Эндрю Маккей: Star Cat: War Mage

Oxade grabbed the outer door edges, trying to fight back the force of the event taking place above them. He looked at the ground and tried for one last push.

“Nyaaarrggghhhhhh…”

WHIZZ…

Neg rolled into the chamber underneath his chest as he pulled forward.

“Hello, Captain.”

“Gah, gah,”

Oxade wrenched the top half of his body through the frame of the airlock door.

SCHWUNT-SMASH!

The hatch sliced down on his right foot and severed it from his ankle.

“Gaaooww,”

The compressed air blasted around Jelly, Neg, and Oxade, sealing them in from the bridge.

Jelly caught her breath and held the end of her tail. The pain was sensational and angered her to the core.

Oxade and Neg looked up at her.

“N-Neg…” Oxade looked through the window and saw his severed foot drift through space, headed for Saturn, “Touch Jelly for me.”

“My pleasure,” Neg twisted around and rolled forward, threatening to make contact.

Jelly back up to the inner door, “Stay away from me.”

“Come here, girl,” Neg slid forward and beeped, “I want to absorb you.”

Jelly elbowed the inner door behind her, “Alex. Open the hatch.”

“Touch her, you useless marble,” Oxade shouted at Neg.

“Okay, okay,” She rolled further forward, nanoseconds away from making contact.

Jelly gripped the inner hatch, closed her eyes and squealed.

Neg almost made contact with Jelly’s knee. Her cylindrical body lifted ten inches into the air and rocketed back toward the outer airlock door.

CLANNNGGG!

Her frame smashed against the bottom of the door like a super-powerful magnet, “What the hell?”

Neg looked around and saw Poz on the other side of the door slowly drifting up toward Saturn’s event.

“Neg, Neg,” Poz’s muffled squeals blasted from the window, “Help me. Don’t let me go.”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Neg slid up the door with Poz, their magnetized surfaces keeping them bound together.

“Don’t l-let me go up there, I’m scared.”

Jelly and Oxade’s watched the magnetic droids share a moment together as Poz’s body dragged Neg further up the outer airlock door.

“Work with me, here, Neg,” Poz said. “Let me in.”

Jelly screamed and clanging her claws against the window, “Alex, open the damn hatch.”

Alex kept his grip on the lever and eyed the pressure inlet dial, “I’m waiting for the chamber to reset. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon…”

Biddip-beeeeeeeep.

The lever lit up, indicating the decompression had concluded.

SWISH!

Alex yanked the lever down. The inner airlock hatch flew up. Jelly backward-rolled inside Opera Charlie..

She thumped her claws to the ground and growled at Oxade and Neg.

“Come here, you defiant cow ,” Neg attempted to break away from Poz’s magnetic charge from the other side of the outer airlock hatch.

“Alex,” Jelly shouted, “Now.”

He thumped the lever down.

SLAMM-SCHWUNT!

The inner hatch slammed shut, sealing Neg and Oxade inside the airlock chamber.

Jelly grunted and slapped her tail against the ground. Alex let go of the lever and turned to her, “What d-do we do, now?”

She trained her eyes on the window as she stood to her feet and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Jelly?” Alex asked in fright.

She pushed him aside and made her way to the yellow pressure inlet dial. She punched through the glass and turned the dial counter-clockwise, raising the pressure.

Screeeeeeeeee… the spindle on the dial daggered to the right, flying up the atmosphere pressure numbers.

“Oh no,” Oxade’s muffled voice splashed against the window of the inner airlock door. He scrambled to his bleeding stump, realizing what was about to happen, “Please, Anderson. Don’t… ”

Jelly ran her tongue along her bottom lip and scowled at Neg, then at Oxade, imprisoned in her little playground.

“Anderson, p-please,” Oxade begged. He pressed his gloved palms to his ears in an attempt to block the pressure increase.

“Let us out of here,” Neg threw bolts of electricity out from her body. Each multi-pronged whip of lightning crawled along the four chamber walls, “Don’t do it.”

“Jelly,” Alex placed his hand on top of Jelly’s as she held onto the dial, “Don’t do this.”

Jelly purred and threw his hand off her paw, “They killed my mommy.”

“I know, but don’t do it . They’re trapped. They can’t get out. Let USARIC deal with them when we get back.”

“They are nothing but vermin to me. Useless, stinking rodents. Look at them,” Jelly rolled her shoulders wanting death. Her long, dark orange hair flowed down her back as she turned to watch the execution, “You might want to look away.”

“Oh God, don’t—” Alex couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

Jelly took one last look at Oxade’s face. Fissures and blisters cracked across his forehead and exposed facial skin. He shook his head ‘no’ and pressed his palms together, “You’re a monster .”

“I’m not a monster, Alex,” Jelly screwed her face and allowed the anger in her heart to flow up her torso and rocket into her arm. “I’m a mother .”

SCHWUNT!

“For God’s sake, Jelly,” Alex grabbed her hand and tried to remove it from the compression lever, “What do you think you’re doing—”

“—Don’t touch me,” Jelly shoved Alex onto his ass. She kept the dial forced to the right and watched the spindle reached its maximum pressure point.

Oxade slumped to his knees and held his neck for dear life. His mask bloated out and crushed into his face. His suit tore into strips. Neg’s ball-like surface indented and crushed in on itself, killing her instantly.

THWUMP!

Jelly smashed the dial with her fist, “Can you hear this?”

Neg’s body rolled up the inside of the outer door hatch along with Poz. The charge caused the door to crush outward and create an opening into outer space.

“Got it,” Poz squealed, hanging from the opening at the bottom of the airlock hatch, “Now, let me in—”

“—No, Poz,” Neg screamed, “We’ll die—”

SCHLAAAM!

Jelly screamed into the window, “Meow.”

The chamber rocked against the intense pressure drop.

A rope of blood daggered from Oxade’s mouth as he screamed, “Noooo—”

SCHPLATTTTT!

His body exploded, throwing his insides through the hatch opening. A concoction of destroyed Oxade limbs and organs rocketed towards Saturn.

“ Holy h-hell, ” Alex backed away from Jelly as she watched every second of Oxade and Neg’s death, “J-Jelly, y-you’re a—”

“— Killer ?” She turned to face him matter-of-factly and with little emotion.

“Y-Yes”

“That’s right. Don’t ever forget it.”

Alex pressed his hands against the hatch window. He saw Poz and Neg fly with Oxade’s remains towards Saturn.

“What have y-you d-done?”

“I took out the trash,” She pushed herself away from the door and stormed down the walkway, “Now let’s get out of this hellhole.”

Alex clambered to his feet and raced after her, “Where are you going?”

“To the control deck,” she shouted over her shoulder, “Keep your mask on. I’m still toxic.”

“Toxic?”

“I’m carrying Symphonium. Keep your mask on,” Jelly turned her walk into a sprint, clanging her claws along the walkway, “Who’s got my child?”

“Uh, I gave her to Jaycee.”

“I want my baby. Give me my baby.”

Jaycee carried Jelly’s kitten into the control deck to find Tripp negotiating with Manny. She hung in the air, refusing to budge.