Written By: Rogelio Lopez
Sponsored By: ₤øρєz Ρяøđų¢ŧ¡øηs
The Lunar Disgrace
Joey Gomez was working late in the office, on a Thursday, with the dark and depressing moon staring down at him. His ignorant, but sharp boss Janet is making him do all the work he didn't do for falling asleep ¾ of the day. Now, he's stuck doing paperwork while everyone else is sleeping. It started raining at 11:17 pm. He decided it was time to head home, but he had a strange feeling about something, he thought about it while he left the building.
He didn't have his umbrella, so he walked in the heavy precipitation. Suddenly, something shot down from the sky. It had wings that sprouted from each of its sides; there were eight in total, each wing had 1000s of tentacles and needles. On top of each wing was a single, red eye looking at everything hungrily, as if they couldn't get enough of what they saw. It let out a terrible shriek that nearly deafened him and made him wince at the pain.
In that moment the horrible creature had disappeared. Joey pulled out a 9mm gun as his only defense. There was a slight moment of absolute silence, but just as he let his guard down a wing dropped over him and all the needles and tentacles on them stung him injecting 100 different fast-acting neurotoxins that had effects too dreadful to describe. A loud CRUNCH, SLURP, and screams of agony filled the air as two shots were fired at creature, but had no effect, and Joey was eliminated. As the moon look over, it looked almost as if a face of evil was there. The creature flew off into the distance towards the moon as if it was its companion.
After days of searching, police couldn't find any leads or traces. The only thing they found was human organs – the brain, and the billions of nerves in the human body. A black SUV drove into the scene. Two people in dark suits stepped out; obviously they worked for the government. They spoke to the policemen and drove away; now the government was involved in the disturbing case of Joey Gomez.
Meanwhile, Michael Edam was outside his apartment complex when he saw an unfamiliar object on the moon, that struck him as strange since he didn't really look at the moon very much, but he knew something was wrong. Then, an object shot down from the sky at a very high speed heading at his direction. He didn't have time to react, before he knew it a strange creature was staring at him in the face.
Not knowing what it was, he attacked it foolishly. The "thing" easily dodged and shrieked terribly. The horrible sound deafened him, so he was stunned by the appearance and sound of it. It had killed him the same way as it killed Joey- painfully. People saw what was happening and looked on in terror. Somebody called 911 and said to them as it flew to the moon, "Oh my god! Th-this thing just gulped down a person and flew off towards the moon, what is it?" A government man, same as before, had been keeping surveillance and reported it to his higher authorities while the call was happening.
Government officials scrambled to scene as fast as they could. They evacuated the vicinity rapidly, and then before you knew it everyone had vanished, leaving the place filled with government people. A huge investigation was going on; people with equipment and special suits came and swept the district for leads. The same substances are left from before, human organs, except that they had one lead.
The people hastily rounded up all their equipment and cleaned up the scene as if nothing happened. The next night, the creature went for another kill, but it made a very costly mistake. It attacked special agent Nicholas J. Salinas in his own home! The man had just come home to his apartment to see his beloved wife and two sons, but when he got there he was left completely paralyzed. There was blood and holes punched in the walls, furniture destroyed, and on the floor was a giant pool of blood with organs in the center. His fright had quickly turned to complete hatred.
The people he cared for most in this world, was slain in their own house by some distorted individual. Then, a piercing screech cut the long, painful silence. The same creature flew in with advanced features- bigger wings, more stingers, two extra wings and eyes, and all of them were bloodshot. Nicholas decided that this was the abomination that killed his family. It attacked him ferociously, but with Nicholas being fueled hate, he dodged it effortlessly and fled around the corner for cover. He got his favorite weaponry out, a .45 handgun he made himself and his combat knife. He turned around the corner, but it wasn't there. He looked up swiftly and fired 4 shots into the creature's hiding place, but it dropped two wings that covered him top to bottom, to do its disturbing kind of kill.
Being a quick thinker, he cut through the wings with his knife and stumbled out barely alive. Shooting 7 more shots at it before it was able to recover and throwing his knife through one of the creature's eyes, it let out another piercing screech just as police burst in. The thing flew out the window very weakly towards the bitter and miserable moon. Then he passed out last seeing shocked police officers…
When he first woke up he was startled to see a glance of a picture of the thing. Police asked repeatedly," What happened?" He said the same things over and over. "I do not know why this happened, but it killed my family and I will, in no way, ever forgive it. I have been on a case exactly like this for 5 years. I have been trying to find it, but I have had no luck. I call it The Lunar Disgrace because it always flies to the moon. But that is all I know, please leave me alone." Nicholas said. The police left after they knew they couldn't get anymore answers. After two weeks of being stuck in a hospital he was ready to leave, preferring to be called Nico. With absolutely no wounds once so ever, he left eager to leave.
He noticed strange effects happen after that fight with The Lunar Disgrace. All of his wounds healed at an alarming rate, his senses have been heightened, and he feels so much faster and stronger than before. He went to see a doctor, but he said that he couldn't figure out what was happening. The doctor took a DNA sample to examine it for any impurities, and tell him the results in 48 hours. The long and mind-numbing hours passed by gradually. After 47 hours of waiting he decided to run there, so he ran all the way to the hospital which was 7 miles away and made it there in 15 minutes.
When he got there the doctors had the results ready, but their faces were grim like they had bad news… They told him about what they found out during the test. "We found DNA that has never been seen before, but we tested a DNA sample of the eye and the new DNA matches it. I'm sorry, but you are… a part of this creature. This explains why you are acting differently; the genetic material affects your behavior, but cannot be removed. On an unrelated note, you owe the hospital for three DNA test!" Just after the doctor said that, Nico felt unbearable amounts of pain and a searing hot sensation. He felt like his body was consumed in flames and in a few seconds, he passed out again…
When he woke up he was bound to his bed in chains, but he soon understood why. He has mutated into half-mirror image of his sworn enemy, The Lunar Disgrace. He felt an uncommon power flowing through him, and on his back were two wings, a bat and an angle wing. An unfamiliar doctor came into the room. He said to Nico," You have now been brought into our project; please don't try to flee because resistance is futile. By becoming one with its DNA you have taken part into our experiments. Have a nice day and please come again…" Then he turned to leave, on the back of his clothing was something that read" National Guard". Stupid government, Nico thought as he planned his escape.
His every attempt to escape had failed miserably. The chains were simply too strong to break and too tight to slip through. He thought about the strange energy he felt earlier and struggled to use it, but what happened was forbiddingly powerful. A shockwave shook the Earth with great force, lightning pounded continuously on the structure, and high-speed airstreams fractured the windows. With one last attempt, Nico made an effort to break free and then the chains were obliterated.
With the building being attacked with weather, the employees scattered around the structure for order. Finally, the security personnel came into the room and were alarmed to find him free. "So you're the one who's been causing all these catastrophes", one of them said to Nico as he stood up. "Leave me alone, or you will die where you stand", Nico said and waited 30 seconds, then he set them burning with one look. He got some new clothes and watched as the inferno executed the personnel. He swiftly flew out the window, and watched as the building that was supposed to enclose him, crumbled to the ground assassinating everyone inside.
The National Guard ignored the fact that Nico escaped, and were focused on The Lunar Disgrace. They have arranged a shuttle launch to investigate the moon for traces. Meanwhile, Nico flew away from the scene. He found out that the building was on an island off the coast of New York City, but summoning the astonishing power drained his energy to a point where he can barely move. He nearly crashed in the water, but made it to land only because it's so close to the island. He folded his wings under his trench coat to where no can see them. Entering a large shopping center, he walked towards the water fountain to get a drink before he passed out again. As he walked over to the area, he noticed an unusually large number of law enforcement personnel. Every exit was covered by at least 8 law enforcement personnel, he was surrounded by them.
Growing nervous, he casually walked towards the exit closest to him, which just happened to be the one with the least NYPD officers. As they looked in his direction, they called for immediate back-up. Knowing he had been discovered, Nico ran into the food section mostly because his stomach told him to. Ignoring the NYPD, Nico gulped down all the food that was available. An officer cornered him in the candy section, he said," I have a warrant for your arrest Mister… Salinas."
Nico replied," All who oppose me, shall perish by my hand." As the police man kept the firearm pointed at him, he said angrily," I really do not like it when guns are pointed at me…" Nico felt a sudden surge of power flowing through him, and stared at the police man until he became trapped in a temporary, mental hell" You are weak", Nico stated as he left the premises. Nico finally recovered after the escape from the island, and he has just discovered a new ability.
He wondered why he obtained that skill because, from what he's seen, The Lunar Disgrace couldn't send people into mental torture. As he was thinking about that, an object took launch in a distance. Nico looked closer and saw that the launch was a spacecraft for the National Guard, most likely to investigate the moon; it flew into the atmosphere at a high velocity. Nico saw the trail of smoke left behind the craft. It leads to a very tall, soaring skyscraper in the distance. With all the civilians everywhere to watch the scene he couldn't fly towards the trail, instead he would have to run there.
Instead of going there right away, as planned, Nico decided to examine the structure and the area around it for a quick escape with minimal time wasting. Staying in a hotel down the block from the building, he used the money in his account. He bought supplies at a nearby shop called Gun Emporium. He got handgun parts, .45 ammunition and clips, a small gun case, professional lock picking set, and a few special weapons. He spent three hours working on his new customized .45 handgun and case. He stayed in his room for a while, thinking about the possibilities of something going wrong. He looked at the blueprints he obtained and designed his whole plan. In one hour he is ready to go infiltrate the skyscraper.
A crowd has gathered in front of the tall building wanting to get in. Nico made his way through the crowd. He then walked through the guards in front of the skyscraper, as they shouted false threats at him. That was the easy part, but when he made it in, he was accompanied by serious looking people and their captain. It all went according to plan; Nico smirked as he stated," Fools." His wing ripped through his coat, fully extended, and stunned all the people in front of him, except their captain. Nico merely flapped his wings and wind blades appeared, lacerating his enemies, except the captain who was amused. This is not part of the plan, Nico thought.
The captain lunged at him brutally with a hidden sword that has not been seen. Nico simply shot him out of the air with his handgun. The captain lay on the floor dying, Nico came toward him and the captain whispered to Nico," Thank you, for you have released me from the creature's grip. But be warned, you too might be at the hands of it. Take my sword and obliterate it, before it controls you."
After hearing the captain's words Nico took his sword and continued onward to the top. He took the elevator up to the peak of the skyscraper. He is looking for person in charge of this establishment. His goal is to get answers from him, and tear down the building if it is a threat. He walked into an office that overlooks the buildings below. A man stood in front of the window looking down at the people below. He turned around to face him, even though Nico hasn't made a sound. "So, what are you doing here? I guess you want answers", He said.
Nico replied, "You know what I want, wretched urchin. Tell me about the creature, the Lunar Disgrace." He explained that the Lunar Disgrace was synthesized by the U.S. government in 2006 and they wanted to make it for search and capture missions in other territories. The genetic material they use to make it had flaws that caused the whole thing to go up in flames. It escaped from their clutches and caused havoc everywhere. To this day, they still try to capture it. "Wait, I know who you really are… You're Nico, the half mirror-image of the Lunar Disgrace. You're still alive, but even you will fall into the hands of it and become its puppet just like the captain you killed, Captain Joey Gomez. You can't escape from it, no one can.", the man said.
Filled with anger, Nico felt unbearable amounts of hate and energy. He revealed his sword and slashed at him, but at the same time a flare blinded them. The flare sent them in front of a black hole. With a final slice, Nico sent him into the black hole, while he stayed in front of the event horizon, not being sucked in. "You are now forced to wander in a bottomless, black abyss of nothingness. You shall never live to see tomorrow, you are weak." Nico said as another flare teleported him to the building safe from the black hole. The man was nowhere to be seen, he has been sucked into oblivion. That was no dream; where am I getting these forbiddingly frightening powers from, Nico thought. The building is a threat, and it must be eliminated. If they are the Lunar Disgrace, they are also after Nico.
Since the building is a threat, it must be taken down. Surprising, the gun store had explosives. Nico purchased C4 for the demolition of the building, but it might not be enough for the skyscraper. The best way to take down a building is to take out the supporting beams and critical floors. Nico must go back down to the bottom of the building to get started. He takes the stairs instead of the elevator because security usually waits in front of the easiest exit to apprehend the person of interest, but they will also cover all exits. So he takes the elevator anyway. Nico hides above of the elevator to avoid detection, when it gets to the bottom floor a shower of bullets cover the inside it.
When the personnel realize he is not in there they contact the others to notify them about their findings. As soon as the transmission is cut off, Nico rolls a flash grenade to blind them, and as their blinded he moves in to lacerate them in one cut. He looks out the window, and the crowd is not there. This is good, he thought as he sets ¼ of his C4 charges on a support beam in the center of the building. He sets fragmentation grenades on the ceiling to blow a hole in that floor. After he gets rid of the ceiling and the second floor, he sets all the charges for 30 seconds.