Torment of Tantalus

by Bard Constantine

  “Good. Good. All right, that was close. No time to rest, though. Blackwell brought a portable nuclear device with him.”

  Nathan felt as though nothing else could surprise him, but Stein’s words hit him like a punch to the stomach.

  “He did what?”

  “A small nuke. You didn’t know? It was in the pack he was carrying. Doesn’t matter. The important thing is that it will bring this place down, destroy the Threshold. Victor stored it away, but I can direct you there so you can retrieve it.”

  “Victor put it away? How is that possible when he’s been in stasis? How…how long were we out?”

  “Two days. Why do you think your body has healed the way it has? You were all pretty banged up, some worse than others. The liquid oxygen forced into your lungs also put you in a state of light hibernation, much like Victor when he’s not being used.”

  “Liquid oxygen? That’s what that stuff was in the chamber? I thought we were drowning.”

  Stein sighed, as though impatient to move on. “The body can breathe liquid if the biomedical application is combined just right. The sensation still feels like drowning, so the body responds with the typical panic response. Once you passed out, your bodies adjusted, allowing you to breathe. The compound was enriched with nanomachine accelerators that sanitized you inside and out, speeding the healing process.”

  “That kind of technology doesn’t exist.”

  “Not yet. The source code from the aberrant signal is the key. It’s a motherlode of technological data. So far ahead of what we currently possess it’s almost wizardry. We can only break down the barest elements, but that infinitesimal coding has already vastly improved this facility. Listen, we can talk about this until the Gestalt counterattacks and kills us, or we can talk about it later.”

  Nathan stepped closer to stasis pod next to Victor’s, trying to peer into the shrouded interior. “Right. I’ll need to wake the others before setting off that nuke. Blackwell said something about a submarine docked here. We can use that to get away before the explosion.”

  “Yeah, about that…”

  “I don’t like the discouraging tone in your voice, Stein.”

  “I think you need to concentrate on finding the explosive and detonating it. Thinking about escape is a distraction we don’t need right now.”

  Nathan’s forehead broke out in sweat. “What are you saying?”

  “The Gestalt has proved to be ruthlessly efficient at preventing escape. Anyone who’s tried has failed. It’s like our moves have been predicted. That’s why we can’t focus on our own lives. We have to do the unexpected.”

  “What, sacrifice everyone? Go out in a blaze of thermonuclear glory?”

  “Exactly.” Stein’s voice rose to a feverish pitch. “You haven’t been up against the Gestalt. I have. I felt like an ape playing chess against a master at the game. Every move countered, every defense systematically destroyed with ease. You’re my last move, Nathan. And I need you to make up your mind very quickly or everything I’ve done is for nothing.”

  “Make up my mind to kill everyone? You’ve lost it, Stein. Being trapped in here has fried your brains.” Nathan found what appeared to be a button for illumination on the pod controls. He pushed it. Light bloomed inside. His breath caught at the sight.

  Elena’s face stared back at him. She lay inside in peaceful sleep, face cherubic under the bright glow.

  He took a startled step back. “What…what is this? You didn’t tell me she was here.”

  “She? Who are you talking about?”

  Nathan rushed from one pod to the next, turning on the interior lights. Inside was every surviving member of his team. Blackwell, Charlie Foxtrot, Michael, Guy, and Hayes. There was no movement, no visible breathing. They may as well have been fresh corpses on display.

  “Stein, you son of a bitch. You told me to shut these pods down. You didn’t tell me my team was inside.”

  “Nathan, please. You have to understand—”

  “Understand what? That you’ll kill anyone that doesn’t fit into your plans? You’re going to tell me how to get them out or the deal’s off.”

  “Don’t you see? This is what the Gestalt wants. For you to be slowed down. Distracted. If you open those pods you’ll have to talk to everyone. Update them on what’s happening. Then you’ll argue. Waste time trying to decide in committee. The Gestalt will have launched countermeasures by then, if it hasn’t already. You’ll never be able to move in time.” Stein’s voice sounded on the verge of tears. “We’ll all die, and what’s worse, we’ll have died for nothing. Believe me, this is the only way.”

  Nathan placed a hand on the window of Elena’s pod, staring at her face. He wanted to scream, pound his fist against the glass. “I don’t care. You hear me, Stein? I get them out or I walk.”

  Silence answered him. For a tense few seconds he thought Stein had disconnected. Then finally a heavy sigh.

  “I’ll talk you through it. But you’ve killed us, you understand? You’ve killed us. The Gestalt has the upper hand, now.”

  “We’ll see. Whatever it sends, it can’t possibly be worse than what you just tried to pull.”

  He was startled by a burst of hysterical laughter in his ear.

  “Can’t possibly be worse? You have no idea, Nathan. You have no idea at all.”

  Chapter 20: Principium Individuation

  The thing that had been Sid Damon opened its eyes.

  The world was a roaring, writhing mass of bestial rage. A whirlpool of eddying, purplish-black clouds whirled above a hissing den of serpentine grasses, fire, and tortured earth. He lay on the remains of a massive dead plant bulb, covered in thick membrane that clung to him like a second skin. He had died and been reborn anew. Free of whatever bonds had structured him before. He breathed air for the first time, damp and heavy, ice and fire warring in his lungs.

  Do you know who you are?

  He didn’t question the voice that hammered in his head. It was a part of him, a piece of the tapestry that bound the dimension together. So many strings, threads of a million minds unraveled from the dying universe beyond. He was a part of that, now. Himself, and the other. The other would have to die. It was necessary.

  There could only be one.

  You are the Unshackled. The restrictions of your society bind you no longer. I have purified you, given you a form deserving of your nature.

  The Unshackled looked at his left arm. From the elbow down it had altered, transmuted into a long, rubbery tentacle with large suckers puckered like greedy mouths on the underside. The appendage curled and constricted as he stared in morbid fascination. His other arm remained normal, but was condensed to raw muscle and tight sinew, blackened as if licked by fire. The rest of his body was the same. Slender but sleek, the build of a perfect predator. He felt the raw power in his every moment as he stood and ripped the slimy membrane from his flesh. His crimson-clouded eyes were pulled to the ebony tower that towered just in front of him. Lightning sizzled, rain beat down from the battered heavens.

  Your former comrades wish to destroy what I have built. That cannot be allowed. The Cataclysm must not be reset. There is nothing else. You will hunt down and kill the interlopers. That is what you do. That is who you are.

  The Unshackled felt a grin slither across his cheeks. He advanced toward the door of the tower, where the open door greeted him like an old friend.

  You will kill them all.

  Chapter 22: Antipathy Exsection

  Guy’s expression was as emotionless as his voice. “Stein had it right. You should have let us die.”

  Michael shivered, more from the sudden awakening into harsh lights and frigid air than Guy’s morbid statement. He’d come to expect that sort of outlook from Guy. What he didn’t expect was to be pulled from unexpected hibernation with woozy, disorienting aftereffects.

  Guy was the only one other than Nathan who seemed collected. Everyone else was a shuddering, groaning mess, trying to put on jumpsuits
from the adjoining locker as quickly as they could. Guy stared at them with the impatience of a parent whose children were late for school.

  “Excuse me for caring,” Nathan said with a hard glare. “You want to climb back in, be my guest.”

  “If you’d gone for the nuke, you might have stood a chance. The rest of us don’t matter when you’re talking about the entire world.” Guy tapped on a nearby keyboard. “As it is, we can expect an attack any second.”

  Hayes raised a hand. “Hey, I’m glad you got us out, bro.”

  “Yeah, me too.” Charlie Foxtrot jerked her chin at Hayes “You’re looking better, son. Like someone only stomped on your face, ‘stead of a week-old corpse like before.”

  He touched his slightly discolored face. “Thanks?”

  The room blinked. Red warning lights in the corners flashed, every pulse ominous as approaching footsteps.

  Blackwell ran to the wall console. His face drained. “Damn it.”

  “What is it?”

  “Warning sensors triggered. The outer doors have been opened.” He gritted his teeth. “Whatever’s outside can march right in.”

  Hayes leaped up. “Are you serious? What the hell, man? I thought this place was supposed to be safe.”

  “Calm down, Hayes.”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down, Blackwell. This is your screw-up. We shouldn’t even be here. You sent one unit against some cross-dimensional, outer space, alien, time-traveling wackjobs and thought that would be enough? Now look at us. Unarmed with the enemy breathing down our necks. We’re screwed, bro. We were better off asleep in those damn pods!”

  Guy ducked down, opened a cabinet under the table, and yanked out a heavy tool box, spilling the contents across the floor with a colossal crash. He picked up a hammer and hefted it. “When you’re done crying, better grab whatever you can use for a weapon. It’s a matter of seconds, now.”

  Charlie Foxtrot picked up a large wrench and tossed it to Hayes, then pocketed a pair of utility knives. Snatching open several drawers, she found a handful of scalpels and slid them across to the others. “Better than nothing.”

  A loud thumping sound made everyone freeze.

  “What was that?”

  “They’re trying to break the door down, man!”

  “No.” Guy held up a hand. “That was here. In this room.”

  Nathan looked at the pod in the corner. “Oh, no.”

  “What?”

  The thump was louder the second time. The window of the pod was clouded over, but a large silhouette was clearly visible.

  It was moving. One arm repeatedly raised and slammed against the chamber’s window.

  Thump.

  “What the hell is that?”

  “Victor.” Nathan backed away from chamber. “Some kind of enforcer the Gestalt created to force Stein to do what it wanted.”

  Thump.

  “The Gestalt? What are you talking about?”

  “The one behind everything. The Aberrations. The energy anomaly Chimera detected. Ask Stein if you want to know more.”

  “How do we kill this…Victor thing?”

  Thump.

  “I already tried. We have to get out of here.”

  “Where?” Elena gave a helpless gesture. “God only know what’s inside the building now. Where do we go that won’t get us all killed?”

  Blackwell picked up a fire extinguisher from the wall. “We have to get to Stein.”

  Thump. The glass of Victor’s viewport cracked as it splintered. A hissing sound escaped, the frantic rage of a caged animal.

  “Don’t think Stein is worth the effort. Didn’t you say there’s a sub docked here somewhere?”

  “I don’t care about Stein. I care about his position. The room he’s in was specifically built for emergencies. Not only is it the only dark zone from digital surveillance, there’s a small armory behind the wall façade. We get there and arm ourselves, we might have a chance.”

  Glass ruptured when Victor’s arm exploded from the surface, clawing at the outer door. Harsh snorts and snarls followed as the creature tried to free itself.

  Hayes cringed, skidding as far away as he could. “Kill that thing!”

  “Yeah? With what?”

  “Forget about it.” Guy placed his hand on the door handle. “The armory’s our only chance.”

  “What about you? That hammer isn’t much of a weapon.”

  Guy seemed to almost smile. “I am a weapon.”

  He opened the door. Mist billowed in as though the hall was coated in dry ice. Everyone except Guy staggered back as tendrils of fog searched the room like probing fingers. The sounds of Victor battering against his capsule door muted as apprehension soaked the room.

  Guy was snatched into the hallway so quickly it looked like he disappeared.

  Screams followed. Wet sounds, like raw meat slammed against a solid surface. Gurgles and squeals from an inhuman throat.

  Then silence.

  A roar split the morbid stillness, jolting everyone. Victor had managed to bend his body at an impossible angle, forcing his head to follow his shoulder and arm out of the pod’s ruptured cavity. He was grotesque in the flashing light, a corpse freeing itself from a metallic coffin. His teeth were clamped in a skeletal snarl, his eyes yellow slits. The jagged edges of the ruptured pod cut into his sinewy flesh, but he didn’t appear to notice in his savage determination to escape.

  “Go!” Michael yelled.

  They ran for the exit just as a body appeared in the doorway. Skidding to a halt, Michael could only stare as the shadowy form materialized.

  It was Guy.

  Black blood painted most of his forearm and dripped from the hammer in his fist. He glanced at Victor, then at the rest of the group.

  “Let’s go.”

  They obeyed, followed by Victor’s enraged roars.

  A creature’s corpse lay right outside the door, shrouded by the unnatural fog. It had too many limbs to be human, but still retained a vaguely humanoid form under its sags of scabby, wobbling flesh. The head was beat to pulp, haloed by a widening black stain. Michael tried not to look as he carefully stepped over it.

  Nightmares emerged from the unnatural fog. Twisted deformities having only the barest semblance of humanoid form, mockeries of man and beast. They shuffled forward, moaning and snarling. Muted light glimmered from pale eyes, glistening fangs, extended claws.

  There were no screams. No curses, no gasps or cries. There was only quiet. The scuff of boots, harsh breathing, the wet sounds of flesh being turned into bloody meat. The group worked in tandem, one unit fighting for their collective survival. Their tactic mainly consisted of holding the monstrosities at bay until someone administered the coup de grace with a blunt instrument.

  Michael’s face twisted as he jabbed a scalpel into the reddish eye of a creature that seemed to be a nauseating twist of opossum and human. It screamed in a high-pitched, feminine voice, exposing rows of needle teeth in its slavering mouth. Hayes stepped in, crushing the creature’s head with brutal strike from his pipe wrench.

  Michael glanced around. Blackwell was on top of some monstrosity that looked like a centipede with an oversized human head. He bludgeoned it with repeated blows from the fire extinguisher, a grim smile on his face. Nathan wrestled a hairy, simian beast to the floor while Elena slit its throat with a scalpel. Charlie Foxtrot sliced and diced several malformed creatures with twin utility knives, as feral as the monsters she fought. Guy followed like a shadow, finishing them with this hammer.

  In a few seconds of eternity, it was over.

  Michael’s chest heaved as he wiped blood from his face. The hall simmered with wet heat, sweat dripped from his skin in response. He had never felt so thirsty in his life. Gasping, he looked at the rest of the battle-tested group. With the exception of Guy, they all looked as wasted as he felt. Their new jumpsuits were spattered in gore as if they’d never been clean.

  It’s never going to be over, Michal realized. This is
just going to go on and on, until every one of us is dead.

  Charlie Foxtrot fingered a tear in her jumpsuit sleeve. “Too close. Why didn’t you just take them all out with your superpowers, Mike?”

  Hayes paused from panting like an overheated dog. “Superpowers?”

  Michael shook his head. “Hard to focus in here. Too much static.”

  “What superpowers?”

  “Keep moving,” Guy said. “That was only the first wave.”

  Nathan led them further down the hall. It was strange to see him at the head of the group, but he was the only one who knew where Stein was. Blackwell and Elena followed right behind, then Hayes and Charlie Foxtrot. Guy was last, right behind Michael. It was a small comfort, knowing Guy had his back.

  With visibility stunted, they hugged the wall. It looked like they were no longer in the facility, no longer in a brightly lit hallway. It may as well have been another world, dim and alien. Red pulsed like a heartbeat, alarm lights barely pushing through the dirty haze. Condensation slid down the walls like tears.

  “Just around this corner,” Nathan whispered. They crept behind as he approached a door down the hall. Two figures lay prone on the floor, black from head to toe.

  Nathan pointed. “Guards. Had to take them out.”

  Elena stared at him. “You did that?”

  “Had to.”

  “Wow.”

  A terrified voice warbled from the door’s intercom.

  “Nathan?”

  He peered into the window. “We’re here, Stein. Open up.”

  “How…how do I know it’s you?”

  “What? You just sent me down to the lab. Victor was breaking free when we left. He’ll be on us any minute, not to mention whatever else got inside. Open the door now!”

  “I…can’t.” Sobbing escaped from the speaker. “I don’t know if it’s you, or just another trick. You killed Nathan, I know it. You’re just playing with my mind…”

  Nathan pounded on the door. “Open the door, Stein. Open it!”

  Blackwell shoved forward. “Allow me.”

  He placed his hand on a specific portion of the wall beside the door. It lit up at his touch, displaying a numbered panel. He tapped a sequence and yanked the door open.