Anthony DeCosmo - Parallels

"Improper!"

"Uncalled for!"

"Disruptive!"

Nina reacted with a grin; Director Snowe stood silent and watched.

"I didn’t ask to come here. Now I understand I can’t get home. So that means I’m stuck on this sinking ship of fools with you. If you don’t want to hear from me then, fine, open the front gate and let me out ‘cause I’d rather take my chances out there than painted in this giant corner you’ve made for yourselves."

"You are out of line!"

"You will be silent!"

"You will be removed!"

Snowe broke in. He spoke in a calm voice. One might even say measured.

"With all due respect to The Committee, it should be noted that this man is, in fact, Emperor Trevor Stone…on his world. I am certain that he is not accustomed to being told he cannot speak. I hope The Committee will take this under consideration."

A silence lasted several long seconds. The Committeemen then whispered to one another before addressing those gathered below.

"Yes. This is an unusual situation."

"Indeed. Some latitude could be granted."

"Agreed. He will be allowed to address The Committee."

Snowe added, "The Committee was presented with the parameters of the mission and while you did not directly approve said mission in the end, those parameters are still applicable. I point out again what Major Forest said; this Trevor Stone has been successful in his war defending his Earth. It is possible that he has knowledge that could be valuable to our efforts."

"Unlikely."

"Possibly."

"Certainly."

Again, silence. Trevor realized after several more seconds of that silence that he had been granted the opportunity to speak.

"Well, um, I do not know much of what has happened on this Earth, only what I’ve seen so far. But I know on my world we adapted alien technology to serve us in a lot of ways. It also seems to me that you’ve got some morale problems. Just on the walk over here I saw, well, a sort of lazy attitude in the guards around here. I mean, you’re The Committee; you’re the guys in charge. The people guarding this building should be ready for anything. Honestly, the security around here is so bad I think a herd of Chew Cows could overrun this place."

Based on their expressions, the people in the room did not recognize the nicknames of the creatures Trevor mentioned. His point came across nonetheless.

"Intriguing. The adaptation of foreign technology to address our supply issues has merit."

"Insightful. Morale among our troops needs to be improved in order to ensure defensive operations."

"Correct. The Committee is the final authority and must be protected at all costs."

Nina suggested, "Perhaps The Committee will grant Trevor Stone an honorary position in the military ranks. He could observe our techniques and resources and tell us how they differ from his own world. He may even have information on enemy forces that we do not have."

The Committee whispered amongst themselves yet again.

"This is acceptable. An honorary position with limited authority."

"We are agreed. He will be given a special command with the Third Legion under Director Snowe."

"It is settled. Major Forest and Director Snowe will oversee Trevor Stone."

The trio of rulers fell silent and turned their attention to the piles of folders and papers on their desk, as if no one else in the room existed anymore.

Nina whispered, "Let's go before they change their mind."

Snowe remained behind while Nina herded Trevor and Johnny from the chamber.

The sedan retraced its trip across town.

"I seek enlightenment; exactly what just happened?"

Trevor tried to answer Johnny’s question while Nina sat quiet in the front seat.

"I believe I’ve been drafted."

"I see. Could you explain to me how our situation has changed in relation to, I don’t know, thirty minutes ago?"

Nina offered her take: "Trevor has been given a special position in the Third Legion. That’s one of our three combat groups. That will give you a chance to look over our military and our current situation. Maybe you can give us some pointers."

She smiled. Trevor found it nice to see her smile.

No. She’s not Nina. She’s a fraud.

"Look, Major, as far as I know I’m still a prisoner here, I don’t have a way home, and the only thing that’s changed since I got here is that I know for sure that this place is run by incompetent idiots. To be honest, I’m amazed you still have this city left, even."

Nina bit her lower lip and turned forward. The car bounced over a rough spot of pavement.

"You can leave anytime you want," Nina said without facing him. "You’re not a prisoner anymore. I only…I only forced you here to show you the shape we’re in. If you can walk away from us, then I won’t stop you. "

"I fear, Miss Forest, that you offer hollow assurance. Mr. Stone and I have no way to leave. Letting us walk out the front gate would surely be the end of us."

"I’ll find a way for you to get home, somehow. Or you can stay in your room. I’ll see to it you won’t want for anything."

"How generous of you," Trevor scoffed. "But you know we don’t have any choice. We either join your fight or we die when you die. From the look of things, that won’t be too long."

She looked ready to yell something but held her tongue. It apparently took a great deal of effort.

The taxi arrived at the base of the dormitory. Nina jumped out in a show of anger or frustration. Trevor could see that she was either going to scream or cry or both. This Nina seemed more emotional than the one he knew on his world.

Trevor and Johnny exited the car and waited by the dormitory doors. Nina stood several paces away staring at the empty, dark street.

"Look, Reverend…"

Johnny raised a hand and told Trevor, "Yes. Perhaps you should speak with her alone. I must say I have an intense headache. I believe I will turn in early."

"Can you find your way to our suite?"

"Fear not, Mr. Stone, I left a trail of breadcrumbs."

Stone patted his friend on the shoulder. The Reverend headed inside and faced a moment’s resistance from the interior guard until that man remembered Johnny’s face.

Trevor eyed Nina. She stood with her back to him straddling the line between the darkness and the glow of light emanating from the building's lobby. Despite her leather jacket, she shivered in the frigid air.

The cold got to him, too. The flimsy windbreaker he wore would barely be adequate for a cool autumn day, let alone a cold January night. Still, the cold ranked as the least of his worries.

Trevor walked to her and said, "This must be difficult for you, too."

She exhaled in what sounded like a soft sigh.

"I…well, yes. It is. I mean, I saw you die. I was there."

"So you jumped across a couple of dimensions to bring back a Trevor Stone. That was very brave."

"Very stupid."

"Well, I could tell you all about stupid. I’m a regular expert on the subject these days."

Nina turned and peered into his eyes as if searching for something.

"What? What is it?" He asked.

"Nothing. I mean, since this happened we’ve been kind of moving at breakneck speed. You know? I haven’t had a chance to really think about the fact that you’re him. Or he was you. Or, I dunno…it’s nuts."

"Not as nuts as staying out here in the cold. Let’s go inside before you catch the flu."

She agreed, and led him in and across the lobby to what had once been a small restaurant and bar. Trevor smelled a heavy coating of dust in the dark, empty place.

Rows of round tables and chairs filled the space between a long bar against the inside wall and a glass atrium on the other side. An exterior flood light splashed in, casting a sharp, angled glow across half the room.