One Little Spark: Part 1

Chapter 15

          With the sun shining bright in Iyrilia, it's time to put Alex Waver's plan in action. He has Dreamfinder jumping into the sidecar with him and drive off, leaving Rachel, Figment and Ron behind. Every streak of the morning light creeps over the city by the inch. Soon the robot police will spot the two heroes and chase them down for Crizwalke. Alex figured Crizwalke would come to know of Dreamfinder face since his near fiasco with getting caught by the police the day before. With that being said he decided not to have Dreamfinder where a helmet despite their safety so they would be recognizable. But why draw so much attention to themselves if they want to stay away from Crizwalke?

          As Dreamfinder braces himself, Alex speeds up the sidecar. They begin to enter the traffic circle where in the center the statue of the winged golden cat being stood at the top of the pillar. It is the most public and prevalent spot in Iyra City crawling with robot police who guarded the statue. Each officer is standing no more or less than ten feet from each other as they surrounded the watercourse that circled around the pillar. Their sensors built into their red glowing eyes searched the area for any mishaps, criminals or any out-of-order phenomenons. Their main goal is to find, capture and bring Dreamfinder to Governor Crizwalke alive. They are allowed to do whatever they want to his friends only if Dreamfinder refuses to negotiate with Crizwalke's terms.

          Just as the police are getting comfortably settled in their posts they spot Dreamfinder and Alex driving into the traffic circle. Their sensors identified them as the suspects Crizwalke wants in his power. They begin charging up their built-in firearms in a quick pace. Aiming carefully they point at their prey. At the moment they shoot, Alex cranks up the power in his sidecar and speeds away with the Dreamfinder at his side. The robots miss their targets and the chase is on again! The police transform their walking legs into wheels like segways. The acceleration is intense. They rotate faster than horsepower.

          Leaving the traffic circle, the chase heads towards the east side of the city. With all means of transportation cramming up almost every inch of the streets it makes it harder for the robot police to catch up to Alex and Dreamfinder. They flash their sirens loudly for the public to take notice, but because of traffic the cars and trucks won't move aside for them to get through. What's even more confusing to get through are the skyscrapers themselves. They tower over the people of Iyra City like walls of mazes that are impossible to get through. This is a great advantage for the Dreamfinder's escape. Especially since Alex knows the way around town.

          But this advantage did not last long. Alex drives Dreamfinder in the sidecar toward the eastern cliff of the city where down below is the edge of the river flows from beneath the ground, under the mountain where Iyra City is located and continues running down in a large stream. What divides the city from the cliff is a metal fence that provides entrance. Alex speeds up the sidecar towards that fence hoping to keep the chase going out of town. But the robot police got to the fence first. They blocked off the entire "T" intersection and the fence, trapping both the heroes inside their circle. There is no ramp to jump off of, no gap in the crowd of robots to squeeze out of or even pole or ladder to climb up on. Alex and Dreamfinder are totally trapped.

          The robot police put Dreamfinder and Alex in handcuffs and confiscated the sidecar. They drag the heroes away in their patrol cars, making sure to lock them inside, and drove them straight to the Iyrilian Tower where Crizwalke awaits their arrival. Meeting Crizwalke in person is like walking in a living nightmare. The worst he could do to people is taking away whatever precious thing they possess. To face death is the people's idea of such sweet relief.

          They arrive at the tower where people who walk by the entrance run away fast. The police pulled Dreamfinder and Alex out of the sidecar and pushes them into the tower. The main lobby of the tower in enormous! Businesspersons are quickly walking about with their briefcases chattering in their cell phones. But when they see the police come marching in with prisoners, they know this means trouble. They all stand aside with respect for the police and deep sympathies for the captured men. When people are captured in Iyra City, they are at the mercy of Crizwalke himself. No good can come for their governor under any circumstance.

          Stepping into the elevator, one of the officers pushes the button that would take them all the way up to the top floor: the penthouse and Governor Crizwalke's office. The doors close and the elevators starts elevating. Then elevator music begins playing classical piano music as it bounces off the walls of the small room.

"Classy." said the young Katkin.

          Other than the elevator music it was a quiet wait. It had taken three and a half minutes to reach the top floor. Once it finally got up there, the doors opened. There are two long lines, one on each side, of security guards in formation. The police officers push Dreamfinder and Alex toward the desk at the other end of the room where Crizwalke sat with Mr. Hamm standing behind him. The governor lights up a cigar and hands one to Hamm. Things are looking mighty bleak for the Dreamfinder and the young Katkin.

          Crizwalke begins to glare at the Dreamfinder as soon as he and Alex presented themselves at his desk. The look on his face is stern is a smidge of drudgery in his eyes. To see a "man" like Dreamfinder walk into his office the way he is dressed made Crizwalke believe he came from some kind of a circus act.

"Good work, officers." said Crizwalke. "I'll take it from here."

          The robot officers step away from Dreamfinder and Alex and leave the office room. Crizwalke steps up from his chair and walks toward Dreamfinder to get a better look at him. He gets close enough to Dreamfinder to where both their eyes would meet three inches away from each other.

"So...this is the Dreamfinder." Crizwalke smirked. "And you've brought Alex Wavers with you, too. That's a much greater gain."

Alex gave a grim look to Crizwalke. Like water and oil, both their relationships would never mix.

"Tell me, Dreamfinder, where exactly did you come from?" Crizwalke asked.

"Why do you want to know where I came from?" Dreamfinder replied questionably in a strange tone..

"I'm just curious. I know just about every person in Iyrilia except for you. You're quite a curious fellow yourself, ol' boy, showing yourself out of the blue from an unknown area of the world and causing quite a ruckus in my buddy Hamm's restaurant." Crizwalke then pulls out a small box, opens it and says, "Cigar?"

"Thank you, only I don't smoke." Dreamfinder said.

"Oh, I see. Now then, let's talk business. Officers, have the Katkin step back for a moment please. Thank you." Wrapping his arm around Dreamfinder, he continues. "Now Dreamfinder, my sources tell me you are considered a sort of...alien to Iyrilia. Is that correct?"

"In a matter of speaking, yes."

"And yet you look so human...and a little shorter than I expected. And no purple dragon either. Are you local?"

"No."

"Then how exactly are you here?"

"That's a secret."

"Why are you here?" Crizwalke asked.

"My friends and I are just passing through." Dreamfinder replied.

"I see. And for what purpose, may I ask?"

"We have a place to go to. For our...own business."

"What do you work for?"

"I am a...inventor and world traveler."

"Inventor? Is that right? That's quite a grand profession you've got there. What have you invented?"

"Uh...nothing that would interest you, I'm afraid. None of my inventions ever worked anyway."

"Well that's quite a shame because I was thinking about offering you a job as Head Inventor and Architect of Iyra City." Crizwalke suggested. "You'd have your own desk, people would respect you, have a steady paycheck, and you'd have the privilege to build whatever you desire wherever you want."

"That's awfully tempting seeing as how successful your business is." Dreamfinder remarked.

"Think of it, kid. Whatever you can build will be of great use to me in running my city. Armies, aircrafts, secret undercover agencies, you name it, will make the people of the city—no, all of Iyrilia fall into our hands, in our power. Everyone down there."

"Oh dear..." Dreamfinder mumbled to himself.

"Take this offer and I give you what you wish as well as the perfect well being of your friends."

"My friends? What happens to them?"

"Well, I'd dispose of them if you oppose. Work for me, and they go free. So what do you say?"

"Well, I do love my friends. They mean the world to me. And to think I could tell you every one of my greatest secrets for you to use to run this great city. This is a toughie. I'd give you a perfectly good 'yes' or 'no' myself...if I were the real Dreamfinder himself."

          Crizwalke is confused. What did he mean by "real Dreamfinder himself?"Before he could ask, Dreamfinder takes off his hat. And to make this even more interesting, he takes off his own mustache and beard. How could he do that without shaving cream, Crizwalke wondered. Now everything is starting to make a little more sense. This man isn't even the Dreamfinder at all. In fact, this person isn't even a man!




                                                IT'S RACHEL!