Part 4 - The Escape
December 24th 2006 05:49
Continuing his emulation of the other members of his cabinet, the Essential Minister ran around the room ripping his hair from his head. It seemed a good short term strategy. For some reason, perhaps because he was the most important person in the room or perhaps because he had run out of hair, he suddenly came to a stop.
“What was it Re just said?” he asked. No one answered him. The yelling continued.
“Did he say thirty five minutes?” he looked at his watch. “That was ten minutes ago! I have time!” He tapped his wrist pad to call his wife and ran to a corner of the room. His wife answered the call, remnants of a sleep drug blearing her voice.
“Darling, what is it?” she said.
“Quickly my dear, we’ve got about 20 minutes to escape the planet before it is destroyed.” Ga had reached the corner of the room and was feeling around the wall for the hidden palm pad that would open the doorway to his emergency escape route.
“That’s very funny. Weren’t you going to send a planet destroying missile to blow up HedLandia today?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s the very same missile turned around somehow and come back to blow US up!”
“Silly man, that’s not possible. You send it away and it goes away. Missiles don’t come back. We don’t even have a word in our vocabulary for that sort of thing.”
“My darling,” he whispered as he found the palm pad, revealed the secret door and stepped through. “We don’t have time for you to ask questions. Get out of bed now, don’t dress, don’t put on any make-up jewellery or hair products and meet me in the garage.” None of his ministers were watching as he closed the door behind him and left them to their fate. He continued talking to his wife, “If you aren’t there when I get arrive I’m taking off without you!” Tapping the wrist pad again he cut her off before she could complain and waste more time and sprinted down the secret hallway to the Essential Minister’s garage.
The engines of the massive ship were warmed up and glowing but still Bo had not heard from Re. She tapped her fingers on the dashboard and bit her lip. The time for their lift off was getting nearer and if Re didn’t show they’d have to leave without him.
Their escape had been planned with precision; there was no room for sentimentality. The galactic radars would be crossing paths on the other side of the planet in less than 2 minutes. This would mix up the signals for 30 seconds which was just enough time for the Beige Bummjob to take off and get beyond the other side of the first moon. By the time anyone realised there had been an illegal launch the ship would be out of official jurisdiction of the planet and no one would bother with an expensive pursuit. If their timing was off they would be caught in the anti-escape-velocity-beam and impounded pending inspection.
“Where are you Re?” asked Bo, watching the seconds pass on the dashboard clock.
“Hey,” yelled Hu. “What’s that?” She was pointing toward the other end of the runway. They all craned their necks and saw Re, zooming towards them on a two-wheeler.
“It’s Re!” yelled Je.
“Hang on everyone,” shouted Bo as she gunned the engines and the ship jerked upward and launched along the runway. She landed with great skill just in front of the speeding two-wheeler, the cargo doors open. Re zoomed up the loading ramp, the doors closed behind him and the ship took off at an illegal speed into the sky.
Within seconds they’d passed the planet’s atmosphere and the moon was in sight.
Re rushed into the cockpit.
“How did the launch go?” asked Ru scanning the stars for any potential trouble.
“It was a complete failure. Halfway there the missile turned and is headed back for DisQuientia!”
Bo looked at him, “Are you serious?”
“Yes, the whole planet’s going to explode in seconds.”
“I told them,” said Ru, “any attempt to destroy HedLandia was an attempt at self-destruction. No one listens to me.”
Bo reduced throttle to a minimum and turned the ship around so they could look back at the receding planet. Things seemed normal, and then from the far side a halo of fire and light tore around the horizon and engulfed the entire planet. It began to shrink, imploding on itself, getting smaller and smaller. A few minutes later and DisQuientia was gone, all that was left was a cloud of gas.
“My brother,” said Je.
“The ideas,” said Re
“The trees and forests,” said La
“My parents,” said Bo.
“Everyone we ever knew,” said Hu
“All dead,” said Ru.
“What was it Re just said?” he asked. No one answered him. The yelling continued.
“Did he say thirty five minutes?” he looked at his watch. “That was ten minutes ago! I have time!” He tapped his wrist pad to call his wife and ran to a corner of the room. His wife answered the call, remnants of a sleep drug blearing her voice.
“Darling, what is it?” she said.
“Quickly my dear, we’ve got about 20 minutes to escape the planet before it is destroyed.” Ga had reached the corner of the room and was feeling around the wall for the hidden palm pad that would open the doorway to his emergency escape route.
“That’s very funny. Weren’t you going to send a planet destroying missile to blow up HedLandia today?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s the very same missile turned around somehow and come back to blow US up!”
“Silly man, that’s not possible. You send it away and it goes away. Missiles don’t come back. We don’t even have a word in our vocabulary for that sort of thing.”
“My darling,” he whispered as he found the palm pad, revealed the secret door and stepped through. “We don’t have time for you to ask questions. Get out of bed now, don’t dress, don’t put on any make-up jewellery or hair products and meet me in the garage.” None of his ministers were watching as he closed the door behind him and left them to their fate. He continued talking to his wife, “If you aren’t there when I get arrive I’m taking off without you!” Tapping the wrist pad again he cut her off before she could complain and waste more time and sprinted down the secret hallway to the Essential Minister’s garage.
-o0o-
The engines of the massive ship were warmed up and glowing but still Bo had not heard from Re. She tapped her fingers on the dashboard and bit her lip. The time for their lift off was getting nearer and if Re didn’t show they’d have to leave without him.
Their escape had been planned with precision; there was no room for sentimentality. The galactic radars would be crossing paths on the other side of the planet in less than 2 minutes. This would mix up the signals for 30 seconds which was just enough time for the Beige Bummjob to take off and get beyond the other side of the first moon. By the time anyone realised there had been an illegal launch the ship would be out of official jurisdiction of the planet and no one would bother with an expensive pursuit. If their timing was off they would be caught in the anti-escape-velocity-beam and impounded pending inspection.
“Where are you Re?” asked Bo, watching the seconds pass on the dashboard clock.
“Hey,” yelled Hu. “What’s that?” She was pointing toward the other end of the runway. They all craned their necks and saw Re, zooming towards them on a two-wheeler.
“It’s Re!” yelled Je.
“Hang on everyone,” shouted Bo as she gunned the engines and the ship jerked upward and launched along the runway. She landed with great skill just in front of the speeding two-wheeler, the cargo doors open. Re zoomed up the loading ramp, the doors closed behind him and the ship took off at an illegal speed into the sky.
Within seconds they’d passed the planet’s atmosphere and the moon was in sight.
Re rushed into the cockpit.
“How did the launch go?” asked Ru scanning the stars for any potential trouble.
“It was a complete failure. Halfway there the missile turned and is headed back for DisQuientia!”
Bo looked at him, “Are you serious?”
“Yes, the whole planet’s going to explode in seconds.”
“I told them,” said Ru, “any attempt to destroy HedLandia was an attempt at self-destruction. No one listens to me.”
Bo reduced throttle to a minimum and turned the ship around so they could look back at the receding planet. Things seemed normal, and then from the far side a halo of fire and light tore around the horizon and engulfed the entire planet. It began to shrink, imploding on itself, getting smaller and smaller. A few minutes later and DisQuientia was gone, all that was left was a cloud of gas.
“My brother,” said Je.
“The ideas,” said Re
“The trees and forests,” said La
“My parents,” said Bo.
“Everyone we ever knew,” said Hu
“All dead,” said Ru.
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