Karmmrak

Gideon

He dreamed.

“Not again!” he cried out as he became aware of existence. He knew he injured himself for possibly the third time this month. He paused, seeing nothing but darkness.

“Not again…” he muttered into the black. He remembered. The cosmic horror.

He looked down at his hands, seeing them perfectly. His eyes slowly adjusted and he began to see those two familiar dead eyes and white toothed smile. It was smaller then he remembered. His heart stopped upon seeing that cosmic creature again. He paused as he realized this one was different. It was curious, its smile betraying a mischief that was present with the larger horror. It was close enough to touch, he realized. All too late to avoid the large tongue that licked out against him, which felt like a large sopping towel. The face giggled before backing off.

“You’re weird!” she cried with a giggle.

She sounded like a child.

“Me? You licked me. That’s weird!”

She let out another giggle, her eyes closed in laughter.

“I can’t exactly shake hands now- so mleh!”

She stuck out her purple tongue, blowing a raspberry at him. She had the mannerisms of a child. Gideon hoped she didn’t have the same power as the other cosmic horror. He chose to placate.

“What’s your name?”

“My name is! Um…” She trailed off, her eyes rolling to and fro in thought, “It’s like… Empty? Vacant. Null.”

“Void?” Gideon guessed. He held his breath.

“That’s it! You’re smart! My name is Void,” her face moved in close, as she clacked her perfect isoscele teeth.

“My name is Gideon. Have I seen you before?” Gideon introduce, trying to fish for information.

“Yes.” She answered like shut door.

“From where?”

“Well I saw you- well saw anything for the first time!”

She blinked at him, her story paused, as awkward as her mannerisms.

"And?" he asked gently, coaxing her on.

"You were in this lovely ship, I just had to see it! It was new and scary and nothing I had ever seen before! And now they are everywhere! So many people!"

He furrowed his brow, unable to follow her story. She was the one who visited his vessel.

"But where is 'here'?"

"Nowhere!" she crowed.

He frowned, his frustration beginning to form at her non-answers.

"I don't understand, why am I dreaming of you?"

She giggled, the noise echoing everywhere in Nowhere.

"Because I wanted to see you, silly! You're my first person-thing I've ever seen! Outside is exciting- so you're exciting!

She flipped her face upside down, locking eyes with him.

"Tell me more!"

"Uh- well, I was on a test flight-"

"Uh-huh!"

"-And it went bad-"

"Oh no!"

"-We traveled to Karmmrak- well we didn't travel at all- we never moved."

"Oh wow!"

"And now I get to meet you again."

"Yay me!"

"And everything is off. I missed Armageddon apparently? I fought a demon- that's a thing, I think? Met my guardian Angel. I have no idea what the hell is going on," her turn away from her, staring into the span of nothing. She moved, spinning around him as she continued to stare at him with her cold dead eyes.

"That's a lot of questions for a story!" she chirped as she flipped right side up. .

"But I don't know what's going on!" he barked back.

"Oh that's easy, time passes by in a blink!"

She cleared her nonexistent throat, preparing a speech of her own. She spoke in sing-song, as if we'll rehearsed.

"You flew and got lost- so sad! You landed on a planet and were stuck- oh no! You fought a Demon- dumb demon! You met an Angel- dumb Angel! Now you're dreaming of me- teehee!"

"Wait, you don't like Angels?" his eyes darted from hers to the darkness.

She raised a brow, sighing deeply, "I don't mind them, I just want to kill them forever- no biggie."

Gideon’s breath stuck in his throat, his heart halted at her words.

"What?"

She continued unabated, "And now you learned of Arm-ee-a-ged-done!” she crowed, butchering the word like so much fatted calf, "I get to see you- uh. What's your name?"

She floated in close, her face just shy of touching his. He shivered at Void's apparent lack of social skills or bd intimidation; or both.

"I'm Gideon McDonough-"

She clicked her teeth together, the sound of straining bone rang out. She looked to his hand, her eyes narrowing, “And look at your hand! He got you too, didn’t He?”

He was caught in a hurricane controlled by a toddler and he was just debris in her storm. Gideon matched her stare, looking to his Seal before covering with his other hand instinctively.

"That big meanie!" she crowed, clacking her teeth together, her grin growing wider.

He had a sudden image of a child throwing a tantrum, smashing a pet mouse in the turmoil. Her demeanor cooled as she stared back with her large toothy grin. He decided to probe for more info.

“Why do you hate Him?”

A flash of agony crossed her face for a brief second before she recovered. Gideon halted,

What the hell was that?

“Now that I’ve touched you, we can have so much fun!” she detoured the conversation.

Jesus Christ, please end this nightmare.

“Do you know you look cute when you’re terrified? I could just nibble you!”

She snapped her teeth together, the crack rang his ears.

Please don’t.

“But you would die! And I would be sad.”

Her smiling face flipped upside down, or Gideon was flipped upside down- he couldn’t tell.

“Aren’t I cute?”

Oh my God, please don’t ask those types of questions.

“Uh, sure.”

“Mleh!”

“Yes! Yes- you're adorable!” Gideon was quick to correct.

A being of incredible power and the ego of a child could get angry at the wrong answer.

“You’re lying! But I believe you,” She said with a giggle, “well it wasn't just me who brought you here.”

"What?"

"My big brother was the one who wanted to talk to you again. He was rudely interrupted. He didn’t like that,” Void explained, her eyes darting from him to the thing behind him.

“B-big brother?” Gideon stammered.

The being from the first dream. The phantasmagoric creature on par with a god.

Gideon turned.

The blackness ahead opened its eyes, revealing large black spheres the size of suns, and a mouth the size of a nebula. It had the same vacant smile and dead gaze. The pointed teeth shone under the smile.

“Hello, Gideon. I was curious as to why you were seeing me in dreams. Now I know. Your ship was covered in our energy, touched by my sister,” the voice boomed.

Gideon tried to pull back, a captive audience.

“But I dreamed of you before I ever traveled to this place! And then I only met Void!” Gideon argued with confusion and terror. Void giggled, she spoke off to the side, barely a whisper compared to the cataclysmic voice of the larger being.

“That’s me!”

“Time matters not. If you touched us, you’ve always touched us,” He explained

“Yup! It’s been thirteen times now!”

“What are you?” Gideon asked. He felt the dream ending and the purpose of it still eluding him.

“Me?” It asked.

It flew in close. It was far larger than he imagined.

“Here we go!” Void crowed.

He was larger than Gideon could process, threatening to impact fall into its eye. His words felt larger than anything Gideon could imagine.

“I AM NOTHING.”

The dream ended as his mind buckled with the creature's massive laugh. He awoke, his throat and lungs burning. He couldn't breathe. He was choking on acid.

"Hurry on his side- he inhaled his own vomit!" Shindow cried.

Gideon felt firm hands roll him to his side, clapping his back as he tried to take a breath.

"Nanites injected, Gideon hold on!"

Their voices swirled, his eyes stabbed with pain as he tried to open them. He felt himself flipping head over heels continually. He felt a click pinch in his neck. His broken arm lanced with pain. And then he could breathe again. He tried to open his eyes again, seeing the dazzling of lights. Hands lifted him to a stretcher, wherein many voices swarmed his ears.

What's am I?

His thoughts were jumbled, merging many different thoughts to one.

"Good daughter Shindow, he has suffered a severe concussion and rebroken his arm."

How bad?

"On it! Injecting nanite culture!"

A flash of light blinded him and he could feel a draft against his broken arm.

"Good Shindow, the break is clean, injecting capsiphine," he heard Pat declare.

"Oh! Will Gid be just okay?" Baxter whined from below the stretcher.

He felt his nausea and sensitivity to light begin to fade. He felt the confused tangle of disassociated thoughts begin to clarify. He pondered backwards to moments ago. Dreamed of Void and Nothing- if that's what its name was and it wasn't trying to make a pun at his own sanity. Made a covenant with Saddiffer, changing him to a Eudaemon- whatever that was. Angels, Demons, and Armageddon. He was on Karmmrak. Bad flight that traveled nowhere. Chaos in a bizarre new reality.

His mind felt like torpid sludge, trying to comprehend his immediate surroundings.

"Recasting now," Steak announced.

How long has it been? Was it that quick?

"Operation complete, time: fifty-nine minutes," he heard Prosine declare.

It felt like seconds. He was alive after the covenant's feedback, possibly caused by creating it with a demon.

Where is Saddiffer?

He opened his eyes, attempting to sit up. Firm arms held him down.

"Gideon, you are wounded. Calm yourself!" Deborah ordered.

"Saddiffer- where is he?" Gideon rasped, still tasting the stale bile.

"Gid, he's- he's over there." Shindow announced, pointing to the far opposite wall. He needed to see.

"Please- take me to him."

The table inclined, raising his torso up as Steak and Pat pushed the antigrav stretcher to the far wall. He saw it right away, the large pool of black blood, the ruined husk of what was once the planet's destroyer. Baxter scurried over, splashing in the black ichor. The skeletal demon twitched as if in agony. The bones were a rusted orange metal, just like the crystal outcroppings, except flecked with ivory. He still had muscles and an oddly pointed, geometric organ in between the solid ribcage. Steam rose from his maw, the dark pits of his skull empty.

"Is he… Dead?" Gideon asked quietly, his face twisting at seeing the body horror.

Baxter sniffed at its hand and a boney finger poked his nose in response.

"Saddiffer go to sleep!" Baxter barked with worry.

The demon let out a sigh, steam rushing from its maw as it rushed into black light towards Baxter's gem.

"It's still alive," Deborah muttered as she folded her arms.

Shindow rushed to his side, standing stop his stomach. She wore a nurse's outfit, fitting for the medical bedlam he just experienced.

"Gid, I'm not sure what to say. I think we beat him for good."

"Good Gideon, at the very least pacified for now. I am actually quite curious to see the results of this covenant."

Gideon turned his head and Excertius obliged, moving the stretcher to face Prosine.

"Now you're on board??"

One second Prosine was an indomitable wall, the next he was a welcoming bridge.

"Correct. The situation has changed. I must adapt to this new revelation."

A thought occurred to him.

"Has anyone ever tried this?"

There was a pause as Prosine's eye glanced away for a brief second.

"Not in recent memory. Never."

Deborah folded her arms, the only holdout.

"We cannot have that monster aboard with us! Changed or not, it must answer for what it has done! Men and women perished to him; an entire planet lies ruined because of it."

Gideon nodded. It was a fair argument. The demon received more grace than anyone should've. But it was done.

"Who said he is getting off easy?"

"He deserves destruction."

"Or a lifetime of service," Gideon countered.

He glanced to Shindow who nodded approvingly.

The room went quiet as she pursed her lips, nodding serenely at him.

"I acquiesce. But know that I will be the one to put it down when it strays."

Could you? Could anyone kill it?

His thought was left unsaid as he nodded back at her.

"We'll see what has changed with Saddiffer. It all depends on that."

"Now that this quandary has been expedited, we have much to discuss," Prosine announced.

Gideon remember his other dream. Lucifer knew where they were. He needed to relay to the rest.

"Lucifer," he announced.

Everyone paused, with Deborah giving him a look as if he swore. Prosine narrowed his eye to a pin, the scissor-snap rang out in the thrumming quiet.

"I've dreamed of Lucifer, twice now. The first was when she escaped from her prison-"

"Adonai have mercy…" Deborah whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. Everyone looked to him, concern etched on the faces that could show it.

"And the second time was when she was free. She knows where I am. She followed my dreaming self- my astral projection back to Karmmrak. She knew right away where we were- teased me with that info. She's coming for me."

"That doesn't make any sense? Why is she interested in you- no offense, but if it's after Armageddon, there's possibly a million or incredibly important people! Scientists, philosophers, leaders! And he hates- she hates humanity!"

Deborah placed an upturned hand near Gideon, Shindow hopped aboard, gazing curiously up at her.

"It's worse. She loves humanity."

Gideon furrowed his brow, looking low as he nodded. Shindow raised her eyebrows, gasping at the news.

"And humanity was worse off for it. Before Emmanuel defeated her, releasing mankind from her false covenant."

"The apple…" Shindow muttered.

"Humanity gave up their stewardship of Earth to her in order to be as gods; knowledge, power, greed, lust, violence, disease, want, death. A bite of the apple sealed the counterfeit covenant, cementing the lie and doomed humanity to a love that burned worse than hatred."

She held Shindow in her palms, looking to Gideon, her mouth betraying worry.

"How did she get free?"

"A Demon-"

"Why would a demon ever help her?" Deborah interrupted before going silent.

"A Demon posing as Lucifer- the classic stereotype goat demon hell god, freed her. They had thought that Lucifer was a demon and wanted to free the real true blooded Lucifer. Only he found out she was actually an Angel and hated them. The fake Lucifer was pretty dead when I dreamed of her escape."

"Good Gideon, do you have any idea of the time frame?" Prosine asked.

He shook his head, "no, it could have been anytime, past, present, or future."

"Then we must hurry and abscond. I am beginning departure immediately. Based on some knowledge of Gehenna, she wouldn't have been the only one there. To the Decima!" Prosine explained hurriedly.

"You're coming? I thought it'd be like pushing a mountain to get you to come with us..." Gideon muttered.

"The situation has changed. You, my charge, have arrived. My purpose on this planet has been fulfilled. Now, let us proceed."

Prosine vanished in a pillar glowing blue light. A string of blue marker lights trailed along the floor to the outside.

Shindow flew over, sitting atop his newly minted cast. They looked at each other and nodded. They all moved out, Gideon's stretcher leading the way as they began their journey.

"What other dreams did you have?" she queried.

He thought back to the other visions. Void and Nothing. Ruth the ancient nun. The battle of Earth and demons. Sol the automata. Sol. If he was correct, there was an entire world beneath them.

"Prosine, is this planet hollow?"

He awaited the answer, clenching his stomach. A voice spoke over the comms.

"Negative, it is a solid cold nickel core. Why do you ask?"

Gideon explained the automata Sol and his visions.

"Proturan- a Dugrum! Now I wish they were here," Shindow pouted.

"Good Gideon that automata sounds unique. The same alloy as the Decima?" Patricia asked.

"Adamantite," he confirmed, remembering the fine details and exquisite craftsmanship. She did remind him of Amelia, but it couldn't possibly be her. She was gone, after all. Like Father. Like the rest of his family.

"Gid, that must mean they are elsewhere! Sometimes I dream and I am somewhere else, chasing squirrels! I don't like squirrels…"

Gideon barked a laugh at Baxter's silly comparison. But it was true. If he dreamed of Earth, Sol and the Dugrum could be billions- if not trillions of light years away. He still didn't understand why he dreamed of her, but he knew he couldn't write it off as pointless. They were slowly revealing this reality in a partially safe environment. He wondered about the boy, hoping there was still time. The invasion of Earth was also time sensitive. He layed back, trying to force his eyes open. The blanket of fatigue drifted down atop him.

"Just going to rest my eyes," he muttered.

His eyes shut.

He was suddenly in a massive room of white, standing in front of the elderly Adonai from before. His hair had shortened, as did his beard; the same style as Father's.

“That is one way to use the Seal,” Adonai said with a laugh. He sounded like Father.

“Fascinating you thought of that. Not many would. You may recall he is still leashed to Baxter’s contract, ” Adonai added.

“Oh…” Gideon responded, realizing Saddiffer couldn’t act out with his new found semi-freedom. He continued unabated.

Adonai placed a hand on his shoulder, a broad smile affixed.

“You used to be Gideon the Wanderer. No more. Your new identity is Gideon the Redeemer.”

Gideon cocked his head, trying to understand the implications of what he did, and what Adonai said.

"Wait- wait! What do you mean redeemer?"

"You've taken a leap of faith creating that covenant with Saddiffer; a demon of great evil. That makes you a redeemer, not unlike the ultimate Redeemer."

"But I'm no savior!"

"This is true, there is only one. But you're an earthly redeemer. You've prevented much sorrow with your actions, you've sacrificed your body and mind for your crew. They all have your respect, including Baxter!"

"Baxter-" Gideon was about say, catching his tongue as he was about to repeat his words in the Karmmrak hospice after his meeting with the Dusk.

The Dusk.

"Adonai wait- what are the Dusk? The Watchers?"

Adonai tapped his nose, turning to leave.

“Remember the dreams. Head on to Lo IX, Gideon. You'll find answers there. She's most excited to meet with you."

"She? Ruth? Who!?" Adonai was suddenly far away, waving him off.

The dream ended.

He blinked awake, holding still as he saw the vessel towering above him, spotting the familiar glinting blue phthalo adamantite hull. He cracked a pained smile. It was over. All of this suffering had a reprieve. And if they hurried, they'd be safe from Lucifer. He trembled at the sight of his lost friend.

He found the Decima again.

Shindow was still atop his stomach, looking back at him with a gleaming smile; his best friend. Baxter was sitting happily between his feet; his best doggy. Excertius was wheeling him away; they had grown into their own entities and he was excited to see what they became. In a way, they were like children. Deborah walked beside him, a soft pearly smile affixed; his new Angelic guardian. He was most curious about her and her past. She would have the most answers and perhaps wisdom. He had his friends. He would wait and see with Saddiffer. Prosine would no doubt be another benefit to the crew, possibly leading them all to safety. He was comforted by the godlike AI as their guide.

He sighed and put the other worries aside. For now, he was home.