©2001 by Suzie Bagley - This story belongs to me. Do not publish it or use it in any way without my explicit permission. Ask me first!
A Routine Test
Angela studied the wrinkled, lined face behind the counter, fascinated by the man's lack of interest as he counted out the twenties. Boredom could be such a cruel thing, especially when you were bored with your job...and, in this case, it could prove dangerous if the man behind her was any indication. Cash counted, the bank teller handed her the money; and, as she took it from him, she cast a nervous glance behind her at the man digging in his pockets.
Desperate to get out of the bank, Angela stuffed the money in her pockets and began heading toward the door...but it was too late. Everything blurred as she saw the man behind her pull a concealed weapon from his pocket.
"Face down on the ground, all of you!" he said, lifting the gun over his head.
Give him what he wants, Angela silently pleaded with the bank teller. Hands lifted in the air, she lowered herself to the ground, giving the robber the money on her way down. In front of her, the bank teller's face had finally taken on a look of interest, and he did what the robber had told him to do, pulling out the money.
Just before the robber took the money from him, a strange black circle appeared off to their right, getting bigger until it was the size of a human. Keeping her eyes trained on the circle, not sure if she should be shocked by its appearance or terrified, Angela could only watch, helpless, at what happened next.
Larger and larger it grew until suddenly a man dressed in a bright blue jumper leapt out of it. "My name is Xuiquark and I am from the Planet Zephron!" he announced, beaming everyone a huge smile.
Never before had Angela heard silence descend upon a room so quickly. Only the sound of the onlookers' jaws hitting the ground broke that silence.
"Please, return the money you stole from Mr. Calder." Quickly, Xuiquark motioned first at the robber, then at the bank teller.
Really not to Angela's surprise, the robber did as Xuiquark had instructed.
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't realize this was a bank protected by Zephron," the robber said, cowering on the ground. "Take the money; I don't want to face the wrath of Yalnok!"
Unless Angela was mistaken, it sounded an awful lot like this robber knew who this bizarre, blue-jumpered Xuiquark man was.
"Very good, Mr. Calder; our practice 'saving the galaxy' routine went off well," Xuiquark said to the teller, watching as the robber ran out of the bank shrieking and crying like a child who'd just been scared by the boogeyman.
"Wonderfully, Xuiquark, and now my job here is done," the bank teller said before disappearing in a poof of smoke.
Xuiquark smiled at Angela and offered her his hand, saying, "Sorry to alarm you, Miss, but would you like to return to my planet with me?"
"Yeah...I guess so," Angela said, stunned, as she accepted his hand and he pulled her to her feet, then she walked with the odd man toward the open black portal.
"Zephron awaits!" Xuiquark said, and away they went through the portal to another planet.