“OH!! COME!!! ON!!!!” Koko protested, completely exasperated. “The monster is ANOTHER TENTACLE DEMON??? What happened did I die and go to hentai anime afterlife? When you said, “a flying monster” I got all excited to finally get an A-Lister opponent to fight, then I get up here and I have to fight – THIS???” As she ranted, she gesticulated wildly and flailed her arms in exasperation.

  Mamoru couldn’t stop himself from snickering, which earned an accusing eye from not only the Commander but also Ms. Hayashibara herself as Koko practically vibrated in anger. Koko looked somewhat different today, wearing blue jean cut-off shorts, a black tank top, leather jacket, choker with a little heart shaped pendant, fishnet stockings, and heavy leather boots, plus some green tinted aviator sunglasses and a necklace with an additional, cross-shaped, pendant. She simply hadn’t had time for a more complicated outfit like her usual style with her hurried retrieval, and that may be affecting her mood too. Everyone turned back to the monitor watching as the UAV filmed the beast’s attack on a coal storage facility.

  Doctor Barlow continued her briefing, this time in an Italian accent, causing the veins on Koko’s head to visibly bulge as her blood pressure shot up. “In any event, the creature appeared two hours ago, it is apparently a monster not seen since the 1960’s called “Dogora”. Their initial attack was thwarted, and it was believed all were slain, but this one seems to have survived, possibly it is from another smack.”

  “Another what?” Koko asked.

  “A smack – a group of jellyfish. The monster greatly resembles a jellyfish in its anatomy and presumed bodily functions. Moving on, they feed on coal and diamonds, using their large oral arms and smaller tentacles to carry the food items to the mouth under the bell. The tentacles are also used for defense and can whip at speeds which proved capable of knocking fighter jets out of the sky. The creatures are vulnerable to damage from fire, and also apitoxins or bee venom. The tentacles are easy to damage, but then there are like 10,000 of them, also the large oral arms are relatively easy to remove. Projectiles tend to pass straight through the creature with virtually no effect as they do not seem to be capable of feeling pain to a significant degree and their soft bodies do not arm impact fuses, timed fuses might work better though.”

  “So, use the lasers or the plasma blaster?” Koko asked.

  “Yes,” Barlow replied.

  Koko regarded the monitor again with disdain and revulsion. “Why do we even care if it’s eating coal? Isn’t the whole world moving to green energy and trying to get off of coal and oil? Let it eat the coal; it’ll force us off of it faster.”

  “Yes Koko, but this cannot be allowed, the monster will reproduce if it eats enough food, that is why we must stop it,” Ms. Hayashibara answered.

  “Ugh, gross. Okay, okay, let’s get this one over with as quick as possible, damned thing will probably try to tentacle rape my baby if the fight takes too long,” Koko spun on one heel and stalked off towards the hangar.

  Once in the crash couch Koko activated the external monitor, only to see the extremely odd sight of Mamoru waving loonily at her with both hands. “As my pen pal from Texas would say: That boi ain’t rahght,” she said to herself. “Okay Stargazer let’s go! Our first aerial battle awaits!!” The robot’s back thrusters lit off and propelled it into the air through the overhead hatch.

  Minutes later, Stargazer arrived in the airspace over the remnants of the coal facility the creature was currently destroying. Dozens of tentacles stretched for thousands of meters, entangling lumps of coal and drawing them up to the mouth, still more ripped up strips of ground searching for more of Dogora’s preferred food. A particularly brave, or perhaps foolish, news helicopter hovered nearby just barely outside the restricted airspace for the projected battle. Koko realized she would have to be mindful of its position throughout the encounter. “Okay Stargazer I don’t see any reason to waste time, use your lasers on the monster’s bell!”

  A satisfied BWEEP reply came from Stargazer and a pair of high energy laser beams flashed out at the floating monster. Koko of course could not see the beams themselves, but she saw the impact points. The twin rays struck the bell of the jellyfish and then seemed to slide along it, burning the monster’s flesh as they went, setting it afire.

  Koko heard a strange croaking rumble from the beast as its pain threshold was passed, it floated away from Stargazer, and several tentacles rose from gathering food and instead began to make defensive gestures.

  “Stargazer, burn down the tentacles,” Koko commanded. The robot again BWEEPed in approval and another flash of high energy severed a row of tentacles attempting to shield the monster’s body.

  Koko contacted headquarters, “I don’t think the lasers are inflicting enough damage, I am gonna try the plasma cannon.”

  Stargazer retreated a short distance to bring the plasma cannon to optimum range, as the armored doors on the chest opened the cannons’ tips began to glow as they built up their deadly energy.

  Dogora must have sensed the impending attack for its multitudes of tentacles flashed out to ensnare Stargazer.

  Even as the fleshy appendages approached her Koko signed the floating beast’s death warrant: “Stargazer! PLASMA BEAM!!!”

  The beams incinerated the very air between the robot and space creature, and when they encountered Dogora’s tentacles they bore through the soft flesh with virtually no interference to gouge into the jellyfish-like creature’s bell. The intense heat was too much for Dogora, it burst into flames and began to sink to Earth. Unfortunately, the monster landed on the coal facility which it had been looting for food.

  “KOKO!!!! The monster could set fire to the whole place!!! We can’t let that happen! Get down there and recover the corpse!!!” the Commander ordered.

  For a brief moment Koko did not understand, but suddenly realization dawned on her, “STARGAZER!!! Dive to the facility!” At once the mighty machine dived nearly vertically straight down impacting Dogora’s burning corpse just as the bell was starting to settle on top of a huge mound of coal. As the jellyfish oozed all around the robot’s body Koko directed it to try to push it away from the mound, “Come on Stargazer!! You can do it! Scoop it up and shove it away from the coal!”

  Before long Stargazer was entirely enveloped in burning jellyfish as it labored mightily to haul the creature’s surprising mass to a safe location. In the end, Koko succeeded, mostly, with only a few hundred kilograms of coal being lit by the dead beast and the fire was brought under control after Stargazer created a fire break by collapsing some of the surrounding structures.

  As she watched the emergency crews battle the blaze from behind the safety of the fire break Stargazer had created Koko remembered something. “Stargazer, break off some of its tentacles for me, I’m hungry.”

  The robot replied with a very negative BWONG!!

  “Oh, you think so? Well yeah, I guess “stingers,” or you know, whatever…” Koko thought for a moment, “Okay then get some of the bell for me.”

  The robot’s next BWEEP seemed much more positive, and it reached down and gouged out a chunk of Dogora meat from the creature’s bell.

  “Okay that’s it then! Let’s go home,” Koko instructed happily. It did not occur to her until weeks later that she had fully understood the robot’s message that day.

  Back at the hangar, Koko produced her knife from her shorts pocket and sliced off a bite sized chunk of Dogora. She deftly shoved the morsel into her mouth and began to ch-----

  “HOUURRRRUUKKKKK!!!!” Koko gagged and choked, spitting the offending THING out of her mouth with all the force she could muster. Even as the vile mass splatted sloppily against the floor Koko could still taste its awful essence, her mouth, lips, and tongue burning painfully and the effect spreading slowly, steadily down her throat. She doubled over, coughing up bile and spit, and attracting the attention of several techs – and even worse – Mr. Wallace. Vaguely, as she pondered the continued wisdom of her post-battle ritual, she heard the tell-tale sounds of an approaching stampede of running humans. Unable to contain it anymore Koko coughed one last time and vomited the contents of her stomach before losing consciousness.

  “KOKO!!! Are YOU ALRIGHT???” Mr. Wallace cried, he arrived just as Koko finished her first expulsion and grabbed her around her waist supporting her as she sagged down and nearly fell into the puddle of mush she has just deposited on the floor. Her only reply was a witty, “aarmmrrrrrgghhhhhhuuulllbbll…”

  “MEDIC!!!!!!”

  Two days later.

  She awoke feeling like the floor of a taxicab. Opening her protesting eyes to the blindingly bright light, Koko looked around, the blurred environment eventually resolved itself into a hospital room. Her head lazed over away from the brightest light and her gaze fell upon Mamoru. He was reading the paper, could be worse she supposed, he could have been reading hentai manga. “Oh hey! You’re awake!” he said. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

  She pushed herself up on her elbows, “Eating a Carolina Reaper soaked in gasoline.”

  Mamoru smiled and let out a little laugh, “Yeah, sounds about right. We analyzed the sample you brought back – it was almost entirely petroleum based, and that was before its neurotoxin. You’re lucky kid.”

  Koko checked her hospital gown, making sure Mamoru wasn’t getting any free shows, “Yeah, I’ll be more careful in the future. How long?” Her throat ACHED, it felt like a dried out, cracked desert landscape.

  “Two days. Doc says you’ll be here at least one more to completely rehydrate you, you were basically throwing up or uhm, using the other end, in your sleep the whole time.” Then his smirk widened to an offensive degree, “And Mr. Wallace says you are grounded. You will report to the Wallace house and submit yourself to observation by Billy as soon as you are released for a period of time not less than the rest of the week and possibly two weeks depending on how well you follow your Doctor and Mrs. Wallace’s orders.”

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  Now it was Koko’s turn to snicker a little. “Tell them I am sorry, okay?”

  “Mrs. Wallace was very upset. I am sure she will be thankful you are feeling better. Mr. Wallace will be along to collect you tomorrow,” Mamoru finished. “I sent one of the interns to your place to collect some of your things, she should have delivered it all to the Wallace’s place by now, so you’ll have it waiting for you.”

  Koko’s eyes narrowed with Discontent.

  “Your keys were in your jacket pocket,” Mamoru offered. “Now wait a second. Stop looking at me like that. It was ORDERS. The Commander himself told me to take care of it. I even went to the trouble of getting one of the girls to go because I knew you wouldn’t want ME in there. COME ON!!! Koko!!! Cut me some slack here!”

  After a tense few seconds she decided she really had no legs to stand on here and let Mamoru escape with his dignity intact. “Yeah, I guess you are right. Sorry about that Mamoru and thank you.”

  Her bodyguard’s expression shifted to surprised and he stumbled out a response, “You’re welcome. Look I’ve got some stuff to do, reports to file, weapons to clean, expenses to account for, you know the drill. I’ll be back after dinner. In the meantime, Ms. Izuma will be with you.” At his mention, the female Unicorn agent entered the room and introduced herself with a business card. “Don’t fall for her Professional Act,” Mamoru said. “Izuma is a Card Shark, no matter what happens DO NOT play ANY card games with her.”

  Koko looked to the perfectly professional looking agent again and noticed the woman bore a disgusted sneer at Mamoru. But she didn’t say anything. She just returned to “parade rest” and waited near the room’s door as Mamoru left.

  As soon as the door closed Izuma produced a deck of cards and said, “So, want to play some Spades?”

  Koko instantly increased Mamoru’s worth by 2 points.

  On the other side of the door Mamoru fingered the copy of Koko’s apartment key in his pocket. Allowing himself a contented smile, he cheerfully made his way down the hall as he planned his first invasion of Koko’s home. And of course, just where exactly he would leave cameras.

  Sometime later Koko lay in the Really Nice Guest Bed at the Wallace Home as Mrs. Wallace arrived with her scheduled medicine. She was still weak and dehydrated, her prescriptions from the Doctor included a truly scary amount of water which Mrs. Wallace was Hell Bent on ensuring was duly consumed. As with each time before Koko seemed to be preparing to protest, Mrs. Wallace resorted to her Ace-in-the-Hole: “You know, you were even vomiting in your sleep. The Doctor says you might have died had you not been so close to the base hospital.”

  Once again, Koko was forced to concede the point, “I know Mrs. Wallace, I’m sorry for being so much trouble, I’m just used to being independent.”

  Mrs. Wallace took the Opportunity, “Speaking of that, give me your school’s contact information so I can let them know you will be out a few days Dear.” When Koko visibly flinched Mrs. Wallace was taken aback, “Did I say something wrong Koko?”

  Koko was silent for a pregnant moment, “No, it’s just,” she looked uncomfortable in the extreme. “I’m so petite. Most girls would kill for a little body like mine. Most of the time its great, guys always like the petite ones. But people always think I am a school kid. I graduated you know. Cops are always hassling me thinking I am skipping school.”

  Mrs. Wallace could not conceal her surprise, “I had no idea!!!! I thought you were 15 at the oldest!” Again, Koko flinched, clearly this was not one of her favorite discussion topics. Mentally revising her assessment of Koko, Mrs. Wallace decided to let the topic go for now, shelving the issue of contacting her parents until later, she knew Koko had called someone before she was released from the hospital, it must have been her parents. “Does my Husband know you are out of school yet?”

  Koko’s eyebrows knitted together as she thought about it, “Maybe not, I thought he would have figured it out, but I haven’t directly told him though. For that matter, no one at Unicorn knows, I think Mamoru suspects since he’s been to my apartment though.”

  Mrs. Wallace’s eyes narrowed at that, “Koko, I don’t think –“

  But she was cut off by Koko, “Oh no, he hasn’t been INSIDE. No chance. I make him wait in the hallway. I’ve seen James Bond movies. I know better than to let some Secret Agent Guy into my room.”

  “I don’t mean “men in general” Koko Dear, I meant – MAMORU,” Mrs. Wallace said. “Something about that man does not sit well with me.”

  In all the time Koko had known the Wallace’s she had never heard a single negative thought or opinion expressed by Mrs. Wallace. It spoke VOLUMES that the first time was about Mamoru. In her mind’s eye, several of her memories of Mamoru popped up, showing images of the man that left Koko wondering at their explanation. “His eyes do seem to linger on the women around him a little too long.”

  Mrs. Wallace simply inclined her head in a way that seemed to say, “Now think about that at length.”

  “MOM!!! Can I come in now??” Billy’s stressed cry filtered through the closed door; he had been told to wait outside since Koko might not be dressed. Deciding it was okay for him to come in and play Mrs. Wallace turned to Koko, “You feel up to playing with him for a while?”

  “As long as we just play a video game or something,” she said. A satisfied smile spread across her face and Mrs. Wallace was certain Koko was looking forward to whatever game her son wanted to play.

  Mrs. Wallace went to the bedroom door and let her 6-year-old son in. The torrent of pure energy in the form of a young boy tornadoed into the room with ill-disguised glee, “Big Sister Koko!!!” he cried. His body took the form of a missile that flew across the room, onto the bed, and crashed into Koko’s abdomen at near supersonic speed.

  “OOOMPH!!!” Koko replied.

  The boy looked up at her face with shining, tear-filled eyes, “Are you alright? You’re going to get better soon, right? You’ll be able to play some more, right?” he fired off.

  Koko’s hand rubbed his close-cropped hair and offered him a genuine smile, “Yeah, I just need a few days and I’ll be good as new.” The two descended into some friendly pre-game antics as Koko argued she should get the red game controller, while Billy argued that she should take the green one, because he was the one who owned the red one after all.

  Mrs. Wallace watched the interaction, struck by the ease with which Koko conducted her part. “She’s got a younger brother,” she realized, “We really don’t know that much about her.” As she left them, Billy having won the argument handed Koko the green handheld game consoles, they were apparently going head-to-head for this one. But Mrs. Wallace was struck by Koko’s responses, “She’s clearly used to being around younger children, so she has siblings, or at least one sibling. And she’s so affectionate with Billy and Tomo she clearly likes interacting with younger kids. But why doesn’t she ever talk about them?”

  The Lab was covered in mystic runes and mathematical equations. The patterns seeming so opposed to each other that they shouldn’t even be together, like matter and anti-matter, and yet clearly the room’s occupants were completely at ease with them. In the center of the room was a table, similar in appearance to an operating table in a hospital, but covered with more runes and equations, and decidedly less hygienic looking owing to the many blood stains on it. On the table lay the young girl Aimi naked, straps restrained her wrists, waist, ankles, and forehead, wicked looking needles connected to vials of weird glowing fluid penetrated her skin at numerous points, and animal blood was painted on her skin in other places. Speakers in each of the room’s corners played some kind of ritualistic chanting. Everywhere the mixing of science and magic was playing out in the room. Doctor Overkill stood just behind Aimi’s head, holding a computer tablet that displayed yet more runes on its screen, he too chanted in unison with the recorded voices. Momotaro stood opposite of Overkill, very pointedly NOT staring directly at the naked girl’s body, “This is the weirdest thing I have ever done for these people,” he thought to himself. At a gestured signal from Overkill, Momotaro reached behind him and pulled a comically oversized lever and the glowing fluid in the vials began to flow through the hoses and needles and into Aimi’s body.

  The critical stage reached, Aimi’s body convulsed in pain as the spell and mutagens began to interact with her body tissues. She had been sedated beforehand and thus did not scream, but her body’s involuntary movements communicated the agony she was going through in no uncertain terms. Sweat beaded over every centimeter of her skin, she started to hyper-ventilate, bloody mucus ran from her nose and bile oozed from the corners of her mouth.

  Momotaro watched the spectacle with sickened fascination. “She’s willing to do THIS to herself, just to get back at her Dad? What the hell did he do to her?”

  Doctor Overkill’s body began to glow as his chanting increased in volume. His free hand rose to point at Aimi’s head and the glow collected around his outstretched finger, eventually the light shot forth and the eldritch energies enveloped the girl. Suddenly the light was gone, Aimi’s body relaxed on the table, and it was all over. Overkill collapsed to his knees as Momotaro rushed over to him.

  “Did it work Doctor,” Momotaro asked.

  Gasping for breath Overkill took a few moments to reply, “We’ll know in an hour or so. If she’s still alive then it worked. Help me up, I always feel like I need a shower after doing this.”

  “Yeah,” Momotaro replied. “Super uncomfortable being in a room with a naked little girl strapped to a table like a lab rat.”

  “What are you talking about?” Overkill asked while wearing a look of utter incomprehension. “I meant the MAGIC. It is very taxing on my body, takes EVERYTHING out of me.”

  “Uhm, never mind, forget I said anything,” Momotaro answered. Leaving the sweating and panting girl on the table Momotaro helped his boss out of The Lab and to the shower room.

  After they left, a medtech walked into the room and surreptitiously revealing a cel phone, he began to take pictures as the security door closed.

  Hours later Doctor Overkill, Momotaro, and Aimi were in an audience with Emperor Guillotine, Aimi sat in a wheelchair, her body too exhausted to stand.

  “Did the Process succeed Doctor Overkill?” the overlord asked.

  “Yes Sir. Aimi will require a few days of recovery before she is capable of useful activity, as per the schedule. Everything went exactly as planned.”

  Guillotine looked down from his raised throne at his gathered minions. “Excellent. Then proceed as planned. Aimi, your service to our cause will not be forgotten. When you have successfully completed your mission Big Fire will stand as one of the major powers on this planet!”

  Aimi’s tortured throat croaked out a response, “Thang yuu Zer…”

  He turned to Momotaro, “For your part in the plan, there will be proper compensation.”

  The soldier bowed his head, “I didn’t do much Sir, merely pulled a big lever.”

  Guillotine chuckled lightly, “Yes, but timing was critical, and you executed your duties flawlessly. A commendation in your personnel records is in order.”

  Momotaro stood to attention, “Thank you Sir!”

  The audience concluded, Overkill clapped his subordinate on the shoulder as he congratulated him, “Let us celebrate my friend! All you can eat Chinese on me!!!”

  Momotaro looked at his boss skeptically, “I can eat quite a lot you know.”

  The alien looked at him and grinned, the silver circle under his chin seemed to glow in the light of the hallway, “So can I! Let us wreck some poor establishment’s Bottom Line, so that even in our simple dinner experience we can advance the goals of Big Fire by disrupting local economies!”

  “HAIL BIG FIRE!!!” Momotaro saluted enthusiastically. “Should we get Spider and some of the other guys too?”

  “Pfft! I cannot STAND that man! Does he EVER bathe?? Still perhaps gathering some troops would be a good idea!!! Let us wreak havoc!!!” Overkill exclaimed.

  Meanwhile as the two men headed to lounge to recruit some companions, Aimi was being wheeled back to her recovery room by a female medtech. “Vas fur dener?” she croaked out.

  “You’ll love it! All the ice cream you want! Or Jell-O. Followed by some meds that should put you to sleep for about 4 to 6 hours. Then you can have a real meal.”

  Aimi cracked a small smile; a big smile would hurt too much.

  “So, which would you like?”

  “Ize creem,” Aimi answered.

  Back in the throne room, once his guests had left, Guillotine allowed his face to reflect his sour mood. “BRING HIM IN.”

  Two Faceless Minions wrestled in a third between them. The third man wore a look of fright, perhaps even terror as the medtech was brought before his leader.

  “You know why you are here Number 612,” it was not a question.

  “I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!!!!” the man protested.

  “The cel phone!” Guillotine ordered. The other two soldiers removed the device from the prisoner’s pocket and held it out to their Emperor.

  With a wave of his hand Guillotine unlocked the phone’s security and opened up the picture app. Shot after shot of Aimi’s naked body from multiple angles appeared. “I suppose the phone took these on its own? You are of course aware that Operational Security is of PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE to our ongoing campaign? The possession and use of cel phones in restricted areas of the facility is prohibited, with the strongest penalties.”

  The medtech was sweating now, he realized there was no escaping his fate now.

  “Aside from the breach of regulations and security you are also guilty of an even more wretched crime. Aimi is 14. I have found that much as I can respect humans in general for their guile and cunning there has always been one class of your people I cannot tolerate.” Guillotine looked disdainfully at the condemned man as he swiped picture after picture of Aimi's naked body, showing them to the offender, “For your immoral crime you will die. And it shall be a most fitting end. You see as Aimi’s transformation progresses, she will develop certain “cravings” for “unusual” foods.”

  The man’s flesh went white, his eyes were wide with undisguised terror now. “NO!!! PLEASE!!!! ANYTHING BUT THAT!!!”

  Guillotine was not moved. “Feed him to her. Slowly.”