“Where to, Sir?” He asked as he looked back at Relovan.
“The Fourth Planet.”
“Whoa, you’re from the Fourth?”
“Correct.”
“Okay then, prepare for something of a long drive then, Sir.”
“Gotcha.”
The cab drove off and as it went past the doctor, Relovan noticed that she was still bowing. He just looked up towards the roof liner of the cab and before long, his eyes were closed. After a while of driving in silence, Relovan looked out of the window once more to see what condition the infrastructure was in. Unsurprisingly, everything had been restored to its original condition, with the buildings and roads being good as new. The roads were filled with traffic once again and everybody continued on with their lives as if the events that happened two weeks prior were little more than a dream. The cab found itself stuck in some mild traffic, which prompted the driver to turn up the volume on the radio.
“…T Baker Productions presents Trans Foamas: We Keep It Real In da Hood. In this next instalment of the hit franchise Trans Foamas, T Baker reprises his role as the Trans Dimensional, Trans Directional, Trans Sexual shapeshifting mercenary cyborg detective Santiago Prime as he continues his search for the stolen Fall-Spark which holds the key to restoring his lost Humanity… and his lost love. This time, Santiago Prime is taking no prisoners. Trans Foamas: We Keep It Real In da Hood, in theatres this summer!”
By the time the promotional clip had finished airing, Relovan was staring directly at the center console of the cab, shaking his head slowly.
“What the…”
“Waddup, it’s ya boi Quake! You have just heard the premier of the Trans Foamas, the upcoming summer blockbuster. We’ve got a star-studded cast in this one, with the likes of T Baker, P Cloud, Vi De’Viro, and a whole lot more. I personally am really looking forward to this film, it has a really great cast, T Baker back as Santiago Prime is something I’m really excited about, and it’s just gonna be a fun ride. Anyway, it’s almost time for the daily updates on the state of the planet delivered by Police Chief Nura. This big ass policeman has been holding regular press briefings to alert us to what’s been going on. So, I’m being told were close to crossing over live, so let’s –”
“Greetings ladies and gentlemen.” Chief Nura said, as if he knew he was interrupting reporters and disk jockeys throughout the city. “Without any delay, let me get right into it. Districts A1 through to…”
As the Chief rattled off update after update, Relovan stared out of the window as if he had no interest in what was being said. His cab driver was on the opposite end of the spectrum, listening with keen interest to what was being said. When he noticed that his passenger looked as though he wasn’t listening, he turned the volume down just a bit.
“Apologies if this annoys you, Sir.” He said apologetically. “Shall I turn it down?”
“No need.” Relovan replied without looking away from the scenery outside the car.
“Understood.” The driver responded.
The pair listened to the Chief in silence for a while, and when it became apparent that this was going to drag on, the driver tried to initiate conversation again.
“I don’t mean to pry, but how long were you in hospital.”
“Nigh on four weeks too long.”
“And how long was your stay in total?”
“Nigh on weeks.” Relovan grunted.
The driver snorted as he failed at holding back a bout of laughter. He did manage to recover quickly however and continued with his questioning.
“So, you were injured four weeks ago? Does that mean you were caught up in the whole Void Lord debacle that wrecked the city?”
“You could say that.” Relovan said as he finally looked towards the driver.
“You look like a military man. Were you off duty when it happened?”
“I’m a Police Enforcer, and I was decidedly on duty.”
“I see. It looks like you were seriously injured – are you sure it’s a good idea to be walking the streets?”
“Probably not. But hospitals make me itch, so I had to get out.”
“I understand that all too well!” The driver said with something of a chortle.
There was another bout of silence between the two and as it sounded as though Chief Nura’s press briefing was coming to an end, he suddenly quieted down. Close to a minute later, he spoke again.
“Well ladies and gentlemen.” He said, sounding decidedly more enthused for some reason. “This brings me to the end of the briefing; however, I would like to say that I have been informed that somebody who played an INTEGRAL role in calming the situation down and stopping the Void Lords has been discharged from the hospital he was recovering in. This person faced down some of the fiercest members of either Void Lord’s staff without fear, and at the cost of his physical wellbeing, he arrested them. He even directly confronted the Void Lords themselves and received near fatal wounds in the process. The news that he has recovered enough to leave the hospital can only be described as positive. No doubt he is rickety, and in all likelihood is still wrapped up in bandages and in no condition to be on his feet, but there was no stopping him, it seems. Lawman, if you’re in a car or a Quantum or whatever you’ve chosen to take you home and are listening, I just want to say take it easy and be sure not to fall apart – I will come see you soon.”
It sounded like the Chief stepped away from whatever podium he was standing at, because he was suddenly bombarded with a plethora of questions. Most of them centered around the ‘Lawman’ he had mentioned and his identity, however the sound of the heavy footsteps walking away made it clear those questions were not going to be answered. For his part, Relovan just scoffed before looking out of the window again. The cab driver however had an expression on his face as if somebody had just cracked an Acid Slug’s egg over his head. He looked into the rearview mirror every few seconds, glancing at Relovan each time. As much as it was an unconfirmed assumption, he was more than certain that the Lawman mentioned just moments ago was sitting in the back of his cab.
“S-So where exactly in the Fourth Planet will I be taking you, Sir?”
“Chartwell Heights.” Relovan answered simply.
“Understood, Sir. Isn't that building only three or four stories high?”
“It is.”
“Not very tall then, is it?”
“It isn’t.”
The cabbie appeared to become flustered as the conversation with Relovan was beyond dry. It was so dry in fact, that the cabbie was contemplating driving in awkward silence as opposed to continuing to try and have a conversation with Relovan.
“So…” Relovan said as he started the conversation this time. “…I will need you to wait outside the building as I go and fetch the cash inside.”
“Okay, I understand.”
The conversation dried up once again, and Relovan once again looked out of the window. The drive back to the planet that Relovan lived on was quite a bit longer than the one with the motorcade, and by the time they began their descent to it, Relovan had not only fallen asleep, but had even woken up a few times. Due to the cabbie being familiar with not only the Fourth Planet, but also knowing exactly where the Enforcer lived, he didn’t ask too many questions or even resort to using navigation to make his way to the destination. After driving through a rather slum looking part of town, and past a different Rank, they arrived at Relovan’s apartment building. Just before the Enforcer stepped out of the cab however, the driver looked back at him.
“Excuse me Sir, will you be going anywhere after this?”
“Possibly. Why?”
“In that case, there is no need to rush back to pay – I will wait for you here and take you there.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“I’m well aware Enforcer, but I must insist. I will wait for you out here, even if you pay me and go back inside.”
There was yet another period of silence as Relovan looked at the cab driver with an annoyed look on his face.
“Why are you so insistent about this?” He asked the cabbie.
“…it’s the very least I could do, Sir.” The cabbie simply answered.
It didn’t take another word for Relovan to understand just what the cab driver was talking about. He let out a small sigh and nodded at the driver before stepping out of the cab and making his way to his apartment. Once inside, Relovan set about going to the loo, having a shower and changing out of the clothes he had been wearing for the brief period he had been conscious. The clothes that he changed into were not much different, but they certainly did fit him better. He wore a brown tee, blue jeans and black boots. The process of showering and getting dressed was a somewhat slow one, with Relovan instinctively favouring his left side a touch. His outfit was… capped off by a hat that was not dissimilar to the ones issued with his uniform. The one he was wearing now however was much older, far more worn and was extremely faded. He slid it onto his head, and it just fit, as if it had been made specifically for his cranium. Once fully dressed, Relovan opened a drawer in his bedside table, inside which were a number of items both of a technological as well as a miscellaneous nature. He reached into the drawer and pulled out a few things, including a few beaten up leather containers. He opened one which contained a physical version of his police badge, which was in immaculate condition, unlike its case and the other was a wallet. He slid the wallet into his left pocket while he used a clip to secure the badge onto his belt. He then stared at a rather large and thick electronic device that looked like a mobile phone. It had a small screen on the front, and Relovan looked at it as if contemplating whether or not to take it with him. After a period of internal deliberation, the Enforcer decided to take the phone with him and after ensuring that he wasn’t leaving anything important behind, he was out the door and making his way back down to the cab.
“Where to?” The cabbie asked Relovan as he slid into the car and fastened his seatbelt.
“…do you know of Ralph’s?” Relovan asked.
“But of course, Sir.” The cabbie responded with a nod.
“There.”
“As you wish.”
The driver pulled off and the pair drove towards the only watering hole on the Fourth Planet that was cop friendly. In fact, there was a Ralph’s on each of the planets and law enforcement drank there almost exclusively. The drive over was silent, thankfully for the driver, the awkward drive did not last for all that long as Relovan actually lived rather close to the bar. The bar itself couldn’t be missed even if one tried as it looked more like a mini fortress than anything else. It had a thick wall for a fence, what looked like guard towers, fortified windows, cameras, gun turrets and so forth. When the cab pulled up to the gate, a red light scanned not only the plates of the vehicle, but the cab drivers face as well. This only lasted a matter of seconds, before the large gate slid open and gave them access. The car drove in and found a parking spot. Even before he had finished parking, the cabbie spoke.
“Please go in and have yourself a nice time. I will be waiting here to take you home.”
This time, Relovan didn’t even try to protest in the slightest – he just nodded and then hopped out of the car. The moment he set foot on the ground below, bright lights suddenly switched on followed the Enforcer as he walked. The lights not only shone on him and illuminated the parking lot, they also revealed a number of details such as the condition of the building. The bar had seemingly been attacked on so many different occasions, that there had been no choice but to turn into a fortress. Damage from bullets, missiles and whatever else told a tale of quite the volatile environment, and when Relovan reached the thick, heavy door to the bar, he unclipped and held up his badge to a scanner. A confirmation beep or two later, and the door unlocked with a deep, heavy sound. The door opened and in the Enforcer walked as he slid the badge back onto his belt. The interior was markedly different from the exterior, with there being different parts of the bar designated for different levels of law enforcement. Regular Officers had their own bar and tables, Regulators had their own, Enforcers had their own, and so on. The higher their ranking in the Police Force, the shinier the designated area.
Relovan walked silently as he didn’t even look towards the entrances of the other areas. He walked directly towards the area known as the Enforcer Lounge, and upon entering it, noise from the hallway immediately died down. There were a number of off-duty Enforcers sitting in there, enjoying a drink and meal, and Relovan quickly made his way towards the bar without kicking up a fuss or drawing any attention to himself. The bartender’s eyes grew wide as he recognised Relovan, however he received a signal to not make a fuss before he could say or do anything. Relovan reached the bar and sat down on a bar stool.
“Ralph.” Relovan said as he nodded at the man behind the counter.
“Enforcer.” Ralph responded.
Ralph was more humanoid looking than many on the planet, most likely due to him being of mixed race. He didn’t even wait for Relovan to say anything as he pulled out a glass as well as a bottle.
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“I heard you were laid out in a hospital somewhere on the First.” Ralph said as he poured the drink into the glass.
“Until around three hours ago, I was.” Relovan replied as he watched the glass fill up.
“Apparently, a strict order was given by the Chief himself that nobody was to visit you or even reveal the name of the hospital you were in.”
“Oh? Why was that?”
“Well, word from the Chief’s office was that journalists and reporters were really looking for you. The Chief has spent the past two publicly singing your praises.”
“What?”
“He’s been saying you played the biggest role out of everybody else. I heard that he actually went against direct orders from above to do that. The official statement was supposed to have said something about a specialised team of operatives.”
“I see.” Relovan said as he managed not to scoff before taking a swig of his drink.
“So, what actually happened? Did the top dogs actually hide underground with the civilians while you and a few others ran around up top and confronted those Void Lords and their people?”
“Whatever the official statement is, is what happened.” Relovan said before downing the rest of his drink.
Ralph poured Relovan another drink, however as he was pulling the bottle back, the Enforcer held it and looked into the barkeep’s eyes.
“Send the bottle over to my booth.”
“The entire thing?”
“I believe I didn’t stutter.”
“Yes, of course. I will bring it over personally.”
“Appreciate that.” Relovan said before releasing the bottle and standing up.
He held the glass with his good hand and gingerly got off the seat. He made his way over to a booth that was closed and upon reaching the booth, he slowly raised his left arm up. A red light scanned his wrist, and a holographic version of his badge appeared just in front of his wrist. The door unlocked upon completion of the scan, and it opened enough for Relovan to walk in, he sat down at what looked to be a bar that was almost identical to the one outside. The booth also had a few tables in it, but he chose to sit at the bar. The moment he did, soft ambient light filled the room, as did the sound of music. The drink was placed on the bar and a few minutes later, Ralph walked in with the bottle and an assortment of Blargonian snacks. The barman was dismissed with a nod, and he walked out without saying a word. Relovan downed the contents of the glass before pouring himself another drink, which he nursed for the longest time in absolute silence. Relovan’s perception of time all but ceased to exist as he drank. After an unknown period of time, there was a knock on the door to the booth, however Relovan didn’t say a thing or move a muscle. The knock was repeated more than a few times before the door was tentatively opened. Ralph poked his head through the gap.
“Excuse me Enforcer, I was just checking to see if everything was alright.”
Relovan turned his head to look at the barman who usually had the sense to know not to disturb him while he was in his booth. The Enforcer took it to mean that there were people who had insisted that he disturb him. The look on Ralph’s face was apologetic, but also hinted at him having had no choice.
“Everything is fine, Ralph.” Relovan said before nodding slightly and facing the front again.
The barman quickly scuttled away and almost immediately afterwards, more than a few men and women entered the booth. A number of Enforcers stood in the booth, with many of the makeshift commanders in there, including Ura and the rest. Relovan didn’t even look back at them and continued to drink in silence.
“Enforcer Relovan.” One of them greeted after an extended period of awkwardness. “We heard you had discharged yourself from the hospital.”
“We would have come to see you, but orders from above barred all of us from disturbing your recovery – your own precinct included.” A female Enforcer said. “In fact, we weren’t even allowed to ask which hospital you were in.”
“Are you sure that you’re okay to be up and about like this?” Bibin asked.
There was absolutely no answer from Relovan, who just stared at his glass. It was if the presence of his colleagues did not even register on his consciousness. They continued to make feeble and uncomfortable attempts at conversation, but Relovan ignored them all. The atmosphere inside the booth was becoming almost unbearably uncomfortable, and one of the temporary commanders rolled his eyes and shrugged.
“Well, we can see you aren’t in the mood for company, so we’ll just leave you to it, Relovan. We’ve told this Ralph that we will cover your tab tonight, so drink and eat as much as you want.”
There was yet another period of silence, which prompted those inside the booth to begin to file out. They suddenly heard something that gave them pause and caused Ura to speak for the first time.
“What did you just say?”
“I said… I don’t need your money. I’ll pay my own tab.”
“What the fuck? We’re trying to show you some kindness here!”
“Bullshit. You’re trying to cleanse yourselves of your shame and guilt. Do you think that cowering underground while leaving a mere Human to combat two Void Lords and their subordinates and the shame that brings can simply be erased by paying for a bottle of liquor? Your cowardice was exposed. Nothing can change that.”
“We were not hiding or cowering! We were protecting the civilians and ordinary citizens of the planet!”
“You were hiding and hoping someone else would handle things FOR you, and you ALL know it.” Relovan retorted.
“You piece of—”
“I saw these Void Lords and their people fight up close – they weren’t actually fighting; they were simply sparring. They showed absolutely no interest in any of us, in any capacity. The best way to actually protect those civilians you were all so concerned about was to actually stop those super-powered delinquents before they destroyed the planet. Those of you who were selected to be temporary commanders are experienced and intelligent enough to have deduced that yourselves, which leads me to believe that you had figured that much out, yet you chose to stay underground with people who weren’t in immediate danger because that meant that you also wouldn’t be in immediate danger yourselves. After all the bullshit I catch for being ‘only Human’, I was the one who was left to deal with this alone – so please forgive me if I don’t feel the need to accept this gesture from you cowards.”
The group fell silent and just looked at Relovan with their mouths agape and their eyes wide open. It was as if they weren’t expecting to receive such a response, and upon completing his little rant, the Human Enforcer took a calm swig of his drink. Ura, the Enforcer who had stationed Relovan over at the Terminal clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles cracked and stared at Relovan rage filled eyes and gritted teeth.
“How dare you?! Merely Human, yet you feel you can speak to us like that?! If it wasn’t for the apparent hero status you have with the Chief, I would—”
Ura was interrupted by the sound of Relovan’s stool squeaking as it slid back. They all watched as he stood up slowly and set his drink down before turning to face them, a sneer about as intense as it could get draped across his face. He moved gingerly and tucked his left arm in close – clearly favouring it. He only took a few steps forward until he was right in front of the group and looked at them all.
“…you would what?” Relovan simply asked, before raising his right arm to shoulder height. “I am right here – all of you, do what you feel you must.”
The group stared at Relovan with yet another look of disbelief as they could comprehend what was going on in front of them. The sheer bravado displayed by Relovan caught them off Knight, and they all stood there, as if waiting for somebody to do something. The wait lasted for a brief period before Relovan scoffed and lowered his arm. He shook his head ever so slightly before letting out a sigh.
“This is precisely why I call you all cowards. The enemy to your pride stands before you and all you can do is cower behind one another. Those Void Lords were attacking not only your pride but the vow you all made to uphold and protect the law. Here I am, insulting your pride and I am right in front of you. I carry serious injuries and we are in a space that allows for members of the police force to air out their differences without repercussion, yet you stand there, seemingly without the desire to defend your honour as Officers of the Law. Pathetic.”
Seemingly having nothing left to say, Relovan began to walk again. The other Enforcers said nothing to defend themselves and the closer he got to the front of the group, the more anxious they appeared to become. The look on Relovan’s face as well as his demeanor as he approached them clearly had an effect on the majority of the gathered Enforcers, and before they knew it, they had split down the middle to let him through. Relovan neither made a sound nor actually looked at them and he just made his way right through them all. He was shocked to see that it wasn’t just those who had been placed in command of the makeshift squads who were present in Ralph’s, but almost all of the eighty Enforcers that had been assigned to monitor the Void Lords and their Personal Knights. They all split down the middle and opened a path for Relovan. Once he was free from the group, he walked over to Ralph while reaching for his wallet. The barman smiled and raised his hand, before signaling with his hand that the Enforcer’s drinks were on him. Unlike with his colleagues, Relovan actually nodded in appreciation as he accepted the offer and made his way out of the bar. He was certain he was being cussed out in a plethora of languages but couldn’t care less. He walked over to the cab, which was actually started the moment he was spotted. He stepped into the back of the vehicle, and the cabbie looked at him.
“Back to my apartment.” Relovan stated simply as he buckled up.
“As you wish, Sir.”
On the way back to the apartment, the driver could tell that something had happened, but could tell that the Enforcer wasn’t the type of person that appreciated prying, so he just kept quiet and drove him home. Once they reached the building, Relovan reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet but was stopped by a raised hand and a shake of the head.
“No no, that won’t be necessary Sir.”
“What are you talking about? Look at the time – it’s dark out, and you picked me up during the fucking day. Take your money and go home.”
“I apologise, but I cannot accept the money.”
“Look at the meter – are you seriously telling me that you’re going to refuse what is owed to you? Especially when it amounts to that much?”
“The gratitude I have for still being alive is worth far more than this amount of money, Sir.”
“What?”
“It doesn’t take a genius to figure out who you are; especially after hearing what that giant Police Chief had to say during his update. I am from the First Planet; I saw up close what kind of devastation those beings are capable of. I watched as armed and armoured men and women trembled in fear every time the ground shook. So when I heard that there was an Enforcer that not only stood up to the Void Lords and their Knights, but actually took the fight to them and even arrested a few, I couldn’t believe my ears. The fact that I picked that Enforcer up is a massive honour for me, and this really is the very least I could do.”
Relovan just sighed and pulled his hand out from his pocket. He didn’t look happy about the current turn of events, however it appeared as though he had accepted gesture through gritted teeth.
“Relovan.” The Enforcer grumpily snorted.
“E-Excuse me?”
“My name is Relovan, what’s yours?”
“I am Rahamat.”
Rahamat said this as he dug around a compartment in the car’s interior before pulling out and handing a card to Relovan.
“This has my contact details on it – any time you need a ride, please do not hesitate to call me.”
Relovan accepted the card warily before stepping out of the cab. Once he was outside, Relovan looked at Rahamat in silence for what seemed like the longest time, before sliding his feet together and saluting the cabbie. The salute was brief, and a little wonky due to the amount of alcohol that had been ingested, however it appeared to be effective as Rahamat bowed his head slightly in return. The men then parted and Relovan made his way up to his apartment, with the cabbie waiting to see the Enforcer disappear before driving off himself. Relovan walked into his apartment and sat down in the lounge with a tired sounding sigh. He sat there quietly for a while, before pulling his phone out from his pocket and staring at it for the longest time. He eventually switched the device on, and the small external screen displayed the Cosmo logo. Almost immediately after being switched on, the device started bleeping and vibrating as the influx of messages and notifications drove the phone crazy.
Relovan rolled his eyes and groaned slightly as he had anticipated this happening and was secretly dreading switching the phone on. The tiny screen looked somewhat disproportionate on the large slab that was the phone, however Relovan actually opened the phone down the middle, revealing a large landscape screen as well as a physical keyboard. Again, he just stared at the screen as the phone continued to buzz and vibrate.
“Ugh…” Relovan groaned, placing the device on the couch beside him.
He wasn’t sure quite when it happened, however the Enforcer was out for the count before he could contemplate which message to read first. He slept right there on the couch, and his fatigue and physical condition were such that he slept right through his alarm and well into the morning. He found himself waking up quite a bit later than he was used to, and with something of a start. He looked around with barely open eyes and looked at the phone that was still in his hand.
“I have to get to work.” He said to himself as he unlocked the phone and saw not only some fresh missed call notifications, but the time as well. “Oh.”
Relovan stood up slowly, still favouring his left arm. Whatever they had given him in that hospital for the pain had kind of worn off, and he was feeling the pain and discomfort not only in his left arm, but his entire body as a whole.
“Shower.” He said to himself once again.
He stumbled over to the shower and although he could barely raise his arms, Relovan still counted being hit by the water as having taken a shower. As he stood under the flow of water, a rather loud series of knocks echoed throughout the small apartment. This prompted Relovan to shoot a glance towards the shower door and sigh.
“Who the fuck is it?”
He grumbled to himself as he stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel off the rack. He loosely wrapped it around his waist and made his way over to the door. His surgery scars were still rather prominent, and by showed just how much work had been done to save his life. He had managed to keep his shock rather low key; however, he too was a little surprised – although his surprise was about to be increased by orders of magnitude. The knocks continued, annoying Relovan to the point where he opened the door with about as much strength as he could muster, only for his eyes to grow large. They were greeted by the sight of Juxtae’s subordinates standing at the door. The two women that spoke for the Void Lord stood there with facial expressions that could only be described as sneers. They looked at Relovan, who quickly recovered from the initial shock and stared the two women down.
“Greetings, Enforcer.” One of the women said.
“It appears we have caught you at an inconvenient time.” The other said.
“You have.” Relovan bluntly responded. “What can I do for you?”
“We come here bearing a message from the Lady.”
“An important one.”
“…what is it, then?”
“Excuse us?” The women asked simultaneously.
“What is the fucking message?” Relovan asked impatiently.
The two women looked as though they were ready to slaughter the Human Enforcer, however something stopped them from even trying to. The women looked at one another, before looking at Relovan with barely contained disapproval. One of the women calmed down before her partner, and with a sigh a slight shrug of the shoulders, she lowered not only her gaze, but her body as she bent her knees. She knelt down before the Enforcer, much to his immense yet well contained surprise and kept her gaze fixed firmly on the ground.
“Enforcer, we have been tasked with bringing you back and the Lady made it clear that if we have to lick the soles of your feet to get your consent, then that is what we shall do.”
Relovan watched on in silence as the other woman sneered just a bit before kneeling as well and looking down at the floor as well. The pair remained in that position, outside Relovan’s apartment and in clear view of those outside. Barely a minute went by before Relovan turned around and hobbled back inside the apartment.
“Come in and close the door. I just need a few minutes to get dressed, and then we may leave.”
As the two women looked up at Relovan, the door to his bedroom closed behind him. They wasted little time in rising to their feet and moving over to the threadbare lounge with about as much grace as they could muster. They did this in complete silence, and once they sat down, one of them waved her hand, causing the door to shut. They both dusted off their dresses, all the while looking around the small studio apartment.
“It’s small.” One of them remarked.
“Tiny.” The other scoffed. “But clean.” She reluctantly admitted.
“What a boring little apartment, though. There appears to be nothing of interest in here.”
“Who cares if there is anything to do in this tiny apartment? It has nothing to do with us. Just sit still and wait for the Human to return.”
As the woman looked over at her companion, her eyes almost shot out of her eyes as the other woman was busy looking at Relovan’s things.
“What are you doing, Dee?!” The seated woman asked in a barely contained whisper.
“I’m looking around, Dee.” The other woman said with a shrug of the shoulders. “So this is how he stays in shape…”
She then grabbed a dumbbell and tried to lift it with one hand at first, but eventually with both hands after she struggled quite a bit. After she failed to make the weight budge in the slightest, she moved on to different weights and exercise machines. She appeared determined to try out every single one, and every so often, the other Dee would warn her and try to get her to stop. The exploration of Relovan’s gym continued, until the other Dee stood up to try and stop the curious one from continuing with what she was doing.
“Shaelandria above, why is this so heavy?! Dee, come give me a hand.”
“What? Just leave the Human’s things alone and sit back down!” Dee said as she reached the other one.
“But don’t you want to see what made that Human so effective against our Knights?”
“I don’t.” Dee said with a snort. “Our Knights were simply caught off guard because they were engaging with the Gorilla’s Knights.”
The curious Dee chuckled a bit, before getting back to attempting to use that particularly heavy exercise equipment. The struggling and grunting went on for enough time that the other Dee stomped over and grabbed the bar as well. The two women started lifting in unison, although that made absolutely no difference whatsoever. The pair struggled a bit longer before eventually giving up and standing up straight. They were breathing heavily and had even worked up a bit of a sweat.
“These are all so heavy.” The curious Dee said as she caught her breath.
“For a Human, he’s pretty strong.” The other Dee answered between breaths as she tried to look and sound casual.
All of a sudden, the curious Dee was on the move again, looking at Relovan’s desk and sitting in his chair.
“I wonder what kind of books he keeps.”
She said out loud as she first opened a drawer, only to find a few old books with weathered covers and tattered pages. She opened each drawer, and found the same thing in all of them. The books seemed to have been placed there in a sequence or order of sorts, and this piqued Dee’s curiosity even more, much to the dismay of the other Dee. The curious one stood up and made a beeline for the bookshelf, and as she approached, she quickly looked over the spines of the books there. Her eyes bulged as she noticed this and the instant she reached the shelf, her head and her eyes began darting around, as if looking for something specific.
“What is it, Dee?”
“These books… all of them…”
“What about them?”
There was no answer from the inquisitive woman, which prompted the other Dee to join her at the bookshelf. There was a period of stunned silence as both women looked over the books.
“This is…”
“A collection of the constitutions of various territories from within the Coalition’s borders and beyond.”
“Who owns something like this? Who spends their free time studying laws from other territories and working out?” The curious Dee asked.
“Somebody who is serious about themselves, perhaps?” The other one replied.
“Look at this… isn’t this written in Guap? He can read and understand Guap?!”
“I can.” Relovan calmly responded as he emerged from the bedroom, dressed in a similar manner to how he was the night before.
He had not reapplied the bandages however, so the surgery scars and the like were still visible. He was also still favouring his left side, however he just walked and appeared to completely disregard the pain he was in. The two women stopped what they were doing with a sudden jolt, before turning simultaneously and looking at him.
“If you two are done with snooping around, I am ready to leave and go see your boss.”
The two Dees just looked at him as though they were expecting him to do something violent or rough. Instead, the Enforcer just walked towards them as he fixed his worn cap.
“How shall we be going? Is your vehicle waiting for us outside?”
“Huh? Aren’t you going to—”
“We did not travel via car or ship, Enforcer.” The more serious Dee answered. “We have a different way of traveling when we are in close proximity to Nala. If you truly are ready, then let us depart.”
Relovan simply nodded and walked to the door, as if to open it for them to leave.
“That won’t be necessary, Enforcer.” One of the Dee’s said, drawing his attention and stopping him from moving further.
He then felt two hands gently hold his wrist, and before he knew what was going on, Relovan suddenly heard the women speak in unison.
“We are ready, Nala.”
No sooner had those words been spoken, were the trio suspended in the air, encapsulated in a strange gelatinous, slimy bubble. As Relovan was looking around, he blinked and then found himself in an unfamiliar place. The bubble popped and the three of them landed on the ground gently. It looked as though they had entered a strange dimension or some kind of underwater area. It was almost as if they were within a vessel that was moving through water, and even had fountains, brightly glowing vats which had different coloured water inside, and all manner of creature swimming in said vats. Plants that Relovan had never seen before also grew in fields that were behind a type of Perspex, and this was all in a large room that they had all appeared in.
“…what the?” The Human asked nobody in particular.
“We are now aboard the Void Walker Nala, Enforcer.”
“Impressed, aren’t you? Is this your first time inside one?”
“I am not quite sure what I’m looking at.” Relovan answered honestly.
“It is a collection of plants and creatures from the Lady’s home planet.” The more serious Dee answered. “Anyway, she is waiting for you, so let us be off.”
The hands that were holding Relovan’s wrists suddenly released them and moments later, some sort of wind disk appeared beneath all of their feet. It propelled them into the air and moments later, the trio was zipping through the Walker. Relovan was flanked by the women, and the journey did not last all that long as soon enough, they flew into a large room which was far more modern looking than the one they appeared in. There were desks, what looked to be computers, a number of chairs and couches, and so on. The disk came to a standstill and the instant it did, the two women were on their knees, bowing.
“We have brought him, my Lady.”
Juxtae’s head popped up from behind a computer screen, and then seconds later, she rose out from behind said computer and gently wafted over to them all. Her hands were in her robe sleeves and when she reached the trio, she placed her hands by her sides. There was a bout of silence in which the Void Lord’s gaze shifted between her subordinates, who both smiled and nodded.
“Yes, thank you Void Lord.” They both said in unison with a nod.