My Little Pet Dragon (Fun!) (4 page)

The morning broadcast crackled throughout the room. “Greetings, citizens of earth.” A wiry frog with mad eyes materialized on the screen. “I am Frogwart Fisk, amphibian genius and ruler of this world. Now that I have your attention, there’s an important matter that I need to discuss with you.” He looked into the camera.

“Your government has been lying to you. All of this talk about saving the earth and interplanetary defense is all propaganda. Elements within the government have built a secret weapon to purge the planet of its populace. They no longer wish to share this world and will do whatever it takes to get rid of you. Fortunately, I have the power to thwart their evil plans before the bomb reaches earth.”

“Oh my! Did I say a bomb? That’s right, one is already on its way,” the tree frog cackled. “The bomb is disguised as a comet and is on a collision course with earth. Its warheads can splinter off into multiple clusters, striking various regions of the world’s oceans for maximum effect.

“In fact, I was one of the brilliant minds that helped create it. Clever we were in its design. To keep our secrets out of the public eye, it was assembled in space. As with any doomsday device, a failsafe was put in place in case we had a change of heart. Is it possible that I, a mere frog, am the only one to come to his senses and realize the monster that we’ve created?

“Together we can avoid this disaster and usher in a new age of mankind, devoid of the petty tax known as government. But first, a few demands...” Frogwart grinned.

“First, you must declare me as your one and only supreme leader. Do what I say and you will be spared, and eventually, rewarded.

“Second, since the government seeks our destruction, it would be pointless to negotiate their surrender. That is why you must take matters into your own hands. Overthrow them, without haste. Don’t let a single one of those spineless politicians worm their way out of this one. They are responsible for this! Bring them to justice. Swiftly.

“If you do not do what I ask, then the ruling elite has already won and will return this world into the swampland that it once was. Three days are all that remains, or else...”

Suddenly the broadcast cut over to a view of the earth. A trail of white light streaked down, piercing the atmosphere and striking the surface.

“Ha, ha, ha!” Frogwart Fisk cackled one last time as the earth exploded in a great ball of fire.

Suddenly the gold TV came to life. “Oh no, it’s the end of the world!” Autonomous System #2 ran in circles and screamed. It tripped over a jar of mints, and fell off the table.

“Great horny toads, that evil frog wants to destroy the earth! What shall we do?” said Special Agent Halfwitz, a tall Andalusian horse with a large snout and marshmallow-shaped eyes.

“There isn’t much we can do if our government seeks to destroy itself. But I don’t buy his cockamamie story for one second,” said a shadow from across the room.

“What’s on your mind, Earnest?” said Halfwitz.

A pink potbelly pig named Earnest Bacon took off his hat, and sat down at the table. “This is a classic case of information warfare, designed to elicit a hysterical response from the general public.  His goal is to create civil unrest, and ultimately, anarchy. Although Fisk complained about propaganda, he used his own masterfully to strike discord.”

“Wait...so a comet isn’t expected to pass by the earth in the coming days?” Agent Halfwitz asked.

“Yes, but that’s a natural phenomenon that occurs every 75 years. There’s no way that Frogwart Fisk modified Halley’s Comet to deliver a payload.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“I’d bet my bacon on it!”

Halfwitz scratched his chin. “Still it would be wise to take this threat seriously.”

“The bomb that Fisk is referring to is a regenerative device used in terraforming. Terraforming is the process of transforming dead moons or planets into sustainable worlds. Up until recently, it was science fiction, until the population exploded and the government got involved.

“For the past 40 years, every government in the world has been contributing to the Earth 2 project. The goal is to terraform Mars in the next decade, Venus by the end of the century. Since Mars is relatively close to earth, we cannot afford mistakes. That’s why we’ve conducted pilot programs on the moons of Titan and Ganymede. Most likely, Fisk acquired one of the prototypes and intends to use it on earth.” Bacon cracked his knuckles.

“We’re all doomed!” Autonomous System #2 ran by.

“I don’t get it. Why blame us? We’re trying to save mankind, not exterminate it.” The horse shook his head.

“Don’t you get it?” Agent Bacon jumped across the table and grabbed Halfwitz. “He accidentally let his true intentions slip. He wants to turn this place into a giant swamp, like Jurassic Park, but only with super sized frogs.”

“Great Scott!” Halfwitz looked around. “So what’s preventing him from doing it?”

“That’s the trillion dollar question. Perhaps we’re closing in on him. By using us as a scapegoat he can buy more time to carry out his devious plans.”

“What should do we do? What can we do?” Special Agent Halfwitz cried.

Earnest Bacon tightened his grip and looked him square in the eyes. “Call in an even crazier frog.”

“Who?”

Earnest hesitated for a moment, and then released Halfwitz and returned to his chair. “Secret Agent Disco Dancer.”

“Secret Agent
what?”
said Halfwitz.

“Trust me, he’s the best of the best, but obtaining his services won’t be easy. Most likely, he’s in the middle of an ultra top secret mission right now.”