FicWad

The four teenagers walked on with only the sound of Alex’s grumbling complaints about the many hills which had by this time formed all over the landscape. After a couple of hours they reached the top of an exceptionally large hill and looked down to see a multicoloured neon city stretched out before them.

When they walked into the city Cal checked his P.O.D. “Whatever we have to do must be in this city,” he told the others as he noticed multiple arrows on his P.O.D. pointing in every direction.

“How are we supposed to know what we have to do? It’s not like there’s a neon sign saying, ‘Save me!’” Lara noted as she looked around the city.

Alex looked around reading the signs as if expecting they would tell him what to do.

“Lara was right. The signs won’t help you,” a voice laughed.

Alex started and spun around. He saw Jerry hovering above Joe’s P.O.D. and yelled, “Joe, stop doing that! You’re going to give me a heart attack!”

Joe laughed and said, “Sorry, I just thought Jerry would be better help than looking around helplessly.”

“Anyway, what are we supposed to do?” Cal asked addressing Jerry and failing to conceal a small laugh himself.

“Actually, I’m not sure,” Jerry said frowning in thought.

“You don’t know?! You’re the one that sent us here!” Lara snapped.

“Man she’s edgy today,” Alex muttered to Cal out of the corner of his mouth.

“Technically I wasn’t the one that sent you. The system sent you. I’m only the beginners manual. I don’t know everything,” Jerry replied completely unfazed by Lara’s anger.

Lara groaned and rolled her eyes before Jerry spoke again.

“I would suggest listening to the locals,” he added.

“Why couldn’t you have just said that in the first place!?” Lara yelled.

Joe quickly pressed the green button so that Jerry disappeared.

“I wasn’t done with him,” Lara shouted, turning on Joe.

“I know, that’s why I pressed the button,” Joe replied smugly. “A lot of people talk at the bar,” he then suggested.

“Yeah, but we’re only seventeen. We can’t get in,” Cal said as if Joe was stupid.

“Yeah. Wait, how do you know this? You’ve been in a bar?” Lara asked in surprise.

“No,” he said, trying to put on an innocent face but failing horribly.

Lara laughed at him. “I guess you’re more of a rebel than I thought.”

“It was only a couple of times. I mean it’s not that hard to get in. Most bars don’t even check ID,” Joe explained shrugging.

“Yeah, it’s easy for you. We aren’t exactly six feet tall and sporting whiskers,” Alex pointed out.

“I’m not six feet! I’m six foot four,” Joe replied rubbing the stubble on his chin.

“Oh, sorry,” Alex replied sarcastically.

“You’re tall,” Lara stated.

“You just noticed?” Joe teased.

“Well, we’re on a different planet, in a different dimension. Maybe age doesn’t matter here,” Lara suggested getting back to the problem at hand.

“Possibly. Well, let’s see if you’re right,” Alex replied getting excited. “Where exactly is the bar?” he asked looking around.

They started walking, looking around for any sign of anything that could be a possible bar. After awhile they saw a swinging worn out sign that flickered, ‘Crooked Q’.

“In here guys,” Joe said pulling the others through the heavy wooden door. Cal entered reluctantly.

They walked into the Crooked Q and looked around. They saw a glimmering counter with an assortment of glasses hanging above it. Hundreds of different coloured bottles full of bright liquid stood on a shelf behind it. A stout man wearing a stained, silver track suit and an apron was pouring drinks for some customers.

“Looks like a bar to me,” Joe noted nodding.

They sat down at four stools and the bar tender walked over to them.

“What can I get you?” He asked in a gruff voice smiling at them. He had messy brown hair and looked like he needed a shave.

“Somethin’ strong,” Joe said then added, “For all of us.”

The bar tender winked at Lara then went to get the drinks.

When he was out of earshot Cal turned to Joe and in a rushed voice said, “Yes, that’s exactly what we need. What do you think you’re doing? We aren’t really seasoned drinkers here.” Cal was looking around the room uneasily.

“Well, we’re kind of in unfamiliar territory. I don’t exactly know what they have here. I couldn’t just ask for a beer, beer might not even exist here. We’re supposed to be blending in remember? If we ask for something strange like that then our cover will be blown. Or they’ll just think we’re crazy and we’ll never get help,” Joe hurriedly explained as the bartender came back with four neon green drinks. “Thanks,” he said reaching out for one of the drinks.

The bartender started giving him the drink but stopped suddenly when he saw what was strapped onto Joe’s wrist. His eyes opened wide and he hurried over to the phone.

Joe looked at his friends confused as they returned the look shrugging.

The bartender rushed back and stared at them, making the group quite uncomfortable.

Suddenly four huge men wearing royal blue uniforms came up behind them and grabbed them.

Lara struggled to get free but a ring of blue laser surrounded her wrists acting as handcuffs. “What’d we do wrong?” She asked worried.

“Nothing… Yet,” one of the men answered in a deep voice.

“This isn’t fair!” She screamed but the men just ignored her. She looked over at Joe hoping that somehow he was able to escape, beat them up or something, but he had been knocked out. They must have figured that he would cause trouble.

The four men guided the teens, all except Joe whom they dragged, out of the bar and down the street. Not a word was said on the way to wherever they were being taken. They turned into an alley and down to an enclosed dirt opening. One of the blue clad men opened a door laid into a stone wall. They saw a steep ramp leading into the darkness. The teens were prodded on by the men until they reached the bottom of the ramp, depositing Joe on the ground. The door was shut and a light emanating from a globe suspended in mid are came on.

The lasers around the teens’ wrists disappeared and Lara instantly ran over to Joe, making sure he was ok.

“What’s going on? What did we do to deserve this?” Lara asked, tears of fury in her eyes, as she looked up at the blue men.

“We need your help,” one of the men answered.

“And you had to knock out Joe?”

“He could resist. We had to be sure that we got the help. It’s crucial,” another one of the men answered.

Lara turned back to Joe and tried to wake him up. After several silent moments Joe slowly opened his eyelids with a loud groan.

“What happened?” He asked as he reached up and rubbed his head.

Lara took out her canteen and gave him a drink. “You were knocked out. These men apparently need our help,” she said glaring at the men. “I don’t see why they couldn’t have just asked.”

Cal and Alex were looking around the round chamber they were in. The walls were covered in strange symbols in a language they had never seen before.

Seeing the confused looks on their faces the biggest of the men said, “It’s an ancient language. It has long since been forgotten but we think what it says is important. Do you know what it means?”

Cal suddenly stopped looking around and with a wrinkle of thought on his forehead he asked, “Wait, how did you know that we could help you?”

“Well, you’re Xonars. You’ve got the stripe and everything.”

“We’re what?” Joe asked, getting to his feet and brushing himself off.

“Xonars. Those things on your wrists, they help you do they not?” Everybody nodded. “As stories tell, the last people with those that came our way saved us. They called themselves Xonars. It means legendary hero,” he explained. “So can you help us?”

Alex looked down at his POD and slyly said with a twinkle in his grey eyes, “I think it’s time to see what these suckers can do!”

The other three nodded. The four of them pressed the yellow button and said in unison, “Decipher this language.”