Walking out of the Kamui Portal, I can feel the wind brushing past my Akatsuki coat. Looking down the moonlit city street, I cannot help but think what kind of chaos I should cause.
'Flara, are you able to connect to the internet?'
{I am not sure what the internet is…}
'Ah, that makes sense.'
I quickly bought an unmarked smartphone from the store and connected it to a Store's free Wi-Fi. It cost me a total of 1,000 credits.
'Try connecting to this'
A red light pulsed down my arm's vein and began to glow when it touched my phone. The phone's screen blurred with static for a moment.
{I see… So much information… I will be utilizing my flock to analyze this creation.}
'Sure, take your time. But if you can, try to find the Mauler hideout.'
{Understood. Apricot.}
With nothing else planned for the night, I suppose I'll sit up here for a bit. It is a nice view. I'll check with the group to see how they're doing as well.
---------------------------------------------
[GraveMinded has entered the chat]
[GraveMinded]- "Hello all!"
[GraveMinded]- "What has everyone been up to?"
[Erika has entered the chat.]
[Yuki has entered the chat.]
[Michael has entered the chat.]
[Darwin has entered the chat.]
[Erika]- "I've been having fun! I met with Rimuru, and we went to a feast. Bulldear is pretty good."
[Yuki]- "Rimuru? Like from like the slime anime?"
[Michael]- "Slime?"
[Erika]- "Yeah! She's been super cool! She is even giving me some tips about my abilities."
[Yuki]- "She?"
[Darwin]- "She?"
[Erika]- "?"
[GraveMinded]- "Oh, you sweet summer child"
[Yuki]- "Should we tell her?"
[Darwin]- "We could, but it would be funny not to."
[Erika]- "TELL ME WHAT?"
[Michael]- "I think I remember seeing that show on the web."
[Michael]- "I believe it was some gentleman who got stabbed and then reborn as a slime?"
[Yuki]- "No."
[Erika]- "No."
[Darwin]- "Doesn't matter, smash."
[GraveMinded]- "…"
[Michael]- "…"
[Yuki]- "Touch grass."
[GraveMinded]- "So… did you guys start with anything besides the 'cheat ability?'"
[Erika]- "I… Uh… Oh, I can control plants! And Animals, I think."
[Michael]- "Oddly, I started with two of the same 'cheats' as you would put it."
[GraveMinded]- "Oh? Did you sell one?"
[Michael]- "I did not, though I wonder why it happened."
[Darwin]- "Oh, that would be good. We got started duplicating our stuff and making a fortune!"
[GraveMinde]- "I am not so sure. While the system we use does have Experiment in the name, I wouldn't think the actual system would be bugged. Pretty sure the Admin is some sort of Machine God."
[Erika]- "Machine God?"
[GraveMinded]- "Yeah. I got summoned to meet with them, and get this, the Admin is Hatsune Miku."
[Erika]- "Miku!?"
[Yuki]- "Hatsune Miku!?"
[Darwin]- "Blue Teto!?"
[Erika]- "…"
[Yuki]- "…"
[Yuki]- "Is this guy real?"
[GraveMinded]- "Yes."
[Darwin]- "Teto forever!"
[Michael]- "Hatsune Miku sounds familiar. Who is Teto?"
[Darwin sent a GIF of a pear with Kasane Teto's face on it]
[Michael]- "Ah, yes. I should have known."
[GraveMinded]- "Wait. There are GIFs?"
[Yuki sent a GIF of a bear giving a peace sign]
[Yuki]- "It looks like it."
[Darwin]- "Aren't you the Mod or something? Shouldn't you know this?]
[GraveMinded]- "You'd think. But I was just told to keep stuff in order. Doesn't help, I'm not allowed to join missions unless I'm given explicit permission."
[Yuki]- "?"
[Darwin]- "?"
[Michael]- "?"
[Erika]- "?"
[GraveMinded sent a GIF of Someone shrugging]
[GraveMinded]- "I am guessing, I can only help if someone is going to die or join a mission deemed too dangerous for everyone else."
[Darwin]- "What cheat did you get?"
[GraveMinded]- "Well, I technically got 2. I also chose what world I would be reincarnated in."
[Darwin]- "…"
[Yuki]- "Where did you decide on going?"
[GraveMinded]- "The world of INVINCIBLE"
[Michael]- "Oh! I watched that one. Good show."
[GraveMinded]- "Yeah, it looked relatively safe. Plus, my abilities synergized with some of the characters."
[Darwin]- "Now I really want to know what you got."
[GraveMinded]- "Well, I got Kamui. As for the second one, I'll be keeping that a secret for now. ;)"
[Darwin]- "Lame."
[Erika]- "Well, if he wants to keep it a secret, then let him. Even if it is a bit lame."
[Yuki]- "Speaking of lame, I think I'll be selling my cheat. I gain strength the angrier I get. The only problem is I am slow to anger."
[Yuki]- "Would you guys have any recommendations?"
[GraveMinded]- "Depending on how many points you get, you could buy the ability to Zenkai Boost and a good regeneration ability."
[Michael]- "If you're looking for regeneration ability, look into becoming a Perpetual. It's super regeneration from Warhammer 40K."
[Darwin]- "If you're going for something like that, you could also look into a self-destruct ability. That way, you pretty much cheese your stat boosts."
[Yuki]- "I'll keep an eye out then."
--------------------------------
{Apricot, I found the location you were looking for.}
'Oh! Thanks!'
Leaving the group chat, I look at my phone as it pulls up a map. The map shows directions to the Maulers' current base of operations. It looks like they are currently in Delaware.
Well, I see no reason in waiting.
'How far have you looked on the internet?'
{With the help of some others, we were able to comb through about 5% of the entire webspace.}
'Impressive. I'm assuming that is only with your siblings held in my body?'
{Correct, Apricot. Currently, there are no sentient waves other than me with us, but they are coral regardless.}
'How do you regard those who cannot communicate?'
I ask while creating a portal to DC. While you wouldn't be able to do something like this normally, since I can pretty much use Kamui without limit, I just layer a portal to and from Kamui over each other and get the same result.
{Well, to be honest, I am not sure. They are family, but…}
'They just exist?'
{Yes.}
'My duplicates are somewhat the same. Without my thought or will, they would be vegetables.'
The portal was purposefully up in the air. Seeing as I had no idea how high everything is, I didn't feel like busting through the walls and went with this option.
Falling through the sky at night is surprisingly calming; the feeling of free fall is nice.
{Is that why you have only created three?}
'Three? I've created uncountable amounts. How do you think the entire Andromeda Galaxy became what it is.'
{That world is composed of your flesh? That Galaxy? Why go to such lengths?}
'At first, it was going to be a use-in-case-of-an-emergency thing, but then I realized just how big an entire galaxy is. So, now I use it to train and experiment.'
{Then what of Coral?}
The ground began to close in as I fell. Opening another portal below me and aiming it towards the Maulers, I effectively turn myself into a cannon using gravity. Soon after, my goal is in sight.
'I wish to achieve symbiosis with coral, because I know that in doing so would allow my flesh to ascend into energy, and your energy to ascend into flesh.'
'I do this in the name of the advancement of myself and Coral.'
{A beautiful goal, Creator. Do you truly wish for such a thing?}
'Yes.'
Traveling through the night sky, I create another portal and hit the ground outside of the Mauler's facility. All of this, of course, is down purely for aesthetic.
{Then let me help with this goal.}
'Of course, Flare. I wouldn't have it any other way.'
Sneaking in the shadows, I make use of the Kamui to slip through the ground and into the sewers. There I find nothing but rats.
'Here. Let me show you how I use my duplicates.' I duplicate myself, slipping out a perfect duplicate of this body.
As it steps away, it begins to morph. Thick layers of hair begin to grow over his skin, his shoulders widen as his skeletal structure changes within. The creaking of bones and his face elongating are proof of the change.
Soon, his face becomes completely covered in a pelt of light brown fur, resembling that of a wolf. A werewolf, to be exact.
The wooden mask on his face is slowly absorbed into his skin, and his cloak still fits, if barely. Even so, I meld it into his body, leaving him completely covered in an armor-like fur. I made sure the fur covered his dignity.
Then, that duplicate begins to duplicate. 26 werewolves stand before me. With a mental command. They all jump upwards and effortlessly slip through the ground above.
{For what purpose did you create them?}
'It's simple. There is a pair of villains above me, and I want them to cause a commotion soon. Larger than what they usually do.'
{Why use your creations? Why not do it yourself and let them be?}
'If I were in their position, this is what I would want. I would want to be useful.'
{Useful?}
'Yes. It is better to contribute than to simply exist.'
{…}
Above us, the werewolves slip through the walls like the ground before. Each one of them has access to Kamui due to being an extension of me.
The building was an abandoned storage facility once used for a Delaware port. Now the empty warehouse had been converted into a hastily, yet expertly handcrafted laboratory and weapon forge. It was no wonder the Mauler Twins were recurring villains in INVINCIBLE, though at the moment, they were just making a name for themselves.
A blue giant of a man turns around, to be met with a small army of wolf people.
"Hey, Clone! Get the guns!"
The first Mauler goes to punch one of the wolves, only for his fist to travel through him, leaving no evidence of landing. With quick speed, the wolf travels through the Mauler and stabs him in the spine with an inhumanly sharpened claw.
Passing through the blue bulletproof skin and paralyzing him, all while injecting him with the flood cells. The group of werewolves watches as the other Mauler runs out of the building, and two decide to give chase. None would actually look for the now missing Mauler.
After all, we only need the one.
The rest of the wolves formed two lines militarily surrounding the Mauler.
From below the ground, I raise up and land in the makeshift laboratory.
Stepping towards the Mauler, I look down on his crippled form.
"You must be one of the infamous Mauler twins. The Clone, I presume?"
"Fuck you." Responded in his heavy baritone voice.
"Ah, it sounds like you are enjoying my companion's sharp claws. I'll have you know it took a few months to figure out how to sharpen them on a cellular level."
"Fine, you've crippled me. Now what?"
"Simple, I am going to have you create 20 clones of yourself and attack the Guardians of the Globe," I say, crouching down to his level.
He spits at my face, only for it to fly through me and causing him to make a "tck." "And I'll just agree to that? Fat chance, Wolfgang."
"Wolfgang? Oh, I like that one. That's what I'll call my canine friends." My one visible eye gains a cruel gleam. "And, my dear Mauler. You say that as if you have a choice."
And like that, his face drains of all emotion, and my Flood Super Cells convert him into my puppet. The wolf that stabbed him, pulling out its claw, falls back to the line behind him.
His spine quickly melds itself back together, and he stands. Standing tall, he begins to duplicate.
After a few seconds, 20 Maulers stand before me.
{Apricot, this type of attack is not the Mauler's standard move. It may be more convincing to mask them as a new group.}
'Oh?' A villainous smile stretches under my mask. 'What a wonderful idea, Flara.'
I hear a pleased, slight humming in my head.
The Maulers begin to grow thick pelts on every inch of their body. They all begin to take similar changes that my duplicate did before.
After a moment, the creaking of bones and shaping of flesh stopped. Before me now stood 20 Mauler werewolves.
'Oh, another idea.'
They all sprouted Large Fallen Angel wings.
"From hence onward, you all shall be my Mauler Wolves, my heavy infantry." Looking at my
Normal-sized werewolves, I begin to think. "You shall be my Hounds, my normal infantry."
The two wolves pretending to chase the other mauler twin return. Looking at them, I change the pigment of their pelts to black. With another thought, they sprout a second pair of claws behind their original ones. "You shall be my Dire Wolves, my special ops."
Not missing out on the opportunity, I decided to edit my own body. Adding the Mualer's own designed DNA to my own, I feel the muscles on this body bulge, and I see the floor shrink as my height increases. As my skin turns blue, I overlay that color by changing the pigment back to pale white.
'A fine army to defeat the Guardians. Wouldn't you agree, Flara?'
{Indeed. But Apricot, why do this?}
'It's simple, I wish to gain Viltrumite blood.' I say in my mind, as all of us begin to slowly spin and enter the Kamui Dimension.
------------------------------------
Back in the Teen Team base, the rest of the team decided to rest for the night. Rex was the first to leave, mainly due to the beating he took earlier from the wolves. While I wasn't focused, Kaleb decided to continue flirting with Eve. I don't blame him.
She may be one of the last pieces of the puzzle after all.
Feeling the soft couch under us, I place my focus back onto him. I seamlessly begin to look through his eyes and remember what we were talking about.
'Alright, we're going to a burger place on Friday. She really loves science, and talking about how different atoms actually look compared to what the textbooks say they do.'
She looks at me with a subtle smile. "And then don't get me started on mercury. You have no idea how much I get asked about it in class."
I rested my arm on the couch behind Eve. Letting it wait for the perfect moment to strike. "It's been a while since I've gone to school, is it still overly dramatic and a waste of time?"
Eve unconsciously moves closer. "Well, kinda. It is nice hanging out with friends, but it can get super tedious. And Drama is drama."
Slightly chuckling to myself, I shake my head ever so slightly. "I imagined as much. Sort of glad I'll just be getting my GED."
Looking somewhat confused, she looks me worryingly in the eyes. "Are you not going to graduate?"
I look away, trying to look embarrassed. For good measure, I reden my cheeks manually. "Well, after I got bought by the GDA, I haven't had the chance to go to school."
Moving in closer, she leans on my shoulder. "Well, maybe you could go try and go to my school."
With her in the strike zone, I attack. My arm slowly wraps around her shoulder. "That would be nice. Probably better than running around the city all day looking for a fight."
Somewhat surprised by my arm, she continues to look me in the eyes, not fighting it. Almost welcoming me.
Our faces grow closer. To the point where I can feel her breath.
She puts her hand on my chest and slightly pushes herself away. Turning her head, with a large blush covering her face, I can hear her heart beating through her hand. "I think it's time… to go to bed." She speaks with a hitch in her breath, as my arm lowered to around her waist.
"I think you may be right," I say, letting go of her waist and standing. I give her my hand for her to grab.
She takes my hand and pulls herself up.
With a comforting squeeze, I release it. We walked to my room, slowly.
"This is it for me," I say, opening my room.
"Yeah… I'll see you later." She said, slowly backing away.
"Yeah." We just stare at each other for a minute before she walks up and kisses me on the lips. It was a soft and quick kiss, portraying her innocence.
I give her a knowing smile as she disconnects and walks away, trying to avoid eye contact from embarrassment.
"Good night," I say to no one in particular, knowing she heard me. I enter my room for the night.
'Well, that was an interesting day.'
With my perception of time being almost completely thrown out the window due to my ability to localize my time zones, I find it almost hard to believe it has been a single day for this body.
Might as well give this body some rest. I am in this for the long haul after all.
Moving my focus to Apricot, I begin to prep my Wolfgang for this week's exploits.
--------------------------------
Samantha flies through the night sky, trying to remove her embarrassment from her head.
'Ugh! I can't believe I kissed him! I just met him and I don't even know his real name!'
She slowly descends, changing her clothing from her superhero outfit to her normal clothing. A pair of jeans and a pink blouse, which accentuated her figure. But nowadays, that's not hard to do.
She walks in the back door, silently thanking god that her parents are asleep. Sneaking to her room, she opens and closes the door, only to rest her back on it and slowly fall to the ground.
Sitting on her beige carpet, she puts her head to the door. "He doesn't think I'm a whore does he?"
Letting her insecurities run rampant, Eve finds herself toiling in her head. Loudly sighing, she gets up and walks over to the bed, falling face-first into it.
Not wanting to get out of bed, she turns her clothing into pajamas and passes out. Her heart aching.
--------------------------------------
The next morning, a couple arrived at a resort in the Bahamas. What was odd was that this family didn't arrive by plane. The man had picked them up and flown them himself, by lifting them up and taking flight.
Defying gravity and moving the space at his will. Today marked the one week of the year when Omni-Man takes a long vacation. And why?
"The Bahamas? Oh, Nolan. You always seem to know where I want to go." Spoke a woman of Korean descent. She was middle-aged and quiet but beautiful for her age. Her black hair and her mother-like figure complemented her brown eyes. Dressed in a blue floral shirt and white pants.
"Of course, Debbie. I always make sure our anniversary is done right." The man had a tall and muscular figure, black hair that was starting to grey at the sides, and was completed with his mustache. He wore a red Hawaiian shirt and beige shorts.
Speaking with his low and masculine voice, Nolan looks at Debbie. "I'll go grab our luggage if you can check into our room. I had it prepaid for."
"Of course." She said with a small nod and walked towards the resort's entrance.
He softly lifts off before rocketing through the air.
Making it to his empty home, with his son at school, he quickly puts on his hero suit and launches back into the sky.
Leaving the atmosphere and then the orbit of the Earth in mere seconds, he lands on the dark side of the moon.
Nolan stood as a towering figure clad in red and white, his square jaw and stern blue eyes radiating unwavering authority. With a thick mustache and arms crossed like stone, he stares ahead, not as a guardian, but as a force to be reckoned with.
Meeting a man of dark skin, waiting for him.
Broad-shouldered and battle-tested, he stands in sleek white skin-tight fabric with muted grey accents. His bald head and sharp gaze reflect discipline, while his grounded stance and stern expression warn of strength earned and never wasted. Baring a mustache of equal proportions.
The man in white holds out a small disk before crushing it. Creating a small air bubble for the two to speak.
"I must apologize for pulling you away from your duties, Nolan. But an urgent matter has come up."
"Then out with it, Lucan."
"We have reports of a creature known as Battle Beast, making his way to this segment of the galaxy. If you find him, kill him. He is a formidable foe for the animal he is."
"I was pulled away from my duties for this?" Nolan said irritated.
"Indeed. This comes from General Kregg, so keep it in mind."
"Very well." With that, Lucan rocketed off, becoming a distant speck.
With a sigh, Nolan leaves the bubble as it dissipates into nothing, heading to his home to actually grab the luggage and change.
"If I see that rodent while on my vacation, I'll skin it alive." He says while picking up and hauling his stuff through the air.
-----------------------------------
As the sun rises, I look over the horizon. Seeing the sun shine over the city, cars move by, and people walk the streets. I'm standing on the building that Eve and I went to the other day.
My plan is ready to execute. The real question is whether or not Omni-Man shows up. If he doesn't, then I still make a name for myself. Perhaps, I'll even have Apricot make an Appearance.
I haven't seen Eve all day. But if I had to guess, that's due to it being Monday.
'Thinking about last night, I wonder if I should have placed flood cells on her. In the moment, I backed off. Her ability is strange. Who knows if it will remake her entire body if she becomes a Flood vessel?
My best option is to directly introduce my cells to her in a way that she would accept them. I'll have to ask how she handles illnesses at one point.'
Seeing as a bird passes by, I extend a hand and shoot out a tendril like a whip and snag the pigeon. Reeling in the bird, I look at it as my Flood Super Cells covertly overwrite its DNA and turn it into a drone.
Letting go of the bird, I have it fly off to a secluded area. There, out of the swirl, another Fallen Angel duplicate walks out, this time a woman. With her wings, I change the pigment to white, and have feathers leaking out from all over her naked body.
I transform her arms into those of a bird, and her hands into claws. For good measure, I have smaller wings sprouting from her forearms.
Her legs were also turned into bird-like replacements, with their own claws, and wings on her calves.
She looks like a veritable Harpy.
'Let's just call her Harpy.'
My impromptu villain of the day.
She'll 'control' birds and fight with the city's pigeons, ones I make from duplication and whatever bird my drones find.
'I'll just let her run rampant. Don't honestly care enough to deal with her. She'll get caught by the GDA and sent to some prison somewhere. A breeding ground for disease.'
I make my way to the local café to grab a bagel and coffee. She'll be 'birding-about' around the time Eve gets out of school.
'As for me? I'll be heading to the GDA building. In a nutshell, I'll conveniently be attending school again.
School can be a chore, but with my ability to shunt off tasks, it'll be a breeze. Plus, I'll get more time with Eve. The cherry on top is Mark Grayson. Viltrumite without his powers, and potentially easy pickings.
And, since I'm pretty much the GDA's community work project, they want their high-ups to see that I am becoming a 'proper' citizen as well as a hero.'
From what I've been told, my schooling will be starting next week. The second week of classes since summer.
I've pretty much confirmed the placement of my reincarnation as well. I am a year and a half before the start of the series. And if I'm not wrong, I should have taken Rex's presence on Eve's love life.
It was surprisingly easy. Though if I had to guess why, I'd say my Logic Plague is a passive ability.
Taking a stroll down the street, I send a message to Eve. I just asked if she was in class. To be honest, texting was never my strong suit. I wonder if the Logic Plague can go through text. It should.
Putting my phone away, I sat at a bench in a local park. Pulling out my delicious bagel, I expertly spread cream cheese on one flat side.
Now that I think about it, if I slow down time in the Kamui Dimension, wouldn't that allow me to speed up my perception of this dimension?
With a thought, I slow down the speed of time in the Kamui Dimension and focus on myself living in a cabin in the woods, then back to me in the park.
I spent one minute in Kamui, checking my phone, ten minutes have passed here. Dialing the speed in Kamui down even farther, I let my Kaleb persona go on autopilot and focus on Kamui. After a minute, an hour passes, and I refocus on Kaleb.
'Neat.'
Now I am staring down the local GDA building.
It stood with the rigid symmetry you'd expect from a government building. Pale stone and steel, with tall, narrow windows placed in a neat order.
Walking up the broad stone steps that led up to heavy double doors, I open the doors and enter the building.
The lobby was vast, floored in polished marble, and fluorescent lights buzzed from above. A lot of men and women wearing suits. The air smelled of paper and ink.
I go up to the receptionist and ask to see Agent Tim. After typing, she tells me to head over to the left elevator and go to level three.
Doing as she said, I entered the elevator and silently waited for the elevator to rise. It didn't play any music.
Realizing I didn't have to sit through this, I unfocused on Kaleb and looked over to see Apricot using various werewolves to commit crimes in New York. My self who lives in a cabin, is picking some apples he grew.
Andromeda is interesting. While the planets are completely covered in Flood biomass, the space in between them is beginning to be filled with Coral. About 30% of the galaxy's empty space is covered by Coral.
Focusing back on Kaleb, I see that I am in front of Agent Tim's office. Ah, yes, my perception of time equalizes when I watch everything.
I knock on the door. "Agent Tim? It's me, Kaleb."
"Come in." I hear from the other side of the door. Though it has only been a day here, I haven't heard his voice in a while. It was somewhat nice to hear it.
Opening the office door, I am met with grey walls and a standard white office desk. What surprised me was that there was someone else here besides Agent Tim.
Looking at Tim, I give a nod. "Could you introduce me to your friend, Agent Tim?"
Before Tim could speak, the man in a blue suit talked first. He was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed.
"The name is Westend Tucker, but I go by Agent Tucker." He moves away from the wall and extends his hand. "I am in charge of the US GDA community program, the one that sent you to join the Teen Team."
I shake his hand when a thought occurs.
--------------------------------------------------------
I speed up the time flow in the Kamui Dimension to an absurd level and focus on my gardener.
Looking out at the calm forests, I stand in my garden of vegetables. In this world, I've been tending this garden for years. When I slept last night, I chilled here for a few days. With the large intake of knowledge, I had expected a headache or some kind of pain. But I was met with nothing but knowledge, like I was remembering something I did a while back.
This was the first place that came to mind when I needed to find somewhere to think.
'If I infect Tucker, would the GDA know?' This thought ran through my mind over and over again, but when it did, another question formed.
'Would the GDA knowing even matter at this point? I could simply just take over the world, then nab Nolan and Mark with the Atmosphere. I would think that Eve wouldn't be able to stop the oncoming infection around her, since she couldn't even defeat Nolan or Mark in the show.
I mean, if she couldn't overcome the mental block watching her friends die, then surely she wouldn't be able to here, right?'
But when that came up, something stirred within me.
'If I did that, would I lose my humanity?
Was this an inevitability? Am I always destined to be a being whose only purpose in life is to consume?'
Thinking back to what I did to the Andromeda Galaxy, I couldn't help but shudder somewhat.
It was a dead galaxy, all prospects of change buried under infinite waves of my flesh, yet when I introduced the Coral, something was different.
'Myself in the Andromeda Galaxy, has been communicating with the almost uncountable sentient Coral waves. I consumed the little flesh they had, yet I am no closer to completely corrupting them. Minds that welcomed the idea of becoming one with me, of sating my hunger.
Yet, I feel no hunger. I felt no satisfaction; it was almost as if my mind was resisting it. Like something refused to let me indulge.'
Walking up to my hand-made, log cabin, I touch the rough wood exterior.
It took me an entire day to figure out how to cut down a tree properly, and it took weeks to finish the place. I made a tent with my Kamui abilities and used that until I was done.
The cabin I built was fairly basic. Opening the door, I looked around. It had two rooms. The main room held a basic woodstove kitchen, table, and basic fire pit.
The firepit and table were easy enough to make, just had to figure out how to do basic wood carving. And built myself a stone chimney. The stove had to be made out of cast iron, though, and that took a few tries. I had to remake that thing at least a hundred times.
The room itself held two other doors, besides the entrance. The door to my right led to my bedroom.
I made the bedroom fairly large, and the bed was made from sewing together cloth and using duck feathers. I had to learn how to hunt ducks. The whole process of making this king-sized bed took two weeks of straight duck hunting.
The comfort it provided was well worth it.
I added a basic desk and a simple dresser. I was still trying to figure out how to make clothing, so I've been dressed in stuff made from Kamui. Black camping boots, Brown trousers, and a green wool shirt. I had winter clothing and thin summer clothing. All basic, at least until I figured out how to make it myself.
I found myself tending to the garden most of the time here. The garden I made was rustic at best. A fair amount of vegetables, and some fruit trees in the back, mainly apples.
I would spend a lot of time in the main room as well. Trying to carve wood or figuring out how to assemble something.
Looking around the simple building, it put my heart at ease. In my past life, I was pretty much a corporate drone. I had dreams of adventure as a boy, and they persisted into college. But by the time I graduated, I gave in and put them aside.
I worked and worked until I gave up.
I became bitter and angry. I would escape by reading stories, playing video games, and having flings with women at bars.
At one point, I stopped caring.
Somehow, I ended up sleeping with my boss's daughter. We were around the same age and talked at the office Christmas party. We both got drunk, and I woke up at her place.
It was a fun night, but her father found out. I got fired. I was pissed.
I found myself secluding myself and relying on the severance package and my savings for months.
That's when I got the message to join this… Experiment. When I became the Gravemind.
'Now that I think about it, how did I become the Gravemind? The machine god herself talked as if my becoming the Gravemind was unexpected. Why did she address me as Gravemind?
Why have I been calling myself the—'
Something falls over in the other room.
'Wait. A second door? I don't remember making that?'
Slowly walking towards the door, I feel a sweat begin to drip down my brow. Inching closer to the mysterious door, something else falls over inside the room. It sounded bigger, heavier.
Grabbing the knob, my hand visibly pulsed with my heartbeat.
It doesn't budge, it refuses to open. Even using all of my strength, it doesn't even move. Taking a step back, I realize the door isn't made out of wood.
It's textured like wood, looks like wood, and smells like wood, but it simply isn't wood. I felt a connection to the door; it was as if it was calling me.
Stepping forward once more, felt the wood of the door. As the course texture of the wood met my hand, it became warmer.
Not from the warmth of my hand, but… it felt as if the wood had its own warmth. The odd wood became moist, almost flesh-like in touch.
My fingers slowly began to sink into the door. As I was enveloped by the known, yet familiar warmth, I felt my temperature begin to rise.
The heat gradually rose as I sank fully into the door. My skin melded with the humid and muscle surroundings. The thick smell of meat made my mind hazy, like a fog had rolled over my thoughts.
H̯̬͛̍̎o̬̰͗͐̎l̩̘͒̀͝d̪̦̒̀͗ ̬̯̎͋̕t̬̝̔͐͠h̥͓̾́͠e̬̰̓̈́͑ ̖̘́̋͐ẃ̫̝͛̅h̛̗͇̓̈́ḯ̥̩̽͝s̖̩̓̾͐p̝̜͒̎̚è̗̙̕͝r̘̠̐̄̏e̞̠̾͘͝d̼̼̐͐̈́ ̦̰̅̕͝w̤̯̍̄͗o̰̠̒͌͝r̮̞̀̅͒ḏ̯̐̐͘s̞̯̈́̓̀ ̙̫́̕͠t̝̖̎̾̒h̫͙̿͘͘e̬̮̔͑̀y̝̘̾̀̕ ̰̮͛͝͝u̗̬̽̇̎ẗ̬̥́̏̑t̟̯͛̎͒e̞̤͗̒̚r̠̞̓̔͝e̞̫͛͗̚ḏ̟̎̍͒,̼̯̅̿̈́ ̖̥̔͋͝h̼͇̎́̕ÿ̟̰́̅̔m̟̠̐͒́n̤̪͌̕͝s̗͙̓͛̈́ ̥̫̒͑̿w̖̰͗̈́̿e̛̦̰͌͌ ̞͔̽͋͘c̰̟̈́͒̿a̗̬̍́͌p̛̟̝͌̿t̞̯̓̽̀u̟̪̓̅̔r̥̗̋̇̓e̛̞̫̐̐d̼̯͛̚͠ ̰̟̇͐͑f̖̙̐͋̓r̥͇̈́̈́̒o̙̫̍͗̚m̬̪̄͂͝ ̠͓̒́͘t̘̞͛̇͌h̖̪̅̿̿e̻̖̓͛͘ ̞͍̔̓͝n̻͇̐̎͌í̠̟̈́͋g̞̝͂̍͑h̠̫̋̍͘t̞̠̍́̀;̞͉̓̓̈́
G̖̘̈́͑̚ȗ̘̘͘̕ä̝̥́͘͘r̼͖͂̈́͝d̝̠̀̕̕ ̰͇̓͛̿t̠̦̀͂͋h̻̩̄̓͝e̠̟̾̇̽ ̥̝̍̈́͝c̞͍̐̔̐h̟͎̅͐̽ö̮̰́̈́̅r̬͍̐̕͝ù̬̟̋̐ś̤̘̎̒ ̫͓̅̿͝s̛̠̝̓͠ơ̦̜̔̐f̼͔̓͌̍t̤͍̏́̿l̤͍̅̈́̋y̻̮̍͑̀ ̪͚̾̎̿g̯̠͌̀̚ā̳̝̈́͝t̰̫̋̅̎ḧ̩̪́͑͐e̥͚̽̎̈́r̗̙͂̋̈́ē̞̖͠͠d̤̟̒̀̿,̥̞͑̚͘ ̦̮̍͂͘e̛̼̰͋̚c̳̤̄̔̔h̛̳̤̔͒o̘̼͋͝͝e̻̫͒̐̓s̱̩̀̾̒ ̗͓̓͗͝c̖̯͋͑͐l̞̪̓̀̄ó̝̗̈́̔a̤̗̅͘̚k̝̤̿̓͘é̛̟͕̓d̦̬͂́͑ ̫̫̓̾̎i̫̖͋̅͛n̟̰̐̾̚ ̫̫͑́̕d̳̟͂̐̔i̟̩̽̀̀m̛̰̖̓̕m̟̝̑͗̍i̼͓͗͒͝n̗̬̓͘͠ḡ͛̅ lȉ̙͕͘͘g̥̱͂̾̀h̫̰̽́͝t̘̟̋̓̏.̤̝͂͌̇
H̫̗͐̓͗e̗̙̔̐̓a̦̯̓́͋r̼̖̅̚̕ ̻͕͋̿̅m̼̙̈́̚͝y̠̠̿̈́͋ ̗̜̿̚̚v̘͍́̈́̏o̼͕͌̓̾i̬̖̾͒̚c̛̗̫͛͒e̝̬̒̀̅—̛̰̦̽̚o̠̫̐̏̐u̱̙͂̐̿r̠̰̿̐͌ ̞̟̐̕͝ś̠̞͌͠o̗̟̓́͘n̛̦̮͑͠ǵ̥̦̓̽s̝̘̅̅̑ ̖̖́̔͝ä̟̤́͘͝w̙̰͑́̕a̩̮͘͘̚k̫̰̐̀͠e̬͓͒͛͠n̘̦̔́̚e̱̯̿͘̕d̩͇̔́͂,̠̼͌̅͌ ̫̜̑̋͝u̻̥̎̒͘n̻̞̎̽̍b̘̖͌̓̀o̪̮͌̓̔u̮̞͂̿͘n̬̤̋̔̐ḏ̛͔̒̈́ ̫̝̎̍͝n̻̗̈́̅̓o̝̫͗̈́͘ẅ̯̦́̓̏ ̟̪̒̿͋i̤̖͐́́n̻̙̑̿͝ ̛̯̙͂͋f̗͇̋̐͘u̮̬͋̎̕l̛̻͎̅͝l̗̰̄̔̔e̛̫͇̕͠s̞̠͑̈́́t̟̮̅̿͐ ̖͓̓͗͝m̞̩͌̈́̀i̫̯̿̓͝g̠͙̐̕͘h̥̘̐̽͐t̘̦̽̾̈́.
Blinking my eyes, I was sitting at the table. Quickly turning my head to the door. And it was gone, no evidence of its existence. I could still feel the wet warmth around me.
'Those words… they came from me without my consent. I didn't speak to them, yet I did. Hymns? Chorus? That speech pattern, it sounded familiar.'
I felt bile rise up my throat, I rushed out of the cabin, and hurled onto my tomatoes.
I dry heaved as I spit up, a clear liquid. Almost as if my body refused to let go of more. I felt all of their memoirs at once.
I remembered every memory that the Maulers lived. Watching my brothers die, and feeling the pain of losing myself, not knowing if I was real or not.
All of his genius, his engineering, gene editing, and study on consciousness.
Placing a hand onto the cold dirt underneath me, and shakily forcing myself to stand.
"That was the Gravemind, wasn't it. The real Gravemind. I've only assimilated 33 creatures; this last one was forced on me, by the fucking Gravemind."
Looking back at my poor tomatoes, I will away the vomit.
"Guard the chorus, eh? Is he talking about the Coral or what he collected? Guessing the Coral, because I certainly don't have his memories.
I can feel that my ocean of thought has changed again, gaining winds carrying the sounds of waves. Voices of the consumed."
Bringing my hand to the sky, I snap. The cabin I had spent months on disappeared into nothingness.
My garden, my bed, my stove, my home… gone.
"I can't keep retreating here, living a fantasy. I can't ignore this anymore.
I can not ignore what I have become. I must know… Am I me? Or am I the Gravemind?
And the only way to do that is to consume more consciousness."
Sitting down where my cabin once stood, I cross my legs and close my eyes. Meditating with this body, trying to think of a solution, I change my focus to Kaleb, with his hand still gripped on an agent's.
---------------------------------------
With newfound purpose, I have the skin cells on my hand stick to his and slip into his blood using Kamui. Entering his brain, I have my cells mimic those of cells that have been infected by the common cold.
They mutate themselves, releasing viruses filled with Flood Super Cell DNA.
Releasing his hand from the short handshake, I look back at Tim, as if nothing happened.
"So, I'm going to school?" I say as I take a seat in the slightly comfy office chair.
Tim nodded. "Yes, the one in charge of our community program decided that even though you are close to being an adult, you should still finish your education."
Tucker nods his head to this. "Indeed. What he says is true. But that is not all. The head of my department also found you to be interesting."
I feel a confused look spread over my face. "Head of the department?"
"Yup, Mr. Ferguson himself found your first outing with the Teen Team very impressive. So impressive that if you continue your hero work, the GDA will fund any college or university you go to."
This time, Tim gained a confused look before quickly driving it away. "That is a very generous offer. Kaleb, I would take my time considering it."
I simply nod.
Tim pulls out a piece of paper and reads from it. "Now, regarding your schooling. We have decided to place you at Reginald Vel Johnson High School, where you will have anonymity from your active work area. You should be able to test out of classes if you wish."
Putting away the paper, Tim smiles at me. "That was everything we had to discuss today. Do you have any questions?"
I shake my head, answering no.
"Then you are good to leave. I'll show you the way out." Oddly, Tim gets up and opens the door for me. As we walk down the halls and make it to the elevator, I can see Agent Tucker glaring at Agent Tim.
The elevator ride was slow. Painfully so.
After a few minutes, he walks me outside.
Taking off his glasses, he looks at me with his bright green eyes. "Look, kid, the GDA has their eyes on you. Be careful with how you handle them. Don't let them control you."
He quickly puts on his glasses and walks back into the building without looking back.
Walking away from that whole scenario, I feel the Flood Cells in Tucker. Without anyone noticing, he became my mole in the GDA.
Reading his memories with unnerving ease, I even know that the main headquarters has a full-body scanner to get in and out of the main control rooms. The rooms, which Tucker does not have access to.
Meaning, I won't be spreading there until I am ready, until I have Eve.