The rider yells at Dreamfinder, Figment and Rachel to jump onto the motorcycle. They would have to be very quick about or they will all get shot by the robotic police. The guns are aimed at the four victims, loading them to light up and shoot like a laser light show. That definitely means trouble! The three travelers jumped onto the motorcycle with Rachel sitting behind the rider and clutching his waist tightly, while Dreamfinder and Figment are sitting in the sidecar. The rider twisted the throttle, making the engine purr and warm up. In a flash, as well as leaving street marks on the asphalt, the motorcycle zooms right through the police force's circle bashing the stricken into crushed bits of metal and glowing lit eyes and buttons. The rest of the police force made ready to go after their suspects. Half of them transformed into fast driving machines with built-in weaponry while the other half chose to jump into their police cars in the more traditional motive.
The chase was on! The rider of the motorcycle speeds through the city passing by every car of many kinds that came as well as the pedestrians who watched the scene take action. Overwhelmed by the incoming pressure of the wind blasting into their faces Dreamfinder, Figment and Rachel did their best to keep their eyes open in case they see any ideal alternatives to escaping their newfound enemies. They can all feel the wind, the leaves, and the loose newspapers flying at them. But all of that seemed harmless compared to what was shooting at them from behind. The police force is advancing towards our heroes with their incredible speed. They are blasting at them with their laser guns and guided missiles that spewed out of their cylinder-like cannons built onto the sides of their cars. Every bullet and missile that came at the heroes the rider would incredibly dodge them all with jerky sharp turns and insane tactics.
In front of them came a bridge. On the other side of that bridge was another party of police robots waiting for an order to take down the rider and its occupants. Armed and ready to strike, they kneeled down with their weapons pointed directly at the upcoming rider. With the police in the front and backsides of the chase, the rider is trapped along with Dreamfinder, Rachel and Figment ready to share the rider's supposed fate. It's up to quick wits to come in and save the day!
Below the bridge is another road with ongoing traffic moving swiftly toward east of the direction the motorcycle is heading. Down there is an empty unfenced lumber truck passing underneath the bridge. With careful precision of timing and accuracy, the rider makes a sharp turn in the middle of the bridge. At the push of a button on the right bar end of his motorcycle, its own attached ramp pops out both the outer sides of the motorbike and the sidecar and inserts itself in front them rider and the heroes at the edge of the bridge. As the rider makes it move to ride off the ramp for a jump, the robotic police forces from both sides started firing at them in attempts to get at least one bullet into one of the four friends' bodies before they escape. The rider, however, still managed to dodge all those bullets and headed straight towards the ramp. With everyone bracing themselves for what is about to come at them the rider makes his motorcycle jump from the ramp and off the bridge!
"Aaaaagh!" Dreamfinder and Figment screamed.
"Wahoo!" Rachel cheered. This is the kind of thrill she had never experienced before in her life.
The motorcycle soared off of the bridge like a bird with widespread wings. The empty lumber truck soon turned into an occupied vessel made ready for the motorcycle's landing. The tires bounced as it harshly touches the surface of the truck's plank. Thankfully, the motorbike and the sidecar stayed safely on board being safely carried away from the robotic police force, whom had just lost the chase after its No. 1 suspects.
***********************************************************
As soon as they were far away enough from the police in the northwestern side of Iyra City, the rider carries Dreamfinder, Figment and Rachel off the lumber truck in his motorcycle. He makes sure they blend into the traffic flow and crowds of people so that the police or any type of authority would not spot them. So far, everything seems well. Along the way, the Dreamfinder, Figment and Rachel took the advantage of sightseeing the city as they rode on. The skyscrapers grew tall and bright with the sun shining onto them. Yet that sunshine also casts its shadows down the lower half of the buildings and onto the streets where everything seems to be getting darker and darker by the mile. They ride towards a dark secluded area where the rider then stops his vehicle unexpectedly.
"Get off." said the rider.
They did as they were told. Dreamfinder, who is still shaking from the excitement of the chase, holds onto Figment in his arms as he watches Rachel jumping off the motorbike from the back. A quietness stilled the air between the three friends and the bike rider. The rider didn't even bother turning his head toward the people he had saved; he just continued looking forward. The trio just stared at him. They found it very awkward to be standing there without having to speak anything at all. Finally, Dreamfinder broke the silence.
"Are...are you Alex Wavers?" Dreamfinder asked.
Still, the rider said nothing. He only stared up ahead of the street as if strategizing which direction he would now take once he leaves. But that concentration is interrupted again by Dreamfinder's words.
"Well, I just want to thank you for saving my friends and myself." Dreamfinder continued. "That was very brave of you."
"...Are you two married? You and the girl?" the rider asked.
Where did that come from, they all thought. What business is there having to do with a familiarity whether or not it was legit or whether it fell into that category or not? Dreamfinder looked at Rachel with a dumbfounded look only to receive an unsure expression and a shrug from her. He turned back to the rider and continued on.
"Uh, no!" Dreamfinder said. "Rachel and I are not a married couple. We have only just met some days ago."
"Are you smart?" the rider asked. "Like 'brilliant' smart?"
"I suppose I can say I am. I used to be a professor at the Acade-"
"Then you're not safe here. You'd better get out of town while you still can or else Crizwalke and his goons like Mr. Hamm catches you."
The rider turns his throttle again showing that he's about to leave them behind. Dreamfinder, being the Englishman he is, began to take a little offense from the rider's attitude. First the rider asks if he and Rachel are married and then he tells them to get out of the city. Dreamfinder lets go of his flying companion Figment, takes off one of his gloves, and takes a stand against the motorcycle. He means business!
"Now wait a second!" Dreamfinder started yelling, "You can't just ask us a personal question like that and just leave us without explaining why. It's un-gentlemanlike!"
"Who asked you to butt in on my attitude?" the rider remarked.
"I do! My friends, Rachel and Figment, and I, Dreamfinder are here to-"
"Dreamfinder?" the rider scoffed, "Where'd you get that name? Did your mom give you that name just cause she hates you?"
"HEY! You ought to watch your mouth when you talk to people, young man...cat...person!"
"Katkin. I'm a Katkin."
A Katkin is a kind of cat relation with anthropomorphic instincts. As human as they can be, some physical features are cat-like. This Katkin's fur is yellow tabby colored, the hair on his head and the end of his tail are brown, and a tiny scar at the corner of one his green eyes. He's wearing a red shirt, blue shorts and green and white sneakers. His height is up to 5"6 and is fourteen years old.
"Fine. A Katkin. I'll have you know that I had another name of origin before I was named 'Dreamfinder' and my mother never gave even a hint of hatred toward my family or me!"
"That's right!" Figment exclaimed, "I was there through the whole thing! And what you're doing is making false judgments against my friend for the wrong reasons"
"Pssh, whatever. I don't have time for this." The rider started his motorbike.
But just as the engine of the motorbike started purring, Dreamfinder slams his foot against the front tire and holds out his hand. On his hand there is writing. Why is he showing the bike rider the writing in his hand?
"Jessica Wavers! Dreamfinder exclaimed.
"What?" the rider said, as he turned off the engine with disbelief.
"Jessica Wavers! That's the password to your hideout, isn't it?"
"Idiot! It was the password until you just BLURTED IT OUT IN PUBLIC! Now I have to come up with a new password so people won't find me again."
"Smooth, Dreamfinder." Rachel said in a cool voice. "Real smooth."
"Sorry." Dreamfinder apologized, "But now that I have just told you the password, you have to take us to your hideout! Not only because the police may have studied our faces pretty well by now, but also because we need your help even more."
"I already helped you just now: saving your lives from getting laser shot!" said the rider. "And I don't have to take in anybody whether or not you get the password right? How did you even find out the password anyway?"
"We were sent by Howard Fitz from outside of town to look for you." said Figment. "He figured you could help us three repair our flying Dream Machine so we could continue on with our adventure."
"Howard, huh? Dammit! Hmm...Howard is a good friend of me and my brother. I guess if he sees you three as good friends of his, then I suppose I'll have to live with having you three as friends, too."
"Then you'll help us?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah, I guess. Get in the bike. All of you!"
"Awesome!" Figment exclaimed happily.
"Then I guess your name really is..." Rachel paused.
"Yep. My name is Alex Wavers." said Alex. "I live here in Iyra City with my older brother, Ron. I'm sure Howard must have told you that already. Now let's get back to my place before the cops finds us again."
"Agreed." said Dreamfinder. "And perhaps keep our heads down for a while."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Of all the things Crizwalke won't pay for are potholes on the street. Because of that, the roads are too bumpy to speed up on."
"Don't you have helmets?" Rachel asked.
"Five hundred bucks per person." Alex specified.
"Oooooo-." Rachel, Figment and Dreamfinder groaned.
"Is there anything cheaper in this city?" Figment asked.
"The cheapest thing to buy in this city is a piece of chewing gum." Alex said. "And those cost $2 a piece. Don't smash the food while you two are down there." He was referring to Dreamfinder and Figment as they sat back in the sidecar. The food Alex stole from Hammy's Burgers sat at Dreamfinder's feet. He [Dreamfinder] made sure not to step on them as he got in.
As Alex started the motorcycle again and drove off, Rachel confirmed, "Okay, this Crizwalke guy is the worst person to trust with finances EVER!"
"Nobody trusts this guy for anything! He only became the new governor of Iyra City because he was the vice governor before our last governor's assassination."
"That probably explains it then." Figment assumed.
"That and the fact that Crizwalke and the last governor were brothers!"
"Yikes! Even worse!"
"Why is he doing this?" Dreamfinder asked Alex.
"He's full of greed, Walker Crizwalke is." said Alex as he and his new friends rode along through the more unpopulated parts of the city. "He wants everything done his way alone and to do that he needs the money. Before our last governor died, he tried to make a deal with one of the foreign countries, Sicilon, about buying a piece of land to set up a new manufacturing factory and affiliating with some of the foreign companies there. Even though the governor and the president of Sicilon were very close friends, the president refused. Crizwalke wanted so bad for his brother to build the factory there because Sicilon is the best spot for natural resources needed to mold different metals and such for our military and advanced technology for our city. When he found out that the deal was disapproved, Crizwalke insisted that the governor should take those resources by force. The last governor, Governor Ted Crizwalke, however was against his brother's advice. He respected Silicon and all the other countries boundaries and was willing to find other solutions for his projects. But his big plans to improve the city never got the chance to start its construction. When Ted was assassinated one day, Walker Crizwalke took his place and pressed on to wage war against the other foreign countries for their resources. The problem for him is that no one in Iyra City, or anyone in Iyrilia for that matter, wanted to take part in that war. We all felt we were perfectly fine the way our city was being run when Ted Crizwalke was still alive. Everyone in the city including some political officials tried to persuade Walker to not wage that war and think thoroughly on what is really best for Iyrilia, but he wouldn't listen to them. He threatened to close down a few of the city's colleges, businesses, and take away their jobs if no one would do what he would tell them to do. Riots broke out, hundreds of people's lives have been wasted both intentionally and pointlessly, jobs in the police force, firefighters, and some army men in the military were taken away and replaced by obedient robots, our resources and advanced technology are being used in a terrible way, and to top it off, our economy is going downhill. Everyone's money is being taken away for his own personal gain, pushing us all into the brink of poverty. And if anyone got in the way of all that with every great intention you have, you're better off dead than alive."
"Dude." said Rachel, "That's brutal! Makes me wonder if people aren't being born with brains anymore. People like Crizwalke, I mean."
"That's another thing I forgot to mention." Alex turned to Dreamfinder and continued, "You said you were a professor at wherever you went to school, right?"
"At the Academy Scientifica-Lucidus, yes." Dreamfinder replied. "Why?"
"Crizwalke is not the brightest guy when it comes to technical stuff like mechanics or engineering or anything like that. Even to this day Crizwalke needs highly intelligent men, all scholars alike, to help him build his robot army and enforce the people in Iyra City and all of Iyrilia to do his bidding or else terrible things will happen them. Like the waste of people's lives and the money being taken away I just mentioned. Just by showing up to this oversized town, you've just put yourself in a dangerous position. If Crizwalke catches you and finds out how smart you are, he may just keep you here forever and make you work for him."
"It's been nice knowing you, Dreamer." Rachel joked.
"No one is going to catch him, Rachel!" Figment assured. "I'll make sure of that."
"That is another thing to consider." Dreamfinder pointed out. "I've started the process of using my imagination to create Figment and then opened my first portal into the realms of imagination. If Crizwalke does catch me and knows the secret of my success as the Dreamfinder, he might use my knowledge for his own terrible use."
"What?" Alex said in confusion. "Wait a minute. Realms of imagination? You're even more cuckoo that you look!"
"It's true! Yes, it may sound far beyond fantastic, but it really is what Figment, Rachel and I do with our lives."
"He's right!" said Figment. "Dragons technically don't exist in real life back on Earth where and when we come from. Dreamfinder created me with his own imagination and then brought me to life with his inventions!"
"I just started hanging out with these guys not too long ago, so I don't know as much as they do." said Rachel.
"Invention." Alex began and then raised his voice saying, "You mean you're an inventor?"
"Yes, I am." Dreamfinder admitted.
"You invent things?" Rachel said with surprise. "I didn't know that."
"Yes, Rachel. It's my profession!"
"Me too!" Alex exclaimed. "I make inventions to help the people in need throughout the city."
"That's incredible! Then perhaps you really can help us fix our Dream Machine."
"What's a 'Dream Machine' anyway?"
"It's a flying machine." Rachel replied. "A steampunk-like blimp really."
"Steampunk?" Dreamfinder said confusingly.
"For the likes of what your airship looks like, it's what everybody at home would consider your Dream Machine to be. It's a really the name of a fashion trend."
"Oh good. I was afraid it was supposed to sound like an insult." He chuckled.
"If I was saying something insulting about the Dream Machine, I wouldn't have gone with you and Figment in the first place."
"Fair enough."
"There! We're here now." Alex announced.
"Oh my!" Figment exclaimed.
"Ditto!" said Rachel.
As the conversation came to a close, Alex had driven his news friends on his motorcycle and sidecar into an alley. It looked foreboding and dangerous for a man, woman or child to enter in all alone. The atmosphere outside was all lit up compared to the alley. While the sun has shone itself throughout most of the city, a shadow covered by the two buildings standing beside each other had enveloped the alley. Rats crawled by the corners of the buildings trying to hide from getting stepped on. Flies have gathered over the dozen trashcans rotting and buzzing all over the trash inside that looked like they have not been taken to the city dump for almost twenty years! The ground was oozing with dirt and puddles of sludge. And finally, the air was foul and putrid. No living man would stand to live in this alley even if he were paid an entire city's treasury's worth! The three friends saw this scene with disgust. They each coughed and clenched their noses wondering why Alex had brought them to this awful place.
"Good grief!" Dreamfinder cried. "Why'd you bring us here?"
"Through this alley is where my brother Ron and I live." Alex replied as he turned off the motorcycle inside the alley and took out the stolen food. "Not the most glamorous, but it's one of the few spots where Crizwalke and his men can't find us."
"You live here?" Figment exclaimed.
"How can you two possibly stand this?" Rachel asked.
"Most of the time, we don't." Alex said. "But that's life for us. It's always been that way since our parents died."
"Howard told us a little about your parents." Dreamfinder remembered. "I, for one, must share my condolences for you and your brother's losses."
"Thanks. It's appreciated, but it won't bring them back. Now let's get inside the hideout before someone else discovers us going in."
"Through that stinkin' corridor?" Rachel groaned. "I hate to be rude, but isn't there another way inside?"
"Nope. This is the only way." said Alex. "Better hold your breath."
With the food in hand, Alex goes on first. Behind him, his three new friends reluctantly follow him. Out of everyone in the group, Figment happens to be luckiest. Why? Since he can fly, he doesn't have to squish his own feet on the sludgy ground Dreamfinder, Rachel and Alex have no choice but to step on and ruin their good shoes. Looking back behind them the light of the world had grown smaller and smaller, leaving it like an over lit brick being baked under the sun. In front of them was pitch black, almost invisible to the naked eye. The only thing that seemed to make a visual of in the area was the stench. You can literally see the stench rise from the trashcans as if smelling was not bad enough. One or two of the group felt the need to tear up in their eyes and throw up.
Up ahead of them a small red and purple light glowed. A door appeared on front of them with the light illuminating behind it. It must be the door that lead's into Alex and Ron's shelter home. With Dreamfinder, Figment and Rachel right behind him desperately wanting to breath any source of fresh air, Alex has Figment hold the stolen food and then knocks on the door. A small window opens at the upper half of the door where two cat-like eyes stared out to greet its guest, if they could be called that.
"Whose there?" the voice from behind the door said.
"You know it's me, Ron." said Alex.
"Oh Alex, it's you!" Ron replied happily, "I'm glad you're safe. I was afraid the police might have finally caught you."
Ron is a Katkin just like Alex only he is about three feet taller. He wears glasses and a sweater vest. Compared to Alex, Ron has a more careful mind. Especially when it comes to pursuing in building new creations and taking care of his younger brother.
"You sound as if you're planning on having them catch me. I'm fine, Ron. Really."
"Who are those three? Did they recite the password?"
"The tall bearded guy did...out loud in public."
"New password?" Ron guessed with a sigh.
"New password." Alex confirmed.
"Alright, come on in, all of you. And quickly! I don't want the stench reeking the place as much as I don't want any officials invading our home."
"Is the air better in there?" Rachel asked.
"It's 80% much better in here than out there." Ron replied.
"LET ME IN!" Figment shouted as he pounded on the door.
Ron closes the tiny window and opens the door. Of course Figment flies inside first. He could not take the stench from the alley any longer. Rachel and Dreamfinder also run inside. When the door closed, they gasped for air. They could not imagine how anyone could live in such a dump. At least the inside was a lot less trashy-looking. There were a couple beds, a desk filled with metal parts and machines, five boxes of tools, a small refrigerator, lamps and red and black lights hung from the ceiling, and the furniture looks all used up and beaten. Everything inside the room is all crammed up together tightly. So far as Dreamfinder, Rachel and Figment are concerned, Alex and Ron Wavers are living in absolute poverty. There's no denying it. At least the air was a little cleaner in here.
"Got the grub, bro." Alex announced to Ron.
"Cool. Glad you made it back alright." said Ron.
"How do you live in this?" Dreamfinder asked with shock inside. "Under all this rubbish?"
"If you were standing in our shoes, you'd get used to it." said Alex. "Not the best looking spot or the safest as far as people are concerned, but that's life for' ya."
"How long have you two been living here?"
"Not long after Walker Crizwalke became the governor ten years ago." Ron answered. "Oh! I'm sorry. I'm Ron Wavers. I'm Alex's older brother."
"Glad to meet you!" Figment greeted as he flew up to Ron to shake his hand vigorously. "My name is Figment! And these are my friends, Dreamfinder and Rachel."
"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Dreamfinder smiled.
"Sup?" Rachel greeted also with a small wave. Though Rachel looked like she wasn't interested, she paid total attention to her surroundings and what was going on.
"Where do you three come from?" Ron asked them. "Daylin City? Down the river? Up the mountains?"
"None of them." Rachel replied. "We're new to this realm."
"We're explorers from a far-off land called Earth." Dreamfinder said. "We all travel throughout the universe discovering distant worlds with our imagination and some invention."
"Traveling through the universe...with imagination?" Ron stalled. He turned back to Alex and asked, "Do you believe this?"
"Hardly, but it sounds pretty cool." Alex admitted.
"Yes, it does sound a bit unbelievable in a sense," Dreamfinder agreed, "but it's definitely far beyond the truth 100%."
"Trust me, I still find it pretty hard to believe." said Rachel.
"How do we know if what you say is true?" Ron asked.
"How often do you see a dragon around here?" she asked, referring to Figment.
"There are no dragons here. We figured they were just myths."
"Well there you go."
"Alright then. Assuming this is all for real, what are you three doing here in Iyrilia?"
"We had an accident with our airship, the Dream Machine," Dreamfinder began, "and it is need of some repair. We spent the night at Howard Fitz's house last night where he recommended you, Alex, to help us fix it."
"The sooner, the better." Rachel said.
"Well, since you three made quite a scene back at Hammy's restaurant and bought me some time to grab some food on the go," Alex chimed in and continued, "It won't be long before Mr. Hamm informs Crizwalke about what happened and start a search party to catch you. Especially you, Mr. Dreamfinder considering how you can invent things."
"You invent?" Ron sparked, "What sort of invention have you made?"
"An Integrated Mesmonic Converter." Dreamfinder chuckled. "It started off as a giant machine with a helmet connected to it, but later on only the helmet was required. With it, I could tap into the energy of the human mind, or I suppose, any kind of being with an anthropomorphic mind for that matter, and convert it into dream power. It would charge up any kind of mechanism the same way as electricity, steam, or solar power would. While I was testing it to see if it was ready for a demonstration, I made my imaginary friend, Figment come to life. Instead of just turning brainpower into energy, it transfigured that energy from mind into matter. In other words, anything that would pop into my head I could make into reality. However, in an attempt to save my friends from a powerful force of fear and doubt, I had to destroy the helmet and unleash the dream power that was contained in it. With that Mesmonic Converter, Figment and I began our first adventure where I would later become the Dreamfinder. The helmet is no longer required for me to use now that I can imagine things to life for myself."
"Incredible!" Alex exclaimed. "What was it made of?"
"Gears, pistons, light bulbs with 40 watts that would last for about 3,000 hours each, some pretty old equipment that is probably outdated by now. Especially by the looks of how this city is built."
"No offense, Mr. Dreamfinder." Ron interceded. "But telling us your story about your Mesmonic Converter, as awesome as it sounds, makes it all the more reason why you and your friends to get out of Iyra City as quickly as possible. If Crizwalke gets a hold of you and learns what you're capable of, it'll be curtains for everyone in Iyrilia."
"Ouch." Rachel spoke.
"Look," Dreamfinder spoke firmly. "I feel like I can't just leave you two or anyone else in the city without providing a good service. Until the Dream Machine is fixed, we belong to this world now. If you can help us fix the Dream Machine, then my friends and I can help you any way we can to help make Iyra City, even at the very least, trail on the path to civil and economic recovery."
"That's very noble of you, Mr. Dreamfinder, sir." Ron said. "But-"
"Deal!" Alex said.
"Alex!"
"What? We could use all the help we need."
"Will you excuse us for a moment?" Ron asked his guests. He pulled Alex and huddled away with their backs aimed at Dreamfinder, Rachel and Figment. He contacted, "We can't let these people help us."
"Why not?" Alex asked, "We have a brilliant scientist on our side aside from me along with his friends. If what they say about who they are, what they are and what they do is for real, I think we should give it a shot."
"You know how I feel about this. These three are strangers to us, yet you'll risk their lives to get this city back in order?"
"Dad always said it's best to risks sometimes."
"Risks in your work and in business, maybe, but the lives of others?"
"I don't know if you've noticed, Ron, that everyone's lives in Iyrilia are still and have always been in risk for the past ten years! It's fate that brought Dreamfinder and his friends to our world to help save our home and our culture. We are going to save our city, Ron, but we need their help. You know we can do it."
"I know we can, but-" Ron didn't finish.
"Then trust me." Alex ordered.
Ron looked into his younger brother's eyes. The look in the young Katkin's eyes was both innocent yet sincere. Alex is right about one thing: the city does need help. Normally, Alex is right about a lot of things. Despite Ron's warnings, he's learned to put up with Alex's endeavors over the years. In hopes of not letting getting their new friends in so much danger, he hopes this particular endeavor won't be an exception.
Reassuring that Alex was serious about his idea, he sighed and said, "Alright, fine. I'll go along with it. But I won't like it until we are safely through this."
"Great!" Alex smiled. He turned to Dreamfinder and company and said, "Alright, we'll do it!"
"Splendid" said Dreamfinder with delight.
"Yippee!" Figment cheered. "Let's save the city!"
"I'm all in for it." Rachel smiled as she held her hands behind her head.
"Good." Alex said. "You'll have to be totally in this operation if we want to get this maneuver right. Here's what we're going to do..."
YOU ARE READING
One Little Spark: Part 1
FanficEver wondered what it would be like to ride the Dream-catching Machine with Dreamfinder and his purple friend, Figment through the realms of imagination? Where would they take you? What secrets would these realms uphold? In hopes of regaining her im...
