The Gulf (novel)

The Gulf was a 2012 novella written by Cody Schell. It was the first release in The Periodic Adventures of Señor 105 series and featured licensed use of the characters Señor 105 and Sheila who had both debuted in the Iris Wildthyme series.

Synopsis
1970: Scientist, explorer and semi-retired Mexican wrestler Senor 105 returns to Mexico to discover the countryside is being overrun with a fresh influx of forbidden technology. He and his Parisian companion Sheila (a conglomeration of sentient Helium molecules) must travel to the Chicxulub Crater, traditionally the source of many menaces. They will have a hard time reaching the crater, as the Yucatan gang/cult the Terrible Kings don’t want them to reach it. Who is their leader and what is affecting the ocean’s tides? Who is the woman intent on obtaining a pair of silver antlers? Men made of gold, a sabotaged train and more mysteries from the depths of the Gulf!

Plot
Señor 105 and Sheila pass through the Guatemalan border into Mexico. The pair had recently been investigating reports of strange goings on in Venezuela, which had disappointed Sheila who had been full of hope after hearing rumours about a mass sighting of hundreds of balloons travelling across the country, however, on their return 105's hovercraft had been destroyed as they attempted to cross The Gulf leading them to take the long way round. During a conversation with customs officers 105 became interested in a solid gold statue which had been confiscated as it was being smuggled out of the country. Upon examining the statue, 105 came to the conclusion that the statue had once been a real person and that it was the work of the Terrible Kings. When the cube which was present in the statue's hand was removed it caused a chain reaction and the statue transformed back into the real person. The individual claimed not to know anything about the circumstances of his situation, 105 was unconvinced and when the customs officers took the man away for further questioning he smuggled the cube into his pocket. Meanwhile, Beto Anfibios, one of the Terrible Kings, searched through a mound of debris inside the Chicxulub Crater determining what was worthless and what he would be able to sell, and Luna started to make her way through the Sea of Tranquility.

While waiting for a train, Señor 105 began reading through his former mento Viento's memoirs. One passage revealed an encounter she had with a strange man who had informed her that he had been lost to the Gulf. She initially believed that he had been lost at sea having fallen overboard but the man, who was seemingly disfigured, made further claims about being lost amongst the stars that made Viento question his sanity. Eventually the man revealed himself to have powers and blasted some passing soldiers with a burst of energy - taking control of them. He claimed to be The Terrible King and set the soldiers on her, but Viento was able to escape. In another passage Viento recalled regrouping with her two associates Tierra and Fuego and planning an attack on the Terrible Kings, who were now in possession of mechanical spiders that they had created using technology from the Chicxulub Crater and were close to taking over Mexico. The trio were awaiting their fourth associate Agua, who had went alone to spy on the Terrible Kings, but were surprised by an explosion. Vaquero Electrico, a renowned coboy, escaped the explosion carrying Agua's disfigured body. He revealed that Agua had overloaded the Terrible King's machinery causing the explosion and killing almost all of the Kings, but that they had been caught up in the blast and killed. Vaquero declined to help Viento, Tierra and Fuego continue to protect Mexico against the Kings and vanished.

Characters

 * Customs officer
 * Señor 105
 * Sheila
 * Man
 * Beto Anfibios
 * Luna
 * Lori Flaherty
 * Dolly
 * Auctioneer
 * El Mundo
 * Rodrigo

Worldbuilding

 * Sheila's passport had her in a red balloon casing, however, she currently resided within a white balloon.
 * Sheila was pleased to have recently been in contact with her old friend El Hombre Invisible during their investigations in Venezuela.
 * Chicxulub was the home to the Terrible Kings, and the Chicxulub Crater was formed by the impact of the same mysterious object that killed the dinosaurs.
 * A pair of Silver antlers were found in the crater. They belonged to "silver-antlered" men from Earth's twin planet "Una Contro-Mundo".
 * Vaquero Electrico's agelessness was due to him having been Ponce de Leon’s right hand men in the search for the Fountain of Youth.
 * Señor 105 had encountered Wolf Women and Vampires.
 * Señor 105's Tungsten mask had been a gift from some Thai miners who he and Mr Tea saved from a giant pointy-eared demon called the Yak.
 * Señor 105 previously met Albert Einstein.
 * Worlds that Señor 105 has visited include: a destroyed fifth planet, Vulcan and Planet X.

Continuity

 * Chago was one of the few people to ever leave the Terrible Kings. (PROSE: Elementary, My Dear Sheila)
 * Viento was Señor 105's mentor. (PROSE: Elementary, My Dear Sheila, et al.)
 * Sheila was unaware whether her family were dead or alive. (PROSE: Elementary, My Dear Sheila)
 * Señor 105 owns a technologically advanced jukebox known as the Zodiac machine that he obtained from the Chicxulub Crater. (PROSE: Elementary, My Dear Sheila)
 * Señor 105's first mask was based on the element Neptunium and he was known as Señor 93. (PROSE: Elementary, My Dear Sheila)
 * Earth has a twin planet. (TV: The Tenth Planet, et al.)
 * Señor 105 and Sheila previously encountered Jackalope in the upper-Midwest of the United States who claimed to be from the moon. (PROSE: Jackalope)
 * Señor 105 encountered a civilisation on Venus. (PROSE: By the Time I Get to Venus)