Niples - "Jenny's village" pt1

<snip>
"Did you see Jennifer or not?" Seymour wasn't a violent man, but he
felt like shaking this shapeshifter until he talked. But knew that he
would probably transform into a 10-foot tall monster and flick him
away. Seymour didn't want that kind of damage to his suit. He asked
again politely and Melchwimp submitted.
Melchwimp shrugged. "Yeah, last week. She was on a hover-bus heading
far north. I got off at the last stop and she stayed on. I
wondered 'how North does she wanna go?'"
"Was she with anyone?"
"This short dude with a long hooded robe. This hood was so big I
didn't even see his face. I assumed they had had an argument or were
brother and sister or something because they didn't speak the entire
time."
"Why didn't she speak?" Seymour asked.
"I don't know! I don't chat up girls on buses when they're with other
dudes!"
<end snip>
Who: Ambassador Seymour Niples, Justin and Melchwimp
Where: Somewhere in the North of the Mollopod planet
When: Not long after Melchwimp said he had seen Jenny
The fidgety shapeshifter curiously named "Melchwimp" had said that he
had seen the missing Jenny Bond heading north on a bus, so after some
quick checking they found out that there was only one settlement
North of the city they were in. It was in a clearing in the thick
jungle, and neither of them wanted to drive so they agreed on using a
teleporter,
The Mollopods had regained control of the large transporter in their
town square, and Seymour had persuaded the Mollopod guards to let
them use it. He personally didn't like having his molecules
scrambled, especially by some alien race who he was paranoid would
reassemble him onto a dinner plate, or into a ready-meal.
Luckily Seymour's atoms were all rearranged into the correct order
several hundred miles away. In the location they intended. He looked
over at Justin, who was checking himself all over. "Yes, I'm alive!"
He rejoiced.
Seymour stepped forward with fake gusto. "Of course you're alive.
Statistically teleportation is the safest way to travel."
"That's not what you said just before we beamed here. I saw you
crapping your pants."
"I did no such thing! And I am offended by such accusations!"
So far, neither of them had looked over at Melchwimp, who looked like
a huge mess of organs, some of which were inside out. Slime and puss
erupted from an orifice in his head that probably wasn't supposed to
be there. An eyeball on a string hung out of an oozing crevice.
Seymour turned away and held his mouth as if he were going to be sick.
"Woah, he's inside-out!" Justin said.
Seymour cringed and looked back. "I don't think he survived the
transport... I don't think there is anything we can do for him."
"You mean he's... " Justin said sadly.
"He's dying." Seymour said. "I told you teleportation is a dangerous
way to travel."
"No you didn't!"
Melchwimp spasmed and fell over. "Sorry little buddy." Justin said as
Melchwimp stopped moving.
Seymour and Justin fell silent. Then Melchwimp transformed back into
a human shape again and laughed at them.
"You should have seen the look on you guy's faces!" He said cruelly.
"Mr Melchwimp!" Seymour scolded. "Do not do that again."
"Yeah. Bad shapeshifter!" Justin added.
Melchwimp stood there laughing for a few more seconds until a large
blast of energy struck him in the stomach making him fall to the
ground several metres backwards. A second blast hit him again and
caused his body to explode into a mess of puss with smouldered and
evaporated.
This all happened so quickly that Seymour was only just reacting to
the first blast. He ducked to the ground and crawled to a bush.
They were in a dense jungle, so it was easy to hide. Unfortunately it
was also too easy for the people who had shot the shapeshifter to
hide too.
Seymour pulled Justin into the bush alongside him.
"Melchwimp!" Justin cried, just realising what happened. "He was...
shot!"
Seymour put a hand over the man's mouth, then instantly wiped it on a
hanky because Justin was probably teaming with germs. "Quiet. Or
we'll be shot too."
"But... he was just stood there... now he's ...dead."
"Yes. I know. I'm sorry about your friend, but we need to keep quiet."
"He's not really my friend. I only just met him. He was staying with
me so that I could support his drug habit."
"Oh." Seymour said, and decided he didn't know how to respond to that.
"So who shot him?" Justin said, before Seymour quietened the man down
again.
They didn't have to wait very long until they knew the answer, as
something came out of the jungle. It was a team of several creatures
with webbed hands and feet, and gills on their fat fish-like necks.
"Who are they? Creatures from the black lagoon?" Asked Justin.
"It's the Eniram." Seymour said, sounding genuinely shocked.
"But I thought they are our allies against the Krylons?"
"They are. Well... they are jolly well supposed to be!"
"Why are they here?"
The Eniram closest to them called out. It slurred it's words and
gargled as it spoke. "I can hear you. Come out with your hands up!"
<Tag Henry... or to be continued!>