CHAPTER 42: THE OTHER SIDE OF HUMANITY

At the base occupied by UNED at the edge of the sector, Alexander huffed, barging into the opening of the medical tent with the shot woman in his arms.

"I’ve got a wounded one here–she needs help!" The tall man hurriedly said, looking around.

To his surprise, the tent wasn’t empty–there was hardly any room for another patient as it was, as rows of beds were already occupied by injured soldiers, being tended by medics. It was a sight that drew the breath from his lungs, lightly shaking his head.

The stench of blood crept up his nose, like smelling a handful of pennies, only meddled by the smell of bleach in the air.

"Alex? I see you made it back with her–good."

The wordless man looked over at the one in glasses that followed him into the tent, finding Haoyu adjusting his frames with a quiet look.

"Haoyu...What happened here? We weren’t gone long–what the hell happened?" Alexander breathed out.

As he stood there awaiting an answer, doctors came over, taking the unconscious girl out of his arms and carrying her to the appropriate bed. The light-blue armor was left drenched in blood as Alexander looked down at his soaked hands, trying to process what happened.

"It seems our timing couldn’t have been worse," Haoyu exhaled. "Multiple squads operating in different areas of the sector were suddenly attacked. None of the enemies reported were in our database–all completely new. And, as you can see, devastatingly lethal."

"I don’t get it–why now?" Alexander questioned, following the engineer out of the tent as he bowed his head to fit through.

Haoyu wiped the stench from his nose, "That’s the question of the hour, isn’t it?"

The entire block was in a panic with soldiers running to-and-from different tents, either carrying their wounded or looking for heavier firepower. Beneath the night sky, the smokey air above only provided a claustrophobic atmosphere to the hectic environment.

"Seven is still out there," Alexander lamented. "--Shit. I just left him there. I promised I’d go back–"

"Don’t be so hasty. We need to formulate a plan before we end up in those tents ourselves, or worse," Haoyu huffed, caressing the bridge of his nose in thought. "Why is everyone in our group like this?"

"Whaddya mean?"

"Shin," Haoyu quietly murmured. "He rushed back out–against my direct advice."

"Then–"

"Hold it," Haoyu once more stopped the impatient giant, looking up at the taller figure. "I understand how you feel, but we need to do this right. This mission isn’t just about securing Sector Fifty anymore. There’s something larger at play here–I don’t know what. But, Seven is an important asset to mankind–we can’t let him die out there."

"He’s our friend," Alexander corrected, closing his palm as the mechanical suit mumbled, exuding a subtle, silver light from between the grooves. "--That’s why we need to help him."

"I sent a request for backup in the form of Proto-Reapers. I also requested Erebus, but I doubt that will come through," Haoyu explained.

"How many are they sending?"

"I asked for a dozen, but likely half that," Haoyu answered with a disgruntled look. "This mission better be worth the cost so far."

–

Within the deepest depths of the world, the leaders of mankind assembled in the shadows, in the audience of one being, one presence, that existed outside of the realm of reason. In the metal chamber kept lit only by a single torch, the old men stood before the primordial existence.

In two rows, men and women were bound, sat on their knees with blindfolds over their eyes and gags in their mouths.

The foremost elder spoke, "As you predicted, it seems the Fulminare have aimed their attention to the battle for the City of Second Chances. We have brought what you required in exchange for your assistance."

The Presence spoke, its form of vague shadow cascading over the room, "...And so, you will have it; how very few to save the many–a wise choice, perhaps, but one lacking in humanity. That irony pleases me."

As the men vacated the room, the helpless sacrifices were left blind to the entity they were given over to.

"Mmm..."

"Mmmf...Mm...!"

They struggled, left nude in the cold, dark place; some struggled with the bindings on their wrists, while others simply quivered. All the same, the existence that transcended their senses took hold of each and every one of their lives.

The first pair of sacrifices, a man and woman each in their early thirties, suffered the same fate–

A line neatly appeared around their skulls before the top came off, cleanly and precisely.

["...Ignorance, wisdom...The fine line between that, the quandary between a question and an answer."]

From the skulls opened by the disembodied darkness, the exposed brains levitated from their captivity, simply hovering in the still air above their compromised, human husks. One by one down the row of sacrificial men and women, their heads were quietly opened, like the lid of a can, letting their minds be separated. The core of what made up each person floated in the darkness, all pointed towards that which existed at the pit at the deepest point of the world.

One by one, each brain gently hovered towards the singularity point; towards the deep, dark pit, where the hand of shadows gestured for the minds to come.

["Endless curiosity; an illogical age of quandary–that is the end I seek."]

–

On the second floor of the mall, he moved his feet quickly as the tentacles ravaged the space behind him, sweeping through the glass panes along the walkway. He ducked his head at the blast of sharp shards, sliding himself to the left right into one of the storefronts.

A quick exhale was pushed by his lips as he took cover within the clothing store, surrounded by displays of colorful shirts.

’If I try to flee now and these guys chase me, I won’t be able to protect anybody else if I lead it right to our camp. I have to fight here, but–this guy is a problem. Those tentacles constantly regenerate, and they’re strong as hell,’ he considered.

Using the sparse moments away, he kept himself tucked behind a mannequin dressed for summer, quickly hitting his own chest, feeling the kinetic force build up. As the sparks tingled his skin, he rose to his feet, witnessing beyond the storefront, the clothed figure arriving from the base of the plaza.

It wasn’t an act of superhuman leaping nor flight; the Voyager ascended with his tentacles beneath him, carrying himself upward like an arachnid from hell.

"Just can’t leave me alone, huh?!" Seven sharply said, sliding back with his head down as a tentacle crashed in through the right wall.

The entire store was thrown into chaos; shirts fluttered in the air like a laundry day gone awry. He moved forward, getting a clear look at the Voyager drifting upon the tentacles as he pointed right at him. Like aiming a firearm, he sealed a breath in his lips before letting it go–

A bolt of electricity released, aimed for Jericho’s body, though it collided with a blockade of the abyssal limbs. It blew through the layers of slimy flesh, bringing a downpour of repugnant meat and steam.

He stayed on the move, closing the distance, using the stand a now torn mannequin stood on to boost himself into a forward leap. The blade in his hands was his guiding force, aiming it for the neck of the one that stood in his way–

"Pyuh!--"

He spat out as a force drove right into his abdomen. A timely tentacle intercepted his deathly assault, harshly slamming him into the left wall of the clothing store. The air left his lungs as the side of his body went right through the bricks, leaving him tumbling into the next shop.

Even though his body lightly ached from the impact, he felt a portion of it fuel his body like a battery slotted into his neck. He jumped to his feet as the rest of the wall collapsed, sending the shelves of sweets within the establishment of candy flying.

In came the silent Proto-Human, walking on his unending tentacles as they thrashed and stretched through the bounds of the store. He dashed forward across the candy shop, letting his first step propel him as he let electricity coil at his fingertips.

Sweeping through the aisles of metal shelving, an abyssal limb crashed towards him, forcing him to leap up before landing. He approached swiftly, unleashing the stored kinetic energy within him as he got a clear look at the enigmatic figure–ZAP.

It launched, though once again, a wall of tentacles engulfed Jericho, shielding his body from a direct impact. He moved nonetheless without flinching, closing the gap completely as with the blown-away limbs, the man’s body was exposed.

At the opened wall between both of the stores, he met the Voyager with his fist, cocking it back as each fiber of muscle in his arm worked in unison to produce the desired force–["Mjolnir."]

He slammed his knuckles into the abdomen of the Proto-Human, delivering the shattering power directly. The monstrosity before him hardly felt human; he held onto that as he drove his fist forward, thinking of it as only another alien in his way.

Through multiple shops, the tentacle-spawning man was sent through, crashing through wall after wall before being sent over to the opposite wing of the mall.