The Beast of Tsunam (Rev Smalley: Galactic P.I. Book 1)

by Combs, Scott A.

  Flint pulled the gag from Reese. “Are you all right?”

  Reese shook her head and spat out the foul taste the gagging bladder left in her mouth. “I think so,” she sputtered.

  Willa and Braz followed Tuloff to help Flint release Reese from the harness. When the last tangle of cords were stripped away she slid down into Tuloff’s arms.

  “Braz,” called Tuloff, “get those clothes, please.” Within minutes Reese was covered and wearing all the clothing the dead doctor had to offer.

  “I’m sorry about the blood,” said Flint.

  Reese tried to smooth the stain on the front of the too-large jumper. “It can’t be helped. I’m thankful its not my blood.”

  “You’re a very lucky woman,” said Tuloff. “A few more minutes and we would’ve been too late.”

  “What is this place?” asked Reese.

  “The Genetic Cataloger is⁠—⁠or was⁠—⁠a machine specifically designed to disassemble the body and catalog all of its parts.”

  A look of horror flashed across her face. “They were going to dissect me?”

  “It appears so young lady,” said Tuloff. “Your body would’ve been taken apart, measured precisely, and placed in our warehouse for replication.”

  “Why me?”

  “It appears someone thought you have a body that’s worth replicating.”

  “That’s ghastly,” she said shivering at the thought.

  “Of course to humans it seems ghastly,” said Tuloff. “On Tsunam we’ve perfected engineering and the art of a perfect body, which is why we have only the eight models. It took us a very long time to come to the consensus that we’d achieved the limits of the proper proportions. But I must say you are a rare specimen and maybe we should reconsider having a few more choices.”

  “No⁠—⁠thank⁠—⁠you,” she said very distinctly. “If it means getting back in that thing,” she said looking at the harness she was strapped to.

  “Our loss,” said Tuloff smiling.

  Willa reached out to shake her hand. “I’m Willa and this is Regency Tuloff and the ugly bruiser over there’s Braz. You’ve met Flint I believe?”

  “Yes,” said Reese shaking her hand, “I met him back on Earth. Which leads me to my next question. Where’s Rev?”

  Flint gave her an anxious look. “We don’t know.”

  Tuloff kicked a chunk of mechanical arm out of his way. “Rev and Cassie were to follow us through a portable transmat but never arrived.”

  “So you found her alive?”

  “We did, and nearly captured Magnus.” Flint glowed for a second, then saw the look on the female’s face.

  The mention of Magnus made Reese stiffen. Her last impression of him left her with dread, that was when he had pushed her down and forced himself on her. He was so strong and smug when he penetrated her body. Those inhuman purple eyes glaring into her soul dominating her. She never wanted to feel that helpless again.

  “I hope you hurt him,” she said through a clinched jaw.

  “I don’t believe we left any permanent damage,” said Flint.

  “Pity. He won’t be so fortunate next time, if I have anything to say about it.”

  “He hurt you?” asked Flint protectively.

  “Yes⁠—⁠no,” she stammered looking embarrassed. “I’ll recover physically but I’m not so sure emotionally.”

  Braz piped up. “If I know Magnus, he took advantage of her, leaving her to those Charrel. Magnus doesn’t respect women or anyone for that matter.”

  Willa gasped holding her hands to her face. “Did he do that you?”

  Reese nodded reluctantly. Flint zipped around, reforming his face into Rev’s and back again. Tuloff reached up and pulled the little automaton to his side and forced him to calm down.

  “You need to control your emotions,” he told the machine. “It’s not going to help the situation this time.”

  “I’m⁠—⁠so⁠—⁠angry,” stuttered Flint.

  “I can see that,” said Tuloff. “But what’s been done can’t be undone by one small automaton.”

  “Rev left me orders,” replied Flint. “To do like he does. He would never tolerate this situation.”

  “Very likely he would seek out the criminal,” said Tuloff, “and dispense his unique brand of justice.” Flint nodded.

  “Then what should we do?” asked Tuloff.

  Flint looked resolved. “Put Magnus down.”

  * * *

  FRAC PENSIVELY LISTENED for another noise from the darkened hall. He licked his lips and wished he was back in his seat at the entrance to the Eugenics Lab. He suspected Fric had cheated him somehow and won the betting game, leaving him to make the security rounds again while he played another game on the computer.

  Normally the building was filled with hundreds of individuals but since the outbreak of attacks, the government had closed the facility pending further investigations. Now he and Fric sat inside the empty building sharing small talk or restlessly asleep. Their orders were clear and that was to serve at their post until relieved⁠—⁠which looked like never.

  The dim hallways felt oppressively quiet. He’d seen all there was to see as he peered into empty labs and offices. Nothing changed. He supposed he deserved the menial task since he was marked as an underachiever by the employment authority. He told himself he’d try harder next time if he got the chance.

  What was he thinking? Soon he would self-terminate if he got his way, slipping into nothingness⁠—⁠a quiet peaceful euthanizing.

  The Earth man⁠—⁠P.I. Smalley⁠—⁠would talk to the administrators soon and pull some strings to get them first on the list. He knew there were millions on the waiting list and without a little help he’d be stuck waiting for weeks before his name came to the top. Since the murders began he wondered what being dead would be like. He shook his head in disgust. Dead is dead but how I die is more important than the fact of being dead. He wanted control and knew he was a coward. He couldn’t even imagine what the victims felt before a beast tore their heads off. Terror he supposed.

  He felt the vibration before he heard the booming. It was nearly subsonic; he felt a thump in his chest. The Earth man and his automaton were the only other ones logged into the building but they’d left for the lower levels hours ago. Somehow he felt the off worlder wasn’t behind the noises⁠—⁠these were more random like the thrumming of multiple feet. He shrugged off thoughts of beasts and cocked his head trying to locate the direction the sound was coming from.

  Bending down on one knee, he placed his hand on the cold stone floor and waited. There was a slight vibration. The normal feel of the building with its complex systems: air filtration, security, along with many computer and communications systems humming through daily activities. He supposed some automation machinery had malfunctioned and rammed into a wall in some sub-level but that was a rare event. Then a horrible feeling overcame him.

  He envisioned large hairy creatures with blood red eyes and slobbering green glowing mouths racing along the lower levels of the complex in search of fresh meat. The imagery fixated his mind until he could almost feel the presence of the monsters. His hands trembled as he reached for the release button to the stairwell. Something instinctual warned him as he hesitated. He tried to contain his shaking then he heard a new noise⁠—⁠a curious noise which made his heart pound even harder. A noise that sounded like snorting⁠—⁠no, sniffing. Not just one sniff . . . another overlapped the first and then more.

  The security door was nearly impenetrable he’d been told, but not vacuum sealed like some of the inner labs. He saw shadows move back and forth along the small crack on the bottom of its frame. The shapes wove a pattern at his feet. Whatever was behind the door became agitated, he heard more sniffing. A whole herd of snorts and grunts began and he let out a small gasp of air. It was the first sound he made. The sniffing stopped abruptly.

  A deep growl erupted from behind the door. A fist shape dent buckled the door’s surface a
nd stretched the sealed hinges to their limits from a mighty blow. Frac was so startled he fell back from the bulging door and landed on his rear, skidding back for nearly a meter. His legs pumped wildly trying to regain his footing but all he was able to do was make squeaky noises from the soles of his shoes. He couldn’t breathe. His heart raced wildly, throbbing in his ears. Panic consumed him. Time slowed in his mind as adrenaline coursed through his body heightening his awareness. Fear overtook him and he closed his eyes as if not seeing the door would make this reality go away. For a moment he sat there on his butt, hands flat on the floor with eyes closed and his cheeks puffed out like an inflated fish as he held his breath. He knew he looked stupid but didn’t care. He just wanted quiet.

  Suddenly he didn’t want to die anymore. A surreal image of himself flashed in his mind; tendons snapping and spine splintering in a gush of visceral blood. He wanted to run and hide but his body was rigid with fright, fused like a statue in the park. His mind screamed to get up and flee but the body remained unwilling. A trickle of cold sweat ran down his spine uncomfortably reinforcing his self-loathing. He opened his eyes slowly and let the air escape from his lungs.

  It took another door-bulging blow before he broke his paralysis and rolled over on all fours scrambling to his feet. The door held in place with a dent on the unsealed left side large enough now so that he could see into the inner stairwell. A massive hairy claw squirmed through the opening and slashed the air.

  With all his strength, he ran.

  Chapter 37

  THE GLOW FROM UNATTENDED FIRES illuminated the smoke-filled causeways which obscured the once immaculate parks and walkways. Torn and broken bodies could be seen scattered haphazardly throughout the landscape. Pockets of beasts cornered defenseless Tsunamians and then pounced rending their bodies until none survived. The air was filled with howling enraged beasts. Pleading sobs from their victims filled the air along with the unholy throaty growls of bloodlust.

  Mayhem ran through the parks where thousands took shelter. Without weapons their time was short, terrifying and hopeless. The creatures ferreted out smaller pockets of Tsunam natives, finding their hiding places and systematically eliminating their prey.

  The militia came but was too late for most. Ground pounder marines mercilessly slew beasts and victims alike trying to establish a controlled zone to fight what looked like a fruitless war. The beasts outnumbered the men and they appeared fearless as they tore and gashed everything they came in contact with.

  The small Tsunam militia stood their ground. They forced the packs of beasts off with long runners of pure plasma from armor-plated hovering tanks. The ground troopers advanced. The streets of the city cleared slowly as the line of beasts were pushed back towards the towering eugenics building. As soon as one sortie of tanks passed overhead another would begin another run at the beasts. The carcasses of the foul beasts piled up until a tank would fly by and drop an incendiary explosive vaporizing the twisted dead creatures. The clearing would last only long enough for a new platoon of beasts to flow out from the eugenic building and fill in the now open gap.

  Fighting now concentrated on the source of the creatures. The militia gathered together thinking that there was strength in numbers. But the creatures learned from their mistakes and allowed the tank commanders to spew their weapons on the entrance while a band of creatures scaled the nearby buildings. When they were above the hovering tanks they sailed out into the night air and landed on the tops of the closer tanks.

  Breached hover tanks began colliding with each other in midair. The general commander of the squadron needlessly barked orders to disperse as his craft swerved, avoiding another tank consumed in phosphorescent white flames. He felt an odd thump above him on the roof of the tank. The exterior monitors pivoted to reveal a large dark shape making its way to the turret hatchway. Looking up he saw his worst nightmare: a creature pulling the hatch away from its hinges. A mighty taloned arm reached in and skewered his midsection, yanking him up and out. He was eye level with the thing. The smell of its breath made him gag. The creature took its other paw and pinched the man’s head with a sickening crunch until red pulp squished between its fingers.

  The creature dropped the lifeless shell, raised on its hind legs and started to bark. The sounds were actually words. Other creatures responded and soon all the animals were roaring the same cadence. The sheer volume of sound reverberated through the night air and all the Tsunam militia still alive cringed in fear as they watched the hordes reorganize and create a new line of offense.

  In response, the Tsunam militia gathered closer. Their leader was dead and the confusion of finding the next in line for command was chaotic.

  Lieutenant Timms was young for a Tsunamian, being only a few hundred years old, but he was well-trained and experienced with many campaigns on the outer rim of the galaxy as a rare liaison for his reclusive planet. He never thought a war would ever be from an alien invasion on his own home planet. He was deeply saddened by the sight of the death and destruction along the beautifully manicured causeways. Then he felt something he’d never experienced before in his life⁠—⁠utter hatred.

  “I’m taking command,” he roared into the communicator. “All remaining fleet commanders fall back and regroup on me.”

  Within seconds the surviving tank commanders acknowledged the command and dislodged themselves from the chaos. They flew away above the towering skyscrapers. Lieutenant Timms and his hover tank circled the amassing Charrel pouring from the eugenics building. Its two glassy towers loomed high overhead as he dropped a series of charges around the building. His face was stern and resolved to the task. Each charge implanted itself into the pavement and emitted long streamers of plasma energy that the creatures tried to resist. Soon he was like an Australian Shepherd corralling strays into a holding pen. He circled the massive building over and over planting charges until the mass of Charrel were so crowded together that the pavement was lost from view.

  Lieutenant Timms believed this would be his best option to contain the enemy before they spread further into the central part of the city. This was the imaginary line that must be held so he laid down the last charge in his arsenal. He watched with sad blue eyes, then activated the charges. He raised the tank to a safe distance and maneuvered his surveillance video to get the best view.

  Each charge radiated inward releasing its payload of plasma. The energy washed the pavement with death, consuming everything in its path. Charrel vaporized, howling in agony, as more plasma rushed to incinerate the whole city block. The creatures leaped on each other to avoid the destruction only to watch their gruesome pedestals crumple before them vaporizing under their clawed feet. The plasma didn’t stop for anything and soon it reached the building. Timms watched in remorse as the building appeared to dissolve. The building in all its beauty started to collapse and as it collapsed the plasma consumed the mass. Within a few minutes nothing was left except the rippling of the unspent plasma in a sea of glowing energy.

  The light from the rolling plasma lit the vidi-screen, illuminating the soldier’s tired face. Lieutenant Timms closed his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. The nightmare was over.

  The plasma dissipated showing the circle of death was nothing more than a black reminder of the grandeur . . . until part of the earth swelled near its center. Timms leaned forward watching in amazement as the ground burst forth into the air. New Charrel creatures poured out of the opening like evil water gushing out from a broken dam destroying everything in its path.

  * * *

  FRAC WASN’T WATCHING where he was running. All he knew was that he had to get away from the creatures that hunted him. Looking back over his shoulder, he knew they would have the stairwell door unhinged within seconds. He came to a stop at the elevator and pushed the button with trembling hands. It lit up. He turned and pressed his back against the door, watching the long dim corridor he had just traversed.

  The sounds of talons could be heard skittering and clacking
on the slick surface in pursuit. He couldn’t turn away as he looked on in utter fear while the dark hairy shapes came into view. His hand reached over repeatedly pressing the elevator button. The clicking of the button became more frantic as the creatures finally saw their prey. His legs shook horribly, he closed his eyes tight when it looked like he was finally going to be eaten.

  In a loud voice he screamed, “I don’t want to die!”

  The elevator door opened and he was grabbed from behind, pulled to the back of the elevator then fell down and curled up in the corner. He screamed uncontrollably. The doors closed quickly and he looked up into the last face he expected to see: P.I. Smalley.

  “Shut that noise,” commanded Rev. “I could hear you all the way from the seventh floor.”

  “What? How?” stammered Frac getting a grip on his fear.

  The elevator opened on a higher level of the eugenics building. Cassie grabbed Frac by his collar and dragged him out pushing him to another Tsunamian who was standing, clutching his arms together. Fric hugged his buddy.

  “It was horrible,” said Fric. “Those monsters nearly got me.”

  “Me too,” said Frac.

  “Was he worth saving?” she asked. “Now we’re blocked off from the exit.”

  “What did you want me to do? Let him die?”

  “Of course not,” she said. “I’m just a little perturbed with the outcome.”

  “Yeah,” said Rev. “I’m not very happy either. You two bozos⁠—⁠where’s the nearest transmat out of the building?” Fric and Frac pointed down. “Great.” Rev let loose a string of curse words.

  “I suppose it’s on the ground level?” They both nodded. “We’re screwed,” said Cassie. “There has to be at least a few million of those things swarming below. It’d take an entire army to clear a path for our escape.”

  Rev went to the outer wall. He looked down on the pavement covered with beasts for as far as the eye could see. More were pouring out of the entrance. Then he noticed hover tanks forming lines and pushing back the hostile creatures. “The military’s arrived,” said Rev as the others came over for a view.