CHAPTER 14 – TAKING THE BACK STREETS
Come on, Amy. Where are you?
Stanley was at the back of the leading pack, and so far, none of the other cars had made a move toward him. He figured that either they didn't see him as a threat, or they hadn't noticed him yet.
The engine thrummed as Stanley's car headed for the mouth of another strange roadway. The road ahead split into two, then went on to create a tunnel of X pathways. The cars ahead went upside down and back again, some of them meeting on the intersections and exploding in bursts of fire.
Stanley took the left road, his fingers slick on the wheel. He had a couple of close calls when a purple car with silver rims passed right in front of him, nearly hitting him on the X intersections, but the purple car was always a few seconds ahead, zipping past just before Stanley got there.
His jaw hurt with the pressure of his clenched teeth and sweat trickled down his temple. Forget winning. Just survive. If I can stay at the back of the pack, then maybe they'll be too busy with each other to deal with me.
A racer in front of him bashed straight into the flaming wreckage of another car, bulldozing it with ease. The smashed vehicle was shoved aside and landed directly in Stanley's path. He swerved and missed it by inches.
When he pulled out of the tunnel, one of the racers from the group behind him caught up with the winning pack and stayed on his tail. The car had a pointed tip, and it glimmered with a cherry-red coat. Whenever Stanley made so much as a twitch, the car behind him would follow, its pointed tip aimed at his bumper. He watched the car, ready to make a move.
The pointed car lunged for Stanley's bumper, but he jerked the wheel and dodged its needle nose. The other racer tried to stab his car more than once, and it took most of Stanley's concentration to dodge it. He was too slow to escape one of the lunges, and with a rattle that shook his frame, the racer hit the corner of his car.
"Hey!" Stanley glared at his side mirror. The black windows of the pointed car revealed nothing.
I gotta get away from this guy, but he's fast.
Stanley was suddenly struck with a memory of another dire situation—something that happened back on Earth. His relationship with law enforcement had always been tenuous at best. Right before he was banned from Colorado, he worked together with a man named Marty to steal from a jewelry store. They had accidentally robbed a clinic instead, and the only thing Stanley got away with was a thermometer. Even still, a car chase ensued when the police arrived. Stanley's red convertible was fast, but that didn't matter in the end. All it took was a well-aimed corner touch to the convertible's bumper, and Stanley had lost control of the car.
I don't need a power overload. All I need is to do is hit him where it counts.
Stanley slowed down and pulled behind the car. He then matched the back wheels of the pointed car with the front tip of his own. A light touch to the back corner of the other car was just enough to lift the rear wheel, making it spin out of control. Stanley dodged the racer and zoomed by.
"Ha! I can't believe that worked!" He slapped the dashboard and grinned. When he did so, a light that looked like a trident came on next to the speedometer. From the front of his car, the grappling hook shot out, hooking a silver car way out in front of him.
"Whoa!"
Stanley hit the brakes and turned, which pulled the car backwards. He tried a few buttons that were in the area of his slap to try to get it to disengage. He turned on the radio and made bubbles shoot out of the headlights before finding the right button. When the grappling hook retracted, his car straightened, ripping past the befuddled silver car that was still trying to get its bearings.
The radio blared something with a saxophone-heavy chorus. It was either chaotic music that was close to being just noise, or random noise that was on the verge of being music.
Stanley's mouth parted with surprise. He was now in the middle of the leading cars, with Maya's golden car right next to his.
Against all odds, Stanley was now in sixth place.
These cars were of a different breed. All of them, save for Stanley's car and a boxy car in second, were aerodynamic and precise racing instruments.
The car in the lead was black, shiny, and low to the ground. It payed little attention to the oversized, rectangular car in second, which was only keeping up because of the massive jet engines on its rear.
The road seemed to decrease in width and the cars became more closely packed. As space became harder to find, the pushier cars edged their way to the front.
Maya tried to get ahead, but an orange car and yellow car blocked her way. The orange car looked as though it had climbed out of an ocean, with scales and a fleshy exterior, while the yellow car had a see-through exterior, the inner workings of the car visible along with the driver—an alien that bore an uncanny resemblance to a jellybean.
Both cars slowed, getting on either side of her. Energy shields formed on their doors. They rammed Maya with the energy shields, taking turns pushing her back and forth. Maya's tires squealed as she flitted between them, unable to get away.
They're... messing with her.
His muscles quivered as he watched them push her around. Memories of Crampelter and the other jerks from school flashed through his mind.
A new voice crackled on Stanley's radio, competing with the brassy, bombastic tune. "Would you look at that. A second human in the Revlok Grand Prix." The voice sniggered. "I think it's time we taught you two Republic shisnos as lesson."
The two cars pulled ahead. A compartment above their bumpers opened up, and small, spiky devices leaked out, clinging to the track.
A shield of blue energy formed around the nose of Maya's car, and armored plates formed around her wheels. When Maya's shield touched the mines, they were knocked aside and thrown from the track. Each one exploded in the air with a loud boom.
Stanley kept to the path that Maya cleared, his arms tensed. He watched the tail of Maya's car and concentrated on keeping directly behind her. If her car so much as twitched, he was quick to adjust.
When they were clear of the mines, one of the aliens came back on Stanley's radio, this time sounding disgruntled.
"Eh, we were just going easy on you. Let's see what you make of—"
Before the alien could finish, Stanley came out from behind Maya and engaged his grappling hook. The alien broke off when the metal teeth clung to the tail fin of his car.
Stanley hit his brakes and turned his wheel, causing the orange car to go off course. Stanley disengaged the grappling hook, and the car spun, blocking Maya's path. Maya didn't slow; instead, she T-boned the other car with her energy shield. The orange car was shoved aside roughly, leaving a huge dent on its side.
Stanley's car and Maya's car came closer together on the thin track.
"Hey, thanks," Maya said on the radio.
"Eh, forget about it," Stanley said. "I hate bullies."
Maya's car catapulted something from its grill. The yellow car swerved and fell off the track, its magnetic wheels failing. The see-through car deployed a parachute, and the alien inside heaved a sigh of relief as it descended into the clouds.
Now in fourth place, Stanley was now hyper-aware of the distance between him and the car in first. There was a considerable gap—enough that he couldn't reach the black car with his grappling hook. If he tried to speed up, there was no doubt that the black car would leave him in the dust. He just couldn't match up with the expensive car.
Wait, what am I thinking? I'm just trying to survive. Winning... that's impossible.
And yet, he'd somehow gotten to fourth place. His fingers tapped the steering wheel and he licked his lips.
The silver car that Stanley passed earlier appeared in his rearview mirror, its chrome surface glinting in the sunlight. It came up on Stanley's rear and tried to pass him, but he moved in front of it. The car stopped just before it hit its bumper and pulled back, trying to get around him another way. Stanley kept in front of it with minute touches to the wheel and smirked. Maya acted likewise, blocking the track.
In response, the silver car charged the gun on its door and fired. The shot blew off Stanley's side mirror, leaving a glowing stub.
"Oh, so that's how you wanna play it, huh?" He hit a couple of switches that seemed to do nothing. "You're done pal... as soon as I find a way to overload the power thingy. Hold on a second." Stanley pressed a promising green button.
His vision was obscured by an eruption of glitter and confetti inside and outside the car. The sparkly dust covered his windshield and coated the race track around him. Maya pulled away. The half of her car closest to Stanley was covered in a rainbow mess.
A new song played on the radio, blaring so loud that it was a physical weight in Stanley's eardrums. The car rattled with the music, as though the vehicles old parts could barely contain it.
Stanley glanced up at his rearview mirror at the silver car. It was farther behind, its windshield obscured by glitter. Windshield wipers swiped the glitter away.
As he looked behind him, Stanley noticed a yellow trail coming from his car that looked suspiciously like nacho cheese. It mixed with the glitter, leaving a colorful, cheesy, sparkly wake behind him.
Stanley turned on his windshield wipers and knocked some of the sparkly dust away. Now that he could see, he noticed that his car seemed to move faster while in this new party mode. Maya had to speed up to keep with him, and the distance between his car and the two cars in the lead grew shorter.
He recognized the car in second place; it was the same boxy car that was owned by the pig alien that laughed at him.
The pig alien sped up when Stanley approached, its jet engines flaring. Meanwhile, the glossy black car in the lead didn't seem bothered by the racers on its tail; the driver had one focus, and that was winning.
Stanley approached the pig alien's car. He tried to hit the corner of his car, but the boxy car pulled forward before he could land a hit.
With a frustrated grimace, Stanley pressed the grappling hook button.
The grappling hook latched onto the pig's bumper, but when Stanley tried to pull back on the car, the pig slammed on his brakes, putting slack in the line. Stanley barely managed to dodge the pig as he passed. He retracted the grappling hook with a panicked slap of the button, and it returned just before the nose of his car could be yanked sideways.
The pig sped up, coming neck and neck with him. Even with his new speed, Stanley couldn't get ahead of him.
With zero warning, the pig alien slammed into Stanley's door. His wheels shuddered, and he hit his breaks to avoid a second impact.
"Are you all right?" Maya asked. Her car had hung behind him, watching the encounter.
"Ugh." Stanley bit his lip as he surveyed the damage the pig did to the driver's side. The metal was scratched and missing its coat of glitter, but still functional. "I'm okay. He only grazed me." He looked down at his dashboard, heat building within him. The buttons were complicated, but the thrusters were among them, somewhere. He pressed a few new buttons, then flipped an orange switch. He felt the steering wheel lock up, and a jolt of panic ran through him.
With a disorienting spin, Stanley's car rotated so that he was going backwards down the track. Stanley tried to flip the switch again, but the car stayed in its backwards position.
"What are you doing?!" Maya shouted. He was now facing the front of her car.
Oh shit.
He tried to move the steering wheel, but it wouldn't budge.
"Um... don't worry," Stanley said. "I, uh... I meant to do this."
Something bright caught the reflection in Stanley's rearview mirror. Clouds and haze cleared, revealing a portal at the end of the track. It was only the size of Stanley's thumb at the moment, but it was quickly approaching.
The pig alien's car extended a gun from its top and aimed it at Stanley.
Before it could shoot, Maya fired a plasma blast of her own, destroying one of the pig's tires in smoking mess. The pig alien screamed as its car veered to the side of the road. If Stanley hadn't been so dismayed about driving backwards, he would've enjoyed seeing the frustration on the pig's face as he passed.
Stanley turned his head and watched as he approached the black car. Maya stayed behind Stanley, waiting for the black car to act.
When they came on its tail, the black car finally took notice of them. It slowed and came beside Stanley. It didn't do anything at first; it was probably observing the odd situation and trying to figure out the advantage of driving backwards. After a moment, the black car extended a gun from its roof, aiming it directly at Stanley. Maya kept away, doing nothing as the black car threatened him.
"Hey, Maya, little help?"
There was no response from Maya. Either she didn't hear him, or she didn't care. After all, they technically weren't a team, and if he was gunned down now, she would be one step closer to victory.
Argh, what do I do? What do I do? One of these has gotta help.
He flipped another switch. A light on his dash turned off, signaling that his magnetic wheels had disengaged. Stanley only had a few seconds to be alarmed. The bottom of his car rumbled, and suddenly the track was far below him. Stanley screamed as his car soared through the air on its boosters. He flipped the switch again and his car fell from the sky.
The black car, not seeing the threat from above, was smashed by the underside of Stanley's car. Stanley smacked his head against his head rest and keeled forward from the shock of the landing. When he looked up, he saw that his car was still moving backwards, but he was tilted up to look at the cloudy sky. His car had landed on the front part of the black car, covering up his opponent's hood and windshield. Its shiny paint job was coated in glitter and nacho cheese.
Stanley's dashboard flickered, and the noise from the radio cut in and out. One of the front wheels had been torn from its wheel well, and the headlights kept turning on and off. In the midst of his confusion and terror, Stanley felt a pang of regret. His glittery, nacho cheese-squirting car was dying.
And I was just getting used to it.
The black car locked its brakes. Stanley shot from the car's hood, sparks flying as his car scraped the track. His car skidded, then started flipping. Each rotation sent a shock wave through him. Stanley squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as he waited for the harsh impacts to stop.
He anticipated another sickening hit against the track, but it never came. Light appeared behind his eyelids. Stanley opened his eyes and saw whiteness beyond his windshield. He was rotating in the zero gravity.
I'm in the portal, he realized with a start.
Then all at once, gravity returned. Stanley's car was shot out sideways from the portal. His door smacked the ground with a metallic whack. The car rolled. An odd foam sprang up from the dashboard and coated him, filling the passenger seat. It plastered Stanley in place. Only a part of his head was left free.
The car wobbled to a stop with the car upside down.
Stanley pulled himself free of the foam and felt around for the door handle. He found it, pulled it, then tumbled out of the battered door. He stumbled on the pavement and brushed the foam from his clothes.
After picking some foam from his ears, Stanley straightened when he heard a sound he didn't recognize—it was like someone getting slapped multiplied by a thousand. Looking up, Stanley noticed a vast crowd. The crowd was a crayon box of colors, and they sat in stands on both sides of the road, cheering and clapping. It took him a moment to realize that the applause was for him.
They're clapping... for me?
He didn't know what to think about that. The surge of positive energy, all of it directed at him, was overwhelming.
He turned to the portal he just came through. There was a stream of broken glass, yellow cheese, and iridescent sparkles that led to his broken husk of a car. The mess was streaked across a black and white checkered line—the finish line. Stanley was a good distance past it.
Above the crowds, there were gigantic screens; the image of him standing in the middle of the road, dazed, was being captured by some unknown camera. All focus was on him.
Y'know, it's funny... I don't think I've ever won anything. Ford's collection of glittering trophies on the wall were all he could remember. Not once could he name an instance where he came in first instead of Ford. Stanley looked at the ground and rubbed away the moisture that was collecting in his eyes. I can't believe it. I... I did it.
A floating metal sphere with a glowing band around its middle drifted down to Stanley from the crowd. It stayed head-level as it extended a mechanical arm and presented him with a bracelet. He took the bracelet from the droid and raised an eyebrow.
"Um, thanks?" He inspected the bracelet. It was simple and had the texture of stainless steel. On one side, there were lines cut into the metal. Stanley sniffed the bracelet, then tried biting it.
The black car popped out from the white circle of light and crossed the checkered finish line. As it passed Stanley, a small object was tossed out of the car's back compartment, landing on Stanley's totaled car and sticking to it. The object had a pulsing light that came quicker and quicker, as though it were counting down to something. Stanley realized what it was and ran.
As Stanley sprinted from the portal, his car exploded behind him. He was thrown forward by the blast and fell to the ground. The crowd cried out.
He pushed himself off the pavement and looked up. Ahead of him, the black car was sitting in the middle of the road. Stanley stood up and clenched his fists, staring down the black car.
The car's wheels spun, screeching. The nose of the vehicle pointed straight at Stanley as it picked up speed. He widened his eyes and leaped out of the way. His shoulder hit the pavement hard as he rolled.
He got to his feet again as the car turned around. Stanley held up his middle finger.
As the car lunged for him again, a few other racers materialized from the portal and crossed the finish line, their engines roaring. Stanley slipped the bracelet on his wrist and swallowed.
Maya's golden car was among the small group, and she broke away, heading straight for Stanley. Just as Stanley prepared to dodge out of the way, Maya turned her car and drifted to a stop just a few feet away from where he stood. The passenger door flew open.
"Get in," Maya said. Stanley dived into the car and slammed the door shut.
The car tires squealed, and they took off down the strip of road. Stanley glanced at Maya.
"You're a kid!"
She rolled her eyes. "I'm older than I look. Besides, my age doesn't affect my ability to race." Her profile was rounded, with full lips and a dark complexion, and her black hair was tied into an intricate braid. She kept her focus on the road, making calm and precise movements to avoid the other drivers coming from behind.
The black car sped ahead of them and blocked the only means of escape: a road that led into a tunnel. It revved its engine and drove toward them, making for a collision course. Maya tightened her hands on the wheel, her eyes steely. She pressed harder on the gas pedal, rapidly approaching the black car in a game of chicken.
"What are you doing?" Stanley gripped the edge of his leather seat.
Maya didn't answer. Her lips pressed together.
The cars came closer and closer to impact. Maya kept her hand ready on a lever next to the steering wheel. Just before the two cars collided, Maya pulled the lever.
"Thrusters engaged," said Winston in a robotic tone.
They flew upwards and over the black car. When Maya's car touched ground again, the others were far behind.
The black car was just beginning to turn around when Maya fled into the tunnel. The tunnel was dark, lit by only a strip of lights on the bottom. The rumble of the engine echoed in the confined space. She took a smaller offshoot path, then sighed, relaxing her shoulders and tight grip on the wheel.
"Thanks for saving me." Stanley rubbed the back of his neck. "That could've been bad." He frowned at her. "Hang on, why did you save me?"
"Don't think that I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart," Maya said. "I still intend to get those credits on your wrist. I helped you win, so I deserve a portion of that cash."
Stanley sat up straight. "What? Seriously?"
"Think of it as payback for saving your life."
Stanley sat back in his seat and folded his arms. He had no intention of forking over his hard-earned cash. He wouldn't part with a single cent. If he was ever going to find Ford, he needed all the money he could get.
How can I ditch her?
Stanley grew quiet as he thought. Amy had told him beforehand that she could switch her consciousness to different machines, and she demonstrated this by easily switching to Stanley's car. If he could get back, he could see if Amy had managed to switch back to the ship. He didn't want to think about what it would mean if he couldn't find her there.
If Amy is there, then maybe she can help me out.
"Okay, okay," Stanley said. "You know what? You're right. You do deserve a little reward."
Maya raised an eyebrow.
"I have one condition, though. I need to find a friend first. She's back on my ship, I think. I just need to make sure she's okay. Then you can have your money."
Maya sighed through her teeth. "Fine. Where's your ship?"
{}{}{}{}{}
The orange and white ship was still hidden in the alley where Stanley had left it. It was behind a dumpster, partially out of view from the street. Maya drove into the alley and wrinkled her nose.
"So, this is where you parked your ship?"
He shrugged. "It was free."
Maya parked beside the ship.
Stanley got out of the car. As he did so, his nose was hit with a strong, sour smell, like rancid Chinese food. Several reptilian creatures the size of rats scurried out from underneath the dumpster. A red creature with sharp fangs and matted fur crawled out from underneath the dumpster, chasing them deeper into the alley. Maya watched them as they passed, a queasy look on her face and a hand on her stomach.
He came to the ship and opened the side door, then stepped into the airlock. Maya followed close behind. He entered the main body of the ship and the lights turned on automatically.
"Amy? Are you here?"
"Stanley?"
At the sound of Amy's voice, anxiety unclenched its fingers from around his stomach.
"I'm incredibly sorry," she continued. "The power capacitor overload... the system couldn't handle that kind of abuse, so it rebooted. My consciousness defaulted back here. I... couldn't find you after that." Her volume dropped. "I thought... well, I assumed the worst."
He was surprised by the amount of concern in Amy's tone. Knowing that Amy was worried about him... well, it had been a long time since someone had cared about his wellbeing. It tugged at something within him.
"Take it easy, Ames. I'm fine. I'm not sure how I lived, though—I mean, my car was shitting glitter and nacho cheese. Lucky break, I guess." Stanley slipped his hands into his jacket pockets.
"So, your friend is an AI?" Maya pointed at the ceiling.
"Yep. What about it?"
"It's just... you talk to her like she's a real person. Then again, this AI seems pretty intelligent. Was Amy made from a human template?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"That is correct," Amy said. "My human template was a Republic scientist named Amy Huddgins."
Stanley paused and puckered his mouth. "Wait... human template? What do you mean?"
"When some AI systems are created, the template of a human personality is used to make them better at solving complex emotional conflicts. Since my primary function is nursing, it was imperative for me to have social capabilities and a more human way of speaking. Thus, the human template."
"Huh... so there's a human Amy out there that sounds exactly like you?"
"Yes. But with her separate life experiences, she's likely very different from me in personality. I have none of her memories—only her wiring."
"Okay, this has been interesting," Maya said, "but I need to get going. Let's split the credits and be done with this."
Stanley breathed out sharply through his nose, his hands still shoved in his pockets.
"I'm sorry," Amy said, "but would you care to elaborate? Why are you demanding a portion of his credits?"
"I saved this guy from being roadkill, and that comes at a price. It's time to pay up."
"I guess you're right," Stanley said.
He slipped the band from his wrist, then held it out in the palm of his hand. Maya approached and went to grab it.
When she was about to snatch it, Stanley pulled away and tossed the bracelet behind him. The credit band flew through the air and landed on the floor. Just as Stanley hoped, a panel in the floor opened up, swallowing the bracelet.
Maya's eyes widened. "Did you just..."
The airlock door opened behind Maya, and the panel of floor that she was standing on lifted up like a flap. She was ejected from the ship, and with a yelp, she landed on her back outside.
She got up and tried to rush the door, but it hissed shut. Maya pounded on the outside and shouted something unintelligible.
"She's out! Go!" Stanley shouted.
In response, the ship's engine whistled and hummed, coming to life. As Amy moved the ship upwards, a few heavy thunks hit the side of the ship.
Stanley made his way to the cockpit and sat down. The ship rotated so that they faced Maya. She was standing in the alley with her gun in hand, and she fired green bolts of plasma at their hull.
Amy pulled the ship up and out of the alley, leaving her behind. They flew deeper into the city, the lights zipping by below them. Only the tallest skyscrapers managed to reach their height.
"Amy... that was perfect," Stanley said. "I gotta admit, I'm impressed with how you handled that."
"I guessed you would want to hold onto the cash long before you threw the bracelet. I was just prepared."
A panel in the dash opened up, revealing the bracelet. Stanley grabbed it and turned the device over in his hands. It was simple and reflective, with little in the way of markings beyond a series of scratches on the side, like tally marks. His rubbed the carved marks.
"So, how much did we win?" Stanley asked.
"Enough to buy a condo on the tropical moon Yeterug."
"I'm guessing that's a lot?"
"We have more than covered our financial needs."
Stanley smiled and sat back in his seat. "Wow, I kind of feel bad for those other racers. I mean, they had fast cars and everything, but they were no match for dumb luck."
"I think there was more than dumb luck at play."
"Oh yeah, that's right. You helped."
"That's not what I meant, Stanley. Not just anyone would be able to pull off a win after their AI failed-especially when one isn't familiar with the technology."
"What do you mean?"
"What you did was impressive. Even an AI can see that. I don't know how you did it, but I have a guess that your courage and tenacity is what won the race."
Stanley frowned and considered this. "Eh, I'm not really either of those things. I just... don't have much to lose." He looked at the metropolis below, a crease forming between his eyebrows. His eyes were lost in the mess of city lights as he thought about what little awaited him back home. Even if he did make it back, he would have nothing. He would still be a high school drop-out, Rico would still be looking to collect his money, and he was still banned in thirty-two states.
Maybe this life isn't so bad. At least here, I have a place to stay, food to eat, and... and a friend. There've been some close calls, and the multiverse is a weird place, but it might be better than eking out an existence on Earth.
However, the thought of plunging into the unknown and living in the strangeness of the multiverse scared him. He felt out of place, as if the multiverse was a body, he was the invading bacteria. If not for Amy, he would've felt completely alone.
"Stanley, after we refuel the ship, where did you plan to go from here?"
He paused. "You know, I'm not sure. I didn't think I would survive for this long. I'm looking for my brother, Ford, so if there's a place where I can locate him, that would be ideal."
"Stanley... I don't mean to pry, but why are you looking for your brother? Is he missing?"
"We... got separated. Right now, I have no idea where he is. He could be anywhere. He could be in danger, and I wouldn't know."
Amy paused as she thought. "Well, the Library of Alexandria would be your best bet of finding anyone. It has a large collection of information open to the public. If your brother has done any travel between dimensions with Republic portals, it will be recorded there."
Stanley perked up. "That could work."
"There's one problem, however. The library is located on the Republic home planet-dimension 83-C Earth. Unfortunately, after our encounter with the Republic Enforcers, they have you listed as a criminal. Here's a digital wanted poster." She posted a picture of Stanley on the windshield. Only his profile was visible, and it was blurry, but he could tell that his eyes were in the middle of closing and his mouth was twisted in a sneer.
He frowned. "Great. How are we gonna get in there without getting arrested?"
"To my knowledge, beings across the multiverse often sneak into the library. Bounty hunters and other criminals use their databases often. All we'd need to do is find someone that's willing to help us fake your identity."
"Okay. Where can we find someone like that?"
"One moment." Amy went silent. "There appears to be a team on the MWC looking for a skilled AI with hacking capabilities. They're good at creating fake identities for a reasonable price, and they're willing to personally sneak someone in using a cover story. The best part is they're offering interdimensional portal services on this planet. I can contact them, if you're interested."
"Who are they, exactly? I don't trust just anyone with my forged documents."
"I'm unsure of who this group is exactly, but I'm reading the reviews. They're rated with five stars."
Stanley felt a nervous clench in his gut. He didn't like the idea of working with complete strangers. While normally he listened to is instincts, this particular situation was difficult. He didn't have much of a choice. While breaking into the Library of Alexandria seemed like a terrible idea, if he could locate Ford, it would be worth it.
But what if I go through all that trouble to find him, and he tells me to get lost?
His bottom lip trembled as he remembered what Ford said just before their fight. Get as far away as possible.
He raised his chin and pressed his lips together. Then that's it, I guess. We'll... we'll go our separate ways. But I have to know he's okay first.
Stanley sighed. "All right, go ahead. I've been lucky so far."
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