The sniper gives a hacking cough then, though you note that his rifle's aim doesn't waver from you. When he's finished, he says, "You seem healthy to me. You'd have made a good host for the Surgeons." He raises the rifle to his shoulder. "For what it's worth, I wish I didn't have to do this. And I'm glad I can save you from becoming something far less than human."
You close your eyes, and wait for the sniper's shot.
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And yet the crack of the sniper's rifle doesn't come. Instead, you hear only a strange clicking, buzzing noise.
You open your eyes, to see that the sniper is as confused as you. You see now that he has a strange artifact strapped across his back. It is a spike, over five feet long, tapering and slightly curved. It is made of a strange, organic-looking, dark green material, like the shell of a beetle. And that strange surface is inlaid with chrome swirls, which form some sort of script you cannot understand.
It is this long spike that has begun to click and fizz. As you watch, its tip begins to shine with a green luminescence.
"It's called a Zapp Sapper, and it's never done that before," says the sniper. "Is it because of…you?" He takes a few steps back then, keeping his weapon trained on you, and unslings the long spike. Holding it near its base, he holds it out to you. "Take it."
You do so. And as your fingers tighten around it, you grimace in sudden pain, and a flood of thoughts that are not your own fill your mind.
The sniper…his name is Mekk, you realize now…as a young boy. With his father, as the two scavenge for food. Again with his father, as the man lies in bed, slowly changing into something inhuman….
Through the raging fire in your skull, you see that the sniper, Mekk, is in similar pain. This artifact, this Zapp Sapper, is affecting him as well.
The year now is 2089, and this world of horror is all Mekk has ever known…. The Surgeons arrived decades ago, in the early years of the century. They came to Seattle…a series of explosions rocked the city as they tried to open a door onto our world. And then, at 11:31 on Thanksgiving morning, they finally succeeded: a great portal opened in the heart of Seattle, and millions of Surgeons spilled over from their world into ours.
Usually, the Surgeons cannot be seen, or heard, or even touched. They are in all parts of the world now, slightly out of phase with humanity…unseen, but always watching. To live in this world now is to always live with a chance that you will be selected for conversion…the Surgeons will alter your DNA, modifying you, making you one of them. A biochemical transfer of memories and identity makes you a Surgeon in mind, as well. This is how they reproduce: they are parasites, and the human race is their host. This, you realize, is what was happening to the man you first met when you arrived in this time. Under the Surgeons' governance, the world has become a place of order, yes…but it is stagnant, and joyless.
With a yell, Mekk manages to drop his end of the Zapp Sapper. He backs away from you, then says, "Your name is Roman Halama .." This exchange of information has been two-way, it seems. "You aren't from this time. You're…another time traveler!"
You raise your eyebrows. "Another one?"
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