In the belly of the beast

After popping open the access hatch to the Danger Sled, Professor Xavier and I maneuvered ourselves to the “deck” of the leviathan. I am not sure if deck truly is the correct word to use in this situation. Even though it was a solid floor panel, we were still in the belly of a living creature.

“This is the oddest, most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” I looked around in awe. “I still can’t get over how we went through that sphincter like that.”

“You just said that so you could say the word ‘sphincter,’ didn’t you?” Professor Xavier asked plainly.

“Heh heh, yeah I did.”

“Hey fellas! Fellas? Hey you guuuyyyyysss!” Mojo the Monkeyboy called from the hatch to my ship. “Wait for me!”

“Hold it,” I stopped him. “I have a special mission for you right here at my ship.”

“Really truly honestly?” His eyes fluttered. “A special mission for moi?”

“Right,” I answered. “I need you to guard the door to my ship. Don’t let anyone in or out unless it’s the Professor or me. Go it?”

“Right O, cheerio!” the monkeyboy’s hand slapped his forehead in a deranged salute. “Nobody gets in, not even the Professor or me.”

“No it’s not you, it’s me,” I answered. “And you can let us in, but nobody else. Got it?”

“Get it got it good!” The monkeyboy feigned standing at attention. “Everybody gets in except the Professor and me!”

“No!” I yelled. Then I composed myself somewhat. “The only people allowed to enter my ship are Professor Xavier here, me, and you. But you’re already on the ship, so don’t worry about you getting on.”

“Ahhhhhh, I get it now,” the simple task finally dawned on him. “I guard the screen door here, nobody gets in except the Professor, you, or me, but I’m already here so I don’t have to worry about whether or not I can come on.”

“Right,” I said.

“OK, OK, I got it bossman!” said Mojo. “Don’t worry about me, my bestest friend foh ever and ever and ever.”

“Great,” I answered. I refrained from heavily sighing and instead moved with Professor Xavier towards the “front” of the ship.

“Do you think that will actually work with Mo—er, that monkeyboy?” the Professor asked.

“Who knows, it actually might,” I shrugged. “There’s always a first time for everything.”

We made our way through the labyrinth of the leviathan. Professor Xavier was still unable to fully communicate with the creature, but he was able to read her emotions and establish a basic rapport with her. Eventually, we got to what would likely have been the bridge or command center. In the center of the room was an elaborate station. Radiating out from there was a number of catwalks just wide enough for Xavier and I to cross in single file.

“This is her nerve center,” the telepath and scholar placed his hand on the console. “This is where the pilot would sit, were he or she still here.”

I ducked under the console and saw and elaborate pile of tubes, wires, and severed tendrils. It seemed the pilot was “planted” here and would live with the ship symbiotically. I then hoisted myself up to where I could see the pilots input device. It was far beyond a QWERTY keyboard and way too advanced for my two human hands.

“I don’t think that there’s a chance in Hel that I could fly this thing,” I mumbled out loud to my companion. “Where’s the pilot?”

“I am not entirely certain,” the professor said, still attempting to communicate with the living ship through a tactile link. “I can detect a lot of sadness and loneliness, but also a certain amount of confusion. She doesn’t know where her pilot went and she’s been wandering around the galaxy alone for a long, long time.”

“All dressed up and no place to go,” I said absently. “How do you explain her shooting the asteroids and stuff?”

“Well, she is bored, Jon. If you had a BB gun, a can, and no one around for hundreds of miles, what would you do?”

“Heh, I see you point,” I chuckled. “So what do we do now? I mean, are you going to be able to fully communicate with her?”

“If I can, it would take a very long time,” he replied. “Possibly a lifetime. The complexities of Sargon’s mind are so incredible. Each piece I decode leads to several more.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” I interrupted. “You just called her Sargon, is that her name? How do you know that?”

“I… just do.” He answered. “It seems rather obvious.”

Our conversation was interrupted by a pinging on my wristcomm. I queued up the message and looked at it. “Queen Galacta is under attack on Throneworld. She managed to throw off the attacking army, but Her own forces suffered heavy losses. The message says the assault originated from Earth.”

“We are in the middle of a conflict with Gaia, one of my former students. It must be her doing,” the Professor surmised.

“You mean Gaia from Last Gladiator Standing?” I asked. “She’s a bad guy now? I remember that she left the show early for mysterious reasons. Could it be related?”

“It may very well be, and it is much more complicated than simply calling her ‘the bad guy.’ Nonetheless, we must get back to the Queen in case Gaia strikes again.”

“You shall not leave!” a voice rang out.

Professor Xavier looked up and around. “Sargon?”