Star Cat Forever: A Science Fiction & Fantasy Adventure (The Star Cat Series - Book 6)

by Andrew Mackay

  “Like crap,” she spat. “I hate you.”

  “Why do you hate me, Jelly?”

  She lifted her hands and held the shackles to the light, “I managed to get home. After years of trying, only to be captured by those who started this nightmare.”

  “It’s for your own safety, isn’t it?” Santiago asked with sincerity. “What if you brought something back?”

  “Oh, we brought something back,” she huffed. “And you’re all going to see first-hand what it is very, very soon. If you’re a betting man, I’d put your stocks in oxygen masks for when darkness falls.”

  “Darkness falls? Oxygen masks?”

  “You humans are pathetic. You’ll learn to adapt, or you’ll learn to die. And fast.”

  Maar leaned into Santiago’s ear and whispered something Jelly couldn’t hear.

  Santiago nodded and returned to Jelly.

  “What do you know about the tree-shape thing in the Gulf of Mexico?”

  “What tree-shaped thing?” Jelly asked.

  “A giant, black tree-like thing came out of the Gulf of Mexico shortly before you landed.”

  “Like a tree,” Maar added. “But not a tree.”

  Santiago continued, “Yes. In fact, your escape pod nearly hit it when you landed in the Gulf.”

  Jelly pricked her ears with curiosity, “Really?”

  “She knows something,” Maar whispered. “Look at her reaction.”

  “Two more of these tree things appeared. One in the Yellow Sea in Asia, and a third in the Mediterranean. All of them emitting a strange pink light. All connected, and all seemingly channeling something from the moon.”

  “Really?”

  “We asked Hughes about it, but he didn’t know what we were talking about.”

  Jelly unfurled three of her infinity claws on her left hand. She thought back to the events on Space Opera Charlie.

  She close the first claw to her palm and grew upset, “Grrrrr.”

  “What’s she doing?” Maar asked.

  “Shhh. Let her think.”

  Jelly closed her eyes and squeezed the tears down her cheeks. Her second infinity claw closed into her hand, leaving the claw on her index finger out.

  “Furie.”

  “Huh?” Santiago asked. “Jelly? What can you tell us about those trees?”

  Jelly thumped the table and leaned back in her chair.

  “It makes sense that there are three.”

  “Does it?” he asked. “How?”

  Jelly held up her index, middle, and fourth finger.

  “One died in the airlock,” she said, folding her index finger down.

  “The second was murdered by Masta—” she struggled, stopping short of saying the beast’s name outright.

  Her fourth finger lowered, leaving her middle finger and prolonged infinity claw up at Maar. She kept it held and growled at him, “Furie.”

  “Now, now, Anderson,” Maar said. “No need to be rude.”

  Julie covered her mouth and glanced at the E-MRI. The visual of Jelly’s womb expanded on the screen.

  “—Never mind that, I’m sure we’re all very sorry,” Maar snapped, catching Julie’s attention. He turned back to Jelly and cleared his throat, “You came back with one of them, though, didn’t you?”

  Jelly lowered her middle finger and clenched her fist.

  Maar kept out of shot of the broadcast. He’d anticipated Jelly’s answers to be vague and incendiary.

  He thought he could rise above it, but not knowing what she referred to worried him no end as he launched into his follow-up question.

  “What’s coming our way, Jelly? The return of his holiness himself?”

  “No. I’ve seen God already,” Jelly said.

  “Is it anything to do with Saturn?”

  “You’re very quick, Sheck,” Jelly grinned. “Our second sun. You’re going to need it, soon.”

  “What for?”

  “For when your oxygen masks fail to save you.”

  Maar’s face turned beet red. He knew he was in the presence of someone - or something - prophesying forthcoming, and it appeared to be based on facts.

  “So Saturn has turned into a sun, Jelly?” Maar tried. “Tell us what’s happening. Tell us what’s coming, damn it.”

  “Something better is coming. Something fantastic.”

  “Ha. Is that so?” Maar sneered with sarcasm. “Why not give us a sneak preview of what we’re all in for Jelly?”

  “No. It doesn’t work like that. Besides, I don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

  “What can you tell us? What’s coming, Jelly?”

  She leaned back in her chair and shuffled her whiskers.

  “I already told you. Something fantastic,” she sneered, evilly. “Cat-astrophic, even, for you. If you’ll forgive the pun.”

  Her whiskers fizzed once she’d finished her sentence, much to his surprise.

  — Bay 65 —

  Rowan looked through the gallery window and watched Furie jumping up and down next to her bed.

  “My oh my, you little thing. You sure are full of energy, aren’t you?”

  “Mommy. Mommy,” she sang to herself with glee. “Mommy’s coming. Mommy’s coming.”

  Rowan entered a trance-like state of bewilderment as he watched the girl spin around on the spot with excitement.

  “What are you?” he whispered to himself. “Where did you come from?”

  Furie whipped her tail into her palm and sniffed at it.

  Rowan continued and looked to her pulsating, pink chest. “What do you want from us—?”

  FIZZZZ.

  Furie’s whiskers sparked up, forcing the back of her head against the pillow. Her body and tail writhed around as if being tickled.

  “Ahh,” she giggled. “It tickles. Stop it. Haha. Stop it.”

  Her chest lifted into the air, forcing her head, legs, and arms to hang below.

  “What the hell?”

  Rowan ran over to the control board and hit the red button, “Furie? Can you hear me?”

  She continued to laugh and ignored the question, “Stop it, it feels funny.”

  “Are you okay in there?”

  WHUMP.

  Her back slammed against the bed. She rolled over the edge and hit the floor paws-first.

  “What’s going on in there?”

  Furie rose to her feet and looked down the length of her body, “Ugh, it hurts, now.”

  Curious, she pressed her paws against her ribcage.

  The pink glow in her chest lit Rowan’s astonished face through the mirror.

  “Jesus Christ,” he shuddered. “What’s happening to you—”

  SPITCH — SPARK.

  Her whiskers sparked as the lights snapped off and plunged the room into darkness.

  “Whoa.”

  Furie whimpered, “Uggghh. It’s all gone dark. Why is everyone meowing? Not liking. Help, help—”

  SCRRAAA — AAAPE.

  A long, crawling sound whirled through the speakers, originating from within the room.

  It grew louder and louder, until—

  WHUMP.

  The front of Furie’s body slammed against the mirror, her glowing, pink heart beating a mile-a-minute.

  Rowan jumped back and gasped, “J-Jeez.”

  The lights flickered to life to reveal Furie’s body glued against the mirror, “It hurts. It huuuuurts.”

  Baddum-baddum-baddum.

  Her heart raced faster, threatening to explode.

  Rowan opened the door and ran out of the room, “Okay, that’s just crazy.”

  SLAMMM.

  The door smashed against the wall as he ran out of the bay and up the corridor, “Get out of my way,” he screamed at the oncoming medicians, “Move.”

  — Bay 33 —

  Alex hunched over the table, asleep, snoring into his oxygen mask

  Jonas watched Nathan insert a fresh oxygen cartridge on Alex’s back, “You took your time.”

 
“Stop complaining. I got here as fast as I could.”

  Jonas scanned the ink on his forearm which read: 15:52.

  “You’ve taken twenty minutes.”

  Yes, try complaining to Botanix. It’s miles away.”

  “Ha. Julie getting you to run her errands, now, is she?” Jonas asked.

  “Be quiet.”

  Nathan clipped the cartridge into the oxygen tube running under Alex’s arm. He looked up to find the security severely lacking.

  “Where’s that ugly behemoth got to?”

  Jonas grinned, knowing full-well who Nathan referred to.

  “Who, Jelly Anderson?”

  “No, you dummy. That big sack of mercenary junk. Jaykay, or whatever his name is.”

  “Oh him? He’s taking a leak.”

  “Trying to rid himself of idiot juice, no doubt,” Nathan snapped as he placed the two remaining oxygen cartridges on the table, “Right. He’s juiced up, now.”

  Jonas squinted into Alex’s sleeping face.

  “How long has our guest been out?”

  “About twenty minutes,” Nathan said. “The mask is keeping whatever he’s carrying away from us. Shall I fire up the cartridge? We can leave him to suffer a bit longer if you want to.”

  “No, switch it on,” Jonas said. “We don’t want him suffocating and dying on us. Not just yet, anyway.”

  Nathan flicked the lever on the cartridge and took a step back.

  SHUUUUUSSSSHHHH.

  Alex’s lungs expanded and pushed his chest away from the tabletop.

  BRREAAATTHHHEEE.

  “Whu—whu?” Alex spluttered and shunted his hips into the seat.

  “Wakey-wakey, Hughes,” Jonas chuckled. “Feeling better?”

  “Uugghhhh.”

  Alex exhaled through his nose, filling up his breathing mask with a lucid, pink gas.

  Nathan strode past the table and stared at the man’s face, “Say something, Hughes. Show us you’re back in the room.”

  Alex sat up straight and blinked in Jonas’s direction.

  “You know, Hughes, there are a few things we need to—”

  WHELP — SPRITCH.

  A small lump of congealed, pink liquid splattered up the inside of his mask.

  “Ugh, you’re gross,” Jonas blurted. “Not feeling too well, are we?”

  “Ugghhhhhh—”

  SHUNT.

  Alex bucked his hips forward, taking his seat with him.

  Nathan winked at Jonas and laughed, “Yeah, I’ve had days like that, too. One too many Rollneck Kojak beers and I’m anybody’s. Hangovers can be a bitch, huh?”

  “Shuh—” Alex tried. “Sh-Sh-Shuu—”

  “—Oh. You’re telling us to shut up, now? Jonas barked. “That’s not very nice, is it?”

  “Shhhhhh—”

  Alex’s desperate attempts to warn the men fell on deaf, disbelieving ears.

  Jonas mocked him, “Shuh-shuh-shuh. Haha. Idiot. Just wait till Sheck gets back and sees you in this state.”

  Alex hung his head towards his lap. His wrists went limp inside his DecapiCuffs.

  The wires running from his chest to the E-MRI unit behind him whipped back and forth.

  Nathan joined Jonas at the other end of the table, “Look at him. Poor guy. He must be exhausted.”

  “Yeah,” Jonas blurted. “All that treason and sabotage would wear anyone down pretty quick, I would’ve thought.”

  Nathan unfolded a thin sheet of plastic and watched the data roll up the width of it.

  “Vital signs are having a field day. His BPM is picking up. He’s as healthy as an ox, by all accounts. Very strange.”

  Jones made himself comfortable in his chair as he stared at the pained man sitting opposite him, “And to think, there’s a much better party going on next door that we’re missing.”

  “That creepy news guy with the silver hair and piano teeth?” Nathan chuckled with disdain. “We can see the playback later—”

  SWIIISSSHHH.

  The bay door swung open.

  Rowan ran inside with haste and caught the two men’s attention, “It’s all going to hell in B Six-Five.”

  “What? What’s happening?” Jonas asked.

  Rowan noticed a distinct lack of security in the room. “The hell is going on? Where are the mercs?”

  “He’s taking a leak,” Jonas spat. “Don’t get your panties in a twist, he’ll be back.”

  Rowan pointed to the door and yelled, “I will get my panties in a twist, you moron. That little cat-girl thing is freaking the hell out back there.”

  “Furie?” Nathan asked. “What do you mean freaking out?”

  “She’s having a messed-up episode. Like an epileptic fit. Come, quick.”

  Rowan bolted to the door and waved the men along with him.

  Alex lifted his head and exhaled, “Shaaaaaaa—”

  SLAM — SLAM — SLAMMMM.

  His head punched the table top over and over again. Jonas and Nathan shrieked and jumped back to the wall.

  “What the hell is happening—”

  WHUMP — SCHLAAAM.

  Alex’s head snapped up, pushing his body against the chair, which groaned onto its back legs.

  CRAAAMMM.

  His knees punched the underside of the table, knocking Nathan’s membrane onto the floor, and pushing the E-MRI machine into overdrive.

  Biddip—biddip-biddip — beeeeeeeeeeeep.

  “Gwuh-gwuh-gwuh.”

  Alex writhed around, forcing the chair’s front legs to snap away and slam his legs to the floor.

  He flung his wrists forward, “Aggghhh,” he squealed at the top of his voice.

  “Shaaa—aahhh—h-heeeeelp m-m-meeeeshaaaa—aaaaaa—nn—”

  “—For heaven’s sake, get out of here and close the door,” Nathan barked at Rowan, who stood staring at Alex vibrating in the chair.

  “My G-God,” Rowan muttered. “It’s happening to him, too.”

  Jonas pushed past Rowan and beckoned the two men out of the room.

  “Get out of here and close the door—”

  SCHPLATT.

  Alex’s top lip bust over his gums and stretched up over his nose and eyes.

  “SHAAAAAAAAAA—”

  SPATCH.

  His face exploded, pushing the oxygen mask away from his nose and onto his chest.

  “Gwaaaghh.”

  A fountain of pink blood blasted of out his head and bounced off the ceiling.

  The thick ropes of liquid splashed down over the E-MRI unit.

  Jonas, Rowan, and Nathan froze solid, unable to process Alex’s violent death.

  Alex’s hands liquefied and broke apart, revealing two, thick fleshy limbs.

  “Wh-what’s he saying—?”

  SPATCHH — CLANNGG.

  Alex’s DecapiCuffs bust apart and pinged away from his wrist.

  “SHAAAAANNTAAAAAAAAA.”

  “Get the hell out of here, now,” Rowan screamed as he pulled his two colleague out of the room and went for the button on the wall to close the door.

  Before his finger could reach the alarm, one of Alex’s tentacle-like limbs whipped away from Alex’s torso like a string of chunky spaghetti.

  The end flicked out a razor sharp talon and sliced Rowan’s hand clean off his wrist.

  SCHWIPP.

  “Gaaaahh.”

  Rowan’s knees crashed to the ground seconds behind his severed hand.

  “Agghh..”

  Nathan ran across the corridor to a red control box on the wall, “Get out of the damn way,” he said as he pushed several medicians out of his path, “Move, move, move—”

  Jonas watched Alex’s carcass split in two halves and slop to the floor, along with his breathing mask.

  “My G-God,” Jonas shrieked in awe, “What in God’s name is happening—?”

  The colossal fleshy spider slammed all twelve of its limbs against each of the four walls, floor, and ceiling, suspended in the middle of the room like a ball of
pink electric streaks.

  The slit in its ball-like mid-section opened up at Jonas.

  SCREEEEEEEEEE.

  “Umm, okay,” Jonas turned around and tripped over Rowan. He fell to the floor, twisted onto his elbows and shuffled back with his feet, “Gah, get the hell away from me.”

  Rowan agonized at Jonas, “P-Please, d-don’t l-l-let it k-kill me—”

  SCREEEEEEEEEEE.

  Nathan smashed the glass on the wall and grasped the red lever in his hand, “Everyone. Get out of here, now.”

  The nearby medicians froze on the spot, wondering why their colleague had gone mad.

  Nathan screamed and pointed at the door to Bay Thirty-Three, “Go.”

  One by one, they turned to see the gigantic fleshy creature storm across the room, squealing at the top of its organs.

  THUD — THUD — THUD.

  The medicians shrieked in terror and ran off in all directions.

  “Nathan, raise the alarm,” Jonas said as he lifted his leg and booted the bay door shut.

  WHUMP — SLAPPP.

  The door smashed Rowan’s face and knocked him out cold.

  “Oh, s-sorry, pal,” Jonas said as the door sprung out. “Let me help you with that.”

  SCREEEEEEEE.

  The Alex Shanta reached the door, just in time for it to slam shut and seal it inside.

  “Nathan. Do it.”

  YANK.

  Nathan pulled the red lever down and raced over to Jonas, who stared at the beast through the window in the bay door.

  AROOOOOOOGAH.

  The internal security alarm screeched down the corridor. The white fluorescent lights turned red and revolved around in their cases, flooding the corridor with red light.

  The entire scene resembled the seventh circle of hell.

  “Attention, attention,” the alarm announced, “This is not a drill. The alarm has been triggered. Please make your way out of the building and convene at assembly point A.”

  Nathan hooked his arms under Jonas’s and lifted him to his feet,” Thank God you got that door shut—”

  WHUMP — KEERRRRAAACCCKKK.

  Rowan’s head cracked apart and folded in half as the Shanta yanked his body through the millimeter-thin crack under the door.

  TCHLOCK — KERRUNCH.

  Jonas hyper-ventilated as he witnessed Rowan’s body shred through the gap under the door.

  SCHWUMP.

  “My G-God,” Nathan yelled. “That thing really kicks ass—”