Jet Black – Return to the Planet of the Merwomen #15

by John Stevenson

threateningly.

  Face to face the ugliness of the creature overwhelmed him. Over time Jet had encountered many creatures and many that had to his human eyes appeared revolting; but thing wasn’t just repulsive; it seemed as if some creator had taken the worst bits of people's nightmares and stuck them all together. "We mean you no harm." He said meekly, knowing the pistols had been useless in his last encounter.

  It didn’t move or make any sound, until Selian stepped forward. "He has done you no wrong." She said in a voice calmer than Jet felt. "It was me who brought you here."

  Now it moved slowly transferring its gaze from Jet to her.

  "I'm sorry, I was wrong. I abused you; I took your dignity, and I was wrong. You have abilities that I... we wanted for our own; but you know all I can admit to; all I can say is that we should not have."

  Suddenly the creature lashed out; its clawed hand swept Selian off her feet and effortlessly threw her at the bulkhead: where she collapsed unconscious, or dead; Jet had no idea, and self-preservation forbade him to move to find out; but he had moved and now he held the pistols up and directly at the Monster.

  "Okay," he said softly. "If it's going to be that way."

  Suddenly it let out a roar that thundered around the cargo bay, and undoubtedly right up to the command cabin.

  Jet tightened his grip. "Ready when you are," but he wasn’t and even though he dodged the swipe another lash from its arm sent one of the pistols flying from his hand; replacing it with a gash across the back of his hand. Jet felt no pain, his adrenalin was pumping and in anticipation of another swipe he threw himself under the creature: rolling and twisting he fired the pistol into its underbelly. It screamed in pain and spun faster than he would have thought possible. Its arm slammed down towards him and he thought he was dead but instead it scooped him up into the air and threw him back down onto the decking.

  Jet rolled painfully onto his side where he was able to look up from under his bushy black eyebrows. It was standing behind and over him. He couldn’t see for certain, but he knew it was looking down: drooling in anticipation.

  At that moment Chub and James burst through the door and the monster turned to them snarling.

  Jet rolled to his feet. “Get back out.” He shouted as he dodged around the monsters back sweeping Selian off her feet as he passed her.

  The monster was twisting around as he ducked in behind the container. It roared again and grasped the front of the crate as it tried to tear it from its securing hooks. One, then another snapped off as the creature tried to push it back to crush Jet and Selian.

  Jet desperately looked around the hold for something to use or a way to escape, and then he saw the control panel. The creature hesitated at the same moment as Jet looked at the door control, it roared in anger but Jet was already half way there and before the Swamp monster could reach him he threw the control lever into the open position.

  The door did not open instantaneously but it did open. Between the holds floor and up each end of the wall the pitch darkness of space appeared. The monster roared again but the roar of escaping air overwhelmed its roar, as anything not secured was moving across the floor; including Jet, Selian and the monster. It was scraping its claws on the metal and grasping for anything it could hold onto.

  Selian was screaming as she slid over the smooth decking towards the now gaping hole, but Jet was caught wrong footed, his bad leg was the one in position to propel him and he didn’t have time to change before she would slip out into space. He kicked the wall as hard as he could, and felt the prosthetic foot crush with the impact; suddenly it repelled him forward with such a force that he was thrust across the hold, sweeping up the girl as he passed her. He grasped a tie down bracket with one hand and with Selian clutched in the other arm they all; monster included began to gasp for air.

  Jet struggled to breath but wouldn’t let go off the girl as with a final metallic crack the last securing ties snapped and the container lifted off the floor. Jet cringed as it missed them by centimeter as it swung sideways and it smashed into the roof of the hold, before twisting and sliding with a metallic scream towards the now wide open door.

  The monsters mouth was curled in an evil snarl. There was no noise as it struggled to get out of the way of the container, but it couldn’t and with a last shudder the container swept out into space carrying the monster before it.

  Their mouths gaping, eyes bulging and bodies tingling Jet and Selian watched both the Swamp Monster and the container diminish. Jet was starting to lose consciousness, in moments he would also lose his grip but as his eyesight began to blur he saw the hold door closing.

  There was a loud hiss as the hold re-filled with air.

  He felt Selian struggle in his arms and realized he still held her in an iron grip. He looked down at her face only centimeters away.

  "You did it Jet.” She said in a soft voice. “You've saved the planet.”

  "It was nothing," he said, knowing it was everything an instant before her hungry lips came up to cover his in a passionate kiss.

  The door opened and Chub raced in. “Je…” he began before he saw them in a passionate embrace. He smiled and stepped back blocking both James and Rosie, before he shut the door.

  It was an eternity when Jet at last pulled away from the woman. He said nothing. He had no need.

  She sadly lowered her eyes. "You're going, aren't you?”

  "I have to, we’ve done what we came to do."

  She had begun to weep. "Do you really have to?”

  She stared down at his face, knowing it was already too late. His eyes were looking beyond her. The words rolled from his mouth as they had so many times before.

  "My work here is finished. Somewhere up there another planet needs…”

  She put her finger to his lips.

  "I know.” she said softly. "You must go home. To your home amongst the star's”

  More Jet Back, and other novels and stories by John Stevenson can be found by visiting

  www.caelin-day.com

  www.Australianstoryteller.com

  www.Australianstorywriter.com