“Creel!” he shouted and Frank saw the second Mingrein returning, blade in hand. In a blur of motion that was almost too fast for the room full of beings to comprehend, Creel's head hit the floor almost thirty feet away from where his body did, and Groll's other arm was now cut off. Before Groll could mutter another word, Frank side-kicked him directly in his chest, sending him flying twenty feet to crash into the wall behind him. Frank kicked one of Groll's severed arms over toward where the giant lizard lay on his face once again, his tail standing up into the air like a small tree. He hacked the tail clean off near the base, sending it flying toward the hallway. Grabbing Groll behind his neck with one hand, he pulled him up off the floor and slammed him down on the bloody stump where his tail had been. He was now sitting upright, against the dome wall.
“Take a seat,” he said coldly to the fallen leader. To himself he thought, “This is where I lose her forever.” He reached down and picked up the arm. Turning it to expose the softer underside, he raised it to his mouth.
* * *
“No!” Gladosanthos punched the button to mute her audio. Tears instantly filled her eyes as she turned to vomit, something she hadn't done for tens of thousands of years. “I've created a monster. His psychosis has consumed him.” She wept openly now. Constanthos could think of no words to comfort her.
* * *
Blood and flesh filled Frank's mouth and ran down his chin, staining his shirt. The meat tasted very acidic, overly tangy. He knew he was putting on a pretty good show when the people started screaming. He took another bite before tossing the arm over his shoulder.
“Fools! Kill him! He can't fight all of you at once!” Groll was saying as he sat, bleeding to death.
“Silence!” Frank made another show out of beheading Groll where he sat. Turning to the remaining Mingrein he shouted, “I'm accepting challenges!” But none came forward. Almost in unison, they all dropped to one knee, bowing their heads. “Who is second in command?” Frank asked. One Mingrein in the front of the group raised his head slightly so he could point his claw toward Creel's corpse. Wiping the blood from his sword so he could re-sheath it, Frank simply now stood on the platform, allowing the lizards to process what had just happened. After a few moments, the same Mingrein that had pointed to Creel dropped his blade loudly onto the floor and crept over to Groll's lifeless torso. With his head low the entire time, he removed the red sash from the corpse and took it to where Frank was standing. Very ceremoniously, he placed the sash over Frank's head.
“What are your orders, Sire?” he asked.
“Bring me the Adviser.”
* * *
“Oh my god, what just happened?” Denise's face had gone pale while watching Frank's brutality. Chavez was clutching his necklace, muttering a low prayer in Spanish, finishing with making the sign of the cross on his chest.
“I'll tell you what just happened,” Deon answered. “Frank totally snapped. I knew something was off with that guy.” Terrelle just sat staring in disbelief.
“I am reserving my opinion,” said Hiro. “Frank had to have a good reason for what he just did.”
“What do you make of it, Sarge?” Potts asked Dave.
Everyone turned to Dave to hear his response. He stood rubbing his chin, trying to find the right words. “Frank just saved the Earth.”
“Really? It looks to me like he just took over the Mingrein army,” Potts replied.
“Precisely. Now that he's their new leader, he can order them to go away.”
“He wouldn't lead them against the Earth, would he?” Deon asked.
Finally Terrelle spoke. “Frank would never do that.”
* * *
The Mingrein were lining up at the door in the hallway at the back of the platform, trying in vain to gain entry. Their mounting frustration, and fear of failing their new leader, was palpable. Seeing an opportunity, Frank motioned to Jones to get the people moving. The big man had to fight through the pain to get to his feet, but he made it happen. It didn't take much coercion to get everyone moving toward the exit. At one point, a Mingrein discovered them making their escape and started to panic. But with one look at Frank staring back at him coldly, he opted to hold his tongue. Satisfied that the captives had reached the freighter, Frank turned his attention back to the group trying to break down the door.
“Is there another entrance to that chamber?”
“Groll was the only Mingrein permitted to enter. We do not know,” one answered.
“Have any of you even seen the Adviser?”
“No, Sire.” If any Mingrein other than Groll had ever laid eyes on the Adviser, Frank was certain they were already dead.
“Sire, a transport just departed,” said a smaller Mingrein looking at a wall panel.
“Freighter?” Frank thought it was Bett flying the people out.
“No, Sire. A perimeter transport. But now there is a freighter powering up.”
“Ignore the freighter. Can you track the other transport?” Frank realized he was describing the style of vessel they had been calling turtles.
“It is heading toward the surface. That particular configuration is designed for vertical flight primarily, so while I can't give exact coordinates, I can postulate the general vicinity of it's landing zone.”
“You're fourth generation, aren't you?”
At first the lizard was shocked, but then it bowed it's head with pride. “Yes, sire.”
“Can you bring up a map?”
“Certainly.” Another wall panel illuminated, showing an image of the Earth. The Mingrein gestured toward the screen and the image zoomed in, showing North America. After cross referencing the other screen, he zoomed in again and pointed to Indiana.
“So it begins and ends in Indiana.”
“I'm afraid I don't understand, Sire.”
“That's okay.” Frank turned to address the entire group of lizards. “Okay, listen up. No one leaves until I return. If anyone tries to leave, eat him. Or her. Ration this meat, I don't know how long this is going to take.” He gestured toward the livestock pens. He turned and began walking back to his landing boat. As he walked, he held his sword up under his arm so he could tie a knot in the ridiculously large sash. He then realized the orb was following along behind him. “You should probably keep a remote up here to keep tabs on these guys.” It stopped, then silently flew off in the other direction. “Yup, she's gone for good,” he thought to himself.
* * *
“Phil, do you have eyes on that transport?” Frank asked as the door closed and sealed behind him. Phildan stood silently, looking terrified of Frank. Another orb hung silently in the air, right over Phildan's left shoulder. “Can we please see this through before you both pass judgment on me?”
“Yes, of course,” Phildan finally said. “Whoever is flying it is a much better pilot than the average Mingrein. He's going in hot.”
“Indiana?”
“Yes. About fifty miles south of your city.”
“Please get us there as quickly as possible. I have to take care of something.” Frank walked out of the living room. He rounded the bend to his bedroom and went straight into the refresher. He pulled off the sash, considering having it cleaned but thinking better of it, and placed it aside before ripping off his ruined t-shirt and removing the orbs from his pockets. Turning to the makeshift toilet, he put his finger deep into his throat until his stomach emptied itself of every remnant of Groll. He turned then to the sink where he brushed his teeth. After letting the mechanisms clean the blood off of his body, he brushed his teeth again. He was still brushing his teeth when Phildan alerted him of their impending arrival. Frank didn't take the time to locate another shirt, opting to just use his varitherm suit as a shirt. He gathered his sword and returned to the living room.
Phildan was flying low over the rolling hills of southern Indiana looking for the transport. “I have him,” he said finally.
Frank turned to the orb. “So you're never going to talk to me a
gain?” The orb remained silent. But before Frank could say what was on his mind, Phildan let out a strange squeal that Frank had never heard before and darted to the nearest red circle. “Phil, wait!” But Phil had dropped out, leaving Frank to scramble after.
28.
The sun was low in the sky and the trees were casting shadows that stretched far into the clearing where the transport sat. It's lone passenger had departed and stood waiting. Phildan was running faster than Frank had ever witnessed before, and by time he caught up, he realized he was looking at two Phildans.
“Delvan, I feared I had lost you forever,” Phildan said in Sessiki, between deep breaths. “I was sure you had been eaten.”
“It turns out we are not edible, brother,” Delvan replied, raising his upper right arm, which was an intricate mechanical prosthetic. “Groll tried to sample my flesh, only to find I was no better than any other Rotinom.”
“I don't understand.” Phildan was confused. But Frank, standing silently, was far worse.
“Of course you don't. The Witch has you brainwashed.”
“The Mistress has been nothing but kind, brother.”
“Perhaps. Ryal, on the other hand, was a cruel and unyielding in his torment. I enjoyed watching him die.”
“Delvan, don't say such things. Come with us so we can help you.”
“I have other plans.” Delvan slapped Frank on his chest before he had time to react. The events of the day had worn down his mind. Frank discovered that a device of some sort was now stuck to his suit. As he tried to remove it, Delvan thrust his mechanical arm through Phildan's torso, causing green blood to spray in a large radius. With his arm still embedded in Phildan's chest, he said, “With you two dead, the Witch will most likely flee. If not, I shall find a way to kill her too, and then I will continue my work with the Li. This planet is ours!” He pulled his arm back out and turned to leave the impending blast radius.
Frank was unable to pull the bomb off of his chest. Phildan lay on the ground bleeding heavily. Fighting the urge to panic, Frank gathered his suit up with a gesture from both hands. He felt it withdraw quickly from inside his shoes and pants until it was a dry blob in his hand. Thinking fast, he threw it hard in the direction of Delvan. For perhaps the first time in his life, Frank hit his target with an overhand throw. The suit, being absolutely too large for Delvan's tiny frame, totally engulfed the little alien, causing him to stumble and fall. Frank then dove to cover Phildan from the blast. His shield absorbed the explosion and he could do nothing but pick up his fallen friend.
“No, Phil. You can't die,” he was saying as the orb appeared. “You're my best friend.”
“Bring him to me.” Her voice was cold.
Frank was standing in the clearing, hugging Phildan close so the boat could raise them together. Once on board, he rushed him to the biotech room and placed him inside a partition. The device activated on it's own and Frank realized that Gladosanthos was controlling it remotely. He didn't leave Phildan's side until the boat reached the Main Ship in Antarctica. Frank had ridden in silence the whole time and once they had docked, strange automechs entered the boat to take Phildan. Frank followed them to the door but stopped. He could see a gigantic, brightly lit room outside the boat, but he figured that since she didn't want to speak to him, she surely didn't want him wandering about her home. So he returned to the refresher to again clean blood from his body. But this time it was Phildan's blood, which upset him more than all the blood before. Not feeling like searching for another outfit, he simply grabbed the blob that was his old varitherm suit and slapped it on. He was, after all, in Antarctica. He went to the living room, switched the television off, and sat down on the couch to wait. For what exactly, he was unsure. He felt the old darkness setting in, but this time it was much stronger, much darker than before. There was no coming back from this.
* * *
“Just how do you plan to handle this, sister?” Constanthos asked.
“I don't know. I'm going to repair Phildan first. Then we will find a way to get that monster off my ship.”
“Is he really a monster?”
“Did you not see what he did?”
“I only wish to understand, sister. To learn.”
“This is beyond anything that humans were designed for. I should have known when they started eating meat.”
“May I reveal myself to him? I wish to interview him.”
“I don't care. Maybe you can deter him from searching me out. I will heal Phildan and then the three of us will see if we can even get this thing off the ground.”
* * *
He woke with a start, having had another nightmare. In this dream, Mingrein were laughing at him as his severed arms and legs dragged themselves and hopped around him, as if some evil puppeteer had been hired to torment him. Realizing it was only a dream, and that he had only dozed off on the couch, he sat up to discover an orb hanging in the air, waiting for his attention.
Relieved to see her, he anxiously asked, “How is Phil? Is he going to make it?”
“Phildan will make a full recovery.” Frank was surprised to find that he didn't recognize the voice. “Gladosanthos is finishing up the procedures.” The smooth contralto had a similar cadence to the voice of Gladosanthos.
“Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know there was someone else here. I'm Frank.”
“I am Constanthos.”
“Sister of Mercy,” he said in English.
“Very good, Frank.”
“Are you Sessik?”
“No. Come with me. I want to show you something.” Slowly, the orb flew through the door, which had opened just to the right of the television. He walked out and had to stop to take it all in. Unsteady at first, due to yet another change in gravity, he found himself in a massive dome. Main Ship was everything that the landing boats weren't. Instead of bland, utilitarian gray, the walls were white. The support structure itself was a work of art, supporting a massive dome that was cut in half by a low wall. The garden covered most of the lower section, but then Frank noticed that there was more foliage on top of the wall. He realized that half of the floor space had been partitioned into rooms of various natures. All in all, he had to admit to himself that it was the most beautiful place he had ever seen. She led him down a winding walkway through the garden. Alien fruit trees of various sizes and shapes filled the lower space of the dome, with the upper space left open. There were no visible lights but the lighting was perfectly bright and highlighted the elegant architecture. In the distance, he could spot docking points for two more landing boats. The other three, he assumed, were accessed from inside the rooms behind the low wall.
She led Frank through one of many door panels into a biotech room that made the one on the boat look like a child's play area. There was only one partition though. It was oddly shaped as the rear had one narrow spine going vertically to a headrest. The areas on both sides of the spine formed deep pockets. On the opposite end of the room, past several work tables, was a large tank filled with a strange fluid. Frank looked inside to see the body of a human lady floating inside.
“Who is that?” he asked.
“That is me. Or at least it will be. Gladosanthos is building me a body. We are letting it grow.”
“I don't understand. You don't have a body? How do you exist in this ship?”
“Technically, I am the ship.”
“Oh. Wow. I must say you are lovely.”
“Thank you. I reside inside the computational systems. I am an artificial intelligence.”
“That was you with the orbs, right? In Indianapolis?”
“Yes.”
“That was awesome. You saved so many of my people. Thank you very much.” He bowed his head with sincerity.
“It was my pleasure. Gladosanthos is great at controlling her remotes, but she can only do one at a time.”
“How many did you have going?”
“Two hundred fifty-six.”
“Amazing. Why did she keep your pres
ence a secret from me?”
“Artificial intelligence defies galactic law. If one emerges, it is one's duty to eliminate it.”
“I don't understand. We've only just met but you seem absolutely delightful. I couldn't imagine just coming here and shutting you down. Or however that works.”
“You are too kind, Frank. I understand how you value your manners.”
“Yes, I do, but I'm not just being nice. I feel that I owe you so much for your help.”
“You're very sweet. Over here is what I want to show you. First, this is her stasis chamber.” The orb floated near the partition. “And this is what we call the halo, where she uploads her memories into the computational system for storage.”
“She uploads her memories?”
“Yes. You will find with an extremely long life, you eventually run out of room in your brain for memories. While you remember almost everything at first, that trait causes your brain to fill up faster. Of course, I am giving you the stripped down, non-technical explanation.”
“Of course. And I appreciate that greatly.”
Custodian_Monster of Earth Book One Page 27