Hours after leaving the Hive and the Ruins of Talrodaon, Garin, Sara, Terra, and the rock spider Selok arrived at the hidden base known as the Vault. Garin made his way to the entrance, which laid under a rock foundation. It could only be lifted by a crane crew, who stood by it daily should a survivor appear.
Garin knocked against the rock, banging it like a doorbell. The Rock slowly inched up, as a soldier peeked its ears out. He stared at the four of them with surprise. “Holy Gods, what, who…” He started to babble as he stared at Selok, the rock spider’s eyes glistening. Sara grabbed the private’s uniform, and pulled him out of the entrance.
“We’re going inside, ok?” The private nodded, words escaping him like his eyes tried to escape his face.
Selok tilted his head at the entrance, turning to Sara, “Rock lifts up, and bird-man is there? I like that.” Selok moved the entrance rock out of the way, making room for himself to enter. Terra glanced downward into the dark hole,
“Is it safe?” She asked, fear tinting on her voice.
Garin pushed her inside, and grabbing Sara’s arm, descended below. The three landed on a pad of gel that absorbed their fall. Selok branched off to the side, hanged on the entrance wall. Terra turned to face Garin after they all got off the gel pack.
“Don’t you ever do that again Garin, or so help me I’ll-,” as she said it Garin picked her up, his longer tendrils out reaching hers, and patted her on the back.
“Don’t worry about a thing Terra, it’ll never happen again,” He smiled mischievously at her. She hung there, a sour look on her face as she was set down. Sara knocked Garin over the head, as Garin started laughing.
“You do that again and you’ll regret it Garin,” She smiled at him, hinting at more head bonks should he continue.
Garin got up, the blow stinging his head. “Alright, no more, now let get inside. I don’t know about you two, but I’m hungry.” They followed him inside, Selok reaching the door, but unable to push himself through. “Selok, tchsk elak rot krrr,” Terra said, whispering the language to the rock creature. Selok hissed, but retracted, laying against the entrance to the base. “Don’t worry, we’ll be back,” Sara said to Selok, as the spider burrowed his legs into the ground, his eyes staring at the group as they departed inside the base. Garin marched forward towards the decontamination chamber. It was part of the protocol for the base, to prevent any infected from making their way inside to spy.
A familiar voice hummed over the screeching of the sprayers. “Welcome to the Vault. Please wait… Oh Overlord Garin. It’s good to see you again.” The chamber has a small television, which whirred to life as the voice continued,
“It appears the creatures of this planet have saw fit to give me a place inside their mainframe sir. I hope that I can serve you better this way.” Sheila’s face appeared on the monitor, her smile arching slightly to the right. Garin smiled back. “It’s good to hear Sheila. We need to get through, if you don’t mind?” Sheila looked at the group, lights sprung from the walls, and a scan appeared on the monitor.
Sheila stopped midway through, and a red light appeared over her scanning lights. “Overlord it appears that the third you bring was or still has an infection going through her system. It would not be wise to bring her inside the compound.”
Garin peered at Terra, her eyes growing wider. “Sheila, do an intensive scan on Terra,” he pointed to her, “While it is true that she was recently infected, I want to know if there’s anything still left.” Terra looked as Garin, and nodded. A cube of light appeared over Terra, layering over her entire body. Her skeleton showed through, revealing her entire bodily structure, organs, metallic skin, and bones.
Garin saw it, a small red botch at the underside of her stomach. It was a ball shaped organ but it was glowing as an unidentified organism. Terra screamed, looking at herself on the screen. “Sheila, is there any way to remove the aberration in her stomach?” Sheila’s scans stopped momentarily, and her face appeared on the screen. “There is a way, but it would be risky. The scans reveal the parasitic organism to be attached to her outlying organs, her liver, stomach and kidneys are attached to the aberration. A doctor won’t be enough to help her however.” Sheila made an audible sigh over the speakers. “Her metal skin can’t be ripped apart for a hole big enough to wrest the creature from her vitals.”
Garin punched the wall, “Damnit I’m not leaving that thing inside her Sheila. Now, is there a way to save her without killing her or not?” Sheila looked shocked, but she shook her head. “I don’t believe it Sheila, tell me or I swear.” Garin’s arms lit up red, he could feel the hell storm within his body.
I am not leaving her with that monster inside her. Sheila sighed, and with a huff through the speakers she spoke, “there is no way to remove the aberration inside of her, it simply is too engrossed within her body’s chemistry. Removing it may actually kill her as opposed to bring her health back.” Terra looked distraught. “Does that make me a Skiritix as well?” She looked on the verge of tears as she stared at the AI.
Sheila shook her head, “The aberration is dormant, and without the control it is my understanding that the organ itself will not affect you adversely, so long as the node does not return. However,” Sheila paused as she looked over her with her scans once more, “You are not registering as a Shandori in my systems, in fact I cannot pinpoint what class you belong to, it may be due to the infection you suffered from but I can only identify you as… a mutation.”
Terra was in tears, her knees holding her up as the truth of what she was sank in. Garin could only imagine her thoughts as she slunk even further to the floor. Terra stood back up, but for her tears she seemed determined, “Fine, if I am not Shandori than I will make do with what I am. I will not be controlled again.” She pushed into the complex, despite the alarms going off to signal a convert had entered the compound.
Garin admired her determination, and the thoughts of rage that clouded his mind dissipated with the notion. He and Sara looked at each other and proceeded inside the Vault.
…
Melchior could not believe what he had seen. From the view of the chair he was tied to, a monitor showcased the image of Garin, Sara and a convert walking right into the facility with no effort being made to detain them. Surely Garin knew of the risk bringing one of those monstrosities inside this compound?
Melchior could do nothing however, tied as he was.
Pepper held a gun to his head as well, but Melchior had no fear from the weapon. Pepper stared at him emotionless, the pistol trained on his temple with little regard or familiarity of the woman he knew.
He turned to Naomi, also in a similar trance as they both held firm when their master approached.
His brother strode into the room, a skip to his step as he smirked at his lowly brother. Melchior stared at him vehemently as he twisted a device in his hand that resembled a tablet. It all became too clear what his brother had brought while he was studying the AI.
“Brother, do not do this.” Melchior pleaded with his insane sibling, trying so desperately to bring him to his senses. His brother however, would not be swayed.
“Ah Mel, surely you don’t think I would do all this just to give in so easily do you?”
He punched Melchior in the beak, sending him spinning in the swivel chair as Priscilla stopped him so that he may be struck again.
“So much power, in such small applications. You only need set this on their chest, and viola, the subject is subservient and submissive, obeying only the command of the one who placed it to begin with. Ah Pepper, such a way with you and your fiery spirit. And to think you surmised I would not realize your intention with this latest discovery.
Removing me from grace would have been enough, but you and my brother…” He stared at Melchior with a contempt far more malicious that Melchior thought his brother possessed. Pure hatred shown through. “Tried to disbar me from my own lab, confiscate my experiments on the Cheruvian artifacts I FOUND, AND THROW ME UNDER THE RUG ON THIS DISCOVERY? WELL, TO HELL WITH YOU AND YOURS PEPPER!” She looked at Melchior, a smile on her face as he screamed obscenities at her.
It made Melchior sick, to see such a brilliant mind brought low by someone like his detestable brother.
Melchior had already broken through the ties on his chair, knowing full well he could run. He waited however, for he knew Naomi would kill him before he could make it to the door.
Damn her, but she was a good shot, and Melchior did not stand a chance in hell with her in the room.
He decided to distract his brother, perhaps with time Garin and the youngling Shandori could escape before his brothers’ devices found their way to them.
So, with his plan in mind, he played to his brother’s insanity, “It matter not, you are done brother. The council has already ruled you incapable and therefore unable to practice archeological studies. Even if you tried to enslave the entire council, people will know how much of a hack you truly are. A Touak who could not defend his own claims? How trite he would be.”
His brother continued to assault him, his fury showing no restraint as he screamed gutturally at Melchior. Hawter turned away from him as he made his way to the door, Pepper following close behind as he turned back to grin evilly at Melchior.
“Then I will take your salvation and make it my own… Melchior.” Suddenly, Melchior felt a cold worst then death crawl upon his spine as he noticed that his brother took his own image.
He thrashed in his chair, panic laced with fury pushing him to wonder how he should act. If he did nothing now…
Garin would walk right into his hands.
“Brother stop this madness! Nothing good will come from this! Please!”
His brother laughed as he descended from the elevator, his glee all too apparent as he made his way to convert the Shandori. Naomi still stood there; her face vacant of her usual pessimistic look.
Melchior oddly enough wished he could see it once more. He fell to the floor, letting his body grow limp as he tumbled. Naomi made no move to ascertain his health. Glad for his brother’s lack of foresight, he turned and rolled into Naomi’s legs as she tumbled down to the floor. She frantically tried to get back up, her pistol in hand.
Melchior was ready for her, placing a hand against his brother’s device. Grasping it firmly, he separated it from Naomi, throwing it against the wall in quick succession. She collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Melchior did not dare wait to make sure she was alright though, for something else took hold of him that demanded his attention. He raced to the stairs, trying desperately to make his way to Garin, before his insane brother did.
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…
Garin and Sara made their way to their quarters where Terra was resting. As they entered the room together, Garin looked down at her once more. It was apparent that she was Shandori, or at least at one point. He examined her chitinous skin, her bone white face which held those unsettling eyes. Still, he knew better than to group her with the Skiritix. They had no choice but to obey, and she was free of that threat now. Though the fear of her changing sides still sat at the back of his mind.
She was one of them too, just free from servitude. Garin sat down at the opposite bed as Sara stroked the strange spikey follicles on Terra’s head.
She really likes this girl, like an actual sister.
Her demeanor reminded Garin of his mother, who as the days after the Hive came about was returning his memories of her. Still no Tehran, but at least those memories gave him comfort.
Sara looked to the door, as Melchior came in. The scientist took a look at the two of them, his frown apparent as he stared over at Terra.
“Where did you find her?” Garin spoke up first. “She was the Hive mind near the ruins. Apparently, she controlled the Skiritix there, and they morphed her into some sort of Hive mind to do it. Sara freed her, though she has yet to tell me how she did it.”
Garin stared at Sara, who shrugged off his stare. “I entered her mind through the centipede on her back. With Kalra, I jacked into the centipede somehow. It gave me a way to talk to Terra, which helped us free her from the Skiritix.” Sara looked to the side, but Garin knew there was more to it.
Melchior gasped at the story, his eyes bugging out. “How did you two kill the Hive?”
Garin smiled at her, teeth splitting his face in two. “She was the controller, stopping her stopped the Skiritix.” Melchior gave him a stare, his face showing no amusement.
“He’s right Doctor, Terra was controlling the Hive, or whoever was controlling her was controlling the Hive. When we saved her, the Hive began to die.” Sara said, her hand on the girl’s forehead.
Melchior smiled, his face lighting up. “So, then the Shandori can control the Skiritix then?” Garin looked at Sara, but she didn’t see what was happening. Garin opened his mouth, but not before a gun was pointing down at him.
The vision of Dr. Melchior blurred, replacing with Dr. Hawter’s owl features. He smiled at them, malice oozing out of the black holes that were his eyes. “Thank you, Sara, once again you work to my advantage. With this information, the council will have no choice but to let me weaponize you three without consent. This kind of advantage will save our planet.
Controlling the Skiritix, using them against their own is by far more brilliant than what I could have ever dreamed.”
He gazed at Garin, his smile as dark as his features. “Good thing we saved that parasite. Wouldn’t want that thing to go anywhere, not without creating our own centipedes. Placing them on you with the right transceivers, and presto, we have an army without any cost to our numbers. My, this is too delicious, wouldn’t you say Doctor Pepper?”
Doctor Pepper came in, her eyes blank without emotion. On her chest a device was present, lights and one single microchip placed upon the back. She nodded her answer, a mechanical jig as she pulled a gun out and aimed it at Sara.
“Why? Why are you doing this, we would have helped your people. Why the hell are you doing this Hawter?” Garin’s mind was doing back flips, there was no reason for this.
Hawter’s smile sunk down to a sneer. “You just had to come in Garin, after all the research I did, after all the progress I made into making my Shandori a living weapon. You came, releasing her, exposing my work when it wasn’t ready to be accepted. Now you would come in and claim the glory? I still may not know what you Shandori are capable of, but Ms. Pepper here does. And I know how fond of her you are Garin, I’ve seen what she did to give you your power. She is my ticket to you.
I will be the one to expose you three as weapons, and Pepper is going to back me up. She is after all, the lead expert on Archeological studies for the Cheruv race. I’ll just ‘Inquire’ on how you all were weapons made by the progenitor race. Weapons don’t have feelings now do they?”
At that moment, Garin could have sworn he saw the devil staring at him.
The monster that Hawter was revealed at last.
He aimed the gun at Pepper. “Try anything, and she dies. I don’t want one bit of resistance from either of you. Oh Sara? Why don’t you come here and kiss my feet for me while you’re at it, you’ll be my slaves soon enough, so why not get with the program for a-,”
Something stabbed the Doctor through the chest, the blade long and curved piercing through his flesh with ease. Garin stared at Hawter’s wide eyes, the malice replaced with horror. Sara pulled Pepper towards her, as she tried to train her gun on Sara.
“No!” Garin grabbed Pepper’s hand, pointing the gun at the ceiling. The shot rang out, blasting a hole in the roof.
Pepper kept firing the gun, until Garin smacked it aside and held her down. She didn’t squirm, but she stared at Garin, with dead eyes unbefitting her usual charm. He turned to Melchior, the real one who held Hawter’s corpse in place, pulling the face closer.
“My only regret was that I couldn’t save you from yourself, you horrid monster.” Hawter’s gasps slowed, and his body finally arched back, death claiming him. Melchior held his brother’s body, his face streaming with tears as he laid his brother down.
He turned to Garin, his eyes sad but firm. “Garin you have to go,”
“What, why? We didn’t do anything wrong here Melchior. That crazy bastard-,”
“-Is dead Garin, and Pepper’s under some kind of mind control, you have no credible witness to believe your story, and Hawter is still an active and participating member of the Council. If you do not go, and they take you, they will not hesitate to make you into weapons anyway despite what Hawter might have done. Either way, you can’t stay here Garin, not anymore.”
He pointed to Pepper, one dead, the other with dead eyes. Garin felt like there was something he could do to make it better, anything. But he looked at the mess, the blood. They weren’t trusted, and a doctor was dead. He turned to Sara, who held a look akin to happiness.
“Where are we going to go Sara, we are on an alien planet.”
Sara smiled, “We got Selok, and his kin. He’s already proposed a meeting with his kind. We just need to get out of here before they find Hawter.” A monitor came on, Sheila’s voice carrying over the speakers of the Infirmary. “Overlord, I was informed that you were here, and… Oh my, Overlord, why is Doctor Hawter…”
Garin raced to the monitor, “Sheila, I need you to access Dr. Hawter’s files, find out if he’s been planning a meeting with the Council.” She looked at him with worry, but the bar appeared over her head, downloading a slew of files over the monitors.
“Yes indeed, it was to be this afternoon, something about you and your subordinates Overlord. Sir, why is Dr. Hawter deceased?”
Garin explained the story to Sheila, who began to show stark horror at the news.
“If this is true Overlord, then you must flee, these lowly life forms seek to control you as you say. I’ve detected several projects already lined up to involve these transceivers Hawter developed. You must go.”
“Sheila, what about you? We can’t leave you with these people.”
“Overlord, these puny people cannot hope to control me, and now that they seek to harm you? They’ll find me even less cooperative. If I am here, I can tell Kalra and Tehran about what the Touak are working on. Besides, I cannot fit in a Shandori unit. It’s cramped inside.”
She gave a slight smile, “It is a pleasure to know you Garin, to know that I am not the last of our kind. Go, find the others. Teach them, lead them, and give them a place on this world again. Reclaim what was lost.”
Sheila’s face disappeared from the screen, and in seconds the lights went off. “Sara, grab Terra and hold onto me. We’re leaving.”
…
Naomi raced to the meeting room, glancing at the screens that dotted the way. The entire installation was offline, someone had cut the power to the primary reactor cores and if they didn’t get up soon the base would be detected by Skiritix in no time.
Emergency lights flashed in unison as the door opened. The flash of red that came from the room illuminated two bodies. Anna, who was lying on the table, and Tim, his eyes glazed over in the emergency lights. Both were dead, but Priscilla couldn’t worry about that. She moved to the computer screen; the lights flickered when she put in the commands. Instead of the lights coming on, Sheila appeared on the screen.
“Ambassador Naomi, Welcome. What is it that you need?” Naomi was startled, no one had told her that Sheila was already online, and not only that, but in control of the base’s systems. “Sheila, I need you to bring the power to the installation back online, the entire facility is in danger of detection.”
“I am afraid that will not be possible for at least one hour, Naomi.” Sheila gave a smile that showed no remorse for their emergency.
“Sheila you must, this facility could come under attack at any moment, and with no way to defend the people here the Touak would surely die!”
Sheila did not seem occupied in the least, and instead of responding to her reasons, a tiny tendril made its way to Naomi. She was startled at first, but the tendril latched onto her head before she could react.
“Your Touak controllers threatened the lives of my masters, Naomi. Your Dr. Hawter is to blame, and your Pepper helped him achieve that with her research. She may not have had a choice, but she helped just the same. Give me a good reason why I should not burn this place to the ground. Tell me why the Touak people should live.”
Naomi gaped at the screen, unsure of what was going on. The Council went behind her back, and did not mention Sheila’s integration into the system. Not only that, but they were after the Shandori as well.
Hawter… he did something to Pepper to hurt Garin somehow.
“Sheila, I had no knowledge of this, whatever Hawter did, he did so on his own volition I can swear to that.”
Sheila’s face became grimmer, “Do not be so sure,” Sheila pulled up a file, a recommendation from Hawter to the Council, and their approval code at the bottom.
Shandori Reprogramming.
Naomi gasped, “No, why? We had their help, they said they would help us, but I never thought… my gods,” Naomi felt tears streaming down her face.
Sheila sighed, bringing the power back on to the station. “I think it is time that you regained who you are as well, seeing as the fate of Dr. Pepper maybe yours as well.” A tiny feeling came to the back of her neck as Priscilla felt a tendril latch onto her base. It dug into her flesh and within seconds she felt something being placed in the base of her neck and spine. Her thoughts immediately changed and shifted. What had happened?
“You will help me Naomi, for the Touak have betrayed my masters, but you never knew did you?” She shook her head, still in disbelief that the people she came to defend, the ones she put her trust into, had their own plans for Garin and his brethren from the start.
“You will help me Naomi, I know that despite this… endeavor, you would not want your people taken by the Skiritix infestation. I will not allow the Touak to harm my masters, so I will remain here. You will go to Garin, and help him.”
She stood up, realizing she had been on her knees this whole time. “I will Sheila.” Her thoughts told her that this was wrong, that she needed to help the Touak at all cost, which sounded even worse. She was Sheok, she was a hunter and a pack leader, why should she care about the Touak?
Sheila answered for her, “Strange, isn’t it? The mind that the Sheok possess and it seems it was easily tamed by technology. You were used by Hawter after he found out about your connection Priscilla, or should I use Naomi?”
Naomi fumed, so she was being manipulated all this time? By the Touak tricksters themselves no less? Sheila did not need to tell her to follow Garin, she would have done it just the same after knowing this.
“I will help him Sheila, and I do not need to be forced to, you have my word.” She said every word with truth ringing in the syllables. She would help them anyway she could.
“It is good to know, but I am sorry Priscilla, I cannot just take you word.” She felt a pinch on her neck once more and her thoughts were once again muddled. Nothing had changed in her head, for she still wanted to help Garin, but she felt something she had not in a long-time return. Fear.
“This chip is an explosive, and will detonate should you harm my masters in anyway. I have hooked it to my own personal code, so no one will be able to remove it without my say. I will say this once Naomi, do not give me a reason.”
Sheila turned the power to the generators back on as the base came online once more. Naomi felt rage begin to build, but let the battle trance take her as she was set free from the tendril.
“Well, it appears the Vault is once again functioning, and the Defensive matrices are up. Thank you for your cooperation, Ambassador Naomi.”
Sheila’s face left the computer monitor, and Naomi turned away from it. Now that the lights were back on, she could feel her thoughts clearly. She turned to see Dr. Anna, who judging from her look had been listening to the entire conversation.
“Naomi, that AI… it has control of our entire system, it could kill us all! We have to stop-,” Naomi reached over the doctor’s mouth and closing it with her hand. She picked up the form of Anna, and with a twist, broke the doctor’s neck.
Anna’s eyes were wide when she died, disbelief surrounded her face. Naomi closed them, and cried softly. She couldn’t leave her alive, no one must know. She quickly gathered her belongings, her staff and travel robes with her light array gun, and made her way to the survivor’s entrance, where she knew Garin would be heading.
…
Ella felt cooped up too long in the mountain rock base, too long since she had seen the metal man Garin or the new one Sara. Staring out into the landscape with the suns rising to their peaks, she wondered if her sister knew she was even gone anymore, or even cared.
It made little sense to worry about such things, but her mother told her that even blood screams to be with its own from time to time. As she scanned the horizon, she noticed four small shapes make their way out of a tiny rock that fit the ground. They gleamed like the trees as the sun hit them, and Ella knew right away that one of them must be Garin. Tired of the Vault and the bird people, she flew down, slowly making her way to Garin and the shiny ones as they lifted their rock away to come out. As she descended, she felt the feeling of blood her mother spoke of, and smiled.
“Well, I guess that settles that.” She knew that she would follow Garin and help him instead, for that is what the blood in her told her to do. She stretched her wings as she made her descent, Garin coming into view with his shimmering body.