TIME : July 10, 2016 5:30 A.M.
PLACE : Beach Town, Triax
Vondwin still couldn't believe it. Twelve weeks ago he had been beaten by four M.W.G.D. off icers from Earth, a semi-advanced planet at best, and a handful of primitives from Glunze a forgotten world on the edge of the galaxy. It was the most humiliating thing that had even happened to him in his entire life. Something he was determined not to repeat.
This time, he was at a small town in the tropical regions of Triax, the most powerful planet in the galaxy. If he succeeded with his latest plans, people would forget he had been beaten by a bunch of primitives. They would remember him as the man who defeated a planet with a population of trillions.
Beach Town, as its name would indicate, was famous for its beaches. It received plenty of revenue from visitors from other planets and other parts of Triax. Because it was near the equator, it stayed relatively warm all the years around. There was no "off season" because there was never a shortage of visitors. It was the perfect place for Vondwin to start his attempt to do what even the Ruler had failed to do, take over all of Triax.
The beach wasn't very crowded early in the morning. The people who stayed out late and partied all night were going to bed and the people who wanted to hit the beach early were just getting up leaving Vondwin about two and a half hours before the crowds came. That was more than enough time for Vondwin to make final preparations. He had hidden a boob somewhere in the city that was capable of destroying every living thing within fifty kilometers of it which he estimated would be about one hundred million people. With that kind of power, there was no doubt he would get somebody's attention.
"All of the explosives are in place," one of his soldiers reported.
"They can be detonated by remote control from over a billion kilometers away," added another soldier.
"Good job," commended Vondwin. "Take a few hours to rest. Enjoy the scenery, while you can."
The soldiers left glad to be free, even if it was only for a few hours. Once they were gone, Vondwin opened communications with the Ruler.
"The explosives are in place slightly ahead of schedule," he began. "We will wait until the beaches are crowded before we make our demands which should be three or four hours from now."
"What makes you so sure you will succeed where so many others have failed?" questioned the Ruler.
"None of the others tried my methods," explained Vondwin. "I get results!"
"You'd better," threatened the Ruler.
Vondwin ended the conversation. The explosives were in place and the Ruler had been informed. As soon as the crowds came, he would give the king and queen his demands. In the meantime, he would enjoy what Beach Town had to offer.
TIME : 8:30 A.M.
PLACE : The recreation room at M.W.G.D. Headquarters
Peter took a deep breath. The score was tied at 62 all with nineteen seconds remaining in the game. Peter was at the foul line for a pair of free throws knowing they could decide the outcome of the game.
"Come on, Peter! You can do it!" encouraged Detrina.
Peter released the first free throw. It went in much to the delight of his teammates.
"Just like the other one," Doug said softly.
The second one was good too, but the other team didn't give them a chance to celebrate. Linda immediately took the ball and threw it in to Hank who, in turn, threw the ball to Mac who crossed the half court line Fifteen seconds remained in the game.
Peter did his best to keep the ball away from Hank. He knew Hank was the one they would go to in the clutch. Hank got open. It was only for a moment, but a moment was all he needed. Mac passed the ball to Hank. Ten seconds remained in the game.
Hank dropped back and shot the ball from behind the three point line. The ball went sailing through the air gently hitting the back of the rim on its way through the net. Five seconds remained in the game.
Peter hurried to pass the ball to someone, but everyone was covered. Finally, he was able to get the ball to Lisa. Lisa passed the ball to Doug and Doug let a shot go at the buzzer. The ball bounced harmlessly of the front of the rim. The game was over.
The final score : Hank's team 65, Peter's team 64.
"So that's basketball," wheezed Doug trying to catch his breath.
"That's basketball," Hank replied smugly.
"It'll never catch on," Doug remarked.
The loosing team congratulated the winning team and all of them left to get cleaned up. They were just about to leave the recreation room when Shawn intercepted them. They gave the leader of M.W.G.D. (Milky Way Galaxy Defense) their full attention.
Peter saw him enter the recreation room just before he made the free throws, but he didn't think much of it at the time. Shawn had something important to tell them that couldn't wait for them to report for duty.
"I know you're not on duty for another half hour, but an emergency has come up," Shawn began. "Vondwin has a bomb inside Beach Town, Triax and threatens to destroy the king and queen give him a sizable portion of Triax."
"Are you sure the bomb's not a hoax?" asked Peter. "We dealt with something like this once before, but it turned out to be a hoax. The bomb never existed."
"Vondwin is not the type of person that normally goes around bluffing," Shawn continued. "If he's involved, we have to assume the bomb is real. The people are being evacuated, but it will be at least a day before everyone is a safe distance away. Vondwin says he'll use the bomb tonight."
"That doesn't give us much time," said Lisa.
"Fortunately, Triax is only about ninety minutes away," declared Shawn. "King Jake XXVI and Queen Lynn I are sending someone to join you in your investigation. Remember, the bomb must be found before Vondwin decides to use it. Under no circumstances are you to use force against Vondwin or any of the Ruler's soldiers. We can't afford to have the bomb go off."
"Understood," Hank assured him. "We're on our way to Triax."
TIME : 10:00 A.M.
PLACE : Beach Town, Triax
The seven M.W.G.D. officers got out of the ship and started looking around. The whole city looked sinister, as if it was part of the plot. Without people dwelling inside them, the buildings appeared dead and lifeless. The only part of Beach Town that still looked inviting was the beach itself. The waves continued to roll gently up to the shore as if it were just an ordinary day. Vondwin could not quiet the ocean.
The only sign of life were a few distant soldiers from the Triax Royal Military Force searching for people still lingering about and ordering them to leave the area at once. One of them spotted the group and approached them angrily. Then, she saw their M.W.G.D. uniforms and knew they had come to help her.
"We still haven't found any trace of a bomb of any kind," she told them not even bothering to attempt to hide her exhaustion. "Wherever Vondwin has hidden it, he's hidden it well."
"What parts of the city have you searched?" inquired Mac.
"We're searching all the building inch by inch starting with the ones closest to the beach and working our way outward. Others are searching the beach, the sewer system, and anything else you can think of."
She went on to tell them that her name was Brenna and it was her job to keep people away from the city so the others could search in peace.
"Whenever a city of this size is evacuated, the crime rate skyrockets," continued Brenna. "Theives and loiterers think this is their chance to steal something worthwhile with all the stores deserted. My job is to convince them otherwise. When I first saw you, I thought you were going to make my life miserable. Seven against one isn't fair."
"Shawn said someone was coming to help us with the investigation," said Peter.
"You won't be disappointed," declared Brenna. "He should be on his way over here right now."
"Are you talking about me?" wondered a voice from somewhere nearby.
It was hard to pinpoint the source of the voice because it echoed of f every building in sight. At last, Doug spotted a shadow behind one of the buildings and immediately recognized who it belonged to.
"X!" he exclaimed.
"King Jake XXVIII and Queen Lynn I send you their best wishes," X informed them. "They hope we can find the bomb before sundown. Otherwise they might have to discuss the situation with the Ruler and Vondwin and that can only lead to trouble."
"With you on the job, I'm sure we'll find it in no time," Doug replied.
The group headed toward one of the main buildings. Peter, never caring that much for crowds, stopped to take one last look at the beach before following the others. The tide was coming in covering everything in its path with a thin layer of white water. Then, he saw something else. A young man, probably in his early twenties, was inviting him over for a secret talk. He obviously cared even less for crowds than Peter did.
Peter caught up with Detrina and asked her to come with him just in case it was a trap.
"Shouldn't we tell X and the others about this?" inquired Detrina.
"If he causes trouble, the two of us should be able to handle him," Peter reasoned. "He might have some important information to share with us in private. If the others come, they might scare him away."
They followed him onto the beach. It didn't seem like an appropriate place for someone who wanted to remain hidden, but there was no one else in sight. The beach had already been searched for trespassers and, after finding none, the Triax Royal Military Force had moved elsewhere.
"My name is Drae Zalaski," he whispered. "I come from Triax Island."
"You're one of the people with hypo-psycotic powers," interrupted Peter.
Drae looked at him in total amazement. His mouth hung wide open in search of something to say.
"How do you know about hypo-psycotic powers?" he finally managed to gasp.
"I've been on the Marrot V, twice," Peter recalled. "Both times, I've had to fight someone with powers such as yours. Rinquin showed me a list of all the people with hypo-psycotic powers. I remembered yours because it was such an unusual name."
"You must make a powerful adversary," Drae declared. "I'm glad you're on my side."
"That depends," snapped Peter. "What do you want to tell us and why are you avoiding the others?"
"Not all members of the Triax Royal Military Force are to be trusted," Drae explained. "Some of them are working for the Ruler. Even here is not safe."
"Is there anyplace where we can talk?" questioned Peter.
"Triax Island," answered Drae. "Have you ever been there?"
"No," replied Peter. "but I've heard of Triax Island. Isn't is supposed to be invisible to the outside world?"
"Yes," stated Drae. "and on it is the most advanced technology in the known galaxy. I want the two of you and two of your friends to accompany me to Triax Island. Talk it over with the other M.W.G.D. officers and meet me at this same spot in half an hour. I'll be waiting for you."
Suddenly, Drae disappeared. Detrina looked for him, but couldn't find him anywhere.
"Invisibility is the most commonly used hypo-psycotic power," Peter explained. "As you can see, or rather can't see, it does come in handy occasionally."
TIME : 10:10 A.M.
PLACE : Inside one of the main buildings at Beach Town
Peter and Detrina hurried to catch up with the others. Fortunately, they were moving fairly slowly and stayed in places with Peter and Detrina could see them. At last, they entered one of the main buildings.
The upper floors were reserved for local government officials. Most of them had left when the city had been evacuated, but a few remained behind to make sure the city ran as efficiently as possible under the circumstances.
They were just about to go up and check on the management when Peter and Detrina caught up with them and told them their odd story.
"It sounds urgent," declared X. "You'd better go to Triax Island and see what he has to say. As I'm sure you know, a person with hypo-psycotic powers isn't to be taken lightly."
"I'll go with them to Triax Island," Lisa volunteered.
"I guess I should go too," said Doug after a lengthy silence.
"Good," commended X. "The four of you will return to the beach while the rest of us check up on the management."
Peter, Detrina, Lisa, and Doug returned to the beach for their meeting leaving the others on the bottom floor.
"The elevator's still working," Brenna remarked happily.
Most of the others headed to the elevator, but X was hesitant and suspicious.
"Stop!" he ordered. "Once we're inside, they can shut of f the power and trap us."
"You mean the management is on the Ruler's side?" wondered Hank.
"Some of them, possibly," answered X. "Based on the people he has worked with before, I wouldn't put it beyond him."
"Looks like we'll have to take the stairs," sighed Brenna.
The building had fifteen stories. Odds were that if anyone else was still in the building, they would be on the top floor. That meant they had to travel up fourteen flights of stairs. Such news wasn't very encouraging.
Brenna led the way. She was the only one familiar with the building. Linda, Hank, and Mac followed close behind. Finally, X brought up the rear keeping a sharp eye out for anyone who might be following them.
At last, they reached the top floor. Brenna quickly led them to the conference room where the mayor of Beach Town and two of his top advisors were waiting for them.
"Please be seated," the mayor began. "I am Pron, mayor of Beach Town and these are my top advisers Unget and Hareen. We have been expecting you."
Copyright MCMXCII, MCMXCIX
