Luke was gasping for breath when he saw the necrotic form of Akhkhazu floating next to him. He could hear her harrowing voice shouting at the shark monster, “Asag, you dim-witted fool! You are destroying my Avatar!” Chimera was looking down at Luke. He could tell the kaiju was concerned for him and Luke was touched that the creature cared for him. Luke knew that he was only few seconds away from dying but he was determined to make those seconds count. He put his speaking horn to his mouth and pointed at Akhkhazu, “Chimera, smash!” Luke closed his eyes and his last thought was that it was a shame Diana missed that one; she would have loved the Hulk reference.
Chimera roared lifted his hand above his head then brought it down on Akhkhazu with such force that it simultaneously crushed the death goddess’s body and drove her remains into the ground. The second that Akhkhazu died, Luke snapped back to life and the zombies that were throwing themselves into the river reverted back to unanimated corpses. Asag finished chewing on the remains of the Colossus and then it began swimming through the boiling water and devouring the bodies of the former zombies.
Luke stood up to see Asag swimming back and forth alongside the Argos. He guessed that once the shark beast finished with the corpses that he would turn his attention back to the Argos. Luke pointed at the shark god and screamed, “Chimera, attack!” The Kaiju roared, beat his chest, and then waded into the boiling water.
Chimera was waist deep in the water when Asag swam up to him and bit into the kaiju’s thigh. Chimera roared, and unsheathed his claws which he used to rake Asag along his streamlined body. The aquatic deity released his grip and swam a long circle around the Argos prior to attacking Chimera again. Asag was swimming straight at Chimera when the shark god leapt out of the water and crashed into Chimera. Asag wrapped his arms around Chimera’s shoulders to hold himself up and then he bit into Chimera’s neck. Blood poured down Chimera’s neck as Asag’s saw-like teeth tore into the kaiju’s flesh. Chimera used his long jaws to latch his teeth onto Asag’s thin arm. With his grip secure, Chimera pulled back with his mouth and used his powerful arms to push Asag’s body in the opposite direction. Asag’s thin arm quickly succumbed to the tremendous strength of Chimera as it was ripped out of its socket.
Asag wailed in pain, released his grip on Chimera’s neck, and fell back into the boiling river. Asag’s body no sooner hit the water than the fish beast surfaced again and latched onto Chimera’s left arm. The kaiju lifted his arm out of the water, pulling the upper half of Asag’s body with it. The tenacious shark god held his grip on Chimera’s left arm until the kaiju brought his right fist crashing into Asag’s mid-section. Asag released his grip once more and swam another circle below the surface of the river. Even the dim-witted shark god was starting to realize that he was no match for the powerful kaiju. Asag circled Chimera under the water looking for a point of attack. He finally settled on Chimera’s fluke like tail. Asag swam at Chimera’s tail like a torpedo streaking through the water and then he bit into Chimera’s fluke. Asag once more began thrashing wildly as he tried to tear a chunk of the tail off. Chimera roared, looked down into the water behind him, then he fired a concentrated sonar blast at Asag. The shark god’s central nervous system immediately shut down leaving him helpless in the water. Chimera reached down and grabbed Asag by his tail with both hands. The kaiju then dragged the disoriented shark god out of the river and onto the shore. When Chimera was on land, he yanked on Asag’s tail, lifting the creature over his head. Chimera then brought the shark god crashing to the ground as if his body was a giant sledge hammer. Chimera repeated the move several more times in rapid succession. From the deck of the Argos, Luke heard Diana cheering and yelling, “Puny god!”
After slamming Asag to the ground several times, Chimera released his hold on the creature. Chimera was looking down to see if he had killed the beast when Asag’s jaws flashed open and quickly closed on Chimera’s left hand. Chimera roared in pain then dug the claws of his right hand into Asag’s lower jaw. With one hand trapped in Asag’s mouth and the other impaled in his lower jaw, Chimera pulled his hands in opposite directions. Luke, Diana, Parsons, and the sailors on the Argos watched in awe as Chimera tore Asag’s face completely in half. The blood of the god pooled around Chimera’s feet as the humans watching the spectacle stared on in stunned silence. Chimera looked down at his defeated foe and then he beat his chest loudly and roared. As Chimera’s roar echoed through the desert, the Euphrates River ceased boiling and the remaining crew of the Argos cheered in celebration!
Chapter 34
Doctor Toombs had made his way out to the deck as Parsons and Diana were on a small boat headed to the shore to rendezvous with Luke and Chimera. He was standing at the edge of the ship and staring out at the carnage on land when he was shocked to feel something bump into him from behind. He looked down to see a pair of slender feminine arms wrapped around him. He felt warm breath on his neck as he heard an angelic voice, “Doctor Toombs, thank god you made it through that attack unharmed!”
Toombs spun around to see Allison dressed as one of the sailors aboard the Argos. Before he could say a word, Allison leaned in and shoved her tongue into his mouth. Toombs was totally overwhelmed by her kiss. Throughout his entire life, women had rejected and scorned him. He could hardly believe that he was kissing a woman who was attractive enough to be a supermodel.
Allison pulled away from Toombs and she could tell that she already had him hooked. The only thing left for her do was to reel Toombs in like the disgusting fish man that he was. Centuries of performing sexual acts with some of the most disgusting gods in existence had prepared her for this moment. She steeled her nerves and prepared to separate her mind from her body to the greatest extent possible. She whispered into Toombs ear, “All of this excitement has me fired up. I was thinking that we could go back to your cabin and find some productive way to work off all of this energy.”
Toombs grinned from ear to ear. He took one look at the shoreline. Despite his battle with the Colossus and Asag, Chimera seemed relatively unscathed. Parsons would have him searching for Marduk and his Tablets of Destiny. Toombs’s sex drive quickly deduced that finding a hidden god would take a good amount of time. Chimera would not need him for a while. Toombs turned off his radio, grabbed Allison by the arm, and said, “Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly.”
Allison laughed. She didn’t laugh at what Toombs thought was a clever application of a classic line. She was actually laughing at the fact that Toombs perceived himself as the spider in the scenario. Allison knew full well that Toombs was slowly being drawn into her web of sexual control. She also knew that once Toombs was trapped in that particular web that he would do anything that she said. As they were walking back to Toombs’s cabin, she looked at the scientist and giggled. Toombs of course thought that it was a playful giggle of foreplay but Allison was really laughing at how one of the most intelligent men in world quickly turned into a fool in the hands of a beautiful woman.
Toombs opened the door to his room and then he ushered Allison into it. The nymph closed her eyes for a minute and pictured herself in Apollo‘s bedroom. She then focused very hard to imagine the portly little scientist as the sun god himself. Toombs skipped any attempt at stimulating her. He simply grabbed her, kissed her again, and then he tossed her onto his bed. As Toombs was undressing in front of Allison, she fought the urge to vomit and reminded herself that pleasuring this man would be a key step in her finally assuming control, not only her own destiny, but of the entire world.
Luke was standing at the river’s edge watching as Parsons’ and Diana’s boat was quickly coming toward him while Chimera and Jason stood next to him. Both of the beasts were chewing on their hard earned snacks. Luke was surprised to hear someone call his name from behind. He turned around to see that Ardan and several other members SEAL Team Sigma who had fallen victim to the plague were still alive. Luke hugged the Commander who did not seem overly enthused by the act of affection. Ardan stepped back and start
ing asking Luke questions about the events which had just occurred, “Mr. Davis, the last thing that I remember was being infected by the plague and watching helplessly as that death goddess floated past us. What happened after that? How are we still alive?”
Luke pointed up to Chimera, “You have him to thank, Commander. When Chimera crushed the death goddess, it seems to have put an end to both the Colossus and the plague.” Luke then pointed to the remains of Asag, “Chimera destroyed the shark monster as well.”
Ardan looked up at Chimera and nodded at the kaiju. The moment was interrupted as Parsons and Diana came ashore. Diana ran up to Luke, “Chimera went total Hulk on Asag with that whole slamming him from side to side thing!”
Luke hugged her and smiled, “You would have been proud of me. When I gave Chimera the command to attack the death goddess, I said ‘Chimera, smash!’”
Diana laughed, “Awesome! Way to be quick witted under pressure.”
Parsons interrupted the two friends, “If you two are done, we still have to find the monarch of the Mesopotamian gods. Also, in case you have not noticed, over a third of our crew was killed by the shark god and his rock monsters. So if we are going to going to find this Marduk, let’s do it now before he summons more gods or monsters to protect himself with.”
Diana nodded, “The mythology suggests that Marduk is closely connected with the city of Babylon.” Diana looked toward the modern city of Hillah, “General, all of the inhabitants of the city of Hillah were killed by the Colossus and its plague. There are only empty buildings over there right now. I know that the president said to do whatever it takes to put an end to the threat posed by the Mesopotamian gods. May I suggest that we direct Chimera to start tearing the city apart? If Marduk is hiding in the city, then this tactic will drive him into the open. If he is protecting the city, then he may very well come to us to try and stop Chimera.”
Parsons nodded in affirmation of Diana’s suggestion. He turned to Luke and said, “Give him the command. Have him attack the city.”
Luke lifted his speaking horn to his mouth, “Chimera!” Luke waited until Chimera was looking down at him. When he was sure that he had Chimera’s attention, he pointed at the city, “Attack!” Chimera roared in reply then the kaiju began lumbering toward the city that had once been Babylon.
Chapter 35
The team from the Argos watched as Chimera reached the first small building on the outskirts of the city. The kaiju crushed the structure with one stomp from his foot. Chimera took several more steps and crushed several other small buildings as he made his way to the largest skyscraper in sight. He was heading for the building and roaring at it when a bright flash of light appeared between the kaiju and the building. When the light faded, it revealed the figure of a humanoid roughly thirty feet in height with several stone tablets embedded in his chest. Chimera was immediately reminded of the beings that he had fought atop Mount Olympus. Anger rushed through the mind of the monster as he recalled the battle with the Olympians.
Marduk reached down into the sand and lifted a scorpion from beneath the ground. He held the scorpion in his hand as he addressed the monster, “Beast, you have slain my brothers and my sister and now you attack my city! You do this in order to protect the virus of the humans that infects this planet and is killing it!” Marduk removed one of the stone tablets from his chest. The god gazed down at the tablet and then he extend the hand in which he held the scorpion, “Now creature you will pay for the lives of my brothers and sister! You shall pay for protecting the humans!” Marduk began to recite an ancient chant and as he did so the scorpion in his hand began to spin around in erratic circles. As Marduk continued to chant, the scorpion began to bury itself into Marduk’s hand. Marduk chanted a few more lines and then he slammed the stone tablet back into his chest. Marduk wrapped his arms around his ribs and screamed in pain. He then fell to his knees and Chimera watched as the god’s body began to stretch and grow. Marduk’s body had doubled in size when one of his hands was torn apart and the pincer-like claw of scorpion emerged from his forearm. Marduk looked at Chimera with a mixed visage of pain and anger as his other hand burst open to reveal a second pincer claw.
Marduk’s body continued to enlarge as a grotesque stinger and scorpion tale shot out of the base of his spine. The tail was swinging behind his head as Marduk’s body continued to grow until its size matched the size of Chimera himself. Marduk let out a scream of pain that echoed over the desert as his legs tore themselves apart and the eight arachnid legs of a scorpion took their place. Marduk retained the face and torso of a man with the Tablets of Destiny still embedded in his chest. The god’s lower half and extremities had taken on the form of a gigantic scorpion.
Diana walked up between Parsons and Luke, “Marduk has turned himself into a scorpion man. The scorpion men are the most feared and deadly creatures in Mesopotamian mythology.” She paused for a moment then added, “The Rock turned himself into one in the second Mummy movie.”
Luke shook head, “In the movie, did the Mummy beat that thing?”
Diana sighed, “No. It sent the Mummy to Hell.”
Chimera charged at the scorpion man and brought his forearm crashing into its jaw. The scorpion man staggered back a few steps but its eight long legs quickly scrambled to regain his balance. The scorpion man shot out his left claw and grabbed Chimera by the throat. Chimera’s thick lion main prevented the pincer from penetrating his flesh but the powerful grip was slowly crushing the kaiju’s windpipe. Chimera raked his right claw across the scorpion man’s chest, causing sparks to fly into the air as the kaiju’s claws came into contact with the stone tablets embedded in the god’s chest. The scorpion man’s other pincer shot out and grabbed Chimera’s claw at the wrist. Chimera struggled to free himself but even his powerful muscles were not strong enough to break the hold of the scorpion man. Chimera looked into the eyes of the scorpion man and then fired a sonar blast directly into the god’s face. The scorpion man convulsed, causing him to release his grip. The scorpion man’s legs scrambled to carry him backwards, but with his central nervous system disrupted, the legs of the beast became tangled, causing the god-beast to fall onto his side.
The scorpion man was lying on his side with his legs and tail flailing wildly as Chimera approached him. Chimera looked down on the god beast, roared, and then the kaiju lifted his hands above his head and brought them crashing down onto the scorpion man’s chest. Once more, the attack was absorbed by the Tablets of Destiny protruding from the god-beast’s chest.
As quick as lightning, the scorpion man’s tail shot out from behind him and impaled itself into Chimera’s shoulder. Chimera screamed in pain as the scorpion man’s stinger pumped a stream of venom into the kaiju’s body. Chimera reached up with both of his hands, grabbed the end of the tail, and pulled the stinger out of his arm. Chimera then kicked the scorpion man in the face, pulled on its tail, and used it to whip the god-beast into a large building. The building collapsed on top of the scorpion man, burying him in rubble.
Chimera staggered backward and Luke could see that the scorpion venom was starting to affect the kaiju. He turned to Parsons, “How will Chimera’s body hold up against a monster sized dose of scorpion venom?
Parsons shook his head, “I have no idea!” He picked up his radio, “Dr. Toombs, come in.” Parsons only heard static in reply. He tried to raise the doctor again, “Toombs, this is General Parsons please respond.” Once again, Parsons received no reply. He cursed, “What in the hell is that man doing?” Parson switched channels, “Attention Argos. I need Dr. Toombs located now!”
The scorpion man exploded out of the rubble and scurried toward Chimera. The scorpion man brought one of his huge pincers crashing into the side of Chimera’s head and the other crashing into the kaiju’s ribs. Chimera shook off the blows and responded with a fist to the scorpion man’s face. Chimera then spun around and used his thick tail to knock the scorpion man’s legs out from under him. With the scorpion man knocked down be
fore him, Chimera’s shoulders sagged forward and he maintained his position instead of pressing the attack on his downed foe.
Luke grabbed Diana by her shoulders, “That venom hurt him and he is cautious of engaging the scorpion man because he is afraid of being stung again.”
Ardan shook his head, “That scorpion man is a walking tank. The scorpion armor protects its arm and legs and those tablets protect its chest. Only its head, face, and back are vulnerable but for Chimera to get to them he has to get in range of that tail!”
Luke looked into Diana’s eyes, “The tablets! They gave Marduk the power to become the scorpion man! How do the tablets figure into Marduk’s mythology again?”
Diana closed her eyes to focus her thoughts, “Marduk was a relatively minor god until he gained possession of the tablets. They gave him the power to overthrow the previous god king and take his position.”
Luke looked over in the direction of the battling monsters as he shouted out his idea, “Ardan, I need you and your men to keep that scorpion man distracted for about one minute. Diana, I need you to come with me. We are going to teach Chimera how to beat that thing.” No one argued or asked questions. They all trusted Luke, especially when it came to Chimera. Ardan and the remaining members of SEAL Team Sigma jumped into their vehicle and Luke and Diana rode Jason into the city and toward the two monsters.
The scorpion man stood up and Chimera immediately charged and used his battering ram like face to smash into the tablets in the god-beasts chest. The blow sent the scorpion man sliding backward but the creature maintained its balance. The scorpion man moved back toward Chimera with his tail swinging back and forth behind him. Chimera took a half step back and he staggered as he did so. The shot of venom that was coursing through his veins continued to sap the kaiju’s strength. Chimera shook his head in an attempt to shake off the effects of the poison. The kaiju’s reflexes were inhibited and he was unable to react quickly when the scorpion man moved in on him and used his pincers to grab both of Chimera’s wrists. Chimera saw the stinger at the end of the scorpion man’s tail coming at him and, out of desperation, the kaiju unleashed another sonar blast into the scorpion man’s face. Once again the scorpion man convulsed and fell to his side. As the scorpion man convulsed on the ground, Chimera dropped to all fours as he continued to fight the effects of the venom.
Chimera: Scourge of the Gods: A Kaiju Thriller Page 16
