Seth’s chest rose and fell as he swayed with the weight of the mismatched arms on his upper body. His silhouette was no longer easily distinguishable as human, with one arm fused to his side below his shoulder while the Aberrant’s massive arm was fused onto his back, behind his shoulder blade, opposite to his robot companion still sitting quietly on his other shoulder.
He seemed to be having trouble seeing in the fog too. He swiped at it, trying to clear it away from his face, all three arms rising to perform the same motion out of sync. He paused and let the arms slowly drift downwards, before deliberately moving just the Fisherman’s arm, flexing the fingers and extending the limb, the movements shaky and uncertain.
The open briefcase, floating atop the water, drifted back to Seth. The innocuous piece of flesh inside seemed so at odds with the label of a terrifying weapon. He gingerly picked it up and snapped the case shut.
“Incredible,” he said, almost to himself. “The intensity, the rawness of feeling that my brain just experienced. Euphoria, rage, pain. I still feel the echoes of it. Chase, you would know how it felt but the rest of you. You’ve never taken Dice. You wouldn’t understand.”
I glanced between Daria and Neve. They weren’t in great shape. Daria leaned heavily on Neve and the way Daria’s head lolled like she was trying to keep herself awake, I knew she was running on fumes. Neve was nursing her hands, one bloodied by my assimilation and the knuckles of the other turning a nasty shade after she punched Seth.
I wasn’t doing any better. I felt eyes on me like a prickling burn. The spectres were back. I couldn’t see them. But somehow I knew they were there. The thought of Daria and Neve’s faces joining those that lurked below the water’s surface… I would fight until my bones broke before I let that happen.
Seth continued his solo conversation, “Or perhaps this is what natural Shapers feel like all the time? That would be incredible. A true evolution of humanity…” Seth’s eyes were wide and bloodshot, like he was high on something. “I had contemplated what it would mean to throw aside my humanity. I knew it would happen, but I thought of it as a distant obstacle, one that would come after we had accomplished Organ’s objectives. I see now that line of thinking was foolish. I can’t wait for Organ. I-”
A new voice spoke, serene and otherworldly. Almost human, yet modulated strangely, as if the words used to form the sentences had been plucked from other disparate phrases spoken in the past. “Switching to audible mode.”
“Denied,” Seth snapped.
The red light on the A.I. blinked. “Request overridden by medical protocol 23. In the event that the owner is ignoring advice given, in effort to preserve the safety and bodily health of the owner, Apollo A.I. may choose to switch to audible mode to request the help of those nearby. Seth, you are ignoring my advice to immediately seek medical attention to stabilize your new form. There is also a chance that the phasic period of ES-820309 had made inaudible mode no longer function properly due to changes in your bones structure and thus you may not have heard my recommendations.”
“I heard you, Apollo. You got me through the worst of it. I’m in control now.”
“Observable results seem within predicted parameters but I cannot properly assess your current physical and mental health without further assessment questions and medical professionals.”
“Apollo, your instructions are no longer necessary. You’ve been outpaced, unfortunately. Perhaps in another fifty years, if Shaping had not been discovered, our future may have gone a different route. Silence.”
“Protocol 23 is in action. Nick, Daria, Neve, and Chase; please do not prevent Seth from leaving to seek medical attention. The escape tunnel has been drained of water. Seth, please exit as soon as possible.”
Chase laughed from the adjacent room.
Seth shook his head, water dripping from his hair. “No. I’m stronger than ever. Organ keeps saying that they are taking ‘acceptable losses’ in light of the progress being made, but it’s unacceptable.”
He drew himself up, squaring his posture. “I will be the last one standing.”
“Inadvisable,” Apollo stated calmly. “H.E.S.P. is predicted to arrive within minutes. Nick, would you please retreat so-”
Seth’s Aberrant arm reached up and crushed the robot in its grip, tossing it into the water where it sparked and sputtered.
“Hold on, Seth,” Chase said. His silhouette had appeared in the smoke. I tensed, realizing that I’d missed the sounds of his entrance to the room.
“I never got to explain. There’s a reason I stopped your little Windbag trap. We’re building to something here. We’re close. But we can do better.”
“I’ve proven my resolve!” Seth growled. “I decide what happens!”
“Alright,” Chase sighed. Apathy settled over the room. I felt my shoulders get lighter. The faces I had imagined in the water vanished. A reprieve.
Neve’s grip went slack along with her face and Daria slunk down into the waves, unable to stand without Neve supporting her.
“I just want to remind everyone here, and I do mean everyone,” Chase said, stepping up to Seth and staring him down, “that I’ve been graciously holding back and observing. But that was never going to be forever.”
Chase hit a button on the console and the wall slid open, revealing a new passageway for the water to rush into. As the water level lowered and the fog thinned out, Daria’s red hair floated into view. For a few moments, I watched her hair waving on the surface like seaweed.
Then my heart fell into my stomach. I lunged forward, pulling her up.
She sputtered, gasping for breath. Neve fell on her as well, holding her tight.
“Now that we’ve calmed down, let’s make a deal, Seth.”
Seth blinked, regaining his emotions after Chase’s power ended. Chase was so close to his face that the flower growing from Chase’s eye socket nearly touched him.
It seemed clear that Seth was considering just taking his chances and attacking Chase. But whatever he saw in his eye must have unnerved him. He looked away.
“Fine, make your offer.”
“Take the weapon to Organ anyway. I won’t stop you.”
Seth frowned. “You’re giving up? After all of this?”
“Let’s say that it was your conviction to your ego that swayed my heart. I want to see you grow.” Chase’s gaze slid over to give me a sidelong look. “There is greater potential in all of you. With the right environment, you will all flourish.”
“That’s it? You’ll let me leave?”
“Oh no. I want to come with you. Let me speak with Organ. I think I already am acquainted with one of the members on your side of the conflict.”
Seth considered this for a moment. “Fine. I don’t know why you’re so desperate to spare these people. They’re the enemy of progress.”
A sly smile rose on Chase’s face. “Not quite, Seth. They may be unwilling, but they will help us all the same. Let’s talk on the way. I think I may be able to convince you.”
Seth turned towards the passage, then looked over his shoulder at us. I could just barely see his eyes over the Aberrant arm’s bulk. “If you pursue us, I will make these walls your tomb.”
I wanted to keep chasing them. But as I looked across the room, there were bodies everywhere. The Fisherman, the Aberrant, the faces pressing up against the surface of the water, threatening to spring into reality. My limbs felt like they were cast in iron.
“You win this time,” I said miserably.
Chase chuckled. “Go lick your wounds, Nick. And do be sure to eat. I promise I’ll wait for you. So eat and grow stronger. Our final dance will be soon enough.”
Resentment burned like a hot coal in my stomach as I watched them leave. The passageway slid shut and I was left exactly where I didn’t want to be.
I walked forward shakily, almost falling into the water.
“Stay still, Nick,” Neve said. “H.E.S.P. will be here soon. Let’s rest for now.”
I fell forward, hands plunging into the water. My face was so close to the hallucinations and their gnashing mouths. Not real. They’re not real.
I found the oily skin of the Aberrant. Fire played at my fingertips. I began to sink into the Aberrant’s flesh, eating without pause. The memories came and I didn’t try to hold them back at all. I relinquished myself to them and I plummeted into someone else’s self.
Maybe there, the spectres wouldn’t reach me.
Chase’s words still rung in my ears. Eat and grow stronger.
Nick should have asked him what workout routine he would suggest…