by R. L. Ullman
I GET CAUGHT IN A TUG OF WAR
“Um, what do you mean by worse than the Skelton?”
Despite my overactive imagination, I simply can’t fathom anything worse than the Skelton. From everything I’ve seen, the Skelton Emperor will do whatever it takes—and I mean what-ever it takes—to rule the universe. So, who could possibly be worse than that?
“That’s a Dhoom warship,” Gemini whispers, like it’s obvious to anyone with half a brain.
We’re now standing on the main bridge of the Ghost Ship, practically nose-to-nose with the most impressive spacecraft I’ve seen outside of a Star Wars movie. The ship is just enormous, fanning out from the center, its massive circular body dwarfing it’s smaller, spherical cockpit. Two thin wings extend out from the sides, seemingly going on for miles, every square inch covered by some weapon that’s pointed directly at us. The monolith drifts slowly forwards, closing in for the kill.
I wait for Gemini to clue me in further, but apparently, the fact that it’s a Dhoom warship seems to be explanation enough. “Sorry,” I say, “I know I’m the new guy here, but who exactly are the Dhoom again?”
“Seriously?” Gemini says. “Don’t they have schools on your planet? On Dhoom, there’s no government, no laws, no justice—the only currency is strength. Their entire society is split into fiefdoms, each ruled by a crime lord looking to expand his empire by conquering worlds and enslaving whole civilizations. To rise to power on Dhoom, you don’t ask, you take what you want.”
I suddenly wonder if Dog-Gone is part Dhoom?
“Okay,” I say. “I get that’s bad, but how are they worse than the Skelton?”
Gemini looks me square in the eyes. “If you’re captured by Skelton, they’ll kill you. If you’re captured by Dhoom, you’ll beg them to kill you. Is that clear?”
“Crystal,” I say.
“Scorpio!” calls a small girl wearing a red, scaled costume. She has black, spikey hair, and tiny, gill-like flaps on the sides of her neck that open and close. Based on the process of elimination, she must be Pisces. She pushes a few buttons at the controls and says, “We’re being hailed on communications frequency X12. They want to talk.”
“Open the channel,” Scorpio says grimly.
Suddenly, the image of a man appears on the monitor. The first thing I notice is his blue skin. Then, there’s his size. Even though he’s projecting from the chest up, I can tell by his thick neck and broad shoulders that he’s absolutely ginormous. Finally, there’s his yellow eyes with elliptical, almost cat-like pupils—which only grow larger when they land on me.
His lips curl into a disturbing smile, exposing razor sharp fangs. “What a pleasant surprise” he says. “I had thought you were just another smuggler ship violating interstellar trade laws. But it appears your cargo is far more valuable than I ever could have imagined.”
“Who are you?” Scorpio asks.
“My true name will hold no meaning for you,” the man says. “But, you will know me best as the Overlord.”
Gemini gasps. I catch the rest of the Zodiac shooting worried glances at one another.
Scorpio crosses his arms. “Yeah, we’ve heard of you. Now what do you want?”
“Originally, I wanted your ship, I haven’t seen many custom-builds like it,” the Overlord says. “But now I will take something of far greater value—the Orb Master. Only I thought he would be more … impressive.”
I sense this is going to be a theme.
“Transport him to my ship,” the Overlord continues, “and I will consider letting the rest of you live. You have one minute to decide.” Then, the communication cuts off and the screen goes blank.
Everyone turns my way.
Suddenly, I feel like the anchor on a hot air balloon.
“You’re not going to give me to that guy,” I say. “Are you?”
Gemini points at me. “Seize him!”
Before I can react, Taurus grabs my arms. I try pulling away, but she’s way too strong.
“Wait!” Leo says. “We can’t do it.”
“Listen to the monkey,” I plead. “He’s got good ideas.”
“You heard him,” Gemini says, pointing back to the screen. “That’s the Overlord! You know, the intergalactic crime boss of all crime bosses. The pirate that traffics illegal slaves across the universe. The torturer that experiments on beings for his own amusement. I say we dump this annoying kid now, before it’s too late.”
“Annoying is a little harsh,” I mutter. “Pesky, maybe, but annoying?”
“Listen,” Leo says. “If the Overlord gets his mitts on the Orb of Oblivion we’re as good as dead anyway. I know this isn’t popular, but this kid knows where the Orb is. If we just turn him over, then all of the universe is lost.”
“Leo’s right,” Scorpio says, stepping forward. “If we’re going to avenge our worlds, then we need to stand and fight.”
There’s a long moment of silence. It’s clearly tense.
Until, finally, Gemini relents. “Fine. We must fight for the lives we’ve lost.”
Reluctantly, Taurus lets me go.
Gemini turns towards me. “But, you do know where the Orb is, right? We’re counting on you.”
I look at their hopeful faces staring at me—like a gang of ragamuffins begging for a free meal. I feel bad. I mean, despite the odds, they’re actually willing to fight for me. Maybe even die for me. But, the truth is, I don’t have what they’re looking for.
The Orb is gone. Destroyed. Kaput.
I can’t let them risk their lives without knowing the truth. “So, here’s the funny thing. I … kind of … well, you might say, I … um … I …”
“What?” Gemini says impatiently. “You what?”
“Blew up the Orb with a Skelton Blood Bringer ship somewhere in outer space,” I finish quickly.
“What?” Taurus says.
“You idiot!” Gemini screams. “Do you know what you’ve done!”
“Well,” I answer, “it sort of seemed like a good idea at the time. I mean, I didn’t need the orb anymore, and I wanted to make sure those guys never returned to destroy Earth. So, I told the Orb to self-destruct.”
Gemini shakes her fist at me. “I’m gonna make you self-destruct!”
“Hold it,” Scorpio says. “You told the Orb of Oblivion to blow itself up?”
“Please, stop,” Gemini says, her head in her hands. “I’m losing brain cells every time he speaks.”
“The Overlord’s calling back!” Pisces yells from the helm. “We need a decision!”
Gemini looks at Scorpio, who looks at Leo, who shoots back an expression I can’t read.
“Patch him through,” Scorpio says.
Just then, the Overlord reappears. “So, have you chosen to live, or to die?”
Scorpio takes a deep breath.
Well, it was an interesting life while it lasted.
“Our sincere apologies, Overlord,” Scorpio says, “But we’ve decided to keep him.”
What? Really?
The Overlord smiles. “I was hoping you would say that. Prepare for landing.”
Suddenly, our ship jerks downward with incredible force. My feet leave the ground, and I slam hard into the ceiling. Instinctively, I curl into a ball, shielding myself from flying cabin equipment, flailing body parts, and a screeching chimpanzee.
It feels like we’re on a permanent downhill rollercoaster ride—pinned to the ceiling by unrelenting antigravity. Stars zip past the windshield, but I know we’re the ones moving at incredible speed. The Overlord must be forcing our ship down with some kind of propulsion beam! And when we land it’s not going to be—
CRASH!
The collision is bone-rattling!
We’re jolted from the ceiling back to the floor. My head bounces off something large and soft, which turns out to be Sagittarius’ rump.
Miraculously, everyone seems okay. Badly bruised, but okay.
“Quick,” Scorpio commands, “Activate your str
eam suits.”
I watch the team push the Zodiac symbols on their uniforms. Suddenly, they’re wrapped in a clear film that flexes in and out with their breathing.
Just then—with a loud POP—the Ghost Ship’s exterior hatch opens. But I’m not wearing a stream suit! If I can’t breathe in this atmosphere, I’ll die!
Something slaps me hard on my chest. I look down to find Pisces standing there, a disc attached to my costume. She smiles, and then pokes it.
Suddenly, I’m wrapped head-to-toe in a cellophane-like substance. I feel like a cucumber heading into the fridge, but at least I can breathe!
“Thanks,” I say.
“Just don’t die in it,” she says. “It costs a fortune to clean.”
Leo waves his dart gun at me, “Stay here and don’t do anything stupid.”
I follow orders as the Zodiac file out of the Ghost Ship, and close the hatch behind them.
The next thing I know, it sounds like World War III out there. The way the Ghost Ship is positioned, I can’t see any of the action, so I run through my options.
If the Overlord wins, I’ll become his captive, and based on what I’ve learned, that’s not a good thing. If the Zodiac win, I’m still their captive, but now they know I don’t have the Orb. So, that pretty much makes me expendable.
What to do?
Suddenly, I see a half-man, half-horse fly past the windshield. I scramble over to the hatch, throw it open, and peek outside.
The scene is pure crazy-town.
The Zodiac are standing back to back, trying to hold off hundreds of advancing Dhoom soldiers. I don’t see how this could possibly end well.
But what happens next shocks me.
Scorpio uses his tail to generate a massive bolt of energy, blasting a clear path through the heart of the enemy. Taurus pounds the earth with her giant fists, causing an earthquake that topples a battalion of soldiers. Leo is teleporting all over the place, punching out Dhoom warriors one by one. Pisces is flying gracefully through space, creating tornado-like dust storms that lift up dozens of soldiers and send them miles away.
And Gemini … well, let’s just say I do a double take. To my right is a ten-foot tall version of Gemini in red—and to my left is another ten-foot tall Gemini, but in blue!
The Zodiac have Meta-powers!
But, there’s way too many Dhoom to hold back. I see Pisces get nailed with a boulder, Taurus and Scorpio are quickly over-run, and Leo looks like he’s been captured. This is going south fast!
I should get out of here. I should figure out how to pilot the Ghost Ship and save myself. I don’t owe these guys anything. I mean, they kidnapped me!
“Help!,” Gemini cries.
The Overlord is standing over Blue Gemini, his arms folded across his chest, while she’s being pushed into the ground like there’s an anvil on top of her! Then I realize it wasn’t any propulsion beam that forced our ship down, it was the Overlord himself! He can manipulate gravity!
“Stop!” Red Gemini screams. But she’s captured by Dhoom soldiers, helpless to save her twin.
Despite everything that’s happened, I can’t run away when someone’s in trouble. I guess that’s why I’m petitioning so hard to be a superhero.
I jump from the hatch, and run towards the Overlord. “Release her!” I demand.
But the Overlord just stares at me with his electric eyes. “Ah,” he says, “the Orb Master finally shows himself. I know several customers who will pay quite handsomely for your hide—dead or alive. So, let’s end this, shall we?”
He raises his eyebrows, and Blue Gemini is pushed deeper into the ground! He’s going to bury her alive!
“No!” Red Gemini yells.
I haven’t used my powers around this many Metas since I messed up the mission with the Destruction Crew. I don’t want to accidently negate the Zodiac’s powers, but what other choice do I have? I focus deeply on the Overlord, and let my powers fly.
Suddenly, Blue Gemini emerges from the ground, and the Gemini twins hurtle towards one another, merging into one with violent force. Fused back together, Gemini collapses to the ground. I must have negated her powers! Which means I saved her, but I still don’t have control over my own powers.
The Overlord stares at his hands. “Impressive. You have eliminated my powers, but you have not eliminated me.”
He takes a step towards me, when he’s suddenly engulfed in a strange orange energy.
No way. Not again.
“What is this?” he says. “Release me!”
The energy lifts him off the ground.
“What is happeni—”
And then, just like Siphon, he’s gone!
I look around to find the Dhoom soldiers in shock.
I realize this is our chance. Maybe our only chance. I need to bluff like there’s no tomorrow!
“Let go of my friends!” I command. “I … I am the Orb Master! Release them, or I’ll do the same to you!”
Without their leader, the Dhoom look at one another, unsure if they should fight, or run.
I raise my arms threateningly. “Now!”
They push their Zodiac captives into the center.
I spin, pointing at them all. “Now return to your ship. Go!”
The Dhoom retreat, scrambling over one another to get back to their warship.
Gemini is still on the ground, breathing hard. “Thank you, Orb Master. You saved my life.”
“No problem,” I say. “And you can call me Epic Zero. Or Elliott if you want. I’m really not feeling the Orb Master thing.”
“Did you do that?” Gemini says, her eyes wide.
I could lie to her, but I’m not sure what that buys me. “No,” I say. “That wasn’t me. But I’ve seen it happen before. So that’s twice now.”
“So have we,” Scorpio says. “That’s how we lost Aries—our greatest fighter. He disappeared right before our eyes in that same strange energy.”
“Great,” I say, “so what the heck’s going on?”
Scorpio scratches his head. “I don’t know. But I may know someone who does.”
Gemini glares at him “No, Scorpio. He’s a madman.”
“I know” Scorpio says. “Which is exactly why he may have the answer.”
I HAVE QUITE A REPUTATION
You know it’s been a strange day when you’re hanging with a bunch of aliens, and you feel like the weird one.
After the Dhoom departed, Scorpio went right to work fixing the Ghost Ship. The good news is that despite our forced crash-landing on this nameless moon, the ship is salvageable. The bad news is that I still have no clue how to get back home.
I watch Scorpio detach cables from his body and plug them into different parts of the ship. It’s like he’s talking directly to the wiring itself! I bet TechnocRat wished he could do that.
I pick Scorpio’s brain as he works. He explains how the Ghost Ship is invisible to conventional radar. It’s designed to fly in ‘pocket space,’ which is a dimension of space that exists within traditional space, but is hidden from view. The only way I can get my mind around it is to think about Dog-Gone when he’s invisible, and there’s no trail of crumbs to track him down.
“I just can’t figure out how the Overlord found us,” Scorpio says. “We should have been undetectable.”
“Maybe it’s Leo,” I offer. “You guys ever give that chimp a bath? I don’t want to be rude, but he smells like—”
“Hey,” Scorpio interjects. “It happened right after you used your powers on me. Maybe when you negated my powers, you negated the cloaking powers of the Ghost Ship?”
I look at him skeptically. “How’s that possible? My powers only work on living things?”
“I don’t know,” Scorpio says. “But let me give it some thought. There has to be an answer.”
Speaking of answers, there’s one thing that’s been bugging me. How did the Zodiac find me in the first place? I mean, there are billions of people on Earth. Finding me had to be like
finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. I ask Scorpio the question, but he doesn’t give me a straight answer. All he says is to ask Leo. Then he tells me to get ready for lift-off.
Leo? Why Leo?
I climb inside the Ghost Ship. There’s no sign of Leo anywhere, so I hook myself in. After a few minutes, we take off.
I try to make sense of what’s happened. The Zodiac want the Orb of Oblivion to take down whoever’s responsible for destroying their worlds. But I don’t know anything about this guy, or how they planned to use the Orb once they had it. I look for someone to talk to, but everyone’s busy. Everyone, that is, except for Gemini.
She’s sitting in the corner with her head resting on her knees. She’s definitely had a rough time of it. But, if it wasn’t for me, she’d have lost half her body. So, I figure she’s my best bet. I unclick myself and make my way over.
“Hey,” I say, sitting down next to her.
“Hey,” she says. “Thanks again for saving me.”
“No problem. I’m sure you would’ve done the same for me.”
She looks at me, her eyebrows raised.
“Okay, maybe not. Look, I’ve got to be honest here. I have no clue what’s going on. I don’t know why you kidnapped me. I mean, I know you want the Orb of Oblivion, but why? What’s this all about?”
Gemini looks at me like I have three heads. “What’s this all about? Over 20 billion people lived on my world. They were artists, musicians, performers. All of them had the ability to split into two. Do you know what it’s like to hear the screams of 40 billion souls? That’s what this is all about.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” I say. “What I’m trying to find out is who did this to you? To all of you?”
“Ravager,” she says with disgust.
“Who’s Ravager?” I ask.
“Ravager is not a who, it’s a what—a giant, nebulous cosmic entity that consumes the life force of entire planets to sustain itself. It’s uncontrollable. Unstoppable. It travels across galaxies, and wipes out solar systems. It destroyed my world, and one day it will destroy yours too. Unless, of course, you can stop it.”
“Me?” I say, “How can I stop something that eats planets for breakfast?”
