cursing explosively, David immediately grabbed his right elbow.

"You okay David?" Sonia asked, slowly limping over to him and kneeling down. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "It was Evian," she said. "I thought it might have been Marlana, or maybe, that crazy bitch Kia."

David nodded, and glanced at the place they had just stumbled through. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, and for a moment, his mind actually slipped. He nearly embraced the idea that this was all a dream; a nightmare that couldn't possibly be happening for real. Impossible shit, like the notion of African Americans writing sci-fi, he thought.

He would wake up from this horrid place, hung over in bed, with Paris sleeping beside him. Or maybe sitting up and watching television. It would be November, and snow would be falling outside his shelter window. Blue jays, and cardinals, and the occasional crow, would flutter down to the ledge, their strident caws filling the frigid morning air. He was only dreaming.

And then, David shook off the bullshit, and really saw the corridor.

There was no wall, and the corridor didn't branch out to the left, and the right, as it had before. The passageway was unbroken, a single hallway that went straight down with no obvious openings. "What the fuck happened to the wall?" David said, turning to stare at Sonia. Then, he glanced at Evian, again. "Where the hell did it go?" he said.

The Glint woman was smiling faintly. "Black magic!" she said. "There is such a thing, you know? Can you figure out which illusion is real? The one on this side of the wall, or the one you saw from the hallway?" She was still breathing heavily. And looked slightly wild-eyed, David thought.

He gazed at her for a moment; at the chain still hanging from her long neck. For the first time since it happened, David got the chance to consider her eye. The one that Kia had viciously ripped from her face after David made the mistake of mentioning what Evian told him.

Evian's face was just fine now; and her nose was perfectly straight, too. She had both eyes, and it seemed the bruises and scars inflicted by the Realmian (and her electric blue claws), had faded to nothing. Had almost completely healed.

What happened? he wondered. Did Dr. Yarakki do this?

There wasn't even any scarring around the area where Kia gouged the eye from her face. The electric claws had ripped at Evian's skin, tearing through it like tissue. Wedges of bloody flesh had fallen to the marble floor like mouse-sized slices of pizza. Now, her face was impossibly smooth and flawless.

"Your eye," David breathed. "I saw Kia rip it out. How did you—?"

"How did I get it back?" she said. "Or how did it heal?"

David shrugged. "Both," he said. "And how are you even walking around? After that bitch ripped out your..." David stopped, again. "Turn around," he said.

Evian turned, showing David the length of long, silky hair, falling to her back. It seemed longer than it had before. He'd thought her hair looked different. And why not? He'd completely forgotten what Kia did to her, hadn't he? And he'd apparently forgotten something else, hadn't he? The healing machine in the white lab; did she possibly know about it? He felt that particular notion was more than just likely.

Evian grinned. "It's come back," she said. Reaching up, she grabbed her ponytail and shook it at him. Her clear eyes twinkled. "I'm going to get Mrs. cave-cunt for that shit," she said. "I swear I am!"

David only stared at her. Shit? Mrs. Cave Cunt? Those were nasty sounding slurs, he thought. Did she make it up herself? Because, the profanity seemed weird coming from her lips; weird and strangely erotic.

"You have magic too," David said, just to say something and getting slowly to his feet. "That's why you could do that trick with the purple cloud, right?"

"We can't stay here," Evian said. "I know you have many questions, I have a few myself. But not here, Marlana and Kia will be after us."

Sonia gasped at that. "Where can we go?" she asked. "Don't they know every inch of these tunnels? Marlana made it sound as if she did."

"Marlana doesn't know all of the secrets of Mount Chrysler," Evian said. "Even Queen Priscilla doesn't, and she's been around forever. But we Glints have been here far longer. Since it was called Valon, in fact."

David heard Evian's statement. She said Glints had been here longer. He knew she meant on Realm, that her people had occupied the planet first. But he wasn't in any condition, or mood, to consider how it was possible. Kia never gave him that indication when they spoke earlier.

He saw Vince getting to his feet, after carefully checking out the brand new holes in his pants. Evian was still standing beside David. When he turned back to her, she wore a strange expression, and she was gazing down at him; gazing into his eyes.

"Where are we?" David asked her, looking away.

"Beneath Valon, this passageway has been here for decades," she said. "Ever since the Realmian's discovered our hidden city, and even centuries before that. It leads out into the Void. We were already here, adding to these tunnels as a matter of fact, when their ships arrived one morning." She exhaled. "My people will never forget that day," she said.

The room was semi-bright from the glow of electric lantern poles that were sticking from holes in the walls, two on each side. The temperature was cool, and David thought he could detect a strange scent, not a pleasant one, either. It came and went with the slightly shifting currents of air, and smelled faintly familiar.

He looked up and saw a very high ceiling, with wooden planks stretching across the entire room. The corridor continued down as far as he could see, and both walls were rocky, but shiny-looking. Almost like plastic, he thought. They reminded him of the landscape paintings he'd made back in public school. You could actually feel the mountains, and hills, and fields of green grass, beneath your fingertips.

David had an urge to touch the wall, but something stayed his hand. Something about the surface seemed nasty to him. As if it were alive, wet and breathing, imperceptibly. The bleak color reminded him of the gray coils in a human brain.

Vince finally spoke up. "Excuse me," he said. "I don't mean to interrupt. But what the fuck is going on?" He glanced at Sonia and Evian. "By the way," he said. "I'm Vince Collins; I'm David's friend."

He walked up to each one of them and shook their hand. His tone was calm, much calmer than his face looked, in David's opinion. "Where are we David?" he said. "And what the hell was that shit out there? The rat-woman thing. Queen Priscilla? She was covered in roaches, or spiders, and shit! I nearly fainted after seeing her ass!"

"What the fuck was wrong with her?" Sonia asked. "And why did she sound like Lorna London? Or am I just going all the way crazy now?"

"Yeah!" Vince said. "I heard that shit! What the hell is this place? How are those women so fucking huge, and how did the other one look like Lorna London? That Kia bitch, she's gorgeous but damn, talk about being conceited! Did you see how she kept feeling up her own ass?"

"Kia's vanity is the least we have to worry about," Evian said. "Queen Priscilla is reacting to the Black Diamond. It is dying. These incidents have been occurring more and more frequently, and before long, she will lose all control. We must bring her back before that happens."

"Bring who back?" Sonia said.

"The true Queen," Evian replied. "But we can't discuss that in here."

"What's a black diamond?" Vince asked. He was wiping at his face, inadvertently smearing the ashes further across his right cheek. "Sounds like a Donald Goines book," he said, turning to face Evian.

"I don't know what a Donald Goines is," she said. "Unless, you mean the African American who pioneered hood fiction on Alphius Sixteen. But the Black Diamond is the power that keeps our worlds divided." She glanced at Vince, expressionless. "By the way," she said. The woman waved one small hand above her head, and a light blue cloud formed from thin air! The light tinkling sound came once more.

Then, a dark object dropped from the cloud, landing on the ground with a heavy thud, puffing up dust! The wispy blue cloud evaporated, and Vince stared at the spot where the cloud had been for a moment, his eyes wide. Then, he glanced down and immediately recognized his backpack. "My pack!" he said. "I forgot all about my fucking bag!"

Then he stared at Evian, his own face expressionless. "How the fuck did you just do that?" he said.

Evian grinned. "Ask your friend, he should be able to fill you in by now."

Vince looked at David. "What?" he said. "You know about all of this wacky shit, nigger?"

David shrugged. "I know what Kia told me about the Realmian women here. They have some type of electrically based powers, but..."

"Powers?" Vince was frowning; he really looked like Tom Cruise when he did that. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know," David replied. "But she's right. We can discuss this later."

Vince stared at David for a few seconds, then he walked to the bag, and picked it up. "Where was it?" he said, unzipping the bag and digging through it.

Evian glanced at David. "You left it in the chamber," she said. "I didn't get a chance to retrieve it until the Queen react...until she lost control. David was watching Queen Priscilla burn her slaves and Scavengers, weren't you David? Quite a sight, huh?" Before he could reply, Evian looked at Vince. "He was after the book," she said. "The Histories Of The Future. That's why he was chasing you so damn hard."

David saw Vince stop and glance up at Evian. He looked as if the piece of some puzzle had just fallen snugly into place in his mind. He was nodding his head.

"What did he want with the book?" he asked. "I thought so!"

"That definitely can't be explained standing here," Evian said. "We have to go, they'll be searching for us."

"I thought this passageway was a secret?" Sonia said. "That illusion of the brick wall was perfect. I would have never figured it out."

"The problem down here is not the Realmians," she said. "Let's go."

The Glint woman walked away, up the dim corridor, and the three of them watched her leave. Vince wasn't finished checking the backpack. "She saved me," he said. "I was on the train and this thing, a cross between a rat and a man, tried to fucking kill me!" Vince's face seemed overly pale in the low, somehow dismal light, and he was staring at them like a madman. His hands were still rummaging through the pack.

"What?" Sonia said. "He tried to kill you? Who tried?"

David guessed she must not have heard the most important thing Vince just said. But he had heard him. A cross between a rat and a man? And why the hell had he been on the C train?

"Let's go!" Evian yelled back to them from down the corridor. Sonia jumped, badly startled, and immediately started walking. Vince zipped the bag shut and slipped it on his right shoulder. He adjusted it a few times until it felt comfortable.

David thought about what Evian said. He was after the book. And Vince: A cross between a rat and a man. These were things he knew nothing about. For some reason, his friend had ridden the train when he was supposed to be waiting for him at Cranberry Street. And then, something had tried to kill him? Plus...

"Vince!" David called out suddenly, stopping the boy in his tracks. David watched him turn around to view him.

"What?" he said.

"The traps," David said. "What happened to them?"

Vince shrugged. "You know," he said, "this is the first time I've even thought about them since the train. I remember grabbing one just before Evian grabbed me, but after that..." He shrugged again. "Who knows?" he said.

David watched as Vince turned, and strode up the tunnel again, still hitching his pack on his shoulder, and mumbling something under his breath. Before he followed him, David glanced back at the open corridor behind them. Evian had asked him which image was real. This one, or the image of the brick wall and branching passages, as viewed from the other side? David wasn't sure, now that he'd really thought about it. Sonia was right, the illusion was perfect. But maybe he could...

He looked around the gloomy space until he noticed a gray rock. It wasn't shiny like the walls, and resembled sandstone, or maybe some kind of graphite.

Bending over, he picked up the rock and held it in his open palm. Then he suddenly turned and pegged it down the corridor. It flew straight and true, until it reached the exact spot where the three of them had encountered the wall. David was only slightly surprised when the rock struck something solid with a dull thud, and rebounded to the dirt, skipping a few feet before landing on one flat side. As he thought it would be, the wall was still there.

14.

Something Wicked...

Evian led them through a corridor that sloped downward for what seemed like hundreds of feet. She carried the chain to keep it from dragging on the ground, finally admitting that David's suggestion back at the top of the tunnel, had been a good one. Above them, electric lights shone from a ceiling covered in clay colored stalactites pointed towards the ground.

A cool breeze was blowing down the tunnel, and along with it, an awful stench that David thought he'd smelled somewhere before. It took some time, but about fifty feet down it finally came to him. He finally realized where he'd smelled that ghastly stench. He thought of the time he and Paris went to the Bronx Zoo. The monkey cages had smelled something like this, he recalled. It was the earlier odor; the one he first noticed after they magically passed through the wall, only much stronger.

"What's that smell?" Sonia voice echoed as she covered her nose, glancing around the narrow passage.

Evian stopped walking, and turned around to face them. The beam from the flashlight blinded David momentarily as she swept it across his face. The woman was still getting used to using the Black & Decker.

"Sorry," Evian said. She moved the beam of light in the opposite direction.

"Watch it!" Sonia screamed, ducking her head. The light had just been shining in her face. "Remind me to never give you a fucking gun!" she said. "Or any other kind of weapon!"

Evian only smiled. "You smell the sand cats," she said. "Horrible, isn't it?"

Vince's face was wrinkled in disgust. "What the fuck are sand cats?" he asked. "And where the hell are they?"

He was frantically looking around as if expecting one to come charging up the dark tunnel at any moment. And he was apparently trying to figure out which way it would come from.

"Sand cats are some of the most dangerous predators on Realm," she said. "These tunnels used to be filled with them. At one time, they even protected us from enemies. Now, they serve Mount Chrysler, and the Realmians, as does Rat King and his army." She exhaled. "And most of the other life forms on Realm," she added.

"I meant to ask about that," Vince said. "Who is this Rat King?" He looked at David. "Not the same thing as in your book?"

Evian shook her head. "We are not safe talking here," she said. "The entire population of sand cats were altered by Doctor Yarakki, he was forced to do it. The cats can now tolerate the intense heat of Cuarto-4. But they still come down here to breed. They seem to like the darkness. Sometimes, we run into them, and are forced to kill them if they don't flee."

"They're around now?" Sonia whispered. "How big are they?"

Evian glanced at Sonia. "You smell a sand cat's nest," she told her, "judging by the rankness of the odor, the nest is currently occupied. The odor comes from the prey sand cats kill and leave nearby. It doesn't take long for the bodies to rot and boil with maggots." She paused. "And they can grow to fifteen feet long, and weigh over six hundred pounds."

"They don't sound that dangerous to me," Vince said. "You just said you kill them if they don't run from you. Sand cats? They sound more like house cats!"

Evian ignored his sarcasm. "I can handle one or two," she said. "They run in packs called friggers. One frigger may contain forty cats. It would take ten female Realmians, and about twenty Glints, to handle that many beasts. They change shape effortlessly, and can see in total darkness. And they're still not our main problem."

"What else is down here?" Sonia asked, moving closer to David. "What the fuck is worse than that?"

She peered about the passageway, as if listening for the slightest sound. All David could hear was a hollow noise, like wind blowing somewhere.

Evian stared at her. "You already know the answer," she said. "Marlana told you, and Queen Pricilla nearly showed you. Had we not fled, you would have seen."

"What?" Sonia asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Let's keep walking," Evian said. "The sand cat's nest is somewhere up ahead of us. I haven't used these tunnels in years, it's possible there's more than one. So stop talking, I don't want them sneaking up on us. Their sight is terrible, but no creature on all of Valon has a better sense of smell and hearing."

She started up the tunnel, again. Vince watched her go, until she had passed what he felt was hearing distance, then he glanced at David. "Why does she keep ignoring my comments?" he whispered.

"I don't know," David said. "Maybe she doesn't like you. But I want to get to where we're going. My claustrophobia is starting to act up even though I've been trying to control it." David peered around the corridor, his breathing was a harsh whisper. "We're too far below the ground," he said. "I could actually feel us going down at one point." He exhaled. "I don't know how long I can take this."

"Just hold on," Vince said. "Don't flip out on me. I think we might be getting close to wherever we're going."

"What makes you think that?" Sonia asked. She was staring at David with worry etched on her face.

Vince shrugged. "Just a feeling I have," he said. He glanced at David. "Like the way I felt while we were fighting, as if I were someone else? That's how I feel now, like I'm picking up someone else's knowledge. But if I'm right, we're almost there."

"Let's catch up to Evian." David said. "Hopefully, you are right, and we'll be leaving these fucking tunnels soon. This shit is driving me crazy!"

They hurried down the corridor and eventually caught up with her. She was standing at a dark opening on the right side of the tunnel. She was still holding the flashlight, but it was clicked off. Her entire body was flush against the wall, anything looking out wouldn't have seen her. But could it smell her? Sonia wondered.

The black hole, she realized, was really a cave. Evian saw them coming and placed a finger to her lips. Quiet, she was saying. They watched as she sniffed at the opening. She frowned and pointed, nodding vigorously. The sand cat nest.

David nodded in return, and was just about to creep over to her, to ask if she could tell how many cats were in the cave, when something slithered from the darkness and bit deep into his right leg! He yelled in terror and agony.

"Move!" Evian screamed. She backed away, raising the flashlight and switching it on. The beam sprung to life, and she immediately aimed it towards the ground. The thing that emerged from the hole raised its head and roared!

The echoing boom crashed around the corridor. And David's leg immediately began to swell, and felt as if he'd just injected a hypo of boiling lead into his skin! He could feel it growing, horridly pushing against the fabric of his pants.

"It bit me!" he screamed at Evian. "The shit bit me in the fucking leg!"

"Run!" she yelled at him. "Run before you can't even walk, nigger! The poison works fast!"

The creature had obviously once been a snake, but somewhere along the timeline of evolution, the species had clearly transformed to adapt to a life underground. The eyes were opaque; a milky white color, that appeared wet in the bright beam of light. Its skin was the same shade as the walls, a pale gray that glistened as if covered in a layer of mucus.

Even through his incredible pain (the unbearable burning sensation in his leg), it was the mouth that caught David's attention. The hideous reptilian jaws brimming with gleaming, curved teeth! Evian had apparently been right about the sand cats. This was definitely a nest, because the beast sliding from the cave was clutching one of them in its jaws!

At first, David couldn't figure out what he was seeing. Large, feral eyes glittered in the shadows, and he thought the albino snake had merely coiled around the cat. Then, Evian shifted the beam, and he realized the sand cat was inside of the goddamn snake! The reptile had somehow bitten him with the shit in its mouth!

"Go!" David yelled, immediately limping past the cave, but Sonia was just standing there slack jawed, and he ran straight into her. She was staring at the creature, seemingly hypnotized, until he shoved her forward as he had on the subway car. She stumbled a few steps, and then finally began to run. Vince and Evian had already fled down the passageway, he could see the beams of their flashlights bobbing in the darkness far down the corridor.

David glanced back, and saw the snake still coming at him! It was over ten feet long already, he guessed, and clearly wasn't done sliding from the cave! His leg was throbbing now, and he could feel a hot, tingling sensation just beneath the balloon in his pant leg. It felt like he had tied a volleyball down there after setting it on fire!

The pungent odor intensified, seeming to advance with the albino serpent. The snake reached him in no time and reared up to attack him. Its jaws were spread wide again, the sand cat's eyes reflecting the electric light, and the look of terror in the cat's steady gaze was unmistakable. Only its head was sticking out of the snake's mouth, and it was twisting and jerking violently every now and then in a vain attempt at escape. Its death was certain, and the boy actually felt sorry for it for a moment.

Then, David watched the snake let loose a frightening howl, and snap its jaws shut! The sound of the cat's skull crushing into bone and paste was bad. The idea of his own head getting crushed that way, made David turn and race up the tunnel after his friends. But before he even got five feet, his legs were jerked from beneath him!

David slammed to the stone floor on his stomach, violently striking his chin. The impact jarred his skull, and the brain inside it. His head was pounding, his jaws throbbed, and his claustrophobia fell around him like heavy fog. He barely felt the huge bubble of skin on his calf when it popped. Slamming into the ground that way had done it, but he was too filled with adrenaline to notice. Terror filled his mind as he beat at the tail wrapped around his ankles. Each blow was a wet thud, his fists striking the slimy substance covering its body.

"Vince!" he screamed, and the sound echoed shrilly. The creature roared again, as if answering him. "Evian!" he shouted. "Sonia!"

David thrashed about on the rocky surface, adding to his assortment of scrapes and bruises. The snake was continuing to coil around his legs, while steadily pulling him backwards toward the menacing darkness of the cave.

It roared again, and David could see it in the yellowish-brown light coming from above. Its jaws were stretched hideously wide (he pictured a giant, black, cottonmouth snake), the fangs were rows and rows of hooked teeth.

"Hold still!" Evian's voice screamed, a moment before the purple cloud appeared.

She dropped from the air as if thrown from a mountain top, and David heard the disgusting sound of her sandals landing atop the snake's thick hide, and then punching through it! It was a wet, meaty sound, he thought, as the creature shrieked and bucked, whipping its tail up and down, repeatedly slamming David into the ground!

Evian began to stomp violently on the snake's body, bloodying her feet, until the section that held the boy, rolled away. It still twitched, but David was able to lift the dead flesh from his ankles, and scamper out of its grip. The snake however, was still very much alive! The creature snapped at Evian's head, and she ducked. She swung the chain around her neck at it, but it dodged the chain, hissing as it spun around to face her again.

But instead of attacking her, it yawned its triple set of fangs wider than ever, and lunged at David, instead! The boy threw up his hands to ward off the attack, but it was Evian grabbing its slimy hide that stopped it just short of swallowing his entire head! Its jaws remained open for a moment, inches from David's covered face, close enough to smell the thing's intestines (a low, putrid odor that roiled his stomach), and then the snake monster's head flopped to the ground.

It made a heavy smacking sound that ran through him; a sound like a pile of wet overcoats dropped from a great height. David had peeked between his fingers before that happened (a brief glance that he wished he could take back), and saw right into the snake's mouth. He'd heard pitiful mewling sounds that chilled his flesh, causing him to shiver in the hot tunnel. But also causing him to look.

The cat was still alive! Still lodged in the snake's throat; David saw its glinting eyes far back in the blackness of the reptile's gullet. The eyes were much further apart now (thanks to the crushing force of the snake's jaws, he thought), but it was clearly aware of what was happening to it. Horribly, aware.

Then David was backing away, limping further up the tunnel, trying to ignore the bright burning pain he could now feel growing in his calf. The snake had recovered from its crash landing, and was roaring again as it searched for Evian. She was no longer holding its enormous body by the tail; she had released it long ago, and leapt backwards.

"Run!" she said. "Catch up with them, David!"

But David didn't move as Evian turned back to the snake. He watched as she put her hands together, and they immediately began to glow. He thought of the great Terry Brooks and his magical elves, whose quest for elfstones had comforted him on many a dreary winter's day.

Now that he was actually thinking about it, Evian reminded him of an elf. And this radiance was a color he had never seen the Glint produce, elf or not. He squinted as a blazing red light slashed in the darkess, and an object dropped to the floor! Evian snatched it from the air before it could land, and spun around. She was now holding a huge sword that immediately made David think of Kia. It shimmered and crackled like a child's sparklers in the gloom.

So, Evian has electricity as well! he thought. I was right about her ass!

The snake saw the weapon, screeched, and rose up like a cobra. A thin beam of radiance blasting down from its eyes and striking the blade, nearly knocked it from Evian's grasp. The blade sliced into the floor where it stuck fast, with Evian still grasping its handle. She struggled for a moment, desperately trying to dislodge it. And that was really all the time the serpent needed to attack.

It was on the verge of lunging at Evian again, when a wild energy surged through David, and his mind was overwhelmed with blind anger. He charged the creature, leaping into the air at an angle, both his feet together!

As his head skimmed a row of hanging stalactites, David reached up, grabbing one and snapping it off, while still flying towards the snake. He swung his hand around, and threw it like a spear, and saw it plunge into the creature's blind orb, and dangle there like a bent cigarette.

The ensuing howling sounds were utterly dreadful; and the echoing made it nearly unbearable.

David landed on its body, making the snake whip its head in the narrow tunnel. Each time its head hit the wall there was a loud crunching sound, and blood or some other vile substance, flew from the snake's jaws in a burgundy cloud. It was howling louder than ever as some glowing liquid poured from the wound in its eye, the snake curving its shiny neck , twisting until it finally found David. He was stomping down viciously on its gleaming hide, just as Evian had done.

With a scream of pure fury, the snake darted forward, fangs dripping saliva or maybe poison, and lunged at his face again. Evian had finally jerked her sword free of the stone. Now, she swung the blade in a wide arc, chopping off the serpent's head just before its fangs could reach him. The frightening wail echoed in the passage as it flopped to the dust at David's feet. It jerked violently a few times, and then stopped.

David saw the red light in its eyes seem to wink out. But before he could say anything to Evian about it, they both heard deep growling noises inside the cave. Desperate, evil sounds, that were coming toward them like speeding death!

"There's more inside!" Evian screamed. The glowing blade had vanished. "Get out of here! Quickly!"

She waved her hand frantically, and David didn't need to be told twice. The dry hissing sound was nearly at the mouth of the cave, as David turned and hobbled up the tunnel with Evian close behind. And then, they ran for their very lives.

They eventually stopped running much further down the corridor where Sonia was standing alone. She was heaving and coughing. Vince was leaning over further down the tunnel, grabbing his sides, the flashlight in one hand. The book bag lay at his feet, a dark and welcomed shape on the dusty ground.

"What was that?" David asked, trying to catch his breath. He was looking at Evian, but Sonia replied first.

"Tiger snake?" she said, glancing at Evian, as well. "Right?"

The smaller woman was breathing hard and grinning. "You're learning quickly," she said. "Not bad. Tiger snakes dwell here, too. Marlana told you about them. But Queen Priscilla keeps a nest of them living in her hair, for protection I assume." She coughed into her hand. "How is your leg, David? Let me see it."

David knelt to the ground and raised his right pant leg, afraid to look at what the creature had done to him, but more afraid not to look. "What happened back there?" Vince asked. "We heard howls and screams, but the echoes fucked up the sound. We couldn't tell what was going on."

"The tiger snake got David," Evian said. "But we killed it."

"More like you killed it," David said as he hobbled into the light to show the woman his injured calf. Sonia screamed when she saw what was there.

"Oh, no!" she whispered. She immediately put her hands to her mouth, and stared at David's face. He already knew what had upset her, he could feel them now. It didn't hurt as much as before, but it did look revolting.

They all moved in a little closer to observe his wound. "Something's wiggling on his fucking calf!" Vince said. "It looks like...almost like green earthworms!"

Evian sighed. "The tiger snake's venom contained parasites," she said. "They come from the intestines of the rats on this planet." She glanced up at them. "No offense, but they really are called earth worms over here. They are the one common scourge of all the creatures that dwell on Valon. Either, the tiger snake or sand cat has recently been feeding on Valonian rats, which is impossible, or the worms are mutating and can now attack their hosts." She frowned. "I must inform Dr. Yarakki," she said.

"They eat sand cats?" Vince asked. "The tiger snakes, I mean?"

"They eat everything," she said. "Anything it finds alive, at least."

Sonia grimaced. Vince clearly couldn't stop staring at his friend's ruined leg; her either. It looked like a Chia-pet was growing from his skin to her, except the Chia-pet was squirming, and waving like the living tendrils of a sea-anemone. She could see tiny glowing red lights at the very tips of the tendrils.

"Does that shit hurt?" Vince asked David.

The boy shrugged. "Not really. It kind of stings, but even that's starting to go away. Is it healing?"

He looked at Evian, but didn't like what he saw on her face, or in her spooky eyes.

"It is getting worse," she admitted. "Not better. This is just the first phase. You can't feel the pain because the worms release toxins into their prey that perform a function similar to anesthesia. But it doesn't last, and you will definitely feel it soon unless we get them out of you." She gave him a peculiar look. "I must be honest with you," she said, "we don't have the slightest idea how to deal with the worms once they start growing. We've only studied them after they have already destroyed the host." She stood up straight. "This is bad David. Perhaps Dr. Yarakki can come up with something, but..."

"What would happen if you can't...I don't know, remove the worms?" Sonia asked. She was still covering her mouth and her voice seemed muffled.

"When we find the subjects out in the desert that we run our tests on, they resemble the green bushes on your world. They are easy to spot because we have no bushes here, and no trees, for that matter. I don't include the Gandy-grass you've seen growing in an Oasis, because Gandy-grass was created by Dr. Yarakki, and scientifically, could never be classified as anything in the plant family. Even if we did have such plant life growing in the Void, once we saw them crawling across the sand, there would be no question in our minds about what we had found."

"Crawling?" David asked, breathing heavy. "I thought you said they destroyed the host?"

Evian leaned over again, studying the wriggling mass of organisms. "Yes," she said. "I did say that. But destroy doesn't necessarily mean kill." She glanced up at him. "The creatures we find are not only alive," she said, "the worms are what's keeping them alive. In fact, we are still waiting for the first ones we discovered to die, and we found them nine years ago!"

"What?" Vince said. "He's going to live with this shit on him for nine years?"

Evian turned to acknowledge him. "No," she said. "You don't understand. First, the worms are going to eat his skin like they did on his calf. All of his skin, and once he's completely stripped of his epidermis, the worms will sprout all over his body. The tiny patch you now see, will eventually cover every inch of his flesh."

"Like a fucking human Chia-pet?" David said, inadvertently reading Sonia's mind. He peered down at his leg. "We have to try something, Evian. Please. Whatever you think this Dr. Yarakki may be able to do, I'm willing to try it!"

"Let's go," she said. "The sooner we get into the lab, the better. We'll see what he thinks."

"How big was that fucking thing back there?" Vince asked. "That...that...tiger snake?"

"They grow to over a hundred feet," Evian said. "They're almost instinct, and it's rare to spot one of them. It's the first one I've seen in a long time. It was a baby, maybe twenty feet long. The sand cat was only a cub, the adults often kill baby tiger snakes for sport." She stared down the corridor behind them. "They normally don't chase you more than a few yards, especially during mating season," she said.

"Mating season?" Sonia said. "Is this mating season?"

Evian smiled. "Yes," she replied. "Something must have driven them from the lower depths. They don't normally dwell this far up."

"Them?" Vince asked.

"The cave was full of them," David said. "They started rushing out after we killed the first one."

"They must have killed the sand cats, and taken over their nest," Sonia said. "Is that possible?"

Evian shrugged. "Maybe. It seems that way, but I've never heard of a tiger snake taking over another creature's den. And they never live together," she added.

The three of them only stared at the Evian, not knowing what to say. They watched her turn without another word, and walk away down the foul-smelling corridor. After a moment, they all followed her.

15.

The Hidden Lab

They had come to a dead end, or so it seemed to David as he limped into the middle passageway, and looked both ways. There was another brick wall blocking the corridor, but the other two were clear as far as he could tell. "Another illusion?" David asked.

Evian shrugged. "You tell me," she said, grinning. "Without hitting it with rocks this time."

David only gazed at her for a moment, wondering the obvious things regarding her statement, then walked up to the wall. He didn't touch it. He leaned over and listened, the side of his face only inches from the smooth surface. He heard slight, mechanical, pumping sounds, and electronic buzzing noises. R2D2 immediately came to his mind.

He moved back and glanced at Evian. "Something's behind there," he said. "It's another illusion."

Evian smiled. "Then walk through it," she said, pointing.

Her colorless eyes gleamed and sparkled. David looked down the converging corridors, again. If she was inviting him to walk through the wall, didn't that mean it was most likely real?

"We rely on our wits against the Realmians," Evian said. "There was a time when these tunnels were used to trap and kill them. A long time ago; before they gained their incredible size and strength, thanks to the Black Diamond."

David moved away from the brick wall, and glanced at her. "It's real," he said. "These other two tunnels are the illusion."

"Very good," Evian said. "But which other tunnel?"

David frowned. "Only one is real?" he asked her. "But..."

Evian laughed. "Enough of these games," she said. "We must see to your leg."

She turned to her right, facing the empty hallway. She closed her eyes and raised her hands, palms up to the ceiling as if opening a window. Pink radiance began to flow from the concrete floor. It resembled a waterfall on earth, except the water was going backwards toward the sky, and not down as if into a clear, shimmering lake.

The entire corridor was covered with flowing waves of light, end to end, ceiling to floor. Evian smiled at David. "You are about to learn why you have been brought to Realm," she said. "I caution you, prepare your mind for a shock. The history of our planet is a bloody one."

The woman stared into his eyes. Her pretty white face was covered in a thin layer of dust. Her red lips were moist, a dark smudge marred the tip of her small nose. It was clearly no longer broken, and he had an insane urge to wipe the dirt off. He suddenly remembered the savage acts of violence the woman had endured, and smiled inside.

Had he called her fragile? Innocent? Even humble?

Evian was none of those things, and David nearly laughed as he recalled his earlier promise to himself as well, that he would save Evian no matter the risk or cost.
A noble idea, and he wasn't ashamed for thinking it. But it appeared the Glint woman had saved them.

"Are you ready," Evian asked all of them. They all nodded, so she waved her hands in a clockwise circular motion. The pink waterfall vanished, and a bright white room was revealed! Evian blinked once, the rest of them ducked their heads from the brilliant glare issuing forth from the open space.

David looked up slowly, simply amazed by what he was seeing. It was as if they had walked on the set of a science-fiction movie as extras. "Holy shit!" Sonia said. "It's a fucking lab." She turned to Evian. "What's a laboratory doing beneath the Void?" she whispered.

"What's a void?" Vince asked. His surprise face seemed to be shining in the bright light.

"The name of the place we walked into," Sonia said. "That's how we got here. First we were on the C train and then, boom!" She clapped her hands. "A new fucking dimension. I said that, didn't I, David? That we were in a new dimension?" She turned to Vince. "I knew it from watching movies," she said. "The Void is a desert with monsters in it...all kinds of creepy shit, and Marlana told me all about them!"

"And we saw some of them," David said. "Up close and personal."

Evian walked from concrete onto smooth white tile. So smooth, that the lines separating the individual squares were nearly invisible to David. He glanced back, and saw the pink waterfall had returned, the liquid light continued to travel from the ground to the ceiling. To the boy it looked like a psychedelic curtain from the distant future.

The three teenagers followed the woman into the glowing room, marveling at the equipment lining the white walls. Everywhere they looked, there were strange machines; large metal contraptions with blinking lights. David heard the same pumping sound he had heard in the corridor coming from one of them.

It resembled a jukebox, in his opinion. It even had a clear, glass dome, on top. On the old-fashioned jukes, the records would sit beneath the dome. You could watch the mechanical arm transfer them from a stack of records when you pushed a quarter in the slot.

But this was no jukebox; and strange red lights were flashing on a metal panel beneath the curved glass or plastic. He couldn't see anything inside of it from his angle, but there certainly was no record player. And there was writing along the panel, illuminated by the crimson lights, but David couldn't read it at all. The symbols were strange alien hieroglyphics.

Vince and Sonia were standing behind him. "What is that?" Vince asked over his shoulder. "Looks weird."

"That's what made the sound I just heard through the wall," David said. He looked at Evian. "How is that possible?"

The woman shrugged. "Simple," she said. "That wall blocking the pathway is solid. But behind the wall is another corridor."

David frowned. "So, there was a time when it didn't exist?"

"Exactly," she agreed, "it was built to conceal this room." Evian paused, and gazed at them. "No Realmians know about this place," she said. "Had they found it, I wouldn't be talking to you right now."

"What is it for?" Sonia asked Evian. "Why keep a lab hidden down here?"

"Perhaps, I can answer that?" a voice called out. "If you'll pardon the musings of a foolish old man!"

The three of them spun around, and saw a man in a white lab coat rise from a panel in the floor! David couldn't see what was lifting him, but as soon as he reached the surface, the floor snapped in place beneath him. He wore glasses and grinned a huge grin, as his eyes settled on the Glint woman.

"Evian!" he said, rushing forward. "I've been so damn worried about you, sweetheart!"

They watched as Evian embraced him, saying: "Dr. Yarakki, so you made it down here!"

He was actually shorter than her and stocky, with a pencil holder in his pocket that was filled with pens. The lab coat was much too big for him, David thought, and nearly touched the floor.

Evian stepped back and stared into his face, one hand still gripping his left arm. "Did it work?" she asked. Her eyes were hopeful, David noticed, almost desperate.

The man sighed, shaking his head, sadly. "Not this time," he said. "It put up a good fight, but couldn't match their stamina. And yet, I still believe we are getting close."

Evian swore in frustration. "We don't have much time!" she said. "Close isn't good enough. Rat King is no longer at the Portals of Life. Queen's Cave was wide open when I came back from rescuing David's friend. Benn Bratticus was at the Camelot Hotel." She gave him a knowing look. "And David was just infected by worms," she said.

The old man glanced at him. "Show me," he said. His voice was stern and all business. "This is not good," he told her. "If..."

He glanced down, saw David's leg, and gasped. He peered up at him for a moment, and then suddenly dashed across the lab with alarming speed, and stopped at what appeared to be a silver cabinet. It was attached to the wall separating the lab from the surrounding tunnels. (He moves amazingly fast for an old man, David thought.)

He threw open the small door, and snatched something off one of the shelves. There were four, and there seemed to be plenty of glass bottles lining each one. He hurried back to them, unscrewing the metal cap on a small blue jar as he came. To David, it resembled a Vick's Vapor Rub container.

"So he has begun?" he said, huffing to a stop in front of David. He was looking at Evian. "I hoped we had more time, even a month might have proven very useful!"

He knelt down beside David, and dumped the contents of the jar into his palm. A ten-inch, yellow centipede slithered out on a thousand legs and started thrashing! Sonia saw it and screamed. But Dr. Yarakki ignored her, and placed the whipping insect right on top of the growth of worms on David's leg.

crawled through the wiggling green worms, and immediately began to glow with a bright vibrant color that reminded all three teenagers of bananas. And they could clearly see it was eating the green worms.

The slight pain in David's calf dissolved. And he no longer felt the nasty squirming sensation beneath his skin. "It's working!" he said. "What the fuck did you do? I can actually feel the shits dying!"

Dr. Yarakki stared down at the strange insect a moment longer. It was still glowing, and was curling lazily through the green, living mass. "It will only slow the process," he said. "I'm afraid there is no cure." He raised his head slowly, and regarded him with a steady gaze. "We have to remove the leg," he told David. "If not, you will definitely die."

The room was dead silent for a full minute. David's chest felt as if a heavy weight had been dropped upon it from the ceiling. He couldn't speak, or even think of any words that wouldn't sound meaningless to his own ears.

"There's no other way?" he whispered. He was staring down at his calf; he couldn't look at the doctor, or at the hopeless expression on his kind, pale face.

"Doctor?" Evian called out. "Is it possible that she might be able to help? I know it wouldn't actually be her in the flesh, but isn't it possible that the power inside of—"

"We must not speak of that!" Dr. Yarakki barked. "It is dangerous to even consider such a thing. Her power is nothing to trifle with!"

"What are you talking about?" Vince asked. "If you possibly have a solution, why wouldn't you try it?"

The doctor turned to him. "You don't have any idea what you're talking about," he said. He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "The bristle bug will stunt the growth of the worms," he said, "and hopefully, I can think of something else before it's too late. But that is the best I can do." He turned and gave Evian a meaningful stare. They locked eyes for a moment. "Evian understands the dangers," he said finally.

The woman lowered her eyes, but didn't dissent. "As you say, Dr. Yarakki," she said. "Perhaps, there is another way. Perhaps, Doctor John Clark can assist you? He is here, in Mount Chrysler. He was summoned back from Alphius Six by Goddess Kia."

The old man's expression softened as he smiled at her. "Perhaps," he said. "If we can trust him these days."

But then he seemed to pull himself together, and strengthen his resolve even as they watched. He sighed, and glanced up at them. "Forgive me," he said. "Where are my manners?" He shot a look at Evian. "Or yours, young lady?"

Evian smirked as Yarakki turned and grasped David's arm. "I am Dr. Yarakki," he said. "I didn't think you'd make it. I will do everything in my power to help you, so don't worry yourself too much. Besides, the worms feed off of your emotions, so the less you show, the better." He patted David on the back reassuringly, and looked at Evian. "So she ate them, huh?" he asked. "I take it she fell for it this time?"

Evian nodded. "Yes," she said. "She must have. I slipped the powder you gave me in the Realmian's food again; the water is too chancy. But three were missing at the ceremony, one of the missing was Taya."

"She is becoming more unstable," Dr. Yarakki said. "The last time she lost control, she only killed a few hundred." He reached in his coat pocket and withdrew a small black box. "According to this," he said, "she has already murdered over a thousand today."

The three teenagers shared frightened glances, but remained silent.

"Have they restrained her?" Evian asked.

"Yes," Dr. Yarakki said, exhaling. "Kia and Marlana, and a few others, have used Mental Flu on her. She is back in her chamber, eating Glint females and their infants to restore her energy." He returned the gadget to his pocket, looked at Evian. "How is your face, dear?" he whispered.

"Marlana took care of it," she said. She touched the area around her eye. "Don't worry," she said. "She still thinks that I'm on her side."

"Excellent," he said. But his face still seemed worried. David watched as he rubbed his hands together and looked closely at the collar around the Glint's neck.

"Let me get that," he said. He reached into his other pocket and withdrew a small silver rod. David inhaled as small bolts of lightning immediately sparked from its round tip. Dr. Yarakki waved the object around Evian's head in a weird movement. The collar snapped open and clunked to the floor.

Yarakki glanced at them. "Reverse polar magnetism," he said. "The magnetic fields on this side are the exact opposite of earth's. For many of my earlier inventions, I had to literally run my calculations backwards; after a great deal of experimentation, I finally figured out the proper mathematical formula."

"Thank you Doctor," Evian said, hugging him. She released the doctor, and angrily kicked the collar across the lab. It slid far, hissing, and disappearing beneath a row of tall machines. David noticed that these were quiet and weren't blinking.

"Call me Yarakki, my friends," the doctor said, smiling at them. He was blushing above the collar of his white coat. "No need for silly titles down here. From now on," he said, "we are a team, and must rely on each other in order to survive."

"Wait a second," Sonia said. "That thing was eating actual babies? You say that shit like it's normal!"

"Unfortunately," Evian said, "on this world, or in this dimension, it is."

"Where's down here?" Vince asked, looking up. "What is this place?"

David did too, and saw more white tiles that stretched across the entire room. Every few feet, metal hoods with fluorescent lights in them, adorned the ceiling. There was a large grate high up along the far wall. Probably for ventilation, David guessed.

Yarakki looked at him. "We are directly beneath the palace," he said. "Right now, the Realmians are searching for you. But we are safe here and can talk openly." He glanced at the small Glint woman. "I think Marlana is growing suspicious, dear," he said.

"What happened?" Evian asked him, visibly agitated, her crystal clear eyes blazing from her face.

"Nothing really," Yarakki said. "At least, nothing specific. It's just the way she looks at me sometimes."

Evian sighed with apparent relief, as he grinned at her. "But as I was saying, Queen Priscilla will be over the Mental Flu by now. She will make Kia send out the snoopers to search the tunnels."

The doctor removed his glasses, rubbed the lenses with the end of his lab coat. He put the glasses back on and looked at each of them, taking an extra minute to stare at Sonia. It was an awkward moment that made Sonia blush. Yarakki smiled and turned to David. "You've had a rough couple of days young man. I hope you are holding up? I mean, despite your leg, of course."

"I'm fine," David said, limping away from him. "Are you saying the rat woman went crazy because of you?"

Yarakki shrugged, he moved to a white cabinet covered in flashing lights and flicked a switch. A wide space opened in the tile, and five chairs slowly emerged from beneath the floor in a semi circle!

Small wire baskets with metal containers inside them, were fastened to the arms of the chairs. The legs were attached to tiles that matched the floor perfectly. David still got the impression that cavernous tunnels were located somewhere far beneath them.

"Sit down if you like," Yarakki said. "There is ice-cold water in the bottles. From the subway train straight into Realm, you must all be thirsty and exhausted?"

Vince and Sonia ran to the chairs and immediately sat down, sighing with relief, and what David guessed, was most likely, extreme exhaustion. Then, Sonia snatched a bottle from its holder and drank from it. Vince followed suit, and after what seemed a very long time, he slowly lowered his bottle, and exhaled.

"Cold," he said, wiping moisture from his mouth. "And fucking good!"

"Back to Queen Priscilla," David said. He was thirsty too (his throat felt as if he'd swallowed a lump of mud with pebbles in it), but he didn't want to accept the man's hospitality just yet. He didn't want to show any signs of weakness, despite his fucked up leg. Not to mention his incredibly dry mouth; it felt as if he'd just smoked an entire blunt of haze.

"We had to create a distraction," Yarakki said. "Kia was about to reveal very sensitive information. Her temper is why she is not in command of the Scavengers right now." He sighed. "There are many factions at Mount Chrysler young man," he said, "all after different things, motivated by conflicting goals. Kia wants to overthrow Queen Priscilla. Marlana only wants to protect Realm. In that she is honorable, I suppose, but in nothing else." He smiled at David. "Why won't you rest young man?" he asked him.

Anger smoldered in David's eyes. Evian said they would find out why they were in this fucking mess. So far, he had only become more confused! And oh yeah, he was going to lose his fucking leg very soon on top of everything else, wasn't he? "What the fuck is all of this?" he said. "Giants, and magic, and fucking aliens? And where's Paris? How the fuck is she involved in any of this bullshit craziness?"

The doctor didn't seem surprised by his reaction, or his questions. He even smiled. "I understand your agitation," he said. "I recall how you reacted to the Optic-scanner. I even had to sedate you three times. Claustrophobia, am I correct?"

David stared at the man, suddenly remembering him. When he first awoke after the ordeal in the desert, in the Void, he saw a man hovering like an eagle over his head. A man with skin that resembled porcelain, a man with eyes the color of bleached sand. His face had seemed both old and young, to the boy's groggy mind.

This was the man. He looked different now that David was viewing him upright. His hair was a brown bird's nest. His black eyeglasses were slightly askew, and he seemed extremely rumpled and physically tired.

"You fixed my eyes?" David asked. He touched his face absently. "You put that helmet on me, didn't you?"

"Yes," Evian replied, and David glanced at her. "Dr. Yarakki replicated your eyes and reattached them to your nervous system," she said. "He made a few modifications during the procedure, as well. That is why you can now see in total darkness, and you can look directly into Cuarto-4 without sustaining any damage!"

16.

David Goes Berserk

Doctor Yarakki had smiled at the boy's stunned expression. "How did you do that?" David asked. He was studying the old man's face in return, feeling utterly shocked.

"A simple operation," Yarakki said, moving close to him. "You healed very well," he went on, peering up into David's face. He reached up and gently moved David's chin to one side. "Very handsome," he whispered. "A model's features. Full, beautiful lips. You know, African Americans on average, easily have the biggest fullest lips of all the races, and..."

David flinched at the man's touch, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and anger. Was the man gay? he wondered. As attractive as women often found him, David was highly self-conscious about his looks. The very idea of being called a pretty boy bothered him; but, men touching him and praising his big lips was something he wouldn't tolerate!

The doctor, ignoring his obvious discomfort, saw his ears and paused.

"By the sands!" he whispered. "Your ears! I didn't notice them during the operation!" Dr. Yarakki turned and glared at Evian. "You never said his ears were pointed!" he said.

"What?" she said, "I didn't know they were pointed." She hurried over to David and looked up. "You're right," she said, after a moment. "He's a Nubian. But I thought you said they were instinct?"

Dr. Yarakki shook his head. "Extinct," he said. "Instinct is a powerful impulse that feels natural rather than reasoned. Extinct means they no longer exist."

Evian gasped. "Then how is he here?" she asked.

David slapped the man's hand away from his face, backing up a few steps. "What the fuck are you talking about?" he yelled. He glared down at Evian. "What do you mean I'm a Nubian?" he barked.

"Isn't your father from Africa, literally?" she said. Her clear eyes twinkled, the earnest expression on her face brought a chill to his flesh.

How does she know about my father? he thought. The man was dead, had died five years ago. "Yeah, so what?" David said, and tried to sound casual.

"You have Nubian ears," Evian said. "Your father or mother clearly came from the tribe Niger Nubian. They were the first to reach earth from planet Sagittarius."

"Are you crazy?" David said. He looked at Vince. "Niger Nubian? Planet Sagittarius? My father's from Nigeria. And what do you mean, reached earth?"

David tried to laugh, a hollow sound that didn't match the strained look on his face, but Vince only watched him. He had also heard the cold certainty in the Glint woman's voice. At the very least, she clearly believed what she was saying.

Evian shrugged. "Whatever you say," she said. "I'm just telling you what we've been taught here. By Dr. Yarakki. That the Africans started civilization on your world. The Nubians In Egypt. Egypt is in Africa, you know? Dr. Yarakki would know more since he's from Los Angeles, an earth kingdom."

"What!" Sonia shouted. She glanced at Dr. Yarakki from her seat. "You're from our dimension?" she said. "And from fucking California?" She got up and slowly walked over to the man, nearly stalked over to him.

"Yes and no," Dr. Yarakki said, eyeing Sonia warily as she approached him. "Evian is correct," he said, "but I keep telling her that Los Angeles is a city, not a kingdom. And I come from Alphius Sixteen while you come from Alphius Six. But we occupy the same time-frame."

He glanced at David, the smile freezing on his lips before it could fully form. He cleared his throat. "The Africans have long been thought of as the original humans," he said. "It's not taught in schools, I know. But the science community is not bound by the dictates of racism. Racism is boring and false, technically can't fully exist if you choose to live among those you despise. That isn't racism, in my opinion, it's insanity. Or perhaps, a species of jealousy. But two life forms were sent to earth," he went on. "First, the Sagittarius-Nubians, and then, perhaps a thousand years later, the Sagittarius-Caucasians. They were sent to all the Alphius worlds to start civilization. The Africans, each and every tribe, originated on planet Sagittarius. Perhaps, you are unaware of the light skinned African tribes we have dwelling in our dimension, but they are a common occurrance on Sagittarius. I know because I've been there. The pyramids in Egypt are really the spacecraft they came in. That isn't stone covering them, it's a special metal alloy which can duplicate any surface. If our scientists could only locate the special symbols we have reason to believe are located on each of them, the navigational systems would most likely activate. The early people knew of the mission, but the knowledge has slowly been wiped away by they who deposited us there. Everything that has taken place throughout the planet's history was in preparation for this point in mankind's existence. And I truly believe your father must have come—"

"Why the fuck are we here?" Sonia asked, rudely interrupting him. She was right on top of him now. "And how the fuck do we get back home, nigger? I'm not interested in your bullshit science, or sociology theories! Or whatever the fuck it is you think you're saying, motherfucker!"

Yarakki backed up. "We will get to that," he said. "Please calm down, young lady. Allow me to answer your friend, then I'll happily address your concerns."

Sonia stopped walking and glared at him. "Then start talking!" she said. She made hurry-up gestures with her small, brown hands. "I'm sick and tired of this cloak and dagger bullshit! This weirdness isn't cute anymore!"

Vince was standing over by the right wall, and he was carefully studying the alien juke box. "There's shit moving inside this thing!" he said, nodding his head. He tapped on the glass. "Come look at this, David. It's—"

"Fuck!" David roared, and suddenly ran across the room towards Yarakki. "I want to know about Paris!" he shouted. He reached out and snatched the lapels of Dr. Yarakki's lab coat as soon as he got close enough to do it. "Why was she tied up in the basement of the Camelot Hotel motherfucker?" he hissed.

"Relax young man!" Yarakki said, reaching for his arm. "Let's just—"

"Fuck relaxing!" David said. "I want some fucking answers!" He stared around the laboratory. "What is all this shit, anyway?" he asked. "How did it even get here?"

"Yarakki replicated some of it," Evian said. "The other equipment he designed himself. These are inventions your world would marvel at. Yarakki could be famous if he sought fame and fortune. But instead, he is using his superior knowledge to save us!" She glanced at him. "He is a true hero," she said. "He is our most dangerous weapon!"

She was staring at the old man with an expression that to David, nearly resembled love.

Yarakki shrugged. "Not so special," he said. "What would money and accolades matter if our dimension is also destroyed?"

"What do you mean destroyed?" David asked. "Destroyed how?" He jerked the old man with each question.

"You asked about your girlfriend, didn't you?" he said. Yarakki's tone was soft and placating. David could see he was changing the subject on purpose.

"What about her?" David asked, taking the bait. "One of those giant bitches said you saw her tied up! Did you? And why was she tied up, if you did?"

Yarakki nodded. "Yes," he said. "Thanks to the snoopers, I saw the manager of your shelter, a Mr. Frod? He and some of his helpers, Gamble and Hernandez, were interrogating her." He paused and stared at Evian. "They could be twins," he said, softly. "I couldn't believe my eyes, Evian. She's probably from an Alphius world."

David thought of Raymond Frod, as he released Dr. Yarakki. "Who could be twins?" he asked. "And what the fuck is an Alphius world?"

But the doctor didn't respond. He was still staring at Evian, and David didn't much like the strange expression on either of their faces. He couldn't help considering what the man had just told him.

Eric Gamble was Raymond's overweight head lackey. Raymond had hired him on as a part-time security officer for the night shift. But Eric's penchant for roughing up the residents had caught Raymond's eye. And eventually, his admiration. He was a sneaky, nasty-tempered nigger, who was known to steal the resident's S.S.I. checks. They had to pay fifty dollars if they wanted them back. If not, the motherfucker simply burned them. Right in front of them, too. Anything they had to say about it other than, here's some more cash sir, Eric would answer with his fists.

David thought of his long dirty braids and his sly, gold-toothed grin. He considered him a greasy fat fuck who often hit on Paris when David wasn't around. "How the fuck you get a fine bitch like that, nigger?" Eric had asked him one night. "Bitch look like that gorgeous girl from Black Honey. What's her name? Megan Good?"

"Her name's Lorna," he'd told Eric through clenched teeth. Desperately wanting to kick his greasy fat ass, but keeping his cool. Knowing Eric would eventually fuck up, and that he would take full advantage of it, once he did.

Unfortunately, these thoughts did nothing at all to improve his current mood. David glared down at the doctor now, thinking the old man was about to lie to him. He seemed like a fucking liar to him.

"Interrogating her?" David asked. "You make it sound like she's committed a fucking crime!"

"I believe they kidnapped her," Dr. Yarakki said. "Thinking she might know something."

"Something like what?" David asked, his voice cold.

"Might know where to find this," Evian said.

David glanced at her. She was holding a small object in her hand; she raised it with two fingers and they saw a vial, but it appeared to be empty. It sparkled in the fluorescents as she slowly turned it for them to see.

"This brought you to us," she said. "A discovery that might turn the tide of this war, forever. A bio-weapon that might defeat the Realmians. It isn't ready just yet, but Yarakki is working diligently to improve it."

"I think we're getting close," he said. "This time it nearly beat them."

"What is that?" Sonia asked. "Looks empty to me."

"Come closer," Evian said. "Take a better look."

Sonia walked to her and leaned over. "What is it?" she asked. "Wait." She squinted, moving closer. "It looks like a bug," she said. "A tiny gold beetle!"

"A flea," Evian said. "One of my people passed on the doctor's message. He wouldn't be able to check on the experiment that night. I was bathing Kia at the time, but was already finishing up when the messenger arrived. I dried Kia and asked to leave. She just waved her hand, so I left. When I transported down here, and looked into the tank, I saw the fleas." Evian paused. "They had grown tiny shells and were crawling in the sand," she said. "I didn't know what I was seeing at first, it looked like gold nuggets scattered on the tank's bottom, to me. Dozens of crawling gold nuggets."

"The suns have something to do with the color, I believe," Dr. Yarakki said.

"They began to devour the dead rat," Evian continued. "Started jumping into the fur, and sucked up every drop of liquid in the rodent's body. It shriveled up like a large furry prune, and the gold fleas ate that, too."

"Fleas with gold shells?" David asked. "For what? How the hell can fleas possibly help you?"

"We are going to infest the rats," Dr. Yarakki said. "The fleas will take—"

Something black fell from the sky, and everyone automatically glanced up! Whatever it was slammed into the floor like a giant fist as a blast of lightning ripped through the air; it was an earsplitting sound that made everyone scream and dive to the laboratory floor in terror!

17.

The Bratticus Strikes Back

Dr. Yarakki stumbled to the tiles and rolled over, his glasses immediately flying from his face, and crunching beneath him. He crawled frantically along the floor on his hands and knees. "The hatch!" he yelled, scrambling to his feet. "Evian, open the goddamn hatch!"

David glanced up from the ground. The dark shape had dropped from just above his head. The bright flash came first, and a second later, a whip crack of sound had pierced the air.

David stared at the apparition crouching over him, he saw its long furry ears and the misshapen paws. It had the body of a rat mixed with a human; that much was clear. And when he saw the snake-like tail curled about its gnarled and hairy feet, he immediately thought of what Vince said earlier. This was obviously what he saw on the C train. Sinister wolf eyes blazed red lights above a wrinkled muzzle. Long teeth curved from the rubbery folds of black flesh in a jumbled profusion.

Benn Bratticus growled laughter, drooling slimy threads of saliva to the tile, and David nearly blacked out. Spots floated before his eyes, the way they had while he was walking down Blake street on that first day.

"I want that fucking book!" Benn Bratticus screamed. He ignored David, and bent down near Vince with his hairy knuckles on the floor. "Where is it?" he snarled, viciously shaking his shaggy head. He snapped at the empty air like a Doberman chasing flies. Then, snapped out at the boy's head, stopping just short of ripping his nose from his face.

"I won't miss next time," he growled. "Now, where's that fucking book, nigger?"

He suddenly leapt at Vince and landed by his face! The impact of his leap made his deformed feet crack through the tile, revealing a solid darkness that only David noticed. He'd apparently been right about a chamber existing beneath the ground. He thought he could hear the sound of wind flowing past the jagged cracks in the floor's surface.

Vince stared up at the monster in terror; it could have crushed his skull like an ostrich egg. The fact that it hadn't done so, told David Vince was valuable to it. It was obviously because of the rat book.

Benn Bratticus reached down and clutched Vince's head. "God Lady Kia wants that book!" he yelled "So, where the fuck is it, nigger?"

Vince tried to remove the gnarled paws, but they wouldn't budge. The rat man only shook him harder. "Thought that was funny, huh?" he grunted. "A real funny little nigger, ain't you? You like traps, huh boy?" Benn Bratticus raised him higher, and Vince struggled wildly in his iron-like grasp, his face turning a crimson red. He was kicking out his feet like a frog as they left the floor.

"I'll show you a fucking trap!" the rat man screamed. "I'll rip your fucking head off, fake nigger!"

Benn Bratticus raised Vince even higher, clearly preparing to throw him. And it was as he turned, with his razor sharp looking teeth gleaming in the bright overheads, that the torpedo of light knocked him clear across the lab!

Benn Bratticus didn't release Vince. The creature's body was hit so hard, the boy was snatched from his grasp. The rat man flew through the air and slammed to the ground. He went sliding into the far wall where he crashed with a sickening thud. Benn Bratticus wailed in fury even as he leapt to his feet again. He saw the small woman standing across the room and roared.

"How dare you strike me!" he snarled. "My orders came from God Lady Kia, why the fuck are you even down here? These levels are off-limits, bitch!"

Evian didn't speak, she only strode towards him. Her face was frozen in a frightening sneer; her hands were raised at chest level, the fingers curled like talons.

Benn Bratticus's eyes widened for just a moment; that red demonic light seeming to diminish, and then he balled his hands into hairy fists again. His red wolf eyes blazed brighter than ever. "You fucking lousy Glint!" he said. "You're a fucking traitor, ain't you? That's why you're sneaking around in a secret lab?"

The light in his eyes flared even brighter when he noticed Dr. Yarakki. "And you?" he growled. "Kia will be very interested in this shit. Secret meetings with slaves? And in areas that shouldn't even exist! What have you motherfuckers been up to down here?"

He backed away as Evian steadily advanced; still not speaking, the grim expression on her face, unchanged.

"How long will you follow them?" Dr. Yarakki yelled. "These sadistic murderers? How long before they decide you are just a liability and you wind up dead, as well? Haven't they repeatedly denied you the antidote though you suffer?"

Dr. Yarakki had located his eyeglasses, but they were smashed beyond use. He had tossed them aside. Now, he was slowly edging towards the row of white machines along the wall David passed when first entering the laboratory.

The man was blind as a bat without his glasses, he was relying on the untold hours he had spent down in this hidden lab to guide his feet. The talking was only a distraction. He didn't give a flying fuck what happened to Benn Bratticus, he only wanted to get across the room. There was a blue lever on one of the machines, and the lever controlled an emergency escape hatch he'd had installed immediately after the lab was finished. He steadily began to move towards it.

********

David had watched as Evian thrust out her hands in an eagle's claw, shooting pink beams of radiance into the rat creature's body. The monster was flung like a rag doll into the wall behind them, and David had felt a wild surge of hope. Maybe the blow had killed him? But his hopes were quickly dashed as the creature sprang to its feet again! Its eyes were wide slants of menacing red light as he scanned the lab.

When David glanced over at Vince, he saw him creeping along the floor on his belly. At first he was puzzled, he couldn't imagine what his friend was doing...but then, he noticed the backpack.

It was still on the floor, not far from where Vince was. And David suddenly understood; he was going for the library book! The rat creature had grabbed Vince, and screamed at him to hand it over. David wondered what was really so fucking important about it. Was it the map? Or, something else?

Then, he saw Sonia kneeling on the floor, staring up at the rat man with open shock.

"What the fuck is that shit?" she screamed. "David, help me!" And Benn Bratticus glanced over at her.

"Fuck you bitch!" he growled, "shut the fuck up!" Suddenly rearing back and opening his jaws, Bratticus ignored Evian and started for Sonia instead. His open mouth seemed to stretch and grow as he went, his teeth multiplying along his gum-line like the special effect in a werewolf flick.

David recognized the motion, and knew what was coming next: A blast of fire that would burn the girl to ashes before she could blink her eyes. "Stay the fuck away from her!" he yelled.

Benn Bratticus glanced at him and only laughed. He opened his jaws wider, aimed at Sonia's head again, and a river of flame shot out!

18.

A Private Conversation

Marlana glanced over at Kia. "What was all of that about?" she said. "Don't you think you're taking this act too far? Especially, since we will soon locate her and finish it?" The Realmian female yawned and shivered luxuriously.

"What is too far?" Kia asked. "We must continue to appear as enemies. Priscilla is no dummy. If she suspects what we wish to do, we'll be thrown to the sand sharks right after the Scavengers chop off our fucking arms and legs!"

The woman pulled deeply on the metal pipe, and exhaled. A strong odor filled the atmosphere; it would have reminded David, Vince and Sonia, of burning leaves had they smelled it. A similar aroma seemed to accompany every fall season in New York City just before Halloween (which they all considered their favorite time of year), only this aroma was made of more than simple burning leaves. The hypnotic scent of white tea and lily seemed to mingle with that smell.

Kia was still wearing her black suit, but her boots were on the floor where she had tossed them. Marlana was stretched out on a giant sofa, a few feet from her, and was gazing in her direction.

The two Realmian women relaxing in Marlana's brightly lit chambers, were discussing the chaos from earlier that day. The commander of the Queen's Royal Army was grinning at her fiery Second In Command as if all were right with the world. Marlana was particularly good at hiding her emotions, most Realmian women were (a trait they apparently shared with black American females, she'd learned through Yarakki's snoopers), but it was becoming a difficult task, lately.

The casualties were horrendous. One thousand, five hundred servants burned to cinders. Mostly male and female Glints, who were ultimately expendable.

But also Realmian females who were not. Only thirty of them this time, but the number was slowly increasing after each of Queen Priscilla's episodes. Marlana sighed in exasperation. They would have to stop her soon, there was no other way. And she would never authorize going after her, not while she remained on Alphius Sixteen.

Marlana was fully naked, and her immense body covered the entire plush couch she'd had twenty slaves place in the middle of the room earlier that morning. The massive piece of furniture was draped in a burgundy velvet blanket, and was trimmed with gold tassels that hung to the floor. Five female Glints oiled her body, paying special attention to her breasts; Marlana liked having them massaged when she was upset.

Sudden frustration welled up in her. "That disgusting bitch needs to die!" she said. "If we don't act, there will be no Scavengers left. The woman's arrogance is appalling!"

The small blond haired Glint sucking her left nipple froze. She glanced up at the Realmian, her pale face filled with terror. The others immediately stopped what they were doing as well, and slowly backed away.

The slave sitting beside Marlana was stone deaf, so she hadn't heard the woman's words. She only felt her body suddenly jerk violently. Marlana, who had noticed she'd stopped sucking the three inch knob of flesh poking from her dark brown areola, glanced down.

"Don't stop Naomi," she said. Marlana smiled at her, caressing her head, and twining the long, golden strands of hair between her dark fingers. She placed one finger beneath the slave's small chin, and gently raised her face. "God, their eyes are so beautiful!," she whispered. "Don't you think, Kia? What I wouldn't give to have them! That they actually see through them is amazing!"

Kia snickered. "It thought you flinched in pain," she sneered. She blew out a stream of bright green smoke that formed a lazy cloud above her head. "I saw it jump. Dummy probably thought it squeezed your tit too hard!"

Kia glanced at the Glint male currently sucking on her toes; he had been busy nibbling on her toenails, and spitting out the clippings. His bright red hair hung over his face as he now finished licking the last of the substance from between them.

When the white stuff was gone, Kia dipped her toes back in a large glass jar resting on a table in front of the sofa. The table was made of a dark, luminous wood that caught the reflection of the chandeliers hanging above them.

Kia removed her foot, covered in what was really a sweet cream, and the slave promptly began to lick it off. The giant smiled at the ticklish sensation. "Why do you even bother with deaf ones?" Kia asked. She opened her toes so the Glint could get between them. "I tried one, but it annoyed me," she said, "and I nearly killed it."

Marlana didn't reply, she stroked the slave woman's blond hair, still admiring her eyes. They matched the small pendant hanging from a silver chain around her slim neck, a surprise gift from her God Lady.

Marlana tilted her face at different angles, observing the precious gems beneath her heavy blond lashes. If not for their eyes, Marlana would have supported the efforts of some Scavengers to wipe them out, long ago. Dozens of burning candles positioned about the large room provided a steady bright light; it twinkled in Naomi's transparent irises like tiny diamonds.

The Realmian stroked Naomi's hair again, taking pleasure in its soft, silky texture. Playing with the woman's hair was extremely relaxing. It was incredibly long, down to the marble floor when Naomi stood upright, and the slave was four-foot five! Which was extremely tall for a Glint female, virtually a giant among her race.

Some of the Realmian women enjoyed treating their Glints like living dolls, and Marlana was no exception. She loved brushing and washing Naomi's hair, or dressing her in fancy garments that complimented her fat, round, ass. Making Glint males bathe her with scented oils (death was certain to any Glint male caught removing his blindfold during these baths), parading her around on diamond studded leashes. Marlana had plenty of slaves, but Naomi was her favorite by far.

They even held pageants for them; an opportunity for the giant women to show off their expert touch in the care of their pale little pets. Kia despised such treatment. In her opinion, it was just these types of impractical ceremonies that gave the slaves hope. Caused the Glints to imagine a better way of life.

Marlana glanced at Kia as if reading her thoughts.

"You should treat your Glints better," she said. "You know the old earth saying about getting further with honey than vinegar. Why must you be so cruel?"

Kia shrugged, sliding her pinky toe in and out of the tiny man's even tinier mouth. He groaned and made greedy sucking sounds as Kia glanced over her shoulder.

"We call them Glints," she said. "They have no rights, but the right to worship us. We have trained them to pray to our images each night before they go to sleep. Their children's dolls are created in our likeness. It is all they know. I don't see the wisdom in marveling over their physical traits. I'm not particularly fond of white skin."

"How can it hurt?" Marlana asked. "And I find their skin beautiful. So pale and smooth, like marble. Or perhaps sculpted snow, only as warm as any Realmian's skin. I actually expected their skin to be cold!"

Naomi's eyes sparkled with happiness as Marlana gently pushed her head down to her breast. "Suck," she said, smiling down at her. The slave could read lips and immediately began to stuff the thick nipple in her mouth. Marlana moaned with pleasure, her huge hand clamping down on Naomi's head. The blond Glint was extremely talented with her tiny tongue. And why not? She'd been practicing on her Mistress since birth.

"Why not admit the truth?" Marlana asked. "You don't share my beliefs on the concept of slavery, nor do I expect you to. Your mother didn't hide her hatred for them. But do you not envy their lovely eyes, light skin, and long flowing hair? You seriously don't wish you had them?"

Kia huffed out a cloud of smoke. "Envy them?" The Realmian frowned in disgust. "Fuck them! Light skin, and long flowing hair? I happen to know that dark skin is worshipped on many Alphius worlds! Most Brownie males couldn't care less about such things; so get over it, Marlana! Don't project your feelings of self-loathing onto all of us!" she said. "That royal slug spoke as if I were the one pampering our inferior born enemies; treating them as we treat our own mentally retarded children, when it's you doing that, and I say it's dangerous!"

Kia turned and glared at the male Glint.

Then she kicked out viciously, and struck him in the face, his nose crunching against the bottom of her foot! Green blood splashed as the slave yelped, flew from the sofa, and slid across the room! He came to a stop against a mahogany bureau dresser with a gold sunburst insignia on the front.

"Kia!" Marlana shouted, staring at the Glint's crumpled, moaning form. "Why did you strike him?"

Marlana waved her brown hand in a circle. Multi-colored waves of light immediately flowed from her fingertips and sped across the chamber.

The colorful radiance enveloped the small man and he immediately sat up! Kia watched as the Glint's face returned to normal; his crooked nose straightening out, the blood above his lip and dripping from his chin, reversing itself. The last thread of crimson fluid slipped back into his nose and the slave's head snapped upwards! He began coughing violently.

"Get out of my sight!" Kia growled. "Now, nigger!"

The slave leapt to his feet, and sped from the room, his wooden sandals clapping against the floor. A hidden entrance opened in the previously blank wall and he fled into the corridor, disappearing from view as the star-shaped cavity spun closed.

Kia sat looking at the closed doorway, breathing heavily, her eyebrows slanted in anger. Thinking she should have thrown the fucking glass jar at the Glint's head. She was good at throwing things, and wouldn't have missed. She sighed, turning back to Marlana and immediately noticing that Naomi was no longer servicing her God Lady's breast. Her earlier frightened look had returned, and Kia felt a wave of disgust pass through her. Glints were so subservient, it nauseated her.

"Don't you ever do that shit again," Kia said, glowering across the room at her commander. "It is forbidden to interfere with a Realmian's slaves, Marlana. Even for you."

Marlana waved her hand dismissively, rolling her sinister black eyes. She reached down and grabbed Naomi's huge right tit and hefted it, fondling the soft nipple with her thumb through the delicate yellow garment. Naomi was mostly known for her huge, round ass, and her gorgeous face. She won the sexiest slave contest each and every year since Queen Priscilla added it to the Yearly Games. But Marlana never ceased to be amazed by the size of the female Glint's mammary glands.

Now, she stared at Kia, while absently groping Naomi's breast. "Save your tough talk for Rat King," she said. "He seems to tolerate it. But since I am commander of the Scavengers, my orders are law. Only Queen Priscilla is above me on Valon. And you wouldn't dare speak to her in this fashion!""

"Fuck her!" Kia said. "If all goes well, Rat King will be our new ruler. You already know how he feels about these fucking Glints. Do you think your—"

"I wish you would refrain from using those words," Marlana said. "Nigger, shit, fuck, bitch. They dishonor your rank. Must you pick up every filthy slang term you come across? It is truly annoying."

"What does it matter how I speak?" Kia asked. "That is precisely your problem Marlana. Trivial things that I do concern you. A word? What fool would put so much power into a word? You sound like those Alphius Sixteen idiots. The ones that must explain to their children how their people have overcome the most horrendous situations imaginable, but must bow down to a fucking word! A word specifically created for just that purpose, mind you! And yet the children only mock them. Meanwhile, over here, you treat these fucking slaves as equals! How long before they really begin to plot against us? Look at that wretched dung rat Evian. How dare she sneak into my private chamber and steal her goddamn eye back!"

"Calm down," Marlana said to Kia. Naomi was literally cringing against her naked body now. The petite woman was a hot trembling bundle against her chocolate hued flesh, and her bright skin was startling in contrast.

Naomi had felt the sudden surge of electricity coming from Kia, and looked up in alarm. The fine blonde hairs on the Glint's arms were raised, and she could smell the faint scent of ozone drifting in the chamber. She would have cried out, but Marlana had Dr. Yarakki remove her vocal chords years ago.

"You have frightened my beautiful Naomi," Marlana said, hugging the pretty, big assed woman against her body, and then kissing her in the mouth. "Control yourself," she said to Kia. "This is no time to fight amongst ourselves."

Kia snapped her fingers at the four slaves still standing huddled together, their crystal clear eyes wide with fright. They would have stayed in the same spot until they could no longer stand, had Kia not called them.

"Get over here you pieces of shit, you fucking niggers, and wipe my foot!" she said.

The four women immediately went to the Realmian, their huge breasts swaying beneath the transparent white dresses, and knelt at her foot. They licked the remaining cream from her toes, but didn't fight over the task. They took turns as was the custom, if neither of them had been specifically summoned. When they were done, Kia waved her hand over them.

"Leave us!" she said. The four Glints scampered from the room, glancing back over their shoulders the entire way. There was no guarantee the volatile woman wouldn't zap them in the back with lightning even as they fled. When they were gone, Kia peered at Naomi, and a sinister grin formed.

"Don't even think it," Marlana said. "You had no right to dismiss them. You're certainly not going to order my favorite pet away! Get a grip, Kia. We are almost ready to begin the process. Very soon, Rat King will have everything prepared on Alphius Sixteen, and Yarakki is still working on making her clone. She is an actress now, you know that. She still has no idea who she really is, and we must keep it that way."

Kia sighed, her face angry. "What if she recalls how strong she is, or remembers that she is originally from here?"

Marlana shrugged, slightly bouncing Naomi against her chest. "As long as they don't call her, Queen of Realm, we will have time. Mentioning her middle name might trigger it, but so far they have ignored it. I only hope the media doesn't anger her too much."

"They are getting close," Kia said. "She actually played a female named Mikela in two of her movies. Which was her mother's name. Do you consider that a mere coincidence?"

"No," Marlana replied. "Of course not. I expected that things might start breaking down, but humans are imbeciles. If we transported over there, and placed the crown atop her head as they watched, they wouldn't believe. They are not used to her personality. But then, she isn't human."

"As if humans could ever possess such beauty," Kia said, snickering.

Marlana stared at Kia. "If she ever senses her true potential," she said, "if she ever remembers what Rat King and Priscilla did to her real family, the entire universe is doomed. Make sure you don't forget that as you praise her. The black American boy must be the one to do it; like most of them, he is highly talented." Marlana gently hoisted the woman's body from her breasts, and kissed her lightly on the mouth, again.

"His talent will be his curse," she said. "His writing will lure the zebra princess like nothing else; she respects true talent, it seems." The giantess grinned. "We have studied her since the moment she reached Alphius Sixteen. She'll envision what they can accomplish together. Perhaps, the graphic novels they can create, featuring her no doubt, while we prepare to eradicate her. To draw the very conceit from her royal blood and bones! Lie down," Marlana said, suddenly in a soft voice. "Heel, Glint."

She patted the couch, and Naomi curled up on the sofa where she lay watching them. The Realmian Commander stood up and strode over to Kia, completely naked. Her pendulous breasts swung with the motion of her smooth stride; her huge, perfectly round buttocks, bounced and jiggled with every step. Physically, she had what most humans would immediately consider classic African American features, only on an impossibly tall frame.

She waved one hand in the air, a slight gesture that produced a bright purple cloud around her. And when the cloud disappeared, the giant woman was wearing an outfit similar to Kia's, only hers was the color of ripe grapes. "I suppose you noticed Evian?" Marlana asked. "Leading them into the secret tunnels? Didn't I tell you it would work?"

When the woman waved her hand again, a huge black mirror appeared. This mirror was plain, and lacked any fancy craftsmanship. And this time, there was no colorful cloud to foretell its arrival. Its frame was made of wood and was supported by two thick, wooden legs.

"Dr. Yarakki is below ground with them," Marlana said. She adjusted her outfit, turning to view her ass. "By now they should be wondering where we are; trying to guess our next move." She smacked her own butt.

"Yarakki doesn't know you suspect him?" Kia's voice was still angry, but had lost some of its heat. Her pitch-black eyes were steady, a slight frown creased her full, dark lips. Marlana laughed and turned from her own reflection in the mirror. That her lipstick was a bit smudged, wasn't all she'd seen. She had also noticed her friend's angry face.

"You amaze me," she said. "What did I tell you about him, Kia? In his world he was a criminal. He worked in secrecy for his government, overseeing illegal experiments with disease. Apparently, the humans are big on germ warfare."

"Which means what?" she asked. "Does that mean we should trust him? Queen Priscilla has outlived her welcome, and fails to see the threat Princess Lorna poses, but she was right about that. How can we rely on him, a fucking human? I hate humans!" she spat. "They're all worthless niggers in my eyes!"

Marlana turned back to the mirror. "Everybody hates humans," she said, "and Dr. Yarakki understands his position." She straightened out the vinyl material, tugging it across the twin globes of her breasts. "The second he disobeys my orders, she will die."

"But does he believe you will do it?" Kia asked. She turned over on her side and regarded the taller, Marlana. "Why wouldn't he feel you need him too much to kill her?" she asked. "Did the old woman get anything out of the other one? The one in Harlem that looks just like her?"

Marlana turned, her dark face smiling. "I'm taking care of it right now," she said. "Mrs. O'Megan should just be getting around to that." She flashed a warm grin. "Your performance was excellent in the Image Chamber, by the way. I was impressed. I'd already guessed that Evian would run to the laboratory the first chance she got. She truly believes we are at odds, which is perfect."

"I still don't like the idea of her stealing from me!" she said.

"Of course you don't," Marlana said. "But you also didn't know Yarakki placed a stealth transmitter in the new eye, did you? I have been monitoring the slave ever since we left the Image Chamber, and as we speak, her every move is being broadcast to a snooper viewer. We can watch the discs together, later on."

She saw the surprised look on Kia's face. "I needed her to speak to the human David," Marlana explained. "I needed you to become outraged and rip out her eye. I knew she would come to me for medical assistance. She certainly wasn't going to you. And I knew you'd go for her eyes, knowing how much you despise them. I only hoped you didn't damage both of them."

Kia suddenly smiled, the last shadow of irritation lifting from her face like magic. "So when you replaced her eye," she said, "you actually sealed her fate?"

"When the time comes, the device will discharge electricity into her skull," Marlana said. "A non-lethal dose that will render her abilities useless."

"Why non-lethal?" Kia asked, her face was puzzled.

Marlana shrugged and crossed the large chamber barefoot. A brief twist of her fingers made the mirror vanish. "That was exactly what I asked him," she said.

She resumed her position on the sofa, moving Naomi aside with one hand. The woman blinked up at the Realmian, she had been asleep, and snoring softly. Marlana gathered up Naomi's hair, wrapping it around her forearm twice, and then her own shoulders. She placed the rest of the golden mane in her lap.

She called forth a huge glowing glass brush, and began to stroke Naomi's shiny blond tresses. Hers were only five feet long. Relatively short hair for a Glint.

"Dr. Yarakki said it would be best to keep her alive," Marlana said. "Something about performing tests on her physiology. I had to agree that our scientists never paid close enough attention to that. We may have realized sooner that they also have elemental powers."

"So, they're all down there?" Kia asked. "Down in the hidden lab?"

"The whole clan," Marlana said. "Dr. Yarakki is going to lead them back to earth soon, back to the Camelot Hotel to save David's girlfriend." She smiled. "Of course, Rat King's army will be waiting for them. The useless Frod and Hernandez will die. And once we have her, we can trick or force the boy into killing her."

Kia gasped. "Is that part of Rat King's plan?" she said. "What happened to simply replacing her?"

"Rat King doesn't know yet," she said. "But trying to hold her captive is too dangerous. Rat King is in hiding; he can't expect us to convey each and every scrap of information, can he?"

"I guess not," Kia agreed. "Where are his rats? Will they be prepared when the moment arrives?"

"The black humans are tending to them," she replied. "Once Benn returns, I will make him aware of the laboratory. Vince, somehow eluded him on the subway. But do not harm Bratticus," she said, "he is slow-witted, yet extremely loyal and rather relentless."

"What's your plan?" she said.

"We will distract them long enough to wire the room for video and sound," she told her. "Once we find where the book is hidden, we'll simply retrieve it. I would use magic, but the Glint can sense our electricity long before we arrive."

Kia suddenly sat up. "What about Queen Priscilla?" she asked. "Is she suspicious?"

"She is concerned with her gut," Marlana said, dismissively. "She still believes that Rat King is only missing. This more than anything, proves my point. She refuses to accept the counsel of her top commanders," she told her. "And the threat is real. We know it's real because we happen to be the threat. But she and Lorna must both be destroyed, our positions will never be safe until that happens."

"What would she do?" Kia asked.

"Nacirema can possibly be controlled," she said, "and you already know of Priscilla's madness, but Lorna would waste no time in killing us all once she returned. And she certainly can't be allowed to kiss the Black Diamond!"

"How will you explain Rat King's disappearance?"

"I've intimated that Rat King may be injured. Perhaps, somewhere dying. I needed to say something to explain him not communicating with the palace."

"And she bought that?" Kia said. "That he abandoned the Black Diamond?"

Marlana shrugged. "She has no choice. Now that she has gained so much weight, she can hardly mobilize as she used to. She must accept what she is told. Remember how she would patrol the grounds beyond the palace on her Hover Throne? Those days are long over."

"We also must not fail in killing Nacirema," Kia said. "We can't have her wielding such power unchecked! Luckily, Eden's memories were erased before we sent her, using a sand crystal, or she may have released her Glint powers on purpose." Kia grinned. "I think I would have paid any amount to witness that," she said.

"But that is the beauty of this plan," Marlana said. "We are the only ones who know exactly what's taking place this time. I have spoon-fed both Evian and Sonia the idea of Rat King's possible defection. Everyone in the Image Chamber heard me accuse Rat King of treason. Everyone saw you and I arguing—"

"And the seeds have been planted," Kia said. "I myself mentioned Benn Bratticus might be considering contacting humans. As for Dr. Yarakki, he is under the impression I want to take over Realm, and you are simply loyal to Mount Chrysler." A smile creased her full lips. "Imagine when he learns our real target is—"

Kia turned her head as the entrance suddenly spun open, and a Realmian female entered. She was taller than Kia, but shorter than Marlana, and wore the striped green and white of the Scavenger Blood Leakers.

It was their duty to control the population of creatures dwelling in the Void. Her name was Oprafine Aryat, and when she wasn't walking into forbidden areas unannounced, she piloted one of the Lead Grit Pullers.

Oprafine strode into the room with an arrogance that boiled Marlana's green blood. She was wider hipped and bigger busted than most Realmian women. Her brown face was surrounded by medium length braids dyed green to match her uniform.

Kia leapt to her feet, knocking the jar of cream to the floor where it shattered explosively. Jagged shards of porcelain and white cream flew everywhere.

The Scavenger official wore large golden hoops in her ears, and her mouth was frozen in a permanent sneer. Oprafine's lifeless black eyes glanced around the room as she advanced, her form fitting suit looking resplendent in the bright candlelight.

Marlana immediately rose from her couch, Naomi's hair still wrapped around her right arm, and watched the woman coldly ignore Kia, actually brushing past her, and come to a stop in front of her.

"Who told you it was okay to just barge into my chambers?" Marlana said, glancing down at the smaller woman. "I should burn you down right where you stand!"

Marlana's black eyes were slanted in rage, but the Scavenger never flinched. She glanced at Naomi, at the light brush, and the bolt of silky golden hair still double wrapped around Marlana's arm. Her sneer crawled further across her mouth. "You are summoned by the most high God Lady Queen Priscilla," she said in a cool tone. Her voice matched her appearance, perfectly. "Do not delay. She expects a report on your progress with locating Rat King."

And that was all she said.

Before leaving, she gave Marlana and Naomi another withering look that was far louder than words. The Scavengers hated everyone else, but were fiercely loyal to Queen Priscilla. And they didn't appreciate what they considered the Royal Guard's near worship of the Glint females. Particularly, the constant attempts to look like them. They felt it weakened their image with the slaves, which eventually lead to mutiny. Especially, when those slaves happened to possess powers to rival their masters, and were only held in check by fear and ignorance.

Marlana felt the Scavengers might be trouble when the time came to attempt the incursion. In the end, they might even be loyal to Queen Wolf, as only the oldest among them knew her. But even the oldest among them didn't know she still lived. Not yet, at least. And certainly didn't know the girl was gallivanting around on a version of earth, living the life of an actress and model named Nacirema. Even fewer people knew that the earth actress Lorna London, was her biological sister. Fewer still, knew she even had a sister.

Now, Marlana and Kia watched as the Scavenger suddenly turned and raced towards the far wall, her arms and legs pumping frantically, her green braids swinging. As she neared the wall, a bright orange cloud suddenly formed high above the hidden doorway, three feet below the ceiling. One of the special Scavenger clouds that protected them from the elements out in the Void. Oprafine screamed, raised her arms above her head as if diving into water, and leapt. She was sucked up into the cloud in a loud rush of wind, like a pea sucked through a straw. The colorful cloud and Oprafine both vanished with a loud and colorful, POP!

19.

The Conflict

David knew it was up to him to save Little Sonia. It was much too late for Evian to help them. Vince was still crawling on the floor near the backpack, and Dr. Yarakki was nowhere to be found. He'd noticed him moving towards the far right wall earlier, but no longer saw him. Benn Bratticus, however, was bending over Sonia now, and when the creature opened its jaws, the dormant energy within David suddenly awoke and surged forward again, filling him with a strange heat. His eyes narrowed to two sinister points, and he ran at Benn Bratticus (ran faster than humanly possible) and collided with him, knocking the creature sideways!

The river of flames swept to the right, just missing Sonia's lowered head!

She glanced up and scrambled to the left, shouting David's name as Benn Bratticus hit the floor smacking his own head hard. So hard, his jaws snapped shut, and the inferno was trapped in his mouth! It shot down his throat, searing his lungs, and his head was instantly engulfed in crackling orange flames! The stench of burning fur and flesh was repulsive.

David who had also fallen, leapt to his feet just as Evian charged Bratticus with her hands out. Brilliant light flashed from her palms in a shower of silver glitter, and a burst of electricity, that slammed into the monster's face! He spun on the smooth flooring, extinguishing the fire as he slammed into the wall. David watched in shock as the creature got up again, howling like a hurricane, its rat's head smoking from ears and snout!

He was now in a frenzy, shaking and snarling, with threads of drool dripping from his lower jaw. His eyes suddenly shone like red lasers. Then, a sharp beam of light flashed out, catching Evian in the shoulder, and the Glint was hammered backwards! She had been silent to this point, now she yelled and flipped over, crashing to the ground on her stomach and lying still. "Evian!" David shouted. But she didn't even shift on the shiny white tiles.

Benn Bratticus chuckled, a deep guttural sound. "Give me the fucking book!" he screamed, turning to face him. "And maybe I won't eat your dirty ass alive!" His eyes shot the scarlet ray again, straight at David this time!

The boy ducked as the beam passed over his head. It struck the jukebox machine directly behind him, and the explosion was tremendous. David heard the sound of glass shattering and knew it was the dome. He jumped to his left and rolled over, springing right back to his feet.

Benn Bratticus wailed in irritation. "Keep still you little shit!" he roared. "You dirty little fuck!"

Another blast from his glowing eyes missed David as he dodged to his right. Benn Bratticus shot again and again; David flipped backwards and all about the lab, his body no longer under his own control, every deadly beam completely missing him! Strange scuttling sounds came from his right, but he didn't look. He heard Sonia screaming, but it was a far away noise. As if coming from another room, or another dimension. The boy's focus was only on the rat creature. He was turning around now, showing David his humped and ridged back.

Why was he—?

Something flashed out and smacked him in the face, nearly hitting his left eye! It stung as if he had been sliced there with a hot knife. Blood flowed from the gash in his cheek, and he fell to the floor, his knees striking the hard tiles.

"Now, motherfucker!" Benn Bratticus screamed. "I'll teach you to fuck with me, nigger! I want that goddamned Histories book!"

His tail lashed out again, wrapping around David's neck. With a violent jerk, Benn Bratticus yanked him through the air towards him, and grabbed his shoulders! The rat man was inhumanly strong, his bony grip like steel claws.

"Jump now nigger!" he screamed in David's face, spittle flying. The odor emanating from him was a nauseating reek that reminded David of the trash cans in front of the shelter. Benn Bratticus shook him violently. "Flip around now you puny little—"

The creature's words were cut short as something grabbed his furry ankles, making him glance down. He saw that very pale human hands were clutching him! And they seemed very white against his dark fur. He thought he knew those hands too; seemed to remember...

Vince pulled back with all his strength, and Benn Bratticus fell forward, releasing David! The boy slammed to the ground and cried out. Benn Bratticus stumbled over him and also crashed to the floor, already flipping over and trying to stand. "Grab him!" a voice screamed. "Grab him and hold him!"

Vince scrambled over to the rat man, ignoring the pain from his knees striking the tile, and clutched his ankles, again. Benn Bratticus howled in anger, trying to kick the boy off. But Vince held tight, using the energy that was now flowing through his arms to keep Benn Bratticus where he was.

"Now Evian!" the same voice screamed. "Open the damn tank!"

********

While David fought Bratticus, Dr. Yarakki had eventually reached the blue lever, and switched it on. The metal grate in the ceiling swung open, a small black bundle dropping to the floor. The escape hatch wasn't for escaping through, and only led to a lower tunnel that was sealed off. The doctor bent to the floor and snatched up the package, unwrapping the plain brown paper as quickly as he could.

He revealed a large glass vial that he held to the light for a moment, observing the bright green liquid sloshing around inside. He turned and looked for Evian. He found her. She was still lying motionless on her face, a faint blue glow was surrounding her. He was about to go to her, and use the smelling salts in his back pocket on her, when the observatory tank exploded. Dr. Yarakki shrieked, and glanced to his left. Benn Bratticus was crouched over, and he was shooting silent laser beams at David; his blackened head was still smoldering, and his eyes were two gleaming wounds. David, he saw, had somehow escaped the lasers, and was now flipping around the lab!

Dr. Yarakki was responsible for the creature's ability to emit the red streams of energy (as well as David's ability to dodge them), and the old man was suddenly elated that he was. He had pressed the lever hoping this, or something like this, would happen. Praying that all of his plans didn't end down in this fucking laboratory. He turned to the glass tank, saw what was trying to crawl out, and smiled. Perhaps, there was hope?

Benn Bratticus's lasers destroyed the OB Tank's generator, but the dome was still in tact. The weird creature's trying to climb out didn't realize there was a large jagged hole in the uppermost curve of the dome. They managed to reach the smooth surface and only slid back down, their long claws scratching aimlessly at the glass.

At some point, Evian had regained consciousness on her own, and struggled to her feet. Dr. Yarakki saw her moving and turned to her. He first screamed at Vince to grab Benn Bratticus, and then shouted at Evian, imploring her to shoot the tank. And thankfully, Evian didn't hesitate. She crouched and released a white beam of light. It was a perfect shot that disintegrated the remaining plates of glass. The creatures, luckily for him, noticed the jagged opening this time.

As the dangerous things took wing, Dr. Yarakki opened the vial and threw it at Benn Bratticus. The vial flipped in the air and struck him in the chest. It exploded like a small glass bomb, and the green liquid that splashed in his fur, began to glow like kryptonite. It must have burned because he wailed for a full minute, and then froze, no longer trying to remove Vince's grasping hands.

******

David was still lying on the laboratory floor, and he only saw what happened next because he just happened to glance up. His head was pounding badly, and beneath his swollen jaw, his neck was bloody and scraped raw from the creature's tail. He heard the explosion as Evian finished off the OB Tank, and the loud scuttling noises he had detected earlier. Trying to avoid Benn Bratticus's unusual weapon had distracted him so he never saw the source of the sound.

But now he could hear the bizarre noise, again. It was coming from the juke box machine and when he peered at it, his face burning badly, he knew what he saw crawling around on the glass just wasn't possible. And yet, he never doubted his eyes for a moment. The thorny lizards were the most hideous things David had ever set eyes on. The monkey-bugs out on the sand had been cute Elmo dolls compared to them.

He watched as some of them streamed from the ruined, smoking machine, and fell to the ground with nasty wet sounds. Others began to fly; spreading their furry brown wings like parrots, vomiting forth some vile fluid, and leaping from the burning debris. David didn't know they were called thorny lizards, and despite his utter dread (and the excruciating pain in his neck and face) the boy stood still, and peered at the organisms in astonishment.

They were a foot long, perhaps longer. Two separate reptiles with shiny black scales were attached at the abdomen; they snapped and hissed at one another as they scurried, like crocodiles feeding in a fetid swamp. David got a brief glance at their sharp teeth, and trembled.

It had no true tail, one lizard's appendage was the opposite one's head, and upper body. Its eyes were small and completely white, and when the reptiles began to fly, David noticed the blood red stingers. There was one per creature, maybe six inches long, and it protruded from both long scaly necks. Some clear fluid dripped from the stinger and sizzled on the tiles like acid. They immediately swarmed straight at Benn Bratticus's glowing form and attacked him!

He shot one just before it reached his face, slicing it neatly in half. Black intestines spilled from the lizard as it fell. Another one tried to swoop in from behind and Benn Bratticus's tail flicked out seizing the thorny lizard by one of its wings. The tail slammed down, driving the reptiles into the floor heads first, crushing them into a messy pulp. Then it snapped out again, and stabbed one through one of its throats. Benn Bratticus's tail first pushed straight through it, and then slashed downward, effectively eviscerating it!

He zapped two at once with his eye lasers, the beam passing through both of them as they flew towards him. A group of thorny lizards came at the rat man and he suddenly roared flames, spinning in a circle, burning them from the air like a fireworks display gone wrong! A shower of black ash drifted to the white tiles. And for a moment, it appeared to David that Benn Bratticus would actually win against the strange flying creatures.

Then two lizards changed their tactics, and aimed for his legs. They swept in and hooked onto his mangy fur with their wings, like fruit bats, and repeatedly plunged the thick needles into his body. The rat man went nuts, swinging his arms wildly and screaming in terror. Vince had long since released him and fled towards the front of the lab.

"Come!" Dr. Yarakki shouted. "Follow me before they finish him off!"

The old man was standing before a wide opening in the floor. It was similar to the one the chairs had come from. David struggled to his feet and scanned the area for his friends. He was relieved to see them both present and accounted for. They were racing across the lab, Vince running with his backpack on his shoulders. Sonia was next to him, and seeming to favor her right leg. He watched as she hobbled over to the doctor and stood by the hole.

He turned back to find Evian, and saw her approaching Benn Bratticus who was now covered in the reptiles.

Had she lost her fucking mind?

Suddenly, the rat man's glowing form began to convulse, his body jerking and twisting as if he were Michael Jackson in his prime! The thorny lizards were all over him, injecting him with their eggs, and they were already beginning to hatch inside of him. David could see his fur rippling, and bulging, like the face of the werewolf in the doctor's cabin on The Howling!

Evian was almost to the rat man, her hands spread out before her as if in prayer. (The image of the Glint woman worshiping at the foot of Kia's throne flashed through David's head.)

"What are you doing!" Dr. Yarakki shouted. "They'll handle him, Evian!"

David stumbled over to the secret opening and spun around. Evian was now waving her hands in wide frantic circles and pink radiance flashed. A small sphere was suddenly floating in thin air just above the Glint's head!

As all four of them watched in wonder, the crystal globe began to increase in size, while drifting over to Benn Bratticus. The rat man was still break dancing, and bellowing like a bull alligator.

The lizards were inside of him now, moving beneath his fur like moles beneath a grassy field. They flew on to him, alone and in groups, until he resembled a dog covered in fat ticks. Their bodies began to swell as they bit into Benn Bratticus and drank his blood. Some of them vomited on his fur which immediately began to smoke.

"Hold still!" Evian screamed.

Benn Bratticus stopped thrashing, and looked in the direction the yell had come from. He saw Evian standing there, her face clouded in anger, her small hands emitting the brilliant pink glare. And his eyes widened in fright as the Glint woman shot a beam of light at him!

20.

The False Queen's Crystal Chamber

Marlana entered Queen Priscilla's chambers, but the four huge Blood Leakers walking out, didn't acknowledge her as they passed by. The Scavenger commander was taller than most Realmians, but these four were nearly her height. Probably enhanced by Dr. Yarakki, she thought with a slight sneer. Marlana didn't recognize them, and decided to hold her tongue at this blatant show of disrespect.

She turned and watched them walk down the corridor. They had bigger butts than the normal Guard because they were constantly bending over, and digging, out in the Void. The concept reminded her of the African Americans who were enslaved on Alphiuses Six and Sixteen. But the Blood Leakers were crucial to the defense of the Queendom because sometimes, they had to force the sand vermin from their nests. Prairie weasels bit right through the metal ships if you weren't extremely careful, so stopping for any length of time was dangerous.

Under normal circumstances, she would have rearranged their body parts for them. All of them at the same time. But the very fact that they had just met with Priscilla gave her pause. It wasn't often that she came across them anywhere other than out in the Void, or maybe down in the bowels of the palace.

Certainly not on the level that concealed the "hidden" laboratory, since Dr. Yarakki, Kia and Evian, were the only three who knew the lab existed.

But the level above that floor was where the Blood Leakers usually dwelled. They had their own living quarters that were protected by magic, and couldn't be entered without invitation. This edict included the entire Royal Guard, even the Scavenger captains; a fact that bothered Kia to no end.

As Marlana walked into the chamber, she tried to compose herself. She hadn't counted on having to give a report so soon, and this would take some fancy invention if she didn't want to arouse the Queen's suspicion.

The half-rat, half-Realmian female, was far from stupid, and had the uncanny ability to see into minds without the use of magic. She and Kia could block it, but Marlana was still nervous about being in her presence.

If she ever saw Nacirema Wolf, or Lorna London's images floating around in her mind, it was over. Marlana definitely wouldn't last the night.

Priscilla's room was an enormous hall of shadows. Huge crystal pillars were set in seemingly random patterns about the edges of the chamber. But Marlana knew the patterns were far from random; in an emergency, or in case of an attack, they were imbued with an electrical current that formed a force field around Queen Priscilla's throne.

The floor beneath her was unsettling, and she hated coming into Priscilla's "war room", which is what Priscilla called it, herself. Whenever Marlana glanced down, it was like walking on thin air high above a deep valley. Far below were the patchwork patterns of meadows and fields; even circular hazy blue areas that signified large bodies of water.

It was all illusion. Realm had no bodies of water, and what she was seeing had been created by Dr. Yarakki, and Dr. John Clark. Clark, who had been recruited by Kia from some hospital on Alphius Sixteen, got the images from somewhere on his world, and had designed a machine that projected them from the level below.

It still brought a chill to her every time she viewed it. She couldn't help but walk awkwardly as she crossed to the golden dais where Queen Priscilla's throne was located. Dozens of Glints and armed Realmian Guards were standing around the podium, all of them watching her. The Blood Leakers were holding electric sabers, and a few of the slaves stood at attention with their heads down. Candles were glowing in tall crystal holders, casting a deceptively warm light about the vast room. The air was scented with a pleasant aroma Marlana barely noticed as she tried to figure out what to say. She came to a stop at the very edge of the dais and knelt.

Her purple uniform reflected the candlelight as she performed the customary bow of respect. She heard a terrible scream of agony echo in the chamber, but didn't look up. "You may rise," Queen Priscilla said.

Her voice belied her frightening countenance. She had the pleasant voice of a young human female (Lorna London's voice, in fact), and Marlana found it somewhat creepy coming from the massive, sneering rat face.

The Scavenger Captain stood up and looked at the Queen, expectantly. As Priscilla sat back on her throne, her long kinky dreads started waving around her rat's head like octopus tentacles covered in mold. She was biting into a dead Glint as if she were a sweet pastry. The slave's head was already missing, a pale ragged stump was all Marlana saw.

The Realmian watched with burning eyes as Queen Priscilla tore off the Glint's legs, the white flesh pulling like rubber between her curving teeth, and chewed. She made explosive munching sounds, bones snapping, splinters cracking, marrow squishing. Flesh filled plasma dribbled down her hairy jaws, dripping to her furry breasts. A drop of blood swelled, then fell from her huge left nipple to the floor. The single drop hit a Glint male in the head who yelped in fright.

Queen Priscilla finished eating the slave and licked at her fingers. She grabbed another one.

Marlana was nearly sick with disgust! She understood that her people once practiced cannibalism on their dark moonlit planet, Sagittarius, but that was ages ago. So long ago, that she considered Realmians evolved beyond that now. She tried desperately to control the anger welling up inside her. More than the threat of Nacirema Wolf, or her disgustingly conceited, asinine, sister, this specific behavior made her want Queen Priscilla dead! But any show of negative emotion would get her interrogated extensively, if not outright killed.

For her own selfish reasons, the bitch seemed intent on keeping this custom alive. She was the reason other Realmians were now eating their slaves. Breeding them specifically to eat, and that was bad enough. But also, breeding them bigger and that was horrific, not to mention extremely dangerous. On that topic, if few others, Marlana and Kia had fervently agreed.

But there was nothing she could do as long as Priscilla lived. And if Lorna returned, they would all be her slaves, in the end. She would only have to snap her finger to completely destroy their entire world! And that it would eventually happen, was a belief Marlana didn't wish to test.

"My Goddess Queen," she said. "You summoned me?"

Queen Priscilla ate as she spoke. "What have you learned of Rat King?" she asked. Her huge lips (red human lips on a rat's face) smacked noisily. "Have you observed the snooper scopes? Hmm?" She reached out and grabbed another Glint female; unlike the other five before her, she was alive, naked and chained to a silver pole. The small woman didn't struggle, she allowed Queen Priscilla to lick between her legs, and along the crack of her ass. The tip of the Queen's tongue was extremely flexible, like a tentacle. No hole was too tight.

The Queen smacked her thick lips. She rolled her black marble eyes, and glanced at Marlana. "You should try her," she said. "Dr. Clark has been feeding them copper beans, from Planet Zombia's mountains, and he sticks it in their tiny little pussies...it gives them a nice spicy flavor."

The Queen saw the look of disgust immediately cross Marlana's face and laughed. Her hairy body shook like a Jell-O mold designed to resemble a fur covered mountain.

"I prefer sand shark," Marlana said. "You already know this My Goddess Queen." Her tone was pleasant, respectful. She seethed inside. It took great concentration to stop electricity from leaking through her pores.

Queen Priscilla turned her attention to the slave. She licked her, running her thick black tongue all over the woman's naked white body. Slimy mucus stretched from Queen Priscilla's lips as she kissed her pretty face, repeatedly. She stopped kissing the woman and peered at her, her dark rat eyes slanting and filled with unmistakable delight.

Marlana had noticed the slave's pure blond hair. It flowed from her scalp in lovely waves that were at least six-feet in length. And then, bitter shock ran through her, as she realized that this was one of the Glints from her private kennel! Marlana was the only one with blond slaves!

Her name was Karissa; she was one of her prize specimens, and resembled an actress from earth named Taylor Swift. One of the prettiest women in the entire dimension. And one of the kindest, and most talented, she'd often heard it told.

The Glint slave remained silent, her crystal clear eyes blinking open as she wiped slime from her face. Unlike with most of the Scavengers, it was forbidden to close them around the Queen, but screaming was allowed and even welcomed. Marlana took a deep, shuddering breath and released it. Lucky for her, the Queen and all of her subjects were busy laughing at the slave on Priscilla's lap, and didn't see her angry expression. Or, so she thought.

But there was at least one creature observing Marlana and she should have expected it.

Suddenly, Queen Priscilla chortled laughter. "So you're a stubborn one, eh?" she said. "Think I can't make you yell? Is that it, slave? I own you," she cooed. "You're my property, I can treat you as I please. If I'm having a particularly bad day, I can simply take it out on you. Do you understand?"

The Glint only stared up at the monster, her pale eyes wide. Marlana silently praised her courage, wishing she would spit in the bitch's ghastly face before she died. Or better yet, use electricity to burn her eyes out! Marlana would sorely miss licking her (a chemical Dr. Clark had invented made her skin and bodily fluids taste sweet), but perhaps she would arrange for that to happen herself? Something nasty. Using another of her best slaves as a plant? Perhaps even Neffa, she of the fifteen-foot long tresses. Marlana didn't want to risk losing her, but this was an act of outright disrespect on Priscilla's behalf!

Priscilla would likely claim to have simply made a mistake, but Marlana knew better. She wondered what this meant as she prepared to give her report. And what it meant for their plans.

Queen Priscilla glared at the slave for a moment, then released her to fall down to her massive lap with a smacking thud. The Elder Realmian laughed again. "I like your feistiness," she said. "I will keep you alive for now."

She gently caressed her hair, then nudged her away with one clawed finger. The Glint quickly crawled from the Queen's lap and was lowered to the see-through floor by the female Realmian guards. The chain around her neck prevented her from going further than the crystal slave pen. Twenty female Glints watched her approach, crawl into the enclosure, and sit on the fur-lined bottom with them.

Queen Priscilla was watching Marlana when she finally turned around. "Is anything amiss?" the mammoth rat inquired. "You seem anxious, almost worried."

"No, my Goddess Queen," Marlana said. "I am fine. My mind is pondering Rat King and his whereabouts. The snooper scopes still haven't found him. I truly believe that he may be restrained somewhere, possibly injured severely. Rat King has never neglected his duty to contact the palace."

"What of your assertion that he has turned defector? Just this morning before my little...event, you maintained that we should label him traitor. Did you not say that? I would bet the entire arena heard you."

"I was only inferring it was possible, Goddess Queen," Marlana said. "Forgive my impudence if I overreacted. But this is a new situation for me, all I have ever known is Rat King at the Portals. I suppose it upset me," she admitted. "As a small Realmian, I learned many nursery rhymes about his heroic exploits across the dimensions."

"All of you share that experience," Queen Priscilla said. "It's no excuse to spread fanciful rumors. Why would he ever turn against me? Does he not know of my vengeance and wrath? Or, of my cruel yet childlike, humor?"

She giggled at the throng of people surrounding them, and they laughed nearly in unison. "Black Diamond is failing," she said. "We can't afford to lose the confidence these fools have in us. It will only hurt our standing as royalty."

Marlana nodded. "You are right, Goddess Queen. I have rethought my opinion." She clasped her hands behind her back. "I do ask however, that we send out snoopers to every planet, galaxy and universe within our reach. And then, the dimensions. Let's execute a methodical search, leaving nothing to chance."

Some in the crowd sucked their teeth at this. Soon, the smattering of laughter dwindled down to silence, again.

"That is an excellent idea!" Queen Priscilla said. "Now you're thinking. I accept your request wholeheartedly and approve of it. Order Dr. Yarakki to handle it. And what of the earth people?" she said. "Have they been found?"

Marlana made her face gloomy. "We have yet to locate them," she said. "I believe they fled into the lower tunnels and lost their way. If the tiger snakes haven't killed them, we should find them soon."

Queen Priscilla suddenly leaned forward, like a fur covered mountain on the verge of falling over. Glints and Realmians alike, couldn't help but back away from the shadow of her intimidating figure.

"You do understand the importance of the earth girl," she said, "don't you?"

"Of course my Goddess Queen," Marlana replied. "It is her blood that will—"

A blaring siren suddenly erupted in the hall, and everyone around the Queen immediately jumped into violent action! The Blood Leakers converged in a protective circle around the golden dais, huge sabers flashing out. The Glint slaves ran from the pens, and huddled beneath the Queen's golden skirts, trembling in fear. Somewhere, engines roared to life and began to sputter, preparing to power the crystal pillars.

The Queen's hair began to elongate, and twist in agitation, lashing out at other dreads as if they were living snakes! But Marlana knew the real snakes were there as well, only hidden in the filthy mane of hair.

Eyes blazing, Priscilla looked behind Marlana. A bright flash of light, then a cloud of bright orange gas formed, and a Scavenger appeared! Marlana, having sensed the energy all phase-clouds gave off, spun around, startled. The Scavenger was staring directly at her, giving her a very dirty sneer.

She wore the traditional green and white uniform, and was the tallest, and lightest skinned, Realmian in the dimension. She was nearly the complexion of a Glint.

Long natural blonde hair framed pale blue eyes, glaring from a beautiful face. She had a straight nose and full, red lips. Her face was breathtaking above a long, graceful neck. Elke Sommer's face as a matter of fact. The usual Realmian figure, but on an eighteen foot frame.

Marlana had to peer up to see her face clearly, even though she strode up to the dais on low-heeled boots. Her hips swayed and as she passed Marlana, she glanced down, far down, as if noticing some nasty object on the floor.

The Scavenger didn't spit (perhaps she wasn't that crazy just yet), but she might as well have spit. She rolled her eyes, glanced up at Queen Priscilla and blew her a kiss. Then she bowed with that same hand over her heart. "My Goddess Queen," the woman intoned. "I report a possible breach in the outer quadrants. Perhaps a sand cat, or moon shark. I request permission to investigate."

"Rise Lana," Queen Priscilla commanded. The Scavenger rose to her feet and stood like a soldier; her shiny boots planted firmly, her hands behind her back.

"Permission granted," the Queen said. "Any news on the Glint?"

"None Goddess Queen," she said. "We believe she is below grounds. Oprafine is preparing snoopers."

Marlana was too startled to stop her facial reaction. Queen Priscilla asked about a Glint! She must mean Evian, but why?

"You will find her," Queen Priscilla said. "And when you do, bring her directly to me."

"Yes, Goddess Queen," Lana said, bowing. "We will get on it, immediately." She stood up again, smiling.

Marlana burned inside. This was too damn much! Now they were disrespecting her title? Marlana had to speak or she would explode. "My Goddess Queen," she said, "with all due respect and honor, I ask you to let me check the breach. It is specifically my duty as Commander of the Scavengers."

Lana turned her head. "The Blood Leakers can handle any outside threats," she said. "That is our specialty." She looked at the Queen, again. "But it is your decision Goddess Queen. What do you command?"

Queen Priscilla's eyes closed as she considered. Marlana told herself not to expect too much. Lana and Oprafine were obviously in the Queen's ear.

But the Queen surprised her. "Very well," she said. "Accompany Lana to the outer perimeter, summon the Blood Leakers. Report back as soon as you learn anything. Lana, you will remain behind for a moment."

It wasn't a request.

Marlana bowed deeply. "As you order, Goddess Queen," she said. "And she couldn't help kissing her hand to the Queen as she stood up straight. "I will report to you shortly," she added, grinning, and Marlana could feel Lana's eyes on her. She fought the urge to wink at the Scavenger and raised her left hand, instead. Her body was immediately consumed in purple smoke and vanished.

21.

Queen Of The Rats

Queen Priscilla glanced down at Lana Aria. "What have you found out?" she asked her. But her voice was no longer soft and pleasant. "Did you bring her?"

Lana waved her hand; a bright yellow cloud appeared, and a Glint suddenly materialized in the exact same spot Marlana Carter had occupied. She was taller than the average slave, with long flowing locks. The golden waves nearly touched the transparent chamber floor. Her face was youthful and clear skinned, her eyes twinkled in the candlelight like chips of crystal. She gazed up at Queen Priscilla for a moment, and then lowered her head.

"Did you check it?" The Queen asked. "What did you see?"

The Scavenger shook her head. "I didn't want to tamper with it Goddess Queen. We have heard of Dr. Yarakki's inventions and gadgets. I have no death wish; nor the burning urge to enter another dimension unannounced."

"Very good," Queen Priscilla said. "I knew I liked you. Check it now, in front of me."

Lana hesitated, then grabbed the slave's neck. She had to bend over to reach her. The Glint cringed in terror, struggling violently. "Easy," Queen Priscilla soothed. "Not so rough Lana. The beautiful young Naomi is going to help us. Carefully get it off her and activate it."

Lana removed the chain from her neck. She held it up in the air, and the slaves all stared at the glittering pendant hanging from the Scavenger's fist. She passed her left hand over the jewel, and white light burst forth. Most of the slaves blinked from the glare, Queen Priscilla only stared at the shimmering radiance coming from the jewel, her rat face bathed in its luminosity. A large square suddenly formed in the air as if drawn with sunlight!

When the square was complete, a giant screen was floating high above the invisible floor. A screen complete with silent black and white fuzz.

"Sound," Lana said. The fuzz erupted into white noise. Perfectly audible, it echoed wildly through the chamber, sounding oddly like applause. Lana stared hard at the screen and the volume lowered to a reasonable level. Queen Priscilla leaned forward on her throne.

Lana Aria stepped aside, and continued viewing the screen. Every slave in the room would be killed immediately after the viewing under normal circumstances. Beginning with Marlana's favorite pet. But since the slave was a mute, she was very valuable, and would be spared. The rest were dead.

A metal collar appeared on the woman's neck when Priscilla snapped her huge fingers. A long chain was attached to it by a small hook. Priscilla, who held the other end, gently tugged on the chain and the woman glanced at her. "Come slave," she whispered. "Come to your Mistress."

The Glint immediately complied, racing over to the Rat Queen, gown billowing, her flaxen mane catching the wind like a silk curtain. She stopped at the foot of the dais and was lifted up by a Blood Leaker.

Queen Priscilla pulled her up the rest of the way. She positioned the slave on her lap and started stroking her hair. "Continue," Queen Priscilla said. "Spill the proverbial beans."

The Scavenger smiled, her pale eyes glittery. She nodded, and waved her hand. The screen blinked into incredibly vivid color. A gigantic image of Kia leapt into view, and then the view switched, and everyone saw Marlana's dark beautiful face.

There was a sudden sound of astonishment, like distant waves crashing into a shore. (A sound no Realmian or Glint in the chamber, save Queen Priscilla, had ever heard.) And then, Marlana was speaking on the screen, her confident voice loud and very clear.

She was talking to Kia apparently, because she was gazing far past the camera. Marlana's face was turned to her right profile. She was looking across the brightly lit chamber and saying, "What was all that about? Don't you think you're taking this act too far?"

Queen Priscilla's eyes squinted, her head shaking slowly as if deep in thought. And she was. It was genius on her part to have planted the micro-snooper in the slave's pendant. (The special gift from her Mistress and God Lady.) The Queen sat back and got comfortable.

Lana remained standing, she was too excited to sit. She and Oprafine had waited for this for decades! The smile that formed on her pale face would have frightened the mute slave into speech had she been unfortunate enough to see it. Even the large, black bird crouched on a ledge high above the Royal Chamber, unseen by all, ruffled its glossy feathers in anticipation.

And why not? It would soon be granted the gift of humanity! It merely had to watch the human-like creatures standing or sitting far below, and then report back to the white skinned male about all it had witnessed. Even as a bird, it realized how good it was that it could really talk.

22.

Taming OF The Shrewd

When Evian's electrical beam struck Benn Bratticus, two things happened. First, he was knocked backwards so hard, every thorny lizard crawling on him released their grips on his fur! They hovered in the air making angry buzzing sounds, and even the ones with their stingers plunged into his hide, had immediately dipped away. Their red proboscis dripped his blood to the floor where it hissed and bubbled like acid rain.

Benn Bratticus soared through the air, and crashed in a bone jarring heap in the far corner. The next thing to happen occurred inside of his body. He could feel the eggs the lizards deposited beginning to hatch! He roared in pain as they slithered from the small black sacs, poisonous embryonic fluid spilling out, and burning his intestines like hot cooking oil. There were sliding sensations in his gut. It felt like he had just swallowed a bucket of bleach! And despite his intense agony, Benn Bratticus thrashed on the tiles, his hairy body suddenly soaked in blood, making red snow angels on the once pristine floor. It seemed his insides were dissolving, and he knew the damage was irrevocable. He also knew his violent motion was only making the pain worse, but he couldn't stop. This was a hurt he had never known, had never imagined even existed. And he still couldn't stop.

Back on the C train, he'd just managed to gather his last reserve of energy before the train exploded. He transported himself off the car at the last second (using the last drops of the special glowing liquid Yarakki somehow injected into the white towel) and when he arrived back at Mount Chrysler, he found a dark, quiet place and healed himself as much as he could. He understood Kia would have to finish it, if she didn't decide to finish him, instead.

His head had been crushed in like an empty beer can, all of his front teeth broken down to jagged points and one of his eyes was missing. His right leg was broken in four places, and his snout was split and severely cracked. He resembled the remains of a large animal run over in the road. That had been the worse pain he had ever felt since becoming part rodent. But this new feeling trumped those trivial aches. The injuries inflicted by that fucking white trash motherfucker, were a slight soreness compared to this magnificent pain.

It felt like a million wasps were stinging him far beneath his skin. He nearly went insane, was about to get up and run, unable to remain still, when the pain just disappeared! All in one sweeping wonderful wave of non-pain that made his heart nearly stop from his shocking unexpected pleasure. But the joy was short lived.

He suddenly heard loud buzzing sounds, and glanced up. The thorny lizards were regrouping like fighter jets and were heading straight for him!

"Hold still!" A voice yelled. He looked to the right and saw Evian. Panic rose up inside him and in his complete terror, he again forgot his magical abilities. He was as much human at the moment as he had been on the night the Glints first kidnapped him. On April thirteenth, in a year he no longer even recalled.

The woman was staring at him and holding out her hands. And he knew he was dead. Evian was only a slave, but everyone knew of her skills in battle. In fact, she was considered a surprisingly large problem in the Realmian women's schemes. He thought of running, even glanced around for a possible route, when sudden movement caught his eye. Peering up, he saw a glowing pink sphere floating in midair! It had to be at least ten feet across!

"Jump inside!" Evian screamed. "The thornies are going to attack, again!"

23.

Humble Pot Pie

Benn Bratticus didn't stop to consider the wisdom of his actions. The horrendous pain was gone, but he could still remember it. In fact, he would never forget it.

He dashed across the laboratory and the thornies dove at him. Now that they were filled with his blood, they were also filled with his powers. A particularly large lizard shrieked, reared back with both heads, and shot four rays of red light! The thin beams struck just behind Benn Bratticus's feet, exploding the white tiles into vapor. He flicked his tail back and slashed the thorny lizards from the air, still running towards the pink floating sphere. He realized that the Glint had created it, but couldn't imagine why.

"Go!" Evian yelled. "Go! Go! Go!"

A squadron of lizards swept at his head, buzzing madly, some shooting his lasers, and Benn Bratticus leapt at the ball of light. He didn't jump into it as much as the transparent globe sucked him inside. The thorny lizards just missed his right foot as he slid through the clear surface. They plunked off the glass sphere like large rocks.

Benn Bratticus landed on his face, tumbling into the ball's interior, the still floating bubble moving with his body for a moment, and then resuming its perfectly round shape. He crouched on his knees, and touched the surface in wonder, and found it as hard as a window pane. He could still see the white floor beneath them, too; perhaps five feet below.

Dull thuds made him jump. He turned and saw lizards slamming into the rounded glass behind him!

Bratticus no longer heard the buzzing sounds, but they were swooping around in wide circles, and diving back into the bubble. The strange material was repelling the blows, but Benn Bratticus still couldn't help feeling afraid. Could they eventually break through?

And then, the ball began to float, turning away from the thorny lizards, and drifting over to the dark opening he had noticed earlier. Trying to relax, trying not to think of suffocation, the rat man peered forward.

Bratticus saw Dr. Yarakki and Evian watching him from the edge of the opening; the Glint's hands were still glowing and she had them both raised above her head. Her body turned with the movement of the giant ball, as if controlling its flight. And then, Benn Bratticus saw them both look to the side in surprise, and then they both jumped into the hole!

A split second later he saw what made them react that way. The thorny lizards zoomed past him, clearly headed for the opening, but were suddenly blasted from the air as soon as they neared it! Double beams of light shot from the dark gap in the floor and pulverized their soft bodies! What landed around the rectangular space looked a lot like baby food, to him. And then, the rat man floated with the glass globe down into the same black hole. The pink sphere squeezed through easily, altering its shape into a cylinder in order to do it, and the rat man was lowered into a dark passageway.

He immediately saw the candles attached to the walls in metal holders, and blinked. Above his head, the opening slid closed, and he was submerged in murky shadows. He could still hear the very near sounds of thorny lizards attacking the sealed exit. It was as if someone were dropping boulders just above his head.

The bubble touched the ground along with his feet, and vanished. He saw shapes in the dim light. His hybrid eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and it was like the sun had suddenly emerged down there in the tunnel.

A young black kid of medium height stepped forward; a rather girlish looking boy, Benn Bratticus thought. He had a bronze complexion, and wore a white hooded tunic with Kia's gold symbol on it.

So this is the child David, that's so important? Benn Bratticus thought, and smiled inside.

"Don't try and fight," the boy said. "You're surrounded, any sudden moves and she's going to cream your ass!"

Benn Bratticus spun around, and saw Evian crouched over with her hands out like claws. The move she had displayed earlier, they called it the Talon Grip.

"Why did you save me?" Bratticus growled.

He thought he might know, but it was hard to think clearly when he changed. Plus, there was no reason to guess when he could learn the truth straight from the source. "Whatever it is you're doing down here, I want no parts of it," he said, and glared at David. "Kia gave me orders to—"

The blast hit him squarely in the back and slammed him forward! He hit the concrete like a missile except his body parts did the detonating. The earlier agonizing pains returned. All of them, as if he were being ripped apart inside. "Stop it!" Bratticus screamed. "Please! Pleeeeease!" he wailed.

He was struck by another powerful blast of energy, and once again, the bad feeling vanished. Benn Bratticus lay panting on the cool ground, afraid to move a muscle, not wanting to provoke Evian by mistake. "Stop it!" he said. "Whatever you want, I'll listen. Just stop with the fucking wasps!"

"The wasps?" A new female voice asked, laughingly. "What's this dick headed nigger talking about?"

Evian stood up and walked over to the rat man. She peered down at his prone body. "He's talking about cooperating," she said. "What I just shot you with serves two distinct purposes," Evian told him, and kicked him in the ribs, causing him to yelp like a dog. "Are you paying attention, nigger?" she said.

"Yes!" he said. "I'm listening, I'm listening!"

"Good," she said. "Pay attention smart guy. You can no longer turn into a human. Your days of going to earth and snatching people off the streets are over. This will be your appearance until the day you die. When that day arrives is up to you. Any false moves, say or do anything that upsets any of us, and the torment will begin all over."

"What does that mean?" he asked, whimpering.

"It means the thorny lizards put eggs inside of you. The offspring that hatched are already infesting your internal organs. The only thing that can prevent them from eating you alive is the special electrical current passing through your entire nervous system. I control that current. It neutralizes the baby lizards in a kind of stasis that I don't need to explain. Just understand that you work for us now."

Benn Bratticus didn't look up. "Work for you?"

"Exactly," Dr. Yarakki said. "You're going to tell us everything you were told, and by whom. We already know of your plot to take over Realm. Now, we need to know when it's going to happen."

Benn Bratticus had to look up, he just had to see the expression on the doctor's face. What he said next would decide his fate. He had to be sure of what he thought he'd heard in the old man's voice before he said anything. He lifted his head from the ground and turned, but a foot pushed him back down, hard.

"No need to move!" Evian said. "The doctor can hear you just fine the way you are. You think I—"

"No," said Dr. Yarakki. "Let him up Evian. I don't trust him. Let us see the look in his eyes as he talks."

Evian hesitated a moment, then removed her foot. Benn Bratticus turned over and gazed up into Dr. Yarakki's face. It was still dark in the subterranean corridor, yet Benn Bratticus could see him perfectly. The old man was staring at him intently, he was giving him a meaningful look that the rat man deciphered easily.

He smiled inside again. So this was just part of the plan? When he called Dr. Yarakki a traitor earlier, his assessment had apparently been correct. He kept his rat face composed, truly happy for the first time that he wasn't in human form.

Only Yarakki would be able to read his eyes, just as the old man had planned it, he was sure. When Benn Bratticus studied the rest of the conspirators occupying the tunnel he thought they mostly looked weak. But had already learned that looks could be extremely deceiving. Dangerously, so.

The white skinned boy who had nearly killed him, was standing against the left wall. His wavy hair had been burned somehow, the result of the subway explosion Benn Bratticus guessed. And he held a book in his pale hands. The words: Neeq Snagem, or Megans Queen spelled backwards, minus the letter U, was printed on the black cover. Evil looking rat eyes took up the entire uppermost half of the book.

It was the book Benn Bratticus was ordered to get. One of the Histories Of The Future books from the dimension where the mother Wolf bitch reportedly lived. Only, she was an actual queen there. It was supposedly written by an ancient version of the black actress, Megan Good, but he didn't really believe that bullshit.

For a moment, he remembered his last battle with Broshaine Bly. The traitor Blood Leaker fox; the meddling blue bitch who had nearly killed him on so many occasions. She had actually succeeded this time, but someone had brought him back to life. He also thought of Bly's commander, Roan. And of Dawn Laurelton, and her dead father, Bryant.

Bratticus thought of all he had gone through just to become human again, and none of it worked. A huge anger flooded his mind. Kia had only restored him to fucking punish him! And guess what? He was still going to get that fucking book if he ever got the chance!

He would find somewhere to hide it, fuck giving it to Kia. She would finally grant his fucking wishes if she wanted the shit back! And then, he peered at the other female, the one who asked what he'd meant when he mentioned wasps. A brown skinned American black girl with almond shaped eyes that had clear irises. She was pretty, he thought, he hadn't changed so much that he couldn't notice beautiful women. (In fact, that had just gotten him in trouble four months earlier.) But the light made her eyes sparkle, and shine, like the crystal pillars in Queen Priscilla's chamber. He couldn't stop staring at them.

Bratticus knew this was the most important bitch of all, according to Goddess Kia. Sonia Parker.

He smiled again, his rat's face still blank to their human eyes. So everything was going to proceed as planned? But Dr. Yarakki was obviously playing a dangerous game of double dealing. Riding both sides of the same fence!

He wasn't dumb enough to go against Marlana, Kia and Rat King directly. Especially when his own daughter was involved now. Plus, if the Wolf bitch or Lorna London, ever awoke to their true destinies, worlds without number might forever be altered. Events would reverse themselves at their slightest whim. But he was obviously working against them, just the same.

The people in Benn Bratticus's dimension who knew of Nacirema Wolf only considered her a gorgeous face.

But she was basically a god. Or as close to a goddess as they would ever see. And should she or Lorna awake to their true natures, Benn Bratticus knew that all of existence would be in threat of simply being wiped away.

He wished he had killed Yarakki long ago, despite him having access to the cure. He wondered what Yarakki was after. The rat man also wondered if the rest of the conspirators even knew how dangerous Princess Wolf and Princess Lorna really were? Did they really understand that they were fucking with walking Armageddon on their goddamn periods? Or were they just following behind Yarakki?

Did they realize that there were hundreds of worlds upon which these same events were being played out? Only, the names of the individuals involved were different? In one dimension, Nacirema Wolf was called Brenda Goddess. In another, Nacriema Wolf. And still in another, Lauren London.

"I'll talk," Bratticus growled. "Whatever you want to know." He made sure his tone was defeated, humbled. "May I stand?" he asked, and glanced back at Evian who was watching him, carefully. He could see the aggravation in her pale eyes, the frustration that she couldn't see what he was thinking. And couldn't kill him.

"Get up!" she said. "Remember what I told you. And one more thing." She smiled into his upturned face, a frightening grin that made her look satanic.

"Anything happens to me," she whispered, "and the pain returns; horrendous death returns. I have linked your bodily functions to mine. Think of us as twins with one minor difference—you feel what I feel, period. That's all she wrote. If I die...you die. But you can easily die without me."

The words hit hard, smacked Benn Bratticus right between his rat eyes. His plans of escaping with the book evaporated into nothing. The dirty fucking bitch!

He climbed to his feet and stood there scowling at her. This time he knew she could see the hatred in his eyes, and didn't care. "You don't have to worry," he growled. "No tricks." And in this instance, the defeat in his voice was very real. Evian stared at him for a moment, as if considering killing him, anyway. Her clear eyes narrowed, then seemed to glow.

"I'm not worried," she replied. Then she rolled her eyes, and glanced at Dr. Yarakki. "This fucking mutt has been heeled," she said. "He will answer your questions truthfully. I don't think he'll need a sonic collar." She smiled. "But then, you never know with worthless-ass niggers!"

"Excellent," Dr. Yarakki said. "Now let's get out of here, and go to the emergency chamber. Where I keep my real laboratory. I may have something for David's leg."

"Move, nigger!" Evian shouted, pushing Benn Bratticus in the back. The rat man stumbled forward and started up the corridor.

Dr. Yarakki glanced at him as he also started up the tunnel. "I can't wait to hear how you located this lab," he said, and chuckled. Then he walked off down the gloomy passage, following Evian.

Sonia, David and Vince stayed behind for a moment, watching them leave.

"We're in trouble," Vince said. He raised the book to the candlelight. "What the fuck does this have to do with what's going on?" he asked.

David shrugged. "I guess we're about to find out," he whispered. "All I know is this: fuck what's happening in this world! I'm going back to our world and get Paris!"

Suddenly, Sonia screamed out in the dark tunnel, falling to her knees! Both boys immediately turned to face her, thinking of the many dangerous creatures dwelling on the planet. (Or in this dimension, David thought; he kept getting those concepts confused.) Not to mention the creatures lurking in the tunnels.

But they saw that they were still alone in the passageway. Sonia was breathing harshly, clutching at her belly.

"What is it?" Vince asked. "What's the matter?"

Sonia glanced up, still holding her stomach. "I don't know," she said, panting. "Sharp pains in my stomach. Like knives stabbing me—like before."

David went to her and helped her up. Her face was strained in the dim light. She took two deep breaths and exhaled. "It's going away," she said. "Maybe it's only hunger pains?"

David nodded, but didn't speak. His face was as blank as he could make it under the circumstances. "Are you okay to walk?" Vince asked.

"I guess so," she said. "And I really don't have a choice, do I?"

Vince shrugged, his face apologetic. "Guess not," he admitted, "unless you want one of us to carry you." He made as if to pick her up, and Sonia playfully knocked his hands away.

"No thank you," she said. "I'll manage, nigger."

"Are you sure you're okay?" David asked. "No bullshit, I really could carry you."

Sonia smiled at him. "I'm fine," she said. "I'm going to catch up with Dr. Yarakki. See if he's got any pain pills." She started up the tunnel, still clutching her stomach. Her footsteps were barely audible.

They watched her go, then David said, "Let's play along with this weird shit until we find out how to get to Paris." He watched the girl until she finally disappeared in the shadows. He was remembering Sonia's words back on the train.

The words she screamed as her body was floating in thin air. She said something was digging into her stomach. Benn Bratticus had caused that particular pain, David was sure of it. But was there some connection?

Vince nodded, as if reading his thoughts. But the boy was responding to his statement regarding rescuing Paris.

He stared at David. "I guess we can ask Dr. Yarakki," he said. "When the time is right. But what if he's afraid to tell us that?" He sighed. "What if those Realmian bitches have him too scared to talk?"

The look that drifted over David's face startled Vince. His face seemed to twist and contort in the baleful light! His normally handsome features shaped into a malevolent mask of hatred and went right back to normal! Thinking it had clearly been a trick of the light and shadows filling the tunnel, Vince relaxed and sighed deeply, releasing breath he didn't know he was holding.

David smiled at him. "We'll fucking kill him," he said, and walked away from the boy.

Vince watched him until his body was merely a dark shape down the corridor merging with the surrounding shadows. Then he sighed again, replaced the book in his backpack, hitched the bag onto his shoulders, and followed.

24.

In Defense Of The Queen

It didn't take long to reach the second laboratory. It was maybe three hundred and fifty yards from the one they had just evacuated, not much further down the slope that started twenty feet past the entrance, and had gone steadily downward. There seemed to be nothing but darkness that way, until the path eventually evened out, again. Suddenly, they could see a somber glowing light gleaming up ahead.

Sonia and Evian walked side by side, but nobody spoke. David's leg was beginning to sting again. The worms were beginning to get the picture, and began to squirm back into his calf, that way the centipede couldn't reach them and consequently, couldn't eat them.

Beside him, Benn Bratticus trudged along with his shoulders slumped (Vince kept shooting him wary glances the creature didn't respond to), and when they finally gathered around the brick wall with a sun symbol painted on it, Yarakki turned to Sonia.

"Would you mind lifting your shirt," he said. His hair was a jumbled nest that had spilled down his forehead, partially obscuring his spectacles. His face was covered in dirt and ash. His steady pale eyes gleamed like metal behind his glasses. Little Sonia was absolutely stunned to see he was addressing her.

"My shirt?" she said. "What do you mean..."

"Lorna London," he said. "The true Queen of Realm, and apparently, of your earth, as well."

All of them were stunned. None more so than Bratticus. David had even momentarily forgotten his calf, his head jerking up to stare at the doctor. He couldn't have heard him right!

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Sonia asked. "What do you know of her? You trying to be funny? How dare you speak her name, you fucking traitor!"

The doctor shrugged. His weariness showed in the slump of his shoulders. "I know that she is the true Queen of this world," he said, "of this dimension; I know that as a child, she was abducted by Queen Priscilla's agents and taken to earth. She was placed in that household on purpose; hopefully, she would have simply lived her life in drudgery, and perished, unaware of who she really is. She can't be killed outright because she is filled with God's light; certainly you can see her surreal beauty is an extension of His light and love?"

They were stunned by his eloquent speech, but more so by what the fuck he was actually saying.

"Your silk undershirt," he said, staring at the mystified girl. "The material is made from the webs of titsy-beetles, and filled with energy from Cuarto-4." He frowned. "I had to leave this galaxy to find beings that could actually design and manufacture it. I put it on the website myself, since Lorna would never call herself God's gift to anything. And yet, in many ways she is. Just as Barbara Eden was, and Jennifer Nicole Freeman, and Rhianna. But the point is, our world is just dying to equate her regal air, and confident demeanor, with shallowness. So I took advantage of that."

"She has the power within her to restore the Black Diamond," Evian said. "She merely has to place her lips upon it. Once the breach is healed, the gap between the dimensions will seal itself up. Then she can claim her rightful place as our Queen."

David finally found his voice. "What the hell are you two saying?" he asked. "What do you mean she's Queen here?"

"She is our Once And Future Queen," Evian said. "She just doesn't know it yet. Turn to the wall and lift your shirt, Sonia."

Sonia hesitated a moment, staring at David. She felt extremely nervous for some reason, as if she had known the things they were saying (the crazy, impossible things) all along. Hadn't she dreamt of Lorna over and over again? Didn't she even dream once that she was sitting on a huge shining throne that was made of crystal, surrounded by millions of people? But they were far beneath her at the bottom of a huge dark mountain? And hadn't they been chanting her name? And strangest of all, hadn't she once imagined her as Michelle Obama?

Sonia turned to the wall and raised her top shirt. The reaction was instantaneous. Blinding golden light streamed from the image of Lorna's grinning face! The rays washed over the stone before them, bathing it in the brilliant glare.

********

David, still dazed by all he'd just heard (a part of him also felt like Sonia, he believed everything they said regarding Lorna London), saw that the light was somehow coming from her eyes! From the eyes on Little Sonia's shirt! Suddenly, they heard ripping sounds, and the deep rumble of rock and granite shifting somewhere far beneath them. The bricks separated, and slid out from the wall's surface, and were now floating in mid-air!

Bricks swirled about their heads as the doctor waved all three kids, the woman and Bratticus, into the entrance that suddenly appeared in the shape of a giant star. "Hurry!" he said. "Before it closes!"

As soon as the entrance was fully open, the light blazing from Sonia's shirt winked out. (David actually heard a small popping sound.) He kept glancing down at the image of Lorna London's face, unable to believe what he had just witnessed.

They all entered the spacious room; David on jittery legs. The lab wasn't as brightly lit as the last one, he saw less machinery, and quite a few glass aquariums set up on a huge metal stand. Something was alive inside of them, but he couldn't tell what it was. He also saw perhaps fifteen folding chairs scattered around the lab.

"Make yourselves as comfortable as you can," the doctor said. "We won't be staying for long."

Sonia had already lowered her top shirt, and was now glancing down at it. David watched her, and couldn't get the image of Lorna out of his mind. There seemed to have been a halo of flowers glowing around her head. And the expression on her face, the playful smirk he somehow hadn't noticed before; it literally took his breath away.

"Why not?" David asked, grabbing a chair and sitting down. It was the first time he had left his feet in what seemed like days. The relief washing through him made him swoon.

There was a wire holder on the chair with one of the metal bottles in it. David pulled it out, and took a long swig this time. It was ice cold water. He lowered his head for a moment as the water moved down his throat. He could feel it spreading throughout his entire body. "Where the fuck are we going now?" David said, shivering.

"I figured you might like to go and save your girlfriend," the doctor said. "Paris. The O'Megan woman hasn't used the drug yet, and we can leave shortly."

David sat up straight in his chair. "Are you serious?" he asked. "But what the hell do you mean, O'Megan woman? What O'Megan? You don't mean the lady who owns the bakery?"

"Right," Dr. Yarakki said. "O'Megan, or maybe she's using O'brien these days? She was sent back to earth by Marlana. Planted there years ago, waiting for just this opportunity. She despises Lorna London, so recruiting her was relatively easy."

"What opportunity?" Vince asked. He also knew the woman and he liked her. Sometimes, she gave him free pastries; he especially loved her apple pies.

"What does Mrs. O'Megan have to do with any of this?" David asked.

Dr. Yarakki said, "Does the girl like the woman's baked goods?"

David nodded. "She loves her doughnuts," he said. "The kind with the jelly in the middle, so fucking what?"

"Then, O'Megan will use the doughnuts to administer the thought poison," he said.

David jumped to his feet. "Thought poison!" he said. "This shit can't be for real!"

"Then, what are we waiting for?" Soina asked.

"Yeah!" David said, "Let's go and get her before..." The boy sat down in the chair again with a heavy thump. He slowly turned to face the old man. "Where is she?" he said. "Is she still in the shelter's basement?"

"No," Evian said. "That is the point. It would be senseless to rush back to your world without a plan. Benn Bratticus has certainly left orders with Frod, Gamble, and Hernandez." She turned to the rat man sitting slumped in his chair. "Isn't that right, nigger?" she said.

"Hernandez?" David said. "Manny Hernandez?"

"Yes," Evian said. "The janitor." She peered at the boy for a moment, then she laughed. "Don't tell me you fell for that nigger's act?" she said. "What did he say, that he's been putting down poison for the rats?"

David was speechless. How did she know about that? How did either of them know any of the shit they were saying? After what seemed like a long moment, he said: "He showed me the poison, green pellets in a small white bucket. I can remember that night clearly, we were—"

"Gandy-grass," Dr. Yarakki said. "Dried and ground down into the form you saw. It doesn't kill them, it makes them stronger, and they breed much faster."

"Are you shitting me?" David said. "So all that complaining about the management was bullshit? All of his annoying talk about getting a raise was a ploy?"

And at that moment, David realized something. He realized that these people had been monitoring him too all of this time. For how long? He didn't know. But it was obvious now, because they knew entirely too many things that they hadn't explained knowing.

Evian said, "The fire that caused you to wind up in the shelter was set by Glints. I as a Glint, apologize for their actions. But they did it because they knew Sonia lived around the corner from you."

Now, it was Sonia's turn to get excited. "What!" she said. "Around the corner where? I know you don't mean my neighborhood? Is that what you're saying?"

Evian shrugged. "In a building on Kotter Avenue?" she said. "A ramshackle structure with six floors?"

"I know Kotter Avenue," Sonia said. "There's a Chinese restaurant on that corner, and a brick building."

David nodded his head. "We lived there for two years," he said. "Filthy place was filled with mice and huge roaches that could actually fly."

Evian said, "They probably work for Rat King, that would explain how they kept such close tabs on you. Snoopers are very good, but they can be seen. Mice and especially roaches, could keep you under constant surveillance and you wouldn't have thought anything of them being in your apartment." She looked apologetic. "Unfortunately, your world's pests come from here," she said.

"When Marlana learned how close you lived to one another," Dr. Yarakki said, "she took great pains to make sure you never crossed paths. That is why they had to get rid of you," he said. "Get you away from the area.Both of you if possible, but one was acceptable. I know, because I'm the one who set the whole operation up."

To this point, Vince and Benn Bratticus had remained silent. They were sitting on chairs just inside the laboratory, a few feet from the left-hand wall, and away from the others. Vince was glaring at the creature's shaggy back, thinking how he would love to finish the job he started on the C train. That fighting urge was back in him, and though it was admittedly crummy that it hadn't returned when he needed it in the other lab, while they were fighting Benn Bratticus and his laser weapon, he was glad to be feeling it now. Part of him felt like jumping up and clawing the hideous thing's face off. But with tremendous effort, he controlled the urge. The backpack was sitting in his lap and he cradled it, rocking it like a baby. The flashlights inside clinked against something metal.

Benn Bratticus wasn't doing anything, but watching the others talk. Whatever he was thinking, his body was now as still as a mannequin. But his gleaming eyes moved, and were filled with hatred and silent rage. He despised the sound of Yarakki's ugly, traitorous voice. Maybe, if he got the chance, he would do something about the annoying old man.

"You set the operation up?" David said. "Wait, don't tell me. They made you do it?"

Dr. Yarakki shrugged. "You happen to be right," he said. His face suddenly seemed a dozen years older. He sighed deeply, his entire body seeming to expand, and then shrink. "In the beginning, I had a choice and chose poorly, and I accept full responsibility for that." He lowered his head. "But now, I really don't have a choice at all," he whispered.

Yarakki's hand flashed as he suddenly produced a small circular object from his pocket, aimed it at Benn Bratticus, and flung it! The object changed into a spinning guillotine that rushed at the creature's head, then dipped low, and immediately sliced through its Adam's apple! The rat man clutched at his neck and flipped over in his chair, landing with a violent crash at Vince's feet!

The creature's crooked toes were poking up in the air, and were twitching. They were covered in the blood that had gushed from its shaggy throat. And after a moment, everyone turned from the dead rat man to look at Dr. Yarakki. A deep feeling of disbelief filled the air.

"Why did you do that?" Evian whispered. She looked more shocked than anything. She was staring at the old man as if she suddenly didn't recognize him.

"I had to," the doctor said. "He thought that I was on his side; he was waiting for me to kill you four."

"On his side?" Sonia said. "Why would he think that?" There was no mistaking her anger. "Why would you help him? That was stupid man. He may have told us something important about this shit! You didn't ask him anything, you just went and killed him!"

The old man's face contorted as if on the verge of tears. He removed his glasses with a still trembling hand. "Because they threatened to kill you if I didn't help!" he said. "And I couldn't actually let them kill my own daughter, could I?"

The words fell like a safe dropped from thin air. The entire room seemed to freeze up, everyone was staring at the doctor with wide, stunned eyes. David was staring at Sonia. And when he saw the expression shift on Sonia's face, it was something he knew he would never forget as long as he lived. The way her features seemed to deflate was heartbreaking.

He didn't allow himself to consider what the doctor had just said. Not yet. First, he just wanted to watch the young girl, wishing to God he could help her somehow.

"I know how crazy it sounds, and..." Dr. Yarakki glanced at himself with his arms wide. "Looks," he finished. "But you really are my child. And while there's no time to explain everything, I swear, I only stayed away to protect you."

"Doctor Yarakki," Evian said. "It's time to go. Whatever your reasons, they will have to wait. The sand crystal portal will open soon and we must be ready."

"No," Dr. Yarakki said. "First, I want to hear that my daughter is okay!" He turned to Sonia who still hadn't responded, she didn't seem capable of responding, to David. Her eyes were extremely wide, her sand-colored irises seemed to be quivering.

"Are you okay, honey?" Dr. Yarakki whispered. He stepped closer to her. "Say something, baby." His pale face no longer seemed so unlined and smooth.

Sonia finally glanced up at the man. She had grown up with a stepfather that treated her okay, and at least had never tried to touch her. She was very well endowed all over, and she didn't try and fool herself on that score. Huge breasts and a fat, round butt, were a part of the blessing of being an African American girl.

But she had always secretly fantasized about what her father may have looked like, and she always pictured a black man. That was only natural, she thought.

Now, this white guy was saying he was her real father. This old, white guy. She was no idiot, she knew it was theoretically possible. Scientifically, possible. But was it the truth? And if so, what the hell did it mean?

"What makes you think you're my father?" Sonia asked, finally. "Who said I don't already have a father?"

"William Parker," he said. "Black male, age 45, occupation: Sanitation worker. He's worked there ever since you were little, sometimes he would take you for rides on his garbage truck." He smiled. "As I said, I set up the entire operation. Would you like me to tell you his favorite foods, color and song?"

"His favorite writer?" Sonia asked, snidely.

"Linda Warren," he said.

"His favorite actress?"

"Charlize Theron," was his immediate reply. "And Kristen Stewart."

"That's right!" she whispered, and paused for a long time. "So, you're saying my parents are..."

"Not both of them," Dr. Yarakki said. "Your mother is truly your mother. But your stepfather is a plant. Him marrying your mother was arranged by me, without her knowledge. Someone had to keep feeding you the formula."

"What the fuck does any of this mean?" David asked. "If you're her father why did you take part in this crazy shit? We didn't have to survive that thing out on the desert. Or, any of the other shit we just went through!"

"I know," the doctor said, his shoulders slumping, again. "But as I said, I had no choice. I had to bring Sonia over, anyway. I knew they needed her. So I figured the best thing to do was to manipulate her capture. That way I could try and protect her."

"Some job," Vince said. "Why do they need her?"

The doctor glanced at him. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Because her blood contains the secret ingredient to the biological weapon," he said. He stopped massaging his face, and was now staring at Evian who'd gasped in shock at his words. "Yes," he said. "I am truly sorry, dear. I had to conceal it even from you. I couldn't risk anyone finding out until I knew who I could trust for sure. If we don't go to earth and bring back Lorna London, both worlds are doomed."

"So, you have already found the missing chemical?" she said.

Dr. Yarakki smiled. "It was never missing," he said. "It was in Sonia the entire time. Her stepfather was instructed to place the chemical in her food daily."

"That explains a great deal," Evian said, grinning now. "But we do have to leave doctor. We can discuss this further on Alphius Sixteen." She looked at Sonia. "I'm sure she has millions of questions you'll need to answer."

"I have a few myself," David said, angrily. "Like what's this plan Evian spoke of? I didn't see either of you working on one. How are we..."

"Stop it!" Sonia said. "Evian's right, we have to go! Right now, getting your girlfriend is what's important, even if I didn't know she existed in the first place. But never mind about that."

"Sonia," David said. "I didn't mean..."

"Never mind," she repeated. She waved her hand, clearly one of her favorite gestures. "Just consider my debt to you paid in full. But we have to get back home, and I'm tired of this fucking place."

"I second that," Vince said. "So like he said, what's the plan?"

"I'll show you," Evian said. "Give me the calculations, doctor."

Yarakki reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a silver card. Evian walked over to him and took it. She went over to a large machine in the middle of the lab with a metal stool standing in front of it. She pressed a black button and a huge screen slid down from the ceiling. It made a thin whining sound.

"This is a main snooper viewer," Evian said. "With this receiver we can pick up signals from our machines all over the galaxy. In any dimension." She pushed the card into a slot on the dashboard, and the screen flashed brightly. A crystal clear picture appeared, and David immediately recognized Mrs. O'Megan's bakery!

The shot was of the front of the store, sometime during the night. He saw the welcome mat, and the light coming through the windows bathing it in a pale, orange glow. And then, the camera seemed to sweep straight through the window, and the next image was of the bakery's interior. They all watched as the view shifted to a closed door with a DANGER sticker slapped across the upper half.

"Paris is inside this room," Evian said, glancing over one shoulder. "We are going to transport into the bakery, and break down the door."

"Why can't we see her?" Vince asked nervously. "I thought your snoopers could get through anything?"

Evian shrugged. "Some kind of force field is surrounding the door." She tapped another button, and the image of the door drew closer, and then rebounded away. "You see?" she said. "The snooper can only get so close to it."

"So, that's the great plan?" David asked. "Doesn't sound like much of a plan to me." He was doing his best to keep his voice calm, but his calf was burning.

Dr. Yarakki turned to the boy. "It is the best we can come up with for now," he said. "The rest we can play by ear. Have you begun to feel the effects of Cuarto-4?" He grinned. "Yes, I can tell that you have," he said. "I felt your strength when you grabbed me, earlier. Your body is already altering; the operation I performed on your eyes only made the change speed up." He glanced down. "How is your leg?" he whispered.

"I've been dealing with the fucking pain for the past half-hour," David said. "But I haven't looked at it."

He had lowered his pant leg over the worms on his calf, unable to stand the sight of them anymore. His entire leg below the knee had reminded him of the movie Creepshow; the story about the farmer who found a meteor in his field and turned into a human plant after touching it. One of Stephen King's better short stories, in his opinion. But what he revealed now, as he pulled up the light, cottony material, made everyone in the room gasp.

"What the fuck is that!" Sonia shrieked.

David knew what it was, and they had covered the yellow centipede completely; he could barely see it glowing beneath the clumps of writhing green worms. They spilled down his leg, and squirmed on the floor, stretching out in all directions. David could no longer see his boot. And thankfully, he couldn't see what the other four people could see, either.

David didn't see the face that had formed on his leg; a yawning angry face, made up of worms! It had dark spaces for wide sinister eyes. And a gaping mouth that opened in ghastly, silent screams. A second later, they even heard the screams—light screeching sounds that tickled their spines.

"It is too late," Dr. Yarakki said. "My God, I've never seen them grow this fast! We should have had at least four more hours! We will have to amputate it, or you will be covered with worms in under sixty minutes." He pulled his eyes away from the carpet of wiggling flesh. "I am so sorry young man. But there is no other way."

"Hell fucking no!" David said, backing away from the doctor. "Use Sonia's shirt, the picture of Lorna London!" he said. "Let her eyes shine on my fucking leg or whatever!"

"I cannot, David," Dr. Yarakki said, and exhaled deeply. "Using the Queen's power on a brick wall is one thing. Letting your leg absorb her raw energy is another. Believe me, losing a portion of your leg is better than having your very blood freeze inside of you."

"But you don't know that will happen," Vince said. "And he's old enough to make that decision for himself!"

"You're correct about that," Dr. Yarakki said. "But David is crucial to our plan to contact Princess Lorna. I can easily produce another leg for him, a mechanical one that will move a little stiff, but look perfectly natural. Besides the people in this room, only you would know the truth."

"That shit's easy for you to say!" David said. "I don't see you lining up to have yours cut off too. Why not? The fake ones look so natural, don't they? Wanna try it, motherfucker?"

"We understand how you feel," Evian said. "But it is the only sensible solution." She shrugged, glanced at the doctor. "Shall I use my magic blade?"

Yarakki appeared to consider her suggestion. "That might be the best way," he said. "The electricity would immediately—"

"I said, no!" David screamed. He backed up even further, moving towards the front of the room. His face was twisted with rage. "Use the shirt! I'm willing to take that chance, if it can kill this shit on my leg, let's try it!"

"It is too dangerous, David." The old man was shaking his head. "Haven't you been listening? The fate of millions, possibly billions of people is more important than one person's temporary discomfort!"

Dr. Yarakki's face changed. David saw it change, and should have known what was coming. The doctor glanced to David's right and his body was suddenly grasped by invisible giant hands!

"Holy shit!" he screamed. He tried to turn and glance at Evian (he knew it was her holding him), but he could only face forward. Then, he began to rise from the floor! David immediately thought of Sonia on the C train, except he couldn't even thrash his arms and legs. "Let me go!" he yelled, straining against the Glint's magical constraints.

"What the fuck are you doing to him!" Sonia yelled, turning to Evian. "If he says he doesn't want to do it, you can't force him!"

"Of course we can," Evian said. "Lorna is the only thing in the universe that matters right now. And all you should care about is assisting us in bringing her back home. Her well-being will benefit everyone in existence."

Evian glanced at David who was floating sideways, now. He was clearly trying to speak, but his lips seemed glued shut. "In exactly one month, she will awaken to her true nature. She cannot awaken on Alphius Sixteen; because it would mean the end of your earth, too."

Evian waved her hand and David began to float down to the floor. His eyes suddenly snapped shut. "This is for his own good," she said. "More importantly, it's for the good of Princess Lorna. Dr. Yarakki slipped a transmitter into the jewelry of Marlana's most cherished slave, Ebony Ree. He has overheard discussions between Marlana and Kia."

"What were they saying?" Vince asked. He couldn't stop staring at his friend. He was hovering a few feet off the tiles. His eyes were closed, and his body seemed completely stiff. Part of him wanted to do something, the sight of David just floating there as if he were dead, was unsettling.

But he didn't move, because he knew they were right. His leg had to go. The boy couldn't see the face that had suddenly appeared on his shin, but Vince could. It was as if the worms had joined together to form one sentient organism. Vince would swear the angry face had looked right at him, too, and started laughing!

"They were talking about using David to kidnap Lorna ," Evian said. "He has written her a letter, but Marlana somehow gained possession of it."

Dr. Yarakki grunted. "We have reason to believe Frod is involved, somehow. He probably intercepted his mail. And they have also stolen his newest manuscript."

"Yes," Evian said. "The letter was ten pages long and Lorna actually received it, read it, and replied immediately. Something Dr. Yarakki said was surprising to him. Apparently, your Hollywood stars don't believe in it. And in fact, never respond. But anyway, your friend is quite the writer, with quite the imagination."

"Since when?" Vince sneered. A slight twinge of jealousy skittered across the back of his neck. He knew his friend wrote pretty damn good, which was why he often bragged about him to other people. The reaction was always the same. Writing seemed like something magical to most, and they couldn't imagine having the patience to even attempt it.

David said that while magic had something to do with it, countless hours reading, writing and rewriting, until the words were perfect, was really the way to go. Which Vince couldn't fathom doing, because he liked smoking and drinking and fine bitches, entirely too much to waste time in front of a fucking computer screen. That was a good way to watch the world pass you by, in his estimation. So, while he could appreciate his best friend's God-given talent, Vince wasn't comfortable praising him under these strange circumstances, or hearing others do it.

He peered down at him, again. David was still floating above the ground, but now seemed to be resting peacefully. Evian was talking, saying, "He pitched a story idea to Lorna; a complex tale about a black boy infatuated with her, who would eventually end up saving her life. And in-between the day he first realized he loved her, and the day he would take the bullet for her, a universe of exciting things would happen. He went into meticulous detail, outlining the entire plot. She loved it, and now wants to meet him."

"What!" Sonia and Vince screamed nearly in unison.

Evian was nodding her head, and her face was very serious. "Yes," she said. "Lorna, our future Queen, wants to meet your young friend. And we must see to it that the meeting takes place."

Dr. Yarakki said, "They want David to kill her, and use their discussion about the book, and then possible movie, to get close enough to the star to do it. He's supposed to eventually meet her at the Waldorf Hotel in Manhattan. But David is going to save her, not kill her. Even if he has to do it on one damn leg!"

"But he didn't say shit about writing her a letter," Vince said. "And he didn't write the book yet. He started it; I have a copy on CD. But he wasn't even half-way through! He would have told me about that." Of course, Vince conveniently didn't mention that he was supposed to have read it already but kept putting it off.

"He wrote most of the novel, Vince," Evian said. "But I didn't say he sent the letter or the manuscript. They both were sent for him."

Dr. Yarakki cleared his throat, and they all looked at him. He was holding David's book: Neeq Snagem. "Forgot about this?" he asked.

He lowered the book and looked at the hard, black cover. It was the image of a brown rat's beady eyes, but magnified until only the eyes filled the photo. Neeq Snagem was written in silver words beneath the dark, gleaming eyes. Dr. Yarakki glanced up at them. "He never got the letter that she sent back, either. Frod took it, but we took it back and..." He opened the book, turned it over, and shook it up and down.

Vince and Sonia both saw the slip of white paper fall out. It swooped to the white tile and slid three feet before stopping. Dr. Yarakki went over to the paper and picked it up. He grimaced as he did it.

"The letter," he said, standing up again. "In Lorna's own hand. I've already analyzed it. I compared it to some of her signed autographs. It's a perfect match. We had Evian slip it into the book and place the book in the writing section of the library?

"Let me see that," Vince said. And the old man went over to him, and handed him the paper.

"David was supposed to read it, but he skipped through the book. Probably after reading about the kingdom," Evian said. "But that's only Rat King's kingdom. It's the last place you two would ever want to wind up, believe me."

Yarakki said, "Marlana needed this letter so she or Kia, sent Benn Bratticus to get it back. She needs David to believe whatever she plans on telling him once she gets the opportunity. Once she captures him. Which it's our job to stop from happening."

Vince gazed at the letter in his hand. It was written in a quick, flowing script and he thought: This writing came from her! His hear t started pumping and this is what he saw:

Dear David, I am responding to your letter regarding your excellent idea for a novel! I am flattered that you found me interesting enough to write a novel about! I would love to hook up with you and discuss your idea further. Your writing is really good. Really good! Shocking, actually. No offense, but I'll have to satisfy my doubts that you actually wrote it before I decide anything. I've never read urban fiction, but people are telling me that your work is head and shoulders above the rest. If so, that's even more flattering! But I look forward to meeting you in person. I just bought a publishing company, Black Felony, that's also urban fiction. Though, I'm sure you already know that (smile), and I'm searching for excellent writers. By the way, I applaud and support your use of the N-word. Imagine the notion of banning a word. Ludicrous!

You'll find my contact info included with this letter. We can meet at the Waldorf Hotel in Manhattan. Call the number I've provided to set it up! Until then, sincerely yours, Lorna London.

When he was finished reading the letter, Vince handed it to Sonia who had walked over to him. She was trying to keep her composure, but he could see she was anxious to read it, too. It seemed he had found another Lorna London fan.

"So, she actually wants to meet him," Vince said in an awed voice. "Am I dreaming?"

"But Marlana knows David can't know Lorna wants to see him just yet," the doctor said. "It might change his reaction to whatever leverage she tries to employ."

"Like what?" Sonia asked in a strange voice. Vince thought she looked slightly stunned. She had finished reading the letter and handed it back to Dr. Yarakki. "We're going to get Paris right now," she said, "won't that ruin their plans? What else is there?"

"We have to figure that out," Dr. Yarakki said. "And prevent it from happening, but we don't have forever to do it. Her birthday's fast approaching, her day of Awakening, and she's reportedly starting a new movie."

"Are you serious?" Sonia said. "She's fucking incredible! You can never call her lazy, that's for sure! Black girls stay on their fucking grind! What's it called?"

"The Hustler's Nightmare," Dr. Yarakki said. "Science fiction. From what I hear, it's her best movie yet."

"But right now," Evian said. "I must remove David's leg, because the worms are growing faster than ever. It will soon be too late to save the rest of his body; Cuarto-4 may have sped the damn process up."

Evian walked over to David's floating form and made two wide circles with her arms. This time a blade emerged from a purple cloud above her head, and flew between her hands. She snagged it deftly.

"The wound will cauterize automatically," she said. "His pain will be minimal, the doctor can administer something to ease it."

"How will he walk?" Sonia said. "He won't be able to save anyone on one fucking leg!"

Dr. Yarakki moved to touch her, but she pulled away. "Don't worry," he said. "I told you I can replicate a leg for him immediately." He waved one hand. "I can do it right down here. See those machines against the far wall? Those are organ and limb replicators."

"I may believe some of what you're saying about Lorna," Sonia said. "But I don't like the idea of going against David's wishes. He's already saved my life more than once. I trust his instincts."

"We understand that Sonia," Dr. Yarakki said, wearing a forlorn expression, as if his daughter's abrupt pulling away had hurt his feelings. "But this isn't a normal situation. David can't be expected to think properly about losing his own leg. This must be done or he will die."

Sonia exhaled, she had already come to terms with the fact that David was going to get his leg cut off. The things crawling all over the lower portion of his calf looked about as disgusting as anything she'd ever seen.

She just wanted to delay it. But now she stepped aside, and gave them room to work. "Go on," she said. "Just get it over with." She hugged herself and shuddered.

"Hold him doctor," Evian said. "He shouldn't wake up, but just in case."

The old man walked over to David and grabbed his ankles. He glanced up at the Glint woman. "Ready," he said. "Let's get it done and go to earth."

Evian nodded. She closed her eyes for a moment, holding the blade out from her chest and it began to glow with pink light. Were David not in a deep trance, and dreaming of Lorna London, he would have recognized the light as Kia's Pink Death. The small woman raised the blade towards the ceiling, and the light flowing from the bright metal was blinding. A terrified Sonia saw Dr. Yarakki squint and turn his face to one side, still clutching David's ankles. Her heart began to pound. Sonia wanted to close her own eyes, but she couldn't do it. She glanced at David's friend, the Puerto-Rican looking boy, Vince.

His expression was blank, but Sonia thought she could imagine what he was thinking. He was probably trying to imagine his friend's reaction after waking up minus one calf and foot. But she could see that the green worms were growing even faster. As if they sensed their food source was about to be drastically reduced.

And now, she watched as the woman with the hazel eyes (that were actually much lighter than what she considered hazel) prepared to slice off her new found friend's lower leg. Sonia watched her raise the blade with both hands, the gleaming metal catching the overheads, pink waves of brilliance flowing from it like smoke.

Sonia watched it go straight up and stop. She glanced at Evian, and saw that she really didn't want to do it. Evian was hesitating, the indecision was crystal clear on her face.

"Evian," a voice said. "We must do it. The Queen is more important."

Doctor Yarakki's voice. He was urging Evian on. The blade moved again, stirred in a mini circle in the air, as Evian prepared herself to deliver the blow.

Then she raised it up, like a lumberjack might do. And at that very moment, Sonia happened to glance down at David's pants. Something had caught her eye, something that was glowing a bright white. It reminded her of something she had recently seen—not the color, but the intensity of the light...

Something she had just seen, yes. But what? Through the corner of her eye she saw the glowing blade suddenly sweeping down, and when what she was peering at finally dawned on her, there was no time to do anything other than what she did.

25.

Sonia Saves The Day

So, Sonia raised her shirt, the neon green T-shirt she was wearing above Lorna London's magnificent face; exposing her exquisitely delicate bone structure, and her soft, yet piercing brown eyes. And she suddenly remembered what David had tried to hide from her as she'd stumbled out in the Gandy-grass. It was a coin. It had looked like a quarter to her, though he'd claimed it was only a rock.

And as the blade came down in a sweeping curve she heard slicing through the air, Sonia suddenly knew the coin was in David's pocket and blazing with light. And she felt a deep sense of satisfaction, of emotional release, when the gold beam rushed from Lorna's eyes, making Sonia jerk backwards, and flew straight towards the coin!

Evian slammed the blade into the beam just before she could strike David's shin! It bounced out of her hands and flew across the lab to clatter on the floor! The pink light was immediately extinguished. The coin in the boy's pocket was now as bright as the four suns outside, enveloping David's entire floating shape!

Before Sonia turned away, she saw the worms on David's leg shrinking, dissolving like a giant Chia-pet growing backwards! And then, the white radiance seemed to fill the entire world; there was a tremendous boom and she felt the floor tremble! And then, for a few seconds, all was quiet and still.

When Sonia finally glanced up, she couldn't believe her own eyes. Unless she was dead, had died as a result of whatever had made that gigantic booming noise, and was currently in heaven (or maybe hell), David was standing up on both legs, and he was laughing! Sonia slipped off into darkness with the image of him hugging Vince imprinted on her terribly confused mind.

*********

And now, they were gathered together in the lab, discussing what they had to do next. There was no time to ask David about his leg (Sonia was still trying to get over his leg being completely healed) but he had eventually showed it to her after they woke her up.

The wound from the tiger snake's bite was gone, his skin was smooth and brown where the worms had been.

Sonia was talking to Dr. Yarakki, her father, who had praised her extensively for her fast thinking with the lifting of her Lorna London shirt. Evian was sitting quietly in a chair, probably thinking about what she nearly did. Her pretty pale face looked dazed and slightly puzzled.

"What did Marlana mean?" Sonia asked. "When she spoke of you having some kind of equipment for me?"

The doctor waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about that," he said. "I was ordered to concoct a story that would get you and your friends in one place, where the Scavengers could kill you. Marlana didn't know that I had already decided not to help them." He stared around at them. "Even now, I am supposed to be leading you into a trap," he said.

David started at that. "And how do we know you're not doing that right now?" he snapped. "Why couldn't this all be part of some elaborate scheme? You wanted to cut my shit off! Evian was right all along, Lorna's energy or light or whatever, would have healed me!"

Dr. Yarakki shrugged. "I have no way to prove it's not a trap," he admitted. "If you place a little trust in me, I'll help you save your girlfriend. And then, we can do something about Rat King and his army of rodents."

"Rat King?" Vince asked. "You know where he is?"

The doctor pointed at David. "He already knows," he said. "David has walked past where he is hiding out every single day for the past year or so."

Understanding dawned on the boy's brown face. "You mean the abandoned building?" he whispered. "The one right next to the hotel?"

"Yes," Evian said. "His rat army is hiding inside along with Rat King. He's waiting for the signal to attack. Once it's given, he will unleash the rats with the sole intention of destroying your world."

"So, those Realmian bitches were right?" David asked. "He does want to conquer our world!"

Dr. Yarakki nodded. "But they are in for a rude awakening," he said. "They have no idea that Rat King has cut them out of the plot. He plans on taking over both Realm and Alphius Sixteen. And then, the other dimensions, until he controls the universe."

Evian pressed a button and the screen retreated into the white ceiling. "We must leave now," she informed them. "The time has come."

Dr. Yarakki glanced at the three teenagers. "There is a portal that opens on your dimension," he said. "It will take us right into the O'Megan woman's shop. We can operate it from here, with this." He pulled out the silver object he had used twice before. "All of you, sit down," he said, "the countdown has already begun."

26.

Back To Earth

After everyone was seated in folding chairs, side by side like kids in a classroom, Dr. Yarakki turned and faced them. "You will go over first," he said. "Evian will guide you through the portal and it will be dangerous. Rat King is no fool, he has placed safeguards in between dimensions, creatures beyond anything you have faced so far." He stared into Sonia's eyes. "She must be protected at all costs," he said. "It is her blood that will make or break our mission. Plus, strange as all of this seems, I happen to love her."

Sonia took a deep breath, released it. She looked up at the doctor. My father, she thought. What if it was actually true? What did it mean? "I'm ready," she said, exhaling. "Let's do it."

"Good," Dr. Yarakki said, clapping his hands. "You will guide them, Evian. You know what to do, keep them away from the edges of the chamber. Remind them not to look at the glowing eyes. Anything you hear is to be ignored, and touch nothing!"

"Yes, doctor," she said. "I will warn them."

"I'm going to open the portal now," he said. "When you get to the other side, do not enter the closed door until I arrive. And don't use your magic, Evian. Mrs. O'Megan may have set traps, and you know they have access to my devices."

"I understand," she said. "We will remain outside until you come."

With that, the doctor strode over to the wall where David had just noticed a large plastic square which was attached to it, somehow. The doctor pushed it and shut off the lights. Pitch blackness immediately surrounded them. David gasped, as his throat clenched. Claustrophobia settled around his body like black gauze and he couldn't breathe.

"Everyone calm down," Dr. Yarakki said. Bright light suddenly appeared against the wall, a pale blue color that made David think of Paris. The blue light traced a huge circle against solid black, resembling a lunar eclipse, and then a brilliant flash came. They all squinted in the darkness. The circle of black opened up, revealing a blinding white glow.

"Everyone shut your eyes!" Dr. Yarakki said.

They did, and wind began to rush from the direction of the intense light. David thought he could smell cake baking, and what seemed like the aroma of cinnamon. He could hear the faint beeping of horns, and the sound of a large dog barking from far away.

The air flowing from the newly formed tunnel was very warm and David was reminded of his trip to Miami again, as the four chairs began to slide forward into the light.

"Do not open your eyes until Evian instructs you to!" Dr. Yarakki said. "Good luck and be careful!"

David felt his body being sucked into the tunnel, the wind was getting stronger as he moved forward.

"Whatever you do!" Dr. Yarakki was shouting. "Do not open your eyes until instructed by Evian!"

David could barely hear his voice over the sound of rushing wind. His body was frozen in the chair and he thought of the Devil's Highway rollercoaster he and Paris had ridden the summer before. Half of him expected the chair to drop suddenly like the car had on the insanely winding tracks.

But his chair only kept going forward and he could sense when he had cleared the wall and entered the tunnel. Mostly, because the brightness intensified. It was as if someone were holding a flashlight directly against his closed eyelids. And then, the aroma of cake and cinnamon grew stronger, the warm wind blew harder and David's chair suddenly slid forward at an alarming speed! He screamed with his eyes closed, as his body jerked backwards, and he could hear the others screaming in the brightness somewhere beside him.

27.

The Last Act

When the portal finally slid closed, Dr. Yarakki stood in the dark for a full minute, his mind filled with the lost opportunity he'd had to cripple the boy which his own daughter had fucked up!

The little bitch!

In one fell swoop of Evian's light blade he could have killed many birds with one stone. Not only would Marlana and Kia's plans to abduct the princess have been ruined, he could have accompanied his daughter into Alphius Sixteen, where he needed to go anyway, in order to retrieve the version of Lorna London that the Scavenger captains had abducted from Planet Zombia.

Yarakki pushed the switch and brilliant light flooded the laboratory, again. He stood watching the smooth white wall for a moment, and then released a heavy sigh.

Then he turned around and faced the brown figure that had slowly risen from the floor behind him. "You did very well," he said. "Even I thought my aim had been a little off, I thought you were really dead. The blood pack worked perfectly."

Benn Bratticus strode over to the old man and stopped. "Get this shit out of me!" he growled. "I must report back to Marlana as soon as you're done."

Dr. Yarakki stared up into the rat man's face. "Of course you must," he said. He reached into his pocket again and drew out the silver rod. "Hold still," he said, and shoved the rod's slender tip into Benn Bratticus's arm. The creature roared in pain and began to thrash his body as if being electrocuted.

Dr. Yarakki never flinched, he just kept holding the rod, using both hands now. And after a minute or so, he removed the instrument, stepping back.

Benn Bratticus was still jerking, his shaggy hair flew in all directions. His eyes were fierce red slashes, and the fur around his torso was smoking. Thin white tendrils drifted up to the ceiling and Dr. Yarakki could smell his burnt pelt. Things suddenly began to wiggle from the creature's fur and plop to the floor as he watched.

The baby thorny lizards, what seemed like hundreds of them.

Benn Bratticus collapsed to the tiles and lay still, tendrils of smoke were still rising from the multitude of holes beneath his fur, but one red eye rolled to find the doctor and he still managed to speak:

"As soon as they are secure," he said, "and we can get the chemical out of your daughter, you are both free to go. Don't worry about Rat King, Doctor John Clark, Marlana, or Kia. They will be handled in due time. Protect David," he growled, "he is our link to Lorna, the others must all die. When she and her sister are both dead, you will get all that you deserve. Those are my direct orders from Queen Priscilla, backed up by the Scavengers."

The old man saw something on the floor and knelt down to pick it up. It was a coin he realized as he rose with it, not answering the rat man. It was a Queen Lorna coin, as a matter of fact; his Queen Lorna coin.

"How the hell did this get here?" he whispered.

"What?" Benn Bratticus growled from the tiles. "What, nigger?"

The bloodshot eye rolled towards the old man, again. He still hadn't moved.

"Oh, nothing," Dr. Yarakki said. He turned to the rat man and stared down at the creature for a moment, then glanced at the silver coin in his hand. Lorna London wearing a crown of garlands. Yarakki read the tiny writing etched in a semi-circle below her silver neck:

"Kingdom Thief; Holy Grail"

SAGITTARIUS, 2013

And that was all it said.

Dr. Yarakki sighed and nodded. "Tell Queen Priscilla I understand," he whispered. "It is as we agreed, caveat emptor."

THE END?

