“Ah ha!” Arell exclaimed. “My scanner has detected some Earthies nearby.”

            Bradley was sort of startled by this. He had been quietly floating in his balloon like prison alongside Arell, the two of them not really speaking at all. His giant ‘friend’ was leaving a trail of devastating damage. A trail of her foot prints went across roads, leaving deep cracks and potholes in the earth. Mixed in with this trail were crushed houses and flattened vehicles of all kind.

            “Are you even going to try to not step on everything?” Bradley asked, awed by the sheer damage.

            “Like I said,” Arell sighed. “I’m too large for such considerations. Now be quiet, I need to concentrate.”

            Bradley hadn’t been able to catch a good look at Arell’s scanner, but from the brief glimpse, it seemed to be like a portable radar of sorts. She headed towards a shopping complex, which contained a few strips of stores, but Arell seemed to be homing in on the movie theater and the shopping market next to each other at the opposite end. The parking lots were largely empty, save for a few cars. Somewhere, Bradley thought he heard the sound of a helicopter whirling around.

            Arell dropped to her knees and paused, thoughtfully. She then worked her way to the front of the theater and dropped down on her hands (her breasts flattened a car that was parked out front) and peered through the doors. After a moment, she rose back up to her knees. She reached forward and placed a hand on the edge of the roof. Applying some pressure, her fingers shredded through the and made a hole. Then, pinching her fingers onto the interior, Arell carefully peeled sections of the roof off like a tuna can.

            Even from his perspective in his little bubble thing, Bradley could see some of the people, there were three, inside, their positions now exposed. They were huddled in a small room, a janitor’s closet maybe, in the middle of the building. The people were dressed professionally…maybe they were employees of the theater?

            “Ah ha,” Arell said, the smile in her voice. “There you are. Now, this will go a lot smoother if you just stay still and let me…”

            Of course, the people heard none of this. They began to ran as soon as “there you are” was out of Arell’s mouth. Arell reached inside and grabbed one even before he escaped the compromised hiding spot, her fingers shearing through the walls as if they were made of cookies. She brought the man up and, then, with her left hand, produced the small transporter and zapped him with it. The next instant, the man was gone.

            Gone off to my favorite place, Bradley thought, sarcastically.

            The other two, a man and an older woman, stumbling over themselves, tried to run towards one of the auditoriums. What protection they thought was going to keep them safe from Arell’s clutches, Bradley wasn’t sure. The massive woman simply reached in with both hands, the two “Earthies” between them, and then drew them apart, bringing the entire building down around them as neat as you please. The two people pretty soon found themselves in the middle of nothing but the foundation of the theater, all hiding places now completely gone. Stuck, the two of them slowly looked up at Arell.

            “Now…” The giant woman said, softly and not unkindly. “If you’re done panicking, take a moment to hear me. I’m over five hundred feet tall. You’re not going to outrun me, nor will you find a place that will keep me out. I don’t want to hurt you little Earthies, but if you keep being foolish…I can’t guarantee that.”

            The two “Earthies” looked at each other for a moment, Bradley thought he could hear the old lady crying, and then he saw them raise their hands over their. His sympathies went out to them. All he could hope is that the “people” of Avakon would be nicer than Arell. This whole thing was out of control! Arell was kidnapping an entire town of innocent people, all because her fucking people wanted a zoo! And why did they want such a stupid thing? Arell had been sort of vague on the issue, but apparently they wanted to see the Earthies so bad that…that….that….

            Bradley looked towards Arell’s face as she leaned forward to pick up her two new Earthies.

            Because they want to see you, Arell had said. They haven’t actually seen any of you…they know you exist, but they rarely see you in the flesh.

            He hadn’t thought of that...it was strange. Very strange.

            His attention was turned towards a zapping noise. His big friend had just transported her new captures to her ship. Flipping her hair back behind her ears with her hand (another familiar and girlish gesture), she began to turn her own attention towards the grocery store.

            “…hey…uh…Arell…?” Bradley said, slowly, uncertainly. Cautiously.

            He expected her to ignore him while she focused on her “work”…but she must have picked up on the sound of his voice, because she turned towards him, her eyebrows raised curiously.

            “What is it?” She asked.

            “You…uh…you said you were a researcher or something…right?” He asked, slowly.

            Arell then smiled vibrantly. Whether out of pride or something else, Bradley wasn’t entirely sure. “That’s right. I’m one of the most trusted amongst my race to investigate other forms of life in the universe.” She began to turn away to look back towards the store. “Why do you ask?”

            “Well…I was wondering…” Bradley said. He had to be careful here. Very careful. It would be like treading a minefield. “…about this…zoo thing…that you’re gathering for…”

            “Oh, don’t tell me you’re still worked up about that?” Arell said, laughing a little. “Don’t worry so much. Your fellow Earthies will be fine, okay? Are you afraid that they’re going to eat them? Grind their bones to make our bread, and all that?” The tease in her voice was all too obvious.

            “No…it’s…it’s not that,” Bradley said. His heart was picking up. “It’s….well…you said your people…hadn’t seen us…very much…right?” Already he didn’t like where this was going. Arell had turned back towards him…but a frown formed on her face now. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, suspiciously.

            “They HAVE seen you Earthies.” She said, slowly. “They’ve seen what I’ve shown them. What of it?”

            “I…I…” Peterson swallowed. “Well…I was a little curious…I…have…uh…have you not…shown them…much?”

            Now complete suspicion was dawning on her face.

            So much for this going peacefully, Bradley thought timidly.

            “I think you need to tell me what this is about,” She told him, her voice hardening.

            “I….I….” He stammered. “I don’t…want to upset you…I’m just…you know…uh…I…I was wondering…how much have you told them?”

            “Where are you going with this?” Arell asked, harshly.

            “…do they…” Bradley tried to speak faster to get to his point. “…I mean…have you…how much…uh…you…”

            “Say it!” She snapped, impatiently. “Have I what? Do they what?”

            No turning back now. “How much do they…uh…know?” Bradley asked.

            A moment of silent as Arell just stared at him. Her facial expression changed from suspicion to annoyance…and anger. “Why are you asking me this?”

            “I…you…” Bradley gulped. That lump in his throat was back. “…you said that they…uh…only…you know…know what you tell them…but…I mean…if you’re a researcher…and they’re wanting this…uh…zoo…thing…so bad…well…have you…have you not told them…uh…um…”

            “Is this any of your concern, Earthy?” Arell asked softly…but her voice was very menacing. “What I do for my research is not something you need to concern yourself with. I do what…”

            “But you were the one who…” He started.

            “Don’t you dare interrupt me,” Arell spoke, bringing her eyes close to him. Bradley stopped talking immediately, shivering. “Do you think that just because I’ve kept you, that that means you deserve to know what my work entails? Well…let me dispel that little myth. I don’t have to tell you anything if I don’t want to. You are not in any position to demand information from me. If you try to presume that sort of authority, I’ll see you under my boot so quickly you won’t even see it coming. You are replaceable, and if you want to live to see the age of thirty one, I suggest you keep your questions to yourself.”

            Bradley didn’t reply. He was too busy nodding rapidly.

            Arell stared at him for another minute. Then, he heard her open her mouth. Whatever she was going to say, he would never know, for the moment before it could be said, something rocketed in the space between her and Bradley. He saw her eyes widen after it passed, leaving a trail of smoke, and she looked towards where it went, and then where it came from. Bradley looked too…and couldn’t believe his eyes.

            Coming up the street....was…what were they called…a squadron? His military terms were shaky, but a group of armed military personnel was making their way towards him and Arell. It was comprised of foot soldiers, big cars with big guns on the back…and two tanks.

            What the fuck is this, Bradley thought wildly, where did these fuckheads come from!?

            Then, he heard a sound. One he’d heard not too long ago, but faintly. He looked up and saw the helicopter. It was a grey army helicopter, Bradley could see the turret pointing out of the nose of the chopper. He understood. Whether these guys were a military convoy to keep the populace under control in these times of stress, or a patrol who happened to be in the right place at the right time, he wasn’t sure. But…they were asking for trouble. That much he did know.

            “Well, this is…unexpected.” Arell said, standing up at full height. The smile was back in her voice. She placed her hands on her hips and looked down at the small force coming towards her. “You’re making a choice right now. One that I highly advised against, previously. I certainly hope that that projectile that almost hit my lovely face was a misfire. Because I assure you…you might want to rethink this course of action.”

            “Let’s cut this bitch down to size!” One of the foot soldiers cried. The others roared their battle cry and ran forward. This was no time to be frightened. Their world, their country, their entire way of life was on the line here. It was do or die. And these young men and women had decided that they weren’t going to bow down like frightened animals. They were going to go out with a bang, if it came to that.

            A hail of bullets was fired from all sorts of guns. Machine guns, LMGs, sub-machine guns, assault and sniper rifles, everything that the force had to throw with small arms fire. Most of the rounds hit the mark…but after just a few moments, some of the troopers began to realize that not much was happening.

            Arell simply stood where she was, making no effort to avoid any of the fire (how could she, the bullets were too small to see). Her hands were behind her back, and she just watched, very much amused. This was actually a good time for this. After her little chat with her little Earthy…she could use some stress relief. One of the tanks fired at her. It hit the underside of Arell’s breasts. Other than causing a small bounce in her chest, nothing. She didn’t even flinch.

            “Target insight!” One of the pilots of the chopper said. “Is the missile ready?”

            “Yes, sir…” The other pilot replied, uncertain. “But targeting systems are down, sir! We can’t lock on the target!”

            “Then we’ll just have to do it the old fashioned way!” The man returned.

            The helicopter hovered closer to Arell, who turned her attention towards it, not even acknowledging the forces at her feet anymore. The missile was lowered from the bottom of the ship, and the pilot tried to steady the aircraft to keep it in line with the giant. She was a big target, with a nice big head. At the very least, he hoped to fuck up that pretty face.

            “Ready?” The pilot cried. “Fire!”

            “Firing!” The Co-Pilot shouted.

            The missile shot forth from the aircraft towards Arell. It flew in a straight line towards her head, and the pilot was hoping that it would hit her directly in of the eyes. Bradley saw the projectile coming too. It was coming on the side of Arell that he floated on, and he suddenly hoped that he wasn’t going to get hit himself with the explosion. He closed his eyes and began to silently pray that death was not about to find him.

            Arell made no attempt to avoid it…because she knew even as it was fired that it would miss. It soared right past the right side of her head, zipping right past Bradley who screamed. The wind of its passage fluttered some of Arell’s purple hair. Whatever happened to it, Bradley, nor the pilots saw. Arell simply chuckled.

            The helicopter then began to fire the turret on the front. The first few rounds hit Arell’s chest, and began to work up to her neck and face. As it did, she raised her right arm, the lights and lines glowing. This time, however, they were glowing yellow. With a flick of her wrist, Arell conjured up a yellow, transparent field of energy. It soaked up the bullets from the chopper as they began heading for her face.

            “What the fuck is that!?” The pilot yelled. He was beginning to have second thoughts. Had she just conjured a force field!?

            Arell wagged a finger at them. “nu uh,” She said, smiling. She began to touch up her hair, teasing them. “I don’t think so. I wouldn’t want you messing up my face.”

            She took two steps (that was all it took to get close to the chopper), her arm still extended. The pilots saw her coming and began to try to gain altitude to get out of her reach. They didn’t get far before Arell reached up, the yellow energy in her right arm disappearing, and clapped her hands together, catching the chopper in between both palms like a swatted fly.  She brushed her hands off, sending the ruined ship plummeting to the ground.

            “Alright,” She said, looking down at the other forces at her feet. Some of them were already withdrawing. “You Earthies made your choice. Now…you face the consequences.”

            Arell took one step and brought her foot down on top of the ground troops who were running from her. They disappeared in a new crater and a shroud of kicked up dust. With a quick kick of her left foot, Arell sent one of the tanks soaring into the sky at untold speed. How far it would go before it finally hit the ground, no one would be sure. Arell then dropped to her hands and knees and reached for one of the jeeps that had a mounted gun. With a simple tug, she pulled the MG off of the vehicle and then picked it up, looking at the terrified occupants.

            “I guess I should compliment your bravery…even if it is misguided and foolish,” Arell said, smiling at them. “Your reward is that I’ll try to make your deaths as quick and painless as possible. It’s only fair, I suppose. I’ll put you down and you can all line up and I’ll do a quick stomp. It will literally be over before you know it. Now…”

            She was interrupted when the other tank, which she had temporarily forgotten about fired at her. It was close and the impact was hard enough to cause Arell’s muscles to tense. She dropped the vehicle, and it crashed to the ground, where it exploded. Arell almost lost her balance, but managed to catch herself before completely falling. The tank and a few more troopers and jeeps remained.

            Rising to her feet again, Arell took a few steps back, feeling the bullets tickle her thighs, hips, and her crotch (there it was actually a little more than a tickle, but not really pleasurable). The tank fired again, this shot missing her entirely as it soared between her legs. Taking the time to find the fact that they had missed a target as big as her, Arell paused…and then took a big step forward and launched herself into the air.

            Both feet pounded into the pavement with ungodly force. A might boom and a tremendous quake rocked the earth, and a new hole was punched into the ground. The tremor from the impact collapsed the grocery store and some of the other nearby shops in the plaza. The ground troops (those lucky enough to not end up under Arell’s boots at that time) were thrown a good fifty feet before bouncing and rolling on the ground. Dazed and some injured, they all began to sprint away, a dozen or so little Earthies running for their little lives.

            Arell didn’t chase them. She watched them go, her hands on her hips, and smiled. They’d learned their lesson, and leaving some alive would help discourage any further resistance when they reported back to whatever base or compound they belonged to. She then brushed herself off and then examined herself. Naturally, no harm done. Her suit had eaten all of the harm those little weapons could do, and they hadn’t so much as pierced through the material. She took a step back, bent, and looked at the ground where she had hopped. A lot of smoke and twisted metal that didn’t even vaguely resemble the vehicles they once were. She chuckled softly.

            “Well…” Arell said, straightening. “That was exciting. No worries, though. Didn’t even begin to break a sweat. You can’t say that I didn’t warn them, can you, my little Earthy.”

            Her little Earthy didn’t reply.

            “No, you can’t,” Arell acknowledged his silence as acceptance. “It was never my intention to combat your little race, but, they made their choice. As your Earthies say, they made their bed, and now they have to lay in it. But, there was also no need to kill all of them. I’m sure you can appreciate that.” More silence. Arell turned her head, smiling. “It would be best to respond when I’m speaking, my…little……..”

            The words died on her lips. An ignorant observer would see her stand there for a second, looking towards her right shoulder, her eyes wide. Then, she looked over her shoulder. Then tried to peer at her back, then gazed up and searched the sky around her head. Then, she looked down towards the ground, holding her hair back from her face as she scanned the streets. They would know that she was looking for something, by her actions, but they wouldn’t know what.

But she did, naturally.

            And she knew it wasn’t a ‘what’ but a ‘who’. The reason for his silence was now clear.

            Bradley Peterson was gone.