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

by Andrew Mackay

  Santiago raised his eyes and connected the dots as he waved his mini-drone around to capture the empty space.

  “Of course. This is where it all happened.”

  “Indeed so,” Maar’s voice echoed around the vast space as he took a bow, “It’s a mistake we shan’t be repeating.”

  “What, the Star Cat Project? Or the arena?

  “You nincompoop. The Star Cat Project.”

  The men turned to the stage.

  A thirty-foot machine stood in the middle, covered with a giant sheet.

  “What’s this?”

  “That’s Kozhikode, our new droid.”

  Maar lifted his forearm to his chest and pressed his thumb into the ink on his skin.

  WHUP.

  The sheet whipped away from the stage and revealed the beastly droid in all its glory.

  Two thick legs reached up from the floor and connected to a cylindrical waist. Black compartments separated the chrome-effect arms, which hung at its side.

  The chest contained two squares which threatened to fold out and produce something nasty.

  The bulbous head compartment contained a ventilation shaft at the front, giving Kozhikode the appearance of a sad face. Instead of eyes, it sported a lengthy mirror, reflecting back on the men who marveled up at it.

  “That’s some serious hardware,” Santiago said.

  Maar grinned and rubbed his hands, “You’re damn right about that. I guess you got your sneak peek ahead of time, after all.”

  WHUMP.

  The sound of a door crashing against the wall, followed by a set of footsteps, echoed along the ground.

  Maar looked up to see Meydo and Brayn hurry towards him.

  “Mr. Sheck, sir?” Meydo called out.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s not good, is what it is.”

  Maar ran over to them. All four men met slap-bang in the middle of the stage.

  “It’s, uh—” Meydo tried to soften the news, but thought better of it. He licked his lips and prepared himself for a telling-off, “Space Opera Delta, sir.”

  “What about Space Opera Delta?”

  “I, uh, don’t think it’s going to meet its deadline.”

  The news of his spacecraft potentially being in peril upset Maar in an instant. He folded his arms and considered giving the man a second try.

  “Oh, no? Why’s that?”

  “It, uh, destroyed it, sir.”

  “Destroyed it?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And by it I presume you’re referring to Anderson?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Santiago backed the hell away from Maar and tried to excuse himself, “Umm, I think I’m just going to have a look—”

  “—You stay right where you’re standing, asshole,” Maar kept his eyes on Meydo’s visor, which meant that he was actually looking at a reflection of his own face, “Say that again?”

  “Destroyed. She’s torn it apart. There’s not much left, actually.”

  “Right, right,” Maar said in an unexpectedly calm tone.

  The others hoped it might be the first time in their CEO’s life where he wouldn’t explode in a blaze of anger.

  “Are you okay, sir?”

  “Yes, yes, Hall. I’m fine,” Maar thought aloud and kept his composure.

  The three men couldn’t have known that, deep down inside, Maar felt like tearing all their throats out and gorging on their innards.

  A strange mini-quake rifled through his limbs as he pretended to keep his cool.

  Brayn, Meydo, and Santiago had been lulled into a false sense of security.

  Maar lifted his head up at the mini-drone, his eyes all bloodshot underneath the veins wanting to burst out of his forehead.

  “Is this thing still on?” Maar muttered.

  “Yes. We’re still live.”

  “How many viewers?

  Santiago checked his own forearm and nearly lost his mind, “Holy m-moly.”

  “What? How many?” Maar said into the lens.

  “Over three hundred million.”

  “Good.”

  Maar grabbed the mini-drone in his palm and angled the lens to his face from chest-height.

  “My name is Maar Sheck,” he said. “I am the CEO of the company formerly known as USARIC. Over the last seven years, I’ve had to put up with utter lessense from everyone. People I work with. People I socialize with. People I loved, and who loved me. I’ve been subjected to death threats. Indeed, I’ve lost many of my men in the pursuit of the truth.”

  Maar snapped his fingers, forcing the house lights to illuminate the stage.

  “It all started here, in The One Arena. At our base. The winner went to Saturn as a house cat. Now, she’s returned to kill us all. I take full responsibility for what has happened. I can assure you she will be stopped. Thank you.”

  Maar wrapped his fingers around the small flying device and crushed it in his palm.

  Santiago moved forward, “Hey, no, don’t do—”

  CRRRUNNNNNCCHHHH.

  Maar raised his eyes at Santiago as if to say “What are you going to do about it?”

  Santiago huffed and shook his head as Maar opened his fingers and released the battered mini-drone from his grip.

  The device twisted around in confusion and hit the floor like a desperately ill flea.

  “Meydo?”

  “Uh. Yes, sir?”

  “Throw everything at her. I’m staying here where it’s safe,” Maar said. “Sibald, you go with Meydo.”

  “But why? I can’t film anymore. You’ve destroyed my drone—”

  “Damn it,” Maar spat as he reached into his jacket, whipped out his pistol, and aimed it at the quivering man’s face, “Get out there, grab a gun and join the fight.”

  Santiago held up his hands, hoping the madman standing before him wouldn’t pull the trigger.

  “Ohhhhh-kay.”

  “Good. Brayn, you’re with me,” Maar turned to Meydo, “You. Hall.”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “If it turns oxygen into carbon dioxide, I want it given a gun. Have them assist you with killing that rodent out there.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Hell, even if it doesn’t breathe, I want it given a gun. Every armored vehicle, mega-vehicle, and metal bird. No falling back. Just push ahead and kill it and anything not trying to kill it.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “In fact, just kill everything.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Do you understand what I’ve just said?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Repeat it back to me, please,” Maar said, unconvinced at Meydo’s seriousness of the instruction.

  “Kill everything, sir.”

  “Good, very good,” Maar exhaled and smiled. “Once you’ve killed something, kill it again just to make sure.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Right. Now, get out of my sight and get out there and get killing.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Meydo and Brayn smiled at each other. The former smiled because he was in the presence of a madman. The latter smiled because he knew the former knew he was in the presence of a man who’d lost his mind entirely.

  “Have ten mercs come in here and keep us company.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Meydo knocked Santiago on the shoulder, “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you tooled up and ready for war.”

  Santiago crouched down and picked his mini-drone from the floor.

  BIP-SWIZZ.

  The lens retracted in and then back out. The red light continued to flash above the lens.

  “It’s still live.”

  Maar raised his eyes with shock. “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, keep broadcasting.”

  ***

  Max removed his forearm from the central console and grabbed his gun with both hands.

  The mercenaries kept on their guard as the compound shook all around them.

/>   “Damn it,” Max said. “That Goddamn son of a—”

  “—What did Sheck say?” asked one of the mercs.

  “He says reinforcements are coming, but I somehow doubt—”

  BOOM — THRASSSHHH.

  The lights in the compound exploded, shutting the entire room into darkness.

  “Yaargghhh,” Max unleashed a full clip into the ceiling, causing a violent strobe light effect inside the room with every bullet.

  SMASSSSHHHHH — SCHPLAT.

  A huge mini-gun crashed through the roof and splattered two mercenaries into their boots.

  Max and the five remaining mercenaries backed against the bay doors and unleashed a torrent of bullets at the armored limb attached to the gun.

  “Kill it. Kill iii-tt,” Max growled with venom as the spinning mini-gun chewed across the remainder of the roof.

  BLAM — BLAM.

  Max spent the last of his ammunition and dropped the empty magazine to the floor.

  “Keep firing.”

  A giant, clawed fist pummeled through what little remained of the ceiling and throttled the central console. The glass exploded in all directions as the ground cracked apart.

  ROOOOAAARRRRR.

  The blaze of bullets fluttered shafts of light up the walls and onto the helmet of the creature staring down at them.

  Max’s jaw dropped as he stared into the vicious, yellow eyes behind the cracked visor.

  “M-My G-God.”

  WHUMP.

  A giant leg swung through the walls, smashing through the wall and empty cages.

  Max dropped his gun, fell to his knees, and held out his arms in surrender.

  “Please, d-don’t—”

  SWITCH — TCHLUNK.

  The grenade launcher on the end of the mini-gun opened up and aimed at the mercs in front of the bay doors.

  TCHLOCK.

  The grenade fired out of the barrel and screeched at them.

  “Yarrghh, run, run,” Max squealed over his shoulder.

  WHOOSH — KA-BLAAAMMMMMM.

  The bay doors exploded, killing Max’s team. Their bodies catapulted across the room and crashed into the adjacent door.

  “Agh, agh, agh,” Max closed his eyes and threw his hands behind his head.

  Sniff-sniff.

  A God-sized tiger’s face surrounded by armor hovered above the crying Max.

  “I surrender,” he wailed. “Please, have m-mercy—”

  GRUNT.

  The giant, wet nose wiggled around his shoulder, blowing a gale of wind out of its nostrils.

  Huff-huff-huff.

  Max lifted his head and opened his eyes. The yellow dots behind the visor seemed to care very little about his surrender.

  “I b-believe,” Max whimpered. “I b-b-believe. I want to h-help.”

  The sides of the helmet unfastened and folded into the collar, revealing Jelly’s ghastly tiger face.

  GRUNT.

  Her fangs crept out from her mouth as she stretched the muscles in her jaw. A truly terrifying sight.

  “F-F-Friend?” she grunted.

  Max nodded in a desperate bid to save his life.

  “Y-Yes. F-Friend.”

  Jelly squinted at him and lifted her head back to gage his sincerity.

  “Hmm,” she grunted before clocking the USARIC logo on the man’s armor.

  GROWL.

  For the first time in Max’s life, he crossed his fingers behind his head and prayed for mercy - or a quick death.

  “P-Please. Friend?”

  Jelly decided on the latter.

  ROOOAAARRRRR.

  Her helmet twisted up the sides of her head. The visor pushed up and revealed her face. Her protruding mouth opened up as the top half of her body flung down towards the screaming Max.

  “Noooooo—”

  WHOOOSH — CHOMP.

  Her top and bottom rows of teeth meshed through Max’s waist and locked him in her mouth.

  She flung her head up to the sky and meowed, throwing the two halves of Max’s body into the stars.

  “Yaaarrggghh.”

  Jelly’s prolonged growl of pain rocketed the clouds as she lifted her left arm and punched through the remainder of the compound.

  SMASSHHHHH.

  Roman, Sierra, and Remy ran through the razed building grounds, careful to avoid the flames and sharp detritus in what was once the reception area.

  The building was no more. Barely recognizable.

  Sierra looked into the sky and watched Jelly scrape the foundations of the building away with her foot. Jelly appeared to be even bigger since they’d entered USARIC’s grounds.

  “Jesus Christ,” she muttered as scores of stray bullets whizzed over her head and crashed against Jelly’s armor.

  WHUMP — WHUMP.

  Jelly turned around to face the source of the bullets flying in her direction.

  ROOOOWWAARRR.

  “Oh God, she’s coming this way,” Sierra barked at the men. “Get out of her way.”

  Roman and Remy were trapped in the corridor and could run towards the creature, or away from it.

  Jelly’s boots slammed either side of them.

  Remy turned to face the far end of the corridor, “Let’s go this way.”

  “What?” Roman asked.

  WHUMP — CRACK — WHUMP — CRACK.

  “This way,” Remy yelled. “If we run in the same direction as her, we might get crushed.”

  “Okay, go.”

  Sierra sighed and ran after them, “Where do you think you’re—”

  “Quick. Get between her legs.”

  The trio ran up the corridor walls as Jelly’s left shin swung past them.

  WHOOOOSH, SCHTOMP.

  “Run, run, run,” Remy said as he led the charge into the desecrated animal compound.

  WVHOOOM — SCHTOMP.

  Jelly’s right shin swung past them like a God-sized pendulum and slammed against the ground.

  Remy entered the animal compound to find half a dozen dead USARIC mercenaries scattered across the ground.

  Scores of compartments from the busted bays littered the far wall.

  “Oh my God,” he choked as he pointed at the dead mercenaries, “Look at them. She’s killed all of them.”

  Roman swallowed and held his hand over his mouth. The stench of death and burned metal hit him like a ton of bricks to the face.

  “H-How, h-how—?” Roman stammered in disbelief.

  Sierra spun around and watched the beast stomp away, swishing her tail from side to side.

  “She’s headed for The Arena.”

  BOOOOOM.

  Sierra flinched as the deafening sound of a canon firing rocked the ground.

  A shell whizzed out from the distance and blasted Jelly’s shoulder armor as she walked away.

  Roman collected one of the dead mercenary’s rifles from the floor and slipped it over his shoulder.

  “I guess he won’t be needing this.”

  Sierra hopped over the rubble and ran up the corridor, “Jelly, wait. Wait.”

  Remy surveyed the busted bay doors and dead specimens strewn across the floor.

  A small, unidentified object glinted in the light created by the smoldering central console.

  A small, white tag - attached to a dead creature.

  Remy blinked and ran over to it.

  “This must be all the animals they kept,” he said.

  Roman watched the boy crouch and go for the tag.

  “Remy. Don’t. It’s not worth it.”

  “I want to see what they did.”

  The boy felt along the hind legs of an animal, turned the tag over and read the name on it.

  Roman couldn’t bear to watch. He turned around and made his way to where the door to the compound used to stand.

  Remy slid his hand under the body of the deceased animal and lifted it to his knees.

  The name on the tag - Bisoubisou.

  “Uh,” he choked. “Ugh, ugh.”

&
nbsp; He knees rammed the floor, forcing the dead cat out of his hands.

  “No, no.”

  Remy’s old friend was no more, and now he’d seen it with his own eyes.

  “I swear to God—” Remy muttered, holding back the urge to cry. “I swear.”

  Roman closed his eyes and prepared himself for the worst.

  “Arrggghhhhh.”

  Remy exploded with anger and jumped to his feet. He clenched his fists and looked around for someone - anyone - to murder.

  A lifetime of pent-up anger and frustration blasted against his ribcage from his pained heart.

  “Bastards.”

  Remy’s chest heaved with rage. He took his frustration out on a dead mercenary and kicked the body in the ribs.

  “Those bastards—”

  “—Remy, comrade,” Roman snapped. “Stop.”

  “No. I am not stopping till they’re all dead.”

  The boy tore the gun from the dead body’s clutches.

  TCHLOCK.

  He ejected the spent shell from the rifle and palmed the lever on the side.

  “I’m going to kill everyone,” the boy said as he stormed past the barbecuing central console, “You coming?”

  “Yes, yes.”

  Remy stormed past the man and entered the corridor, chasing after Sierra and Jelly.

  “Wait for me.”

  Roman took one, final look at the devastation.

  “My God, Maar Sheck. What have you done?” he muttered.

  ***

  Three mega-vehicles rolled past the arena with dozens of mercenaries running on either side of them.

  Meydo stepped into their path and pointed at the enormous armored animal storming towards them. Santiago joined him and held the battered mini-drone at the vehicles, capturing everything he could.

  “She’s over there,” Meydo yelled into his headgear. “Kill her. Play dirty and go for the legs.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  WHIIIRRRRR.

  The first mega-vehicle rolled forward and turned its turret to the left.

  The other vehicles followed as the mercenaries ran across the concourse and aimed their guns at the enemy.

  GROWL.

  Jelly punched the side of the arena as she stomped forward.

  “Kill it,” one of them said. “Open fire.”

  BLAM — BLAM — BLAM.

  Thousands of bullets twirled through the air and sprayed the front of Jelly’s armor, creating a heavenly array of sparks.