I was asleep as if in a coma. I no longer had control. They were back.

I dreamt a dream. I was taken to fanciful places . . . worlds that didn’t exist. Or did they?

Everything was hazy. It seemed like a thick fog . . . felt like a mind wipe. I had no idea what was happening. I couldn’t trust the things I saw. They weren’t real . . . couldn’t be.

Memories, but not mine. Looks green. Like, perhaps, Old Earth?

I never knew Old Earth . . . couldn’t be sure. Voices. Sounds? No. Thoughts. I could hear them . . . almost see them. I didn’t understand.

==[|||]v”)=>!...”)[|||] (see, understand)

(+“=[|||](+“=[|||]!+[. . .]v[‘‘‘] (come, come to us)

}>|”:::[o]!][=“[. . .]!][=x[>=[|||]!][=[|||]-v!v>=[|||] (bring them, they are the future)

...^=[|||]!][=“[. . .]...^=[|||]x+v>=

I exist as part of this. I feel it, but I don’t understand.

v”)=>!...”)[|||]v”)=>!...”)[|||]!][=[|||]!=([|||] (understand, understand the tec)

v”)=>!...”)[|||]!][=[|||]“|”)[|||]!][=[|||]!][+v:::][![‘‘‘]!][=[|||]?+^^=>[‘‘‘] (understand the mind, the thoughts, the power)

^^|!][!...”)|”:::[o]!][=[|||]!=([|||]|[‘‘‘]...[‘‘‘]^^|!][!...”)|”:::[o]!][=[|||]{>={““=![‘‘‘] (withstanding the tec is as withstanding the krekmet)

=={[. . .]!][=[|||]+!][=>[‘‘‘]=={[. . .]->==)+”“[. . .] (seek the other, seek freedom)

They’ve chosen the path. They want me to come.

}||”:::[O]

I awoke. I was released from oblivion, but the parting invited pain. It built slowly, as I became more aware. Soon it surpassed mere annoyance; graduating to torture. This surpassed all my previous experiences and horribly so. I sat up, hoping to deter this pain as I would a cramp. The scream seemed involuntary, forcing my mouth open. My body went limp. I dropped back down. God, the pain! I reeled in agony as repetitive waves of searing pain emanated from my left side. Without saying, any movement of that area dramatically increased this torture.

After five excruciating minutes of doing nothing, I slowly craned my neck to see the injury. Only then did I realize how delirious I was. My head nearly slammed when I fell. Did I dare check for blood? Surely, I was already bleeding from my right ear. I could feel the pain from where both my ivory and chromide earrings had been torn out. I knew my leather jacket was gone, but my jumpsuit remained. It hid my blaze as I felt no pain from my shoulder. My arms seemed fine, but on my lower left side I noticed blackened burn marks. Surely, my skin was the same. I assumed I’d been shot . . . or near enough to it as the wound was cauterized.

I never knew. I’d seen such wounds a few times before, but was always oblivious to it. I saw the pain in their eyes, but I had my own problems. I never knew the torture they went through, the torture that often killed them. I never truly realized the devastation a taser rifle could wreak.

But how?! How had I been hit?! I remembered nothing. My final memory was inputting the code to activate the decontamination process. I hadn’t simply blacked out, I’d been shot!

I assumed I was still aboard the cruiser . . . Dark Omen. Where was I?! For the first time I forced my mind off the pain and focused on my surroundings.

A pair of lights burned low, fighting a losing war against the shadows, as if never once being changed. This filtered from two vents attached to either side of the ceiling. This was only residual light. It wasn’t meant for this room, but some spilled over anyhow. It was enough to prove I was alone. That’s all I managed to discover before the throbbing pain in my head grew too great. I shut my eyes to search my surroundings by touch alone.

The floor was chromide and stretched to meet a small enclosure of walls and form a room, or so I assumed. My hands searched the floor as I let them tell me what my eyes could not. The room itself was filthy. Wait! . . . something hard . . . the shape . . . a bone! Where am I?!

I released the bone the second I knew what it was. I couldn’t know for sure if it was human, not without looking. I had to pick it up again. I had to bring it to the light. My fingers tensed in the search. Once rediscovered, my hand spasmed and I pulled back instantly. I was afraid. The fear of the unknown rivaled that of the Dead Zone. The fear of rotting . . . of becoming what that was. I had to know. I had to see! Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it wasn’t human.

I exercised a meager attempt to distract myself. Where was everyone!! Was I the only one left?! The only survivor?! Someone had attacked me! Someone had attacked us all!! Wait . . . the ship. I remembered liftoff. We’d been passengers, not pilots. We hadn’t done it, we couldn’t have! Who did?! The same people who attacked us?! It had to be! The bastards!!

Suddenly I grasped the bone in anger. I clutched it so hard I thought I might break it. I cleared my mind of fear . . . of pain. I handed the reins to a different emotion . . . intense hatred.

With the bone in hand I abruptly sat up. I screamed in agony, but I held. The burning felt as if I’d been shot all over again. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins. My determination beat in time with the excruciating pain.

I thrust the bone in front of my face and my eyes shot open. Everything in the room moved as if in a free fall, but still I brought the bone to bear with the dim light. I was right! It was a femur bone . . . a human femur! As I tossed it across the small room I could hear it snap in half against the chromide wall.

My eyes shut tight as my hands held either side of my head to stop this horrible spinning. Then

I swore. “I don’t give a fuck! You’re not taking me down! Not without a fight!” The sound resonated off the walls almost like an echo.

A new voice shot across the room in response. “Ah, you’re awake, how nice!”

Then the room was fried . . . and me along with it. The walls . . . electrified.

I fell back down, barely conscious. My brain barely registered the gray smoke rising from my body.

}||”:::[O]

Wolf’s thoughts rushed through his mind as the levitator hurled downward. Soon the darkness would tighten its grip and thoughts would be all he had. Only an hour passed since news of the quarantine rippled through 87C, but this proved time enough for chaos to intervene, as madness stole away the minds of sane men and women.

At the first announcement, the number of infected hovered around 127. It must’ve been far worse than he imagined. Who knew how far the Saurids spread by now. It didn’t matter. 87C was lost. The exodus to the decontamination chamber had already begun. Wolf occupied just one quarter of the grid, and was damn lucky to get that.

He knew his time was short. His choice to stay behind was a wise one, yet natural death and death at the hands of the Saurids were two entirely different things. Eventually he came to an undeniable conclusion . . . life was worth fighting for. As if telepathic, Crazy growled in agreement. Leaving his pitbull behind would have deadened Wolf’s soul and quickened his desire to give up.

The lasers below their feet sparked neon green, giving both man and dog an eerie glow. Even so, Crazy was hard to discern. He was hidden away inside a large, transparent carrier. Chromide lined the corners and edges, making the structure damn heavy, but it was airtight and had a 2000 unit triexelyne encasement. Cryox didn’t make suits for dogs.

Wolf designed the structure himself and knew its flaws. The problem of mobility was solved by adding tank-like treads. He also designed a remote device to operate the carrier. Blankets were thrown in and fixtures for food and water were installed, but Crazy still whined in discomfort.

Wolf wore Cryox’s new Parsec Caliber Suit, labeled PCS-10,000. It was damn expensive, but he haggled a discount through his connections. The suit provided unequaled protection from radiation and was less cumbersome. It also came equipped with double trix capacity and a built in thermostat regulator. “Built in” was the key phrase, unlike Eddie who had paid the ultimate price for his jury-rigged disaster.

The computer just informed them they were nearing Deck 30. Their destination was Deck 33; the final stop. This was where 87C opened up into the very pit of hell. This was ground zero, where the plague began. Here he’d find a graveyard. Those who still breathed were tortured beyond imagination. None of this mattered anymore. Escape was the only option. The Saurids took no prisoners and felt no pity.

Escape seemed a possibility, but only for a short time. Three shuttles existed. Each had the capacity to hold twenty people, all of which were hoarded by scientists and 87C management. They were all gone now. One by one Wolf heard reports of their destruction on a channel he shouldn’t have access to, but when had that ever stopped him? The worst (and best) were the brief screams, cut off by explosions and then silence. It was worst due to the deaths, but best due to who had died. No love was lost. Honestly, if Wolf wasn’t facing a similar threat, he would’ve celebrated.

By now, all air and space traffic surrounding 87C was now restricted. Wolf believed it always had been. Human or not, stepping foot inside Bunker 87C was a death sentence, whether now or thirty years ago. The threat of radiation came from the planet itself. The Saurids served only to heighten the fact. 87C Management left all the clones to rot, while trying to save their pitiful hides. At least the bastards were dead. It was the only consolation he’d get. Quarantine changed escape into a forbidden thing; as fleeting as the wind.

Though there was still one chance left . . . a small air vent leading thirty miles straight up to the Dead Zone. Many years ago Wolf had obtained old blueprints of 87C and discovered the passage. Originally, it was as a garbage chute back when Deck 33 was unoccupied. It was simple, but moronic and bordering on suicide. Anything tossed inside from the Dead Zone was irradiated. As the years passed, they slowly barricaded themselves, top to bottom with radiation, as if a sandwich built with fresh meat, but rotting bread.

To make matters worse, ten years after the bunker’s construction Moonbase began using the lower Decks as a prison for the rejects of society. To ensure their survival management was required to pump out all the toxins, but nothing more. Habits die hard and the nature of the new residents hadn’t done much to dissuade their reckless disposal routine. The worst of it? Management never went topside. Such things were delegated to half-breeds. With or without the Saurids, death was on the way.

That was how Wolf learned about the shaft, but he saw a better purpose for it. He’d offered the residents food and medicine in exchange for their labor; within three years’ time the passage was once again clear. Wolf’s friendship here and those via holo-terminal had gained him reliable contacts from all over Earth. These he used to create a supply route through the shaft. This was how he’d been able to fool 87C management over the years. With his profits he’d bought his way out of the deadly topside missions. It was so long ago, but Wolf remembered it as if it were yesterday. His lifespan may have been compromised, but his memory was impeccable.

Typically speaking, the shaft was built for one-way trips, thanks to gravity. Escape through the narrow passage was feasible, but many things had to be considered first. There were many problems involved with the route, but only one concerned Wolf at the moment . . . the entrance.

He’d been to Deck 33 thousands of times. It was never anything close to a vacation spot, but with the Saurids it became a living nightmare. Nevertheless, it was Wolf’s only hope; the only chance of escape anyone had anymore. The irony was unbelievable. He had to brave hell to reach heaven. Typical, Wolf thought. Nothing came easy on this godforsaken planet.

But at least he had a chance. Wolf and Crazy were the only ones left. No one else would make it out alive, perhaps not even them. The chaos created by the quarantine had encompassed everyone, humans and clones alike. Wolf tried to tell his friends and fellow clones, but no one listened. No one believed him when he spoke of a better way, especially not once he mentioned Deck 33.

“Now approaching the final stop: level 33.” The computer voice would never know how right she was. “Access to level 33 is denied. The radiation level has exceeded safety protocol.”

Wolf foresaw this obstacle and quickly collected a few tools. It didn’t take him long to patch into the computerized mechanism operating the door. Within two minutes time the computer gave him the answer he wanted. “Access to level 33 granted.” The door soon slid up.

Nothing on Earth could have prepared him for the horror that lay beyond.

}||”:::[O]

The most terrifying thought entered his head. It was that of a tornado with billions of grains of sand swirling all around, but then the sands moved . . . moved of their own volition. He didn’t know how he could tell, but he saw them. Billions of them . . . billions of Saurids.

Suddenly Wolf’s blood ran ice cold and he screamed as never before.

}||”:::[O]

The lice were no longer crawling, there were too many of them. They were swimming amongst themselves as a small wave of them flooded through the opening door. Most of them fell through the tiny slit between the safety panel and the door. They were fried instantly upon contact with the laser grid, but a few made it onto the safety panel. They soon began crawling toward Crazy. They came faster than Wolf thought possible.

Wolf fell back into another safety panel out of sudden fear. He saw the Saurids nearing Crazy, fumbled with his remote and dropped it. Within a very long minute he picked it up and pushed his thumb on reverse. He held down the button much harder than needed and didn’t let up, even after the

carrier bumped into the safety panel several times. Wolf prayed he had more than just a quarter of the grid; he prayed he could back up forever.

Wolf slumped down to a sitting position. He was always weak nowadays, but the shock drained even more of his energy. He had to escape. They were so near now; he couldn’t take his eyes off the floor. Only 12 inches more and they’d reach the front of the carrier. One minute later the Saurids touched. One second later they died.

The carrier was still moving back and forth as it bumped into the wall over and over. Those Saurids that made contact were smashed down by the tank treads. Then Wolf realized what lice were . . .tiny insects. Irradiated or not, that’s all they were. And in a suit they could crawl all over his body, which was a frightening thought, but they could never get through. Hell, hundreds of them died just by hitting the laser grid.

But somehow the knowledge didn’t help much. No amount of logic could make the horrifying sight go away. He remained seated with his arms wrapped around his knees, slowly trembling.

He was still seated when the Saurids began to climb up his boot.

}||”:::[O]

Amy Davidivich nursed a love affair with hate. It was what she was. It was what she did. What she didn’t hate, she merely tolerated.

What she hated most was the breed. She vomited nearly every time she thought about having had so many inside of her. She didn’t actually remember the last one. There was a saying for that. Something like ‘thank goodness for small blessings’. She preferred to believe it hadn’t actually happened again, but it had. There were certain things that a woman went through after a pregnancy that she remembered. Things like fatigue, some feeling of emptiness and the fucking stitches from what must’ve been a C-section. She was told it was from an accident. They hid it from her. They hid everything from her.

Not that she couldn’t have known. A woman remembers giving birth. A woman remembers carrying a baby for nine fucking months. She remembered the others for Christ sake! So then why, the hell, couldn’t she remember this one? Why? Because they’d given her a fucking mind wipe!

It was 15 years later that she found the video footage of the birth. It was only a year before that she’d started her search from stumbling on their fucking top secret program. The search for a perfected cloning formula had never actually stopped. She was part of it when she was young; fanatical really. It was because of this she was drafted back in at 43 years of age. Not only this, but it was done in secret. She didn’t know why, but they retained deniability at 43. Who would believe a 43 year old could be drafted for such a thing? So it remained a secret for 15 years.

She wasn’t alone. The report she read told her as much. Her group alone consisted of 18 middle aged women. The results were, of course, classified. All of them had their babies taken away and all of them got a mind wipe for their troubles. Hers must’ve been defective. Over the years she experienced flashes of memory she couldn’t account for . . . events that didn’t quite fit with her previous pregnancies. This put together with the fact her “accident” never really sat well with her. What accident? She didn’t remember any such accident. Especially not one where the stitches lined up perfectly with a C-section! It never made sense so she began her search for the truth.

It took years, but she was finally able to track down her bastard son, Charles Ariess. She’d had three half-breed babies when she was younger. As time passed her life got worse, she lost her previous zeal and her heart hardened. She then saw the breed for what they were . . . an abomination! So she sought all three of them out and put them out of her misery. As each one died she felt a little bit better about herself.

Not now though! She had one more to kill since the government bastards had abducted her for one last experiment! And fuck! The last one was in his twenties now! She’d never let her other breed abominations live so long. She knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she let this one survive. She just wouldn’t be complete anymore, but this one was different. For whatever fucked up reason they protected this one.

Even so, the Saurids and this fucking quarantine gave her the unique opportunity to fulfill her fantasy . . . making ALL the living breeds dead ones . . . at least on 87C. She looked down. She saw the unlocked safety panel and saw the red switch inside. She saw the question appear on the holo-terminal, “Detonate?”

She hit the red switch.

}||”:::[O]

There were hundreds of people in the decontamination chamber and the surrounding area. A few were human, but most were clones. Some were trampled to death in the struggle to enter the chamber. Many were just outside, in the Dead Zone, wearing all manner of scavenged suits. Many were still headed up the levitator. Some were even infected by the Saurids . . . and spreading them rapidly.

None noticed the explosives hidden inside the decontamination chamber. The ensuing explosion tore apart the small room, exposing everyone, and everything, to the toxic wasteland. The only survivors were a lucky few who were already too far into the desert to be hit by shrapnel. They wore suits, but there was no longer any safe place to hide. Soon their triexelyne flow would run dry and they’d wish they were already among the dead.

Upon detonation, the levitator system was disrupted. Within the blink of an eye, the laser grid holding them aloft vanished. A moment later, those once aboard began their long descent to Deck 33, one mile down.

}||”:::[O]

Within seconds, Wolf was torn from his stupor. As the entire grid collapsed he fell to the ground. It was a short fall . . . ten inches, maybe a foot.

The bruise hurt and Wolf’s legs were covered with Saurids, but he didn’t notice. He was too shocked that the grid had collapsed. That never happened before. Never.

Then Wolf realized the inevitable as screams echoed down the shaft. Everyone’s grid collapsed!!

Soon enough he saw the Saurids and got up, brushing them off as he stood. He then noticed Crazy and hit a few commands on his remote. Crazy barked as the automated machine had him sliding to and fro. The carrier was all right.

He looked toward the door to Deck 33 and grimaced. He continued anyway; he had no choice. Wolf quickly hit another button on his remote. The entire carrier rose six inches as shovel-like blades shot out of the treads. He installed them as a precaution against getting stuck in the Dead Zone. Maybe they’d work here as well.

At ‘forward’, the entire carrier lurched, shredding a hundred more Saurids. Steadily Wolf moved it back and forth until it lined up with the opening. The carrier then moved forward and slowed at the edge.

With a little prodding one of the shovels hooked onto the ledge. The carrier hauled itself up, until it was completely through. Wolf then climbed through the opening with his eyes closed. He smashed the controls on the opposite side and the door came sliding down.

He prayed he wouldn’t hear his friends hit down, but a mere twenty seconds later the entire area trembled with a sudden impact, shaking the five inch chromide door. Ten full seconds later the trembling stopped.

Wolf forced himself to be quiet, to hope beyond all hope that someone might’ve survived.

Nothing . . .

The only sound that could be heard were the skittering of hundreds of Saurids as they began climbing onto his suit once again.

Wolf dropped to his knees in the wasteland of lice. He stared out into the ghastly horror before him, but saw nothing as his eyes widened in complete and utter shock.

}||”:::[O]

When Amy heard the explosion she began jumping up and down with glee, as if she were only ten years old. She really hadn’t much cause to since she was five. That was when the missiles came down to destroy Earth. She remembered watching the images from the Scepter 10 satellite on Moonbase.

She was 65 now and hadn’t felt so utterly giddy in ages. Some small part of her knew she was losing her mind, but such a concern seemed minor and so very far away.

The massive destruction sent shockwaves trembling through the first few decks of the bunker. When these hit she fell back into her chair and began laughing hysterically. She was on the brink of insanity, yet she couldn’t remember the last time she was anywhere near this happy.

She prayed her final creation was among the dead. She checked the log book on her holo-terminal. After many files and sub-files she found the names listed on yesterday’s mission briefing. Her unhinged smile drooped as she found the name, Charles Ariess.

Ariess, she thought, where the hell did that name come from anyway? She never knew the father or much of anything else for that matter. Even though her search led her to find her bastard son there were still so many unanswered questions. These were questions she was more than willing to let go of once the deed was done and he was dead. For now, though, the experiment still angered her. Why had they done it? Humanity was doing just fine twenty years ago. They didn’t need more breeds and she didn’t need to have anymore! She’d already had too many! She’d fixed those problems and she’d damn well fix this one too!

Now furious, Amy continued searching; she still had hope that Ariess had returned and was now torn to pieces in the Dead Zone.

A frown formed on her face as she saw that Spider’s team was still overdue. Her frown began to deepen, until she realized what that meant. Those who don’t return from the Dead Zone don’t return period. Soon she was once again overjoyed, though not as much as before. Her victory was slightly tainted. She still wished she could’ve been the one to kill Ariess. Oh, how she longed for that hallowed privilege, yet to know he was rotting away in the desert seemed enough.

Her smile widened into something only a mother could love.