Page 3 of Game on Askole

I laughed. Zarek, the mighty Overlord of the Coletti clans, might be able to breach my mental shields, but Oydle? No way in hell. “My name is Sarah Jones. I’m a Marine lieutenant. My serial number is 888549405.”

“Get ready. My strike force is in position,”Aunt Tess informed me.

“Semper Fi.”This was going to be fun.

A wasp landed on Oydle’s bulbous nose.

The idiot whacked at it and yelped when the wasp bit him.

Huh? Wasp toxin did affect him.

The insects attacked Oydle. His slapping and stomping reminded me of a Texas line dance.Smack. Clap. Stomp. Stomp. Clap. Smack. Clap. Stomp. Stomp. Clap.

Aunt Tess’s strike force consisted of a couple dozen tarantulas and scorpions. They surged up Oydle’s legs, and he totally lost it. He wasn’t a Coletti. Warlords never hollered like little girls. The wuss pulled his laser pistol and started blasting away at the insects.

I hopped my chair behind a desk complete with a futuristic holoscreen. I flinched as a beam struck the holoscreen.Bam!It exploded in a shower of sparks. I tipped the chair over and winced as I hit my head on the desk. Maybe it was time to start using my powers.

Nothing Oydle did got rid of the insects. The stun beams only pissed off the little varmints, turning them into a marauding horde straight out of a horror movie. They swarmed over Oydle, covering him from head to toe and biting the shit out of him.

A big, fat skunk scampered into the room. Aunt Tess was an evil, evil woman. The little stinker sprayed the crap out of Oydle. Pee-yooo!

“Time to get the hell out of Dodge,”Aunt Tess said.

“You betcha. The skunk spray is pretty awful.”I hit the shackles with a tentacle of power and presto. They released.

The interrogation room door slid open, and Aunt Tess motioned at me from the hallway. “Let’s go.”

Projectile vomit spewed from Oydle’s mouth.

I gagged. And I thought it smelled bad before. My Spidey sense abruptly flared to life. It felt like a prickly cactus had taken up residence in my mind, but my internal radar had never failed me. “Incoming hostiles, Aunt Tess.”

Ten seconds later, immense power rippled around me, and Voss, Zarek’s formidable battle commander, teleported into the room. His black battle suit emphasized every bulging muscle, and the expression on his face threatened my bladder control. He blocked me from leaving. “Going so soon?” His English was perfect.

The sneaky bastards had been watching. “Yeah.” I pointed at Oydle and the teeming horde of insects. “I’m getting away from that. You really need to hire a good pest control company to come in and exterminate.” I switched to mind talk.“Get out of here, Tess.”

“Too late. Damn. He’s built like the Rocky Mountains.”

I caught a fleeting glimpse of her backing away from an enormous Coletti warrior in the corridor.

Crap, she needed help. I feinted to the left, then bolted around Voss.

He grabbed my ponytail and hauled me back. “Do you really think you are strong enough to defeat Rho or me?”

My temper flared to life. “Never underestimate a Jones.” I whipped my head around and crunched down hard on Voss’s fingers.

“Do you have a death wish, female?” He pried my jaws open.

Like I could answer with a mouthful of Coletti? I hooked my right foot behind Voss’s heel in a fast sweep and knocked him off his feet.

The Battle Commander hit the puke-covered floor and vanished.Poof!Ten seconds later, Voss reappeared and pinned me against the wall. Teleporting should be illegal.

“Nice move, little female.”

I eyed the scorpion sitting on his shoulder and grinned. “Thank you.”

Voss turned his head and sighed. The scorpion raised its stinger. With a flick of his finger, the Battle Commander sent the insect flying across the room. It landed on Oydle’s warrior braids. The poor guy took one look at it and screeched bloody murder.

“Good shot.” I chortled.

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