"Look, I'll even sweeten the deal." Warren Paul threw a hand at Alekai. "I'll throw in the little pet monkey. He's actually worth quite a bit. I'll draw up necessary documents so you can take it onboard legally."
Alekai took a deep breath.
"The Gear is not here at LAX-SP."
"I know that, kiddo. I need for you to go pick it up. Gears don't respond to anyone but their pilots. Either you or the girl needs to go get it."
"Fine. I need a ride back to my house."
Warren Paul smiled. This time, it was actually a non-threatening smile.
He snapped a finger.
The five office workers who had been sitting in the corner doing their office work suddenly vaulted to Warren Paul's side, their pretense at doing paper work evaporated.
"General." They all bowed.
"Take the boy to his house so he can fly the Gear to LAX-SP."
"Yes, General."
They extended a polite hand, indicating for Alekai to follow them.
He exhaled and turned to go with the five office workers who had suddenly developed supra-human physiology.
"Oh, one more thing." Warren Paul tapped on Alekai's shoulder. "What's its name?"
"Pardon?"
"The monkey. What's the name so I can register it under your ownership?"
Alekai blinked. He was terrible at naming things. What would be a good match with Bessie?
"Fourier. His name is Fourier."
Warren Paul frowned. "How the hell do you spell that? Fourier as in differential equations mathematics?"
Alekai nodded.
Warren Paul shook his head with exasperation. "Alrighty then. Go get your Gear."
Alekai nodded and was about to leave with the office clerks when the double doors banged open.
BAAAM!!!
Everyone whipped their heads towards the sound.
"General!" Two officers called out as they hauled a girl who was kicking and screaming at them.
"Get your hands off me you lug nuts! I know my rights! You can't treat me like that! I'm a citizen of this country! I will sue your ass so hard you'll be dribbling shit out of your bung hole for ten years!"
"Tch. Tch. Tch. Language. Language, my dear." Warren clicked his tongue.
Jesse looked up at him with wild blue eyes filled with hatred. She had lost her beanie somewhere and her long blonde hair streamed out, jutting over her face like tendrils of fluttering gold.
"How dare you take my husband away without even telling him what his crimes are and why he was arrested??? I will sue you people into the ground!"
Alekai's heart nearly burst with pride. The girl was fearless!
And she came back for him...
"It's okay. I'm okay." He came to her and pulled her into his arms. Jesse buried her face into his body, breathing hard.
Warren Paul gave a slight gesture and the officers backed away.
"Aren't there supposed to be five of you at all times? Where is the other three?
"I am sorry, General. The girl," he looked over at Jesse with hesitant eyes. "She took down the other three."
"She what???" Warren Paul roared. "She's barely five feet tall. How did three big strong men get knocked out by her?"
"General, she is quite strong, and has serious fighting skills."
"Just—get out of my sight. Useless crabs." Warren Paul turned back to the officer workers.
"Take them to get their Gear. Hurry it up. The Anastasia can't leave until their Gear is onboard and they are safely deposited in their quarters."
"Yes, General."
-----------------------------
Once Alekai and Jesse were seated in the back of the military transport vehicle and on their way back to The Jungle, he quickly told Jesse what had happened between Warren Paul and himself.
Alekai gently knocked on Jesse's bright head.
"Next time, don't go running after me if there is a problem. It could have been very dangerous!"
"I'm not leaving my partner behind on a mission!" She whispered harshly.
Alekai sighed. He couldn't blame her. He would have gone after her as well if she'd been the one who was hauled off.
As soon as the military transport vehicle parked out in front of The Jungle, Tom came running out. When he saw Alekai and Jesse stepping out of the back, his face lost all expression.
"Hi Tom." Alekai smiled and raised a hand. "It's cool. They're just dropping us off. We forgot something in the back yard."
Tom blinked, his eyes darting quickly back and forth between the officers seated in the front seats and the two teenagers who were heading towards him.
The men raised a hand in salute and took off, leaving the three of them standing outside the gates of The Jungle.
"Something in the back yard?"
"Yeah. We need our Gear."
As Tom quickly followed the two into the back yard, Alekai detailed the situation in quick terse words.
By the time they had reached the clearing where the black Gear was stowed, Tom had grasped the gist of what had happened.
"Okay, that's it. I'm coming along with you kids. You need a back-up, and I can't just let you two take all the dangerous chances while I sit in a corner of the universe and sing lullabies to a frickin' egg, even if it's my own."
"What are you talking about, your own?"
Tom sighed. "Queen Midalia's first brood is ours."
Alekai raised an eyebrow. "Ours?"
Tom slapped Alekai's arm. "Not yours. Mine and hers. She was my lover. This egg came from our union."
"I don't get it. Wasn't that 19 years ago?"
"Twenty years actually. She's been keeping this one egg in stasis until she could get it to me. It's my child, and it's almost ready to hatch."
"But how are you going to come with us if your baby hatches?"
"Alekai, do you know where you spent the first year of your life?"
Alekai shook his head.
"You were coiled around my neck as I worked the tree farm. People thought you were my pet snake."
"But this egg is not a snake." Jesse scratched her head.
"No. It's an earth dragon. Baby dragons are very similar to snakes at birth. They aren't born with legs, so they often get mistaken for snakes. The only difference is that as they get older, dragonets turn into dragons like me. Snakelets, well they turn into Alekai."
Alekai rubbed his eyes. "We've been given an hour to get our Gear and return to LAX-SP. If you want to come with us, you have to clear up whatever is on your plate here within that timeframe."
Tom nodded. "Give me ten minutes to get my child and my few important belongings."