Page 35 of Accidentally Abducted
We cautiously stepped into the garage, seeing a man working at the counter. He was tinkering with what seemed to be an antique digital clock. He didn't look up.
"Excuse me, sir?" I whispered.
No response.
"Excuse me?" I said a little louder.
"I heard you, doll, just give me a minute," The man said. He had a long mustache that was covered in grease. He put down the clock and twirled one end of his mustache around his blackened fingers.
The man's eyes went wide as he looked up. "I had a feeling I'd see you here," He said.
"What do you mean?" Zeysor asked.
The man nodded towards an old television with a cracked screen. The same report that was being cast across the planet was on. It had Zeysor's photo and a shot of the crash scene.
"Looking to get out of the Terruxian grip, are you?" The old man asked, still twirling one side of his mustache.
"You could say that," Zeysor replied, shooting a glance at me. "We were told to come here for moon plates."
"Quick learner, I see." The man chuckled. "Or maybe my secret isn't as well-kept as I thought." He groaned as he stood up and waved us over.
"Come with me, kids," He said. "I got what you need in the back."
My heart was pounding. How did we know this wasn't a trap? We just had to hope it wasn't.
We followed the old man behind the counter and through a curtain to the back room. The room was nothing like the rest of the place. Gone were the dirty, rusty mechanical remnants; they'd been replaced with gleaming metal and chrome walls and counters. It looked state-of-the-art, nothing like the rest of the garage.
I had to hold in a gasp.
Zeysor didn't mask his surprise.
"Impressive, huh?" the old man said. "You Terruxians aren't the only one with good tech, you know. Those of us who were born and raised on Mars, we're a smart bunch." He began rummaging through the shelves, looking for something specific.
"You need something to disguise yourself? Don't want to walk around big and blue like that." He chuckled to himself.
I looked around in amazement. The junk shop was just a front for illegal tech. Now that was cool.
"What's that grin for?" Zeysor asked me.
"I used to think that being a body double was the coolest thing ever. Now I see how boring my life used to be," I admitted.
"So, is that a thank you for kidnapping you?" Zeysor asked with a playful nudge.
"Maybe," I said, unable to stop myself from smiling.
The old man came back with a small box. "This is some of the best cloaking technology I have at the moment. You should pass through scanners and under cameras, no problem." He opened the box to reveal a small, unassuming pendant necklace.
"Why is it always jewelry?" Zeysor sighed under his breath.
"It's coded to fifty four different species that can change at the sound of your command," The old man continued.
"Amazing," I hummed.
"Now, the price," The man said.
I winced, glancing at Zeysor.
"That's not going to be a problem, is it?" The man asked, shutting the box.
