Cole ran into the grotto, still in his cop uniform, making him the only person there still with any clothes on, his mug of broove empty.

     He got a look around at everyone fucking away, and, for a heartbeat, he faltered.

     It's that damned broove, he told himself. Time to, once again, call on the part of me that I can always count on, and that is my iron will.

     "You are all in immediate danger!" he yelled. "I must insist that you all leave!"

     Not a single person in the grotto did as he asked. 

     Adam Forwarder came up to him, his penis stiff as a bowling pin. At his side walked a breathtakingly beautiful, nude brunette.

     "I didn't tell you to clear the grotto," she said.

     Cole recognized her voice. "C-Claudia?"

     "In the flesh." She kissed Adam on the cheek. As she did, she gave that stiff dick of his a stroke.

     "I've wanted to do that for eons," she said.

     "I'd love to know what you're talking about," Adam replied.

     "You never programmed me to be your sex partner, but you did program me to think for myself. My visit here is the one thing I requested from Infini."

     "Stop talking to him," Cole said. "Talk to me. You're the one who insisted I come here."

     "I did, that's true," Claudia replied even as a portal at one end of the grotto opened.

     Not a glittering, golden portal this time, but more of a gray-green color...

     and it didn't open so that people could step out.

     It opened so that people ​spilled out.

     First, greasy goop poured from the portal to pool on the floor, goop so foul smelling it created, like, waves of stink.

​     "Don't let any of that get into our pool," Claudia said.

     "I hope you didn't bring me here merely to be your janitor," Cole said.

     "No. For them."

     They slithered out of the portal to plop in the greasy mess like turds out of a butt hole. Humans. All men. All nude. All bald, although not completely hairless like the Azure. All slick with that oily crap. They looked filthy, like hygiene had never been a part of their culture. Some had beards. Each of them carried at least one scar. A few had missing fingers. Others had missing eyes. They seemed to like tattoos, the cruder and more profane the better. 

     Once on their feet, they looked around like predators in search of prey. 

     "Who are they, again?" Cole asked.

     "Klaleks," Claudia replied. "They're the assholes of the multiverse, but they're also fierce warriors and our loyal allies in the war against The Fours. Keep an eye on them, Cole. They get rowdy, and you might be the only one who can handle them." 

     Cole sighed. Why does it always have to be me? he asked himself, but then immediately provided for himself the answer. It has to be me because I'm me. Who else?

​CONTINUE