The Son of the Beast of Caerbannog - Part 3
A spinning triangle, stylised to look like the letter D spins onto holographic display screens across the Galaxy.
"This is Tri-D News, transmitting across the Galaxy twenty-eight hours a day."
The picture shifts to the studio where a middle-aged man in a suit with a fake-tan and whitened teeth looks concernedly, but with a determined, steely set to his jaw, into the camera.
"Good Evening and/ or Morning, I'm Ted Fulmodeston, this is a special Tri-D News report. A picture of carnage is emerging today from the holiday world of New Tenerife. We take you now live to our on the spot reporter Tammy Winebago. Viewers are warned they may find the following scenes disturbing. Tammy."
Tammy, resplendent in her gold and red satin bikini smiled dazzlingly for the camera, then proceeded to put on a serious face that allowed her to bat her eyelids.
"Thank you Ted, I'm standing, as you can see, in front of the TransMed Pharmaceutical building, New Tenerife. TransMed recently bought the entire island on which we are standing, turning it ito a research and development complex in which employees and TransMed's private security force both lived and worked.
"In a series of bizarre incidents that seemed at first unconnected, New Tenerife has seen some troubling events in the last few hours, starting with the theft of the luxury cruise liner King Harry."
The image cut to a shot of the stacks of the King Harry, peeking out of the waves beside the melted slag-heap of Windsor Castle and the glass-sculpture gunship. Tammy's voice continued over the images.
"The King Harry was taken from a dry dock where it had been undergoing a ten-year service and refit. It was later discovered here: at Windsor Castle, private holiday residence of Her Majesty Queen Brittany. The Queen is currently missing and police teams are currently scouring the wreckage for any sign of the winner of FHM's boobs of the year award, three years running."
"Since then we've had reports of a series of casualties amongst the workforce at TransMed, transferred under heavy guard to the mainland hospital."
The image changed again to show sky-ambulances landing rapidly and disgorging hover-stretchers loaded with armoured security personnel. Others limped, bloodied and bruised, alongside their colleagues.
"Initially keen to deny any sort of tragedy was taking place, TransMed spokesperson Kyle Loofah, had this to say:"
The camera switched to a pre-recorded press conference. Jostling for position with the other camera crews, young, sharp-suited and handsome Kyle Loofah smiled gamely and spoke to the cluster of microphones in front of him:
"Earlier today a pharmaceutical experiment was carried out in which, it is believed, a batch of chemicals were not of an appropriate quality. The result was a chain reaction that has caused a few very minor injuries to employees of TransMed Pharmaceuticals. As you can see we have alerted the emergency services and are treating them immediately for what are, I am sure, minor problems. The faulty chemicals have been identified as having come from an external source that have normally had nothing but a good reputation with..."
Kyle was suddenly interrupted by scream from one of the waiting sky-ambulances. Two armed security guards fell out of the back, sprawling on the ground. One of them lay still, the other screamed and tore at something clinging to his neck. The camera-man attempted to capture the action, but it all moved indistinctly with all the jostling going on. The thing on his neck appeared to be furry. Suddenly more armed guards were standing over their prone colleague and after a short, snapped order, they opened fire. The guard on the ground convulsed under the photon-rifle fullisade, then sagged still, along with whatever had attacked him.
"Uh, this is a ... er... if I can have you attention please?" Kyle struggled to be heard as more panicked screams echoed from the building. Suddenly someone in the crowd let out a piercing shriek and next thing the camera showed only running feet as the press conference dissolved and broke up into a terrified retreat.
Tammy, now wearing a sarong to highlight the seriousness of the situation, looked meaningfully into the camera.
"Having cordoned off an area one mile in radius around the TransMed building, we've heard that the Space Corps have been called in." Tammy was suddenly jostled as an officer in the full uniform of Space Corps but with a medic's red cross armband pushed past her.
"Clear the way! Out of the way!"
The camera swung down to catch the hover-stretcher the medic was directing towards a waiting ambulance, the TransMed Guard laid out on it moaned under his oxygen mask.
"It's got big pointy teeth! The bones!"
"Sir, can you tell us what you saw in there?" Tammy asked, following alongside the stretcher, ignoring the medic's attempts to shoo her away. "What happened? Was it an accident?"
"We made it through.. but the rabbits! The rabbits came back!"
A low drone began to sound, drowning out Tammy's next question. She froze and gazed up into the sky, the camera quickly turning to show the Galaxy what she could see.
Giant winged ships rolled overhead, their shadows casting Tammy and the other news crews into darkness. An entire squadron of horribly beweaponed ships slid noisily towards the TransMed building, gathering height to clear the three-hundred and ninety floors. They passed over the onlookers' heads and as they neared the TransMed building, peeled off to circle it.
"We don't know quite what the Space Corps are planning," Tammy told the viewing public, "but we do know that in the last hour a whole platoon of SpaceCorps soldiers entered the TransMed building to support the house security force. "I think this is their commanding officer now!" She turned and ran as fast as her high-heel slingbacks would allow her to where a grizzled officer was standing on a medical crate to speak to the public.
"We entered the TransMed building and have conducted a sweep of each floor. There are currently no more surivivors left in the building. During the sweep we lost a contingent of Space Corps troops. Their lives were taken in the course of their duty and they will receive full honours."
"What exactly has happened in there?" Tammy demanded, pouting slightly.
"It has been decided," the officer went on, "on a course of action guaranteed to protect the citizens of the Galaxy from the ... entitites discovered in the building."
"Where did these entities come from, what are they?"
"If you would like to shield your eyes and ears," the officer said donning a pair of ear defenders, "that action is about to be taken."
The Space Corps ships circled back, this time forming an arrow pointing straight at the heart of the TransMed building. With a flash, a cluster of missiles descended from each ship and soared towards the building. The camera struggled to provide a decent image, but the missiles circled, coming into the building from all sides. They impacted the building, shattering glass and shredding walls. An eerie silence followed as the SpaceCorps fighter-bombers turned and made for high-orbit. Then a noise that was more felt than heard, as if every ear drum and every eyeball was being sucked out of the skull. The TransMed building twisted, distorted, then folded in on itself and imploded. The shockwave roared out, bringing everyone present to their knees.
When the dust settled, the news crews found themselves at the lip of a two-mile wide crater. Of the TransMed building, only a few sticks of plumbing indicated it had ever been there. Tammy was first on her feet, although she had broken a heel.
"Sir," she said, waving a microphone at the dazed officer, "what could possibly have gone so wrong in TransMed that you felt the need to deploy what was clearly a gravity bomb?"
The offier looked at her and for the briefest of seconds, Tammy felt sorry for him.
"Pure hell," he said. "Pure Hell."
Dai reached over and switched off the monitor screen. Seymour was flying, Brittany was holding Alota and cooing contentedly. Lester and SNIDE sat at the back, trying not to be noticed.
"Well that's a thing, isn't it?" Dai sighed, sitting back, "we'll have to get Her Majesty back, won't we?"
"We will?"
"Of course, looking for her, aren't they? Can't have the whole Country missing its Queen, can we?"
"I suppose your right," Brittany sighed, "but this has been fun."
"Fun?" Seymour spluttered, almost losing control of their tiny flyer. "Your Highness, begging your pardon, but almost getting prodded, probed and punctured is hardly fun!"
"Ah, you got your little girl back, what are you worried about?"
"Well I did, yes, thank you," Seymour seemed at a loss for words. It was such a big thing they'd all done together, he should say something big too. He thought hard: "Thank you," he said again, "all of you."
"Ah, it was nothing, wasn't it?" Dai waved a cheery hand. "Nice day's work."
"What?" Lester squeaked.
"Well, Her Madge is right, isn't she? Good bit of fun, wasn't it? Haven't cracked that many skulls since my boxing days, have I?"
"What?" Lester squeaked again.
Brittany handed over Alota to Dai and squeezed past to sit by Lester.
"And you," she said smilingly, turning the full force of her charm on him, "I think you've earned the chance to show me how you do that trick again," she leaned forward, lips parted slightly, her eyes closed and her breath shallow and hot.
Lester squeaked and fell. He had been leaning so far back that he fell off his seat and accidentally operated the door control.
"Smeg!" Seymour yelled as he fought to control the small craft.
"Smeg!" Brittany yelled as she scrabbled for a handhold in the suddenly depressurised cabin.
"Smeg!" Dai yelled, clinging to Alota with one arm and hooking the other around the passenger seat.
SNIDE leapt across Brittany's back, over Lester's head and hit the door control. The hatch closed with a slam and they all fell back to the deck. Brittany tidied herself up, pointedly sitting with her back to Lester who was rubbing his head painfully.
"Hello," he said smoothly but groggily, "what did I miss?"
<And that's that for now. Do we get an award for "truly epic"?>Windows Live just got better. Find out more!