The Great Belligerency [Round 4: Static]

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Cole soon realized he was not alone in the skies above New Shambhala. The goddess Ur was flying around recklessly, destroying with no rhyme or reason. She even flew right by him once without appearing to notice.

Somehow, this was even more disconcerting to the former biologist. He continued towards the zoo, hoping she would not destroy it before he arrived.

As it turned out, the zoo seemed to have closed down for the day. Cole watched as a line of people slowly left the zoo, being searched by the security forces and then sent home when none proved to be carrying any weapons. The process was calm and orderly.

Cole took it as a sign that none of his competitors were in the area.

There appeared to be a large glass dome over the zoo - likely to keep vandals of flying species out. Flying in was not an option.

That was a small matter to Cole. He flew towards the entrance. As he approached, he began to shift his arms into pincers, and grew a scorpion's tail. He landed, grabbed a surprised security guard, and flung him aside.

"I will be brief," he said calmly to the frightened crowd in front of him. "I wish for access to the exhibits on insects and other arthropods. Grant this simple request, and there will be no need for further violence."

The orderly atmosphere vanished immediately. Most of the crowd panicked. A few braver souls charged at Cole, refusing to be intimidated. The security forces were divided between trying to calm both groups, and trying to arrest Cole.

They were mostly ineffective. The security forces were trained to handle vandals and petty thieves, not psychopaths. The civilians were even less prepared. Anyone who drew close enough to threaten Cole quickly found one of their arms - or similar appendages - crushed between one of his pincers. His tail swept aside the few who dared to attack him from behind. And anyone who did manage to land a hit on him was shocked by his bioelectricity, giving him a chance to retaliate.

Cole was not aiming to kill, but neither was he specifically trying to avoid it. He wounded seventeen critically, and killed three guards and one civilian outright. He made his way to the gates, indifferent to the damage he was causing.

One soul stood in his way. But that one soul gave him pause.

It was Jaknel, the mammothlike man he had met before.

"So. Ko'laran, was it? Just who, or what are you? Are you working with the Yun guerillas? And what do you want with this zoo?" Jaknel glared at his would-be attacker. "Whatever it is, I won't allow you to bring any harm upon this city."

Without saying a word, Cole spewed a thick strand of web at his acquaintance, pulling him aside swiftly, then ran into the zoo. He spewed more webs at the entrance as a crude blockade, much to the frustration of the security forces.

Jaknel was puzzled. He was largely unhurt. Yet the Sk'van, if that was what he truly was, had shown no hesitation in attacking the rest of the crowd.

A security guard quickly slapped a device on him. He was immediately paralyzed.

"Do you know something about that madman?" the guard screamed. "If you do, you'd better tell us. Now."

Jaknel's family watched with terror as the surviving guards took their patriarch away.


***

You could have burrowed in, Cole suddenly found himself thinking. The ground doesn't seem that thick around here. You could have at least tried it. Or waited for the crowd to thin. Why did you have to be so impatient?

But the Executor can move us at a whim, was the mental reply. What if we are moved before we can make use of this opportunity? Or that crazed goddess arrives here?

And does that justify the people you wounded in your haste? The ones you killed? Until you came across one you knew before, you cared about nothing save the fact that they were in your way. You were treating them with utter disdain. As though they were...

Insects.

Cole paused momentarily.

I set on this path from the moment Anansi transformed me, he concluded. I cannot go back now.

Not until I have made that spider pay for what he has done.