"M.O.P.S. in Space" - Chapter Fifteen (The End)

M.O.P.S. in Space

Chapter Fifteen

By Douglas E. Gogerty

"Well, we're dead," insisted Kelly.

"Don't be ridiculous," responded Angus. "I got a merit badge in orienteering. I can get us back to the convention hall."

"Okay Mr. Orienteering," replied Kelly. "Which way is north?"

"For that matter, which direction is the convention center?" added Tommy.

"Unfortunately, we'll have to wait for the sun to come up before I can answer the first question. However, we can walk around a bit to see if we find anything familiar."

"Well, I am not in the least bit tired," added Victor.

"What do we have to lose?" Kelly said.

"If we do not make it back to the Convention Center," responded Tommy. "Our bus may leave without us."

"I was asking a rhetorical question," replied Kelly.

"Oh," Tommy acknowledged.

The quartet walked around for several hours. They completely lost track of where they were, as they could not even make it back to the government building they had left. They continued to walk as darkness gave way to morning.

"North is that way," Angus pointed out as he looked at the sun.

"How do you know their sun rises in the east?" asked Victor.

"By definition," responded Angus curtly.

"Can we find someplace to eat?" asked Tommy.

"I am hungry too," added Kelly.

"Is that all you two think about?" asked Angus.

"Of course not," answered Tommy. "But we have been walking all night, and I'm too tired to think about other things."

"Also, it has been almost a day since he's had a gin and tonic," joked Victor.

"Gin and tonic!" came a cry from across the street.

"There is where we'll eat," stated Angus as if he knew the café was there all along.

Angus waved his remaining bills, and the staff brought course after course of food. Despite being early in the morning, Angus and Tommy had gin and tonics. Kelly tried to get some sort of juice, but was unsuccessful. He settled for soda. Victor's request for milk was right out! He too settled for soda.

The group ate until they could eat no more. Angus handed over the bills, and the quartet rested a while at their table. They enjoyed the early morning sun for a short time, and then they arose to continue their journey.

They asked a few people where the convention center was, but they got nothing intelligible back. They were no closer to finding their way back than they were in the middle of the night. However, fate soon smiled upon them. Kelly recognized a landmark. It was the statue they had seen the first night.

"Are you sure?" asked Tommy.

"I stopped here for a bit -- waiting for you guys to catch up with me," replied Kelly. "Remember the Japanese tourists?"

"Nope," answered Tommy.

"I have vague recollection of it," added Angus.

"Just up that way," pointed Kelly "is that busy section where we first saw Hello Kitty™ girl."

"No," replied Angus pointing in the opposite direction. "It was that way."

"I remember it clearly," assured Victor pointing in a direction 90 degrees to Angus and Kelly. "It was that way."

"You were drunk," insisted Tommy pointing in the remaining direction. "Clearly, it is that way."

"Okay, let us think about this logically," insisted Kelly.

"That leaves you out," Angus said sarcastically.

"No hear me out," answered Kelly. "Since we got here, lots of improbable things have happened."

"Like Victor getting lucky?" asked Angus.

"Exactly," replied Kelly. "Everything we have been through has been very improbable -- a pseudo-impossibility -- if you will."

"So what you are saying is that we are still in that impossibility bubble Gogle spoke of?" inquired Tommy.

"Precisely!" replied Kelly. "And you know what that means -- don't you?"

"You mean..." Angus answered in disbelief.

"It is true," Kelly said with great confidence. "Victor must be right about the direction."

"No way!" exclaimed Tommy.

"It does make sense," added Victor with a nod.

Thus, the three MOPS members followed Victor's directions and he led them directly back to the convention center.

The cougar who got to know Victor quite well, was flirting with a navy blue individual who was supposed to be guarding the entrance. He, she, or it completely missed the four MOPS members as the entered the building.

They spotted Gogle at the far end of the hall still standing at his table. A small group had gathered around him. As the MOPS members approached, they heard him say, "And many of them say that they evolved from apes..."

The group around him burst into laughter.

"Hey wait a minute," interrupted Angus. "You guys don't believe in evolution?"

"Heavens to Mergatroid, do not be ridiculous," replied one of the group. "Everything in the universe evolves."

"Language evolves, technology evolves, there is not one thing we know of that does not evolve," added another member of the group around Gogle.

"You would have to be crazy or deluded or ignorant to not believe in evolution," finished Gogle.

"So what is so funny then?" asked Victor.

"Do you believe you evolved from apes?" asked Gogle.

"Of course!" insisted Victor.

"But," Gogle answered. "You *are* apes. Why not go a little farther back on your family tree?"

"Hey! I'm an octopod" added one of the group. "I evolved from an Octopus. Duh!"

"Is it so shameful to say you evolved from -- say -- rodents?" asked one of the group.

"Okay okay," answered Victor. "You made your point -- so can we go now?"

"Go where?" asked Gogle.

The group did not experience the same sensation as they had when they found themselves at the Intra-Galactic Comic and Gaming Convention. However, they found themselves talking to the individual with the booth pointed towards the wall. They were back on earth -- their earth.

"How long have we been gone?" asked Angus.

"Gone?" asked Gogle. "Did you go somewhere?"

"You know darn well we did," insisted Tommy.

"Alright -- alright," replied Gogle. "So you went on some sort of trip. What is it to me?"

"Was it a dream?" asked Kelly.

"According to the clock on the wall," added Angus "It must have just been a few minutes."

"So it was all in our heads," insisted Tommy.

"Then what about this?" asked Victor as he raised the shiny bucket.