The Solid Hold (The IQ Testing Book 4) Read online

  The Solid Hold

  ipam

  Chapter 1

  Friday

  Colfax

  10:07 am. map room. sunny. partly cloudy. hot. 88% humidity. 77°F

  Rincon stands, sneering at Marsilla. “There is no one to tattle about, here, Marsilla. Ms. Mayor, our teen friends attended school with us then we all entered the Cubby Hole. The end.”

  The mayor stares at Marsilla. “Tell me, about your little friends.”

  Marsilla giggles, standing. She scoots around her glass desk then sits on the edge, like Duchie. She wiggles her golden colored sandal up and down. “Well, our teen friends, living in Colfax, were Ketona. You know and remember Ketona, Ms. Mayor. She entered the gold color tone then called out to become a farmer, rather than a medical technician.”

  The mayor nods, sneering. “I remember Ketona. She was the first teen to ever reject a dream job, here, in Colfax. I will never forget that, either.”

  Marsilla says. “Ketona was studying to become a medical technician, except her neighbor Rincon beat her to the dream job, like always. Anyways, she opted with her heart, instead of her mind. But, her mind is gifted…”

  The mayor says. “I am not interested in that little teen tart. She lives the rest of her days inside Burrville…”

  Marsilla shakes her curls. “I completely disagree with…”

  The mayor says. “Who else ran around your circle, Marsilla?”

  Marsilla says. “There was Buffo, who didn’t make it into the gold color tone. He was left behind inside the orange tone. He is a farmer, along with his family in Burrville…”

  The mayor exhales, nodding. “I am not completely blind or deaf, intern Marsilla. And, I am beginning to question your concept…”

  Marsilla frowns. “Rincon, me, Ketona, Buffo, Hatch, and Jara, not Nephella or Duchie, they were in my inner circle of friends, and my neighbors. The point, I am trying to convey here…”

  “What’s your point, Marsilla?” Rincon sneers.

  Marsilla smiles. “My other friends, who are both very smart, making excellent grades, as schoolers. And, they apparently had too much fun, staying inside the yellow color tone, and, now live inside Dookie Town…”

  The mayor frowns. “And!?”

  Marsilla nods and smiles. “And, the black circles rotate inside Dookie Town and the me-chee soldiers are missing inside Dookie Town, and there was a crime inside Montag, from a set of mysterious persons. My friends Hatch and Jara have figured out how to slip through the e-field.”

  The mayor drops her mouth. “That is impossible!”

  Marsilla smiles. “Where are the missing me-chee soldiers, in outer space? No. I propose that they are stolen by my smart friends Hatch and Jara.”

  Duchie frowns. “How is that possible?”

  Marsilla grins. “An e-field is scattered by an object, being inserted into the electromagnetic wave, parting them. When the e-field is parted, there is a hole. When there is hole, a person can slip inside…”

  “Naw!” Rincon shakes his curls. “A person, object, or thing cannot pass through an e-field, without dying. Get real, Marsilla!”

  “Get really gone, Marsilla!” Duchie nods.

  Marsilla smiles. “And, our cat suit is composed of the same elements of the electromagnetic field, which morphed the color tone, during our Cubby Hole activities. The cat suit doesn’t die or become inactivate. Therefore, the cat suit, containing a person, can slip through the e-field then cause some mayhem. I do believe.” She nods to Rincon.

  The mayor drops her mouth. “Your friends, why would they do that?”

  Marsilla smiles. “They are very smart. They were very smart, during Cubby Hole. Now, they are living in a less desirable place, like Dookie Town. And, they were born and reared, here, in Colfax. What would you do, as a posh Colfaxian, if you messed up your eternal life, as a silly teen, Ms. Mayor?”

  The mayor frowns. “I will accept my destiny, being a silly teen.”

  Marsilla says. “The cat suit, the e-field, and the cesspool construction consist of natural earth minerals, like nickel, or aluminum, or lead. One of these natural earth minerals will, can, and does collapse an e-field for some fast freedom…”

  The mayor nods and says. “How do we catch them?”

  Marsilla nods and smiles. “They are…”

  Rincon frowns. “They are not doing anything, Marsilla. Your theory sucks on cold runny eggs. No one can escape from an e-field, surrounding an entire geographical landscape.”

  Marsilla scoots onto the floor, nodding. “I think we should investigate, Ms. Mayor. We started the investigation with the rotating black circles, at the start of the working week. Now, the black circles are more numerous than before. Why is that? We have slapped the hornets’ nest, Ms. Mayor. And, the hornets are both mad and smart. I propose, we visit Dookie town, again, now, today. Let’s go and give Hatch and Jara, providing a sweet housewarming gift as an excuse. After all, they were Colfaxians, now, Dookians.” She giggles. “Is that really a word?”

  Duchie stands, frowning. “There are thousands of workers inside Dookie Town. We will never, ever find two folks, like Hatch and Jara.”

  Marsilla views Duchie, saying. “Then, you can…”

  The mayor stares at Marsilla then says. “Your proposal is a good idea. I will approve of the visitation into Dandine, again. However, if you are…”

  Marsilla leads, exhaling. She has plenty of faith, crossing the high bridge, first, into the travel car.

  Rincon stands, frowning at Marsilla. He watches her fanny priss out the door. He waits for Duchie. He whispers into Duchie. “Is she right?”

  Duchie smiles and nods. “She is totally wrong, as usual. We should kick her out of the golden circle and install Hatch and Jara, filling the rest of the dream team.”

  Rincon walks out the door, crossing the balcony. “We should fill the dream team with Ketona…”

  Duchie gasps, stopping and looking at Rincon.

  Rincon stops beside her.

  Duchie frowns. “What is the relationship between you and Ketona? You compliment her, every day, almost all the time, when her name is mentioned.”

  Rincon exhales, nodding. “I was her neighbor for many, many years. That’s all! Ketona loves Buffo. The reason, she called out the farmer job, instead of accepting one of the dream jobs.”

  Duchie nods, saying. “Okay! I was just asking.”

  10: 32 am.

  Dandine

  barrier wall of Colfax and Dandine

  The travel car rolls through the e-field, stopping, before hitting the cesspool. The door opens.

  The mayor slides out, first, walking towards the worker. “Excuse me! I would like…”

  Marsilla grins. “Duchie comes from here, too. Duchie, call your daddy! He can easily pinpoint the location of Hatch and Jara. Right, Duchie? They are here, working, like you say. Hey, girl!”

  The mayor swings around, nodding. “Call your daddy, Duchie!”

  Duchie frowns then walks to the worker.

  The worker continues to work.

  She leans and whispers something into his helmet.

  The worker halts then nods. The worker jogs from the mayor and cesspool.

  Row of pink houses

  The short man dashes towards Duchie, smiling. He wears a yellow jumpsuit, without the helmet, scarf, and smell. He does wear a pair of sunglasses.

  Duchie dashes to him, smiling and giggling. “Daddy, I’m here on business for the mayor.” She walks him towards her party, smiling. “Ms. Mayor, this is my daddy. Daddy, this is the mayor of Colfax.”

  Duchie’s daddy nods, not extending his hand for shaking

  The mayor doesn’t ext
end her hand for shaking, either.

  Duchie’s daddy stands next to his daughter, hugging her He nods, without talking.

  The mayor clears her throat. “I am looking for a new couple, recently graduated from the Cubby Hole. They are name Hatch and Jara, who work here, somewhere. I would like to give them, a housewarming gift.” She snaps her fingers.

  The me-chee appears, handing a wrapped gift into the mayor’s palm.

  The mayor shows the wrapped gift, asking. “Could you, please, call them to accept my generous gift? And, could we, please, wait inside their home, since this is a home warming gift?”

  Duchie’s daddy exhales then nods. He turns, slowly walking with Duchie, whispering into her face.

  Duchie nods and smiles, whispering back.

  The mayor slowly stumbles over the manicured grass then halts. She stumbles towards the wall, fingering and saying. “Where is the line of me-chee machines, being posted here? They were posted, late afternoon, here, inside the outskirts of Dandine.”

  Duchie’s daddy halts then views the barrier wall. The wall glows in yellow colors. He smiles. “They walked away.” Then, he swings towards the first row of small houses, painted in pink wooden planks with white doors. He stops, reading his cell then views the row of houses. He examines each one then walks towards the second one from the end.

  He halts, knocking on the door then waits.

  The mayor exhales then sneers, stomping towards the sidewalk. She halts, keeping the grass off her sandals. Then, she stomps towards the front door of the house. She stands beside Duchie’s daddy, sneering. “Open this door, now!”

  Duchie’s daddy shakes his skull then knocks, again. “This is their private property. Jara is home, being sick, again…”

  The mayor leans into his face, sneering. “This is official mayor business. They teens are being investigated. So, open this door, now!”

  Duchie’s daddy exhales. “We should…”

  “Open the door! Or, I will arrest you for interfering with official mayor business.” The mayor sneers.

  Duchie touches her daddy on the arm, nodding. “Please, open the door, Daddy! We can explain to Jara, the situation.”

  Duchie’s daddy exhale, rattling the old fashion keys. He uses the master key, opening the door.

  The mayor rushes into the room, standing in the middle. “Ugh! What ugly furniture? A ratty sofa, a card table for eating food, and two mismatched chairs. Where are the rest of the furniture, a plasma, and other electronics?”

  Marsilla enters, yelling. “Jara!? It’s Marsilla. Where are you? Come on out, honey!” She walks around the ratty sofa then enters the bathroom. She swings around, strolling into the room. “Where’s the bedroom?”

  Duchie walks around the room, scanning for the teens, studying the furniture.

  Rincon struts around the room, missing the teens, too. He stands and whisper to Duchie. “Where are they at?”

  Duchie says. “They are working, of course. We should come back, after the working shift. Right, Daddy?”

  Duchie’s daddy scans his cell, frowning with puzzlement. “Jara is not at work. She is sick, at home, here. But, where is she?” He scans the room.

  Duchie smiles and nods. “She went to the grocery store or something. We should come back.”

  The mayor frowns. “Where’s the young couple? Call them to come here, now, immediately!”

  Duchie’s daddy frowns at the mayor. “Well, Hatch is at work. So, I could contact him. I guess, I could track her down at the local merchandise store.” He presses his cell, nodding.

  Marsilla frowns. “The house is dirty, like no one lives here.”

  Rincon frowns. “Marsilla is smelly, like she doesn’t bath, either.”

  Duchie frowns, standing beside her father. “What’s wrong, Daddy?”

  Duchie’s daddy frowns at the cell. “This is very strange. Hatch is not at his assigned work station. As a matter of fact, he’s been missing for a couple of days. He has not called into work sick with a virus, either.” He scans the room. “He isn’t here, either. Is Jara…”

  The mayor drops her mouth. “Where is that teen?”

  Marsilla giggles, dashing towards the closet. She opens the door, tossing items onto the floor. The items include a vacuum cleaner, a mop, a broom, and other cleaning implements. She giggles then rushes into the kitchen. She slams open the cabinets. “Dishes, cups, pan, pans, eating utensils.” She swings around, opening the refrigerator. “And, there’s food, here. Lots of food, here, like someone has been to the merchandise store, already.”

  Duchie’s daddy frowns then walks into the kitchen. He studies the refrigerator.

  Marsilla giggles, swinging around. She stands inside the middle of the floor, nodding and saying. “They are not here. The food is here. And, the worker uniform is missing…”

  Duchie frowns. “So, every worker gets a uniform for working…”

  Marsilla giggles. “And, the worker uniform is constructed of lead elements, like the travel car. The worker and the worker uniform is missing, Ms. Mayor.”

  The mayor sneers. “Where are the teens named Hatch and Jara?”

  Duchie’s daddy frowns, shaking his skull. “Don’t know?”

  Barrier wall of Dandine and Burrville

  The mayor snarls. “I do.” She spins, walking out the front door. She walks towards the barrier wall, stumbling in the grass. She narrows her eyeballs, studying the wall between Dandine and Burrville.

  Rincon and Nephella stand inside the archway of the house, blocking the only exit point.

  Marsilla sneers, walking into the back muscles of both Rincon and Nephella, blocking the exit. “Move!”

  Rincon swings around, sneering. “What are you doing, here, Marsilla?”

  Marsilla grins, swaying side to side, batting her eyelashes. “I am doing my dream job, being a participating member of the dream team in Colfax. Someone is disturbing the e-fields around Dandine. And, that someone is Hatch. Jara’s…”

  “…smart, too.” Rincon sneers back at Marsilla. “You are creating trouble. You are causing problems. And, I am both watching and warning ya, Marsilla.”

  Nephella sneers. “Me, too!”

  Marsilla smiles. “I’m going to prove that Hatch and Jara are missing from Dookie Town. Then, I…”

  Duchie shoves Marsilla on the back muscles. “Move!”

  Marsilla sneers.

  Rincon chuckles, scooting out of the archway.

  Nephella doesn’t move, grabbing Marsilla by the arm. “You are creating a monster, here, Marsilla.”

  Duchie’s daddy walks out the door, studying his cell then texts back to the other party. He walks then halts beside the mayor. “What are you looking at?”

  The mayor fingers and sneers. “Hatch and Jara have escaped from Dandine through the electromagnetic field.”

  Duchie’s daddy drops his mouth. “That…that is impossible, ma’am. No one escapes through an e-field, without dying into sizzling ashes. Everyone knows that information.”

  Marsilla stomps from the house, racing to the wall. She stands beside the mayor, smiling. “They are not here, Ms. Mayor. However, I have an idea, where the young teen fugitives are located.”

  The mayor views Marsilla. “Where?”

  Marsilla nods and smiles. “We need to leave. I don’t want to share information with any others…”

  The mayor views Duchie’s daddy then views Marsilla. “I understand. The walls have ears,” she spins around, yelling. “We are leaving, interns. Please, get into the travel car.”

  Travel car

  Marsilla sits with the mayor.

  Rincon, Duchie and Nephella sit across from the mayor and Marsilla.

  Marsilla says. “The young fugitives are hiding in Montag. They’re the criminals of the cupcakes. They are in there, hiding from us.”

  The mayor exhales. “This is becoming a manhunt for some kids. Colfax doesn’t have the old concept of police officers. If so, I could toss the case to t
hem…”

  Marsilla says. “The kids are criminals and fugitives against the Establishment. Once, we locate them, we will need to understand, how they escaped through the e-field. Then, we’ll need new technology to contain any more disturbances, in the future, Ms. Mayor.”

  The mayor nods. “I agree…”

  Chapter 2

  10:49 am.

  Montag

  Bakery shop

  The travel car rolls through the electromagnetic field, slowly stopping.

  Marsilla scoots from the hatchway, first. She walks towards the bakery shop, where the crime had occurred.

  Marsilla slams open the door as the chime dings.

  The baker smiles at the new customer, saying. “Marsilla!?”

  Marsilla halts then frowns. “Lamis!?”

  Lamis giggles, dashing around the bakery counter. “Marsilla, what a wonderful surprise?”

  Marsilla scans the glass displays of cookies and cupcakes. “You work, here? Is this your place of employment?”

  Lamis smiles and nods. “Yeah, I work here. I made it into the blue color tone, during the Cubby Hole. Yeah, I’m proud of my accomplishment. After all the interns were interviewed, then the shop owner selected me to learn how to bake cookies and cupcakes.”

  Marsilla giggles. “Well, then, I’ll order cookies, every afternoon, from this bakery...”

  “That’s wonderful! We have one of the best cookie selections, here, in Montag.” Lamis giggles and nods, dashing around the bakery counter. “You should try all of our cookie samples for selecting your favorites. Then…”

  The chime dings then door opens.

  The mayor, Rincon, Duchie, and Nephella enter the bakery.

  The mayor stands in the middle of the shop, sneering. “Where’s the shop owner?”

  Lamis smiles and nods. “Rincon, Duchie, Nephella, welcome! This is a pleasant surprise. Are you will …”

  The mayor sneers. “Where is the shop owner?”

  Lamis nods and smiles. “The shop owner’s in the rear of the shop. I’ll go and get her.” She exits the room then returns, leading a tall large female.