by Max Jager
These forms of fighting that the hounds had developed dealt with their primal weapons. Their teeth and claws. The gauntlets were there only for extra added force. They were for dealing with a larger force if the hound got surrounded. Otherwise, they would tackle their opponent to the ground and first thing they would do is tear out their throat using their massive teeth! Then, after the enemy was lying there, gurgling out it last breathes, they were trained to head for the chest plate. They would rip through that and destroy the lungs and heart. Also with their teeth and/or claws.
They were fully encouraged to eat the enemy alive if need be too! If they were hungry enough and no food was available which was mostly the case, they were approved by their superiors to eat their enemy's organs to their heart's content! Their savagery and their bloodlust made them feared by any hellion in the known universe! It was a relief they were on our side.
Agent Dark came back to Alerius and wanted him to follow. Alerius did just that. They walked through the dense swamp area. Alerius was always behind Dark. Alerius trusted the hound to where they were going.
Alerius had been trained that way. Hounds and rogues had a very good relationship in the war. It was encouraged among young rogues to mingle with young hounds. Young hounds were flown to training camps for young rogues and vise-versa.
As they walked, Alerius got curious. "So, you have a real name?"
Dark just gave a look back at him and kept walking. Alerius sympathized. For one: Alerius knew that agents never gave out their real names and two: Dark couldn't speak human languages as could any hound. Their tongues could not form words. They had their own language. It was mostly barks, growls, and other Korzen-like sounds and motions. That's why Dark kept giving Alerius looks. It was quite frustrating. A somewhat nonviolent warning to shut-up. Alerius understood though. He really wasn't the talkative type anyway. Most humans were though. That's probably where he picked up asking questions in the middle of a mission. To keep troops calm. It was somewhat of a self-taught response. When humans were quiet they were probably nervous. Hounds were different though. Focused and undistracted. A will of iron. Alerius was actually starting to enjoy the quiet.
Planet Scalobore: Magna Fusa Bridge
They had walked quite awhile until they finally reached a small clearing. About two yards away from them was the bridge. It was the Magna-Fusa bridge. It was a massive structure. The cables of the bridge went as high as sixty feet. They looked up at it in awe. It was red and extremely reminiscent of the Golden Gate Bridge back on Earth. They walked cautiously over to the beginning of the bridge. It panned off into the distance and the road on it went on into oblivion. Beyond the visible horizon.
As they walked, the pungent smell of the swamp had also evaporated. Alerius could no longer smell the aroma of moss and foul water but he could smell the small fragrance of salt coming from the ocean. There was a small breeze that was blowing which only increased the sweet ocean smell. The smell of salt was only one hint of the many odors entering his lungs. He could also smell the air coming from the water. A smell that was teaming with life. This sweet aroma of ocean was a welcoming sense from the swamp's disgusting, bacterial inhalation.
Dark walked a bit further somewhat attracted to the smell. Then had his ears prick up at a noise. Alerius also heard a noise coming straight for them. They both got ready for anything. Dark's sight though was slightly better then Alerius and he was the first to calm down. Alerius watched Dark relax and he did the same even though he still couldn't see what was making the noise. Alerius noticed that Dark's tail was swinging side to side again.
Alerius finally saw it. It was a little red hover car. Alerius looked at it curiously. Dark, on the other hand, just stood still and calm waiting for it to arrive. He actually seemed a bit anxious for it.
The red hover car raced down the bridge to meet up with them. It had a gelantine in it too right behind the wheel. One of those frog people that Alerius was suppose to meet up with. He figured this guy was the one he was suppose to meet up with by the name of Benjamin. What he couldn't figure out was: What was Benjamin doing on the bridge when he was suppose to meet up with him in the desert town of Dead Grave? That was the plan. Maybe something had changed the plan.
Alerius's senses were now on high! He now trusted nothing. It was like he could smell a trap. He felt this tingling sense down his spine. He felt his muscles tighten in his body. He knew that those kinds of people couldn't be trusted. He wondered if the hound was in on it too! He wondered if something had happened away from here that he didn't know about! He wondered if the hound race had changed colors! He wonder all of this but he hoped for one thing; he hoped it wasn't true.
The red hover car stopped on a dime and swerved right into Dark barely missing him. The gelantine hopped up on the seat and stood straight up. It had on these red clothes and stood on these ugly legs. It looked much like a frog standing on its back legs. Very flat and symmetrical looking. It had on these white goggles above its reptilian eyes and had brown racing gloves on its hands. It also had tools strapped to it clothes. Not the tools of a double agent either. Tools of an auto-mechanic. This gelantine also had a brown colored work belt around its waist.
Alerius's uneasiness faded the more he looked at this frog person. Alerius was starting to believe this really wasn't Benjamin at all.
The gelantine jumped out of the car. He walked right up to Dark and then hugged him! He was shorter then Dark. His head only reached up to Dark's abdomen. The frog creature was only about three feet high. They both then started speaking to each other. Alerius believed that they were both using their own languages to speak to each other. Both were obviously happy to see each other.
The gelantine let go of Dark and walked right up to Alerius. "Hey!" this thing said to him. Alerius looked down at the frog person in confusement. He cocked an eyebrow at the frog creature.
The gelantine got this big smile on his face and looked back at Dark as he was looking at the both of them. "Not much of a talker is he?" the frog person laughed and then looked back up at Alerius. "I'm Washington."
Alerius gave out this little whimpered laugh. "What? You guys get your names out of Earth history books?"
Washington gave a half cocked smile and said, "If you're referring to that piece of crap your going to meet at Dead Grave I'm quite the opposite. He gives a bad name to the gelantine race. But to answer your question, yeah!" Again Washington got this huge smile on his face.
"Just checking. You must be the contact that Dark has here?"
"You got it human! Good ol' Dark over there saved my life twice! I mean, like, it was dope how he did it too!"
"Dope?" Alerius asked not really knowing the context of the word.
"Yeah, dope as in cool! You talk Chinese or something, man!"
"No!" Alerius was getting a little frustrated with this small green weirdo.
"Alrighty then! Lets kick this shindig off the right way!"
Washington went back into his car and closed the door. He motioned the two over.
The car had no wheels at all. It hovered above the ground and had a blue light coming from beneath it. It was a convertible hover car too. Alerius was more then impressed with the vehicle.
Dark got into the backseat behind the passenger side. Alerius got in the backseat right next to Dark. Washington turned to face the two.
"Alrighty then, make sure that all your tray tables are in there up and in-lock position! Make sure you keep all arms, legs, and bodily fluids in the car at all times except in the case of an emergency where body fluids are released where upon I will sever your arms and legs! No spitting, no biting, no singing, chewing gum, no spiting gum, no smoking of illegal substances without a proper testing result in which case any and all substances may be procured by the driver! No…"
Alerius couldn't take no more! "Shut-up and lets go!"
"Nobody ever likes that rule. Buckle up!"
Washington pulled down on the gear shift and the car blasted down
the road with a violent jerk. Alerius was swung forward and his head hit the back of the seat! Washington yelled out over the racing car, "Hey, no kicking back there. Same rule applies if bodily fluids had been released! I will cut off your…"
"God, will you shut-up!" Alerius was rubbing his head after he slam into the seat. Meanwhile Dark had his face into the wind. He had his mouth open and his tongue was flying in the direction of the wind. Alerius looked at Dark in disgust. "What are you doing?"
Washington looked back and said, "Hey leave him along monkey! Every once in awhile a serious person's gotta get a little nuts! You oughta try it some time!"
"What the hell is that suppose to mean?"
"Nothing."
They drove for a little bit until Washington reached in the glove compartment of the car. He pulled out this clear plastic bag with red liquid in it. Inside the liquid seemed to be red chunks of meat. He closed the compartment and waved the bag over his shoulder at Dark who was now transfixed on the bag. Washington then threw the bag back into Dark's lap and said, "Hungry?"
Dark opened up the bag and pulled one of the nasty red liquid covered pieces of meat out and began to hungrily gnaw away at it. Alerius looked up at Washington and asked, "Hey, what is that?"
Washington looked back at Alerius from the corner of his eye. "Awe you know, everything that a growing hound needs. A heart, some small intestine, maybe a liver. I don't know, I just kind of grabbed stuff."
Alerius got this surprised look on his face. He couldn't believe it! "Are you telling me that you got human organs…"
Alerius was cut off by Washington, "No, there not human, you tard! Did you see some scalbs in the swamps?"
Alerius cocked his brow. "What, those pig freaks? Yeah."
"There use to be three of them, I guess they were a little pissed at me."
"For what?" Alerius then looked away and thought for a second as he watched Dark indulge himself. "You know what, never mind!"
Washington cocked a smile, "Yeah well, I knew Dark was coming and I knew he would be hungry so I picked him up a treat."
Alerius gave a sickening look at Dark and told Washington, "He already had some pork chops earlier."
Washington just increased his smile at the news. "Well, That's good to hear but I'm sure it's just a matter of time before their other friends find us."
Alerius turned his full attention back to Washington, "I thought you said there were only three?"
"Yeah well, that doesn't mean there weren't more. I only saw three and the one I put in the little plastic baggy so…"
Washington cut himself off as he still had the car flying down the bridge. There was about five minutes of them just sitting there as Dark still indulged his hunger until he was satisfied and threw the bag to the wayside. Little did they know they were already in trouble.
Alerius and Dark both honed in on a small noise as it grew louder as the car flew down the bridge. It was small motors, two of them. They were not as loud as the engine of the car but they were running nonetheless. They were heading their way to! Alerius and Dark both looked at each other. Alerius leaned upfront and asked Washington, "Hey, if we do encounter hostiles do you have anything?"
Washington got this puzzled look on his face, "What do you mean, man?"
"I mean…"
Alerius was cut short by two vehicles which flew over head from the front of the hover car. He looked back and saw they were the same kind of vehicles that the scalbs before were driving. He watched as they slowed and turned for them! Alerius turned back and said to Washington, "Like guns or something!"
Washington was about to speak when he was cut off by a vicious growl from Dark. They both looked back and saw that these things were indeed scalbs too. They were heading straight for them and they were packing. One had a small handgun which was aimed straight for the red car. The other pig creature had a gun too also aimed for the car. This one had a shotgun but it was much more bigger then the previous one.
Alerius and Dark both stared at the two with readiness. Suddenly, one shot came from the shotgun and the car jerked a bit from the blast. It was still in good working condition though. Washington yelled back at the two, "Get them off my back!"
Alerius looked back at Washington and yelled back, "How exactly do you plan we do that?"
Washington began pointing under the seat. Alerius looked under the front seats as another shot came and again the vehicle jerked hard. Washington yelled back, "I can't keep this thing steady with them shooting like that!"
Alerius saw a big green crate under the seats. He pulled it out by a black plastic handle and moved it close. He then saw it was locked by two black plastic locks. He flipped them open like a suitcase and opened the green case. Inside was a huge rocket launcher!
"Holy…"
Alerius was cut off by another jerk from the car.
The launcher was massive and took up the entire floor! Alerius looked up at Washington and yelled out, "Where's the rockets for this thing?"
Washington again jerked the car as two more shots came down, this time from the small handgun. Two holes were put right in the car. Washington had not heard Alerius at all.
Dark had though. Dark took his eyes off of the hovering pigs and flipped up one of the cushions off of the seat in the back. The cushion went flying out of the car and inside the seat was a rocket. Alerius looked over at Dark and said to himself, "Well, that answers my question."
Dark bent down with the rocket in hand and picked up the launcher. He stood with one foot in the car and the other on top of the rear of the car to get better leverage. He slid the missile into the back of the launcher and put it on his shoulder. He flipped out the small, square, targeting scope and aimed right at the one with the handgun. The small crosshairs of the target indicator were dead set right on the pig.
Washington looked back and yelled out, "Hey wait…" It was too late though.
Dark pulled the trigger and the missile was launched out of the huge weapon! It left a trail of smoke behind it as it swirled up to its target. The scalb let out a blood curdling squeal as the missile hit! Its vehicle was rocked back by the impact and then exploded into a massive fireball high in the sky. The fireball opened out like a rose opening its buds as the machine dropped from the sky leaving a black trail of smoke and fire as it fell mutilated from the sky. It fell into the ocean crashing into the water like a flaming rock. It sunk down to the depths of the ocean never to be found again.
Meanwhile, Washington was waving his arm back and forth while still keeping his other hand on the wheel trying to keep the car steady. There was a lot of smoke in the front from the rocket being launched. Washington was coughing up a storm as the smoke still hovered around the car. He was desperately trying to keep the vehicle steady. He screamed back at Dark, "Say man! What are you trying to do to me? Can't you leave the killing to the bacon squad up there."
Alerius turned his head towards Washington violently and shouted back, "Shut-up!"
Washington was still hacking and wheezing! He tried to say something in retaliation but nothing came out!
Dark set the rocket launcher down on the back of the car and growled at the second scalb! He reached his hand over to Alerius open palmed while still keeping his blood thirsty eyes locked on the other swine. Alerius looked around as the open clawed hand stared him down. He didn't really understand. Dark then began motioning for something his gaze unfading from the other pig.
Alerius then had it pop in his head. He turned around and saw the other seat cushion was still on his seat. He lifted it up and saw another rocket. He didn't know how Dark knew all this stuff about the car's little secrets but at this point he really didn't care. Alerius threw out the cushion and it went tumbling out of the car. He picked up the rocket from under the seat and handed it to Dark's open hand.
Dark grabbed it quickly and loaded the weapon up again. He brought the big cannon-like rocket launcher back up to his shoulder and began aiming it at the second scalb. Washin
gton looked to the backseat in his rear view mirror and said to himself, "Ah shit Dark, not again!"
Alerius swung his head to look at Washington and yelled at him, "Keep this thing steady!"
Washington got this stupid looking sneer on his face and sarcastically blurted out, "Oh, is that what I should do? Gee, thanks for the tip! You know I would like to remind you…"
He was cut short by the second rocket being launched! This rocket side-winded right up to its target and blasted the second hover-shield right out of the sky. This one flew back from the explosion in the same manner the other one did. Only this one was thrown back and landed on the road. It was a fiery mess and exploded right on the road. The two big fireballs that blew from the annihilated vehicle fed off the air getting bigger. Almost enveloping each other. They soon faded off into big black smoke clouds but by that time the car was too far down the road for anyone of them to see it.