Tevun-Krus #74 - A Very Superhuman Christmas

Holiday Cheer - A Short Story by @sleepingdraco

Kia and Julia groped along the floor. Quietly bubbling beakers and jars of floating alien specimens lining disorganized shelves and a messy workbench. Christmas music played softly in the bright sunny laboratory. It felt like home despite moving only a week ago to the ice planet Egina. The increased daylight in the above-ground dwelling and the cold nights had put everyone in a better mood. "Maybe he escaped," said Kia. "Hand me the nanomite combat goggles."

Julia smiled. "This is amazing. He's definitely here somewhere and I don't think these will help." She handed her sister the goggles.

Kia looked at her sister. She couldn't remember the last time she looked this happy. Kia's ankle caught on something soft and warm and she sprawled forward catching herself before she knocked over a glass tank brimming with an extra-terrestrial bioluminescent plant form.

"Sammy!" Kia searched the floor wildly but the googles registered nothing. Taking them off, she reached out to where she had tripped and grabbed at the scruff of the feline. The elderly cat remained completely invisible but purred in Kia's arms.

"You need to stop experimenting on Sammy. He's almost 4000 years old," said Kia though she had to admit Sammy seemed resigned to be more of a guinea pig than a proper house cat.

"It's pretty awesome, isn't it," said Julia grinning.

Kia gave her sister an encouraging nod. "I couldn't even detect him with the nanomite goggles. I've never seen anything like it." She had to admit her sister was a genius.

But then her tone turned serious. "People would kill for that serum." Kia remained ever vigilant at her sister's side because Julia needed a bodyguard. Too many sinister organizations had bounties out for the famed Dr. Drake and her cutting edge nanotechnology. The sisters fled their last home on Rodos, a gloomy, decimated planet. The gangs on Rodos owned only primitive technology and were of questionable intelligence, but it made them even more determined to get their hands on her sister's inventions.

Julia ignored Kia's worries and stood idiotically rubbing her face in the fuzzy pelt of the fat invisible cat.

A few hours later with nanobots removed, Sammy had resumed visibility and slept in plain sight on the hearth in front of a roaring fire. Kia focused on decorating a Christmas tree her sister had conjured out of some kind of synthetic polymer infused with the alien bioluminescent vegetation. Julia, as always, stared into her electron microscope.

As evening fell snowdrifts stacked against the windows. A hearty pasta sauce simmered deliciously on the stove, and the tree shined nicely without any light bulbs at all.

"Julia," said Kia.

"Huh?" replied Julia playing dumb.

"Why is Sammy's nose glowing red?"

"I hadn't noticed," said Julia innocently.

Kia looked over at Sammy who now sat content on the sofa licking his paws and washing his face. Like a beacon, his nose briefly glowed red then faded again.

By the time Kia looked back at her sister, Julia had already gone back to the microscope. Getting an answer was impossible, Kia would just have to wait to see the results of her mad scientist sister's latest concoction. "Poor kitty," she said and sat down on the sofa to pet Sammy, throwing a blanket over her feet. But the coziness sucked her in and she was fast asleep before the nanbots finished Sammy's latest alteration.

Kia awoke with a start as a blast shook the house ripping a wall off and filling the air with smoke and plaster. As the heat of the blast subsided, a wave of frigid air washed over Kia. In the dull light of the Christmas tree filtering through the debris, she could see Julia laying on the sofa with her body covering Sammy.

"Stay here!" said Kia unable able to hear her own voice over the ringing in her ears. Blaster at the ready, she tossed her sister a raygun and cautiously peered outside. Snow swirled thickly in the black night. Kia put on her goggles and three life forms came into view 2000 yards away. Slowly she inched out through the deep snow towards her snowmobile.

Julia lay panting and dazed on the sofa until Kia was out of sight. Then she lept into action shutting down her microscope and covering it in a bullet-proof titanium shell. She frantically collected the numerous vials containing her experiments and threw them in a safe constructed with invisibility bots. If only she kept her laboratory tidier. This wasn't the first attack, nor would it be the last. She cursed herself for carelessly leaving her life's work strewn about.

"Stop right there doctor," said a gravelly voice followed by the sound of a souped-up pistol being cocked.

Julia froze, her back to the man, and slowly raised her hands above her head. Footsteps clanked across the floor and Julia judged the owner's leg and foot were made of leather and iron. As he neared she smelled a strong mixture of acrid gunpowder, whiskey, and man. The gears on his chest pushed against her back. Sprockets dug painfully into her skin. The barrel of the gun came briefly into view before he shoved it roughly against her cheek. She sucked in a breath.

"Your cute little sister gonna save you now?" he asked in a whisper. His stubble scratched her ear. "Hand over the vial of superhuman nanotechnology smart girl."

Julia stared at the mechanical right hand that reached around her and placed the test tube in it. Steampunker. The gears on it were worn, terribly outdated, and centuries behind her own scientific work. She knew it made the intruder even more dangerous, desperate.

Suddenly the gun left her cheek and the thief spun on his heel shooting into the dim room. Julia turned and saw Kia dive behind the sofa to avoid the blast. The man raced across the floor to the hole in the wall. Kia shot back at him but it ricocheted off his metal back causing the sisters to duck for cover. He disappeared into the snowy dark night and Kia ran after him, Julia at her heels. A blinding light and fierce heat caused them to stumble backward, shielding their eyes as a rocket launched into the sky. Kia fired at it a few times but within a fraction of a second, he was gone.

Wearily they stumbled back inside. Julia went back to the safe and fetched a tube. She poured it along the hole torn in the wall and within seconds a new synthetic wall rose up shutting out the frigid air. They looked around their previously cozy dwelling that now lay in shambles.

"Are there more out there?" asked Julia.

"Not anymore," replied Kia, her voice void of emotion. "What did he get?"

"Nothing important," replied Julia.

"What!"

Julia knew she wouldn't get away with lying or evading her sister's questions this time. "A flying nanobot prototype. But it will be useless on the black market, believe me."

"Flying is one of the most coveted superpowers out there," said Kia incredulously. "Now even more evil assholes are going to try getting their hands your experiments. We won't last on this iceberg until New Years!"

"Ask Sammy his opinion of its street value," said Julia nodding up to a high shelf.

Kia looked up. Above the tree sat a very cranky looking cat with his ears bent back. His red nose shone more brightly than before Kia had drifted off to sleep. Two brown antlers had grown on top of Sammy's head. "What the..." Kia started to speak but stopped mid-sentence as the cat leapt off the shelf and glided smoothly through the air without falling, moving his legs as if galloping. He circled the dilapidated tree, still glowing, before coming to a gentle landing beside Kia.

"I call it the Rudolf serum," said Julia smiling. "Merry Christmas."

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Be sure to check out sleepingdraco's other stories featuring these characters by heading on over to their profile!