Planet of the Titans

Chapter 22

Adonis used his training as a police officer to track down Morgan's address on the Internet. He had access to software not available to the public, and was able to find her within a couple of hours. Morgan was the middle-man who traded Leo to the resistance, and Adonis hoped she could deliver a message to the people who owned Leo and Mason. Morgan was at home when Adonis tried to contact her. She pulled out her cell phone and answered it when Adonis called her.

"I need to talk to you in person!" said Adonis. "It's about two captives you had in your possession."

"What do you want to know!? Morgan asked.

"I don't know if our conversation is being monitored, I'd rather talk to you in person! Can we meet somewhere, like at a park?" Adonis asked.

"I'll meet you wherever you want to," said Morgan.

"How about the park near the university?" Adonis asked.

"I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes!" said Morgan.

Adonis hopped onto a tram and rode there, because it was too close to fly his own shuttle cruiser, but too far to walk. Morgan flew there in her shuttle cruiser, because she lived in a different city than Adonis and Zima and Darian. When Adonis got to the park, Morgan's shuttle cruiser was landing. She got out and met him in the park.

"What's this about?" Morgan asked.

"I need to talk to the resistance," said Adonis. "My name is Adonis, It's about Leo and Mason."

"I don't have access to the resistance movement, that would be treason!" said Morgan.

"I don't need you to admit you work for the resistance, I just need you to deliver a message for me!" said Adonis. "I refueled the Thunderbolt, and it's ready for takeoff! You need to tell the people who are caring for Leo and Mason that they can return to Earth now!"

"I know who won Mason and Leo, I can deliver your message to them," said Morgan.

"Be sure Nolan Ward is on the Thunderbolt when it returns to Earth!" said Adonis. "My whole plan revolves around him going back! You have my phone number, make sure you contact me if you need any help from me!"

"Considering that you refueled their space plane," said Morgan, "you're just as guilty as I am for working with the resistance. I guess I can trust you. I'll deliver your message!"

"Thanks!" said Adonis, and the two parted ways and left the park. Adonis caught a tram, and Morgan got in her shuttle cruiser and flew off into the sky.

Morgan got a hold of Melissa, the woman who worked for the resistance. She was on the view screen in front of her as Morgan flew her shuttle cruiser toward her condominium complex.

"I've got important news that I must deliver in person!" said Morgan. "I'm on my way over!"

Morgan landed her shuttle cruiser in the parking structure and went to Melissa's door. After knocking, Melissa hit the control console that controlled the door, and it slid open, and Morgan walked in. After the door was sealed shut behind them, Morgan told Melissa the news.

"So this guy named Adonis is helping the resistance out!" said Morgan. "He refueled the Thunderbolt, and he wants Leo and Mason to make sure the captives return home, and he wants a captive named Nolan Ward to go with them!"

"This is great news!" said Melissa. Leo, Mason, and the other captives were on the coffee table and they heard every word of Morgan and Melissa's conversation.

"You know what this means, don't you?" said Leo to Mason. "You're going to have to pilot the Thunderbolt while I stay behind to operate the space-warp cannon!"

"No way!" said Mason. "You can pilot the Thunderbolt, I'll stay behind!"

"I'm the only one who understands how titan technology works!" said Leo. "Remember when I utilized that mind control device? I know how to operate every piece of machinery in that lab!"

"Then why didn't you use the enlarger to make yourself titan-sized?" Mason asked. "Then you could've saved all of us that very night!"

"It was password encrypted," said Leo, "I thought I had already explained that to you! Common sense dictates that you pilot the Thunderbolt back to Earth and I stay behind! I don't like it either, but it's better that some of you get back to Earth rather than none of us!"

"I see your point!" said Mason. "But don't worry, if I ever get back to Earth, I'll come back for you some day!"

Leo patted Mason on the back. "I knew you were one of the best when Future Shock hired you!"

"So Melissa," said Mason, "when are we going to perform this rescue operation and take off in the Thunderbolt?"

"I have to ask Morgan," said Melissa. "Can you contact Adonis, Morgan? And set up a time to get to the lab where the Thunderbolt is being kept, and a way to gain access to the lab?"

"I've got Adonis's phone number," said Morgan. "Here, let me give it to you!"

As the two women exchanged phone numbers, across town, at the dormitories of the University where Darian and Zima went to school, Zima was once again in bed with Nolan when their sexual romp was interrupted by a phone call from Adonis.

"Hello?" said Zima.

"This is your boyfriend, Adonis!"

"You're technically not my boyfriend yet, but what do you want?"

"I want you to return Nolan to the lab where Darian's other captives are being held," said Adonis.

"First of all," said Zima, "Nolan isn't one of Darian's captives any more, he belongs to me now!"

"Okay, okay!" said Adonis. "Calm down! Can you bring your captive Nolan to the lab now?"

"Why?" Zima asked. "What's going on?"

"It's part of my sacrifice to you," said Adonis, "just humor me and put Nolan back in the lab with the others, and you'll be surprised what happens!"

"Okay, I'll do it!" said Zima.

"Call me back when he's back in the lab!" said Adonis.

"Okay, bye!" said Zima, and she hung up. "Nolan, I think Adonis is planning on sending the Thunderbolt back to Earth soon. I'm going to put you back in there, but I don't want you flying back with them, you're staying here with me. Okay?"

"No problem!" said Nolan.

"I need you to be my eyes and ears in there for me Nolan, if you find anything out about when they plan on launching the Thunderbolt, I want you to tell me. I won't interfere if they actually get it to take off, I just don't want you on it when it launches."

Zima told Nolan to stand on the dresser again so she could shrink him, and he climbed up at her command. Zima used her neutrino dissimilator pistol to reduce Nolan back down to his normal size, then she plucked him from the dresser and stuffed him into her mouth and exited the dorm. As she walked to the lab, she opened her mouth occasionally to let air in so Nolan could breathe. She entered the combination into the control console that operated the door to the lab, and it slid open.

Zima removed Nolan from her mouth. He was wet, but none the worse for wear.

"Were you worried while you were in there?" Zima asked. "Did you think I might swallow you?"

"No," said Nolan, "I trust you!"

"Good!" said Zima, who went to the habitation module and opened the dome and stuck Nolan inside.

"Bye Nolan!" said Zima, and she left the lab.

Nolan was greeted by his sister Natalie, and Tyler and his wife Carmen.

"It's so good to have you back!" said Natalie. "Every time you go with that troll woman I get so scared for you! I'm afraid she's going to eat you!"

"She's not a troll!" said Nolan. "She's the woman of my dreams, and I'm staying behind with her when you guys leave for Earth! Leo and Mason are coming back to rescue all of you!"

"You're kidding me!" said Tyler. "You'd stay behind with that man-eater rather than return home, to your family?"

"She's the ruler of my heart, goddess of my soul!" said Nolan. "I'm going to become one of them! Zima can grow me to their size with a gun she has!"

"Is that even possible?" Tyler asked. "I don't mean from a technological standpoint, but from a legal perspective, will their law allow one of us to become one of them?"

"Zima told me it isn't unheard of for a citizen of Thanatar to marry a human, it's just frowned upon."

"But will you retain full citizenship?" Tyler asked. "That's something to think about!"

"Zima told me she wants me to remain her slave, even though I will be the same size as her!" said Nolan.

"Then you should forget about it, and return to Earth with us!" said Tyler.

"Oh Tyler," said Natalie, "Please try to talk him out of it!"

"I'm trying to, but he's lovesick for that tyrannical titaness!" said Tyler.

Meanwhile, back at Melissa's condominium, Melissa had been given Adonis's phone number by Morgan, who had just left. Melissa tried to contact Adonis. His face appeared on the screen of her video cell phone.

"Yes?" Adonis asked.

"I'm Melissa, I own Leo and Mason. I think we need to talk!" said Melissa.

The two agreed to meet in the same park where Adonis had met Morgan. About fifteen minutes later, they were both there.

"I have the captives you're interested in," said Melissa, "but I need you to set up the time when I should bring them to the lab at the University so they can escape in the Thunderbolt."

"Let's do it tonight!" said Adonis. "I know the password to get in, I can meet you there and open the door for you!"

"What time?" Melissa asked.

"How about eight o'clock sharp?" Adonis replied.

When Melissa returned home and informed Leo and Mason, they were thrilled. For Leo, it was bittersweet, because he would be staying on Thanatar.

Meanwhile, as Adonis left the park, he got a phone call from Zima.

"Nolan is back with the other captives in the lab!" said Zima. "I really wish you would tell me what's going on!"

"You'll be surprised when you find out!" said Adonis. "The risks I'm taking for your love are supreme! You said you would marry either me or Nolan, depending on who made the greater sacrifice!"

Zima knew she had to pretend that she didn't know Nolan was helping the Earth people to escape and return to Earth. By his logic, he was making a great sacrifice, but if the captives were able to return to Earth safely and Adonis was caught for helping them, it would be the most publicized case of treason in the history of Thanatar.

"If whatever you're doing is a sacrifice that will get you sent to prison for a long time," said Zima, "then you can forget about marrying me, because I'm not waiting for you to get out!"

"Don't worry, I won't get caught!" said Adonis, and he hung up the phone.

Meanwhile, back in the lab, Tyler was still trying to reason with Nolan, but it wasn't working.

"We're nothing but cockroaches to them!" said Tyler. "You would have no legal rights as her consort, you could be forced to live and die by her command!"

"That's giving me a hard-on!" said Nolan. "You're only convincing me to stay with her even more! What Zima and I have is true love, that's something you can't seem to understand!"

"Uuh!" said Carmen, literally shivering. "How can you be in love with a cannibal? That woman is sadistic! People like us pass through her digestive system and die!"

"I'm with Carmen!" said Natalie. "Maybe we need to knock you out and tie you up to take you back with us when we return to Earth!"

Tyler snapped his fingers. "Natalie, that's brilliant! We should tell Leo and Mason when they arrive!"

"Very funny!" said Nolan. "You don't need me to go back with you anyway! I'm 39 years old, I'm capable of making my own decisions! Marrying Zima would be like marrying a princess! She's like Helen of Troy!"

"Helen of Troy caused a lot of problems for a lot of people!" said Tyler. "Zima is no different! Do you really think she cares about you?"

"She's helping you guys escape!" said Nolan. "She's not as evil as you're making her out to be! There are women here on Thanatar who are much more evil than she is!"

"Tell it to someone who will believe you," said Tyler. "I wasn't born yesterday, I was born last week! Zima is a titan, and this is a planet of titans! We can't trust any of them!"