Doorways to Everywhere (Tourist Trap Book 2)

Chapter 38

Max stepped back out of the doorway, forgetting that it was suspended several feet in the air. He fell to the floor with a loud thump, knocking the wind out of himself in the process.

The alien he had brought back with him seemed to have fared better as he walked around the room introducing himself to everyone. "Is good to meet you," Milosh said to Maurice. "Is called Milosh. Is from other universe. Is very excited for friend opportunity. Hugs for Milosh?" Milosh embraced Maurice in a big hug without waiting for a reply and then walked over to introduce himself to Bobby.

"Max, are you all right?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said as he picked himself up slowly and dusted himself off.

"Did you find the Warlord?"

"No, there was just some crappy little room with a bunch of weirdos sitting around, not doing much. It was pretty boring really. No wonder that guy wanted to come with me."

"Is very good to meet you," Milosh said as he walked up and hugged Sarah from behind.

"Nice to meet you, too?" Sarah said uncertainly as he gave her a warm squeeze and released her. He walked off to introduce himself to Lothar.

"Maybe I need to try another door," Max said. "Or maybe that door wasn't in the exact right spot? Damn, why does inter-universal travel have to be so complicated?"

"You are just walking through a door and traveling from one universe to another," Sarah said. "It kind of doesn't get much simpler than that."

"Yeah, but why doesn't it know exactly where I need to go and take me there?" Max said. "It's too bad those scientists weren't imprisoned a little longer. Maybe they could have figured out how to do that. You think maybe if I start cracking a whip at that Lothar guy, he might figure out how to make the door do what I want it to do?"

"You're a terrible person," Sarah said.

"Maybe so," Max said. "But you didn't answer my question."

"Hey, did anybody think to stay with that chihuahua we captured in the other room?" Maurice asked. "Because I just took a look out there and he's nowhere to be seen."

"I just sent one of my men to check on the two we left tied up outside and it looks like they've escaped, too," Michelangelo said.

"Sloppy work, people," Max said. "I'm highly disappointed in all of you."

"I guess we kind of got caught up in the rush of attacking the Warlord," Bobby said sheepishly.

"At least we still have that dirt bag Vance back at the lab," Max said. "Somebody stayed behind to make sure he didn't escape, right?"

Everyone exchanged blank looks.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Max said. "Really? What kind of janky operation are we running here anyway?"

"You could have spoken up about it at any point," Sarah said.

"That's not the job of leaders like me," Max said. "Those are the types of tasks I delegate to peons, like all of you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try going through another one of these doors. Partially because I don't want to look at your faces right now, but mostly because I've become strangely obsessed with that flask." He selected a blue door this time. Since holding it up in the air didn't work so well for him last time, he leaned it against a wall and stepped through.

"Is there anything else to do around here?" Bobby asked. "If you don't mind I'm a little anxious to get home and pop the question to my girlfriend. After losing that ring, I don't want to wait any longer than I have to."

"I don't think we'll find anything else useful here right now," Dr. Octavius said. "We'll keep an eye on this place, in case any of them decide to come back, but for now everyone can go home." He turned to Sarah as the crowd began to disperse. "Our amphibian friend has a point. We should probably go back and see if Vance is still in captivity."

"Is very nice to meet you," Milosh said as he walked up and hugged Dr. Octavius tightly.