Episode Twenty-Two Interviewing the Galt

Episode Twenty-Two   Interviewing the Galt

    Soon her father stormed into her chambers.
    “All right.  I’ve had him injected with a double dose of truth serum because these Galts are notoriously strong-willed.  I will allow you to question him.  But I will be present.  I have a list of questions of my own for you to ask him.  Here.  And there will be absolutely NO coddling!  Do you understand me, Isabella?”
    “Yes.  Fine, I can agree to that.  No torturing and no coddling.  We can handle this like civilized people, you’ll see.  Jakson is a good man, honest and reasonable.  Thank you, Father.”  They walked up to the tower.  Justin opened the door.
    “What have you done to him?” she gasped.
    “Nothing,” said the king.  “Yet.”
    “Can’t you remove that horrible shock harness?”
    “No”
    “Well, then, can you lower him?”
    “Isabella!  This is not a tea party!  It’s SUPPOSED to hurt.”
    “Father, please.  Lower him?”
    The king groaned and pressed some buttons.  Jakson puddled to the ground, rubbing his shoulders.
“Is that a little better?” she whispered to Jakson.  He nodded.  “Would you rather a chair?”  He shook his head no, sitting on the floor.  She pulled up a chair right in front of him and sat.
    “Begin whenever you wish, Isabella.  I’ll sit behind you.  I will handle the remote.”
    “I am Princess Isabella of Robesson,” she winked at him and mouthed a kiss.  “I will be conducting this, uh, interview today.  I know you will be very truthful with me because you’ve been double dosed with truth serum.  Do not speak unless I ask you to or you will be shocked.  My father, King Frederick, can bypass the shock device with the remote in his hand.  Do you understand?”  He nodded.
    “Are you ready for me to begin questioning you?”  He nodded, staring at her intently.
    “Okay.  Is your name Jakson Blake?”  She held her breath.  Damn, he thought, why did she have to start with THAT one?  He froze.  “Are you my Jaks?”  He breathed a sigh of relief.  He nodded with a tiny smile.  No matter what he was or wasn’t, he would always be her Jaks.
    “And are you also known on this planet as Tarek Ikari?”  He nodded.
    “And nobody around here notices you speak with a British accent?  Please explain.” She looked at her father who held down the bypass button.
    “They don’t hear it,” again he faintly smiled.  “They perceive it as nothing more than a regional dialect.  From the poor, disadvantaged side of town.”
    “Can you explain the doorway to me?”
    “Yes.  Our scientists were working on a way to travel great distances in short periods of time.  They developed a chemical that could fold the layers of space into a portal.  But instead of only liquefying the membrane on this planet, it also worked between other livable parallel worlds.  At first, it was painted over a plain interior wall, and looked like an old mirror.  The liquid could open a portal, or a doorway between two worlds.  Of course, we had no idea there were so many parallel worlds out there, and that a doorway once painted open could be accessed from either side, time and time again.  It was later we discovered we could actually pick a specific portal by using a translocation disc.”