Chapter 2

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 hit home even harder. What the heck? 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 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, ma’am,” Alan told her. “Had a late night last night so...”

She held her hand up to stop him. “Look, I don’t care, okay? 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 heck 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 too much here.” A light touch at his forehead opened a floodgate 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 too much; it affected your power as well as your memory. I am endeavoring to remedy this.”

Alan’s head was already hurting like crazy. After the little voice said that it had healed him too much, and 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 palpable shock then his head was flooded with tons of information. “Oh, shoot! AAAA!!!” Alan almost screamed as his head began to throb. “Are you trying to kill me? Good grief!” Falling on the bed, Alan thought the pain would pass; no dice as the pain increased until his brown eyes rolled back in his head.

Floating in another dream-like scape, Alan looked at a sprite or pixie that fluttered in front of him.

“So your name is Hopix, and you are my guide? No, that’s not right; you’re my watchdog, ah!” Alan said. Darn, 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 know which ones I am talking about.”

Alan nodded; as always, he worked his butt off and got really nothing he needed in return, and that he definitely needed.

Hopix’s 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 somewhat 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 heck 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 smirk 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 stuff 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.

Forget 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 extended hand to shake, Alan decided to ignore the gesture. “What do you want?” Alan said, a smirk on his face. This man was oozing an almost palpable 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 sinisterly.

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 darn information,” Alan shouted, knocking the man off his feet, “I don’t want anything to do with that woman anymore! Second, there is nothing that you,” here Alan noticed that the man’s ears were bleeding, causing him to pause for 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 himself, surprised when his hand went through the man! “What the heck?!” With that, the image of the man exploded then was gone.

Storming back to his room, Alan lay 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 until you accepted the assignment; I am not allowed to sway your decision 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 him. I never foresaw the evil he 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 its original colors—blues, greens, and oranges. Sighing, Alan decided he’d have to get used to the fact that not everywhere would even be close to what Earth was. Within 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 until 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.