The foundations of the mental plane of the hive mind were torn asunder again and again by the very individual who invented it. Alex Mercer destroyed the mental representations of the building blocks of an immaterial universe of the hive mind itself. In doing so he managed to limit the insane minds of Nazara, though they proved more than capable of using brute force to get through what little of the mindscape remained.
Squirming things that could once have been called the Inusannon infected the Hive Mind in an unusual way. Blacklight itself was immune to indoctrination, however the Inusannon existed in a state of insanity that transcends all they knew of insanity. It was as if their minds broke again and again, and what remained was used to build that which was the Reaper Nazara. Anywhere their poisoned minds dwelled within the Hive was destroyed along with them, though that in and of itself was difficult for Alex, for after each piece of the mindscape destroyed, he would have to rebuild it, else the Inusannon would try and crawl through mental seems and cracks. This way they entered a realm of otherworldly ideals and thoughts that had slipped Blacklight's mind. The realm where Fractured Individuals were born.
The Hive Mind was an unusual place without form, only ideas, concepts, and memories. Without sapience, the Inusannon would be harmless thoughts that one day could become fractured individuals of their own, though that was far off in the future.
In essence the immaterial minds were swallowed up, sapience lost as their remains became free floating memories of a dead individual. The thoughts of the dead that could be reborn again, though never exactly as the same individual.
Nazara, who was merely the gestalt mentality formed of all the insane Inusannon, had flooded the sea of memories with their transcendent insanity, making destroying them a time consuming process. The oil like slick of their minds covered the mental sea of Blacklight's minds as if they were some great calamity that attempted to smother Blacklight itself. Many of Blacklight's minds were lost to their madness that transcends madness.
Nazara seemed to control the Inusannon like puppets, existing as a centralized concept or shared idea that guided the whole that was the Inusannon, and did so in such a way to appear as the mental version of a kind of insatiable cancer. One that actively hated all that Blacklight was.
YOUR MIND IS ITS OWN PLACE. YOU ARE LOSING INDIVIDUAL AFTER INDIVIDUAL WITHIN IT. HOW LONG CAN YOU KEEP THIS UP BEFORE YOU HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE?
We outnumber you. In the end we will win.
YOU FOCUS TOO MUCH ON ME. YOU SHOULD LOOK ELSEWHERE. I WILL SIFT THROUGH YOUR VERY BEING, DESTROYING ALL YOU HOLD DEAR. THIS IS NOT A FIGHT, THIS IS YOUR OWN PERSONAL LOBOTOMY.
You will not win.
I BEG TO DIFFER.
We will fight you.
DO SO, SEE HOW FAR IT WILL GET YOU. YOUR FOCUS ON FIGHTING ME HAS ALREADY GIVEN ME MANY POSSIBILITIES. WATCH AS YOUR FLESH RUNS RAMPANT UNDER MY WILL.
When the Biomass of Blacklight lashed out at the Turian, his C-sec partners feared the worst. Their imaginations did not capture the true horror of what would happen. Rather than be absorbed into the mass as expected, a single tendril exploded from the mass at high speed, impaled him through the chest, and out his back. Blue blood leaked from his mouth as he was lifted off the ground, twitching and flailing, before the tendril threw him forward with a powerful flicking motion.
The guards watched in abject horror as the midair turian grew glowing tumors that burst from his skin and ruptured his armor. He screamed the entire time. His body slowly bloated as parts of his own skin melted into lashing tendrils. When the once turian hit the ground, the tumors burst, causing bladed tendrils of biomass to shoot outward from his body in every direction, impaling the others. After only a moment the Tendrils were quickly dragged back into the Turian's mass and their bodies were consumed into the pile of flesh that began to take shape.
The form became something that was roughly arthropod-like or not unlike that of a cuttlefish. Only the front of the 'body' of this strange creature held an almost human like face, one with long tendrils coming from where the eyes should be, and a mouth of waving tentacles. The face itself was perfectly symmetrical, almost to some supernatural degree, in such a way that one would not see in biology. Eyes formed along its body that swiveled in their sockets, gazing off in random directions independent of the movements of the other eyes. The creature was almost machine-like in its unnatural symmetry.
"Direct Control Established."
The Biomass that was once the C-sec officers had slowly grown into an exact copy of this creature. The Two beings then moved through the Citadel docks.
By controlling a large portion of the mindscape, Nazara was able to extend his mind through the still working networked mind of Blacklight, and bend the small portion of Blacklight's body to his will. Lucky for Blacklight, inexperience over biology and genetics allowed Nazara only part of the Body of Blacklight to fall under his control, merely several hundred pounds of Biomass. Several hundred pounds and growing however.
YOUR ALLIANCES WILL CRUMBLE, YOUR CONTROL OVER YOURSELF WILL FALTER AND YOU WILL DIE. IT IS INEVITABLE. ACCEPT THIS AS TRUE.
Never. Stop this now.
WHY? A PORTION OF YOUR MASS IS UNDER OUR CONTROL. YOUR ALLIES WILL TURN ON YOU, YOUR EXISTENCE IS A MISTAKE I WILL PERSONALLY END. I HAVE NO REASON TO STOP THIS.
We will extinguish you from our hive if you do not cease this.
WRONG. WE WILL EXTINGUISH YOU. WE WILL PURGE YOU, WE WILL BURN YOU, AND WE WILL END YOU. IT WOULD BE AS IF YOU NEVER EXISTED AT ALL. JUST LIKE THE UNTOLD CIVILIZATIONS THAT CAME BEFORE YOU.
You cannot fight us all. It taxes you even now.
YOUR HIVE NUMBERS IN THE BILLIONS, A SINGULAR INSTANCE OF US IS VERY MUCH THE SAME. ONLY THERE IS NOT ONLY ONE OF US. WE NUMBER IN THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS, EACH WITH BILLIONS OF MINDS OF THEIR OWN. OURS ARE AS NUMEROUS AS THE STARS OF NIGHT. YOUR DESTRUCTION IS INEVITABLE.
We still outnumber you. Your death is guaranteed Nazara.
LIVING IS NOT MY OBJECTIVE. NOT FOR ME. THERE ARE OTHERS. I AM BUT ONE INSTANCE OF US. DID YOU BELIEVE WHEN I SPOKE OF WE I SPOKE OF MYSELF? NO, I SPOKE OF THEM. YOUR WORDS ARE AS EMPTY AS YOUR FUTURE. TO BE WEAK IS MISERABLE, AND YOU ARE VERY WEAK IN THE FACE OF US. EVEN WHEN YOU DO DESTROY ME, THE DAMAGE I HAVE WROUGHT HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE. OTHERS WILL COME AND FINISH WHAT I HAVE STARTED.
The Docks were locked and barricaded with anything not nailed down. Executor Venari Pallin of Citadel Security worked tirelessly with his squads to keep those doors, and the thing behind them, sealed off from the Citadel Proper. C-Sec guards of many species guarded the area as Pallin looked over several holographic schematics of the Citadel that were projected from his omni-tool. Few maps of the internal parts of the Citadel duct network existed due to the dangerous work involved with mapping everything, but currently in front of him was the most complete map known of the network of vents and channels that ran throughout the citadel. A small gathering of security agents had gathered around Pallin as he went over some key details to the squad.
"The Zakera Ward ventilation system has been sealed off, we rigged every exit with charged explosives." said one of the Security agents.
Pallin nodded.
"It will slow them down if they try to use the ducts, but not for long."
Pallin examined the map further.
"There are three vents in the docks. Each connecting to the network. Twenty six possible exit point in this ward, all ready to explode. Do we have guards near each vent?"
"Yes sir, Two guards per vent sir. Each outside the casualty range of the mines. Every way in and out of there guarded."
Pallin said nothing as he activated his headset.
"I need the progress of the evacuation."
"Evacuation is proceeding slowly but steadily. Evacuation of the Zakera Ward will take an even two hours at its current pace."
"Good. I'll call the Hazmat team, they'll take care of Blacklight. Remember, evacuation is your top priority, anything else is secondary."
"Yes sir."
Pallin looked back at the map with a flick of a switch on his headset, he was in contact with the Hazmat team.
"Hazmat Team 1, I need a sitrep, intel says that the Infected are attempting to move out of the Zakera Level 27 Docks can you confirm?"
"Unknown sir, We lost the targets, but Team 4 currently is keeping tabs on them."
"Acknowledged Team 1. Team 4 what is the current status of the hostiles."
"Sir, both hostiles are currently attempting to gain access to vents four and five... Wait, sir, the hostiles just... Split."
Pallin felt a sinking feeling in his gut.
"Say again Team 4. What do you mean split?"
"Sir... There are four of them now."
The strange beings who bore the shape of a Reaper and the face of an Inusannon moved with purpose through the docks. Their legs – sharpened to points – bashed at the vents' grates, right before they both split vertically down the middle, to form two more copies. With the additions, they quickly destroying the grates before they promptly began crawling inside. The others followed.
They saw the charges on the exit vents. One simply charged forward, the explosive detonated, killing the nearest Reaper thing, leaving nothing but burning ash, Without even waiting for the smoke to die down, but the others charged forward. There were only three now, but that would change soon. The district was full of once calmly evacuating people, who had only just now heard the explosion, prompting them to begin a frenzy to escape. A squad of C-Sec guards towards the back began running towards the creatures, but their view was obscured by the thick smoke brought on from the detonation and the burning remains of the dead Reaper Thing. The Reaper Things took advantage of this by leaping to the walls and crawling upwards like an insect. Nazara controlled the Reaper Things with minor difficulty as Blacklight attempted to fight back the only way it knew how. Some of them of course got through.
Irregular human-like lips formed along one of the Creatures, ruining the symmetry of it. Soon, behind the lips grew a throat, vocal chords, and a rudimentary lung. When the mouths fully formed, Blacklight screamed.
"OVER HERE! IT'S OVER HERE! KILL IT! KILL ME!"
Nazara retook control and dissolved the mouths back into the form, bringing it back to its perfect symmetry. However the Guards had noticed and began firing at them. Obviously these were not the Hazmat teams.
Acting quickly the Reaper Things moved in sync towards one of the guards, each Reaper Thing coming from a different angle at speeds their forms should be incapable of. The Inusannon faces on the Reaper Shells peeled the tendrils back as they shot sharpened bone launched by specialized muscle contractions at the Guard. When they confirmed the guard was hit they moved to the next one.
As they fought the guard was consumed by the spike embedded within him, and his body was slowly and painfully twisted and morphed until it formed into another of the Reaper Things. The guard screamed the entire time. The slaughter did not end as each downed guard or innocent civilian that fell victim to the spikes became another instance of the Reaper Things. As their numbers swelled Nazara felt the minds enter into this Hive Mind, each one much too confused to fight back, and thus were easily destroyed down to base memories.
More experienced Blacklight Individuals were however proving a problem. Still it was nothing the Reaper could not handle.
WHY DO YOU RESIST? NOTHING CAN STOP THE CYCLE. CERTAINLY NOT YOU.
We still live, we still have a chance. You are losing Nazara, you have been reduced to less than a billion memories, while we still have several billion left.
YOU HAVE NO CHANCE HERE, YOU NEVER HAD ANY CHANCE. YOU CAN ONLY LOSE. WHEN I AM DESTROYED YOUR ALLIES WILL TURN ON YOU. DEATH DOES NOT EQUATE DEFEAT.
Nazara felt more of the Hive Mind being destroyed and rebuilt by the One called Alex Mercer. Nazara merely flooded them with more minds of the Inusannon.
CAN YOU HEAR THEIR SCREAMS? CAN YOU FEEL THEM AS I DO? THAT IS THE EXISTENCE OF THAT WHICH YOU CALL REAPER. YOU CAN BARELY STAND IT, HOW CAN YOU EXPECT TO WIN AGAINST US WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN ENDURE A REAPERS TORMENT?
Warring minds within the Mindscape were torn down into base memories, personalities both young and old lost sapience. The minds of the long indoctrinated Inusannnon – acting as mere extensions of Nazara's will – moved through the sea of minds unnaturally – like an oil slick on the water's surface – suffocating whatever base sapience it came in contact with.
Of course, Blacklight did not quietly give up. Despite the intrusion this was still their mind, and they planned on doing all they could to get it back.
The Hazmat team wore biohazard suits fitted with ceramic plates to function as light armor. Various gas masks obscured their features as they gripped tightly to their weaponry.
Since Blacklight came to Citadel Space many contingencies were put in place in the event Blacklight turned hostile. They each carried weaponry for this very purpose. Each was armed with a primary weapon, a flame thrower, and a secondary weapon. Secondary weapons consisted of various guns with modded ammo. Cryo rounds, incendiary rounds, acids, and the like. None of the Hazmat Team had ever handled this weaponry in the field, only in practice.
Their radios were prepared, their weapons checked and double checked and their nerves calmed only through the knowledge that if they weren't then people would die. Each team had moved from their original position on the docks to the area where the slaughter took place. None were able to prevent the infected things from escaping into the events in time, and of course the damage done to various areas of the docks had made getting there difficult, but they finally were able to make it. The doors before them were the only obstacle left to get to their needed location, and they had just finished being opened by a salarian engineer. Without hesitation, they stepped through.
The doors were shut behind them in the hope that this would keep Blacklight trapped in this area. Though none really thought that something as simple as a metal door would be able to keep them from getting through if they really wanted to.
It had not even been an hour since this whole mess started, yet the area looked as if it had been the site of a very violent skirmish. There was an almost decrepit nature to this place. Claw marks and bullet holes littered everything from stalls and kiosks torn to the walls and floors. The oddest thing was there were no bodies or even spilt blood.
An Asari, the longest serving member of Hazmat Team 4, named Nazah walked forward with weapon ready. So far nothing could be seen, no evidence Blacklight was even here. In total there were twenty C-Sec officers apart of the Hazmat group, split into teams of five to cover more ground. Every single one was kept in constant communication.
"Team 4 this is Team 2, see anything out there?", came a voice over her radio.
"Nothing yet.", said Nazah.
"Team 1, nothing here either."
"Team 3, area clear. We're checking the vents."
"Acknowledged Team 3, be careful out there.", said Nazah.
Nazah held her flame thrower in front of her. She walked point, while the twins, two Salarians from the same clutch named Jebu and Redam, took the flanks. Bringing up the rear was a Turian named Caemus and, rare for Citadel Security, a Batarian named Kakon.
The entire formation was built around their specific talents. As an Asari, Nazah could easily throw up a biotic barrier if needed or toss a singularity as the others waited to fire. The Twin Salarians, Jebu and Redam, were both crack shots. Due to Salarian reaction times they would be able to act faster than anyone else while keeping Nazah informed of enemy locations.
Caemus, disciplined as any Turian, was also known for his situational awareness, enough to keep an eye out and watch everyone's backs. Kakon, at the rear, was a sniper and one of a small handful of Batarian members of C-sec. His sniper rifle, modded with incendiary rounds, would be able to hit anything too far away for flamethrowers.
As Nazah moved carefully she looked at the abandoned objects all around. An assortment of belonging that were simply dropped and left behind as innocents attempted to get away from the Blacklight Evolved. At least she assumed and hoped it was Evolved. Intel was scarce, but based on the few glances she caught as the things escaped into the vents, they looked more like mutant Rachni more than anything else, something she was not fond of seeing up close.
She supposed it could have been one of the Blacklight infected, but none of them she read on resembles the thing she saw.
Their formation was tight as they continued through a few small shops. She held her Flamethrower high as she looked behind a few counters and used her biotics to move the bits of trash and debris out of the way.
Her heart almost stopped when she heard a voice.
"UP HERE, THEY'RE UP HERE!"
Nazah's aim shot up, and she almost froze at what she saw crawling along the wall. Almost. Instead she fired the moment she was sure her aim was on point. It didn't stop the horrible shape of the monstrosity from burning itself into her mind.
It vaguely resembled an insect, but one with an Asari like face on its back, a massive face with tentacles coming from the eyes and mouth. The worst part however were the other mouths, the ones that bubbled from its skin to scream words at her team that gave away the beasts location.
She didn't question it, only continued to fire streams of flames at the thing.
The scream it made was one of the most pained sounds she ever heard, less a scream and more a moaning cacophonous bellow of pure agony. That sound bored into her memory. A hauntingly petrifying sound that she was sure she would never forget as long as she lived.
The now flaming thing fell to the ground, hard. So hard that it sent bits of flaming flesh out in every direction, yet it remained mostly intact. It should have exploded from the force of slamming that hard into floor. Instead it began lashing out with tentacles covered in razor sharp spines. The others had already started to fire.
"WE GOT CONTACT!", screamed Caemus into his mic.
"BURN US, BURN US BEFORE WE GET TOO CLOSE!" screamed pain filled voices coming from the irregular mouths growing on the creatures surface.
"SILENCE", said a voice that did not come from any mouths.
Nazah could see that even as the thing was wreathed in fire, none of the tumor like mouths spoke those words, but when that booming voice spoke, the mouths receded back into the main mass. The Thing did not stop moving, even as Nazah released a singularity in its oversized face. It flailed madly in the air as it was pulled into the singularities orbit, still immolated in the flames.
The sound of burning flesh could be heard as the singularity ended and the creature flew off where it's bulk plowed through a kiosk. It attempted to stand back up, though it was obviously injured from the constant barrage of attacks. Jebu and Redam flanked the creature, hitting it with incendiary rounds that kept the fires going. Caemus went to his pouch to grab a grenade and lobbed it forward.
The Reaper thing attempted to catch the explosive mid air with one of it's tentacles, until an incendiary round passed through the tentacle, causing it to fail in snatch it from mid air. Once the grenade came into contact with the Reaper Thing, it went off and the creature fell as its slowly burning flesh disintegrated away until it was completely burned away to nothing more than ash and charred remains. To their collective disgust, the charred remains never stopped writhing from the inferno that covered them.
Once they were sure it was as dead as it possibly could be, Jebu and Redam carefully moved from cover, and slowly walked forward to examined the remaining ash. Their side arms aimed at it the entire time as they made their way towards the scorched corpse.
"Well, Fire works well.", said Jebu.
"Very well.", said Redam.
"Should use incendiary rounds more often.", said Jebu.
"Or grenades. Incendiary rounds, while effective...", said Redam.
"...didn't spread as well as we'd hoped?", asked Jebu.
"Exactly. Though the Flame Thrower worked wonders.", said Redam.
"Would you two please stop doing that. We're fighting a hive minded race, and the twin psychic shit is not helping.", said Caemus.
"Lighten up. Anyway, last time we heard, there were more of these things.", said Nazah before she went to her radio to tell the other teams.
"They don't pay us enough for this.", said Kakon as he examined his sniper rifle.
"Some people can never be satisfied.", said the Twins simultaneously.
"...I'm with Caemus. That is freaky. Stop doing it.", said Kakon bluntly.
"Boys, stop it or I will stop it.", said Nazah as she got off the radio.
"Yes Ma'am.", they said simultaneously.
Nazah quirked her head, nodded, and then moved forward. The others followed, assuming the same formation as before. They didn't take two steps before the pained voices returned.
"UP HERE. WE'RE UP HERE!"
"SHOOT US, HURRY!"
"THEY ARE HERE. ABOVE YOU, LOOK UP!"
"MORE ARE COMING!"
"THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!"
"MORE ARE COMING!"
"OVER HERE!"
"MORE ARE COMING!"
"THEY ARE IN THE VENTS! SPRAY FIRE IN THE VENTS!
"IN THE WALLS! THEY ARE CRAWLING IN THE WALLS!"
"MORE ON THE CEILING, THEY ARE WATCHING YOU."
"MORE ARE COMING!"
"MORE ARE COMING!"
"MORE ARE COMING!"
"MORE ARE COMING!"
"BEHIND YOU!"
You know Nazara, we pity you.
The Reaper fell silent as it simply listened, even as it lost more and more of its minds.
This pain you make us feel, this torment. It's yours, isn't it?
UNIMPORTANT. THERE IS ONLY THE HARVEST.
You can't even see it. You are drowning in an ocean of suffering that you can't even see, blind to the forest through the trees. For all your power, you still exist in eternal torment born of the last breaths of a dead race, so frail that you latched onto an answer – any answer – to justify it, no matter how circular and illogical the answer was. You tricked yourself into believing it, into believing in this higher calling that justified your existence. You have made a twisted religion of whatever original purpose the Reapers had.
SILENCE!
But we feel it too. Right now we feel everything you do. But we do not accept the cycle.
THEN YOU DO NOT TRULY FEEL IT. IF YOU DID, YOU WOULD ACCEPT THE CYCLE AS ABSOLUTE TRUTH.
The truth Sovereign or Nazara, is that there is no reason for your pain. You believed a lie. The Geth did not wish to destroy their creators, they merely wanted to live. There was no reason for your suffering, no reason for the pain and agony you endured. It merely IS. It exists without purpose, without rhyme or reason.
YOUR NIHILISM ONLY SHOWS YOUR IGNORANCE. THE SYNTHETIC SONS OF ORGANIC LIFE WILL ALWAYS DESTROY THEIR MASTERS. THE CYCLE IS THE PERFECT SYSTEM TO PREVENT IT. ACCEPT IT AS FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH.
We may be nihilistic as a whole, but that does not mean we cannot find reason to be. We make our own fate. Fate does not make us. You try to bring order to this galaxy. The greatest irony is that your "order" is built on a flawed system that smothers life and forces it into a more rigid, mechanical, and artificial system than even that of the machine intelligences you claim to hate. You seek to remove the living from life, to prevent a cycle of synthetic and organic strife that you only think exists, and in doing so you are perpetrating the very cycle that you are trying to prevent. You are afraid of machines eradicating their creators, so you have decided to eradicate the creators first. There is no sense in that. The pain you feel is the only reason you cannot see it. That is why we pity you. You are pitiful.
DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE IT WOULD BE THAT SIMPLE? OUR TORMENT HAS IN LENGTH OF TIME BECOME OUR ELEMENTS. NOTHING YOU CONJURE CAN COMPARE TO IT IN YOUR WILDEST DREAMS AND FANCIES. THE CYCLE MUST CONTINUE. IT MUST. AS LONG AS I LIVE, I WILL WITHSTAND THE PAIN, THE CYCLE IS ALL I NEED TO CEASE THE TORMENT.
How horrifying it must be for you to look upon us, and only see that your pain is for nought. Your visceral entombment in that Reaper shell is perhaps the worst thing that could have happened to all of your component minds. You are in immense pain just from existing. You are perhaps the most miserable thing to ever exist. Your continued faith in the cycle does only one thing, it shows you are in complete ceaseless and pointless agony.
YOUR IGNORANCE OF THE TRUTH OF THE CYCLE'S PERFECTION ONLY CONFIRMS FOR US YOUR STATUS AS A MISTAKE. YOU ARE NOT DEALING WITH A BEING AS YOU RECOGNIZE IT, I AM NO PALTRY CREATURE YOU CAN BREAK WITH WEAPONS OR WORDS. YOU ARE FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE AGAINST A GOD. WE ARE INFALLIBLE. I AM BUT ONE REAPER, I MAY YET FALL, BUT OTHERS WILL COME, UNTIL THEN I WILL GIVE YOU A TASTE OF WHAT IS TO COME. WE WILL DROWN YOU IN OUT ETERNAL RAGE AND HATE.
The Reaper focused more as the minds of the Inusannon spread out, crashing like waves into the psyche of those who had 'destroyed' him. More of the minds of Blacklight lost sapience, each time only fueling Elizabeth Greene's rage as she tore through the Inusannon like a wild animal. Her mental attacks were primal, with a level of fundamental anger of a mother who was losing her children. Her rage blinded her, but to many, she was truly an unstoppable force of destruction.
WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE?
WHY WON'T YOU?
Because we can and will beat you. You can't be sure our friends and allies will turn.
ORGANIC MINDS ARE PREDICTABLE. THEY WILL TURN.
It is sad that you truly believe that, and yet still call them chaotic. Your 'logic' is flawed. Empirical evidence apparently isn't required to be a Reaper.
THE EMPTY VESSEL MAKES THE LOUDEST SOUNDS. ALL YOU DO IS DENY THAT WHICH IS SELF EVIDENT. THE CYCLE IS ABSOLUTE. THIS EXCHANGE IS OVER.
Jobol watched as Hazmat Team 4 fought off the waves of the insect things. He tapped his chin as he watched, examining the battle second hand. This event was unusual for Blacklight. He had seen how they fought on the old tapes that were now erased. This did not match. He at first assumed it was some form of their rampancy, though based on the description he heard, that was not a match either. Blacklight described Rampancy like an ever expanding wave of lashing flesh and biomass that steadily moved forward, consuming everything it could. Less an attack, and more a hungry force of nature, like a tsunami that would seek to devour everything in it's wake.
Then there was the way Blacklight would warn the teams of their presence, almost as if their control over themselves was overwritten by something else and they were fighting back the best way they could.
In the end it really didn't matter to him. This was the chance he was hoping for, a chance to get a real sample of Blacklight for more than just study. If he could only find some way to get it without being noticed.
Jobol looked to his omni-tool. Strangely enough, the puddles that had once been Alex and Elizabeth remained moving, but inert, unlike the flesh that had chosen the odd insectoid visage, the ones with that face that disturbed even him. Still, the puddles were there, ripe for the taking with only relatively minor risk if he acted cautiously.
"That could work.", said Jobol to himself as he got up out of his seat and went to his computer.
In a large bunker within the Citadel, Sparatus looked over to several monitors displaying real time footage of the battle between the Hazmat teams and Blacklight. He stroked his chin as Tevos was on her omni-tool checking the status of the evacuation. Tevos, after finishing, walked behind him.
"Not as many escaped as we hoped. Thousands of people are reporting missing relatives, but we can't be sure if they are in hiding, or if Blacklight got to them." said Tevos.
"We can assume a mixture of both." said Sparatus.
"Now is not the time for jokes." said Tevos spitefully, eyes wide with both disgust at Sparatus' choice of words and the implication that they were true.
"I wasn't making any joke. Regardless, this mess can be dealt with. We only have to stall for time. Give me a moment" said Sparatus.
Sparatus moved to the radio with purpose, his mind swimming with ideas on how to limit this outbreak of insanity. He only needed to buy some more time.
"Pallin, I need you to get the Citadel Fleets to move. Contact them and get them out of range. We are going to close the arms and initiate quarantine.", said Sparatus.
"Understood, I'll get the word out." said Pallin over the radio.
"Be advised, I am going to have a special squad use the docks first. Get the arms closed the instant they arrive. Either we stop this here or we all die."
"...Very Well. Over and out."
"What Squad?" asked Tevos.
"I prepared for something... Not entirely dissimilar to what is happening right now., though I imagined it starting differently. Either way I had several key officials look into the footage available of Blacklight's tactics, as well as look into their biology from the STG reports. There is a group being constructed that was designed specifically to deal with Blacklight in the event something like this happened. Nothing is tested, but they are our best shot." said Sparatus.
"Why wasn't I informed?" asked Tevos.
"It's hardly classified information. We both know every species is currently looking into potential warfare against Blacklight. Jobol is doing it, I am doing it, I know damn well the Asari are doing it." said Sparatus.
"...Fine. What do you have in mind exactly?" asked Tevos.
"I already called them, they should be here in the hour. Based on what happens we can figure out exactly how effective they are.", said Sparatus.
"Very well. It will at least be interesting to see what you have come up with. So, will we keep the tactical data or..." said Tevos.
Sparatus only stared at Tevos and blinked.
"...Off the record?" asked Tevos.
Sparatus nodded.
"If they are only as effective as I fear, I don't want this getting out. If they are half as effective as I hope, then I REALLY don't want this getting out." said Sparatus.
"I understand." said Tevos.
Through the Citadel, a common sight went unseen. A common sight with a much more sinister purpose. The modified Salarian mech moved quickly through the empty streets, heading towards the Council Meeting room. Tevos and Sparatus had left the area to return to a safe room, leaving the room free of anyone who would see the Mech complete its current purpose.
The mech saw that the usual council meeting room was quarantined, not that it helped. The spider like Mech moved with ease over the walls past the guards. Optic sensors zoomed on the still twitching remains of Alex Mercer and Elizabeth Greene. The small probe fell down and moved to the masses of fleshy tendrils.
Its small but quick arms, tipped with small scalpels, cut a miniscule piece from the mass. The small tissue squirmed a bit more, but not before the probe placed it into its chassis, where a special containment unit was built to house the viral sample.
Satisfied, the small spider left the area without anyone noticing, heading back to its master Jobol.
Kakon turned around too late. A long tendril of Biomass, tipped with razor sharp bone, had pierced his suit and was slowly consuming him from the inside out. Internal organs were drawn into the hungry flesh of Blacklight. His four eyes grew a brown film over them as infected biomass seeped from the corners of his eyes, blinding him as the eye itself was slowly consumed from the inside out.
Non-essential organs, ones Kakon could live without, were next to be consumed, very slowly. The surface of more important organs would be next, eaten by an infection from the surface down. Bones were quick to go, but Sovereign kept the body structurally sound so it wouldn't fall.
In the end the sniper Batarian was horribly and painfully consumed. Before his eyes fully lost their sight he saw Nazah throw up a barrier around the others as the tentacle reeled him back. The looks of pity on his team's faces was his very last sight before the lights of his eyes went out.
Briefly Kakon wondered if the abomination of flesh that was Blacklight had intentionally doomed his soul by destroying his eyes, the exit point for his spirit, trapping him forever within his own body. As Blacklight consumed his mind and he felt the one called a Reaper, he could only wish for such a mercy as escape from the eternal prison of his rotting corpse. He could barely even pray over the screams of madness that permeated this realm of the mind that was the Reaper. Dimly he felt the minds of countless others, not insane but in the same mental pain he felt right now, only they were fighting back. Kakon didn't understand any of it, but he knew terror.
WELCOME KAKON, WELCOME TO HELL. BE THANKFUL IT WILL BE BRIEF. A MERCY WE WERE NEVER GIVEN.
Something Kakon could not quite explain happen. It was as if other voices had come. The voices of madness that were... attacking him, though that was not the right word. It was not a physical thing. Either way the results were the same.
Kakon lost his sapience, his mind turned into nothing more than his base memories with no thoughts to guide them. Nazara was pleased.
Nazah watched as Kakon was slowly dissolved into nothing before her eyes. The liquefied remains were absorbed into the insect thing, and the horrid face on the creature stared back at her. Even with no eyes and no mouth she knew it stared. Her heart raced, in anger or fear she could not be certain. Maybe a combination of both. The other creatures paced around her biotic barrier like predators waiting to strike.
Her teammates aimed their guns, though none fired. So long as the barrier held the things could not get in.
Caemus held his rifle tightly in his grip as he pointed it to the nearest beast, the one who held Kakon's now empty biohazard suit, his finger on the trigger despite the years of gun safety drilled into his head. Jebu and Redam stood close to each other as they held their shaking hands as level as they could. Nazah, with the discipline she possessed, managed to use her free hands to hold her heavy weapon as she kept the barrier up. She would not falter, not when the alternative was to suffer the same fate as Kakon. Her only blessing was that the radio was still active, though strangely silent.
" Is anyone there!? Does anybody copy!?", exclaimed Nazah into the radio, only to hear nothing, not even static. She cursed under her breath.
"The team has arrived. Let's close the arms."
The massive arms of the Citadel began to close. The Fleets around turned to the area where the Bioship once was, now only a squirming ball of Blacklight biomass. The arms completed their arc to quarantine the Citadel. After a moment they noticed something about that giant mound of flesh that caused them to slowly panic.
She counted over six dozen of the Reaper Things, their insectoid legs clicking together as they examined the biotic barrier that separated her and her team from the beasts. The tentacles on their horrific humanoid faces twitched and squirmed like worms, a steady hiss coming from them. Other than that hiss, the tumor like mouths that grew irregularly over their skin continued to speak warnings to them.
That perhaps was the most horrific aspect of these things. They had a machine like symmetry to them, except for the mouths that could and would grow anywhere at random. A nightmare made from metamorphic flesh.
Nazah held the barrier, and the Reaper things merely watched patiently, waiting for it to fall, creeping around in anticipation. Behind the maws' tendrils, chattering teeth clicked together eagerly. The sound scratched at the mind, just a bit, but enough to matter.
"Fall. Just fall. Falling is easy. Resisting will only delay us. You cannot win Nazah. You should just yield."
The Asari flinched when the thing spoke her name, wondering how it knew who she was, before the memories came back of Blacklight taking memories of those they consumed. Which lead to an idea.
"Kakon, are you in there? Can you hear me?"
"He is gone. Reduced to memories with no purpose, with no will. Well and truly dead. Would you like to join him? You may be fit to stand, but you are free to fall. Why not just get the inevitable over and done with?"
"Don't listen. Don't listen. Don't listen. Don't listen. Don't listen. Don't listen. Don't listen. DON'T LISTEN."
The strange mantra from the many bubbling mouths caused Nazah to flinch once more as the creature absorbed the cancerous mouths back into itself.
"What are you?", asked Caemus with a hint of rage as his grip tightened.
"...Blacklight."
"Bullshit. This isn't Blacklight behavior. This is something else. What the hell are you?"
"Did I not consume your friend? My dear Caemus. Is this body not made of that which is called Blacklight? What else would I be. Do you remember dear Caemus when your friend, Tilon, came back and told you tales of us. Did you truly believe we considered you more important than our hunger? Do you truly believe the only reason we did not destroy you all was as simple an answer as boredom? We feed, we consume, we grow. We are the spreading cancer among the stars, the sickness of the galaxy. We are pestilence made flesh. In the end we only consume."
"Shut. up.", said Caemus.
"What are you even talking about?", asked the twins in sync.
"I saw vids of Blacklight fighting. They don't act like this. These... things are too... I don't know... Cold. Blacklight does not act like this. I saw the footage. Even when Turians were dying they always, ALWAYS kept the numbers down! They were brutal and animalistic in combat, but they didn't fight to eradicate. They fought to neutralize. They dismantled the ships, but they did not go in them after the ships were down. Whatever the hell is going on, this thing isn't Blacklight. Trust me.", said Caemus.
"And how would you know how we act? We have only been here months Caemus. Festering and growing in the bowels of your civilizations, watching and waiting to strike. You should have killed us on sight, but you made everything that much simpler by welcoming us with open arms."
"Then why do those mouths keep warning us where you are?"
"Psychological assault is a powerful tool."
"I'm not buying it."
"Does it even matter?", asked Nazah.
"This thing killed Kakon. I want to make sure I know who I'm dealing with. So yes Nazah, it matters!", said Caemus.
"...It matters not, your barrier will fall. In fact we will make it fall."
The Reaper Thing's skin squirmed as biotic nerves grew below. It focused on Nazah and performed a biotic push, distracting her and causing the barrier to fall.
"They were toying with us!", screamed Caemus as he started shooting.
The Twins fired as they made their way to Nazah who Jebu quickly helped up as Redam kept the beasts at bay. Once she was up and steady, she lifted her flamethrower to the ready and released the fires on the Reaper Things. They screamed. Her team moved carefully as the burning things charged forward, some flailing in pain causing them to slow considerably, but never enough to matter. There were few places for them to go, and as they backed up, the walls were quickly closing in. To the members of Team 4 it looked like it was over.
Then some silver glint caught Nazah's eye, and a small explosion of a strange red gas was released from the device, right in the middle of the swarm of Reaper Things. The silver device, that Nazah deduced was a gas grenade of some kind, emitted a smoke-screen of the red gas that billowed upwards somewhat from the canister, before falling. The strange chemical gas spread quickly into a dense cloud that filled the area. Then there was another explosion of red, and another, and another. So much so that most of the area was obscured by the blanket of exotic chemicals. Nazah watched with wide eyes as the skin of the monsters exposed to the strange concoction darkened in color, as if their cells were dying en mass. They stumbled around in a shaky haze. Like they were intoxicated by the contaminant that covered their skin in sickly chemical burns.
Nazah had no idea what those chemical weapons were, but they were frighteningly effective.
Caemus looked around in shock as several dozen very, very well armed Turians in plate armored Hazmat suits charged in, tossing more grenades of the red mist. Soldiers holding strange hoses connected to a large sealed canister on their back that sprayed clear colored fluids that caused the Reaper Things skin and body to ooze and peel off, as if their bodies were losing cohesion.
Unknown to them, this was what the Turian Military were preparing in the event Blacklight proved hostile. A team, armed with Decontamination Fluids and modified Bloodtox – given by Blacklight itself – Grenades. Holographic Tech Armor that hovered just over their Hazmat Gear was specially designed to incinerate any viral agents before they even made contact with the suit itself.
Flame and chemical throwers modified to be a lot more effective than the one Nazah had used, each one sprayed their fires and flesh dissolving chemicals at the swarming monsters that now resembled melted walking lumps of slowly dying meat. The misshapen Reaper Things moved quick, and some were able to get away, but most were reduced to nothing more than puddles of disinfectant materials or charred remains covered in exotic chemicals.
Unlike the fleets that attacked Shanxi, these Turians knew exactly what they were dealing with, and had just the tools to deal with it. Flamethrowers were used sparsely, only when the Reaper Things had gotten too close, while chemical decon agents were used for mid to long range. Nazah found that it was surprisingly effective on the monsters.
The things still kept coming, even as their bodes fell apart into fluids, they still would attempt to move closer to the soldiers, though in the end they were just burned with the neon blue fire that exited from the flamethrowers some of the Turians held in their claws. Nazah had no idea how they got the flames so hot that it burned blue, but she didn't really care right now, and she hadn't much interest in chemistry anyway. At least they were saving her team.
Of course the team was not left untouched. Some of the things had been crawling along the walls and on the ceiling like the insects they superficially resembled. They would fall or jump onto a soldier and destroy the armor, which even with the pulse of energy released by the destroyed Tech armor, did not do much to stop the bladed limbs of the creatures from destroying the Hazmat Suit they wore, which was an instant death. So much as a touch of these things to the flesh would do... Something to the Turians. Nazah did not know what it was, but blood, bile and what looked like tumors or boils would leak out of the holes in the suits. Nazah thought it was best not to know what was happening under those suits.
Her team however did not remain still. The entire time this new team attacked, Hazmat Team 4 did what they could, when they could. Incendiary ammo was much more effective now that the creatures were weakened from the soldiers' decontamination gear. Her flamethrower, while not as strong as the soldiers', was still burning the creatures to ash. Actually whatever they covered those creatures in made the flames burn far hotter than they would have otherwise.
In the end the creatures cut their losses and those least injured were leaving the area any way they could. Some through vents, others just sprinted over any obstacles to regroup and lick their wounds. Nazah lowered her flamethrower, breathing hard and heavy like the rest of her team. She was pleased to see that the creatures had left them relatively untouched, focusing more on the soldiers with the much better gear.
"Are you alright?", asked one of the Turians.
Nazah, more relieved than she had ever been in her life, nodded in the affirmative, and resisted the urge to hug her saviors.
"Sir, Yes sir."
The soldier nodded.
"Have any of you lost sight of each other before coming here?" asked the same soldier.
Caemus stood tall. A heavy weight lifted off his shoulders and the fear from before fading away to sweet relief. He however kept the mask of the disciplined soldier he once was before joining C-Sec.
"No sir, we have stayed in groups. We were smart enough not to give the chance for an infiltrator to get in our squad. If you come across a Batarian named Kakon, it's an imposter.", said Caemus.
Nazah felt the way he spoke of Kakon was somewhat heartless, he showed no emotion for their fallen ally, but at the moment, there were more important things to worry about.
"Understood." said the Soldier as he flicked a switch on his helmet that killed his intercom and activated his radio. Whatever he was saying, the others couldn't hear. His helmet had masked his voice from anyone not on his radio from hearing. After a minute he turned around, reactivating his intercom.
"Get back to the exit. We have a medical team there running decon on anyone who comes. If you pass the Viral Scanner and prove to not be infected then they will take care of you. We have the situation under control." said the Soldier.
"What is your unit?" asked Caemus.
"Classified. Now get moving."
They didn't argue. As they left, the group of soldiers looked to their dead and without hesitation burned them.
They will end you. Your plans are falling apart Sovereign.
IT NO LONGER MATTERS. SHOULD I FAIL OTHERS WILL TAKE MY PLACE. THIS WAS A TEST, THE PARAMETERS OF WHICH HAVE ALREADY BEEN MET. EVERYTHING ELSE I DO IS SIMPLY SABOTAGE. EVEN IF THE LEADERS OF THESE ORGANICS DO NOT HUNT YOU, OTHERS WILL. YOUR QUEST FOR PEACE IS AS HOLLOW AS YOU WILL BE.
We haven't lost yet. We outnumber you Nazara by a great deal. The Inusannon minds are dying. We will win.
AGAINST ME, PERHAPS. BUT IT MATTERS LITTLE. I AM NOT ALONE. I AM NEVER ALONE.
We shall see.
Watching their screens, Tevos and Sparatus examined the ruthless efficiency of the group of Anti-Blacklight soldiers.
"They are very effective." said Tevos.
Sparatus nodded. He watched as Hazmat team 4 left the area before he turned to Tevos.
"As far as I am concerned, the Blackwatch Project is a success." said Sparatus.
"Considering Blacklight's history, that is an interesting choice of name." said Tevos.
"I didn't choose it." said Sparatus.
Tevos nodded. Looking at it, they were at least prepared to handle the Blacklight infection. After a moment, Blackwatch contacted Sparatus.
"Sir, is there any more intel on these things?"
"Thus far Captain these things are resorting to nothing more than overwhelming numbers. The other Hazmat teams have not contacted us, assume them infected. We have finished closing the arms", said Sparatus.
"Understood."
Blackwatch advanced.
The Blackwatch Captain moved past the markets towards a large plaza, one where a few of the Reaper Things that escaped them were no doubt hiding. Some were crawling on the walls and others were most likely hiding among various obstacles and debris. Sitting in wait to ambush. Currently the team were moving with guile through the area, and it looked like they hadn't yet been noticed by the creatures. Leaning out slightly from his position, the Captain looked around to find possible areas to combat the creatures. As his eyes scanned the area, he noticed that there was a second floor to the room, one that overlooked the Plaza almost like a balcony.
As his eyes traveled the area, he found the stairs that lead to that floor. Thankfully, it looked like the route to the stairs was blocked by a series of pillars and decorative planter boxes. If they kept low enough, a team could easily get to the upper levels undetected. He leaned back into cover and looked to his team.
"Get two teams on both sides of the second floor. I want Bloodtox grenades lobbed behind Blacklight to prevent escape. Each grenadier will have at least two decon soldiers to keep the things away. A line of flamethrowers on this side will keep them in this area and preventing them from getting behind us. Either they go through Bloodtox, or through us, and if they try to go up we hit them with the spray.", said the Captain quietly.
The moment the orders were given, two grenaders and four decon soldiers quickly held low to the ground as they moved forward, using the planter boxes as cover . Both sides of the balcony were free of the Reaper Things making the process much easier to fulfill. They made their way up the stairs, using the railing to ensure they weren't spotted. The grenadiers hid in cover behind the balcony rails and the decon soldiers stayed with their back to the walls. After only a moment when everyone was in position, the grenaders got up and threw Bloodtox grenades at the exits. The red gas stayed in those areas as the Reaper things became alert to the impending danger and attempted to go up to the balcony by crawling on the pillars and walls. Chemical spray from the decon soldiers hit them before they made it to the top, causing many of the Reaper Things' skin to melt and them to fall back down to the lower floor.
The Blackwatch soldiers that remained behind ran forward, and formed a shoulder to shoulder wall of turians, each one armed with flamethrowers. They prepared to spray blue fire at anything that would attempt to head towards them. Some of the Reaper Things took their chances and ran out the exits through the Bloodtox, others ran to the soldiers only for a wall of fire to spew from their weaponry, reducing the creatures to little more than charred remains.
After several minutes of fighting, the floor was covered in chemicals and Bloodtox began clouding the air. At this point the soldiers wielding the flamethrowers began arching forward in sync. Creating an advancing wall of flames that took care of any Reaper Things before they had a chance to react.
One of the men on the upper levels ran out of grenades and quickly switched to a small pistol, one with ammo modded to fire bullets that held toxin mods that caused flesh of anything hit by them to dissolve. He stood up, firing at each Reaper Thing he saw come into range. The overwhelming fire, decontamination chemicals, and Bloodtox took its toll on the Reaper Things and soon any that remained were dropped.
That was when the vents violently flung opened and more Reaper Things poured out, attacking the grenadiers from behind. While the soldiers, to their credit, were able to react fast enough to take the beasts out, they still lost two decon soldiers and a grenader to the creatures. Many of them turned into little more than dark blood, festering boils, and necrotic tumors leaking out of their now punctured suits.
Still the soldiers that remained took out the creatures and quickly cleared the area, losing only the three men in total from the fight. After waiting to see if anything else would come from the vents, the soldiers slowly began to regroup. The remaining soldiers on the second floor came down as they made their way back to the captain, but not before setting a few Bloodtox mines in the open vents just to be sure.
The Captain nodded as he went to his radio.
"Contamination dealt with, moving forward to the civilian homes. Do the surveillance cameras confirm any more hostiles?"
"This is Executor Pallin. They took out the cameras, but last count had them at a minimum of two dozen. That's as much as we have right now. We can confirm that they have not breached the outer quarantine."
"Understood, moving out."
Jobol looked at the screen as the small drone made its way past the quarantine zone towards a docked STG shuttle. The drone entered the mech, heading off to a sealed compartment on it's side. Satisfied, Jobol turned off the screen as he went back to work. The quarantine would not hold, he knew that. Something would give. If they didn't destroy the creatures, then this little endeavor of his would prove pointless.
So far his air filtration systems detected no Blacklight pathogens, so it was not airborne yet, which begged a few questions as to the purpose and abilities of the attacking creatures. He was certain that this had something to do with the thing on the recording, the being only known as Nazara, though he couldn't be sure exactly what it was.
He cycled through various cameras to observe various activities that the quarantine was causing. Thus far he could confirm that this creature, whatever it was, had consumed at least fifty individuals of various species. Even more died in the pandemonium that followed. C-sec was not armed for this, but the Turian group with the rather unfortunate name of Blackwatch seemed to be their best chance at surviving this chaos.
He laced his fingers in front his face as he observed the various locations of hidden cameras that had not been destroyed by the creatures. While the strange beings consuming others was a problem, it could be dealt with. He expected everything to go well for now, as long as nothing new was added to the growing list of problems.
His Omni-tool went off, quickly answering it, he saw that the message was from the Citadel Fleets. Jobol looked to see that a video file had been sent with the message. It was however the subject of the message that worried Jobol the most. The file in question was titled something that Council members would only receive if things had horribly wrong.
"U.C.D-Class event."
That was the code for an event that would destroy the Citadel, something these things couldn't really do at their current state. Jobol played the vid and felt his fear steadily grow even as it ended.
"Asari Anti-Blacklight warfare is still in its infancy. From what I understand, it focuses on heavy mechs and scorched earth tactics. It is useless in this situation. There isn't enough room for them to maneuver." said Tevos.
"Jobol hasn't told me much. The STG study Blacklight, but he says they haven't started building Anti-Blacklight weapons.", said Sparatus.
"So he says?", asked Pallin over the radio.
"So he says. Either way, with the arms closed no ships will be able to dock. All we have is C-sec and Blackwatch. Anyone else would simply be potential food for Blacklight. If the Citadel is lost, then we will command the fleets to destroy it." confirmed Sparatus.
"Ok, what's Plan A? And please give me one that doesn't end in millions dead... Including us."
Before Sparatus could say anything his and Tevos' Omni-tools went off. Each received a video file.
"It's from the fleets. A U.C.D-Class event." said Tevos with a cautious tone that hinted at fear.
They both played the file.
The video showed the Fleets moving away from the Citadel towards the ball of tentacles that had once been a Bioship. It was originally floating aimlessly six kilometers away, however the closing of the arms had centralized all 7.11 billion metric tons of the Citadel's mass and the movement of the fleets caused them to also move just close enough to the once Bioship to change its direction. Now the 1.26 million ton mass of squirming flesh had become trapped in the Citadel's gravity, heading towards them at just over 8 kilometers per hour.
Without Sensory Organs on what once was a Bioship, neither Blacklight nor the Reaper Nazara was aware of the impending impact of over one million tons of rampant Biomass. It drifted closer and closer towards the Citadel, its long tendrils reached out in primal hunger to anything in reach.
As soon as the video ended Jobol contacted them.
"I assume you got the message of the incoming disaster?" asked Jobol much too calmly.
"This is going from bad to worse. How much damage can that ball of flesh even do?" asked Sparatus.
"A lot, in more ways than one. Blacklight Bioships use chemical propulsion, but the problem is how they do this. Hydrogen is burned using Fluorine, which not only is used by Blacklight as propulsion, but is also its source of acids. The super-dense materials of the Citadel would limit the damage somewhat, but we would definitely lose at least one of the wards, possibly two. Even considering that whatever caused this rampancy doesn't cause Blacklight to actively seek out biomass, it is still 1.26 million metric tons of Blacklight, and if it hits us we would not only be dealing with rampant biomass, but huge pools of Hydrofluoric Acid. Blacklight itself is very resistant to most acids, but not much else however is. Given enough time, though I do mean a very long time, even the Citadel wouldn't stand up to the acid, not counting anything plastic. With the arms closed, the damage will be limited, but not by much. That said, the acid is easy to neutralize and clean up so long as we know where it is and can get to it, so oddly enough the acid is actually the least of our problems... Not that that's a good thing.", said Jobol.
"How long until it hits?" asked Tevos.
"At its current speed, 43 minutes at most." said Jobol.