Jack and the Beanstalk [SF YA]

CHAPTER EIGHT - The Man in the Moon - Part I

"Thank you for the use of your mind," he said as I awoke. He ripped off the headset, walked over to the wall, hit a switch and spoke softly. I could only make out a few words"got it... taken care of... sending someone... Right." Then he turned back to me.

"It's been nice chatting with you, Mr. Petrovich." He said the name with mockery. "You can just sit here. Someone will be by soon to take care of your needs." Before he closed the door behind him he spoke again, "Oh, welcome to the Moon."

After scanning the tiny gray room I stood and began exploring it more carefully. Nothing. No exit other than the front door. Unless I could float through an air circulation duct. I even tried the door. Locked. I sat, quietly trying to figure out what to do. I gave up quickly. There were no more options here than there had been on Earth.

Would I be tossed in jail or out an airlock? Neither option seemed very appealing. The official hadn't been very official. Was he what he appeared? I'd bet not, on the other hand I hoped he was part of the local legal system as I had no wish to taste space. After about ten minutes the door opened and a young man in a uniform strode in.

"Come with me." As I stood he clasped my wrist in a handcuff and then attached it to his own arm. He opened the door and we stepped out.

"Where are you taking me? I haven't done anything." The guards were gone. When had they left? Was I being led quietly to my death?

We headed for a door which he opened and we stepped through. He practically flew down the two flights of stairs, not touching anything but the landings. I stumbled down, trying to touch every stair while holding on to the rail with one hand and being pulled along by my other. He looked impatient, but not annoyed. When we reached the bottom, he hit the door to the lift. It opened and he pulled me firmly inside. Riding a lift in one-sixth gravity is extremely odd. When it starts and stops you feel like you're going to fly off and bump into the ceiling. About the time I had resigned myself to a stay in a Lunar jail and a free trip home, we arrived. The door opened, he flashed his badge at the guard and we left the building. As soon as we rounded the corner he pulled the handcuffs apart. They weren't even locked! He then began adjusting his uniform. He removed his badge, turned his jacket inside out, reversed the badge, placed it on the jacket, peeled the piping off his pants and placed it in his pocket.

"Now we can talk. Sorry about that stunt. I hope you didn't wet your pants." He grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "The big bad wolf sent me."

"What? But... What about...?" It was all too fast for me. "Who are you?"

"Watch out!"

I spun as a rickshaw with an impossibly large load bore down on us. My companion pushed me out of the way as the skinny old driver howled at me in some unknown language.

Blue answered in kind, then turned to me. "Everything will be fine, if we get out of here now." He glanced around nervously. "Come on. I'm Little Boy Blue. Blue, for short." He loped away, easily moving in the low gravity.

"I'm Jack-" I began, as I hurried to catch up. My locomotion lacked smoothness but speed I could manage.

"-the giant killer," he finished.

"What? Where are you taking me?"

"Don't worry about it. Mother will take care of everything when we get there."

"Whose Mother?"

"Nobody's Mother."

"What?"