Page 48 of My Big Fat Fake Alien

Giscard's smile turns predatory as he gestures to the massive asteroid section visible through the window. "Beautiful, isn't it? Nature and technology in perfect harmony."

My blood runs cold as the implications hit me. "That's not just decoration, is it?"

"Very perceptive." He taps the glass. "This entire section can be launched. Right at the Yellowstone caldera. One impact, and..." He makes an explosive gesture with his hands. "The supervolcano will do the rest. Earth enters a new dark age."

My knees buckle. I grab his pant legs, the expensive fabric bunching in my desperate grip. "Please, you can't. There are children down there. Innocent people."

"My dear girl." His hand pats my head, gentle like he's soothing a frightened pet. "Don't distress yourself. They won't suffer long. And afterward, they'll be reborn into something greater."

Tears blur my vision. "I'll do anything. Just don't?—"

"There, there," he soothes, still stroking my hair. "All will be welcome to Ataxia's breast?—"

Karc's fist connects with the back of Giscard's head with a satisfying crack. The Grolgath leader crumples to the floor like a marionette with cut strings.

I wipe my eyes, glaring at Karc. "What took you so long?"

"I needed him distracted." He offers me a hand up. "Let's stop him from launching the asteroid."

CHAPTER 22

KARC

The corridor stretches ahead, a maze of steel and glowing conduits, but the real obstacle isn’t the layout—it’s the horde of Grolgath blocking our path. More than a hundred of them, scales glinting under the harsh artificial light, armed with blades, staves, and spiked gauntlets. Their hisses echo off the walls, a cacophony of reptilian menace.

Raven’s grip tightens on my arm. “Why don’t they have guns?”

“Projectile weapons are ill-advised on space stations like this one,” I say, my voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through my veins. “They might knock a hole in their atmospheric dome. But don’t underestimate them. Those weapons in their hands are just as deadly.”

She gives me a sideways glance, her dark eyes narrowing. “Then why are you smiling?”

“Because I am far more lethal.”

The rage I’ve been holding back since seeing my father collapse on the street boils over. My vision tints red, and I charge into the fray like a hurricane. The first Grolgath swings a spiked mace at me, but I catch its arm mid-swing, twist, and snap the bone with a sickening crunch. The sound fuels me.

“Stay close!” I bark at Raven, but she’s already darting to the side, using her agility to avoid the chaos. Smart girl.

I grab a Grolgath by the throat and hurl it into three others, sending them sprawling. Another lunges at me with a serrated blade, but I sidestep and drive my elbow into its scaled face, feeling the crunch of cartilage under the impact. Its weapon clatters to the ground, and I snatch it up, using it to parry a swing from a Grolgath wielding a double-headed axe.

“Karc!” Raven’s voice cuts through the din. I glance over just in time to see her duck under the swing of a Grolgath limb and kick the back of its knee, sending it crashing to the ground. She grabs a dropped dagger and jams it into the creature’s side. It lets out a guttural howl and falls.

I grin despite myself. “Not bad, Blackbird.”

She smirks, though there’s a flicker of fear in her eyes. “I’m full of surprises.”

The Grolgath swarm me again, and I focus on the fight. I’m a blur of motion, my fists and feet a whirlwind of destruction. I rip a staff from one’s hands and use it to shatter the jaw of another. A blade grazes my shoulder, but I barely feel it. The pain is nothing compared to the fire burning in my chest.

But they keep coming. A spiked gauntlet slams into my ribs, and I grit my teeth against the sharp, searing pain. Another strike to my thigh, and I feel the warm trickle of blood. They’re wearing me down, but I can’t stop. If I do, Raven dies.

I let out a roar, a primal sound that echoes through the corridor, and redouble my efforts. I grab two Grolgath by the skulls and smash them together, the impact sending them crumpling to the ground. A third tries to tackle me, but I pivot and drive my knee into its gut, sending it sprawling.

Raven’s by my side again, breathing hard but still standing. “How many of these things are there?”

“Too many,” I grunt, blocking a swing from a battle axe. “But I won’t let them touch you.”

She meets my gaze, and for a moment, there’s something unspoken between us. Fear, determination, and something else—something that makes my heart clench. But there’s no time for it. The next wave of Grolgath is already closing in.

My body screams as I slam another Grolgath back with the flat of my hand, its scaled face crunching under the force. My legs wobble, my arms burn, and I can feel the sting of a dozen shallow cuts across my torso. Blood drips from a gash on my temple, obscuring my vision. I swipe it away with a growl, but it’s no use. They’re closing in.

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