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Chapter Two

"They're coming for you."

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Really, in Tas's opinion, someone needed to invent a new alarm for the alarm clock. This one was so old, so boring. Maybe a gully dwarf might like it, but Tas did not. He needed to call up his gnome friends and suggest that they get to work on that immediately.

As usual, he had slept in late that morning. Maybe that was because he hardly ever slept while he did his side-job. He really didn't know, and he really didn't care. He did know, however, that he needed to get to the office as soon as possible.

Tas took his usual bus, which was a very slow bus. He took his usual seat in the back, next to its other usual occupant; an old woman that smelled like mothballs. So Tas put on his usual scarf, which he pulled over his nose like he usually did. The bus usually arrived at his work within half an hour, which it did today, and Tas darted off of it like he usually did. Then he would make his way through the lobby, which was usually empty. And when the Tas finally made it to his desk, he was informed that his boss, Kitiara Uth Matar, wanted to see him as usual. So he went to see her like he usually did.

"Mr. Burrfoot, I'm going to be honest," she said, playing with one of the many pens on her desk. Kit loved to collect pens. She had all kinds of interesting ones, from pens with strawberry shaped caps to pens with frog legs jutting out from the sides, and Tas loved to look at them while she talked.

"Yes, Ms. Uth Matar?" He blinked, settling into his chair.

"You obviously don't think the rules apply to you. You're wrong." She leaned back in her chair, her dark eyes flashing menacingly. "This is the third time in a row that you've showed up late for work this week, and it's only Tuesday. We run a very important business here, Mr. Burrfoot, and I can't afford to let anyone slack off."

"Mm-hm." Tas nodded in agreement. Really, he was too busy watching people washing the windows outside. Tas had always wanted to be a window-washer when he was a kid. He thought it would be exciting to be so high above the ground. Somehow he ended up here instead, answering phones at the Uth Matar softwear empire.

"Mr. Burrfoot!"

"Yes?" He tore his eyes away from the windows to look at her, shocked at how red her face was. She rose slowly from her chair, her shoulders shaking with fury. She looked very imposing when angered.

"I HAVE POWER, MR. BURFOOT!" Kitiara cried, picking up a paper weight and throwing it at his head. Tas barely managed to dodge it. "AND I'M NOT AFRAID TO EXERCISE THAT POWER! NOW THIS IS THE THIRD TIME IN JUST THIS WEEK THAT YOU'VE BEEN LATE! WHEN I HIRED YOU, I DECIDED TO LOOK PAST ALL OF THE TIMES YOU HAD BEEN LATE OR ABSENT BECAUSE YOU WERE A FRIEND OF TANIS'S, AND I STILL PINE FOR HIM AT TIMES! DO YOU KNOW HOW THAT FEELS, MR. BURRFOOT!"

"No," Tas whispered, sinking in his chair as she came out from around her desk, grabbing the two arms of the chair and putting her face right in front of his.

"Exactly. So I try to be polite. I give you nice little warnings or suggestions. 'Gilthanas is always on time, Tas. You could learn from him', or 'I would like it if you came in a bit earlier.' BUT NO! YOU JUST CAN'T TAKE A HINT!" She spun his chair around so he was facing the wall. "Do you see those photographs, Mr. Burrfoot? Do you know what all of the kenders in them have in common with you?"

"We're all kenders?"

"No. YOU ALL WERE ALWAYS LATE! NEVER MADE IT IN ON TIME!" She took a shuddering breath, picking up a medium sized black brick. "All of the kenders who worked for me saw this, that's why they're on the wall, to remind me. Do you know what this is for, Mr. Burrfoot?"

"No." Tas shook his head.

"This is so I can BEAT YOUR BRAINS OUT TOMORROW WHEN YOU DON'T COME IN ON TIME! HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?"

"Y-Yes," Tas stuttered, nodding his hand fervently. "Crystal clear, actually."

"NOW GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

"Yes Ms. Uth Matar!" Tas scampered from his chair, shutting the door behind him.

(Space)

Besides his run in with Kit that morning, the rest of Tas's morning went as scheduled. He listened to his favorite radio station while he waited for someone to call. However, unlike the usual routine, a Fed-ex man came up to him.

"Are you"- he looked down at his clipboard -"Tasslehoff Burrfoot?"

Tas nodded, taking the clipboard and signing it. "The one and only, but I would prefer if you call me Tas. I don't really like when people call me Tasslehoff."

"Uh-huh. Here's your package." He tossed it on the kender's desk, whistling as he walked away.

"Someone really needs to call Qualinesti Delivery. They just have a much better work ethic."

He picked up the envelope, surprised at its light weight. He quickly tore it open, excited. He had no idea who could have sent him a package. He was dismayed to find that it was a simple cell phone, and an ugly one at that. Now he was going to have to buy a minutes plan or a phone card. Suddenly, the phone rang. He pressed the yes button.

"Hello, Tasslehoff Burrfoot speaking. But call me Tas."

"Hello Tas. Do you know who this is?"

Tas clapped one hand over his eyes. "Sorry Mom! I forgot to call you. How's Dad's back doing? I really didn't mean to knock him over like that."

"This is not your mother, Tas."

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry Dad! I didn't even recognize you! How's that back? And I'm sorry about Grandma, too. I didn't intend for that to happen."

"No, this isn't your father either. Think Tas, THINK!"

It suddenly dawned on the kender. "You must be Morpheus."

"Yes Tas, it is I."

"Hey, can you tell me what the Matrix is? I've been trying to research it on the internet but I keep getting results about martyrs. If Kit sees what I'm doing, she's going to bash my brains out with a brick."

Morpheus cleared his throat. "We don't have time to discuss this right now, Tas. They're coming for you, and I'm not sure what they're going to do."

"Who's coming for me? It's not Portius and his henchmen. I really didn't want to break the Orb, but I had to do it, you see. It's a very interesting story, and it all begins when"-

"If you want to see them, stand up. Slowly. The elevator."

Tas scampered on top of his desk, shooting up to look at the men in suits in front of the elevator. Their heads snapped in his direction, so he dropped to his knees, crawling under his desk.

"Wow, Morpheus! Did you see that? Wow, I think that they're after me! What are they going to do? Do I know something that can alter the future of Krynn? Do I have powers that only I can wield?"

"I don't know what they're going to do to you, but if you don't want to find out, you must listen to me."

As much as Tas wanted to find out what they wanted to do to him, he decided that Morpheus knew best. "All right. What do I do first?"

"There's an empty cubicle across from you. Go to it. Now!"

Tas ran as fast as he could, watching as he could see the part of the part leg of a suit cross in front of the wall just as he disappeared.

"Stay there until I tell you to go," Morpheus commanded.

Tas held his breath, waiting for what felt like forever.

"Down the hall and to the left there's an empty office. Go to it. Now."

"All right." He crawled from the cubicle, the cell phone between his teeth as his coworkers gave him dirty looks. It didn't take him long to realize that the office he was going to was Kit's, but he didn't care. She wouldn't really use that brick on him...he hoped.

"I'm in the office," he breathed, shutting the door behind him. "What now?"

"Outside the window there's some scaffolding."

"You're amazing! How do you know all of this?"

"There isn't time, Tas. You need to get out of there."

Tas opened the window, looking at the small ledge and the amount of space there was between the ground and that floor. He grinned.

He was almost to the scaffolding when it came to him that he had left the cell phone in Kit's office. What a very un-kender like thing to do! He scowled, hurrying back inside. He felt someone grab him by the cuff on his tunic.

"Hello, Mr. Burrfoot. We've been waiting for you."

TBC...

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