The Strange Life Of Felix Grant

Chapter 38: "I'm back."

"I'm back." Tearrance says as I whip around to face him.

"And now you can leave." I spit venomously. He shrugs and walks into the lunch room, past us to the door looking out over the parking lot. My eyes follow him closely waiting for him to strike.

"I feel as if we got off on the wrong foot Felix. I said some things, you said some things, let's call it even and start over. I'm even willing to look over you killing my Chimera." He says not turning to us.

"Sure, that sounds like a great idea, I suppose you want me to just skip along my way, and overlook you enslaving my planet." I say oozing sarcasm.

"That would be lovely, I'm glad you understand, I was under the impression you were going to be difficult." Tearrance says looking at me shocked.

"You don't seriously think I meant any of that?" I ask looking at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Not entirely, no, but it's nice to see how that would have played out. I suppose I'm left with two alternatives. I think I'll try the easiest one first." He says talking to himself. He turns his eyes to me, and the others. "I want to offer you a deal, it's more than I've offered any other planet, so listen carefully. I will leave this planet in relative peace, I will not enslave any of the population, I will not harm a hair on any child's head, but in return this planet will supply me with soldiers, and you eight will join with me in my campaign, with the other two guardians in my care."

"Sure and then when you get to the end of your campaign, you turn around and do exactly what you said you wouldn't." Claire says dangerously.

"Quiet dog your betters are talking." Tearrance barks, and I get in his face.

"Say it again, and I'll rip your heart out just like Defran's." I say glowering down at him.

"I had forgotten about that, Defran was a good soldier, my second in command actually. I would like to offer you that position, your manners will have to be adjusted, but I really like all that violence in your heart, you would make a great tool of destruction."

"I'm staying here to protect my planet." I say rolling my eyes.

"Why, so you can defend the likes of this one?" Tearrance says jabbing a finger into Allan's chest. Allan's brow creases, and he swings on Tearrance. Before anyone can do anything Allan is on the ground, with Tearrance's boot at his throat. "Mind your manners vermin, the only reason you're not dead is because I'm negotiating." Tearrance removes his boot, and walks back to the door. "I don't see why you would want to defend such pathetic creatures as these, they burn each other over voices in the sky, that may or may not actually exist, they start wars over the voices, there is butchery over something as stupid as skin color, or sexuality. A good seventy five percent of your world's population openly try to destroy the world you love so much. By all means protect your home, but why these viscous animals?"

"You say this like you didn't order your men to butcher eight teenagers, just because they wouldn't join you." I say rolling my eyes.

"There's a difference, I have only once killed one of my own, and since I came to power, none of my men have killed any of our own. Your race would turn on their friends for little more than a couple hours company of  a female. I offer you a chance to cleanse your home of the vermin of your species, if you join me you can have anything you would like, I would only call on you to fight or intimidate, no doubt after a few battles, with you spreading the kind of carnage you seem to revel in, people would likely bow out before us just at the sight of you. I could show you worlds full of lovely females that would make you forget all about these human swine. And before you say anything about the whole guardians only like guardians of their own species, know that there is a way to alleviate that condition. I offer you anything you could desire, and all I ask is for you to lend your strength to save lives, maybe not so much at first, but in the long run."