Buck Rogers in the 26th Century
"Perspectives and Explosives"
Written by: Erin Weinstock
Novelization verison by: Reba Grayladyfalcon
I don't hold any of the copyrights in this story, and this story was made without profit .
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Teaser
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Close up on the bow of an old fashioned looking wooden ship. Above the bow there seems to be a bright noon day sun, shining down on to it. The light has a slightly distorted look to its source. An instrument comes in to view. It looks almost like a picker a dentist would use, but at the end to the metal pole there is a very tightly curved hook. The hook end dips down in to the boat. A light shuffling sound can be heard. The unseen end of the tool's hook end is moving about the deck of the ship, scratching across the wood for something. The noise stops. Then after a moment the hook starts to move again, only now it's lifting the ship's main mast up.

In Buck's living quarters, Buck is squating on the floor. He's holding on to his coffee table with one hand. The other hand is holding the hooked tool. He's working on a ship in a bottle. A bright light shined from a lamp, bent close down to the bottle. The bottle has support at both ends by a small wooden structure. Buck concentrating deeply on his task.

"Buck, I need you to go to Dr. Huer's office," Theoplois said interrupting Buck.

In reaction to this sudden disturbance, Buck jerks back the tool towards himself. As the result of this he breaks the mast of the toy sized ship. He groans in disappointment. Moving the hook off the now broken mast, he gently pulls the tool out of the bottle.

"Did you hear me, Buck?" Theoplois asked.

Buck gets up from the floor. "I heard you Theo," Buck replied with disappointment in his voice.

"Did I interrupt you in something?" Theopolis asked.

"Yes. And why am I needed RIGHT NOW?" Buck asked placing the bottle back on the stand gently.

"We have a guest here from Tierick, who Dr. Huer wants you to take on a tour around the Directorate," Theopolis replied.

"Two things Theo, Tierick? and why me?" Buck asked.

"It's a planet near the boarder of the Draconian Empire. And why you is because you're the only one with the free time off duty at this moment to give the tour," Theopolis replied.

"Yeah, I wasn't doing anything," Buck said this looking down at his bottled ship.

"That's good to know. I'll tell Dr. Huer you're on your way," Theopolis said.

Buck slowly walks to Huer's office, he knocks and enters. Huer is standing beside his desk talking to the guest. She's an alien, she looks human but her head, neck, and hands are different from humans. She has some white hair. Then mixed in to it moving backwards are shiny cuttlebone-like pieces sticking outwards. They're different sizes. The small versions of these cuttlebones move down her neck from the sides of her head. The hands have these only very small and only on the upper side of the hand. She's well dressed for a lady, and has a pair of red crystal earrings on. Her eyes are very pale in color.

"Ms. Komola, meet Buck Rogers. Buck, meet Ms. Komola," Huer said as he introduced them to one another.

"You are my tour guide, Buck Rogers?" she asked very politely.

"Do you want me to be?" Buck asked with no enthusiasm in his voice.

"He is... Buck, I want you to give Ms. Komola the grand tour of the Directorate. She has just given us information vital to us in our battle against the Draconians. All she wants in return is to be shown we are the right ones she has given the information to," Huer said.

"If you were unsure we were the right people to talk to, why did you tell us to begin with?" Buck asked.

She stared at Buck with knowing eyes.

"Ms. Komola knew we were the right people, Buck. She just wants to see now that we can deal with the Draconians if they come to battle us some time soon," Huer replied.

"Oh, I see. So where do you want to go first?" Buck asked as he escorted her out of Huer's office.

"Where ever it is here you see in this complex that is the most important," she replied glancing over at Buck.

"Well to me, that's where I live but I don't think that's a place you want to go just yet. Come, I can show you our birds, they do all our flying. Well, that is if not counting the pilots," Buck said.

"Birds?" Komola asked with her head tipped to one side.

"Our fighters," Buck replied.

Buck and Komola walked through the hanger at a fast pace. Buck was the one who is setting the pace, Komola is trying to keep up with him. All the while they're moving Buck is pointing around to what he's talking about.

"These here are our fighters, the "Z-87 Wolfs" Now turning to that wall way off over there are their launch tubes. I think you can guess what those do, um moving on," Buck said rushing over to another part of the hanger.

"What are those?" Komola asked pointing to the airlocks that lead to the holographic training simulators.

"We've got to train somewhere. Those are the airlocks that lead to the holographic training simulators. Now on to the flight control room," Buck said almost pushing Komola out the door.

"Why must we move at this speed Buck Rogers?" she asked.

"Because I bet you have better things you want to do with your time. Because I know I have better things to do," Buck replied with a sarcastic voice.

"This is true, but is this how people are normally shown around these facilities?" she asked.

"Well you know what Miss, I truly don't know. However this is how "I" show people around," Buck replied.

"When you must hurry?" Komola asked.

"They grabbed me." Buck hesitated. "I'm sorry for how I'm acting. You see I was in the middle of something when ..."

"I understand, Buck Rogers. You're not the only one who has many tasks on hand to handle today," Komola replied almost smiling.

Buck showed Komola the flight control room and then quickly returned her to Huer's office.

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Chapter 1



Huer escorted Mokola to the shuttle park where there's a parking space with a ship on it. It's a breezy day, clear with the sun high overhead.

"So you feel better now about the Directorate's ability to defend Earth and all planets at peace with it?" Huer asked.

"It was a most interesting tour with its speed. I am still unsure as to whether or not you were the right people to come to. I felt I was shown what I needed to see and nothing more," Komola replied with uncertainty in her voice.

"He isn't the most polite of men is he?" Huer asked.

"He is interesting, but as to his politeness, we have an understanding," she replied.

"I'll have a talk with him," Huer said.

"That will not be necessary, I have no intentions of returning here," Komola replied.

"If you find out more about Draconian activity?" Huer asked.

"There are others who might have interest. If they have no interest, then maybe I'll return," Komola replied.

"Have a pleasant and safe trip home Ms. Komola," Huer said lowering his head.

"And may you have release in your work," Komola replies as she presses her hand against her ship, then an opening appears in to the ship. She walks inside and the opening quickly disappears.

Huer stands and watches the ship take off. He looks down from his gaze into the sky. He turns and walks away.

"At least she was helpful to the Directorate. Not much of a talker but otherwise understanding. Buck isn't the easiest of people to work with. The fact she was OK with him, he isn't too good around aliens. Well, most aliens. He does gets along with the Candos pretty well. To that fact I wonder if he's been letting De-Pas have breaks from his jail time. He probably would let him. Buck may work for the Directorate, but he sure doesn't have much love for how it works all the time. Can't really blame him for that a whole lot. He's been awake and fully alive in this century for only a month, and he's at least in to my impression, not fully wild about living in this time. In his time, there were no aliens, no contact with other worlds. He's so different from anyone I've ever met before. He has such a way of seeing the world around himself, puts down the way the world is run. And he's the one who came from a time that the whole planet was nearly destroyed. How on Earth could we be the ones with the real issues? When it was his generations fault for what's become the world I've known for all my life. Oh what will I ever do with him in how he acts. It's so hard to tell him to do anything by the book. But he has done things that have made him valuable to me, to the Directorate. Those odd views he has over the world, some of them have proved to be for good. I must sit down with him at some point, have a talk with him man to man. I just have to get eye to eye with Buck, for his good and maybe for my own," Huer said talking to himself. Huer re-entered the Directorate's interior from the shuttle park.

Mallory is busy working on something on the lesser crowded of the two tables. Buck is holding his ship in a bottle.

"I heard she was beautiful, what was she like?" Mallory asked glancing up at Buck from his work table

"As long as you stay clear of the daggers growing out of her, I think she's fine. Now as far as what she's like, well I can't say much for that," Buck replied.

"Why not, you toured her around the whole Directorate. Surely you know what kind of woman she is?" Mallory asked glancing up again.

"Yeah, I gave her a tour, a fast one. She isn't much of a talker." Buck hesitated. "Mallory, we need to get back to this," Buck said changing the subject.

"Get back to what?" Mallory asked.

Buck puts the ship in a bottle down in front of him Mallory.

"What about that? What is it?" Mallory asked looking over the bottle.

"It's a ship in a bottle I've been working on. Is there some way to Phasoft the glass of the bottle? Make it so I can take out the broken mast with ease," Buck asked.

"That can't be done, the glass ..." Mallory picks up a piece of metal and taps the glass. "Was never manufactured to do such a thing, I'm sorry," Mallory replied placing the piece of metal back down on the work table.

"Great," Buck replies with disappointment in his voice as he takes back the ship in the bottle.

"Attention, there is a Code Zero in progress. I repeat there is a Code Zero in progress," Theopolis announces.

"Code Zero, what's that?" Buck asked looking over at Mallory.

"It means something is a direct threat to the Directorate," Mallory replies glancing over at Buck.

"What do we do?" Buck asked.

"Me, I leave. You, well you're one of its fighters. I would assume you'll be asked to help in the neutralization of the threat," Mallory replies heading for the door.

"Well this day just keeps getting better and better," Buck says throwing his arms up in the air.

Buck starts running down the corridor when Twiki comes around a corner towards him.

"Where are you going?" Twiki asked.

Buck stops and looks at Twiki. "To find Huer, Wilma, or Fox someone who might know what's going on," Buck replied.

"Did it ever occur to you I might know?" Twiki asked.

"Sorry Twiki, do you know what the danger is?" Buck asked watching some of the crew members running past them.

"There's been some kind of explosive detected. But no one is sure of where it is," Twiki informs Buck.

"An explosive? Not one of our own I'll bet. Why doesn't Theo know where it is?" Buck asked.

"He isn't everywhere you know. There are some places where Dr. Theopolis is not connected to," Twiki replies.

"Right... um do you know the procedures that take act during a time like this?" Buck asked with a confused look on his face.

Twiki takes Buck and starts to lead him towards the area where they are ordered to gather in case of any codes. When they arrive Buck sees Fox standing towards the back. Buck walks over to him and a Saurian. Wilma is standing in front of a line of people. Wilma is facing Huer, who stands before the whole group.

"Doctor Theopolis doesn't know where the explosives are because of how faintly they show up on his sensors. But however, little by little their signals have been growing in strength. Now why that is occurring is beyond him and myself. All we can figure out by this growing signal is that we feel that by the time his sensors can pick it up on full, it will be too late. Wilma?" Huer informs everyone.

Wilma turns to face the crowd. "Every one of you and myself, our job right now, our only sole job right now is to search the Directorate for the explosives. They could be in a blind spot to Theopolis. That is in a room or area he is not fully in, or wired into. They could also be right under Theopolis's nose so to speak. And he might not know that because of their weak signal. Now everybody get to it!" Wilma orders and signals for everyone to head in different directions.

After all of them have left but Wilma and Huer. "Buck doesn't know what he should be looking for does he?" Wilma asked.

"Even in his time I believe explosives had sadly a good degree of sophistication. Hopefully whatever these explosives are, they'll be something he'll recognize on some level," Huer replies.

"Let's hope. His friend, do you think?" Wilma asked.

"Fox?" Huer asked.

"No, not Fox, De-Pas," Wilma replies.

"I see, if anyone here was to do something like this, it would be him. I'll have that looked into," Huer said.

Wilma nods to him in acknowledgment and leaves the room. Huer slowly returns to his chair looking worried.

There are many people moving about. There's an air of panic to their movement. Wilma is walking quickly on her way towards the weapons storage room.

"If that convict is at fault for this, why would he do such a thing? I thought he only hated the Humdos, I thought he liked it here. This may be his jail, but he claims, I know so little about him, he could well be lying to us. And we might have all fallen for it. Maybe Buck? No, no he wouldn't do such a thing. But he doesn't like it here, there's nothing he can do about that. Blowing up the Directorate won't get him anywhere. He doesn't seem like that sort of man. The man that he is, doesn't much belong here. Or anywhere for that matter. He doesn't fit in with the rest of us. Maybe he was right, maybe he should have been left in stasis. But death instead of life here? He should be getting used to this life by now. And I'd know that how? For that matter how could I relate on that note. He doesn't have anyone he can really relate to does he. Well he's tried to relate to me? Puh, like I'd date him, the knuckle-dragger. But he often has a lot of good points in what he says. One date? Maybe one day when he's proved himself as good a man in person as to his service to the Directorate," Wilma says softly to herself.

She approaches the weapons room and hits the activation pad next to the door that above it says weapons storage, and enters through the Phasoft-door.

Chapter 2

De-Pas was sitting in an uncomfortable chair with badges wrapped around two fingers on one of his hands. There was a thin line coming from one of the badges into a machine. The machine has a hovering screen above it. Dantin and Jade is standing in front of De-Pas.

"Where are the explosives?" Dantin asked.

"I don't know," De-Pas replied.

The screen above the machine types out a message. "He wishes he knew," the machine repeats the message written on the monitor.

"You wish you knew, and why is that?" Dantin asked looking De-Pas in the eye.

"So I can deactivate it," De-Pas replies.

The screen above the machine types out a new message. "He's not sure how to go about that, but he wants to give it a try," the machine reads out the message again.

"I don't believe that. You're a terrorist!" Dantin yelled.

Typing out a new message. "I'm not a terrorist, Major Dantin," the machine said.

"I was referring to De-Pas," Dantin replied looking over at the machine.

A new types out message. "Well, you should have said you were addressing it to him," the voice reads out the message again.

"Moving on then and I'm going to note it to you that I'm talking to De-Pas." Dantin turned his attention back to De-Pas. "What kind of explosive is it? Nictis, Airgol, Veffol, Unther?" Dantin asked with anger.

"I'm the one in jail, and you're the one without much for brains. Don't you think if I knew where the explosive were I'd know something about it?" De-Pas replied.

The machine performs the expected act of text and speech. "He's got a point Major Dantin," the machine says.

"De-Pas, what kind of explosive is it?" Dantin yelled out.

"Major Yogurt, I DON'T KNOW," De-Pas replied in a calm voice.

The machine does its text and speech return. "He's right he doesn't know. Mind telling me what yogurt is?" the machine asked.

"Hum, I want to check on my family," De-Pas said politely.

The machine goes off. "Well that doesn't answer my question," it says.

"Jade, disconnect him," Dantin said pointing towards De-Pas.

Jade goes over to De-Pas and takes the badges off his fingers.

"I want to check on my family," De-Pas said again. "It's unfair, sure they think they have reason to pass that sort of judgment on me. But I'd never harm them. The only ones, only ones I'd ever think to harm are the Humdos. Besides my family lives here. I need to do a search, a real search. Without Major Yogurt on my ass all the time. I'm certain the explosive are somewhere close by, the power generator. That's the only place I can think of that would do the most damage if destroyed. But how to get there? If Theopolis isn't watching in my quarters, then it's Jade or Dantin. Man, Jade is something, but Dantin? I have no idea where Buck came up with the nickname Major Yogurt. Major, I know where that part came from. But "Yogurt", I don't even know what that is. But it sounds funny on him. The guy is such a hard-nosed pain in the butt. I hate him, Buck hates him too. Buck once told me, that if Major Dantin were a bull, that he'd head-butt a new born calf into standing. I have to get away from them. Away from all of them to do this." De-Pas thought to himself while Jade was disconnecting him from the machine.

"Why?" Dantin asked in a stern voice.

"To see if they're okay. With all the commotion going on, I want to ease their fears," De-Pas replied.

"You know something that would ease the fear in this moment, that we don't know about?" Jade asked.

"I'm telling you I have nothing to do with this. Little Beu-Pas is just a few weeks old. Jade, if I could only be with them for a little?" De-Pas pleaded.

"Jade, you continue in the search. I'm going to escort De-Pas here to his family," Dantin ordered.

Jade nods at Dantin, then walks off. Dantin grabs one of De-Pas'es arms, giving him a cold look. "Come on, I'll take you to your family," Dantin said in a cold voice. Dantin kept a tight hold of De-Pas's arm all the way to his living quarters.

Ge-Ja was holding Beu-Pas, swinging her hips in walking, holding the baby's head close to her. She's just left the living room and was entering another room. De-Pas comes through the Phasoft-door followed closely behind by Dantin. Ge-Ja turns to look at them come in.

"Ge-Ja, I need to talk to you," De-Pas said.

"Can it wait? Beu-Pas needs changing," Ge-Ja replies.

"I'll help you change her, we'll talk during that." De-Pas turns to Dantin. "This might take longer than I thought," De-Pas informs Dantin.

"I'll help her with the baby," Dantin replied not looking at De-Pas. "Doctor Theopolis, I need you to keep an eye on De-Pas while I'm helping his wife," Dantin told Theopolis. Dantin turned back to face De-Pas once again. "If you do anything..."

"Great, the computer is so caught up in this hunt for the explosives. And now you want me keep on eye on De-Pas?" Theopolis asked.

"And just what crime do you think I'll commit in my own home?" De-Pas asked.

Dantin looks at him for a moment then turned away and started walking towards Ge-Ja who is standing in the doorway. When Dantin is almost at Ge-Ja. "I'm the one who will help change your baby, I want to talk to you," Dantin said.

Ge-Ja gives him a mean glare, but changes her look after looking down at the baby. Then she looks back up at him, turns away and continues into the bedroom. She goes to a changing table and puts the baby gently on to its back on the table. Below the table there are two baskets, one for dirty diapers, another for clean ones. She gently removes the baby's soiled diaper and drops it in to the basket. Dantin watches then bends over and stands up with a clean one.

"You're going to need this I assume?" Dantin asked holding the clean diaper up to Ge-Ja.

She takes it from him still with a mean glare.

"I'm not a bad person, it's just your husband. We, the ones who work at the Directorate believe he might have done something. Very bad in fact, you wouldn't happen to know if he's actually guilty. I'd like to say what it is we think he might have done, but I don't want to upset your baby. Would he understand me? I mean things of high danger?" Dantin asked looking at Ge-Ja.

All the while he's been talking she's been working on changing the baby. "She," Ge-Ja replies.

"What?" Dantin asked.

"Our baby is a girl," Ge-Ja replies.

"I can see that," Dantin replies looking at the baby. He turns to look back at De-Pas, who is standing far back in the living room. Then he turns back to Ge-Ja. "She's a cute baby, isn't she?" Dantin says as he sticks out his index finger on one of his hands, and puts it down by the baby's chin. "Agoo-che-goo," he says as he's about ready to tickle the baby's chin.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ge-Ja said.

"Why not?" Dantin asked. Just then "YEAHAUH-uh!!"

"We Candoses get our teeth at an early age," De-Ja replied trying to hide the smile on her face.

"Little beastly rat bit me!" Dantin said holding his finger.

"How dare you talk about my child that way!" Ge-Ja replied with anger.

"Your child? That's not what I've been told, the beast!" Dantin said pointing at the baby.

"She, I may not have borne her, but she is my child, you ignorant monkey!" Ge-Ja said picking the baby up.

"Monkey! You she-wolf!" Dantin yelled loudly.

The baby starts to cry. "Look at what you've done, you've made the baby cry!" Ge-Ja said holding her child close to her.

"It drew blood, that's no innocent creature!" Dantin yelled.

"You put your finger near her mouth, I warned you!" Ge-Ja replied.

"A bit too late I might add!" Dantin yelled even louder.

"My husband was right about you," Ge-Ja says as she snaps her teeth at him. Dantin backs up after seeing the snapping teeth.

"And maybe there's something to be said for you as well. When this is over with the crisis at hand, I'm going to talk to the Humdos in command on Miahgo, and find out if you have a history on that planet that is stronger than what the Directorate knows!" Dantin said in a threatening voice.

"I have done nothing, I simply believe in the freedom of my people, like my husband!" Ge-Ja replies.

"Exactly, right there! That's why I want you investigated!" Dantin said still gripping his bleeding finger. Dantin turns to walk away and see's that De-Pas is gone.

Chapter 3

In a hallway not far from his living quarters, De-Pas krept along the wall. He stood near a door marked "Testing Room Six," De-Pas crouched low, and in to an indent in the wall. He looks both ways. The door has just changed color, a number of people walk out. One of them was Fox. The hallway is just a bustle with people. Once the group of people that came out the door are out of sight, keeping bent down De-Pas makes a run down the hallway, running past Fox who is walking.

"I wonder where he's off to in such a hurry? He's not a member of the Directorate staff, so he doesn't have to help in the search like the rest of us. He could be participating in the search? I doubt he wants to see something bad happen to his family. The way he was running, maybe he knows where the explosives are! Because he can't leave here, he's still under arrest. Besides the direction he's headed in, that will put him nowhere near any entrance to the Directorate. I'd better follow him. He might need help in disarming the explosives. Or he might need to be captured. True, his family is here, but another Candos did die so he could fulfill his cause. Which he failed in; maybe he'd kill more of his own to complete his mission. In any case it would do well for me to follow him. I have no idea were I should be checking next for the explosives," Fox said to himself as he started to run after De-Pas.

After Fox turned the corner, he could see De-Pas a ways down the hall still bent over in running.

"De-Pas!" Fox called out.

De-Pas stops and looks at Fox, then continues. He hits a Phasoft-door access pad, and goes through the door. Fox finally catching up goes in after him.

Inside the Power Center entrance the walls are lit up by hundreds of small squares covering them. Metal panels are scattered about on the walls, covered in buttons. De-Pas examines the panels as he walks past each one. Finding the right one he pulls thr panel he was looking for. He starts messing around with the wiring coming off of it. Behind him, further in to the room, is the type of force field he had on his cell door. Behind that is another room, like this one, only with a Phasoft-door at its end. Fox finally enters the room De-Pas is in.

"What are you doing? Why are you, I assume, trying to get into the power generator center?" Fox asked trying to grab De-Pas arms.

De-Pas hits Fox's hands away and continues to work at the wires.

A moment later. "Do you know where the explosives are?" Fox asked watching De-Pas go through the wires.

De-Pas pauses, looks over at Fox. "Do you know the code to get in?" De-Pas asked.

"I know it, though you answer me first. What are you doing here?" Fox asked again.

"I think they might be back there. Now will you help me?!" De-Pas replies as he points into the room behind them.

"I'm not going to help you destroy Directorate property. If you're so sure you're right how come," Fox said.

"I don't think there's time to argue about this, Fox," De-Pas replied as he grabs Fox by the arm He then forces Fox over to the panel he was working on. "Enter the code, I need to get in there," De-Pas said pointing to the panel.

"You're hurting me," Fox said.

"Everybody's lives might depend on this, and you're worried about your arm, tough guy?" De-Pas asked.

Fox presses the code into the damaged panel. The force field disappears, De-Pas lets go of Fox's arm. "They let Buck tour a stranger around the whole Directorate. But they won't entrust me with the access code to enter here," De-Pas said.

"She helped us, and you're just a criminal! Buck maybe considered a trainee like myself, but he has proven his worth to us! I've proven it too! Why you should be entrusted with the code to enter the power generator center? You'd kill your own to get what you want!" Fox said with anger in his voice.

De-Pas starts heading in to the next room. "Now I see why Buck wanted to punch you," De-Pas said as he walked past Fox.

"What?" Fox asked with a little confused.

"When you two first met, he wanted to punch you," De-Pas replied.

"Why would he want to hurt me? We're friends," Fox said.

"I know what it's like to feel like an outsider. It's not fun. If I ever wanted to, I could return to my home planet. Sure I'd be put to death, but I'd be home. Buck is an outsider, one for life. He can't return to what he once saw as home. You poking fun at him about where he came from. What he wishes he could still have." De-Pas hesitates for a moment. "What would you be tempted to do to the man that did that to you?" De-Pas asked looking over his shoulder at Fox.

Fox stares at De-Pas, then looks down.

De-Pas touched the access pad to the door leading to the power generator center.

"He never told me," Fox said with his eyes still focused on the ground.

"Well I guess him and I are more alike, he trusts me more," De-Pas replied.

"He's not like you," Fox replied looking back up at De-Pas.

"Has anyone ever told you, you talk too much," De-Pas said.

"No, they..." De-Pas grabs Fox's head and slams it against the wall. Fox is knocked unconscious, he slides down the wall. De-Pas enters the power generator center.

In locker room Buck and Taindair are moving from locker to locker. All of these lockers use Phasoft technology to work. Both of them had on a glove that was padded on the underhand. Small lights blinked on the padded side. In the other hand they're were holding a scanner-like device. While the two of them are moving along, locker to locker, they would look at the name posted above the locker, then punch the name of that person into the scanner-device. After that they would run the scanner over the padded side of the glove. With this having been done, they then proceed to open the locker and inspect the inside, taking the hand out when they were done.

"Why do you see that as funny?" Taindair asked after removing his hand from one of the lockers.

"Have you ever seen a spork?" Buck asked.

"An eating weapon is an eating weapon. These "Airports" you've told me of, they would have reason to fear them," Taindair replied.

"It's not a weapon. It's just a plastic spoon with little points on its tip," Buck explained.

"A plastic eating weapon be feared? Now I see its amusement," Taindair replied with a soft chuckle.

"Why is it you keep insisting on calling it a weapon?" Buck asked stopping to look at Taindair.

"On Sanopp, any tool used in the capture and then devouring of food is called an eating weapon. So even though it can not cause harm we should look for it? This spork?" Taindair asked..

"I don't think we should be on the lookout for sporks. The point I'm trying to make is, well, true you can't kill someone with a spork. The danger still might lie in something that looks harmless," Buck replied.

"So even though it is silly to fear what is harmless, something that looks harmless might still cause harm," Taindair replied as he started to scan another locker.

"A rock can't do any harm until it's propelled at something," Buck said removing his hand from the locker in front of him.

"If we're successful in disarming the explosives, I've asked Dr. Huer for you to join Colonel Deering and myself on a mission on Sanopp," Taindair said glancing over at Buck.

"What kind of mission?" Buck asked looking at Taindair.

Wilma enters the room they're in through a Phasoft-door and looks over to Buck and Taindair. "Fox has been found injured, has either of you seen De-Pas?" Wilma asked.

"De-Pas, why him?" Buck asked turning to look at Wilma.

"Major Dantin tried to interrogate him earlier, when that happened. He ran off!" Wilma replied.

"Did he injured Fox?" Buck asked with concern.

"Major Dantin and I think so, we're not sure. We found him knocked out near the power generator center," Wilma replied.

"Then De-Pas must be around there some place," Buck said.

"Unknown, the force field is up. And the panel used to unlock it has been damaged. Thomas tried to punch in the code, and the panel being used shorted out because of that. We can't get in until it's repaired," Wilma replied.

"I need to get to him, get to De-Pas and find out what's going on. There must be a reason for his actions we don't know about." Buck hesitated for a moment. "How is Fox doing?" Buck asked as he takes off his glove and walks over to Wilma.

"We can't get to him yet. But we think he'll be okay, I think all he's going to get from the injury is a nasty bruise," Wilma replied.

"Taindair, think you'll be okay by yourself?" Buck asked looking back at Taindair.

"I will be fine in continuing the search. Colonel Deering, I will be contacting you if I find the explosives," Taindair replied as he started the seacher again.

"Good luck, Toluo," Wilma said as she and Buck are leaving the locker room.

"Toluo? That's not his name," Buck said glancing over to Wilma as they walked.

"It's his last name," Wilma replied.

In the locker room Taindair continued the seacher. He stopped for a moment, then started to quietly talk to himself.

"Such a tedious thing this is. Searching locker by locker for the explosives. But they could be here, Buck has told me he's heard of that happening. Such a great human, Rogers. Most humans I've ever interacted with, hate me because I'm a Saurian. But he doesn't hate me, he wasn't around, wasn't awake when the war was going on between my species and his. It ended when I was still within shell, I have no hates over the humans because they've never been an enemy to me. He even complimented me the first day he saw me. Sure I had to look it up in the history files, but to the Land of the Heated Sands, what a glorious thing to call me: Godzilla, the king of all reptiles on his planet. What a marvelous creature he was, and for Buck to compare me with him. He has no hates for his others too. I'd never met a mutant before him and Fox came to their aid. Hope Fox returns to better health. He's somewhat of an interesting fellow too. But not like Buck. I look forward to returning to Sanopp, my new colleagues by my side doing a mission for my planet that well might also affect Earth as well. I better had tell Rogers of what I've gotten him into. I'm sure he'd like to have an idea of what's to come," Taindair said softly.

Chapter 4

In the center of the room of the Power generator Center is a station, left open for the maintenance droids to enter. The whole place has a very automated look to it. The robots move about the room, not taking notice of anything but their work at hand. They sleek, human size and they're colored is a deep red. There's no face on them, just a line cutting down from top to bottom. In the blackness of the line lies, compacted, what would be needed in a face. There's technology littering table-islands throughout the room, built right into the them. Within this center there's a glass chamber. Hovering within it is a Therbidian Crystal rotating very fast. As the crystal rotates, energy beams are hitting it. They strike it in a sequential succession every time this happens. A red beam strikes down from the crystal into the base below it, which is simmering in energy. Once in a while one of these red beams strikes off to the side forwards on the glass, only to one place on the glass down low. Along the glass is a thin edge.

De-Pas enters the room. As he moves further into the room, one of the red droids starts coming towards him. He moves away from it, staring at it, but the droid pays him no mind. De-Pas starts looking all over the room for something. Finding nothing he goes to the station with the crystal. He looks at the crystal in wonder, and puts his hands on the ridge that edges the glass. A moment later he jolts his hands up. When he came in contact with the ridge, the fur on him frizzed up. After he removed his hand the fur has returned back to being flat. He looks at his hand then tentatively puts it back down on the ridge, then jolts back the hand. Once more the same frizzing up and down has happened on the fur. After a moment he puts the hand back down on the ridge. Again the fur on his hand frizzes up. De-Pas grits his teeth in pain. He starts to moves his hand along the ridge. As he does this the frizzing goes up beyond the hand, up his arm.

At the Power Center entrance, in the room with the force field leading into the next room that leads to the power generator center. Thomas is crouching in front of the damaged panel. Wilma and Buck stand behind him watching. Thomas performs the repairs with a futuristic looking tool. The panel has no lights lit on it, showing that it is not active. A few moments later the lights lite up.

"There you go," Thomas said he reaches up and punches in the code. The force field disappears.

"Good job Tom," Wilma says.

"Any time." Thomas stands up. "Is there anything else I can do?" Thomas asked.

"Do you have a sidearm on you?" Wilma asked.

"Wilma, I don't think that will be needed," Buck replies glancing over at Wilma.

"Well I don't know if that's needed or not. But I do know you can't fire off an energy based weapon in there," Thomas said.

"Why not?" Wilma asked.

"Therbidian Crystals will strike out at anything admitting a high amount of energy. That or another Therbidian Crystal near to it," Thomas explains.

"Wait, I thought the crystals make their own energy?" Buck asked confused.

"They do. How they make energy is when a power generators are being started up, energy from the outside is fed in to them, located on the floor base below the crystal. This prompts the crystal to react in sending out energy. But before that happens, that outside energy is cut off. Now if the crystal's energy came into contact with the other energy source, well there would be one hell of an explosion to see. This energy this crystal then sends out powers the new generator, which in turn sends it out to elsewhere, where it's needed," Thomas explains.

"That must be why De-Pas went in. Maybe there's another energy source in there. One that hasn't fully been hit yet, by the Therbidian Crystal," Buck said.

"And when the crystal has been struck?" Wilma asked.

"An explosion," Buck replies looking at Wilma.

Buck, Wilma enter the Power Generator Center. At first they didn't see De-Pas until they glanced over near the station in the center. They seen De-Pas lying on the floor. Buck runs over to De-Pas at that moment followed closely by Wilma.

Buck lifts up De-Pas's head a little. "What happened?" Buck asked.

De-Pas points up to where the large Therbidian Crystal is being contained. "Up there... earrings.. little crystals.. I think they're.." Then De-Pas passes out.

Buck stands up after gently letting De-Pas go into Wilma's hands. He looks at the large crystal, then down to the ridge. He sees the earrings Komola was wearing. The red energy from the large crystal is striking it more rapidly.

"Oh my lord," Buck said.

"What is it?" Wilma asked.

"Komola's earrings, they're the explosives!" Buck replies as he tries to touch them, then jerks his hand back at the shock.

"I have to get them away from here safely," Buck said looking at the earrings.

"They shocked you; that must be what happened to De-Pas, only more so!" Wilma said holding De-Pas's head in her lap.

"I have an idea," Buck said as he runs out of the Power Generator Center.

"Where are you going?!" Wilma yelled out.

Buck makes his way to the Archives storage, sports. The storage is a very crowded place, filled with all sorts of sporting equipment. Buck holds up a golf club. "Nah," Buck says placing it back on the shelf. He then turns and looks down off to his side. "Oooo! This might just do it," Buck says as he leaves the Archives storage. He runs back to the Power Generator Center holding a hockey stick. Buck looks at the crystal and sees that now the red beams are striking faster than ever at the earrings.

"Everybody stay back!" Buck yells out.

Buck maneuvers the hockey stick close to the earrings. Then with one swift forward movement. The hockey stick made contact with the earrings. Shortly after Buck is sitting on one of the sliding out beds. Wilma is standing off to the side of him.

"That was quite an interesting way to get rid of the danger those earrings made off the Therbidian Crystals," Wilma said.

"Well I couldn't come in contact with them. The crystal inside the generator had them so charged up. If they had been charged any more .."

"Any more so and we would be all dead right now," Wilma interrupted Buck.

"How are De-Pas and Fox doing?" Buck asked.

"After Fox was threatened I've been told he just went quietly to his living quarters. Wouldn't talk about his encounter with De-Pas, who is now with Huer. They're on their way to consult the computer council, so they can pass their judgment over his actions," Wilma replied.

Buck hung his head. Then looked back up at Wilma. "I have to do something. If it wasn't for De-Pas, we wouldn't be here talking right now," Buck said.

In the Computer Council Forum, Huer and De-Pas have just entered the room. The walls have the color of deep steel. They're walking along a walkway. About one or two inches down, twisted metal vines can be seen. All over, they're coated in a thin layer of transparent gel. Small bead size lights of different colors dot the vines randomly, along with slightly larger sized ones. At the end of this walk way it becomes circle shape, big enough for maybe 6 people to stand on. Huer and De-Pas enter the circle area. When they do, all the vines straighten themselves out and move towards the circle, up over its edges, towering over the two engulfing the view of them. The vines then curve inwards, and form a hollow onion shape around them. The walk way being cut off from them, with a hole in the top of the onion for light to move in and let in air also.

Inside, it's very dimly lit except for in the center, because of the opening. The lights from the vines dot all over the wall. Suddenly small vines come in through the large twisted ones on the wall. On the tips of some of these vines are many tightly grouped lights of all one color. Once these smaller vines have come about maybe seven inches from the wall, the ends of them curl up into an eye shape. The other vines coming outwards follow this out by forming out a face to fit into the eyes. This is happening all over the room. Ten heads set into the wall, spaced out by a foot around.

"You have helped in saving the Directorate," Theopolis said.

"But you hurt another to accomplish it," Computer Two replied.

"He needed to leave his watcher to do this," Computer Three said.

"But Major Dantin came to no harm at this," Computer Four replies.

"Only a bite from his daughter, with little blood," Computer Five replies.

"You still did do wrong however," Computer Six said.

"It was the only way I could help," De-Pas explains.

"You need to be watched over, De-Pas," Theopolis says.

"Maybe by a non-human?" Computer Seven asked.

"Yes, an ambuquad," Computer Eight suggested.

"The Vireis series. That should fit the bill for him," Computer Two answers.

"What do the Vireis series ambuquads do?" Huer asked.

"It will stay with him, on him. If he does something of a bad sort, it will harm him," Computer Ten replies.

After this is said, Computer Nine's head changes shape, squashing down some, the center of the face opening up, looking like a bird's nest widening. In the center of the hole light pours outwards, and the hole stops getting larger. After it's reached about four maybe five inches around, from deep within the light we can see a shape coming forward. It's a pixie-sized robot, with large forearms and lower legs. The head looks a tad too large for the body. Most of the head in its front, is a large circle of light that shines in a brilliant neon blue and white. It's moving through the air, being propelled by two flaps on either side of its head. They're moving rapidly, insect like. On the bottom of the face is another flap that comes to a point. The arms at their ends have two straight line fingers, while the ends of the legs have that plus one finger on the underside. The little robot makes its way over to De-Pas and sits down on him.

"The Vireis series are designed to punish actions seen as unwanted in a law abiding society," Theopolis explains.

"How does it do that?" De-Pas asked.

"Demonstrate," Computer Nine orders.

When Computer Nine ordered this, the hole starts closing up and the head is regaining its shape. The pixie-sized robot moves about on De-Pas'es shoulders until it finds a good spot. Then making a petite sneezing sound, it jabs De-Pas with the pointed flap on the bottom of its head.

"Aahuh, you didn't need to tell it to me that way!" De-Pas said.

"Yes, it was needed, you needed to know the pain you'd be in from now on if you break the law," Computer Two replied.

"So how long will I be stuck with this thing?" De-Pas asked.

"Till you've served out your sentence," Computer Four replies.

"Does this little guy mean people like Dantin and Jade will no longer be looking over my shoulder?" De-Pas asked.

"You have been told this before, yes," Computer Four replies.

"All that had to be said has been taken care of," Computer Five said.

"These talks have ended now," Computer Ten said. Shortly after Computer Ten says this the vines that make up the faces untwist and move back into the wall. Then the wall twists out of its shape and moves down, back into the floor.

De-Pas looks outwards before turning to the little robot. "Well I'm not planing on doing anything wrong. At the very least you'll make a handy reading light," De-Pas said looking at his new guard.

The Bot makes a couple of small chirps moving its head.

"Lets go, I have work that needs to be done. And I'm sure with the long day its been you'd like to see Ge-Ja," Huer said. They both started to make their way to the door.

Back at the health chamber Buck sat on the sliding bed, softly talking to himself. "The day was saved, who'd had ever thought it was her earrings. That just goes to the point of what I was talking about with Taindair. He's gotten me into some mission on his home planet. Strange, don't think I'm ever going to get used to this going off to alien worlds. I've been awake for about a month, but this all still feels like a fantasy. Everything has changed so much since the 21st century. Everything I thought I knew is now so different. But people are people, no matter what century or era they're in. I've known people in the past like Dr. Huer and Wilma. Fox, I've never known a man like him. But he lives to know more about his own roots. And people wanting to know about where it is they came from, that's been going on for since maybe the dawn of man. The fact that the people that are in my life now are like people that have been around for centuries, maybe I do have hope of rebuilding my life into something of it's former self. I remember thinking early in this new life, my life had ended. But then it hit me, thanks to something Wilma had said to me: this is a fresh start in my life with so many new possibilities it just boggles the mind. Because after all, if the future wasn't interesting, who would want to live in it?" He thought to himself.

Huer and De-Pas walked out the door of the Computer Council Forum.



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