(… continuing)
Dukk stared at the wall behind the bar and let the barely touched drink go warm.
“What in the world is going on?” he thought.
His self-reflection was interrupted by an incoming alert on his comms. It was Annee.
“Ann, what is going on?” Dukk answered in a daze.
“Are you alright?” Annee asked.
That woke Dukk up.
“Sure. You?”
“Yes, all done here. Rachelle has taken all her stuff from the master cabin. Bazzer and I gave it a once over and moved your lockers in there.”
“Thanks, Annee.”
“So, I was thinking I could move into your old cabin? I already checked with Bazzer, and Larinette is hardly in hers, so she shouldn’t care?”
“Wait, what? You are staying? What about you and Rachelle,” Dukk asked calmly. He was starting to get used to the idea of the unexpected by this stage of the afternoon.
“All good things come to an end, Dukk. Besides, I have years of potential left in me. I am not ready to settle down or be grounded just yet!” Annee replied awkwardly.
“That is brilliant news!” Dukk replied gleefully without thinking.
“Actually, I will miss her,” Annee added.
“Oh, of course, I mean, I am sorry for you and Rachelle, but I am delighted you are staying with the Dinatha, you are one in a million. And, definitely, take my old cabin.”
“Thanks, Dukk, see you at dinner,” Annee added and ended the call abruptly.
That suited Dukk fine as he felt it was getting a little uncomfortable. He was struggling with his emotions and was in no state to help Annee with hers.
Dukk used the heightened awareness following the call with Annee, to get his thoughts together. He used his heads-up display to access the contracts board.
He searched for urgent high value beef contracts. There was only one. It had just been posted.
“Odd! And as suggested by the mystery man, the contact went by the name of ‘Wallace’,” reflected Dukk.
The listing gave the details of the load and destination. It all looked legitimate. The listing also gave the place where Wallace would be tomorrow at nine p.m., local time. He saved the details. Paid the tab, left yet another drink barely touched, and headed for the door.
As Dukk made his way back to the h-pod to shower for dinner, he did his best to disconnect from the day’s events. He did his best to quieten his mind. Which wasn’t easy. His curiosity streak was strong. It had been pivotal in his decision to follow the mystery man’s orders. And now it was working overtime on what this might all be about.
Before entering the h-pod, he stood for a moment. Undecided.
“Should I check-in on the Dinatha, before getting ready for dinner?” he thought to himself.
“No,” he concluded, “The sentinels will keep it secure. Besides, I must clear my head and be present and engaged at dinner. I will need to be alert so that I can pick the right moment to take my leave and get to the VG station on time.”
(to be continued...in the next chapter)
[Rule of Twelve, Double Take, Chapter 3 - Grounding (Passage 5 of 5)]
All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2021 BJ Allen
I am investing in A.I. driven narration to bring the Rule of Twelve books to life.
It will be more than just narration in the traditional audio book sense. The A.I. will enable me to bring dialogue to life with character specific voices. This will create a rich and engaging narration.
Over the coming months I will be in catch-up mode, building the narration for already published material. Eventually, the aim will be to concurrently release chapters in both written and rich narrative form.
The narration will eventually make it to audiobook form for platforms like Audible and Spotify. However, to get it sooner, you will need a Locals subscription. The Locals App works just like your favourite audiobook app. So, you can listen on the go. Becoming a subscriber also helps keep this whole show on the road.
I look forward to sharing the journey with you.
Bradley.
Read Book 2 right here in Locals.
Navigate to "Content", "Articles" and choose Book 2 from the playlist
Read Book 1 right here in Locals.
Navigate to "Content", "Articles" and choose Book 1 from the playlist
https://bjallen.locals.com/content/articles/playlists/4330/oldest
Dukk opened his eyes. It was dark.
“A dream. It must have been a dream,” he muttered as he tried to fathom where he was. He tried to digest the pre-dawn excursion with Craig.
He swung himself out of bed. Marr was gone.
He checked the time. Mid-afternoon.
“What in the world is going on?” Craig demanded as the doors to the south banqueting hall, closed behind them.
Dukk, Marr and Emeelie stood before him. Beyond was the atrium bathed in orange light from the setting sun.
On the opposite side of the atrium the doors to the north banqueting hall were open. Music and chatter could be heard from within.
The noise from the others disguised the deathly silence that engulfed the four.
“I am going to need a shower and change of clothes,” Marr announced as she put her helmet and goggles back on the rack in the garage.
“Yes, the dust gets in everywhere,” Emeelie replied. “There are showers near the pool. Change of clothes too if you don’t want to go back to your suite all dusty.”
“That is a good idea.”
“Have you seen the pools below sea level yet?” Craig asked.
“Nope.”
“I was going to shower and change down there. Then use the sauna and take a swim. The pool up here can get quite hot in the afternoons.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Dukk said.
“Absolutely, lead the way,” Marr added.
