SUPREMEO Vol. II: War Hawk

Chapter XXI: A Cold Day In Hell

Queen Melina walks down a quiet road of houses. She looks over her shoulder and tells herself, " Wow! By the sound of that, those two robots are having a helluva duel. Shame I can't be there! Haha!" A few eyes peek out the windows. The Queen yells out, "STAY INSIDE!" Melina taps an earpiece she's wearing. A hi-tech visor unveils over her eyes. She scans the ground with her visor.

Through the visor over her eyes, Melina can see footprints etched in the grass with an orange-highlighted glow.

She follows the trail for a few minutes which ends at a small duplex-type house that looks over an empty water reservoir. She screams to the house saying, "SHARON! Come out here now! I followed the trail your Camo tech leaves behind when you're in disguise!"

The pirate queen continues to say, "If you ever had any respect for me. You'd face me and not hide behind these innocent people! I'll still enter this house if you choose to hide!"

A few moments pass and the door opens. Out steps a middle-aged man with a concerned look on his face. Instantly the pirate queen knew this man was innocent and was not the person she was looking for in disguise. The man tells her, "My Queen! We have no idea what you're talking about. Everyone in here is my family. Ever since the emergency broadcast about the invading droids was announced, we've stayed in our house just like it was ordered."

Queen Melina replies to the man by telling him, "That's great you did that. But there's a chance an invader might be in your home. Where in the house is your family?" The man tells Melina, "They're right in the living room. Last time I checked! It's just through the entrance." The queen tells him, "That's good. Have them all come outside, please. I promise you I'll do my best to not damage anything inside. If I do, I'll make sure you and your family are top priority to repay you for your courtesy, in letting me search your home." The man hesitates for a moment then takes a big gulp. He says, "Okay but like I said. I didn't see anything fishy. And we're all in the living room. And I'd like to say. I was around when your father ruled. He kept us safe. I have a son currently serving for your brother and he's been safe as well. Not only that. He's been taught well by the teachings from him also. He's become a man under your brother and our family has benefited well from him serving. So you may enter my queen. It would be an honor."

The pirate queen humbly nods her head and the man heads inside his home to tell his family to come outside. He can hear the man say, "Oscar, Tia my dear, Luna my love we must all head outside. The queen is here conducting an investigation." She hears a woman she assumes is Luna say, "I see. Children the queen requires our cooperation. We have to leave our home for a moment." The pirate queen turns on the heat vision through her visor and sees 2 children running downstairs to meet their mother. She also sees the adult man and female waiting at the doorway. Then as the children meet the parents. She hears the man say, "Okay everyone's here. Now where's Dad?"

This instantly gets the queen's attention. She looks upstairs and no signs of any life form appear to be there. Then she hears the wife say, "He went downstairs in the basement to get the rack of ribs to defrost." She hears the man say, "That's strange he said he was eating the food we had ready on the stove. Why would he leave at a moment like this? Rarely do we see the queen of the northern half of the pirate nation in our lands."

Queen Melina looks below the house and sees two heat signatures. She instantly runs to the house. On her way there she nods to the family and approaches the man in the house. She tells him, "Sorry sir! How do you get to the basement? Hurry! Now!" The man points in the direction, and they both hurry.

Once they enter the basement what the man sees shocks him. It's two people that are both his father! He sees one version of his dad with his hands bound and mouth covered with tape. Muffled screams can be heard from underneath the tape. The other version of the old man's father is seen pointing a gun a the bounded version of the same man's head. The man screams, "PLEASE LET MY FATHER GO!" Then to the man's surprise, the pirate queen shoots at the bounded man with her hi-tech pistol.