Lee Long walked over to the box. It was a plastic box. In the galaxy, plastic was considered the most common cheap and durable material. The boy lifted the lid and looked inside the box. At the bottom of the box against the wall was a sack. And that sack was moving.
The scoundrels had captured a prisoner!
Lee Long took out a knife and cut the rope to free the prisoner. A kitten's head quickly emerged from the sack. The boy had time to hide the knife and decided to make the best impression,
"Don't be afraid. I am nice. I will help you. We must hurry! Let's get out of this dangerous place."
Kitten didn't have time to answer. Lee didn't wait for an answer. He grabbed the baby and ran out of the dungeon. The situation was getting downright unpleasant. The dungeon was proving to be a dangerous place. It was his fault. Improper preparation for the adventure was his fault. Extreme tourism requires a special attitude toward equipment. Now he found himself in an unpleasant captive situation.
Slavery was not exactly commonplace in the Galaxy. Slavery was common in sectors of the Dark Syndicate. It was the practice throughout the galaxy to enter into a rigid long-term contract. A worker with a long-term contract was sometimes no different than a slave. The colonists rarely made such contracts. They were not slaves to the Ferin race!
Lee Long was able to rise quickly to the surface. The kitten was not heavy and small. One had to be a complete scoundrel to capture a child! The boy walked up the stairs and into the nearest establishment. He went straight to the bar,
"I want to call for a flyer. "
The bartender snorted and motioned the device toward the boy,
"Ten credits."
Leah quickly paid for the flyer call and walked out of the establishment. A machine flew up to them. The boy and the kitty boarded the flyer.
"Take us to the nearest upper level!"
"7 credits."
The nightly prices were robbery! But Lee didn't mind and paid for the flight.
They flew to the nearest branch and approached one of the lodges. It was an ordinary two-story house where ordinary people from the capital lived. Lee Long knocked on the door. He heard footsteps and the door opened. The boy nudged the kitten toward the adult cat.
"This kid got lost. I met him downstairs. Please. Take care of him."
He wouldn't listen to the answer. Cats were careful with children. The duelist still had his camouflage on his face. He reeked of death. His suit was stained with blood. He gave a repulsive impression. The bartender of the lower capital was accustomed to any visitors. The flyer driver did not pay close attention to the passengers. But now the boy stood close to the adult cat. He wasn't looking for trouble. He wasn't looking for a reward for his deed. He wanted to go home.
Lee Long turned and walked quickly around the corner of the house. With one dexterous movement, he pulled the hunter's suit down to his feet. Then he removed the suit and stashed it in his inventory. From the inventory he got two clean wipes and liquid to remove the camouflage paint from his face. Now it was time to take off the camouflage.
Not far away, a flyer pilot was waiting for customers. Lee Long walked over and paid to fly to the nearest teleporter. On the premises, he approached a clerk and presented the bag for inspection. The clerk checked the contents of the bag and activated the desired teleporter.
Twenty minutes later Lee opened the door of his home. He made his way into the small living room. Nick was sitting by the screen watching a TV series about the adventures of the Alliance space paratroopers. He laughed when he saw the boy,
"Satiated with your new experiences? Show me the presents. Did you remember to buy a souvenir for Maria?"
"I bought a couple of funny things. Here you go. It's a weird drink from the bar on the lower level. It's not very toxic. For Maria, I bought a dainty scarf. For the whole family, I bought a set of special culinary spices. We have a special dinner tomorrow."
Lee sat down on the couch next to the sergeant and continued the story,
"I did something stupid. I acted like a rookie. A complete idiot. I wanted to get in the dungeon. You know, it wasn't hard. But there I met four bandits. They were all weak and already on some kind of drug. Maybe they were drunk. None of that mattered. I was careful! They were talking loudly. I knew right away that they were inadequate non-competitors. I beat them easily. But one rat had a gun! The bastard almost killed me! That completely cooled my head."
The sergeant shook his head. He didn't like the story.
"You can't go into dungeons alone. A dungeon requires a partner. A dungeon requires a team. You have done a very stupid thing. Did the rat miss?"
"Of course, he missed! That laddie was too drunk. Look at the gun I got as a trophy."
The sergeant looked at the weapon and snorted,
"Squeaky. Cheap. But a bullet to the head is fatal to a careless goon."
"That's for sure. I'm a careless goon."
"Why are you escalating? You have the Stormtrooper Training Room and the Student Arena for practice."
"I've killed four bastards. It's good practice."
The sergeant fell silent. He answered after a minute,
"You got into killing early. Don't lose your head. Are you sure you can do without a psychiatrist? I have contact with an experienced headshrinker."
"Thanks, Nick. I heard you. I've got this experience under control."
"Go and get some rest. And don't tell Maria about the gun. Do you want 12 credits for it?"
"Why do you want that toy? I wanted to sell it to a gun store."
"Don't waste your time on anything. I'll make the transfer to your account. You can keep that cheap thing for me."
Lee threw the gun on the couch and went to his room.
***
In the capital city of Ferin, at the home of Officer Rukk Mee's family, the whole evening went disgustingly. Little Morr Mee did not return from school! At first, his relatives were not worried. The kitten might not have come to dinner and played with his friends. But when evening came, there was a commotion in the house. Rukk Mee and his wife began looking for the baby. They made quick calls to the families of their acquaintances. Very soon they learned the terrible news. None of the children or adults had seen the baby! He was missing! He was last seen at school. An officer made a report to the police. Rukk Mee was an officer in the Special Police Squad. This unpleasantness was beginning to cause great excitement. Kidnapping a child is a particularly dangerous crime.
The new communicator call struck a nerve with the officer. He quickly activated the link,
"Rukk Mee is on the line."
"Mr. Mee. This is Ren Gorr. Your son has been brought to us. I can fly the baby to your home now. I've contacted you so you don't have to worry. Little Morr is fine. Would you like to talk to the kitten?"
The officer's response was swift,
"Give me your address. I want to pick up my son."
"No problem. Ren Gorr house number 4. We're waiting for you."
The officer quickly reassured his wife and made a call to work. Then he ran out of the house and hurried to get his son.
All the commotion took a little time. The officer met a decent family. He apologized for the inconvenience. Kidnapping a child is serious. Ren Gorr agreed to testify before the Special Division. He wanted to give details right away. Rukk Mee apologized and asked to visit Policing. The description of the stranger who delivered the child is important information.
The father and son returned home. The officer handed the son into the hands of his wife. The kitten was not feeling well. He had had too many unpleasant experiences. Officer Rukk Mee realized he had a new difficult case. He shook his head. No one liked cases involving the lower town. No one wanted to mess with the dungeons. Rukk sat down on the couch with a cup of toxic milk. He made the first call,
"Hi, I need help. There's a dungeon I need to visit tomorrow. Are you in?"
"I'm dying of boredom! Tell me the time and place to meet. You'll call our Badass?"
"I will. She has the best sense of smell. Expect exact information for the rendezvous. The kid needs to calm down. I didn't bother him with questions now."
The officer was unaware that he was part of a long and complicated investigation.
The mysterious and strange stranger of Shrimp's race had managed to do a lot of strange things in one day.