His body firmly placed into the table, Garin looked up at the ceiling for all the good it would do. He traced the lines on the top, matching each of the lines with a wire from the ceiling tiles. Pepper was putting in some last minute restraints to the ends of his legs. Inside his head Tehran tried to reassure him that it was the best option available to him. When Garin asked why that was Tehran replied,

“Think on it brother, she gave you the ability to create fire and lightning from our body’s power unit.

Given what she knows of my kind and our past, she may unlock more latent abilities. Things even the Cheruv of the past may not have discovered. It is in our benefit, and our survival that we allow these tests.” Garin didn’t enjoy it however, as much Tehran tried to butter it up. Pepper however was ecstatic, “Garin, I know you going to love these concoctions, even if you hate what happened before that little mishap.” She skipped down her stairs to her warehouse of a laboratory, smaller in design and packed to the brim with supplies. “There’s one here that’s meant to increase muscle growth, and another to increase higher brain activity, both aren’t sanctioned by the Citadel or The Council.

Which means they work like a miracle in science lingo, because why else would they ban it after seventeen proven cases? Silly people, politicians, but anyway, those are not what I’m interested when it comes to you Garin. See working with Raufer when… well, when he wasn’t a Skiritix, taught me a lot about the chemical make-up of your predecessors. Your kind were all Carbon-Nitrogen hybrids, living in both habitats simultaneously within yourselves. It was quite fascinating, seeing as even our predecessors had no knowledge of an organism that had such strange make-ups. They would probably have deemed you abominations however, while I see you as a vital tool to killing parasitic bug monsters. No offense, I do hope, but anyway let us start with this one,” she pulled out a clear vial that seemed to contain no liquid at all.

“This is a very powerful antigen, though you can’t see it, it is plasma I created from the regenerative properties of one of the ancestral Cheruv units I was able to study. No thanks to the damn Citadel, I swear you set one of their daughter’s rooms aflame, and they never forget it. I almost have, if not because she had to sleep on a cot instead of that fluffy mattress she loved,” Garin noticed her grinning evilly as she administered her antigen.

“Bottoms up,” she poured the clear liquid down Garin’s throat, tasting strangely like a grape soda water.

“Now the first thing that you should feel if biology told me anything is an increase in heart rate, the antigen is going to be fighting you immune system for at least ten minutes, so during that time if you are thirsty please tell me right away, the antigen is going to use the fluid in your body to procreate itself exponentially. This is exactly what we want, but I warn you. If you don’t tell me your thirsty you may very well die of dehydration, so scream if you have to. Okay, should be hitting you in a second here.” Garin thought how ridiculous it sounded just before he became as parched as if he was sitting in the desert for a week.

He managed to scream out water before his mouth felt like it would crack open if he muttered another word. Pepper was ready, with a keg full of red water as she doused his face and body with the blood colored liquid. He was still thirsty, but the water felt great, giving his body much needed fluids. However, as soon as he felt relief, his heart did speed up pumping whatever vile antigen faster into his body. His thirst became an on and off button, were Pepper held up the keg to his face should he even feel a slight need to quench.

After about five minutes, Garin felt as though he was becoming a fish. He counted the minutes as the dousing became a ritual. Thirst, water, heart beat; over and over it played out until he felt himself saying the words instead of just thinking them. The time dragged on, until finally he felt quenched, and the thirst all but evaporated.

“I’m good now," sated and finally free from the cycle.

"What kind of bacteria makes you thirstier than a prisoner who’s been in a hot box?”

Pepper set the keg down as she got out another vial. “A fairly powerful exothermic reactor, the antigen itself was to allow it to get to every part of your body quickly, but it’s really a power unit. You see, Sate doesn’t have too much water. We survive only because most of our settlements were nearest the largest bodies of water around. This antigen was one of the problems we came across when we found the water, little blood suckers were everywhere. Anyway, we found out that they reproduce sporadically, but when they do, they create a chain reaction in metallic organisms that we had found. It makes them faster and able to reproduce their cellular mass infinitely quicker. Observe.”

She took out a saw from her table and with Garin on the table she bent down, chopping and slicing on an exposed finger. Garin flinched from the pain and almost shouted out, when he felt the strangest sensation. He turned his head to his hand. The finger had been cut off clean, but Pepper was holding the finger in place around where she had cut. The finger was bubbling, an array of bubbles were shooting out of Garin’s hand as they formed around the cut’s location. Garin began to feel the pain go away, and the strange sensation turned out to be his finger. It reconnected itself from within, and the bubbles around the wound erased any trace that Pepper had mutilated his hand. He looked up at her, her grin turning into a smug ‘I told you so’ look.

“So your people could heal rather quickly if something should happen to them, I also found out that regenerative Cheruv units were so skilled, that most would grow back their limbs instead of just placing them back in the spot. I could see why, their nervous systems themselves would raise so many questions, but you should be feeling that finger any second now. So do you trust me yet?” Garin furrowed his brow at her, “Trust, you just sliced my finger off without warning.”

“No, no I did. I said ‘observe’ remember, you should have been more than prepared.”

“So next time I hear the word ‘observe’, I should assume you will cut my hand off next?” She harrumphed at him as she took out the next vial. “Then this will do that, this is a serum from what my team identified as a wavelength generator from Cheruvian biology. To be blunt, it’s a weapon. What kind my scientists were to determine is that it feeds and powers a fairly unique organ that exists in the Cheruv biology, and this organ creates seismic disturbances. This was that organ that helped regulate your body from my *ahem* previous testing.”

Garin cocked his head, “This organ made earthquakes?” Pepper shook her head, “No, earthquakes were far less predictable. These disturbances created a force, a projectile that would force part of the ground to shoot upward. The ground is littered with these particles, and the organ inside the units would agitate them to some kind of telepathy or electromagnetic shock. This is going to hurt again, I apologize.”

She poured the contents down his throat, and within minutes of going down, Garin felt the changes. They shot up his spine, slowly making their way to his brain, and once there it magnified as red hot fire pushed down his back, latching onto somewhere in his stomach. The pain was increasing as it lay in his abdomen; the fire coursed its way through his insides in a horrid lurch. Finally, after minutes of torture, the pain stopped, and Garin felt the ground for the first time.

He was still tied to the table, but the floor came alive in his mind. He felt the rush and flow of the metal underneath the ground, the slow and subtle movement of some massive plate as it coursed underneath the world. His mind could barely process all the new sensations, which forced Tehran to take control of his thoughts for a time. Garin lay in the back as Tehran categorized the many receptions and transmissions sent from the newly added tonic.

“Tehran, is this what your people felt? I feel the ground, feel the earth and metal underneath. I could call to it Tehran, punch right through the floor. What kind of creature has that much power, there wouldn’t be a way to stop them at all.”

Tehran turned completely to face Garin in his mind.

“That is where you are wrong Garin.” Tehran felt sad as he spoke, “Do you remember Garin, when I spoke to you about my past?” Garin nodded, thinking of the time back in the hospital with the Sheok.

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“Our people Garin, The Cheruv, were meant to be protectors of Sate. It was our purpose, to save the world from any threats to her.” Tehran showed him an image in his head, and the world of Sate came into view, as if he was staring through Tehran’s eyes.

“We were tasked with seeking out the visitors who came from the stars. They were causing great pain to the wildlife and the forests and as her protectors we went to face them. When we arrived, I sent my warriors to destroy the settlements that mankind had built. I claimed many lives that day until I came upon the reasons for the facility. They were taking the gems that dotted the land, and refining them to use as power sources for their homes. They simple wanted to protect themselves and live, as I came to know.

My directive told me to claim their lives though, and I did what I was told. Hundreds of your kind were murdered for trying to survive, and for mining the land, but never did your kind actually fight back until we came upon your Citadel.

Massive in scope as it was, it was surrounded by gem and stone. So as you prepared to defend yourselves, we buried the human host underneath the rubble of Sate. I could feel our stone wielders as they ended the lives of so many humans, who I knew now to be innocent. I confronted my leaders, the Cheruvikan, and told them of what I witnessed. They spat in my face, telling me that I was simply not meant to lead but to follow. I was angered, enraged by the callousness of my people, that we could justify our horrible acts with nothing more than the will of Sate. I questioned our goddess, and told her of what had happened.”

Tehran paused as he contemplated his next thoughts to Garin, “She told me no order came from her, that she was fine with the human and their ways, as nothing showed they were harming the world. And though I hated myself for what I did afterwards, I told her of our leaders, and what they said. She, Sate, Goddess of the world, looked at me with rage and fire. 'You, who would claim the lives of those who did no wrong will suffer and die.'

I felt her leave my presence, and I felt her rage as she came upon my people. She did not kill them, for she felt that it was not cruel enough for the failures we made. She simply took our food and supplies, the angorin that we fed off of. 'Know this,' She said to us all, 'You, who live beyond the year, may find redemption, but to live is to feed off of each other. Go my children, show me you are worth saving.' After that day I did not feel her presence again, it was as if she left us all alone. But what came afterwards, tore my soul to pieces. My kind, began tearing at each other like wild animals. Murder and survival became one and the same, as mother and father, fought son and daughter for their very lives. I claimed my own family in the same way as my wife laid her life down so that I may yet find salvation for us.”

Tehran’s images became blurry to Garin as he could feel his pain echoing from the image of his wife.

“What happened Tehran?”

Tehran collected himself once more, and continued, “It was you Garin, for six months we fought each other for survival as we were dying from hunger. And yet, in our battles, you kind came to me and our survivors. Your mother, Anilysse was the last leader of your people and even after what we had done to them, she forgave us. Together, we traveled from the ravenous hordes of my brethren, and the survivors and warriors of my clan came with us. Your mother spoke of her kind to me, showing me what the humans could do, and how they survived without succumbing to the aftermath we gave them. It was as we traveled that I realized what I could do to save both of our kind.

The humans and my people matched each other in number, but we were both dying from the lack of resources that we had left. I knew of a place where we might be able to hold out and be safe.”

Tehran then showed Garin an image that seemed to radiate with intense light, a massive structure that shot from the ground. It held a gemstone as big as a house at its peak, and as it made its way back to the earth Garin could make out sigils that dotted the structure with pale light as it trailed downward.

“The Pinnacle, it was a holy site for worship of the goddess in the past. Ever since we had fallen out of favor however, no one was able to enter its grounds. As we arrived it was much the same, until I prayed to her once more. Six months I had not felt her presence, but she answered. She came before us in sparkling light and told us of her plan."

'To truly forgive is to give up everything for those who you wronged, even your lives.'

“She opened the doors, and at once I knew what she meant for us. It was told to us that the Pinnacle is where we came from, that we were born from her design at her sacred temple. I told your mother of what she meant for us, and she agreed to me on one thing.”

'I am not long for this world Tehran, and I feel that what you propose would better suit the younger of us. I will do this, but only if you take my son instead of me.' I was shocked, for she and I saw many things similarly. In this however, I felt like I was failing her, as she would certainly die without this merge. But I honored her wish Garin, and when we joined as one I felt as though I was reborn again. Your mother showed us the way to your last settlement, one that was not ravaged. She showed us that this would allow us time to heal after the bond. As we were placed inside, I remember her last words to me.”

'Keep him safe Tehran, and let him know how much I love him.'"

Garin looked on in shock, the images of what had happen to him seemed so real. It felt like he had lived those moments with Tehran, and the horrible feelings of despair only captured part of the turmoil he felt. His mother, she was certainly gone, and he finally remembered her face.

“Garin, I show you this now not because of her, but because of what this power means. Sate will be watching us now, because this power comes from her. The responsibility of this is staggering, and must be handled with respect.” Tehran’s voice was stoic and infallible, and Garin knew that this was not something to be taken lightly.

“I am glad you know how important this is, excuse me for a moment as I prepare the rest of this information.”

Tehran returned to his task, but Garin felt his sadness through the bond.

He knew Tehran was looking at the very thing that killed his people and he needed to help Garin control it. Judging from the emotions coming through their bond Garin could tell the thoughts upset him. In seconds the force of knowledge was arrayed, and Garin began to identify the signals that each tendril of control was for which strand of his thoughts. It seemed so complicated until Tehran went over the use.

“Your mind is in tune with Sate now, so you must be like the metal you walk over, the ground beneath your heel. Unmoving, unbending. Our kind were slow to anger, but when that anger was released, Sate would join us in that fury. You must be like the goddess in order to coerce her into obeying you, for she only understands when you show will! Now, go ahead and do what you suggested.”

Garin thought about the metal underneath, and seizing control of his mind once more, he pushed himself off the table. The ground felt so strange to his feet now, but he focused, creating the image in his mind, tugging on the string that he knew would guide him. Sate answered, forcing a tile on the floor to jettison from the earth and to the ceiling in seconds.

Metal surged forth, knocking more tiles from the floor as well. Pepper screeched, which stopped Garin’s concentration long enough for Sate to remerge with the ground on the floor. Pepper started panting, her chest moving so fast Garin figured her breaths weren’t even helping her get enough oxygen.

“The hell was that? Nothing in my research indicated that! Strictly the ground, oh my, what a strange turn of events. Garin please explain what you must have been feeling, I need to know.”

Garin turned to her and smiled, “like I was part of the earth, I can feel the ground underneath and everything beyond.”

Pepper gulped audibly, “Well that definitely shows a level of progress, though now I’m terrified you’ll bring the mountain down on us.”

Garin smiled wickedly at her, which got her panting, “Now now, I helped you here, remember? No need to think about the past experiments now is there?”

She smiled a look of nervous tension in her eyes. Garin laughed, “Pepper, you don’t need to worry. I know you’re trying to help now. But are you telling me I shouldn’t be a little vengeful with the new ability you just gave me?”

She glowered at him, “Yes, that’s precisely what I mean you metal-headed fossil.” Garin inched closer, “well now you’re just calling me names, that isn’t very helpful or nice.” She gulped again, this time Garin was certain she wasn’t breathing.

“Okay, I’m sorry. Please don’t make the ground eat me, or something like that.”

Garin never thought of that, but even than he realized that his joke went too far. “Sorry Pepper I was kidding, didn’t mean to scare you half to death.” She sighed heavily, putting down a strange device on the bench next to her.

Curious, Garin asked her about it to which she replied, “Something I keep to protect myself, it’s pretty amazing, but I only had enough clearance to make one. Be sure I don’t use it on you.” That was all she would say on it as she walked away with a clipboard, scribbling notes as she exited the massive doors to her laboratory. The thought that she would use it on him disturbed Garin, but he tried his best to see it from her perspective. She was aiding an alien organism she knows in books, and it happens to be one that can make the ground swallow her if he wanted it to. And it so happens she mistreated that alien, so now it may or may not want her dead.

He thought it through, and decided that revenge wasn’t worth losing Pepper and her help. He needed her to help him discover more of these abilities. Even after everything, Garin realized he wouldn’t kill her.

It wasn’t in him to murder someone he knew, even if he did not like them that much. That made him wary; the enemy he faced used that tactic to incapacitate their prey in order to add them to their numbers. He would have to be that killer, at least in part, to survive that type of horror. He moved to the door, pushing it open as he walked out into the complex known as the Vault.