The Old Man nods and steps out of his pod.
He holds on for a second then stands up straight. Feels the cold ground under his jumpsuit covered feet.
Cole comes over.
"I'm one of you. Or whatever."
The Old Man looks at him and nods, like of course you are.
"Do you remember me?" Cole asks, hoping.
"How can I forget you?" The Old Man smiles. "How was your nap, Cole?"
"No. I've been out. For a long time."
"Oh. Oh no. You were from the other room. I assume you are all that is left," The Old Man says, voice going through different pitches. "Do you not remember anything?"
Cole shakes his head.
"Oh. That is not good. It is okay. It happens. Perhaps we can crack that egg open again. The yoke of experience might come forth. Come. We must awake who we can."
They both turn towards Orion, who has weapons in his arms.
"This is weird," he announces, and goes back to setting his devices.
"What is he doing?" The Old Man whispers.
"Oh. He's rigging the whole thing to explode. The room, the ship, everything."
"Really?! Why?"
"There are human demon hybrids next door."
"Is there? Fine. Yes. Okay. Well, yes. Blow the room up. Blow the whole ship up. But let's get everyone out first, yes? This room. Please. Tell me, are some dead?"
Cole nods and points.
The Old Man frowns, then gets back to work. "That is too bad. Very unfortunate. I always wondered what their death would be like. They know, now. But it is what we signed up for. Some close friends, I'm sure. Oh Cole. If only you could remember. But perhaps it is good. Come! Come! We must go. You're lucky I survived."
AMTEK CORPORATION THANKS YOU
LEAVE A COMMENT
SUGGESTION BOX OPEN
"Why?" Cole asks, feeling his whole body shutting down. "Why are we lucky?"
The Old Man puts his hand on Cole's shoulder as Orion looks over, wondering the same thing as Cole.
"Because I know everything. And I can get humanity back on track."
Cole smiles in his dying stupor.
Orion shrugs and talks under his breath. "A little cocky."
"The exit?" The Old Man asks.
Orion points.
The Old Man nods.
"Good. Get these opened! Now! Now! We must go. We are past our life expectancy I think. And war monger?"
Orion turns. "Talking to me I assume?"
"Yes."
"What can I do for you, sire?"
"The attitude is not necessary, thank you. I will not allow that in the new world. That bag? There? That is mine."
The Old Man points towards the piles of weapons and gear.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Orion looks and sees a strange orange backpack in the midst of everything. Like a twisted first aid kit.
"Really? This?"
"Yes. That bag is definitely one of those pull string in case of the whole world ending like things."
Orion pulls the bag out and tosses it to The Old Man in one swoop.
The Old Man clumsily drops it.
Orion shakes his head. "How are you going to restart or change the world if you can't catch a bag?!"
The Old Man picks it up delicately, then sticks his tongue out at Orion like a child. "I'd like you to sleep for decades and try to catch something!"
Orion mimics the British senior citizen with a mocking posture as he goes back to his work.
Cole smiles at the whole thing, but his failing body ruins it.
Blood red static and throbbing fills his display.
AMTEK CORPORATION WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR -
AMTEK CORPORATION WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR -
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR FAMILY AGAIN BEFORE YOU DIE?
ACCESS MEMORIES?
ACCESS MEMORIES?
Cole is so weak he cannot even clear the menu, nor decide if he actually wants to access whatever is there.
The Old Man does not notice he is dying.
"Cole. Please. Help. We must open them up!"
Cole nods and walks over to some of the pods in a daze.
He looks up to see The Old Man climbing up the sideways wall of pods, pushing and pulling from each one, while trying to get to the top.
For the first time, Cole notices his outfit. Like a skintight yoga outfit meets track suit. Some strange lines and information seem to be on the suit that can be accessed later somehow.
A fashionable hood pops up from the back.
The Old Man opens one of the sideways pods.
"Good morning! Oh! Margaret. It is you. Bless you. Please be careful. It is quite the drop. Yes, the world has ended. Come dear."
A beautiful woman pops out, confused, but immediately starting to remember what the mission was. She hugs The Old Man, then slowly starts to climb down and go to other pods.
Cole smiles at the beautiful woman and wishes he could remember her. He wonders if they were friends or lovers or if he had a pining for her. He reaches to open another pod.
"Nice lululemon outfit they got there," Orion quips.
"What is that?" Cole asks.
"Nothing," Orion says quietly.
The sounds in the engine room have stopped. The pops and whistles and cranks and moving of gears and water and matter is no more.
Goliath turns towards his horde.
He can feel it. Something is off. Something has changed.
He closes his burnt and mutated eye lids, scaled like a reptile.
Sobek opens them in a flash and screams in the devil tongue, and then in English.
"Find them!"
The horde immediately scream and start to fly, dive, crawl, and run into their crevices in the ship, trying to find the intruders.
They run and scream and go down the hallways they know like the back of their hand, looking for their intruders.
The others jump into the pool of water, diving into the darkness of the ship, led by their glowing lanterns.
They swim like mad piranhas, searching for their prey in a madness ingrained in them.
None see the light above them. A small spot they never noticed, nor could most fit in. A light in a small path.
A spot that led to where Orion and their enemies slowly woke.