After much deliberation, they finally decided. Asterix, Professor Drayton, and Officer Miles were going to follow the trail to find the burglar while Officer Kim was going to head back to the station.
"I have a vehicle we could use", the professor spoke, gesturing to his car.
"Um, one problem", Asterix pointed out when Professor Drayton and Officer Miles began to walk outside. "I'm still a floating hot air balloon", she began to pretend to be swimming in their direction. Surprisingly enough, she was moving in the air. It was as though the air was water of some sort and she was a swimmer. "On a second thought, I think I know how to do this!"
While Officer Miles and Professor Drayton drove in the direction of the floating people, Asterix flew in the air, pretending to be swimming. The air around her felt like water waves that she used to propel herself forward. The breeze left her hair tousled and her eyes dried. She blinked multiple times.
After a while, the trail of floating people ended. Asterix stopped in front of a house; the professor and the officer were behind her. The house's walls appeared as though they were really supposed to be light brown but instead they were black, covered in soot. The air around it smelt burnt causing Asterix to scrunch up her nose. From above in the air, Asterix could hear some shouting from the inside of the house. There were several voices arguing.
From the corner of her eye, Asterix saw a black truck. Why does it look familiar? At once, she recognised it as the truck that the burglars had used to carry the Air Purifier.
"This has to be the house!"
Professor Drayton and Officer Miles reached the house at that moment. They also noticed the strange house and the noise that came from it. They began to talk but Asterix could not hear what they were saying so she 'swam' toward them.
"...want to know what happened to our machine", Professor Drayton was saying as Asterix floated toward them. She could not stand properly so she just floated slightly above the ground.
"But it's not safe", Officer Miles insisted. "I'm a police officer; it's my job to ensure the safety of civilians. I can't let you both go into that house. It seems dangerous", Officer Miles's lips wore a frown as she held Professor Drayton's gaze.
But the professor was unrelenting. "And I'm a scientist; it's my job to be curious. Also, our work was stolen and I can't choose to do nothing about it."
Asterix smiled politely. "Officer Miles, I second Professor Drayton. You're right, it might be dangerous. And I think that's the main reason why you should let us go in too. We may be civilians but we're still your only allies in this...sort of", her voice was slightly less high-pitched than it had been previously.
Officer Miles exhaled in defeat. "Fine, let's go in. But if anything happens, I'm putting your safeties first."
YOU ARE READING
A Breath Too Clean
Science FictionProfessor Drayton and his assistant, Asterix May, were building a machine that could purify air. After twenty-two tries, their work was finally a success. But they did not realise that it was too good to be true until the machine was stolen. But tha...
