BigBug
Chapter XXIX

The M&Ms were so focused in on their perverse obsession they took no notice of the two Cyclops coming into the holding pen. Moon and Seamus blasted the two M&Ms holding down the little girl at point blank range. Their evil heads popped and even as they melted Moon and Seamus fired in unison at the bastard with the branding iron. The witty cannibal, the sadistic monster, was hit twice. Once in the head and once in the chest. Its head popped and a great wound the size of a fist was burnt through its chest. The force of the two lasers threw it against the transparent wall of the big cell holding the children. The little girl tried to run out the open door but Bigbug the boy caught it.

“No,” it said, “you must wait. We all go together.” The other kids were in hysterics. They were screaming at Moon and Seamus. “It’s the disguise,” realized Bigbug the boy, “it is terrifying them. Punch in your code. De cloak.” Moon and Seamus punched in 0000. The Cyclops disappeared. Bigbug made calm down motions to the kids.

“Anyone speak English?” One little girl held up her hand. “Tell your friends to get dressed. We are here to get you out of here. We are here to rescue you.”

“I don’t think so, professor.” There were two M&Ms standing in the door way automatic weapons raised.” They are ours. Ours!” Eyes fixated on the kids. “ Step away, professor. Lay down your weapons and step away from our treats.”

Moon and Seamus at first did not understand why the M&Ms didn’t blast them then understood the situation in a flash. The little girl that Bigbug the boy had been holding was between Moon and Seamus and the M&Ms. The M&Ms were so hooked on the little girls they didn’t want to open fire if there was any chance the kids would be damaged. Moon and Seamus opened fire over the little girls’ head. The M&Ms reacted too late. They loosed off a couple of bursts as they went down. Moon was hit. Seamus rushed over to the M&Ms and melted their heads. He went back to Moon. He knelt down by Moon fearing the worst.

“They could hear us. Remember?” He picked a bullet out from his overalls. “Just as well they do not have lasers.”

“Wonder wool,” explained Bigbug the boy, “bullet proof, fire proof, all matters proof. AMP.” It motioned to the kids saying, “Follow us. Follow us. Quickly.” One of the little girls translated. They rushed out the cell door onto the jetty, Bigbug the boy leading, and Moon and Seamus bringing up the rear. An alarm began to wail. One flight down the M&Ms rushed out of their canteen where they were partying drinking pints of pure fresh human blood. They raised their weapons and howled at the fleeing party but they did not fire. The M&Ms came after them. They were howling. Bigbug the boy, the girls, Seamus and Moon, made it to Metro Data station. They locked and bolted the blast door to the tunnel behind them. As they did so they heard the M&Ms running along the short tunnel. The M&Ms began to hammer on the doors. Bigbug the boy ushered the kids onto the carriage. Moon and Seamus ran over and jumped aboard. The train started to move.

“Wait,” screamed Moon, “stop. Stop!” The train stopped. The doors to the tunnel were being hammered at ferociously.

“What is it?” asked Bigbug the boy coming back from the driver’s seat.

“It’s DATA,” said Moon pointing at the empty space, “It’s gone.”

Bigbug the boy thought hard. “But there is no one here but,” he shouted jumping off the train, “the janitor. Come with me,” he ordered Moon, “Seamus, cover the door.” It looked at Moon as it walked, “Punch in 0000.” Moon punched in his code and became a Cyclops. They walked to a small office situated at the back of the platform. The door was closed but a kiosk window was open. Inside was a Cyclops. This one could talk. There was no need to ask where DATA was. It was rolled up against the far wall with a lot of other bits and pieces.

“Ah,” said Bigbug the boy to the janitor Cyclops, “there it is. My beach ball. Open the door my good man and I’ll take it away.”

“I shall have to see a legitimate I.D, sir, and proof of ownership otherwise you shall have to fill out one of these forms, in triplicate, and wait for a period of time that will not be less than one calendar month and not exceed ten years.” Its big dopey eye wobbled and it grinned.

“There is no need for that,” spat out Bigbug the boy, “just hand it over and that’s an order.”

“Must be important,” stalled the Cyclops, “what is it? And what is all that noise? What is going on?” It pushed the form over to Bigbug the boy. “Triplicate, and don’t make any mistakes. There is a fixed penalty of five years delay for mistakes and it doesn’t matter who, or what, you are. The rules and regulations are very clear and inflexible.” Moon appeared in front of the Cyclops dressed in his high priest garb. The janitor Cyclops hissed to Moon “I am much honoured,” it bowed its horrible head in homage and Moon blasted it at close range with a laser. It melted all over the office, splattering Moon with hot Cyclops techno gore. Moon pushed the body onto the floor and climbed in the window. He ran over to DATA and rolled it over to the door. He unlocked the door and rolled DATA into the station. He and Bigbug the boy ran towards the Turtle train. The kids were sitting in the airplane crash position. Seamus was behind a pillar with his laser rifle aimed at the tunnel doors. The M&Ms were burning their way through. They would be onto the platform in a matter of seconds. Seamus saw what was happening. Moon rolled DATA onto the train. Bigbug started up and Seamus jumped on board as the doors crashed open. The M&Ms poured through howling and snapping. Seamus and Moon fired. M&Ms fell down but their comrades ignored them and ran after the Turtle train. They entered and sped along the tunnel, incredibly fast, and seeing their treats getting away only spurred them on. Moon and Seamus began to blast into the tunnel behind them with the lasers and then the train was in the safety of the darkness and speeding up. One of the girls screamed. An M&M had her by the arm his body bouncing off the tracks. It would not let go. They could not fire the lasers. Moon reached across to the little girl and managed to hand her his poisoned blade. The M&M was halfway over the side of the carriage. The little girl stabbed the bastard in the hand with the poisoned blade. It fell dead its heavy body, dropping off the train and bounced off the tunnel walls. Moon went up to Bigbug the boy at the driver’s end.

“The M&Ms are running along the track. They are still after the children. They can cover the 10 kilometres in 30 minutes, but we will be at the cut off Metro Shell in less than five. We are not stopping.” said Bigbug the boy, “There is a guard detachment of M&M’s at the other end. Let’s hope they have not been alerted and they are waiting for us.”

“So what?” spat Seamus waving his laser rifle, “we will blast them all to hell and back.” He was speaking with the bravado and assurance of one who has found resignation in courageous determination but his advanced middle aged, his overweight body, was replaceing it physically difficult to continue. His mind was still strong but he was shaking all over, panting hard, and out of breath.

Bigbug the boy slowed down the Turtle train to a crawl. He made the children hide down out of sight in the carriages. Bigbug the boy adjusted the laser rifles. “The M&Ms don’t know about these laser weapons. I designed them as a defence weapon in case the M&Ms went out of control again and attacked DATA. The rifle can fire a single shot and is fully automatic,” it said showing Moon and Seamus the fire control selection switch, “and this setting, BB, is bunker busting.” It set the weapons to BB. “If the M&Ms have been alerted they will be in the fortified station office which is normally impregnable.” Bigbug the boy smiled. “But not with these. I will stand up in the front of the train in full view. The M&Ms will not fire on me at first sight. I will drop down and that is our chance. Our only chance. Aim the lasers at the office and BB letters will appear pinpointing the target. Stay steady and pull the trigger. Do not miss. If the M&Ms manage to open fire on us, “it whispered, “it is curtains for the children.”

Seamus and Moon squatted down in the front of the Turtle and Bigbug took up position standing up straight above them. It drove the Turtle into Metro Shell and slowed down as they came up to the office. The M&Ms were in there waiting for them.

“Stop the train and get off.” The order was shouted out from station speakers. Bigbug the boy brought the Turtle to a halt a few meters from the office. “Get off the train or we will open fire.” Two heavy machine guns were pointed at them. Bigbug the boy waved at the M&Ms and dropped down.

Seamus and Moon came into the kneeling position and fired the laser weapons in the same instant the M&Ms fired their machine guns. The lasers melted the incoming rounds from the M&M machine guns. There were two searing balls of white heat and flame. The ammunition in the fortified office began to explode. Bigbug the boy accelerated the Turtle at full speed. As they sped by Seamus and Moon saw the smooth gaping hole where the office had just stood. The office, everything in there, and the M&Ms were completely vaporized. There was nothing left. Nothing at all except a smooth oblong shaped concrete cavity three meters high, six meters wide and three meters deep.

“Yes!” yelled Moon. He shouted at Seamus. “This is some piece of kit.”

“Yes,” said Bigbug the boy, “but we have a big problem now. The only way out is through Metro Ship and there are four more M&Ms there waiting for us.”

“Only four? We can take them,” said Moon to Seamus nodding his head and clapping Seamus on the back to encourage him. He knew Seamus was on his last legs.

He looked at Bigbug the boy. “What’s the problem?” asked Moon. Bigbug the boy was shaking his head.

Bigbug the boy stopped the train. “The lasers don’t work here.”

As if on cue as they entered the Schip Museum station the lights went off on the lasers.

“We are finished,” said Seamus looking at his laser.

“No, we are not. I have thought about this,” replied Bigbug the boy, “I have a solution.” Seamus and Moon looked at him. There was hope in Moon’s eyes but Seamus was finished. He was done in. Finished. “I have to revert go back to being Bigbug. I have to awaken the bugs in here,” it tapped its head. The boy in there was almost crying.

“No way,” said Moon. Seamus said nothing. He gripped the hilt of his poisoned blade tightly.

Bigbug the boy reached into his pocket and took out a small case. He opened it. There was a syringe inside.

“This syringe is filled with GUSH. I will go into the fortified hut as Bigbug and gas them,” it tapped the gills on its shoulders, “but you must,” the boy pleaded, “stick me with the spike as soon as I come out the hut. You must stick it in here.” It pointed at its eye. “Nowhere else will do. Either eye. Do not breathe in the gas. It is the only compound to knock out the M&Ms but to you it is lethal.” Bigbug the boy started up the train and they moved slowly into the station.

“One more thing when I revert DATA will start to awake. Get the kids to hang onto it and stop it rotating. The children will help. The little girl number 19 speaks English.”

The train pulled into Metro Ship 30 Meters below the Schip Museum and came to a halt. Besides the platform, floating by the lock-gate in the dock the Turtle 1 was moored up. The four M&Ms were inside the fortified hut. The hut had a panoramic view of the station. There were gun slits cut into the thick transparent armoured glass. Automatic weapons were pointed at them from a distance of less than twenty-five meters. They would all be cut to pieces if the M&Ms opened fire.

“Get off the train and line up against the station wall. Face the wall. Face the wall or we will open fire.”

“Here goes,” said Bigbug. It took an aerosol out from its jacket and shook it. “Be ye prepared.” It sprayed gas from an aerosol into its mouth. “Blood cleaner. Instant detox. Clubbers dream. Monday morning miracle. MMM.” It got off the train and waved at the M&Ms. It pulled Moon off the train with great strength. Bigbug was back. On the train, DATA began ever so slowly to twitch and turn. Bigbug frog marched Moon up to the M&Ms. “Everything is under control,” it said to the M&Ms, “take care of this one. DATA needs him for experimentation. He will be adapted.” Bigbug lifted Moon of his feet.

“He is the one?” asked the officer in charge.

“I have saved the treats for you,” Bigbug was oozing Bug juice. It ran down his nose out from his eyes and ears and dripped onto the floor. The children were getting off the train. They lined up against the wall. The M&Ms began to hop about and twitch and howl. Seamus, disguised as a Cyclops, rolled DATA against the station wall and sat on it. The kids waved at the M&Ms. The door opened.

“Bring him in here,” snarled the M&M officer. The door opened.

Bigbug threw Moon to one side and rushed into the office. It shoved the officer back and then there was a puff of gas that filled the hut. The M&Ms were overcome immediately. They fell down but Bigbug did not come out. It sat there in the gas glaring at Moon.

“DATA awakes,” it said.

On the platform, DATA made one rotation. The spinning Earth speeded up and for that revolution there was mayhem. Day became night, and night became day. DATA flipped Seamus onto the track. The kids jumped on DATA and tried to stop it gaining momentum.

“DATA calls me,” said Bigbug staring at Moon evilly. “We must re-engage.”

The kids were unable to stop DATA begin to spin. Seamus began to climb back up onto the platform. A rifle was shoved into the back of his neck. “Don’t move,” breathed the M&M standing on the track behind him. There were only three M&Ms in the hut. This one had been guarding the Turtle.

“Yes DATA,” Bigbug said still staring at Moon, “reboot all.”