Now, Threnosh World
Cal realized that to call one half of his mental powers telepathy was a bit of a misnomer. He was actually capable of so much more.
He could create an entire mindscape for himself that was almost as real as reality. He had been slowly making steps in that direction, but his current captivity had hastened him forward like a train without any brakes.
Lucidity was a precious thing.
The monster that called itself, herself, Mother Madrigal. No, not a monster. So much more. Human-like, yet entirely alien.
Cal shook his head.
The confusion had rolled in like a fog heralded by a soft, sweet lullaby.
Until a discordant note sounded. The same one that had been occurring with growing frequency. The one that had opened his eyes to the truth of his situation, even if the glimpses were fleeting.
The wrong key struck, the wrong string plucked.
Discord equated clarity.
No.
Wrong again.
Yes.
That was right.
Cal learned to compartmentalize his thoughts. One Cal carefully, agonizingly built up a telepathic wall, brick by metaphorical brick. His mother’s, no, the Mother’s song would come and tear it down, but never completely. One Cal would start back up and finish it higher and stronger around his thoughts until the Mother tore it down again.
Two steps forward, one back.
No. Some days. Some years it was the opposite five steps forward, twelve steps back.
The struggle for one’s mind and soul was an unending thing.
Cal knew that now. From firsthand experience.
Two Cal, er… Cal Two probed, for lack of a better word, at the Mother’s own thoughts. It was a dangerous endeavor, but turnabout was fair play.
The alien mind was immense, impossibly so.
Cal Two was unprepared for what he found.
Cal Two had to be recreated, multiple times.
Nevertheless, Cal Two managed to learn things and plant seeds. It was an open question if the main Cal could handle the knowledge or do anything to sprout the seeds.
Cal Three… did things.
Cal Four fought in the frequent arena fights that his mother— NO! The Mother. Not his mother.
The arena fights against Inheritors of all shapes, sizes and abilities. They were all alien in their strangeness, yet somehow disturbingly familiar.
The latest Inheritor wore a voluminous cape for some reason.
Cal tried to grab it but the Inheritor jumped back and threw small orbs that blinked with bioluminescent light.
The orbs exploded in Cal’s face. He closed his eyes fast enough so that the flames and heat only washed over him like a warm summer breeze.
Cal coughed.
The smoke was another matter.
Cal heard movement from behind him.
The Inheritor was pretty quick.
Several small things came whizzing out of the obscuring smoke.
Cal raised an arm.
Razor-sharp disks struck him. Then dropped to the metallic floor.
He was bulletproof after all.
It’d take more than simple thrown alien ninja stars to even scratch him.
At least some level of super strength was required.
Cal glanced at the disks.
They looked almost biological in nature.
More orbs flew at him.
He plucked one out of the air and looked at it in the instant before it exploded.
Definitely biological.
The Inheritor swept in with its cape to obscure Cal’s vision. It landed several quick strikes with its hands and feet all over Cal’s body.
He barely felt them.
It just didn’t seem fair.
Cal grabbed the Inheritor’s cape and slammed it into the side of the arena.
A dull thud accompanied a crack that signaled the end of this particular fight.
The Inheritor looked strangely familiar.
Cal suddenly noticed that the cape was actually part of the Inheritor. It was flesh, not cloth or anything else artificial. He let go in disgust.
“Why a cape?”
Disappointed?
Cal wavered under the immense pressure on his entire being. It was like being smothered by the worlds heaviest blanket. Panic welled in him as the thought of suffocation became reality.
He gasped for air in the middle of the combat floor.
Until he wasn’t.
The totality of his mind pushed back and lifted the shroud.
Music drifted in and threatened to lull him to sleep. To forget everything.
He almost succumbed until a noise like fingers on a blackboard jolted him.
Again.
Cal felt annoyance.
No. That wasn’t him.
It was some kind of telepathic bleed through.
His moth— the Mother was losing its, her, grasp.
This cannot be allowed to continue.
“The frequency of this appears to be increasing,” Cal said. He wasn’t sure which of him spoke, but he supposed it didn’t matter. They were all him anyways.
How did you find our newest child?
“Weak… wait— What?”
Lilting laughter. A sound like music, joyous.
Cal felt an involuntary smile cross his face. He couldn’t stop himself. The wall around his thoughts crumbled a bit.
Our Inheritors.
“Stop saying that,” Cal snapped.
I may have birthed them, but their genesis lies in your thoughts. They are your memories and imagination replicated through me.
“Impossible. The Inheritors were already here waiting for us when we came. Even if you have some way of speeding up the birthing creches there’s no way you could grow one up to adult age in days.”
Honor… Cal.
Smugness.
That was the impression Cal picked up.
You’ve been on this world for almost five years. I know you more intimately than anyone else possibly could. I know you better than you know yourself with how much you limit your mind. You’re correct. I didn’t start when you arrived in Orchestral Meridian. I didn’t start weeks or months before. I started almost from the beginning after you first arrived.
“What the fuck do you even hope to accomplish!” Cal spat.
Do you know why I named my children Inheritors? It was because they will inherit this world. Then they will move to yours and do the same. From there every other world will be brought into my embrace. We will not stop until all are my children.
Cal shivered. The denial died on his lips.
Now, you will be allowed a short rest to await your next test. Since you found our poor child lacking, then you must have the stamina to face another? Or would you find a bout with another one of your Defectives more to your liking?
“What’re you talking about. I’ve never fo—” Cal remembered.
The many Cal’s wept when he remembered.
He knew nothing more as he was taken back to his confinement.
----------------------------------------
Adahn’s remaining blade arm lashed out at the Inheritor of its own accord.
The Inheritor parried the blade with clawed fingers.
The follow-up slash was efficient and quick, as befitting the program that controlled the arm’s motions.
The Inheritor flipped over the blade and Adahn with an uncanny display of athleticism and acrobatics.
Adahn’s recoilless rifles automatically tracked the Inheritor’s arc above them. Somehow it contorted its body to avoid the steady stream of projectiles.
The Inheritor landed behind Adahn and immediately leapt to attack again.
Adahn’s shield arms punched it away.
Adahn finally scrambled to their feet. They turned to face the Inheritor and added projectile fire from the recoilless rifle in their hands.
The Inheritor moved erratically from side to side as it somehow avoided the combined fire from three weapons.
Adahn tried to track the inheritor and the mass of corrupted milling about in the chamber. It was strange, but the corrupted had stopped attacking. In fact they seemed to be content to simply watch.
Projectile fire suddenly woke the corrupted up.
The squad of Threnosh soldiers had retreated into the narrow corridor that they had entered the chamber from. They were now firing into the corrupted.
The corrupted charged.
The Inheritor slashed a clawed hand at Adahn’s face.
They fell back. Damage alerts flashed red in Their faceplate. The view flickered. They had to rely on their arms’ automated attack and defense programs.
Adahn heard sparks fly and metal tear. They felt the impacts on their shield and blade arms vibrating in the harness attached to their power armor.
The Inheritor was moving too quickly to follow without the visual assistance provide by their faceplate, which was now damaged.
Adahn retracted their faceplate with a thought.
Only to be presented with the snarling visage of the Inheritor.
Adahn’s blade arm stabbed down, but the Inheritor caught it and held it in place despite the motor whining in protest.
“Disappointing,” the Inheritor sneered.
From this distance the rest of Adahn’s arms couldn’t affect the Inheritor. They did the only thing they could and thrust their recoilless rifle up into the Inheritor’s face. They squeezed the trigger, but the Inheritor tilted its head to one side faster than Adahn blinked. The projectiles streamed harmlessly past the Inheritor’s pointed ears.
“Better,” the Inheritor said with a feral, fang-filled smile, “but not enough.”
The Inheritor raised a clawed hand.
Adahn saw their death.
No.
They wouldn’t give in. Not while there were still options.
Adahn ejected their last blade arm with a cybernetic thought.
The sudden shift in resistance caused the Inheritor to stumble as the detached blade arm suddenly dropped to the ground.
Adahn scrambled back.
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The rest of their arms had the space they needed.
Projectile fire raked after the Inheritor, who had recovered quickly and darted to one side.
Adahn tracked the Inheritor until it vanished behind a row of dormant combat drones. The drones were an older model, which meant that they were bulkier, clad in thick armor plating. Perfect cover.
Adahn backed away cautiously. Their three recoilless rifles scanned the space.
“Adahn, are you alive?” Unseen’s voice came in through the comms.
“Yes.”
“You were not replying to my messages. I have been forced to break silence. I have established a connection to the control console. Awaiting additional instructions.”
Adahn immediately triggered their prepared program.
Their hope was that the close proximity to Unseen would mitigate the interference difficulties they had been having transferring data through wireless connection. That and Frequency’s efforts to counteract the strange sound that was the cause.
Adahn’s plan was straightforward. Use Unseen’s power armor to access the security station’s command console and activate the combat drones in the station and in the other auxiliary stations scattered around the city section.
The Inheritor reappeared suddenly. It zigzagged across the metallic floor as Adahn’s recoilless rifles vainly tried to land projectiles.
Adahn scrambled backward. Their finger on the trigger until their weapon was empty.
A ding sounded in their ear holes. Their program had successfully run.
“Execute!” Adahn’s voice was unusually high and animated for a standard Threnosh.
Several rows of combat drones came to life for the first time in over ten years.
The first rank rolled forward, initialized their weapons systems and opened fire.
Projectiles raked across the Inheritor’s back and the rear ranks of the corrupted bottlenecked at the narrow corridor opening.
The Inheritor hissed in pain as it abandoned its attack on Adahn and ran past them into the dimly-lit corridor behind them.
“Unseen, an Inheritor is headed in your direction,” Adahn said into the comms.
“Understood. I will engage camouflage.”
Adahn quickly moved to a position that put the combat drones between them and the remaining corrupted. From the looks of it victory was close at hand.
“To all,” Adahn said into the comms, “I have gained control of the security station and have reactivated combat drone operations. They are currently running on preprogrammed subroutines to target corrupted and Inheritors in the city section. I will need more time to establish direct control capability.”
“Acknowledged,” Telatrine replied. “We are on our way to secure the control chamber.”
There was no response from the base camp.
Adahn wasn’t concerned. Countermeasures to the interference was a work in progress. Difficulty was expected.
----------------------------------------
“Salamander? Do you hear me? Salamander? I repeat, do you hear me?” Frequency frowned. They could see their teammate gliding back to the city section that they were in the process of claiming from the corrupted.
The projected screens of the entire battlefield showed views through the eyes of different surveillance drones.
One screen showed Winding Myriad frying a dozen corrupted with one of their arcing bolts of electricity.
Another showed the aftermath of Maul’s projectile and missile barrage. The street and several structures in the immediate vicinity had been turned into a ruined crater that opened down into a maintenance tunnel. Bits and pieces of corrupted were scattered all over the place as smoke wafted into the air.
In yet another a large group of corrupted were caught in several of Rodinian’s traps, while experimental weapons squad soldiers advanced to finish them.
In the rest of the screens, Frequency watched combat drones emerge from the main and auxiliary security stations to aid their forces. The drones were destroyed in droves, but they outnumbered the corrupted. More importantly the drones took the damage instead of the T-Men and the Threnosh soldiers.
Meatshields.
Frequency remembered Honor’s term. Though it didn’t fit. Drones didn’t contain biological matter.
“Requesting emergency transport,” Whoosh’ voice came in on the comms.
“Put Whoosh on main channel, continue to attempt contact with Salamander,” Frequency directed the communications bank.
“Acknowledged,” Communicator Dreylox 7193 said.
Whoosh’s holographic projection appeared in miniature in the center of command and control chamber. Their power armor appeared damaged.
“Status report, Whoosh,” Frequency said.
“I have successfully repelled unidentified Inheritor. I am low on energy and I do not know my current location. Map is not functional. I have been reduced to slow movement speed until repair and recharge.”
“Track their beacon.”
“Tracking now,” one of the other communicators said.
“We will have your location shortly and will send aerial transport. What is the status on the unidentified Inheritor?”
“Unknown. I… lost it.”
That wasn’t welcome news. The Inheritor in question moved extremely fast. Whoosh had engaged it in a running battle to keep it from interfering with the battle at the security station.
“I injured it,” Whoosh said.
Frequency detected something in Whoosh’s tone. They didn’t have the terminology to put it into words. The most they could discern was that the fight with the Inheritor didn’t go as Whoosh expected, which bothered them in some way.
“Location determined. Dispatching aerial transport,” the same communicator spoke.
“Find a safe place to wait, Whoosh,” Frequency said.
“Acknowledged,” Whoosh’s projection disappeared.
Frequency was pleased. Their sound being broadcast through the aerial drones proved effective at counteracting the disruptive sound that had been interfering with the Threnosh operations.
“Connection with Salamander established,” Communicator Dreylox 7193 said.
“Salamander, status? I have you on surveillance. Your trueskin appears damaged. Designation: Gyxdor?”
“I dropped the Inheritor down a shaft into the sublevels. They will not be able to rejoin the battle for the city section in time,” Salamnader said.
“Telatrine’s Task was successful. Adahn reactivated the security station. Combat drones are aiding in the push. We are winning.”
“Yes. Now that I have moved into range of the drone network broadcasting your sound I am able to tap into communications. We must prioritize establishing more networks into the city sections surrounding our target areas in future operations.”
“Acknowledged,” Frequency said.
There was silence for several seconds. They feared that the connection was lost.
“Interesting,” Salamander spoke suddenly. “Four new Inheritors?”
They must’ve been reviewing the key events of the battle for the security station.
“Yes, two escaped. Telatrine, Drega Tali and E.W.S. Soldier Radiant Canyon 7 killed two, but their bodies dissolved within minutes,” Fequency said.
“That is information we didn’t have,” Salamander said. “A successful operation.”
“Agreed.”
It was another step toward their overall goal, but Frequency feared that Orchestral Meridian’s size was a difficulty too daunting to overcome without more forces.
Honor, PJ15 and Brightstrike. To search for three individuals in the vast city, while battling an enemy of unknown number, seemed an impossible Task.
“We have advanced our goals today,” Salamander said.
“Acknowledged.” Frequency didn’t know what else to say.
----------------------------------------
Now, Earth
Veronica felt a strong presence flare at outer edge of her special electromagnetic sensory power. It wasn’t the same as that creepy feeling lurking all around the edges ever since they had crossed the bridge into San Francisco. She had been meaning to mention it to her mother and Aunt Nila, but kept forgetting for some reason.
She’d have to remember to do that next time. There was a bigger issue in front of her.
The presence was basically someone’s brain waves. It felt pretty strong and something about them reminded Veronica of Rino and Kare. It was pretty similar to those two.
It was coming from a couple of blocks away to her left and seemed to be headed straight for the utilities facility across the street in front of her.
“I think someone is coming, moving pretty fast,” Veronica whispered and pointed.
Mads turned her head to follow Veronica’s finger. Enhanced Vision trivialized the distance and darkness. “Oh sh— crap!” she shifted her shotgun in the blink of an eye. “Damn it! Lost it… moved behind the buildings.”
“What is it?”
“Giant white dog, bigger than Rino was in her… dog form.”
“Oh no! It’s one of her old teammates.”
“Seems like it.” Mads shifted her aim to cover the left side of the facility parking lot.
Nila had just finished off the last cultist and was headed to clear the inside.
Veronica didn’t miss the implication. She pushed up from her prone position into a low crouch. Still hidden behind the liquor store sign. She took the small bag off her shoulder and placed it next to Mads. There was a protesting squeak. “Please take care of Twinkle Star.”
Veronica picked up her staff and dropped down to the street. She sprinted across the street with Mads’ protests at her back.
The giant white dog erupted out from behind the row of buildings. It crossed the street in two bounds and was over the parking lot fence with the third.
Mads cursed. It had caught her off guard and it was moving too fast for her to reacquire.
The giant dog shifted mid leap into a bipedal beast of muscle, teeth and claws over nine feet tall.
It barreled toward the unaware Nila.
“Justice!” Veronica yelled.
She hit the weredog with a pulse.
It jerked and stumbled.
That and Veronica’s shout gave Nila enough time to turn and get her shield up.
The huge weredog crashed right into it and sent Nila tumbling a dozen feet across the asphalt.
The weredog hit the ground too, but picked itself up just as quickly. It shook its big, blocky head before turning to face Veronica. Its growl was a deep rumble that she felt vibrate her chest.
It charged at her.
Almost too fast to track despite its huge size.
Veronica sort of felt like a mouse in front of a wolf.
She hit it with another brain scrambling electromagnetic pulse.
The weredog seized up and stumbled again.
She step to the side and slammed her forty pound metal staff across its back.
The weredog yelped.
Veronica cursed. She had been aiming for the back of its head.
The weredog recovered quickly. It lashed out with a clawed hand way bigger than Veronica’s head.
She swayed back to avoid it by bare inches.
The weredog wasn’t the only one with speed and quickness.
Veronica spun her staff and struck the back of the weredog’s knees.
The huge beast yelped, but wasn’t swept off its feet as she had intended.
Bang!
Blood bloomed from the weredog’s shoulder.
It roared and rushed blindly at Veronica.
She spun her staff and hit the weredog three times, but couldn’t blunt its charge.
Her vision went black and the next thing she knew she was sliding on her back across the ground.
Bang!
The weredog barely budged as the slug dug into the meat of its thick thigh. The wound on its shoulder was already healing. Soon the blood staining its white fur would be the only mark of Mads’ bullet.
“Super Healing? Not fair,” Veronica mumbled as she got to her feet. Her brain was foggy. “Shut up!”
A stupid voice kept telling her to give in.
Veronica tried to hit the weredog with another brain blast.
Nothing happened.
It fizzled out for some reason.
The weredog charged again.
It was like a big dumb bull. All it thought to do was charge straight ahead. To be fair it had proved effective so far.
Fortunately the problem with a full speed ahead, ramming strategy was that it led to tunnel vision on the target. Things on the periphery aren’t picked up.
The weredog didn’t see Nila until it was too late.
Nila hit it like a battering ram. She rammed her shield into the side of the weredog’s leg.
There was a loud crack as the huge beast’s knee bent to the side.
“Suck it!” Veronica whooped.
The weredog pivoted to swipe at Nila, but when it placed weight on its broken knee it crumbled. Its swipe was thrown off target and swished harmlessly over Nila’s head.
She didn’t miss her swing. Her twenty pound metal bat cracked the weredog on the side of its muzzle. Several knife-like teeth went flying.
“Get back to your position, Veronica!” Nila snapped at Veronica. “He’s too dangerous!”
Veronica frowned. She had been doing pretty good. She had saved her aunt and she wasn’t the one that was a bloody mess.
Blood leaked out of Nila’s mouth. More dripped to the ground from her right wrist. Parts of her clothing not covered by armor were bloody and torn where she had skidded across the asphalt.
The weredog growled as he kept trying to stand.
Nila looked for an opening, but he had a significant reach advantage.
“Aunt Nila, I’ll zap it then we can attack,” Veronica said.
“I told you—!” Nila shut her mouth. That was the smart move. What was wrong with her?
Her mind was in turmoil. Fear and worry warred in the fog of her thoughts. Too much pressure from what felt like all sides since they had learned the Deep Azure existed. It had gotten worse since they had reached San Francisco.
“Okay, zap him,” Nila said. She’d have to ask for forgiveness from Veronica’s parents later. Because they were about to beat person to death, since anything less wouldn’t cut it, judging by how quickly the weredog’s broken knee was healing.
Veronica aimed a finger gun at the white weredog.
A loud howl jolted them.
Veronica turned her head only to see another weredog. This one was noticeably smaller than the white one. It had black, wiry fur. It growled menacingly as it advanced from the north end of the parking lot.
The black weredog tensed to spring at Nila, but a big, furry blur suddenly jumped down from the roof of the facility and tackled the black weredog.
It was another weredog. Rino presumably.
Her monstrous bipedal form had similar coloration as her giant, four-legged dog form. A mix of black, grey and white fur, slightly fluffier than the enemy weredogs.
The two weredogs went down in a snarling, biting, clawing ball of fury that sent fur and blood flying everywhere.
Nila and Veronica’s were distracted.
Bang!
The white weredog stumbled.
Mads’ slug interrupted its attack once again.
Nila turned and blocked the weredog’s swipe with her shield. The impact shook her to the core and threatened to rip her shoulder out of its socket. She swung her bat low, targeting the still healing knee.
The white weredog yelped and dropped to one knee.
Veronica leapt in and thrust the end of her staff into the side of its other knee.
The weredog swiped at the teenager, but she danced back with superhuman quickness.
Nila swung her bat again, but the weredog caught it in a massive hand.
It was stronger than her, as it proved by wrenching her off her feet with a mighty tug.
Nila was caught off guard. She reacted too slowly and didn’t let go of her weapon.
The weredog pulled her closer. It snapped at Nila’s face, while she tried to ward it off with her shield.
“You’re too close! I can’t blast it!” Veronica agonized.
Bang!
The slug jolted the weredog and gave Nila the instant she needed to pull free, minus her weapon.
Veronica hit the weredog with an electromagnetic pulse to the brain. Its body locked up and spasmed uncontrollably.
Nila leapt over its jerking body and grabbed her discarded bat.
She laid into the weredog’s digitigrade legs with ferocity. She aimed for the knees, ankles and feet.
“C’mon, Veronica! Help me!”
Veronica jumped in bashing with a loud battle cry.
Nila’s hope was simple. Break enough bones so that the healing process would take longer. With luck, they’d be able to get back to the truck and head for the designated rendezvous with the other half of their group.
The two enemy weredogs appearance meant that they couldn’t clear the inside of the facility. They had to be satisfied with the damage they had already inflicted. Hopefully it was enough to force the cult forces to pull back from the tunnels.
“Rino! We’re pulling out!” Nila shouted.
The weredog briefly looked at Nila with a bloodied maw.
The wiry-haired weredog was down for the count at Rino’s feet. It looked to be alive, but unconscious, judging by the rise and fall of its chest.
Rino nodded and ran toward Nila and Veronica. She kicked the white weredog square in the face as she passed before grabbing the two and bounding across the street toward Mads.
Once they reached the rooftop, Rino dropped Nila and picked Mads up.
They ran as fast as they could back to the Suburban.