Collinsport, Maine. A doctor a strange doctor from England has arrived bringing with him a truth. A truth Nicole Collins perhaps is not yet totally prepared for but, before that truth can be revealed there is another harsh reality yet to intrude upon her and members of her newly established Collins Investigations.
Ouside the old law offices came a sound, deep, bellowing, so that it reverberated all the way into Nikkis office.
Rhyad looked around, Was that a giant cow?
There now came the sound of heavy, lumbering footsteps.
Dr. Praetorius, standing preparatory to leaving, turned about and said, “I say, there seems to be a racket outside the building.”
Whatever the source of the sound and footsteps, there is a loud knocking on one of the walls.
Knock, Knock, Knock. . . Knock, Knock, Knock . . .
Esther griped the butt of her pistol.
Are we under attack by giant mad cows? Rhyaad asked uncertain what to make of the sounds.
I dont know, but Im going to find out. Esther said and she moved away from her usual spot leaning up against the wall of Nikki’s office, Stay here, Ill be right back.
The doctor smiled, You do seem to remain so calm when under attack.
Esther opened Nikkis office door and entered the main lobby.
She heard a little girls voice, Hop.
“What the f**k.
The footsteps apparently came from outside the office, as did the little girls voice (near the front doors) whatever it was out there in the night it sounded as if it were searching for something.
Nikki suddenly called out, Esther, watch what you are doing.
She looked over at Rhyaad who told her, It sounds like that bloody little girl again.
“Excuse me,” Nikki said to Dr. Praetorius, suddenly rising up from her desk, her chair sliding back to hit the wall, as she seemed to move so quickly the doctor did not actually see her rise or move around the desk, before she brushed past him and out of her office door.
Esther tentatively opened the main door and looked down the street both ways.
Hello?
Nikki hurried to Esthers side.
Out on the dark tarmac of the rotary, Esther saw a little girl she seemed to be aimlessly wandering. She held some strange long instrument in her hands, and her dress was blood stained.
Late, Collinsport was very quiet, so quiet that Esther could hear the little girl as her voice echoed in the town square, Find me shinies . . . find me shinies . . . Mister B . . . Mister B . . .
Hey kid! Ya might want to put a coat on. Its cold out! Esther yelled out the door.
“We are attacked by forces threatening to destroy the world nearly every day, Doctor. Rhyaad explained, Sometimes I just want to tell them, “If you want to destroy the world, you must take a number and stand in line.'”
He sighs and gets up. “Here we go again.”
The little girl looked up at the sound of Esthers voice and froze in her tracks.
Esther as she began to close the door, turned to look at Nik as they heard the sound of the heavy, lumbering footsteps stop now perhaps behind the building.
Kids these days. Out too late and goin round barefoot . . . and no coat on. Esther said shaking her head.
The girl having seen Nikki at the door began to move toward her as if fixated by something.
Nikki well aware that wherever this little girl went there was sure to be lurking some Drill Monster . . . and so quickly she reached over and grabbed the sword she had left leaning up against the wall from where, the other night, she had been practicing with Elizabeth on learning how to use the bloody thing.
Esther halted closing the door as the little girl hurried over and stood looking at her for a moment, then suddenly, brushed right past her and entered into the main lobby of Collins Investigations.
The girl, her clothes blood stained, looked at Nikki.
Esther was shocked to see the little girls clothes were splattered with what looked like old and new blood stains, Hey, Kid, you all right, youre covered in blood.
“You haaaaaaave a shinnnnnnny!”
Rhyaad remembered his battle in the cemetery with the little girls companion and so he moved to cut the kid off, holding his own sword blade menacingly, while sparks began to fly about his hands.
Esther turned and saw the girls massive guardian now suddenly standing eight feet tall outside the front doors in the middle of the street. Metallic the color of copper and brass and glass tubing. A whirl sounded as the dill bits that served as his hands started to spin.
Nikki taking up a defensive posture holds her sword up high.
Esther turned and saw her two companions now standing in some Japanese like battle stance with their swords. At least hs had her gun.
As if the swords were a signal that his ward was threatened, the guardians eyes turned orange and it took a step forward toward the office doors.
Not about to let this thing take control of the situation, Rhyaad aware of the connection between the little girl and the metallic monstrosity fired a bolt of powerful lightning straight at the girl, aiming to hit her between the eyes.
Esther, unaware of those prior events which had taken place at the cemetery stood aghast as she saw Nikki holding the sword as if to attack the little girl, even as the blast of lightning Rhyaad had unleashed sizzled across the room toward her: What the F*** is wrong with you people! It is just a little girl! She slammed the door on the guardian.
Rhyaad’s aim was true and the little girl was hit, and she fell to the floor!
Outside, behind the closed door, the guardian went berserk!
Nikki moving quickly now to protect Esther stood before her and the door, well aware the monster would be soon coming through it, Esther get back!
Behind them Rhyaad drew his pistol, Is she dead?
Esther, having seen the little girl fall to the floor from the blast of Rhyaads lightning, looked at him stunned, You just killed a child! she screamed at him
Nikki standing before Esther renewed her grip on the sword.
Let it become a part of you. Let it become an extension of your will. Nikki remembered now Elizabeth Bathorys instructions. Know where the blade is going to be before it arrives.
Everyone was startled as the Guardian crashed through the front wall.
Esther heard the daemonic cow sound again-it was this f*****g thing smashing now into the main room of the office.
Her eyes gone wide, she said aloud, Holy f***!”
The monster’s eyes have gone demonic red standing there over the little girl as it glared at them.
Nikki shoved Esther away and leapt to the second floor landing, while Rhyaad proceed to empty the clip into it.
Bullets struck off its metallic surface as the monster stepped over and kneeled kneeling to protect the child lying on the floor seemingly unconcerned with the woman with the sword glaring at it from the second floor landing or the man with the gun as it gently nudged the little girls body began to check for vital signs.
Recovered from the momentum of Nikkis shove, Esther ran back to the far wall and took up her rifle she had sat down earlier when she arrived from the Old House.
For a moment, Nikki thought the creature was sobbing as she stood and watched, waiting to see what the Guardian would do next.
What the hell is that thing!?” Esther yelled up to Nikki.
“Something we found roaming around the graveyard,” Nikki said, Stay back Esther — this bloody thing is extremely dangerous.
Over eight feet tall, two tons of copper and brass, Esther did not have to be told it was dangerous.
It stoop up now, silent, the right drill bit stopped spinning, retracted as it morphed into a metal hand which reached down to scoop up the little girl.
Rhyaad continued to shoot at the creature.
The guardian ignored the man with the gun as it looked over at Esthers desk, as if it were examining, scanning it. Then it moved forward, lumbering to the desk and then suddenly SMASHED IT.
Esther looks horrified at what the hulking monstrosity had just done to her desk.
Amid the rubble the metallic monster began to search and from the remains of one of the desk drawers it found the coin that the last victim had given Nikki (who had only recently gotten it back, on loan, from Chief St. Clair, so she could examine it further than the night she had first found it).
The Guardian picked up the coin,
Rhyaad stepped back and started to chant and as he did so more sparks began to fly about his hands.
Esther began to fire at the thing that had just destroyed HER desk careful to aim so as not to injure the girl in the creatures hand.
Bullets ricocheted dangerously off the metallic Guardian as it turned toward the door, apparently now having what it had come for only minus a living child?
As he finished the chant, Rhyaads eyes began to glow a bright blue.
A few of the bullets having found effective spots in the monsters armor, the creature moving back toward the opening in the smashed door and wall was bleeding now from various wounds, only it didnt seem to notice this loss of blood as it continued its slow march toward the exit.
In the chaos, Esther suddenly paused for a moment: Hold your fire!
Only the creature stopped, standing now as if it suddenly determined that it could absorb the energy from the blast let loose from Rhyaads hands as he continued to hurl the powerful bolt at the guardian, as well as the child. Blue sparks danced over and off the copper and brass.
The creature’s wounds seemed to be beginning to heal closing up. It no longer was wounded such that it felt it must retreat and so, it began to turn around.
“Oh, Bloody Hell! Nikki said. “You are healing it!”
She looked down the second floor balcony and over to Rhyaad, With all of this going on with Medri, we never checked out this Dr. Steinman’s letter!
Who the hell is that? Esther winched at the sight of the flash of energy.
“Not really sure, I received a letter with what appeared to be some strange biological samples bottles of some chemical compounds. Nikki explained to Esther quickly.
The creature put down the girls corpse and stowed the coin away as it turned now to face Rhyaad. It whirled from inside and then began to lumber at him.
Damn! He cursed at the apparent absorption of energy. I hate this . . . He chanted again, and his blue eyes turned red.
I TOLD you to hold your FIRE! Esther now screams, DAMNIT!
The metallic Guardian looks at Rhyaad and suddenly held up his hands in what appeared to be a boxing stance.
Esther are you all right? Nikki yelled down.
Hell no! Esther. Rhyaad said, You best shoot all youve got!
Only the creature now appeared to want to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the girls apparent killer.
Esther looks up to Nikki on the balcony, Im fine, Rhyaads just pissed it off!
Rhyaad held out one hand and began a complex series of finger motions.
With is attention now on Rhyaad, the metallic monster moved away from the little girls body and Esther rushed over now to see the charred remains of the little girl. Only she was no longer charred as if the regeneration of the creature had also affected the child.
Nikki wanted to yell out for Esther to stop, but did not want to draw the guardians attention to her and so she was horrified to watch as Esther moved around the room to get to the body of the blood stained little girl lying on the floor.
Esther tries frantically to find some pulse.
In the middle of the main lobby office, the creature grunted and motioned for Rhyaad as if to tell him to drop his weapons and fight honorably.
Rhyaad yelled, Esther! Get out of the Way! That thing will kill you!
Nikki fascinated by the reaction of the creature stood observing its every move as if analyzing it for weaknesses looking at the seams and design of its amour.
Kneeling down beside the child, Shes DEAD. You just killed a child Rhyaad! F*** you! Esther yelled back.
Nikki aware now of a point of attack, reached out and placed a hand on the balcony and swung herself up and over and leapt down to land on the creatures back.
Its not a child, hasnt been one for a while. Rhyaad told Esther, suddenly shocked to see Nikki landing on the monsters back, and watched as it reared back in an attempt to dislodge her.
Nikki wrapped her legs about the copper and brass beast.
The slit of the metallic armour where the neck moved was open for a second and Nikki, having spotted this weakness now exploited it as she slid her sword down deep into it, blood suddenly gushing, as she wrenched with her vampire strength to cut the guardians head off.
It fell to the floor.
Rhyaad, his sword drawn, moves forward, looking for an opportunity.
The brass and copper head rolled across the floor.
And suddenly the little girl coughed, and stood up, and gazing in horror at the sight of her fallen protectors head. She screams, and ran over toward it.
Rhyaad steps back. “Nikki! You amaze me!”
No, not Mister Bubbles! The little girl yells looking down at the severed head.
Rhyaad advanced on the girl with his sword.
The little girl sobbing as Esther suddenly pointed her gun toward Rhyaad, what was he doing, shes just a little girl, Get back! Esther warned.
Rhyaad looks amazed to see Esther protecting the girl.
The monster with Nikki still riding its back flailed about.
Nikki having opened it up now held the hilt of her sword with both hands as she stabbed the sword repeatedly into the creature, once, twice, three times, cutting wires and snapping gears.
The girl sobbed even more as she stood in horror witnessing Nikki’s actions.
STOP IT!!! The girl stamps her foot and screams! STOP HURTING MISTER BUBBLES!!
Wildly the creature, gushing blood, shook and shuddered, as the sword blade continued inflicting damage, even as it tried blindly to dislodge her but her vampire grip held tight. Nikkis eyes gone all but black now as she had slipped into a vampiric rage — seeking more opening, more slits; stabbing; cutting, while the creature keeps moving, its arms wildly swinging.
Nikki cuts into an arm and lashes it off. More artificial blood gushing to slicken the floor.
The sword given to her by Bathory seems enchanted, as she continues cutting and hacking and the blood red ring on her finger (also given to her by Elizabeth Bahtory begins to glow). Legs wrapped about the creature to steady herself she raised slightly and drove the blade as deep down into the metallic monstrositys open neck as she could . . .
The giant creature tumbles and falls, dead, smashing now into Rhayad.
Nikki hit the hard floor and rolled.
The little girl screamed, Get up! PLEASE GET UP!
The blood splattered little girl touched the metallic body, Youre . . . youre alive. WAKE UP MISTER BUBBLES!!!!
The Guardian shudders once in response to the voice and then goes still.
As the guardian dies, the little girl sinks to her knees, Where is mommy?” She looks around, Daddy is dead. Mommy is missing.
The girl knelt, her eyes growing full of tears, Mister Bubbles was just keeping me safe . . . why did you have to kill him?!
God, now we have a bloody mess to clean up! Nikki said standing up and looking at the office, Esthers ruined desk.
And to top it all off, we need to get this kid to the hospital STAT! Nik, call 911 Esther yells, “Dr. Praetorius, get in here and practice come medicine, now!
Rhyaad! Nikki says, helping him up.
Im going– He said standing up pushing the metallic monster off of him, to check and see if there are any more of these horrid things running around.
The little girl finding the coin on the guardians body held it like it was the most precious thing in the world.
Kid, holding her by the shoulders to guide her to the comfy chair, Esther said to her, Why dont you wait here. Were gonna get you all fixed up.
The girl just looked at the coin and sat.
Nikki stepped over to the shattered desk and reached down for the phone. She dialed 911.
Yes, we have an emergency, a little girl. Collins Investigations, 1212 Main, I am not sure, just get here as fast as you can.
Dr Praetorius! Esther yelled, Get your a** in here!
The doctor stepped cautiously out of Nikkis office.
I don’t care if youre not a doctor of medicine. There is a first aid kit in that drawer that seems to have landed over there by the fridge. Get it and help with these wounds.
“I say, that’s a bloody mess. Dr. Praetorius said looking at the downed mechanical giant and the splattered blood that had sprayed the office, Bio-mechanical I dare say you know. I had a design for this after Victor’s failed life experiments. I do say, Nicole, do be a dear and cut it’s heart out or it will be regenerating.”
Nikki turned to see that the metallic creature, lying there, oozing blood from all the wounds she had inflicted upon it seemed now to have started twitching a humming noise coming from within as if as if it were trying to repair, to regenerate itself.
As directed, Dr. Praetorius went over and got the first-aid kit and returned to hand it to the kneeling Esther.
Esther started to dress some of the little girls wounds.
Nikki went over to the brass and copper hued monstrosity on the main lobby floor of her office and putting her foot on it, turned the thing over on its back. Hefting up the sword, wrapping both hands around the hilt, she stabs down into the chest and slices about looking for a heart.
“Not a real heart you now, something nasty, green no doubt. Pumping artificial blood.” Dr. Praetorius told her as he watched approvingly, “Do wish you had some gin, could use a drink right now you know.”
Esther watched the unresponsive child staring at the coin. No more beer. She muttered to herself.
The little girl was absolutely nonresponsive now, her face frozen in an expression of horror and despair.
Esther looked very concerned and uncertain as to what she should do next, and so she sat and rocked the child back and forth on her lap.
Her sword digging into the machine, Nikki found something that seemed to still be pumping and sliced through some more hydraulics. Blood gushed everywhere as she cuts it out and tossed it with the tip of the blade onto the floor. The guardian shuddered and stopped various lights inside winked out.
Outside now the ambulance siren grew louder.
Bloody hell,” Nikki said, looking at the ruin of her dress, This is not going to come out.
“Very interesting design, advanced. I would say there is no doubt some symbiotic relationship between the child the metallic hulk there.” Dr. Praetorius said as he stood over the ripped open metallic beast, examining it.
The little girl started to convulse in Esthers lap.
Would you stop giving a lecture over there and come here and help her then!? Esther demanded.
“Connection being severed the child is going to have to re-establish her own synaptic pathways. Dr. Praetorius explained shaking his head, “Sorry, not much I can do for her you see. She needs to be in hospital. They may have to do some neural surgery.”
The ambulance pulls to a halt in front of the building, the strobe lights flashing in the night, casting an eerie light within the office, through the front window, the smashed opening in the wall, as the paramedics rushed inside they looked at the desk, the blood, the giant guardian lying on the floor.
“Just hold her, and give her a human connection she has been missing for some while.” Dr. Praetorius told Esther, Over here.” He directed the paramedics to the chair where Esther sat with the child.
As Nikki turned, she saw a woman in a suit running past the front window, WAIT!!” the woman screams.
The paramedics having taken a brief look at the child had determined there was little they could do for here other than get her to the hospital as quickly as possible, and so, they placed her gently on the stretcher and were just preparing to head out the door.
They looked at esther and asked if she would accompany them in order to help explain what had happened.
Nikki slipped over to the door and the smashed opening in the wall, And who are you,” she asked the woman standing to bar the front doorway.
DONT LET THEM TAKE HER!!!! The woman pleaded, The little one is my responsibility.
“I asked, who are you? Nikki asked, her voice taking on a harder edge.
Steinman tasked me with tracking her.
Stienman? Nikki asked, more than aware now that Stienman and his letter were involved in all of this, Okay, so who are you and what were you to Stienman?
I am Matilda Bowman. I was his assistant. The woman said, watching as they pushed the stretcher closer to the ambulance. “He focused his research on that . . . monster. Trying to give man eternal life. The girl harvested the raw materials to create that twisted life, which were manufactured inside her body. Due to those, your medicines will do great harm, if not kill her outright.
Inside the ambulance the paramedics stated to hook up an IV.
In horror, seeing them about to administer the IV and it’s solution, Matilda Bowman suddenly pulled a gun out of her coat pocket and raised it to point it toward the paramedics, DONT YOU DARE!
Oh, now I do need a stiff glass of gin, Dr. Praetorius said, You do not play with giving man eternal life, Miss. I know too well the consequences to that.
Matilda Bowman moved towards the girl and the ambulance readying to lift the pistol.
Mommy! Shiny people tried to poke me!
In a blur of movement, Nikki grabbed Matilda Bowmans wrist and wrenched the gun away, You need to go with them and help them save her you are the only one who can give them the answers they need to help return her to a normal life.
Matilda Bowman, letting Nikki take the gun, rushed to the door of the ambulance to look at the little girl.
I dont doubt that, Matilda Bowman said looking up at Nikki.
Its time to think of the child!
I cant undo the process without Steinmans notes.
He sent me a letter, Nikki told her.
Matilda Bowmans eyes widened, What did it say?
Is the little girl, Louisa? Nikki asked.
Y-yes.
Esther, those bottles we received with the letter, where did we put them?
That was her name, before . . . before this all happened, Matilda Bowman explained.
Stienmans letter did not give details other than he thinks she can be restored. He sent us several samples, for safe keeping, but I dont know what they may be used for, Nikki told her.
On top of the fridge, Nik. Esther answered from beside the ambulance.
Esther looked bewildered at the woman, Did this person just pull a gun on the paramedics?
Nikki hurried over and removed the bottles and brought them back over to the woman, Here, these may be of some help.
Matilda looked them over: My God . . . Steinman, you marvelous bastard . . . These are the trace elements in their uncured state.
Oh, as for the gun, well I think she was just picking it up and trying to hand it to someone right? Nikki said.
Matilda Bowman nodded and smiled gratefully at Nikki.
Injected quite separately, theses will begin the process of restoring her.
Esther quarks her eyebrows at Nikki and shakes her head.
They wouldnt be able to finish the process unless they had . . . . And suddenly, she saw the coin in Louisas hand, Where did she get that coin?
One of the earlier victims died getting that coin to me. Nikki explained.
Where did THEY get it?
I dont know why?
Dont tell me . . . the . . . guardian came here looking for it.
Smashed my wall and shattered Esthers desk looking for it.
Matilda Bowman chuckled under her breath, So the beast had the heart of a beauty after all. He was trying to cure her.
Stienman had hoped for it, but felt it was far too addicted, according to his letter, Nikki told her.
IT knew you had the coin. Matilda Bowman said, That coin is made of a composite material. It serves as a jump-start to the reversal. Ingest it as the chemicals are being injected, and it metabolizes perfectly.
Im sorry, but, I had to make certain it could not do more harm, Nikki indicated the hacked pieces of the guardian strewn about the main lobby office.
Understandable. I think it wanted to die. It wouldnt move to cure her unless it had plans on dying. Without her, the elixir isnt produced. Without the elixir . . . well . . . .
Genius, this Stienman . . . Dr. Praetorius said listening to the conversation. But please, when you restore the child, do see that all of his materials are destroyed. Man playing with life its all gods and monsters, you know.
Matilda Bowman nodded. I already destroyed the lab and its contents. All these years, Ive hated myself for what we did.
Excellent. Dr. Praetorius nodded, slipping his hands into his trouser pockets.
The evils we enabled. Matilda Bowman looked at the paramedics and handled them the chemicals: Put that in your IV. {A SOAP OPERA MOMENT} Trust me. I know what Im doing.
The paramedics made to protest but thought better of it as the woman seemed to know what she was talking about.
Matilda Bowman looks at the little girl, Little one, we have to poke you just a little, or youll never get better.
Matilda, she is in your hands now go with her to hospital. Nikki told her.
Indeed. Matilda Bowman nodded and looked back at Nikki, After which, I intend to turn myself in to the police. I must stand for what I have done. See that the guardian gets a proper burial. It never was his fault.
Jamison St. Clair is our new Chief of Police, I will call her for you. Nikki said. Ill explain how you have tried to help Louisa that you destroyed the lab.
He was a monster, but we made him so.
We will take care of him Madam, be assured. Dr. Praetorius said as Nikki turned around and looked at him to say when did we become this We?
The ambulance pulls away.
Nikki looks at the metallic monster, Not his Fault. Like bloody hell. Hack this bastard to pieces. She said.
Cue Music End of Episode