E: Evasive Maneuvers?

This is part of a continuous story, so start HERE at A.

Evasive Maneuvers?

Layla sauntered to the galley for a meal.  Adam tagged along, eager to get something into his stomach that didn’t taste like it was fished out of the trash.  Perhaps he might have liked better company, but anyone was better than Bibble.

The galley wasn’t well stocked, but the peanut butter and jelly sandwich he ended up with was a vast improvement over his breakfast.  “So,” he began after taking the first bite of his sandwich, “if you came to rescue me, why did you scare me so bad?”

Her brown eyes glittered.  “You mean that bit about chemical castration?” she said knowingly.

“Yeah, that bit.”

She dipped a plastic spoon into a can of peaches.  “The room was being monitored, so I had to go through the normal spiel guides are expected to give.  I hoped if I played my role well enough, no one would suspect anything.”

Adam narrowed his eyes.  “So you didn’t enjoy scaring me?”

Layla shrugged as she brought a golden sliver of peach up to her lips.  “I didn’t say that.”

He’d forgotten about his sandwich.  “So, what’s your story?  I assume you wouldn’t be here taking these kind of risks unless something happened to you.  Were you exiled?”

Dropping the spoon onto the table, she leaned back and crossed her arms in front of her chest.  “My story isn’t important.  All you need to know is that we have a common goal.”

Adam raised an eyebrow.  “My goal is to get my life back if at all possible.”

“That can happen if we get rid of Bibble and his friends in DULL.  They have control over the entire Federation right now, using every means of legal maneuvering to get what they want.  No one can stand up to him."

“How do you intend to do that?  What’s the plan?”

She looked at him for several long moments.  “I don’t think we can tell you that just yet.”

“Why not?”

“We need to know we can trust you with that kind of information,” she said simply.

He snorted.  “Why wouldn’t you consider me trustworthy?  Do you think I’m going to turn you in?  If I even tried that, I’d be killed.”

“Trust me, you never know what could happen out here.”

As if that comment were cursed, George’s voice cut through the air via an unseen speaker.  “Layla, you should know that we’re about to be captured by the Vaaldeens.  There’s nothing we can do to avoid it.”

She sighed.  “Adam, you might want to get on the ground facedown and put your hands behind your head.”  Then she slipped out of her chair and onto the floor.

“Wait a minute!  Shouldn’t we do evasive maneuvers or something?” Adam protested.

Layla laughed.  “You’ve seen too many movies.  Besides, George has a foreshadower.  If he says we’re going to be captured, we might as well accept it.”

“A foreshadower?” Adam asked.  “What’s that?”

Before Layla could answer, George called back again.  “Prepare for beam out!”


Proceed to entry F.