LLM Part IV Chapter 42

42.

Tonto stood there at the edge of the cliff to have a better view of the landscape. The plains of the ground spread out far into the horizon with its shade of orange and red in the texture of the terrain. The place was devoid of any living creatures and plants although there were the enormous mounds that resembled huge flat table tops. These mounds are scattered across the plains like pieces of chessmen on the wide board. His mind drifted back to the badlands and colorful canyons of the last world he was familiar with but here it was not scenic but a bland portrayal of dead lands.

Tonto blinked his eyes to get a clearer view with the dust accumulated there. When he blinked his eyes, the layer of dusts there was wiped off by the tears from his eyes.

“Kemo-Sabe, it is all the same.” Tonto turned to his partner who was trying to figure out things of his own. They have been there for three days and that was the last time they met any living creatures.

“Are you sure Michael sent us in the correct world?” Tonto asked again. “The shaman had told me of the neither worlds but this one defies any descriptions.”

“Dimensions, Tonto. Not worlds. We are not in your neither world. Not that I will expect you to understand.” Lance mocked the other. He grabbed the Stetson to hit it against his left thigh. He does that when he gets agitated.

“I know my books read inside out and for your information, I am versed in the worlds that Michael mentioned.” Tonto replied. “I did not…”

“I did not learn mine on my back or on top of the camel hump.” Lance laughed. He knew that Tonto was about to refer to the vast desert named Sahara or Sahel in Arabic. “Did you learn yours on the docks?”

Tonto was raised up at the Dover docks off the English Channels. He was sent there by his guardian there for a better living but he ditched there later and became a shaman.

“Have you learned how our ride really…get ridden?” Lance laid his right feet on the small mound next to his so named horse. “He ain’t the Silver I used to ride.”

 Tonto smiled and looked at the contraption in his view. It was not a grand design by his view but it had two wheels with the metal rims, the iron frame that held it and spring loaded leather seat with a set of handle bars on the front. The unique parts were the exhaust system and some miniature engine that have gears and knobs with cables. There was the harness that held all the parts together and it have what was told was a set of brakes. It was all explained by the Angel with the goggles over his eyes. Pardon, it was his real eyes but he handed Lance and Tonto a set of goggles. It would had been easier to operate it if there were horses to drag it but the contraption worked on a set of gears on a ‘designed two stroke motor’. It held a side car as explained by the Angel that resembled more like a mini wagon fitted for one person with the legs bend upwards. The side car also held two saddle bags at the rear, and it holds the attached rim and wheel. 

On the iron frame near to the handle bars was the name ‘Chief’.

“Have you checked the engine, Kemo-Sabe?”

“You mean the one that purrs and roars on the turn of the handle bar.” Lance replied with an irritant tone. “Yes, I checked it and its purring like what our Angel told us it would do.”

“Pardon me on that hue and cries but we ain’t exactly in Texas or Alabama.” Tonto motioned with his hands above their heads. There was not one Sun there but none. “Perhaps you want to me to bring out my sexton to calculate our last known position.”

“Damn you and your ….Dover lessons. I am trying to figure out how we ride this …bike?” Lance snapped back in anger. 

“It’s an infernal machinery like its ….”

“Creator? I stand against that. The Creator gave us many wonders in our lifetime, and before ours. So don’t be a hypocrite and condemned his creation.” Tonto called on his other faith to defend the bike. “It may one day outrun your Silver in the race.”

Lance pulled off the gloves from his hands and tossed it. He stepped away and joined Tonto at the edge. He was dressed in the old drags then as stated by the Angel who dressed him. They were sent there by Michael to prepare for their eventual task to locate Lucifer. The Angel there was named the Designer or called me Guppy. The chamber they were shown in was a plain empty one but there were mirrors on the sides and on the ceiling. There stood Guppy with his arms crossed and his eyes squinting at the duo

“Gracious me, are you dressed or was it thrown on by from your mother onto you with the discards or leftovers.” Guppy uncrossed his arms in exasperation. “And I thought toga was bad.”

“In Hades, you need to dress for it. Unlike here, they ain’t dressed. They just wrap it and if God ever knew which toga belonged to whom.” The Angel who was to decide on their dressing took a swirl to the rear. It was an impressive walk then rivaled by the later generations on the improvised raised jetty platform.

“Now where were we before the interruptions of ideas?” Guppy had his right arm up and the index finger curled. “Yes, I was to tell you on the dressing at Hades. I loved those areas. They are so ….fashionable.”

“Yes, a great way to describe dressing. I loved that expression.” Guppy then stopped there and from above his head, a rectangle container was lowered. Guppy reached for the container and set it down on the flooring. On the container was a panel board with some buttons and a small screen.

“Hello, darling. Are you happy to see me?” Guppy spoke to the rectangle container. “I have some new ….friends to dress on.”

The container released a series of beeps and burps that could mean anything to the unknown listener but to Guppy, it was his language of dressing.

“Yes, darling. We are making new garbs and not the shapeless toga anymore. And no, they are not doing for any recreational functions. Rome was not built in seven days but they have their dressing done in one.”

Guppy laughed at his words on the Roman’s taste of dressing. He then looked at the duo and explained.

“In fact, they are going to Hades.”

When the name Hades was mentioned, the rectangle box began to chatter and vibrated on its frame. Guppy then punched in some buttons and the rectangle box stopped. Lance stooped over to look at the box.

“I served it a shot of sherry laced with ions.” Guppy smiled. “I was just trying to amuse you. Let me show you what it can really do.”

“Darling, please measure the two gentlemen and get them the conditioned garbs for the place.” Guppy instructed the box.  “Do hurry and please don’t get kinky.”

“Oh, another great expression for the line I am in.” Guppy continued. “Do amuse me. In our line, we are constantly improving.”

Lance and Tonto saw the beam of light that trailed down their body from the head to the toes. Then the box began to hum in a low sound before it released a loud beep.

“Be still, darling. I know they are handsome in the looks but please focus on the design. It’s what we are to do.”

Just when Guppy completed his statement, the box then gave out another harmonic hum and another rectangle box appeared from above. It was smaller and slim. Guppy reached for it and opened the cover. It revealed the new suits for the duo.

“Dark gray and white ain’t exactly my shades.” Lance grumbled on the shades selected for him. He had donned on a white fitted suit which covered him from the neck to the ankles. It had a red stripe drawn from his right shoulder downwards to his waist and then streaked across it like the letter ‘L’. His feet were enclosed in the dark boots and on his hands were the matching red gloves. It was matched on his boots. He had on a double gun holster below his armpits which were empty then.

“Reach behind your neck, Sir.” Guppy told Lance. “Pull at the lever there.”

Lance did as told. He reached for it and then pulled it. From the back of his neck the hem of the suit there reached out and covered his head and then half his face to the bridge of his nose. From there, a translucent material covered the rest of his face. He felt the materials and was able to breathe. He could see past the covered mask over his eyes.

“Do I get my Stetson back and how do I pee?”

“Mon dieu! Darling, do tell him. I can stand to reply on all these petty issues. And shoo them later to the Weaponry Section. Those knaves could do whatever they need to except creased my design.” Guppy stormed off. Tonto was dressed similarly but his red stripes were streak on the top across the shoulders and it was drawn down in one wide streak in the middle to his waist like the letter ‘T’. The suit had a line of ‘fringe’ on the sides down the arms. He ignored the red coonskin hat offered.

“Oh, you need the coat to protect you from the heat.” The white coat with the fringe was a knee length and it held a red stripe streaking down the left shoulder.