*All characters copyrighted to Poseidon Simons

Chapter 4

Johnny And

The Giant

 

                "RUN!!!!"  James shoved Christina towards the only open path left.  These robotic...things kept coming closer and closer.  oh, they were easy enough to destroy, but there were so MANY!  It seemed that for every robot James blew up, two more appeared.

                Well, at least Christina had run off like he'd asked.  James pulled the skinny arms out of one robot while breathing flames on another.  Both, after a second longer of hovering in the air, blew up.  James turned to face the next four.

 

                Beremin finished his story and ordered Griffin back to his training, promising that nothing else would go wrong.  When he returned to the main room where all the moniters were, he found each of his men croweded around and staring at one screen in particular.  He shoved some people aside and saw the screen himself, "How the hell?..a dragon?!!!  Look at the SIZE!  We could make something UNBEATABLE with a sample of that thing!"  He quickly shouted out the orders for capture.  One man, seemingly coming out of a daze, began issuing the orders to the drones.

 

                Johnny was hiding with his family on top of a bookcase in the living room.  The doctor there was bent over Poseidon, obviously trying to study him instead of heal him.  David tapped the man on the shoulder, bringing him back to his task.

                Crash!..

                What was that?  Johnny glanced out a window at hearing the sound.  He put a hand on Kim's shoulder when she started getting up after him, and whispered to her, "Kim, I'm going to be back soon, okay?  I want to check on James..."

                Right then, Christina came through the door, looking very worn out.

                Kim glanced at her, then at Johnny, doubt clear on her face.

                Johnny shook his head and left, promising once more that he'd be back soon.

 

                Too many...there were too many...James was on the ground, under so many nets that it was nearly impossible to move.  He tried to get back up, but a sudden blow to his head threw him back to the ground.

 

                Griffin, for a change of pace, had, after going to a different room that HADN'T been torn apart, decided to watch the TV while riding his bike.  All of the channels bored him though.  None of it said a THING about Poseidon.  Suddenly, while watching a program that had seemed mildly amusing, the screen became static.  Again.  He got off the bike and angrilly gave the TV in the corner a slap.  It left a small dent in the casing, but there had already been some when he'd come in.  To his surprise, instead of the show, something new appeared!  He gazed at the screen, training equipment forgotten, "Wings and a tail...scales...wearing clothes...that thing looks like it might have come from Poseidon's place!"  He suddenly wanted to get outside and see this marvel...but remembered Father's words.  Poseidon was NEVER to be trusted, but instead brought back here, or, if that was impossible, to kill him.  Surely this dragon had the same rules?..why else would they be covering it in nets and trying to drag it back?

                Wait...were those the drones?  But...but the drones...they weren't trying to capture the dragon!  Oh, sure, the nets were around the creature, but the way they were dragging it back was rough, more so than needed.  Why?..what was Father doing?  With so many questions, and answers that didn't make sense, Griffin made up his mind.

                He was going to disobey his father once more.  He WANTED answers.  He wanted answers that his father eveaded more than gave.  This dragon was BOUND to have some.  He left the training room and found a window, broke it, and left.

 

                An alarm sounded in the main room.  Someone had broken in!  A security camera's image replaced all the others, showing the signs of a window having been smashed, but no one inside.  Beremin studied the image a little closer...saw that no broken glass littered the floor.

                Griffin had broken OUT.

 

                "Aw man...I'm going to get in SO much trouble..."  Griffin thought as he ran, but didn't care.  The prospect of getting some REAL answers was too much to pass up.  He only made sure to avoid any poisonous bushes as he sped through the forest.  He did NOT want to end up like Don, even IF he was supposed to have the perfect immune system.  In only a few moments, he arrived at the place he'd last seen the drones carrying the dragon...but they had taken him off.  Where?  He would have passed them if they'd gotten back home.  How could something hide with a load that big and NOT make noise?  The only sounds Griffin could hear were those of the surrounding wildlife.

                The dragon was gone...

                With an unhappy sigh, Griffin turned back to find what new punishment awaited him at home.  Something like this was not going to be taken lightly...but he'd been wanting to see that dragon so badly!  Why couldn't the drones have acted normal and just kept carrying their load?

 

                Well, this was new...of course, Johnny had been expecting to see some strange sights, but not this!  He quietly followed the figure that resembled Don so much, "I wonder where he came from?  Not Dragon Isle, I'll bet.  Don would have known if there was someone who looked like him!..wouldn't he?  THAT'D be something!  Don having some long lost twin brother!"  Johnny laughed at the idea.

                The figure he followed spun around at the laugh.  Johnny, unsure if it had only been coincidence, stopped laughing and found a place to hide before this stranger saw him.  After what felt like an hour of waiting, the Don look-alike turned and kept walking.  Johnny slowly began following again, refraining from any more noises.

                Though it didn't exactly help.

                The giant he'd been following took a sudden turn down a particularly large patch of trees.  Johnny, not wanting to lose sight of the stranger, flew as fast as he could to catch up.  Just as he rounded the corner, a large hand closed over him, "What the--"  He couldn't stop from screaming.  Although, when nothing happened, Johnny's curiosity began to slowly take place of his fear, and he wondered what would happen to him.

                "So...something WAS following me."  The figure spoke in a voice exactly like Don's.  The only thing that made Johnny not bite or flame his captor was the fact that THIS Don sounded slightly like he was having...fun, "I know you can talk, whatever you are."  There was a short moment of silence before his captor hesitantly began speaking again, "Co--could you help me?"

                What the HELL?.."Uh...I guess so..?"

                The was a large, relieved sigh as the hand holding Johnny opened.  The muscular figure smiled at him, "I'm Griffin..."

                "Er...Johnny..."  This felt awkward.  How was Johnny supposed to act?

                Griffin's smile seemed to broaden.  He set Johnny on a branch that, until Griffin sat down, eye level with Johnny, had seemed much too low for a conversation.  Griffin seemed to debate over something, then, after making a decision, spoke, "Where are you from?"

                "Dragon Isle...well, actually, I SHOULD say it's on Little Isle, since my original home was there..."

                "Little Isle?  Are there more of you there?"

                Johnny suddenly had an uncontrolable urge to laugh.  This Griffin sounded EXACTLY like Don had when they'd first met!  He held the urge down though, and answered, "Yeah...whole cities.  Miniature versions of Dragon Isle's cities, almost."

                "What's Dragon Isle like?  Are there more like me there?  Is that where Poseidon and that dragon come from?"

                Well, Griffin certainly was curious!  Johnny answered as best he could, "Dragon Isle?  It's nice, I guess...not many people know about me...of course, that's what I want!  It was bad enough Don had to introduce me to all his friends!  I had been in hysterics until I found out how NICE they all were!"

                "Hmm?  What do you mean?"

                Johnny sighed, grateful he hadn't had to answer all of Griffin's first questions.  It was much easier discussing a topic he was so familiar with, "On Little Island, we small anthros are taught that giants...like you, are supposed to be deadly.  They can destroy whole cities just by walking on them.  I feel like I might be one of the few small anthros that knows giants are probably just clumsy.  Don certainly never knocked over any buildings!  And if he DID it would have been completely an accident!"  Johnny was beginning to get himself angry, because, for these particular views he had about giants, he'd been thrown off the isle in exile.  Griffin didn't say a word, just kept listening, to which Johnny felt extremely grateful, "I wasn't trying to make trouble!  I only thought giants were just like us!  They threw me out of my home because I didn't think giants would do intentional harm!  I had SEEN one of them!  I had watched them, found out they really WERE just like us!  And they threw me off the island for finding the TRUTH!  I...I..."  He blinked, realizing he was ranting, and that Griffin wasn't doing a thing to calm him.  He glanced at Griffin, "Wait...what about you?  Where'd you come from if it wasn't from Dragon Isle?"

                Griffin seemed taken aback at this sudden question, but answered, "I've lived here all my life...I didn't know there were others like me living anywhere else.  How can I find the island?"  There was a wistful look on Griffin's face, like an eager child who had some unfulfilled dream, and Johnny held the key to fulfilling it.

 

                Griffin waited eagerly for Johnny to answer.  If he could see Dragon Isle, if he could just GLIMPSE it, he would never ask anything again.  He wanted to see what this other place was like, see how his...his PEOPLE lived!  His people...a race like himself...it would be so exilerating to see what they might look like.  He couldn't describe how wonderful the idea struck him.

                But it all depended on what Johnny would say.  Griffin was so intent on Johnny's next words that he completely forgot about the fact that he had to return home.  He, for a moment, envisioned himself LIVING on this Dragon Isle, among his own kind...not being considered a freak.  But Johnny looked confused, "I'm not sure...James is the one who leaves Dragon Isle the most...Don doesn't like being close to humans..."

                Don again..."Who's Don?"

                Johnny looked up, "He looks just like you.  Actually, his name's Poseidon, but he--"

                "POSEIDON?!!"  Griffin jerked back.  Johnny TOO?!  How could--how had Father known?!  It--it wasn't FAIR!

                "Yeah...something wrong?"

                Griffin scowled, "You were trying to trick me!  Father warned me about Poseidon!  He said that ANY of his friends were to be dealt with the same way!"

                "I don't understand...who?"

                Griffin shook his head.  Why was it always the nicest ones who were trying to fool you?  He forced Johnny into the air and held him there with his chip.  Father would want Johnny...

                Against Johnny's will, the two of them walked back to Griffin's home.