Leaving the Administratum with the newly converted Lazarus. Archon led them back into Helios’ industrial complex. Where the other domes proved easy enough to navigate, Helios was a maze of corridors that led to factories, manufacturing divisions and even some research stations. Lazarus who now led the group paused.

“Helios has docking stations if they intend to establish control over each of the sectors we should head there.”

“It’ll save having to go back to Portunus,” said Archon.

“Look at what you’ve done to the place!” Lazarus scowled as they passed more signs of recent conflict between the bludgeoning Deterrent horde and survivors.

“Still resisting?”

“No, just disappointed it’s come to this. Still, there is some truth to your goals. Perhaps this is a way for my people to return. Not as they were but something new.”

“You talk like you’re not human to begin with.”

Lazarus looked over his shoulder, both men had forgotten they had Sergei in tow. “Well, that’s because I’m not. My ancestors were aliens that had modified themselves to become human. I don’t know the full story behind it but the structures built beneath this city once belonged to them.”

“So it’s true then. An ancient alien outpost is built into the moon. I thought it was all rumours.”

“Not rumours, it very much exists. Truthfully, it’s the entire reason this city exists. I wonder if the Deterrent has made it that far yet.”

“Hard to gauge too much noise,” said Archon mocking the act of cleaning out his ears.

“That’s where I come in, isn’t it? You need me to be the controller. The Convergent Mind as you call it.”

“That was the original idea, would have happened sooner if Black Knight hadn’t grabbed you.”

The three of them slowed briefly, hearing noise ahead, coming from a mineral processing plant. The part they were in was massive and had huge vats and machinery designed to separate the various minerals that would later be transferred over to the manufacturing floors. A small band of survivors had to come to rest near one of the vats. To avoid being easily seen the three Mortans took to hiding close to one of the cylindrically shaped vats. With their collective hearing augmented, it was easy enough to listen into the conversation.

“You all saw that thing right?” asked one of the seated men.

“What thing you mean? We’re already knee-deep in Mortan shit as it is,” said the woman with her arms folded.

“He means the silver aliens we saw. A whole damn platoon of them, armed to the teeth. Thankfully the Mortans pulled their attention.”

The man looked up at his companions. “I wonder if they left their ship docked?”

“You know how to fly one of those things.”

“No, but the alternative is being eaten by Mortes.”

“Worst case scenario it’s got some aliens still on board but they might to distracted by all that’s going on to stop us.”

“Hey? You hear that.”

The three of them looked up as, along the walkway overhead, dark pitch-black forms revealed themselves. One levitated as black spines resembling wings emerged from his back and directed the dark energy at the survivors. Two tried to bring the aggressor to the ground while the last one only watched as the other Mortans leapt over the railing and landed close by. The skirmish ended as quickly as it began, in screams and then dying whimpers. The winged Morte made land and revealed itself to be capable of planting. Soon the three survivors would join the Deterrent in their struggle to secure the city. Not wanting to waste any more time, Lazarus emerged from cover first and approached the newcomers with Archon and Sergei not far behind. The winged Morte acknowledged them first.

“I came as soon as you requested,” the Winged Morte said to Lazarus.

“Now that we have the numbers we should head for the docking station,” said Archon. “The sooner we can secure one of those alien crafts. The sooner we can also take their ship.”

“Can you fly it?” the Winged Morte said.

“As Mortalis we should be sharing a connection to the ancestral memory… Wait a second! The Deterrent as a whole is separate. But that’s not possible,” said Lazarus even more perplexed.

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The Winged Morte looked to Archon.

“The Deterrent was originally meant to be an Anti-Morte weapon. It would sever the True Mortes from their controlling intelligence. Turning them on each other. But the Deterrent could also force them to work together too against this alien influence. The people I work for see it as the best of both worlds. Humanity stands united and doesn’t have to answer to this entity called Truth.”

“My child, you stand in its shadow. It cannot be resisted forever.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve all been experiencing them right? Hallucinations, paranoia and feelings of growing hostility. That’s the True Eye obelisk trying to get you to succumb. Everybody that falls will be mutated by its Degradation signal.”

“So we just don’t die then,” said Archon.

Lazarus rolled his eyes and pointed towards the docking station. “Let us not waste any more time, the docking station is up ahead,” said Lazarus. “Even without True Eye forcing us to, Convergence is coming one way or another. The ship will be our means to shape the universe. And… I also sense another Great Mind. On the planet itself, buried beneath ancient sands.”

“The Great Mind of Rub Al Khali, its Mortalis are half the reason much of the West is the way it is. All those wars, free bodies as far as it was concerned,” said Archon. “Can you reason with it?”

“I wish it were that simple. It is both fearful and rejecting me. I think it feels threatened,” said Lazarus as they pressed forward. “If it is threatened, we must force it to submit to my authority. Force the True Eye to follow our will.”

#

The docking station was surprisingly quiet as they walked down the short hallway and reached the main landing area. The station was designed for ships to enter from above or be attached from outside through the airlock. Deliveries would often come from above while personnel transfer would be handled by attaching the shuttles to the station via a docking tube. As far as they could tell the alien transport had come in from above. Its back-end ramp had three helmeted and suited alien soldiers that didn’t waste any time and engaged them. Unlike human lead-based weapons, they fired plasma and already downed some of the Mortes with them. The Winged Morte took to the sky and attempted its usual spray but met some difficulty as the aliens were able to blink away from the spray of crystals. One of the aliens let loose a single charge and brought the Morte down and reduced it to a smouldering heap. Sergei repaid them using his blink to time it right so that one of his shots connected and sent the alien to the ground. Archon had also got up close and used his aether blade to slice through the second soldier. Now surrounded Lazarus reached out mentally to the alien and through some psychic manipulation got him to kneel.

“Archon, deal with the pilots. Leave enough of them for me to plant. Other Morte groups are doing the same. They can’t possibly stop us all.”

“And the True Eye?”

“I don’t know. Now go.”

Archon hurried up the ramp and Sergei almost joined him when he heard heavy metal boots stamping down the corridor they had come from.

“Son,” came the deep mechanical voice.

Lazarus looked from his newly converted victim to the newcomer. “Sergei, deal with him quickly.”

Sergei was now left alone as Lazarus hurried on board with his newest ghoul soon following. He stepped away from the craft and met the metal man halfway. He knew them as Clockworks. These were once ordinary men who against their will had had their bodies grafted into armoured suits.

“Son, Sergei. My child. Is that really you?”

Sergei didn’t know what to say.

“Please… answer me. My scanner shows it has infected you. Protocol dictates termination. I can’t resist for long.”

“Yes, father. It is me. Sergei. I came here looking for you.”

“And you have found him,” that creeping echoing voice stepped out from behind him. The form of his mother stood between them. “Dear, you know there is another way. A way we can be a family again!”

“No, you’re not my wife. You promised me you would take care of her.”

“I did what I could. You never came back. I had no choice. I had to find you. Those monsters they attacked one night. A whole horde of them. I was too weak to stop it.”

“Not anymore. See what it can give you. Everlasting peace. A timeless chorus.”

“You know this is wrong right, son? These creatures will bring nought but ruin and damnation. Will you at least submit?”

‘His decision is made, and now so is yours,’ said Lazarus. Sergei saw as his father raised his left arm and began charging a blast that would tear him apart. He engaged his blink but he did not fully submerge himself in the other side. While his father fired off his shot, Sergei had already moved out of his firing line and had ignited his aether blade. Once everything sped up again he struck and severed one arm off his father’s clockwork body. Now disorientated his father tracked him and engaged him with his shoulder-mounted minigun. The bullet spray forced Sergei to blink in and out avoiding taking serious damage.

The deep voice of the symbiote within him began transforming his body. It wasn’t long before Sergei had become a full-on Morte and a towering presence due to the exoskeleton it projected. He leapt at his father covering the ground like it was nothing. The man tried a couple of energy blasts but his aim was off and soon enough Sergei descended upon the man. His full weight brought him to the ground. Shifting his blades into long black claws, Sergei ripped pieces of the armoured shell off his father. And saw him truly for the first time in years. His face had become ghostly white, sluggish and with much of the suit now removed the man’s body could be seen more easily from the numerous extra appendages attached like various wires and tubing. He even had metal jotting out from parts of him. Sergei could only imagine the pain his father now felt.

‘He is still my father.’

“Forgive me, son. I should never have left you both. It was this or the war. I had wanted us to escape it but it followed me here. At least I got to see you one last time.”

From behind Sergei once more, his mother stepped forward and appeared to cradle her husband’s head in her hands. ‘He’ll join us soon, dear. Now you rest easy. Your work is done. You’re safe now.’

“Natalya…”

‘He’s dead? Good. Now get on board, Sergei. Their ship is waiting.’