History Repeats Itself, Part 1

To: Mr. Tad Worthington
14 Cyber Pathway
Dimension 4
Sunec, Planet of the Sun

Dear Mr. Worthington,
         I am paying you one hundred million CyDollars to murder a very important person; I want you to eliminate the Prime Emperor’s Society of Male Rulers. I also want you to contact Mr. Sok Lee. He is the Commander of the Python, the biggest spy group in all of the dimensions, a.k.a. Oricter & Co., their cover name. The address will be given to you in a box in the further instructions. He will give you the equipment you need. Your instructions are below. Beware, if you contravene these instructions in any way, there will be dire consequences of which you would most likely dislike to comprehend.

Instructions:
1. Burn this letter in the core of Firec, Planet of Fire. Dimension number 3 after you read it and follow any immediate instructions.

2. You find a package at a warehouse in Dimension 8. No one will find this package. If anyone looks suspicious, dispose of them immediately. Pick it up. It holds Mr. Lee’s address of Oricter & Co.

3. You must bring this package to Mr. Lee. He will know what it is and give you the instructions to use it.

4. You will take a Hyper HeliPad at the warehouse at 16:00, 6-27-3008.

5. The HeliPad will take you to Icec, Planet of Ice, and there will be a trap door near the emperor’s castle, off to the side next to a kiosk marked ‘TAROT CARD READINGS’. Go into it. You will find a large machine with a 16-character password.

6. The password is 3KC9SK-438DL29S3. Use the scanner provided in the warehouse package to copy this code 1 time. You will use the copy in the Machine Password.

7.  The Prince Emperor himself has been on a very tight routine since 78-9-2998. He has been entering a large AutoStairC with one window. You will be supplied with a 9mm 14-Caliber CyberMachineG. You will shoot 3 shots; one in the head, one in the chest, and one in the left shoulder. He has a MicroNanaphone in his left shoulder that will react to any strident sound, so you must shoot him in the shoulder first. The location will be given to you by Mr. Sok. He will, and must, die. You will also be provided with a HyperTeleporter and you will be teleported to Dimension 7, Watec, Planet of Water.

8. Then, you must retrieve a girl at 2-688-2007 by using a time machine in the warehouse basement. The girl’s name shall be given to you by Mr. Lee. Once you have her, bring her to me. You must tell her nothing, or the plan is ruined. If she decides not to cooperate, simply knock her out. I want her alive. 20 million CyDollars has been transported to a Money Protection Unit, or MPU, in Watec. You will be under the name of Dat Witherson. Mr. Lee will also give you the coordinates to that. Do not fail, Mr. Worthington. For your sake.
                                                Chapter 1

         Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. When did the clock suddenly become so slow? 2 minutes, 14…13…12… seconds until Summer Break, until I finally gets my first car. My mother said that, at the beginning of Summer Break, when I am 16, she will get me my first car. That’s what happened for my other 2 sisters. Mom never told them what kind of car, though. It was always a surprise. 1 minute, 5 seconds. So close, yet so far.
         “Sijourney.” Ahh, it would be a red mustang…  “Sijourney?” The upholstery would be of white Italian leather… “Sijourney!” screeched the impatient Mrs. Hallifrat. Her voice could wake up the dinosaurs. Of course, that means that I had to snap back into reality.
         “What? I mean…uhhh… of course!” I blubbered hopelessly. I just dug myself into a titanic hole, and the only way to get out was to win the favor of Mrs. Hallifrat, or Hallo, Brat!
         “Sijourney, since you were so deep in your thoughts, please share with us your passive conclusions.”
         “I’d rather not… It’s rather embarrassing.” I mumbled.
         “It shouldn’t be! We’d be absolutely charmed to see what the Amazing Sijourney Taters would be thinking about!”
         The class around me seemed to pinpoint their pupils into the back of my Tweety Bird shirt.
         “Well…” Of course, she was expecting some stereotypical conclusion about some pop diva’s dreams of some pretty-boy model in Vogue, but I decided to surprise her. Also, 47 seconds left.
         “I was concluding the deep connotation of Emily Dickinson’s depressing poems. She poured her very being into her poems, and I was simply analyzing each and every word to find out the meaning, because her poems are like a puzzle, as Emily Dickinson was.” Now, who could be slightly angry at an innocent response such as that? 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…
         “Well, I-“
         RING! RING! RING! They sounded like a great carillon! It could have been Pope John Paul II that rose from the dead ringing those bells for all I care, for I will get my car, and no more school! Could this day get any better?
         I looked out to the horizon, and even though the sun was still towering in the sky, I saw grey storm clouds roiling, preparing to bombard us with buckets of rain. It better not be before I get my new car! I thought. I want to try it out! As I was walking down the cement sidewalks outside James Monroe High School, I saw a young man with very odd apparel. He had a smart black suit, and matching shoes. He didn’t seem to be very familiar with the attire, for he had vivid lime green socks to match. He had dark, wolf-like eyes that were as black as charcoal, to match his suit. He seemed to lock his eyes on me in a piercing stare, than averted them to staring at his destination, of which I had no idea of.
         “Creep…” I murmured. He seemed to hear and glanced at me with malice in his sinister eyes, then resumed walking. This was very strange. Of course, at that early point, I honestly did not care whatsoever. He was just a man, who happened to show up, and he would be gone from my memory very soon. Or so I thought.

                                                        §

         I walked home and went up to my room. The issue as I was walking home from school almost slipped my mind. My new car would be arriving soon! At that, I took out my composition notebook and attempted to commence my short story for English class.
         ‘As the rain pummeled the little baby as if it were hail, a woman walked by, and saw the helpless little creature, and…’
         I was then immersed in her writing, weaving a story out of her imagination. My story was done within the hour, so the next couple hours were mine. I checked my e-mails, and found nothing important. Then, I decided to walk around the block with my golden retriever, Goldie. Goldie was eager and excited, with her tongue lolling out from her mouth. I took the red leash and clipped it on. Within a snap, we were out the door.

                                                      §

         I am a very cautious man, even though I break the rules often. I am wanted in all of the dimensions, so I would have to be careful, I would think. Letters given to me as such were common, but not for the amount of currency I was given. 100,000,000 CyDollars! That would be my trip to Starec, Planet of Stars. This, though, would end me up at Darkec, Planet of the Dark if I got caught. If what this man is saying is true, I will have to conquer and kill the highest political figure in the dimensions. Of course, this would please the women of the dimensions. This era has been ruled by men, and women have been having outbreaks ever since men defeated them. This would satisfy them greatly. I would have to take a Hyper HeliPad to my destination. I have only ridden one once, when I had to defeat a woman of great disturbance to the government. That was when I was on the side of the loop holed government. Now, to my favor, I am not. I had to take that time machine to get to 2007, and retrieve a girl that could be anywhere in that infested planet! It would be so different, because in 2448, it had to be evacuated, and we fled to a new solar system, and from there, scientific studies including biology, astrology, and other departments, flourished. But that was from another time. Another place. Another life. Anyway, this blasted girl could be anywhere! Mr. Lee gave me vague coordinates, but those are no help to me! Oh well. If I want the currency, I must complete this task within the 30 Sun-Passes. I then used the time machine to teleport to Earth, Dimension 1, in 2007. I arrived somewhere near the Education Center, or, as they call it, a school. He told me that this girl had a slight aura of some gift, so I searched for one. I found a blue aura, which means her brethren must live on Waterec. You rarely see many blue auras, for Firec conquered Waterec many decades ago, though there were still rebels peppering the dimensions. I looked, and fixed my eyes on a girl, of about 16 or 17 years of age, carrying the aura. She looked at me, and called me a ‘creep’, whatever that is. I haven’t a clue what it means, but I gave her a malicious glare, and she backed off. I quickly tracked her down using my pupil nanoscreen, and quickly found the coordinates of her place of dwelling. I briskly set off the place, and endeavored to be received there before her. This would be a tough job, but for 100,000,000 CyDollars, it would be worth it. For her sake, my only hope is that she cooperates.


                                                  Chapter 2

         The one thing I could ever hope to become, and actually have a chance at, was an author. That is the one A+ I had ever gotten. That is the one subject that I liked to do extra credit for, even though I didn’t need it in English Class. Ever since I was 8, I was writing. Poetry, stories, and diaries would be used up in a flash. My kingdom was my pen, pencil, and composition notebook. I was Queen, and used them wisely. I never tried to publish them, for I thought that writing was a private and simple pleasure, and money couldn’t buy them. It would be like letting them go, and they wouldn’t be mine anymore. They would be everyone else’s. If writing was the one thing that made me myself, why would I share it with everyone else? Anyway, my car was a few precious hours away.
         “Sijourney, come down here please!” called my mother, snapping me back from my mind to actual time and space. My heart pounded. My car! My car is here! Oh, the joy!
         “Coming!” I called down the stairs, unable to hide my excitement. I raced down the stairs and out to the back yard where my mother had been weeding. Though, when I got there, she wasn’t smirking, like she always does when she has a secret surprise for us. She was frowning! I wonder why?
         “Sijourney…” she began uneasily. This was not going to go well.
         “Sijourney, we have had money problems, as you know,”
         “Yes…” I answered awkwardly. What could she be leading to? No! Not the...
         “We didn’t have enough money to buy you a car,” she stated with great despair and obvious empathy for me. I felt my heart descending into the deep fissure of disappointment and sorrow.
         “Wh-What?” I managed to stutter unevenly.
         “I know your father and I told you we would get you one, but we just don’t have the money. I am so sorry, and I know this must be so disappointing for you. Once we get back on track, we will let you pick one out and we will buy it for you, but only then.” I could only stare at her. Then, I went up to my room, and I just sat on my bed, numb. Then, I started to do something I hadn’t done since I was 3, being the tough ‘gal’, as my dad calls me.
         I cried. The tears seemed to spill onto my face and into my pillow. The one thing I had been hoping for had perished in the horrible chasm of money. Money spent, money earned, and money gone. Gone from the pockets of my hardworking parents. I couldn’t be irritated at them, of course, because they were obviously doing the best they possibly could. At that point, I was just mad at the world, and its numerous faults. Suddenly, all at once, the sound of a twister seemed to enter my room. I glance over, and saw the objects in my room morph and warp outward, and a navy blue hole appeared in my bureau. The smart man in the suit I had seen outside my suit was standing there, right there in my room. I stared at him, in utter awe and fear, and started to stutter, ”H-How did y-you-“ He then cut me off.
         “No time to explain,” he said briskly. “You need to come with me, now. I will put the world behind you in a freeze, and you will not have to worry about missing anything. If you don’t cooperate, I will have to kill you.”
         This is not how I planned to start my summer break. When I didn’t respond, he took hold of my wrist, practically jabbing his sharp fingernail into my skin, my pulse almost stopped. I only managed a grunt, for I was then thrown into the navy blue portal. It felt as if I had gone into a roller coaster going at 200 mph, and there were no seats, or the actual roller coaster. I was then spit out into what looked like a wasteland. A man stood in front of what seemed like an old storage house. He was bald, with small eyes and big fists. Right now, the fists seemed like the most threatening thing.
         “This is Mr. Lee. He will take you to a person who has been wanting to meet you for a very long time,” said the man who brought me to this wretched place. Mr. Lee simply nodded at me. I had found my voice, and surprisingly my muscles and reflexes also.
         “Okay, where am I? You better answer some questions, or I will not go with you!” As the man who brought me here opened his mouth, I spat, ”Don’t’ even think about that bluff that you will kill me, because apparently whoever  you are taking me to needs me, so she wouldn’t want you to kill me!” He looked uneasy, for he knew this was right. He murmured a couple of words I couldn’t understand. Mr. Lee stepped forward. I tried to give him a triple flying kick. I took karate for 6 years. He simply held his hand up and pushed his immense knuckles into my toes. They bent back, and I screamed in pain. He then grabbed my knee, and twisted it. This guy was playing dirty, so I decided to too. I then lifted my other leg up, so I was suspended in the air. I kicked him square in the nose with my heel, and he grunted. He then let go of my other leg, so I could use both of my legs. He stepped backward, stumbling, and I brought my heel up around his skull. He fell to the rocky, moon-like dirt with a soft pat. The other man stared at me incomprehensibly.
         “You just knocked out Mr. Lee!” he stated, still jolted by my self-defense skills.
         “Yes, I did. The same thing will happen to you if you don’t tell me what the heck is going on here!” He stared at me, and I could tell he was balancing the odds. I was a strong and feisty girl, and I was not going to let some freak of nature from, like, the moon take me away and expect me to cooperate! He looked at me for a while, and then he socked me in the nose.

                                                            §

         I arrived in the girl’s room when she was having some emotional overload. She was crying into a soft object that the pre-humanoids used to sleep on.  I had already killed the Prime Emperor, so she was the only part of the plan left until I get my 100,000,000 CyDollars! She looked at me, and then I told her the rules. She was still not responding, so I had to take her forcefully. I brought her into the portal, and introduced her to Mr. Lee. She didn’t cooperate, and I had the strong urge to dispose of the infernal girl immediately. Unfortunately, that would deny me of my currency, so I resisted and called upon Mr. Lee to put her out cold. The girl had been in the emotional daze ever since I went to her room, but she snapped out of it when it was needed. She then started fighting Mr. Lee! She used some mega-ancient form of fighting technique, and Mr. Lee decided to break the rules. She matched Mr. Lee’s fighting style, and beat him to it in nanoseconds! I was utterly stunned. How could a young pre-humanoid defeat an advanced technological genius and trained warrior such as Mr. Lee? She demanded answers, and I weighed the reasons. If I told her, my master would be very unhappy. He would surely fire me from my currency, if not murdering me also. Then again, if I didn’t tell the girl, I would end up out cold by the girl, and there would be a pre-humanoid running around the dimensions. She was intelligent, I could tell, so she would probably figure out how to skip dimensions, getting to the more populated planets. This would cause great mishap in the dimensions, and I would also be fired, if not murdered. I had to find an equal median. She was in front of me, so I tried to mimic the way that Mr. Lee was battling. I punched her out cold. I had never done anything that cold-blooded to anyone in any of the times of dimensions, strange as that seems. It felt good! I then got a large burlap bag from the warehouse and stuffed her in. I would drop her off at my employer’s address, or temporary address, and be done with it. I had just captured my 100,000,000 CyDollars! All I had to do was get her to my master, and get to the Prime Emperor before security does.

                                                      Chapter 3

         I woke up, groggy, and sore in the face. For a moment, I thought that I would be in my room, and it would all be a dream. Of course, no such luck. I vaguely remembered the fight, and then the punch. How had a shrimp like him been able to knock me out? He would be sorry after I-
         “Hello! You must be Sijourney! My name is Luna!” A peppy woman interrupted my thoughts.          “Let me introduce myself. I am Luna Malgrove, a scientific government investigator.”
I grunted, and she said inaudible words to herself          which were ‘and I am one of the few, intelligent, women who actually hold some power...’.
         ”I have a lot to explain to you, I suppose. I am so sorry about the mishap at the warehouse. I never meant for it to become so violent! Though, I must admire, you are a wonderful warrior! We could need you in the future wars of the eighth galaxy!” This woman was really starting to get on my nerves. She caused all of this? She must be a real nutcase!
she murmured to herself, inaudibly. 
         Of course, I honestly did not care in the least.
         “How do you know my name?” I managed to mumble.
         “That is what I have been getting to.” She sighed in a melancholy way, but seemed to understand everything.
         “I have a lot to tell you. First off, do you need anything? A drink, food tablet…” she trailed off, and I knew that she was just stalling to revealing me the truth of this charade.
         “No, I am fine, thank you. All I need is the truth, and I want it now,” I stated curtly. She sighed again, than began.
         “I know that this will probably be a mouthful, but you wanted the truth, so I am going to give it to you, plain and clear.” She paused, than started.
         “You are in the future,” she started off. Now, that was plain and clear enough for me, but I couldn’t quite comprehend what she actually meant by that because I was so fatigued by my battle with the 2 men. I already thought that she was completely out of her mind, so I just listened and waited patiently for her to go on.
         “You are in the year of 3008. In this era, men have ruled the 9 dimensions.” I stared at her blankly.
         ”Oh, in this time, you are able to travel planets, and dimensions. There are 2 planets in each dimension in our civil boundaries. There’s Icec, Waterec, Firec, Starec, Darkec, Sunec, Moonec, Jupec, Satec, Merec, Venec, Earthec, Marec, Nepec, Plutec, Brightec, Elecec, and Airec. There are explorers still venturing into the depths of space and trying to find more planets.
         “Where’s Earth?” I inquired. I mean, it is my home! She sighed again, and then decided to fill me in.
         “Earth was destroyed eons ago. You prehumanoids were sucking up too much petroleum, and that is what kept the core in tact. The core of Earth exploded, and giant earthquakes rattled the ground, shattering the crust. The mantle’s sharp, hot metal came zooming at us. Of course, we had a warning. We detected the volcanoes and earthquakes all erupting, and we had 7 days, 14 hours, 8 minutes, and 34 seconds from the moment we found out what was going to happen to the moment the world would shatter. It was very hard, building space shuttles, but we, from the future, helped a little bit. I will leave it at that,” she explained thoroughly. Wow! I can’t believe that our world will explode.
         “When did this happen? What year?” I needed to know to prepare!
         “I think about around… ummm… oh, how do you prehumanoids say the dates? Oh, yeah! March 11, 2448, I think. I know this much is a real shocker, but I have more to tell you. This era is ruled by the male race. Women are obsolete, and live only for the men’s pleasure. It is a cruel, harsh world, for men, the block-headed pigs they are, are killing our worlds! Women are going to make a revolt, but we need your help.” Oh, no! I am not being sucked into some creepy future war that looks like it just hopped right out of a sci-fi film! As much as I was thinking this, I dared to ask, “Why do you need me? I am a prehumanoid, as you said!” She stared at me long and hard, and I was only a specimen with a large magnifying glass right in my face.
         “You are from the past, true, which gives us the upper hand. You know most of men’s secrets. I need to know them, and you can join us. The Pro-Women Ruling Society! You could be Lady-in-waiting, and move up the ranks! Think of the power! Think of the…” She was now just rambling on to herself, musing how wonderful women rulers would be.
         “Wait! Don’t I have a say in this? I am the one with the men’s secrets!” I retorted hotly. I wanted to be noticed for my awesome power!
         “Of course! You and I will share the power of this era! What you need to do is tell me everything you know about men and their beings, feelings, behavior, everything!” She was practically shouting at me at this point!
         “Ummm… I guess they’re kind of annoying…”
         “Annoying? That’s all the knowledge you’ve collected in your 16 years of being? I am utterly disappointed, Sijourney!” What was I? A male species expert?
         ”Wait, wait, I’ve got something. For some reason, girls are usually attracted to boys who look good. Also, boys like to show off. If you don’t respond, they will get bored.” I was giving her some good information here! I hope there’s a reward, like saving my planet from dying?!
         “Interesting… But why are females drawn to males? It baffles me, considering that males are so dense!”
         “Well, we like having a crush! We-“
         “Wait, but what is a crush?” This lady is clueless! She may be from the future, but she needs some catching up to do on her history!
         “That is when a girl likes a boy, but doesn’t know if the boy likes her back,”
         “And women care if boys like them because…”
         “It’s a long story. In my time, girls just like boys,” I explained. Speaking of girls liking boys…
         “If you and men don’t regularly come in contact, how do you reproduce?” That is a very uncomfortable question to ask, though I seem to have asked a FAQ for the woman, if she got many visitors from the past.
         “Well, we have learned to take small male tissue we have in our thighs and our female cells to create babies. The babies that are born are always females, and they never have had a father. Not for the past 900 years.
That is how we plan to help the Great Women’s Revolt! I-
         Suddenly, there was a light, hollow rapping at the door.
         “Enter, visitor,” Luna commanded curtly.
         “Hello, Master. I-“It was the man who had kidnapped me! He was staring at Luna in a horrific way, and managed to splutter,” Y-you’re a… A female?!” His fingers mingled with his knife, but Luna was too fast. She took out a sleek, onyx, futuristic gun and a large supernova beam. It hit him square in the torso, and he was instantly disintegrated. It was my turn to fix my eyes on Luna, and she just shrugged it off, stating,” I never liked him, anyway.”

                                                    Chapter 4

         “LAST CALL FOR AIREC, DIMENSION 5! NOW BOARDING!” a metallic voice echoed in the spacious caverns of what they called a HyperBlastAP port. I assumed the “AP” stands for “Air Plane”. Wherever Luna was taking me, it was going to be far, far away. She said something about Dark, but I was already zoned out from her pointless prattling.
         “Time to go! I am sure that you are going to have a lot of fun on this little outing!” she exclaimed. Little outing? I was being held hostage, for God’s sake!
         “Luna? What is the religion in this eon?” I asked. The future is so different, but still has some primitive features, such as not knowing who the heck Abraham Lincoln was.
         “Well, we have one main religion in all of the planets and dimensions. It is called Crossex. It means we know that the history of us is behind us, and the future is all that matters. We therefore do not practice any history whatsoever, so our religion is very obscure. I am Crossex, myself, actually. Also, there is a very small religion called WoMan. I forget what they worship, something about equality, and-“ She was cut off by the metallic voice of the HyperBlastAP.
         “FINAL CALL FOR DARKEC TOUR! ENDING IN STAREC! FINAL CALL! ALL PASSENGERS MUST BOARD AT THIS TIME!”
         “Oh, that’s us! You know I’ve never been to Starec, and…” She’s musing to herself about how absolutely stunning it must be and about how absolutely excited I should be for this amazing privilege. I entered a long, ovular compartment. It was about a hundred yards long and 18 yards wide. I walked in, and little holographs showed which seat belonged to whom in some odd language of which I had never heard of. We sat in what would be first class in 2007, but is Privilege Class at this point in time. I heard a strange suctioning noise, and then we were off into a giant portal that reminded me of a black hole without even a warning! An old man with a long, drooping mustache came and served me on a crystal platter. Privilege isn’t half-bad! Actually, it is full-on good!
         “Modk, tldis ditjd, dshoei. Dothskd, gbydkd, theedc, dna mosia,” he explained as though he were stating something that mere toddler should recognize.
         “Mokie! English, please!” Luna said imperatively.
         “Oh, so terribly sorry! I saw you with Luna, and I assumed-“
         “Mokie, we do not want to hear your excuses! You never assume! Do you understand?”
         “Yes, Mistress. As you say,” Mokie said sheepishly. Man, who the heck was Mokie?
         “Sijourney, Mokie is my butler, and he speaks another language inside. I am so sorry that he spoke to you in fluent Icec!”
         “It’s, uhh, perfectly fine, Luna!”
         “Are you thirsty, hungry…” she asked.
         “Do you have Coke? If you don’t, I’ll just take a Diet Pepsi.” She looked at me as if I were speaking fluent Icec.
         “Uhh, do you have any soda?” I asked uneasily. Something tells me that this trip was going to be full of awkward conversations and misunderstandings.
         “Oh! Of course! I keep forgetting that you are not of this time. Our sodas are Hyper, Cyber, Lunar, 0% of them all, and there is also Waterec Water and fruit juice,” she explained simply.
         “I will have a, um, 0% Hyper, please.” I assumed that 0% meant diet, and Hyper sounded like it had caffeine. I would need the energy to get back to my own time.
         “Mokie! A 0% Hyper here! On the double!” she called down the cabin to the control room. He came speeding down the hall, though he did not have far to go, and brought me a tall glass with a syrupy yellow-brown liquid inside of it. This looked more sluggish than hyper!
         “Well, um, thank you, Mokie! This looks… appetizing.” He flushed, than went back down the hall. I looked out the window, and we were zooming through space and time. This is obviously not unusual in this time, I thought. I took a sip of the drink, and it was sweet and tangy. Actually, it tasted luscious! Man, do they make drinks in the future or what?
         “Sijourney, I believe we must talk of what I want you to do. I want you to enter the Prime Emperor’s Society of Men’s castle in the middle of Starec. You must ask for a position as a servant. I have already taken care of the one before.” Actually, what I didn’t know is that the old servant was floating through deep space with a 40-pound rock attached to her shoe. Apparently, that wasn’t very important to Luna at the moment.
         “How long will I have to be a little servant girl?” I inquired with the mock sweetness of a 3-year-old.
         “Well, for about a month. I will be dwelling in an old boarding house to lengths from the castle. Oh, and a length is a block in your prehumanoid language.” I didn’t like the sound of going undercover, but at the same time I was excited for it. I would be important to the future of women society! I would be a turning point in the Women’s Revolution! I will go down in history! Or, in this case, the future.
         “All right, I’ll do it. I should get, like, paid for this, shouldn’t I? I mean, I am doing your dirty work, if we put it in certain terms.” She pulled me close and whispered, ”The only payment that you will be given is your life. You will do this job for me, and you will report everything that you hear or see in the Prime Emperors Society of Men. After work, you will come back to me. I will give you 1 hour of free time to do as you wish. Earn money, wander, whatever. I couldn’t care less. You do that, you live. You don’t, you die. Remember, little girl, that this isn’t a vacation. I kidnapped you for a reason.”
         Mokie strutted by, so Luna halted her threatening whispers. I didn’t know that Luna was so hostile!
         
         She is right. She did kidnap me, and my life is endangered every second that I am here. The hour of free time will be spent earning money and getting home. “I have to go. Remember what I said.”
         Then again, they will just come back and get me again. This is a very sticky kidnapping. I will have to be smart, courageous, and-
         “Help me! Oh, dear, help me, please! Oh, my baby, my baby… Oh! I need help! Help me! Please!” A small, stout woman came waddling quickly to our cabin. She was middle-aged, and had a gray Beehive hairdo. Apparently, it was retro style in this era. She went straight to the captain and started telling her story. Being in Privilege doesn’t only mean that you get treated better, you get to eavesdrop on the crew!
         “Oh, my baby! She’s been kidnapped! By a man with greasy black hair and sunglasses! Oh, help me, please! Oh, help me!”
         “Calm down, Lady! Just tell us where you saw the kid,” a young man in a black suit stated annoyingly. I bet he’s calm only because that suit’s probably bullet-proof.
         “Well, I got on, and my baby said ‘Look, Mommy! Look!’ I didn’t listen, of course, so we went right to our seats. I was going to the bathroom when I saw a man snatch my baby from his chair! He… He…” She was obviously trying desperately holding back sobs. The man in the black suit spoke again.
         “Tell us what your child looks like!” The man rolled his eyes, and exchanged glances with his partner.
         “He has blondish hair, hazel eyes, freckles, and was wearing denim overalls, a red and white striped T-shirt, and brown shoes with teddy bears on them. Oh, please find my baby! Please!” I could tell that these men were getting pretty fed up with this woman’s pleading blubbers.
         “Listen, lady! We don’t care about your stupid baby! Now, unless you get your husband over here, get your butt back to your seat!” one of them bellowed. The women looked angered, like a child who was given an unfair punishment. She stalked back to her seat, and a man came. Luna also sat back down in her seat, smirking to herself.
         “So sorry for your trouble, fellows,” the man apologized. “We found our child. My wife is a bit… sentimental… if you know what I mean.”
         “Yep, I know what ya’ mean, chap! It’s fine, don’t even think abou’ it!” the other man exclaimed. I bet he was drunk. Even in the future, there must have been alcohol.
         “This is what I mean! That woman was in tears, and the guards just shrugged her off!” Luna mused. Something weird just happened, but I suddenly didn’t seem care. I became very tired unexpectedly. My eyelids felt as if they were stacked with lead. What happened? My drink. It had been drugged. But why…?

                                                      §

         I woke up groggy, again, but this time in a small room. It had silver walls, soundproof, and a high ceiling. There were no windows. I, of course, had absolutely no idea what had been going on. I managed to lift my head centimeters, but then my head collapsed back down onto a long, leaded table. I now noticed that I was strapped into this table. I could tell that I was suddenly the victim of some horrible plot that I obviously had no control over. Uh-oh.
         “Sijourney! You must be so tired after the long flight! You must be wondering what you are doing here!” It was Luna speaking, and she was obviously peppy, as usual. I was listening, but could barely comprehend her words in my mind, for I was still very weary from my drug.
         “Yes… Why did you…” I managed to mumble with all the strength I had left. I could feel myself slipping back into the content ocean of sleep.
         “Well, Sijourney, I got you here for a reason. As I told you, women are obsolete, and you can help us. That is why I killed Mr. Worthington. I need you, and you apparently do not want to cooperate with us willingly, so...”
I managed to hear Luna speak the last sentence before my slumber.
         “We are going to fix you.”

                                                          §

         I awoke to whispering and arguments. I opened my eyes, and saw that I was not drowsy anymore, and this time, I was in a worn-out old hut. Many people were around me, mumbling.
         “What...”
         “We understand,” said a pleasant looking man that was at the foot of my cot. “That you must be pondering what you are doing here. You are at the House of F.A.M.E. F.A.M.E. stands for Female and Male Equality. As you can see, this era is ruled by male, and females have become useless. We believe that that is morally incorrect. That is why we have created the House of F.A.M.E.,” explained the male. He seemed to be the kind of person who I would believe to run these dimensions very well, even if I had only been here 19 hours, 42 minutes, and 18 seconds, according to my automatic timer watch.
         “But, you’re a man! Aren’t men supposed to rule this time and place?”
         “And you are observant too, young child! Yes, we are supposed to, but there are a few choice men who believe otherwise, even when they have the upper hand.”
         I was starting to see how all of this was coming together, but I couldn’t see what it all had to do with me.
         “Also, the woman who kidnapped you... Did she say anything about something called the Great Women’s Revolt?”
         I didn’t quite remember, but I thought about when we were at the AP, and we were just boarding...
         “I remember her saying something about it, and she talked about it on the AP. Luna left, and-“
         “Luna is her name? Child, you have just given us important information. If you have found a Dark’s name, than you have found out much more than you think about her,” explained the man enthusiastically.
         “What do you mean, a ‘Dark’?”
         “Well, it means that, well... Did Luna tell you about the worlds and dimensions?
         “Yes, and she said that there were 9 dimensions, or worlds, or something.”
         “Well, each person who comes from a world, such as Firec, has a red aura, for red is the color of fire. Blue is for Waterec, and so on. Darkec is the prison that we keep the felons in, and Luna originated there when she was a toddler. That was long before we turned Darkec into a penal complex. Anyway, she has a dark aura, which means that she keeps her secrets behind her name. Though she is quite strong and clever, if you know her name, then she is nothing. She was apparently to naïve and lazy to think that you could do her any harm.”
         Luna. Was that Greek? Or Latin? Hmm... Luna, Luna means... Moon! Luna means Moon!
         “Uhh, Mister, I know that Luna means Moon, if that is of any help...” It was obvious that my once precious knowledge was instantly outdone by contemporary secrets.
         “Why, I think it does! Also, I bet that even Luna doesn’t know about that!”
         “Why? And about what?” I inquired.
         “Well, since Luna is Crossex, she and her religion does not keep history! Luna is obviously finding her natural energy from the moon!”
         “Umm, what do you mean? Does the future collect natural energy?”
         “Not in the way you think. Luna has a dark aura, as you know, which means she has to feed off of something that gives off a light in the darkness, which is, obviously, the moon. She did this when she was about 8 years old. Since she has been feeding off of the moon for so long, her body, mind, and soul all depend on it. If we can some how cut off the anti-solar energy, then we may be able to take Luna!” the man exclaimed. This was obviously a great accomplishment for him. I wonder who he was, anyway...
         “Okay... But, anyway, how do you know so much about Luna?”
         “Well, we grew up together when we were toddlers.”
         “Does that mean that you originate from Darkec?”
         “Unfortunately, yes. I was born in Darkec.”
         “Also, who exactly are you?
         “Well, I am Jojak, the Prime Emperor of the Dimensions.”

                                                  Chapter 4
         “I can’t believe that you lost the girl, you unbelievable, idiotic oaf!” bellowed Luna.
         “But, Ma’am, it was-“said a lean, wiry Mr. Bell.
         “I don’t care if he was the Prime Emperor himself! All I needed you to do was to get the girl. That’s it! But could you handle that much of a duty? No! All I-“
         “But-“
         “needed you to do was-“
         “But, Ma’am-“ Mr. Bell was becoming annoyed.
         “to keep the girl in one place! But-“
         “MA’AM!” roared Mr. Bell.
         “What?”
         “The man who came in wasn’t the Prime Emperor himself, but he was his own police chief!”
         “Do not toy with me, Mr. Bell. Your excuses only add annoyance.”
         “I swear! The Prime Emperor’s own Police Chief waltzed in, and said that his own Hyper Police Squad, or HPS, would take care of it! I guarantee it!” Mr. Bell thought that he was telling the truth. But in fact, the Prime Emperor Police Chief was in Darkec in a jury for a could-be murderer of Miss Jennifer Williams. Though the man was very different from the Police Chief, he was a terrific deceiver, and could have easily fooled Luna herself.
         “Hmm... This is a very interesting matter,” Luna mused to herself.
         “Why, Ma’am? You are on ‘their side’. At least, to them.”
         “Well, the government has been expecting, being strongly both Crossex and Women’s Rights campaigner, they would expect what I would do to a small girl from the past.”
         “Kill her?” asked Mr. Bell. Though this would be her normal nature, no.
         “I think they would expect me to interrogate her and report the information right back to base camp. Of course, as I am not, they must have decided to take the matter into their own hands. How predictable of them.”
         As Luna might have predicted, there was a timed bomb in the real Police Chief’s wristwatch, of which would explode in exactly 7 hours, 8 minutes, and 32 seconds.
         “Ma’am, I doubt that they will do anything that would alter the plan. If they decide that it would be best to send her back to her old time, so be it. We can just go retrieve her again, but using someone more skilled that Mr. Worthington.” As Mr. Bell was a very logical man, this would be a perfect plan, for his type; but not Luna.
         “Mr. Bell, that would also be very predictable of us, and you know that the worst thing that a double spy can be is predictable. That is how the Prime Emperor was almost killed. Of course, he is away on business, as his secretary stated, so that objective of the plan has not yet been fulfilled.”
         “Ma’am, I believe that his secretary had put on a recording. That is what our satellites picked up. The Prime Emperor has been away for at least 8 sun-passes. I believe that the government is hiding something. It is most likely important, and if you wish to find out, then you must regain their trust.” Mr. Bell’s logic may be very useful to a very dangerous, and semi-logical, plan.
         “Mr. Bell, I believe that you may be one of the most useful assistants that I have had in a very long time. I praise you for such creativeness. Anyway, send a SpiBug to the Base Site. I want to find out everything the government has to offer.” Luna commanded.
         “Right away, Ma’am. Right away.”