Those who had bet on Gurral insisted that the arena champion had successfully defended his title. The patrons who had bet on Atomic Rex insisted that they should be given the winnings as the mech had intervened and tipped the battle in favor of the Smasher. The Gurral supporters would counter with the suggestion that the spiked gladiator would have won the match regardless of the mech’s interference. This argument was rejected by the Atomic Rex fans who asserted that Gurral had collapsed as soon as the portal closed.
The Arena Lords were still trying to decide how to placate all parties involved when Atomic Rex started to rise to his feet. A hush fell over the crowd as the nuclear theropod made his way to the portal and toward Gurral. As the crowd grew eager to see the epic battle continue, the Arena Lords breathed a collective sigh of relief at the thought a true victor would be determined between the two monsters.
When the portal closed, the crowd quieted down as Atomic Rex spun around the arena and roared in frustration at the thought of both Gurral and Steel Samurai 2.0 escaping his wrath. The roar had momentarily quieted the crowd as they awaited some manner of ruling from the Arena Lords as to how the wagers on the battle would be settled.
From their viewing station, the Arena Lords discussed various methods to determine how to quiet the crowd. The idea of calling the battle a draw was briefly discussed but almost immediately dismissed as the gamblers would insist on a definite winner with the hope that they could still go home with a winning purse.
Another option included some manner of scoring system to determine a victor but there was serious doubt as to whether those who bet on whichever monster ended up as the loser would accept the results.
Atomic Rex roared again from the arena floor while the Arena Lords continued to discuss the unprecedented situation. While all of this was transpiring, the Newcomer was silently looking over a three-dimensional schematic of the Arena Lords’ facility. The Newcomer was carefully studying the layout of the power core for the Teleporter, the transport bay, and the cells that held the other gladiators.
When he came to the cells containing the monsters, the Newcomer called out to the other Arena Lords, “I have a clear solution to the problem. We already have several creatures under our control that would serve our purposes.” The Newcomer brought up the display of a grotesque creature. The misshapen beast had an enormous squid-like head that was missing the signature fins of the cephalopod. The beast had a narrow torso below the head covered in a thick carapace. Its six insect-like legs radiated out from the bottom of its torso. The creature stood as tall as Atomic Rex and despite its appearance the monster did not demonstrate the aggressive nature that most of the arena combatants did.
One of the Arena Lord’s eyes went wide as he looked at the image of the nightmarish beast. He took a step back and his body shook as he spoke. “A Dream Weaver? These creatures use a combination of psychic attacks and the release of a vapor which calms their victims into falling asleep. The Dream Weaver then implants their victims with their offspring which eat their way out of the host. The Dream Weavers are deadly and they look terrifying but they are ill suited for our purposes. The crowd prefers battles that are exciting. They would not be pleased if a Dream Weaver was to enter the arena. The last thing they want is to see Atomic Rex put to sleep.”
The Arena Lord gazed at the Newcomer with a confused look on his face. “Surely you are aware that we only use these creatures as a reward for the gladiators who obtain a victory? The vapor they emit helps to calm the winning creatures and allows them to rest prior to their next battle.”
The Newcomer replied in a voice that was barely above a whisper. “They can be used for so much more than that.”
The Arena Lord took a step closer to the Newcomer. “What did you say?”
The Newcomer smiled as he turned toward the Arena Lord. “We shall release the Dream Weaver into the arena and let it use its soothing powers on Atomic Rex. The vapors and psychic attack will cause the reptile to fall asleep. We will then stop the Dream Weaver from implanting its seed in Atomic Rex, thus allowing the Earth monster to slumber but still live. As Atomic Rex rests, Gurral will heal. Once Gurral is healed and Atomic Rex has awoken, we bring Gurral back to the arena and let them fight in front of the crowd! They will then battle to the death and in the end, there will be no doubt as to who the winner is!”
The Arena Lord’s eyes lit up at the Newcomer’s suggestion. “Yes, of course the winner between Gurral and Atomic Rex should be decided in the arena, not on some distant planet. The crowd deserves to see such a confrontation in person!”
The Arena Lord had no sooner finished his thought then Atomic Rex roared at the arena walls and then slammed his body into them. The force from the nuclear theropod striking the wall shook the entire facility.
The Newcomer pointed to the image of the Dream Weaver. “Release the creature. Let him sooth Atomic Rex before he destroys the entire arena.”
The Arena Lord nodded and then called out to the others of his kind. “Release one of the Dream Weavers! I shall explain the situation to the crowd.” One of the other Arena Lords nodded, walked over to a nearby control panel, and then pulled a lever which opened the doorway between the Dream Weaver’s cell and the arena.
As the squid-headed beast shambled out onto the arena floor the crowd began to boo.
The Arena Lord who had been speaking to the Newcomer grabbed a nearby microphone and yelled into it. “Patrons of the arena. Please be patient with us as the clash between Gurral and Atomic Rex was of proportions we have never seen before! The Dream Weaver shall simply cause Atomic Rex to fall asleep so that both he and Gurral can heal. Once both gladiators have fully recovered, the battle between the Smasher and the Earth monster shall resume, right here in the arena, before your very eyes! This time the battle will continue without any interference until we have a clear winner!”
The crowd’s boos changed to a raucous cheer at the Arena Lord’s announcement.
The Newcomer took a step closer to the arena. His body tensed up as he looked at the misshapen Dream Weaver shambling toward Atomic Rex. The Newcomer clenched his fist as he continued to repeat, “Unleash the vapor. Unleash the vapor.”
When Atomic Rex heard the doors to the Dream Weaver’s cell open, the saurian kaiju turned in the direction of the psychedelic creature. When he saw the writhing tentacles of the Dream Weaver’s face undulating toward him, Atomic Rex roared! The reptilian beast was still enraged from his battle with Gurral and Steel Samurai 2.0 and he was looking for a target to vent that frustration on.
The radioactive leviathan took a step toward the space born horror and as he did so the Dream Weaver expelled a cloud of thick brown mist from its body. Atomic Rex charged into the brown mist and with every step he took the nuclear theropod’s pace slowed down. The reptilian beast took a few more steps into the soothing vapor before coming to a complete stop. The saurian kaiju lolled from side to side as his healing abilities worked to stave off the effects of the Dream Weaver’s placating attack.
The Newcomer and several of the Arena Lords watched as the Dream Weaver’s tentacles began to writhe in the opposite direction of what they were previously. The Arena Lord who had made the announcement regarding the Dream Weaver to the crowd smiled as he looked down at the two monsters. “The Dream Weaver is now utilizing its psychic powers. In addition to the vapor, it will send pleasing and restful thoughts into Atomic Rex’s mind. Atomic Rex will see hallucinations of things which bring him joy and peace. The images will continue to calm the monster. The beast will soon be asleep.” The Arena Lord turned toward the Newcomer. “Your plan is…”
The Arena Lord stopped speaking as he saw the Newcomer’s eyes giving off a bright yellow glow.
The Newcomer smiled. “Is playing out exactly as I wanted it to.” The Newcomer shifted his gaze to Atomic Rex. “Now let’s change those soothing hallucinations to something a little more engaging for our guest, shall we.”
The Newcomer clenched his fist an
d as he did so, his eyes began to glow even brighter. The Arena Lord who was standing next to the Newcomer shook his head. “You are no Arena Lord. What are you?”
The Newcomer replied with a feminine sounding laugh. “I’m the person who is going to use Atomic Rex to acquire the means to defeat the one force that has continually stopped me from gaining control over a world which should long ago have been mine. Before we get to any more in-depth explanations, let’s unleash some havoc!” The Newcomer threw his hands out in front of himself; as he did so, Atomic Rex’s sleepy eyes suddenly grew wide with anger.
The saurian kaiju roared in defiance at the Dream Weaver with a battle cry that was a mixture of anger and hatred. Atomic Rex no longer saw the Dream Weaver standing before him, rather he saw the gorilla, sperm whale, lion hybrid known as Chimera challenging him. Chimera was a monster from one of the alternate universes he had traveled to. He was also one of the few creatures that had managed to battle Atomic Rex to a virtual standstill. Atomic Rex hated the mammalian monster and when he saw its visage, the nuclear theropod charged at his hated foe.
When Atomic Rex reached the Dream Weaver, he closed his jaws on the creature’s head, and dug his claws into its narrow torso. With its life in danger, the Dream Weaver reflexively expelled the remaining vapor in its body. The reflexive maneuver caused the arena to fill with its soothing vapor. The excess vapor quickly filled the fighting area, only being stopped from affecting the entire audience and security team by the anti-matter field that separated the kaiju battles and the crowd.
With the Dream Weaver trapped within his clutches, Atomic Rex pulled upward with his jaws while pushing down with his claws. There was an unsettling suction-like sound as Atomic Rex tore the Dream Weaver’s pulpy squid-like head from its body. The nuclear theropod shook the Dream Weaver’s head from side to side, spraying the arena with its inky blood.
Atomic Rex tossed what he saw as Chimera’s head to the floor and then unleashed a victory roar with such ferocity that it shook the walls of the arena. The reptilian horror spun around in the thick vapor that was still surrounding him. As the beast completed his turn he stopped and focused on a wall on the far side of the arena. The monster roared at the wall and then charged it. When he reached the wall, Atomic Rex slammed into the barrier and began tearing through it.
In the observation room above the arena, the Arena Lords were still staring at the Newcomer as her eyes continued to glow with a power they had never seen before. One of the Arena Lords looked down at Atomic Rex as he continued to plow through the arena wall, and his eyes narrowed. “What is going on? Why is he destroying the wall? The Dream Weaver vapor should be soothing him.”
He then looked to the Newcomer and his glowing eyes. “You are to blame for this!” The Arena Lord moved closer to the Newcomer. “This is our arena and you are clearly not one of us!” He palmed a button on a nearby console and said, “Security program alpha,” while gazing at the Newcomer, knowing that the cameras throughout the Arena would pinpoint where he was looking and take action against the correct target. The arena lord stepped forward towards the Newcomer and said, “I demand to know who you are, what you are doing, and the reasons behind these actions,” and several turrets lowered from the ceiling and zeroed in on the designated target.
The Newcomer replied once more with a laugh that this time not only sounded feminine but also somewhat seductive. The Newcomer smiled as Atomic Rex finished tearing his way through the arena wall and entered into a hallway in the Arena Lords’ complex. Automatic inhibition measures were enacted through the Arena’s AI, dropping metal gates into place, and unleashing intense laser-fire upon the enraged reptilian. Through the kaiju’s eyes, the Newcomer could see all of this. The Newcomer recalled the facility schematics he had been studying earlier, and focused on the path to the location of the teleporter power core. Once he had the path mapped out in his mind, the Newcomer reached into Atomic Rex’s mind and found the image of another one of his past foes.
The image of a giant white Yeti formed in the nuclear theropod’s brain. The Newcomer had the image roar at Atomic Rex, then turn and run through the gates as if through a mirage and continue in the direction of the teleporter power core. Atomic Rex returned a roar of his own and while ignoring the burns from the lasers, charged the gate, ripping it to shreds and continuing after his illusionary opponent.
With Atomic Rex now rampaging in the correct direction, the Newcomer began to turn in the direction of the Arena Lords, and as he turned, her body began to shrink. The Arena Lords’ eyes widened as the Newcomer’s body condensed upon itself, and began to take the form of a human female with long blonde hair. Her formerly gray and spindly body morphed into the curvy form of a voluptuous female with a finely toned body. As the transformation continued, garments that barely covered the woman’s breasts and vagina appeared on her body.
The stunningly attractive woman’s glowing yellow eyes began to soften to reveal dark blue eyes that had fierce intent behind them. The woman laughed as she looked at the bewildered Arena Lords. As she took a step closer, turrets released a barrage of laser fire upon her, but the beams passed through without effect, leaving scorch marks in the floor. A moment later a claxon began to sound, and the lights in the ceiling began to flash red and yellow.
At this alarm, the Arena Lords’ eyes grew wide with fear. They looked to one another and whispered, “The power core.” Several Arena Lords immediately broke off to contact security while the accusing Arena Lord said, “A hologram. How entertaining.” Turning to another, he commanded, “She’ll be here in the arena somewhere. Locate her, and detain her using any means necessary.”
The projection of a woman strode forward a few more steps, then stopped just short of the Arena Lords. She grinned and shook her head as she addressed the alien creatures. “You so-called Arena Lords have other creatures fight to the death for your amusement and financial gain. Your greed and desire to fulfill your petty needs are so like the gods I once served.” She took a step back, stretched her arms out, and curtseyed. “Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am the nymph known as Allison.”
She moved her body back to an erect position as she continued to speak. “Like Atomic Rex, I come from a planet known as Earth but from a different dimension than the reptilian beast. My Earth and many others were once ruled by malicious beings known as Titans. These Titans were overthrown by their children who would eventually call themselves gods.”
Allison shook her head as she continued her tale. “Rather than act as benevolent deities, the creatures who called themselves gods saw me and everything else as nothing more than means for them to experience pleasure. When humans threatened one of the Earths these gods coveted, they gathered the various monsters under their thrall and went to war with mankind. The gods thought they would crush the humans and use their females as a breeding population to create a new race of demigods to inherit that Earth, but the humans had advanced. With their science they created a monster of their own, known as Chimera.”
Allison smiled. “The hybrid creature crushed the gods and their monsters, and with the gods defeated, I gathered the infant demigods they had left behind.” She shrugged. “Taking advantage of that same weakened state, the Titans plotted to reclaim Chimera’s Earth as their own. They saw how powerful Chimera was and they knew they would need a creature who could challenge the humans’ champion. They scoured the multiverse until they found the Earth of Atomic Rex.”
She laughed again. “Those titanic fools thought they could control Atomic Rex.” Allison stopped talking for a moment and looked off into the distance. She smiled. “Atomic Rex has reached the teleporter power core.” She grinned as her eyes began to glow again. “One burst of his Atomic Wave should be sufficient to destroy it, don’t you think?”
Another Arena Lord looked up from a console to say, “She’s Right. It’s broken through all of our defensive measures.”
Allison grinned and continued, “Let’s have the Yeti I am proj
ecting into his mind charge him. That should trigger him nicely.”
Her eyes grew even brighter for a moment and then the entire facility shook as the Atomic Wave tore through the teleporter power core. Allison frowned as she looked back at the gathered Arena Lords. “Well, it looks like no one will be teleporting in or out of this place.”
She smiled and licked her lips as she continued to unveil her plan. “If I recall the schematics for this place correctly, the transport bay isn’t far from the power core, is it? If we can have Atomic Rex send out another Atomic Wave there, it will stop anyone from getting off this high-tech orb, don’t you think? Hmmm...Who shall I have Atomic Rex see this time?”
She put her hand up to her chin as she pretended to be deep in thought. “I know! We’ll use Gurral himself! Ol’ Rexy as Gurral would call him hates to leave a foe unslain. He still wants to destroy your champion, so let’s go with that.” Allison’s eyes glowed even brighter as she projected an image of Gurral standing in the direction of the transport bay into Atomic Rex’s mind.”
One of the Arena Lords shook his head. “Why are you doing this?”
Allison put her hands palms up in front of her in an apologetic gesture as the light coming from her eyes died down. “I’m sorry, let me finish catching you up to speed on my plan. Where was I? Oh yes, the Titans created a dimensional rift to bring Atomic Rex to Chimera’s Earth. The fools quickly found they were unable to control Atomic Rex but they were able to lure him into a battle with Chimera. The two monsters were engaged in an epic struggle but the humans and the few gods left were able to separate the monsters and direct each of them at different Titans.”
She shrugged. “In the end, Kronos the lord of the Titans was destroyed by Atomic Rex, the very monster he thought to use for his own selfish ends. Then with what was left of the gods weakened to the point of exhaustion, I, the being they had used for their own selfish needs, slew one of their remaining leaders.”
Atomic Rex: Challenge of Gurral Page 17
