Orca on Gromet's Plaza Archive

End of Days 6: The First Strike

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

continues from part five

Part 6: The First Strike

“So, where do we go first?” Quinn asked Xesex as they all walked outside. “You got any ideas?” “The source of the magic is not far from here,” he said. “It is within ten miles. Do you have transportation we can utilize?” “Yeah,” Quinn said, heading towards her garage. “Bought it years ago; never thought I’d use it to help save the world.” Going over, she opened the door, revealing a large RV inside, easily large enough to carry all of them. “Hmm,” Xesex said, looking the craft over. “Primitive, but effective.” Rapping on the walls, he doubted that it was very strong, but at the moment, it was everything they had, so they would have to make the most of it. “We must move out immediately.” “Well then, get on!” Quinn said, heading for the driver’s seat. As the others got on board, Nia stopped. “I can’t leave Jude,” she said. “The lake empties into a river,” Quinn told her as she pulled out the chocks from underneath the wheels. “She’d be able to follow us as we drive along.” Then, darting into the RV, she pulled out a map. “Xesex, can you pinpoint the location of the magic?” His large hands taking the small object, Xesex looked it over, trying to triangulate it. “I am not sure,” he said. “But it should be here.” He tapped a large city on the map. “Ah, you’re in luck,” Quinn told Nia. “The river leads to a harbor next to the city. Your whale can go as far as that.” Nia nodded. “I’ll meet you all there.” “Wait, you’re not coming up with us?” “I’ll ride Jude,” Nia said. “She’s used to it.” Quinn thought, nodded. “All right.” “If you will be riding your whale,” Xesex said, “then I recommend that our group split up. For if I can sense whatever god has entered this realm, he or she will sense me too, and will possibly attempt to attack me en route to the city, regardless of who is with me. If we split our forces, we shall reduce the risk of possible casualties.” Nia thought for a moment. “Jude is used to carrying several people at once,” she said. “Some of you can ride with us.” “I’ll go,” Gromet said. “Always was interested in riding a whale.” From his riding spot on Aalyia’s back, Robert said, “We’ll go as well.” “I’d prefer to ride in the RV,” Vikki said. “That is, Quinn, if you don’t mind.” “Not at all.” “I doubt I shall be able to ride your whale companion,” Prince Theodore said. “So I shall ride within this RV as well.” “Then it is settled,” Xesex said. “Everyone, to your places. We shall meet again at the harbor outside the city.” As Nia, Gromet, Robert, and Aalyia headed down towards the lake, Quinn, Prince Theodore, Xesex, and Vikki squeezed into the RV. It was easy enough for Vikki to get into the passenger seat, but Xesex and Theodore, being larger than humans, had a more difficult time, and almost tore the doors off while getting inside, and even then, it was a very tight fit as they wedged themselves among the appliances. “All right everyone, hang on,” Quinn said, turning the RV on, and sending the giant vehicle onto the road. At the lake, Nia knelt next to the water. She didn’t have to wait long, for Jude quickly swam to the lakeside and partially beached herself. Though curious to see her, Gromet couldn’t help but take a step backwards at seeing just how big she really was. Robert and Aalyia did the same, for Jude was the largest killer whale any of them had ever seen, easily at least thirty feet long, and built of solid muscle. Closing her eyes, Nia put her hand on Judge’s snout, and waited. “Jude understands our situation,” she said after a moment. “She’s willing to carry us to the city.” Gromet tilted his head. “You can talk to whales?” “Only her,” Nia explained. “We share a telepathic bond that no one else has.” “I never heard of whales being telepathic,” Robert said. Even Aalyia, unable to speak, seemed puzzled by the idea. “Then telepathy isn’t common in your world?” Nia asked. “Nope,” Robert said. “No,” Gromet said. “Well, whatever. Now, everyone in.” Robert was confused. “In?” “Yes, in. As in, inside Jude.” None of her companions moved. “You can’t be serious,” Robert said. “Yes, I am,” Nia said. “Jude can swim much faster without anyone riding on her. Plus, if all of us are in her, she can swim under the surface, and go even faster. Still, none of them moved. Rolling her eyes at seeing how far ahead the RV was, and how they were stuck here, Nia said, “Look, I know this sounds strange to you, but Jude’s used to doing this sort of thing. She can swallow people whole, and then regurgitate them up later without digesting them. Same for stuffing people into her womb. We’ve done it for years, with both me, and many other people.” “You stuffed people up her ass?” Robert said. Thunder cracked overhead. “Look, there’s no time!” Nia said. “Now let’s get in there!” As if wanting to encourage the others, Jude opened her mouth as wide as it would go, waiting. Gromet looked at the whale, then to Robert and Aalyia. Shaking his head, he walked over. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered. Getting down, he slid into Jude’s mouth, face first. Jude swallowed slightly, pulling him in. Within seconds, his feet vanished from sight. With Gromet gone, Jude opened again, stretching to accommodate Robert and Aalyia. Those two looked at each other, unsure. But then again, after encountering Anubis in the graveyard of abandoned gods, this wasn’t any stranger. Kneeling, Aalyia waited while Robert reached out and pulled himself into Jude’s mouth. There, she swallowed him gently, sucking him into her throat, until his bandaged legs were gone. And then Aalyai got in, wiggling as Jude’s muscles worked, and pulled her in. With the three now safe inside her stomach, Jude rolled over, exposing her tummy. Nia waded in, walking towards Jude’s slit. “I swear, some people just don’t know when to take the leap,” she muttered, putting her feet inside Jude. Once she had been swallowed up to her leg, Nia waited as Jude’s powerful muscles took control, and gently pulled her in, until her head, and then her hair, were sucked in, and vanished from sight. Her slit clenching into a watertight seal, Jude rolled back onto her tummy, then wiggled back into the water. From there, she turned and followed the water out of the lake, and into the river. Taking a deep breath, making sure to get extra air for her passengers, Jude submerged, her powerful tail muscles propelling her through the dark water.

End of Days 7: Into the Depths

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

continues from part six

Part 7: Into the Depths

“So, how exactly DO we get inside that?” Gromet asked. “Doesn’t look like we can just go up and ring the doorbell.” “Storming the fortress would not be a wise move either,” Theodore said. “It’s too well defended. What do you think, Xesex?” The god thought. “The tower is protected by very powerful magical energy. A direct assault would be most unwise, and I can sense unseen eyes watching the walls. If we were to try and sneak in, we would be spotted immediately.” “Maybe we can sneak in,” Quinn said, getting an idea. “Look.” At the drawbridge leading into the tower, a steady stream of wrappers were walking in, carrying captured, mummified people. “Perhaps we can disguise ourselves as one of them,” Quinn said. “Then we get in line, and stroll right in. I don’t think those thugs have any brainpower, so they won’t notice us.” Xesex thought for a moment, then nodded. “A good idea. Who wants to be a volunteer?” Quinn stepped forward. “Heck, I thought of it, it might as well be me.” Xesex pointed his finger towards her, focused. Bandages shot forth and wove themselves around her body, squeezing and compressing it tightly. In less then ten seconds, Quinn’s body was completely wrapped, save her head. Surprised, she looked her bandaged limbs over, squeezing and flexing them. The bandages were very tight (perhaps a bit too tight around her crotch and breasts, she noticed), and restricted her movement somewhat, but she would be able to walk, and use her arms. “Well, I’d say it’ll work,” Vikki said. Working quickly, Xesex repeated the procedure on Vikki, Gromet, and Nia, turning them into tightly wrapped, walking mummies. It was unnecessary to wrap Robert and Aalyia, but when all was said and done, the six of them were a perfect match for the mindless guards walking into the tower. “Well, this is new,” Gromet said, running his bandaged fingers over his wrappings. “Never been wrapped before?” Nia asked. “Can’t say that I have.” “If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly do you do in your world?” Gromet paused. “Well, I deal in the literary field.” “Oh, so an agent?” Gromet thought, nodded. “Err, something like that, yes.” “Hurry up you two,” Quinn said. “Can’t waste any more time.” The line of walking thugs was coming to an end. They’d have to move fast if they wanted to get in line and into the tower. “Xesex? What about you and Theodore?” “We shall have to infiltrate the tower on our own,” Xesex said. “For obvious reasons, if we tried to enter like the rest of you, we would be spotted immediately. But do not fear. I will get us inside safe and sound.” With a wave of his hand, he sent out more bandages, began to tightly wrap the heads of everyone present. “Wait!” Quinn said. “What do we do once we’re inside?” Xesex focused his hands, and several small, glowing green balls of energy appeared, before zipping over to each individual, attaching themselves, and merging with the bandages. “There will be someone controlling all this,” Xesex said. “Most likely that Targonamey man. If he’s inside, find him, and do what you can to disrupt his operations. The energy I have just given you all may be used like a bomb, but you can only use it once. Remember: when used properly, stealth is more effective then force.” Then the last wrappings went forth, and covered everyone’s head, save their eyes. For Quinn, it was a familiar sensation, having her head wrapped and tightly compressed. But the effect of being wrapped like this was unsettling to the others, who now looked, and acted extremely nervous. She would need to act quickly to move everyone along. “Come on, everyone,” she said. “Follow me.” As Xesex and Theodore slipped away into the darkness of the alley, Quinn headed towards its exit. Vikki, apparently used to being bandaged, responded immediately, helping the others along, guiding them with a friendly hand. Grateful for the help, Quinn stopped, peered out at the mummy guards walked along, carrying their squirming, wrapped prisoners. When the last one walked by, Quinn took a deep breath, and dashed out As she had hoped, none of the wrappers looked back when she got in behind them. Vikki, Gromet, Nia, and Aalyia dashed out, though Aalyia was slower, due to carrying Robert on her back. But they got into line, and followed the wrappers, trying to stay evenly spaced, so as to attract as little attention as possible. Reaching the drawbridge, they crossed over. When they entered into the tower itself, they followed the wrappers as they went through numerous tunnels of chiseled stone, eventually reaching a chamber resembling an ancient Egyptian temple. Here, the sense of being watched diminished considerably, suggesting that it was safe to move around without fear of being seen. As the last of the wrappers turned the corner, Quinn motioned for everyone else to hide next to the wall, which they did so. Sneaking to the edge, she peered around. They were in a large throne room of some kind. At the end was a large, royal throne, and upon it sat Targonamey, with two tall cranes perched beside him like silent guards. Quinn couldn’t be sure, but she got the feeling they would be as effective as any guard when it came to fighting. Targonamey himself was watching as the wrappers walked past, each momentarily stopping to display their captives for his inspection, a process that consisted of him running his fingers over their wrappings to ensure tightness and consistency, and then a nod. With that, the wrappers then took their captives through another door, and out of sight. “What’s happening?” Gromet whispered. “Shush,” Quinn said, holding up a hand. Someone, or something, was coming out of another, larger door, and she wanted to see who it was. She got the shock of her life upon seeing a massive, canine-like being with a thick, muscular human body, but with the head of a jackal. Even without knowing who it was, Quinn recognized him from all the pictures she had seen throughout her life. Holy shit, he’s real?! “So, Anubis,” Targonamey said, standing. “How much time do we require?” “A few hours,” the Egyptian god of the underworld said. “The other towers report that they are ready. We’re the last one. But I must caution you, we do not have much time left if this is to succeed.” “Yes, I know,” Targonamey said. “But there are still many who can be saved. We will loose many, but I will not stand by and quit while there are still many we can acquire.” So that was it, this Targonamey character was gathering up all the individuals on the planet and putting them in these towers. But why? Obviously, there was something he was planning to do, but Quinn didn’t have the faintest idea. All they could do was try to stop him, as the event would be very unpleasant, no matter what it was. Anubis started to walk away, then stopped. He turned, and for a moment Quinn feared they had been spotted. But the god’s gaze went towards the ceiling, as if he could see beyond it. “We are not alone,” he said. “One of my kind is here.” A frown betrayed Targonamey’s calm demeanor. “What? You mean another god is here?” Anubis cracked his knuckles as he headed for the door. “I will deal with him. But be warned, it is likely that he didn’t come alone.” With that, the god was gone, leaving a now worried Targonamey to himself. Quinn turned back to the others. If Anubis could sense Xesex’s presence, then they needed to move fast. “All right, we need to get going,” she said. Reaching down to the bandages enveloping her chest, she withdrew the glowing energy bomb Xesex had given her. “Let’s split up. Find a place that looks good, then set your bomb. After that, we then get the hell out of here.” “But how the heck do we make these things blow?” Nia asked, looking over her bomb. “A good question,” Robert said. “I don’t know!” Quinn said, impatient. “I’m just making this up as I go! Now let’s go!” The others split up, heading down various corridors and hallways, until Quinn was left by herself. She looked down to her bomb, pondering exactly how to detonate it, and realizing that she didn’t know what to do about the mummified people stored in the tower, but she trusted that Xesex had thought ahead to that, and ensured that they would stop Targonamey, but not harm the people he had taken. Okay, all we have to do is go through the depths of a huge, labyrinthine tower and try to blow it up without killing anybody, Quinn thought. Easy enough. She started towards a nearby stairwell when she heard squawking from nearby. Turning, Quinn saw one of Targonamey’s cranes flying nearby, looking straight at her. “Uh oh,” she whispered. The crane shrieked, and charged at her. Quinn turned and ran up the stairs, the crane in close pursuit, with it’s companion now following after her. Reaching the top of the stairs, Quinn headed through a thin tunnel that was packed with dozens of mummies who were entombed within the walls, all squirming and struggling. A few were half buried in the walls, their legs kicking, which made it difficult to get past them, the cranes were knocked to the ground, giving Quinn more time, and she silently vowed that if she got out of this, she’d come back and personally free up all those trapped in this room. Exiting the hallway, she emerged into a large rotunda that composed the center of the tower, stretching up high to an unseen ceiling. Here there were practically no walls, only mummies that had been lashed together and tied to the walls, or dangled from chains, still struggling and squirming within their wrappings until there was nothing around Quinn but white, struggling forms. And this was only one level, for the higher up she looked, the more and more mummies she saw. This entire tower must be packed with them, she thought. Thousands of captured people, all wrapped up and bandaged, then entombed within the walls of this tower for some unknown purpose. The energy bomb pulsed in her hands, apparently signaling that this was the place to drop it. But even then, Quinn hesitated. Would it really be so right to drop a bomb among all these mummified people, who could possibly be hurt by the resulting blast? The screeching of unseen cranes grew louder. There was no time to second guess. All Quinn could hope was that Xesex had thought this through. Taking the bomb, she tossed it down the rotunda, until it vanished from sight far below. Relieved, Quinn was glad the bandages around her head were in place to soak up the sweat. Now all she had to do was hide until the heat died down, then get the heck out of this tower, find the others, and get as far away as possible. But it was not meant to be. The cranes shot out of the hallway, screeching upon seeing their prey. Oh shit!

Watery Snack

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000

“Wake up ladies! Rise and shine! It’s the big day!” Nicholas was already wide awake, staring at the ceiling, his eyes red and bloodshot. He heard the guards, but didn’t move. He didn’t want to go anywhere for that matter, but he had no say in the matter. Not that he would be listened too, anyway. “Up and at ’em. You’re out of here in half an hour” “This early?” A prisoner from the next cell said. “Yep. What did you expect? A sunrise serenade? Nope, you all get the midnight shift. Now get moving!” Nicholas heard his cell mate start to whimper, no doubt trying to hold back tears. He would have cried too, but he was just too frightened at the moment. He had spent much of the past few hours crying, and he had nothing left. “Nicholas! Up and at ’em. Don’t want to get marked for discipline problems now, would you? It wouldn’t look good on your record.” “At this point, I really don’t care,” Nicholas said softly. “Well, we have a schedule to keep. So get moving.” He could have stayed on his bed and not moved. Eventually, they’d call in the riot guards, who would drag him out of the cell. But now, he didn’t want that. He wanted things to go with dignity, if that were even possible. Sitting up on the cot, he looked around the cell, took stock of what few minuscule possessions he had. As far as he knew, every one of them had a new owner in mind. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about that. The transport bus arrived ten minutes later, at which point Nicholas and his fellow cell mates were shackled, marched outside, and onto the bus, which began it’s night time ride. Nicholas looked out the windows as they drove, wishing he could at least see the sun one more time. But it wasn’t gong to happen. The bus drove for about an hour, giving every man and woman on board enough time to think and contemplate their fate. Most were quiet, either too stunned, or resigned to their fate. A few were crying. A few more were no doubt trying to plan some daring, last minute escape. But Nicholas stayed near the window, looking out at the countryside, watching as it went past, the trees illuminated by the full moon. “Nervous?” He looked over at the woman next to him. Ann, he thought that was her name. “Of course I am.” “Good. Glad to know I’m not the only one.” Ann gave a nervous chuckle. “it’s like, what? Ten minutes to go?” “Don’t know. Never been down this route before.” There was an awkward silence between the two. “Do you think it’ll hurt?” “A little, yeah. Don’t know how much though.” Ann was quiet, but her lips trembled. The bus turned off the main road, went down a small dirt trail. It was a rough, bumpy ride. A few were hoping that the bus would spill onto it’s side, or otherwise be temporarily sidetracked, but their hopes were dashed as it continued onward, finally clearing the forest and arriving at their final destination…a large, deep water beach. Nicholas stared at the water as he was unbolted from his seat, then led outside with the others. There were numerous armed guards on the beach, watching the prisoners closely. As he was marched, Nicholas felt the wet sand underneath his standard issue sneakers. There was a high tide tonight…which was exactly what the state had waited for. They came to a stop. The prisoners were lined up, one by one, as the warden walked in front of them, holding an official proclamation. “All right dirt bags,” he said. “Because of the nature of all your crimes, the state has decided that it’s not worth keeping you alive and locked in a cell for the rest of your lives. Thanks to the budget cuts, we’ve had to find other ways to get rid of society’s filth, and this is where it is. You all are about to become fish food.” Ann gulped next to Nicholas, trying not to burst out in tears. “Here, you will serve another purpose…becoming food for nature’s most noble sea animals.” As if on cue, several giant fins appeared in the water, heading straight towards the beach. They were too large to be the fins of sharks though…Nicholas watched, wondering what these things were. Giant forms leapt from the water, landing on the beach. And all the inmates gasped. A whole pod of Killer whales lay on shore. Enormous in size, each one was roughly the size of a moving van, it’s body swollen and huge, built of pure muscle, and each was heavy enough to crush a car, should they ever be dropped on one. “Say hello to your dinner guests,” the warden said with a smile. “The secret whales of project deep Six, the navy’s trials to train capable aquatic life to guard or shores against terrorists and would be illegal immigrants. These beauties are specially trained to swallow intruders, who then end up as their meals.” He smiled. “Tonight, it’s your turn. They haven’t eaten in a while.” Three guards came up to each prisoner. They were stripped naked, jumpsuits being gathered in a pile. “Half of you are going to go in your birthday suits. The rest of you are going to be suited up, to give these beauties practice at swallowing something slick and greasy.” Half of the naked prisoners were dragged forward, at which point, under armed guard, they were slathered with lard and lube, making their bodies shine under the moonlight. Then, with the guards keeping their weapons pointed, they were forced to the whales. Nicholas watched in horror as each inmate was forced up to one of the whales, at which point the beasts lunged forward and grabbed them. One it took hold, it shook and flapped until the helpless inmate was in place, then began to gulp them down whole, never biting or chewing, until frantically kicking feet, or thrashing hands vanished down the dark mouths, vanishing from sight. It was fast. In less then five minutes, all the naked inmates were gobbled up. “Suit the rest of them up,” the warden said. The three guards attending Nicholas brought forth a black rubber suit. “Put it on.” Nicholas had no choice. Being under the gaze of the tasers and stun guns, he had no chance to escape. They weren’t going to kill him if he tried. They would just disable him, then feed him to the whales anyway. He slipped into the suit. It was a very tight fit, with the rubber squeaking as it went over his skin. When it was on, he was then ordered to put on a pair of gloves, followed by rubber socks with sleeves for each of his toes. The very last thing put onto him was a thick, eyeless neoprene hood, which completely blinded him, and was then locked into place. Blinded, unable to see or feel where he was going, Nicholas struggled as he was held in place, the lube and lard being poured onto his suit, making him shine like the naked inmates. He wondered how Ann was doing, and how she was going to meet her end. Would she go struggling mightily, or face it with quiet dignity? From the faint screams he heard, she was going with a struggle. Nicholas and the other prisoners, with their bodies now slick and slimy, were grabbed and forced down the beach towards their hungry hosts. Blind, each could only put one step in front of another as they were mercilessly pushed and prodded. Then they reached the very edge of the water, and the guards shoved them. And like before, it was quick. The whales sprung forward, grabbed onto an inmate, maneuvered them into position, then gobbled them up, suits and all. Ann, as Nicholas suspected, went fighting and screaming, kicking as she was pulled into the gut of a whale feet first, her hands frantically grabbing onto it’s teeth, trying to hold in, even when her head and shoulders were already in it’s throat. But she couldn’t resist the relentless pull of the whale, and she was finally sucked in and gobbled up, her screams vanishing. Eventually, only Nicholas was left. He didn’t know this, but from the silence around him, he figured that the others had already been eaten. He could hear the breathing of the giant whale in front of him, and knew he was next. But unlike the others, Nicholas was tall and proud. Raised to become a don in his father’s crime family, he was taught to always be proud and noble, no matter what happened. And although he would never become who he had been raised to be, he would now go to his end, noble and proud. Shrugging his captors off, he walked down the surf towards the waiting whale, which watched him with interest. Normally it had to lunge forward to grab it’s prey, but this one was coming towards it, almost willingly, it seemed. Still blind, Nicholas reached out, until his hands landed on the orcas’s snout. Feeling around, he felt the mouth as it opened wide to greet him. Moving quickly, before the fear could get to him, he knelt, felt around the whale’s mouth, and then began to crawl inside, spinning over as he went. He felt the heat quickly grow as the giant tongue slid across his back, tasting the lubricant and the suit, but also the faint aromas of human flesh from beneath the rubber. It pulled him deeper in, until his head was pressed through a tight opening, and into a passage that was slick and slimy. From outside the orca, the guards watched as Nichoals’s body was gulped deeper and deeper into the orcas’s mouth. His legs were soon the only things showing, and his feet were kicking, as if he was having second thoughts about going willingly. But a few more gulps, and then only his feet were showing, and they had now gone still, even as the tongue reached up and curled around them, finally pulling them inside, the mouth snapping shut, as Nicholas was gobbled up. With their meals swallowed, the orcas began to shuffle their way off the beach, back into the water, where they turned around and swam out to sea, letting their stomachs go to work.