No Parking — A Hit and Run Story
By The Ethical Hypnotist
Chapter Nine: Breakin’ the Law, Breakin’ the Law
“You sure you’re cool with this, bro?” Margot was fidgeting as Dominick sat.
“Yeah, it’s fine. We gotta get some evidence and this’ll do it. Plus… we gotta grow your channel. That merch isn’t gonna sell itself.” Dom gave Margot a smirk and a wink.
“Big talk for a man who’s got a tentacle inside his skull.”
“I’m trying not to think about that.” He sat as still as he could while Margot worked, and after a long minute he felt the tentacle withdrawn.
“Ok, bro, it’s all done. You just gotta think it on and off. Give it a shot.”
Dominick concentrated for a moment, and a large screen appeared in the middle distance. It showed Margot from Dom’s perspective.
“Testing, testing, one two. This is VTV—Vasquez Television. All Vasquez, all the time. Hello to all my fans watching farther up the dimensional curve. Gonna have some exciting footage for you real soon, so stay tuned.” He concentrated again and the screen disappeared.
“Alright dude, when you turn it on, you’re broadcasting—so maybe don’t use it with your wives around. Although… it would definitely boost our ratings…”
“Get your mind out of the gutter.” Dom poked a playful finger into Margot’s side. “You just focus on keeping their brains unscrambled—all of them, Dave and Violet too. And heads up—I gave the rock to Lola. If shit goes sideways, you might be getting a call.”
“And you said you didn’t need it…”
Job done, Dom fell back into realspace and joined the family for room service breakfast.
“Dave, you’re sure this ‘secret ride’ is in Elysium Gardens?”
“Sure? No. But the whole goddamn park is covered in cameras… except for right here.” He pointed at an anonymous spot between two popular rides. “There’s a whole building behind that mural of the mascots. It’s not labeled on the map, it has no front facing entrance, and there’s not one camera anywhere around or inside it.”
“If there’s a brainwashing ride, that’s where it is.”
Dominick nodded. “Fair enough. Zoey and I will check that out. If they’re fucking with people, we’ll get enough footage to send ’em up the interdimensional river.”
“And while my fearless wife and virile Master are braving the depths of Tartarus,” Lola interjected, “Violet and I will ascend to the very heights of Mount Olympus!” She raised a breakfast sausage by way of emphasis.
“Fucking dork-ass,” Dave mumbled.
Violet sighed melodramatically. “Which is to say, we’ll sneak into Orfanos’ mansion and search for evidence. Perhaps confront the woman directly. She may not know what her ‘patron’ is doing to her employees.”
Dave shook his head, eyes closed. “I think this is all a bad idea. You’re breaking and entering into a major theme park and the home of a billionaire—both of which are protected by private security. I haven’t seen any guns yet, but that’s not nearly the same as no guns. This could get really bad, really fast.”
“...You’re right man.” Dom paused, drumming his fingers on the table. “But the genie is literally out of the bottle. There’s an amoral interdimensional influencer with an illegal Reconfig-a-Mabob, tearing the world apart for views—and he knows we’re here.”
“If we retreat or stall, how much more damage will he do before one of these Judges steps in? To the world, or to us? And what will these Judges do to fix everything? We have to stop any more changes and get whatever evidence we can—and fast.”
“Just because you’re right doesn’t mean I like it.” Dave put his hands up in defeat. “Alright fine, let’s go save the world… or whatever.”
Everyone said their goodbyes and departed, leaving Dave and Lorraine to assist from the suite.
“I feel so weird, exposed. Metaphorically, obviously.”
Lola squirmed as she walked, Hot Girl™ uniform clinging to her curves. Violet walked behind her, equally uncomfortable in a matching lycra jumpsuit. They pushed a stolen tool cart between them. “Perhaps we should have handled the ride building instead.”
“No dice—the staff are all Hot Girls. Master would’ve been a dead giveaway. He’s 100% man.” Lola got a dreamy look in her eyes for a moment, then shook it off. She tapped on her earpiece. “You there?”
“Operator,” Dave replied.
“Dork,” she snarked. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I just called the security babes with the request. They should let you right through.”
“The word ‘should’ doesn’t fill me with confidence.”
Lola nodded back to Violet, then swallowed and approached the gate. The two Security Girls™ scanned their badges, and radioed to the other women inside. The one called Piper chatted as the gate clattered open. “What’s going on?”
Lola gave her an indifferent shrug, trying not to worry about the tasers on their belts. “I dunno—something wrong with a sink in the master bathroom. Whatever the boss needs, we do.”
“Customer service is job one,” replied the other one, in a slightly robotic tone.
The pair waved to the Security Girls™ in the guardhouse inside the gate, then trundled up to the mansion. The modernist building was boxy, black and chrome with huge windows. Violet waved her badge and the front door popped open.
There was no noise inside, save for the air conditioning.
Dom and Zoey moved through the shaded thoroughfares of Elysium Gardens, queueing up for Zeus’ Fury. They stood in line patiently for 30 minutes, until they neared a particular bend in the rope maze.
“Okay, Dave, we’re in position.” Zoey pressed a finger to her ear as she spoke, which Dom gently pulled away. “He can hear you sweetie.”
“Alright, Zoey, I’m ready here. The cameras are going down… now.”
The pair moved out of line, Dom complaining of stomach trouble. They ducked under a rope, and walked down an emergency exit corridor. Dom’s badge opened the door without raising an alarm, and they darted across an empty courtyard and over a chain link fence.
On the far side, there was an unassuming beige building, with a steel door and loading dock. The sign above the door said “Processing and Induction”.
Dominick concentrated. “Ok, I’m recording. Hello, Citizens of the Dimensional Curve—this is Dominick Vasquez. I’m coming to you live from Bacchanal Bay, on Earth, Milky Way galaxy, in the Fourth Dimension. Many of you have been watching Doctor Kraken’s videos about this theme park, but he’s not showing you the whole story. Today I’m going to prove he’s a criminal with dark secrets that are going to land him in hyper-jail. Stay tuned!”
They badged their way through the door, and beyond lay a wide corridor with offices on either side. The lights were off, the space lit only by dim skylights. Music drifted from an open door at the end of the hall—a cheery, whimsical tune they couldn’t quite hear.
“I don’t like this Nicky,” Zoey whispered.
“Agreed.” Dom nodded grimly. “But when have we let a bad idea stop us?”
They crept along, glancing into each room. It was all very banal, just endless desks and chairs, bland corporate art on the walls. They were nearing the open door when a loud click came from the entrance. Zoey yanked Dom into the nearest office, and watched as a pair of park mascots dragged an unconscious man through the door.
Zoey jerked a thumb towards the approaching mascots and raised an eyebrow to Dom. Baffled, he mouthed ‘what?’ to her, to which she rolled her eyes and mimed punching. Dom mouthed ‘oh!’ and nodded.
The resulting fight was rather lopsided—combat is difficult when you’re in a huge foam costume. Zoey dispatched Zeus, spinning his head around with a right hook before putting a foot in his guts. There was a feminine groan from inside and the god dropped. Dom, meanwhile, simply yanked the foam head off Hera, and grabbed the temples of the shocked woman inside. SLEEP. he commanded, and she immediately collapsed.
He caught her as she fell, then moved to Zoey’s side and repeated his command to the groaning woman inside the Zeus outfit. Zoey gave him a look that was both impressed and unsettled. “Holy shit, you are a wizard.”
“The term of art is Warlock,” he corrected. “Let’s suit up.”
Lola and Violet wandered the vast mansion, looking for clues. They had pushed the cart along at first, ready to fake a plumbing job—but the house was totally empty. Not a maid, not a cook, not a secretary—no one.
“I’m getting the jibblies, Vi. This is really spooky.”
“Something is definitely wrong, Mistress, but we keep looking. There must be an office or bedroom upstairs.”
They climbed the stairs in eerie silence, reaching a long corridor of shut rooms, ending in an ornate set of double doors. “It’s locked, Mistress—a proper lock.”
“No worries, I can get us in.” Lola began fidgeting with her hair, squatting down in front of the lock.
Violet crouched beside her. “You’re going to pick it with a bobby pin?”
“Bobby pin? What is this, Scooby Doo?” She pulled a pair of thin metal strips from the depths of her long black curls. “Wave rake and tensioner. Thank you, Lockpicking Lawyer.” She inserted the tools, fiddled for a moment, and then the handle turned. Lola stood, deeply smug.
“Mistress, Mr Ashcroft is correct—you are a dork-ass.”
“Body of a goddess, mind of a genius—y’all are just jealous.” She threw open the doors.
Beyond was the master bedroom. It was sleek and modern, discreetly expensive—not dissimilar from their own bedroom when they’d briefly had a Manhattan penthouse. To the right were doors—probably the bathroom and a closet. To the left was an office area, with a matching Herman Miller desk and chair.
Krystallo Orfanos was standing in front of the desk. She wore a navy blazer and knee length skirt, with black stockings and sensible pumps. Her salt and pepper hair was tied in a ponytail, and she had elegant blue glasses. All in all, she radiated power and authority—a proper modern CEO.
She was also floating a few inches above the floor, frozen in place, angrily pointing a finger at someone no longer there.
Lola walked up to the woman, waved a hand in front of her face. She tentatively poked the floating woman, and she drifted gently away.
“Huh. Wasn’t expecting this.” Lola turned to Violet for guidance, who only shrugged.