Epilogue IV

  The Extractor stood before the council of elders. These were the supreme beings of administration, the ones tasked with ensuring resources are allocated properly. Here the extractor stood, ready to receive his final verdict.

  “You had one task to perform, can you recite for us what that task was?” The first supreme being asked.

  The Extractor answered without missing a beat. “My task was to locate and remove the former project lead, before the Behemoth was destroyed.”

  “Did you accomplish this task?”

  The Extractor wanted to state no, that they clearly wouldn’t be having this conversation. “No, I did not.”

  “You failed to locate the target, or failed to remove the target?”

  “Both.”

  A pause.

  “Our records indicate that you circled the target not once, but thrice. Yet, in all that circling, you did not see any sign of your quarry?” A second voice called out.

  “That is correct, I did not.” The Extractor continued.

  “Could it possibly be that you found yourself believing in their cause?” The holiest of holies asked. At the uttering of his voice, it seemed that the very air of creation was being moved about. Hearing that voice, the same voice that with but a single word could create or destroy entire galaxies, caused the Extractor to pause.

  “Honestly, I did not know what his plan was. But he had such a persistent will to escape, that I couldn’t help but feel compelled for him.” The Extractor spoke, and it was the truth, for his words spoke with a golden hue. Suddenly the Extractor knew why the most powerful of them all spoke. He had set up a lie detector. Not that it was in his nature to lie, but apparently the administrators felt differently. Perhaps they knew something he didn’t.

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  “Your inability to find your quarry has left us with one less of our brothers in arms, against the ongoing war. How does that make you feel?” The second administrator spoke.

  At that, the Extractor felt a huge burden on his chest. “I feel? Well, I don’t quite know how I feel. I am not even sure if I am supposed to feel. He sacrificed himself for the mission, then he succeeded. Not only did he succeed for his own mission, but he inadvertently stopped three others as well.” The Extractor said, once again golden light shone from his words signifying, he was speaking the truth.

  “That is what happened. But how did you feel knowing that your fellow brother sacrificed themselves to do all that?” The Supreme Administrator stated.

  With that, the Extractor stopped and paused for a moment. Then pausing, he answered the question truthfully. “I feel that he did the right thing. By his sacrifice, he made it, so we have three universes that are now permanently safe. Knowing what I know now, I am glad I didn’t find him. That all his efforts, and the efforts of the people from his universe would have been for nothing. They would all be dead, irredeemable husks without a soul. Such a state of life is not worth living.”

  At that, there was a hush as the administrators began conversing amongst themselves.

  Finally, after a few long minutes, the first administrator spoke.

  “Perhaps you are correct. It appears that we might have been a bit hasty with our judgments and rules. We are only now realizing that we have likely been prolonging some of these encounters in some universes for no true reason. Perhaps it is time for a change.”

  At that, the Extractor paused, as he tried to take in the meaning that the administrators before him were hinting at.

  “This one is confused.” The Extractor finally admitted.

  “So too are we.” The first administrator admitted.

  “Given what we have recently discovered about being able to permanently end apocalypses, we would like you to once again take on the role of Project Lead.” The second administrator said.

  With that, the Extractor paused. “But last time I failed.”

  The Extractor was not wrong. His training dictated that he failed. He had gone rogue and needed to be pulled back at the last minute. While his mission had been a success in that the apocalypse had been averted. There was still the issue that he had pushed too far.

  “We think, considering recent events, that you are the best candidate to try our new program. Given what you have seen. Do you think that you can make a selfless sacrifice like your brother did?” The Supreme Administrator asked.

  The Extractor paused, he felt conflicting emotions, most of which were designed around his retraining. “I, I don’t know.”

  At that admission, the tension that had been filling the room suddenly dissipated.

  “Thank you, Extractor, you may go.” The first Administrator said.

  With that the Extractor turned to leave, but then at the last second, he found himself asking. “Just what happened to the rogue lead anyways?”

  There was a pause, before finally the Supreme Administrator answered.

  “He is no longer amongst our kind.”

  With that, the Extractor left, feeling even more conflicted about his choices. He had been so certain that things were going to go well for him. He was right to a point. Things had gone well. For the first time in forever not just one, but three separate apocalypses were forever stopped, thanks to his sacrifice. Did he have it in him to make the same sacrifice? He wanted to say that he did, but he couldn’t quite get himself to believe his own lie.