“Okay, then.” Ahn turned back to the Gurdiks. “Is there anything at all that you would like to add?”
“Just this, sir,” the older Gurdik said as he presented the folded pocketknife. “We found it in the crew's quarters.”
Ahn accepted the knife and looked it over without opening it. “Is this the only weapon the human had?”
“It is all that was seen,” the younger Gurdik answered. Ahn stood silently for some time as he tried to gather his thoughts.
“So what should we do with these two?” the manager asked referring to the Gurdiks.
“I would like to investigate the dead Gote on their ship. Once I am finished and he is removed, these two will be free to go.”
“So you believe all of this?” the manager pressed.
“These two are lucky to be alive. I have reason to believe that the human male was actually the Monster, of Earth.”
17.
“There is a rift opening, Sire,” a fourth generation Mingrein reported.
“Do you have a description?” Gildract asked. “Or is it cloaked?”
“It looks like a Gote ship. It's just like the one out back.”
* * *
Gildract burst into the room where Trove and Evrok were going over schematics of the compound. “There is a Gote ship inbound,” he reported.
“What configuration?” Evrok asked.
“Another scout ship.”
“I would guess they are coming to retrieve their ship,” Trove said.
“I agree. We will set Trove's plan into motion. Quickly, we don't have much time.”
* * *
The scout ship made a quick pass over the airfield to assess the situation. With no torpedoes detected, they circled around and came in to land close to the parked vessel. Four armed Gotes lumbered down the ramp. Two were forced to open fire on several charging mingala while the other two rushed to open the ramp of the parked ship. The Gote that was struggling with the ramp controls fought to concentrate on his task as he heard the screams of his colleagues coming from behind him. Apparently, their guns had proven ineffective against the giant lizards. Finally, the ramp lowered and he found himself nose to nose with a mingala that had somehow found its way inside the parked ship. None of the Gotes heard the laughs of the Mingrein as the lone surviving Gote, the pilot of the scout ship, punched the throttle to make a hasty departure from the death trap.
The Mingrein, still laughing, emerged from their hiding places to survey the carnage. “That worked brilliantly, Trove,” Evrok complimented. “Whatever made you think of it?”
Trove pointed at one of the mingala with his clawed hand. “That one there had grown fond of napping in the cargo hold while I investigated the ship more thoroughly. It sparked my imagination.”
“A most impressive display,” Gildract complimented. “Hopefully they will return in greater numbers so we may beat them properly.”
* * *
The lights came up and Frank found himself standing in a large circular chamber. Aside from the lights, the room seemed to be bare, except for sections of opaque wall panels and what appeared to be cameras of some type. He then noticed a man standing directly across from him. The man charged and as he grew near, Frank realized that he looked a lot like himself. There was a look of desperation on the man's face as he began sloppily throwing punches and kicks. Frank easily sidestepped the attack but the man pressed on. Soon the attacker grew tired and collapsed to the floor. Suddenly, his body went through a series of violent spasms and he collapsed. Frank looked closer only to find that the man was dead.
* * *
Frank woke with a start and looked around. He realized that he was still in his bedroom on the landing boat. Very carefully, he untangled himself from the arms and legs of Denise and Nera and stood up. He located a blanket and covered them before finding his black varitherm suit and making his way out into the hallway. He crept into the living room where Phildan was sound asleep on the couch. Grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge, and then making his way to one of the sword racks, he found a bokken and then dropped out of the boat to the sand below. He barely noticed the slight chill in the air as he made his way down the beach in the opposite direction to a spot where he could watch the sun rise. He sat cross-legged in the sand and prepared himself to think about things.
“Good morning, my love.”
Frank nearly jumped out of his own skin. “You scared the shit out of me,” he laughed. “Good morning, my dear. How are things up top?”
“We are still transferring data. So, how did it go last night?”
“Well, about that...I, uh,”
“Frank, I encouraged them to act.”
“And you're sure that you're not mad?”
“I have no reason to be mad. So, how did it go?”
“Good. Very good. I mean, I think it was good. I found it to be, but I, uh, I only hope it was good for them. I'm new to this.”
“You are funny. I'll just have to get all the details from them, I suppose.”
“Oh, shit.”
“Oh, shit, what, Frank?”
“I guess I didn't think about that part. That you would all talk about it.”
“Good sister-wives keep no secrets, my love.”
“Look at the pretty sunrise, my dear,” Frank said, desperately trying to change the subject.
“Okay, I will let you off the hook. Just so you know, Hiro is up. He is doing his morning stretching.”
“I wonder if he feels like a morning workout.”
“His practice sword is already out, my love.”
* * *
“Good morning,” Robert said with a smile. He was just finished dressing himself and happened to look down at Michelle as she was stretching.
“Good morning,” she replied as she sat up and stretched some more. “I think I may have overdone it last night. I'm not usually much of a drinker.”
“There's always coffee over in the tent. And Hiro makes this tea, well, I don't know what's in it, but it cures mild hangovers. I'm not much of a drinker either, but the guys swear by it.”
“That sounds wonderful. I need to use the bathroom though.”
“I hope the door is unlocked. I had to go in the middle of the night and I ended up just going outside.” They walked out into the hallway and made their way past the living room and stopped at the bedroom door. Robert activated the door panel and was pleased when it opened. “They're still asleep,” he whispered, having seen Denise and Nera still slumbering up under the blanket. “I'll wait for you in the living room.” He left her to it and then walked into the living room, where he found Phildan milling about. “Good morning, Phil.”
“Good morning to you too, Robert. I hope you both slept well.”
“We did. Thanks again for letting us use your room.”
“Think nothing of it. This couch is surprisingly comfortable.”
“So where did Frank end up last night?” Robert asked.
Phildan paused as if in deep thought. “You know, I have no idea. He probably found some project to work on, knowing him.” He picked up his data pad and tapped it a few times. “I can tell you where he is now, though. He and Hiro are doing a morning workout.”
* * *
“I think you will enjoy this,” Robert said as he led Michelle to the far side of the platform where Frank and Hiro usually sparred. He had given her his sweatshirt to counter the bit of cold in the air and she smiled back at him as she swam inside it. Robert continued to explain the practice session as it came into view. “Hiro is like, the greatest swordsman on the planet and he's been teaching Frank. Their workouts can get pretty intense. I heard Hiro say that Frank is the only person that can spar full speed and not get totally hemmed up.”
“I've never seen anything like this,” Michelle said as she stared in wide-eyed amazement. Dave raised his coffee cup in a makeshift salute so Robert and Michelle walked over to join him and the rest of the Crew.
“Show me what you picked up on
Lian,” Hiro shouted as he reengaged.
“It will be a little weird with a curved blade, but I'll try,” Frank responded with a smile as he redirected Hiro's blade with an odd motion that made the smaller man lose his balance and stumble.
“Amazing!” Hiro exclaimed as he regained his footing. “Show me that, please.” He fell in beside Frank and mimicked his movements.
“Imagine if the blade was straight,” Frank explained, “and if one of us could actually move like those creepy fuckers.”
Hiro laughed. “I cannot even come close. And I struggle to find the right words to describe their movements.
“How about twitchy and unnerving?” Frank suggested.
“That is a good start,” Hiro agreed as he reached for his water bottle. “I only killed two of them, and it was a test of my resolve. I don't know how you do it.”
“I want to see footage!” Dave shouted from the sideline.
Frank walked over toward the spectators so he wouldn't have to raise his voice. “We can probably arrange that,” he replied, “but it will have to be some other time. Gladys is busy with a very important project right now.”
“So, what is she like?” Chavez asked.
“She is an angel,” Frank responded with a smile.
“Vague much?” Potts joked. Frank only smiled and shrugged.
“I would say that is a fair assessment,” Hiro added. “Wouldn't you agree, Robert?”
Robert glanced to Michelle and felt a bit uneasy. He didn't want to admit to some other female's beauty. “Yes. Angelic.”
* * *
Denise opened her eyes to see Nera laying beside her, looking back as if she had just opened her eyes too. “Hey, beautiful,” she said to her orange-skinned companion. Nera could only smile back. “Oh, I hurt all over,” she said. And yet she couldn't stop smiling.
“Is it always like that?” Nera asked. “All those wasted years.”
Denise laughed as she sat up. “In my limited experience, it is never like that.”
Nera just smiled. “I don't think I can move.”
Just then there was a knock at the door and the panel slid open. Phildan popped his head in. “Good morning. It is cool outside this morning. I have your varitherm suit, Nera. And Denise, I took the liberty of preparing one for you as well.”
“Thank you, Phildan!” Denise exclaimed as she accepted his gift. “This is wonderful!”
“Yes, thank you, Phildan,” Nera echoed as she sat up to accept her suit. Phildan bowed and left them to ready themselves for the day. “I just want to lay here for a week,” Nera said as she fell back into the bed.
“Not me. I want to see what our husband is up to.”
* * *
Michelle had followed along as all of the men had relocated themselves inside the tiki bar. Hiro had disappeared into the kitchen as everyone settled in. Potts turned on the television and flipped through the news channels. “No news is good news,” he proclaimed as for once, Frank wasn't in the news. Potts was about to follow up with a joke, but the sight of the girls walking up the stairs made him forget what he was thinking about. Everyone turned and looked.
“Good morning,” Denise said as she glided into the bar. Although her gray varitherm covered her nearly completely, it accentuated her womanly curves to the delight of every eye in the room. Even Michelle found herself admiring the way the suit fit. Nera strode along side her with the confidence of a warrior. Her black varitherm didn't catch the light in the same way as Denise's, but the contrast to her orange skin was striking. Frank stood to greet them and was pleasantly surprised that they didn't make a production out of it. After two brief kisses, they took seats on either side of him.
“Okay, I gotta ask,” Dave started, “what is up with the black suits?”
“The black suits have stealth capabilities,” Robert replied.
“How the hell does that work?” Chavez asked.
Robert and Frank looked at each other and shrugged before Frank said, “You'd have to ask Phil. There are these crazy face masks that they seal up to, and once you pull the fabric over your hands and feet, it can make you invisible, just like the landing boat.”
“The Li had used them to ambush us here on the island,” Robert added. “So Frank, uh, acquired some suits, and we returned the favor in Washington.”
“Didn't you guys see it on television?” Frank asked.
“We didn't see it live,” Dave replied, “but they showed the clip over and over. All it shows really is the President's face being pulled off to reveal a reptilian, and then you and the real president just showing up.”
“It was just like, boom, there you go,” Potts clarified. “You could tell there was action but it was mostly off-screen. By the time the camera panned back, it was over.”
“Well, that's almost disappointing,” Frank said with a sigh. “At least the imposter was unmasked and Stan is back where he needs to be.”
There was a strange scratching noise that caught everyone's attention. They quickly realized that it was the sound of Pock's feet as he stretched out and slowly stood up. “Why is it so fucking cold?” he asked.
Denise stood and walked over to him, bent down, and put her hand on the spot between his feelers. “Good morning, Cutie. It will warm up. Can I get you something?”
His tone softened considerably as he answered, “Maybe a little syrup. Do you have any of that other stuff?”
“What other stuff?,” Denise answered and shot a look toward Hiro.
“Cardboard?” Hiro asked.
“Yes!” Pock exclaimed. “That's what it is.”
* * *
The rest of the morning was spent bringing everyone up to speed on the events of the past few weeks. The Wrecking Crew had been imprisoned for what was described to them as misconduct.
“So you got in trouble for not dying, then?” Frank joked.
“That's how we took it,” Dave replied. “Richwine was more than happy to have us thrown in the brig. But once the real Porter was back, he relieved Richwine of duty.”
“I'll have to send him a card, or something,” Frank joked.
“That's a good one,” Potts said.
“I can't believe you saved the planet again without us,” Chavez added.
“You do realize that I had no idea that you guys were locked up,” Frank replied.
“It's not like we were locked up for very long,” Dave said with a smile. “Porter had us released pretty soon after you brought him back. Has he talked to you about the UN yet, Frank?”
“He wanted me to talk to them but some other shit came up. I got fitted for a suit and everything.” He looked out to the beach where all of the ladies had gone when the war stories began to bore them. Pock had followed behind them and now they were all standing near the water, sharing a laugh.
“So, Frank?” Chavez asked. “What's up with Nera? Is she single?”
Robert cut Frank off. “If you don't have a vagina, or your name ain't Frank Ford, you can forget about that.” Everyone paused and stared at Frank, who merely shrugged.
“So it's like that?” Chavez said with a smile.
“She's intimidating as fuck anyway,” Potts added with a laugh.
* * *
“This is all very amazing. I don't know what assistance I can possibly offer.”
“Miyako, you have the most experience of anyone in our group,” Gladys replied. “You have a kind and gentle manner that is always helpful in this setting.”
“You are too kind. But I am happy to assist in any way you require. And I am learning so much. In what other ways is her implant different from Frank's?”
“The only real difference is the computational interface. No other being would be able to communicate directly with the ships systems. It is actually a third implant, really. It is attached to her wellness implant, but it acts independently.”
“Third implant? What is the second?” Miyako looked mildly confused.
“She has a communication
s chip already installed. It is the same as mine or Frank's. Phildan has a version of a comm chip also.” Gladys was deftly working a data pad as she spoke.
“So she will have all those languages too. That is such an impressive device.”
Gladys paused. “Yes, I suppose it is. I sometimes forget that my people used to do good work like that.”
“I find it hard to believe that you are the exception, with your grace and manners.”
“Now you are being kind,” Gladys said with a smile. “The data transfer is complete. After I activate the wellness implant, the stasis won't hold her for long. She will wake up within a couple of minutes. Let's just hope this works.”
* * *
“Frank!” Phildan shouted as he ran across the sand toward the platform. “We have a rift detected.”
“Did you alert Gladys?” Frank asked.
“They are in the middle of the most delicate part of the procedure,” Phildan replied as the rest of the guys came closer to see what was the matter.
“Do you know who it is?” Frank asked.
“Just a second,” Phildan replied. “It's a Gote scout ship.”
“Shit!” Frank exclaimed. He was trying to formulate some type of plan. “I can't let them get away with any people.”
“They are hailing us,” Phildan added.
“What?” Frank asked. “Okay, that's a good thing. Hiro! Quick sweep of the bar, please. It needs to look like I live here alone. And then get everyone into the boat!” He turned and, along with Phildan, they sprinted to the boat to use the communication equipment in the workshop. Robert called out to the girls and Pock.
* * *
“Moldew, of Gotoreo, seeks an audience with the Monster, of Earth.” The message would repeat itself several times per minute. If it wasn't in English, Frank might have let it go just to see how long they would keep it up.
Monster Page 16
