CHAPTER THREE
Joey used all his willpower to suppress the images of death and chaos that were thrown in his face mercilessly. All thanks to those two aliens. Thanks to that little fiasco with the police he suspected he was at least ten minutes late from the drop point.
His mind never crossed on the injury he received. His mind’s only focus was to get those legs running to the drop point as soon as possible. He made a quick detour to the alley where he had hid his things. He dropped his coat on and slung the bag’s strap over his shoulder.
He was sweating profusely, and his nerves were a wreck. But this thing had to be done. There was no telling when he would get the chance to make a hundred grand in one day like this. The next block he took had him at the mercy of the scorching sun. The color of his jeans matched a little with his blood, so no one really saw it. His mind had calmed down sufficiently enough for him to realize the pain in his leg, but it was just a sting with each step other than the relentless burn it once was.
He reached the street that overlooked a section of Central Park. There were some low buildings there on that street, a coffee shop, an ice-cream shop and other small businesses. They were the perfect fit for a neat quiet place for someone to have a nice view of the park.
The sun shone through the warm colored leaves with glowing aura, making it look like the entire area was on fire. The smell here was mostly of vegetation, untainted with the stink of people, car exhaust and other manmade emissions. Birds sang a nice tenor note, graciously carried by the cool winds. And just for a moment Joey felt a bit fine.
Stupid, crazy alien chic, Joey thought. Talking about come save the world. Ha! It’s your world, you go save it. I’m not goanna let anyone play me over.
Joey waited near a pawn shop. He didn’t see the truck, and his mind wondered if he had missed the change or the truck hadn’t arrived as yet. But he couldn’t do anything as yet, so he waited.
A hand touched his shoulder. Joey moved with a jumpy motion. Turning so see a face he didn’t want to see.
Joey scowled, gritted his teeth and looked away. “What the hell do you want from me, lady?”
“I need your help,” said Lezura calmly. “I will not leave you until you decide to come with me.”
“I said I’m not going with you, what part of that don’t you understand?” Joey said, trying to keep his voice steady. He looked at her and said, “Do you really think someone’s just goanna leave their good life behind and go off to some strange place to die?”
“And what kind of good life involves being chased and shot by the authorities,” Lezura folded her arms and said.
Joey couldn’t answer.
Lezura said, “Think of the good you would be doing, Joey…”
Joey saw the dark blue truck coming up the street, so he blocked out all of what the woman was saying. The truck slowed to a stop near the coffee shop. He studied the lock at the back of it. It was thin enough to be opened by his bolt cutters, just like Swanson said.
The two occupants left the truck, dressed in light grey uniforms with the logo of the Whitney Museum of Art on the chest. They made a quick walk to the back of the truck, looking around for anything out of the ordinary. They gave the truck a glance and went to the coffee shop.
“Now all I need now is that damn lady,” Joey whispered.
Lezura contemplated what other arsenals she had to convince Joey. Unfortunately they were in the public, so she couldn’t knock him out and open the portal to her planet here. She understood his point, of course, but she felt that there was something more beneath him that he wasn’t revealing.
“May I ask what you are doing now?” Lezura said.
“Work,” Joey said.
“What kind?”
“The only one I can do,” he said.
Joey saw a group of people coming from down the street, all of whom were women. He looked and saw the two men coming out of the coffee shop to with their goods. They found themselves seats around a table outside that overlooked that section of the park.
The women were closer now, and Joey could see the instructor at the front.
Nice!
“I think he is planning a robbery,” Donnowarru said in Lezura’s ear.
“I kind of figured that would be the case,” she said. If he really is the Rakai, I cannot let him do something like this!
Lezura touched Joey’s arm. “Joey, you can become a respected hero instead of a common criminal!” she said.
Joey saw the instructor at the front wink at him. He winked back at her with a grin.
The blonde haired woman stopped in front of the block where the coffee shop was. The thought of her involvement in this leading to jail was overwhelmed by the prospect of two thousand dollars. And as far as the women knew this was just their routine workout. Plus the men were already smiling at her.
No harm done, she thought.
“All right ladies!” she said, lifting her slender hands in the air. She turned around to the men, offering up her fine buttocks. “Let’s start!”
The women stretched their arms forward and bent over.
A few men walking with their female companions stopped to have a look. One man was slapped by his woman.
Joey took his que. He said to Lezura, “Tell you what, when I’m done with this I’ll listen to what you have to say. Right now”—Joey handed the bag to her and took out the bolt cutters—“follow me!”
“Hold on a mo—”
Joey made off, dragging Lezura by her hand before she could protest any further.
They waited until two trucks pass before going over to the one parked.
“I have never stolen anything before,” protested Lezura in a quiet breath. “This is very bad for my reputation.”
“Too late,” said Joey calmly. “Just watch my back and make sure those two men don’t get near me.”
The women effectively blocked the view of the truck door from the men. But Joey suspected that when they saw the truck door move they would be darting out of their seats to have a look. He would have to move fast.
He produced the bolt cutters from under his coat and put them on the lock. He turned to Lezura; saw the flicker of worry in her eyes. He smiled at her and said, “Don’t worry, babes, I got this.”
Joey snapped the bolts on the truck, they dropped like anchors.
Go!
Joey dropped the bolt cutters and flew the doors open. Sunlight washed over many wooden boxes. Luckily they were labeled so Joey knew what to look for. He darted inside and started looking.
The drivers weren’t so engrossed in watching the women that they couldn’t see the top of the truck move. They threw away their coffee; well they still had their donuts in their mouths, and darted through the crowd of women, pushing them aside as they made their way to the truck.
As the men approached Lezura swallowed a nervous lump. She wasn’t incapable of stopping the men, but it was the reason for doing so. She dropped the bag and frown. “You better come with me after this, boy!” she said.
Joey found the crate, marked: Work by Juliet Ashten. He produced a small crowbar, and hooked it under the top of the crate, using all his strength at once to flip the top. It flew into the side of the truck and clattered to the floor. Joey looked inside, and he smiled.
Lezura went in front of the men with her arms splayed open. “Wait, gentlemen maybe we can discuss—”
One of the men produced a Taser. He lunged with it. With cat-like reflexes Lezura twisted her body of the way and grabbed his hand. He bent his elbow with her other hand and shoved the Taser into the man’s neck.
Lezura left his shivering body to fall to the ground, dropping the other man who had drawn his baton with a roundhouse kick to the side of his head.
The women near the truck screamed and scattered like ants, along with everyone else. Lezura was sure that this hysteria would be enough to get the attention of any officers nearby. She went to the truck.
“Joey!”
Joey was crouched in the truck and running out with something clutched under his arm. He dropped out next to Lezura with a big grin on his face. “Come on!” he said to her before running off.
Lezura grabbed the bag off the ground and followed him.
Joey heard a voice near him say, “Hey there!” Joey turned to see the instructor jogging casually along beside him. “Aren’t you forgetting something…?”
Joey figured with the money he was about to make, he could at least spare five hundred dollars. Joey fumbled in his coat pocket and produced a thick coil of cash. He tossed it to the woman who caught it tenderly.
“Thank you!” she said, and jogged off to regroup the women.
Joey and Lezura’s hard run gave the people enough intuition that these two just did something to make the cops after them, and stayed way clear from them.
“I did it!” Joey shouted triumphantly. He leaped in the air, reaching Lezura’s height, and threw a fist in the sky. “I did it!”
“Joey you are a very troublesome boy,” said Lezura bitterly as she navigated between a signpost and a woman. “I still cannot believe you are the Rakai!”
“Whatever lady,” said Joey as he led them across the street. “I’ve got my way out now. I’m goanna go to school; get that degree shit everyone’s talking about. Get the job, the money, the house, the car, girls—I’m goanna make it out, baby!”
Lezura said, “Joey—”
“Don’t worry, lady,” said Joey. “I’m goanna give you a little something for your trouble. That’s if you wanna stay here, that is. Hey, we make a kick-ass team. Bonny and Clyde—Joey and Le…Lez…urm…Lezura—”
Joey’s vision was so blinded by the images of a grandiose life that he didn’t see the police officer in front of him. He bumped right into the cop. The two of them looked at each other for a moment. The officer realized who Joey was, and latched onto his shoulder with a hand and opened the channel on the radio.
As the officer was about to reach for the cuffs, Joey reached inside his coat and took out a glass bottle, striking the officers across the head with it. As the man fell and the crowd gasped and shrieked Joey took off with Lezura behind him.
“Joey that was the most foolish thing you ever did!” said Lezura, who was secretly relieved that the Rakai wasn’t going to jail today.
“I’m the king of New York!” said Joey. “Ha-ha-ha-ha…”
Joey continued laughing until he reached around a corner. When Lezura neared it she saw Joey running back with his hands in the air, wailing, “WHAAAAAAA—”
Lezura saw a five men in uniform; probably the same men who Donnowarru had drugged, but were now on their feet and furious as hell. All had weapons drawn and handkerchiefs over their nose and mouth.
Lezura made a insane U-turn and caught up to Joey. “What should we do?” she said.
“There’s a jar in my bagpack with some bees,” said Joey. “Let them have it!”
Without question Lezura reached inside Joey’s bag and took out the jar. She knew enough about bees to know the danger they posed, but all her thoughts were focused on getting the Rakai, so Lezura smashed the jar on the ground and leaped over it. Instantly the air was filled with a maddening buzzing and a plague of bees.
The officers ran right into it, immediately the bees locked on to them and consumed them and the people nearby. The street was plunged into perpetual hysteria that day.
Lezura ran alongside Joey. A part of her wanted to course him, but never since the third Great War had she felt so exhilarated and alive. Joey looked at her and offered her a smile. She unknowingly smiled back at him.
They went down a less populated street and through a back alley. A startled cat shrieked and ran out of the way.
Donnowarru the lizard clutched onto Lezura’s shoulder tightly was his claws, while the rest of his body dangled like a piece of cloth in the wind. He heard a steady buzzing behind him and saw a bee pursuing him. He scowled at it, lashing out his tongue and reeling the bee into his jaws.
Barney, Mark and Rex were tailing Joey right when he went into the construction site. Fearing the police they had went back to the spot where the truck was said to stop. They had witness the kid, with his new, sexy accomplice, bring down the guards and escape with the painting.
They continued to follow them then.
Barney was certain that with the running he put down today, he lost at least three pounds in sweat.
“Where the hell is this kid going?” said Rex.
“Maybe we should meet at the exchange spot with Swanson,” said Barney.
“You deaf?” said Mark. “The boss said to get him before he reaches there. He doesn’t want anything coming back to pin him down.”
Barney’s body heat created a barrier around him, and the smell. Mark and Rex tried to keep away from him without straying too far ahead.
Then they spotted Lezura and Joey up at the end of the street, legging it across until they were out of sight.
“There they are,” said Barney.
“Come on,” said Mark. “Let’s cut them off.”
Lezura and Joey spotted two men coming up from the end of the alley. Joey judged them immediately. Their steady eyes and quick pace indicated these men were after him without a doubt. Joey held out a hand and stopped Lezura.
“Turn back,” he said hastily.
When they turned around they saw a huge man in black coming down the alley. His size threatened to block off the path completely.
“Who are these men?” Lezura said to Joey.
Joey took the bag from Lezura and stuffed the painting in it. “I don’t know,” Joey gave the bag back to Lezura, dropped his coat so the men wouldn’t have anything to extra to hold onto, and pulled out his silver bat, “but whatever they want has to be the painting.” Joey thought about the people who knew about the heist. Only one man came to mind. He would deal with Swanson later, but now he had to secure his goods. “Lezura, whatever happens, just make sure you take that bag and get the hell out of here.”
Lezura said without taking her gaze off the two men approaching her, “I will not leave you, Joey. I am your Chevalier, I am to protect you.”
Joey grinned as the huge man pulled out a huge knife from inside his coat. He said, “Look at me; needing help from an alien chic…”
Barney and the other men stopped in front of them. All had weapons ready in hands. And they could practically sense the adrenalin flowing in the veins of each other.
Barney said, “Why don’t you just hand over the painting, and you and your girlfriend can be on your way.”
Lezura turned to Barney with flushed cheeks and said, “I am not his girlfriend!”
“That’s right,” said Joey. He pointed his bat at Barney. “But I will make a bitch out of you if you don’t take your boyband and get the hell out a here.”
Rex and Mark grinned; they spread to the sides of Lezura. Lezura didn’t plan using any of her devices that let them know she was an alien, so she decided to let this play out with just her fists. She lifted her hands in a defensive stance.
Rex grinned. “Look, this little nigga bitch knows some kung fu!”
“Let’s cut her open and she what other surprises she has,” said Mark.
Even though she wasn’t a human, the derogatory term still sliced deep in Lezura, for she had come to appreciate her appearance.
She opened her mouth and said, “You will both—”
“What the hell did you just say?” Joey said as she made after Rex.
Lezura was momentarily stunned by the thoughtless, valiant act of Joey. He dropped himself into the two men, swinging his bat at their heads and feet. But Lezura snapped herself back to the situation, and switched her attention to the larger man.
And not a moment too soon; as Lezura spun around Barney swung the blade. Lezura ducked beneath it, and shot her fist into the base of Barney’s gut. She was aiming after his groin but his huge gut got in the way.
Her hand bounced off Barney, and he grabbed at her flowing hair, yanking out a few strands. Lezura winced; made it a note to cut her hair soon. She dodged another attack and kicked Barney in his knee. The big man wobbled momentarily, giving Lezura the chance to peddle to the side of him and land a chopping blow to the back of his neck. His fat absorbed the blow from reaching his neck bones. Barney swung around with the knife. Lezura flipped back on her hands beneath the knife, pulled in her feet and uncoiled them like a striking cobra, hitting their mark in Barney’s groin.
The man gulped chokingly. He dropped the knife from his trembling hand, and slowly fell to his knees, the other hand clutching his precious jewels.
Lezura scooped the knife off the ground and turned for Joey, just in time to see him receive a nasty gash on his shoulder.
Joey wailed, more like anger than in pain. He ducked and spun with the bat, hitting Mark in the shin. When Mark fell Joey lifted the bat to drop in his chest—
And Rex sliced Joey across the ribs from behind. The sharp pain seemed to hit all his nerves as Joey arched his back and dropped his bat. He staggered forward clutching his side. He snarled at Rex and ran towards him. Rex stood sideways and set to plunge the knife.
And that plan was canceled when Lezura cut Rex across his calf with the knife, severing the tendon. Rex screamed and fell.
With that done Joey’s mind instantly switched. He said to Lezura, “The bag!”
Lezura froze, remembering that she dropped it. She turned to see Barney limping away like a mountain of flesh with the bag.
“Blast!” Lezura said.
She ran after Barney. Joey casted his injury aside, snatched his bat and ran after Barney too, but the pain in his shoulder with the one in his side triggered a warning shock that stopped Joey. He fell on his hand and knee. He removed his hand to see it dripping with blood.
That bastard cut me deep! Joey thought.
Barney didn’t reach far. Five officers barged into the alley and stood at the front. Their faces were swollen to the point where at least one eye wasn’t working and a cheek was puffy. One had a swollen lip and one a nose bigger than an acorn.
“Freeze and put your hands in the air!” said Officer Parker with the acorn nose.
Barney screamed and threw his hands in the air. But after all they had been through the cops decided some payback was in order. So he shot Barney right in the shoulder. In his report it would be said that Barney was reaching for something, and no one would believe the word of a thug over five officers.
The sound of the explosion echoing in the alley knocked Lezura’s ears. She yelped and clapped her hands over her ears, almost stumbling. She saw the bag fall from Barney’s hand as he dropped back like an avalanche hitting the ground.
When Joey saw the cops enter the alley he knew then that things weren’t going to go his way unless he got off his butt. Hew gritted his teeth and staggered to his feet, running ahead after Lezura with the bat.
Lezura saw the guns pointed at her and lifted her hands in the air. She stopped a few feet before the bag and Barney.
I wonder if I should act? Donnowarru thought, hiding behind Lezura’s shoulder.
“Make one step and I’ll put a hole in your head,” said officer Stanson with both cheeks swollen. “Assaulting an officer—with bees? That’s the biggest mistake of your life, missy!”
“Oh dear,” Donnowarru said. “Wait…why do I even care?”
Lezura couldn’t move and inch without getting shot. But the next words by the officers were dastardly.
“Put a round in her,” said Officer Parker to Officer Madison with the swollen lips.
Panic spread through Lezura.
“You ssshhure?” said Madison.
“Yeah I’m damn sure,” said Parker. He lowered his weapon and turned to Madison with a stern face. He said quietly, “Look here, Rookie; she’s a crook, you’re a cop. No one’s going to believe her over you.”
“Oh my goodness,” Lezura gasped in disbelief. Could this really be the people she was to take the Rakai from? Was he really going to be like this?
The rookie wasn’t too sure about the idea. “But—”
“Screw you,” said Parker. He’d had quite enough of the embarrassment for one day. He envisioned the promotion he would be getting for taking out the Four-foot Slugger—and the praises and the money.
Joey ran before Lezura, so fast that Parker was a little startled, and enough excuse for him to shoot. Before the trigger was pulled Lezura grabbed Joey and spun him around. The bullet scored its mark right in her lower back.
Lezura grunted and fell on top of Joey.
“Lezura?” Joey called to her, rolling from underneath her to check up on her.
Donnowarru had had enough. He leaped off Lezura’s shoulder, and transformed into his wizard form. The startled officers paused for a heartbeat, then simultaneously opened fire at the wizard. All the bullets ripped through his body without effect, scoring holes of blue light that immediately sealed back up.
Joey checked Lezura’s wound. Her blood had already soaked into her shirt; her yellow blood. Joey took off his shirt and pressed it against the wound.
“Oh shit! Shit man!” Joey said, pressing his trembling hand against her back.
Donnowarru released pulsing wave of honoi at the officers, knocking them clear out of the alley and into the street. “This is why I detest people,” he said. “I hate having to get in involved in their affairs.” He turned to Joey and said, “You, boy!” Joey frightfully looked at up him. “Stop being a wuss and pick the woman up!”
Joey put an arm under Lezura and lifted her up to her feet. She wasn’t completely unconscious, and she tried to stand on her own.
“Are you okay?” said Joey.
“I am fine,” Lezura said slowly in a weak voice.
Donnowarru saw the curious crowd coming up. He turned to the two youngsters and saw that they were up and ready. Donnowarru ripped opened a portal before the crowd, ignoring their gasps and screams.
“Inside, quickly,” said Donnowarru.
Joey stooped for his bat. His mind was completely off the painting. Well, not fully. He stooped and collected the bag along the way. “What the hell were you thinking, lady? You could’ve been killed? That was my bullet!”
“I am your protector, Joey,” said Lezura.
Joey heard the unshakable conviction in Lezura’s voice. Was what she said all true? Was what she showed me all true?
As they neared the rift Joey felt a tug on his bag. He turned and looked down to see Barney holding onto it. Lezura took the bat from Joey and gave Barney a good whack on his arm. Barney growled and dropped his hand.
“That’s what you get for messing with my Supergirl,” said Joey. They and Donnowarru went into the portal, and it closed, leaving three wounded thugs, a hysterical crowd, five unconscious officers and police sirens screaming.
Some squirrels were observing the huge shimmer in a patch of the woods in central park, when a portal ripped open with a blast of force that sent them running and squeaking. Out staggered Joey and Lezura.
“Put me down here,” said Lezura.
Joey lowered her to her knees, and he fell next to her. His wound burnt like with come chili peppers added.
Donnowarru walked out of the portal, clapped his hands and closed it behind him. “Well that went well,” he said.
“Screw you, man…” Joey said. He winced and touched his wound gingerly. His red merino was soaked on one side with his blood.
Lezura said to Joey, “Stay still, no questions please.”
Lezura put her hand in the leaf-littered ground, closed her eyes and focused on bringing up her honoi into her body. She channeled it down her back to her wound. The energy popped the bullet out, and the light took on a pinkish color as it sealed the wound shut.
Joey, who as looking at the phenomenon, gasped. “No shit…” he said.
Lezura got up. She twisted her back to work out the sting. She knelt next to Joey and touched his wound. Joey felt a ripple of warmth spread over his ribs. He sighed and closed his eyes as he sank in the ecstasy of the healing.
Lezura moved to Joey’s shoulder and then his foot. The wound looked a little better from the last time she saw it, but she healed it nonetheless.
“All done,” she said.
Lezura helped Joey to his feet. Joey checked his wound to see a long scar there. “It still stings a little,” he said.
“It was a large wound,” Lezura said. “But it should be healed properly within a day or two. “Now, Joey. Let us skip all the delays…”
“You want me to come with you…” Joey said.
He saw the determined light in Lezura’s eyes that was starting to scare him. “I do not like being blunt Joey. But let me put it to you the best way possible; you can stay here, continue to be a little criminal that is running around without a place for his own, and gets nothing in return. Or, you can help save millions of lives. Which do you decided?”
Joey walked away, rubbing the leaves out of his hair. He thought about it. So far based on what this woman did for him, she had to be telling the truth. She took a bullet for him, and that was some serious stuff. But what was there for him anyway? He didn’t know one squat about her alien planet.
But he would’ve loved to go there! If there was any chance of him getting out of New York, it would be this.
“Okay,” he said, “I will.”
Lezura asked, just to make sure, “You are not thinking that you will die there?”
Joey said, “Weren’t we just being chased by criminals and the police and both got shot? It’s not the first time I’ve stared down the barrel of a gun.”
“Obviously,” said Donnowarru.
Joey looked at him and said, “Hey, go f—”
“Splendid!” said Lezura with clasped hands, showing a huge smile and her braces.
Joey flinched and said, “Whoa there, brace-face, easy with the sunshine!”
Lezura covered her mouth, quickly dropping her hand and scowled at Joey. “You should learn to have some manners, young man.”
Joey scoffed and waved her away.
Lezura took the remote off her utility belt. She deactivated the Fizzer on the Thwopter. Joey sensed the static behind him and turned to see the machine.
“Sweet ride,” he said.
“Get in the back,” said Lezura as she dropped herself in the front seat. Joey took up his bag and laid it across his lap along with the bat.
Once they were ready Donnowarru floated in the air on his cloud, ripped open a portal and led them through it.
Joey stared around the inside of the portal with a face smeared with childish wonder. He rated this a hundred times better than the special effects of Hollywood; because it was actually real. He figured that if this was just the portal, then the planet must be an even bigger piece of work.
The thought made his blood surge with anticipation.
They soon neared the end of the rift, which was a small glowing white point like a star.
“How the hell are we goanna fit through there?” said Joey, looking over Lezura’s shoulder.
“What is that, Donnowarru?” said Lezura, “I have never seen it before? Is it the end of the portal?”
“Yes…” said Donnowarru testily with a throbbing vein on his forehead. “I can sense different portals through the rift network that lead to certain locations. This portal should lead us back to Sangetsu, and back to Ixia. But we first need their permission before it can be opened.”
“Does he mean the reapers?” Joey said to Lezura.
“Obviously,” said Donnowarru.
“You don’t have to be so rude dude?” Joey said.
Donnowarru turned to Lezura, who both smiled. Lezura said back to Joey, “Now you know how it feels.”
Joey scoffed, sat in his seat and folded his arms. “Now you know how it feels…” he mimicked Lezura in a piping voice. “Stupid alien lady…”
Five dots of light appeared that exploded into the reapers. Joey sat up in his seat, almost falling out into the zero-gravity. And realizing how it seemed like he would be floating the moon, Joey unbuckled his seatbelt and let himself float around in the tunnel.
“Joey you little monkey boy, sit back down!” said Lezura with her hands on her hips.
“Quit being so stuck-up Lezura,” laughed Joey. “You should try this! It’s awesome!”
Joey swam around, doing cartwheels, flips and twirls and laughing all the time. He did so without even a glance at the reapers watching him.
Lezura and Donnowarru recognized the face patterns of the reapers as Terriak and his team. Lezura couldn’t tell, but she assumed by their stillness that they were gasping at Joey behind their masks.
Terriak pointed to Joey and said to Lezura, “Miss Hembim this is the Rakai?”
Lezura shrugged. “I am afraid so…” she said.
“Boy!” said Han. “You sure got the raw deal with this one! Look how short he is—”
Joey snapped out of his play and twisted his body wildly to look at Han meters away. “What the hell did you just say, spaceboy?”
Han tightened his grip on his club. “Spaceboy?” he snarled
Joey kicked off in the air an