Fenris Perrywinkle: The Great Galactic Duel
Chapter 5: A Rescue, a Revelation, and a Missed Opportunity

The sight of the dead soldiers all around us makes me want to yak my lizard breakfast all over the desert sand. Amanda seems to have things pulled together; no big surprise there. She is busily scavenging the carnage for supplies.

I look down at my hands to see that they’re still shaking pretty bad. My breathing has finally slowed down, but I still feel like my blood is boiling inside my veins. I suddenly revert to my five year old self and crumble to the earth in tears. I’m pretty sure I’ve just been ‘bad’ and I feel terrible.

I hope Amanda isn’t watching me weep like a baby. This is embarrassing.

Nope. I feel her hand on my shoulder. “You’re alright, Fenris. You wouldn’t have done it if they had left us alone. It was an ‘us or them’ situation. You’re alright.”

I look up at her with my reddened eyes like a small child. I must look so pathetic right now. “What happened, Dr. Vincent? What did I do to these poor men?”

Amanda takes a long breath and sits down beside me. “I didn’t see much.”

I’m not letting her get away with that. “What did you see?”

She wipes her nose on her sleeve and sniffs a couple of times. “You were standing in the air radiating energy bolts everywhere.”

That rhymed. Usually I love a good rhyme. Not this time.

“I was... I was... “. I can’t seem to finish sentences right now.

She nods. “You were flying. Or at least hovering. You definitely defied gravity.”

We sit together in silence as that revelation sinks in. I can fly? I can radiate energy bolts? What else can I do? Am I the last son of a doomed world way out in the cosmos somewhere? Do I need a costume of some sort? What am I going to call myself? Which country am I going to represent? Maybe I won’t be beholding to one country, maybe I’ll just defend the whole world! I wonder if girls will dig this? I’m going to be famous! I’m going to be rich, get invited to all the best parties, and date super models! I’m going to have lots and lots of sex!

“Fenris. You’re drooling.”

I’m an idiot. I’m never getting laid. I’m some sort of monster. Monsters don’t get chicks – they get stabbed in the face.

Amanda stands and takes me by the hand. The skin-to-skin contact brings me back to reality. “Come on, we’ve got to get moving. I’m sure there are more soldiers coming.”

We replace a jeep that still works, throw a bunch of food rations and clothes in the back, and take off in the opposite direction that the military came. I look over at Amanda as she drives. She wears a pair of scavenged aviator sunglasses and has her hair tied back in a ponytail. She looks calm and relaxed as she drives swiftly through the desert. I’m so glad she’s here. She’s my hero. She’s my Rambo.

“Take your medication, Fenris.”

And a multitasker! She’s keeping us alive and reminding me to take my medication. Do any of you wonder why I love this woman? I just want to hug and kiss her all the time.

The sun begins to dip below the horizon. Breathtaking purples and oranges paint themselves across the clouds in the sky. A peaceful and beautiful end to a day that’s been anything but.

A white rectangle opens twenty feet over our heads. Little Green pokes his head over the glowing opening. “I’m sorry, Champion Fenris, but we’re out of time.”

Amanda and I float upward out of the moving jeep toward the cloaked ship above us. The military vehicle decelerates and comes to an abrupt stop in a bed of cactus.

“Fenris!” she screams. She’s always so calm and collected until the alien stuff starts - then she always loses her cool.

I shout and grasp her hand. “It’s alright! I’ve got you!” It’s funny how the role reversal happens so quickly. Maybe she’ll think I’m her Rambo in a few minutes.

In a few moments, we replace ourselves back in the fuzzy white room. Benson is apparently happy to see me and starts bubble rolling my body again. “Okay, okay... that’s enough, Benson. Enough,” I say as I brush the bubble being off me.

“I was doing fine! We didn’t need a rescue!” Amanda shouts. I look her over as she lies on the white floor. The look on her face tells me that she’s not processing this very well. Such a stark departure from her normal self.

Little Green floats over to her, takes her by the hand and starts gently patting her wrist. “Be calm, follower of Fenris, be calm. The champion will shortly deliver us all.” He pauses for a moment, then whispers, “He has been taking his medication, yes?”

Benson finally leaves me alone. “Yeah, I’ve been taking it. I think it’s working too. Maybe a little too well.”

Little Green cocks an eyebrow in my direction. He floats over to me, looks me up and down, then smiles. “Scanning.”

“No! No no nonononoooooo...” My protests go unacknowledged as dozens of wires lift me into the air and severely electrocute me again. A moment later, my steaming carcass is once again unceremoniously dropped on the floor.

“Must you do that to him?” Amanda demands as she crawls to me and cradles my head against her chest. I don’t have any complaints at this exact moment.

Little Green seems delighted with the results. “You are not yet back at 100% Champion Fenris, but you show remarkable improvement. Clearly your follower’s companionship has greatly aided your recovery!”

“That’s... great news...” I manage to sputter.

“Great indeed!” he continues. “The people of Deepdarc have declared that the intergalactic duel will commence in one of your earth days!”

Amanda looks at me, then back to the little green floating man. “Deepdarc... intergalactic duel... what are you talking about?”

Bubbles Benson gets excited about something and starts whirling around in a bubble tornado. “Yes, it seems Champion Fenris still doesn’t fully remember.”

“I get little glimpses. Flashes here and there,” I say as Amanda helps me to my feet.

She blows a piece of hair out of her face and takes control. “Look, just start at the beginning and tell us everything, alright? Talk to us as if this is the first time you’re conveying this information.”

Little Green bows. “As you wish. We are a race of beings descended from the Glorious Ones – they which formed all things. An Eternity ago, our people fought a great war; the magnitude of which threatened to unform all things. In order to prevent the unforming of all things, we separated into two great civilizations, the Everbright and the Deepdarc. Once a millennia, a great contest is held between our two peoples to see who will control access to our home world, Alphamaximus. Whichever civilization is granted access to Alphamaximus thrives, for our people must join with the planet’s energies to procreate.

I give my head a shake. I’m still feeling a little fried. “Did you get that?” I whisper.

“Their people are fighting over access to their home planet. Whoever wins the tournament gets to go home and make babies.”

“Ah. Seems reasonable.”

“You must win for us, Champion Fenris!” Little Green shrieks. “It has been four millennia since the people of Everbright created offspring! Our race is long lived, but we will not survive many more cycles if this continues!”

“Why is Fenris your champion?” Amanda presses.

“When the great duel is upon us,” Little Green continues, “we and the Deepdarc agree on a certain planet’s denizens to be our champions. That way there can be no disparity or advantage during the contest. This cycle, Earth was chosen. Our scanners found a being on your planet that would be compatible with the energies we command. That being was Champion Fenris. We acquired him in the native vegetation during your planet’s dark cycle and infused him with said energies.”

I feel really dumb right now. “What?”

“They abducted you one night when you were in the woods and gave you your powers,” Amanda says.

There was a skirmish with a Deepdarc craft that was also in the area. They too selected their champion from the same native vegetation and dark cycle. There was some damage to the surrounding area as we exchanged aggressive energies, but I don’t recall any extinguishing of life.

“There was a Deepdarc craft that also abducted someone from...”

I interrupt Amanda. “Yeah, yeah I got it, I got it.”

“A friend of yours maybe?” she asks.

Something flashes in my mind. Something familiar. A moment later, it’s gone. I shake my head. “I dunno.”

I’ve given up at this point. I’m just going to let the “I dunno”s flow.

Little Green continues, “Our disagreement with the Deepdarc craft brought us to your military’s attention. Their intervention caused some minor damage to our systems forcing us to land on your planet’s surface with great force. In the confusion, you were ejected and captured by your people.”

“And they brought you to LifeGuard,” Amanda murmurs to herself.

The small alien man bows with deep regret on his face. “Apologies again for taking so long to rescue you from your imprisonment.”

I make a grand gesture with my hands to let the little green guy know there are no hard feelings. “Okay, so I’ve got to fight some other human that has powers like mine and win so you can go home and make babies. Have I got that all correct?”

Little Green smartly salutes. “You are correct, Champion Fenris!” Bubbles Benson tumbles his support as well.

I nod, feeling like I’m back in control again. I give Amanda’s shoulder a little squeeze to let her know that yes, I am her Rambo. “So when and where do I face this guy? You said something about tomorrow?”

Little Green claps his hands sharply and a visual display appears beside us. A beautiful mountain valley appears on the screen.

“Wow,” Amanda whispers. “It’s beautiful.”

Little Green looks confused. “What? Oh no no no no.” He claps again and a large space ship in earth’s orbit appears. “There. The tournament will be held in the great interior of this craft. There you will meet and defeat the Champion of the Deepdarc!”

“And if Fenris loses?” Amanda asks, her brow knitting with concern. I love it when she’s concerned about me.

“Then we do not gain access to our home...”

“Yes, fine,” she interrupts, “I mean, what happens to the losing champion? How is the loss determined? Is there a point system? Is it a game of some sort?”

“Dr. Vincent,” I say and squeeze her shoulder again. “It’s a duel. Two champions enter, only one exits.”

“Fenris has to fight to the death!?” she exclaims. “That’s... barbaric. That’s unacceptable. Surely two advanced races like the Everbright and the Deepdarc have evolved past such base practises!”

Little Green sighs and Bubbles Benson plops down on the floor and scatters. “I share your thoughts, Dr. Vincent. Sadly, the duel has become something of a sensation among our peoples. Visuals of the duel are cast to every member of our civilizations. The purveyors of goods and services have a heavy hand in this event. Much wealth flows during this time.”

Amanda looks at me. “What?”

I smile and enjoy my brief moment on the other side of stupid. “It’s basically their Superbowl.”

She crosses her arms and steps away from me. “Another stupid and barbaric practise,” she mumbles.

I decide to just let her have that one and turn back to Little Green. “Well, look, I’m still pretty fuzzy with the whole using my abilities thing. Can you help get me back into the groove? Do I get a uniform of some sort for tomorrow?”

Amanda turns and screams at me. “You’re actually going to do this!?”

I’m not sure how to react to that. I’ve never seen her like this before. I nod. “Yes. I am their champion. I’m they’re only hope of making babies for the next thousand years. I have to try. A whole civilization is counting on me.”

My logic doesn’t make a dent. “You’ll die!” she screams again. “You don’t have a hope in hell against someone with full access to their abilities! Someone who was probably training the whole time we had you strung up in LifeGuard Prison! You haven’t got a chance!”

Her words sink in and I know that they’re probably true. I still wish she hadn’t said them though.

Little Green leads us through an opening in the fuzzy white room and we replace ourselves trekking through the deceptively large Everbright craft. I feel like it’s about the size of a football stadium. Most of the craft is wide open with large energy conduits busily channeling the amazing alien energies throughout the various systems. Brilliant blues, yellows and purples pulse all around us as we continue to follow the little floating man. Bubbles Benson forms on my head like a hat. Amanda’s expression tells me she’s not quite sure what to make of that – I decide not to make it into a thing and just let him sit up there.

After what feels like forever, we are finally shown into another fuzzy white room. Little Green bows and floats backward out of the room. “Please rest and engage in your species pleasures to ensure you are in top condition for tomorrow, Champion Fenris. We have provided everything our research has revealed that you may need.”

The enclosure to our chambers closes behind him. Amanda shoots me a look. “What did he mean, ‘our species pleasures’?”

As if in answer, the form of a bed oozes up out of the floor. Several bottle-looking objects form beside it.

I turn my face from Amanda to keep her from seeing the smile creep across my face.

She wags her finger toward me. “Are you kidding me? No. Do you hear me, Fenris? No. Just... NO!”

Soft music begins to fill the room.

I pretend to ignore her protests and sniff one of the bottle objects on the floor. I turn back to her with a glint in my eye. “Raspberry Schnapps,” I giggle. “I’m pretty sure this is Raspberry Schnapps!”

Amanda is still holding her ground. “Did you hear me, sir? The answer is ‘no’. This is a hard no. You are not getting laid tonight. Not with me. Give me a sign that you understand the words I’m saying right now.”

I know I’m supposed to be good right now. I know that. I know that’s what Amanda is desperately hoping I understand... but unfortunately, I feel like being a real pest at the moment. Facing imminent death does that to me I guess.

“Amanda...” I say with fake intensity.

“Dr. Vincent!” she corrects me.

“Amanda...” I say again just to be a royal poop. “I’m probably going to die tomorrow. Are you really going to deny me the final wish of my life?”

“Yes! I...” she trails off and the expression on her face becomes pained. I was going to burst out laughing and tell her I was only kidding, but now I’m suddenly curious to see what she’s going to do next.

“I...” she continues, her voice lowering a little. I stay silent. Could it be? Was she honored that I had just asked her to be my final lover? What’s going through her mind right now I wonder?

She looks down, her face a mask of sadness. I wonder if I’m letting this go too far and should let her off the hook. Before I can make up my mind however, she slowly moves to and sits on the bed object. She looks up and our eyes meet. My heart begins beating like a drum. She undoes the top two buttons of her blouse and leans back on her elbows.

“Alright, Fenris,” she whispers as her lower lip begins to tremble a little. “I guess you deserve to get what you want tonight. I’m very proud of you for stepping up to a challenge that will most likely cost you your life. It’s very noble. So, come on, I’ll give you what you want.”

I straighten up a little. Did I misinterpret her, or did she just offer me mercy sex? Mercy sex? That’s not what I want! I don’t want this gorgeous creature to give herself to me because she feels sorry for me! That’s not a fantasy... that’s crap! I suddenly feel pretty sure that I’m better than this.

I bow to her. “Thank you, Dr. Vincent, but you already said ‘no’. Don’t go changing your mind just because you feel sorry for me.”

Amanda’s face can’t really be described at the moment. “But... but you’ll probably die tomorrow and... your last wish and...”

“I was just yanking your chain,” I say with a grin and sit on the bed beside her. The look on her face could now accurately be described as ‘incredulous’. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’ve wanted to hook up with you ever since I laid eyes on you, but not like this. Thank you for this gesture, but not like this.”

Her brow begins to knit into a mass of wrinkles. “Are you... did you just... reject me?”

A small opening appears above us and a large bag of contraceptives lands on the bed between us. Talk about bad timing. We both stare at the bag of loose prophylactics for a moment before continuing.

“Yes,” I say and nod my head. “I mean, yes, but no. You know?”

She shakes her head.

I take a deep breath. “Dr. Vincent...”

“Amanda,” she corrects me.

I nod. I can’t stop the smiles from coming now. “Amanda... I want you to want me because of who I am; not because I’m about to die.”

She leans in a little closer. “Did you miss the part about you stepping up and taking on a life or death situation?”

I nod and roll my eyes a little. “Exactly. You just feel sorry for me because I’ll probably die tomorrow. I want you to want me for me, not because I’m about to die. I’m not looking for pity.”

She draws back with a confused look on her face. “Pity? Are you completely missing what’s going on here?”

I shake my head, feeling justified. “Nope. I’m just taking the high road. I can be noble once in a while you know.”

Her eyes start to roll around her head. She lets out a deep sigh, does up her two top buttons and mutters, “You’re clueless buddy.”

She tosses the bag of condoms on the floor and lies on the bed facing away from me.

I lie down on my side of the bed feeling good, but a little bit confused. Amanda’s soft snoring triggers something in the room, and everything goes dark.