“They went for it, sir,” Samuelson said once they had reached the edge of town with no sign of pursuit. “Your guess that the androids would all take the most direct line to the explosion was correct. Because they all moved straight for it, we found ourselves outside of their line. Now where?”
“We find the Control Center and try to meet with the Mayor,” replied Dobbins.
After a couple of minutes, they found themselves in a bustling main square of the town. On one side stood the main market where the town’s farmers brought their produce. On two others stood various businesses, and on the fourth stood the town hall, an impressive structure, five stories tall, that looked like it was well over three hundred years old.
“Wow,” exclaimed Skylar. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that I was back on Earth in some small town.”
Dobbins smiled. “The effort that the designers of this ship went to in order to create the illusion of being on Earth is amazing. Look at sky, for instance. There are clouds, the sun is in the right place, and even the shade of blue changes depending on the position of the sun. The holography to pull that illusion off is impressive. Let’s pay a call on the mayor, shall we?”
Before the team could move a step closer to the town hall, however, a voice proclaimed loudly over unseen, tinny loudspeakers, “Attention citizens of Larson, be on the lookout for five Radioactives who have blasted their way into town. They are dressed in strange uniforms and should be considered armed and dangerous! Anyone who spots them should report their location to a nearby Enforcer.”
Just as the announcement finished, someone shouted, “Look, over there! It’s them! Enforcers! Enforcers!”
“Run!” Dobbins ordered as the sidewalk beneath his feet exploded from a blaster shot. An Enforcer had been nearby to answer the call.
The team quickly turned down a street that led away from the square and began to take a series of turns to try to shake off their pursuers. With every turn, however, they could still hear the footsteps of several Enforcers behind them, plodding along. They chase seemed to go on forever. Finally, as they rounded a corner into a narrow alley, they came face-to-face with a wall. The footsteps of the Enforcers drew nearer. The team was trapped.
“Now what?” Skylar asked in a whisper as they all ducked down behind trash cans at the end of the alley and turned to face its entrance.
Dobbins drew his blaster. “We fight,” he answered.
Suddenly, a door in the building on his right opened. A man with gray, disheveled hair stuck his out through the opening. “Quickly! In here,” he said in a loud whisper. When the team hesitated briefly, the man added, “If you want to escape the Enforcers, you need to come with me, now. I know that you’re from an Earth ship.”
That unexpected statement caught their attention and earned their trust. Quickly, they slipped through the door and into a dark, narrow hallway that had two staircases, one leading up and the other down. The old man motioned for them to take the downward staircase. As they did so, they could hear footsteps approach the door that they just came in.
At the bottom of the stairs, they turned out of sight of the doorway and listened as a strong knock echoed on the metal door. After a brief pause, the sound of the creaking sound of the door on its hinges filled the stairwell.
“Yes, Enforcer,” came the old man’s voice, “what is it?”
“We are searching for Radioactives, citizen,” replied the Enforcer. “We have reason to believe that they turned down this alley. Have you seen them?”
“I haven’t seen any Radioactives here at all, Enforcer,” the old man said feebily, “but if I do see any, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Are you sure?” asked the Enforcer (or was it another? Their voices all sounded alike). “I am sure that I saw them turn down this alley.”
“Well, your eyes must have fooled you, Enforcer,” replied the old man. “I’m afraid that other than a few of my employees, there isn’t anyone else in this shop besides myself, Leon the Watchmaker.”
“Very well,” replied an Enforcer. “But if you see anything suspicious, be sure to report it to an Enforcer at once.”
“Oh, I will, Enforcer, I will. Anything that has anything to do with Radioactives, don’t you worry.”
The Enforcers’ footsteps started to move away, and the door slowly creaked closed. Then, the team could hear the old man as he slowly worked his way down the stairs. Eventually, he came into view, taking the last couple of steps with care.
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