20.

  Orion found himself on the Sea of Swamp. The water was brackish and filled with plant life, from tall cypress trees to tiny lily pads. Floating debris cluttered up the filthy water, some driftwood, and the corpses of crocogators. The verdant scenery was abuzz with the sounds of life. Insects chirped, strange birds warbled, and the low rumble of ancient reptiles as they watched for their latest meal.

  The Deck Puncher was docked in the middle of a bayou. It had taken on more upgrades, primarily a large fan in the back. The bottom had been modified to be more flat, utilizing planks and floats to give the ship more of an airboat form of locomotion. The sails were raised, and the cannons were decorated to look like grinning lizards.

  The rounded boss arena was surrounded by trees, and at the far end, two weeping willows had grown and tied their branches together into a circle. A vast expanse of sky could be seen inside the hollow formed by the trees, only clouds and floating pyramids. In the center of the bayou was a mound of mulch that could be mistaken for an island. But Orion recognized it as the floating remains of the Swamp Hag Yama Bougu.

  Orion was dragged below deck and saw the crew gathered at the mess. Orion's heart seized, the scene filling him with anxiety without knowing why. The crew's outfits mostly remained the same as in the last sea. The Sea of Swamp was essentially the game’s starting zone, so they were over-leveled for this area. They sat around, looking uncomfortable.

  Starbeard sat at the head of the table, rubbing his forehead with his hand. The tension was palpable. Aurelio’s fingers brushed over Starbeard’s free hand and the Orc looked up at his supportive smile. The Captain leaned back and squared his shoulders, meeting each of them in the eyes.

  With a hint of forced bravado in his voice, Starbeard said, "Okay, enough being cryptic about this. I will be making a public announcement tonight, but I wanted all of you to hear directly from me first. Some of you know, and some might suspect what's been going on. I have been trying to keep this under wraps, but my hand has been forced."

  The room was silent, everyone holding their breath.

  "I have cancer." Starbeard took a steadying breath, "I've had it for a while now. I didn't say anything because, at first, it was localized. Doctors weren't worried, and a few rounds of chemo were supposed to knock it right out. But it's, uh, it's starting to spread."

  Armor stared at him and removed his helm. The mosaic pixilation fell away, and a copper dragon face stared at him angrily. "That's what this was all about? That's why we're on this grand fucking adventure? You're sick, and you didn't tell us?"

  Aurelio jumped to his defense, "R'ath! He didn't want to worry you!"

  R'ath Blacklaw slammed his gauntleted hands on the table as he stood, lips curling back to bare sharp teeth. "We're Family! We're supposed to worry about him!"

  "I know, I…" Starbeard said weakly, "I just wanted us to play together without you all falling over me to protect me. I wanted to pretend things were normal."

  R'ath's expression softened, and he sat back down, folding his arms. His angry expression melted into one of worry.

  "Wait, so this is what's been going on?" Lazar asked, "You said you were sick, but nothing like this!"

  "Because it wasn't like this." Starbeard sounded miserable, "I was in remission, but it came back more aggressive than before. Now it’s spread, so I have to try more aggressive treatments."

  Seal Woman gave Starbeard a sympathetic look, "You still should have told us. We could have helped."

  "How?" Starbeard looked up, eyes bright with unshed tears, "I know it was selfish, but telling you all meant it was real. Like, really real. But I can't ignore it anymore. It will start negatively affecting my life now."

  Everyone was silent. Aurelio scooted closer and cuddled against the Orc's bulk, wrapping arms around him. Lazar walked over and hugged the other side of Starbeard. Seal Woman looked particularly thoughtful. Eventually, R'ath stood and placed a hand on Starbeard's shoulder.

  "We're finishing this."

  "What?" Starbeard asked, confused.

  "The Saga. This Grand Diddly Fuck Adventure," R'ath explained. "That's what you wanted, right? To battle up from hell and reach heaven? Then that's what you're doing. Even if I have to carry you to the pearly gates myself."

  Starbeard couldn't hold back the tears any longer as he embraced his armored friend. Seal Woman and even the usually stoic Mika joined in the group hug as Orion felt his consciousness pulled back from the touching scene.

  [Memory upload at 93%]

  Back in the underground city, the troops were still under siege by the rotund monster packed into the ticket stalls. The bulk continued to wriggle deeper inside, the wood and plaster of the entrance doing little to impede its progress. Max ordered the soldiers to back up slowly, keeping an eye on their flank. The danger they knew was bad enough, but the threat inside the building was a mystery.

  As Max fired his pistol and backup pistol at the sphere of doom, his foot crunched through something. He spared a look down and realized he'd stepped right into a smaller robombie. The body was so badly rusted it looked like a decaying log. No parts were left inside the hollow shell, the entire torso crumbled into powder.

  "Dammit," Max cursed. "On top of everything, now I need a tetanus booster."

  He scanned his surroundings and saw that the ground was littered with them. Orange-Brown shapes appeared through the carpet of vines and flowers. No other robots in the rest of the city had a mark on them, but every bot around here was an oxidized husk. But what caused it?

  There was a crunch, and Max looked up. The snapping maw pushed further inside, but there was discoloration on the front of the thing's lopsided faces. "Gunmetal! Zoom in on the thing's teeth!" Max ordered.

  Gunmetal obeyed without question. Continuing to fire the rifle, his visor popped out, and he zoomed in on the robombie's teeth. He paused, then expanded the window, running it through a few filters.

  "It's rusting, Cap!" Gunmetal said, "At an accelerated rate."

  Max thought quickly, looking at his surroundings. There were several paths, some overgrown but most clear enough to escape through. The wood splintered some more.

  "Split up! You three with me! Gunmetal, you take the rest." Max pointed with a closed hand, "We'll go down this path; you go down the opposite side. Lead it through these pathways and try to lose it. Something in this air's making it rust. We just need to avoid it until it's weak enough to take out. Hide if you can, no unnecessary engagements. Do I make myself clear?"

  "Sir, yes, Sir!" everyone chanted.

  Max shouted, "Move out!"

  Max dashed towards a path covered in purple grass and climbing vines. Gunmetal ran in the opposite direction, heading towards a carpet filled with luminescent mushrooms. With a loud creak and crash, the danger globe trundled in and tried to look at both fleeing parties. After some indecision, it started to run after Max's group.

  With Turbo (Possibly Nitro) leading the charge through the overgrown foliage, Max flanked to keep space between the round robot and the rest of his squad. He fired his pistols at it, most of the plasma bullets bouncing off harmlessly. A lucky few rounds made dents where spots of rust had started to form. The walled walkway led up to a large gate with more glowing Orgish lettering. The three fleeing soldiers pushed through the entryway, and the scenery abruptly changed.

  The vibrant purple plant life suddenly became brown and crispy. Max could clearly see there was a dome wall connected to the gate, sealing this area off from the rest of the park. There was a wide brick road with high walls overlooking several large pits. The enclosures were clearly designed to fit different biomes. One looked like a rocky plateau, another was obviously a dried riverbed, and yet another was filled with cracked and petrified trees.

  Max saw the problem immediately. Part of the ceiling had collapsed and crushed the BioDome, leaving a tattered hole in the energy net. This section of the park was open to the outside, the city just beyond the crushed wall. There were some rusting bodies near the open hole, but there were in-tact robombies trapped in the pit below, wandering aimlessly.

  Distracted, Max's grip on his weapon loosened, and it was ripped from his hand. The round mouth crunched down on the weapon with a ‘Pft!’ of plasma. The gate entrance was giving it more trouble, but it wouldn't slow the thing down for long.

  "Keep moving! We're not safe here!" Max shouted.

  The troops picked up the pace, charging past the now shrieking robombies that thankfully couldn’t tell where for the intruders were. They were almost to the next gate when they heard the crash behind them, followed by the clanking of tripod feet.

  Ssteev gasped, "Captain! That sign says 'Jrraassk'! That's the Jrassk homeworld!"

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Max glanced up at the sign, his translator confirming the Jrassk script. The gate was decorated with reptiles of some kind, a variety of shapes and sizes. As they plunged through the new area, the path spread into a vast open plain. The world became a tapestry of browns and golds, with a beige-colored sky and white clouds. Not the dead brown of a parched landscape but the nostalgic sepia tone color of old movie films. There were lush umber ferns and thick palm trees with strange tawny fruits. There was enough space for whole herds of brown and gray creatures to roam freely. In the distance, there were even faux volcanos that puffed out holographic smoke and oozed maroon lava. Unlike the barren area they had just fled, this space was teeming with life, both flora and fauna.

  "Dinosaurs!" Ssteev panted, joy cutting through his exhaustion, "Just like back home!"

  Max was astonished, "A zoo! We're in a fucking zoo!"

  The mutant robot crashed into the next gate, roaring mechanically. The inside of its mouth glowed, and Turbo (Possibly Nitro) was pulled toward it. The soldier was forced to release his rifle as it was sucked into the hungry maw, the weapon gnashed between rows of jagged teeth. The squad was panting from fleeing, but the relentless sphere seemed to only grow more frantic to get at them.

  Ssteev took a few deep breaths and then started to run toward the field, "Follow me! I know what to do!"

  Ssteev bolted into the foliage, swiftly followed by the others. Max lost sight of him until he spotted a pair of floating black slacks, the shirtless Jrassk’s scales blending in with the scenery. Ssteev booked it across the plains, running up hills and ducking around rocks as if looking for something. Plaster splintered as the packed robot pushed past the gate, thundering footsteps closing in on the squad.

  There was a pop and hissing sound behind them, causing Max to risk a look over his shoulder. The oxidation on the nearly black metal surface was spreading quickly—so quickly, in fact, that parts of the ball were catching on fire or bubbling away into steam. Something about the atmosphere was causing the strange machine to decay rapidly. That would explain all the rusted robots outside. Joints creaked, and the steady pounding of feet slowed and became irregular.

  Max tripped on a root and crashed into a bush painfully. His suit tore as he bounced off a tree and snapped a branch off with his arm. Stumbling backward, he fired his backup pistol at the approaching mutant rombombie, who was swaying unsteadily. It turned and focused on him, jaw snapping as it swayed unsteadily. The toothy grin opened up one more time and sucked Max's last gun up, crunching it down.

  The robot eclipsed him, blotting out the light. The jaws opening one last time, jagged metal still gleaming in the terrible mouth. Max regretted that he couldn’t keep his promise to Junip. It looked like this was the end. Also, why was the ground shaking?

  A triceratops plowed into the robot's side, the twin horns on top sinking into the black metal right up to the frill. The living bulldozer caved in the metal side and didn't even slow, ten tons of muscle lifting the burning robot clear off the ground. The beast stomped past with a honking cry, and Max saw Ssteev riding the scaly creature like a Clydesdale.

  The triceratops shook their head angrily, sending the robot flying. It landed on its side, shattering and causing a long depression of dirt as it skidded to a halt. The three legs waggled like an overturned turtle, reddish dust falling away from the flaking joints. Several more spots started to catch fire, and the lights in the creepy orange eyes went dim.

  Ssteev made a 'yop yop!' cry and the espresso colored triceratops did a lazy turn and waddled back towards Max. Turbo (Possibly Nitro) was already helping the captain to his feet, wincing in pain. Max realized he had, on top of everything, twisted his ankle. He pulled out a healing kit for his body and a patch kit for his suit and nodded toward the flaming robot. Turbo (Possibly Nitro) nodded and ran off to salvage any valuable parts before the entire robot burned away.

  Ssteev nudged the ceratopsian to a halt near Max just as the holographic green plus signs started blinking over him. "You okay, Captain Thrustar?" the cadet asked with a hint of worry.

  "Nothing I can't handle." Max nodded and pointed to the dinosaur, "That's some fine riding there. You saved my bacon. Where'd you learn to ride like that?"

  Ssteev blushed. "My parents owned a ranch on Trrassik, one of the bigger colony worlds. Besides, Btssee did all the work, didn't you, girl?" Ssteev scratched behind the triceratops' frill, and the big lizard started to pant and wag her tail happily.

  "Don't name her. We can't keep her," warned Max.

  "Aww!" Ssteev was crestfallen.

  "Yeah, aww!" Nitro (Possibly Viper) said. "Found this, Cap. It had a magnetism mod. It was made up of a bunch of smaller robots. It’s probably how it sucked up our weapons."

  "I'm sure we could find a use for that." Max applied the repair patch to his suit and pulled up his HUD. Max hailed the other team, and Gunmetal's face appeared on the monitor. "We're clear here. Our resident rough rider took out the bot. What have you found?"

  Gunmetal called a halt to his squad, and they collapsed on some orange rock formations behind him. "We're good here. We found two areas. One's filled with a bunch of mushrooms and creatures from the Zeta Cluster. We also managed to find another section filled with critters from Huphaast, the Rokaos homeworld. It's like we're in some kind of animal preserve."

  Max started walking up the hill towards a large watering hole where more dinosaurs were taking a communal drink. There were spiky ones, small feathered ones, one low to the ground with a club tail, and two enormous sauropods with long necks.

  "Yeah, I'm thinking it's nowhere near that benign. I think it's a zoo. It's a kind of park where families go to see animals from different worlds." Max replied.

  Gunmetal groaned, "Uhg, edutainment. Still, think we can use anything here to help build Phoenix?"

  Max stopped a little ways away from the pond. One of the larger dinosaurs with big plates on its back turned and gave him a cold stare.

  "Uh, Captain?" Ssteev started to say something.

  Max held up a hand to silence the cadet. "If nothing else, it could be a last-ditch shelter. Something in the air causes the robots to rust quickly. But you saw the plants in the front entrance. I don't want to add anything until I'm sure it's safe."

  Ssteev persisted, "Sir, I really don't think-"

  Max held up his hand again. The dinosaur started to sway its tremendous bulk towards Max, giving him a grumpy side-eye.

  "You think these creatures are dangerous?" asked Gunmetal.

  Max shrugged, "They seem docile enough."

  The stegosaurus gave a furious snort, turning their body with surprising quickness for something so large. Without warning, the stego whipped their body around and smashed Max with their thagomizer. The spikes tore into his shoulders and sides, but the deadly bone protrusions miraculously missed the Captain’s vital organs. It didn't stop him from being flung away with a chest full of broken ribs, landing back in the thicket of ferns he'd just climbed out of.

  "I tried to warn him," Ssteev said as he climbed off Btssee's back to render aid.

  Orion saw the purple lights as he started to wake up. He felt a sense of relief. It means they'd destroyed the bed he'd used as a spawn point. He spread his arms, expecting to float out into the cold vacuum of space. It was a short run, but hopefully, he'd given the people of Phoenix a fighting chance.

  Bright fluorescent light hit him in the eyes as he popped out of the sarcophagus. He squinted against the light but was startled to see Dr. Birchett as he pitched forward. His left leg flailed but predictably didn't support him. Pinwheeling his arms for balance, Orion fell forward and bellyflopped on the floor. Knees, boobs, and balls hit the ground at the same time, and Orion curled himself into a ball of agony for a few moments.

  "Ooh!" Dr. Birchett's voice had a hint of sympathy pain, "I didn't even think about that. I didn't realize your peg leg vanished during respawn."

  "I told you as much, hoo hoo!" Professor Queebeax scolded, "That's why I put a spare peg leg in the chamber with him."

  Ze voice was accusatory, "Then why didn't you put down a mattress or something?"

  "Max was right, though. The cybernetics are clearly taking over his organic parts," the Professor continued, ignoring the question. "But what could be causing it?"

  Orion's regeneration healed the injuries enough for him to uncurl himself. He got to his knees and looked around for the prosthetic the Professor mentioned. He was able to reach out and touch it, which was enough to equip the leg and stand up stiffly. The cybernetics had grown during the fight, creeping down his biceps and starting to eat into his hips and thighs. Movement was being hindered as joints became encased in thick metal plates. The cybernetic parts started to rust as he stood there, which he only noticed when part of his hip caught on fire.

  He looked around. He was in the corner of the Med Bay,

  Orion turned to the doctor, "No! Why am I here? You brought me right into the heart of the city! If I get out- "

  Dr. Birchett raised a calming hand, "You're in quarantine. Nothing short of a nuclear explosion could break you out of that containment field."

  Orion stared at zem. He pulled the Pocket Nuke from his weapon wheel.

  "That might do it," the Professor conceded.

  Orion clicked the button, and the energy core started to whir to life. Queebeax and Dr. Birchett backed away slowly, trying to soothe him at the same time. Without a word, Orion turned and fired at the sarcophagus. The green beam of energy didn't even touch the sides of the Sentinel artifact. The portal roared to life, and the blast warped and diverted into the swirling purple vortex.

  The beam interacted strangely with the Gate, a purple hue traveling up the column of green light. The purple energy started to dance and bend around the quarantine chamber. The purple beam engulfed a rolling table nearby, and it was sucked into the trail of light, spaghettifying as it sped away.

  "Fuck!" Orion threw down the Pocket Nuke, cutting the power. As the green energy feeding the portal vanished, it snapped back with a deafening boom! Orion was blasted back against the quarantine wall and slumped to the floor.

  "That is enough," an authoritative voice said.

  Commander Slate walked in, dressed sharply in a professional-looking suit. He swiped away his HUD window, which showed a play-by-play of the scene that had just unfolded.

  "You may be the Director, but you are going to stop panicking and listen to what we have to say," Slate's voice was stern as he stopped in front of Orion. "-Now-."

  "No." Orion struggled to his feet. His voice was rough but flat and emotionless. "I've seen this movie before. And it ends with me snacking on people's brains."

  Looking around, Orion asked, "Apus, how do I get out of quarantine?"

  It was like a lightning bolt struck Orion. Electricity erupted from his temple and hit the ceiling, shattering one of the light fixtures above. Pain tore a scream from Orion's throat as his body contorted with tormented spasms. His back arched so far that it felt as if it would snap, causing him to fall to the ground. More sparks and small fires burst on the metal surface, and his body twitched like a dead insect. The pain suddenly subsided to a manageable level, and Orion collapsed with relief. His body still felt like there were needles embedded under his skin, but it was bearable.

  When Orion heard a pained gasp from Neesya, he stiffly turned his neck towards the chamber door. He hadn't even heard the crowd gather, but the rest of the Menagerie had entered the Med Bay. They were staring at him with a mix of horror and pity, and Neesya looked like she was hurting. He speculated that the empath was siphoning some of his pain away. He opened his mouth to ask her to stop.

  No, she insisted. I'm not taking anything I can't handle.

  Orion was too exhausted to argue. He lay there until the cybernetic parts stopped sparking, patting out a few errant fires. He felt feverish, and the flesh covered by a metallic shell was numb. Even if he wanted to escape back through the Gate, he couldn’t muster the strength. He released a defeated sigh.

  "Okay," Orion said hoarsely. "I'm ready to listen now."