Paradise

Nine

3019, Earth

"Ben?" Jones desperately yelled through the intercom. "Ben, do you copy?!" She was getting worried now. Ben or Justine weren't answering. Something must have happened to them, she thought as the minutes ticked by.

Rizza, who was walking beside Jones and was getting even more irritated with every yell her comrade gave on the intercom, finally shouted, turning to her. "Could you please shut up for once?!"

"Can't you see what's happening?" Jones countered. "They must be dead or something." She clasped her hands over her mouth. Don't even think about it.

"Can't you see?! We're in Europe and they are going to America. How can we even help them? Could you at least calm down?"

"I can't! I've lot Jose to some police officers and now Ben and Justine are dead?" Jones wanted to slap herself after the last word. Shut up!

"Shut up!" Rizza exclaimed before Jones could continue. "We're here to get the weapons. Focus on that and we could worry about that later. Besides, I put full faith on Ben. He knows how to get out of any situation. You should have faith in him and Justine as well."

Jones was silence. They walked on the street of Swindon, England. It was dawn and the dark sky was turning blue again. In front of them, the sun was beginning to rise, giving off sun rays that brightened the day. The rays hit buildings and dwellings of different English people.

For once, Jones stopped worrying. "Beautiful," she muttered.

They stepped out of the alley where they hid moments ago and walked in the sidewalk just like normal people. Spaceships floated on the streets or zoomed past them. Jones saw people using holographic gloves as they walked.

"We need to find Andrew Robinson if we want to know about the location of Timothy, " Rizza explained, as if Jones was listening.

But actually, she wasn't. At the back of Jones' head, she thought. I hope Ben, Jose, and Justine are okay.

Many other passersby gave them both a sideways glance and sometimes whispered to each other. Jones and Rizza were getting suspicious about the people in Swindon, England.

All of a sudden, Rizza tugged Jones' shirt. She was about to shout in protest because of her comrade's rudeness when Rizza whispered in her ear. "I'll go separate ways. Try not to be suspicious."

Then they came to an intersection. Jones turned a sharp left while Rizza stayed along with other pedestrians trying to cross the street. They didn't give a glance at each other. Jones kept silent as she passed by a clothing shop. That gave her an idea.

Minutes later, she emerged with new clothes. Her black sleeveless shirt was gone and was replaced with white long sleeves and a pink-striped t-shirt. She wore a new pair of long blue jeans fit for a girl. She relaxed a little; she was a bit inconspicuous.

Despite this, she was still worried. They were still very far from completing the mission. They still had to collect the weapons from Timothy. They still need to go to Greta and investigate the "hostiles" mentioned in the message given during the meeting. They needed to solve it--

"Calm down," she muttered to herself, taking deep breaths. "I know it's a lot. We can do it. just calm down--"

"Do you need any help, miss?"someone called out in accented English, which was British. Jones turned to see a man dressed in a blue polo shirt and blue jeans. His sneakers were brown with hints of a lighter brown color in its design.

She began to argue with herself. I don't want this guy to get involved in this mission, she thought. But I need help. She, as discreetly a possible, sighed. Perhaps a little won't hurt.