Lily cowered in fear.
The Dirrillill swung the knives and forks through the air menacingly. “Look here, Jasper Dash, one way or another, I’m going to need you to go back to the Earth and enlarge that teleporter booth so that it’s large enough for me and my weapons.”
Jasper said, “I will do no such thing. Is Katie right? What are you planning? What’s going on?”
“ ‘What’s going on’ will be all your cities, one after another, being scrubbed off the map by my disintegrator ray until the people of Earth submit to me, ha ha. I alone, the last of my kind, shall rule a new empire! Earth shall be the first bauble on my new imperial charm bracelet!” The Dirrillill swished his cutlery through the air—about to dice young Dash like some delicious dish.
“I won’t do it!”
Then the Dirrillill darted toward Katie and swiped his knives toward her. She yelped and jumped back. The creature said to Jasper, “Which of your friends would you like me to kill first? That’s what will happen if you don’t go back to Earth and set up the teleporter for me, ha ha.”
“I thought you were my family!” Jasper complained, tears coming to his eyes. “But you’re just like the rest of the aliens I meet! Boasting about invasion!”
“Too true! Too true!” said the Dirrillillim—and he dove toward Katie, slashing.
Katie was not helpless, even when attacked by someone with many more arms and legs than her. She held up a chair with enough seats for three butts. With a clang, the knives hit the chair!
The kids ran for the kitchen door.
“Come on, Jas!” yelled Katie.
“I’ll hold him off!” said Jasper, pulling out his ray gun.
Lily and Katie heard laser bolts being fired. They ran up ramps. They ran through rooms with bulbs and rooms with tubes.
They were in an echoing armory where missiles and bombs hung in brackets.
“Jasper’s not behind us!” said Lily. “He’s still back there!”
They hesitated.
Jasper—all alone—was engaged in combat with the creature he called his father.