Mathew

Back on his feet, Mathew took Ripper as Ben offered it. Sinking his awareness into the sword, Mathew confirmed Ripper's good health. All of the Hive shared a bond and now Mathew was a part of it. Thankfully he didn't connect to any far away or extensive collection of minds.

It was just the single node between himself and Ripper. Pretending that this was how everyone used equipment made the difference more manageable. Metal swords got cleaned and oiled, living blades got health checks. Just a part of tool maintenance.

Putting Ripper to his hip, Mathew crafted a bone holder for it. Not a full scabbard, this was only a few inches wide. Molded to conform to Rippers design, living skeleton weapon included internal muscles to hold it tight and let go at will. Not caring, Mathew went with it and the plan was willed into existence.

A prickling sensation running its electric fingers across his spine distracted him. The rage of the local Alpha raked in his direction. An expanded sense of Territories showed him a glimpse into a world they'd only seen the edges of.

Oceans of red energy blanketed everything. It was always there but on the other side of a boundary. Mathew's was broken. He could feel the jagged edges of this window in his mind. Only the edges though, every flat part was imperceptible. Tasting it with his mind again. Mathew came to the same conclusion as before, that the 'flavor' was the same as his interfaces.

From that open portal, red energy flowed. Even if he'd been as slow as he was before leveling up, identifying Alpha spectrum energy was a no brainer. Drowning in the deluge, Mathew had just acted, his higher functions taking a back seat. Abandoning Amber to chase down the threat. Now looking at the wounds she'd taken, Mathew clenched his jaw. He hadn't filled the role of a tank well. I have to do better.

Even after finding enough distance from the influence to take a breath, Mathew only felt partially in control.

At the tear within his being, Mathew tried patching it. Envisioning the construct, he funneled willpower into making it real. Nothing happened. Alpha spectrum energy ignored the defenses entirely invading his space, invading him. Anger bloomed at the failure.

That the Alpha energy making him get mad at it would be worth chuckling about if he didn't feel a sense of losing himself.

"Thank you for waiting," Mathew said. "I just needed a minute to adjust."

"Let's go then," Grant said. "Before that minion recovers."

"What's the plan, Grant?" Mathew asked. "I'm not in the mood to be patient or left in the dark. How are we supposed to defeat the Alpha?"

"The monster is artificial. Doctor Hundle was meticulous and obsessive. The last time I was here, I thought it absurd that he didn't have a control or disposal plan for a self-propagating experiment. While digging through documents on the prototypes, I came across an interesting passage." Grant paused. "The exact text eludes my memory. In summary, it was about progressing with an experiment option because the killswitch still worked against it."

"While that sounds promising, I'm not getting a clear picture of what it is we actually do," Mathew said.

"Step one, we get back into the storage room I was in before. Step two, we avoid venomous threats. Step three, we find the killswitch." Grant put up a fourth finger. "Finally, we use that killswitch. Then all the research will be available. How to secure survival for all and a treatment regiment for yourself."

"What makes you think we are going to have time and space to do that? Maybe you can stealth around but I don't have that option. Also, it changed the whole Territory into this." Mathew gestured around. "What makes you think any of the research is still intact."

"The ruins are much as Harper's Hub. A magical fortification. When we last explored, there was no conversion of the structures themselves. The Alpha is within the heart of the complex and too large to leave of its own accord." Grant replied. "If that is all, we should get within the complex before we get attacked again."

Satisfied with the answer, Mathew started walking. He could feel the center of influence the Territory Alpha pressed into the ocean of red.

As an afterthought, Mathew spoke again. "Thanks."

Grant just nodded before ghosting away.

Continuing to the ruins was uneventful for Mathew and Amber. Though their path did cross a broken glass corpse. Here I am being self-absorbed while they are doing the work.

Supporting Amber as they walked, Mathew spent reserves to return his form to its armored version. More creative uses for Carrion muscle would open up his options a lot. With the ability to create more bones and muscles in chains in theory, he could adapt to a whole new form.

The clicking of his steps changed into a clunking. After being adjusted to the sound for so long, the change drew him from his contemplation.

Glossy black surface and crystal trees gave way to an earthy brown stone. Wrapped around the ruins like a patio, the approach choked out the terraforming influence of the Alpha. Twenty-foot walls of the same brown stone spanned the complex. Grant and Ben stood in sight, waiting.

"How do we get it?" Amber asked.

"Elevator." Ben had the wisp of a smile.

Warily making their way to the wall, Ben threw his net up and ascended. Hand over hand, he displayed the capability of someone with twice the strength to bodyweight ratio. It was impressive.

Still channeling his sure foot award, Mathew backed against the wall and put his foot on it like a posing cool kid. Before trusting he could climb the wall backwards, Mathew dropped the struts laid against his calf down to the vertical surface.

While they were designed with traction on loose surfaces in mind, they could still lever against the wall and keep him from falling on his face. Pressing down on his anchored foot Mathew slid his bone covered shoulders up the wall. Alternating back and forth, he walked up the wall.

One of these days, when his stats were high enough, he'd be able to walk up a wall like this normally. Well, as normal as walking up the side of a wall could be.

At the top, he stepped over a parapet wall. Stable on the landing, Mathew looked all around. Ben was fishing their other party members from below.

On the inside, a compound sprawled. Mathew had thought that it would be rather small considering what he expected was realistic to accomplish in a matter of months. This was like a school campus, including an open courtyard for athletics.

Would we be able to make progress like this before I go crazy? Mathew thought.

Building a mental attack intelectus, Mathew began to actively scan for minds. Nothing within his range.

Having pulled them all up, the wall Ben explained that the complex would open its gates twice a day. New monsters would leave freely during these times, and older ones would return with what they had collected.

"This way." Grant took point.

Stairs down split away from the wall at even intervals. They all took the first split getting off the exposed walls as fast as possible. The ever present indignation the local Alpha felt flared yet again.

"It knows we're here," Mathew reported.

"What do you see?" Ben asked.

"Not see, feel." Mathew grimaced.

Grant picked up the pace. Passing under windows and balconies, this seemed like a residential area. Approaching a main road they slowed down.

Hoisting his shield and stepping to the side, Grant gestured to Amber. "Come along now. Mathew, on the other side, she gets sandwiched in the middle. Ben, I expect you to come behind later."

As Mathew stepped beside her to act the living shield, his intelectus picked up a thought from Amber. Phrasing! Over the top of her humor, the weight of the situation kept her focused. Speaking of, why in the hell is my intelectus reading minds instead of scanning enemy minds?

Stepping out from the cover of the buildings, Mathew let go of trying to figure out all the new changes to focus on the moment. Halfway across the road, he heard a distant MEEP. Following the warning, a battle cry of meeps followed.

Almost to the alley on the other side, heat began to seep through his side. Dispersed with the pounding of his heart, it was still uncomfortably hot by the time he crossed the cover of the next building.

Letting go of Amber, Grant took off at a sprint. "Hurry!"

Between the herding threat of monsters from behind and Grant taking charge, the lack of control grated against him. Growling under his breath, he took the corner behind Grant at breakneck speed.

Only his sure footed award kept him from tumbling. Catching Amber's elbow, he held her up until she got her feet back under her. The hole in her leg imposed its limits. He couldn't protect her. Probably no one could. They'd have to make real armor rather than just the slim leather pauldrons she'd crafted so far.

Looking up, Mathew caught Grant dropping a silver key on a necklace back beneath his shirt. Opening the brown earth door, they hurried in. Grant stayed at the door waiting for Ben. Mathew took point and evaluated the new space.

Long straight hallways illuminated by lights shining from the other side of transparent panels in the ceiling presented a jarring modern feel. There was something else he tried to place it but it eluded him. It was in the air smelling clean, maybe? Processed?

Finding no threats up the hallway of doors, Mathew turned to Amber. "What's your read of this?"

"I'm just loving the AC." Amber gave a weak smile. "I'll get my bearings and get back with you."

Ben rushed in and the door sealed behind them all.

"Welcome to sub lab one." Grant returned to his typical booming voice. "We should be safe here except for doing something foolish like breaching a specimen chamber. Again, ahem." He didn't show any embarrassment on the outside.

Grant continued, "Let's spread out and gather up what information we can. The original test subjects were called 4-0 and 4-1. Anything about how they found success in surviving the Alpha attacks is also a high priority. No offense intended, Mathew, but Hybrid sickness can wait until we have secured the facility."

With that, Grant opened a side room. Around his large frame, Mathew saw desks. Some covered in papers others in glass containers, copper pipes and odd-looking burners.

Opening the door next to himself, Mathew saw a similar combination of lab and office. No matter what Grant said about priorities, information on Hybrid Sickness and Alpha ascension were going to get sorted into a single place. And at least skimmed for immediately helpful information.

As he entered the room, Amber joined him. "Don't split the party. Complete rooms twice as fast instead."

"Why not include the whole party then?" Mathew asked.

"Are they?"

Her quiet words asked the same questions he'd been putting aside for some time now. No matter how much he wanted to answer yes, the word stopped in his throat.

Picking up a thick brown page that reminded him of the paper bags you could get at a checkout line, he started reading.

Intelectus perception is determined utilizing perception available to the intelectus host upon creation...

None of the information was a high priority, so he started skimming. Removing eyes and grafting new sensory organs to subjects, the research was dark, cruel, and effective.

As he skimmed, he began to acclimate to the method they wrote in and recorded their information. It was like an abbreviated scientific study but rather than an abstract, it started with a conclusions summary. No scientific hesitance remained.

Was it a skill that provided supernatural certainty, or the pressures of survival degrading the standard to get results faster?

As he moved to the following table, Ripper clattered into the one he was leaving. He'd have to be more careful navigating tight spaces.

An assortment of different plant samples were withered in glass bell lids on the next table. Notes about possible Hybrid treatment options drew Mathew's full attention.

On this unbleached paper, a feminine scrawling detailed a breakdown of ingredients and how to craft them into a calming drink. Then how to amplify the strength to "increase efficacy to effectively influence the prodigious constitutions of the Hybrid."

Given Harper's success with processing reagents, this was an option he could use. Taking medication regularly wasn't what he wanted after an abduction apocalypse, but it'd be better than no option.

While he tried to commit it to memory just in case, he rolled it up and walked to Amber.

"Hey," She turned to look at him.

In the secluded calm and infused with animalistic Alpha energy, her simple 'hey' was being mistranslated by all sides of Mathew's brain.

Reaching over her, he tucked the paper away in her quiver.

"Try not to lose that. It may have medicine for me." Mathew couldn't look into her eyes.

"I will do all I can to fix this. I'm sorry." Amber said.

"I don't blame you." Mathew's blush was hidden by his armor. He took a breath and looked down into her lightning blue eyes. "I don't blame you and if you want forgiveness, you have it."

"Okay," Amber didn't sound convinced but she turned back to the desk.

Forcing himself to turn and inspect another desk. He went over it once without absorbing anything. The past few days had been no doubt the worst in his life, end-capped by a chaotic few hours. A break, Mathew just needed a break.

A knocking came from the door. Ben spoke. "Grant found the jackpot, lets go over it."

Without waiting, he left.

Anger rose up and Mathew firmly directed it at the whole situation. I will break every threat and then take a well-earned vacation to nowhere.

Turning to join Ben, a red glint on the floor drew his eye. Two red lenses were just lying there in the hallway. Picking them up, Mathew attempted to scan them. No information from Leternum returned. Either way, ordinary red lenses may still protect his eyes from those meeping salamanders.

Adjusting the shutters that he'd build over his eyes enough to slot these in didn't take long and Ben didn't seem like he was really in a hurry.

Looking around at the world tinted red, words written in the air showed clearly to him. They read, "DON'T TRUST THE BUILDING. DON'T TRUST DOC."

Walking out into the hallway, another was plastered to the wall. "HYBRID SURGERY ISN'T AN ACCIDENT"

Slowly walking down the hallway, his mind raced to put together the messages left over from the scientists that worked at this dead facility.

Harper had spoken of an intelectus at the Hub. She also said Grant couldn't hide anything. If this complex had one, everyone would be under constant surveillance.

Mathew turned to tell Amber before thinking better. If it had an intelectus, it might still have one. The ever-present rage across his senses mixed with the disturbing sensation of being watched.

"Mathew?" Amber asked.

"Just a long week." Mathew lied. "Let's go."

Arriving at the lab Grant was in, Mathew looked for hidden messages. One jumped out at him.

[Subject 4-1

Is Kent, and he didn't volunteer.]

"Show me everything," Mathew said quietly.

"I don't know if we have time for that. This part, maybe the achilles tendon of the Alpha." Grant's finger traced the line as he read. "Subject four-two retains the weakness from four-zero in that it automatically absorbs liquids into its biological aspects despite the protective nature of the glass."

"A liquid poison countermeasure." Grant stood tall. "We whittle down the population remaining in the compound. Then gather liquid poison from the warehouse and poison the Alpha before the gates open."

"Kill four-two," Mathew summarized.

Kill an Alpha who was a man that didn't ask to become a monster. Would others try to kill him when the time came? Could they save Kent? Mathew looked at his gauntlets and their hidden claws. Wouldn't killing Kent bring them closer to a cure for Mathew?

Under the surge of Alpha energy, Mathew made his choice.