Mr. Dove and the Pipes of Creation

[Wompet]

But he's not the real Pharaoh unless he wears the Sacred Chicken of U-GotaBe-Kidn.
Or was that fake pharaoh wearing the Infernal Chicken of U-GonaGit-Itnaow?

[Livingston]

Mustering up all the sarcasm and non enthusiasm that I can: "Oh no, not him."

Mustering up all the sarcasm and non enthusiasm that I can: "It figures, of course."

[davedove]

Scene 32

“Do you have him with you?” the Pharaoh asked.

“Yes, my Pharaoh,” the Commander answered. “He is right here.” He gestured to the guards who pushed me forward.

The Pharaoh looked at me from the screen before speaking. “So, you are Mr. Dove,” he said to me. “Funny, you don’t look too dangerous.”

“That’s what I keep trying to explain to people,” I told him. “Obviously you’ve made a mistake about me.”

Again the guard’s rifle struck me in the stomach. That was getting a bit tiresome.

As I again straightened, the Pharaoh continued. “I do not make mistakes. My information comes directly from the shades of my ancestors. They said that you were dangerous and must be stopped at all costs.”

“Why?” I asked. Perhaps I could obtain a bit more information here.

“The shades did not specify. They only said that if you were not stopped the spread of my empire might be stopped.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” I asked.

“I was told that you and your allies would thwart my forces.” He again addressed the Commander. “Commander, what of his allies?”

“They have been eliminated,” the Commander answered, “But at great cost. Only the Professor and a single soldier survived.”

The Pharaoh nodded in understanding. “Very well, be sure to reward the trooper. And send my condolences to the families of the other soldiers. Let them know that their Pharaoh is thankful for their sacrifice.”

“Yes, my Pharaoh; are there any other instructions?”

“Yes, secure this man for the night and then put him on the plane bound for my headquarters in the morning. I wish to deal with him myself. I believe a public execution of an enemy of the Empire would be most inspiring to the people.”

“Yes, my Pharaoh.”

The screen then went blank as the connection was broken from the other end of the transmission.

“You heard the Pharaoh,” he said to the guards. “Take him to the prison and secure him there.” He stopped and thought a moment. “Put him in with the other enemy of the Empire and let them contemplate their fate together.”

[davedove]

Scene 33

Lieutenant Commander Steven Ashton walked down the corridors of the base. He was still maintaining his cover as a guard, but felt incredibly self-conscious. He felt as if he would be discovered at any moment.

Blast it! He was a combat engineer, not a spy. The quicker this was over, the better he would like it.

He had taken the Professor back to his quarters where they had found the man’s daughter. A plan was quickly formulated and they had all started back towards the digging machine.

So far, they had not been challenged, but that luck was bound to run out soon.

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind, than the guard to the machine’s hangar stopped them.

“Where are you going?” the guard challenged.

Steven recited the lines the Professor had given him. “The Professor has to adjust the digging mechanism of the machine. He claims that there were some disturbing noises coming from the gears while on the mission and he wants to examine them. The woman will assist him. I am here to keep an eye on them.”

The guard nodded in understanding and turned to open the door. Steven quickly hit the guard from behind and watched him slump to the floor.

The Professor’s daughter held the door as the two men pulled the guard into the hangar.

“Quickly Professor, get your daughter into the digging machine and get clear of the base.”

“What about you?” the Professor asked. “It won’t be long before they notice the machine is missing.”

“Just go! My role is to help David in his quest. Get your daughter to safety.”

The professor nodded in understanding. “Thank you, my friend. I will not forget this.”

Steven shook the hand the Professor offered. The Professor’s daughter threw her arms around him in a hug and thanked him as well.

“Now go! You don’t have much time,” he said to them.

The Professor and his daughter quickly climbed into the digging machine and closed the hatch. Soon thereafter, Steven heard the engines starting and watched the machine pull away before turning downward to dig into the earth.

Steven slipped back into the corridor and again tried to look the part of a guard.

Now, he only had to link up with Deena, find David, and have all of them escape the base.

He could really use a strong cup of coffee about now.

[davedove]

Scene 34

I tumbled to the concrete floor as the guards shoved me through the cell door. I waited as they locked the door and walked away.

“Deena?” I said quietly.

The pixie flew through the barred window of the door. “Yes, I’m here David,” she answered me.

I got up, went to the door, and examined the lock. It was a simple lock, but without any tools I had no chance to open it.

“Can you do anything to open this door with your magic?” I asked the pixie.

She flew down to the lock, but quickly moved away from it. “No, I can’t. It’s made from iron and I can’t affect anything made of iron.”

I thought for a moment. “Okay, Plan B,” I said. “I need you to find Steven and let him know my situation. Between the two of you, you should be able to come up with something.”

“Right, be back soon,” she said and flew back out the window.

I grabbed the bars in the window and tried shaking them. Although I used all my strength and weight, they didn’t budge.

“Believe me buddy,” said a voice from behind me. “If I couldn’t force the door open, there’s no way you ever will.”

I turned around to see the man who had been sleeping on the cot rise up. This man was not just big; he was huge. Even bigger than the big man whose face he shared, the man known to me as Big Mikey.

“What did they throw you in here for?” he asked me.

“I don’t know. They kept saying that the Pharaoh was looking for me, but it must be a mistake.”

“You didn’t tell them that did you?” he asked with a slight chuckle.

I rubbed my midsection as I remembered the treatment the guards had given me. “Yeah, I made that mistake,” I told him.

“Don’t you know that the Pharaoh never makes mistakes,” he said sarcastically. He rose up from the cot and extended his large hand. “Name’s Mike, but most of the public knows me as The Wrecker, crime-fighter and enemy of the Pharaoh.”

I shook his hand. “I’m David. Wrecker? That’s a strange name.”

“It’s because of what I do. Once I build up a head of steam, there’s nothing that will stop me.”

“But you said you couldn’t force the door open,” I said to him.

“Look at the size of this cell,” he pointed out to me. “It’s too small; I can’t build up any momentum. They knew what they were doing when they put me in here.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to meet someone. The Oracle said it was my destiny to join someone on a mission, somebody named Dove.”

“The Oracle?” I asked.

“Yeah, mysterious guy who’s always warning my friends and me about trouble.”

I wondered if The Oracle was this world’s Pleater. “Then I believe you’re here to meet me,” I revealed to him. “I am Mr. Dove.”

He turned back to me and examined my face more closely. “So you’re Dove. I thought maybe one of my friends would be the one, but you’re obviously not her.” He looked at me even more closely as if he saw something familiar. “Do you have a sister?” he asked.

I laughed a bit. It seemed to me that this man knew my counterpart on this world, in this case a woman.

“Not exactly,” I answered. “If we get out of this, I’ll explain it to you.”

“So if I’m supposed to join you on your mission, what are we doing?”

“Saving all the worlds of existence,” I said to him.

He laughed a bit nervously at that. “Well, at least it’s something worthwhile. But before we can go any farther, we're going to have to get out of this cell. Do you have any ideas?”

“Not really,” I confessed. “But I do have some friends.”

[davedove]

Scene 35

The guard slumped to the ground unconscious. Lieutenant Commander Steven Ashton quickly pulled him into a nearby closet.

“Which way?” he asked the small pixie flying nearby.

“Down this passage,” the pixie directed and flew down the hallway.

Steven quietly followed her down the hallway until they came to a corner. He cautiously peered around it.

Ahead was a large group of soldiers sitting around a table in the room.

“Can we get around them?” Steven whispered.

“That’s the only door to the cells,” the pixie told him.

“There’s no way I can disable that many guards, especially not without alerting the whole base.”

“Then it’s my turn,” said the pixie.

The small woman flew into the room and began circling the guards, chanting as she flew.

One by one, the guards began to nod their heads, their eyes blinking involuntarily. After a few seconds, they all collapsed forward onto the table, deep asleep.

“That was impressive,” Steven said as he slipped quietly into the room.

“Just a little trick my momma taught me,” she responded. “Now let’s go get David.”

[toadinakilt]

Hurray, another installment! Will our intrepid hero be successful in rescuing his friends?

I'm on pins and needles...

[unaspenser]

My momma would be so proud... ;)

[davedove]

Scene 36

“David!” came the whispered voice from the window of my cell.

I quickly rose from my cot and went to the door. The Wrecker followed me.

“David, I’m so glad you’re okay,” Steven said to me from the window. “I’m here to get you out.”

I heard the keys in the lock and soon the door opened. Steven paused a moment when he saw the huge man beside me.

“Steven,” I quickly said. “Let me introduce you to The Wrecker. He’s going to join our little group.”

“Just call me Mike,” the big man said, extending his hand.

“I’m Steven,” said Steven, a little nervously as the big man shook his hand.

“And I’m Deena,” said the small pixie as she fluttered before the big man’s face.

“It’s a strange group of friends you’re collecting,” the big man said to me.

“I’ve got a feeling it may get even stranger,” I said. “Let’s get out of here.”

At that very moment, an alarm started to sound throughout the building.

“I fear they may have found my trail of disabled guards,” Steven said.

“It was bound to happen eventually,” I responded. “How do we get out of here?”

“This way,” Steven said. But, just as we started towards the end of the corridor, the door at the end slammed shut and I could hear someone locking the door.

“Blast, we were too late,” Steven said.

“Is there any other way out?” I asked.

“It’s a prison block; there is only this entrance to the cells.”

The Wrecker was examining the hallway. “I think it’s just long enough,” he said.

“Long enough for what?” I asked.

“Stand aside and I’ll show you,” he promised.

As the rest of us stood against the wall, The Wrecker walked to the end of the corridor farthest from the door. Once there he turned to again face the door.

“Here goes,” he said to us.

As we watched, The Wrecker began to run down the corridor, soon reaching full speed, directly at the door.

As soon as he stuck the door, it was ripped from its hinges and buckled before his momentum. The Wrecker burst into the room beyond.

The guards who had locked the door stood in complete shock at what the big man had just done.

“Boo,” the big man said to them and they turned to run away in panic.

“Impressive,” I said to Mike as I entered the room behind him.

“You should see me when I really get moving.”

I looked around the room at the sleeping guards. “Your work?” I asked Deena.

“Yes,” she replied smugly.

“Nice,” I told her.

“Let’s go,” Steven warned. “There will be more guards coming.”

[starbkjrus]

Drat it all....I USED to have a popcorn smilie. ith: