Things were going better for Val. He got to travel with Larry on over to Monster World. It was an eye opener there too. Val went through every part of the theme park. He enjoyed everything.
Him and Earl had a nice reunion. The two were left alone while Kate, Larry, and Grady went over business. Larry headed back as he didn't want to stay too long from his pregnant wife. He let Val know whenever he was ready to head back, they would pick him up from the airport.
Earl took Val on some of the rides. The two were in ball caps and t-shirts trying to blend in. Earl went through all what had happened in Mexico and how they came about with this theme park. When they had lunch, Val let him know his life after the first graboid incident and how he ended up back at Perfection.
After all these years, the two felt like they picked up where they left off. There were no hard feelings. No sense of guilt. Just some regret of not checking in on the other. Since they were back together the planned to keep one another informed. Earl asked if Val knew about Nancy's husband who was a rock legend. This was surprise to Val. Nancy never told him.
Earl asked Val if he was seeing anyone. Val said he had his share of one-night stands after the divorce but nothing serious. He was having a school crush on Rosalita. Earl teased him that it's a surprise he's not going after his type. Val swore he would never try that again. This time he's just going to go with the flow.
Earl also brought him, when Val was ready, to see the shriekers and assblasters. Val let him know about his sleep walking incidents with a pregnant Rhonda. Earl could believe that. Earl let him know that he did have to go see a counselor on Kate's request as he kept getting nightmares again from the shriekers. Now, after being with them for a while, they're not so bad. Earl pointed out where each name came from on all the creatures that were housed and what language it was from.
Val arrived back at Perfection a week later. He was welcome any time at Monster World. Val was picked up by Tyler who had to get some things from different car parts stores. Him and Andria were still trying to get those sunken vehicles repaired and running.
The two came back just in time for the town to be gathered around a new person. The tables were grouped together as people were huddled around it. The two came closer to see a tablet showing images and some graboid looking figurines.
"Ah, Mr. McKee," Lewis greeted him. "Its good to see you again."
"Oh," Val blinked. It was that scientist that was asking all of those graboid questions. "Dr. Thorn?"
"Thorpe," Lewis corrected. "Good to see you in your element again."
"Why are you here?" Val was confused.
"Ah, right," Lewis moved to the side. "I was letting the town know about the graboids in South Africa. These are 3D printed models of the graboid and assblaster there. Right now, it's playing the depictions of how these creatures move and such." Val believed those graboids were absolute monsters. "Yes, lots of us had the same reaction. I am also here to see how our two graboids handle the noises coming from these graboids. Would you like to go with us?"
Val did nod. He was curious to see these two graboids up close. After Lewis finished with what he was doing, him, Val, Rose, and Wes headed off to go a secluded area in Perfection. Lewis handed items to Rose while Wes helped Val upon a big bolder.
"So, she's going to call them here," Wes explained as the two stood up. "We will be up here. She's going to try to communicate with them and try to understand if they can understand the South African graboid."
"They won't attack us, right?" Val started to get anxious.
"Don't know that," Wes shook his head. "They're animals. Wild. We just have some wild in us to allow us to have some equal footing with them. Rose is putting her life on the line for this." Wes moved away to grab Lewis. He helped him up. "Doc, what do think will happen?"
Lewis dusted himself off. "Thanks. There are several outcomes. Hopefully a good one." He signaled to Rose. She had two batons in her hands. She nodded before heading off.
She walked away from them. She placed down one baton. Rose pushed a few buttons. It sent down vibrations. The group waited until they saw the dust trails.
"Here they come," Wes glanced at Val. He was worried about how he would react. The three watched the graboids get closer. The pungent smell indicating how close they were.
Rose stayed in one spot as the two sprung out of the sand, sliding into a halt with only half of their bodies out.
"They're huge!" Val stepped backwards. Wes was ready to steady him. "They're bigger than the first ones."
"They have been alive a lot longer," Lewis informed him. He waved his hand. "Alright, moment of truth."
Rose clicked the buttons on the baton. She tried to explain about a new graboid. She placed down the other baton. She looked over to Wes before pushing one button. The sound and vibration emitted. There was only silence. She tried the first sound again. Silence still. Rose clicked the next button. A new sound and vibration emitted. El Blanco chirped first. D.W. only clacked once. Rose headed onto the third sound. Silence. Rose tried the third sound again. Nothing. She clicked the last button, emitting the last vibration and sound. Nothing.
"Hm," Lewis pondered.
Rose grabbed the first button. She clicked a few buttons. Telling them again how that was a graboid. D.W. clacked back. Lewis waved his hand at the graboid.
"Says they know that the sound was graboid," Rose interpreted. "Or they know now."
"Can't believe y'all are communicating," Val muttered out loud. He never thought something like this would happen in a million years.
She clicked the buttons again. Trying to communicate if they could understand the graboid. D.W. clacked their beak a few times before El Blanco started to clack theirs.
"Oh, now they're both talkative," Lewis supported his elbow as his hand rested on his chin. He watched the scene unfold.
Once the two stopped, Rose tried to interpret it. She tilted her head to the side. Trying to think of it from a human language stand point. "They say. Hm. Okay. They know the sounds are graboid. Sounds mostly emitted are hunting sounds. Can't respond to hunting sounds." Rose bobbled her head back and forth while thinking out loud. "Understandable there. Graboid but they don't know if edible or inedible."
"Why would they care about that?" Val looked over to Lewis.
"Graboids eat whatever they want," Wes answered him. Lewis was still in thought. "Graboids will eat shriekers and assblasters. Think of them like land sharks. Sharks eat other sharks. Same goes for graboids. Shriekers inside of graboids eat them from the inside out. Assblasters could probably eat shriekers, don't think they could eat graboids though. Could be a new rock, paper, scissors game."
Rose thought for a moment before pushing buttons again. She pushed buttons on the second baton before going back to the first one. The group waited for the response.
The two graboids lifted their heads up, their beaks spread out, and grunting sounds were emitted.
"Jesus!" Val jolted backwards. Making himself fall upon the boulder. He started to scramble away. Wes grabbed onto him.
"It's alright," Wes held him steady. "It's okay. I know how new and scary that must be for you. Everything's going to be okay. Look. They're back to normal. Nothing else has happened."
Val jerked his head to see that everything was okay. He was the only one who had freaked out. He took a few breaths in. "None of you got scared by that?"
Wes shook his head. "No. That's because we have seen this sight of them on many occasions. That was the graboids laughing."
"Graboids, graboids laughing?" Val started to get up with the help from Wes.
Rose repeated herself to them once more. This time there was no laughing. D.W. clacked back at her. She pushed buttons back. D.W. clacked again. Rose followed up. The two graboids were silent. El Blanco finally clacked a few times. Rose pushed a few buttons. There was a moment of silence before El Blanco reared their beak up to plunge into the ground. El Blanco headed out. D.W. followed suit.
Rose waited until they were long gone before moving back to the vehicle. Wes helped get Lewis and Val down. Lewis headed over to Rose. He was curious what the commotion was.
"Why did they laugh?" Lewis caught up to her as she walked back.
"They thought I was joking when I said that the graboid could go through rock," Rose explained. "I repeated myself. D.W. claimed the graboid was inedible. I responded with graboid does beach and die. D.W. said small things, so shriekers. I said no, flying things, assblasters. That's when El Blanco asked if graboid here, if the graboid was here. I said no, graboid out of reach. That's when El Blanco decided to leave with D.W. following."
"That's interesting," Lewis enjoyed the scene. "Suggests that since the South African graboid was deemed inedible since that graboid can go through rock, puts that graboid higher on as predator on the food chain, letting these two know that they could become prey."
Rose lowered her voice. "You're not going to try to hatch the South African graboid, are you?"
Lewis glanced over to Val before speaking. "If there are eggs, I might. The team is searching all sites and possible areas."
Rose stopped. Lewis stopped a step ahead. "Lewis, hatching American graboids was one thing, South African is a whole new playing field. It would be like having regular spiders verses Australian spiders. With all the data and input from the about the South African graboid, it's too risky."
"Coming from the scientist who is called Frankenstein," Lewis was surprised to hear these words from her. He thought she would enjoy the new graboid.
"Lewis," Rose tried to get to him realize. "How can you house a creature that can go through rock? Hm? Cement with reinforced steel and rebar isn't going to hold up against a corkscrew graboid. Detachable tentacles. Hive like mentality with assblasters. Sounds fascinating but also dangerous. It took several bolts of lightning to kill a graboid. Since you have lots of data from the American graboid, run simulations. I know its nothing like being in the field, but if the South African graboid has come back, who knows where else it might happen. We can't have you dead on the graboid variant. There are many research facilities out there on graboid life cycles. Let's not take away the leading man."
Lewis let out a sigh. She was right. He was so ready to hatch more graboids like in Utah. That was the easiest and best way to find out what he needed to know. Rose brought him back to reality. He thanked her for this experiment. The two of them headed back to the vehicle and headed into town.
A couple years later, the town of Perfection was still holding strong. It was around evening, at the restaurant where the town had their meetings. It was Rose's turn to update them on things they needed to know.
"I have good news and bad news," Rose stood up. "Good news, Jodi is with the law firm in Reno at about trademarking and copyright infringements. She let me know some things. Burt is back in town." This brought on lots of commotion from the group. She let the group quiet down before speaking again. "Bad news, he's at the fake Perfection, living in the fake Chang's Market because he thought Jodi and the rest of the town had called it quits. He also thinks El Blanco died. He doesn't remember his bunker. He thinks everything just fell apart on him while he was away hunting graboids with his son. Government side of things, we're trying to get him to leave the fake Perfection. Wes has also been dispatched to keep an eye on him, so Burt can believe he's in the real Perfection. Its' a mess. An absolute mess. I will try to keep you updated best I can. Just mostly ask you to not go over to the fake Perfection at all. Don't drive near it. Nothing like that. We don't know what he might actually do."
"Burt is still having a hard time," Tyler frowned.
"He is," Rose nodded. "Nothing as of yet to correct what's been done to him. We haven't gotten a new blood sample either. After the South African incident and with his reality show The Survivalist with Burt Gummer and Travis B. Welker, we can conclude that he's become a grumpy, old man with deep setting paranoia."
"What happened to Burt?" Val looked over to him.
"Second graboid incident in Perfection, Burt was swallowed whole by one in a barrel," Tyler whispered into his hear.
"Oh," Val gave a slow nod.
"It's been messing with his system," Tyler leaned back. His voice still low. "Like dealing with a person with Alzheimer's or dementia. Something like that. That's why it has been really hard for us. We noticed when Burt was changing but couldn't do anything about to stop it. Wouldn't allow us to stop it either."
A few months later, the government sent in someone who could go toe to toe with Burt at his current level, Special Agent Dalkwed. The eviction notices and the other IRS agents couldn't shake Burt from his stronghold, even if it was a fake one.
Wes had been listening to the scene unfold. He had bugged the building. Burt was doing the usual type of Burt things: polishing up guns, practicing his marksmen, reading on the latest technology with guns and ammunition, and eating cactus at times.
Special Agent Dalkwed got Burt shook. Wes was happy about that. Him and Rose could only keep the teenagers away from that area for so long. Wes was glad he wasn't much of a pain to deal with unlike his half-brother, Travis. Listening to both of their conversations was giving him a headache.
One day, Wes listened in on a phone call about graboids in the Artic. He also received a message from Rose stating a research group is being attacked by graboids. Wes brought up infrared satellite imaging on the fake Chang's. He could see the two by the telephone. Wes frowned. He was happy to get his dad out of there but now Burt was going on another hunt.
When Burt and Travis left, Wes relayed to the government team so they can do a quick clean on the building. Burt did have trouble with the IRS, but that was due to his Bulls Eye brand. Burt was out there all by himself trying to decipher government paperwork. Travis didn't help much.
Rose was getting information from the government and Lewis about the latest graboid incident. They held another town meeting to go over the latest information.
"Burt and Travis are on their way to Canada to kill graboids that live in the snow?" Tyler blinked.
"Graboids in the snow?" Val held the same expression.
"Wouldn't be like our graboids," Nancy chimed in. "Maybe something similar to the South African variant. Didn't Lewis say their bodies are like puffer fish while the exoskeleton of the South African ones are more reinforced type?"
Rose nodded. "Yes, that's what the teams are concluding so far. Bit of not so good news about this case." She looked over to Val. He tilted his head to the side. "Your daughter, Valerie helped convinced Burt to help with their crisis. She is there on an internship at the Boite Canyon Research Facility in Canada." Val stood up. He was about to get frantic. "A team is being sent. There is also DARPA that has been alluding to doing something similar to Proudfoot labs. If Valerie is anything like her parents, she will be fine, plus Burt will be there. I will keep you updated on everything. Don't worry."
Rose gave Val a government issued laptop that was only connected to that graboid situation. It gave him some ease but it wasn't enough. This incident was happening so fast. The team being sent would likely get there after the whole incident. Val was happy that his little girl was going after her dreams. Hearing that she got her Bachelors and now is working on her Masters did get him a bit teary eyed. He knew she was shooting for a doctorate next. Although the two haven't spoken, he was still very proud of her.
After the incident, the town was thoroughly informed on everything that happened. Burt and Travis were coming back to the fake Perfection, thinking they had gotten more time to pay back the IRS, but the Special Agent Dalkwed made sure Burt couldn't fill that order. The list of demands was creating a sewer system for the fake Perfection that was only housing the fake Chang's Market. Lots of red tape for Burt to wade through since Travis wasn't going to do any of that. He still had to pay back what he owes for his Bullseye brand.
Burt decided to forgo any more government nonsense. Since Travis took another 'break' after posting the artic graboid incident, Burt left with the cash he had on him to uninhabited place in Papa New Guinea where he could live in retirement away from society. Away from the government harassing him about all the taxes and permits.
The news about Burt's retirement affected the townspeople differently. Some thought it was about time for Burt while others wondered what Burt would be doing instead. Monster hunting had become his life. No monsters to hunt, what would Burt actually do? The townspeople did agree that Burt did deserve some rest after almost dying because of the graboid bacteria in his blood. The antibodies from a different breed of graboid did combat against the American graboid bacteria. Lewis' team was doing lots of research on it.
Wes had picked up the slack on the Bullseye brand. He couldn't see it being taken over or ended. He had the help of his wife to pay what Burt owes and get things squared away again. Wes also found out that Travis had just been caught in Mexico for smuggling shrooms. Wes thought it was a nice timeout for him. Burt needed some silence after everything he went through.