Chapter 9
A day and a half later Durga called The Ancient One to her
workshop. "Here's what you wanted," she announced,
"a bazooka type launcher and six negative matter rounds.
I've put the rounds in a carrying strap that you can put around
your waist. But by The Blessed Ones, be careful! I'm not even
sure YOU can survive one of these things if it goes off too
close! Parts of you, very small parts of you may become permanent
residents in some other dimension."
"I used this stuff," The Ancient One answered,
"before the human race existed. I know what I'm doing! I
want you to make three signalers with receivers and one receiver.
I want one signaler to make a trumpet sound, the other one a cow
mooing, and the third one a bell ringing."
Durga smiled. "I get it!" she complimented. "Each
of us will have a signaler. I'll get the cow, you'll get the bell
and The Ax Man will get the trumpet. But who gets the plain
receiver?"
"Chairman Ching," The Ancient One answered.
"They're going to have to set their portal to the frequency
of the Bloodlot's dimension because when we take out their portal
generating system we won't have any way home. The last time I did
this, I almost got trapped! Let's get busy. I've got to go do a
little bit more reconnaissance and draw some maps. Then we should
just about be ready for party time!"
"Some party!" Durga muttered, "Fighting blood
harvesting robots!"
"The robots aren't the big prize," The Ancient One
answered. "I want their makers! I want to hurt them so bad
that it will be a long time before they ever try to harvest other
people's blood to sustain their civilization!"
Durga looked at The Ancient One. "Why is it," she
asked, "with all the enemies we have fought over the ages,
these ones always piss you off the most?"
The Ancient One looked at her in bewilderment. "Can't
rightly answer," he admitted. "I just have never been
able to stomach them. ANYONE that thinks they have a right to
sustain their existence by murdering members of other races to
provide their sustenance really burns me! That they won't make
any attempt to control their precious numbers, but will destroy
other life to maintain their society at its level of power...they
just irk me big time, always have and probably always will. I
exterminate them whenever I can find them, and I don't have the
slightest qualm about it! The so called superior have no right to
maintain their existence at the expense of others!"
Durga nodded. "That's why I've stuck around you for so
long," she muttered. "Our life philosophies so
perfectly match each other!"
The Ancient One smiled. "Get to work!" he snapped.
At the appointed hour The Ancient One hovered over the
construction site he felt would be the primary target. His
companions were waiting and knew their jobs. If he signaled
they'd be there in seconds, and if he wounded the Bloodlot they'd
follow through the portal, then they would attack the blood
sucker's control center, while The Ancient One destroyed the
processing center. Then they would retreat through the methane
breathers' portal, leaving nothing in their wake but devastation.
"Odd," The Ancient One thought as he waited, "on
my home world The Bloodlots always attacked at night. But here
they attack during the day. They must have some kind of..."
Below him in the construction site he saw a shimmering form
making for a pillar that was holding up a major part of the work.
The Ancient One could easily tell what his intentions were.
"Not today, Bloodsucker!" he muttered. He pressed the
button on his signaler and in moments his associates appeared
around him. At the same moment a siren began to blow at the
construction site and workers began to scurry away in all
directions. The menacing shadow stopped, seemingly confused by
this odd activity. The Ancient One appeared near it, and called
out,
"Hey, harvester! Your mission's called off for today!"
He raised his weapon and fired the charge of negative matter
right into the middle of the shadowy area. There was a tremendous
flash. The shadow disappeared, and was replaced by a large
creature that appeared to be flesh and blood. But wires and
cables dangled from limbs that had been ripped apart by the force
of the blast. The creature stared at The Ancient One in
bewilderment for a moment and then began a swift retreat.
"I think we got its attention!" The Ancient One
muttered.
"I think we just about fried its ass!" Durga answered.
"I don't think it liked that one little bit!"
"Nobody's gonna argue that!" The Ax Man commented.
In moments they followed the thing to its portal and were through
it. Those on the other side were not pleased with their arrival.
Guards put up a bitter struggle as they made their way through a
complicated complex. But The Ancient One's maps were superb, and
his companions knew just where to go. Finally after taking out
the two power plants The Ancient One found himself in the
processing area. Huge vats filled it, conveyer belts ran along
delivering a brownish substance to packing areas. Terrified
workers fled in horror as The Ancient One appeared. One woman,
however, approached, and began to speak.
"Please!" she begged, "Whoever you are, we did
little harm. We only took what would've been wasted. Those we
harvested would have died anyway. Millions of children will
starve to death if you destroy this complex. Please, do not do
so!"
The Ancient One stared at her for a moment then with devastating
precision delivered his weapons into the machinery. The woman was
engulfed in a ball of fire and disappeared. "Tough
shit!" The Ancient One muttered as he discarded his spent
weapon. He joined his companions and they quickly vacated.
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