War Beast

Book Two: Chapter 23

Krysta aimed an energy rifle toward Cluster. "Release Jenny, or we will kill you all!"

Cluster growled and pointed his metal finger at the pink alien girl. "Kill them!"

The guards marched to his front and blasted their energy cannons.

"Crap!" Krysta dropped to the floor behind the fallen pillar. Huntar and his friends joined her, keeping their heads low from the blasts.

Krysta glanced at Huntar. "Stay down! I will take them out!"

After the guards stopped shooting, Krysta aimed her rifle over the pillar and fired. Both of their heads exploded, and their bodies fell to the floor, leaving a smoke trail in the air.

Krysta smiled until she noticed Cluster and Jenny stood on the teleporter platform.

Cluster waved to her. "Bye-bye! Click-click!"

In a flash, Cluster and Jenny vanished before Krysta's eyes.

"Jenny!" Huntar jumped over his cover and raced toward the teleporter. But the machine suddenly exploded, pushing him away.

Torag caught the lion before Huntar crashed into him. Then everyone stared at the burning wreckage.

Only a pile of broken metal with wires, clouded in flames remained. Even the panel fell apart.

"We are too late!" Zena cried.

Krysta narrowed her eyes. She wasn't ready to give up yet. "We need to find another teleporter. Hurry!"

*****

Jenny landed on the floor below the flashing light. After it faded, she looked around, realizing she was back inside the teleporter chamber at Cluster's base. Back on Planet Earth.

This isn't good..... Jenny thought.

"Get up!" Cluster lifted up Jenny in his arms. "I got a gate to open!"

While carrying Jenny, Cluster raced through the corridor, stomping by each step. Jenny wanted to slide from his arms, but his grip was too strong. Still, there was nothing she could do.

Outside, Cluster blasted his jet thrusters into the air, and he landed on a building below the completed gigantic gateway.

On the building was a tall metal ring, connected by power cables. A panel stood in front of the ring, and the ring had four braces on it.

"This is where you will power the gate," said Cluster, bringing Jenny toward the ring generator. "And you will stay there as long as possible. Click-click!"

"Nooooooooo!" Jenny wiggled her legs, trying to kick Cluster's cockpit.

He laughed and placed her arms onto the braces. He closed them and placed her ankles on the lower braces next. Both her arms and legs stretched out. She stood on the ring in an x-position.

Cluster locked the braces and marched toward the panel. "Your planet will help our economy grow across the stars. Click-click! Nothing will ever stand in our way!"

As he rose over the control panel, his cockpit opened. He crawled down the mech's left arm and approached the keyboard on the panel.

After he tapped the buttons, Jenny felt shocked ripping through her entire body. She screamed as her skin turned white like a star. The ring drained her to transfer her power into the gateway.

She closed her eyes while gritting her teeth to slow down the shocking pain.

"Yes!" Cluster's voice shouted. "It is opening!"

*****

Huntar followed Krysta into an enormous chamber across a long drawbridge. Toward the center, they stopped and gazed down, widening their eyes.

The alien and Beastmen stood directly above a very big metal sphere, covered by long towering spikes. Huntar could only describe the thing as big as a colosseum with silver plates laying across its surface beneath the spikes. It reminded him of Horde's weapon, capable of destroying a single tribe. But the Krawls' weapon was worse.

"We need to jump down there to-" Krysta paused as her eyes turned toward a blue swirling vortex, appearing in front of the Devastator. It looked like a storm cloud with a black hole in the center.

"Is that the portal?" Zena asked.

Krysta glared at it. "Yes, we have to jump down, now!"

Huntar nodded. If riding on the aliens' superweapon will bring them home, then so be it.