Warwick: Episode 2: Galactic Fugitives

by Michael James Ploof

  The creature screamed like a stuck pig, and it tried to swipe me as I sped away. A moment later the bomb went off, and the crendor exploded like a gore-filled pinata.

  The crowd erupted with bestial cries and stomping feet, and some even chanted my name. I raised my arms and slammed the laser sword into the energy dome. Sparks showered me like fireworks.

  “Who’s the fucking man!?” I asked and cupped a hand behind my ear like the legendary Hulk Hogan.

  “Warwick! Warwick! Warwick!”

  Mox raised a hand and growled, his voice echoing through the arena. The crowd fell silent. He sneered at me, but beside him, Malagag’s hologram was smiling. The reptilian offered me an approving nod.

  I pointed at Mox. “I want you!”

  The crowd reacted to the challenge with utter delight and looked to their leader in anticipation.

  “You have proven yourself worthy against beasts, Warwick,” Mox said in a condescending tone. “But before you enjoy the honor of dying by my hand, you must prove yourself against my Argellian warriors!”

  Horns blared somewhere in the arena, and heavy war drums took up a steady beat. Four gates opened, and from them emerged four giant Argellians.

  I sized up the competition as they drew closer. These dudes were at least twelve feet tall, with corded muscles that rippled with every movement. They wore scant metal armor, but they carried massive weapons and huge energy shields. Their weapons ranged from glowing blades to big-ass guns, and as I floated above the arena, two of the warriors opened fire.

  I urged my jetpack into action and sped around the perimeter of the energy dome. Behind me, heavy bullets slammed into the shield and ricocheted with a metallic whine. A laser beam sizzled across the dome in front of me, and I barrel-rolled out of the way, barely avoiding being cut in two.

  I wasn’t sure if the suit could withstand the laser, and I wasn’t in the mood to find out. I leveled out and flew across the arena, dodging more bullets and laser beams, and enabled my bomb launcher. I fired at the closest Argellian, a tall son of a bitch with arms as thick as a five-gallon pail. The bomb exploded against his energy shield, but to my dismay, he remained safe behind it.

  Bullets thudded against my shield, and I felt the weight of them in the impact. I returned fire, aiming at another Argellian, but it was no use trying to get a shot around their massive shields. I was going to have to get up close and personal.

  My hearth thudded and my focus was razor sharp, thanks to the nanobot bonuses Jules had enabled. My strength and stamina had doubled as well, but I would still be hard pressed to kill the giant bastards.

  I targeted the biggest Argellian first, knowing the sight of his demise would probably shake his comrades’ confidence. The crowd was cheering for their champions, and if I could get them on my side again, that also would help to weaken the warriors’ spirits.

  My opponent was at least a head taller than his buddies, and he was an ugly son of a bitch who looked like Sloth from The Goonies, with his crooked face and offset eyes. His mouth opened wide enough to bite my head off, and a thick row of sharp teeth looked like they could do the job.

  He carried a sword that was about ten feet long and crackling with electricity. In his left hand Sloth held a massive shield, which he ducked behind before charging like a bull.

  I leapt forward and shot across the arena six feet above the ground, my shield out in front. When I was within range, I willed the jetpack to give me a sudden burst of speed and corkscrewed between Sloth’s legs. He brought his shield down but too late. I sliced at his groin as I passed between his legs, then willed my laser gun into existence, spun around in the air, and unloaded on his ass.

  He was already hunched over from the strike to his groin, which he cupped in his hands, blood flowing between his fingers like a broken faucet. At least a dozen of my laser rounds hit him in the ass, and one of his legs blew off completely. He fell face first in the dirt.

  Bullets hit my shield and sprayed across my right shoulder, and while it hurt like hell, they didn’t penetrate my nanoarmor. I sped toward my attacker as the other two Argellians chased after me across the arena. The crowd was still cheering on their champions but with less fervor than before.

  My shield stopped a barrage of bullets as I launched myself at the second Argellian. I knew I had to take him out before his buddies had a chance to block me in. I mentally called up the gravity reversal gun in my right hand. For my strategy to work, I needed to change out the shield on my left, but I needed to do it quickly.

  When my shield disappeared, I was about twenty feet from the second warrior. He instantly brought his gun out from behind the shield when he saw me drop mine, but I fired my gravity gun at his shield, and it flew upward about two feet before the dude got control of it.

  That’s all I needed.

  I fired at his feet and ankles, completely severing one foot and turning the other to pulp. He howled like an injured grizzly bear, but to his credit, he remained upright and managed to clip me with his long sword as I went by.

  The impact threw me off course, and I slammed into the ground hard enough to rattle my brain, despite the nanosuit I wore. Armor is great, but it doesn’t do much to stop your innards from rattling around inside your body. I had the presence of mind to bring my shield up again, then I switched out the gun for the bomb launcher.

  I fired at my footless foe, and he was consumed by a ball of fire.

  The third warrior barreled toward me. I tried to fly away, but he was faster than he looked, and his massive sword came in from the right like a falling tree. When it slammed into my energy shield, sparks flew, and so did I.

  I hit the ground, rolled three times, and popped up into shooting stance. The fourth warrior came at me from the right, unloading his giant cannon on me. I jumped into the air and flew away before I got a chance to shoot the third. They both shook their fists at me as I flew to the other side of the arena and landed shakily.

  “Stand and fight like an Argellian!” one of them yelled from across the arena.

  I was sucking wind, and I didn’t know why, and my heart was hammering so hard, it hurt.

  Jules, I feel like shit. What’s going on?

  Sorry, Harry. I may have pushed you too hard with the nanobots.

  I swooned, and the crowd laughed. My vision blurred, and the two figures walking toward me became foggy.

  Jules?

  That should do it.

  I instantly felt better, but I was still pushing myself. The alternative was being torn in two by giants, however, so I ground my teeth and fought to clear my mind.

  Then I remembered the mind control dart.

  I changed out my right hand weapon and targeted the warrior on my right. The problem was going to be getting around that big shield, but I quickly formulated a plan for that. These guys were proud warriors, maybe too proud, and I intended to exploit that.

  I disengaged my shield and summoned the flame thrower. “Two against one. Boy, you two are real tough guys, aren’t you?”

  They glanced at each other and frowned.

  “Why don’t you fight like men and stop hiding behind those shields?”

  They pursed their big lips and considered me for a moment.

  I spread my arms. “What? I’ve dropped mine. You two afraid to fight without yours?” I laughed and looked at the crowd. A few Argellians laughed with me.

  Their brows furled, and with a snarl the one on the right threw down his shield. “I’m not afraid of you, puny hu—”

  I shot him in the neck with a mind control dart, and a moment later I was in control. “Kill him!” I screamed, and the Argellian spun around and buried his sword in his comrade’s back.

  The onlookers lost their minds. Some cried out in surprise, others booed, but most of them cheered.

  The Argellian looked at his dead buddy and then glared at me. He growled with impotent rage, and I raised my laser gun and blew his head off.

  I turned toward Mox’s booth. �
�Come get some!”

  The energy dome winked out and the full roar of the crowd reached my ears. They chanted my name at the top of their bestial lungs, and the thunder of stomping feet shook the arena.

  Malagag clapped with the crowd, and the warlord scowled at him threateningly.

  “A true warrior, no?” said the slippery reptilian.

  “You have passed the test,” Mox said to me grudgingly. “Now you shall be awarded an honorable death.”

  He leaped over the edge of the booth, dropped about forty feet, and landed on the sand twenty feet away from me in a superhero crouch. When I saw his true stature, I was awed and more than a little concerned.

  The dude was a monster. At least thirteen feet tall, he looked like he could crush my nanosuit like a tin can. He had big tusks, big green eyes, and grayish-green skin. His nose was wide and proud, with nostrils like a gorilla. He carried no weapons or armor, and the only thing he wore was a leather kilt with metallic lappets.

  “We shall fight like the Argellians of old, with only our bare hands,” he said to the crowd, and they rejoiced.

  Me, on the other hand, just about shit my pants. “Say what?”

  “No weapons, no armor. That is the old way,” he said with demonic grin.

  “Can I get a word with my coach?” I asked.

  He scowled questioningly.

  “Malagag.” I gestured to him. Mind if I have a word with him first?.”

  “Make it quick,” he said with a wave of his hand.

  Mox strode around the arena, flexing for his people, and they loved every minute of it. Malagag joined me on the sand, his hologram flickering in the bright sunlight.

  “Why are you stalling?” he asked as if annoyed.

  “You didn’t say anything about me fighting this hulk with my bare hands, or should I say, bare fucking hand?” I held up my nanoarm and glared at him.

  “It is unfortunate that he chose this form of battle, but he is the lord here, and if he wants bare knuckles, you need to give it to him.”

  “He’s going to fold me in half like a pretzel.” I pointed at him. “Look at that son of a bitch.”

  “I think the great human champion is scared,” Mox joked to his followers.

  They laughed and jeered, and Malagag glared at me angrily.

  I moved closer and whispered, “You want him dead, why don’t I just put a bullet in his head now, and we’ll call it a day?”

  “Because if you murder him, you will never get off this planet alive, and my ship would be destroyed before it left orbit. I’ve got a lot of money riding on you, Sheriff, and let’s not forget your lovely ladies. They’re depending on you. Get in there and do your damned job!”

  He left me standing there looking like a crestfallen Iron Man, and I made a mental note to make his death slow when the time came. I was in some shit, there was no doubt about it.

  “Hand over your weapon,” Mox said behind me.

  Jules?

  I’m here.

  I’m going to need a miracle to defeat this dude with one arm.

  “The weapon!” Mox pressed as half a dozen gun-wielding soldiers surrounded me.

  “Hold your horses, bro.” I deactivated my nanosuit and considered my metallic prosthetic. Losing it, even temporarily, was gonna hurt. I gave it a twist and removed it from the cap on my forearm.

  I handed it to one of the soldiers, telling him I would be needing it back at the end of the battle. He laughed, and the rest of them followed suit.

  They left us in the center of the ring, and Mox offered me a small bow. “May you fight and die well.”

  “Same to you,” I croaked.

  I’m boosting your, well, everything, said Jules.

  That’s probably a good idea.

  A surge of adrenaline raced through my veins and left me shaking. My sight became crystal clear, and my hearing rose to a level that allowed me to hear the faintest shift in Mox’s weight, but surprisingly, louder noises weren’t deafening. My muscles filled with blood and bulged against my skin.

  “May the gods determine the winner,” said Mox before kissing his fingertips and raising a hand to the heavens.

  The onlookers grew silent as we took up fighting stances and slowly circled each other, sizing one another up. I had no idea how the hell I was going to beat this giant. He was three feet taller than a basketball rim, and I was going to have to soar like Michael Jordan just to get in a punch.

  That wasn’t going to work.

  I only had one fist, and I wouldn’t be able to do much damage with my metal-capped stump. His neck was too thick for me to put him in a chokehold, and if he got ahold of me it would be over pretty damn quick.

  I needed to even the odds somehow, which meant taking one of his meaty fists out of the equation.

  Mox stalked toward me and our audience roared with excitement. He was surprisingly fast, but I had a nanobot cocktail flowing through me, and my movements were not only fluid but impossibly fast. I felt like the galaxy’s quickest boxer in his prime, but I reminded myself not to get too cocky.

  He struck first with a kick that would have shoved my nuts up into my mouth, but I dodged aside like a panther and punched him in the side of the knee. Despite my enhanced strength, it was like punching a bull.

  He smiled, and I backed up cautiously.

  Jules, I need more power.

  I’ve already given you too much. Your body—

  I’m going to be offline forever if I don’t beat this dude. Just do it!

  I dodged another kick and the meaty fist that followed. The crowd was getting restless, and so was Mox.

  “You challenge me to a fight, yet you dance instead,” he said with a growl.

  “I’m right here,” I said.

  He spun and tried to kick me in the chest, but I avoided the blow with ease. Another foot came for my head, and I scrambled out of the way of that attack as well. Mox roared angrily and chased me; I knew better than to stand and face him.

  I Turned and ran like the fucking wind.

  The crowd jeered and booed, laughed and pointed. Behind me, Mox’s big footfalls sounded startlingly close. I ran to the wall at top speed, kicked off with full force, spun, and landed a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. He staggered back, and seeing that my attack had an effect rekindled my determination. I landed in a crouch and rolled when he bent to grab me, then I kicked him as hard as I could in the knee. His leg buckled and he howled in pain, but then backhanded me in the face.

  I must have spun through the air three times before landing, and when I did, it was lights out.

  Harry, wake up!

  My eyes shot open, and I saw Mox’s big foot coming down.

  I scrambled out of the way, but Mox grabbed me by the back of the shirt and flung me at the wall. I hit like a sack of corn and slid to the ground, unable to breathe. I was pretty sure I’d broken something, maybe everything. I was in a world of hurt.

  This should help, Jules said urgently.

  The pain disappeared, and I felt the fizzy sensation of the healing nanobots doing their work. My vision cleared just in time to see Mox’s big mitt reach for my face. I frantically grabbed his hand and bit his fat middle finger as hard as I could, and to my surprise, my teeth snapped his bone like a fat carrot.

  Mox shrieked in pain and pulled back the mutilated hand, but he left his finger behind. I spit it out in my hand and held it up. “You forget something?”

  He cradled his bleeding fist and glowered at me.

  “Get out of the corner!” Malagag yelled at me from somewhere in the stands.

  Mox grinned, and I bolted to one side. His big foot followed me like a heat-seeking missile, and he clipped my ass, sending me flying twenty feet to land sprawled in the sand. I got up quickly and turned to face him, but he was already there.

  He punched me in the face, and a tooth hit the back of my throat. When I woke up, he was holding me over his head like he was a weightlifter and I was the barbell.

&nb
sp; The crowd chanted, “Kill, kill, kill!”

  I still had his severed finger in my hand. I held it like a dagger and stabbed him in the eye as hard as I could.

  Mox screamed and flung me against the wall again. I hit hard, but I didn’t feel a thing. When I tried to stand, however, I realized my ankle was broken.

  Mox pulled the finger out of his eye socket, and the eyeball went with it.

  The crowd took in a collective breath, but their leader seemed largely unaffected by the injury. He threw his finger and eye to the ground.

  “Now you die!” he hissed.

  He grabbed me by the waist with one hand and lifted me into the air. I tried to punch him in the face, but he grabbed my left arm and broke it at the forearm. I stared at my broken arm in a daze. The fucking bone was sticking out at least five inches, and I just about puked in my mouth.

  “Any last words?” Mox asked and grinned.

  The crowd fell silent, everyone waiting for my death.

  “I was going to ask you the same thing!” I thrust my broken bone in his remaining eye with every last ounce of strength I had left.

  Mox stood there with a confused expression on his face. It was gross as hell, but I punched forward again and shoved the bone into his brain as far as I could. He took in a shocked breath, mumbled something incoherent, and fell backward like a cut tree.

  I rolled off him and lay there, staring up at the blazing sun. The onlookers were still in silent shock, but a slow clap—one I assumed came from Malagag—got them going. Soon the arena echoed with thunderous applause, and the chant for Warwick filled the air.

  Harry, are you okay?

  No. I’m pretty fucking far from okay. Like light years.

  I’m putting the nanobots to work, but you’re going to have to set the bone.

  I shakily got to my knees and yelled at the Argellian soldier who had taken my golden nanoarm cylinder, “You there, give me back my damn prosthetic.”

  The son of a bitch ignored me until his comrades angrily urged him to hand it over. He brought it over to me and dropped it in the sand.

  “You mind twisting it onto the cap?” I asked.