Frenzy & Torch

Chapter 12: Sunrise City

On Hell Two, Finnigan walked into the break room of his high-rise business building. Some bounty hunter from the "swift and hard-to-investigate" murder department was smacking a malfunctioning vending machine.

Finnigan was exasperated. "Machine's not working again? Goddammit, that's the third time this week— "

A screaming kamikaze pilot from planet Horthku crashed into the building with a small, single-engined ship packed with explosives. The ensuing explosion engulfed the top section of the skyscraper before the rest of it collapsed.

A couple hours later at a fuel station on the rainforest planet Oongo, the stolen transporter landed next to a pump. The lanky cashier inside with solid green eyes and black skin watched as Jeff ran out of the shop and into the store, chased by the Gladexians and Robert.

"Help me! Call the Peacekeepers, call anybody! These women have kidnapped me and they got a fuckin' dude pretending to be a demon— "

Elizabeth tackled him to the ground, then clamped a hand over his mouth and dragged him back outside. He was still kicking and screaming.

Annabelle looked away from Elizabeth and smiled at the cashier. "Would you be so kind as to show me where we can get something to eat?"

The cashier was too afraid to say no to a suspicious towering woman and a robot so late at night. The last thing he wanted was to get robbed on Christmas Day. "There're snacks in the aisle behind you and refreshments in the fridge over there."

Annabelle turned and gazed at all the food. "Wow, Lizzie's gonna love this."

"Quite a lot of that food is unhealthy for you," Robert pointed out. "It's only meant to be a snack consumed in small quantities, not a daily meal."

"We'll out-exercise it, no worries."

Elizabeth pushed the door open with one hand. The glass shattered and fell into shards to the ground. "Whoops."

"Elizabeth, look at all the stuff they have here!"

"Well, I'll be damned." She looked with glistening eyes. She was lucky to be blessed with a high metabolism and a tight body that could withstand her bombardment of calories. She looked and read the cashier's nameplate. "We'll take everything, Zik-Zak."

"How are you going to pay for all of th— " He caught the gold coin with the reflexes of a cat. He put it in his currency reader machine and his eyes popped out of his skull. "Holy shit!"

"Keep the rest as a tip. Have a Merry ... what's this holiday y'all got around this time of year?"

"Christmas."

"Have a Merry Christmas."

The ship departed not long after. The shelves and the fridge were emptied. Zik-Zak closed up shop and went home. As he crossed the street, he was hit by a hovercar. A slobbering goblin exited the vehicle, yanked the shoes from his feet, and drove away. He groaned as the vehicle sped off into the night.

Back on the ship, Elizabeth threw a pack of jerky that smacked against Jeff's chest. "Another stunt like that and I'll break both them goddamned kneecaps of yours."

"I'm not wrong. You two are keeping me here against my will for some fucking conquest! It's Christmas and I'm not home with my family!"

"Well, that makes three." Elizabeth said as she bit into a caramel bite. She was grateful that Gladexus was not the only place in the galaxy in possession of these delicacies. "Jeff, you ever consider that we're not doing this for shits and giggles? That we're doing this for a reason?"

"Gee, I never woulda thought of that!" he said mockingly. "I don't give a damn what you're doing this for, you have no right to hold me hostage!"

"If it wasn't for us, you'd be fuckin' dead! Even if Annabelle and I didn't end up in Drumstick—which wasn't our fault, for the record—and your escape plan somehow worked, Xitanker still would've sent those fake demon fucks after you! He doesn't want loose ends floating around out there that might squeal to the Alliance!"