Fenris Perrywinkle: The Great Galactic Duel
Chapter 8: The Sharpening of the Claws

“You!” Jenn says through clenched teeth as she rolls off of me and stands. “I’m going to enjoy-“

She’s cut off as Amanda fires the large alien handheld canon a second time. Jenn manages to somehow deflect the energy blast and it strikes me in the manhood. I swear my life just flashed before my eyes.

I watch through my tears as Jenn’s entire body begins to glow. I think she really does mean to reduce Amanda to ash.

I try to shout ‘Amanda, run!’, but I’m too busy holding my crotch and whimpering.

Thankfully, several of the little floating camera balls suddenly encase Amanda in some sort of containment field and lift her into the air. Jenn screams in frustration and begins to power down.

“Release the brunette earth woman! Her cowardly attack must be answered! I demand it as my right as the Deepdarc champion!”

Even through my blurred vision I can see Amanda smirk at the blonde and slowly give her the bird. That’s my girl.

The dome force field fades away and the most annoying man in the world buzzes up to us via a new drone.

“What is the meaning of this? Prisoner 776, are you trying to cheat?”

Now it’s my turn to be angry at something. “That’s Champion Fenris of the Everbright to you, you stupid little man!”

Jenn whirls around, fire still literally and figuratively in her eyes. “Some champion you are, Fenris! You didn’t even attempt to win!”

She power kicks me across the area. I slam into the base of the Deepdarc seats. The Deepdarc denizens let out little yelps as their bleachers shudder from the impact.

The Warden’s voice comes over the loud speakers again. “Do to Prison… ah… Champion Fenris’ obvious attempts to gain an unfair advantage during this contest, I am left with no choice but to disqualify him!”

The people of Deepdarc let out a cheer. The citizens of Everbright return to their weeping and hugging.

“Wait!” Jenn commands and flares with Deepdarc energy. The cheering and weeping dies down and everyone turns their attention to the blonde.

“This contest is a time-honored tradition that has gone on for millennia. I for one, am willing to continue until a proper champion is determined.”

“No!” I say as loudly as I can as I struggle to stand. “I won’t fight you, Jenn. I won’t. I’ve started to remember some of the life we-“

“Not you, you idiot”, she says, rudely cutting me off.

“Just because you got a power infusion, that doesn’t make you the champion of the Everbright. A proper champion will fight for the cause they believe in. You just stood there and let me take you apart. No, you’re no champion…”

She turns to Amanda, still floating above the floor in her force bubble.

“…but you will, won’t you honey? You’ll give me a proper fight, won’t you?”

Amanda narrows her eyes and glares at the other woman.

“I’ll give you a month to get used to the power infusion. Then we’ll meet back here and see which of us comes out on top. I know you probably can’t talk in there, so nod your head if you accept my challenge.”

I shake my head and wave my hand as I hobble toward her. “No! No, Amanda, no!”

She looks at me, then looks back to the ex-love of my life.

I grab Jenn by the arm and forcefully yank her around to face me. I hope she was impressed by that, because that nut shot has left me weak as a kitten.

“Dammit, Jenn, your fight is with me!”

She rolls her eyes and pushes me hard. I slide back a couple dozen feet.

“How did I ever love a loser like you, Fenris? You’ve always been a whiney, artsey-fartsey little wuss that lacked the stones to make life happen. I was too love struck to see it though, so I guess part of it is on me.”

My groin injury mostly healed thanks to my alien powers, I stand as tall as I can. “I’m not that guy anymore, Jennifer. Now let’s finish what we started.”

The Warden pipes up. “You are already finished, Prisoner 776! You have been disquali-“

Jenn’s eyes flash and a second Warden drone explodes in the air. “The man is annoying as hell.”

She turns back to Amanda, who hasn’t even blinked the last few minutes. The women lock eyes and an understanding passes between them.

“Nod your head if you accept my terms and my challenge, sweetie,” Jenn says quietly.

The entire stadium is silent as all eyes turn to the woman in the containment field.

“No!” I scream. “I’m challenging you right now, right here!”

A third Warden Drone gets in my face. “Secure the former Champion of Everbright!”

Before I can react, I’m encased in that same containment field that Amanda is trapped in. It kind of tickles and smells like burnt farts.

The women continue their staring contest. I wonder if they will continue until one of them dies of starvation. It doesn’t come to that.

Amanda slowly nods her head.

Jenn smiles and motions for the other woman to be released.

The brunette drops to the floor, then stands with her hands on her hips - a look of firm resolve in her eyes.

The Warden’s voice fills the air. “Everbright has a new Champion!”

The people of Everbright come alive for the first time since the duel started. I have to admit, it is nice to see some hope come back into their little alien lives. At the same time, I feel a deep sense of shame start to wash over me. It was true… I was no ‘champion’ to those little beings. I was ready to role over and fall to a woman who I had fallen for many years ago.

Jenn has what I would call an ‘evil’ grin on her face as she slowly approaches Amanda. She mirror’s the brunette’s pose and the two of them have another epic stare down.

I have to say, they are remarkably similar in stature. Both are slim, yet kind of busty. Body wise, they appear evenly matched. You know something? I think I have a type. How do you like that?

“I hope you survive the power infusion,” Jenn says with a smirk. “I’d hate to hear that your frail little body couldn’t withstand the process.”

Amanda fires back. “Your only chance… is if it doesn’t.”

Jenn smiles at her new rival and laughs loudly. She turns to the people of Everbright. “Your new champion might actually have a spine!”

The little green bobble-headed aliens start jumping up and down with excitement. The orange crowd on the other side of the stadium is muttering to themselves and scowling at Jennifer. It seems they wanted to take the disqualification and run to Alphamaximus. Can’t blame them. I’d feel the same way in their shoes.

Jenn looks at me a moment, then shoots a look over her shoulder back at Amanda.

“And let’s say the winner gets this one too. Just to make it interesting.”

Without another word, the blonde lifts into the air, streaks down the length of the stadium and disappears into the darkness of the far terminal.

Several uniformed aliens with black, spikey skin surround Amanda and escort her back into our terminal. A moment later, my energy prison is terminated and they do the same to me.

The stadium terminal closes with a hiss behind me and I start the long walk back to Little Green’s ship. Ahead of me, I see Amanda walking with him and Benson.

“Guys… wait up!”

I hurry forward to catch up to them. They pretend not to hear me.

“Guys? I know, I didn’t do as well as I probably should have back there…”

The three of them (well, the two of them. I don’t know if a stack of bubbles has a ‘back’ per say) ignore me and continue to walk forward.

“Amanda? Awww come on. Don’t be like this. I’m sorry for how I acted. What did Jenn mean when she said the winner gets me?”

She stops and slowly turns to face me. “Fenris…”

The hair on the back of my neck stands up. Something is about to go down.”

She shakes her head. “I’m so disappointed in you.”

I can’t describe the sadness in her eyes. I feel my heart shatter and my knees suddenly feel weak. I wish I could turn into a puddle of goo and ooze away.

Little Green apparently decides to help me out with that wish. He makes an angry sounding high-pitched shrieking sound, whirls around and blasts me with a ray gun of some sort. All I see is that disapproving look on my dear Amanda’s face as the world goes dark.

I hear the sound of mechanical instruments humming and beeping as I begin to regain consciousness. The world is still blurry, but I think I can make out Bubbles Benson bouncing around under a shaft of light. Perhaps that’s how he interacts with the ship’s systems?

A hole appears in one of the white walls around me. Little Green and Amanda enter. He speaks to her quietly, she nods several times in response. Looking a little closer, I can see she is naked except for a white sheet wrapped around her that she holds tightly in one hand. I won’t tell you how I know she isn’t wearing anything else.

“Ama… Amanaaaadaa…” I mumble in an attempt to use her name. I don’t think my face has woken up yet.

“It looks like he’s awake now, Nester,” she says and nods in my direction.

I squint a little to try to focus my vision. “Nnnnessster? Who’s a Nessssster?”

She nods at Little Green. “You never even bothered to ask his name, did you?”

“Coward Fenris, you never even asked my name!” Nester declares as he angrily bounces up and down.

Those shameful feelings start washing over me again.

“Figures,” she continues, “it’s not like you gave a damn about any of them. You made that abundantly clear.”

I try to think of something intelligent to say, but all I manage to do is gurgle.

Amanda lowers herself on to a table beside me. Apparently I’m lying on a table too. I just noticed.

She smooths out the sheet covering her and gives a nod to ‘the alien formerly known as Little Green’. “Go ahead, I’m ready.”

“Reeeady? Forrrrr wuttt?” I slurr.

Bubbles Benson whirls around in a little cyclone under the light shaft. A panel opens above me and a large metal arm impales my chest. I want to scream, but I can’t.

Something similar happens to Amanda.

Pain fills my body. Pain like I’ve never felt before. I black out almost immediately.

I awaken with a start. The first thing that greets me is more pain. As I struggle to breath, I’m surprised to see that I’m lying on someone’s porch. The brightness of the sun tells me it’s close to midday. The desert landscape tells me I’m back in New Mexico. I grip my chest only to replace it completely bandaged.

“Aww now what in the Sam Hill is this?”

An unfamiliar man’s voice. Well that’s disappointing.

I do my best to roll over and greet who I presume is the owner of the porch that I’m lying on at the moment.

An older man looks down at me with a scowl. “Where in the nine hells did you come from, boy?”

“Daddy, I need a favour”

I smile a little and turn toward the familiar voice. Amanda descends out of the sky, her fabulous body encased in the alien bodysuit.

Her daddy seems a little surprised to see his daughter hovering in the air.

“Mandy!?” he practically shrieks and stumbles backward. “Baby girl, is that you?”

She nods at her father. “Yes, daddy, it’s me. I don’t have time to explain now. I need you to look after this man and keep him alive. I’ll return as soon as I can.”

With that, my beautiful Amanda looks to the sky and streaks up into the clouds. Wow, she caught on to the whole alien powers thing much quicker than I did. Color me not surprised at all.

Her father runs out into the yard, which I notice is full of old cars and other bits of rusted metal. “Baby girl! How are you flyin? Are ya an alien now? Ahh my little baby girl!”

He has a wild look in his eye as he approaches the porch. He grabs me and starts shaking my shoulders. “What happened to my Manda? Was it the government? Aliens? Sasquatch? Talk to me, boy! Talk to me!”

I desperately gurgle at the old man and grip my chest in a desperate attempt to clue him in to my current condition.

He drops me back on the porch and scowls. “I hope you enjoy the porch, boy. This is where you’re stay’in til you feel like telling me what happened to my baby girl, y’hear?!”

He stalks off back into his run-down hovel.

If it’s all the same to everybody, I’ll just lie here and die.