Bill Wayden, Secretary to Operations Central Administrator Beal, is arrested and hauled before a corrupt court, where he is falsely convicted of assaulting two of his superiors and kidnapping Beal. He is convicted and sentenced to 18 years on a Penal World. In his panic, he escapes and flees to the only place on Central that is safe: The Holy Temple of Thought. He is befriended by the Dalph, the High Priest, whereupon, matters only grow worse as he struggles to find Beal and prove his innocence.Meanwhile, Assistant Administrator Pharsey Calooh has been confiscating powerful living rocks called Items which act as guardians of the Universal fabric, for an insane bid for wealth and power, putting the Galaxy at terminal risk. This puts him at odds with Timmorey, the guardian of the teleportation way station on Earth, who refuses to surrender the Item he has under protective custody. Bill and Timmorey's paths cross as they seek solutions for their problems. Laugh out loud funny. The manhole cover settled noiselessly into place. One overhead light barely illuminated the metal ladder. Beal stepped off the last rung and bumped into Bill. "What's wrong with you?" he said, with annoyance. "I saw a worm !" Bill said. "So, what?" "It had big, green eyes. I'd swear it went into a hole in the wall." "How can a man get drunk without liquor?" "I tell you, I saw a worm ! It almost banged into me! It had four legs, kinda like tentacles, and it was running on them!" "Have your hallucinations on you own time!" Beal said. "And don't bother me with them, even then. Get going !" " No ! Let's climb out of here before that worm comes back! No telling what it might do!" "If it returns, step on it!" "But, it's five feet tall !" Bill almost shouted. "How you gonna squash a hundred pounds of worm with even your immense foot?" He headed up the ladder. Beal reached out to stop Bill but caught sight of a pair of glowing green eyes. He changed the direction of his hand, intending to prove the peepers were os, like on the alley poster, remembered he was in a sewer, and felt warm, living, slimy skin. He wiped his hand on his slacks and mounted the metal ladder. As he closed the lid, the eyes were watching. "You were right, Bill!" he said. "Let's move!" Beal triggered his blaster, melted a hole in a wall near a slave bird, and retreated into the bathing area. Fido ran ahead of him, mewing in terror. He grabbed the cat up and charged into the round room of hanging drapes. He beamed one, setting them all ablaze. This activated the recessed sprinkler system, and a fire alarm that sounded like a monstrous bird shrieking. He raced down the main corridor, scaring several blue Pharseys into flight. He'd have to find a hiding place with immediate, easy detection of the enemy and a fast escape route. He heard squeaky voices coming from the bisecting hall ahead and dodged through a doorway. He found himself in an empty grain bin. A ramp led to a higher level. He closed the door, set his blaster to its highest level, and sealed the portal by melting it around the frame. Then he followed the ramp up to an open courtyard. This was covered by grass and cluttered with ugly statues of Pharseys in ridiculous poses. Despite the emergency situation, he stopped, let Fido go, and belly laughed. Fido purred. Mercifully, the fire alarm ceased, but bird guards skittered around outside the door of the grain bin. Philip Raymond Sadler is an artist and author residing in Michigan. His other books include: Asblin's Magic Cave Azophi's Wand The War of The Thirteen Enchantments The Yarrow Enigma Wild Wilkenson and The Man in the Moon Prophecy Suggestions of Stained Glass Flower Window Art A Coloring Book. Suggestions of Stained Glass Abstract Art A Coloring Book. With T.D. Sadler: Never Trust a Cricket Wizards War Published by Alderbrian Press. Other books by T. D. Sadler: The House of Other Worlds The Reluctant Hero Wherever the Road Leads Published by Famulus Press.