Ash Ketchum: Rise of Galactic

Ch 41 Zeus's Sacrifice

   Cyrus's voice continued over the speakers. "You should have told us you were coming, Ash. I would have prepared something special. As usual you've made a mess of things. And, Trip, I knew you'd came back. Couldn't resist, could you? You and I are going to have some fun. We'll bob for apples. Throw water balloons. Good times for all."

  "The name's Zeus," I said.

  "Inconsequential," Cyrus said. "Be advised that we have you completely sealed in and surrounded. So you have a choice. You and Trip can surrender yourselves, and your friends will have reasonably humane treatment. Or you can resist and you will all die painful deaths. It's your call. Either way will amuse me."

  "Eat my shorts!" Clemont shouted.

  "Oh, Clemont. You just can't keep out of this, can you? Tell you what. I'll up the ante. If Ash and Trip surrender, I'll spare all of your lives and throw in a box of jelly doughnuts for Clemont." Brock's face perked up at the sound of the doughnuts. "So let's see how much Ash really cares for you."

  "Don't listen to him," Serena said.

  "You want us, Cyrus?" I shouted. "Come and get us!"

   Cyrus laughed. "I was hoping you'd say that. Captain Steven, make sure the cameras are all recording, I'm going to want a replay of this. Are we set?"

  "Yes, sir," a voice said. "Gate is opening."

  "Wonderful. Just wonderful. You know I always enjoy feeding my pets."

   From the bowels of the corridor came a loud, echoing groan like the sound of a heavy metal gate. Suddenly a high-pitched screeching echoed down the hall, shrill as a fork on a chalkboard.

  "What's that sound?" Serena asked.

   Clemont turned white. "It sounds like . . . rats."

  "Run to the air duct!" I shouted. I put my arm around my mother and helped her. The darkness behind us began to turn amber, the corridor distantly illuminated by some strange source of light. The first wave of rats came into view like the initial stream of a river, growing steadily heavier and thicker as the rodents began overlapping and running on top of one another, their bodies glowing like lava. They quickly closed the gap between us.

   Calem threw a concussion grenade behind us, which killed a few of them but barely slowed the mass.

  "Serena, can you stop them?" I shouted.

  "I'll try."

   She turned and faced them, her hands on her temples. Ten yards in front of us the flow stopped as some of the rats began running in circles, confused.

  "It's working," I said.

   I was premature. The first wave of rats were quickly overcome by the rats behind them, as they pushed forward and climbed or jumped over them.

  "There are too many of them!" Serena shouted.

  It was difficult to hear her over the squeals, which had grown in volume until the mass of them sounded like the braking of a train on metal tracks. They continued to pour toward us.

  "Up the pipes!" I shouted, pointing to the walls.

   Everyone grabbed onto the pipes and began climbing. I pushed my mother up the nearest pipe, and she hooked the utility belt of her uniform onto a bracket, holding her in place. I looked back down the hall. Everyone was up a pipe except Shauna, who was standing in the middle of the corridor staring at the oncoming rats, paralyzed by fear.