Halcyon's Wake: Faith
Chapter 18

Critters in the Shadows

Mouse desperately wanted a Tic-Tac. And maybe a valium. Director Salek entered the room and looked at the body on the floor with a cool and casual indifference, like Mr. Spock on quaaludes.

“Most unfortunate,” Salek said, as if he’d just been informed they’d stopped serving breakfast at McDonald’s five minutes ago - instead of looking at the dead Reptilian carcass that used to be his Chief communications officer. “Did it try to kill you? Are you injured?”

Mouse stared at him wide-eyed, shocked by the director’s demeanor, and forced his gaping mouth shut. “… no - she… it … was actually just… never mind... I just figured it out and reacted - is the real Christina okay?” He rubbed sweaty palms vigorously across his thighs, took a few deep breaths in an effort to remain calm and looked expectantly at the Director, who raised a curious eyebrow.

“I only knew of one Christina, Dr. Timmons - I’m not too sure what you mean by the real Christina.”

Mouse explained the inconsistencies in the behavior ‘she’ had displayed - and felt confident there was more than one Christina on Luna Base - the vivacious Aussie version and the thing bleeding all over the carpet.

“I feel you may be mistaken on that account, Dr. Timmons. One of the only ways to detect Reptilians is aberrant behavior - you would perhaps equate it to someone with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Reptilians grow comfortable in their pseudo-roles, and when the parameters of their mission change unexpectedly - they begin to react irrationally and inconsistently. I presume that the arrival of your party from the space station didn’t gel with Christina’s original role as an observer here. Curious, though…”

Salek’s mind seemed to wander and he leaned in close over the body, then unceremoniously dug two fingers into the base of her neck without even a slight grimace. Mouse’s stomach lurched in somersaults at the grisly sounds of Salek twisting around through flesh, muscle and bone and he thought he might have to run to the restroom again - and quick. He sucked a deep breath through gritted teeth and watched the Director pull a blood-smeared, pecan-sized object from the base of ‘Christina’s’ skull. Salek casually wiped the blood and gore on the back of her blouse, revealing a ten-sided decahedron as black as deep space. The very light of the room seemed to be sucked into the matte surface of the object, the facets only perceptible due to the bits of blood and tissue still partially clinging to the surface. It reminded Mouse of the dice he used when playing Dungeons & Dragons as a kid - if he’d been gaming with Satan, that is.

Salek walked into the bathroom and Mouse heard the sound of water running, the Director apparently washing his hands and the curious object. He quickly returned and casually tossed it to Mouse. “A tradition from the old days, Dr. Timmons. When one slew what they used to call dragons - they kept its korakom - the “heart of darkness,” supposedly it will alert you to the presence of other Reptilians, if the tales are true.”

Mouse twirled the korakom in his fingers, holding it up to the light to get a better view - but even directly under the desk lamp, the darkness of the object seemed to avoid scrutiny, the separate facets almost imperceptible; he knew it was there in his hand, but it was if it really wasn’t there; like a radar technician trying to pinpoint a stealth fighter plane at supersonic speeds, one second it was there on the scope, the next it wasn’t - his eyes just couldn’t seem to bring it totally into focus. Weird. It’s as if it were made to not be seen at all, or ignored. Definitely worthy of more study.

“I think it best if you not discuss these events with the other members of your group, Dr. Timmons.”

Mouse broke his study of the korakom and eyed the Director curiously.

“Christina may have been in charge of all our communications - but I also monitor every possible type of transmission in or out of Luna Base- including the contact you had with the space station- and I’m quite familiar with Reptilian communication techniques. The only way Christina would’ve altered her original mission here would’ve been via direct communication from the Brood Queen or King - and I can say with absolute certainty that that hasn’t happened - in the traditional sense, at least...” The Director looked at Mouse intently, weighing whether or not he understood the ramifications of what he’d just said.

Clarity hit Mouse and he nodded quickly to the Director. “Unless she spoke directly with another Reptilian - I’m guessing even you can’t monitor that kind of communication, correct? Another Reptilian must have come to Luna Base from the space station.”

Salek nodded sagely then approached the communications console, rapidly punching in a series of numbers too quick for Mouse to follow, then rose motioning for him to come along. “My team will take care of this mess - grab everything you need -but we need to get you off the base as quickly as possible… events are unfolding much quicker than anticipated - and that isn’t a good thing, Dr. Timmons. Not a good thing at all.” Mouse threw a bunch of papers, his laptop and a few belongings into a back-pack and had to almost jog to keep up with Salek’s long strides as they strode down the corridor, deeper into the station than Mouse had ever been before, and he found himself quickly lost - and wondering just what Salek meant when he said ‘off the base’.

Countless turns and secure doors later they finally entered an elevator that descended rapidly for a very long time, Mouse’s genius brain telling him they had to be approaching the very core of the moon - or perhaps beyond it. The whining hum of the elevator began to change pitch after what Mouse guessed to be 15 minutes or so, and Salek looked at him with a very thoughtful expression.

“Tell me Dr. Timmons, in all your studies of the strange and unknown - did you ever happen to stumble across any references to a species called the Tunaki?” Mouse’s blank stare answered the question. “Do you understand the Aramaic language?” Mouse shrugged an apology - he was smart, but even genius had its limits.

“Are you up for a crash course?” Mouse nodded - not really sure what he was agreeing to entirely - and Salek slowly grasped the sides of his skull, calmly assuring him this would only take a moment. A concussion of intense light flooded Mouse’s mind, but he could still see the calm, elongated face of Salek smiling serenely at him. A prickly flood of energy coursed through him, riding a wave just on the cusp of vertigo - and it swelled with a perception that flickered into clarity and comprehension in a deluge of epiphany. Mere moments passed by and Mouse began blinking in disbelief. Salek smiled, removed his hands and moved towards the door.

“You are in for a treat, Dr. Timmons. Prepare yourself, sir, but know that you will be among allies.”

The elevator came to a silent halt, and when the doors opened, Mouse’s jaw almost hit the floor. “Dr. Timmons, I’d like you to meet Strategos Andrex - High Commander of the Tunaki warriors.”

“Holy shit…Bigfoot… ” Mouse managed to whisper just before he fainted dead away into the furry arms of the giant beast looming before the open elevator doors.

******************************

Mouse came to his senses being carried by the creature that had freaked him out beyond belief. He felt like a rag doll in the arms of a Titan, stiffened reflexively and almost fainted again. The Tunaki looked down at him with a keen humor in its eyes, and spread a broad face into a grin revealing teeth that would give a tiger pause. Mouse shuddered, and the giant laughed heartily, lowering Mouse to his own feet with a gentleness that betrayed its massive stature.

The beast was well over 10 feet tall, and had to weigh as much as a minivan. You could no doubt mount a flat screen TV on its chest - with plenty of room to spare for a painting or two alongside it. His heavily muscled arms looked as stout as oak beams, and his legs would give a Redwood tree a major inferiority complex. Glossy black hair - or fur? - protruded between a matte-ochre armor that appeared to be boiled leather. Gauntlets that Mouse could’ve worn around his waist wrapped tightly around the Tunaki’s forearms, trimmed in beaten silver in a celtic-like pattern. The Cuirass across his chest was affixed with a large symbol of beaten silver, a series of eight hands interlocked wrist-to-wrist surrounding a flaming sword of beaten gold. Individual lappets as wide as a playing card hung from the base of the Cuirass, forming a short skirt that reached mid-thigh on the giant. Each lappet was affixed with individual, flat plates of eight different types of stone. Mouse doubted he could lift it if his life depended on it. Leather sandals wrapped feet that made Shaquille O’Neal’s shoes look like baby slippers hanging from the rear-view mirror of a Yugo. They were laced to the knee with more leather than a single cow could possibly provide. A whole herd must’ve died to outfit this one Tunaki behemoth.

Across Andrex’s back was a sheathed broadsword twice as tall as Mouse, and the powerful presence he conveyed left Mouse little doubt that he knew how to wield it with ease. A necklace of hundreds of black beads strung with silver wire hung around Andrex’s neck, and upon closer scrutiny Mouse realized they were korakom - many Reptilian’s must’ve tasted the blade Andrex wore. He shuddered at the memory of Christina’s bloody corpse, then dared to look up into the Tunaki’s eyes.

Andrex appeared to be studying him intently, but not unkindly, and that warm humor seemed to linger in his gaze. “I’ve encountered many in my days, Dr. Timmons - and slain most of them. But you are the first to faint dead away before I could even say ‘hello’.” Andrex’s voice rang like smooth gravel in a washing machine, and Mouse could feel the deep bass vibrations reverberating from his toes to his head. He now knew the Tunaki was speaking in a language similar to Aramaic - and he understood every word as if he’d been born speaking the ancient tongue. Raucous laughter rang from behind Andrex, a large group of Tunaki similarly clad - minus the gilding - scattered in a broad semi-circle behind their leader. None of them matched Andrex in size or stature - but still made Mouse feel like a kicker surrounded by defensive linemen. The smile Andrex wore would’ve given Marines nightmares, but a kindness in his eyes mollified the effect, and Mouse wondered why he’d even fainted in the first place.

“My apologies Strategos Andrex - the whole other species thing is kind of new to me. I meant no offense, and please call me Mouse, if you please.” The words rolled off his tongue in Aramaic spoken like a poet, and he smiled in delight and disbelief. Who needs Rosetta Stone when you’ve got an alien hybrid that can painlessly cram it in your skull in 30 seconds or less?

Director Salek stood beside Andrex, even his massive stature appearing diminutive beside the behemoth. His normally stoic features betrayed the slightest hint of a grin, and Mouse felt like the butt end of some human-related joke.

“Mouse?” Andrex guffawed, “Salek tells me you slew a Drakos - barehanded, no less. A rare feat amongst you Toppers. Perhaps ‘Mighty Mouse’ is a better moniker?” Mouse blushed as the laughter increased behind him, but not unkindly. “May I see the korakom you retrieved, Mighty Mouse? I promise to return what is rightfully yours in just a moment.” Andrex held out a giant hand, and Mouse quickly dug into his jeans pocket for the odd object, and placed it in the giant’s palm. It looked like a grain of black rice in the broad, callused hand. He clenched his fist around it and smiled broadly. “It has been too long since I held fresh korakom, Mighty Mouse. We have walked a different path for a long, long time.” His face broke into a huge grin and excited goose flesh crawled up Mouse’s spine. “It feels good, Mighty Mouse. Very good! Death to the Drakos! Eamyuot D’Leh Drakos!!” The encircled warriors thumped their chests and roared in blood-curdling approval. Mouse almost felt sorry for the Drakos - if these guys wanted you dead, that just sucked on so many different levels.

Another Tunaki - female, approached from the right wearing a long robe of translucent, emerald silk wrapped securely with belts of beaten gold and silver, encrusted with hundreds of intricately carved gemstones; her hair was the blonde of California beach sand, and closely cropped atop a statuesque but lithe frame. Mouse thought she looked pretty - if you thought an anime orangutan was pretty, that is. Her eyes were of a deep crimson hue, and she smiled and curtsied to Mouse, then took the korakom from Andrex’s hand. A band of what looked like platinum encircled her brow, and she placed the korakom into a recessed slot located just above the bridge of her rather delicate nose, then went to her knees and closed her eyes, a higher-primate version of the Madonna in supplication.

“She is Angelicas, Mighty Mouse - a Tunaki Sage-Maiden - and she can tap into the Drakos’ Korakom and glimpse all the vile creature knew.”

“Okay - sure…” he squeaked - very un-Mighty like, questions racing through his mind as Angelicas swayed slightly in front of him, humming a single, high-pitched tone that soothed away Mouse’s discomfort. He thought silence was appropriate and took a moment to take in his surroundings.

They stood within a large room that appeared to be masterfully hewn from the moon rock, but unlike any other part of the base Mouse had seen. The deep grey of the stone was almost blue, and pyramid-shaped fixtures of turquoise gave the room a soft glow. There were no computer terminals or communications consoles to be seen, nothing that spoke of man’s touch anywhere. A series of intricately carved stone benches lined the walls, several female Tunaki in a sea of vibrant colored silks seated there and eyeing Mouse curiously. The different colors of their hair- or fur - were almost as disparate as the colors of silks they wore. Some wore belts of silver, and others wore the gem-encrusted gold belt similar to Angelicas, but with less of the gemstones.

Broad-swords in stony shades of red, grey, black and green hung on the walls, along with equally colored halberds, battle axes, maces and other weapons that screamed ‘I will hurt you’ in any language. Elaborate tapestries the size of billboards depicting massive structures from antiquity shrouded the remaining walls. Figures of Tunaki - and humans - were depicted side-by-side in some of the images. Mouse recognized some of the structures - the Giza pyramids, some Meso-American constructs resembling Chitzen Itzah - but others were as strange and foreign to him as the Tunaki themselves were, elaborate palaces with ivory spires that climbed to the heavens, and fortresses that looked impregnable. His wandering eyes were interrupted by a small cry from Angelicas, and he focused his attention back on the Tunaki Sage-Maiden.

“The Brood King and Queen moves, Andrex - and the Kilkenor have awoken from their long sleep. Abaddon’s black mists will soon dance through the Toppers’ lands. The return is upon us, Strategos. Our silence is over, and we were awoke for good cause.”

Angelicas stood up and plucked the korakom from its spot across her forehead. She pulled a long, delicate chain of finely woven platinum from a pouch within her belt, then affixed the black die into a setting with a squeeze that would’ve no doubt crushed Mouses skull. She approached him with a smile - perhaps a knowing smile - no doubt she knew of Christina’ s amorous action towards him - who knew what her tapping into the korakom revealed - and she draped the necklace around his neck as he blushed slightly. It was no doubt made for a Tunaki, and quickly swayed most inappropriately and suggestively right at crotch level, which spurred another round of friendly but raucous laughter from the male Tunaki troops and females alike. An older warrior with gray frosting his brow and a wicked scar across half his face shouted something about “that’s one way to kill a Drakos I haven’t tried yet,” followed by more laughs. Angelicas smiled with a maternal glint of compassion in her eyes, doubling up the chain several times so it would ride higher on his chest, then patted it affectionately. “May you fill this with many korakom, Mighty Mouse - stone keep you and yours.” She bowed her head slightly, her crimson eyes averted, and Mouse bowed low in return.

“Salek - the return has come and Drakos are within your midst. What say you?” Andrex boomed.

Director Salek eyed the group with those giant turquoise eyes. “Stone keep you and yours, Strategos Andrex - good journey, and good hunting.”

Angelicas leaned over and whispered in the director’s ear, too faint for Mouse to hear, and the Director nodded solemnly. “They will be dealt with, Sage-Maiden.”

Andrex moved to the center of the room, pulling the massive sword from the sheath on his back. The blade was as clear as glass and rang like a crystal punch bowl as he pulled it from the sheath and held it high above his head. He let out a roar that shook the cavern and pulsed through every cell in Mouse’s body, every hair bristling straight as a plucked cello string. The soldiers surrounding him ran to the walls pulling weapons from their various places in a blur of efficiency, then encircled their leader like an armed mountain of whoop-ass - with teeth bared. As one they lifted their weapons high and joined in the roar. Mouse thought he was gonna shit his pants in excitement.

“The Tunaki return to reclaim what is ours!! Come my brothers and sisters - may stone guide us on our journey as it has in ages past!!” Andrex roared even louder, the shouts and cries of the other Tunaki making Mouse quiver in deeper excitement and trepidation. “Mighty Mouse - will you join us in the return?” he asked, pointing the massive sword directly at Mouses chest.

Mouse stood there silent for a moment, licking his lips nervously and consciously making his hands stay still instead of rubbing them across his legs as he desperately wanted to; truly uncertain of how to respond, with every massive eye in the room fixed directly upon him.

“Sure,” he squeaked, “Where we going? The Tunaki roared in a delightful laughter that made Mouse grin from ear to ear.

“Back to our home, Mighty Mouse - to Earth!”

Mouth breathed a deep sigh and wondered just exactly how they were going to accomplish that. There was no way Zack or Beth were ever going to believe this - if they were still around for him to tell the tale. He grabbed the korakom hanging from his neck and tried to join in the Tunaki roar, raising a fist that looked decidedly puny in present company, a war cry that warbled like a sickly hamster in peril emerging from his lips - and garnered deeper laughter in return than he’d heard all day, some of the Tunaki even rolling on the floor in great guffaws. But there were nods of respect, too. And it swelled an unknown pride deep within him.

I am Mighty Mouse - hear me roar!! His grin was as broad as it had ever been, and he felt better than he had in days. He reached deep inside himself, and from the heart of the moon surrounded by talking Bigfoot’s dressed like Xena - with clean skivvies to boot - Mighty Mouse roared.

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