THE ADVENTURES OF DRAKE MANDIBLE- #40: Strange Scientists.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view) the peace and quiet didn’t last. On Tuesday morning, Drake was rudely awakened by a humongous boom out on the manor grounds. 

Overjoyed at the prospect of some excitement again, he leapt out of the window (which was luckily open), raced along the roof and nimbly slid down the drainpipe that he had reinforced especially to support his weight. He didn’t even bother removing his retainer. Hitting the ground, he rolled into a nearby chrysanthemum bush and peered through the foliage. Two figures dressed entirely in white were standing in the middle of the lawn, looking completely disoriented. The taller and thinner of the two, produced a small grey box and flicked a switch. A green beam of light played across the ground. Showing the box to its companion, the two figures began conversing in a language unfamiliar to him, and he was fluent in 27.

It was probably Norwegian.

They appeared to be unarmed, so Drake slowly approached him. Upon closer observation, he saw that they were a man and a woman; wearing lab-coats, dark tinted goggles and what looked like close fitting, Lycra swimming caps. Their skin seemed to have a slightly greyish pallor to it.

The man looked at him and babbled something in Norwegian.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand you,” said Drake.

The female swatted her companion on the arm and scolded him. The male turned the beam on Drake, who exclaimed and hit the ground, then turned the device upon himself and the woman.

“Don’t worry, this is a scientific instrument, not a weapon,” explained the man in perfect English.

“Unless you recalibrate the Yota Wave Frequency,” the woman muttered under her breath.

“Yes, well I wasn’t going to tell him that,” he hissed back, then turned back to Drake. “Sorry, you could be very dangerous for all we know.”

Drake nodded warily, he felt the same way.

“But who exactly are you?” he asked.
The woman shrugged. “We can’t find the equivalent in our names in English, but you can call me…” she snatched the device off her companion, pressed a few buttons and looked at the digital layout.
“…Daedalus,” she finished.

The man grabbed it back off her and did the same thing.
“And I’m…Lucius…” he said, it sounding a little disappointed.

“Drake Mandible,” said Drake, offering his hand. The Norwegians looked at it, uncertain of what to do.

“Uh, so what brings you to my home?” asked Drake.

“No idea,” said Daedalus. “One minute we were working in the lab, then suddenly, here we are.”

Lucius tapped her on the shoulder.

“Um, I don’t think we reveal so much about what we do.”

“Oh relax,” she replied. “It’s not like monkey-boy here will know what we’re talking about.”

“I CAN hear you, you know,” said Drake.

Daedalus shrugged again.

“The real problem,” she said, “Is getting back.”

“Like she said, we don’t know how we got here,” put in Lucius.

“Can’t you just catch a plane back?” asked Drake. “I can pay for the flight if you’re short on cash.”

Lucius looked uneasy at the prospect.

“It’s a bit more…uh…complicated than that.”

“Lucy here is scared of flying,” Daedalus blurted. Lucius looked like he was about to object, but a look from his companion silenced him.

“Right,” said Drake, trying to process this information. “Well, until you figure something out, you’re both more than welcome to stay here.”

Suddenly, there was another boom- even bigger than the first- which made them all jump. Drake nearly swallowed his retainer.

“What was that?”

“Something or someone’s followed us!” said Lucius.

“Friends of yours?”

An almighty roar thundered through the trees.

“Not so much, no.”

“Oh, Drat!”