How It is Now

How It is Now' is the fourth episode of Crazy Angry Alien Tiger. It aired on June 9th, 2015.  

Synopsis
People cheer as a wooden cork pops open as champagne bubbles out. Gunny stands at the entrance, directing people toward the buffet and dance floor. Animated, she deliberately looks about as a glass chandelier shimmers overheard, coated in emeralds. Snax, dressed in a obsidian suit and a slender tie, sips a maroon wine in a cylinder glass. He puts an arm over Gunny's arm as they all laugh. Gunny's dress, laced in gray fabric around her knees, swivels as she begins dancing with Snax. The party continues to roam on. Elder men all stare at the rear of the younger female aliens as they curve around people, swiveling to avoid crashing into other visitors. Gunny smiles, her teeth white likes pearls as Snax kisses her, their faces connecting. Snax turns away, taking little gallant steps toward a velvet sofa. He rests, sitting back as the alcohol begins blurring his vision.

'This is the life. Party on.' Snax groggily thinks to himself.

A small beeping ascends in sound, notifying Snax to rise from his dormant state. With a groan, Snax hits the Snooze button as he sits up from his silk blanket. A gangrenous headache washes over Snax as he vomits. Gunny groans, also hungover. A small droid hovers next to the bed, holding a steaming warm cup of Methanosian roasted coffee. He turns to his night table and picks up his engagement ring, sliding it down his finger. Taking a sip, he smiles at Gunny who slowly wakes up as well. She wraps her arms around Snax.

[Gunny]: Only seventeen days to go.

[Snax]: The wedding process feels like we've been doing this for eons. The wedding should be like last night's party.

He turns to her, his chapped lips brushing against her salty, smooth lips. He smiles as he pulls his face away,

[Snax]: I'll go pick up the table ornaments today.

Snax places on his slippers and saunters out of the room in his velvet robe. Another android comes into the house and places the newspaper on the counter. Picking up his phone, Snax dials the pattern of numbers he did the night before. A ringing is heard on the other line until there is a click.

On the Saturn colony, Rocky is wiping a shoe, signaling he is almost complete with this patron's leather ochre-colored boots. The foreigner smiles, handing Rocky a bronze coin, lined with golden indentures. The next customer sits, but Rocky steps away as his phone vibrates on his apron. He opens it.

[Rocky]: Hello?

[Snax]: Hey Rocky.

[Rocky]: Did you talk to Tech-I yet?

[Snax]: Not yet, I'm on my way actually. I was actually asking if you wanted do come over for dinner on Sunday. I was supposed to ask you last night but it slipped my mind.

[Rocky]: ..Sure.

[Snax]: How are you?

[Rocky]: Fine. The colony has a low cost of living, it's nice. You would like it here.

[Snax]: I'm happy where I am.

Snax listens to the silence on the other end, knowing Rocky was disappointed.

[Snax]: Well, see you Sunday.

He hears the click on the line. Rocky takes a rag and wipes his hand before beginning on his next customer.

Now clothed, Snax makes his way into the kitchen where Gunny was pouring herself a bowl of cereal. He hugs her from behind, kissing her head.

[Snax]: I'll be back for lunch.

Snax walks through the kitchen and to the front door where he shuts the door. A teleporter pad stands. He types in coordinates. and a flash occurs.

He opens his eyes, standing in the center of Undertown's; morning rush. Buses pass by and aliens riding bicycles ring their bells, attempting to maneuver around pedestrians. Spotting Tech-I's merchant kiosk, Snax slides between two overweight Necrofriggians. Tech-I gives him a warm smile.

[Tech-I]: My friend, how are you?

[Snax]: Uh, I'm doing well. I was actually here to invite over to my house for dinner. Sunday night sound good?

[Tech-I]: Yes!

He opens up a small bottle and squeezes some cream onto a q-tip then begins spreading it on Gup's rear.

[Tech-I]: Sorry, he has a bad rash right now. And Cake will not stop eating the butt cream.

Snax chuckles, smiling and gives Tech-I a firm, sturdy handshake. Cake walks over holding a few taydens.

[Cake]: I managed to sell three more units. Oh, hi Snax.

Snax awkwardly nods.

[Snax]: Hi Cake. Dinner, my place, sunday night.

[Cake]: What's the occasion? I don't really care, I'm only interested in the hot meal.

[Snax]: Well, I'm not suppose to tell you but I'm getting married.

[Tech-I]: Congratulations.

Above them, on a bar, dressed in full body armor was a bounty hunter with binoculars zooming in on Snax. He flies away and soon descends onto Snax's mansion. He places a beeping rectangle on the side of the house and sees Gunny assigning chores for the droids inside the house.

[Bounty Hunter]: Rich bitch.

He turns, soaring off. The beeping speeds up until it explodes.

Back at the merchant hut, the ground shakes. Snax sees smoke in the air and begins screaming for Gunny, running toward his shack. He rips off his satchel and begins sprinting on all fours. Tech-I and Cake chase after him but Gup stays, whimpering.

They reach the house and the roof collapses from the frame burning down. Cake grabs Snax's leg.

[Cake]: You'll die in there.

Snax shakes him off, calling out for Gunny, throwing burning boards out of the way. He hears a howl as a wooden board pierced her leg. He grabs her and carries her as she goes into fetal position, clutching onto his neck. Droids begin shooting water out. It was too late. Everything they owned was gone. She begins weeping as Snax comforts her. Outside, paramedics are running in and take Gunny from Snax, placing her gently on a stretcher. Snax sits there for a few minutes.

[Tech-I]: Snax, your phone is still at my shack.

Snax nods and they turn, heading back to Tech-I's kiosk.

A bad odor stenches the air. Tech-I calls for Gup but there is no response.

[Cake]: He's over there!

Cake drags out the carcass of Gup out from underneath the kiosk. A dagger lay in the center of his forehead. Blood continued to drip down his face. Tech-I slumps onto the ground, banging the ground with his hounds until green drops of his blood seeped out. Bawling, with a sea of sorrow voyaged through him, Tech-I calls out his name., His cheeks turn rosy as he continues to cry out. Gup’s stone cold body lay there with flies buzzing around. His eyes were closed. Tech-I puts his hand on Gup's chest, denying the inevitable truth. No heartbeat. His body was cold. The Mechomorph moaned, sitting down next to him. It felt as if thousands of rocks pounded against Tech-I's body, his mind was in a daze. Gup's ears dangled loosely. His shoulders did not look tense. Tech-I picked up his chin to see if he would wake up, but it just dropped back onto the bed. Soon, the mourning turns to silence. Then he murmurs a final word.

[Tech-I]: I'm sorry Alice.

Snax turns away, tears dripping down his face, wondering who would do this.Tech-I began squeezing his own fists until the knuckles turned white, trying to escape the emotional wreckage that was death.

[Snax]: Who is trying to kill our people?

Suddenly, an idea popped into Cake's mind as he licks his lips, parched from the scorching heat overhead from the Nosedeenian labor.

[Cake]: We have to get Rocky, now.

Rocky wipes the beading sweat off his forehead.

[Rocky]: Bye Kyle. See you tomorrow.

Kyle smiles before folding his newspaper, standing and walking off. A new customer steps on to the chair. Decked in full body armor, Rocky is impressed with his overall appearance. It was the bounty hunter. Rocky begins by wiping his shoes with a wet rag. He leans in to blow a water droplet off the boot but the bounty hunter kicks his face, causing him to fall back. Civillains begin screaming as the bounty hunter pulls a knife and holds it to Rocky's throat. He presses down, but Rocky forces him upward, causing blood to trickle down his neck. He gasps, clutching it. Suddenly, Snax tackles him down. A crystal dome forms over them.

[Gunny]: You're not doing anywhere.

She fires crystals at the bounty hunter who swiftly dodges to the left as the crystals zoom past his body. Cake leaps between his legs and chomps on his leg, causing him to scream in pain and he shoots upward with his jetpack. Reaching the top of the dome, he releases a bunch of gas cans as they spray down a green gas. They all gag, clutching their necks as each of them drop to the ground shaking violently.

[Bounty Hunter]: Enough with your bullshit.

Snax hears the waves crash onto the wooden raft before his eyes snap open. Looking around, all he sees is water. Cake, Rocky, Tech-I and Gunny were all unconscious still. He looks down. They were on a bunch of spare wood tied together with bamboo leaves. Snax begins crying, causing the others to wake up.

[Snax]: This is my fault. That stupid money has made me weak.

Gunny puts her hand on his shoulder but he nudges it off. Tech-I leaps and splashes into the raft, attempting to merge with it. He remorphs himself, uncontent.

[Tech-I]: It's just plain wood. I can't help.

Cake breaks off a tiny crumb from the corner of the raft and shoves down his throat. Rocky slams him down, causing the raft the shake.

[Rocky]: What are you doing? We will die if we don't have this.

[Cake]: Well I'm not going to starve to death on it!

Rocky morphs one of his hand's into a drill and swings but Snax catches it and tosses it back. Rocky whimpers, hurt by Snax's reaction as draws back, dipping his feet into the water. His skin turns into an auburn shade as the scorching sun

[Snax]: Enough! You're not infants, act like fucking civilized beings.

Cake begins crying and falls into the water, slurping in down. After gasping for air, he attempts to gulp more. Gunny snatches his ankle and elbows his gut, making him vomit. With a stern expression causing creases in her smooth forehead, she sits down.

[Gunny]: Stop trying to kill yourself. We won't cry for you, only pity you.

Rocky lays back, weeping softly.

[Rocky]: We are never going to escape this planet.

Snax sharpens his wrist blades by scratching them off of one another.

[Snax]: I had this grandfather who fought in the Great War. Everyday, he feared death. It never came so he eventually retired. In his old age, he grew weak and decided to have the sensation of fearing for your life again. The dumb bitch went skydiving and the parachute malfunctions. He died of a stroke while six thousand feet over Khoros. The point is, we were strong, we had strength but we became weak because we escaped the clutches of death. We need the consumption of fear. Because this is how we survive. We tell ourselves we will die.

He changes glances from Gunny to Tech-I to Cake to Rocky. They all avoid each other's gaze. There was silence except for the meager waves crashing against the raft. After a few minutes, Gunny leans over, gaping in awe.

[Gunny]: There are fish. Food.

She tries to grab one but misses.

[Tech-I]: It's probably poisonous anyway.

Cake manages to snatch and shoves it down his throat. He groans, clutching his stomach. Suddenly he fell to the ground, legs wobbling. Foam oozes out of his mouth. He was gasping.

[Rocky]: He's having a seizure!

Cake continues shaking in pain. Snax pounds down on his stomach and the fish remains go pounding out. Rocky skins it and collects some blood, letting Cake drip it. Tech-I asks what the hell he was doing.

[Rocky]: I know that kind of fish. The blood is the antidote.

The shaking stops and Cake begins breathing again. He turns to his side, as his glassy eyes pour out tears.

[Cake]: I'm just making things worse.

In the distance, a small spot appears. Gunny stand up, thankful. She extends out a finger.

[Gunny]: There! An island.

The others stand except for Cake, who merely sits up. As the raft crashes from the waves, the group all disperse, searching the sandy island for food. Tall slender coconut trees cover the island. Snax whistles and Gunny, Cake, Rocky, and Tech-I return to him. He points up. Gunny nods and leaps up, holding onto a branch and shakes. Coconuts rain down. Rocky eagerly clutches on to one, muttering to it and calling it Mike. Tech-I pulls Cake to the side.

[Tech-I]: I think he is losing.

[Cake]: Yeah...yeah..

Gunny drags Snax away into the forest. She stares into his eyes and picks up his chin, attempting to kiss him. Snax silently turns his head. Gunny angrily slaps him. He holds his cheek with his palm as the area turned red, sore with pain that stung.

[Gunny]: What is it? I am not attractive enough for you?

[Snax]: You made me weak. Our relationship caused you to lose a leg. Someone fucking died!

[Gunny]: What are you saying?

[Snax]: This can't continue.

She turns away, weeping softly.

[Snax]: I'll hsure you survive but I can't let us become weak again.

He heads back to the others, leaving Gunny along in the tropical forest with tears dripping down her shiny emerald shaded face.

Morning solemnly rose over the horizon. The entire group are laying down, dehydrated with their lips chapped from being parched. No one moves because they were so weak. Sweat drips down Cake's forehead.

[Cake]: I'm sorry God for my sins. I confess them! I confess!

Tech-I angrily bats the back of his head with a coconut shell.

[Tech-I]: We're not dying today. Shut up!

Rocky looks around, worried.

[Gunny]: Why...Why are you not...dying?

[Rocky]: I used to live on a desert. I'm not just going to let you die.

Snax's vision is clouded by black spots as his consciousness drifts away. Suddenly, there is a drip on his lip. Weakly sitting up, the drops continue as the pace speeds up. Dark clouds blot the sun out as rain pours down onto them.

[Rocky]: Use the broken coconute shells to collect water!

He starts laying them out as the group just lay there lethargic with their mouths dangling open. Gunny's mouth is shut. Rocky shakes her.

[Rocky]: You have to drink!

[Gunny]: N-No.

He slaps her then forces her jaw open. She gurgles it then spits it own. Rocky desperately elbows her, knocking her unconscious. He opens her mouth and and forces her to swallow. She gags but swallows the water. Cake sits up, now refreshed.

[Cake]: We're still trapped.

A large ship, maroon colored, hovers over them. A man teleports down.

[Rocky]: Kyle! How did you find us?

[Kyle]: I live here.

[Tech-I]: You don't even know how thankful we are.

[Kyle]: I'll give you a trip to the Saturn colony.

Snax nods in appreciation. Kyle pulls out a remote and hits a button, teleporting all of them into the cockpit. He pulls out of orbit. Suddenly,another ship crashes into them, causing Kyle's dead body to plummet through the windshield. Snax spots the bounty hunter in the other ship. Oxygen tanks plop down. Tech-I morphs with the ship, repairing the windshield.

[Gunny]: Get us out of here!

Tech-I activates hyper-space as they zoom away. When they stop, Snax demands a location. Rocky spoke with awe.

[Rocky]: The Anur System.

End