Vladimir Boyka woke up in his bed and he felt he was not alone. With a painful gasp he got up and his eyes went to the large plastic box with the handle on top of it he had brought here. It had been painful to do so, but some idiot male nurse had helped him bring it in actually. The idiot had not even asked what it was.

„Hello Doctor Boyka.“ the voice came form the dark of the room. Boyka turned around and let his legs drop out of the bed.

„Who are you?“ He demanded to know. He looked at his pillow.

„If there is a gun I would appreciate if you leave it there.“ The man‘s voice said. „I have one and I cannot imagine a man your age is that fast.“

Boyka laughed. „My mobile. I put my mobile under the pillow so I can call my family if something happens.“ The Doctor said and chuckled. „A gun. Ridiculous. They would have taken that one away ages ago. Like they take everything away here.“ He forced himself to his feed. In his green Pyjama he felt a little vulnerable, but he did not show it. He took his walking stick. the lights went on and he saw a young man, probably in his twenties, sit there in the dark. He was blonde. Handsome even.

„So who are you again?“ Boyka said.

„My name is Simon, I am the partner of Brockmann.“ The man said. „Please sit. I have a lot of questions.“

„In the middle of the night? Seriously?“ He shook his head. „Could have used visitor hours. Every day from ten to four.“ He said and walked over to the couch, as his preferred seat was already taken.

„I felt this conversation should be a little more private. The security here actually sucks, you know that? Even I had little problems getting here unseen.“ Simon explained.

„That fat stupid nurse is probably asleep while her patients die of heart attacks and dyhdration.“ He chuckled again. „So what can I do for you, Simon?“ He fell into the couch. He knew it would hurt to get up again. Simon turned the seat to face him. The small light next to the seat was the only light in the room except the bedlamp now. It gave the scene an unnecessary dark and gloomy feel.

„I overheard you conversation with Brockmann. He recorded it actually. I listened to it all day.“ Simon said.

„Good, so I do not need to explain the basics. So have you found the Wormking already?“ Boyka asked.

„Yes, indeed I have.“ Simon said. Boyka looked at him and then nodded. What did the boy know? What did he really know?

****

Simon had figured it out hours ago. He had needed the time to actually decide what to do about it. That had been the true reason why he had come here late at night. He had not been ready earlier.

He had spend the time at the Weißensee. Parking at a small parking lot he had watched the sea and had made up his mind. A few searches in the internet and a few calls after he had left the widow had been all it took tp piece together most of the puzzle. But he had underestimated the harder part. What would he do with this knowledge? What were the actions he had to take? Brockmann had not told him that. Well, he kinda knew the actions Brockmann would take. He was clear about it. They were no heroes. They were the guys who made sure the badgers did not see another day to spread their evil.

„Where is it?“ Boyka asked and adjusted his sitting position to feel less of a pain in his back.

„How do you think this new Wormking happened? Brockmann killed the original one and seemingly all it‘s offspring. He never told me the specifics, but considering nothing happend in forty years it is reasonable to assume he was successful, right?“ Simon asked.

„He was. What remains we found in the house I took and then we burned the whole house down. I took them to my lab and kept them contained there. Strictly contained.“ Boyka said.

„So how did one escape?“ Simon ask.

„My son.“ Boyka said. „He took the Wormking out inside of his own body.“ Boyka said. „It must have grown all those years until it became active now.“ Boyka said.

„Yes, your son. The one who burned himself in his laboratory.“ Simon said.

„You heard that bit, hm? A bit personal for sharing, but I will not hold it against your friend.“ Boyka said and his eyes could not help but go back to the plastic box.

„How did it escape if he burned himself?“ Simon asked.

„I do not know. Maybe it broke out of his body and fled somehow.“ Boyka said.

„In a lab? Probably sealed, right?“ Simon said.

„What do we know what happened that day. I guess it is possible the Wormiking spawned another one when it was inside my son. Maybe it survived in his car or his clothing.“ Boyka shrugged. „We might never know.“

„I think only every thousands worm is a Wormking?“ Simon asked.

Boyka made an unnerved grimace. „Yes, maybe we were wrong about that.“ He waved his hand. „Maybe it is one in a thousand. See the difference? Could be number one, could be number thousand or number six hundred.“

„Yes. Maybe. Your son killed himself when he burned his lab then.“ Simon said.

„I know.“ Boyka sighed. „I know.“

„What a terrible way to die, burning yourself in a lab.“ Simon said.

„I am aware how horrible the death of my son was!“ Boyka hoissed angrily. „You do not need to remind me.“

„When did this happen?“ Simon asked.

„Five years ago.“ Boyka said.

„Funny, I checked the news and called every lab in town. Not only the one of the company your son worked for, but all thirty six biolabs we got in Berlin. You know what I found out?“ Simon asked.

Boyka shook his head now.

„None of them had a fire in ages. In fifteen years.“ Simon said.

„They probably covered it up.“ Boyka said.

„And did not get the insurance payment for the loss of a multi-million lab? Unlikely.“ Simon said.

„What do I know? He died in a fire!“ Boyka raised his voice.

„No, he did not. I talked to his widow today. The second widow I talked to today. he died of poisoning with a rare poison from the Funnel Web Spider. The same one you put into these.“ Simon held up a syringe.

„No, no.“ Boyka shook his head.

„You two were constantly fighting. he had ethical doubts about experimenting on homeless. He wanted to stop it and hand the research over to professionals.“ Simon said. „Then he died. She still thinks it was an accident, you know?“ Simon said. „After our talk she might have doubts now.“

„You bastard.“ Boyka hissed.

„I am not the bastard here. Killing your own son was despicable, but what you did to Burzynski.“ Simon stared at Boyka.

„I did nothing to him.“ Boyka said.

„Of course you did. I realized all of it, when I saw he had visited his father that day. The man lying next door. right here in this facility. Your neighbor. You infected him, here. You infected him with the Wormking.“ Simoin said. Boyka just stared at him in anger.

„The thing we killed at the coroners office, the one breaking from Burzynski ... this larger example, that was a young Wormking. Which is why it‘s spawn could infect others. Only the first generation can, Brockmann said. Right?“ Simon asked and Boyka nodded.

„Helena‘s worm could spawn too. It was a first generation worm, because the Wormking was the one that was inside Boyka. The one that drove him to kill two dozen school kids. the Wormking you infected him with!“ Simon raised his own voice now.

„It was an accident.“ Boyka said.

„What?“ Simon asked. Boyka evaded his gaze.

„It was for his father. Thatr guy does not feel anything anymore. I wanted it to grow inside of him. I wanted to have a new Wormking to continue with my studies. So I took specimen 1227 and put it into his food. His son came feeding him this day and I guess ...“

„He ate it himself.“ Simon said.

„Yes, he sometimes did that. Took a spoon and said to his dead how delicious it was.“ Boyka looked up now. „I did not wanted it to escape.“

Simon stared at him.

„I thought I had frozen it for too long, when I searched the old man for signs. Only when Brockmann toiled me there was an infection outside, I realized my mistake.“ Boyka admitted.

„But you did not tell him.“ Simon said.

"You know Brockmann. He is a killer. Do you have any idea what they trained him to do? Not oyur fancy Nocturne Society, the people who originally trained him? Do oyu have any idea what he has done? What orders he followed? What crimes he commited?" Boyka asked.

"No. I do not. But I know what crimes you committed." Simon said. "I know those kids died because of you. I know a brave young woman died because of you." Simon took his hand from his pocket and it held his gun. "I know what Brockmann had to do because of you and what this will mean for him."

„It was a mistake.“ Boyka said. „A terrible mistake!“ He tried to get up, as his fight or flee instinct kicked in, but Simoin raised the gun and pointed it at him. Boyka leaned back again.

„I am not done.“ Simon said.

„I am done! I am done with you guys!“ Boyka yelled. „Brockmann had it coming! He is a monster! You are all monsters! But when I try to helps, when I try to research this thing you consider what I do a crime? How many have you killed? How many hard Brockmann killed? This thing is real. We need to know what it is! I need to know what it is!“ He breathed heavy, felt his chest hurt. the Doctor leaned forward, pressing his hand against his chest. „My pills.“ He said and pointed to the side of his bed.

„Not yet.“ Simon said. Boyka saw his little grant had not impressed the young man. He was like Brockmann. Determined. Unfaltering. Untouchable.

„What? You know now. If you wanna kill me go ahead.“ Boyka said and he saw a short flicker in the boys eyes. „Butg you aren to the killer, are you? He is.“ Boyka chuckled a little.

„I have killed. Thanks to you.“ Simon replied. Boyka looked at him.

„Not a defenseless old man.“ The doctor hissed. „That needs a cold blooded killer. Which you are not.“ He leaned back and caught breath.

„Maybe you are right.“ Simon said.

„My heart. I think I got an attack. If you do not give me my pills that would be like pulling that trigger, boy.“ Boyka said.

„One last question and you can have your pills.“ Simon said.

„Okay, then shoot goddammit!“ Boyka hissed.

„What is in that box?“ Simon asked and pointed with the tip of his gun at it. Boyka breathed heavy and then grinned.

„You know already, do you?“ He asked.

„A hundred and twenty three worms.“ Simon said. „What do you wanna do with them?“ He asked. Boyka was silent. He just stared at Simon.

„Okay,“ Simon nodded. „Let me make a guess. You plan to infect the inhabitants of this facility. Your own lab rat farm, so to say.“ Simon said. „You planned to kill them and everybody that fell victim to them, too.“

„It is your fault.“ Boyka hissed. „You killed the only Wormking we got! We ended a knew one. My son ...“ He coughed. „My son had the theory that in the absence of a king they would spawn a new one.“

„You monster.“ Simon said.

„We need one! I need one to conclude my studies! A year and I could publish. I could warn the world about it. Explain it‘s growth cycle, it‘s dangers! So we Are prepared the next time!“ Boyka hissed. He leaned forward in pain now.

„There will be no next time. It turned the cooling off two hours ago.“ Simon said.

„You fool, you goddamned fool!“ Boyka hissed and then he surprised Simon, as he broke out in tears. „My lives work will be wasted because you think you did the right thing!“ he began shaking. „My pills. You promised.“

Simon nodded and got up. He could barely hide his disgust. This man had not cared about anything but his own inflated sense of self-importance. His son, those kids, Helena had all died so he could feel as if he mattered. Simon looked at the pills.

„The grey one.“ Boyka hissed and Simon read it. Nitroglycerin. He opened it and took out a pill. Slowly he walked over to Boyka and offered it to him with an open hand. The old man took it quickly and put it into his mouth.

„Water.“ He said.

Simon turned and got his glass of water from the bed, putting it in front of Boyka. the man swallowed his pill quickly and shook with another wave of pain.

„That is not your heart.“ Simon finally said as he sat back down in the seat. Boyka raised his eyes and stared at him.

„One hundred twenty three you said. I took one hundred twenty four!“ He hissed.

Simon answered only with a nod.

„I will not survive this. I feeds on the host. Do you have any idea what you did to me?“ Boyka asked with widened eyes.

„I think I do.“ Simon answered. The hand not holding his gun took out a syringe out of his black coat and he gently lay it down in front of him on the table.

„No you are the Wormking.“ Simon said. „But I give you chance.“

„That is too much.“ Boyka said, leaning forward as another wave of pain hit him. It was far worse than it had been for Helena for him.

„It is the large one. You got the same chance you gave your son.“ Simon said. Boyka leaned forward and slided of the couch. He stretched to reach the syringe and his hand closed around it. His eyes stared at it.

„You dirty bastard.“ Boyka hissed and as he tried to withdraw he fell to the ground.

Simon stood up and stepped over him as the old man held on to the syringe as if he was afraid Simon would take it.

„You killed me.“ He hissed at Simon and then he rammed the syringe into his side and injected the poison. He only injected half of it, before he let it go.

Simon went to one knee and stood above him, as the man was sweating all over his body now. His breathing went flat and his eyes looked at Simon in terror. Simon sighed in regret and closed his eyes for a moment. It was easier the second time, as Brockmann said it would be. It was far from easy though.

„It is what Brockmann ordered me to do.“ He said to Boyka and opened his eyes again and looked down at him. „Find and kill the Wormking.“

Boyka stared at him and Simon saw the life vanish from his eyes as his breathing stopped. He looked at him for another moment. Brockmann would tell him to leave immediately, but he felt he could not. He had killed the man and he knew he would never forget this moment. Finally he got up and wiped clean the glass and the box of pills. He took the plastic box at the handle on the upper side and left the room. All there would find the next morning was Boyka with a syringe half filled with poison. A suicide.

****

Simon did not get far, as outside the room a man blocked his way. He was having black hair, but his face betrayed his age. In his dark blue three part suit he looked a little odd in the surrounding. Simon‘s hand slid into his pocket where his gun was, but the man raised bot hands in a peaceful gesture.

„That will not be necessary, Simon. I am a friend of Brockmann.“ He said. „My name is Richard.“

Simon looked at him and then nodded. „You are a little late.“ He said.

„Oh I was here all the time. I must say what you did in there was really ... inspiring. You have a sense of poetic justice.“ He said.

„I had to stop him.“ Simon said. Richard smiled at him and nodded.

„Of course you did.“ He said. „Do not worry, the investigation will be swift and rule it as a suicide.“ Richard replied. He seemed not to care someone might hear them.

„So what are you here for?“ Simon asked.

„Two things. First I would like to take that box. We got a team cleaning out his lab right now. We might need those samples one day. Hopefully not.“ Richard nodded. Simon looked at him and decided he had no real use for them. So he put the box down.

„And second?“ He asked.

„Tomororw morning, you can pick up Brockmann. He is free to go.“ Richard said and took the box. Simon was visibly irritated.

„How?“ He asked Richard looked at Simon, now standing right in front of him.

„Brockmann has probably lost track of a few of his friends, but he still has some.“ Richard said. Then he nodded. „Great job you did there, Simon. You have much priorisieren for this line of work.“ He gave Simon and acknowledging nod and turned to leave. Simon looked after him for a long moment and then turned the other way to take the emergency exit where he had parked his car.

As he turned on the engines and left the premises of the carehome he was a little shocked how little his deed affected him.