Chapter 27:
The site of the ruined farmstead reminded Jay of their home in Pillow-World. The little farmhouse. The stock in the field. It was eerily reminiscent of the place he'd grown up, and his mind wanted to conjure images of his life as a boy, working with his father to shear their cushions and chop fuel for his mom. His dad had wanted no other life than that, and Jay had been much like him.
Unfortunately, there were uglier sights in that place. Those sights reminded him of just why it was that his father had become King Finn. Burned and rotting carcasses dotted the land, attesting to the brutal men who'd come here to conquer this place. The farmstead that had once housed yeoman farmers was now missing half its roof. The storage bins were smashed–along with the harvest they would have contained. And, worst of all, the people Jay would have expected to find waving at him from their fields were missing.
A dark corner of his mind wondered about that. Missing or dead? Did these fiends kill those folk outright or drag them off to cruel slavery. He hadn't liked Lord Woolcot much, as in at all, but the lands around Woolsock had never seen much of that. The evil old bastard kept the peace. Finn had respected him, even if the two men hadn't exactly been on good terms. As Jay thought about it, the more he began to wonder just how much of the things that his father did were grounded in the things that Woolcot had done. Finn the King had put his own mark on those things, but he was very much a man devoted to keeping war and mayhem to a minimum in the lands he ruled.
Up ahead, they could see the first signs of the people they were to meet. Bonnie had feared they would bring one of those awful machines, but Jay had no such fears. He knew the kind of man that this Tatsuo was. He thought himself an honorable man. In his mind, he was in the right, and he had no need to do such a thing as commit treachery under flag of truce. They would get through this with minimal fuss and return to the town. Then the real ugliness would begin.
There were eight of them there waiting when they rode into the former corral. Their skin was a deep green, and all of them were bald. Their dark eyes fixed on the newcomers, taking their measure as Finn's party stared back. The man at the table wore armor, much like Jay and his father were accustomed to seeing back in Jay's homeworld, and he carried a pair of swords strapped to his left hip. The other men bore more modern arms.
Dropping from the saddle, the King strode forward, greeting the man who appeared to be the leader with a calm, "Mr. Nagumo." The would-be warrior-king responded, "Finn the Human." Jake Junior bristled. He'd just dissed her boyfriend. Ignoring the insult, the King of Ooo sat down, rested his arms on the table, and announced, "you are in violation of the Peace of Ooo." "And you have violated it first," the warlord responded. In response, Finn chuckled. "Hardly," he said. "Aliens and Liches are outside the peace, man. I've never used war-machines on any normies on this planet."
Leaning forward, the big man said, "I'm offering you a chance, here. Take these men home. Return those machines to their purpose..." "Sonbong is mine," the warlord retorted. "I will have my people's ancient empire restored." "Sonbong belongs to her people," Finn replied. "There's a price to be paid for stealing." Nodding at their surroundings, he said, "in this world and the next."
The stranger took out a holo-projector and lay it on the table. Flicking it on, he said, "the one on the left is your bastard. The one on the right apparently is your son's." Finn's face went hot. Sakura was supposed to have swept that under the rug and buried it. How did this guy know that? Jake Junior immediately saw the threat. Those kids' lives were at stake. It was just like the thing with Liz all over again.
"Where's Sakura," Finn asked? "That garden-tool is in a shed, safe and sound," Tatsuo Nagumo responded. "Understand that I will smash any who stand in the way of my people's progress. I would urge you to strongly consider your position, Mr. Finn." "That would be King of Ooo," Finn retorted. "I'm King. I do not agree to what you're doing." "Then it is war," Tatsuo announced, as he rose. Jay found himself reaching for the power inside him. He could hear Annabelle's soft words in his ear. Do it. Kill him.
"You can go, Mr. Nagumo," Finn announced. "You have safe passage, since we're under truce. We'll be at war tomorrow. You have just that long to reconsider this decision." The seven soldiers howled laughter. They laughed and laughed as if the King had told a very funny joke. "I'm not playing by the old rules," Tatsuo chuckled. "Bring your swordsmen and spears if you dare." And without a further word, he and his men strode away from that place.
Finn returned to the saddle, his expression showing that he was troubled. Jay could see that he'd hoped to talk the stranger down. It was the bottomless optimism that his father had always shown. Jay had been much the same until Sheetz had burned his homeland. "Tomorrow, dad," Jay said. "He gets to live another day." Finn nodded, as he booted his horse into motion.
Bonnie's mind was on the obvious. "He said that was your kid, dad," she remarked. "One of them is your sister," Finn confirmed. "The other is your niece. It's a long story." "We have the time," Jake retorted. Finn flushed to his hair. She was pushing. With a heavy-hearted sigh, Finn began the tale. The story meandered more than a bit, with the King talking about how long he'd known Princess Sakura and explaining that his dear old friend had been striking out at having a baby. With a glance at Jay, the big man said, "I have troubles with seeing a girl crying. Apparently so do my sons." Jay Mertens flushed to his hair. Ah, yup, that was him to a T.
Jake goggled at her boyfriend. "You mean...," she stammered. "B-both of you?" "There's some sciency stuff," Finn rumbled. "Dr. P could explain it better. It's... I guess it's how you can have twins who aren't identical." "Daddy," Bonnie howled! "Th-that's... That's nasty!" He could see where her mind was going–straight into the gutter. It was a habit with his daughter, strangely enough. Finn shrugged. It was what it was. "The plan was not to tell everybody under the sun," the big man muttered. "I didn't aim to do Sakura like that. As far as anybody knew, both were Bill's daughters." He was still the gentleman who'd raised Bonnie. He didn't kiss and tell.
"Business of Kings, dad," Jay rumbled, just as Finn had so often said it to him. Where business of Kings was involved, there was always somebody with an interest in mischief. Somebody had spilled the beans, giving Tatsuo Nagumo an excuse to do the princess dirty. Maybe it was a nursemaid. Maybe it was the doctor who'd taken care of the princess during her pregnancy. Money could buy disloyalty with uncommon ease. It didn't much matter now. They would likely be at war tomorrow. Having watched him and taken his measure, Jay didn't think Mr. Nagumo was going to give in.
The party rode in through the city's gates and straight back to the Lord's palace. Just the other side of the palace gates, the quartet got down from their horses, handing them off to the palace's staff to be stabled. Looking across the courtyard, Finn found the Lamprey Princess staring back. Sheila stood at the edge of the elevated porch of Sonbong Palace, and if he wasn't mistaken, she was carrying their child.
The lamprey-person was wearing a natty green dress, and her long, blonde hair was teased out just-so. Bonnie couldn't help but notice her endowments. They were all but hanging out for all to see, after all. She vaguely remembered being astonished at the number of women her father was supposed to be romancing, and now she thought she was seeing one of them. The child was likely a half sibling. "G'day, Finn," Sheila offered, as Finn approached the foot of the stairs. "Sheila," Finn greeted her. "I expected to see you last night."
With a shrug, Sheila replied, "sandbars on the river, Finn. Wanted t'be sure we didn't run aground. Brung a load of food, like ye ast. It's bein' unloaded now." "Any troubles," he asked? The fish-woman, for such she clearly was, answered that with a shrug and a smile. As if in proof that this was one of his many paramours, Finn immediately took the child from the stranger, when he reached the top of the stairs. The little thing had pale peach-colored skin compared to her mother's more brown tone, pale blonde hair, and piercing hazel eyes that seemed to shift color in the light.
Jay brushed past, bound for his quarters. The woman known as Jake stayed at the bottom of the stairs, and Bonnie wondered what she was feeling. Finn slept with her, and Bonnie knew it. She'd seen Jake come out of her father's little room on the flying ship. What was she going to do with this? A rival was here, and this rival greatly outranked her. Breaking the spell, Finn announced, "let's get inside and talk."
The little group followed the King of Ooo to one of the palace's meeting chambers. The Lord of Sonbong was already there with some of his people, and Finn moved right in and got down to business. "Met Nagumo," the King announced. Which had been the point of the excursion. The Lord's eyes asked the question. And? "I've given him until tomorrow to change course," Finn declared. There was another shoe waiting to drop. "He's not going to budge," rumbled the Lord's First Minister. "No," Finn replied. "He's not."
There was fear on all those faces. "I've had food brought in," Finn said. He didn't let them go into doom-and-gloom mode. "It's not months worth, but it will carry you until I can get this sorted," the King declared. Nodding at his Royal Mistress, the big man said, "Her Highness has agreed to share a little of her people's bounty. It's... processed kelp." It wouldn't be yummy, but it would keep people healthy. "I think I may be able to get your fishing fleet back on the water in maybe a week," the King continued.
"But what about our lands," demanded the Captain of the Guard?! "What about the farmers?!" With a heavy-hearted sigh, the King said, "we won't know until Nagumo's gone. I intend to get him out of here within the week." "How," demanded the Captain?! "You leave that to me," the King retorted. "That's my job. It's in the title. Warlord. I'm'a... I'll have him out of here in a few days. Stay calm. Keep peeps from getting worked up. Distribute the food Sheila brought." And that was that.
Turning to Bonnie and Jake, the King said, "you guys can go hang out for a bit. Maybe look in on Charlie. I'm headed for the docks to see what we got for food." His eyes said it. He would likely be down there for the night. With a sniff of irritation, Jake Junior spun on her heel and headed for the door. Her posture suggested bitter jealousy to Bonnie. On her side, she didn't really know Charlie and didn't think there was value in going to see her. She was going to do something she absolutely loved, instead. She was going to explore. There was a town and a world here that she'd never seen before, after all.
Leaving his companions to their own devices, Finn boarded a carriage and headed down to Sonbong's docks. There were two cargo submarines tied up to the pier when the King arrived, and the town's dock-workers were already working hard to unload the precious cargo of food from both ships. Finn, who'd spent the ride playing with his daughter gave her over into the care of the nursemaid before following Sheila out onto the pier. As they strolled up onto the closest sub, she asked, "any news on Sakura?"
It was impossible for Finn to forget that Sakura and Sheila, though rivals, had been friends much of their lives. "The news isn't great," Finn admitted. "He's holding her prisoner. She's alive, but we don't know where she is." "What will you do," the Lamprey Princess asked? Finn shrugged. He would do what he always did. What he had to. Nodding, Sheila announced, "right. Let's go."
She led him aft to where the giant cargo doors were already open. The dockworkers were in the process of lifting out one of the water-proof metal boxes that housed the ship's cargo. Sheila had the box put on the deck and opened for his inspection. Inside were hundreds upon hundreds of small square boxes. Pulling one out at random, the curvy princess tore it open, revealing a tinfoil tray with various compartments in it. They'd managed to dress the kelp up to look like a variety of different things. There was fake meat, a tiny cup of soup, and even a dessert.
"It's survival food," Sheila admitted. "Ships taking long journeys pack it, and we keep small amounts on board in case some of ours get shipwrecked." Which was interesting news for Finn. "How much of this stuff can you make," he asked? With a shrug, she replied, "we keep stocks of it in every city. We live in a land where earthquakes, volcanoes, and storms can wreck whole towns. We make hundreds of thousands of these meals each year. It lasts a long time, but we make sure to replace the older stores so they don't go bad." Bingo, thought Finn.
"When do you replace the old stuff," he asked? With a shrug, she said, "just after storm season. This is some of our old stock here." "Do you have more," Finn asked? Sheila nodded. "How much," he asked? Those words surprised her. "I have some peeps who need food, babe," Finn said. Disturbed and worried, Sheila responded, "how many towns has he attacked?" "Not for here," Finn said. "Let's talk later," the Lamprey Princess responded. There was more to see.
As the crews relocked the container, the curvy princess led the King below decks to the sub's kitchen. There, the ship's cook showed the big man him how the food was cooked and prepared. Finn took mental notes. He'd pass that on, and hopefully the peeps of Sonbong could use the knowledge. More to the point, he thought it was knowledge his human peeps would soon be using.
Elsewhere, Jake Junior walked up the stairs and out onto the wall walk on the north end of town to find her sister standing there, looking out at the countryside. "Didn't think I'd see you," Charlie announced. "We're waiting," Junior replied. "Finn gave him until tomorrow to change his mind." Charlie laughed. There was a hostile army of war-machines with laser-guns out there. "He's got a plan," Jake rumbled. "You can be sure of that." Charlie nodded.
Moving on, Jake asked, "what's going on with your place?" Her sister nodded at the land out past the forcefield. "My studio's there," she said. It was a nice place. She had her own power, with a couple windmills and an array of solar-panels. She had enough that she sold a little of it to the town. She had a small plot of land to graze a couple of cows and a few goats. "Sounds like a nice spot," Jake burbled. Charlie sighed. It had been. "Don't give up," Jake insisted. "We'll get it back!" Charlie nodded, but she didn't seem convinced.
As the day came to a close, Finn the King sat down to dinner with his Royal Mistress and their Royal Baby in the lady's quarters aboard her ship. Sheila had been both anticipating the moment and dreading it. She was a little worried by how he'd perceive their child. There was a lot of Finn there, but there was just as much of Sheila herself. Little Susie had gills. And teeth. Lots and lots of teeth.
On Finn's side, the little girl was just like every one of his other kids. Cute as a button with all the traits he expected to see in a child. It made him laugh to see her trying to eat with her own hands, as she proceeded to make a hash of the whole thing. Susie ended up with chunks of fish all over her cute little face and lips. As Sheila watched, the doting daddy wiped the little girl up and tickled her little belly for the joy of hearing her giggle. It was everything she'd hoped for. He was a good daddy. She'd known he was a good daddy, but seeing was definitely believing.
The servants came and took the plates away, and Finn moved to a chair with his little girl, holding her and playing with her. In spite of how the child had came to be, the King seemed to have no regrets. Of course, with everything that had happened and so much attention besides, little Susie was exhausted. As the little girl began to yawn, Finn announced, "I need some help." It was out of the blue, but Finn had been a little distracted much of the day. Coming to his side, Sheila took little Susie out of his arms. Carrying her to her crib, she announced, "say on."
As the Lamprey Princess lay their daughter in her bed, the big man rumbled, "I have about four or five-hundred thousand peeps I have to stash in Ramona's kingdom over the winter. I promised I'd feed them. That I wouldn't drop the problem on her." Sheila nodded. She'd been hearing rumblings of some of Finn's problem, but she hadn't been following very closely. She had her own business on this side of the world, and then she'd been tracking the activities of this Tatsuo Nagumo.
"I want to take the leftovers you're planning to trash," he said. "We don't usually trash them, Finn," said Sheila. "Usually it goes to the poor. Sometimes we distribute it out to little communities on the islands or coast to help them out." "All of it," he asked? She'd talked about a lot of food. "Well, not all," she admitted. "I'm willing to pay," Finn said. The way he said that... He was in a bind. She could hear it in his voice.
Coming back to him, the curvy woman sat down on his lap and announced, "let's talk about it tomorrow, love." The princess glued her lips to his. Sheila had apparently had a breath-mint while he'd been playing with Susie. Instead of the taste of kelp, he got fresh peppermint. "Mmmm," she said, as they broke that kiss. Taking him by the arm, she led him to the bedroom. Finn went along. He'd ducked it last time, with no success at all. At least he wasn't snockered this time.
In her little bedroom, the princess shimmied out of that tight dress. She still had a little baby-weight, but it made her sexy. And those cans were still fucking huge. "Mmm," she said. "Let's get you comfortable." She shoved him back onto the bed and began to undress him, taking her time. Of course, as she touched, so did Finn. The big man ran his hands all over her curves and those big titties. As she shook those hips, the slutty princess purred, "so... did you bring one...?" It took a moment. Waggling her eyebrows suggestively, she said, "or we could use one of mine."
Finn's face went red hot in memory of her sabotaging the condom she'd used. That was how Susie came to be. The big man went in his pocket and brought out a packet. He'd been expecting to use those on JJ. Rather a lot. "Well," said Sheila. "Let's get you out of the rest of those clothes. And she slowly began to slide her body down his, rubbing those mega-knockers against his bare chest as she went. Young as a teen and pumped up with nano-robots to remove fatigue, he had a killer hard-on in seconds.
The slutty princess teased his flat belly with her long, sticky tongue, as she unzipped his fly, even dipping it into his belly-button. Tugging on his the legs of his pants when she had his fly open, she began to slowly ease them down, causing that big dick to spring out and smack her on the jaw. She didn't have to work for it today! "Mmm," she cooed, as she wiped up a little bit of sticky goo from her cheek. As the big man watched, she licked his stuff off the tip of her finger. Fuck, girls were shameless.
When she had his pants down, Sheila suddenly stood up, almost as if she was teasing him. Turning around, she began to prance back and forth, making him peep that hot fucking body, as she shook that mega-ass of hers. She was getting on in years. He had been too. Now, he would have called her a MILF. She was certainly a mom, and he sure wanted to fuck her. And a very dirty plan was forming in his mind.
Shooting to his feet, the big man grabbed for her wrist and missed, as she danced out of the way. Maybe it was the fish in her, but she was quicker than she looked. He was still far faster though. Catching her wrist, he slung the slut onto the bed and pounced. Pinning her down, the big man jammed his tongue in her mouth, got one hand on those big knockers, and slipped the other down the front of her panties.
It was rough and aggressive. She didn't have to lead him on tonight. Her breath came in hot pants as he went over those big knobs, biting and sucking at them, between kissing her and sucking on her neck and shoulder hard enough to raise a welt. Her hips wriggled and gyrated as he worked her g-spot, teasing her to get her hotter. When she might have clawed him, the big man pinned her arms above her head. He wasn't going home with welts tomorrow! The rough way he was doing her soon had her crying and whimpering, as she went through orgasm after orgasm. Fuck getting paid! If she could get this, and all it cost was a little stale food, so be it!
Finn abruptly stopped. Her eyes popped open, and he made a big show out of pulling the rubber out of its packet. Dropping to his knees, he shoved her thighs apart and went for her snatch. "Oooh...," she howled! "Oooooaa, Finn..." It took all her will to keep from clawing his head. With a grin, the big man raised up. The taste was a little more fishy than usual, but nothing he wasn't used to. Pushing her legs up by her head, the big man climbed aboard.
Sheila was a goner soon after, her body shaking, her head thrashing, as she clawed the sheets. Finn never stopped working those magnificent cans over as he screwed her silly. On and on he gave her the goods, stopping occasionally to tease her a little before returning to work. Finally, after a long fifteen minutes of buildup, the big man went over the edge, giving her both barrels.
"Wow," she panted, as they rested. "Too bad I had to get you drunk last time, love!" That was a lot better than drunk Finn. Grinning, Finn climbed off of her. As she lay there in a languid heap, the big man held up the unused rubber, causing her to goggle in shock. "Finn," howled Sheila! "Y-you..." "Stealthed you," Finn agreed? "Yeah. Turnabout and all that." Her face went red hot. She'd done it first. What was she going to say now? Sitting up, she howled, "you bastard!" Finn laughed. "Matter of fact," said he, as he threw the slutty princess on her back. Pinning her arms up over her head, the big man got to grips with those mega-tits of hers. "Oooh... you... Finn... Y-you stop that..." When the big man mounted her again, she wrapped those long legs around him all the same.
Sheila awoke to find Finn seated at her table, washing Susie. It came as something of a surprise, though, as she thought about, she realized it shouldn't have been. He'd told her. His kids were important to him–important enough that he wanted to be part of raising and nurturing them, even if he only got part of the year to do it. It was an important lesson. She was a woman, and she could do a whole lot of nurturing, but maybe that wasn't enough.
Rising, the Lamprey Princess rang for breakfast before hopping in the shower. By the time she'd gotten done, food was being delivered to her quarters, and Finn was at the table, with Susie in her high-chair. The curvy princess stroked his broad shoulders as she brushed past. Taking the seat opposite him, she rumbled, "well... Pregnant again..." Finn gave her a smirk for answer. In solemn tones, the big man declared, "if you've only got one, you're not getting the full effect." That made her howl laughter. Poking him in the chest, she added, "do I get three like the others..." "Maybe," he rumbled.
Sheila stood up and came over to his side of the table. Straddling his lap, the Lamprey Princess sat down. As the pair picked at breakfast, she said, "I'm going to do this... I'll help you with your little problem, Finn. It won't be free, but I'm not going to gouge you on this like some of the others would have." There was a 'but' there. The big man's frown told that he was expecting a 'but'. Pressing her forehead against his, the fish-girl said, "I'm gonna' do this love, because it means I'll see you more often. If I'm shepherding a portion of your people, it means you have a reason to visit me and Susie more than once a year." Slipping his arms around her, the big man rumbled, "deal."
The Lord of Sonbong had one of his attendants waiting on Finn when the King arrived at the Lord's palace. It was time to get down to business. Wearing a suit in dark blue, running to black in the palace's dim lighting, the King followed the palace functionary down to the Lord's meeting chamber. It somewhat set the tone for what they were about here. Jay was waiting near the door. Bonnie and Jake Junior were sitting at the ornately carved table, Jake's face unreadable. His girlfriend was in a bit of an emotional state, and he needed to get that squared away. In the right now, though, there was work to get done. "Morning, everyone," Finn greeted them. "I imagine that Mr. Nagumo has not changed his mind."
It was the understatement of the year. If anything, the war-machines had slipped closer in the night, angling to maximize the effectiveness of their weapons against the forcefield protecting the city. "They have attacked two of the gates," announced the city's Captain of the Guard. "We had to conduct emergency repairs last night to shore them up." Finn nodded. The gates were a weakness. They let people come and go without having to take the whole forcefield down, but they were a definite weakness. He'd have to act fast to prevent Tatsuo's goons from smashing the defenses.
"Tell me more," Finn announced, as he flicked open his phone. Scrolling through his texts, he was delighted to find that, just as he'd ordered, the army was on the ground and waiting, just a few hours to the northwest. As the Captain of the Guard explained what they were dealing with, the King sent a text message to his general, summoning the troops. Calmly, the big man announced, "we only have to keep them at bay for a little while." Turning to his companions, the King said, "come with me. There's work to be done."
The quartet headed down to the city's wall to take stock of what they were dealing with. Just as the reports said, the war-machines were closer. They were holding position, likely waiting on orders to begin their final assault. Jake, who'd been distant during the meeting with the Lord and his men announced, "I don't want you to do this..." Finn gave her a smirk for answer.
She reminded him, "I promised to take care of you." She was thinking of the old days, when Finn and her father did hair-raising things just for kicks. "The risk is small, Jake," Finn replied. "I'm not going to get my hands dirty here... not much, anyways." "It's the not much that scares me," she rumbled. "What's the plan, dad," Jay interrupted? He was restless and anxious. With a smile, the big man said, "Nadia's analysis says that the machines are vulnerable, close up. They weren't designed with armor in mind. There's weak-spots all over. Joints, hoses, wires..."
The King drew out his phone and said, "these are some snaps Nadia took when she was visiting Sakura." His kids and his girlfriend all crowded in close. "See these things...," he rumbled. "These carry vital fluids that make the machine run. Cut them, and..." "...the machine may stop," Bonnie murmured. She got it. The curvy half-breed drew her dagger. "We'll have to get close," Jake reminded him. Resting his hands on his kids' shoulders, Finn replied, "do we?" Bonnie gasped, as she saw her father's plan. In the weird 'Bonnie-World' that she carried around with her, she could move things around as she saw fit, just with her will alone.
Out in the lands around the city, Tatsuo Nagumo sat going through reports of the progress on his siege. Two submarines from the Lamprey Kingdom had slipped in early the previous morning, while he was dealing with Finn the Human. He imagined they were bringing relief supplies–for all the good that would do them. It wasn't going to matter. His troops would end up with the food–and possibly the submarines themselves. "We'll move at mid-day," the would-be warlord announced.
As the sun climbed the sky, Finn the King stepped out of the city of Sonbong with his kids and Jake at his side. They'd had a bit of an argument over the plan for running off Nagumo's men. Finn had intended to divide-and-conquer, with Jake working with Bonnie, and Finn working with Jay. Jake had argued against the idea, pointing out that she was his bodyguard, not Bonnie's.
Trouble was, Finn didn't have the Reality-Bubble power. He couldn't reel-in the enemy robots, so it hardly helped if Jake stayed with him. They'd argued over it for several minutes before Jay finally solved the issue by saying he would go out alone. Jake–and Finn–could go with Bonnie. Which helped Finn's state of mind not at all. Still, with the decision made, they all moved out to get the job done.
The quartet split up, with Jay heading off to the northeast, going around the curve of the town's defenses. Bonnie, Finn, and Jake headed south, following the road towards the machines that had tried to smash the gates. The trio walked along as if they were in no great hurry. It was important not to be seen acting as though they were sneaking around. Finn wanted to get within maybe a half mile or so before having Bonnie try her hand. Jake insisted on keeping one of her mitts latched to the arms of her companions with the intent of maybe teleporting them back into the town if things got hot. As the trio were starting to work up a sweat, even in the cool air, Bonnie finally announced, "here, daddy. I think this is good."
It didn't happen all at once. Junior might not even have noticed. At first. And then, suddenly, the machine was right there in front of them. The shapechanger glanced to her left and found that the land around them seemed to blur, as if shrouded in a fog. Finn didn't waste time on ceremony. Wielding the grass-sword, the big man charged up to the machine, and immediately attacked its front left leg. Wasting nary a moment, Jake went for the right leg, wielding her claws like swords.
The hapless crewman immediately attempted to employ the machine's flying capability, but, no matter how hard he hammered the thrust-pedals, the machine never seemed to move anywhere. It was like he was flying a hundred miles an hour against a hundred mile an hour headwind. Grimly, Bonnie concentrated, keeping the machine exactly at the center of 'Bonnie World', as her father and his girlfriend went to work, slicing piping and slashing wires, until the machine collapsed right where it was. And then they were back where they started, half a mile away.
"You ok," Finn asked? "Harder than I thought," Bonnie admitted. She'd almost panicked when the thing tried to fly off! "The army's coming," Finn said. "Nagumo's dudes should see them soon. I want to do maybe a couple more." "Ok, daddy," Bonnie agreed. She could see the scheme. When his machines suddenly stopped obeying his will–and with an army bearing down on him–Nagumo would have to flee.
As the trio moved on to the next machine in the area, their foe was getting the surprise of his life. "Armored fighting machines," confirmed his lieutenant, as he flicked on the holo-projector. "Cannon. Firearms. They came prepared." It wasn't the death-machines that the self-styled King of Ooo kept near his palace, but it was dangerous enough. It was an escalation, but he still seemed to holding back. "They'll be no match for our weapons," Nagumo rumbled. "Order Team Six to attack." One of his radiomen suddenly announced, "our weapons... They're under attack!"
Rushing towards them, the warlord demanded, "by who?" "I can't get an answer," the radioman replied! "I... It's garbled. Someone just appeared next to them..." "Soldiers don't just appear," howled the warlord! He snatched the radio from the fool, but all he heard was static with a few garbled words. "What's happening," shouted the fallen policeman?! "What's going on?! What do you see?!" The static petered out to nothing. Nagumo would have sent more of his troops forward to find out, but his lieutenant stopped him. "If this is connected to Finn and his army," the younger man rumbled. Spitting curses, Tatsuo Nagumo stared into the distance. "Three down already, sir," said the second radioman. "Five down." "Pull them back," shouted the warlord! "Pull them all back!"
Well, it looks like Tatsuo's plan has hit a figurative wall. Jake Jr. is a little jealous of her boyfriend, and Finn gets a bit of payback on Sheila in a fun way.