Karkinos is on the ground between me and Typhon. The monster is thrashing about, fighting against its own bulk, trying to get back to its feet. I tuck that observation away for later and leap over its thrashing tail, which is tipped by a scythe-like blade.
Still feeling Nemesis’s extreme brand of anger, I’m merciless when I reach Typhon. I slam my pointed fingers into the Kaiju’s side, plunging them deeply into him. He lets go of Nemesis, but doesn’t cry out or roar. Instead he turns his horrible, stoic head toward me. Toward Scylla. He’s clearly confused by Scylla’s attack, but his brows slowly furrow.
Scylla is now officially on Typhon’s shit list.
He reaches for my head with both hands, no doubt intending to crush Scylla’s vulnerable eyes, but this isn’t Scylla he’s fighting. I duck back, take hold of one of his arms, twist and throw. The larger Typhon, a creature that weighs untold tons, rolls over my back and falls onto the blackened concrete.
I step back from the fallen Kaiju and glance at Nemesis. She rolls her head around, and then levels her brown eyes at me. Oh, shit. Does she know Scylla is helping? Will she attack me? I feel like I should do something to let her know I’m me, but I can’t talk, I doubt Nemesis or Maigo know sign language, and I think doing something human, like the YMCA dance, might just confuse everyone.
With a huff, Nemesis turns away from me and glares at Typhon, who is getting back to his feet along with Karkinos.
As she watches the pair of Kaiju, her lips turn up in a sneer, showing off those sharp teeth. Her brow furrows deeply. A sinister glimmer enters her eyes.
I can feel myself smiling, and I wonder if Scylla is too. Seeing this side of Nemesis, used for good, is exhilarating. Then she barks at me, angry and annoyed. She can sense my mood. And I understand the problem. Controlling Scylla becomes difficult. I need to stay angry.
That shouldn’t be hard. I think about Gordon, about Alexander Tilly and about my father. I remember Christmas morning. I focus on the blood covering the linoleum floor. I feel Maigo’s betrayal as she watched her mother die and was then murdered by her own father.
Nemesis roars, and I join in, once again fueled by righteous anger.
Karkinos and Typhon are unfazed. They roar right back.
But they’re not dealing with Nemesis alone now. And they’re not nearly as angry. And they have one other problem. This isn’t my body. I don’t give a shit what happens to it.
I act first, charging Typhon. I swing hard, aiming to knock his head off, but he’s quick and moves aside. My giant arm pulls me forward. I’m unprepared for its weight. But I’m caught. By Karkinos. The Kaiju’s claws snap closed on my arms, while its jaws clamp down on my armored shoulder. I roar in pain, but fall silent when I see Typhon’s claws stabbing at my throat.
Before Typhon’s strike connects, Nemesis lunges in, biting down on his arm and tackling the giant to the side. Saved by Nemesis. That might be a first for mankind.
Despite the last-second rescue, I’m still trapped, and Karkinos is squeezing hard with those vice-like claws. If not for the toughness of the plating on Scylla’s arms, I suspect they would have been severed.
Twisting my arms back, despite the pain, I flail Scylla’s large hands and hooked claws backward, finding the meat of Karkinos’s thick legs. The Kaiju lunges back, freeing my arms, but it bites down tightly and peels off a large armor plate from Scylla’s shoulder.
As I stagger away, I see Nemesis struggling with Typhon. Despite Nemesis’s agility and speed, Typhon is faster and appears to be out-thinking her. For each of her missed attacks, Typhon rakes her with his claws, peeling layers of skin away from her body, exposing the more fragile white flesh beneath.
He knows exactly what he’s doing. Once Nemesis’s thick skin has been removed, she’ll be completely vulnerable.
Time to switch things up. I run away from Karkinos and catch both Nemesis and Typhon off guard. Nemesis steps back, but recovers quickly, probably because she’s not the one I’m barreling toward. Typhon reaches out a hand to stiff arm me.
Bad move.
I dive forward, opening Scylla’s mouth as widely as I can. Typhon’s hand slams down my throat. The pain and discomfort is immense, but this was my plan. This isn’t my body. I don’t care what happens to it. And in a way, this is what Scylla was built for. I bite down hard. I feel a few of my teeth break away, but most slip nicely through Typhon’s arm, severing flesh and sinews from either end.
Typhon pounds on the back of my flat head, the impacts traveling through my giant body like earthquakes. But I’m lost in a rage. I barely feel the blows. I’m in a bloodthirsty frenzy, and yet, I’m still able to remember enough Shark Week specials to know what I should do next.
I thrash. Back and forth. Violently. I can feel my long teeth snapping, but it doesn’t matter. Typhon’s flesh gets the worst of it. His hot blood fills my mouth. And then I’m free, stumbling back while still thrashing. I stop when I catch Typhon staring at his handless limb.