The City of Steel

"Yes, that is true."

"Do you have anything here that would be more for attacking, something that would give us the offensive edge."

The professor look up at the captain with a twinkle in his eye, "I have just the thing. I was saving this for last because I believe it is the greatest invention ever created!" he led him to a giant cannon-like machine that stood in the middle of the room, "I call this "The Granger Grabber!"

"You are a modest man," Joked the captain, "Now, what exactly does this thing do?"

Professor Granger could hardly contain his excitement, "Well, it sends out a tractor beam into space, and then we can grab on to a passing meteor, and when we have a lock on it, we can alter its course!"

Captain Peacock was silent for a moment, "And how does this help us?"

"DON’T YOU SEE?" exclaimed the professor, "We can send meteors right into the mountaineers territory!"

"Oh my," the captain was silent, "- That incredible!! We could finish this war right now if we wanted to! When can we use it?"

"We could use it right now if we wanted to, but there aren’t any meteors around right now."

"Well then," Captain Peacock paced around for a few seconds, thinking of a way to use that deadly device, "I’ve got it! I know what to do!"

"What is it?" asked the professor.

"The moon!"

"The moon sir?"

"Yes, The moon! We can grab on to the moon and alter its course and have it come crashing down!"

"Brilliant sir!" exclaimed Professor Granger, "the mountaineers will be hopeless!"

"No, not the mountaineers," said the captain, "They will be easy to wipe out. The toughest region has always been the water dwellers. I want you to send the moon into the ocean in three hours."

"Excellent idea sir. But, why three hours?"

"Well, today is my birthday. In exactly three hours I will officially turn-uh-thirty-two years old, and the destruction of the water dwellers would make a lovely present."

Suddenly, three soldiers carrying armed lasers ran into the room, "Excuse us sir, but our sensors indicated the presence of a spy in this room. Have there been any soldiers who have lingered in this room?"

Captain Peacock thought a moment, "Why yes, there was a soldier with the wrong pair of shoes. He is lacing his shoes over-where did he go?" Captain Peacock scanned the room. His eyes came to rest on a small soldier running out the door, "Hurry! Stop him!"

The other soldiers ran after the spy. As they reached the corridor, they began to open fire.

Beams of red and blue and green flew past the soldier’s head, but he never once looked back. He kept his focus on the doors ahead, the doors to the outside, the doors to his own region, the doors to freedom.

As he opened the doors and ran outside he heard a laser shot behind him, then almost immediately after he felt a searing pain engulf his right leg. He let out a horrific scream and fell to ground.

The soldiers ran up and encircled the spy. Their eyes blood thirsty, evil smiles upon their lips. "I guess there’s no need to lace your shoes now," said one of the soldiers, "because where you’re going, you’ll never have to use your legs again."

As Private lay on the ground, he slowly turned himself over to face the soldier who just spoke, and despite the pain in his leg, he began to smile, "Who needs legs." He said.

Just then the soldier noticed two bumps protruding from the spies uniform. He stared in amazement and horror as the bumps began to get bigger. "What are you doing? Why are those bumps growing?"