by Suction Cup
“Ah, let's get out of here, huh? Get something to eat!” Secret yelled. He opened the lock on the kitchen door and swung it wide to reveal the club beyond. They crept into the silent club, the sunlight streaming in through the windows.
“Looks like the party up here is over, too,” Dan said. The club had been cleaned up, the chairs put back in stacks against the walls, and the tables moved back to their places. Empty glasses had been taken away, the floor had been swept and the bar closed up.
“We'll make our own party! And stop when we want to stop!” Secret proclaimed, waving a shaking finger. Dan and Charlie watched him wobble out of the club, shaking their heads.
There were still two guards on the doors, and they held them open as Secret stepped through.
“Morning, gents!” Secret saluted, in response to the guard's salutes.
Dan, Charlie and the rest of the men filed out. They stood there blinking and squinting in the sunlight.
“Now, what?” Charlie asked Dan.
“We'd better get back to our ladies,” Dan said. He turned to the men in his unit, motioning them out of earshot of the guards. “Listen, guys. Don't tell anyone about last night, I don't think I need to tell you that.”
The men nodded, not saying much, as they were mostly still in shock.
“Let's all go home. Get some rest and try to calm down. I'll give you all a call later and we'll get together to discuss what happened—and what we're going to do. Alright, let's get out of here,” Dan told them. The group broke up, the men going to their respective cars and pulling out mobile phones.
Dan and Charlie got into Charlie's car. Secret appeared in front of their car, blocking the way.
“Hey, fellas! I was wondering where you got to! Come on, let's go party! I thought we were going to get something to eat?” Secret looked like he was going to cry.
“Sorry, buddy. We gotta get back to our ladies. They've been worried sick about us all night. We'll see you, soon!” Dan yelled out the window. He turned to Charlie, “Let's get the hell out of here...while we still can!”
“Good idea,” Charlie reversed and then swerved around Secret, leaving him in their dust.
They made it through the checkpoint at the front gate just fine, the guards waving them out.
“Am I ever glad to get out of there! I knew I hated going back to the base! We shouldn't' have gone to that party!” Charlie said.
“Don't I know it,” Dan said. “But it was hardly something we could have avoided.”
“What are we gonna do?” Charlie gripped the wheel until his fingers were white.
“We're going to calm down, get something to eat and figure out a plan. This thing can't go on, of course.”
“Yah, but who's going to believe us?” Charlie said, his voice going high-pitched with worry. He looked over at Dan.
“Watch the road, will ya?” Dan grabbed wheel and moved the car, as it was heading toward the ditch.
“Sorry! That was hard on me, is all. You're right, I gotta relax.” He took his hand off the wheel and flexed it, then replaced it and flexed the other hand. He took some deep breaths.
Dan shook his head and took out his mobile phone. Thankfully, it now worked. He dialed Suzy.
4.
When Dan and Charlie didn't come home the night of the party, their girlfriends Bonnie and Suzy started to get a bit worried. But they had enough wine to keep them busy and fell asleep watching late-night TV. In the end, they figured the guys were just out having a good time and didn't want to hurry home.
When they had still not returned the next morning, it was a different story.
“This is not like Dan,” Suzy shook her head as she poured herself some strong coffee. “He would have called if he wasn't going to be home.”
“It's not like Charlie, either. He always calls if he's going to be late and he hardly ever stays out all night,” said Bonnie, shuffling into Suzy's kitchen in a long t-shirt with fuzzy slippers. She had come prepared last night. Suzy handed her down a mug from the cupboard.
“Thanks. I'm gonna need coffee and lots of it,” Bonnie rubbed her eyes and face. “I'm so hung over!”
“Me, too,” Suzy sighed. “I don't usually drink that much.” She sat down at the kitchen table, glad to be off her shaky legs.
“Me either, at least not red wine. Thank goodness it was decent stuff or imagine how sick we'd be right now if it wasn't? Ugh!” Bonnie shook her shoulders. She poured herself a cup of coffee.
Suzy sipped her coffee, starting to feel more like a human being. “I hope they didn't get into any trouble. Think we should call the base? Maybe they ended up in the drunk tank or something?”
“I'm sure they're fine. They're probably having breakfast someplace with the guys and will be here any minute, now.” Bonnie sat down at the kitchen table with her mug and poured in milk and sugar.
“I guess we'll see.”
“All I want for breakfast is some painkillers. You got any?” Bonnie looked at Suzy like a poor, sick dog.
“Yeah, let me get them.” Suzy went to the bathroom to get the bottle. She saw a shirt of Dan's in the bathroom and paused to run her fingers over it. “I hope you're alright.”
Suzy and Bonnie pulled up to the front gate of the base in Suzy's car. They didn't notice Charlie's car going down the road in the opposite direction, and Charlie and Dan didn't notice them, either.
“Are you sure you haven't seen them?” Suzy asked the guards through the open window. “Daniel Bandy and Charles Nevedurn? Dan and Charlie, you know them? Big guys in kilts? There was a whole group of them here last night.”
“Nothing this morning, ma'am, since we've been on duty,” the guard lied.
“Well, you must have a record of them coming in last night?” Suzy pressed him.
“We do keep records, of course, but that is not information I am able to release to you,” the guard looked Suzy and Bonnie over. “I'm sure you can respect that,” he dangled his thumb in his thick leather belt, which held his gun and holster. He looked down at their tits and licked his lips.
“We'd respect it a lot more if you could help us,” Bonnie said. “There are two men missing!” she shouted.
“They're not missing unless they've been gone for more than twenty-four hours. It hasn't been that long yet, so I'd say you're premature in your worrying. Come back, then. Now, get moving.” The guard slid the glass window closed on the guard booth.
“What do you think of that?” Bonnie turned to Suzy.
“I dunno,” Suzy shook her head. “Let's just go for now. If they don't turn up by tonight then it will have been twenty-four hours. We'll come back. Then, we'll go to the police if these goons won't help us.”
Bonnie backed the car from the front gate of the base and turned around. The guards stared at them, giving them dirty looks, which the women returned.
“They didn't seem very helpful. What if something has really happened to the guys?” Bonnie said.
“I don't know,” Suzy held her aching forehead in her hands.
“Isn't there someone else we can talk to at the base?”
“I have no idea.”
“Then what are we going to do?” Bonnie shrieked.
“I don't know, Bonnie! Just let me think.”
“Fine!” Bonnie said and kept driving.
A few minutes later, she pulled into a drive-in burger joint.
“What are you doing?” Suzy said.
“Getting something greasy to eat. It always helps a hangover. Don't you know that?” Bonnie said.
“I'm too sick to eat. And too sick with worry,” Suzy moaned.
“They'll turn up. Or we'll find them. One way or the other. Try not to worry so much, OK?”
“Alright...”
Bonnie pulled up to the microphone and speaker setup. “May I take your order, please?”
Suzy's cell phone rang. She picked it up. “It's Dan!” she yelled and answered it.
5.
Dan and Charlie
arrived back at Dan's place without incident. After they had told Bonnie and Suzy what had happened the night before, they all sat around the kitchen table drinking coffee.
“Whew! That's a wild story!” Suzy said. “But after the tentacles, I think anything is possible, now.”
“No kidding,” Bonnie shook her head.
“It's all true. We couldn't hardly believe it ourselves,” Dan said.
“Yeah,” Charlie agreed.
“So what's the plan?” Suzy asked.
“We should get away from here,” Bonnie said.
“We can't do that,” Dan said.
“Why not?” Bonnie and Suzy said in unison.
“Yeah, why not?” Charlie said. “We got out of there in one piece, why ask for more trouble staying near the base? I say we pack up and leave. Go to some other country, as far away as we can get!”
“I'm with Charlie!” Bonnie went and sat in Charlie's lap.
“You ladies would be safer someplace else, I'll agree. As for Charlie and me, and the rest of the guys in our group, we've got a mission,” Dan said and sipped his coffee.
“What mission?” Suzy said. “They did what they did to you, then took you to some kind of freak show, where they told you how they want to give everyone tentacles and take over the world! Sure, sounds like something you should get involved in for sure!”
“Well, there's a little more to the story,” Dan said, looking at Charlie. They had not told the ladies about the tentacle-lord, yet.
“You could say that,” Charlie gulped, nervous to tell them about it.
“What more? What didn't you tell us?” asked Suzy, fear in her voice.
Dan related the story about Meficious, which left Bonnie and Suzy with their hands over their mouths, gasping in disbelief.
“It can't be!” Suzy said.
“That's what happened,” Dan said.
“My God,” Suzy shook her head. “It's all so...strange...”
“Are you sure it was real and not some kind of trick?” Bonnie asked.
“It was all too real,” Charlie said and hugged her tighter.
“Come on, Charlie. We've got to get the guys together and make our plan,” Dan moved to get up. “We've got to stop them before it's too late.”
“Wait, have something to eat first, at least. I'll make you and Charlie breakfast,” Suzy said, opening the fridge door and pulling things out.
“Alright. I do need to eat.” Dan sat back down, heavily, feeling tired and weary.
“Me too, thanks,” Charlie said. They fell silent while Suzy made breakfast for the guys.
“You should go to the media,” Bonnie finally said. “Get the word out about what's going on. Get yourself some help.”
“I don't think that would do much good,” Dan told her.
“Why not?” Bonnie said.
“I think they'd laugh us out of the room,” Dan said. “Who's going to believe it?”
“Not if you showed them your tentacles!” Bonnie said.
“She's got a good point,” Suzy said.
“Maybe,” Dan said. “But they'd just find a way to discount that, I'm sure.”
“Or try and get us locked up. Say we did it to ourselves or something,” Charlie said.
“The news organizations would never let a story like this out there, even if they believed us. Anyway, we can't wait for them to get on board. We need to take direct action on this now,” Dan said, looking serious.
“You know it,” Charlie said.
Suzy smiled, “You guys just be careful, OK? I think it's a good thing you want to do, to stop them, but Bonnie and I want you both back in one piece.”
“I know, hun,” Dan got up and hugged her. Charlie kissed Bonnie.
After they had eaten, Dan and Charlie called up the men in their unit and arranged a place to meet. Dan got his guns out of his closet, checking them over.
“Think you're going to need those?” Suzy asked.
“I hope not, but you never know,” Dan said. He put his rifle and a box of ammo in a large bag. His handgun, he tucked into an inner pocket of his jacket, where it left a big bulge.
Suzy patted the bulge. “Be careful, please?”
“Always,” Dan said and held her close.
Dan and Charlie pulled up to the roadhouse at the edge of town that was owned by one of the guys in their unit. The place was still closed for the day, so they had it to themselves. A couple of the guys were standing guard outside the door, wearing long coats so they could conceal the rifles and handguns they were carrying.
Dan sat at the head of the table, looking over the other 11 men in his unit, these elite troops. “Men, if we can't stop this threat, then I don't think anyone can. I also think it's our duty to stop their twisted plan to turn everyone into...people like us,” Dan looked a bit sad.
“I think we all agree with that. Now, what do we do?” Charlie asked what was on everyone's mind.
Dan got up and paced around. “We're still in the good graces of Secret and rest of those lunatics. They want us to help them and think we're “one of them.” If we keep it that way for the time being, then we can use that to our advantage. The way I see it, there are a couple of things we can do. We can get some explosives and sneak them back into their lair. But that won't stop them for long, if they still have the technology to open portals and make more of us.” He looked over the group.
“What else do you have in mind?” one of the men asked. “That sounds pretty risky, and like you said, it won't hold them off for long.”
“Not unless we can take out their leader, Meficious. He seems to be the source of the transformations. At least, they are listening to him and following his orders,” Dan said.
“So, what do we do about him?” Charlie asked. “He's in another dimension or something.”
Dan nodded, “The other plan is to get one of those machines that opens a portal and call Meficious ourselves. That way we can be prepared and wipe him out when he steps out of the portal.”
“What if there are more like him beyond the portal? Back in his own dimension or wherever he comes from?” Charlie asked. “Won't they just come out after he's gone?”
“That's a chance we'll have to take, unless you want to go through the portal after him and check?” Dan stared at him.
“I don't know about that,” Charlie frowned.
“I agree; there's just too many unknowns at this point as to what we'd face on the other side. Maybe one day, when we find out what we'd be up against, we can consider an excursion like that, but for now I think we need to stick with what we know,” Dan said.
“I have some friends on the base who can get us what we want, no questions asked,” one of the men with a long, white mustache said.
“That's great, Sammy. Then I won't ask their names,” Dan said to the man. “It'll be safer that way. What we need is one of those portal-opening machines. Some extra guns and ammo wouldn't hurt either.”
“I'll get on it,” Sammy said. He crossed his big arms and stared straight ahead, thinking.
“Alright,” Dan said. “Once we get what we need we can get this sick business stopped. Until then, we'll collect intelligence. We'll work in teams of two, three teams observing the base; three teams guarding this place. You don't mind, do you James?” Dan asked the oldest man in the group, who owned the roadhouse bar/restaurant they were gathered in.
“Not at all. Glad to help in any way I can. Should I shut down the regular business for the duration?” James asked.
“Hmm,” Dan said, thinking. “At first, I would have said yes. But now that I think about it, maybe having the club open would provide us with some cover; business as usual and all that.”
“That's what I was thinking,” James nodded. “It might look suspicious if this place was closed down and only us guys with guns were prowling around here,” he grinned. “Not to mention all the money I'd lose—assuming the world doesn't end, that is!” Some of the guys laughed.
“G
ood points,” Dan smiled. “I think it's best to keep it open for now. We'll just hole up in your back office, if that's alright?”
“Fine by me,” James said.
“Alright, it's settled then. We know what we have to do. Let's get to it. This has got to be our strangest mission, yet,” Dan admitted.
He assigned the men their rotations and some stayed at the roadhouse; others took off to go and watch the base; some went out for supplies. The men with families or girlfriends called to let them know they'd be away from home for a time, not telling them where they'd be or what they'd be doing, for safety reasons.
6.
Dan and Charlie followed Sammy to the base, but broke off before they got to the front gate. Sammy went ahead, as he was going to visit his friends on the base and see if he could pull any favors for equipment.
Charlie turned his car off the main road and continued along a dirt road into the desert. The road went for a short distance before disappearing from sight behind a range of hills. Continuing on, the road climbed higher into the mountains surrounding the base.
Once they got to a decently high elevation and could see the base clearly below, Charlie parked the car behind a bunch of big rocks, out of sight. He and Dan climbed out, with high-powered gun scopes and tripods in hand.
They set themselves into clefts in the rock and camouflaged themselves as best as they could, with the scopes mounted on the tripods. They watched the movements around the base, each looking at a different part.
“I've got Sammy,” Charlie said.
“Where?” Dan asked, swinging his scope over to the other side of the base where Charlie was looking.
“Near the guard's hut. He just finished checking in.”
“Got him,” Dan said. They watched as Sammy parked his car and walked over to another building on the base and went inside. “Now we wait,” Dan said.
“Yeah,” Charlie nodded, still looking through his scope. They took turns looking through their scopes, waiting for Sammy to come out of the building.