Mecha-Kumonga
was waiting outside the Jalepino Club, around back by an exit. He was cold
and holding his jacket over his face as he looked around, waiting for someone
or something to show up. Suddenly, his cell phone rang.
"Hello," he said
with a deep, grainy voice. "What? You're at Hedorah Hills?" He was silent
as he listened but starting to get really freaked out. He could feel butterflies
in his stomach and was becoming very nervous.
"Listen man, you're
not well..." Mecha-Kumonga heard something and dropped his phone as he
checked out the area to see if anyone was snooping around. There was no
one to be seen and he picked up his phone to resume the conversation.
"This wasn't supposed
to happen," he said. "Those eight teens weren't supposed to die... Wait...
say what?" He then got scared for his life.
"No! I can't do
that! I won't!" He thought he heard footsteps. "Listen," he said as he
looked around nervously. "Meet me at the truck stop by the Baragon Subway
Line. It's not safe in this town anymore."
Mecha-Kumonga
made a quick 10 to 15 minute pit stop at the Jalepino Club. When he got
to the Esso Travel Center, his friend was nowhere to be seen. He went inside
and bought a drink and a few scratch tickets and talked a bit with the
man behind the fuel desk. Five minutes passed, then ten. Forty minutes
later and he still hadn't shown up.
'Where the Hell
are you?" he wondered. He was getting that nervous feeling again.
"I'll be back
shortly," he told the cashier as he went out back to dial his friend's
number.
"Come on, dammit!
Pick up!" he shouted. But there was no answer, just the answering machine.
He went back inside the station and told the cashier, "If anyone shows
up looking for me, tell 'em I went off to the Evil Lair and to catch me
there." It was the night when Evil Genius Man had the girls do lap dances
and striptease. Mecha-Kumonga walked out.
As he was passing
Dr. Phish's Secret Lair, he got the feeling he was being watched. Perhaps
it was just paranoia, what with a killer on the loose and all but Mecha-Kumonga
wasn't too sure. He kept looking around and behind him every couple seconds
just to see if anyone or anything was there. A hand came out and grabbed
him. He jumped back in fear as C-R-V fell out from behind some bushes.
He looked very weak.
"C-R-V, are you
all right? What happened?" Mecha-Kumonga asked as he helped his friend
up. "You never showed at the gas station." C-R-V was in state of shock
for he had seen such horrible sights that no man, woman or child would
ever wish to see. Kumonga saw something on the ground out the corner of
his eye. Blood was leaking from C-R-V.
"I..." C-R-V said
as he fell but was caught by Mecha-Kumonga. He could barely speak. "I know
who killed those..." he coughed. "Eight kids..." He died in Kumonga's arms,
who dropped his body when he heard footsteps nearby. It was very dark but
he saw the shape of a man running behind the Roostville Cable and Telephone
Company building, towards Desu Hill. He ran after whoever it was and found
a knife on the ground. Putting on one of his leather gloves, he picked
it up. The blade was covered with blood.
Sheriff Jaguar
was soon at the crime scene with Raptor and Melkor. Paramedics, after quickly
examining C-R-V's body, took him away for Forensics to go over. Gorgozilla
questioned Mecha-Kumonga about what had happened during the day between
him and C-R-V. He asked other questions also, such as, did C-R-V have any
known enemies? Was anyone making threats to him recently? The usual cop
rigmarole.
"Shit," Jet Jaguar
exclaimed. "That's nine victims." Raptor started to jot down notes about
the crime scene.
"It's strange,"
she noted. "C-R-V's face wasn't painted or carved into a sad or happy expression.
Like Kaiju-O Gojira. It doesn't seem to fit the pattern of the Comedy and
Tragedy killings." This disturbing news did not satisfy Jet's logic sensors.
He contacted Cam Eleon, who was riding with the medics to the Forensic
Lab, through his built-in radio Communicator.
"Cam, I want you
to check C-R-V. See if you can find any happy and/or sad faces carved or
drawn on him anywhere. Over and out." He turned to Raptor and said, "For
the safety of our citizens, I hope there's only one maniac on the loose
and not two." Jet walked over to see how Mecha-Kumonga was doing when his
Communicator started beeping. Out from his left hand came a miniature computer
screen with Cam Eleon's face on it.
"No sir," he said.
"No markings or drawings on the body." Jet wasn't too pleased with the
news. "However, he was wearing a pair of Comedy and Tragedy earrings. 99.9%
this is not some copy cat killer."
Gorgozilla, after
finishing interrogating Mecha-Kumonga, whispered something into Jet's ear.
His automatic response was, "Yes, good idea." Gorgozilla approached Earth
Baragon and Bato-Goji.
"Alright," he
said. "You two round up as many Mods as you can. We're going serial killer
huntin' on Desu Hill... again."
Jet gazed up at
the moon. "I hope we catch you soon, you son of a bitch!"
*****
Prince of Space
and Godzilla Guy were playing a video game and discussed it for a while
before Prince said to Rodan2000, "Hey, me and Godzilla Guy got an idea."
"What is it?"
he asked.
"It's a plan to
catch the Comedy and Tragedy Killer, or whoever else is out there," explained
Godzilla Guy.
"Oh no, not another
plan," R2K groaned.
"No, this time
it's fool proof!" insisted Prince.
"So were the last
three times and WE all nearly got killed," he reminded them.
"No! This is really
fool proof... You see, I happen to have a personal force field. Impenetrable
by anyone or anything. I'll walk outside with it on and the killer will
come at me. Then we all go after him!" Prince smiled and Rodan gave in
but he was hoping no one got hurt.
Prince of Space
walked outside and pretended to be getting something from his car but having
trouble with his keys. He started cursing loudly - loud enough for a nearby
killer to hear. Sure enough, a shadow came across a corner of the parking
lot. The glint of a blade vanished as he hid the weapon under his jacket
and walked up to Prince. He pulled out a map and asked for directions.
As Prince turned to point in the right direction, the blade flashed out...
and so did a camera flash. The killer looked toward its source and ran,
leaving a well acting Prince of Space lying on the ground "dead".
Rodan2000 ran
after the killer as fast as he could through the alleys of Roostville and
down the steps to the subway. Both of them jumped on a train, Rodan2000
barely making it in time as the doors closed behind him. With the hour
being so late, there wasn't anybody in the car but the killer had disappeared.
Rodan heard a footstep on the metal floor and whirled around to see the
killer, sword drawn, standing about seven feet away at the other end. He
roared and charged as the man threw a blast of negative energy at him.
Rodan dodged quickly but the sword barely nicked his wing as he dropped
to the floor. He regained his footing and looked into the face of the killer,
covered by a mask painted half like a laughing face and a crying one. He
tried to find a way to the door past the pterodactyl and they dodged back
and forth, blocking each other. The killer punched at Rodan but he caught
his fist, swiping back with his other wing. The killer was knocked to the
door as it opened and the train came to a stop. He ran out into the small
mall-like area with Rodan2000 on his heels. He followed him into an arcade
shop and the dark, shadowy room and flashing lights assailed his eyes.
Pinball machines and video screens lined the walls and virtual machines
stood in the two story middle of the room. A shadowy figure, barely visible
against the black background, flitted by. Rodan held a metal pole he had
brought along from the club. He could feel eyes on the back of his neck
and whirled around with the weapon clutched between his clawed wings. Pole
met sword as the two clashed and dueled for a few minutes, parrying, swiping,
kicking and clashing metal upon metal, fighting for their separate goals.
A kick to Rodan2000's chest and the killer was gone again, lost behind
an arcade game. Rodan followed but couldn't see anyone. He heard a noise
and looked up to see the killer at the top of a ladder to the ceiling scaffolding.
The pterodactyl flew up to the catwalk as his enemy came into view. The
killer stabbed at Rodan who dodged, but he leapt above and over his head,
jumping off the catwalk. Rodan2000 dove after him, spreading his wings
and blasting with a beam of Atomic Breath. His foe hit the ground running
toward an exit, smoking from the blast. Rodan followed but at the door,
he was met with a kick to the chest and chemical powder as the killer wielded
a fire extinguisher and set off the sprinkler system. By the time he made
it out of the arcade, the killer was nowhere in sight. Rodan2000 looked
down to see a knife with the masks of Comedy and Tragedy carved into the
handle. Picking it up and leaving, he got on the subway home.
All the while,
the Comedy and Tragedy Killer, out of costume, was watching him from the
Subway Coffee House.
*****
Sheriff Jaguar
was at the scene where Prince of Space was attacked. The Mods couldn't
pick up the killer's trail, nor did they know where Rodan2000 was. Jet
was called back to the Mod Station where Jenny was awaiting his arrival.
She was unaware of the second attack on Desutoroia by Khandejifer and that
Desu had told Melkor about what happened in the park.
"Sheriff, I..."
"What is it?"
the robot asked, almost as if he could feel compassion.
"I saw something
I think you should know about," she explained, frightened and worried to
death. "I was on my way to see a friend... when Desutoroia was attacked
by some guy who looked like him. I... I tried to assist him but the man
was very strong and threw me aside." She was shivering as she continued.
"They... continued to fight until a Mod helicopter flew overhead and shined
down their spotlight... The other man said as he ran, 'Another time, Desu!
Mark my words!' I... I'm afraid he will come back and try to kill him..."
Sheriff Jaguar had been advised of Air One's observation of what she described.
"Desu helped me
up and we hid from that man... He wouldn't tell me what the fighting was
about but Desu was concerned for my safety... after what the other man
said. He apologized and mentioned having 'more important issues to deal
with.' What could be more important than protecting his own life? I can't
believe he ran away..."
"But didn't someone
just try to kill him? Most people would run from something like that..."
Jet explained.
"Not Desutoroia!
What would such a man as he have to fear in this world?"
"I do not know
'fear' per se as I am merely a robot. I do understand that humans often
terrorize weaker members of the species and find it despicable. Your concern
for Desu is a joy to my data banks, I assure you."
"Desu has brought
great joy to so many with his talents as an actor. It must take a magnificent
human being to be able to do that as well as he does. You will help him,
won't you?" Her concern and sincerity were genuine. Jet assured her he
would and realizing how late it was, he had one of the Mods give her a
lift home. He told Melkor what she had related but Melkor kept what Desutoroia
had told him a secret and tried to to throw Jet off his friend.
"Can't you see?"
he yelled at the confused sheriff. "She's trying to 'insert' herself into
this mess! Sure, she probably just 'happened' to be in the park and this
'other guy' grabbed her for a 'shield'. Since her 'hero' was also involved,
why not make it sound like she was a TRUE co-star in the whole thing? Every
soap opera fan-girl's dream is to be IN this... DREAM WORLD they see unfolding
before their eyes day in and day out." The Dark Lord had to pause and get
his own thoughts together, 'winging it' as he was.
"I just don't
understand so many things about people," Jet Jaguar admitted, his sophisticated
computerized brain unable to find logic in what Melkor was proposing. Melkor
became more sympathetic to the Sheriff's situation and finally calmed down.
"A lot of things
don't make sense to me either at times, like the mass murder of six people,
attacks out of nowhere, people getting shot at and even killed in their
place of business. When will this town get back to normal?" Melkor was
clearly distressed and JJ advised he go home and get some sleep.
"Maybe tomorrow
we'll be able to get a handle on at least SOMETHING. There is a tremendous
amount of physical evidence to review that we didn't have when this all
started. Hopefully, some leads will develop and we can track this murderer
down once and for all!" Melkor bid the robot goodnight and left him at
his desk. It was now tomorrow and he would no doubt find himself pondering
the new evidence (as well as Desu's information) all too soon.
DAY 4 - February
4th
It was a new day
at the Mod Station and Sheriff Jet Jaguar had arrived rather early. On
his desk was a tape entitled ROOSTVILLE: THE SOAP OPERA. He put it into
the VCR and sat down to see a typical episode unfold. As the 'It's time
for a word from our sponsor,' came up, the Comedy and Tragedy symbol appeared
on screen.
"What the Hell?!"
Jet shouted out loud as he nearly short-circuited. This aroused his suspicions
and he decided to visit the TV station. He was immediately escorted to
the office of Roostville TV's Executive Producer, SON OF C-R-V, a good
friend of C-R-V's. They co-owned Curtis Robert Video Productions, Ltd.
SON wasn't aware of the untimely demise of his associate. Jet chatted a
bit about Desutoroia's career as a TV star. SON explained that ROOSTVILLE:
THE SOAP OPERA appealed to teenyboppers, housewives and even guys who perhaps
wanted to be in Desutoroia's shoes, or at least be like him to some degree.
After a good two hours and a half, Jet felt he had found out everything
he needed to know.
"Thank you for
letting me take up some of your time," Jet said as he left.
"Anytime, Sheriff,"
SON OF C-R-V said. Jet walked around back of the station, pushed a button
and out came the computer screen-communication device in his arm. Melkor's
face came on the screen.
"Hello, Sheriff.
How may I help you?"
"I've pieced some
of this puzzle together, I believe. I just came from having a chat with
the executive producer at the TV station. The earrings found on C-R-V,
the knife the killer used, the Comedy and Tragedy trademark... I think
our killer is perhaps a fan of Desutoroia's work as an actor." Melkor was
very shocked and surprised.
"Explain," he
said.
"I'll fill you
in on the rest of the details when I get back to the Station."
*****
Rodan2000 found
himself on the subway and must've passed out. The lurching woke him as
the train came to a stop. He found himself in Kong Town and looked around
Kong Town Square, utterly confused and bewildered. The subway system had
specific trains that roam throughout the Kaiju Nations, as well as the
Inter-Isle ones. He looked around, not seeing anything familiar and walked
over to a coffee shop to wake himself up. Ordering an expresso, he sat
down to drink it and started watching the TV. When ROOSTVILLE: THE SOAP
OPERA came on, his eyes widened and he fully woke up. As the theme song
ended, the Comedy and Tragedy symbol flashed up and "Sponsored by the Kong
Town Amateur Actors Club" rolled across the screen. He looked from the
logo to the knife he had found the night before. They were the same.
"I better tell
the Sheriff," he thought out loud and grabbed his cell phone. The battery
was dead but his mental gears began turning. Rodan2000 decided to pay a
visit to the Kong Town Amateur Actors Club.
He soon reached
the building used by the club and knocked on the door. A short guy wearing
a beret introduced himself as the director of the organization. Rodan2000
said he was looking for someone he thought might have been a member. He
wanted to ask some questions about the person and where he might find him.
He was invited in and they passed through the sets of different independent
films and plays. All the props and sets bore the redundant Comedy and Tragedy
symbol, identical to the one on the knife. His wily pterodactyl brain thought
the killer might be involved somehow with the Club, possibly even the soap
opera.
"Do you mind if
I charge my cell?" he asked.
"Go ahead," the
man said. They sat down at a coffee table and Rodan2000 began his interrogation.
"I'm looking for
a... friend of mine but I can't seem to find him. I'm pretty sure he was
in this club a few years ago, maybe even still is. He seems to be a good
actor, loves to wear masks and is, well, sort of obsessed with the club
logo."
"Ohh, well, we're
very proud of it ourselves."
"My friend..."
"Ohh, yeah. Well,
he sounds like one of our members. We had a young man who always was trying
on the masks and he's even the one who designed the logo itself. This might
be your friend." The man shrugged his rather short body. "Other than that,
I'm not quite sure."
"Well, do you
have any records of him?" R2K asked hopefully. "Name, address, phone number?"
"Unfortunately,
all of our records of him and the members of that year were recently stolen.
Peculiar, don't you think?" he asked, making small talk.
"Indeed..." His
cell phone plugged into the wall beeped and Rodan2000 picked it up.
"Excuse me, I
have to make a call." He quickly dialed the Sheriff, telling him the news
and happenings of the previous night.
"You know that
was a very stupid thing you and your friends did," Jet said. "Where in
blazes are you?"
"I'm... ahem...
in Kong Town. I passed out on the subway and ended up in Kong Town Square
but I'm thinking I have a lead on the... you-know-who..."
"You mean the...
(whispered) killer?"
"Yeah, it seems
the logo he uses on all his... belongings... is the symbol for the Kong
Town Amateur Actors Club. And a specific person who was always wearing
masks, especially one that was half Comedy and half Tragedy, designed the
symbol."
"Strange."
"And even stranger,
all files and records of the guy were recently stolen."
"That makes this
man a prime suspect, whoever he is..."
"Have any information
that I could use? I'm still with the club's director..."
"Yeah, he seems
to be highly obsessed with ROOSTVILLE: THE SOAP OPERA."
"Okay. Thanks.
Talk to you later..." The phone conversation ended and Rodan2000 returned
to the director. "Well, that was another friend of mine. He said the guy
I'm looking for is a big fan of ROOSTVILLE: THE SOAP OPERA."
"Ohhh, I remember
him now, yes. This has to be the person you're looking for. His name was...
gah... gah... something."
"GAMZILLA? Gamingboy?"
"No, no. Ahh,
Godzilla Guy. That was it. Godzilla Guy!" Rodan2000 was shocked. His friend,
THE KILLER?. That was impossible, wasn't it? Yes, it was. Godzilla Guy
had been right there with them as they set up the plan to trap the killer.
No, wait. He left to go get the Mods in case they needed help when the
killer came. He hadn't come back by the time the chase began. It was a
possibility.
He left the studio,
confused and bewildered. Above all, a strange and small feeling was creeping
up his spine as he waited for the next Inter-Isle train: fear...
Jet Jaguar, Melkor
and Raptor were waiting when Rodan2K dragged himself out of the car. Everyone
in the subway station was looking his way as the very distinctive robot
Sheriff and his crew formed a protective escort about the embarrassed innkeeper.
"Is this really
necessary, folks? I mean... some of my customers could be here and see..."
"Don't sweat the
small stuff," Raptor advised, all the while scanning the crowd for anything
unusual. "We're the good guys, remember?" The pterodon was hustled into
the front seat of Jet's cruiser and the other two Mods got in their cars.
The trip to the Mod Station was quick and accompanied by blue lights and
sirens. Rodan didn't like coming into the complex through the sliding double
chain link fences and then pulling into the sally port with its heavy steel
overhead door clanging down behind him. He and the Sheriff had to pass
through two more electronically controlled steel doors before they were
in the Booking area. The officer on duty took JJ's keys to move his car
while he and his visitor took care of more important details.
Comfortably seated
in the Sheriff's office, Jet was ready to put their respective day's work
in some kind of logical order.
"As I've already
told Melkor, I talked to the Executive Producer at the TV station. Those
Comedy and Tragedy symbols are quite popular around here, it seems, to
where even serial killers are fans of a stupid TV show, of all things!"
"What I can't
figure out is who would want to steal membership records from the Actors
Club?" Rodan wondered out loud.
"I'm guessing
someone is trying to cover up a trail," Melkor offered.
"I guess I can
call the Sheriff over there and see what he might have on the case and
if anything fits in with what's been going on over here," JJ figured. "But
if their membership is as extensive as I think it would be, we'll be seeing
90 percent of the population of Roostville on their rolls." Melkor and
Raptor eyed each other and snickered.
"And you two can
take care of any follow-up if that case does lead back to Roostville,"
Jet informed the two thespians, resulting in not very convincing portrayals
of extreme distress.
"Now, R2K, do
you feel safe enough to return to your club and go about your business
as usual?" the Sheriff asked the now laughing 'dac. The tension of the
night before had finally been broken and he felt that would be an excellent
idea.
"Oh, by the way,"
JJ added. "Don't mention any of this to ANYONE, OK?" Rodan2K agreed, considering
so many people could be members of the actors' club - and the killer.
*****
Desutoroia sat
at home in Desu Mansion. For the first time since the incident at the park,
he was feeling more relaxed. On the table beside him, he glanced at the
letter Rez0007 said was delivered to him but addressed to Desutoroia. He
picked it up, hesitant to open it. There was a loud knock on the door and
he dropped the letter to the floor. Unaware of who or what waited for him
on the other side, he approached with extreme caution. For all he knew,
death could be calling. When he opened it, there was Jenny.
"Desu!" she beamed
enthusiastically and hugged him, holding on tight. She never wanted to
let him go. As for any feelings Desutoroia may have had for her, with Khandejifer
on the loose, he made sure to keep them from being seen. He tried to see
Jenny as nothing more than an acquaintance or a friend. There was love,
passion and affection in her eyes, true in every way but all Desutoroia
wanted to see was lust, longing, desire and a craving from within her.
His strong gift of mentality was destroyed when the Universal Dominator
changed who he once was. Jenny could see the distress, sadness, dejection,
grief, gloom and sorrow that he was trying to hide and tried to comfort
him. She asked what it was that made him like this as he was kind enough
to invite her in.
"The death of
my wife was a very horrible moment in my life," he said as he glared at
the emptiness of the floor. "At first I couldn't get over it and felt lost
without her... until I realized that she... her soul was at peace." In
Desutoroia's mind, he could see the events that led to the destruction
of Mephistophelian and his alien space craft.
"Then why... why
live a life of loneliness and suffering?" she asked, almost crying for
him.
"It was... it
was the loss of a good friend... and what happened to him..."
"What happened?
It's about time you opened up to someone..." He looked at her and she saw
in his eyes... nothing, as if his soul were empty.
"It was in Maser
City... and me and my friend, Hozay, had just arrived there. I had no one
of my own but Hozay had brought his soon to be wife, Mallory, with him."
Desutoroia looked up at a photograph hanging on the wall with Hozay, the
former Hellspawn; Mallory, Desutoroia and Godzilla Guy. "We were poor,
had no money and were staying at the a hotel there. Our rent was overdue
and we found ourselves working on a rather... cold-hearted job." He had
flashbacks of him and Hozay trying to assassinate Project Pimp and the
Monster Zero Administration, on numerous occasions against their own free
will and almost getting caught by MC and MZ Mods.
"We got caught
up with the Maser City Mafia." Desutoroia looked back at the picture with
disgust. He despised the memories it brought back. "My oath was fulfilled
and I was able to resign from the Mob. Hozay wished for the same but he
had unfinished business with the Mob boss. That night, Hozay had a meeting
with him. When he returned, he was devastated." He glanced at the picture
one last time with a feeling of hatred in his gut.
"Hozay's fiancé
had been murdered... After that, we came to Roostville where I became a
big success. Hozay chose the path of darkness and lived the rest of his
days making those around him suffer..." In Desutoroia's mind, he saw a
mental collage of the evil devil beasts: Hellspawn, Apocalypse and Mephistophelian.
The last image he saw was Mephistophelian's defeat.
'Hozay,' Desutoroia
thought to himself, 'I hope that wherever you are, God can have mercy and
forgiveness for your soul.'
*****
Rodan2000 was
at the Club again. He thought there could be no way the killer was Godzilla
Guy. He was a good guy, along with Prince of Space, Kiryu Goji and all
of R2K's other friends. They were not the bad guys but working for the
good of all Roostville and the other Kaiju Nations. Godzilla Guy was always
helping people. He was always at the Club. No, he couldn't be the killer.
During the Roostville
election, there were lots of killers, enough to cause a massacre at the
Mayor's penthouse and destroy most of Maser City. There was a group of
them then and could be another now. Godzilla Guy could be one of them...
This was bad and Rodan2000 hoped as hard as he could that Godzilla Guy
was not the killer. He would have contemplated more if not for a loud noise
outside. He ran to see what it was and as he opened the door, he came face
to face with the killer. He ducked as he swung his blade and the pterodactyl
delivered a winged uppercut. The attacker was knocked into a nearby car,
setting off its alarm. Before he could get up, the door was shut and the
killer was left outside. Approaching sirens scared him but he wasn't fast
enough and quickly caught by the Mods.
Prince of Space
put his hand on Rodan2000's shoulders and asked, "Is everything all right,
man?" He cut back to reality where the killer was still on the loose and
stared into the parking lot.
"I was just daydreaming,"
he explained. "About the day when the Mods catch this murdering maniac..."
"Don't worry...
They caught ol' GAMZ, they can catch this bastard," Prince said with a
smile. "The question is, when and how many people will have to die before
they do?" His smile turned to a look of sadness. Rodan2000 started to pay
close attention to Godzilla Guy, who was entertaining Kiryu Goji and some
of the other guests at this late hour.
*****
Meanwhile at Desu
Mansion, after informing Jenny about the tragedies of his friend Hozay,
Desutoroia still had more to tell of the madman's life.
"I remember it
like it was yesterday," he continued. "One day I was chatting with Hozay
and everything was all right, he said... everything was all right. But
something happened to him that night... something that changed his life
forever..." The images of the Black Mass and Hellspawn rising up as the
Devil-God of Roostville, nearly destroying the world, filled his mind.
He could feel the terror of those killed by the savage monster. He could
feel their pain.
"The next day,
he was different... I'll never forget the last thing he said before leaving
to go back to Halifax... 'I won't be denied my destiny, Desu! Not by you.
Not by anyone!'" He gazed at Jenny and saw innocence in her. He knew the
more he told her, the further down the rabbit hole she'd go until she was
caught up in his world and in harm's way. He didn't want to get her involved
and never spoke about it to anyone. It was much easier to open up to a
stranger than to anyone he knew...
"A few years had
passed and I hadn't heard from him until one day, I got a letter saying
he was coming back to Roostville for a short visit." Desutoroia paused
as he picked up an old newspaper from a few months back. The lead article
was about the notorious Hellspawn escaping from prison and performing the
Black Mass ceremony on the Kaiju Nations border. It also told about him
being behind the terrorist attacks on Roostville and the other cities;
blackmailing the entire town to elect him Mayor of Roostville.
"And I suppose
you know how this story ends," he said, putting down the paper and staring
at the picture on the wall. Jenny was concerned about him.
"And where is
this Hozay... Hellspawn now?" she asked. Desutoroia heard the ringing voice
of Mephistophelian in his head.
"Vengeance is
always an important factor in war," it said.
"Dead." Desutoroia
replied as though he had no feelings. "Most likely dead. But if he's not,
I've... got to find him... Before it's too late..."
"Desu! Please,"
Jenny said fearfully. "Maybe your last few encounters with this friend
of yours weren't very pleasant." She started to come over to hold him.
"Look at you... you're a wreck... a mess. Stop focusing on all the bad
times and try to remember the good times." He pushed her away.
"I didn't want
you getting yourself involved... Please, for the overall sake of God...
stay out of my life for now..." Desutoroia was frustrated and looked out
the window and saw how dark it was. The clock told him it was much later
than he had anticipated.
"Perhaps you should
stay here tonight..." He was almost whispering. "You can sleep in the bedroom
and I'll take the couch..."
*****
After destroying
the television set by his side, Khandejifer found he could not concentrate
on the intricacies of Necromancer: The Book of the Damned Dead.
Instead of raging at himself for his mental distraction, he focused on
the REAL OBJECT of his obsession: Desutoroia.
"No matter what
happens, I must never forget about you, not even for a single moment in
this endless eternity." With his enhanced capabilities, he saw the solution,
right where the television's bright screen had so recently shown the handsome
Lord Desutoroia Khandejifer, intoning some ridiculous story about the doings
of fictional, insignificant cardboard characters.
"Humans... and
their lust to escape reality. To think such pathetic creatures take enjoyment
in this travesty..." he mused. "What is so... awe-inspiring and astonishing
about these fictional, yet inhuman... people?" ROOSTVILLE: THE SOAP OPERA
seemed to be all anyone talked about in casual conversation on the street,
in coffee shops and just about everywhere. They wore T-shirts emblazoned
with the show's masques of Comedy and Tragedy, jewelry of the classic symbol.
When it was airing, the streets were nearly deserted as everyone sat glued
to their televisions.
"But not for much
longer..." Khandejifer thought as an evil smile spread across his face.
*****
Rodan2000 heard
a knock at the club door and reached for the handle with a clawed wing.
It was the Comedy and Tragedy Killer. He winced as the vision subsided
and he thought about opening the door. He hesitated and the person knocked
again.
"Who is it?"
"It's me..." a
gruff voice he didn't recognize finally came through the door.
"Who's me..."
"Uhhh, Mecha-Kumonga."
"Okay..." Rodan2000
again was about to answer the door but the vision returned, only more intense.
"How do I know it's you?" He would have looked through the keyhole but
when the Transformers had attacked those many years ago, they had destroyed
his door and the replacement didn't have a keyhole. The innkeeper cursed
himself for not having a peephole and slowly opened the door. As he did,
he had to duck to avoid the blade slicing through the air, directly where
his head had been.
"You saw me. I
cant let you tell!" the masked man said in the gruff voice Rodan didn't
recognize.
"Then take me
on!" he yelled at his assailant. The others in the bar ran downstairs.
Yuri screamed as she saw the situation. A protective roar echoed through
the club from the new cat, Tigerlily. She leapt from the table where she
had been curled up and in the air, she evolved into a humanoid tiger-like
creature.
"I am Tigerlily
FireBlossom," she roared with the voice of Catherine Zeta Jones, a lion
roar echoing behind the human voice. She stood at 6'-3", her long tail
twitching in and out as she flexed her claws. "And you are evil!" she finished,
stalking forward and standing upright. The Killer roared, then transformed
into an upright standing male lion, roaring in anger.
"I am Nightmare
Seesar! Hahaha!" he roared. He was indeed a nightmare, just like Seesar,
only thinner, leaner, more muscled and stone black. He had a mane speckled
red and brown and his eyes shown blood red. "And you will not be any challenge
to me!"
"Then bring it
on. I've been waiting for a challenge!" she said and the two flung themselves
at each other, claws outstretched and ready for a fight. The Nightmare
Seesar slashed and clawed at Tigerlily Fireblossom but she countered, using
her hands as a shield. As if she were pitching baseballs, she hurled energy
blasts of fire at the evil killer. Its eyes widened and started to glow
as he let loose a beam of energy from his eyes, known as the Nightmare
Beam attack... They then battled with mighty swords as the sound of a door
bell ringing echoed through the room. Rodan2000 found himself glaring down
at his cat who had a glowing crystalline shape on her forehead and her
eyes were shining bright and multicolored. The were-cat critter that had
struck his place was nowhere to be seen. Everyone was minding their own
business as if nothing had happened. The door bell rang and the cat meowed
at him, trying to pull him away from the door. He realized that when the
Lion Man-Monster attacked, it was a foresight to a possible future event.
Did his cat have psychic abilities, as odd as it sounded? Rodan2000 had
no time to worry about that and proceeded to the door. He opened it and
found a letter on his doorstep. On the envelope was written "Comedy and
Tragedy." He picked it up and closed the door. Opening the envelope and
reading through the letter, supposedly written by the serial killer, he
noted:
A,
D, E, H, I, L, O, R, S, T, V, Y, 5, 4, 5.
'What nonsense
is this?' he wondered. But only time would tell. 'Perhaps I should give
this to the Mods...' The pterodactyl walked over to the big screen TV combo
and had it dial up the Mod Station.
"Yes? Oh, R2k.
Any news?" Raptor took the call.
"Yeah. I got this
letter on my front door and it seems to be from the killer. I'm faxing
it to you now." He put it on the fax machine and pressed SEND. "See if
you can make anything out of it." There was a pause as Raptor went to get
her message.
"A, D, E, H, I,
L, O, R, S, T, V, Y, 5, 4, 5... What the heck is that supposed to mean?!"
"I thought you
might be able to figure it out. Maybe it's a code of some kind. Try names
or places, but other than that, I have no idea."
"Well, we'll start
to work on it. Call you if we get anything..."
"Okay." 'What
could it be...' he pondered, picking it up and reviewing it in his head.
The killer walked
away after leaving his "clue" at the Jalepino Club, not nearly as pleased
with the endeavor as he had hoped to be. As he had approached the door,
a strange sensation came over him, as if all his careful planning and course
of action were about to be thrown aside. Someone, some THING had looked
into the deepest recesses of his soul. Shaking off the weird experience,
he continued on his way, strolling along like any other citizen would.
Sheriff Jaguar
considered the fax from Rodan2K but whatever "message" it was supposed
to contain eluded even his sophisticated, analytical brain. Reviewing what
hopefully did make more sense, he phoned Sheriff Young of Kong Town to
see if the disappearance of the Actors Club records might tie into the
grisly murders taking place in Roostville.
The burglary had
taken place prior to the murder
of Lord Desutoroia and the
election to replace Morgoth as Mayor. The missing records contained
last year's current membership roster and portfolios with the plays and
shows they had been involved with.
"Everyone in the
club was quite put out by the whole thing," Sheriff Young advised. "The
club is pretty much THE place for performers and various technicians to
go for jobs. At the same time, studios and producers list their requirements
with the club and everyone benefits. With the loss of those portfolios,
the members had to go and reconstruct their resumes, you might say, to
present to potential employers to let them know what they had done in the
field."
"No doubt a major
task for those who have extensive credits, I would say..." Jet figured.
"Can you think of any cases similar to this one?" Sheriff Young could not
and it looked like any leads in Kong Town had dried up as far as the murder
investigation was concerned.
"You know, despite
some of the real stinkers the locals have managed to get on stage, screen
and television, that Roostville soap opera you folks have is really something,"
Sheriff Young added. "Even though it's only broadcast on your cable system,
we're constantly seeing bootleg tapes of it at every convenience store
and it's a favorite topic around the water cooler. I never figured I'd
take to watching that kind of stuff myself but it's pretty interesting,
especially with that classy guy who does the introductions."
"Oh, you mean
Lord K?" Jet chuckled. "Quite the character, isn't he?"
"You, sir, are
apparently not aware of his tremendous popularity across so many demographics,"
the Kong Town sheriff laughed. "Around here, he's everything from a teenage
heart throb to a male role model." Jet didn't want to bust his fellow lawman's
bubble as he apparently wasn't aware of Lord K.'s current situation, in
addition to all that had befallen the personable fellow.
"The local fans
went APE when the show was suddenly canceled at the beginning of the season,"
Sheriff Young continued. "Good thing it's back on or who knows what they
would have turned to. Maybe even POKEMON® or some such nonsense." Jet
winced at the thought of THAT possibility and thanked his counterpart for
his help.
Jet began to focus
more on the popular local offering and wondered how it might tie into what
was befalling Roostville. The cable network's executive producer, SON OF
C-R-V, had also mentioned ROOSTVILLE: THE SOAP OPERA's appeal on so many
different levels.
The earrings found
on C-R-V turned out to be ones he usually wore, SON had told him when he
delivered the sad news of his demise. The knife with the Comedy and Tragedy
trademark was another matter and not part of the massive merchandising
line the show had spawned. That led Jet to believe the initial idea that
the serial killer was perhaps a fan needed serious reconsideration.
Mecha-Kumonga
was a good friend of C-R-V's and the deceased had expressed his concern
as soon as news of the first murders broke and the strange make-up job
the victims had received. C-R-V thought it had something to do with the
popular show he was responsible for and was concerned about HIS safety.
He didn't have any known enemies and was proud to be able to provide shows
the audience appreciated but if he had to pull ROOSTVILLE: THE SOAP OPERA,
he would. Kumonga didn't think that was a good idea at all and they were
going to try to come up with some way to keep it on the air, yet at the
same time, show proper broadcast responsibility. He had gone to his house
in Hedorah Hills to pick up some forecast figures he had run on the impact
of discontinuing the series. CR wanted him to blow up the transmission
tower so there would be no way the show could air but he refused to take
such drastic measures. They were going to meet at the truck stop and discuss
it further but C-R-V was attacked and died before he could reveal who the
assailant was. Sheriff Jaguar put his AI in gear for some big time computing.
*****
At the Jalepino
Club, R2K heard a knock on the door and asked who was there.
"Girlscoots!"
answered the voice of a little girl. When he opened the door, a wave of
blood hit him and a body landed at his feet, a little girl, only six or
seven. Her throat had been cut, her eyes ripped out and on her face, painted
in her own blood, was a Tragedy masque.
"Oh my God..."
R2K threw up what little he had eaten earlier. Suddenly, the lights went
out and when they came back on, there was Nightmare Seesar with his throat
slashed, one arm missing and he too had his face painted with his own blood
to look like the Comedy representation.
Yuri Manda woke
up screaming. Rodan2000 was by her side but his sleep was a deep one. She
knew he was still alive by the feel of his breath on her. Yuri looked at
him and saw over and over again the look on his face. It was twisted and
a sign of pure evil. The blood symbolized the killings yet to come. Yuri
was psychic and could sense the evil that roamed freely out there. The
slashed throat of the Nightmare Shiisa was a most frightening sight for
her. The phone by her side started to ring.
"Hello," she said
and was quite surprised at who was calling. "Mayor Celindeàl? Wha-what's
the problem?"
"I'm sorry to
contact you at such a late hour," the Mayor of Megalon Town replied. "But
word has reached my ear of the unsettling killings in Roostville." He paused
for a moment but Yuri said nothing. "You have also had the vision, haven't
you?"
"Yes..."
"I sent you, Sheriff
Manda, to Roostville... to end and rectify the unbalance of the world.
That time I thought had passed, three months ago but now I see... I see
that this war is far from being over."
"You don't have
to worry for me, Mayor. I am a Guardian chosen by the First Emperor of
Utopia to protect the world. If this maniac destroys my body, my soul will
still live..."
"I know... It's
happened before. Lord Jimifulss' assassination attempt. But I wanted to
warn you... of the evil yet to come..." Yuri looked away as she heard something
outside.
"I have to go,
Mayor... I'll call you back..." Yuri walked over to the window and saw
Rodan2000's cat, Tigerlily, outside and trying to get in.
"How'd you get
out there?" she asked as she picked up the cat and took her in, reclosing
the window. Yuri then laid back down and tried to get some sleep.
DAY 5 - February
5th
Early the next
morning, Yuri awoke and decided to flip on the TV to the Roostville News
Network. Rodan2000 was still in a deep sleep as she watched reporter Paulzilla
discussing a political issue that seemed to have nothing to do with Comedy
and Tragedy killings. Suddenly, a voice seemed to dub Paulzilla's discourse
and was saying, "We interrupt this report to bring you a special news bulletin."
The scene changed to Desu Hill, just outside of the house of Jangofett
and Rodan70. Mods were everywhere and the cameraman focused on Sheriff
Jaguar who was preparing to make a special report. Yuri was shocked beyond
words when she found out a young girl who had been mutilated was the daughter
of a fellow Roostafarian.
The Sheriff's
final words on national TV were, "Please. If anyone has any information
on the Comedy and Tragedy murders, feel free to contact myself or anyone
at the Mod Station." News reporter Steve Martin was at the scene of the
crime also and made note that the family had a pet Shiisa (Seesar). It
was no Nightmare Shiisa but a Shiisa nonetheless. Yuri shook Rodan2000
to try and wake him up. Tigerlily had curled up on the foot of the bed
and looked up toward them as a voice entered Yuri's mind. The cat was speaking
again and its voice was more of a thought pattern. Yuri would've dismissed
it immediately if not for her own psychic abilities that could separate
the voice from her own ideas. It got stronger and gave the thought that
once again, everything would be all right. Things would be fine eventually.
The war had begun, but it would end. There were hardships ahead but they
would pass. 'Keep strong,' the thought told her, 'things would end up all
right.' It comforted her and the cat smiled, returning its gaze to the
TV.
CHAPTER
3: The Comedy
and Tragedy Killer |