The children heard what Jiggs said and remained under the bed.

All the men proceeded to go in search of any belongings.

Max thought they weren't gonna look in here, it being a spare room.

Alice looked over and saw the door wide open. Her heart dropped. There was no time to shut it. The men were already on board.

Alice saw feet and heard slams and thuds. She saw two feet come in and stand still. The feet didn’t move, it seemed as if they were calculating. And then the feet came closer and a face appeared and shot a hard gaze at Alice. The face had hands, grabbed her, and pulled her out as Max was pulled out too.

The two kids screamed and tried to escape, but other men rushed in to help. There were too many and too large. They were overtaken and brought on deck.

Mr. R heard the struggles and wails of the children. The men who were carrying them told them to ‘Stop’ and ‘Shut up’. Mr. R did not want this. This was the last thing he thought would happen. At first, he didn’t know what to do, but he just stood there. Jiggs approached them as Mr. R stood off.

“Well, what do we have here? Huh? Some stowaways?” he said menacingly. He grabbed Max by the collar and brought him close. “Who are you?”

Max froze. He was terrified as usual, but he was even more afraid. He tried to force himself not to freeze, but he couldn’t help it. He felt like a failure. He was face to face with a strange man, he knew nothing about. But could smell the man. He smelled like the guards at the orphanage. He didn’t like that smell. He tried not to stare directly into the man’s fiery eyes, but he thought if he looked he might die.

Alice was held by one of the meanest men she had ever seen. Each time she tried to pull away, he grabbed her tighter and closer to his chest. She didn’t like that. Not one bit. He was mean and strong, but maybe he might be dumb. She had to take a chance, but there wasn’t any way out. There were about twenty men, most of them armed, and no way to leave except by their ship which was under lockdown. There had to be a way, but she couldn’t see it.

With no answer, Jiggs asked Mr. R, “Reggie, you know these kids? Or are they trespassing?” He gripped Max’s collar tightly.

Max pleaded with Mr. R with his eyes. They said, ‘Please, Mr. R, help us.’ But Mr. R couldn’t find an exit strategy, except the truth. If he said, he didn’t know, they were going to be sold or forced to work at this place or maybe even somewhere worse.

“They’re mine,” Mr. R said. “They’re with me. Let them go.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Suddenly, Jiggs let go of Max’s collar and put his arm over his shoulder.

“Oh,” he said, “Well, you don’t mind if I hang on to them then, do you?”

“What?” Mr. R said horrified and bewildered.

“Oh, don’t worry I’ll take good care of ‘em. I’ll keep ‘em ‘till you get back.”

“Jiggs, don’t do this. They are with me. They’ll stay with me. You can have my ship.”

“Oh, I don’t want your ship, Reg. I’ll keep these kiddos here safe and sound.” Jiggs displayed them both in front of him like window mannequins.

“Jiggs, this is unfair.”

“Again, a man has got to learn his lesson,” Jiggs spat. “You can have them back once you’re done.”

“Everything is going to be alright, kids,” he assured them. He didn’t know what to do next but knew he had to do something. He couldn’t leave the children here with these dangerous men, but he could find no other way. Now, he had to make a choice.

The children began to cry, “Oh, it’s alright. Daddy’s gonna be right back,” Jiggs said as he stroked Alice’s hair. The children felt insecure and vulnerable.

Just then a flying car with an open hood came hovering over the situation.

A man called out, “What’s going on here?”

“Just some folks causing trouble. We got it under control,” Jiggs said slyly.

The flying car dropped on the side of Mr. R’s ship. It continued to run as the driver remained in the vehicle. The passenger came rolling out with full white body armor. Black shoulder pads and knee pads decked the guard and he had a bald head with razor-sharp eyes and yellow fangs. He was fully equipped for battle with his pistol at the ready and his knife to bludgeon anyone who dared oppose him. He came right up behind Jiggs and interrupted the whole scene. He formed a triangle with Jiggs, the children, and Mr. R taking control of the mess.

“Jiggs,” he said powerfully, “What is going on here?” The guard demanded to know.

Jiggs rolled his eyes and sighed, “Rapture, this man right here, Reginald, is a valued customer of mine.”

“And why are you treating him like a prisoner? Why are you detaining him? I’ve been watching from a distance for some time. Your job is to unload the drivers and send them on their way. Is that clear?”

“I understand, chief-”

“Chief? You know who I am? I can make your life a living hell if you want. You know that?” Jiggs stopped talking. He didn’t know how to answer.

“Sir,” Jiggs said with a charming smile. “Please.”

“And who are the kids?” Rapture demanded.

“They’re mine,” Reginald finally yelled.

“The man’s kids? And you’re holding them for what? So you can get some extra dough? So, you can hold ‘em for a little bit while he goes out doing your dry cleaning? No, I’m not letting that happen.” Rapture pulled the children out of the hands of Jiggs and handed them back over to their foster father.

“And I will be on my way, thank you very much.” Mr. R demanded.

Rapture looked Jiggs up and down, “You heard the man. Let’s go! Gentlemen, that means you too!” All of the men finished their work and unloaded and proceeded to clear the way.

Rapture then led the way for the trio back to their ship. Jiggs glared at Reginald, harboring disdain for him.

The trio gathered onto the ship. Mr. R started up the roaring engine as the propellers came to life. They floated in the air until the gate opened and the green light came on to signal to them they were clear. They left Jiggs and Rapture to dispute what had happened. Alice could see Jiggs flailing his arms in disgust. He began to point a finger into the guard’s face and attempt to explain.

Alice turned back. She closed her eyes. She felt relieved because they were finally heading into the City.

The great and mysterious City lay in wait for them. Alice had waited her whole life to see it and she wasn’t going to let anyone get in her way.