{"id":1537,"date":"2016-07-06T07:19:01","date_gmt":"2016-07-06T12:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1537"},"modified":"2016-07-09T07:29:08","modified_gmt":"2016-07-09T12:29:08","slug":"buck-rogers-part-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1537","title":{"rendered":"Buck Rogers – Part 12"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buck Rogers<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 12<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Buck felt nervous, and hungry as he was escorted to meet the President of the UAC and was currently going through security checks. Raising his hands for the pat down he thought it was strange, they did this but he did not have to do this while seeing the king of the Draconian Empire.\u00a0 It felt a bit odd that the group which seemed the most controlling did not require it.<\/p>\n

Finally the guard motioned for him to go and he waited for his translator. He might be well known, but he still was unable to speak the native languages on most places on Earth.\u00a0 In a way he felt relieved that English had not changed much.<\/p>\n

A short, bald man with a thin moustache, which reminded him of a Chinese master in some Kung-Fu movie, approached him and bowed which Buck returned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome to our country, I am President Tin Chin,\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, you\u2019ve been most hospitable,\u201d Buck replied. \u201cI\u2019m very impressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, we\u2019re not quite as technologically advanced as the NAA, but we do well,\u201d Tin replied back. \u201cCome, you must try our Sushi.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, never tried it before,\u201d Buck said as Tin motioned for a server to come forward as another two men walked up and introduced themselves as members of the cabinet, one spoke through the translator as he didn\u2019t speak English.<\/p>\n

Buck realized the questions were almost all the same, and his answers almost the same. The how do you feel type questions or how are you adapting to society centuries into the future.\u00a0 Either that or something more specific, like how cities were laid out, or not seeing cars.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, do you go by William or Buck?\u201d Tin asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuck,\u201d he replied. \u201cIt was a nickname given to me by a friend in grade school, can\u2019t even remember why anymore.\u00a0 Anyways, he started calling me it, then the rest of my friends, and it stuck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buck couldn\u2019t even remember why his friend started it, but once everyone started to call him that it stuck, even years later as he took a bit of the Sushi.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is the Sushi?\u201d Tin asked looking down at the plate Buck held. Buck chewed the bit off food for a few seconds and swallowed before answering.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter than I expected,\u201d he answered truthfully. He had some reservations about eating raw fish, but surprisingly it was good.<\/p>\n

\u201cMuch like life, you never know what will happen next, I never expected to be talking to a man from the past,\u201d Tin said giving a small chuckle before turning serious. \u201cI take it after the attack you were questioned, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, yeah,\u201d Buck answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThought so, unfortunate circumstances indeed,\u201d Tin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t think I was involved?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh no, neither do most of us, such attacks are usually planned weeks or months in advance, not hours,\u201d Tin replied. \u201cSuch spontaneous actions have consequences, and for that you need planning or it becomes a foolish endeavor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buck thought it made sense. \u201cThere are some which are not as convinced,\u201d Buck said back thinking of one senator in particular.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, there are those here as well,\u201d Tin stated, then turned saying something to someone else in his native language as Aya appeared next to Buck.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis way, we\u2019re going to be sitting down for supper,\u201d she said to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, okay, anything I should know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will be introduced, then walk in, your place is at the head table, you have a name plate, and only the President will be announced after you, there are only two seats open, so you should be able to find it easily,\u201d she told him.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, hope your right,\u201d Buck said feeling nervous as he was steered towards the entrance and heard his name and was given a slight push by Aya.<\/p>\n

Buck walked into the full room, seeing people all over and made his way to the head table smiling at everyone and thankfully saw his name at one empty place and made his way around the table and sat down, hoping it was the right thing to do. His entrance was followed by Tin\u2019s entrance who sat down next to him and then the food was served, with the head table first.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t ask, are you enjoying your trip to our nation?\u201d Tin asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, very much,\u201d Buck said. \u201cAlways wanted to travel here back in my time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buck had just started to eat when the building shook and a loud explosion type noise echoed throughout the building. The lights flickered, dust came down from the ceiling along with some pieces of it as voices rose in panic.\u00a0 Suddenly people armed whisked in, and took Tin out, he didn\u2019t bother to struggle and Buck hoped they were security and realized something had happened.<\/p>\n

He looked around feeling completely out of his element as Aya rushed over.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis way, it\u2019s not safe in this building,\u201d she said to him.<\/p>\n

He followed her out of the building and with some other people, who she spoke with several times before finally heading off down the street and Buck thought he heard gunfire from behind them.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Buck plopped down on the sofa in his hotel room after all the excitement. He had been led from one place to another by security before learning it had been a bombing attack by some terrorist group who was disgruntled with the current administration over how something was being handled.\u00a0 Buck had no clue about the politics and figured he would need time to understand what was going on.<\/p>\n

Aya had been somewhat forthcoming about what happened, but aside from that nothing much except a lot of chatter going on. He looked up as a call came in on his phone, something which he had been given before leaving New DC.\u00a0 He stood and walked over to answer it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello,\u201d he answered, wondering who it was going to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, thank god I finally made it through,\u201d he heard Wilma\u2019s voice say sounding concerned.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Buck said, flopping back down on the sofa.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw the news but couldn\u2019t get though,\u201d Wilma said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been hectic over here, what are they saying on the news?\u201d Buck asked, realizing that sometimes someone far away had a better view of what was going on then what was actually going on, something he learned during a hurricane in his youth. They had no idea but the rest of the nation did.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems that a political group wanted to make a statement and decided to attack while you were there,\u201d Wilma said. \u201cIntelligence is working on what happened along with the UAC over this one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat, I\u2019m some sort of statement bulletin board,\u201d Buck stated not sure he liked having that target on his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone thinks it was an isolated attack, no other places were hit, which means they were targeting someone, probably the President of the EAA, not the first time in the past year,\u201d Wilma said to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe seems nice enough,\u201d Buck said recalling his conversation with the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis policies are another thing,\u201d Wilma said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything like that going on in the NAA?\u201d Buck asked, hoping it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing at the moment, but we are careful to make sure some elements don\u2019t reach our country, especially from the more unstable areas of the world,\u2019 Wilma said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people in my time would say you\u2019re not being ethical,\u201d Buck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHistory has taught us that ethical isn\u2019t always the correct path to keeping peace,\u201d Wilma said making Buck wondered what the history was there and added it to the list of things to look up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know the Chancellor is worried, I can contact him and let him know that you\u2019re all right, I\u2019m also sure you\u2019ll get a warning to return back,\u201d Wilma said.<\/p>\n

Buck gave that some thought before making up his mind. \u201cI\u2019m not going to let them scare me away.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to stay and complete my engagements, if they are after the President I won\u2019t be a target.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silence on the other end for a few seconds before Wilma finally replied. \u201cAll right, but stay safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo problem, I have no intention of dying just yet,\u201d Buck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTalk to you tomorrow, we\u2019ll see if we can get any new information for you,\u201d Wilma said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Buck replied as the call ended. He was tired yet wide awake before heading to the shower to wash and hopefully get some sleep.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Buck sat in the transport along with Aya, behind them were a few guards the government had place with him after the attack. The attackers had come out saying the attack was directed at the government, but it seemed they were not going to take any chances with Buck being attacked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you doing?\u201d Buck asked Aya.<\/p>\n

\u201cStill a bit rattled, not the first one I\u2019ve been through,\u201d Aya replied. \u201cThe group which struck last night, calling themselves the Golden Dragon, they always seem to find something to dislike about the government, been in two attacks so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buck stared at her wondering if he could handle it as well as she was.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to say, you\u2019re taking it better than I would, think I would have quit by now,\u201d Buck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have thought of it, but this job is too exciting to just give up, and usually I\u2019m not part of the policies, only meeting dignitaries, usually from the NAA,\u201d Aya replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many languages do you speak?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSix right now,\u201d Aya said. \u201cI\u2019m training for a seventh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buck stared at her in amazement knowing he couldn\u2019t do that. Somedays it was all he could do to talk in his native tongue.\u00a0 He went to say something when the transport suddenly stopped and the guards were up and moving even before Buck could realize what was going on.\u00a0 The car door opened and gun fire erupted along with screams before several men entered and roughly dragged Buck out of the transport.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Buck asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSilence!\u201d one of the attackers said, grabbing Buck\u2019s hands and tying them together. He was then picked up moved to another transport and he heard a car engine start, a bit surprised at that before a blindfold was placed over his eyes.\u00a0 He had no idea what was going on now as they bumped along obviously over a non-paved road.<\/p>\n

\u201cCouldn\u2019t have paved roads I see,\u201d Buck mumbled earning a blow to the head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said silence,\u201d the voice said again.<\/p>\n

Buck bit back a reply and waited to see where he was going.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Buck felt the car stop and he was dragged out again headed somewhere stumbling trying to gain a footing despite he was being rushed along. Finally he was shoved down into a sitting position and the blindfold ripped off leaving him blinking due to the brightness of the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Captain Buck Rogers,\u201d a voice said, not the same gruff one from before and Buck heard the authority in his voice reminding him of King William.<\/p>\n

His vision slowly cleared allowing him to see the room, surprisingly clean and well furnished, a man sitting on a chair not far away with a Middle East appearance, neatly trimmed beard and black hair looking back at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo glad you accepted our invitation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot much of an invite, you\u2019re hospitality could use some work,\u201d Buck replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it\u2019s so hard to find good help these days, but they do the job efficiently,\u201d the man replied back to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Aya?\u201d Buck asked, he liked the woman and hoped she had been unharmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe instructions were to only bring you,\u201d the man replied back to him. \u201cYou understand, this is a private meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d Buck asked wondering why he had been kidnapped despite the man\u2019s civil tone. He knew such men could snap at any moment and waited to see what the real story was.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, getting to such things so soon,\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you did kidnap-\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch a strong word, invited you and made sure you couldn\u2019t say no,\u201d the man replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Buck replied looking at him. \u201cWell not from where I\u2019m sitting, from my position you want something and think, somehow, I can help you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSee, you\u2019re getting the idea,\u201d the man replied back to him. \u201cI\u2019m sorry but I can\u2019t have you supporting the President, or the EAA at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how am I doing that?\u201d Buck said wishing he had done some research on the current political crisis going on around the globe.<\/p>\n

\u201cC\u2019mon, its simple, you go around with their protection and their blessing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThought they were elected,\u201d Buck said. \u201cAnd you could have killed me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, the bombing, wasn\u2019t done under my orders, the person responsible has been punished,\u201d the man said. \u201cAs for the elected, no, they are bought.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buck groaned as it seemed things hadn\u2019t changed at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see you understand now, I knew you would being from the twenty-first century,\u201d the man said. \u201cThe corruption of your time is well known.\u00a0 Greedy politicians, money hungry CEOs, and the powerful keeping the poor down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, heard it all, seems like it didn\u2019t go well when they rebelled,\u201d Buck said unsure if he was even speaking the truth. \u201cAs for the twenty-first century, not every fell for that bull.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buck noticed a flick of surprise at the comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, you thought anyone not in power or rich thought that way, if so you\u2019d be very wrong,\u201d Buck said. \u201cA lot of people didn\u2019t think that way, it was the fringe of the liberals who thought that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see you\u2019re mistaken,\u201d the man finally replied. \u201cNo matter, we have the truth on our side, and you cannot be allowed to continue your relationship with the government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buck shook his head at the man\u2019s stupidity, all Buck was doing was giving interviews before heading back to the NAA, unless, another thought struck him. What if this man was trying to split the EAA and the NAA?\u00a0 IF so he needed information and then, a way to get out of here.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake him away,\u201d the man said, motioning to another guard.<\/p>\n

Buck was brought back to his feet and led away down a corridor to a small room.<\/p>\n

\u201cTypical,\u201d Buck said to no one as he was shoved into the room. They could have undone his bonds, but at least his hands were in front of him.\u00a0 Now, he spent some time looking around the room, he had to escape and then somehow find out where he was.<\/p>\n

End part 12<\/p>\n

Continued in part 13<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buck Rogers by AJ Marks Part 12 Buck felt nervous, and hungry as he was escorted to meet the President of the UAC and was currently going through security checks. Raising his hands for the pat down he thought it was strange, they did this but he did not have to do this while seeing […]
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