Alan awoke the next day with a start after the past week it seemed he was starting to lose touch with
reality a bit. Looking at the date on his calendar, reality started hitting home even harder, what the fuck?
According to the calendar almost a whole week had passed. A moment later a knock came from the door of the room he
was in, looking out he shook his head oh great, it was that bitch of a manager.
“I know you’re in there! I got that receipt you wanted!” she shouted.
Opening the door Alan put on his best face, the rotund, white haired, short older woman stood there with her arms
crossed. “Yes mam,” Alan told her, “had a late night last night so….”
She held her hand up to stop him, “look I don’t care ok? Just pay each week then we got no problems, just remember
the rules no drugs, no loud music, and no sneaking in partners for a few days, or you’re out.”
Shutting the door Alan could only shake his head, his light brown hair was longer than he remembered it
being. Rubbing his eyes to clear his vision better, he also noticed that he was sporting a week’s growth of beard,
what the hell was going on?
Suddenly a female like voice sounded in his right ear, almost a whisper, “I am sorry Alan I think I healed you far
to much here.” A light touch at his forehead opened a flood gate of memories.
Suddenly Alan’s eyes flew wide, What!? It hadn’t been a dream? “Where are you? I could see your outline last time
now I’m getting nothing.”
“As I said,” the whispering voice started again, “I am afraid I healed you far to much, it effected your power as
well as your memory. I am endeavoring to remedy this.”
Alan’s head was already hurting like a bitch, after the little voice said that it had healed him too much, then
he’d felt a light touch to his forehead.
“Again I apologize Alan, I was afraid that the council had me recruit you too soon. As fast as you healed though
before I got to you I can now see that they weren’t wrong.” Alan turned his head and stared where the voice had
been, all he saw was a shimmering, like the heat waves you could see on a hot day.
“There, now then down to business. I was sent to recruit you, you are the first in almost 500 years to
show that you have the power.” The voice said. “I have been…”
“Wait,” Alan interrupted her, “Who are you? I’m a little tired of you knowing me but I know nothing of you.”
He almost felt a palatable shock then his head was flooded with tons of information. “Oh shit! AAAA!!!” Alan
almost screamed as his head began to throb, “you trying to fucking kill me? Christ!” Falling on the bed Alan
thought the pain would pass, no dice as the pain increased till his brown eyes rolled back in his head.
Floating in another dream like scape, Alan looked at a spite or pixie that fluttered in front of him.
“So your name is Hopix, and you are my guide? No that’s not right, my watch dog ah!” Alan said, damn he thought I
don’t know whether to be insulted or complimented.
“There’s no insult intended, as I told you yesterday we are offering you a job.” Hopix said
“I don’t understand if this …council is so powerful why can’t they attend to their mistakes?” Alan asked.
“True they are a powerful council, but they can’t interfere. They can advance any with the power but after
they decide they want to use their power the council has no say. You see they offer the job, you can reject or
accept. Reject after the power is instilled and you can do most what you want off earth. Accept and the council
asks you to stop other mistakes that have run other worlds and systems to almost ruin.” Hopix said taking a
breath. “Almost all your needs will be met, though there are a few they can do nothing about, I am sure you are
know which ones I am talking about.”
Alan nodded, it was as always, he worked his ass off and got really nothing he needed in return and THAT he
definitely needed.
Hopix eyes grew wide, then she blushed, she had to teach Alan to stop broadcasting his thoughts so strongly.
“I don’t mean to hurry you Alan but the council needs an answer, we have another that needs taking care of he is
almost as bad as the last,” Hopix said a small shiver running through her body.
“How long before they have to have an answer?” Alan said noticing that Hopix was still shaking badly.
“Soon before the day is finished,” she whispered out, “Alan, I hope you accept, this case is some what personal to
me so, I would also owe you much,” With that Alan was back in his room.
Alan noticed that most of the pain was gone, good at least he’d be able to function while he made a
decision. Locking up he decided to visit his wife maybe she’d have a change of heart.
Knocking at the door, she snatched the door open, “What the fuck do you want? I thought you left! After what you
said I’m not sure I…”
“After what I said,” He shouted, “I think your memory is playing tricks on you. You’re the one who kicked ME out,
you’re the one who said you didn’t need, want, or love me. Let us not forget it was YOU that slammed the door not
me. I can see I wasted my time coming here.”
A smirked crossed her face, “A waste yes, that’s what I’d call you! A waste of my time all these years. You’re a
loser that won’t amount to anything. I’ll have your shit outside in a day or two,” With that she slammed the door
even harder in his face, Alan could hear her laughing on the other side of it.
Fuck it Alan thought I really have nothing here to keep me, not even our children. I’m sure she’s already poisoned
their minds against me also.
Alan trudged his way back to the motel, lost in his thoughts he didn’t notice the man that was trying to follow
him. Alan was almost back to the other side of town, when the man caught up to him.
“Hello Alan,” The man smiled, a smile that Alan could see was only a feigned attempt to gain his
confidence. “We have a proposition for you. You’re a hard man to find.”
Looking at the man’s hand extended to shake, Alan decided to ignore the gesture, “what do you want?” Alan said a
smirk on his smirk on his face, this man was oozing an almost palatable evil.
“As I said, we have a proposition for you. Work for us and we can grant you everything you want. Your wife would
love you unconditionally, so would your children. We can make sure that everything you want is granted.” The man
chuckled a little sinister.
Alan stopped, WHAT!? Looking at the man Alan was suddenly angry, more angry than he’d been in a long, long time.
Alan didn’t even notice that his hands were starting to glow, or the fact that the man was slowly backing up.
“For your fucking information,” Alan shouted, knocking the man off his feet, “I don’t want anything to do with
that bitch anymore! Second there is nothing that you,” here Alan noticed that the man’s ears were bleeding,
causing him to pause a second. “Nothing you can give me that will make up for the insult you just gave me! Be
gone!” The man groaned as Alan reached out to push him away from his self surprised when his hand went through the
man! “What the fuck?!” With that the image of the man exploded then was gone.
Storming back to his room Alan laid down and was out almost immediately, Hopix appeared seconds later in
his dream.
“I wish I could have warned you about them sooner,” she said, “that was an agent of chaos, one of their better
ones, he thought he could turn you easily as he had the others. I am glad he was wrong, so Alan do you have an
answer? the council awaits.”
“Yeah, Alan replied, “there’s nothing here for me now that I can see, tell them I accept.”
“That’s good, we’ve got another assignment for you,” came a voice behind him. Alan turned to see a gnome like
creature sitting at a table, “you do this one and I think you’ll have a lot more than thanks from the council,”
the gnome creature said nodding toward Hopix who was trying to hold back her terror and joy that Alan was taking
this assignment to her home planet. “I’ll leave you to it” With that he was gone.
“Your home planet? and just when were you going to tell me?”
“I could not till you accepted the assignment, I am not allowed to sway your desicion about anything before you
decided whether or not you would join.” Tears fell unashamedly from her eyes. “It was my fault that the human who
rules my planet with an iron fist is there. You see I recruited her, I never fore saw the evil she possessed.”
Alan’s heart was finally starting to soften in regards to Hopix, “Alright let’s go.”
Within seconds Alan was standing on a piece of blackened ground, this isn’t right he thought. Slowly the
ground turned back to it’s original colors blues, greens and oranges, sighing Alan decided he’d have to get used
to the fact that not every where would even be close to what earth was. With in minutes the blackened ground was
replaced with a myriad of colors as far as he could see, better he thought.
Suddenly there was a rumbling sound, turning Alan saw what appeared to be rolling storm clouds. Reaching out Alan
saw it was a cluster of beings like Hopix. Alan brought all his defenses up fully as they swooped in and commenced
to dive bomb him, that is till the leader of the cluster stopped within a few feet of him.
“You!” she screamed, “so you are here to stop me? HA! As if! I have had centuries to perfect ALL my skills.”
Alan reached out, feeling the being was being controlled, making a scissors cutting motion, the little being
screamed then looked around confused.
“Where am I?” Looking at Alan her eyes grew large, “Please protect me,” she pleaded, Alan pulled her inside of his
shield feeling that she was freed from the others influence.
“I suggest that you, prepare for me. You want to act like a bitch? Then I will strike you down like the bitch you
are!” The little being at his shoulder’s eyes grew even larger.
“But you don’t realize who that is,” she said, flying to get behind him then fell through his shoulder!, bowing
low she said, “I didn’t realize that you were a mazey also, I apologize I await your orders master.”
Alan’s mouth hung open, master?! What the hell?! “Yes I have them all trained!’ she laughed evilly, “If
it’s a fight you want then come for me, we’ll see who is the strongest to rule this planet.”
“I,” spit out Alan in disgust, “do not want to rule this planet I am here to free it from you!
“In your fucking dreams, lap dog of the council.” The woman sent a huge bolt of fire at him, damn he thought is
that all they have? geez! Turning it back he sent it back through the portal it had appeared from. There was the
sound of mass panic from the portal, a scream then it closed. All the little beings were suddenly shaking their
heads and looking around confused.
“I have to make sure that she can’t do this again,” Alan told the little, he guessed you call her a woman with
wings, translucent wings, rather skinny like the thirty or forty outside his shields, funny their skin was a light
green color. Alan had to admit for green women (with wings) they were kind of sexy, shaking his head he cleared
his thoughts not good to be thinking like that. Come to think of it Hopix’s skin was more of a whitish color, he
wondered why.
Looking at the being bowed before, he noticed that the others were bowing also. “Stop that right now,”
Alan said, “I will not be worshipped, I am not a god,” motioning his hand over the one he’d pulled within the
confines of his shield, he saw what had been done to them and the reason for their fear. Alan removed everything
he found that the woman had placed there then did the same to the others.
“I’ve removed all the orders she placed in your minds and this,” He made another motion like placing a hat on his
head, “will never let her control you again.”
All of the little women blinked, thier thoughts clear and their own for the first time in over a 2 thousand years.
“H..h…how is this possible?” The one within his shield asked, “you are mazey, your kind does not grant freedom
to slaves like us.” Here she bowed her head as tears fell freely from her eyes, just as suddenly her head snapped
up, “You aren’t here yet you are, you hurt the other mezey as if it were nothing!” She started to back away from
him, “You have met one of my kind before!” this last in whispered tones. “We thought it was only a story that was
told to the young ones to keep them in line and give them false hope. You really are here to help us not rule us
as the previous two did.”
Alan was starting to grow uncomfortable, they were all staring at him with huge round eyes.
“I have to return soon, is there anywhere you can hide? I realize that this many of you together will worry her
but I still want to make sure you are safe for now.”
The one within his shield nodded, dropping his shield they all slowly came to the other there, “I am Tropix, I
sensed you wanted to know my name. Look deep into my eyes and you will see the place I was thinking of.”
Alan nodded and they were there within seconds, deep under ground it appeared there were a few of Hopix’s kind
here many looked to be close to death, there were several screams as many attempted to flee.
Tropix stepped out and told them all what had transpired, though only a few came out, many were too scared to
venture any nearer.
Alan had been looking around his anger growing more by the second, several of the injured children had been
abandoned by the others fleeing, a little girl being looked at Alan then groaned, Alan’s attention turned to her.
He could see all the cruel wounds she had. Waving his hands over her body others watched in amazement as the girl
grew healthier then suddenly sat up, a look of astonishment on her face. Flittering her wings she hugged Alan
fiercely whispering in his ear a truly heart felt thank you.
All the elders came forward and listened to Tropix as she again explained what had happened on the
surface. Many were in shock though one smiled, “I see you’ve met Hopix,” he stated, “Yes, I can see you have, the
last I talked to her she said she would never stop looking for the one to free us. It appears as if she may have
succeeded.”
The look of shock now on Alan’s face was all the proof the elders needed. Alan started to heal the worst cases
first though one he wasn’t sure of, making a table of food for all of them was another gift they couldn’t stop
thanking him for.
“I want to save all of the injured, but that one there,” Alan pointed to a female decked out in regal clothes
laying apart from the others, “I can’t seem to do anything for her, she was also too strong for me to enter her
thoughts to heal her there.”
The elder nodded looking at the female there, “That is Queen Glimmer, I am afraid that only the freedom of our
people will heal her,” Sighing, he sadly shook his head, “she took so many injuries trying to save her people, you
actually healed those so she has a much better chance, but as long as we live in terror and are enslaved she may
never wake up.”
Alan nodded looking around he thought they needed better protection. Reaching out he slightly enlarged the area,
made better passages to the surface for air, finally he struggled to increase the already strong shield, damn it!
He knew he was stronger than this! Putting everything he had into it he finally had it where he felt it needed to
be.
Looking around he saw that several of the small beings had also added their power to his, smiling he felt
a hard tug. Shit already? The elder advanced and handed a small box to him, which of course fell through his hand,
nodding the next tug yanked him back.
Opening his eyes barely, he saw he was back in his room damn he was tired, closing his eyes Hopix was in the dream
scape awaiting him. “Were you successful? She asked her voice almost pleading.
“I haven’t destroyed her yet,” he replied, “though I did manage to free thirty to forty of your people, I took
them to an underground area with some others of your people and healed all those hurt, though I was unable to
completely heal Queen Glimmer.”
“You saw Queen Glimmer!” Hopix exclaimed, “then there is still hope!”
Alan nodded, damn it he hadn’t felt this tired in a long time. Hopix’s face grew concerned when Alan almost faded.
“It appears you over extended your self, rest I will handle everything till you awake.” she said as she bowed and
he faded this time no dream, no nightmare.
The rest of the day and the next Hopix kept a vigil over him she knew that he had a lot more to do especially now
that the woman knew that he had been there and for all she knew was still there on the planet.
2 days later Alan stirred damn how long had he been out? Looking around he felt Hopix for the first time
next to the bed, still only a shimmer he said, “I have to get back there Hopix. I only freed one of the many
squads of your people she has under her control.”
“Yes Alan, but you had to recharge before you went back, as you were she could have easily killed you. The council
has been monitoring the planet, it appears that the increase in the shield also had another side effect. It seems
that she sent another squad as you put it, into the underground area, as soon as they passed through the shield
they were released from her control. As a result the council says that her power dropped a bit, she’s using my
people’s power to increase her own!” Hopix growled.
Alan nodded it was as he thought, the only problem was that she was also using the people of the planet as her
soldiers as well as her slaves.
“Hopix, I need to be up a while there is no way I will be able to sleep for a bit, please bare with me I know
there is urgency. I will free your people but I have to do this my way,” Alan said with a sigh, he could see the
worry on her face, he’d probably be the same if he had family in trouble like this.
Taking a walk Alan hadn’t realized he was that hungry till his stomach let out a loud roar, shit! That was
right he hadn’t eaten in almost 3 days. Turning into a dinner he was about to sit when a man pushed his way past
Alan grabbing his arm and dragging him out side.
“Hello Alan,” the man said his eyes slightly glazed over, I can see that we seriously under estimated you. I can
assure you that this won’t happen again!”
“As I told you before you have nothing I WANT!” Alan shouted his anger rising, ripping his arm from the other
man’s grasp. “I want NOTHING to do with you or your kind!” Again Alan didn’t notice his hands were glowing a
bright red, though the other did and started to back slowly away.
“You can’t hurt me while you are on earth, but I can actually kill you!” the other man said advancing.
“NO!” Shouted Alan as a scream arose from the other man.
Stumbling a moment, the other man said, ” you may kill me but there are far more to take my…” a gagging came from the other man the he slumped to the ground.
Kill him? How would I do that especially if he wasn’t on earth? Turning, Alan went back to the diner, shaking his
head damn he needed to eat.
TO BE CONTINUED