The intruder alarm caused a frenzy to break out on the ship. I was grateful for the distraction, but it didn't do me any good since I was still strapped to the electric… board. I had to think fast. What could I do to get out of here?
A Councilman called over two of the reptilian guards. They came over and bowed their heads. "Take him back to the cell," he instructed. The guards bowed again and the Councilman rushed out of the room.
The guards released the restraints around my arms and legs. Unfortunately the board was still vertical, and I flopped ungracefully to the ground. I landed on my hands and knees; my body was trembling from the shock treatment I had just endured. A rumble came from their throats as they laughed at me.
"Pitiful," one of them hissed. The other snorted, and they began to drag me across the floor toward door we first entered through.
"Surprising such a weak creature has been able to protect the universe," they taunted.
"Thanks," I croaked back.
"It was not a compliment."
"I know...but," I smiled at them and twisted my left hand slightly. The familiar green flash of the Ultimatrix filled the hall, and my body instantly melted from their grasp as Goop was activated. "You left the manacle off."
The guards roared at me and charged. I countered by shooting them with some acid. It wasn't enough to kill them, but it would definitely hurt like heck. They screeched as the acid sizzled on their skin. I didn't look, or care. I just fled down the hall.
For the moment I was free, but I didn't have much time until the Ultimatrix changed me back to human. I was weakened, and I knew the transformation wouldn't last long. Fortunately Goop didn't use much energy to move since he had an anti-gravity disk. I got lucky he was the first one who popped up when I was playing with the Ultimatrix after being released from the torture table. But even though I was able to escape from the guards, I was blind navigating through the halls. I had no idea which direction would take me to the exit, or an escape pod, or straight back into the arms of the enemy.
So I just went down random hallways, hoping one would eventually lead me somewhere useful. I went left, then right about twelve times. There were so many turns I was getting dizzy. All the halls looked the same, how did these guys navigate through their own ship? I was about to turn down another corridor, but then I caught sight of some guards. They were coming my way fast, but I knew they couldn't see me. I was so low to the ground, I was practically a puddle. I still didn't want to take any chances so I went in the opposite direction. And then someone stepped on me. They slipped and smacked into the wall.
"These guys don't do a very good job of cleaning up after themselves," the person complained. I knew that voice. It was Kevin!
Gwen came after him, and grabbed his arm to help him. "Quick, get up! They're gaining on us, and we still have to get Ben."
"Wait, doesn't that green glob look familiar," Kevin pointed at me.
I shifted into a more humanoid shape. "Hey," I said. "I'm glad you ran into me," I laughed a little. It might have been a lame joke, but I was relieved to see them.
"Ben!" they said in unison.
"You're okay." Gwen stated.
"N-no, actually I'm a wreck. I had to escape, so I activated the Ultimatrix. But I don't have much energy or time left," I panted. Goop didn't need to breathe, but suddenly I was having trouble getting the words out.
"Well, let's get this little reunion moving. The Rust Bucket is on auto-pilot set to trail this ship." Kevin got up from the floor, and moved toward an empty hall. "This way."
"How do you know?" I asked.
"I hacked their blueprints," Gwen answered.
"We've got an entire map of their ship. There are escape pods up ahead," Kevin added.
We silently moved along the dim corridor for another thirty seconds. Then a very unwanted voice called out. "Cycling to recharge mode," the Ultimatrix chimed.
"Ah, no," but it was too late. I reverted back to human, and my knees instantly gave way. I dropped like a brick to the floor. All of the pain came flooding back, and to top it off I was having trouble breathing. Awesome, now I was completely useless.
Gwen gasped, startled at my condition. Kevin leaned down and carefully lifted my left shoulder over his. "Come on, hero. We're getting out of here," he picked me up, and supported my weight
"Thanks."
They were silent as we maneuvered through the halls. I counted each hallway as we went through. I was trying to keep focused on something other the agony my body was in.
"How much further?" I whispered.
Gwen looked at me."Two more halls."
"Good," I was starting to feel tired. The adrenaline rush was fading; I knew I was going to pass out any minute now.
"Crap," Kevin said abruptly. We had reached the last hall, but there were guards waiting for us. Along with two of the Councilmen.
"Surrender him to us, intruders," said a Councilman, pointing one of his boney fingers at me.
"Sorry, he has other plans," Kevin retorted.
The Councilmen motioned for the guards to attack. Some ran straight at us, while others turned invisible. Suddenly Kevin was shoved forward, and I was thrown to the ground. I landed on my right shoulder, and needless to say it hurt a lot. Today just wasn't my day.
"Sorry," Kevin mumbled quickly. He absorbed some of the floor to make armor, and punched one of the guards. I was surprised by his apology. That was a hard thing to get out of Kevin, unless he was speaking to Gwen. I pushed myself against the wall. Already out of breath from the minor movement. This sucked! I couldn't do anything except watch the fight.
"Enough," Gwen shouted. She launched forward, her mana disks flying everywhere. She hit guard after guard in a fury of pink bolts. Kevin helped me up once more, and darted through the opening Gwen had created. There was an escape pod behind the guards. We all got inside, and Kevin began pushing buttons. The door shut and those relentless reptiles began pounding at it, trying to get to us. The pod released and we were shuttled out of the ship. I breathed a sigh of relief, not realizing I had been holding my breath the entire time. At last, I was safe.
I could see the Rust Bucket waiting for us in the distance. Kevin took a remote of his pocket, and pushed one of the buttons. The cargo hatch opened and the escape pod was directed inside.
"Ben, are you up to one more move?" Gwen asked. "I want to look at your wounds."
"Yeah," I was so exhausted; I could barely form words anymore. Kevin helped me out of the small craft, and over to one of the long benches on the side of the cargo bay. He helped me sit down, and Gwen brought over a first aid kit.
"Ah," Kevin said startled.
"What?" Gwen asked, preoccupied with getting out some gauze and anti-septic.
"Blood," Kevin held up his hand to her. It was stained red.
Gwen got up and pulled off my jacket, to look at my back. I knew it had been cut, but I didn't think it was terribly serious. "Geez, Ben you should have said something."
"Sorry, I forgot about it."
"You've lost a lot of blood. You're entire shirt is soaked with it." Gwen turned to Kevin. "He needs to go to the hospital."
"On it," Kevin ran to the cockpit to change our course.
Gwen set to work too. "Your t-shirt needs to come off."
"Okay, just cut it off," I've seen people in medical shows do it all the time to get to the wounds quicker.
"Good idea," she grabbed some scissors. Her fingers fumbled with them, and I could see that she was nervous. She took a deep breath to calm herself, and then started to cut the fabric. Afterward she pulled the shirt away, so she could see my wounds clearly. "Oh…" was all she said. She reached for the anti-septic, and a cloth to pour it into. "This is probably going to sting a lot," Gwen warned. She began cleaning the bite on my shoulder. And she was right, it stung. I clenched my teeth together, not wanting to cry out.
"How bad is my shoulder?" I managed to ask.
"The punctures don't go all the way through, but some of them may need stitches," Gwen grabbed the gauze and began to wrap it. "This should keep it clean until we get to the hospital. Now I need to see you back."
I shifted slightly, just enough so she could see. "What happened to my back?" I asked. It's not like I could see it, so naturally I was curious.
"There are three long gashes from those aliens claws," she put more anti-septic on the wounds. "But it's not bleeding as much as I thought. It must have started clotting."
"Ow," I moaned, as she wiped my the scratches. "Should've warned me."
"Sorry," she said quickly. She followed through with the same procedure as my shoulder; cleaning the injury, and wrapping it with gauze. "You can lay down now, I'm done."
My eyes were already closed, as she helped me lie down. It still hurt a lot to move; my muscles ached every time I was shifted. But it was a little better now that I was here. "Thanks," I murmured.
"Sure, but don't go to sleep yet. Try to stay awake," I felt her hand stroke my hair.
"But…I'm tired," I said. Gwen said something else, but her words faded, like my consciousness. And I sank into the calm of the black abyss once more.
Well here's chapter three. Many thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter. I really, really appreciate it. I hope to see your reviews for this chapter as well. :)
Thanks,
Emerald Lotus
