My Friend is an Alien - Edlund Niklas - Страница 44

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"I read about places I'd like to visit." said Davy.

"Everyone ready?" asked Jahv. "All your discs have been programed. We should all appear in the same general area. Just press the green button. We're ready to go."

They did so, and eight boys faded from existence.

Keisner Park.

To be specific, one of the fortunately larger stalls in the men's room at the far end of Gateway Avenue, which led to the junction point for the other «Realms» of the park, as they were called.

"Jahv — when you said 'same general area', I kind of thought we'd have a little more breathing room." said Niklas.

"Just be glad no one else was in here." added Davy.

"And don't mention 'breathing', okay?" remarked Keith. "We're in a public bathroom, for cryin' out loud. Jahv, get your elbow out of my back."

"That's not my elbow." said Jahv.

"That's more than I needed to know."

"Hey, guys, as long as we're in here…" began Martin.

"Don't even think about it." snarled Arion. "I happen to be in the direct path of the commode."

"Can anyone reach the door?" urged Keyro.

"I think I'm closest." said Morik. "Odd locking mechanism, though. But I think I've got…

The door swumg open and eight boys tumbled to the floor in a heap.

"— it." finished Morik.

"Well, that was probably the most unique entrance in the history of the park." remarked Niklas.

"And I hope it stays that way." said Keith. "Assuming this is the right place. Shouldn't there be park logos on the toilet paper or something?"

Just then music blared from outside, and an announcement heralding the opening of the park for another day was broadcast.

"Curious." remarked Jahv, looking at the device. "There shouldn't've been any temporal displacement, but we seem to have lost a few hours if the park is just now opening."

"Just tell me we won't be late getting home, okay?" said Keith. "As long as we're here, even I'd like to try to have some fun."

"No, no problem there. If anything, we arrived earlier than we left."

"Great." said Niklas. "Let's get out of here. If the day's crowd is just getting into the park, we can blend right in with them."

Davy and Martin were the first ones out, and Davy's prediction was accurate. There was a crowd, but it didn't seem to be a very big one by any reasonable standards. Just a few thousand people. That would likely grow during the course of the day, but most park guests liked to spend as much of the day as possible at the park.

"Where to first?" asked Niklas.

"Looks like we're on the edge of Future Realm." remarked Davy. "Anyone for the Star Screamer ride?"

"I thought the lot of you had pretty well had it with space travel." said Jahv.

"It's a roller coaster." said Davy, as the group headed into Future Realm. "But it's indoors, and it just looks sort of like you're in space."

"Interesting architecture." commented Keyro as the group headed through Future Realm and over to the Star Screamer entrance. "Looks a bit like the outskirts of Igtex Village on Rominus V."

"Doesn't smell as bad, though." added Jahv.

The boys made their way through the entrance and down the corridors within Star Screamer to the main area where they would board the vehicle that would take them through the roller coaster. A huge spacecraft model hung from the ceiling in the boarding area. "Decent design." said Jahv. "Engine placement could be a little more efficient."

"Hey, Sparky, you want to stop analyzing everything?" said Keith. "Somebody's going to notice if you keep it up. Hey, Niklas, after this, let's haul 'em over to Western Realm. I doubt they'll be able to analyze that."

"Why don't you relax and try to enjoy the place?" urged Niklas. "No one's paying any attention to us."

The boys made their way to the front of the line, and a park employee asked them how many were in their group. "Eight of us." said Davy politely. They were seated in the first four rows of the next "space vehicle" to come through.

Star Screamer was a roller coaster in a dark, enclosed environment, with projected stars whipping around the darkened walls. It has many wild turns and several fairly sharp drops. A couple of times what looked like comets and meteors seemed to soar right past or in front of the wildly careening car. At the end of the ride, Niklas, Davy, and Keith were cheering wildly, Martin had a near death-grip on Morik, Arion's eyes were spinning, and Jahv and Keyro just looked mildly confused.

They exited, Martin somewhat unsteadily, the other Earth-born boys still elated. "That was a blast!" proclaimed Keith. "Okay, maybe this was a good idea!"

"Now I'm not so sure." said Martin.

"That was supposed to be a simulation of space flight?!" exclaimed Jahv.

"No, it was supposed to be a fun ride." replied Niklas.

"Oh, good." said Jahv. "Because if you people actually drive like that on the rare occasions when you do go into space, it's no darn wonder you've never gotten past your own moon."

"You okay, Arion?" asked Keyro.

"I think I will be." replied the young prince. "But generally when I whip around like that, it's under my own power. That was an — interesting sensation."

"I'd swear some of the imagery in there was the same sort of holographic projection used in the holocron, though." commented Jahv.

"Wouldn't that be kind of impossible?" asked Niklas.

"It should be." stated Jahv. "I'd have to analyze it more closely."

"You're not here to analyze. You're here to have fun." said Keith. "Western Realm?"

"The Runaway Wester-Trains!" emphasized Davy.

"That sounds like another roller coaster." groaned Martin

.

"Yeah, but I think on this one you'll be able to see where you're going, and there's more to look at." stated Davy. "Keep your mind off it."

Martin just sighed. The group exited Future Realm, crossed the central hub, and made their way into the frontier-like environs of Western Realm. There was a Shooting Gallery just to the right of the entrance which caught Arion's attention. "Hold a moment. I want to check this."

"A shooting arcade?" questioned Davy.

"Marksmanship in battle, even simulated, is an important skill." said Arion. He wandered over while the others waited.

Unfortunately, the arcade was something of a disappointment. The weapons were merely infra-red projectors, which Arion's greater range of eyesight could easily detect, and the targets were mere projections, although they seemed to be holographic, but they clearly didn't shoot back. "Care to try your luck, son?" asked a park employee in a Western outfit.

"No, thank you." said Arion. "It doesn't look to be much of a challenge."

"What do you want?" joked the park employee. "Live targets that shoot back?"

Arion brightened suddenly. "Is that an available option?"

The park employee looked stunned, but managed to stay in character. "Uh, no, afraid not. But — uh — this should be a fair test of your skills."

"Really…" yawned Arion. He looked at one of the primitive weapons and noticed that it would require money. He turned to the rest of the boys. "Do any of you have fifty cents?"

Davy wandered up along with Jahv. "Here." he said. "You going to try this?"

"No." said Arion. "I'm going to prove a point." He deposited the two quarters, picked up the simulated rifle, and picked off every last target in the shooting gallery in less time than it took to tell. The holographic images feigned almost comical deaths, and all that was left when Arion was finished was a heap of fallen projected corpses. Davy's jaw practically hit the floor alongside the park employee's. Arion set the rifle back down on the counter and said, in an almost painfully bored voice. "At least if they shot back, it might have been more worth my time."

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