Ohayho everyone! CJzilla here with an update! Sorry, it's kinda short. In this chapter the Saturday family is scrambling to stop Argost and Munya from kidnapping the Beast of Gévaudan. But that's exactly what Argost wants them to do. Enjoy.

As I trample this city to the ground, alls CJzilla has to roar is this: R&R! Love... hate... review.

AN: I will do a "dear reviewers" next chapter.


Chapter 8

At Your Backdoor

Doc and Drew were jerked from a deep sleep by the wailing emergency alarm. Both adults flew out of their bed; Doc in his boxers and wife-beater, Drew in a night negligee and both grabbed their weapons. Running out the door both nearly hit heads with Doyle and Komodo.

"Who tripped the emergency alarm?" Doc barked, blinking sleep out of his eyes. Doyle groaned, running his hand through his bed head.

"I don't know but this is one view of my family that I could have lived my whole life without seeing." The ex-merc commented, not liking being yanked out of a peaceful sleep to see his ¾ asleep brother-in-law in boxers and his sister in a tiny negligee, not to mention a komodo dragon with sleep spit still on his face.

Just then Zak stumbled down the hallway in his pajamas but missing a sock, holding the Claw in his hands. Fisk was right behind him with the worst bed head of all of them.

"I'm up! I'm up!" The eleven-year-old garbled, jolted from REM sleep. "Where's the emergency?"

The family looked each other over. If Zak and Fisk were here and not the ones to trip an emergency alarm… who did? Doc's face went straight as he ran back into the bedroom. Snatching a handheld device that was wired with the house's main computer out of the nightstand, the super-genius checked over the alarm system.

"The emergency alarm's coming from the holding cell area!" Doc came running back out of the room, eyes on the handheld monitor. Then the fence and gate's security systems were blinking. "And someone hacked the gates! The perimeter is WIDE open!"

Then Zak gasped.

"The holding area? That's where Géva's at!" Without another word the preteen went running to the elevators, Fisk and Komodo right behind him.

"Wait up!" Doyle went bolting after his nephew wearing nothing but bare feet, sweat pants and a t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off. Doc and Drew were hot on Doyle's tail as they ran after their son and cryptids.

This alarm was an emergency alarm, not a security alarm, meaning that this alarm had to be deliberately pushed to be activated.

V.V. Argost and Munya left the holding cell area as slowly as they could without raising suspicion. Soon the elevator was in sight; it was the only way out of the holding area and that level of the fortress. Argost stopped his stride and eyed the elevator hungrily. Munya, who had transformed into his half-human/half-cryptid spider-self, carried the Beast of Gévaudan over his shoulders. The beast was encased in a thick ball of web and unable to do anything but growl.

Argost cast his eyes to the elevator's controls. He watched for a long second, anticipating that the machine would soon move. Sure enough, the elevator dinged as it was summoned back up to the house. The Saturdays were coming. Argost folded his hands into his cloak and gave a little chuckle.

"Tread carefully, Munya." The chalk-faced megalomaniac looked at his manservant. "We must give the Saturdays a convincing battle. They must not realize what our intention is. Van Rook still needs time."

Unyielding Munya simply nodded in return as he heard the elevator rise higher and higher toward the main house.

Under ninety seconds later, the elevator, full of Saturdays came to the bottom level; the level of the holding area. As the elevator doors opened Doyle and Doc were the first to jump out, weapons cocked for a fight. When they saw no one, they got to their feet.

"Clear." Doc called to his son, wife and cryptid pets. Fisk, Zak, Drew and Komodo emerged from the elevator.

The family cautiously listened and looked around the hallway before advancing toward the holding cells. But Komodo lingered near the elevator, his tongue slinking in and out of his mouth. He had caught the scent of the intruders. Zak noticed that the big lizard was lagging behind.

"Komodo! C'mon! We gotta see if Géva's all right!" But then the eleven-year-old saw how Komodo was circling and growling, his tongue going crazy as he tasted the air. "Guys! Komodo smells something!"

Just then, something big dropped from the ceiling, landing behind Komodo. Zak and his family immediately recognized who it was.

"Munya and Argost!" The preteen gasped at seeing the half-human/half-spider villain and V.V. Argost in his house. Surprise, surprise.

Obviously the pasty-faced man hadn't accepted his defeat. It was just like a villain to hit with a cheap shot by attacking in the middle of the night. But this was sloppy; sloppy, for Argost and now he was about to receive the full wrath of the Saturday family.

Then Zak saw a big web wad in Munya's creepy clutches and it was slightly writhing.

The big genetically-altered man let Argost drop from his shoulder before he hurled the huge ball of web into the elevator. It wasn't until Zak heard the wad of web yelp in pain as it met the elevator wall that he knew it was Géva.

"Géva!" The eleven-year-old cried watching the Beast of Gévaudan writhe in its prison of web.

Komodo snarled at the two villains. But then Munya seized the two-hundred and fifty pound cryptid lizard by the muzzle and hurled it down the hall at the rest of the Saturdays. Zak fell to the floor as Komodo flew through the air above him and creamed his family. Getting to his feet he caught Argost and Munya calmly step into the elevator. Gritting his teeth, Zak Saturday ran for the elevator aiming the Claw toward the two villains.

He only caught a smug yet twisted expression on Argost's face before the elevator doors shut. Zak nearly smacked face-first into the metal doors as he skidded to a stop. When he closed his eyes, he could still see Argost's ghostly face just before the elevator doors shut.

"Shoot!" The eleven-year-old snarled, kicking the metal door as the elevator flew up the shaft. Zak then stepped back and watched the number of floors Argost and Munya traveled.

He saw it stop on the top level.

"They're going to the kitchen?" He muttered to himself before his eyes grew wide. "The launch pad! Guys! Argost is heading to the launch pad with Géva!"

Zak turned and saw Doc and Fisk peel Komodo off of Drew, Doyle and themselves.

"Get up! Argost's on his way to the launch pad with Géva!" The eleven-year-old ran to his family and grabbed Fisk by his hand. Leading the seven-foot-tall gorilla-cat to the elevator.

The preteen feverishly pressed the elevator button as the rest of his family joined him.

"Is Argost always this persistent?" Doyle held his head, since he'd gotten one of Komodo's stinky feet his face. Drew made a fist around her Fire Sword.

"Oh, yeah." The woman nodded before she gave a nervous sneer. "But he's never attacked us here at home before."

Doc smirked.

"He'll never make it to the launch pad by the time we catch up and make him wish he never busted in on us." The tall black man glowered at the elevator. The elevator had stopped on the first floor before making its decent back down to the holding cell level and Doc looked over his family. "This is real everyone. By Argost attacking us here at home shows that he's either very desperate or even more sick-minded than we once thought. Either way, he means business. Stick together and no crazy solo stunts."

Then the man noticed his eleven-year-old son paid no attention to his words as he was still pressing the elevator button.

"Zak!" Doc barked at his boy. Fisk tapped the preteen on the shoulder and finally snapped him out of his trance.

"Wha-?" Zak blinked at the gorilla-cat.

"Domusur." Fiskerton murmured nervously as he pointed at Doc. The eleven-year-old looked to his dad.

"Sorry. Was someone saying something?" Zak questioned innocently. Doc, Drew, Doyle, Fisk and Komodo groaned.

Doc face-palmed.

"NO stupid solo stunts! Argost is far too powerful and pitiless. He won't shed a tear if any of us get seriously injured tonight." He crossed his arms at Zak. The eleven-year-old frowned.

"HE'S going to be the one leaving here with a limp!" Zak whirled around and started excitedly pressing the elevator button. "He has Géva and I'm not going to let him get away with this!"

Just then the elevator door opened. Zak jumped in and motioned for his family to follow quickly. The Saturday family rushed into the elevator as the doors closed.

When the elevator came out onto the top floor, the Saturdays found themselves in the kitchen. The room was just as they left it, quiet and dark; only the moon shining in the windows gave depth to the darkness and shapes to the shadows. Again, Doc and Doyle were the first to ease out of the elevator, Power Glove and wrist-launcher at the ready. Doc moved quietly over to the left and to the light switch. Flicking it, light shone through the kitchen, showing no Argost and nothing disturbed.

"Let's go." Doc motioned for his family to follow. Doyle, Zak and Komodo zipped after the man.

Drew had her eyes cast to the handheld device, trying to get the lights back online as Fisk guided her. Then the lights of the upper level, launching pad and the perimeter flickered back on.

"Got it!" Drew called to her husband.

"Nice going Drew!" Doc returned as Drew and Fisk ran to catch them. Bursting through the living room, they still couldn't see Munya, Argost of Géva.

Zak growled.

"Fisk! Let's get to the roof!" The eleven-year-old called to his best friend pointing at the nearest window. The gorilla-cat nodded and grabbed him.

Without their parents' permission both boy and Fiskerton Phantom darted over the sofa and out a window.

"HEY! Get BACK here!" Doc snarled at his son and Fisk. Nothing.

Growling, Doc, Doyle, Drew and a camouflaged Komodo made for the stairs. Did the eleven-year-old and gorilla-cat EVER listen?!

With Zak in tow, Fisk pulled himself and the preteen up to the launch pad. Letting the boy to his feet, they suddenly heard Zon going nuts just above the launch pad. Looking into the night sky as they ascended the short flight of stairs to the airship arrival zone, they saw Argost and Munya with Géva still in their grasps. Zon was doing a great job of annoying them by her constant dive attacks.

"Munya! Shoot that thing down this instant!" Argost growled at his manservant, finally fed up with the female Ornithocheirous and her squawking. Munya dropped the web wad that held Géva and obeyed his master's orders.

Munya watched Zon carefully until she dived again. This time, he took aim with a web and fired. The sticky web struck her, pinning her wings to her sides and dropping her out of flight. The teal Ornithocheirous hit the launch pad hard but continued to tumble toward the edge of the building.

"Zon!" Zak and Fisk gasped, but only Fisk had enough sense to act. The seven-foot-tall gorilla-cat jumped and ran to catch Zon before she tumbled off the side of the building.

The female Ornithocheirous rolled and fell off the building but not without the Fiskerton Phantom diving after her. Zak breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Fisk dive after Zon. He didn't know if he caught her but at least she wouldn't hit the ground with him chasing after her. The eleven-year-old turned his attention to Munya and Argost.

Zak was so angry, he couldn't yell. Instead he aimed his Claw at Argost and fired. Munya jumped in front of Argost and the weapon. The powerful Claw hit the genetically-altered man in the chest and rocketed him off of his feet. Munya hit Argost and both went tumbling. As the Claw recoiled, Zak rushed over to Géva.

"Géva! Géva, are you all right?!" The web ball writhed and growled. Zak brought his Claw's sharp talons to the web and started slashing at the beast's bonds.

Finally Géva's front left paw tore out of the shredding web.

"C'mon Géva! You gotta help me get you out of this!" The eleven-year-old cut the layers and layers of strong, sticky web to save his friend. Just when he could see Géva's nose, someone grabbed him from behind.

Turned in his attacker's grasp, he was now looking into Munya's crimson, slitted eyes. Zak's own eyes widened before he brought the Claw to the man's ugly face. With one of his other hand, Munya grabbed the weapon and yanked it out of the boy's hands. When the boy was disarmed, Argost walked out from behind his henchman.

"Such a fistful of troubles, young Saturday." The ghostly man stated calmly. "Is this any way to treat a houseguest?"

Zak kicked Munya in the stomach but the man did not budge.

"A bad time to come barging in on my family, Argost!" The preteen spat. "It's not even Halloween! Besides, we don't have any candy!"

Argost gave a laugh at the boy's insult.

"Ah… but you do have treats." The man gestured at the bound Beast of Gévaudan. "So here's one of my tricks for your treat."

The man reached into his endless cloak and retrieved a marble-sized container of Mongolian Death Worm venom. He brought it to the boy's face.

"One little drop on your unruly hair will hollow out your head." Argost glowered at the boy. Zak's eyes went wide and he thrashed.

Argost lashed out and grabbed the eleven-year-old's hands while two of Munya's extra spider legs seized Zak's flailing feet. The preteen was immobilized and he could only watch as Argost brought his hand above his head and gave the marble-sized container of deadly, acidic venom a squeeze.

Just then something unseen clamped down on Argost's ankle. The deathly pale man yelped at the pain and dropped the Mongolian Death Worm venom. The small canister fell to the ground and splattered, making Munya jump back. Zak knew who his savor was.

"I owe you a BIG steak Komodo!" The preteen brought both of his freed feet together and gave Munya a double kick to his chin. The big genetically-altered man reeled with the blow, dropping Zak.

While Argost fought with the invisible komodo dragon, Zak had his hands full with Munya. He was in a tug of war with the big half-cryptid-spider/half-man, trying to get his Claw back from him. Munya was winning over Zak, obviously, but then the cavalry arrived.

Something whistled through the air and struck Munya on the back. The big genetically-altered man stumbled forward, nearly flattening Zak. The eleven-year-old jumped out of the way as Munya fell on his face. The boy turned and saw his parents and uncle running toward him, Doyle's wrist-launcher smoking from firing a mini rocket.

Doc tackled Argost as Komodo finally released the madman's foot. Drew and Doyle ran toward Munya as he was just getting up and planted their feet into his side. Zak and Komodo rushed to Géva's side and started to work on getting the monster dog-like cryptid out of the sticky web. Zon with Fisk hanging onto her feet finally rose into the sky and both female Ornithocheirous and gorilla-cat joined the battle.

Meanwhile, in a different building Van Rook was working on cutting his way through the layers and layers of security as he fought to get his hands on the Kur Stone. So far, the Russian mercenary was through the first three steel-plated doors and he was working on the last. With a super-hot, super-fast metal cutter, that he invented, he was soon through that door. As the cut metal clanked to the floor, Van Rook saw the Kur Stone under a glass case. He growled. Knowing Doc, this glass was probably wired with sensor alarms. The merc's patience had run completely out. Bringing up his right arm, he aimed his wrist-weapon at the case and fired on single shot. The glass shattered and the alarm screamed. Grabbing the old stone from its pedestal, Van Rook made a casual walk for the exit.

Doc heard the handheld monitor hanging from his hip chirp. Locked in a fight with Argost, the tall black man could only listen to it chirp.


R&R! LONG LIVE ROCK!