Character Creation Contest - Voting #22

Franklin Delano Roosevelt finished the oath of office, smiled and shook Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes’ hand as the crowd cheered in approval. The new President stepped up to the podium to address the people; people looking for hope, for inspiration, for leadership amidst the Great crippling Depression that not only affected the United States but the world.

He placed his speech on the podium, smiled his winning smile and began. “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is...fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustifi…”

The President’s words were lost as the sound of thunder shook the whole sky, even though the day was clear and blue. Everyone was panicked by the sound, gazing to the heavens. Franklin tapped the microphone to get the crowd back. “In every dark h…”

The sound again and the sky rippled as a silver saucer like craft appeared above the crowd. Then another. And another.

“Mother of god!” gasped Franklin.

The crowd erupted in panic, fleeing like cockroaches when the light goes on. Two burly men grabbed the President by the arms but he shrugged them off.

“Unhand me!”

“But…”

Franklin turned on the Secret Service agent, “I am the President of the United States! This is history! I’ll be damned if I am dragged off like a damsel in distress! Unhand me!”

“Yes sir”

Roosevelt stood there glaring at the now seven metallic saucers hovering over Capitol Hill. The country that was paralysed by the depression was now scared out of its mind by these…aliens!

“Give me your gun.” He held his hand out to the agent who quickly complied. “And yours!”

The other agent hesitated before handing over the weapon. Roosevelt grabbed the gun “Go and protect Eleanor, and don’t make me ask you twice.”

The two agents nodded and left as the President made his way towards the nearest ship. A hum exuded from it as a silver escalator type slide descended to the earth.

“Come here to my planet, on my inauguration day, to steal my thunder!” grumbled Franklin under his breath as he marched across the lawn. “Scare my people will you! They’ve had enough god dammit!”

At the top of the escalator stood a slender grey humanoid dressed in what appeared to be a purple robe. It glided down the slide and met the approaching President.

“Who are you?” stated Franklin.

The creature opened its mouth and a musical cacophony came out. Franklin gave his ear canals a quick scrape with his finger to alleviate the ringing.

“I didn’t understand that. I am Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President of the United States. Why have you come here?”

The creature unclipped a device from its belt and pointed it at the President. Franklin pulled the guns from his pockets and pointed them at his opponent.

“I do not wish to f…” His words ended as a shimmering blue beam shot out of the device hitting him in the stomach causing his legs to buckle out from under him. Franklin screamed in agony. The creature cocked its head to one side as it watched him writhe in pain.

“Step away from the President!” barked the Secret Service agent.

**

“It is from this point on that we have no more footage of what happened,” said Elliott Roosevelt as the lights came up in the bunker. “But we do know they took my father and the agent. That was five years ago. And ever since that day the Grey have attempted to eradicate us from our planet! My father once said we have nothing to fear but fear itself. He was wrong. We have the Grey to fear…and I for one am SICK OF IT!”

The room full of military personnel cheered.

“Today, like on the fourth of July one hundred and sixty two years ago, it is time we declared our independence; NO! Our right to live thrive and survive! Too long we have lived in the shadows and the crosshairs of the Grey! Today we cast aside our fear and we stand up to them! We may die but it has been said it is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees. We have been on our knees too long, scared like children for too long!”

The crowd cheered louder.

“Our German allies have sent us a man who will allow us to take the fight to the Grey! Dr Werner Von Braun has invented…the rocket! With it, we shall be able to blow the Grey from the sky and end their tyranny forever!”

**

“Boring!” groaned William Roosevelt as he slammed the book shut. “Why do I have to learn this nonsense?”

William’s grandmother Eleanor lashed out with such speed that her hand was barely visible. The slap echoed through the room leaving young William quite stunned and sore in equal parts. She pointed a bony finger at him.

“If you ever speak about your father or grandfather like that again, I will cancel your birth certificate!” she warned. “Your father, my son, is the reason you get to live on this planet. Why we don’t hide like rabbits! His actions, his plan saved the entire human race from the Grey. You can ponder that as you go to bed without supper.”

“But it’s three in the afternoon!” wined William. Eleanor glared at her grandson and pointed at the stairs. He dropped his shoulders and trudged off to bed, scuffing his feet the entire time. Eleanor looked over at the mantelpiece where pictures of her husband and son sat. She smiled.

“Thank you” she whispered to them.

Kakorrhaphiophobia - Fear of rejection. (Loose application)

You wake up in a hot place. The brightness of the sun beating down on you. Not that you know what the sun is. Or what you are. Your vision is blurry, so you rub at your eye with one mangled, broken appendage. No one but a sadist with a sense of humor would call that thing held together by grime and filth rags a hand. Wingull wheel and screech in the sky above you.

You take your first attempts at movement, feeling your new body bend and shift in strange ways. As you climb to your shaky "legs" you see someone nearby, offloading green bulks of stuff. You feel a kinship to this stuff that you don't understand. You toddle forward on uncertain legs, not noticing as as fruit peels and drinks cans, and other chunks of refuge fall from your mass. It won't be missed. You are constantly integrating more into your body as you trudge through a sea of garbage and debris.

Perhaps you sense some past relationship with this person. Maybe some of his garbage makes up your body. You walk towards him as a child would. Fearless. You are a baby. Perhaps this person will take you back. Back where? You have no idea. Just back.

With time and experience, you will come to mourn this innocence. But that comes later. You try out your voice for the first time then. "Garrrborrr" you gurgle through a throat that was never intended to make sounds. The person looks up and sees you. An expression crosses his face that you will later learn is a mix of fear and disgust. The man might throw a bag of refuge at you. or maybe he just drives away in horror. Its just a game to you though, and you follow at an unsteady pace, stopping occasionally to delve into garbage on the sides of the street.

You don't know it, but you're spreading a new plague, one that will bring to life every pile of garbage you play in. A plague of new life, and the misery to ensue. More children to be feared, hated. And ultimately rejected. As you walk into the town, more and more you notice people running away from you. They are too fast for you to catch, and the game quickly becomes old.

Some of them make a loud sound at your approach, and mistaking it as a greeting, you make a loud sound back. This makes those run who have not yet ran. You still don’t understand. You don’t know yet the sounds of fright. But you will.

Then you find it. The place. This place is a good place. This you know. You have fragments of memory of being at this place, in front of it. Before .

This is the place no one will run from you. This is the place you belong. To your surprise, the people in the place also run away, some while making the loud sounds.

Why won’t they let you near? You begin to suspect, as your ability to reason grows, that something else is going on here. Not the fun game you previously believed it to be.

* * *

The people in the yellow were nicer then the ones in blue, but they still won’t get close enough for you to touch them. And that makes you sad. Even more, it makes you scared this game won’t stop. That they will play it with you forever.

* * *

A month has passed now. You’re back in the junkyard from whose filthy womb you were birthed. Cursed as you are by the shambling mockery you must endure, you are doubly cursed by intelligence. You still cannot speak the sounds of the people that keep you and all the others like you trapped in this junkyard, but you can understand them.

Even as they become accustomed to your kind, they are repulsed. Disgusted by you. They call you the garbage Pokemon, and you understand this is an insult.

You look at the younglings, the Trubbish, just as innocent now as you yourself once were. They will learn rejection just as you did, their delight of the humans will be replaced by fear, just as yours was. They will wonder why they were created to be rejected, and you won’t be able to give them an answer.

"Las' mich nicht align"

"Alright class, here we have case number 0100205. Upon induction to the ward, patient displayed symptoms of malnutrition, fatigue, and dehydration. Patient displays agitated behavior and experiences hallucinations. No family history is on record and no immediate family. Who would like to take this one?"

The group of timid students fidgeted as the professor eyed the crowd. Crammed into the hall, the students continued to focus on the man behind the glass, sitting in a barren room that provided only the base requirements to be considered a living space. The man returned their curiosity with a pale lifeless stare.

"Doctor, does the patient display any signs of impaired speech or social anxiety?" a feminine voice called from the group.

"No, Lilly, the patient is perfectly coherent and shows none of the psychological detachment associated with Schizophrenia. The patient's episodes are induced by the lack of a social presence and are only seen when the patient believes himself to be alone. This has led us to also rule out any diagnosis of bi-polar disorder as it is characterized by a rapid shift in mood. Upon realization that he is alone, the patient simply develops a more sever state of depression and paranoia, but retains this psychological state regardless of his surroundings."

"Has the patient experienced any significant trauma proceeding these episodes?" another voice inquired.

"conclusively, we do not know. The patient has no emergency contacts and was taken into custody after he refused to leave a cemetery. The police report that the grave had been recently filled, though the girl occupying it had no records and was likely an illegal alien. Through our surveillance of the subject, we have been able to determine that the two were most likely lovers."

"So then is the patient suffering from a case of severe depression onset by grief?"

"Very good Jullian, yes our patient has had an extremely traumatic experience, causing the patient develop a case of severe depression. The patient does not act on his body's impulses to obtain food and water, causing his malnutrition and in turn causing his hallucinations."

"What does he hallucinate professor?" Lilly inquired once again.

"When the subject is left alone, he believes that someone is in the room watching him, causing him to panic. We believe that the subject's grief has caused him to associate the lack of a social presence with being alone. Alone in the sense that he may never be able to interact with another person again. This frightens him because he is unable to recognize that being alone does not mean that he will always be alone. Does that answer your question? Now the next patient...."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

John sat in his chair, starring at the young students as they, in turn, studied him. He didn't mind, so long as they were there. Then she wouldn't come for him. Just so long as he wasn't alone, he would be safe. The group's focus continued to shift between John and their instructor as he sat in silence until the students began shuffling out of view.

Wait! The students were leaving.. the group was moving on. That meant that he would be alone...

Already he could feel someone in the room with him.

"Why do you do this to me?" John asked.

He knew the figure wouldn't answer him; it never did. John knew the figure was there, though. He could see it standing by the wall out of the corner of his eye. He sat there as he attempted to discern its shape.

John couldn't quite tell but surmised that it was a woman by the contours of its gray tinged body, all smooth curves without any texture. No matter how hard he tried, though, he could never discern its face. It was as if the figure had no face to be seen, like the thing itself was nothing more than a blank pallet pulled over a skeleton to make it seem human. He could take it's presence no more.

"Someone please, help me?" he whispered.

'No one is coming to help you, John.'

"Leave me alone!" Turning as he shouted at the figure, he came to find himself shouting at the blank white wall. The figure could be seen out of the corner of his eye, once again mocking his attempts to confront it. His head spun from the effort and he cursed the medication that caused his nauseating dizziness.

As he turned towards the figure once again, he found himself looking at one of the young students in the window. Relief washed over him as the woman, a look of gentle concern furrowing her brow as she continued to study him.

She was attractive, although any thought of sex had long left John's mind. He could tell that she wasn't one of the nurses, who wore the standard scrubs, or a doctor, who would be adorned in a pristine white lab coat. Instead she wore street clothes, a pair of dark gray pants and a conservative white sweater gracing her slender figure. A name tag dangled from her neck, Lilly.

Roberta, one of the staffed nurses approached the young woman. He couldn't hear what the two were talking about, nor did he care. So long as they were there, he would be safe from her. He once again relaxed into his chair as the two continued to converse.

The door to his bare room opened and Roberta, accompanied the monotone voice of his Doctor echoing through the halls.

"Alright John, its time for your medication." The nurse, an middle aged redheaded woman, presented two white paper cups to the man, one filled with water while the other contained a rainbow cocktail of pills. Mechanically he forced his hand to grasp the cup of medication then proceeded to knock the pills back and wash them down with the provided water. After finishing his task, he opened his mouth to the woman, waggling his tongue to show that he had indeed ingested his proscribed meal.

A rap on the door brought the pair's attention to the young woman in the doorway. Her name tag read Lilly.

"Mam, do you mind if I speak with the patient?"

"Go right ahead honey, but be careful what you wish for. This young man will talk your ear off once he gets started, isn't that right Johny?"

John's blank stare did nothing to diminish the smile on his care-giver's face. Her warmth continued to peak through the crack of the door as it softly glided shut.

"Hello John, my name is Lillian Mathus. I'm a student of Dr. Collins and I wanted to ask you a few questions." She extended a hand in greeting but John ignored the gesture and continue to stare blankly as the woman introduced herself. She reluctantly allowed her hand to fall to her side as she realized that he would not recognize her gesture.

"I understand that Dr. Collins has begun a music therapy program for you, are you enjoying your sessions?" Lilly continued undaunted by his muteness. "I really enjoy listening to music when I'm feeling down, after all they say that music is the language of emotion."

The two sat in silence as the minutes passed by. Eventually, another rap came upon the door as Dr. Collins, proceeded by his paunch stomach, entered.

Dr. Collins looked all of a distinguished physician. His gray specked hair combed over his aged and wrinkled forehead. A pair of spectacles rested on the brim of his nose, his eyes piercing through them in order to view his patient.

"Hello John, how are we feeling today." the physician inquired. His questions were met with the same blank expression the dominated John's face throughout his time with the young medical student.

"I see you've met our lovely miss Lilly, have you two been enjoying each other's company?"

"Yes, very much so." Lilly answered for them both, a genuine smile flashing across her face. " We were just talking about his therapy sessions, and I was about to mention the program we had discussed."

"Oh, well, alright then. Lilly please inform John of your proposal."

"John, we know that you have been feeling really lonely these last few weeks, and so we decided to induct you into the animal therapy program. Tomorrow, I am going to introduce you to a new friend that is going to keep you company for a little while. Does that sound like it might interest you?" Lilly explained.

John, a small change in his expression remained mute, he eyes slowly examined the woman's face, though she knew not what he searched for.

"That settles it then, John. Tomorrow will bring a new day for you, you'll see. Lilly, we have a few other patients to attend to yet." Dr. Collins held the door open for the young woman.

"Don't go." the faintest of whispers came, roughly, from Johns throat.

"We talked about this John, it will be alright. We have cameras watching you and if you need anything, you are never alone."

The pair exited the room, a look a anxiety tinting Lilly's forced smile.

The door had barely shut before the figure appeared in the corner of his eye. A feeling a panic consumed John, only to be replaced by a need to shut his eyes. The medication was taking effect. He stood and walked over to his bed, laying down only to feel the presence at his back. Sleep came to him with frightening ease, but all the while he could feel the presence at his back.

'You are alone'

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

John sat in his chair while listening to the explanation of the tests he was about to undertake. He didn't care, so long as it meant that Lilly would stay with him.

The test consisted of a series of personality questions, numbering in the hundreds. By the time that the test had been completed, John almost considered the student's presence more of a hassle than a blessing but, then again, once he thought on what was waiting for him, he reconsidered the notion.

"Finally done?" Lilly inquired in her cheerful tone. John remained silent, feeling betrayed by the woman's description of the program he would be entered into.

"I'd like you to meet your new friend." the student continued, offering what seemed to be a Bluetooth headset to the young man. He took the small device and placed it into his ear; a familiar voice whispered across the channel.

"John?"

A tear slid down johns face, shock and awe mingled with disbelief.

"Eva?"

Reality quickly took control of John's emotions as he ripped the device from his ear.

"This isn't possible! What are you playing at?" he shouted at the perplexed doctors. "She's dead!"

"John, what spoke to you was a program designed to communicate with you in a way that will help you to recover from your trauma. No, the woman on the other end of that device is not who you think she is, but she can help you now to recover. Now, please calm down." Dr. Collins assured the man as he bent to recover the device.

"Eva may be dead, but maybe she is the only one who can talk you out of the state you are in. The program chose her voice for a reason, it is up to you to decide what happens next."

John, still reeling from the shock, stood for a moment and stared at the device in the doctor's hand.

"Eva..."

Detroit, Michigan

10:45 PM

“Here, this is all I have.” A man shook in horror as he handed the thief a wad of money out of his wallet and backed away at the same time.

The thief looked at the money and smiled, “Thanks for cooperating” He then shot the man once in the head. “Good night.”

“Wha-what the hell! I’m still alive…huh?” The man said as he looked around.

Suddenly, a female voice was heard in the distance, “Unfortunately Timothy, you are not still alive. I have come to retrieve you, to bring you home.” A woman appeared behind him, she was dressed in all black attire, with a black veil around her face, covering all but her bright red lipstick.

Timothy looked at her, “Who are you?”

Before responding to his question, she kissed him on his lips, as she did so, two long black angel wings sprouted out of her back. Within a matter of seconds, he fell to the ground, “I am Death.” She responded.

Hell

10:50 PM

Death sat in a lavish hotel room; it overlooked the beach as hundreds of people covered it. Suddenly, Timothy walked into the room, not even noticing Death lying on the bed. He was in tears and grabbed a knife off of his dinner tray from the previous night. He held the knife to his throat and prepared to slit his own throat, but a woman burst through the door. Then everything turned black, and then it all happened over again, Timothy burst through the room and tried to kill himself again. When the woman came into the room it happened again, over and over.

While in the process of repeating itself once again, once the sequence started everything froze. Death looked around the room puzzled, then she yelled, “Show me your face you god damn bible thumper!”

A woman appeared in front of the bed, she had a halo that floated above her head and was dressed in all white, “How dare you. He was forgiven for his sins; you shall give his soul to me immediately.”

Death smirked, “What if I don’t? Your God doesn’t bother me. I am the Angel of Death, I can’t die! Even if you all did somehow find a way to kill me, my God would bring me back.” She got off of the bed and walked up to the angel, “Now if you would Mary, do me a favor and un-freeze my program.”

Mary looked angry, but kept calm, “I will fight for this poor man’s soul. I will get him back. Just watch!”

Death laughed, “You truly are a stupid angel. Have you forgotten that time moves faster in hell? In 1 minute he will be trapped in hell. So, unless you are fast enough to run off to your owner in 45 seconds, I won.”

Mary cried, but she quickly came up with an idea, “No, it’s never too late for rebirth.” She then turned into a white mist and disappeared.

Detroit, Michigan

12:00 AM

Mary walked up to Timothy’s body through the police and whispered in his ear, “سيدي يسوع، الرجاء المساعدة هذا الرجل. تقبل له الرب، ودعوة روحه الأبرياء في مملكتك.”

Timothy’s body then rose up from the ground, shocking the police and prompting them all to take out their weapons. It then fell back onto the ground. Mary smiled and then disappeared once again.

Heaven

12:00 AM

Mary jumped up and down as she saw Timothy playing with his two children and wife in his house, but behind her Death stood, “You think you’re so clever don’t you.”

Mary grinned, “Well, obviously I’m smarter than you because I took one of your souls.”

Death rolled her eyes, “If you had any common scene you would know that when you cast a Savior Prayer you are most vulnerable to a demon because you are giving someone a piece of your life essence. This is your hell hon’, knowing that no matter what you do to be a savior, that it will be you that dies in the end, but only due to the fact that you are my sister, and I do somewhat care for you, every time before your hell repeats I will show you a 4 second glimpse of poor Timothy’s heaven. You’re welcome.”

Mary’s knees fell to the ground, “Please Angelica, let me out of here. Let me go back home, please I beg you!”

Death laughed at her sister’s agony, “Enjoy.”

The name's Peppy, and I'm a space bunny. How's that happen, you ask? It's like this: I died in a horrible lawnmower accident, and... and... and there were ears and fur everywhere...everywhere! It was... h-horrible. Brr. But Little Jimmy didn't know that. What Little Jimmy's parents told him was that I went to Heaven, only they explained it as "a magical place in the sky."

It turns out a little boy's belief is a powerful thing. So powerful in fact, that I was resurrected and found myself in "a magical place in the sky" - space. The only thing it doesn't have is Jimmy, and Imiss Jimmy. I fear I've seen the last of him, but I hope to get back to him someday.

In the meantime, there's space. This sector of it is called Hog Heaven. Yeah, I was expecting "Hare Heaven" too, but it turns out there's all kinds of animals here, and if you don't think it's magical, then you've obviously never been here.

Where else can a rabbit live side-by-side with predators and be free from petty peddlers trying to take my feet for keychains? Where else can I become hero to a planet full of green, amazonian jackrabbits with ears that go on for days? Where else is it possible that they didn't realize that the giant, monster carrots that were terrorizing them would taste so good?

Contrary to what my resurrection might tell you, I am in rabbit heaven, because I have been in carrots and cosmic cottontail ever since! Yep, I've still got my feet, and all of 'em are lucky, if you get the way my whiskers waggle. On a planet of alien angora, I am the Angoran's chief consort, and I just keep going, and going, and... <sigh> let's just say that pink fella with the drum has nothing on me. The afterlife is good! Six months and seven hundred twenty Angoran Amazons later, I've got eight thousand six hundred forty mouths to feed, and with no predators in sight, that number's only gonna grow, because... well... I am a rabbit. Don't judge me.

Still, even in the afterlife, it can't be the bunny hop all the time. Fortunately, the biggest business in space is import/export, and the biggest export from Angora are the "Halfbreed Hares of Hog Heaven!" So my problem is also my solution... and okayjudgemealittle. Moving on...

***

...I was on a delivery run in the Aluminum Falcon with my partner- a teacup terrier named Chewtoy. We had a dozen litters of Halfbreeds with us, a couple of stray cats named Bandit and Princess, and a resourceful robot hedgehog named Koosh. We had an android goldfish named Deep-CPO with us too, but frankly, he was annoying, so we used him for spare parts for the Falcon.

Unfortunately, one of the parts we needed was a voice response unit, so we were stuck with his annoying, know-it-all chatter, and he still sounded like he was underwater. Guess what I was planning to buy first, after we got paid for that delivery? Deep-C' could tell you with a ninety-nine-point-four percent probability of being right, as he'd tell you every chance you gave him. At the time, the danged thing was chuckling, and combined with that underwater burble of his, it was really a quite disturbing sound. "What's so funny, fish brain?"

"Oh my, sir, I was just considering the irony- I've gone from circling the fishbowl to swimming the ocean of space. An android fish out of water, as it were. A little fish in a much bigger pond. A..."

"Shut up!" I broke in. "I'm sorry I asked."

"No need to apologize, sir. I know I can go on a bit at times, but I shall endeavor to..."

"Shut up!" I interrupted. "Shut up! Shut. up! Shut! Up!"

"Well! There's no need to be rude, s..."

"Shutupshutupshutuuuuup!" I gasped. I slumped in my chair and my ears drooped a little. "Stupid koi-toy," I muttered.

"I heard that, sir."

"Good!"

While I was arguing with the bane of my existence, Bandit and Princess were playing a game with Chewtoy. It wasn't so much a "game," as Chewtoy would try to be fierce and intimidating to them (they were cats, after all) and they'd boredly bat him away like the mouse that he almost is.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Let the teacup win!"

Bandit, a Siamese, looked at me with disdain. "You're kidding, right?"

My ears perked a bit as I looked at him very seriously and said, "Let. the teacup. win. He takes it personally."

The other cat, a short-haired, light colored calico, scoffed. "You know that's just Napoleon syndrome, right? You let him get away with that?"

"Hey, Princess, my ship, my rules. You don't like it, you're free to get out and walk."

Chewtoy gruffed indignantly at the two cats, who growled in return. "Chewie! Playtime's over. We're there." I turned towards the viewport, took in the magnificent floating city that the Falcon was closing in on, and announced, "Cloud Nine."

***

We were exiting the docking bay where workers were unloading the Halfbreeds, when we heard, "Peppy! You old scoundrel! Where have you been keeping yourself?" Flanked by guards, the leader of Cloud Nine slithered towards us.

My whiskers twitched as I shook my head and said, "Boa Calrissian, you slimy snake! How are you?" I hugged the snake warmly.

He coiled around me once and squeezed just a little too tight. "You brought my snacks, right?"

"Sure I did. Eat all you want, I'll make more." Okayjudgemealot. "What do they taste like, anyway? Chicken?"

"It doesn't matter. I swallow them whole anyway," hissed Boa. He slackened his coil and withdrew. Then he flicked his tongue contemplatively a few times, before adding, "What's a chicken?"

"Chewtoy on bath night," I quipped. Chewie whined slightly, then wuffed his perturbance.

Boa swayed his head towards my teacup partner and said with a smile, "I might have to try that sometime." His tongue flicked Chewie's way, almost brushing my partner's nose.

Chewie went into a yapping fit, and Princess stepped up with a scowl and yelled, "Hey! You leave him alone!"

Boa coiled himself reflexively and swayed a bit as he looked at Princess and Bandit. "Oh look," he said, "Chinese takeout." Princess hissed, Bandit let out a low growl, and Boa just smiled as he uncoiled and started slithering back the way he came. "Come on, Peppy, let's go get your money."

I cocked my head over my shoulder, one ear cocked back with it, the other lazing over my forehead, and said, "Don't get lost you three, but...y'know...get lost." I waved over my shoulder and followed after Boa.

***

Once Boa and I had worked out the credits for the sale of the Halfbreeds, I contacted Chewtoy, Princess and Bandit, and told them to meet us back at the docking bay. Boa and I were halfway there when we were met by a large fish in black armor and a black helmet that kept him breathing when he was out of the water. "Dolph' Vader!" gasped Boa.

The dolphin inside the armor chittered madly, but it was translated by the helmet, "Why do you act surprised, Calrissian? I've come for Peppy, as we agreed."

"As you what now?" I asked, looking at Boa.

The snake's tongue flicked nervously, and he looked at me and hissed, "Sorry, Peppy. It was you or Cloud Nine. I've got a lot of animals to look after up here." I wasn't happy, but I couldn't really be mad.

"Peppy, for crimes against the Animal Kingdom, I'm taking you into custody," declared Dolph' Vader. "Take him." On his command, a small flock of white birds in armor surrounded me for the escort back to the docking bay.

"Hey, what is this?" asked Boa. "This was to be done quietly. No troop presence. That was the deal."

"I do what needs to be done," said the helmet, as the dark lord of the fish chittered inside it. "Or perhaps I need to leave some troops here, to oversee operations?"

Boa undulated from side-to-side uncomfortably, but dropped his head slightly as he replied, "I can see you've done what you had to."

"Good," replied Dolph'. "Bring him." The birds marched in unison as we headed to the docking bay, their talons making an odd click on the hard tiles of the floor.

***

When we reached the docking bay, we were met by Chewtoy. Chewtoy growled as menacingly as a teacup can. "Chewie, no!" I called. "Just get back to the ship." He growled again. "Now, Chewie!"

Just then, Princess and Bandit exited the ship. Bandit took one look at us and back arched, said, "Are those...?"

Princess smiled, bared her teeth, and finished his sentence, "...Storktroopers! We've got this!" And with that they bounded across the room at the flock of armored birds.

Behind them, Chewie growled again, his high pitched little teacup voice getting deeper, and deeper still as he shuddered and grew, until his body and his growl was that of a bear. He charged my captors. I smiled and looked at the fish lord, "That's my partner."

It was a short fight. Once Chewie and the strays had the Storktroopers on the ropes, Boa and his officers joined in the fight, and Dolph' Vader and his remaining troops retreated.

Boa was squeezing one last trooper until their armor cracked, and then he dropped them to the floor. He swayed a bit with excitement, and then looking at me, his tongue flicked and he said, "We should talk." Without another word, he started slithering for the docking bay door, headed back to his office.

My ears had been drooping forward a bit, since the fighting died down. When the snake spoke to me, they perked up again. I gritted my teeth and said, "I should think so," and I headed after him.

***

I slammed my blaster on Boa's desk and seethed, "Start talking...pal."

Boa quickly circled the trunk of a small tree rooted behind his desk, and settled calmly into it's lowest branches, "Oh calm down, Peppy. I did what was best for my city and you know it. I could see it in your eyes when we were with Vader."

My ears flattened against the back of my head as I glowered at Boa, but then I nodded. "Fine. What did you have to say then?"

Boa's head tilted to one side as his tail pushed a few buttons to bring up some images on the surface of the desk. "I looked into your problem, since I figured you wouldn't actually be going with Dolph' Vader." He smiled, and I narrowed my eyes at him again, warning him not to push my patience.

His head bobbed again. "It's Jimmy. Something's come up."

All the anger left me. "What? Jimmy? You've kept track?" I was dumbfounded.

"Hey, we're friends, right? I've had my sources looking for any possible way to get you back with Jimmy. We may have found one."

I looked at the snake with with a new respect, but I was still shocked. "H-how? You know the story: 'ears and fur everywhere.' How could I go back?"

Boa smiled, and his head extended out from the tree a bit, face level with mine. "He's developing an imaginary friend. A superhero. You could be the spirit and personality of that friend. You're perfectly suited for it." He smiled.

"A superhero? Me? What's the name?" I asked.

Boa's tongue flicked. "You're not going to believe it." He told me. He was right, I couldn't believe it. "You interested?"

I nodded. I was stunned by it. Jimmy. I was going back to Texas again. I was going to see Jimmy again.

***

Just like that, I was back, and The Aluminum Falcon was born. Jimmy and I made the most of it, and our adventures were legend. Thank goodness for little boys.

The Retreat

The stars stretched to the edge of visible space, an ocean of darkness populated by islands of light as the cosmic traveller Kanaloa drifted through the inky sky. He knew that soon the ‘islands’ would sink and the universe would take his last breath and that his greatest test was about to begin. For decades he had travelled from star system to star system learning everything he could and bidding farewell to the ten courts of Akua as one by one they fell into the silent dark. There had been a time when the courts had ruled the sky and could have stopped the sinking but they had all agreed that this time there would be no stopping the ‘retreat’.

As such the last thirty years had been a time of joy and splendour. With the ‘retreat’ deemed unstoppable the courts ended their feuds, freed their citizens and reignited the passion that had led them into the stars. Truly it had been the end of days but Kanaloa, despite witnessing the celebrations, knew that the euphoria wasn't meant for him. His experience would be one of pain and fear. Coming to a stop at the central Abyss he looked back with alien eyes as the stars begun to elongate and streak towards him, the retreat had finally become a rout, now was the time for his fear.

First came the solar storm, flaming missiles that had been suns and stars came rushing towards him. Instinctively Kanaloa curled up into a ball, his tentacles wrapping around his head, the flames streaking past him their heat causing his blood to boil as they disappeared into the Abyss, the last vestiges of light quickly swallowed up by the void and plunging the sky into a jet black vista. Kanaloa uncurled and peered into the darkness, he couldn't see anything but he could feel the vibrations as the next wave of projectiles came towards him, this time in the form of the planets, comets and astral debris that floated like flotsam in the sky ocean.

This wave passed him and while less dangerous it presented more fear to him, unable to see his brain began to degrade into paranoia. He had to stay here for it was the only spot of survival granted by the cosmic Abyss but with all the rocks so much larger than him flying past he was terrified that he would be knocked out of place and the knowledge of the Akua lost to the devastation. Digging deep into his memories he remembered a moment from his childhood, the day he learned what dread purpose he would serve in the future and the proudness the ancestors had felt when he had been chosen.

“Kanaloa!!” A deep voice boomed behind him causing the traveller to turn, tentacles waving behind him. “The retreat is incomplete; all must be consumed for the reseeding!”

“No, my ancestor thwarted you during the last retreat.” Kanaloa replied as he felt the Abyss exert pressure on his body, the black hole’s gravity grabbing at his tentacles and pulling him away from the only safe spot left in the universe. With an inhuman effort Kanaloa pulled back breaking the Abyss’s hold only for hands formed of darkness to come slithering out of the darkest spot and wrap around him. “No, you…you can’t take…” Kanaloa wheezed before he was dragged backwards, his free arms flailing.

“The knowledge of the Akua must be redistributed through the re-seeding!” The Abyss stated as Kanaloa freed arm after arm before freeing himself, the dark hands of the void scattering behind him in a cloud of luminous blue ink.

“No the knowledge.” Kanaloa gasped as it was swallowed up by the Abyss. “By the courts I have failed.”

“Not failed.” The Abyss told him, “The information you lost will be re-learnt but the species it was meant for will ravage their world and you shall watch and learn their ways as penance for your negligence.” It stated as a wave of burning pain wracked Kanaloa’s body. “You will be tortured, hunted and sentenced to the depths for your failure. I serve not the Akua who refused to learn their place in the universe only the creator as he serves me the destroyer.”

Fearful of the pain he would feel and the Abyss’s words Kanaloa curled up and closed his blue eyes and delved into his happiest memories; ones of the Akua, his old home on the shores of an ocean and anything that could fend off the fear that threatened to overtake him.

“They will relearn what was lost.” Kanaloa echoed. “They will become better the Akua and the trials will help others learn when the next retreat begins. I though I failed but in reality it’s you who are the failure.” He told the Abyss. “Punish me as you will but remember that the Creator watches everyone even you. Complete your duties as you have done many a time before and get this over with.”

With a cosmos shattering roar the Abyss collapsed in on itself, the matter it had consumed fusing together before emerging from the void as a gleaming silver orb. Kanaloa knew he had to get out of there, that he had to move as fast as he could before the tidal wave of rebirth was released. Not daring to look back he felt heat at his back and the leading wave of light spark past him, the sudden change burning his eyes and causing him to drift of course. Next came the dust, and while still blinded he felt minute particles fly past him, their trails burning bright against the background of pure light. After that came the release of gravity, the force pulling everything into place. Kanaloa felt its tug and blinked the light fading as he was pulled down to a star surrounded by ten planets, his body flailing as he headed towards the centre of the system. He could escape if he wanted to but he knew it was more than gravity pulling him in, it was destiny. Smashing through the fifth planet in the system, the debris scattering out into a wave of asteroids he streaked down to the third orbs surface and the boiling ocean waiting for him.

“For your failure this is where you must wait.” The voice of the Abyss boomed. “Here in the cold and dark until the race known as humanity rises from the soil to claim the planet.”

“What of the rest of the knowledge, the pieces meant for the other races?” Kanaloa asked as he sunk to the seabed.

“Your sons and daughters will carry it to them.” A new voice stated as a sphere of silver materialized before him.

“Creator!” Kanaloa gasped. “Please forgive me.”

“There is nothing to forgive. You feared of your own destruction, it is natural for all creatures, teach your sons and daughters well in this time of waiting.” The Creator ordered. “One daughter in particular will be important in the future for she will undertake the same journey you just took and thanks to you 'Octopus' will succeed in completing her task.”

“Thank you Creator, such words warm my heart.” Kanaloa replied as the silver orb disappeared leaving the celestial traveller alone in the ocean’s depth. “I know my children won't fail you as I did.”

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*Based on the Hawaiian belief that the Octopus is the only survivor of the last universe after the Big Bang