The Space Between

Chapter Twenty-One: "Abomination"

Mark followed behind Hiro and Commander Steele as they made their way down the spiraling stairs and back to the Zen room. Commander Steele crouched low, refusing to walk a direct path to the stairs leading down to the pod rooms. Hiro reluctantly followed her around tables and shelves. Mark listened closely to every sound. Other than the trickling water feature in the center, he heard nothing. The station was so quiet. They were almost to the end of the tables. They'd have to make a run for it if they wanted to get to the stairs. The Commander shrank back though, shooting a spooked look back at them. Hiro froze in place as Mark heard the soft tapping of nails on tile and something sweeping the ground. Mark swallowed, pointing under the tables. Mark lifted the white cloth, sliding under the table on all fours as silently as he could. Once he was under, he froze to listen to make sure the creature was still moving at a steady pace. At the sound of sloshing water, Mark laid down to peek under the cloth to get a look at it.

Leaning over the stony edge of the water feature was a massive lizard. The lizard was muscular and at least seven foot tall. Far bigger than the one they had seen in the control room. Unlike the others, he was completely visible. He wasn't trying to hide. His jet-black body was only covered with a tan loin cloth that hung down to his ankles with tribal bone beads and red painted designs on it. The lizardman drank heavily from the water, his long tail slowly sweeping the floor behind him. His feet had large curled talons that tapped the tiles no matter how gently he shifted on them. His hands had the same large curled talons, like sharp meat hooks. The lizardman slowly lifted his long muzzle from the water, showing off his row of sharp white teeth as he listened to something and swallowed. Mark hated to admit it, but this lizardman looked exactly like a small dinosaur. The lizardman snorted shortly to clear his nose of water, looking around with bright yellow eyes. Mark's heart stopped as he glanced in his direction.

The lizardman had red war paint across his eyes and around his neck was a necklace of large bones. The Lizardman's voice was deep when he bellowed out. "There is no point in hiding from me. I smell your filth from here." Mark started to shake. Slowly the others slipped under the table and Mark winced. Clustering together would only make their scent stronger. The lizardman let out a throaty growl, turning to face the tables. Mark was deciding whether to run, when something landed just before the table. Mark flinched, unable to see the new creature... but he could smell him! The new creature smelled like burnt rubber. The large lizardman hissed, before tensing to ask the new creature viciously. "Well? Where is he?!" The new creature's body rippled into view, revealing a body covered in bright yellow scales with black dots. The yellow lizardman was smaller and thinner than the larger one. Practically cowering from the larger male, he uttered out in a softer voice. "I lost him... I thought I had him. But he was just a human... Don't worry, Sir. I took care of them."

The larger male lunged for the smaller one, causing the smaller one to scream and topple over the table that the Commander was under. The table fell to its side, causing the glasses on top to shatter. The Commander huddled up against the underside of the table, trying not to move as the cover kept her still hidden from direct view. The yellow lizardman frantically scrambled to get up on its feet, when the larger lizardman grabbed the yellow one's tail. The larger lizardman's foot was inches from the Commander's leg as he yanked the yellow lizard's tail to flip him back over the table to the floor. The yellow lizard hit the floor hard on all fours, until the large lizardman slammed a foot down on his back. The large talons of the larger one sank slowly into the back of the smaller lizard as he hissed out angrily. "I don't want to be up here all fucking year! I don't care about the filthy humans... Bring me the Ambassador! OR YOU WON'T BE LEAVING THIS HUNK OF SPACE CRAP!"

Hiro leaned closer to Mark, whispering discreetly. "Boy, he seems pissed." The large lizardman removed his foot and hissed so aggressively to scare the little yellow one that a pair of large red wings sprang out from the back of the large lizard. The yellow one vanished as he skidded across the tile floor on all fours to get away. The larger one took a few deep hissing breathes between his sharp teeth. As his anger faded, his wings folded back along his spine until they just looked like protruding shoulder bones. Another voice respectfully told him from a hidden spot somewhere in the room. "Sir, we have a problem." The larger lizardman slowly turned toward a massage table, where two bright green eyes were suddenly visible. The larger lizardman leaned forward, baring his teeth as he hissed out. "What now?!" The invisible creature's voice was calm and collected when it said in a mixed voice between male and female. "I think I've narrowed down who the Ambassador is... but he didn't come up here alone. There is another. One I think you will find a great interest in."