The Adventures of Phineas Frakture (17 page)

Episode
10

Legends abound about the fate of the fabled lost city of Atlantis. Some say that the entire continent sank into the sea, some say that it was buried under the ice at the South Pole, and still others say that it was taken in a flash of light by higher beings. In reality, its fate was determined by its own inhabitants.

It was true that Atlantis had become the epicenter of wisdom for the Western world. Its citizens became masters of their individual domain, whether it was in philosophy, art, engineering, architecture, science, or literature. Problems were faced, solutions were found, life moved forward. The world, however, was fraught with conflict, and it was only a matter of time before it arrived on Atlantis’ borders. Those who were allies began demanding aid from Atlantis, wanting the scholars and craftsmen to created new and more powerful weapons of war. Atlantis refused and closed its borders.

Knowing that there would be no escape from outsiders, the Atlanteans began to devise a plan, what would later be referred to as ‘The Migration’. The city itself was slowly submerged through feats of engineering. Whole sections were encapsulated, becoming self-sustaining biospheres. Through science and what the ancients claimed was magic, Atlanteans adapted…mutated to thrive in and under the water environment. Eventually, the city and its inhabitants came to rest in its current location, safe from outside interference for over a millennia. Atlantis was at peace…until the day the kraken men came. Now, the city is under siege by its own people…and Phineas Frakture.

As soon as the airlock opened, Phineas ran out with a ray gun in each hand, yelling a battlecry. He charged through a mass of kraken men, firing wildly and clearing a path for the others.

“What’s gotten into him?” Abigail asked as she stepped out of the craft and surveyed the damage.

“He hasn’t had coffee in three days,” replied William.

“Well, there’s a bomb that’s been waiting to explode if I ever saw one. Come on; let’s go find him before he hurts himself.”

Elsewhere, Atlanteans were pouring into the city. It seemed relatively easy to gain access. The kraken men, though large in number, did not seem very well organized. Brute force was what they were bred for, not individual thought. Once faced with an organized resistance, they failed to do anything but fight for themselves. They were little more than guard dogs.

But who, and where, was the one holding their leashes, thought Phineas.

An electrical charge blasted the floor to the right of him, causing Phineas to dance to the side and look for cover. The hallway that he was in was wide with no doors or nooks for him to hide in. Resolving to not be fish fried, Phineas zigzagged throughout the corridor firing both guns at once. There was absolutely no recoil from the guns, and the only indication that they were working was a slight whine and the visible rings of light. It felt as if he were shooting toys at the kraken men. As his adversaries dropped from his barrage, their beaks clicked together with a chattering noise and then fell silent. Footsteps pounded behind him down the hall and Phineas whirled, ready to meet more kraken men, only to see his companions and the Atlanteans racing towards him.

“You could have waited,” Abigail remarked.

“Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” Phineas realized that he was doubled over and panting from the exertion. “How much farther?” he asked Ashira.

“Once we are through this corridor, we will be in the main part of the city. We will then have to make our way to the center.”

“And how far is that?” asked William.

“Approximately two miles.”

“Lovely,” William said, pulling Phineas upright. “Any chance of a bus?”

“We prefer to walk.”

“Of course. Blasted pastries,” William added under his breath.

As they began heading towards the city proper, several Atlanteans, charged with prisoner clean-up, approached and bound the fallen kraken men.

“I wonder how everyone else is faring,” said Abigail. She noticed Milos cock his head to the side.

“Things are going according to plan. However, the western section of the city is meeting heavier resistance.”

“You can hear them without instruments?”

“It is slightly more difficult without water, but we can relay messages to each other over great distances.”

“Sure beats paying the phone bill,” said William.

They exited the corridor and entered the main dome. Phineas, Abigail, and William all looked up in awe.

“Oh…”

“My…”

“God!”

Buildings the shape of elongated seashells spiraled upwards, taller than anything on the surface. Lights glittered from windows and Atlanteans could be seen on balconies. Hundreds of buildings filled the dome and at the center stood the palace of the king of Atlantis. Even from a distance, it was impressive to say the least.

They were quickly jarred from their sight-seeing by several blasts. Two of their Atlantean escorts dropped from the attack and the rest scattered for cover.

“We need to get to the palace!” Ashira shouted over the explosions.

“William! Take the right side of the street and I’ll take the left. Crisscross our fire to clear the way. Abigail, watch above and shoot anything uglier than a trout,” said Phineas. “Lead the way, princess.”

The party forced its way through the streets, dropping kraken men as they appeared. A minister was hit in the shoulder and took refuge with a family in one of the buildings. Phineas felt a slap on his head and whirled to find Abigail behind him.

“One of those bolts set your hair on fire.”

Phineas touched his head, feeling the crispy singed hair. “That was close…didn’t even notice. Thanks.”

“Just pay attention. You have a family to provide for now,” Abigail jibed and then moved off to shoot down a kraken man sniper.

Phineas, temporarily shocked by the comment, returned to keeping the path clear for his ‘wife’.

It was slow going, but they finally made it to the steps of the palace. They felt dwarfed by the sheer size of the building, which was carved from a stone that resembled marble. Columns and friezes adorned the exterior with influences from every major culture of the ancient world. Again, the visitors had to force themselves away from gawking at the wonders of this civilization as resistance mounted from the top of the stairs.

Phineas’ weapons seemed to lose their impact against the kraken men. “Milos! Do these things run out of energy?”

“When the little red light is flashing, it is in need of recharging!” shouted Milos.

Everyone looked at their weapons, all of which were flashing.

“We should have taken more,” commented William.

“
Now
you are prone to excess?” asked Phineas. He picked up a fallen trident and turned it over in his hands. There was a switch near the forks and he flipped it. Energy sprayed out from the prongs, nearly missing Ashira. “Whoops…sorry!” His next burst struck the top of the stairs, sending kraken men flying in every direction.

The party took advantage of the hole and charged into the palace. Inside, the building was deserted—at least the entrance was. Ashira strode through the foyer with the bearing of the proper ruler of Atlantis and headed for the next set of doors. She threw them open with a strength belied by her size, revealing the interior. A large room, capable of holding a thousand people, was before them. At the far end, on a raised dais, sat a throne, carved from the largest pearl anyone had ever seen.  And on that throne was a man dressed in a familiar black uniform.

“Princess!” he said. “Welcome back! It has been far too long. I’ve been sending you invitations to come visit me, but you seem to constantly ignore them. But, now that you’re here, consider yourself my prisoner.”

“I don’t know who you think you are,” said Ashira, “but Atlanteans do not surrender. You will release my father and leave this city at once.”

“I think not. Your little coup is going to fail in the long run. My soldiers learn quickly and are preparing a counterattack even as we speak. There is—”

A blast from Phineas’ trident exploded at the man’s feet.

“You know,” said Phineas, “I am really tired of all the posturing, long speeches, and everything else you I.S.S. guys shovel. I have been dragged down here by an air kraken, shot at, and nearly drowned; I found out my designs were bastardized into war machines, got married, and have a splitting headache from the lack of caffeine. All I want is to find a boat and get the hell out of here. And you are standing in the way of that. Now, either you surrender, or I go all Poseidon on your person!” To emphasize his point, Phineas shot another blast, which grazed the throne.

The I.S.S. agent raised his hand to his mouth and whistled loudly. Doors on either side of the throne room opened, releasing two dozen kraken men into the room. They stood in front of the agent with tridents poised and ready.

“Is that all you have?” taunted Phineas.

The agent smiled. “Now that you mention it…bring in Fang!” he shouted.

There was a loud slapping noise and the rattle of chains. Two kraken men pulled something through the door on the right. Twice as large as a man, another genetic experiment walked in. Half man and half shark, the latest abomination opened its huge jaws and snapped them shut. It looked at Phineas and his party with an intelligent hunger.

Phineas looked over to William and Abigail. “Do either of you want to say it?”

Abigail looked at the shark man. “All right, I’ll say it. We are screwed…we are
sooo
screwed.”

Episode
11

The I.S.S. agent laughed and darted out the door to the left. The kraken men leveled their tridents and began charging them. Fang stretched against his bonds, snapping his teeth. Phineas drew the tesla rifle that he had built back at the outpost and activated it.

“Abigail, take Ashira and Milos and go after that guy. Find the king and get reinforcements. William and I will take care of these guys,” said Phineas. “Go!” After the three left, Phineas looked at William. “Are you ready for this?”

“Not really,” replied William. “Any chance that I can go with them?”

“Let’s fry some fish,” said Phineas, pulling the trigger.

Nothing happened.

Phineas looked at the gun as William sighed. “Still charging?” asked William.

“Yep.”

“Crap.”

“Another ‘yep’.”

The kraken men’s tridents, however, reached their full charge, and they fired in unison at their adversaries. Bolts of energy sizzled past Phineas and William as they dodged, ducked, and threw themselves out of the way. The two remaining Atlanteans did the same, though one was hit square in the chest.

Across the room, a roar went up as Fang was released and he barreled towards his meal. The kraken men’s beaks hissed and clacked in their frenzy as they ran forward as well.

Phineas re-slung the rifle and picked up the trident. Its energy charge was almost gone as well, but he fired at the shark man regardless. The trident’s effect was negligible, only slowing the shark man down slightly.

The kraken men reached Phineas just as he fired again, and he had to quickly parry a jab by an opponent’s trident. He then smashed the forks down on top of the kraken man’s head. There was a sickening crunch as the soft cartilage skull collapsed. Phineas grabbed his opponent’s trident and threw it to William.

There was a shriek of pain, and Phineas whirled to see three kraken men on top of an Atlantean, tearing into his arm and body with their beaks. Phineas fired his trident once more, knocking them off, but not out. There was another yell, but this time, it came from William. Phineas watched, horrified, as Fang knocked his friend to the floor, snapping his jaws in William’s face.

Ashira led the chase through the palace, knowing it better than Abigail. They took a roundabout way, back out the main doors, racing through rooms and taking short cuts, and eventually came out in front of the I.S.S. agent. He slid to a stop when he saw them standing in the corridor, blocking his way.

“You dare to sully these great halls with scientific abominations!? Unwanted guest…home invader…MURDERER!” shouted Ashira.

“Abominations? Have you looked in the mirror lately? You’re fish people! You have no rights under our laws. You’re just…things,” he sneered.

“These people are more human than you are,” said Abigail. “They evolved down here, unlike the creatures that you brought. They have more rights than you and I do.”

“Not in the eyes of our government; and these mer-people are freaks of nature….abominations, as you say, princess. You are less than human and should be subjugated under
our
control.”

“Funny,” said Abigail, “I thought slavery was abolished after the rise of the automaton.”

“Check your history. It was never abolished. It just faded away. If there was ever a need for it again, I’m sure that we could justify it.”

“You sicken me,” spat Abigail.

“You will thank me when we win the war.”

Milos, who had begun inching his way forward as the others were exchanging words, suddenly pounced towards the I.S.S. agent. But as fast as Milos was, the agent was faster in drawing a revolver and firing. The Atlantean collapsed to the floor and lay unmoving.

“Milos!” both Abigail and Ashira yelled. Ashira quickly moved to her cousin’s side, and as the agent was temporarily distracted, Abigail lunged.

“You bastard!” Abigail’s fist connected with his jaw, sending him sprawling unconscious. She turned towards the princess after relieving the agent of his weapon. “Is…is he all right?”

Ashira looked up with tears in her eyes. She cradled her cousin’s head in her lap, rocking gently. She was barely able to shake her head ‘no’. The Princess of Atlantis wailed a mournful cry, echoing throughout the halls of the palace.

Phineas heard a scream of pain; however, it wasn’t human. Then, there was a roar unlike anything he had heard before. The shark man was suddenly heaved into the air to crash to the ground several yards away from William. Phineas looked on as his friend slowly stood up. William’s shirt and pants began ripping at the seams as his body tensed and bulged. His skin turned ashen, and veins popped out as his muscles strained against his skin. William let out another roar and began tearing into the kraken men with his bare hands. Mutation battled mutation as William’s Dolonite malady took hold of his person.

Phineas watched, helpless and aghast at what his best friend had become. William seemed to have grown an additional foot in height. His hands were like clubs as he swatted the kraken men across the room.

The shark man tried to get up, but his broken body resisted. William stomped on him, finishing the beast off. When all of the kraken men were defeated, William turned his attention towards Phineas.

The professor stood motionless as his friend circled him like a predator stalking his prey. Phineas heard a ‘ping’ from behind him, and cautiously, he drew the tesla rifle.

“William? Can you hear me? It’s Phineas…your friend…your employer. The one who gives you pastries in the morning…do you recognize me?”

William growled and kept circling.

“Listen, I don’t want to hurt you. I know you’re in there somewhere. Fight it, man! You’re better than this! You can beat this! I know you can! Try calming down. Think rationally!”

William’s muscles rippled as he moved. If he hit Phineas, the damage would be severe. He wasn’t as slow and lumbering as a full-fledged Dolonite. On the contrary, he had an agility that made him more dangerous than his predecessors.

Phineas stared into William’s eyes, trying to connect with the man inside the beast. That’s when William rushed forward.

Without hesitation, Phineas pulled the trigger.

William was surrounded by an arc of electricity. He howled in pain as he fought the charge. One step…another…he fell to his knees, still struggling to press forward. Then, he collapsed.

Phineas dropped the rifle, and then he, himself, dropped to his knees as well, sobbing.

Abigail, with one hand on Milos’ shoulder and the other on Ashira’s, looked up as she heard several loud noises coming from the throne room. A deathly silence followed, unnerving her. Something, she knew, was wrong.

“Will you be all right here?” Abigail asked.

Ashira nodded and went back to cradling her cousin.

Although she knew that her infatuation with Milos was purely chemical in nature, Abigail had grown attached to the friendly Atlantean, and it pained her to see Ashira suffer like this. She vowed that she would do everything in her power to let people know what was going on down here and that the government was involved in it.

Abigail found her way back into the throne room. The carnage inside was unbelievable. Kraken men body parts were everywhere. The shark man lay on the floor, twitching as nerves continued to fire post mortem. In the center of it, Phineas was kneeling on the floor with his head hung low.

“Phineas?” Abigail said softly. “Where’s William?”

Phineas was silent for a long moment. “Don’t…don’t look. William is—” He was cut off by a moan from a few feet away.

“William!” shouted Abigail as their friend sat up.

Phineas hurriedly looked over and was surprised and relieved to see that William had returned to normal.

Abigail bent down and helped him to his feet. “My God, what happened to you?”

William looked down at his torn clothes, which were blackened and smoking in some areas. “Last thing I remember was the shark thing jumping on me. Why are my clothes smoking?” He looked over to Phineas, who was sliding his rifle behind him. “You shot me! I can’t believe it! Why would you do such a thing?”

“Well…you got in the way,” Phineas lied.

“I could have been killed! Of all the rotten…low…inconsiderate…UGH!”

“You’re fine,” said Phineas, before turning to Abigail. “Did you get that guy?”

“Oh, yes. I got him,” Abigail responded, rubbing her knuckles. “But…Milos was shot. He’s dead.” Both Phineas and William looked at her in shock and disbelief. “Ashira is with him. She really needs some comforting right now.”

Phineas stood up. “I’ll go see her. We need to deal with that guy too.”

After he left the room, Abigail looked around at the mess. “What happened here? And where did the other ministers get off to?”

“I don’t know, and well, I don’t know,” said William. “I haven’t seen them since we came into the palace.”

“I’m sure they’ll turn up somewhere. Let’s go help Phineas. I’m not sure that he’s the best choice to give sympathy. Wow, you really look like hell.”

“You’re such a sweet talker,” William said as he limped out of the throne room with Abigail supporting him.

Phineas found Ashira, still clinging to Milos and oblivious to all around her. As he approached them, the I.S.S. agent began to stir. Phineas knocked him in the head with his rifle butt, sending him back into unconsciousness, and kept walking. When he reached the princess, he knelt down and awkwardly tried to give her a hug. Ashira quickly put her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. Phineas wasn’t sure what else to do, but the pheromones that she exuded caused him to fall into her embrace.

Suddenly, Ashira said, “Oh, Father!”

Phineas looked down puzzled. “No, princess, it’s Phineas.”

Louder, she said again, “Father!” and released Phineas from her grip, standing up.

Phineas stood as well, but held onto the princess. Then, he turned around and looked up at one of the most imposing men he had ever seen. He glared down at Phineas as Ashira smiled broadly.

“Um…hello, sir,” Phineas said meekly. “I believe that this belongs to you.”