7The Fat End
Laser blasts were issued once more and the ship began to rock from the hits. "Do not attempt to disregard us! Answer us immediately.' the voice from the other ship stated.
An annoyed Vesuvia looked at the approaching blockade with sheer disgust. She looked back at John who had bulging eyes which was a sign for discomfort. Vesuvia knew it was because her thighs were squeezing his own like a vice. As much as she enjoyed his pain, Vesuvia thought differently now. 'I guess my plans have changed.' she said as she gave him a look of contempt before she got off him.
"You have two minutes to comply!" the voice from the other ship bellowed in the speaker.
Vesuvia went to the main control console and punched in a few commands. John squirmed uncomfortably in his seat and asked her. "What are you going to do?" His waist bulged out the sides rendering him stuck.
"Nobody gets what must be deserved. Unfortunately I accept that notion. But at least I'll gain a fraction of what I want...even in death!" she stated.
It was that very statement that a horrified John knew what she was doing. The ship's engine began powering up.
"You're gonna ram the ship?" he realized. The shock was almost enough to give him a panic attack.
As Jen and Elise ran down the hallway of the ship, all of them stopped as they looked wary of what the ship was doing. It had rocked a couple of times and thus, use the wall next to them for support.
"What the hell was that?" Jen cried out.
"Let's just keep trying to find Carmen first!" Elise said.
The women ran down to another corridor where they finally found Carmen on the floor trying to get up. Jen and Elise went to her side and took an arm helping her stand.
"What happened?" Elise immediately asked her.
"It was my fault. I assume that she was the threat..." Carmen whispered.
"What do you mean?" Elise asked suspiciously.
"I let Vesuvia loose." Carmen admitted.
"What!?" Jen cried.
"Why?" Elise asked first.
"I thought she might have new information about everything that's happened so far. I got angry and tried to fight her. Apparently she bested me."
"Oh, Carmen..." Elise shook her head.
"Hey, I hate to break this lovely union up but we got to find-" Jen was then cut off.
"The bridge!" Elise cried. "Something may be happening.
"There is...Vesuvia has John and we're under attack!" Carmen nodded. "Let's go!"
On the bridge, Vesuvia began to initiate the final commands in order for the starship to do what she wanted. John saw this and began to squirm around. He had about thirty seconds left before another space fight would occur. He had to stop her. The missile was also another issue. He began to struggle to get up from his seat. His thighs and hips were large enough that they literally swallowed the arm rests. John shook as he tried to stand again.
"Even if you could...you would be no match for me." Vesuvia warned without looking at him.
Giving up, John began to get desperate and had to resort in talking her down."Just stop this! I understand you're upset. But we can work this out." he pleaded.
"I am working this out. You on the other hand are useless now." she said with no emotion.
"You're the last of your kind! Remember? Don't you want your species to continue?"
"HOW?" she turned to look at him enraged. "You're not the one I want to procreate with and never will! The men all over are in non-responsive states. There is no hope!"
"There is a way!" John said and thought about what he was going to say. He was about to reveal his plan to Vesuvia. He had to be careful.
Making their way around the large ship was a huge task for the women. Using the wall next to them as support was slowing them down. "Are we really under attack?" Elise cried out.
"It's the blockade!" Carmen pointed out.
"Can't you stop them?" Elise asked her desperate.
"I can't. Their ships are too powerful."
"Are you kidding me right now? You just blew up all those other ships on the planet, why can't you do the same thing now?"
"I fired from above!" Elise rolled her eyes.
"You actually thought I blew up those things by 'thought'?" Carmen asked wildly.
"You and John are the surprising ones. I assumed-" Jen began when suddenly a laser blast hit the wall above them. "Get down!" she had said. They all ducked. All of them saw the intruder coming toward them.
"I'm beginning to get very, very restless now." An enraged Laterus said holding a huge rifle with smoke coming from the end.
On the bridge, John had explained his intentions to Vesuvia, who still put the ship in an accelerating direction. She had looked at the corner of the ship behind her and saw the missile stationed there.
"The great power resides in that missile, now?" she stared at in almost mesmerized.
"Yes, it will create a blast wave to get every man up and running again as it goes through midway out of the portal to close it and I know what you're thinking." John held out his hands in a 'stop' fashion. He knew exactly what she was thinking. "You can't. You have a choice. You want to be 'mega-powerful' or you want males back? You also seem to...want to crash the ship. So please make a decision quick!"
"You did all this just so that you can save the other half of every species? Other species that remain unknown to you. Other species you've never met. Other species that can be hostile to you? Why?"
"I want life...in general to go on." John merely said.
"One minute left hostage takers! You have one minute to answer us!" The voice yelled.
Trying to ignore the voice from the other ship, Vesuvia looked deep in thought.
"The portal is going to open soon. We could go home!" John also added. Indeed he had used up whatever power his facilities in his brain offered him to create a portal to go back home. 'The portal won't activate just like that *snaps fingers* but it will have to build up from whatever energy there is far away. I can make different energies charge together like atoms. It'll collide like a minature big bang. An hour is what it'll take.'
He had given his explanation and thankfully no one objected to it. John was exasperated that Vesuvia had not made up her mind yet and right now, it was time for her to decide.
"Just stop this ship and let us talk this over." he repeated.
Vesuvia opened her eyes and looked as if her mind was made up. She picked up the same knife that he was threatened with moments ago. John gulped and looked squeamish. "A true being always obeys the laws of survival of the fittest. Your human Charles Darwin made sure of that..." Vesuvia said as she came closer while pointing the knife toward him.
John eased back as far as he could while in his seat. He dreaded even seeing the knife she had in her hands.
"Your size and weight make you a disgrace to that very notion. If life ends, then so be it!" Vesuvia cried.
John closed his eyes but opened them immediately after hearing several shots from a gun. Vesuvia was no longer in front of him. It was Suzie, holding a rifle and looking horrified at what she had done.
In the corridor, the situation seemed to grow worse. Laterus had cornered the women and she was armed. Like a tiger stalking its prey, so did she. Carmen, Elise and Jen had no choice but to raise their hands signaling their surrender.
"How did you escape?" An amazed Jen asked.
"This is my ship, you naive woman. I know its protocols and its functions."
"I daresay you have a multitude of fans for you. It seems that they're very intent on having your existence intact. Even if it means blowing you out of the stars." Carmen said motioning to the ships attacking them.
"Right now my forces are wondering where they're leader is. Do you know why? Because they're loyal. Because they obey the law. But above all else, they obey me!" Laterus said as she advanced closer to the three women.
"You are aware that they're attacking this ship and if they keep going at this rate, they could destroy the entire ship?." Carmen explained.
"Do not attempt to challenge my superiority or my intelligence, super-human!" Laterus growled. "What must be done obviously is to go to the bridge and let my forces know that I have retained command of my own vessel. You all on the other hand, are stowaways that must be dealt with to the highest degree!"
"We have a way to get back home. You destroy us, none of us will go home!" Carmen growled.
"Why should I listen to you? You all are criminals that have disobeyed countless laws!"
"I could stop you right now. I could have stopped that Vesuvia woman with just a shrug…but I prefer to use words. I feel most comfortable in doing so."
"Admirable sentiments…" Laterus said a bit sarcastically. "Do you really think I care about any of you? If we die, it's because it's all your faults! You all led us here!"
Carmen had to admit that Laterus had a point and for that she let the words stung. "We came here to stop a threat." She sighed.
"And we did!" Jen started. "We prevented a threat a million times worse than the one a few years ago."
"No, we didn't." Carmen whispered sadly.
"What?" Elise asked shocked.
Carmen struggled to explain as quick as she could.
Vesuvia was dead.
Suzie had woken up with a struggle and finding a weapon that actually work was very fortunate indeed. She felt a surge of relief overwhelmed her. At first, she found out that Vesuvia had taken control of the ship and from what she heard, Vesuvia had planned to ram the ship into the blockade thus, resulting in their deaths as well as the destruction of the ship.
Right now, Suzie gasped in shock at what she did. She had taken down the main person that caused them to get into the white space universe in the first place.
"Suzie?" John asked carefully. He turned away from Vesuvia's unmoving body and as he made his gaze towards Suzie, who looked very distraught.
She merely panted.
"You can put the gun down." John tried to get her to relax.
Suzie found reasoning again and placed the gun on the console softly. She then looked at John. "I've never killed anyone like that before."
"You did what you thought was right." John said reassuringly.
Suddenly the ship rocked again and both John and Suzie looked at the viewing screen and saw that behind the firing blockade. A swirling funnel-like force slowly developed behind the ships.
An interstellar war had taken place.
"Great, now another dogfight!" moaned Suzie.
"Umm...I don't think that's our only problem." John said with great horror shown. His eyes bulged and he began to pant from what he was seeing.
"What is it?" asked Suzie and soon her expression changed as John's.
The very planet they all had escaped from appeared at the right hand corner of the screen. The ships from the blockade ahead began scattering away. Shocking was the sight that several fighters were pulled into the ship's gravitational pull.
"Holy crap..." Suzie whispered. "We got to get out of here now."
"The portal has to activate in a couple of minutes." said John.
"How will it happen? You don't have your powers anymore!" Suzie pointed out.
"Before I put my energy into the missile, I did a spell that could generate a vortex in the area we came in. I told you about it. The portal would take time to open."
Suzie now remembered."Oh right, several different microscopic forces from whatever is around this universe, should accumulate and join together."
"Can you pinpoint our last known trajectory from when we came forth into this universe?"
"If I do what happens then?" Suzie said as she went to work going on one of the stations.
"We should be able to get away from that planet!" John cried.
On the viewing screen, the planet was slowly approaching the blockade. All fighters had ceased firing on Laterus' starship. They all focused on the planet heading towards the baseline.
"The planet is going to destroy us?" Jen said looking over at Carmen.
"We got a planet that is moving now? That's absurd!" Elise proclaimed.
"It's the threat that's going to destroy any living thing." Carmen whispered. "That's why we have to move fast. We got to get out of this universe now. The portal John came up with is about to activate in a couple of minutes!"
"Great...we got a wanna-be death star trying to attack us." Jen muttered.
"A 'what'?" Laterus said confused and yet still annoyed.
"Never mind." Jen said as she looked at the awkward looks the women gave her.
"As I said before, you're all unhinged, mentally distraught, and psychologically disturbed." Laterus declared to them.
A frustrated Jen looked at Carmen. "Could you please, pretty please just put her out of her misery?" Jen said bored.
"Very well." Carmen agreed looking serious now.
The gun Laterus had been holding was yanked away and instantly went into Carmen's hands. "I hate doing these kinds of acts. But right now, we're in great peril."
"Are you going to kill me now, I take it?" Laterus growled.
"No. We're all going to escape."
"What?" Jen looked at her surprised.
"Right now!" Carmen shouted.
Soon they all ran down the corridor with Elise guarding Laterus.
Laterus' starship was about to be consumed by the planet and so was every other ship in the blockade. John's only chance as Suzie pointed out was going through the portal by escape pod. It would give them a chance.
Hearing the ship strain, sputter and malfunctioning was cause for worry. Alarms were going off constantly which made John's nerves skyrocket. 'Man, I hope that portal opens up soon!' he thought.
"What about Carmen and the others?" asked John.
"I don't know where they are. The only thing I care about is you though." Suzie said sadly. "Laterus has to have some pods here somewhere..." she looked around.
John and Suzie ran with their lives depending on it. What they were about to do was highly risky. John was feeling nervous. 'There's a chance I'll get blown into a million pieces…' he thought. As Suzie and John finally got to a certain area of a wall that looked as if it was a medium-sized door.
As soon as Suzie opened it, which revealed to be a simple, standard compartment fit for a person to reside in, she gasped when she realized something. "We won't be able to fit!" she cried as she looked at John up and down.
John moaned in horror when Suzie was referring to his weight. It made John aggravated and even more terrified.
"You have to go in by yourself!" Suzie said.
"But-But-I…" John stammered.
"There's no time. We have to get you out of here! It's the only way you can survive!" she said with tears in her eyes.
"What about you?"
"I'll take another pod. It'll take an exorbitant amount of time to get to Earth or to another planet."
"You and I don't even know if I'll come back to Earth. I could be drifting out in space forever!" John replied.
"There's a freezing process. You won't have to wait consciously. I'll activate it-"
John wanted to protest.
"There's no time! You must survive John!
"We only got a handful of seconds…" Suzie understood and began telling John what to do. She had shown him the protocols inside even if it took much difficulty.
"You stay strapped in at all costs and just relax and hope everything will be okay." Suzie said carefully.
"Hopefully once I get through the portal, the missile should close the portal behind me while releasing an energy that could make males everywhere become self-aware." he pointed out.
John had no choice but to gulp. He didn't know if it was from the sudden pull of the planet's gravity from outside or Suzie's beauty which for the first time was very compelling.
"See you later then." He sighed in defeat and proceeded to head into the cramped compartment.
"Hey." Suzie grabbed his hand and pulled him close. She grabbed both sides of his head and kissed him.
Out of all the surprises he had experienced so far, John thought Suzie's make out with him took the cake. He kissed her back and put his hands around her. A huge alarm sounded making Suzie breaking off the kiss.
"I'll find you again." She said with a smile.
John merely nodded sheepishly.
"Umm can you help me with the whole you know?" John indicated that she help him fit into the pod.
He looked too big to fit indeed. Suzie sighed and began pushing him into the pod.
Before John knew it he felt himself pushed away and knew that the escape pod was released. John felt the escape pod's thrusters pushing off with just the right amount of energy to take him where he needed to go.
"I hope the others are OK. Especially you Suzie…." John could only assume everything was going to be alright. There was no window in the small pod he was in. All he had in his side was that missile was programmed to be jettisoned at the right moment.
"When I was smart, I hope I knew what I was doing." He said out loud. It wasn't the first time he had tears forming in his eyes. A cold gas was then activated in the small pod he was in. John knew he was about to be frozen.
"Just let this thing work out for once." He whispered.
John closed his eyes and random images soon appeared. It was a strange dream.
A missile being launched.
Several pods escaping from the main ship.
A planet pulling Laterus's ship in.
A vortex finally appearing where he was heading.
The planet at a chasing point where the pods were almost pulled in.
John's pod going through the portal first as well as five other pods.
The planet was large enough to be pulled into the portal as well.
Missile finally catching up despite its point of origin having been swept up by the planet.
Missile gets through and detonates.
Portal is sealed. The energy from the explosion sends out long blast waves throughout like an echo effect.
Pods get scattered throughout black space and thus, are separated from one another.
As John slept with all the images in his head, he was unaware of his own pod heading towards a strange planet.
Then everything turned black and John knew nothing else. He could only hear but his body and mind could not allow him to move or act. What he heard was only a voice, a faint voice to be exact. It had sounded like a conversation was taking place. A half-unconscious John could not help but feel that the voice was familiar. He heard a few voices before he fell into a sleeping void.
"Do you know who he is?" a deep voice asked.
"Yes. Yes, I knew him. He was my boyfriend..." the woman responded.
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Note: I wanted the last chapter to have a scene that was ambiguous. The woman who found John for instance is a character totally familiar to John. It took a while for such a scene to put in. I had a lot to think about how the story should end. There will be a sequel sometime in the next few months and it will take place after what just happened. So thanks to all, who have kept up with the story. I salute you!