The Nearly Unbelievable Story of How Joe Saved the World

Chapter 2: Discoveries

     I awoke suddenly, a scream caught in my throat. I was nearly hyperventilating, and my heart was beating in my ears. I was very disoriented, but soon realized I was in my bed. Funny I thought I was at work. I was trying to clear the fog from my head when reality hit me like a truck!! It all came flooding back, The boiler room, the moan, the unearthly slurping, all of it. By this time sparky could tell something was wrong with me. He jumped up onto the bed and i started scratching behind his ears. that usually calms both of us down. After a minute or two of this I started trying to assimilate what I had seen. In my mind's eye I relived the memory. After kicking the door open, I saw the most disturbing thing i've ever seen. There, on the floor, laid a body, if you could call it that. It was really more like a husk of a body. it was wrinkled like a prune, writhing and moaning. Crouched above, was a man, i say man but maybe monster or creature is a more accurate description. It was humanoid in shape. Big like maybe 7 feet tall, wearing what i can only call armor. this armor was deep red and swirled like liquid. Its entire body was covered, except for its eyes, haunting eyes, that were focused on the shell of a body at its feet. Worst of all, there was a red haze flowing out of the body and towards the creature's hand, which was extended to accept it. The crimson mist appeared to flow up the thing's arm and meld into its armor. When the red stopped flowing from the body, the creature looked me in the eye, and smiled an inhuman smile, and dissappeared. Then I screamed, like a girl. Then I woke up here. How??~~~~~~~ 

     Beads of sweat broke out on Chancellor Kharn's forehead. He wasn't normally prone to nervousness, but he was under a considerable amount of pressure. The scrutinizing gaze of the Prime Elder burning into him, combined with the all too palpable tension in the room didn't help his feelings of uneasiness either. Kharn was walking a knife edge here, if he played his cards right he may come out the hero, or at least not come out the villan. "It would seem you have a considerable amount of information that I require, Chancellor", began the Elder. "Perhaps you can explain to me exactly why the main laboratory in the facility you are charged with overseeing, lies in ruin this morning; or who this Dax character is, and where he is, and exactly what the hell is going on under my nose in my own territory'. Kharn found the Prime Elder's calm demeanor disturbing, the words were softly spoken, but dripped with the gravity of the situation. "Your Excelence", said Kharn, "Let me begin by saying I've spent the last 18 hours ensuring that the damage control protocols I had my team execute went according to plan".  When the Elder didn't interject, he continued. "I can assure you that no one without at least a level beta clearance knows about this". By way of reply the Prime Elder grunted approvingly, which bolstered Kharn's confidence, so he continued. "If I'm not overstepping my boundaries your excellence, allow me to pour us a drink. This is a long story, and rest assured, if you hear me out, you'll see how this fiasco can work to our advantage". ~~~~~~~~ 

     When I couldn't shake my uneasiness, I decided to have a beer. According to the clock in the kitchen it was 3 am. As if I didn't feel crazy enough, I was talking to myself, trying to piece together what had happened. "Maybe it was just a dream, but it felt so real". I couldn't bring myself to believe it, though. I had been at work, it was Monday the 14th of September. However, upon checking my callander, I could see it was only the 13th. "I don't understand sparky" I said, affectionately petting the dog, "it makes no sense, it's like there's something I'm missing". I gave him the last swig of the beer, and opened another one. What happened next blew me away. Sparky looked at me and said "I agree Joe, we seem to be lacking all the variables necessary to solve your equation". I proceeded to calmly walk to the sink, and pour out my beer. I took a deep breath, steeling myself against the inevetitable answer to the question I had to ask, which would most likely confirm my insanity. "Sparky, did you just speak to me, in English i mean?' , I said to him. A few seconds passed, and I was about to breathe a sigh of relief when once again he spoke. "Well of course it was English, that is your native tongue after all. I could speak Japanese, Swahili, French, or German if you prefer" he said, and then I swear he grinned and winked at me. At this point I walked to the fridge, and grabbed myself another beer. ~~~~~~~

     After 36 hours or so, the laboratory was finally in working order again; apperentaly Dax sabotaged all the equipment on his way out. Kharn was in a very chipper mood after his meeting with the Prime Elder! Thinghs couldn't have gone more smoothly. Not only was he not incarcerated, but the Elder agreed to back him 100%!  "Anything you need, you have" , those were the exact words the Prime Elder had used. Kharn had already made ample use of the generous offer. Not only was the lab rebuilt, it was upgraded, with the finest equipment on the planet. Kharn also used his newly delegated influence to round up a small group of the top scientific minds in that area of the galaxy. Experts in quantum mechanics, astrophysics, xenobiology, combat weapon engineering, biochemistry, and statistical mathmatics.  Kharn was like a kid in a candy store! At this rate, not only would they find Dax and stop him, but Kharn might even manage to squeeze a promotion out of it! He managed to quell his excitement long enough to address the group. " On behalf of Telani-4, thank you all for your assistance. I am Chancellor Kharn, your Liason in charge of this mission. Please let me know if any of you need anything."  He let the murmurs of consent die down, before continuing. The group was focused on him now, time for him to really hook them. "Now that the formalities are out of the way", he began, "I called you all here to help me find and capture a rogue scientist who has slipped through the barrier of space-time". Two seconds passed, while this information sank into the group's collective psyche; after that it was pandemonium! ~~~~~

     There was a time in life when i thought it would be awesome to have a talking dog. that was before I had one. If I wasn't already crazy, (a possibility i hadn't rule out yet), Sparky was going to have me in an asylum before the day was over. It wasn't that he was talking, as much as it was what he was saying. I've always considered myself open-minded, but I was having issues believing the story that man's best friend was telling me...  ~~~~~~

    

Hope you liked it!! Chapter 3 on its way soon!