“Hey, Cthulhu!” Uful’lan shouted, suddenly popping out from cover.
For a moment, the creature paused its repeated battering of an overturned table, behind which a pair of Cardassians were huddled in terror. As Cthulhu’s attention shifted to the k’rell, its nerve endings flared with a series of crackling purple sparks. To better draw its focus, Uful’lan flapped his wings vigorously.
“This way!” he added, baring a wide crown of fangs in what was meant to be a disarming smile.
Cthulhu let out a pair of uncertain gurgles. An eerie silence settled over the room, broken only by distant, muffled cries. Then, the massive jelly-like orb seemed to make a decision. Gathering speed, it rolled straight toward its former drinking companion.
Just before it could flatten him, Uful’lan dove aside. “Now!”
The droid abruptly stood and, hoisting a soda siphon to its shoulder, fired without hesitation. Thick jets of brownish liquid blasted deep into the translucent blob. But the creature didn’t slow—it kept rolling, crashing violently into the counter.
The droid disappeared beneath the mass, and Uful’lan, too slow to fully escape, was engulfed in the slime. He fought to resurface, but the more he thrashed, the deeper he sank. The stench was overwhelming, dulling his thoughts and weakening his limbs. He was just about to give up when he saw a glimmer of hope: the creature’s surface trembled, its electrical activity flared, and a ripple ran across its gelatinous skin.
Then, with a deafening roar, Cthulhu exploded.
The blast rattled the bar, and a shower of purulent shreds splattered across every surface. Dazed, Uful’lan found himself sitting on the floor, slime-drenched and blinking in disbelief. Around him, chairs and tables scraped across the floor as patrons emerged from their hiding spots.
“The fire!”
The alarm had gone off several minutes earlier, but now the panicked screams were getting closer. The roar that had just shaken the building left little doubt—things were getting worse.
The first to act was a reptiloid from Acheron, who slammed through the plastiglass door with a violent whip of his tail and disappeared into the corridor. Seconds later, Uful’lan and the others poured out behind him, fleeing toward the fire escapes.
The eighth-floor landing had descended into chaos.
People were streaming down from above, while others pushed up from the lower levels, driven back by smoke or blocked stairwells.
Uful’lan pressed forward, his nostrils twitching. With Cthulhu’s stink gone, his olfactory system was back online—and something caught his attention. Beneath the layers of smoke, fire, and panicked pheromones, he detected a sharp, familiar scent.
“Twiglet!”
She had been there—just minutes ago. And yes… Kyle’s scent was there, too. They were together. And they’d been heading upward, toward the Nine Wonders’ roof.
Without hesitation, Uful’lan began climbing, forcing his way through the press of terrified bodies.
On the twelfth floor, Kyle set Twiglet down to catch his breath.
“Here we are…” he gasped. “That guy should be somewhere on this floor… if he hasn’t already fled.”
He stepped over the long tail of a jamreshanter from Dschubba XI and hit the emergency exit button.
“Shirl should be here too,” Twiglet noted, following him through the threshold.
“Right. The Big Guy, though, is nowhere to be seen.”
“Oh, he’ll show up sooner or later. Uful’lan always disappears when there’s work to do.”
Kyle grinned. “Yeah, I figured.”
The hallway was eerily quiet. They reached the first corner without encountering anyone.
“I’m afraid we got here too late. They must be long go—”
He stopped mid-sentence. Just a few feet ahead, something unbelievable was happening. He should have reacted—shouted, fired, run—but he didn’t. It felt like waking up inside a nightmare. All he could do was stand there, staring at Shirl.
The synth girl was crouched beside a shapeless bundle. And those two figures…
“It’s them, Kyle! The werewolves!” Twiglet’s voice trembled with fear.
“W-what?”
He felt like a fool. A strange drowsiness washed over him as he blinked in confusion. The creatures’ pupils were narrow and vertical, their glistening fangs glowing faintly.
“Kyle, listen to me!” Twiglet grabbed his arm, voice rising. “Did you hear me? Don’t look into their eyes!” She shook him hard. “Damn it, wake up!”
The two werewolves exchanged a chilling, knowing grin. Kyle could vaguely feel the weight of the stun gun slung across his shoulder. He knew he had only seconds, yet he couldn’t focus enough to act.
Shirl removed her hands from her face, as if waking from a trance.
“Kyle!” she screamed, standing.
It all happened in an instant. Kyle boosted the gun’s energy to max and shouted:
“Shirl! Duck!”
The blast struck the werewolves—but nothing happened. The energy pulse seared a black stain into the wall behind them. The monsters hesitated briefly, then resumed their advance. Somehow, they’d survived the full-power hit without a scratch.
“But… that’s not possible! I’m sure I hit them!” Kyle shouted.
He backed away, firing several more times in rapid succession. The shots had no effect.
Unbelievable.
Space Force troopers had energy shields, but no shield could withstand point-blank bursts like these. The nearest werewolf crouched, ready to leap. Kyle instinctively touched his throat.
It wasn’t the first time he’d faced death—but this felt different. He was strangely calm, able to observe small details: the whirring of the fire escape mechanism… the swelling around Shirl’s eye… the werewolves’ boots, comically ill-suited for their paws…
Beside him, Twiglet stifled a cry.
Then—something strange.
The beast aborted its leap mid-air, wearing a look of almost comical surprise. It turned to its companion and growled something unintelligible. The second creature responded by flapping its front paws in a gesture that bordered on panic.
Sensing an opening, Kyle made one final gamble.
He nodded at Shirl, who instantly dropped to the floor again.
He fired—maximum charge—until his hands nearly blistered from the heat.
This time, the energy took hold.
Flames devoured the creatures’ bodies, and they died howling, their screams sharp and unnatural. The air filled with smoke and scorched fur.
When it was over, only a few smoldering remains were left.
A slender figure in a ridiculous checkered jacket collapsed into his arms. Kyle caught her, holding tight as he listened to the voices behind him.
“What happened? Why did they drop their energy shielding?”
“Buth… Thwigleth… don’th look ath me! I didn’t do anythhing!” Uful’lan stammered. “I jussth ssmelled you, sso I came in and…”
“Hey, no need to excuse yourself, Big Guy! You saved our lives!” Kyle said. “Ugh… You smell horrible, though.”
“Uhm… I wouldn’t bet on it,” Twiglet snapped. “Something’s wrong here…”
“You mean besides those two monsstherss? Who were thhey, anyway?” Uful’lan asked.
“The ones I told you about. The werewolves. Remember?” Twiglet said, frowning. “But they looked scared at the end… What happened?”
“We haven’t got time for philosophical analysis,” Kyle cut in. “The building’s on fire—remember?”
“Right,” Twiglet agreed. “We’ve got to hurry and find Odie—”
“Are you crazy? Staying here is suicide.” He pointed toward the end of the corridor. “Besides… can’t you see? Everyone’s gone.”
“I’ll try anyway. Without the third coordinate, our mission’s doomed from the start!”
Shirl opened her mouth to speak, but nobody was listening.
“Yeah, the mission… Why didn’t you tell me those freaks are invulnerable and can mess with your mind? I thought I was finished!”
Stung, Twiglet looked him up and down.
“I told you they were very, very dangerous! And I never said I know everything about them. I wish I did!”
“Ahem… please…” Shirl tried to get Kyle’s attention.
“Oh, really? At the restaurant, you sure sounded like an expert… You know what I think?”
“No, I don’t, and I’m not interested.” Twiglet crossed her arms. “Now listen, Captain. If you want to give up—”
“Who said I want to give up? I’m just saying that from now on—”
“I know where he is!” Shirl finally yelled, exasperated.
That shut them up.
“I found Odie Binx,” she continued, “but then the werewolves… they broke him.”
“They broke him?” Twiglet asked, her voice shaking. “You mean… they killed him?”
“More or less… they tore him to pieces.”
She pointed to a formless shape a couple of meters away.
“That’s his head.”
Twiglet rushed over.
“A droid…” she muttered, turning the ruined head over in her stubby fingers. “But then… all isn’t lost! We could take him with us and try to fix him!”
“Wait…” Kyle knelt for a closer look. He fumbled with the back of the skull until something clicked softly.
“This isn’t a droid.”
The front of Odie’s head sprang open, and out emerged a tiny creature—narrow and cocoon-shaped, covered in soft grayish fur.
“A mufrid…” Twiglet breathed, awestruck.
“There was another one of these,” Kyle said, “down in the club on the first floor.”
The creature chirped. Its small head turned, and it stretched its neck toward Twiglet. From beneath its fur, three glassy, throbbing eyes peered out. A cartilaginous tube slowly unfurled from its mouth, opening like a flower.
“They come from a moon of Alway X,” Twiglet explained. “They’re the noblest, most intelligent beings in the Galaxy.”
The little creature chirped again.
“Do you understand what it’s saying?” Kyle asked.
“Unfortunately… no.”
“Well, no point wasting time on it, then.” He stood abruptly. “Hurry up! We’re leaving from the roof—”
“From… the roof?” Twiglet stammered, tongue uncoiling in surprise. “But… what about Odie?”
“He’s coming with us, of course. We’ll figure the rest out later. And where did this one come from?”
A small boy with thick, dark curls had appeared in the hallway, seemingly out of nowhere. He stared, wide-eyed, at Odie’s remains.
“Is he… dead?” he asked Shirl.
“Oh no!” she assured him gently. “He’s that one, you see?” She pointed to the furry creature. “He just needs a new host.”
Other children had emerged from hiding now, cautiously approaching.
“Come on, guys!” Shirl urged. “These are friends!”
“What’s going on?” Twiglet asked sharply. “Who are all these kids?”
“They’re synths,” Shirl said. “We have to bring them. If we leave them here, they’ll die!”
“But… there must be at least thirty of them!” Kyle protested.
“She’s right. We can’t leave them,” Twiglet said firmly.
“Damn! It was already hard enough for the four of us…”
As if on cue, another deep rumble shook the building—stronger than before. All the lights flickered violently, then went out. A few moments later, the emergency lighting kicked in, illuminating everything in a dull red glow.
“Let’s get out of here—now!” Kyle shouted, shouldering the stun gun once more.
The flames had reached the eleventh floor. The fire escape was hell.
Twiglet and the others burst onto the rooftop, coughing violently, their hair and scales singed by the heat.
On the top floor of the Nine Wonders, chaos reigned.
The few available shuttles had already taken off. A terrified crowd now fought to board the bulky rescue barges. Even outside, the air was stale and choking with smoke, thanks to the total absence of wind in New Xanadu’s artificial atmosphere. Drones hovered overhead, broadcasting live to the major holo-stations.
Kyle shook his head, saying nothing. Since arriving in New Xanadu, he’d stumbled from one disaster into the next. This one, though, felt final. Only a miracle could save them from the flames. The rescue barges were landing far too slowly, and the heat was becoming unbearable. Soon, even the roof would collapse. Firefighting aircraft dumped thousands of liters of fire-retardant fluid, but the blaze continued to spread. It was unnatural… eerie.
Then a shuttle marked with the Imperial Police insignia broke through the haze and descended—awkwardly—onto an overcrowded landing pad.
Kyle almost smiled. The cops might still be after him.
“Join hands and follow me!” he shouted.
Twiglet tucked the tiny Odie Binx securely into her jacket. She noticed Uful’lan staring into the flames, entranced. The glow flickered in his thick lenses.
“Hey, look ath thhath…” the k’rell said.
They turned to see what he meant.
The police shuttle had landed—and panic erupted. Dozens of desperate citizens were forcing their way toward it. A robocop raised its weapon, but a surge of feet, claws, and tentacles overwhelmed it. The retaliation was brutal. Two more droids emerged and opened fire. A human was hit and thrown backward, his chest torn apart.
Still, the mob surged forward. A second volley from the cops scattered them again. This time, the bodies piled up—dozens dead.
“Bastards…” Kyle muttered.
The carnage revolted him, but there was nothing he could do. The cops were too well-armed, too entrenched. He’d only get himself killed. And he didn’t have much longer to live anyway—the rooftop was turning red-hot beneath his feet. The fire had reached the top.
Almost absently, he checked the gun’s charge. Less than ten percent.
Not much. Just enough to take a few cops down with him.
Then came a scream—so terrible it drowned out everything else.
From above, a gigantic, winged figure dropped onto the shuttle roof and slammed into the robocops. Two metal heads cracked together in a burst of sparks.
“Uful’lan!” Twiglet shrieked.
Only then did Kyle recognize him. The Big Guy had beaten him to it. If Uful’lan thought he’d get all the glory, though, he was wrong.
Shouting, Kyle elbowed his way forward as two more cops appeared. He fired and dropped one. The other tried to retreat, slamming the shuttle door shut—but Uful’lan shoved a foot in, yanked, and tore it wide open.
That was it.
The crowd screamed and surged forward.
A couple of civilians snatched weapons from fallen droids and turned them on the remaining cops. Screams and gunfire echoed from inside the shuttle.
“Twiglet! Shirl!” Kyle called out. “Hurry!”
He spotted Uful’lan stomping triumphantly on a robocop’s shattered frame.
“Cut it out, Big Guy! Make sure they don’t take off without us!”
The k’rell bared his fangs, eyes sparkling. Without a word, he disappeared through the open shuttle door.
Twiglet followed, staggering, with Shirl and the synth children behind her. Kyle helped them all aboard, then leapt inside and shouted:
“Go, Uful’lan!”
Overloaded and groaning, the shuttle banked sharply and began to lift.
Dozens of desperate souls grabbed at its landing gear. As it rose, the roof of the Nine Wonders ignited in a burst of flame.
Some of those clinging on let go by choice. They preferred the fall… to burning.
The craft seized from the Police landed in front of the Nine Wonders, right in the middle of a throng of emergency vehicles, rescue teams, fire survivors, and the usual onlookers, whom the robocops struggled to keep at a distance. Everywhere there were screams and moans, as news reporters swarmed the area, capturing the most gruesome scenes.
The shuttle’s passengers spilled out into the square, congratulating themselves on still being alive. Some hugged and cried; most were already talking into their Datapads.
Kyle ran to the cockpit. At the threshold, he stepped over the charred remains of a droid. Another one slumped lifeless in the copilot’s seat. Despite a few deep dents and a gaping hole in the chest, the unit appeared to have survived the fight almost intact. Kyle slid into the pilot’s chair and began familiarizing himself with the controls. Fortunately, they were fairly straightforward—and the fuel reserves were still decent. Even the craft’s communication system was functional.
Twiglet’s head popped into view from the loading ramp.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
“Can’t you see? We’re leaving.”
He kept tapping keys and icons, eyes never leaving the console.
“What about the little synths?”
“The synths? They’re safe, aren’t they?”
Twiglet sighed and unrolled her tongue in frustration.
“Yeah… more or less. Still…”
She hesitated. This time, Kyle paused the control check.
“I mean…” the mahjit added, “that was the baby-sex sector and…”
“So what? We can’t do anything about it.”
“Well… you know, if we leave them behind, sooner or later they’ll end up there again.”
Kyle was about to argue when Shirl walked in, two kids trailing behind her.
“Alia and T’zork want to know how Odie’s doing,” she said brightly.
“Odie?” Twiglet echoed, patting her pockets. “He’s fine, I thi—oh no!” she yelped. “I lost him!”
“That can’t be,” Kyle said, incredulous. “Keep looking!”
Twiglet turned out the pockets of her bloodstained, half-burned suit.
“I don’t have him—I told you I don’t! Oh my God… that’s all we needed!” She was frantic. “If I dropped him out there, someone’s probably stepped on him by now! This is all my fault!” She began sobbing.
“Please, Twiglet, calm down,” Shirl said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. “It might not be that bad. Mufrids are pretty smart. We’ll keep searching and—”
Just then, Uful’lan entered the bridge with a cluster of synth children.
“If thhissh can help you, Thwigleth…” the k’rell rumbled from the doorway, “… there are no crusshed mufrids outh thhere!”
Twiglet’s sobs only got louder—until a faint, static-tinged voice chimed in:
“Don’t… tcshhhh… bzzzzz… CLICK… Don’t worry! I’m fine!”
“Who’s talking?” Kyle asked, startled.
“It’s me! Odie!” the voice replied, coming from somewhere nearby.
“Odie?!” Shirl gasped. “Where are you?”
“This way! I’m using the droid’s voice box.”
Everyone turned. It was the copilot’s seat—the mufrid was inside, controlling the droid’s shell. Cheers erupted as the bridge filled with ecstatic children. Twiglet’s relief was instant. Odie was alive… or at least functional.
Under his control, the droid’s frame groaned and slowly stood upright.
“Gimme a break, guys, please! We’ll party later!”
“I’m Twiglet Skunks from Bageechaa,” the mahjit said, brushing her tears away. “Nice to meet you… Though I’d hoped for a better occasion.”
“My pleasure, Twiglet. I’ve heard great things about you—back on Avalon.”
She hesitated briefly, then asked, “You know why I’m here, don’t you?”
“Yeah. Shirl told me everything. But shouldn’t we…”
Odie’s tone shifted—his synthetic voice suddenly tight with urgency. He aimed the droid’s photoreceptors toward the cockpit window. Outside, hell had broken loose again. The Nine Wonders was ablaze from top to bottom.
“…get away from here? They might come back!”
He turned to Kyle, who scowled in frustration.
“Can you take us to a place on Level 734, Sector 39?”
“At last,” Kyle muttered, pulling up the location on a holo-screen. “Because the cops are coming.”
Please return to the novel’s main page to read the first four chapters for free!
