Nightmare in Paradise, Part I

After taking stock in his litter of Skutling, Artemis discovered that it was Artemis Jr. who had gone missing (probably trying to catch a small animal for vivisection). Artemis, Boyd, and Herbie had set out for the jungle, following the trail left by the little robot.

After half an hour of tracking, and listening to Artemis claim that he was going to implant trackers in the children when they returned to Blue Dwarf, they had little luck.

"Damn, the little bastard really is persistent...reminds me of myself as a wee lad" Artemis said. "I lead the entire Mahopac Police Department on a county wide manhunt once when I broke out of my playpen, they caught me before I could reach the nuclear plant....which was their loss....I could have had that thing running 200% better"
"So...is he like, gonna kill us when we find him?" Herbie asked, clutching a large automatic shotgun.
"If he's like me at that age he'll swear a vendetta and never fulfill it....he won't start doing that until he reaches college" Artemis said, remembering all of the vendettas he fulfilled in college.....and how much he hoped the staff would never check underneath the oak tree in the front courtyard (although the flowers that grew at the base of the trunk were absolutely gorgeous).
"Keep your eyes peeled for dismembered animals and hastily scribbled notes" Artemis added.

"And predators..." Boyd added. "Look out for their telltale shimmer"
"Boyd, I don't think there's predators here" Herbie said.
"HOW CAN YOU TELL? ARE YOU ONE?!" Boyd yelled.
"Uh...no"
"You'd tell me if you were one, right?"
"Yes?"
"Good"

Artemis stopped the group. "Look"
"IS IT A PREDATOR?"
"No! Look...hastily scribbled notes..." Artemis held up the notebook paper, it was in poorly written binary.
"I cen heer them butt i cant se them, they is all ovr, futhor an muthr cant tel but i wil find dem" Artemis read aloud. "Aww...he's learning to spell! Wait...what the hell is he talking about?!"
"Predators....." Boyd said, aiming his rifle into the woods.
"Look..." Herbie pointed out a line of flattened bushes.

The trio followed the line to a clearing, Artie Jr. lay in the center, beaten, partially disassembled, but alive. Artemis swooped in and coddled his son.

"You had me so worried!" He said, Artie Jr. cuddled up against his father, proclaiming how happy he was to be safe again. "But if you ever run off like that again, oh by science you will get it!"

"Uh...Artie" Herbie said. Both Artemis and Artie Jr. looked over to Herbie. He was pointing at the parts that had come off Artie Jr, they had been arranged into a pentagram. "That's...fucked up" Herbie said.

"Eh, an ancient Christian symbol associated with the five wounds of Chryst, so what?" Artemis said.
"Wait, what? I thought the pentagram was the sign of the devil" Herbie said.
"When it's right side up it's the sign of Chryst, when it's inverted it's the sign of the devil. You're looking at it wrong, when Junior was in it he was sitting this way" Boyd demonstrated. "So this is the top and this is the bottom, sign of the devil"
"Ah, yes....oh....that's rather disturbing" Artemis said. Artie Jr. whined in agreement. A demonic laugh echoed throughout the woods.

"Uh...okay, grab the parts, we're out of here!" Artemis said. Boyd and Herbie grabbed the parts. Before they could go, Artemis heard a familiar voice.

"Well, well, Dr. Pritchard, you seem to have spawned a child....pity....you won't be around to watch him grow up" Artemis looked towards the woods to see toast* standing in the bushes.

"AAAHH! I BURNED YOU!" Artemis said.
"Oh, you have to try harder than that dear boy...."

Artemis took off, the super-GELF in pursuit.

Boyd and Herbie watched as the shadowy figure stopped, turned, and glared...what they saw was beyond their worst nightmares....

<tag/Herbie/Boyd>

How does the shadowy figure appear to you? Who are you most afraid of?

We'll meet up again later.

*See Artemis' flashback week post "8100D-DR1NK3R"