Will had expected Debra to scream like Gwen did whenever they were in this sort of situation, but other than a short gasp she didn’t make a sound. It was a nice change.

The blaster never moved from Will’s back as someone roughly yanked the blaster out of his hand. As his eyes adjusted to the light he saw Debra standing about three feet away, a guard holding a blaster against her back. Another stood a short distance away holding Debra’s blaster. Although he couldn’t see the guard behind him, the point of a blaster pushing into his back told him they were there. And another guard was not far away.

Looking over at Debra, she gave him a quick wink and tilted her head towards the center of the room which was about forty feet square. There he saw a short pedestal which was covered with a black cloth. Except for some crates at one end of the room which seemed to contain some sort of electrical equipment, the rest of the room was empty.

Suddenly, the door to the room burst open with two guards entering and standing on either side of it. Immediately following them was a tall, thin man with flowing white hair which cascaded over his shoulders. He wore a small gold crown, a high collared blue shirt, and what could only be described as bright red pantaloons. He was closely followed by two more guards.

Stopping about five feet in front of Will and Debra he smiled revealing a perfect set of white teeth.

“Purlance,” growled Will angrily.

“Oh don’t be so negative, Power. For my part, I’m happy to see you,” he said in a surprisingly soft voice. He looked over at Debra. “I had expected your lovely Miss Fulbright would be with you, but I’m sure Debra here will do nicely, quite nicely indeed.”

“In your dreams,” muttered Debra under her breath as she wondered how he knew her name.

“What do you want?” demanded Will.

Purlance shook his head. “You’re the one breaking into my palace. Shouldn’t I be asking that question?” His smile grew wider. “But I already know the answer to that.”

He pulled a small controller from his shirt pocket and pressed a button on it cause the black cloth on the pedestal to be pulled up towards the ceiling. Soon a large grey crystal which was pulsing with a dull green light came into view.

“Behold the Strelian Crystal.” He walked over to the pedestal and picked up the crystal. “It has a most unusual quality. The capability to amplify any energy applied to it, often with devastating effect.” He gingerly placed the crystal back down on the pedestal.

“And I assume you acquired it just because you like the color,” answered Will

Purlance laughed. “You are humorous, Power. It will be used to build a weapon. A weapon powerful enough to exact revenge of those who have wronged me, including your planet Earth.”

“We won’t let that happen,” snapped Debra.

Purlance looked over at Debra. “You’re definitely feistier than Miss Fulbright. I like that.” He pointed at Will. “It will happen and it’s all thanks to you Power.”

Will and Debra looked at each other in confusion. “I’m not helping you,” shot back Will.

“Oh, but you already have. You see, I had to spend all my ready cash to get the crystal and need more to build the weapon. I was going to just raise taxes on my people, but the ungrateful wretches started clamoring about revolting. Always a bad thing for the economy. And then I learned you were coming to steal the crystal”

“Frelst!” roared Debra understanding now how Purlance knew her name.

“I’m liking you more and more,” said Purlance, stopping and looking up and down Debra’s body. “As to how I found out, it doesn’t really matter.”

Will shook his head. “I don’t understand how my being here helps you.”

“You’re being modest, Power. I’ll bet Debra has already figured it out.”

“You’ve made a lot of enemies, Will,” explained Debra in a somber tone. “I’m sure some of them would pay a high price to get a hold of you.”

The king clapped his hands. “Nicely done, my dear. That’s right, Power. I’m going to auction you off. It will be interesting to see what the winning bidder plans to do with you. I can certainly offer them some excellent ideas, free of charge.”

Will did his best not to smile. As long as he was alive there was always a chance. He’d just have to look for an opportunity for him and Debra to escape.

Purlance snapped his fingers. “Take Power to the dungeon.”

“Yes, sire,” answered one of the guards. “What about the girl?”

“Bring her to my quarters,” he ordered before turning to go.

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Debra pulled her arm away from the guard who’d taken it. “Sorry, honey, but I have standards and you don’t even come close."

The king stopped mid-step and spun around, his face bright red and his eyes bulging. “Put her in the dungeon with Power!” he roared before angrily leaving the room.

Will and Debra were marched out of the room, two guards each holding a blaster to their backs with another two guards to the side. Reaching an elevator, they stopped with one of the guards pressing the down button. In a few minutes, the door opened.

The two other guards entered the elevator and aimed their blasters at Will and Debra. “Inside,” ordered one of the guards who stood behind them pushing Will forward. Pretending to stumble, he hit the floor and rolled into the legs of the guards in the elevator. As they fell he made a grab for one of their blasters, but just as he got hold of one of them, a bolt of energy hit him and all went black.

Waking up, he found himself lying on a cold stone floor. It took him several minutes to sit up as his entire body ached.

“How’re you feeling?” asked Debra who was sitting against the wall of the cell they were in.

“I’ve been better.”

“You’re just lucky they want us alive,” snapped Debra. “That stupid stunt you pulled could’ve gotten us both killed.”

“I …” began Will, but he stopped himself because he knew arguing wasn’t going to help them escape. He looked around the cell. It was your standard dungeon cell with stone walls and metal bars. However, the lock was electronic so there was no chance of picking it.

The other thing he noticed was the smell. “What’s that stench?”

“It could be the bathroom facilities,” she answered pointing to a hole in the cell floor, “or perhaps the gourmet food,” she continued, gesturing at the two bowls sitting by the cell door. “Or maybe …” she went on.

“Okay, I get it. Everything stinks. How long was I out?”

“Couple of hours.”

He got up and went to the bars. Grapping them, he gave them a shake, but there were solid. He looked around and all the other cells looked empty.

“Already checked,” said Debra. “The walls are solid too. The only way we’re getting out of here is if someone lets us out.”

Will shook his head and sat down against the wall. “That’s not gonna happen.”

Debra smiled. “There might be a way. I need you to attack me.”

“I can’t do that,” answered a shocked Will.

“You want to escape, don’t you?”

Several minutes later, a woman’s screams were coming from their cell. “Help! He’s trying to kill me!” screamed Debra. She was being pushed against the cell door by Will who had his hands wrapped around her throat.

“You traitor! How much did Purlance pay you to lure me here?” yelled Will.

In less than a minute, the sound of running feet could be heard.

“Squeeze harder,” whispered Debra.

She screamed again, then grabbed his arms and dug her fingernails into them while she tried to push them away. Will yelled out in pain as a guard arrived at the cell and pulled out his blaster. “Get away from her,” he ordered.

Will put up his hands and backed away. “Okay, okay, just get this traitor out of here. If Purlance wants her let him have her.”

“To the back of the cell and lie on the floor,” ordered the guard as he pressed a button on his belt unlocking the cell door. As he opened it, Debra slid down to the floor half in and half out of the cell, appearing to be unconscious. Keeping an eye on Will, he gently tapped Debra’s cheek but there was no response.

Placing his blaster on the ground where he could quickly grab it if Will moved, the guard reached for another button on his belt. However, he never reached it as there was a sudden flash of light and he fell on top of Debra.

“A little help,” she called softly trying to push the guard off her.

Will rolled him off her and together they started removing his uniform. It was a little small for Will, but it would have to do. Soon the unconscious guard lay in their former cell and Debra was leading them back towards the elevator.

“How many guards were there?” whispered Will.

“Two, but one of them was the guy back in our cell.”

As they came to a turn in the corridor, Debra held up a hand and stopped. “Elevator’s around this corner.”

Peering around the corner, Will saw a single guard standing by the elevator door. He pulled out the blaster and taking careful aim, fired. The guard fell to the ground.

The two of them rushed forward and pushed the up button on the elevator. As they waited, Will handed Debra the guard’s blaster and they stripped off the upper part of his uniform which Debra put on. It wouldn’t stand close inspection, but might work at a distance.

When the elevator arrived, they got in and pressed the button for the top of the palace. Minutes passed as the elevator moved upward and each of them breathed a sigh of relief as each floor passed without the elevator stopping.

Their luck ran out three floors from their destination as the elevator slowed. Debra moved to a back corner and held her blaster against her chest, a finger on the trigger. Will moved in front of her to keep anyone from getting a good look at her. The elevator stopped and there was a ding as the door began to open. Two guards, graphically comparing the relative physical attributes of their girlfriends, stepped inside. They barely looked at Will and Debra before turning around to face the door and continuing their conversation, although in a quieter tone.

Reaching the top floor the elevator door opened and the two guards headed down the corridor, the volume of their conversation resuming its original level. Once they rounded a corner, Will and Debra began to follow them. In a few minutes the guards they were following reached the room where the Strelian Crystal was kept. Two other guards stood by the door.

As the four guards spoke, Will tapped Debra on the shoulder. “Let’s find a spot to hide until those other two guards leave.” Debra nodded and the two of them retraced their steps back to the elevator. There was a corridor just beyond it where they could remain out of sight while keeping an eye on the elevator.

They didn’t have long to wait as the two guards came along laughing and talking about how much they were looking forward to dinner. It seemed to take an eternity for the elevator to arrive, but it finally did and they stepped inside. As soon as the elevator door closed, Will and Debra rushed back to the crystal room. They peered around the corner and saw the two guards standing by the door.

“I’ll take the one on the left,” whispered Debra taking out her blaster. “I doubt he even has a girlfriend.”

Will smiled and gave her a nod.

Two quick blasts of light later, the guards lay on the floor.

“Do you think the jetpack is still there?” asked Debra as they hurried for the door.

“I hid it fairly well so it should be.”

Surprisingly, they found the door unlocked. Slipping inside, they found the room unchanged from when they’d seen it previously.

“I’ll grab the crystal,” called Debra as she ran over to the pedestal.

“Wait!” cried Will, but it was too late as an alarm began to sound when she pulled the black covering off the crystal. Even worse, large metal panels slammed down covering the doors into the room and out to the balcony. They were trapped.