The Shasta Caper, Chapter Fifty-Four

Chapter Fifty-Four

Samuel gazed out his narrow view at the changing scenery around them. They had traveled the distance of about ten miles, all of it uphill, but towards the East. Al materialized next to him and made himself comfortable on a piece of machinery to Samuel's right.

"Nice trip."

Samuel glanced at Al uncertainly. "What's so nice about it?"

"Things are moving along nicely."

"For who?" Samuel asked, definitely starting to get mad at Al.

Al looked at him with a solemn look. "The straight path to freedom is not always the best one, Sam. You know that."

Samuel sighed, took a deep breath and looked away. "I understand most men, but not gods, not angels, and definitely not God!"

Al chuckled. "I'm still learning too. Why should you be surprised that you are also on a path of discovery?"

Samuel looked over at Al. He was serious. 

"I thought it all ended when you died. You got the Big Bang in the head and knew everything."

"Samuel, oh Samuel." Al laughed lightly. "How can anything infinite ever be grasped all at once. It's a process, not an explosion."

Al winked at Samuel, then vanished, leaving Samuel to his thoughts.

Several moments later the Mecha stopped, his door swung outwards automatically and two Soldiers urged him out with weapons drawn on him. He obliged them and was allowed to tumble to the ground roughly.

He wouldn't give them the pleasure of knowing it hurt, but instead got up and stretched as if it were no big thing. At least until a third soldier he hadn't seen planted his rifle in his back and stretched him back out on the ground again.

He heard footsteps, then Saran stood over him.

"Trying to teach my men something?"

"They seemed educatable."

"Then you are a fool. They are as dedicated to the Truth as I." Saran blasted.

Samuel dared to sit up. He wasn't struck. He saw Nanny and Jimbo being herded towards a flying ship, where a ramp opened  from it.

"Which truth is that?" Samuel asked honestly.

Saran smiled. "I like a man with an open mind."

Then  he slammed a fist into Samuel's right cheek. "But I am not one of them."

Samuel fell to the ground again.

Saran turned to his men. "See to it that  he is chained inside our craft. If he escapes, I will feed you to the Tubes!"

The Soldiers hustled Samuel to his feet, and he allowed himself to be half dragged, half carried to the ramp, his head reeling with pain.

The interior of the ship was all made of some finely crafted metal that more resembled a combination of glass and fibre. Some kind of marriage of unique materials found only in the interior of the earth no doubt. He pretended to still be half out of his mind, so he could pay more attention to the surroundings. It worked. The Soldiers were satisfied he would offer no more resistance and led him along a corridor with a maze of entrances and exits, soldiers and people dressed in pure white uniforms coming and going.

Once a very tall woman of extreme beauty exited a room he was passing. She was going to ignore him, but when he looked at her, her eyes widened as if in recognition, then she hurried a different direction, looking back at him again and again as she did.

In a minute he was thrown into a cell along with Jimbo and Nanny. They were all chained to the back wall with plastic cuffs for their hands and iron of some kind for their legs. The chains and cuffs could slide up and down, so they could sit on the floor, but awkwardly and not with any degree of comfort.

"I hope this is a short flight." Jimbo announced after their captors had given them a quick once over, then exited, slamming home a sliding door from the ceiling, which threw the room into semi-darkness.

"No such luck." Samuel groaned, his jaw aching where Saran had struck him.

Nanny saw the bruise purpling there and gasped. "Those bastards!"

"Bastard." Samuel corrected her. "Saran."

"I stand corrected." She growled. "He's just the biggest one!"

Jimbo tested his cuffs behind his back, then smiled. "I thought so!"

"Thought so what?" Samuel asked.

"My kid sister used to tie these kind of knots back when we were kids playing lawman."

They heard the plastic cuffs make clicking sounds, then Jimbo stretched his arms out in front of him and began rubbing his wrists. He then looked at his leg chains, an amused look on his face.

"What's so funny?" Samuel and Nanny both asked at the same time.

"Piece of cake." Was all that Jimbo uttered, then he easily unlocked those cuffs as well. He stood up, and then began working on Nanny's. 

Outside the door of the cell Saran watched Jimbo from a screen. An amused look grew on his face. He turned to his adjutant, who stood to his right, face looking straight ahead.

"The Tubes will have a glorious battle tonight. Especially when these fools realize they have excaped the pan, only to leap into the fire!"

"Let the Magistrate know we have fighters for the Tubes tonight!"

"At once, Lord Saran!" The soldier snapped, saluting him, then rushing off down the corridor.