THE TEMPORAL DETECTIVES!: "AFTER THE LAST SUNSET."

EPISODE: 037

Mission summary:

"Mr. Jericho Tibbs and his team have been assigned a difficult case in the near future of Humanity. After an incident of near Apocalypse proportions, Jericho must find a certain individual who boasts the unusual name of 'Alabaster Mooncat' who may hold the key to the rebirth of Humanity. But first, Alex must take a detour to the Devil's Garden to question an informant; her mission goes quite wrong and she finds herself stranded in the Devil’s Garden..."

Episode may contain the following warnings:

Alcohol - smoking - strong foul language [including historical language and opinions that are certainly not woke!] - sexual references [including sexual violence and BDSM] - Violence [including torture, combat, domestic and sexual] - references to prostitution, human trafficking, classic slavery and treating women as chattels - Supernatural & paranormal experiences - Horror - Terror induced fear and threats of violence. Reading about historical and past events which have NOT BEEN SANITISED in any way! Oh, and some episodes contain Nazi's; new and old.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:

“All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of some well-known historical figures, are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Where real-life historical figures appear, the situations, incidents, and dialogues concerning those persons are entirely fictional and are not intended to depict actual events or to change the entirely fictional nature of the work. In all other respects, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

SOME OF THESE EPISODES CONTAIN VERY STRONG LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE, HORROR AND SEXUAL REFERENCES. They are AGE RECOMMENDED suitable for persons aged 12+ years only. Some episodes are rated HIGHER at 15+ and ALL the 'ALEXANDRA' Series versions are AGE RATED at 18+”

Stephen Williams

THE AUTHOR.

Author’s notes on the episode:

[1] A little extra warning: this episode contains very strong language and sexual references.

[2] It would assist the reader to have first read the episode: "Ghosts in the Devil's Garden of the damned."

[3] The original Title for this episode was: ‘ALABASTER MOONCAT’S HOLIDAY.’

[4] A ‘Jericho Tibbs’ original story.

[5] "AFTER THE LAST SUNSET.” The original illustration for this episode was created by the author, as was this episode, which was also conceived and written by him. Copyright © 2011-2025 Stephen Williams. Please, no reproduction of any part without written permission.

[6] There is an 'ALEXANDRA' series adult extended version currently available entitled:

"ALEXANDRA SURVIVES AFTER THE LAST SUNSET....AND SOME!"

Episode details:

Concept date: 24th July 2019

First published: 22nd February 2020

Status: COMPLETED & PUBLISHED.

Location: BOOK SERIES 4 – EPISODE 2.

Revisions: 3 [last revised January 2020]

Version: Final.

Published Episode No. 37

Previous episode: “The Woodley Hill Chapel mystery.”

Next episode: “Sir Edward Coleville’s French House.”

Age recommendation: 15+

Average reading time: Approximately 60 Minutes.

Angel-in-charge: Margret

Team Assigned: Team 74

Mission: 2 - 098340 – 7 – 0000

Human times:

Gregorian Calendar: MMDCCCXXXIV
Muslim Calendar: 2212 - 2213 [AH]
Hebrew Calendar: 6594 - 6595
Christian Calendar: 2834AD

Episode Preview:

"AFTER THE LAST SUNSET."

1. DESOLATION & ISOLATION.

Alex adjusted the small air pipes that were softly fixed into each
nostril and took a couple of quick, sharp breaths. Then checked her goggles and
wrapped the thin scarf about her mouth and head. She lifted her right arm and
stared at the bracelet - that was the size of a small notebook - she was a
little relieved to see no red signals - yet.  Standing with hands on her
hips, she looked  about; desolation. Nothing but reddish sand, rocks, mountains and a dull orange & blue sky.

From the thick belt that hung about her waist, she pulled open a small pouch and carefully removed a small clear capsule - about the size of a golf ball - and pushed it into her dry mouth. She counted the nine remaining balls and sighed; she had nine days food and water left. The orb was dissolving slowly and she could feel the welcome relief of water and the gel, that would keep her body fed - for now. She heaved the pack that lay at her feet, upon her back and checking her bracelet; headed north.

She lifted the small oxygen ventilator that slapped against her right thigh, as she walked slowly, and saw it was showing green; at least she had plenty of clean oxygen. The goggles had darkened to match the growing glare of the bright sun. It must be near its zenith and she would have to erect her shelter and sit out the worst heat of the day under it. She was sucking gently on the orb and felt a little strength returning. The past three days had been a living nightmare; hard awful images kept flashing through her mind.

The Necrosub had crashed somewhere in the 'Shadow lands' of Mars. Something terrible had gone wrong with the drop from the sub's station; a small complex beneath the 33rd Street Subway Station in New York, in the Human Year 2025.

Both the pilot and co-pilot had died in the crash. She really didn't know them - it had been her first trip - with Candy Morris [the pilot] and Troy Askship [the young co-pilot] - to the Devil's Garden in some time. She had been sent to interview a soul from the Human year 2834. He had been condemned because of several murders committed, trying to survive in that terrible period of Earth's [and humanity's] history. He also knew the whereabouts of a very important human, who had gone missing at that time; a certain 'Alabaster Mooncat' who carried some very important information about humanity's future on that devastated planet.

No souls had been collected from the pilots; she knew this, because no collector had appeared. They were now lost to the darkness - they were now really dead, with no chance of re-joining the human life cycle. They had died out of their ordained time period. It was the risk, they and temporal detectives, endured on the missions; few performed in their own time and so that danger was always present. She had found the pair very pleasant and a little quirky; but that appeared to go with job Necrosub pilots all had the reputation for hard drinking and hard living. She now knew why.

Then realised, that so did Temporal Detectives!

Apart from a few cuts and bruises, she had survived the crash really well. Alex had kept her head; searching the wreckage for emergency supplies and survival kit. She found them behind the pilot’s seats. She had to shift the partly dismembered bodies to retrieve them. One was smashed beyond use, but the one she carried, had not even suffered a scratch. With a hand above her eyes, she watched the sun climbing in the sky and decided to camp down for the remainder of the day. The heat would be soon in the forties [Celsius] and walking would be difficult and she would use far too much oxygen doing it.

It was far better to travel at night, despite the low temperatures that descended with the gathering darkness. She still carried her useless 'Mirror' and had to smile; they were supposed to be indestructible, but this one had failed. No signals and that meant she was stranded; unable to call for assistance. Her eye caught a rocky outcrop, a few yards ahead that would provide good cover for her survival tent and absorb most of the heat from the sun.

Mars at this time was still a 'habitable' planet, with a weak atmosphere and millions of years into the Earth's past. At this moment in time, dinosaurs would be roaming that evolving planet, whilst this planet was dying. In just a few million years, the atmosphere would be so stripped away, that human life on the planet surface could no longer survive. She could actually survive in the thin atmosphere - currently existing - without the oxygen ventilator, but would be considerably weaker for it - and the harsh environment would be probing her for any weaknesses.

Alex quickly erected her small tent and huddled beneath it; she would try and sleep and regain some strength. She checked her thermal blanket for any cuts, and placed it down- it was a silver foil sheet - and stared out at the total desolation of the 'Shadow lands' of Mars. She was now a 'Ghost' in the Devil's Garden; that's what poor bastards like her were called. She sat hands over face and tried desperately not to cry; she couldn't waste any liquid; especially for useless tears that would change nothing. She pulled herself together - mentally - and settled down.

Nine days and then, some days after that, she would die; alone. Then plunge into the 'darkness' - where she had, briefly - been once before. [See the episode: 'Sister Sarah dreams of Demons'] That blackness frightened her more than anything.

She roused herself from the patchy nightmare that had plagued her shallow sleep and opened the tent flap a little; it would soon be dark; time for part two of her meals. She rummaged deep in her dirty skirt's pocket and found the little bag of mint humbugs that she had 'borrowed' from Owen for the 'quick' trip. She chuckled and pushed one into her mouth. He would probably be moaning to Wilson about them going missing.

The only hope she had, was to reach a Guard Station. She really needed to steer well clear of any 'settlers' - they would, as Wilson pointed out; 'Tear her apart for the fun of it' - that made her shudder. Darkness fell like a black curtain and Alex slowly packed up her tent and checked twice; that she had left nothing on the ground.

The thought of a Guard Station actually frightened her; all the male guards and staff of the Devil's Garden had retained all their human faculties - unlike the settlers - and they would probably protect and shelter her; for sex. That thought disturbed her a little more than actually dying - letting one or more of the bastards have her, made her feel a little sick. But she would probably have no choice in the matter - like many women before her - struggling to survive in a male dominated world.

"Bastards." She muttered several times, as she set out for her long night walk.

"AFTER THE LAST SUNSET" CONTINUES IN 'TEMPORAL DETECTIVES' BOOK SERIES 4 [EPISODE 2.]

End of Preview.