There I was, on the ground, my body broken and half-insane, while an eldritch being was preparing to destroy our very reality. My heart was pounding in my chest, and my breath came in hard, ragged bursts. I knew it was only a matter of time before the sheer pressure of what was happening here would kill me.
In front of me, the delicate tentacles continued their work. They were tearing apart person after person and added the parasites to what I could only assume to be a cocoon in the chamber’s center. At the same time, though, more of the larger tentacles pushed from the portal, steadying it and spreading it out further and further. Vile, vapid air pumped from the rift in reality. It was thick and spread over the ground like liquid.
I laughed again. I laughed because we’d thought we’d be able to stop this, any of this. And all this, I knew, all this was merely the beginning.
I pushed myself into a sitting position while a voice in the back of my head screamed at me to do something, anything. What could I do, though? What could one low-ranking exterminator do here? Omega had failed. Athena had failed. Even Theodor’s last-ditch effort had failed.
Half-conscious, I pulled out a flamer. For a moment, I stared at it with a mixture of indifference and hope. Then I threw it toward the portal. It flew through the air, but exploded long before it even hit its target and the flames fizzled out in mid-air. I grinned. Useless. It was all so fucking useless.
A moment later, another surge of mental energy hit me, and I was thrown backward against the fleshy walls. I’d have screamed at the pain if I’d had any energy left. For a second, I wondered why the thing hadn’t killed me, but I knew. I was unimportant. It hadn’t even bothered to target me. It had merely sent out an uncontrolled burst, the smallest of efforts because I wasn’t even worth searching for. I was nothing, not even a distraction. Another burst of laughter escaped my mouth. The despair in it surprising even me.
I could still move, but why should I bother? Instead, I pushed myself up against the fleshy wall. At least, I thought, I’d have front row seats for the end of the world.
Right at that moment, something pushed into my mind. It was distant and came from far, far away. I tensed up, cringed back, and tried to push against it. Yet, whatever was invading my mind wasn’t violent or alien. No, it felt... familiar. It was the smallest of breezes, barely reaching me, but I could feel the terrible sense of urgency that accompanied it.
“Dylan, listen,” a low, almost inaudible voice resonated inside my head.
I looked around, confused, trying to find whoever was talking to me before I recognized Sandra’s voice.
“Sandra? How in the hell are you talking to me? How’s any of-?”
I was cut off when she stabbed at my mind, tearing through it in a surge of burning hot pain to quiet me.
“There’s no time!”
Her voice was a scream now, one that reverberated inside my mind.
Then she used her powers to tap into my memories. Mentalists can scramble up your mind and alter your memories, and that’s exactly what she was doing. She conveyed her full understanding of the situation and pushed it all into my mind. Right away, I could connect all the dots.
During our fight against the A-class organism, Sandra had protected Theodor, but she hadn’t merely shielded his body. No, she’d also shielded his mind. It was during that time that she became aware of a connection, a connection between Theodor and something else, and with it, a plan was revealed to her.
The parasite infesting Theodor hadn’t been a normal coincidental occurrence, but had been part of the eldritch beings’ plan to invade our reality. It was an organism that had been meticulously created to undergo a symbiosis with life-forms native to our reality. It would then adapt to it, to our laws of physics, and stay hidden until this very moment. Yet Theodor hadn’t been the only one. Far from it. More than a dozen people had been infested by parasites, all of which had congregated around the portal. And now, all these parasites would serve as the basis for an avatar, a body fit for our reality and which it could use to conquer it. When the first A-class organism had come into our reality, its goal hadn’t been to create a portal or even to fight us. All of that had been nothing but a diversion. Its true goal had been to get in contact with, gather, alter, and prepare each individual host for what was to come. During that time, it had established a connection between each host and the mind of the eldritch being, the same one Sandra had become aware of. I remembered the glee, the success I’d felt after we’d defeated the creature. Now I knew what it had meant. Its plan had been a success, even though we’d destroyed it.
I couldn’t help but laugh. We’d fought so hard, had sacrificed so much. Hell, we’d destroyed an A-class organism all on our own and it had changed nothing, nothing at all!
“So what, Sandra? What does it change? There’s nothing I can-“
Before I could continue, she quieted me with another surge of pain.
“That avatar, if we destroy it, we can stop this,” her voice resonated inside my mind.
“And what do you want me to do? I can’t even fucking get up anymore! What can I do against... against this!?” I cursed, staring at the portal ahead of me.
“Theodor.”
For long moments, the name reverberated inside my mind, but I didn’t understand.
“He’s dead! He’s been dismantled like everyone else!”
Once more, she shared her knowledge with me.
The symbiosis, it goes both ways, Sandra had learned. While the parasite becomes part of the human to adapt, the human also becomes part of the parasite. Thus, an entire new organism was born. It was nothing but a chance result caused by the very intricacies of human nature, something unplanned, but it might help us. As long as that avatar isn’t fully formed and the parasite is allowed to exist as an individual organism, Theodor’s mind will as well.
“If he’s still there, then for a moment, I might undo the control he’s under.”
For a long second, her voice was gone. When it reached me again, it was agitated, erratic and only half-there anymore.
“Might throw it into disarray, might allow Theodor to tap into its powers... only for a moment, but maybe…”
Her voice trailed off again.
Then I felt her powers wash over me, reaching out, stretching further and further before she sent them forth in an explosive surge. My entire mind, my entire being, was shaken as she let out a shrill, high-pitched scream. I felt her reaching out and searching for Theodor, but her consciousness was fading rapidly.
“Sandra, what are you-?”
She was gone. I couldn’t feel her presence anymore. In front of me, however, something was happening. The unfathomable powers that filled the womb were growing irritated. Then I felt it. Something was pushing, no, rebelling against them. I felt the anger of the eldritch being as it searched for them, trying to find the impediment. As a result, however, its focus on the cocoon on its avatar was gone.
Theodor. It had to be Theodor!
Sandra’s words returned to my mind.
‘That avatar, if we destroy it, we can stop this!’
This was our chance! Only half thinking, and after gathering what little strength I’d left, I raised my gun and pointed it at the cocoon in the chamber. Before I could press the trigger, however, the eldritch powers found me. Pain shot through my entire body. One second, I felt my hand holding cold, hard steel, then there was only pain.
I watched in horror as my hand and arm were shredded apart. I crashed to the floor, screaming in agony, and stared at the stump that had once been my right arm in a mixture of confusion and misery. Blood gushed from the wound and drenched the floor below me.
With tears in my eyes, I cursed at myself. The gun, why’d I tried to use the damned gun!? This had been our last chance, and I’d fucking wasted it!
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By now, the eldritch being seemed to have ordered its powers and had restrained whatever had usurped them. Then I felt it again, another surge of the rebelling power, a last-ditch effort. This time, I didn’t waste any time. I got a hold of the pack containing the dozen grenades I’d still left, activated one, and threw it with my one remaining arm.
Don’t let me down, my little friends, don’t let me down.
The pack flew high through the air, crashed against the cocoon, and tore it apart in an ear-shattering explosion. Thrown into chaos at the result of the explosion, the eldritch powers became uncontrolled with anger. The entire womb twitched and stirred.
In front of me, the portal’s surface erupted and was torn asunder as a multitude of tentacles shot forward. They spread out and tore through the fleshy walls of the chamber in a blind rage. Chunks of flesh and disgusting liquid descended. And then the portal spilled outwards as the creature began pushing through. Almost instantly, images invaded my mind. They were images of beautiful destruction, of pleasure and suffering, a celebration of life and its ultimate end. Nonexistence. An end to it all. An end to the curse that was life and existence itself. The ultimate order.
I watched in despair as part of the being emerged from the portal. An enormous tentacled thing tore through the wall of the womb and opened it up to the world beyond. Somehow, I knew this was nothing but the smallest, most minuscule part of its body. It was nothing, not even a finger. But this, even this, was enough to cause massive destruction.
Part of the womb was gone now, but the portal was ever-extending, flowing and spreading and soon another part of the being emerged. It was in a blind rage, and I watched as the outside world close to the womb was torn asunder. It wasn’t trying to conquer or order anymore. Its plan had failed. Now all it wanted was to destroy and to leave its mark. And with each new emerging part, the portal spread further and further.
Yet, right at this moment, I felt it again. It was the smallest remnant of a different power, minuscule and hidden below the blind, unfathomable rage. I didn’t understand, not at first, but then I felt its familiarity. It was Theodor, or at least, a last remnant of his consciousness, his will. I watched in stunned wonder, as the flesh, the people who’d been used to create the portal were folded into themselves and eventually torn apart. As a result, the portal was deteriorating. Its surface changed and shifted before it turned into a vortex. The eldritch being was forced to retreat, to pull back as the portal waned and fizzled out.
At that moment, another set of images appeared in my mind. No, not images, I realized, memories. I saw a small boy playing ball with a man in front of a costly home. The boy was getting older. He was out in the streets, partying, then fighting with the same man. I watched as he turned and left his home. He began befriending the people out in the streets, helping the homeless. Then I saw him standing in a pool of blood, surrounded by the torn bodies of the same people. I felt his despair, but mostly his frustration and anger. I didn’t understand what I was seeing, but then I saw his face. It was Theodor. Those were his memories, his life. And then, the images were gone, the portal was torn apart and the tear in reality was closed off.
I lay there, on the floor, staring at the bleeding, torn apart remains of the womb and couldn’t believe it. The unfathomable alien presence was gone. A wave of euphoria washed over me. It was over. Somehow, we’d done it.
No, not us, Sandra and Theodor. The two of them had done it.
As I lay there, the fleshy walls around me began falling apart. Flesh poured from the walls and rained down in wet, rotten chunks. Behind me, the first of the many tunnels collapsed. For a moment, I felt lightheaded. Dark spots appeared in front of my eyes and my head started spinning. I screamed at myself to stay conscious and administered healing contraptions to both my torn arm and broken leg. I had to get out of here, I had to get help, otherwise...
In front of me, the womb had been torn apart. As the alien influences vanished, reality returned. From the tear at the end of the chamber, I could see sunlight. I screamed at myself again, pushed aside the pain and began half-limping, half-crawling towards the outside world.
It was so far, I thought, as I dragged myself through stinking liquids and past rotten flesh. I saw creatures here and there, but those stragglers were too confused and stunted to give me any notice. They shuffled through the rotten womb in a state of apathy, not understanding what had happened. They were lost, cut off from their terrible god, and now trapped in an alien place.
I didn’t care. Instead, I dragged myself onward and eventually made it outside. Before I passed out, the last thing I saw were the first members of Headquarters’ support squad making their way towards me.
***
When I woke up, I found myself in a hospital bed. I heard voices outside. People were arguing, but I couldn’t understand anything. My entire body was in terrible pain and when I tried to push myself up, I wasn’t able to. In shock, I stared at the stump that had once been my right arm before I remembered what had happened.
Right at that moment, the door opened and someone entered.
“Exterminator 7D11087,” the woman said.
Her voice was as cold and emotionless as ever.
“Adjudicator,” I said, giving her a curt nod that sent shivers of pain through my body.
“We’ve got to give you our thanks. Because of the effort of you and Exterminator 4B98344, the situation is now under control.”
“So there’s no need for a cleansing anymore?”
She shook her head.
“No. While there’s still a sizable amount of creatures on the loose, we’ve requested additional personnel to handle them.”
I couldn’t help but sigh in relief, but as I lay there, the events of the past weeks returned to my mind.
“You’re not just thanking me, though, aren’t you? You’re here to carry out my punishment, right?”
Her face grew hard, and after a moment, she nodded.
“As of now, you’re under house arrest and to remain here until we’ve cleared up the situation. From the data we’ve gathered, we can deduce that you’re not to blame for the loss of Omega. No, it’s thanks to you and your presence that the situation was resolved.”
“House arrest? Sounds lovely,” I said sarcastically, ignoring the rest she’d said.
The adjudicator, however, didn’t give my tone of voice any notice.
“Temporarily, yes, until we’ve got the situation under control and handled all issues regarding the local authorities.”
“Might be tough this time.”
When I said this, her face turned cold.
“Well, once this is over,” I spoke up again. “What’s going to happen to me, Adjudicator?”
“You will be relieved of all your duties related to the organization. Given your current condition, we won’t be needing your services anymore. Therefore, the higher-ups have decided to put you on indefinite leave.”
“Indefinite... leave?”
For the first time, I saw an adjudicator with a genuine smile on their face.
“We won’t be needing a low-ranking, one-armed exterminator like you. Once all issues are settled, you’re free to go. Should you be interested, however, there are always positions available at the archives.”
I began laughing, but the pain was so intense, I almost passed out. I cursed to myself and took a few deep breaths before I answered her.
“To tell you the truth, Adjudicator, I was never one to read the codex or the compendium. I doubt I’d be a good fit for that. There’s also something else I’ve got to do.”
For a few moments, we were both quiet.
“Is it related to Exterminator 4B98344 and her passing?” the woman asked.
I nodded. I knew what had happened all along. Sandra had sacrificed herself when she’d used her mental powers to reach out to Theodor. And yet, the tears still kept coming.
“How did she-?” I started, but was choked by tears.
“We aren’t sure. She might have woken up because of the S-class organism’s presence, or she might have planned for this all along. When she realized how dire the situation was and what she needed to do, she injected a lethal dosage of memory alterations and mind enhancers.”
“Dammit, Sandra, dammit,” I cursed while I was crying.
The Adjudicator watched in silence for a few moments before she turned to leave.
“Adjudicator,” I started. “Two decades ago, an incident happened in a small backwater town in the Ukraine. The one Exterminator... Sandra was from.”
She stopped, waiting for me to continue.
“I’d like to know where it was. I think she’d very much like to go home, so I thought...”
My voice trailed off.
“I’ll see what I can do,” the woman said before she finally left the room.
***
In the weeks to come, all I could do was to rest and recuperate my battered body. The damage I’d suffered was far more severe than I’d thought.
During my time at Headquarters’ field hospital, they subjected me to an endless array of questions. So much for indefinite leave, I thought, as I answered them all. Yet, I didn’t mind. No, I did all I could to help them. They had to understand all that had happened so they could be prepared should any such incident ever happen again. I owed it to Sandra, to Theodor, and to everyone else who’d died.
When I was released, my body felt different, perpetually broken. They’d been right. The way I was now, I’d be no use as an exterminator. Never again. Their indefinite leave was less a gift, but more the expulsion of a useless asset. Still, I didn’t mind.
The adjudicator had done what I’d asked her for. She’d left me a detailed note containing the former location of Sandra’s hometown. Before I went on my way, however, there was one more thing I wanted to do. No, had to do.
For days, I scoured the city in search of the building from Theodor’s memories. When I found it, I stood in front of it for a long moment. I took a deep breath before I rang the doorbell. It wasn’t long before an older man in his mid-fifties answered. He greeted me, but frowned when he saw the state I was in.
“Who are you? Is this about Theodor? What did he-?”
“No,” I cut him off, but then shook my head.
“To be honest, yes, this is about Theodor. He wanted to thank you for the time you played ball with him. He treasured those memories.”
For a moment, the man’s expression grew angry, and I watched as he balled his hands into fists. He opened his mouth, most likely to scream at me, but then he must’ve seen something on my face.
The anger left him, and only a sad expression remained on his face.
“That damned boy,” he cursed in a shaken voice, and I saw him blink away tears.
“He was a good man, Theodor, I mean.”
The man nodded.
“Of course he was,” he finally said. “And, thank you.”
There was no need to say anything else, and neither was there a way to explain to him what had happened to his son.
Once I was back at the apartment, my eyes wandered over the place once more. It was almost barren now, stripped of anything related to Headquarters or exterminations. All that remained was an oppressive, almost all-encompassing silence. So much had happened here, I thought.
Then I carefully picked up the urn containing Sandra’s remains and made my way downstairs to my car. Once I’d made sure the urn was secured, I sat down behind the steering wheel. It would be a long drive and it wouldn’t be easy to find the place, but I had to do it. And so, I started on my way to the backwaters of Ukraine. My goal was a place where once stood a small, unimportant town, a town where the woman that would one day save the world had been born.