Fighting the Past

At a shopping mall’s food court. Tarrasque and Marcus Anderson sit at a table. Marcus has a Subway sandwich while Tarrasque works on two different buckets of boneless wings.

Anderson: How good was Jonnie Valentine as a wrestler back in the day?

Tarrasque pops a spicy boneless chicken wing in his mouth, but speaks around the mouthful of food. He shrugs.

Tarrasque: Me no know. Him was boss, not wrestler then. Him wrestle before. Me guess him good.

Anderson: They say he’s forgotten more about wrestling than you’ll ever know. How true do you think that is?

Tarrasque: Me know a lot about wrestling, but maybe him know more. But me am strong! Me win match.

Marcus nods, taking a bite of his sandwich. He sets the food down as a man in a sorcerer's robe walks up to the table and seats himself down. He unhoods himself to reveal short black hair and a villainous goatee.

Xian Tsar of the Black Guard. The Warhammer Corporation’s lead recruiter. Xian Tsar. The man who led the strike upon a young Tarrasque’s home to collect him for the Warhammer Corporation’s Super Soldier program when he was twelve years old.

He grins as he looks from Marcus to Tarrasque, his eyes black as night.

Tsar: So, you are looking to recruit for your company, eh? Who do you want?

Anderson: I don’t want anyone.

Xian Tsar narrows his eyes, watching Tarrasque eating away. He looks to Marcus.

Tsar: Why do you want me then? I do collection work. Unless you want someone dead. Do you, Anderson? Do you want someone dead?

Anderson: We want a name.

Xian Tsar looks taken aback by this.

Tsar: “We”? We want a name? You mean this slavering beast wants something other than his next morsel of food or who to crush next?

Tarrasque pounds on the table, making everything on it jump.

Tarrasque: Me want name!

Tsar: Whose name do you want? I don’t quite follow.

Anderson: We want Tarrasque’s real name. You did the job to get him in the first place. I would imagine that you kept records of everyone you “recruited”. Who is Tarrasque, really. What is his name?

Xian Tsar looks from Marcus to the now hopeful looking Tarrasque.

Tsar: You think I have records or memories of a job that I pulled back in the eighties? I don’t keep trophies of every family I’ve destroyed. You think that Tarrasque was the only child I took during the eighties? He was one of a hundred. You think I know the names of everyone I took? No.

Anderson: Only two survived the process and Tarrasque killed the other one in the Akira Dome. I’m sure you kept the name of the only surviving living weapon. Who is he? Answer me!

Xian Tsar places a hand on the table, lightning arcing between his fingers as he displays a cruel smile.

Tsar: I think you should let old questions rest, or else. I’ll be lea-

Xian Tsar flies backwards to the floor with the seat, boneless chicken wings flying everywhere as Tarrasque hits him with a bucket of chicken. Tarrasque flips the table to the side, leaping at Xian Tsar to grab him by the front of his robes with both hands in a rage.

Tarrasque: You give name. NOW!

Anderson: The fuck? Tarrasque! No!

Tarrasque flies up into the air and nearly ten feet back, crashing through another table covered in the food of a small family, a thunderclap booms through the food court. Xian Tsar stands up, but has to go on the defensive to block incoming punches from Marcus Anderson. Xian catches a fist with a sneer, sending electricity through Marcus’ body to send him crumpling to the floor.

Tsar: I said or else. Now, Tarras-

Tarrasque spears Xian Tsar to the floor and begins wailing on him with lefts and rights. An explosion of light sends Tarrasque flying into the front of the Subway where he cracks the glass covering the ingredients. Xian Tsar stands up, wiping blood from his nose and mouth, angry now. He walks over to Tarrasque, sending out a stream of lightning with his right hand to pin Tarrasque down.

Tsar: I never understood why they let you live. A failed super soldier experiment. They should have killed you and fed your corpse to the beasts that lurk in Twilight.

Tarrasque tries to stand up, but falls back down to one knee. Xian Tsar laughs, keeping the stream of power aimed at the beast.

Tsar: What are you now? Hmm? Not the strongest. Not the best. Not even mediocre.

Tarrasque lets out a roar, standing up as the lightning leaves burn marks on his now bare chest, the shirt having been burned away. Xian Tsar’s eyes go wide, he points his left hand at Tarrasque, sending the power of lightning from both hands to bring Tarrasque back down to his knees. Xian grins madly as blood trickles from his nose across his bared teeth.

Tsar: Who is strong now? Hmm, beast? Who is strong now?

Tarrasque grits his teeth, blood flowing from his mouth from where he bit his tongue.

Tarrasque: Me.

Tsar: What’s that? I can’t hear you. Who is strong now?

Tarrasque: Me am.

Tarrasque slowly stands up and takes halting step after halting step toward Xian Tsar, the Emperor Palapatinesque attack upon him having less and less of an effect. Xian Tsar begins to look panicked.

Tsar: You. Will. Die.

Xian Tsar begins to mouth the words to channel the magic to kill Tarrasque when Marcus Anderson breaks a chair across his back to stun him. The magic stops as Xian Tsar stumbles forward right into Tarrasque’s grasp, who seizes him by the throat and lifts him into the air.

Anderson: I’m sure you have records of every single soul that you took over the years, Xian. All we’re asking for is the one name. What is Tarrasque’s real name?

Xian Tsar chokes, trying to speak. Marcus sighs and puts a hand on Tarrasque’s shoulder.

Anderson: Let him down and let him go so he can speak, Tarrasque.

Tarrasque grunts as he lets Xian Tsar down. Xian clutches at his throat, trying to regain his breath.

Tsar: The name. Tarrasque’s name. It’s...PRAETERVOLO!

Xian Tsar shines brightly and vanishes with a thunderclap. Tarrasque blinks, looking to Marcus.

Tarrasque: Where him go? Me name Prartervolgo?

Anderson: My best guess is that he managed to teleport away. Your name is not whatever he said there. That was his escape. We won’t catch him unawares again. We really need D.

Tarrasque sighs.

Tarrasque: One of him officers maybe know. We get them say me name.

Anderson: We need to work quickly before Xian Tsar can warn his people. I’ll research who was around during that time to see who to get.

Tarrasque: Policemen.

Marcus whips his head around to see several police officers with their weapons out and trained on Tarrasque.

Anderson: Hold up! I can explain everything!