Eighteen

Village Near Thaymor

Planet Etheria

3 September 2017

Silence fell over the village like a shroud in the aftermath of the battle. Even the crying and whimpering coming from the group of villagers was subdued. Captain Takamora broke the spell, requesting a status from both squads. Reports came in in an orderly fashion. Numerous injuries, but no fatalities. The new armor held against the Horde weapons. It still would not withstand a direct hit from the drone grenade launchers or railguns, but the near misses had been shrugged off without anyone losing life and or limb.

When the reports were finished, Hohiro turned to the creature that lay, unmoving, on its right side. It hadn't so much as twitched ever since the blast from the scout vehicle sent it flying. He rushed over to inspect the beast for injuries even as cries for the medics echoed across the village to tend to the wounded.

The Japanese warrior spoke softly to Adrian in an effort to preserve his cover, placing a hand gently on his left arm and gently shaking it. Hohiro backpedaled in an instant as the creature jerked awake, rolling over and partially sitting up, claws snapping out from their sheaths on both arms. The Syngenor blinked several times, momentarily confused, realized where it was and what was going on, and collapsed onto its back, sheathing the claws.

"We just can't take you anywhere," Hohiro declared, grinning.

Gatling Arm walked over, sticking out an armored hand. The Syngenor took it, pulling himself to his feet; growling something at the captain, he turned away. A group of soldiers were making themselves busy by gathering pieces of Horde robots into an orderly pile at the west end of the avenue. The creature joined in by picking up the heavier pieces the troops could not move.

The Sorceress walked over to the pair, Falcon reducing herself to the medallion hanging from a silver chain. A small surge of magical energy transformed the black and gray uniform the Guardians had adopted into the blue, white and red/orange birdlike costume of her station as the guardian of Castle Grayskull, making the transformation primarily out of confirmation for the children who still did not quit believe she was really the Sorceress.

Charlie Platoon assisted the villagers in gathering up whatever they wished to take with them. Hohiro had called in to the Eternia, requesting a dropship for relocation. It hadn't taken much arguing on Hohiro's part to convince them to temporarily relocate to Brightmoon, especially when they learned that Queen Angella and her daughter had returned.

Claw arrived in dramatic fashion, carrying the wayward Horde general firmly clutched in his right hand. The general did not look happy. The angry glint in his eyes changed to uncertainty when he caught sight of the silver-eyed creature assisting in the cleanup. A pair of soldiers rushed over, one carrying a pair of plastic riot cuffs, and took charge of the prisoner. The general was then marched into one of the now-vacant homes that would serve as a temporary prison.

Forty-five minutes later, not one but two dropships soared into the air over the village. One settled to the ground at the west end, while the other set down at the eastern side. The group of villagers was broken up into two groups and escorted to the waiting ships. After Colonel Markson and part of Alpha Platoon exited the western dropship, the villagers filed up the loading ramp.

A little girl broke away from the group and ran across the dusty ground as fast as her little legs would carry her. Her target was the towering silver-eyed creature who had had a part in saving her family and friends. The Sorceress nudged him and gestured to the incoming child; the creature dropped to one knee as the girl plowed into him. Andre wrapped her small arms around his neck and thanked him for saving them from the Horde. Embarrassed at the display of affection, the creature paused, unsure how to react. Carefully, he wrapped his powerful arms around the girl, giving her a pat on the shoulder. After a moment, Andre lifted her head and gave him a peck on the left cheek. They broke the embrace and the child darted off to join her mother in the waiting dropship.

"Kinda young for you, isn't she?" a private teased. His buddy snickered with amusement.

The Syngenor rose to its feet and glared daggers.

Captain Takamora rounded on the pair. "Why don't you two go secure something. Like, maybe, the prisoner?" He turned away as the pair snapped to attention and saluted, not bothering to return the salute.

"Do I really want to know what that was all about?" the colonel asked, stepping up to the group.

"Oh, just a thankful little girl," Sorceress replied.

"For?" Colonel Markson prodded.

"Completing her quest to find a good monster," Hohiro answered, dead serious.

Markson blinked. "A good monster?" He turned to the creature for confirmation. It shrugged its shoulders indifferently in response and walked off in the direction of the shack doubling as a prison. "This is your idea of saying 'Hello' to our neighbors?" He gestured to the mangled ball that used to be a drone. Having seen what the Sorceress did to the tri-wing on the penal planet Hel, he knew immediately who was responsible for that.

"Well, we did invite them back for brunch, but the Horde wasn't interested," Jake deadpanned.

Markson turned to the captain. "You mentioned a surprise?"

Hohiro jerked a thumb in the direction of the prison shack. "Horde general ready and waiting. However, I wouldn't plan on getting too much out of him."

"Oh?"

"He's more afraid of Adrian than any of us."

"Well, that's hardly surprising when you consider the monster he serves," the colonel said. He was thinking about using the general's fear of Adrian to his advantage but knew next to nothing about the creature form he was using and said so.

"We know someone who does," Captain Takamora said. He was eyeing a certain corporal approaching with a pair of Val-kyrie warriors and a Quaedian in tow.

Dhalon was bristling with anger. "You had a party here with the Horde and no one invited me? Oh, the shame of it!"

"Relax, Dhalon," Anyssa said soothingly. "There is still plenty of chances to engage the Horde."

Colonel Markson addressed Corporal Frost. "Corporal. I have a job that is ideally suited for your talents."

Frost was immediately on guard. "What talents in particular?"

"Your knowledge of B-movie monsters," Hohiro supplied. "We have a Horde general cooling his heels in a shack. Seems he's more afraid of Adrian's creature form than the rest of us."

Frost pointedly looked to the right and took in the mangled lump of a drone. Returning his attention to the Sorceress, he said, "Even after you did that?"

"Not enough – what do you call it? – shock and awe," the woman admitted.

"I'm a sniper, not an interrogator."

"For this, you don't have to be. Just go in, feed him a line about the creature and break him. Simple," the colonel said.

"Just go in, feed him a line of crap and break him. Simple," Frost echoed. Yeah, right. "The guy's probably a six-four mount of muscle who could break me in half like a toothpick."

"Well, he is about six feet in height," the Sorceress confirmed. "However, I will go in with you. He will not get the chance to get physical with you."

"Because…?"

"If he even thinks about it, I will flatten him." Sorceress held up her right hand as if she were holding a staff. The white staff with a birdlike cap materialized in a heartbeat.

"This is strictly voluntary," Colonel Markson added.

With a sigh, Frost began removing his armor. He initially handed his railgun rifle to Jake, though better of it, and instead handed it off to his spotter. "Show me someone else who knows enough about old movie monsters to make it believable."

"That leaves Jake out," Markson said blithely.

"Hey!"

"Am I wrong?"

"Well, no," Jake admitted. "But you don't have to be so quick on the trigger."

Stripped of his armor and armed only with his sidearm, Frost declared, "Let's get this over with."

Colonel Markson raised questioning eyebrows. "You're going in like that?"

"How many interrogators you even seen wearing combat armor?"

"Good point."

Frost and the Sorceress approached the shack cum prison. The pair who had heckled Adrian earlier were on station outside. Neither appeared to be in a jovial mood now. Ignoring the pair, Frost took a deep breath, let it out to settle his nerves, and put on his game face, then strode purposely into the shack as if he owned it. The pair of soldiers flanking the captive general snapped to attention, then relaxed when they saw that the new arrival wasn't an officer.

The corporal took in the situation at a glance. Off to the left in the shack's front corner stood the Syngenor. His face turned away from the prisoner, Frost winked at the creature, though he wasn't sure if it even took notice of his presence. On the right, General Drax sat in a straight-backed chair, still clad in armor and wrists still bound behind his back. His guards seemed confused at seeing Frost bereft of his armor.

"Guards out," Frost ordered evenly.

The guard on the right opened his mouth to object, freezing when the Sorceress touched his mind and that of his partner. She told them to play along and that Corporal Frost had the colonel's full support.

The guard who had been about to object was quick to play along. "He's dangerous," the young man said, straightening up as if Frost was his superior. He hastened to add, "Sir."

Frost faced the trio, jerking a thumb over his right shoulder. "And he isn't? I think we'll be all right."

The guards locked eyes for a moment, then headed for the door. The Sorceress stood aside long enough to let them pass before resuming her place blocking the exit.

Drax spoke for the first time since Claw had brought him back to the village. "You're a little young to be an interrogator." His deep baritone voice filled the shack.

"And you are a little old to be afraid of monsters," Frost returned. Neither of them – general and monster – broke eye contact. "Is it cold in here, or is it just me?" Frost smiled inwardly when he saw the man shiver slightly beneath the armor.

Frost continued with his pitch, improvising as he went. "Incredible creatures, aren't they? Found a world full of them out on the rim not far from our home world. Lost a dozen people before we were able to communicate properly." He gestured to the Sorceress. "She had a lot to do with that. Turns out these creatures are pretty gentle. Until you piss them off, that is. The cold you feel radiating from him is how they regulate their internal temperature, or so the biologists tell me. Must have been a shock when your troopers tried to stun him and couldn't connect. They generate a bioelectric field the seems to absorb energy directed at them. We're not sure if it's for defense or has some other application altogether.

"Offensively, however, well, you already got a taste of that. These creatures are an absolute nightmare to face. Hordak had better take a good look because the Horde is going to be seeing more of them. Our answer to your robots. The beauty of it is, after explaining who and what your empire is, they were eager to join the fight. Seems that have a taste for fighting despite their gentle side."

The whole time Frost had been speaking, he wandered about the room, weaving his way among chairs, the table, and the other odds and ends strewn about. He suspected the shack might have been used for storage in the recent past. His roaming eventually brought him to a position behind the general.

Drax yawned. "You intend to break me with your incessant droning?"

Frost leaned in close to the man's left ear and said, "Not exactly."

Colonel Markson and Captain Takamora were discussing what to do if the corporal couldn't break the Hordling. The towering form of Claw nearby didn't make much of an impression despite Brad bringing the scout vehicle to an abrupt halt. It was becoming clear that the man feared monsters more than mere men and machines. Ever since Hordak's upgrade with nanotech, he had become a nightmare to face in and of himself.

Only Adrian Cobretti had been able to make any impression upon the man, but the colonel doubted that he could break the Horde general without compromising his own ethics and sense of honor. He began to speculate if the Sorceress would be willing to telepathically probe his mind. Anyssa pointed out that many Horde officers were conditioned against such invasive tactics. If a telepathic probe was attempted, the most likely outcome was the person's mind going into an immediate meltdown, leaving them a virtual vegetable. There was also the chance that the brain meltdown could take the telepath along with them. Naturally, telepathic species were unwilling to take the risk.

Markson wasn't worried when he saw the other two soldiers exit the shack. With Adrian and the Sorceress still inside, Frost was in good hands. Minutes dragged by, and Hohiro resumed his verbal after-action report. He was wrapping it up when a commotion broke out at the shack.

Soldiers scattered in surprise and fear as General Drax toppled out the door. He struck the ground hard on his bound wrists, rolled over and levered himself awkwardly to his feet. The man didn't get far as the pursuing Syngenor darted outside, clamped a powerful, taloned hand around his neck, lifting him effortlessly off his feet. The Syngenor twisted, moved back several paces, and slammed Drax bodily against the wall of the shack.

Frost leisurely walked out, hands clasped behind his back, the Sorceress trailing close behind trying to hide a smile. "I warned you that he was getting hungry. You might want to consider spilling your guts before he does."

"What do you want!" Drax choked out, feet dangling inches above the ground.

Frost sighed. "We've been over this. I want to know the best way into the Fright Zone without getting caught. Deployment of forces along the border, numbers and disposition."

Frost had explained thoroughly about how the Syngenor creatures fed. The 'tongue' slipped out of the creature's mouth and slowly pointed in the direction of Drax's. The man's eyes nearly crossed as he struggled to maintain eye contact with the slowly extending appendage. He was helpless to do anything, but he just could not betray his oath to Hordak.

"You expect me to t-talk," Drax struggled to husk out.

"No!" Frost answered, chuckling. "As a loyal minion of Hordak I expect you to die!" He paused to let the gravity of the situation sink in. Out of the corner of his eye, Frost saw Colonel Markson place a restraining hand on Captain Takamora's arm. Apparently, the captain had made a move to intervene, but the colonel evidently saw what was really going on, and he was willing to let events play through.

Speaking for the first time since entering the shack with the corporal, the Sorceress replied, "We could just let the Syngenor splatter what little brains you have all over the wall and look for the answers ourselves."

Frost regarded her with an eyebrow raised in surprise. Adrian had warned him that she had improved her improvisation skills and was very convincing. Anton now wondered if Adrian had maybe been understating that.

Drax, the tubular tongue almost at his lips, finally cracked. "All right! I'll tell you what you want. Just call him off."

"Spill," Frost commanded calmly.

"Call him off first," Drax countered. He tried to inject some bravery into his voice, but it came off half-hearted at best.

"Moi?" the corporal said innocently. "What makes you think I'm either inclined or capable of terminating this encounter before he does the same to you?"

Drax's eyes darted from the tongue to Frost and back. "You want information."

Frost waved a negligent hand. "Plenty more officers where you came from."

"There are extensive caverns along the eastern end of the zone," Drax choked out after the Syngenor relaxed his death grip.

"How extensive? A few quick tunnels creating a kill box is not my idea of a cavern."

Drax's eyes darted back and forth as he considered his next words carefully. There was no doubt in his mind now that the interrogator would let the creature have its way with him at the first unsatisfactory answer.

The general explained about the network of caverns that covered roughly one hundred square miles. The actual distance east to west was a lot shorter than that. And there were multiple levels. The network could be treacherous enough on its own. However, Modulok's failed experiments had been cast into those tunnels as a natural deterrent against anyone trying to enter the Fright Zone through them.

Drax didn't know exactly what the experiments had entailed, but rumors persisted. Genetic experiments in cross breeding. Enhancements. Replacing body parts with cybernetics. All roamed those dark and dreary tunnels, unknowingly guarding Horde-occupied lands from intrusion.

Frost looked at the Sorceress, standing a few paces away behind the trio, eyebrow raised.

Sorceress shrugged her shoulders. "I think he's telling the truth. Well, the truth as he knows it." She was aware of the rumors about Horde conditioning of their officer's minds. She was unwilling to test the validity of those rumors even with Falcon backing her up. Neither woman nor AI felt the risk was justified.

"Well?" Colonel Markson asked, walking across the dusty ground. "He's telling the truth?"

"Well, the sun is now shining and he's standing in a puddle," Frost noted. Sorceress shook her head, mutter something that sounded like the word 'disgusting' and walked off to the shack at the west end of the line. Frost ignored her. "Ask all the questions you like, Colonel. I would suggest not allowing him to clean up until after he has answered your questions to your satisfaction."

The colonel waved the previously scattered quartet of soldiers forward to take charge of the prisoner. Brad had remained in the operator's compartment of Claw but had it open so that he could watch the show. Now that it was over, he closed up the compartment and prepared to follow the little procession back to base.

Seeing that his part in all this was at an end, Frost trailed the hulking monster as it followed the Sorceress. He noticed that the pile of armor was missing, probably picked up by Anyssa and Dhalon. Stepping into the dimly lit shack, Frost found Adrian Cobretti finally back in human form, waiting for him along with Dhalon, the two Val-kyrie, Jake Rockwell and the Sorceress. Suddenly, he stopped and stared at his hands. They trembled slightly, as if he suffered from Parkinson's Disease. Snapping them into tight fists, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Frost could not believe he had actually pulled it off. Well, it was a group effort. If anything, Adrian more to break the general than anything Frost did or said.

He looked around at the faces staring back at him. No one was laughing or had some whimsical taunt ready. Not even Jake. They did, however, look like they were ready to break out in a round of applause at any moment.

"The first one who claps gets a knuckle massage," Frost growled to cover how shaken he was.

129