Chapter 20

Mindy

An extra meeting on a busy Thursday afternoon will not please the chief. Being ten minutes overdue won’t help. Sammy and Mom were frequently late, thanks to me. During November, Sammy often arrived to play practice mere minutes before her grand entrance and Saturdays, Mom regularly missed the beginning of tai chi in the park. Jim was the timely one in the family. A necessity for professors, yes, but timeliness was his one obsessive compulsion. I drive him crazy with my sporadic, messy life.

“Melinda Nichols!” Chief bellowed. “In my office now!”

The echoing of his booming voice catapulted me out of my chair.

“Yes, sir!” I snapped to attention and grabbed my overflowing brief case filled with my notes outlining the drama of the last two days.

“You’re late!”

It was more fact than accusation.

I need to be more prompt. “Technically Chief, I’m not. I have been working.” I pulled out my sheaf of notepaper and plopped it on his desk. “I need to talk to you about the ISMAT issue of ORB extermination. You see there is the brownie and now--” I started into my spiel, but froze when he interrupted.

“Nichols, you mean to tell me that two unattended ORBs are in your apartment? One of which you said was exterminated?”

I cringed when he put it like that. “That’s what I’m getting to, sir.” I tried to straighten my shoulders and take an affirmative stand. I knew I was right. “Killing all ORBs is senseless! Winnalea is the sweetest little brownie. She wouldn’t hurt a fly and the poor Cyclops prince is probably fatherless, thanks to me. His mother will wage war on Winnalea’s people and possibly us. We don’t know how the Blink works.”

Throwing up my hands in a futile manner, I stood and paced before the chief’s desk, clicking off points on my extended fingers. I must have felt very righteous about my cause because suddenly, a light blinded us as if a flame thrower torched the room from behind me.

The next thing I know, the chief tackled me, throwing me under his metal desk.

The room lit up like a Molotov cocktail.

“Sure, Nichols! Absolutely harmless.” His words dripped with sarcasm, lacerating my ears, as I turned to see a woman whose beauty rivaled the mythical Aphrodite.

Flaming hot.

Jim would have giggled at the double entendre.

The chief drew his gun.

“Wait!”

He paused at my plea.

I peeped over the table. “Let me at least see if I can talk to her.”

“You!” The woman’s hair drifted and waved as she pointed at me. “What is this place my sister has sent me?”

I slowly stood with my arms held out displaying my weaponless hands. “I know nothing about your sister.”

Her hair wound around her waist and hung over her shoulders until it resembled a strange golden cloak. She kicked the trashcan out of her way and explored the room as she spoke. “So, not Phrysia’s doing. Have I fallen foul to the Blink as so many others have of late?” A lock of hair slid up her cheek and rubbed her chin. She whirled around to face us and clapped her hands. “Well then, you think to send back another corpse? I, Rapunzel Carvinalee, Princess of Rhineguard, can assure you that you will find great difficulty in doing so. I am quite capable of defending myself.”

Rapunzel started to glow. As she rubbed her hands together, a ball of fire blazed between her palms. The chief didn’t hesitate. He braced his arm on the desk top and fired. The halo of light encompassing Rapunzel stopped the bullet. With a flick of her fingers, it sped back toward us hitting the chief’s gun and flinging it from his grasp.

“That was a warning. Do not oppose me again. What is this place?”

“Don’t answer her, Agent.” The chief’s glare found me, then the woman.

Rapunzel met his stare. “You task me, sir.”

I maneuvered between them. “See, Chief? She can communicate and, while she did attack, she only did so when you provoked her.” I turned to Rapunzel. “You are on planet Earth.” I sounded like something out of a low-budget sci-fi flick. I looked down to check for a gold glitter mini skirt. I could use the teleporter and laser gun, I mused. “Some type of travel is occurring between our planets and living beings are trading places. Question is, who changed places with you?” I queried more to myself than the golden, fiery goddess before me. The doorways encompassed a small radius, so someone near must of Blinked. The chief and I were still very much still here. I felt his accusing stare as I started warily engaging the ORB.

“I’m Mindy and this is the chief of ISMAT. It’s our council on Earth that deals with the Blink exchanges. I’m trying to work with the chief right now on our foreign exchange policies.” I winked at her and gave her the universal nod, as if to say, play along with me here until we get out of this. I glanced at the chief and saw him making a subtle play for the revolver in his desk drawer. I knew this was going to end badly if I didn’t get Lady Phoenix out of ISMAT ASAP.

“Chief, can you give us a few? I mean, can you ease your way out into the hall and hold your thoughts for ten minutes? I’ve got this.” I was confident that I could negotiate, if I could just cool the ambiance a little. He battled his better judgment, but since Lady Phoenix dusted him, he was thinking about how to get out of there alive and I had just given him the ticket. He wouldn’t worry about a puny agent like me, so I wasn’t surprised when he started edging his way to the door. Phoenix stared him down until his hand grazed the doorknob.

“Who told you, you could leave?” Phoenix bellowed, her eyes glowing in a terrific, melting gaze.

I wasn’t sure how much more heat I could stand. The chief quickly squeezed through the door slamming it behind him. Blondie chortled. “Mindy, what other useful information do you have before I dispose of you?” Phoenix’s look of boredom and disdain had me a little worried. Winnalea told me of the princess she served and the evil blonde sibling who waged war over Rhineguard with her fire-blessed beauty.

I was aware of the treaty signed with the Cyclopean queen and I knew I had two pawns in my court, the princess’s prized brownie and the queen’s son. I wouldn’t dare expose them to the fire goddess, but having something to dangle in front of her might keep me alive. Another thought occurred to me.

“I have the Cyclops king,” I confessed.

Phoenix made a purring sound of pleasure, then sent blazing daggers my way. I hopped over chief’s desk, but the flames fell short. Blondie was toying with me.

“A useless beast with no power. Everyone knows he is just a stud for Queen Fodjes.” Blondie looked at me loathingly. I was a little bit of a mess, with my medium-brown, straight hair pulled into a tight ponytail. The suit I wore wasn’t ISMAT issue, but what I had worn to the supposed law firm. My low-heeled, smart, Mary Jane’s were a comfortable choice, but not the most flattering to my muscular legs in the standard-issue polyester slacks. Slacks, that I wouldn’t be wearing again, because of the slit in the back seam from vaulting over the desk.

“I have the prince, too,” I said meekly.

I knew it was wrong to involve any child in negotiations, but I needed this ORB to talk and work out some sort of deal, so Earth and Ortharos could somehow manage peaceful life between two worlds. And maybe I could find Jim and Sam, alive.

“That appeals to me. Take me to him immediately. I will destroy him.” Phoenix flared.

Unsure of my next move, I needed to buy time. “Sure, Lady Phoenix.”

“Phoenix is a myth, but I am flattered by your compliment. It was my saving hero as I learned to deal with my talents. You can’t imagine how tiresome it is for everyone to think you are an empty-headed beauty.” She stared at my rumpled, makeup-less form. “No, you have no idea what I am talking about.” She sighed and moved on. “Take me to the Cyclops prince. We are wasting time.”

I knew if I opened the door, there would be twenty agents, or more, lining the corridor to take her out. I couldn’t be a part of this senseless killing, and now was not the time to negotiate or plead my case. It would be suicide. A trap door leading to the outside world was hidden inside the chief’s office. If ISMAT was attacked, he could access a safe house from here. There was a tunnel system, and I just needed to find the secret passage.