Buck Rogers
by AJ Marks
Part 21
Buck looked around at the many different stores and such wondering where he should go first. He had come here on a whim and now had no idea what to do.
“Hey, never thought I’d see you in a place like this,” A very familiar voice said causing him to look over to see Princess Ardala walking towards him. He glanced around seeing a few of her guards but no one else seemed to have even looked their way at her loud voice.
“Princess,” Buck said mindful of her title.
“So respectful, its nice,” Ardala said stopping next to him. “So, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, just getting out of the apartment,” Buck replied to her.
“Good, you can have a bit of lunch with me, I was looking for someone to have it with,” she said wrapping an arm around his and heading off towards one of the restaurants before Buck could even squeak a protest.
The two guards didn’t seemed fazed by it at all and Buck wondered about Ardala’s reputation as she was quickly seated by the staff and even were welcomed back.
“You’ll love this place, some of the best food in the galaxy,” Ardala said to him.
“You are too kind madam,” the seater said to her. “Leslie will be over shortly.”
“Thanks,” Ardala replied as they watched him walk off as a young waitress walked over to them.
“Are you having your regular drink princess?” the waitress asked Ardala.
“Yes, that sounds fine,” Ardala replied looking over at Buck.
“Ah,” he replied, caught a bit flat-footed by the sudden rush of events. “Ice tea?”
“Sweet or unsweetened?” she asked.
“Sweet,” Buck replied watching as she took off.
“Bit of a prude thing to have,” Ardala replied. “You need to loosen up a bit.”
“I am, I just like tea,” Buck replied, though he really wanted a soda, but those had gone away over the years and he was still getting used to the different types of beers served. “You don’t seem at all fazed by the fact your own father named you the one responsible for the recent attack on Earth.”
He watched as she suddenly grew slightly angry.
“Me, attack Earth,” she replied. “How preposterous, absolutely shameful. I know many good people here, and why would I want to make war, making love is so much better,” she said leaning closer to Buck.
“Yeah, you do seem like that type,” Buck said. “I didn’t believe it either.”
“See, though I do have an idea on who did it,” she said, her voice becoming harder, more like her father.
“The apple didn’t fall far from the tree I see,” Buck said watching her frown at the expression. “It means you’re very much like your father sometimes.”
“A compliment and insult all at once, interesting,” Ardala replied as the server returned with their drinks, Ardala’s some sort of mixed drink with a pink liquid.
Buck glanced down at the menu trying to figure out what might be good, and received several suggestions from Ardala. He figured no matter her attitude, she really wasn’t much for being secretive. If she wanted something she went for it and made no attempt to hide that fact. He had a feeling she probably desired other people more than anything else which was why it was so hard to see her as a mastermind behind the attack.
He ordered a sandwich and watched as Ardala orders a larger meal and with a wink at the waitress who blushed a bit by the attention but went to place the order.
“Is there anyone you don’t flirt with?” Buck asked.
“Only handsome guys or cute girls,” Ardala replied. “It’s a thrill unlike anything else in the universe. I don’t ask for any commitment, only a night of fun.”
“You’re not worried about something like AIDS or anything like that?” Buck asked her, wondering if he should be checked for some sort of sexually transmitted disease or something.
“Medicine has advanced tremendously in the years you’ve been gone, AIDS was cured a long time ago, and I have regular check-ups,” she replied back to him.
Buck pondered that for a few seconds, realizing that she could have the best doctors and medicine they could provide.
“So, what about you? I’ve heard you’ve enlisted in the defense force here?” she said.
“Yeah,” Buck replied, not that it was a secret, but she kept up with information rather well.
“How boring,” she replied almost typically. “I guess that’s what you do though, being an ex-military man from the past.”
“It has it’s moments, and I’ve always been one with the need for speed,” Buck said knowing he said a typical movie line but figured she had probably never heard of it before.
“Is that what they call it?” Ardala replied. “I’ve met some who are like that, always in a rush, they typically don’t make good lovers.”
“And how’d I do?” Buck asked and quickly regretted saying anything as she seemed to think about it.
“You, above average,” she finally said with a straight face.
“Well, I guess that’s good,” he finally said a bit thankful she didn’t say bad. Their food arrived and he focused on the food, which was very good.
*****
Buck walked out of the restaurant with Ardala wondering what he would do next when he spotted a familiar face in the crowd.
“Something wrong?” Ardala asked him.
“What, no, just thinking to myself,” Buck replied. “Thank you for the meal, I had a wonderful time.”
“Glad to hear it, I excel at good times,” she replied back to him. “If you’re lonely tonight, you can find me at the Grand Trinity hotel, the grand suite.”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” Buck said, knowing he already had plans this evening. He watched her walk off with the guards and turned back to the man who was nearby, and looking at the retreating form of Ardala with some disgust in his eyes. Buck moved off hoping to blend in with the crowd and to get closer to the man to figure out what he was doing.
He noticed another man walk up to him, both of whom looked around before heading into a restaurant. If this wasn’t type typical suspicious behavior Buck had no idea what wasn’t. It all seemed like something out of a cheesy low rate movie.
“Hey, aren’t you that man from the past, Rogers?’ someone asked causing him to turn to see a group of youngsters standing there looking at him.
“Um, yeah, that’s me, Buck Rogers,” he replied wondering what they wanted.
“See, I told you it was,” one of the girls said. To Buck they appeared to be teens, probably fifteen to seventeen.
“Are you really from something like five hundred years old?” another one asked.
“Something like that,” Buck said not wanting to get into the actual age.
“A living fossil, though you don’t look that old,” one of the girls said.
“Well, I feel more like thirty,” Buck replied wondering how they would take that age.
“My dad looks older, are you sure you’re that old?”
“Yes, I was born in the twentieth century,” Buck said wondering where they would go from here but he had a good view of the interaction between the two men in the restaurant, they had received a window seat for some strange reason.
The group seemed interested in him even as he continued to look over at the two men. The kids continued to ask some questions before one looked at the time and said something about having to be somewhere and they took off talking about everything and nothing. Teens hadn’t changed much in the centuries he thought to himself even as he looked back over at the two men, almost jumping when a hand fell on his shoulder.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to surprise you,” a voice said as he turned to see a young woman and wondered what she wanted.
“Ah, not used to such things,” Buck replied honestly.
“I’ve noticed you watching our targets,” she said to him. “We need you to make sure they don’t know they are being followed.”
“So, he has attracted attention, who is he talking to?” Buck asked.
“That’s who we’re trying to figure out, we have intelligence working on that aspect,” the woman replied back to him. “Why are you watching them?”
“He reminds me of the man in the rebel compound when I was kidnapped in the UAC,” Buck replied back to her.
“So, that’s why we’re watching him,” she said. “It was a bit unusual to follow someone of Princess Ardala’s entourage.”
“You trust her that much?” Buck asked.
“No, not really, but he was a new person,” the woman replied back to him. “Lucky for you those teens began talking to you, you stand out where ever you go.”
“Yeah, I figured,” Buck said. “So, why are you talking to me, doesn’t that blow your cover?”
“Nope, allows me an excuse to be out in the open, talking to the man who is the oldest human alive.”
“Great, you too?” Buck said wondering if he would ever live that aspect down.
“Any excuse I can get to get closer to my target,” the woman replied back to him.
Buck noticed that the two men and gotten up and were now leaving the restaurant.
“They are on the move,” the woman said obviously listening in on some conversation Buck couldn’t hear. Some sort of high-tech communications device which they used as she looked up at him. “Well, gotta go, stay out of trouble will you.”
“Sure,” Buck said taking a look around wondering what he might do next. He still had a lot of time to kill before he probably would hear from Wilma and headed towards the theater, probably a good way to see the entertainment of today and stepped into line a bit shocked when the man entered the line right behind him.
He decided to try an act natural as he reached the front of the line and suddenly realized he had no idea what to watch.
“Hey, you want to speed it up or not?” the man suddenly asked causing Buck to turn to look at him. For a second the man froze almost as if he finally realized who he was talking to.
“You want to go ahead, go on,” Buck said to the man.
“Fine,” the man said butting ahead of Buck and not even bothering to be polite.
“You could use some of those same manners your princess has,” Buck murmured, more to himself than anyone else and didn’t intend for the man to overhear but he did.
“That slut, has the brains of a man’s dick,” he said turning back to the teller and ordering his movie and taking off with no more words leaving Buck standing there a bit stunned at what happened. Privately he wondered how Ardala would react to his words.
Looking at the selection he finally went with one which looked good and walked into the main lobby of the theater determined to relax.
End part 21