Vicki stared at the stars as Jack hugged her.
“We’re missing game night,” he whispered.
“Jack, he’s dead because of me.”
“Don’t even think that. He’s dead because he did what he had to on a dangerous mission where people die. He died a hero, and he died well.”
“He died with Gizzy. So two people died because of me today, one just came back and doesn't give a shit. Jack, I’m dangerous. I’m a curse. I keep getting people killed. I can’t control myself when I get too far gone, how can anyone trust me again, I don’t even trust myself. I stole your gun to kill the man I thought was our enemy, and he traded his life for mine. I’ve cheated on you, I’ve betrayed everyone, I’ve hurt Gizzy and Dee, I’ve hurt you, I got Vinn killed and had so see Nicole go through that.”
“They got you fixed now. None of it was your fault. You’re just unlucky and sick, and we’re getting that under control.”
“Confined to a ship so I don’t get enough radiation to go insane and become a danger to my family. And then when I finally do become a monster again, killing me and resetting me again. That sounds under control. I hope I’m worth it. Whatever I contribute to this team, if anything… doesn’t seem worth keeping me alive.”
“Vicki, I can’t function without you, and the team needs me. They need us. You’re one of the family, and when family gets sick and can’t work, we don’t kick them out for not pulling their weight. We take care of them. There’s plenty you can do on the ship. There’s a lot of work to be done. This is a job where people die and come back. You’re not a medical burden, people love you. You’re one of Nicole’s oldest friends, and you’re my wife and my best friend. Vinn and Gizzy consider you family and they love you even if they don’t say it.”
“And Dee probably loves me too, huh?”
“Well 4 out of 5 is still pretty good and she still considers you part of the crew. Let's not push for a perfect score.” He said as she chuckled lightly.
“Well at least you’re not just completely feeding me a line of shit. Glad to see you still try and be honest.”
“Well… you can’t make everybody happy. You gotta be realistic. Think of it this way… back home you just designed shoes, and strangers on the internet probably didn’t like you for no reason whatsoever, and all you did was sit and do computer models all day and play games with the group. You got sick, and you beat cancer, and you ended up stronger and saving the lives of a lot of young women on your first mission. You’ve earned some sickleave, just get better and stay safe, stay busy, stay sane, and just like before, I’ll come home every night, new or old, and you’ll be there. No more dangerous or useless than any of us were before this mission. Me and Vinn doing construction work on expensive homes that didn’t need pools, Nicole testing out video games and coding files, or whatever, and Dee was an asshole back then, Gizzy a maniacal mad scientist. And we got cooped up indoors for a few months because of bugs. What’s really that different?”
“Jack, you really need to stop making everything seem so okay and sugarcoating things so convincingly. I might start believing it.”
“We’ve stopped ancient chaos gods and saved the universe, how much more do you need to contribute before resting and admitting you have done enough and deserve a break? And Dee probably never will like you very much. The rest of us understand and love you. Stop feeling guilty for being sick and finally dropping off on your endless work of saving the universe."
...
Gizzy and Nicole sat starting at the screen, the green letters on it taunting them as the book’s power restrained the engine.
“Two gods remain. One wish remaining.” The words glowed in the air as the pair stared at the course plotted for their destination.
“Two left.” Gizzy said.
“The hell are these symbols?” Nicole puzzled. “Are they locations, or names, or the gods left?”
“I know the symbols… Both a little too well.” She said while staring at the second one with a cold look in her eye, realizing what needed to be done and not wanting to do it. Even without a heart, she felt it sink, the red spiral with a check mark branching from the bottom stared her back like an eye of terror gazing into her soul. She zoned out as the symbol slowly swirled and rotated, suddenly jerking as Nicole touched her arm, noticing the symbol wasn’t moving.
“You okay? You look like you just gazed into hell.”
“Old memory. Sorta feel like I did. You remember the red planet that looked like blood?”
“Yeah."
“We’re going back.”
“Why?” she asked. “We were already there, we got the data cube that contained Dee, there was no chaos god there. ‘
“You remember what lead us there?”
“Yeah, some shadow thing. You called it a foreshadow.”
“It lead is there and we just let it go. We got distracted by a bloody planet and an AI system that ended up on the crew, we forgot about the damn shadow. It’s one of the chos gods. All it did was tease us and vanish.”
"The foreshadow showed us the world where we were going to come back and kill it? It foreshadowed its own death?”
“Well, that’s one hell of a hint. Lead you to the last showdown, just to leave you stranded with the idea planted, the idea of the story changing from a world of blood and flesh to a let down of rust and algae, just to free the AI and leave the planet. Then we end up finding a planet of blood and death anyway, and get taken back to the point where things changed the first time. It’s fuckin' with us, because it knew its fate before we did, and it wanted us to know that before we returned.” Gizzy said, smirking at her opponent.
“So hold up. One of the last chaos gods knew its own death and changed the planet, just to lead us around back to it while knowing we had him the whole time and let him go? We had the damn block that let him out. We had a chaos god and I just… politely asked it to open. We unleashed it, so it let us live, so we could kill it later?”
“Fate can’t be altered even by a lone chaos god and it knows it. It knows everything before it happens, it’s a foreshadow. We didn’t have the bullets to kill it. Maybe it wants to die, maybe it just knows it has to, or that its death can't be prevented, but it wants us to know that we’re the ones who let it out. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have found the other chaos gods. We eliminated its competition, Nicole.”
“Holy shit, it’s a trap. It helped us kill the other chaos gods and now it’s leading us back to kill US.” She said looking worried. “Because there’s only 2 left now. What if it just wants us because we’re the ones with the god killing weapons?”
“That’s exactly the point. We left unfinished work. Nicole, I can't fully explain this but I know both of these symbols, one of them is the foreshadow, because the symbol was on the cube, the other symbol is the red planet itself. There’s not 2 gods remaining, there’s 2 missions remaining.”
“It says in big green letters: Two gods remaining, one wish remaining.” She said pointing at the screen
“Nicole, you need to trust me, as someone who has experienced two timelines and been here twice, we have to go back one last time, and there is only one chaos god remaining. The book of fate can be complicated, not always literal. We already made the last wish, and changed the timeline, eliminating the second god. Just trust me… there’s one left to fight, and we now have the ammo.”
“I just… I don’t understand your math. We’re subtracting a god and a wish because literal words don’t mean what they mean? It kinda just sounds like you lost your marbles.”
“Vicki was the last chaos god. We changed things when we wished, erased the wish and her rise to power. That leaves one left, the foreshadow that clearly implies the hinted final boss.”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me. Why do I feel like you’re hiding something that scares the shit out of you?”
“Because I am… Do you really need to know the thing that terrifies me, or do you want to do he mission and end this? You make the call. The truth that makes everything more difficult to fight, or let me carry that burden. This is fear incarnate, fear that jumps through time and scares even me, fear that survives a timeline change. I promise not knowing is better, can you trust me?”
“Okay… I trust you. I just don’t like that something scares you this badly."
“Oh honey, I don’t like it either. This one is going to hurt me more than it does you, and that is a promise you can believe in. Not knowing is so much better and right now, I envy you.” Gizzy said while fighting a tear back. “I have to face more than you do, so don’t be a hero Nicole. You have too much of a heart to bare this, just follow and let me carry it.”
“If I’m this scared with you just keeping it from me… don’t you ever tell me what it is we’re facing. Not until it’s over and we won.”
“Deal.” Gizzy said before standing up and looking dead inside. “Well, let’s go back. I missed that shitty red planet.” She smiled, clearly fake and hollow.
...
The shuttle doors opened to a familiar landscape, a flooded rusty world that seemed like an age had passed since they were last there. While the 6 of them all stepped out and checked their weapons, Gizzy was quieter than normal. She stepped out, boots into ankle deep water as she headed towards a blood red cave, leading them down into the cursed planet that was like a gaping wound into the soul of time itself. Dee followed her closely.
“Slow down. I never wanted to go back here, don’t make me be back here alone.” She whispered.
“I’m sorry.” Gizzy said. “I’m sorry you had to go so far to end up back here. The world you lost, that you escaped from by hiding on our ship, just for the ship to bring you back and drag you down here.”
“It’s okay.” She assured.
“No, it’s not. Everyone loaded up? Soul bullets in the top barrel of every gun in every crewmen’s hand? This is the last time we’ll need them so saving any is pointless. Shoot to kill on sight, no orders, no warning. You see the shadow, you open fire, we just need one good shot, but we have enough ammo to spread around thanks to our kind contributor, The Collector. Something the Foreshadow may have missed, otherwise we would be facing him with one bullet and one shot. Don’t let that make anyone less precise or lethal with their rounds. Any one of us could still miss twice, and we are fighting a shadow that knows what we’re doing before we do it.”
“Kinda sounds like 2 shots each isn’t enough suddenly.” Dee sighed.
“Well, it has to be. Normal rounds won’t do shit to a shadow. Just be glad it’s not Jack with one bullet and all of us helplessly watching.” She said as they descended into the dark wet tunnel, the red liquid dripping from the low tide. Vicki’s mouth watered slightly, even knowing that it wasn’t blood. She remembered the tide rushing in, falling into the water, the fear of death, now stronger and familiar in its deeper form. They all fanned out into a room, lit by the glow of a red altar, the strange symbol glowing dimly in yellow.
“Vicki, I really hate to do this… but I need you to trust me.”
“I… do I have a choice?” she asked.
“Not really. It’s happening anyway and you’re gonna hate it. We’re all going to, but you’re gonna hate it a little sooner.” She said as Vicki stared her in the eyes, feeling there was about to be a sacrifice as Gizzy took out her knife and tongued her fang.
“Gizzy, what’s going on?” Jack asked her.
“You’re about to either trust me, just like Nicole does, and this will be over sooner, or you’re about to disobey an order and make this worse and potentially get us all killed. So Jack… do we all die here or do you trust me?”
“Trust is a strong word, but I’ll follow an order.” He said.
“Fair enough for me. Jack, I order you to stand your ground. I order you to shoot whatever we’re about to summon, and nobody else, including me. We’re all walking out of here if you do. That’s your order to stand down, soldier, and remember your target.” She said as Vicki shouldered her gun and pointed it at Gizzy.
“Don’t.” she growled.
“No choice. Go ahead and shoot me, Vicki.” She said stepping forward with the knife as she pulled the trigger and fired a round through Gizzy’s shoulder as everyone jumped and froze, confused and unsure what to do. “Just want to point out for the record that Vicki just fired a god killing round at me, which is why she is the only one with standard bullets that I didn’t trust with the ones that you all have. Jack… Absorb that thought into your head. Nicole trusts me, you trust me, your wife just killed me. Bite onto that harsh reality for comfort when I do this.” She said rushing her and knocking the gun from her hands, slamming her to the altar as she struggled and Jack struggled harder against himself.
“Jack stop her!” Vicki screamed.
“Stand your ground, soldier. You have 2 shots and an enemy about to show up, don’t you dare kill me and waste a round.” Gizzy said pressing the blade to Vicki’s back, slitting her shirt and revealing the lightly glowing half rune on her back. “The ritual requires all of us. Everyone back up to the stone symbols on the wall. It also requires a sacrifice of trust and pain.” Vicki dug her nails into Gizzy’s armored wrist as she slowly traced the rune mirrored on the opposite side, carving a shallow mark to complete the rune in her own blood, the ink on the other side glowing brighter as she neared completion. She tossed the knife aside and yanked Vicki up by the shoulders.
“You’ve done worse to innocent people, you’ve done worse to me. A little blood never hurt anyone… something you’d never shed yourself. Be thankful this only needs a little sacrifice and not a soul to open.” Gizzy said before slamming Vicki down, her back to the altar, imprinting the symbol on the red stone. The altar split open, sending them both flying opposite directions and a plume of dark purple and grey fog into the ceiling. The fog settled down and formed a shape, the flash of gunfire ringing out as blue streaks passed through the fog and Gizzy stood up while grabbing the knife with Vicki’s blood still on it. She ducked under the swooping fog of death, like a scythe of darkness trying to separate her head. She pinned Vicki to one of the side stones. And stuck the gun to her chest.
“You could have told me!” she barked at Gizzy.
“Unwilling sacrifice, the blood of the damned, and the fear of death. That’s what unlocks it. Stay back to hold it open. You move from that stone and I’ll shoot you.” She whispered, her eyes glowing, one red and one blue. “Oh, you believe me now, don’t you?” she snarled. Backing away with her in her sights. Vicki stood, bloody back and rune to the pillar. “EVRYONE, BACK ON THE PILLARS. HOLD YOUR GROUND!” She ordered. Everyone followed the orders. Gizzy circled the shadowy figure wielding the knife and keeping the gun on Vicki.
“The Greggarious One.” It said like an unholy whisper. “You return to face me.”
“We all do.”
“And you have faith in your crew and yourself?” it asked.
“I do. I accept the challenge, and sacrifice pain of the unwilling to prove my strength.”
“Then it begins.” The shadow said, taking the form of a grayscale Demitri with a dagger to taunt her. She circled and they exchanged swipes, bending and moving to avoid the hit. She flipped the knife behind her back, switching hands and faking a stab, the real knife-hand slashing his back and drawing foggy blood.
“You would really slay a friend?” he said in Demitri’s voice.
“To save the universe, I’d slay several. Do your worst. This is pathetic.” She taunted, blocking a strike and kicking for the face, her boot going through the fog like nothing as the ghostly form landed a claw across her face.
“You laugh in my presence?” he asked.
“The real Demitri always left marks far lower, never on the face.” She smirked. She punched through the shadow, stumbling over the altar and taking a slash to the stomach. She rolled and readied herself, checking the shallow scratch and realizing the only part of him she could even make solid contact with was with the bloody knife, but he could hit her with no problem.
“Are we getting closer, love?” he asked.
“You shouldn’t have to ask.” She replied, taking a flying leap and throwing the knife, lodging it in his shoulder as he tried to dodge. She dove through him and retrieved the knife with a tactical roll and reversing directions. “I’m getting closer than you are.”
“But we are just in the first phase of foreplay.” He said as Jack fired a round through the heart, the bullet merely puffing through smoke and hitting rock behind him.
“You cannot kill what you cannot find, Jack. Only she was able to find my heart, and not with a gun.”
“Gizzy, what do we do?” yelled Nicole.
“You just wait. The fight is about to get worse.” She said, looking worried. Demitri stepped to the left and right, separating into 2 of himself, both armed and moving differently, Gizzy with one knife and half a plan.
“How many hearts are you willing to break?” he asked her.
“All of them.” She said before grabbing her boot knife and stabbing herself in the chest, pulling out a blood soaked blade and sliding it over the other one, mixing her willingly sacrificed blood with Vicki’s unwilling. “Even my own.” She said.
“Then so you shall. The curse is yours.” He said as they both lunged forward to pincer her in the middle. Gizzy ducked and crossed arms, striking both of them in the heart and locking into position as they vanished into nothing. She stood up, stumbling back and noticing the knife in her neck, buried to the hilt and the second knife in her ribcage, also fully hilted.
“Jack… hold the line.” She groggily said, staggering and landing back first against the pillar. The altar roared with flame and the fog took on a solid form, sprouting horns and wings, and the face of Vicki with one blue glowing eye. She turned to Jack as he aimed for the heart and held his breath, pulling the trigger on his last bullet. The solid thud of metal on meat at high velocity echoed as the room went pitch black. The sound of two soft footsteps forward and one back was the only thing in the silence and darkness, and then, the solid plop of a bloody body hitting the ground.
“Gizzy… are you alive?” Jack asked into the dark. He felt the strange feeling he felt too many times, the feeling of a life leaving this world, and the sound of a second thud, much heavier, followed by the ear piercing sound of Nicole screaming, her eyes the only ones seeing in the pure darkness. Jack’s heart sank, confused and unable to move from the pillar. Everything went fuzzy as he started to wonder if Gizzy had fallen, or of the bullet had gone though its target and struck someone behind it. The bullets that kill absolutely down to the soul. He tried to remember where everyone was standing and who was across the altar from him. It wasn’t Gizzy. The echo of Nicole’s screaming faded to its own form of silent blackness as his blood ran cold.