Frank and his family were led through a sparsely decorated corridor. It was lit by glowing white gem stones set into small alcoves spaced evenly throughout the hall. Carvings of runes surrounded each alcove. The floor, walls and arched ceiling of the corridor were all of grey stone. Nothing else stood out.
At the end of the corridor there was set of tall arched doors. They were made of thick wooden planks and bound together with steel bands. Of course the surrounding stone bore the familiar carvings Frank had come to associate with nearly everything in this world.
Through the doorway there was a large circular chamber. It was lit with the same white stones as the hall and contained a single raised pedestal in the center of the room. Several steps led down to the small center area containing the altar.
The pedestal was the only thing of note in the entire room. It looked to be cut from a single piece of stone with no visible seams. It was covered in runes and other carvings. However these carvings were very different from others he had seen. Though they were similar in design they pulsed with a strange light, shimmering in the dimly lit room.
Frank and his family were led down to the pedestal where he was handed to the seeress. She began to speak, or more appropriately chant, in a language different from the common tongue.
As she spoke both the tattoos on her hands and the carvings on the pedestal began to glow brighter. A warm sensation entered Frank's tiny body and began to radiate throughout. A feeling of calm came over him easing his uncertain mind.
Up until this point Frank's mind had been a blank. He had been so focused on the events that had played out since he left his home that he hadn't noticed not even his parents had spoken a word since entering the strange building.
All of a sudden Frank's mind flashed, he was taken back to his childhood on earth. He saw the faces of his parents, young and healthy. He relived many moments with them and his siblings. Holidays and birthdays, the weddings of his siblings. His life as a compulsive job hopper, and eventually leading into his military career.
"What is this woman doing to me?" he thought. "Just when I think this place can't get any more FUBAR, I get taken to see Granny Goodwitch and get my brain scrambled."
He began reliving basic training, all the different courses and specialized classes he'd taken. Everything leading to his first deployment. Things slowed down here and he felt he was living them at almost real time.
He relived the first time he was in combat. Then everything sped up again, slowing briefly every time he had taken a life. It was during his second deployment that things changed. His vision reached the day his life had changed forever. The day of the ambush.
Everything began to play out before his eyes, just as he remembered it. That was until he and Pierce were hit by the explosion. Instead of blacking out like he remembered his vision kept playing. He had awoken from the blast and seen the state he and Pierce where in. He tried to move but couldn't. Then he saw the enemies approaching and all hell broke loose. He started laughing, now he was sure it had been him, his laughter turned into a guttural roar that was barely human. In his vision he sprang to his feet as if he hadn't even been injured and the torrent of death and dismemberment he unleashed made him wince even now.
He moved like lightning, but he had no mind of his own. He didn't fear death and shrugged off wound after wound without noticing. He had no fear nor concept of self preservation. He fought like a wild animal that had been cornered. He seemed to get stronger with every life he took. This is also where he learned how the chunk of meat got in his mouth which made him wince again and almost throw up.
After he reached the roof and seemed to regain his mental faculties his vision sped up again. Moving forward from that time until he met Grace. He felt a knot grow in his tiny stomach. He relived his time with her in the hospital, the happy feelings washing over him, the various dates and evenings spent together felt like coming home. His vision slipped through his following deployment in a flash and landed back on Grace. Their new home and friends, new jobs and other quality time spent together. All the while the knot was growing larger and larger.
"No, noooo!" he mentally screamed. "Why should I have to keep reliving what happens next? If I was truly given a second life, why should I be forced to suffer again and again?
The anger was steadily building along with the knot as his vision approached the day his life as Shep ended. As he watched the front door of his house explode, in his mind his blood was pumping harder than should be possible in the body of an infant. He watched the events play out all the while mentally screaming, begging for the vision to stop.
As the moment was approaching he summoned every ounce of willpower he had and forced his eyes open interrupting the vision. The startled looks on the faces of his parents and the old seeress told him everything he needed to know. What he had just done, shouldn't have happened.
The old woman's eyes narrowed as she began chanting over him again in that stranger language, he felt a more powerful warm sensation coming over him. It was trying to force him back into the dream state he had taken himself out of.
"I don't think so you old bat!"Frank yelled at her internally. " I'll roll myself off this altar and aim for another reboot before I go back there again."
Frank fought back against the feeling of sleepiness the Seeress' chanting was causing. He used every bit of energy he had to force his eyes to stay open and prevent the vision from resuming.
He was fighting a losing battle, afterall how much energy could a week old infant's body possess. The seeress increased her chanting and Frank began to lose control of himself. He would do anything not to have to watch Grace die again. He had hoped all along that by killing everyone with a hint of involvement he could erase that vision and be able to focus on their happy memories.
"This old witch just doesn't seem to care about what I want." He thought. Still, I won't make it easy on her."
As hard as he fought the heavier and heavier his eyes grew. Just when they were barely slits, he heard what sounded like a baby laugh, then his vision went black.