Teddy Dobrota knew all about monsters.
Every day – without fail – he’d tap his animation pod and watch Commander Chasley Carmichael round up man-eating creatures, cage them, and keep humanity safe from the forces of evil.
No matter the size or savvy of the beasts, CCC always got the best of them. Sometimes he’d subdue them with his stun gun, as he did the Martian Marsupial, and other times he’d wrestle them into submission using his own incredible strength, as was the case with the Swamp Hog.
And when he wasn’t watching CCC, Teddy was controlling him with his Commander Chasley Carmichael Interactive Hologram Game. He loved to see CCC fire up his jet pack, fly above a predator, and then drop a weighted chain net over it.
His favorite part was always opening the cage door, making CCC give a swift kick to the monster that forced it inside, then slamming the door shut.
On this particular Saturday, however, Teddy was going to see the real hero and the monsters he had subdued.
The Commander Chasley Carmichael Touring Detainment Center was finally making a stop in Harbor City, and Teddy’s father, Burt, had secured two VIP tickets to the event.
Not only would he have an opportunity to meet CCC and shake his hand, he would get to walk with him as he passed the cages holding the monsters.
“Teddy, you ready to hop on the tube and head to the show?”
Already wearing his green CCC jacket and black CCC Junior Commander’s Club arm band, Teddy didn’t have to be asked twice.
“Yessir!” he shouted. “I can’t wait!”
The transit tube trip took less than five minutes, and father and son arrived at check-in with tickets in hand. A dozen or so other kids – along with their guardians – had also secured VIP passes, and were quickly placed in the queue to enter the center.
Teddy could feel his heart racing, and he was so nervous his mouth was bone dry. As much as he enjoyed seeing CCC and the monsters in cartoon form and manipulating them when playing the game, the 10-year-old was actually about to come face to face with the real hero and some of the most dangerous life forms in the solar system.
The doors to the center opened and a robotic voice greeted the visitors.
“Welcome to the Commander Chasley Carmichael Touring Detainment Center. Each ticket holder will be allowed to ask one question. When the red light in the center of your pass starts flashing, you have 30 seconds to ask your question. Otherwise, do not speak. Do not touch the cages. Do not touch Commander Carmichael unless he extends his hand. Please enjoy your tour.”
Teddy and Burt were six rows back as the line began moving forward, and all eyes turned toward CCC, who was perched on a landing that encircled the cages.
In animated form, the hero had long, shiny red hair and his black, form-fitting uniform seemed to be molded over his muscles.
In person, CCC had close-cropped, reddish gray hair and his build was … lumpy. And instead of the booming voice associated with the animated CCC, the man himself sounded hoarse.
“I’m Captain Carmichael,” he said in a tone that clearly lacked enthusiasm. “I’ve traveled all across the globe and through the vastness of space to ensure human beings are spared the horrifying fate of a monster attack. What you’ll see is just a small sample of what I’ve done during my 30-plus year career of cleaning up scum.”
The first cage housed “Snowball,” a Yeti-like creature CCC had captured on Kepler-186f. Teddy expected to see a hulking abominable snowman with long, yellow teeth, razor-sharp claws and glowing orange eyes.
Instead, Snowball was slumped in a corner – its left hand shaking uncontrollably and an open wound on its right shoulder. The creature was wet, dirty and appeared to be scared.
A kid standing just to the left of Teddy held the ticket that produced the first blinking light.
“Commander Carmichael,” the young man asked, “Is Snowball sick?”
CCC gave a quick glance in the beast’s direction.
“I don’t know … maybe,” he said. “They might’ve just drugged him to keep him calm. The important thing is that it’s in there and we’re out here, so it can’t hurt us.”
As the tour continued Teddy noticed that the monsters were nothing like they appeared in the cartoons. Instead of being frightening, they merely looked frightened.
And each time a red light blinked, the question asked was answered with a flippant response:
“How many people has the Martian Marsupial killed?
“I’m not sure it killed anybody, but it won’t kill anybody now, will it?
“Do you ever feel sorry for the monsters?”
“No. Why should I?”
“What made you decide to be a monster hunter?”
“Money.”
Teddy’s light flashed just as the line had reached Swamp Hog’s cage. It wasn’t the giant boar with monstrous tusks he envisioned, but an underfed, brown pig-like animal whose teeth had been pulled.
“Commander,” Teddy asked. “Why is Swamp Hog so thin?”
CCC shrugged.
“Maybe he’s on a diet, kid,” he said, disdainfully. “Look – I just track ‘em down and bring ‘em in. I don’t really care what happens to ‘em afterward. Neither should you.”
Once the tour ended, Teddy and Burt walked quietly toward the transit tube. The child was obviously upset – never even bothering to shake CCC’s hand – and his dad figured he had gotten his feelings hurt by the Commander’s snarky response to his question.
They didn’t talk on the short ride home, and Teddy went straight to his room after they arrived.
A couple of hours passed before Burt knocked on the door – balancing a sandwich on top of a glass of water – and nudged it open.
“You need to eat something, bud,” his father said.
Teddy was playing the Commander Chasley Carmichael Interactive Hologram Game.
“I’ll eat in a minute, dad,” he said. “I’m almost finished.”
Burt looked down to see the Snowball character locking CCC in a cage – after delivering a swift kick to the Commander’s backside.
“That’s a bit of a twist, isn’t it, son?”
Teddy looked up at his father, his eyes welling with tears.
“Not really,” he said. “Monsters belong in cages, don’t they?”