Monster

by Patrick F. Johnson

  “Frank, I thought you were going to stay in the stairwell!” Gladys said.

  “Sorry, my dear. Raymond and Moldew needed a distraction. I didn't mean to worry you.”

  “It is alright. I'm glad to see that you two have found each other. We saw the mess you made inside.”

  “That was her,” Frank said, pointing at Constanthos. “I tried to stop her.”

  “Frank!” Constanthos exclaimed.

  “Okay,” he added. “I might have helped a little.” He looked at the orb. “Have you seen those two?”

  “They are on the terrace directly above you,” Gladys answered. “But I never did see Breet. I was afraid he may have attacked you.”

  “We ran into him. He's good. He insists on killing as many Gotes as he can. I told him not to kill Royals or Mingrein.”

  “He did seem a bit unstable,” Constanthos added.

  “Understandable,” Frank commented. “How is Gildract doing?”

  “While I can't see into his fog dome, the sheer number of dead Gotes outside the dome is staggering. Apparently, those Rotinom guns are penetrating the body armor of the Gotes.”

  “Only a handful of them have armor,” Frank added.

  “Either way,” Gladys continued, “there are no Gotes standing in front, where they had stationed themselves near the main entrance. The entire clearing across the roadway is enclosed in the fog dome. The soldiers to the east broke and ran after taking many casualties.”

  “So we're winning. I just need to find Jard so he can kill Korick. And I'd love a cigar.”

  “What does Jard look like?” Constanthos asked.

  “I am curious as well,” Gladys said. “He appeared as a jagged shadow on the view screen. I was very busy at the time and didn't get a real good look.”

  “Well, that's pretty much what he looks like. He has spikes, or more like quills. They are coated with a venom that his body excretes. He's sharp all over, so there won't be any hugging or hand-shaking. But I like him.” Frank thought about it for a second. “He is blacker than black. If he ducks into a shadow, you will never see him.”

  “Phildan is saying that the Royals are again pinned down,” Gladys said. “The buildings across the plaza between the casino and air field are giving too much cover to the soldiers.”

  “Hmm, maybe Phil can bring Raymond and Moldew down here,” Frank said. “I'm sure they wouldn't want to miss this.”

  After a moment, Gladys replied, “Phildan said no. Moldew is too large.”

  “Well, shit,” Frank said. “That would have been absolutely hilarious. Will you go up and tell them what we're up to? We're heading west.”

  * * *

  “What is that?” Moldew asked as he tended to his wounds.

  Raymond looked over and saw the remote. “They were scattered all around Frank's place on Earth. I didn't know they could fly.”

  The two of them were quite surprised when the orb spoke to them in Gotian. “Frank wanted me to let you know that he and his companion are going to assist the Royal Guard to the west. Korick's forces to the south have been wiped out, as well as most in the large room on the first level. The soldiers to the east have mostly run away.”

  Raymond and Moldew looked at each other. “He isn't leaving much for us to do,” Raymond finally replied. “I suppose we'll resume our search for Korick.” Moldew nodded in agreement.

  “Be advised,” Gladys continued, “Breet is somewhere inside. As is Jard, the Assassin.”

  “It's always something,” Raymond replied.

  “You sound like Frank,” Gladys said. “Breet has been briefed. He was advised against killing Royal Guard. He is actively hunting soldiers though. Frank has befriended Jard, and doesn't believe him to be hostile against anyone other than Korick, who he was hired to kill.”

  “We must arrest Korick before the assassin can get to him,” Moldew said.

  Raymond looked at the massive size of the casino complex. “Needle in a haystack. Oh well, it's something to do.” He turned back to look at the remote, still hovering nearby. “There is an injured Gote in Korick's office. His name is Ahn and he has valuable information.” They then disappeared through the door.

  * * *

  “I kinda like how the Gotes' guns sound,” Frank commented as they jogged toward the gunfire.

  “I'm afraid I don't understand,” Constanthos replied.

  “It's just that their guns sound more like the guns on Earth.”

  “You're silly.”

  “That Li crap that everyone else shot at me sounded, I don't know, puny?”

  “They are all deadly to anyone that doesn't possess a velocity shield,” Constanthos said with a sense of finality. She simply had the last word and even though it wasn't anything important, Frank felt the need to change the topic.

  “The soldiers are using their familiarity with their surroundings to their advantage. The Royals haven't made it very far.”

  “Do you have a strategy in mind, Frank?”

  “Not really. I'm just going to ask them to stop shooting.” They had reached the outer barrier of the casino complex. A series of serpentine low walls formed a decorative touch as the surroundings changed from a nicely landscaped, luxury facility to a raw industrial setting. There were a few large structures scattered around between them and the landing field. Frank guessed they were either warehouses or hangars, but he couldn't be certain. They met the first group of soldiers, covering the area from behind one of the low walls. There were six of them and two of them were equipped with long rifles. “Excuse me,” Frank said loudly, in Gotian. They turned to notice the two humans and instead of answering, they opened fire. As the bullets were being deflected by their shields, Frank looked over at Constanthos, who was concentrating on setting her feet. She looked up at him, gave a half-smile, and shook her head. Frank answered with a gesture, as if he were throwing an invisible shuriken. She nodded, reached into one of her pouches, and let it fly. It struck one of the center-most Gotes directly in the chest. The explosion sent the rest of them flying. The target was obliterated, however, and parts were landing all around them. “I'd say they've lost the will to fight. What do you think?”

  Although she tried, Constanthos couldn't suppress her chuckle. “We should keep moving, Frank.”

  “I agree,” Frank answered as he turned away from the mess. “That's really gross. Maybe we should lead with that.” They were about to continue when the remote caught up with them.

  “Oh, wow,” Gladys said. “That is disgusting. I see the exploding shuriken are functioning properly.”

  “And our girl here has an arm,” Frank complimented.

  “I'm going to try to avoid hitting them directly from here on out,” Constanthos stated, having lost her giggles.

  “Yes, please,” Frank replied. He looked off in the direction of the airfield. “I don't know about you two, but I'm getting really sick of being here. Let's wrap this up.”

  “I'll fly ahead and survey the situation,” Gladys said as she cloaked her remote.

  33.

  “I have no idea where to search,” Moldew said as they were making their way back down the second level concourse. Distant gunfire and screaming Gotes caught his attention.

  “I say we follow the screams,” Raymond quipped.

  * * *

  Ahn had pulled himself up into a seated position. In addition to the wound in his chest, he was bleeding from from several other smaller wounds from the mysterious explosions. And now his hands were all cut up from dragging himself over to the wall. He was sitting there, waiting for what came next, when the bug came in. Ahn glanced over at his pistol. It was just out of his reach. So he resigned himself to the inevitable. Breet stared at him for a moment and then went to Korick's desk, where he waved his feelers around above the desk and chair. He then turned and waved his feelers in Ahn's direction. Letting out a short, angry sounding chirp, Breet shook his head and left. Ahn realized that he was getting Korick's scent.

 
; * * *

  “Were these bodies here before?” Raymond asked as they arrived back at the glass wall of the coliseum.

  “They've been shot,” Moldew stated, pointing to the bloody holes in the soldiers' uniforms.

  “Moldew!” Raymond said with a hushed tone, and pointing across to the offices. “It's Breet.” The bug was coming out of the office area. Its head was low and its feelers were working. When he was around the way, in clear sight, he raised his head and regarded the two of them with curiosity. He had a gun in his pincer, but it wasn't pointed at them. Suddenly, he let out an angry sounding screech.

  “What is he doing?” Moldew asked, trying to contain his terror.

  “He's acting like a damned bloodhound,” Raymond replied. He was holding Breet's gaze so he took a chance. “Korick!” he shouted with his own angry tone. Breet nodded and gestured with one of his free legs for them to follow him. “Let's go,” Raymond said as he started marching toward Breet. Moldew shook his head, and followed at a distance. When Raymond got close to Breet, he noticed the bug was now looking down into the main gaming room. He pointed with the gun, as if to tell Raymond to look down there. When Raymond finally rounded the bend enough to see the room, he was shocked to see so many dead Gotes. He turned back to Breet and pointed at him, as if to ask if he was responsible for the body count down there. Breet shook his head and gave out a short chirp. “The Monster?” Raymond asked. Breet nodded. “Holy shit.”

  * * *

  “Take cover!” Gladys said as the orb came racing back.

  “What's up?” Frank asked.

  “I don't think the Princess is taking too kindly to being stuck on her ship, being fired upon by her own subjects. The Royal Guard on the ground have cleared the area and the engines are spooling up.”

  “Maybe she's just leaving,” Frank said.

  “I wouldn't if I were in her position,” Gladys said. “I think I would probably shoot everything. That's why I want you two to take cover. She might torpedo you.”

  “Okay,” Frank replied. “I see your point. Connie, go ahead and cloak. I'll try to find somewhere to hide my fat ass.” Frank ran and found a shrub to duck behind.

  “I don't think you have a fat ass,” Gladys said as the orb came next to him.

  “It looks quite muscular,” Constanthos added, her voice coming from above him, as she didn't feel the need to duck down.

  “The point I was making,” Frank said, using his obviously fake serious tone, “is that I'm at least double my normal size. They're going to have to lower the ramp to get me on the boat!”

  “You're being ridiculous, my love.” Before Gladys could continue, she was interrupted by a series of loud explosions.

  “Did you alert Gildract?” Frank asked as the Royal Cruiser passed overhead.

  “Yes. They are falling back away from their main freighter. I told him that if his ships are destroyed, we would give them a ride home.”

  “Okay, good.” Frank watched as the cruiser circled around the casino complex. “What is she doing?”

  “Just a moment,” Gladys said. “Phildan reported that the mass of soldiers on the far end were regrouping.” There were several explosions suddenly. “She is sending torpedoes at them.”

  “She is pissed!” Frank said as he stood back up. “You called that one.” Frank heard laughter coming from behind him. He turned to see the Royal Guard making their way toward the casino. Two identical Gotes were leading the charge, pointing in the distance and laughing when they noticed Frank standing there.

  “You there, human,” the one on the right spoke. “I assume you are the one known as the Monster, of Earth?”

  “You can call me Frank. We were just on our way over to help you guys out.”

  “I only see one of you,” the one on the left said.

  “Well, I'm not alone,” Frank said, deciding not to elaborate. “Is there any way you can instruct that vessel to not fire into the fog dome?”

  “That is not her intention,” the one on the right said. “Allow us our introductions. I am Ran and this is my brother Rando. These Gotes are under our joint command and we are all sworn to protect the crown.”

  “You have the same insignia as Moldew,” Frank commented. “Are you of the same rank?”

  “Yes,” Ran answered. “We are of equal rank, but our assignments are different. We actually guard the Royalty, and enforce their decrees. Moldew usually spends his time rounding up those that have committed crimes against the crown.”

  “Well, that's what they're doing now,” Frank said, hooking his thumb toward the casino complex.

  “So, he has Raymond with him still?” Rando asked.

  “Yes.”

  “That's a relief. Raymond is a credit to your species.” He looked over to see the royal cruiser setting down near the main casino building, out of the way of any stray Rotinom projectiles. “Move to cover positions,” he ordered to his Gotes. The Royal Guard fell into a fast jog straight toward the cruiser.

  “This is nice,” Ran commented as he jogged. “I feel light as a feather.”

  Frank thought first that Ran must be even crazier than himself, but then he remembered hearing that the gravity on Gotoreo was even heavier than on Vera. He looked over his shoulder as he jogged along with them. Even though he didn't see anyone else, he knew that Constanthos was there, and Gladys had apparently cloaked her remote as well. They made it to the cruiser just as the ramp was dropping. Four more Gotes jogged down and formed a perimeter before Princess Caja descended the ramp. Frank tried not to stare, as she was a vaguely female version of the big ugly aliens that he had been fighting. She certainly wasn't dressed like royalty, and she had a pistol strapped to her rotund waist. Every Gote on the ground, except the four on the perimeter, knelt in an abbreviated manner.

  Caja looked directly at Frank. “Monster, of Earth, why do you not kneel?”

  “I don't make others kneel to me,” Frank answered with a casual tone.

  “Fair enough,” she said as she let a smile creep onto her fat face. “I understand you have defeated two empires already. I hope you don't have your sights set on a third.”

  “I only defend my home, Your Highness. I am only here because my home was threatened.”

  “Korick threatened your home,” she said. It was more of a statement than a question. “Gote Space has expanded considerably since he took control of the government. There have been many of the same threats made. I'm glad to see someone finally fight back.”

  “Princess, what is the status of the forces on the far end?” one of the twins asked. Frank already couldn't tell them apart.

  “Those that managed to evade my torpedoes scattered. It infuriates me that Gotes would fire upon their future queen.”

  Frank thought this would be a good time to show off. He held out his hand, with his palm up. As he felt the orb settle down into his hand, he said in English, “Uncloak, please.” The remote seemed to appear out of mid-air. Then in Gotian, Frank said, “I think Korick is going to make a run for it. The north end of the complex is the only side that isn't covered up with either his enemies, or a huge pyramid. Please go over and have a look.” Without a word, the remote raised upward from his hand, slowly at first, and then darted away.

  “What was that?” one of the twins asked incredulously.

  “I'm sorry,” Frank said, “which one are you?”

  “I am Ran. No need to apologize. Everyone gets us confused. But what was that thing?”

  “That was my wife.”

  “You are mated with a tiny sphere?” Ran asked, looking even more astounded.

  “No, my wife controls it remotely. It would be silly to marry a ball.”

  “I suppose,” Ran said, feeling foolish.

  Frank gave him a little smack on his shoulder and turned to Caja. “Korick has obviously convinced the soldiers that you are somehow the enemy. We need to find a way to convince them to stand down. I don't really enjoy all of this killing.”

 
“I will admit, this is more than I anticipated. I thought we could march in and arrest Korick. My father taught me that those with power are most afraid of losing that power. It is a strange thing to hear from the king, as any Gote will tell you, our king is a gentle being. But the lesson was clearly pointed toward Korick, and his influence over the government.”

  “It is an interesting dynamic,” Frank mused. “But unfortunately, it is not uncommon. Those with great wealth have a way of influencing others. Greed is a powerful tool.” Frank felt Constanthos frantically tugging on his arm. “My companion is going to appear. Please, everyone, do not be alarmed.”

  Constanthos uncloaked, pulled her face-plate off, gestured the varitherm from her head, and gave a slight bow. “Your Highness,” she said.

  Caja blinked. After a moment, she said, “You are full of surprises, Monster.”

  “Please, just call me Frank. This is Constanthos.”

  “There is a high ranking Gote in Korick's office,” Constanthos started. “His name is Ahn. I believe he has all the answers that you are looking for.”

  Caja obviously recognized the name. “What do you know?” she asked, staring Constanthos down with intensity.

  “I was cloaked. I entered Korick's office to disable the collar control device and I overheard them talking. Ahn stated that he believed you had arrived to shut down Korick's whole operation. Korick then stated that you would die, just like the queen. Ahn pressed for more information, and Korick implied that he had some hand in her death. Ahn then attempted to kill Korick, but failed, and was shot for his efforts.” Caja, hearing the words, looked as if she would collapse under their weight. “Ahn said the queen was the love of his life,” Constanthos added.

  “I have never met Ahn,” Caja said in a soft tone as she tried to fight back the tears. “He was against my father in their campaigns to win the hand of my mother. Ahn lost, and left Gotoreo, and his life of nobility.” Her emotions forced her to stop speaking.