Hey everyone. A few months ago, I celebrated my official 'Year of Inactivity on Fanfiction'. I guess that's nothing to be proud of, so I'm considering taking up writing again. I'm pretty excited, actually. Welcome back to the good old times.

Anyway, Merry Christmas Fanfictioners!

AN: PLEASE REVIEW, this is the chapter I worked hardest on, and I'd LOVE some advanced critique! Thanks.

Chapter Nine - The Queen

Antauri and Nova brought out their weapons immediately and faced the figure that was coming towards them. He was soaking wet, and seemed to stagger at first. As he approached them, Antauri realised this man was really familiar.

"Mark?" Antauri stammered. "I talked to you in the park a few days ago!"

The man had reached them now. He looked down at them with bloodshot eyes. "Mark?" asked the man. "Oh, the host's name... right..." He slapped his forehead.

Nova separated a heroin-pen from the bunch, and waved it in front of her. "Any closer, punk," she threatened.

"You don't scare me." the man laughed. "The queen is here! She would kill you straight away. Cut, slice and dice you..."

Antauri looked towards the deep pool. There was something in there - he could feel it...

"Anyway, you can't save the city now!" said Mark. He threw his head back and laughed. "That boy of yours... Chango or something..."

"Chiro!" Nova corrected, annoyed.

"Whatever... he's infecting the entire city right now!" Mark grinned. "Everyone in Shuggazoom is going to have their own little worm by nightfall!"

Nova tossed the pens to Antauri and punched Mark in the face. Mark staggered backwards, but regained his balance.

Antauri became aware that something was stirring in the deep pool. Nothing was visible - the pool looked black, but he could see ripples on the surface.

Mark ran over to Nova. She readied herself for another punch, but was too late. Mark picked her up and tossed her into the pool.

"Nova!" Antauri cried. He was about to dive in after her, but halted. He could see what was in the pool. Something large, greenish-brown, spikes on its back and tentacles above its eyes...

The queen. And it was heading straight for Nova.

Mark grabbed Antauri's foot. The black monkey spun around and slashed at Mark's hand, but the man refused to let go.

"Your friend will be infected by the time she gets out!" said Mark with a sly grin. "But you're not going to be infected. You're going to be eaten!"

Antauri gasped, and attacked Mark even harder. But nothing would make him let go. Terrified, he looked towards the pool. Ripples were breaking out on the surface - Antauri knew that Nova wouldn't make it out uninfected, but she wouldn't go down without a fight.

Antauri blinked. Nova broke the surface with a large scratch on her face, and was gasping for air. The queen was no longer visible.

"An... tauri..." she coughed. "I fought it off..."

Antauri slashed at Mark again. "Nova!" he cried. "Use the heroin pens to... get the worm out of Mark!" Antauri separated one pen from the bunch, and threw it in Nova's general direction.

Nova nodded. She climbed out of the pool and snatched up the pen, which had landed about a metre in front of her. She remained motionless, almost as if she were contemplating the action of destroying Mark.

"What are you waiting for?" Antauri yelled.

To the black monkeys horror, Nova tipped all the heroin out of that pen. She bore an evil grin on her face.

"You... were infected..." he gasped.

Nova laughed. "You can't save the city now!" she cackled. "And you can't even save yourself! You failed... you and the Hyper Force... Failed!"

Failed... Antauri shook his head. No! he thought. I haven't failed... Failure will only occur... if I've given up...

"Why do you need to infect the entire city?" Antauri asked, desperately trying to stall his impending doom.

Mark stopped pulling at Antauri, but his grip did not loosen. "Don't you get it?" he sneered, "You destroyed our home. You poisoned us! Wouldn't you be angry if someone had spread toxins through your haven? Chased you out of the place your kind had been living for generations?"

Antauri frowned. "This can't all just be for revenge!" he cried. "So many people are going to waste away with a worm in their head because you can't forgive and forget!"

"Forgive? Forget!?" Mark shrieked.

Antauri winced, almost as if Mark's harsh tone caused him physical pain. "But.... we can clean the lake! We can! We could purify the water, and it'll be as good as new!" Slowly and discreetly, Antauri slowly began to twist the end of one of the pens.

"The time for redemption has come and gone, little monkey." Mark said unkindly. "But you're right, this wasn't all just for revenge. It was because we had no choice."

"There's always a choice," Antauri whispered, slowly separating the pen from the bunch.

"A choice? Ha! Our choice was between suffering in a poisoned world, or finding a new home! A wet place where we wouldn't dry out! One where we could thrive.... expand.... with a vengeance."

"Thrive - expand? You're not going to stop at the human race!?"

Mark laughed. "Why so surprised? You only have yourselves to blame."

Antauri shook his head, bewildered. "No. No! You can't! We were careless. Leave the other races out of it!"

"I'm sorry, little chimp," Mark laughed, bearing an expression that was not apologetic at all, "but you failed to do what's best for the race you protect. Now I will do what's best for mine."

With that, he curled his free hand into a fist. Antauri, reacting immediately, grabbed the back of Mark's head and, with his his other hand, he shoved the open pen halfway up Mark's nose.

The man screamed. His back arched and his limbs convulsed, his eyes rolling back in his head. Antauri leapt out of Mark's grip, but stopped. The fur on the back of his neck prickled.

Drip, drip, drip.

Something was wrong - very very wrong. Why wasn't Nova attacking him?

Drip, drip, drip.

Antauri looked towards Nova out of the corner of his eye. She was stepping backward towards the door, cackling - but not attacking. And with a sick feeling in his stomach, Antauri knew why.

Drip, drip, drip.

Fear in the pit of his stomach, the black monkey turned around, and saw a huge, hulking figure, rising up out of the pool.

Mark, twitching on the floor? He had made Antauri afraid? Mark was nothing. Nothing in comparison.

The dark brown creature opened its spiny, slimy mouth and hissed. Saliva dripped from its jaws, and water dripped from the tentacles above its eyes.

Drip, drip, drip.

The queen emitted a deep, loud, ear-shattering roar.

Antauri turned and ran.

Read and review. I hope I haven't lost my touch..... :/

Advanced critique would be very much appreciated. :)

-firesong77