STATION SIX (01) A Really Bad Day free porn video

*Letters * mean they're stressed. LetTers mean their tone of voice is raised. _Letters _ mean they're accented but not stressed. Members.home.net/dow75stories STATION SIX 01) A Really Bad Day: How Could Things Get Any Worse!? By Ron Dow75 [email protected] "HELP!! Somebody! Anybody! Help Meee!!!" a skinny young man in a uniform shirt ran at his top speed down a back alley, his arms and legs flailing the air. "Hey, pizza boy! You forgot your money!!" a slob wearing a 'By the Slice' tee shirt yelled after him; he was surprisingly fast for his size. "Yeah! Yer boss ain't gonna like yer comin' back with no money!" a little guy in 'Bulls' sweats added, his gap with the bigger creep narrowing. "Help!! Call 911! Call an ambulance! Call Anything!!!" "We gotta pay ya!! We want more deliveries!" "Some people got no consideration!" Near the end of the alley was a faintly shimmering distortion --" phenomenon the boy was just too preoccupied with other matters to notice. He ran into it. He disappeared! The two hoods tried to stop themselves before they, too, entered the twilight zone. The distortion returned the pizza boy. Along with a 13-foot tall, 26-foot long monster!!!??? The two thugs fell over themselves, coming to a full stop. "What in the--??" the boy wondered, standing fixed in a daze, staring at the back of the storefront. But it was the monster that seemed the most startled. The two dumbstruck punks lifted their heads from the tangle of their intertwined bodies to gape up at the terrifying giant. Bewildered, the boy looked around, and saw the pile of men to his right; he, then, followed their bug-eyed stares to what was just to his left. Shock rippled through the boy's body, as he brought his own gaze up, and over the massive shape: It's long, thick legs went up to its shoulders, while its human-sized arms came from beneath its swelling belly. On the palms were 'lips' --And there were 'lips' running under its dragon-like tail, too!! But most alien of all was that beneath its huge raptorish head (with its toothy beak, eight eyes, and inflated crest) was a smaller, mummy-headed worm on its dragon-plated front. The big head caught sight of the boy below it, and the two most animal of the eight eyes went wide: "GGGOH-rryea Zzehzzz!!" it bellowed, snapping its head back in horror. That did it for the jerks: "Geeyeeaa!!" "It's hungry!!" "Run for your life!!!" they cried, as the big one lifted the thrashing smaller thief up with him as he jumped to his own feet. "MONSTER!!!" they screamed, racing back up the alley, the smaller holdupman's feet running faster than his partner's, but not quite touching the ground most of the time. "HELP!! Somebody!! Anybody!! Help!!!" The reaction of the two'd snapped the boy out of his stupor. He kicked the thing in its 'ankle'. "What the *Hell *are you doing in MY body?!!" "Ggwahggg? Gyerrrzzz!!?" "Station 6! Station 6! Malfunction! Malfunction!" The monster looked up to the sky. "GgYARRzz!!" "Respond!! *All *your safeties can't be out!! Priority Override Gamma Gamma Epsilon Rho..." The small head on the belly moved. "Ngaw,ngardzat?" "Gyorr-gyeaaggh!!" the main head cried out in surprised revulsion. "It's about time you woke up!!" the boy told the worm. "Nger-kha?" the worm looked at the boy with its still (sideways leaning) sleepy eyes. Then it blinked itself awake. "Ngerr-ngorth-ha." "It's *Not *my fault!!" the frustrated boy yelled, as the monster's body lurched away, its arms trying to bring themselves to actually touch the slimy thing pasted to its body. "Ngrengjazz-kor." The boy winced at the racket coming from the big head, and, pressing a hand over an ear, he said to the smaller head, "Stop nagging me!! They only *Have *one head!" Shots rang out. The two goons'd returned: This time armed!! The main head roared, and the body turned to run away. "Hunh? Hey!! Come back here with my husband!!" the boy screamed, waving a fist at the idiot. "Monster!! Monster!!" "Get your guns!!" "A *Real *Monster!!" "Get your Uzi's!!" "A Real Honest-to--" "Get your *Bombs *!!!" The boy jumped, and grabbed hold of it by the tail. "Gotcha!" The monster stumbled forward, seemingly unused to the body it was in; and not knowing *what *to do with a tail! The boy hopped on the tail, and rode it as it swished and thumped, grasping on tightly to some of the warts that went all the way up to and onto the back of its head. "Stop! Stop! You're only making things worse!!" But he'd stuck his head up while he was ordering the big idiot; a bullet whizzed near his ear and cheek, and kissed his nose tip. "Move!! Move!! You want to get us bothkilled?!!" "Nnnglung-ha?!" protested the worm, sticking its wrinkled head up from under the root of the tail; it had squirmed rather quickly over the monster's low arms, leaving a trail of slime behind. "I'll kill you *myself *, if that'll make you Happy!!" "Ngergung-chkah!" In the meantime, they'd moved out to the sidewalk, where pedestrians'd stopped, gawked, or run out of their way (only to slow down to see if they'd seen what they thought they saw). The gunfire still following it, the monster blundered into the street. A car veered to avoid it; and nearly crashed head on into a 'Hip Hoppers' truck coming from the opposite direction. * * * * * The truck swerved, and went across the outer lane, causing the '_Pet Chauffeur' _limo-van to screech to a halt, just missing the truck, which jumped the curb. Inside the _'Hair Force' _salon, beauticians sprayed, pumped, and squeezed, and rinsed their formulas on their customers and themselves at the on-coming sight, and, then, as the truck crashed through the windowed wall, every body scrambled into shampoo sinks, potted plants, laps, and arms, or up onto display shelves that wouldn't hold them. (Smash!) Stopped, now, ignition off, the truck continued to move; it was like its engine was knocking: Seriously. The driver bailed out, just before the loading door burst open, and let loose hundreds of baseball-sized plastic balls with the trademarked 'Imps' inside. * * * * * The monster heard the commotion it was causing, and turned to see just what had happened. The tail he was riding on wheeling, the boy looked over his shoulder to where it was taking him. "Gack!" he cried, and then quickly clambered up the ladder or warts. "Station 6!! Station 6!! Recall! Recall!!!" The tail crashed through a buffet diner, sending its line of people ducking and running, its food flying and splattering, its cook ranting and raving. The two jerks came out of the alley shooting. "Can't you hit something *That *big?!!" " 'Don't see you--" That's when they were bombarded with dozens of bouncing balls; spoiling what poor aim they had. And it didn't help their nerves, either, to hear the shrapnel sounds the balls made as they broke flowerpots in front of a florist's display. The monster heard the report, and the warning the small head down below seemed to be yelling. The tail moved faster than the rest of the un-turning body, giving the boy on it no time to even catch his breath. The tail returned the way it'd come, coming out of the diner, and, only by accident, whomping the two assailants. Smack! Smack! * * * * * Small fry landed in an open produce stand; the melon section. Big fish landed on top of _'The Pet Chauffeur' _limo-van. Groaning as he slid off the roof, he tried to use the rear door handle to slow himself down. The door opened. Out came a macaw, a cockatoo, and two parakeets, two Dalmatian, a Scottish and Irish terrier, a Newfoundland and Labrador retriever, an English setter, spaniel puppies, and a toy poodle, which was pushed out by a macaque dressed in a cowboy outfit. Free, now, the pampered youngsters didn't know what to do. A few were curious about the animal with the human riding on it; but became distracted when they discovered the balls. But play was interrupted by the din of a flower cart crashing into an 'Audio Store' that sent the woofers yelping. The monkey was more interested in joining the human, and riding the big attraction. That was its job, after all! The toy poodle decided to follow the funny little human-thing. Seeing that it was safe enough, what with the big and little humans on it, the birds decided to land on it. They were soon joined by some pigeons. * * * * * Meanwhile, the chauffeur had locked the door, and was shaking and praying over the steering wheel. * * * * * The monster saw that the on-coming traffic'd become jammed for more than two blocks, with people panicking, making even more of a mess; some simply abandoned their vehicles. The balls only confused things further. Not realizing what'd happened to its pursuers, the creature lumbered on, knocking aside vehicles with its big feet and tail, crushing very few. Despite all this, the boy managed to get a more secure foot and hand hold on the warts of the lower back, all the while yelling, "Station 6: Translate!! Translate!!" "Ngang-riang-ahhnh!!" the worm said, at last up near the top of the tail's root, and relatively safe. (The monkey stuck its head close to it, and blinked.) "I *already *Tried that!!" The tail caved in a minivan, and took out two parking meters. * * * * * "Ah, unh-ung, wahunha!!" a man with dental implements in his mouth cried as he looked out the 2nd story window. "I've heard better. And that accent!" the dentists talked as she worked on the man. "You're luck if--" "Ooong-eh,, Nehha!!" the man did a sit-up, as he grabbed her left arm, and pointed out the window. The dentist's attention at last drawn to what was just outside, pushed the drill right into the headrest. "Nn-Gahh!" the man screamed. A ball broke through the window. * * * * * The monster ran its 'face' into one of the power lines that crossed the street: Right into the tender, inflated bag of its crest. "Snorshhh!!" Air was forced out of it. "Ooh, this is going to be bad," the boy said. "Ngi, ngerr." "Ch-heee?" The monster recovered from its surprise when it thought it might suffocate. It threw its head back (and the birds off) and opened its mouth, gasping for breath! The beaks, dripping now with the saliva from the nodes above the upper one, severed the power line, and tossed the ends. "Oh, No!!" the boy cried, sliding down to the crook of the tail (the worm squunched itself, and the monkey jumped down onto the boy's face) to keep from being touched by the line whipping down at them. "STATION 6!!!" "Gee, gee-oww!" the monkey protested. Dogs barked and yipped. "Snake! Snake!" the macaw warned. * * * * * People ran for cover inside the stores and whatever door they found, others simply ran. A street musician was like a deer in the headlights, his trumpet frozen to his lips. But, then, "Hey! Look out!!" he yelled at a businessman on a cell phone. He blew his horn at the distracted man. The man put his free hand to his free ear, and continued his conversation. "Some dope's just blowing his horn! Can't find any peace anywhere!" he said, running into the dangling line. It wasn't the live half. He pushed the thing aside. "Blackmail! Intruding on other people's ears!...." And he continued on his way, oblivious still. * * * * * C. or _'C. & P' _. Accounting'd just returned with his coffee, and was about to open his 2nd floor office door, when the lights went out. "Oh, great! It's bad enough its tax season, now this--! For two cents, I'd just--" he stopped his cursing, when he saw what was waiting for him inside: Fire?? A (still) live cable'd smashed through a window and smashed the monitor and the rest of his PC. Flames were spreading to the papers scattered all around the office. He looked up at the sprinklers. "Oh, that's right: I didn't want the water to ruin anything..." More than just paper suddenly began to combust. Only then did he flee: "Fire!! Fire!!" A ball bounced after him. * * * * * The power was off as far as the eye could see. "Suck it up, Idiot!! Suck it up!!" the boy yelled up at the moron he was hanging onto as best he could while trying to pull the little pest off his face. The worm extended itself within its glop, "Ngorr!!" it cried, springing its face at the humanoid. "Ga-eek!!" the macaque ran to higher ground on its steed. Loud ingressive snuffles could be heard, and seen as small bits of matter were drawn into the monster's lip-like suctions. All on board held on tight as a low rumbling built into a thundering crescendo from a huge hollow head cavity that rattled teeth and bone, window pane, and anything, everything else. Dogs and animals howled; and _'Oh, My Glass!' _lost its complete inventory. * * * * * * A little boy ran out of the store. "Johnny! Come back here!!" yelling over the diminishing noise, his mother chased after him, followed by his older brother. "Mommy! It's T-Rex! Just like on TV: T-Rex! T-Rex!!" "Johnny! You want it to eat you!??" She snatched him up into her arms. "That's no T-Rex, Dummy!" big brother told him. "Is Too! Is Too!!" Johnny told him back from within the mother's bear hug. "Is not!" "It's a tea-wrecks if he wants it to be one!" their mother told the older boy, rushing back into the store with the little one. Back at the door, she screamed, "JeffRey!!" "Shoot!" Jeffrey griped, reluctantly backing himself to the door. He paused as he held the door open, still wanting to se as much as he could get away with seeing. "There's a man riding the monster!" Mother, little brat in still in her arms, rushed back out of the _'Your Bath Spa' _, grabbing the other one as she went by him, dragging him with her, away from the three clerks and two other customers, and tide of perfumed foam (carrying a bunch of balls with them) out of the store thanks to the sprinkler system underneath the burning offices above. All of them were wet and covered with lather, of course. "I wanna ride T-Rex, too!" whined the little boy as his mother ran from her day of recreational shopping. (And dogs were sneezing and coughing from the suds up their snouts.) * * * * * "There's Baby!" 'Shorty' cried, running for the rifle half hidden beneath a car with the bumper sticker 'Live Free or Die, You SOB!'. He was covered with squash slime and seeds. "What!!? It bent you!!" he wailed. "I'll get you! I'll get you good, monster!!" he swore, putting the rifle up, and compensating as best he could for the bent barrel. "Makin' all that noise: Tryin' to scare us, hunh!? Well, I don't scare that easy!!" "Hold it, you!! This is the police!!" a man ordered from behind him. Balls washed over their feet. "No, No!! I gotta kill the monster!! I'll be a hero!!" he yelled, and started pulling the trigger. * * * * * "Great!! The police!!" the boy smiled, looking over his shoulder. "Gerrr-rah?!" the main head asked, finally able to look beyond its head congestion. Bang! "GGRoarrr!!" Animals protested the sharp noise as well. The monster was on the run again, lurching and stomping its way down the street, destroying more cars, parking meters, store windows and fronts than before in its haste. Not to mention dead power lines. "Nga-yadadao, Ngignahhh!" "I *Forgot *!!" the boy screamed at the annoying worm. "Ngerdah, ngangang-kor!" "You're a cop, Too!!" "Ngannang-gak!" "*You *failed the xentropology test! That's *Why *we're Cops!!" "Ngaga-ngagarrn!" * * * * * 'Shorty' had a bullet hole in his shoulder. "Why'd you shoot *Me *??!!* I*'m Not the monster!!" "So you say! Fred, cuff him, while I cover." Then, "Fred? Fred?!!" "M, m, mon, ster...!" "Of *course *there's a monster!! And its been spooked by *this *jackass!!" "Monster!" "Ah, Geez, Fred! At least get on the--" he'd taken his eyes off of the creep long enough for him to run. "Great balls of--. Fred, now look what you've done!!" the other officer said, getting back in the squad car. "I hope I don't regret saving the jerk's life," he said, as he picked up the radio mike. "Adam Two, here, Adam Two: This is an A-Red Emergency. I repeat: An A-Red Emergency, Code Fido. I'm at 7th and Dibble; 7th and Dibble! Rabid animal headed south--South! Populace already panicking." "Maveerah,rah, bmaffvap?" "No, I *don't *want to tell you what kind of animal it is!! But it's big! *Very *Big!!" * * * * * The humanoid looked down at the human climbing up after it. "Greek, gruh- ahhck?!" "Well?!! Why don't *you *help!??" the boy demanded of the worm. "Ngraagadda, Ngagiddng--!!?" "Okay, okay!! It is a disgusting thought. Just be ready to--" he winced as another dead line was snapped. "Ngazz, nglazz-darr!!" "I would, *if *Station 6'd respond to orders! Can't you see I have no weapons!?" "Ngaa-ngiang-anggraah?!" "I don't feel any! Maybe they're in the idiot's stomach! --Maybe it's up *yours *!!" "Nggyahh-ack!!?" * * * * * The tail swiped three parked Harleys. One flew through the 'College Book Store' display window: 'The Chase in the Movies'. * * * * * The other jumped onto an espresso cart, sending it speeding down the block. (And leaving a trail of snacks.) It jumped the curb, and bounced off of a bus backing up. The driver was desperate to get away from the sight in his rearview mirror, but had been unable to get past the cars in the street ahead that had all tried to U-turn at once. The cart got caught in the wheel well. How fast it jammed it, the driver and the passengers didn't bother to find out. They abandoned the bus--And ran! * * * * * The guy in a 'Wildcard' tee shirt got that much with his camcorder. "Whoa, ho!! Give me a 4 in _Modern Media _!" he said. He turned it away from the bus to the creature. "Not to mention an invitation to Japan!" And while he was taping the parade of monster, animals and the curious or stupid on-lookers still around: "Come back here and fight!! You can't get away from me!!" a short man, holding his bloodied shoulder, wearing _'Bulls' _sweats, was sort of taking up the rear. "Oh-ho, yeah! Ha, ha: Human interest!" the student said, turning to tap some of the true grit. He almost missed the traffic light coming down. "Symbolism!" Heightened by the surrealism of rolling sudsy balls. The camcorder followed the descent and partial dangling of the signal, letting the creature continue on its way. "If only the current was going: I'd love the F/X of seeing something crisp! Oh, yeah!" * * * * * The monster'd done it again: More worried about what was behind it, it hadn't paid enough attention to what was ahead of it. And what was ahead of it were streets blocked to it: A bus had backed over a peddler's cart, splintering it, putting its debris between the bus and an open moving van, with abandoned furniture around it. While behind the front of the bus was a jam of traffic so bad there was no room among the vehicles for even humans, except over the hoods for those who could squeeze out of their doors and were not trapped inside. Then there was the confusion of the balls its tail had accidentally swatted into action again. People and monster were trapped and rattled. * * * * * "Fantastic!" 'Wildcard' exclaimed, running past the creature so he could get a better view of the cars. "A statement of modern life: 'There's never enough off-ramps'!" * * * * * "Now will you stop this nonsense, and listen to me?!!" the boy cried up at the main head. He'd made it a third of the way up the ladder of warts, and was no resting his butt on one of the mesoplates in its back. "I can talk for you!! Just give me the time to--" "You stupid thrill-seeker!! Get down off that thing NOW!!" "What!??" the boy looked over his shoulder and down, and saw the police officer he'd cheered for just minutes ago. "Ngaa-gyaa-ha?" "*Not *now!" the boy told the worm. "I warned you, fella!!" the officer said, taking aim. He hesitated when he saw the young man move. But the guy only grabbed hold of something on the other side of the thing; and, he could tell by the monkey looking down on him below (and in the direction the dogs looked), the kid was just putting the thing's bulk between them. "Ahhh, Right. *Be *that way!" And he ran to the other side of the monster's back side, and set himself, ready to wound. What was that thing the guy was hanging off of!?? It had eyes!! Yuck! (And why weren't they slipping off of the slimy stuff?) "Shoot the monster!! Shoot the Monster!!!" 'Shorty' screamed at the cop, jumping on him. "Warroughh!!" the gun was knocked from the cop's hands. "Shoot the monster!...!!" 'Shorty' continued to demand, as he tried to leapfrog off of the cop, and onto the free gun (leaving a trail of blood and melon slime). * * * * * "Oh, man! Even police drama!" 'Wildcard' spoke, turning the camcorder to the two wrestling on the ground amid a gathering of dogs. "Action! Give me more action!!" he directed. * * * * * The monster saw a way out of the box it was in without having to tromp those around and approaching. Turning, it managed to lift its tail over the people and animals, but *not *high enough to keep from breaking through the windows of the bus. (Damn!! That thing was already feeling terribly bruised!) "Now what's that fool --I'm Slipping!!" "Ngaag-ngaak!!" the armless worm strained to help. But just as the boy slipped, he was first banged against the side of the colossal fool. Something exploded in his pocket! "Ngiazz, ngrack-zzdack!" "SO OK: I *did *have one!!!" the boy yelled at it, now that he and the worm were trapped in thick strands of what looked like webbing; strands of which 'tied' the boy to the worm. Slime oozed down towards him. * * * * * Down the other side of the street, more college-aged kids turned the far corner, slowing down only when they saw what they'd come running to see: "Look! Look!" "It *Is *real!!" "Wow...!" "A dream come true!" "Oh, wow!" "They *do *EXIST!" "My theory is right!" "Just like in the movies!" "It's *gotta *be an alien!" "Yeah! No mutant could look that ugly!!" "I think it's kinda cute." "You would!" "You're the weirdest girl I ever met!" * * * * * Before the monster, now, was a 2 and 1/3rd story bank with a triangular court on its street corner. *Its *corner was defined by a single 1 and 1/3rd story, concrete encased, steel column. To get to it, the monster had to splinter a _ "No Parking" _sign, bent a street sign, and flatten some newspaper boxes. Seeing where it was being carried, the little humanoid jumped down the thing to where it could leap to the safety of the ground. * * * * * Siren going, a police car took the far corner, and was forced to stop because of the group of people ahead of it, blocking the street. "Get off the street!! This is a police order!!" the bullhorn system amplified the female voice of the shotgun officer inside. "She's gotta be kidding!?" "Doesn't she realize the historic significance of- -" . "There's a rabid animal on the loose!! Let us through, and take cover!!" . "She's gotta be kidding!!?" "Aliens can't be rabid!" "You can't even catch a cold from them." . * * * * * The humanoid saw the toy the two humans on the ground were each trying to play with; it was like the ones that went with its outfit, only bigger. Being cute: That was its job. . "Ho, ho! A macaque! Animals always steal the show!" 'Wildcard' said, taping the homunculus making off with the gun the peace officer'd almost gotten over the body of the crazed man. . "Give it to me, fella. Give me the nasty gun..." he tried to coax the pest who'd stopped a few feet away to 'study' the toy. . "Shoot the monster!... Be a good monkey, and shoot the monster...!" . * * * * * The policewoman opened the door, and swung a foot out onto the street, he mike still in hand. "If you don't..." . She heard a trembling of the ground, and the rumbling of something like, a building(?) being demolished. . THAT building! . "Mother of Mercy." . * * * * * The concrete cracked, and chipped as the monster bent the column; and on its other side, the boy found himself being pressed against a stone blocks-and steel pipes _'The Solid Man' _statue in the bank's court. . If it wasn't for the webbing, the boy and worm could've been busted, just as the statue, too, was, as it gave way to the bulk and crazed strength of a jerk who was at the moment more concerned with protecting its inflated crest from the low 'ceiling' than giving any rational thought to why the Hell it was doing this stupid, logically unnecessary stunt! . "Nga, nga, ngrazzz!!!" the worm tried to tell the beast, as it was being dragged along the main body. . "I *can't *let go!! And I need Station 6 to help me turn this off!!" . "Ngagoor! Ngagoor! Ngagoor!" . * * * * * "Oh, yeah...! Classic! What's a monster movie without buildings being wrecked!?" 'Wildcard' extolled. "Go for it!! It's insured!" . * * * * * "Why didn't anybody bring the club camera!?" "It got stolen, remember?" "We can at least tape the news!" "Call Lopez!" "Get someone on the inter- -!!" "My betteries're dead!!" "Aw, geez!" "I got it --What's the number?!" "Lopez's got classes!" "Aw, geez!" "Well, Interrupt it!!!" . * * * * * Bang! . The macaque ran up 'Wildcard' and chittered in his ear. The dogs barked. Birds flapped. . "Ah, no! I missed it! Real violence!" But he could get the girl's reaction, as she stood with her five male friends. . * * * * * The brunette blinked at her shattered phone. . Then: "I'll Strangle anybody who shoots at me *again *!!!" . * * * * * "I won't let you get away, Monster!! I told you I wouldn't!!!" 'Shorty' ranted, attacking the monster by its tail. . The policeman retrieved his gun, and quickly brought it up towards the kook. . He almost fired before getting his proper aim, but then... . "Ah, why bother." And he watched as the jerk was flicked clear across the court, to slam into one of the 1 and 1/3rd story high windows that covered the 'front' of the bank. (WhoooomMmMmmm!!) . * * * * * Some of the stone blocks of '_The Solid Man' _statue broke, at last, off their pipes, and tumbled. . 'Shorty' scrabbled out of the way of one coming at him, only to be almost squashed by another. . 'Shorty' ended up trembling in the midst of the debris of stone blocks, concrete litter, and cathedral- sized Plexiglas shards. . A ball bounced off his head. . * * * * * When the monster 'emerged' from the building, the driver of the patrol car floored the gas, and took off in reverse, burning rubber, yanking his partner off her foot, and hanging from the hinging door for dear life. . He spun the car at the corner, pausing only for the gears to shift before taking off down the street as fast as the car allowed. . His partner found herself on her butt on the street, mike still in hand. . * * * * * Those that had bothered to look at them returned their attentions to the monster as it stepped on the steps towards the parking meters. "Our protectors." "They've seen too many monster movies." "Not enough." "At least they didn't go shooting at it." ("No. The monkey did.") " 'Just a matter of time." "True. True." "They'd *better *not!!" the girl swore, still ticked off. . * * * * * 'Shorty' saw the cop coming, and he looked around: There was the monster; and there was the wrecked ATM! . Still shaky, 'Shorty' stumbled over the rubble towards the money machine. "I can buy a new gun--a shoulder-mounted missile launcher!! Yeah, that'll get it!!" . * * * * * "What's that hanging off of the alien?" "A chrysalis?" "Maybe it's budding." "Maybe it's pearling." "It is: It's pearling a human!" . * * * * * 'Wildcard' ran past the monster, and focused on the policeman trying to reach the crook putting fistfuls of bills in his pockets. "Greed! *That's *something people can relate too! Gog and Magog!" "Ch-chee-terrah!" the monkey said. . * * * * * The monster moved onto the side street. The worm was riding low, almost at the idiot's tail, and the boy it was bound to was being paddle-balled by every move of the leg he was bouncing against. . The group came closer, pausing only to avoid a falling, but still dead, power line. "It's a *worm *that's got the guy." "Maybe it's going to *eat *him!" "Don't be stupid!" "Yeah!" "Aliens can't eat anything but other aliens!" "Yeah: Indigestion!" . The monster almost stepped on them, and the dogs that'd rushed to meet them, but lifted its clawed foot just in time, as they got out of its way; the girl shooed the slower animals. . It staggered a bit, before throwing its weight forward, and stumbling forward. . The group tried its best to keep up with it. "Maybe the worm's the *brain *!" "Yeah!" "It uses the big one for its hands and feet!" "Maybe you're right. The big one certainly doesn't seem too bright." "Nga-n-gagjad, ngrad!" the worm agreed. . "Did it just talk?!" " 'Doesn't really sound complex enough." "Maybe it uses sounds we can't hear, like ultra-audio. Or perhaps subtleties...?" "The Smother's Theory!" . "Nganng, doh!" . * * * * * 'Shorty' got a couple of yards before he was blocked by the first of the cars blocking the whole block, and the block behind that. But if he went-- He slipped on a ball. . He fell. . As he was getting up, using a car door handle, he heard: "Alright: You're under arrest!" . 'Shorty' looked up at the cop with the gun. "Why are you after Me!!?? Why Aren't you doin' somethin' about the Monster?!!" . " 'You kidding!? Crooks *I *understand! Idiots I can *deal *with!" . His adrenalin and blood low, 'Shorty' sank back to the ground, ready to give up. . * * * * * "Busted!" 'Wildcard' said, getting it all on zoom. . The macaque got down from him, having become interested in the humans going with the big thing. (As had the dogs with nowhere better to go.) . * * * * * The monster only stopped when it squashed a parked car. In trying to keep itself upright, it finally found a use for the tail, as it sucked its suctions to the pavement to keep from toppling. . And, so, they all came to a stop in front of the _'TVs and MORE' _store. . "Oh, you Poor thing!" the girl said, rushing up to its legs, and spread her arms over one. "Are you hurt?! Do the bad humans frighten you?" . "Are you okay in there?" the guy built like a tackler asked the guy inside the web sack. . "Yeah. I'm okay." But he looked like he was tightly wrapped. The alien brain was inching up the dinosauroid, lifting the boy with it. . "Anything I can do for you?" . "No." But he sounded as if he was having a little trouble breathing. . 'Tackler' tested the web, while the boy told him, "There's nothing you can do; it's a molecular cohesion." . That stopped the two having a discussion over theories. "Hunh!?" "Molecular...?!" They hurried up to the guy. "Is that *true *?!!" Is this really a cocoon??!" 'Tackler' now turned his attention to his friends. . (The fourth guy was busy counting his steps, and then taking a rough survey of the alien species, using his hands as his measuring tools, and mumbling calculations while using mnemonic tricks before making notes and sketches in his notebook.) . "Ca, coon...? It's a molecular cohesive." . "Wow...!" "What's its operating principle?!! It can't be anything simple!" "Yeah!" "Not mechanical, chemical. Did you see what the alien used?!" the short, pudgy guy asked, wishing his monitor/glasses were sensors rather than 3D computer screens. . "No," the boy in the pizza shirt said as he came, upside down, off of the ground. The web'd been pulled by the worm as it'd inched up the flanks of its ride. The sounds it'd been making were probably grunts. (Mixed, probably, with some choice ET cursing.) . "Nanites!!" And 'Glasses's' 'Echo' agreed for the wonder of it, "Oh, wow!!" . "Humans know about nanites??" . "HO-ly Holograms!! Did you hear *That *?!!" "Yeah: 'Humans'!" "He's an alien, too!" 'Tackle' looked at his hands, "I touched one...!" . Feeling totally frustrated, the boy cried, "Do I *Look *like an Alien!!?" . "No Roswell. ...Poor bone structure," 'Wildcard' said, putting his camcorder in the guy's face. . "That doesn't mean a thing." "Yeah: Extraterrestrials always want to look like Earthlings." A dog sniffed the human getting all the attention. The web had a strange 'nonsmell' about it. . "And if you have cocoons, who knows *what *you are capable of!!" 'Glasses' illuminated, before petting the dog staring at *him *. . "Gnag, grenak!!" the monster tried to tell them. . "Cocoons!?" the girl exclaimed. "If you can pull a body apart and put it back together again, why'd you let this poor creature suffer?! You could've at least let it *look *like a horse!!" The 'poor creature' shook its head violently: It definitely did Not like that idea At All! . "A horse in the city?" 'Wildcard' said. "That would be a hansom sight, indeed!" . "It doesn't Work that way!!" the boy screamed. The worm could only pant. . "He's right. If he has nanites, why can't he have a teleporter?" "It'd certainly be more efficient. Quicker, too!" "But they only move the atoms to different locations." "Not if they use a trace --Or a Template!" "Wow! Oh, Wow!! *Then *you could turn anybody into Anything!!" The monster nodded its massive head. "Nn'ghaah! Gnnahzz!!" "There, there..." soothed the girl, caressing its rough hide. . "Right: Legitimate, *Science *fiction-endorsed, real, true, Ma-gic!!" 'Glasses' gloried. . "How did they jump to those conclusions so quickly?!! Don't humans have *Any *sense!!?" . "Most don't," the girl said, petting her alien steed, trying to calm it down. The macaque jumped on the big thing to be near the nice humanoid. . * * * * * Negotiating the first block wrecked by the monster (now threatened with fires) was a limo. A quite handsome college-aged man was standing with his head and elbows out of its sunroof. He was yelling into his cell phone, "What kind of news department do you have!!? ... I don't care *how *it got in the middle of town without anybody seeing it: It could've been dropped by a flying saucer for all I care!! Just get scrambling!! The amateurs are getting *all *the footage!! The idea is for other outlets to buy *our *footage!!" . He turned the phone off. "Incompetents! Why did Dad buy the station anyway, Macelroy? Don't answer that: Just get as much as you can!" he told his chauffeur through the transceiver in his left ear. . "It's a good thing you had cameras installed in the limo," Macelroy complemented his employer through his glove-activated transceiver. "All angles, too." . "I have cameras *everywhere *I go. One must be prepared, you know," he smiled, causing his teeth and eyes to glint. . * * * * * While at the other end of the block, any of the people who were gathering to stare and might've thought about joining those closer to the monster were put off by the sounds coming from the other end of the side street. . * * * * * Yells, whistles, hoots, toots, and honks could be heard, but not seen, getting louder as they came up the street the other police car'd retreated by. The caravan pf vehicles careened around the corner, and just missed the policewoman, still sitting on the ground holding the useless microphone. The dogs barked; the monkey yowled. "Time to interrupt the dialog with a little action," 'Wildcard' said. "The counterpoint has arrived!" . The first of them used to be a lunch wagon in its previous life; now, it was the 'Eta Iota Chi Party Schooner!!'. It had people hanging out of the front door, back door, and the open counter window. Most were holding or drinking from containers of all sorts and sizes, most large. . Even as the 'schooner' slowed down, people were jumping off of it, and weaving towards the curiosity. Dogs sniffed, and backed away. . "Woo-wee!! Is that thing U-ugh,leee!!" "Eww! It is!" "And Stupid!!" "I seen much better!" "Remember Ogror?! *That *was a monster!!" "Four stories tall!" "This ain't even two!" "You're right! Some monster this is!" the unofficial leader came swaying near it. "What do you think, Babe?" "I don't *like *monsters," the false-blond blonde said, staying close behind him. . "Look at it! It lets animals and people up to it!" . The monster lowered its head towards the creep. "Grr-Nunffv!!" . "Don't snort that trunk at me!!" . "Leave it alone!" the girl told him, wanting to shield her find from the beast. . "Why should I?" he smiled, moving closer to her and it, a squeeze bottle in hand. "Conflict," 'Wildcard' said. . "Because its owner will judge us--And all of humanity--by how well it is treated!" the short, pudgy leader of the first group spoke up. . "Well: If it's not the Sci-Fi geeks!" the tall, lanky frat rat said. . "Actually, the SFF." "Challenge confirmed," 'Wildcard' continued his commentary. . "Crap is crap. Why should I believe it has any spacey 'owners' ?!" . "Because...." 'Glasses' smiled, "One of them is right here!!" And he moved aside, to reveal the boy, hanging upside down off of the flank of the thing. "Trump card," 'Wildcard' said. . 'Lank' burst into laughter; the others of his part quickly got the joke. And so did the alien boy (Oh, great). "This is an example of your 'Super- intelligences from galaxy-spanning civilizations' that we're suppose to be nice- nice to!!?" "Gerrr, Grrahh!" "Ngah, ngah." . "It *is *funny," 'Babe' agreed, losing a lot of her trepidation, while the SFF's spirits deflated. "Trump trumped." . "Why must it hurt you to be nice to anything?!" the girl said, petting the part of the beast she could reach. It liked that, it seemed. . "Don't say that; I Always want to be nice!" "Yeya! Show 'em how nice and friendly we all are!!!" squealed 'Babe', as 'Lank' spritzed the enmeshed boy. . Parts of the web dissolved. The boy's arm slumped out, to dangle limply. "I was wondering how the alien boy'd be extricated from this little plot snag," 'Wildcard' said. . "Nanites get drunk??" 'Tackle' wondered. . "You hear that, revelers?!!" 'Lank' yelled, turning to his entourage. "Break out a keg!! We've got another worshiper for Lord Bacchus!!" . "Stupid nanites," the boy said, his head crooked in an uncomfortable position, the frayed ends of the web cutting across his cheek. . "Of course!!" 'Glasses' cried. "They'd *have *to be!! Independent microbial robots would be an unstoppable plague! Nothing on Earth would be safe!!" "Yeah: Central control's the only way!" "A SuperBrain!" "Ga Gurraah??" . "From super ants to super queen," 'Wildcard' noted. . "One NOT doing its job!!!" 'Glasses' realized. He grasped the web ("Nngrenng-ga!!" the worm protested), and shoved his face at the alien boy's: "What's wrong with it?!!" "Crash?!" "Trapped in irrational computations?!" . "Oh, I hope so," the boy said. A shudder went through him. . Suds splashed over him, drenching him from a knocked open tap. The SFF yelled, getting away from the splatter; the frats and company cheered. "Nggatt,tta,tt!!" The worm, then, retreated up the creature; the monkey had similar comments. . "Let's not forget to be kind to animals!!" some frat yelled, pointing the keg upward. "Animals are people, too, you know!!" cried another, contributing her share of alcohol. "The more the merrier!!" "And it's certainly more'n anything I ever saw!!" "Ggroaarrggg!!!" "No excess in moderation," 'Wildcard' said, still taping. . "Stop it!!!" the boy ordered. "You'll get me --HER(!) A rash!!" And the animal certainly didn't like the brew showering its surface, only its concern for the girl still keeping to its leg kept it from lifting that leg, and getting away from the toxic brew. "Stop it!! Stop, you frat brat jerks!!!" the doused girl screamed, refusing to move away. . "Cut it out!! Cut!! Cut!!" a well-dressed man their age ordered, jumping from the roof of a limo. "What *are *you buffoons think you're doing?! My first shot of the monster, and what do I see: A bunch of lame-brained *Slackers *'toasting' it as if were one of their pathetic mascots: how am *I *going to sell That on the international market!?" "Different POV; same triangle," 'Wildcard' said to his camcorder. . "Who the Hell are you??!" 'Lank' smirked at the surprise guest 'star'. "Grrah?!" . "No names! No autographs!" he said, waving them off. . "Ooo! A celebrity!" 'Babe' cooed. "So handsome, too. Just the way a celebrity should be." He smiled a bright, gleaming smile for her, and anybody else who wanted to be impressed. . That got to 'Lank': "Your autograph's gotta be worth Nothing--compared to *His *!" "Ego attacks," 'Wildcard' did the color. . "What?" 'Handsome' said, unable to believe the words, as he looked at the soaked boy on the ground the fellow was pointing at. He, like the others, reeked of cheap beer. . "It's true, Honey. He's a fer real extra-terrestry-al!" 'Babe' reported. . "Oh, no! He won't do. Who'd believe him in *that *role?" . "You're much more out of this world! Is that your Daddy's limo?" . " 'Daddy's deceased, I'm afraid." . "O-oh! That's too bad," 'Babe' swooned. . * * * * * With air traffic over one channel, the pilot of the _'W-4' _helicopter talked over another. "It's crowded up here, TVHead. We've got a cop copter, and a DOT, too! Not to mention our esteemed competitors' planes." . "I can see from the pictures you're sending back why: Traffic's a mess in the college district. Even the pedestrians are jamming! --Both ways, too!" . "Of course they are; there's a monster on the loose, isn't there?" the pilot chuckled. "Though, something did do a number on that street! Want me to get lower? I'm sure I can get you better shots. . "Yeah: With all those eyes up there with you? We're suppose to be monster hunting. We can't find any on the feed; how about you?" . "Negatory. Must be hidden behind some buildings, or whatever." . "Can't be as big as the calls say. (Good images, by the way.)" . "It's no Ogror." . "Certainly isn't. Ah, it seems we're finally got a coherent confirmation..." she said, sounding like she wasn't taking this any more seriously than the pilot. "Ives and Seventh. Think you can find it, Hot Shot?" . "Who's the one grounded, landlubber?" the pilot bantered back, while running his finger down his map. . "Oh: Guess who'll be waiting for you," TVHead said. . "Oh, no..." he groaned. "What about the other one?" . "No word, yet. Good luck." . * * * * * 'Handsome' leaned over the boy, studying him. "Can you peel your head open like a banana? Balloon your eyes out your nose? Spew lime jell? Can you at least change color?!" The frats wanted to see those, too. And they had some more suggestions, as well. . The boy rose off his knee. "What kind of Xenian does anything like That!!?" his hands were fists. . " 'Xenian'?" 'Handsome' backed away from the smell. "That's not even a salable name!" . "Ngrreng'kor! Ngavv-errl!" "I agree," 'Wildcard' said. . "Now, *There's *and Alien!! Marvelous!" 'Handsome' said about the worm. "What kind of tricks can it do?" . "Nggrraa-gor-gggree!!" the worm tried to get at the human without touching any of the still damp and frothy flank of its ride. (The macaque, meanwhile, was sampling the wet stuff.) "Humans," said the boy. And 'Wildcard' confirmed, "Humans." . "You've got the wrong idea!!" 'Glasses' had enough of the nonsense. . "Yeah: This is serious!" 'Echo' said. "He's lost control of his space ship!!" 'Tackle' said. . "Hmm. 'Mutiny'. 'Marooned on an island in space! Forced to adopt the ways of the 'natives'--" . "I mean(!) his ship is Out of control!! Who knows What it could do!!" "Ggrra-Hharr!" . "Now, there's an interesting angle. Will this space ship run amok, destroying at random?" "Destroy the world!? Ooo, that is bad," 'Babe' cringed nearer to her new man. Those frats starting to believe agreed with her. . "Station 6 is Not anything as simple as a Space Ship!!" the boy yelled. . "Not a space ship!?" 'Glasses' cried. "Ggraa?!!" "Prestidigitation," 'Wildcard' said. . "Look what you've done," the girl told the alien boy. "You've set the him off again." . "A city in space!! --With who knows How many alien races! Maybe from all Parts of the galaxy. All joined together to--" "Misfire," 'Wildcard' said. . "Will someone shut him up!!" 'Lank' cried. "Yes. Please!" 'Handsome' said. "If he can't contribute anything original..." . In the meantime, there were something a little odd about what was on the TVs behind them in _'TVs and MORE' _. . * * * * * Over the other channels there was excited chatter, everybody talking at once. . "HOL...!!" . "Sky-4!! Sky-4!! We've lost your picture!!" . "What!!?? You're not getting this?!!" . "What?!! What is it?!! All we're getting is some soap operas!" . "Wait...--that's what the others up here are saying: Their feeds aren't being received either!! It happened the moment they got a look at the monster!!" . "Monster!!? It's *real *?!!" . "*And *captured!! By His High-and-Might-ness himself, no less!! He and a horde of college kids--All without any weapons I can see!!" . "Get me that sat-link, NOW!!!" TVHead started crisis mode among her crew back at the station. "Get me the right feed!! How can we have news without pictures!!?" she yelled. . * * * * * "No, I guess not," 'Glasses' said, coming down from his high. "Everybody on board a space station'd be working to get it under control. They'd probably even be willing to self-destruct, since they'd end up dead anyway." . "Now, there's a concept that's been done." . "What kind of safeties does your Station 6--" . The people behind them yelled and some screamed, as they ran, pulling others with them. . All eyes turned to sound of squealing wheels, dogs barked, and the monkey curlooed. An _'Animal Control' _truck'd taken the corner behind them on two wheels! . People, dogs, and monster ran. The girl ran after her creature. . The monster quickly came to the haphazardly parked frat vehicles that ran across the street. It looked at the on-coming vehicle. If it had to.... . * * * * * "Macelroy!" 'Handsome' ordered. . "Already there!" came the reply in his ear: And something was shot from the undercarriage of the limo. . That seemed to explode under the _'Animal Control' _truck. . It stopped it very abruptly. Only yards from the beast, and the girl. The rear axle'd been torn loose. . The everybody clapped, and whistled. The scattered crowd was reforming; with more new spectators joining them. . "Don't run!! Don't show them you're afraid!!" the girl cried, catching up with her poor creature. "They're looking for an excuse to hunt you!!" She did her best to give its thick leg a reassuring embrace. "I'll protect you. --Every animal rights group in the world will be there for you!!" she fought back her tears. . "Ooo! That was so resourceful of you!!" 'Babe' beamed, hugging one of 'Handsome's' well-toned arms. . " 'Just a security option. The computer sends a magnetic grapple that seizes the axle," he informed her, making no effort to free his arm. . 'Lank' was furious, but knew he had no claim on her. He had wanted it that way. . The scenes on the TVs changed. . * * * * * "Have you broken out the emergency camera?!" TVHead asked. . "Yes! It's going to make it harder to fly this thing!! You'll be getting the bill if I crash!! I've only been flying for two years, you know!!" . "Just get what you *can *!! We've not sure if the mounted camera's operating properly or not, and we want to make sure we get *something *!!" . "Yeah, the Big Cheese won't like his big moment not being on TV!! So what if I--" . "Shut up!!! We're sending our TV vans out to back you up! Just get enough to make a spot!! All we're getting back here, now, are commercials!!" . "I thought that's what you're *suppose *to get on TV," the pilot muttered, looking at the camcorder. It was one you could walk into a store and get; but *he *was a pilot!! What did he know about cameras? Mounted ones, attached to helicopters, yes, but... . He figured out how to open the viewfinder; glancing up, out of the canopy, he brought it to his view of the scene below. He pulled the trigger, and- . Some fool hang-glider was coming down on him!! . He pulled up, up and away, dropping the camera. . * * * * * The frats swarmed around the animal control truck, and a couple of them competed to see which'd be the one to open the door, and drag the jerk from the cab. "Get him!!" "He coulda gotten us good!!" "Give it to him good!!" "A good going over'll do him good!!" "It'd do me good!!" . It was some big slob in a _'By the Slice' _shirt. "Let go of me, you no good drunks!! Are you on the monster's Side?!!" he struggled. "For the Good of us humans, we've got to--" . "Hang-glider!! Police: We *order *you Away from the assembly--"-way from the Crea,ture!!" one of the police helicopters blared from above. "You could cause a stampede: People could be hurt!!" . * * * * * Sure enough: There was a red-white-and-blue, odd-looking, hang-glider descending towards them. . As if in response to the order, it arced over the creature's head, and, its buzzing rising, swooshed up steeply, until those sounds had been masked by those of the whirlybirds'. Solar panels could be seen on its rather short wings. . But then it returned at an angle most thought was too sharp to be natural. It had a motor, an air-blower of some sort, judging by the fluttering of the flyer's long red hair sprouting from beneath her helmet, and the flapping of the back of the loose outfit. . "Look: It's a woman!!" a frat cried, pointing at the shape of the body revealed by the whipping clothes. "Oh, ye-ah!! It's *definitely *a woman!!" another confirmed, noting the special chest harness she had. "Is she wearing makeup?" a third squinted, making out bright red lips, ruddy cheekbones and something on her eyelids behind the goggles. . She dove below the creature's head (which watched her actions intently, along with nearly everybody else), before heading towards the sky again, getting so close you'd think she was planning to reach our and touch it with one of the hand control Velcroed to her gloves. . "Consider yourself under arrest, flyboy!! Get away from that thing, you damned idiot before you panic it!! Lives are at stake!!" the police told the flyer of the ultimate in ultralights. "And you people down there: Move away from the creature!! Slowly! Don't spook it!! But..." . "NO!!!" the girl practically screamed, as she threw herself on her beast. "They want to shoot it!!" . The people cheered when they saw the flyer free her feet, and make like she intended to land on top of the building-sized creature. . "Damned Public!! Try to look after them, and what do you get?!" the policeman spoke over the p.a. before remembering to cut it off. . The monster watched her descend on it. It was hemmed in. It thought about shaking her off. The buzz from the bolas at the corners of her kite certainly tempted it to. They reminded him of the annoying sounds of houseflies. . The woman landed beside its trunk as gracefully as a ballerina. Her audience applauded. The birds were back, too. . One of those applauding was 'Glasses'. "She's absolutely wonderful." 'Echo' and 'Tackle' were startled by their leader's lack of indignation. Their 'Brain' had turned to mush. . Unzipping her front, she pulled out a flag (a pattern of white stars, each with a rising red tail, on a blue field). She held it up to the breeze, and declared. "I claim thee in the name of _Constellation, Ltd. _!!" . "What audacity!! What panache!!" 'Glasses' cried, to the dismay of his friends. "A woman with her mind on the future!!" . Recovering from her surprise, the girl screamed, "You can't claim it!! It doesn't belong to you!!" She finally moved: Far enough to get an angry glare up at the woman. . "Does it belong to you?" the woman spoke down to her. . "Of course not!! It's a living being: You can't treat it like a piece of property!!" . "Not unless you try!" the woman smiled, triumphant. . Again the programming of the TVs changed. . * * * * * "I haven't got *Time *for any journalism professor!!" the woman at TVHeadQuarters yelled at the intruder in her control room. She and her crew had the guts of their boards exposed, trying to stumble upon *any *fix to their problem. "Damn!! There's that blasted do-it-yourself show again!!" . "We're not *even *Set up to get this sat-feed!!" one of the technicians cried out in frustration. . "This guy says he can microwave you video of the monster!!" a gofer told TVHead from the open door. . "He can?!! Is our system still up?!!" . "Everything's spec. Except for anything that goes near that monster!!" "Or on the air," the second tech said. . "Right!! A shake down, then. But ratings are ratings. What line?!" . * * * * * "Julie!! What do you think you're up to, now?!!" yelled 'Handsome'. "You know her?" 'Babe' asked when he'd slipped out of her clutch. "Please, no," 'Glasses' prayed. . The woman on top of the monster looked down on him. "Well. If it *isn't *my 'lit,Tle brother'." More than one person went, "Brother!!?" "Wouldn't you know it," said the girl. . "I am *Not *you Brother!!" . "I'm glad you admit it. Now, tell Wexler, 'Little Brother'." . "Stop calling me that: I'm only 13 days younger!!" . "Only 13 days!?" " 'Sounds like one warped family to me." "Not her brother, hunh?" 'Lank' said. "I wonder just how 'warped' they are." . 'Handsome' heard the building speculation, and knew where it was leading, "Now, look what you've done, Julie!!" . "I'm not talking to you any more," she turned her face from him, and running her arm under her long hair, flipped it. "Not until you call me by my proper name." . "I *Refuse *to call you by that ridiculous name you made up!!" he screamed. . The TVs had a totally different kind of subject matter, now. . * * * * * "Okay: Standard stringer fee," TVHead agreed into the phone. "And credit for your journalism class. ..." . "Flintstones..., Jetsons..., Addams Family..., Droopy Dog..., Bugs Bunny -- What s this, a promo for the Cartoon Channel?" the second tech said, looking at his screens. . TVHead bit back her growl as she put her hand over the receiver. Couldn't those idiots see she was negotiating here! What kind of outfit would the prof think they were if- . "What kind of cartoons are these?" . "Japanese." . " 'Look better'n our junk." . She turned her back to them, and hunched over the phone: "All right. I understand: You've sent your class out to get more footage. The same deal for any we use. ...What!!? Resale rights?!!" . * * * * * Resting his head on the palm of his arm that was leaning its elbow against a telephone pole, 'Wildcard' said to the alien boy he was still shooting, "You're not as dumb as you look; your little distraction worked. So, the world's going to be destroyed?" . "If we're lucky." . "Not dumb, but too damned honest." . "It's this brain I have to use!!" he cried, grabbing his human head. "You're all so weird and twisted!! It takes all my wits just to keep my Sanity!!" . "Hey, we have at least 5 brains inside us, and they don't always agree with each other, let alone outsiders. Now, are you going to tell me what you mean by 'if we're lucky'?" . * * * * * "What!?" the flyer startled. "Oh," she said, looking at the thing by her leg. "A monkey." . "Are you going to claim *him *, too?!" the girl said. . "Why? I've got this," she said, tapping the creature beneath her foot. . That did it: The monster felt like a monster! It shook its head. The birds flew. . The macaque skittered down, to bound into the girl's arms. . The flyer just turned on her motor, and, through some skillful operating of her control surfaces, managed to stay close to and unphased by the creature's actions. The people applauded her yet again. "What poise; what nerve!! She's fabulous!" 'Glasses' adored, while 'Handsome' seethed. Sirens could be heard. . The monster reared its head, making belling snaps with its sharp beaks. The audience squealed. . Damn! She called its bluff: She was landing on a teeth-like beak. . But she slipped on the spit that seeped from the nodes around the top beak. "Yuck!!" . She fell. The audience gasped. . She fell like a leaf: Backward, the kite billowed up, and she went up; her momentum lessening, she went nose first down; she took in one of the wings, rolling herself over; she had just enough time, now, to rev her motor, pushing her towards the ground. She got her tail down just in time; cutting the motor, she pushed up: To slow herself to a halt by a short jog. . The audience exploded in cheers. . * * * * * The sirens were approaching. . "So: If you don't talk, you don't spill the beans," 'Wildcard' said, still having the alien boy in his sights. "Okay... 'Bigger than a breadbox'. Hmmm, what is the stupidest thing imaginable --Oh, no. You're not *that *stupid, are you?" . The alien boy kept his silence. But, 'Wildcard' noted, aliens could sweat. And it was from more than just trying to control his borrowed tongue. . "Maybe you are." 'Wildcard' leaned against the pole with his shoulder. "Was it Oppenheimer who said, 'There's enough energy in an apple seed...'." He pointed the camcorder at the imaginary seed between the fingers of his free hand. . "But, then, what is a kernel of life?" he said, bringing his fingers to 'hold' something else: "Compared to the bright idea of a light bulb?" Damn! He *did *get a reaction: He was right. Unless the alien just hadn't mastered his host's body. . 'Wildcard' dropped his hand, and leaned his head back against the pole. "But, then again, life is a parasite, isn't it? It is inevitable it'd destroy its host..." The noise was becoming more insistent. . "It's not *Us *!!!" the boy cried out in whatever his 'patriotism' was called. . "*Worse *!" 'Wildcard' was having to raise his voice to be heard. "It's one thing to let us have our atomic toys--But to let *Humans *play with the ultimate energy source!!?" . "*_Ultimate Energy Source *_!!?" the fourth SFF member cried out, suddenly taking an interest in something other than his computations and suppositions and sketches. He got closer to them. "Is it true?!! Do we have the technology to tap into space-time particles?!!" The wail of the siren, the blare of the horns, and the clanging of the bells became just too much; the dogs howled, the monkey yelled, and the birds squawked. . " 'My Daughter Wants to be a Father!' --Our topic today on--" . The talk show host was interrupted by, "We bring you a W-4 News Special", followed by a newsreader. "This is why your regular viewing has been interrupted: It is connected to a monster that has been seen wrecking a section of the College District! This is *not *a hoax!" And her picture was replaced by clips from some beauty pageants! "Through great difficulty, W-4 can now bring you our exclusive pictures showing this misshapen creature's path of destruction..." . * * * * * The noises from the fire trucks'd eased, as they slowed and braked to a halt: Right on the other side of the 'barricade' of frat vehicles. . On the lead truck, the guy half out of the open door of the passenger side, stood up on the running board enough to stick his head out of the open window. "It's true!!" said the white haired man in a "Fire Commander" helmet and a bemedaled dress uniform. "Just like in the movies I grew up with: A Monster!! . "Okay: Whoever owns these vehicles have one minute to move them--Or Betsy'll move them herself!!" . From the college campus behind him could be seen the arrival of the journalism class, bringing with them more curious spectators. And the people of the area'd also started to reverse their flight; rumor had swept back to them that the thing'd been tamed. . "It is *Not *a monster!!!" the girl screamed. "See how gentle it is?!! You have no right to--" Others voiced their agreement. Newcomers were glad to hear that. . "Sir! This creature is *mine *!! If you have any--" the 'Flygirl' stepped forward. More of the on-lookers agreed with her. The newcomers strained to get a better look at the person who'd own something like *That *! . "It is NOT!!! She's lying!!" . "*Nobody *calls me a liar!!" . "I call you a liar all the time!!" 'Handsome' told her, joining in. "Hello?" 'Babe' waved at the other woman, trying to show her she was friendly even if she did want to be by her Handsome's side. . "THAT'S different: You're Family!!" . "I'm *Not *Family!!!" . "It's better than calling you what you REALLY are!!!" . "Truce! Truce!" 'Glasses' cried, putting himself in the middle between his childhood girl friend, and (hopefully) his future girlfriend, and brother/whatever-in-law. "I'm sure if we just talk things out, like rational, *civil *..." . "Man. That peace talk stuff sounds much better on TV," 'Tackle' said. "You have to keep the faith," 'Echo' reminded him. "Right. Trekkers forever," 'Tackle' sighed. . * * * * * People gathered behind them all, as well, at the other end of the block from the fire trucks and campus sorts; even at the alleys. A lot could focus on just the unusual creature, but most found the draw of human conflict around it just too seductive. . * * * * * "The power to do *Anything *!!" the fourth man of the SFF gloried, caught up in the vision: "To transmute lead into gold. *Air *into lead!! To power the whole Planet with just *One *machine!!" (One near-teen girl did more than just glance at the at the crazy men.) . "Or a galaxy..." 'Wildcard' said. (The girl nudged smaller boy next to her.) . "You're RIGHT!! Power enough for a whole galaxy--Galaxies!! With just, just, just..." he made the rough estimate in his head: "...from just the vacuum found in a light bulb. 'Mining the Vacuum: Anything from nothing'." He was in awe. (The boy was more interested in the monster, than his big sister and her silly people.) . "Enough to blow up the whole damned galaxy. And f