Author's Preface
The Cambodian Incident of late 3 B.I. is even now, a hundred years after the events, the star of every conspiracy chatroom.
No further details are known, and the various governments involved routinely extend the timeline until the related files will be opened to the public.
— Excerpt from True Conspiracies*, web post, 97 P.I.*
Fuckit checked his options. He was only armed with a combat knife, which would do nothing against a Batract Hyphae.
'We need to move quickly if we want to rescue Major Gerber. There are at least two guards and a MedTech in his cell.'
Maybe he could get something flammable. Kill it with fire was always an option.
'You hack the keypad, and I will storm in. Ordinary gunfire will harm this body, but nothing I can't fix.'
Or he could try to lock the creature in again. Freezing would also help.
'Tech FuckItImOut? Can you hear me?'
"What?"
'We need to move. Urgency might be advised.'
The puppet-like movements of the Batract Hyphae made Fuckit freeze in shock.
Generations of fear and hate welled up in him. He wanted to run and hide, and at the same time he wanted to attack, pull out the dead meat, and burn it.
The Hyphae moved closer and, in odd, sudden movements, petted Fuckit.
Then it passed him and walked down the hallway.
Fuckit was glad he managed not to wet himself.
'Tech FuckItImOut, move. Major Gerber's wellbeing rests on our combined abilities.'
Fuckit blinked… Gerber. Yes. Did that undead bastard just pet me?
He moved, swearing to himself he'd take a sterilizing shower for a month.
Defector — Fuckit remembered that's what the… Thing had called itself — stood in front of a door.
It looked through the glass window. Fuckit couldn't see anything; the window frame was too high, and nothing on the planet could convince him to jump on Defector's shoulders.
'We are almost too late. They are preparing to start the procedure.'
Like before at Defector's cell, Fuckit jumped up to the biometric lock, anchoring himself by holding on to the rim of the console.
This time he cracked the lock in a few seconds, since it was the same type and he still had the exploits ready.
He had never seen a Batract Hyphae fight hand to hand, so he wasn't sure what to expect.
Losing all his odd, measured movements, Defector jumped inside the cell.
With one smooth move, he snapped the closest guard's neck.
Shocked, the other guard managed only to fire two shots, both passing through the dead lizard's body before he reached him.
This time Defector didn't stop at breaking necks. In a move out of a horror movie, Defector punched his claw through the man's chest.
The guard stared in shock at the claw inside his chest. As he opened his mouth, only a gurgling noise came out.
Bracing his other claw against the guard's chest, Defector pulled his right claw free.
The guard collapsed, blood seeping out of his mouth.
Then the Batract pointed the still-dripping claw at the MedTech.
'Remove Major Gerber's restraints and do not resist. I would prefer not to harm you.'
White-faced, the MedTech nodded and began to unbind the restrained and gagged Major.
Gerber spat out the leather gag and punched the MedTech with his already loose hand.
"You want to cut my head open, you bastard?"
He struggled to remove his leg restraints.
Defector ripped the leather bindings off the medical bed Gerber was strapped to.
The Major tried to stand up, but stumbled.
'Major, you have been drugged. Be careful.'
After kicking the collapsed MedTech in the head, Gerber looked, confused, at Fuckit.
"You should be back on the surface—" and then to Defector, "—and you should be dead."
Fuckit couldn't believe Gerber. He had rescued the man, and that's all he got for a thanks?
"You're welcome. I love you too."
The Major wobbled as he tried to walk over to the guard with the broken neck.
"Yeah, yeah. Fuck, what did they inject me with?"
'Usually, operations like the one planned include injections of adrenaline, amphetamine sulfate, and a small dose of lysergic acid diethylamide.'
Gerber stared into empty space for a second.
"Huh?"
'Adrenaline, speed, and LSD.'
"Oh."
The Major stared into empty space again, then proceeded to undress the dead guard. Throwing his hospital gown to the side, Gerber pulled on the guard's uniform.
After another look at Defector, he turned, conspiratorial, to Fuckit.
"Is he really here?"
"Yes, and we should move. It's a miracle no one has sounded the alarm yet."
'Alarms are active, but they are due to possible intruders at the ramp entry. I also openly attacked a few guards outside the main compound with my spiders as a distraction.'
"You've grown spiders?"
The Major's last words were surprisingly lucid, the shock cutting through the fog of drugs.
'Only to help my escape. This whole research station was built to research spawn production and Hyphae biotech. I sabotaged their research as well as my abilities allowed. But it might be in vain, since another Batract Hyphae drone joined the Oligarchs and uncovered my deception.'
Fuckit swallowed. The Oligarchs played with Hyphae spawn. The dangers…
"Morons, are they willing to risk an oxygenation event?"
Even drugged, Gerber was able to name the biggest danger.
'They believe they will find a way around it.'
Gerber checked the medicine cart the MedTech had brought with him.
Fuckit, still in the hallway, looked around. Far in the distance he heard faint footsteps.
"Erm, guys?"
Gerber threw medical equipment out of the cart until he found what he was looking for: a medical band.
"Got it!" With a quick movement he pulled the band around his arm and activated it.
The band began to test his blood and inject searcher xenobots. Quickly registering the drugs in his system, it started countermeasures.
"Ahh, better."
He grabbed the guards' guns and ammo packs.
Fuckit heard the footsteps getting closer, and more numerous.
"Guys? We're getting visitors!"
Gerber turned to Defector.
"How do we get out? I guess Eleri is covering us from somewhere?"
Before Defector could answer, Fuckit interjected, trying to soften the blow of Eleri's injuries.
"Eleri got hit, but she's safe and stable now."
'Lieutenant Davies's status is monitored by a spider. She is the safest member of our team at the moment.'
Fuckit cursed the two bubbleheads who had to talk, and looked around. The hallway was separated into segments, each with bio and fire-hazard doors that could drop in case of emergency.
Next to the door was a junction box. Maybe he could do some tech magic with it.
Opening the box, he immediately saw it was connected to the base's alarm system.
"Jackpot. "
The system was a standard Asmir Arms mesh alarm system, barely an inconvenience for next-gen AIN electronic warfare tools. Even less for a Glider who could interact directly with the controlling VI.
He dropped the five doors between them and the guards, then created phantom alarms all throughout the base. Lastly, a nasty little virus to slowly drive the VI insane.
Serves you right for mounting your network junction boxes out in the open…
"When you guys are finished braiding your hair, we need to get the hell out of here!"
Gerber glanced at Defector, then answered Fuckit.
"Defector here just explained we can climb up next to the pipes. His 'spiders'" — the Major emphasized the word to show his displeasure — "have thrown down some climbing ropes."
'The Major is correct. I also monitor the area through my spore sensors.'
Unfamiliar with the term, Fuckit asked Gerber.
"His what?"
Showing even more displeasure, the Major explained.
"Hyphae are capable of sporing. Those spores then create small, almost invisible biological surveillance extensions of the Hyphae."
Fuckit remembered the event at the reclamation baths.
'We need to move. Two of my spiders are already disabled, and I can only regrow them slowly.'
Gerber stopped on his way out of the cell, his head dark red with anger.
"Stop spawning."
'We need them, Major. Trust me.'
Surprising himself, Fuckit jumped on Gerber's shoulder.
"He's okay. Without him you would be a vegetable, and Eleri and I would be dead."
Gerber turned to walk out the door.
"Where's the exit?"
'Left. 150 meters straight ahead, then the first door marked Maintenance.'
Gerber didn't even wait for Defector to follow them.
Fuckit concluded the two knew each other and had history, but decided against asking.
The Major was rarely hostile, but the spawning issue had rattled him. Fuckit assumed it had something to do with the events on the Argos . The reports he could get his hands on spoke of a spawn infestation.
They quickly arrived at the maintenance room. Defector passed them and went over to the workbench.
'We can use the plasma cutter to open an exit. Major, if you would be so kind — my species has a dislike of fire.'
The Major took the plasma cutter and began cutting an opening.
"While we're here, how did the Oligarchs get you? I've read a report that you died on a transport to a lunar facility."
'That report must be fraudulent. I was scheduled for transport, but before departure, AIN officers brought me here. In the following weeks, my captors tried to convince me to join their cause. Their leader, a person codenamed Oracle, apparently had connections reaching into the highest echelons.'
Gerber had cut almost half of the opening while listening to Defector.
"So you joined them?"
'Only in order to deceive them. My conviction did not change with my awakening, contrary to what Master IronBallz predicted.'
"Your conviction?"
'My conviction that the Hyphae is on the wrong path. We have to accept our past as a destructive power — a weapon — and learn to live with the knowledge that we were made. We cannot gain acceptance through dominance. We must accept ourselves first.'
The conversation ended when a large piece of the metal wall got kicked out by Gerber.
"Way's free. Let's get out of here."
As promised, they quickly found two lines leading up the cave wall, complete with climbing gear.
'The maintenance workers used them to mount the large overhead lamps in the main chamber.'
Gerber and Defector put on the climbing gear and used the quick-roll ascenders to slowly drag themselves up.
Fuckit simply climbed the rope. For a lifeform used to climbing trees, the easy-to-grip rope was almost a luxury.
Gerber continued his questions between pulls.
"Any idea what the cave is?"
'Yes, Major. And so do you. You are just not prepared to face the truth.'
Gerber stayed silent for a few pulls.
"A queen's chamber?"
'Is that what you call it? Well, it is almost fitting. Yes, it is the central hub the Protohyphae build to terraform a planet.'
The shock of realization almost made Fuckit lose his grip.
"Terraform?"
Defector answered Fuckit in the same emotionless voice one would use to order coffee.
'Yes, Tech FuckItImOut. Earth was terraformed. The Protohyphae exterminated the biosphere on this planet 2.46 billion years ago and planted a new one, leading to humanity's evolution. Who sent the Hyphae, or for what reason, I cannot answer.'
The worms…
"So when you said the worms—"
'Yes. They are the last of the old biosphere. Probably the rarest lifeform in the universe.'
Gerber had been suspiciously silent, but his pulls came slower. Fuckit had known Gerber long enough to know his thoughts must be racing.
"If Earth was terraformed, our species must be of value to the hidden master behind the Protohyphae."
Fuckit had to confess he hadn't even thought about the implications behind it.
'Possible. The Hyphae has no memory of anything before the Batract war. The devastation of that war eradicated most of our collective knowledge. The Batract were an exceptionally dangerous enemy, skilled in genetic warfare.'
Fuckit knew all about it. His species was built, or rebuilt, by the Batract.
Dead or alive, what those lizards had done to his species…
"How can you be sure Earth was terraformed?"
Gerber's question made Fuckit whince.
Right. If the Hyphae lost their memory, how does he know?
'Your geological history, plus the fact that this cave exists. It is clearly Protohyphae-built. The walls are saturated with Amphilizit, a mineral only the Protohyphae can produce at this purity.'
"Stop. What's Amphilizit?"
'The Protohyphae version of chitin.'
They had reached the rim. Fuckit could hear a firefight and people screaming in agony far away.
"What's that?"
'My spiders attacking the guards on the far side of the complex. I was under the impression a diversion was in order.'
Gerber cut the tent's fabric while answering Defector.
"Good thinking, and — stop spawning!"
'Without spawning, the diversion is impossible.'
Fuckit felt Gerber's pain when he saw the Human rub his temple.
Either trust a Hyphae constantly spawning new spiders, or deal with hordes of guards…
"We'll talk about this later. Get me to Eleri."
Defector just walked off into the twilight of the upper cave.
'Follow me.'
They walked at a steady pace, Fuckit riding on Gerber's shoulder.
After about ten minutes, they reached the biomatter baths. Gerber's face couldn't hide the disgust when he saw how the Oligarchs treated their dead.
Fuckit did his best to look away altogether.
'They create usable biomatter here for their experiments.'
"Disgusting."
'If we were a single-body lifeform, we would unquestionably react the same. It must be a disgust similar to seeing what the Protohyphae does with evolved Hyphae.'
They followed the dark path back toward the hidden chamber when Gerber picked up on Defector's remark again.
"You see yourself as evolved?"
'Compared to the Protohyphae, yes. Once absorbed, every personality a unit has gained with its awakening dies. A death shared through the consciousness with all units around. There is nothing the Hyphae fears more than what you call the Protohyphae.'
"What do you call them?"
'Corrupted.'
Fuckit held back a laugh. The corrupters of life, accusing others of corruption.
The rest of the trek through the pitch black went on in silence. Fuckit was amazed that Gerber didn't stumble once — but then, Humans had much better night vision than Gliders, and Gerber had additional ocular implants.
When they reached the chamber, Gerber stared, like Fuckit before him, at the bright bioluminescent mass on the cave ceiling.
Then he drew his gun, aiming at the large spawn spider he'd just noticed.
Fuckit recognized it instantly by its coloring.
"That's Gladys. She's harmless — to us. I rode on her."
Gerber's arm actually shook a little. "You what? "
'Tech FuckItImOut has proven exceptionally brave in overcoming his personal fear when he used this unit to move unseen through the cave.'
The Major lowered his gun, but kept a close eye on Gladys.
'Lieutenant Davies is still unconscious. I will need to carry her.'
Fuckit grinned at how Eleri's name hit Gerber.
He stormed over to the place where she had been laid down and checked on her.
"Why is she naked?"
Fuckit was sure he heard a faint sharpness in the Major's voice.
'The guards assumed her dead. They undress the bodies before dumping them into the baths, as you have seen.'
"Yeah, that's where… I…"
'Where Tech FuckItImOut defended Lieutenant Davies's life by killing a guard.'
Gerber actually raised an eyebrow.
"Well done. Thank you."
Gerber stared at Eleri's mangled body, half covered in her own blood, the other half in massive bruises. If Fuckit hadn't known who she was, he'd have struggled to recognize her .
"So, how do we get out of here? The elevator will be heavily guarded."
'There is a wide ramp to the surface. It leads to a mine — that is how they found this place. We can steal a Humvee.'
"Good. So now we only need to get Eleri there."
'I will carry her. Down at the baths, Gladys has gathered some things for you.'
Fuckit noticed that Defector had suddenly used the spider's nickname.
Defector picked Eleri up; it surprised Fuckit how gentle the movement was, even taking care to support her spine where it was injured.
Checking her readouts on the medical band. Already Stable. Xenobots were designed to heal humans, and it showed They had to be adapted to work on Shraphen and Gliders, and were still less effective.
The proof was carried by Defector, on whose shoulder Fuckit now sat. Eleri had been dead, or as close as a Human could get.
Now, barely ten hours later, she was stable. Far from healed, but stable. The bots had simply closed her wounds and supported her organs until she could be treated in a medstation.
He had to reposition, since Defector's scales prevented a good grip — and that's when he caught himself.
Why the fuck am I on Defector's shoulder? Has the Hyphae convinced me it's friendly?
They were already in the dark passage, so he couldn't see Gerber to jump over to him.
Resigning himself to sitting on the moldy dead lizard's body, he swore he'd shave his fur if he ever spotted so much as one speck of mold in it.
When they were almost at the baths, they heard noises. The light was bright enough for Fuckit to see silhouettes already.
In front of them, Gerber readied his gun.
From down at the baths, they heard two guards arguing.
"Fucking Batract, I told ya they'll be trouble."
"At least they killed the arrogant one."
"Yeah, fucking spider spawn. Killed ten guys from Bravo Battalion."
"At least the eggheads have cracked the code. They'll ship out the specimen next transport, then we can leave this place."
"If they ship out, why are we dropping the dead here?"
"They need biomatter, lots of it. Oracle plans to raise an army, or so I heard."
"Fucking creepy, if you ask me."
"You're telling me. I'm gonna take a piss."
"Why don't ya pee in the bath?"
"I'm cold, but not cold enough to piss on my dead comrades."
Fuckit's pulse spiked. If the guard came their way to urinate, he might discover them.
Gerber signaled them to retreat.
Stepping back into the pitch black, they saw the guard relieving himself, silhouetted against the light of the biomatter baths.
"Has anyone ever explored these caves?"
From down at the baths, the other's answer was barely audible.
"Who cares? Hurry up, I want to go to lunch before my next shift starts."
"Just saying, maybe the hot dark-haired one that killed Widkoff crawled into them."
"Yeah, you go search for her. I'm going for lunch."
The guard closed his fly and went back down.
Fuckit dared to breathe for the first time in minutes.
After waiting a few minutes to make sure the guards had really left, they went down to the baths.
"That changes everything, if they've managed to replicate Hyphae spawn mechanics."
Defector tilted his head, a tic Fuckit had noticed a few times already.
'It means only that Interrogator, the other Hyphae unit, has deceived the scientists successfully. Spawn is Hyphae. They can awaken, they can think, and en masse, they will not follow Oracle's orders. It is a trap.'
"So? We already know we need to stop them."
'You do not. I do. I have already prepared a spider, hidden in the armory, ready to detonate the antimatter ammunition. This cave will not breed new spawn. Ever again.'
"Planned everything, did you?"
'Yes.'
Antimatter again… Remembering the devastation it had created on the surface, Fuckit shuddered.
"You're prepared to kill everyone down here?"
'Yes. They are willingly helping to kill everyone on Earth. No one has been forced to work here. Trust me, I checked.'
"Fuckit, we can't wait. It's the only solution. I don't like it either, but we can't risk the alternative."
'Before we continue, you might want this.'
Gladys returned from a hidden spot, guns and grenades in her front legs.
'I took your gun out of the armory. It has sentimental value, as far as I know.'
Almost caressing the Desert Eagle, Gerber took the gun and nodded.
"It does. Thank you."
Sometimes Fuckit thought he was the only one keeping track of time.
"Yeah, and for me you have a strand of hair, oh beautiful Galadriel. Can we go?"
Gerber, who had picked up the grenades, threw a glance at Fuckit.
"Drop the melodrama and launch the EM countermeasures on the VI."
Unpacking his tablet, Fuckit started his attack on the already corrupted VI at the main complex.
"And send a copy of the data to AIN Command."
"Yeah, yeah, I've done this before."
He was still angry about the casualties they would cause. But Gerber and Defector were right. It had to be done. And the people down here were the worst of the worst.
"Their outside communication is fried. I copied what I could to my data slate."
"Fine. Defector, where's the motor pool?"
Defector had put Eleri down and pointed westward. At least, Fuckit thought it was west.
'Five hundred meters in this direction. You cannot miss it. The ramp is under attack by outside forces, so prepare to encounter some guards when driving up. We now need to wake Lieutenant Davies.'
"Why?"
Gerber sounded confused.
Fuckit had a hint of an idea… Amphilizite.
'As Tech FuckItImOut has already suspected, Amphilizite blocks any kind of EM radiation. I cannot control my spiders from the surface. If I want the base destroyed, I need to stay.'
"That will kill you."
'If I want to prove my kind can act selflessly, can overcome its programming, this is my chance.'
Fuckit couldn't believe his ears.
'Gladys will stay with you, Tech FuckItImOut. She has grown accustomed to you, and she is about to awaken.'
Fuckit turned to the spawn spider, noticing a jar full of worms between her jaws.
"Are they…?"
'Yes. They deserve to survive.'
Gerber got angry.
"That's bullshit. I won't let you sacrifice yourself for some whacky reasons. Tell your spider to detonate on a timer."
'They will not listen. Do you not understand? They have a will.'
"Then we go down there and rig something up."
'And risk the enemy catching us, or discovering the detonator? No. There is no other way.'
With that, Defector woke Eleri via the medical band.
'Go. Now.'
Eleri's body spasmed, then she began to cough.
If Defector had planned to distract Gerber, his plan worked.
Kneeling down, Gerber pulled Eleri close.
"Easy, easy. You've been injured badly."
"Where… where am I—" Eleri touched her back, the point where the bullet had lodged in her spine "—and why am I naked?"
"Shh, shh. Here's a jumpsuit."
Defector had thought of everything, Fuckit had to grudgingly admit. Gladys had carried a worker's jumpsuit when she brought the weapons.
Gerber helped Eleri stand up. Gladys tried to be helpful and offered her back as a place to lean on.
"What is that?"
Eleri grabbed for her guns, catching only air, and tried to jump back.
Gerber caught her.
"It's… it's a friend, of sorts. Her name is Gladys. It's Fuckit's pet now, or something."
"It's spawn ."
'Yes, but it is friendly spawn.'
"Defector? What are you doing here? Fuck! What's happening?"
'You need to move, as do I. It was nice to see you again, Lieutenant Davies.'
Gerber swallowed his objections.
"Take care."
Defector only nodded, then turned and walked away.
Fuckit was torn inside. He didn't know what to feel. The Hyphae was the enemy. And here a Hyphae unit was willing to die for them, and for its… his convictions.
He jumped onto Gladys and, without noticing at first, began to pet her.
Eleri was regaining her battlefield composure and dressed herself, but not without constant suspicious glances at Gladys.
"Let's go."
Gerber gave the guards' guns to Eleri, who was still stumbling a bit.
Gladys sprinted off onto the cave walls with Fuckit on her back, staying in the shadows all the way to the motor pool.
That way, Eleri and Gerber weren't anything suspicious. Just a guard and a maintenance tech walking.
Every time they passed other guards, Fuckit watched from the shadows in fear.
The motor pool was, like the rest of the base, in total chaos.
Thanks to his implants, Gerber could still 'talk' to Fuckit.
"I'll grab something with an open bed. You and Gladys jump on when we pass you."
Hidden next to the ramp, Fuckit saw Gerber jump into a pickup, Eleri manning the mounted gun on the back.
Through the chaos, three guards noticed them stealing the pickup.
Eleri didn't wait for orders but opened fire on all three of them. Mowing them down, then she walked her fire down the line of remaining vehicles, aiming at the engines, fuel synthesizers, or tires.
After a few seconds, the motor pool was a flaming hell.
Gerber steered the pickup toward the ramp and Fuckit's hiding place.
"Jump, now!"
Fuckit had ordered Gladys without thinking, and was surprised the spider did as told.
Eleri was still visibly uncomfortable standing on the back of the pickup next to a spider the size of a dog.
For the first leg of the race up the ramp, nothing happened, and Fuckit was almost hopeful Defector had been wrong. That was until Eleri started firing at something in front of them.
Before Fuckit could look up, they had already passed the two pickups that had tried to form a roadblock. Gerber didn't even slow down, trusting the reinforced frame to withstand the impact.
'Take good care of her. She is what you would call… my child.'
Defector.
A last mental message before the rock would block any communication.
I will, you undead bastard. I will.
Looking at Gladys, Fuckit noticed the spider had morphed a bit. Almost as if in an attempt not to look so… horrifying.
Her legs had gotten shorter, her eyes bigger. Her fangs were less pronounced. She just looked frightening now. Not nightmare stuff.
They reached the mines, where the ramp narrowed into a smaller road. Gerber pushed the pickup to breakneck speed, undoubtedly to deny the guards preparation time.
Eleri started firing again. A group of guards had tried to ambush them.
Even on the back of a moving truck, her aim was exceptional.
Then the gun ran out of ammo.
As Eleri turned to grab a box, Gladys had already picked one up and handed it to her.
"Erm, thanks… emm, Gladys."
Hiding a grin, Fuckit tried to lighten the mood.
"Can I keep her, Mom?"
"Shut up and hold on, it's gonna get real bumpy."
From the front, he heard gunfire. They closed in on the end of the mine, and he saw a single figure standing in the middle of a battlefield full of burning, wrecked Humvees.
The fake Templar, firing wildly into the jungle surrounding the mine.
"Fuckit, I need you to tell our guys we're coming, and we're coming in hot!"
They had lost their radios, and the implants were blocked from talking human to human. The brain wasn't made for that.
"Guys, whoever is out there, don't shoot at us. We're on a pickup. And don't shoot at the spider on the back."
"Spider?"
Fuckit recognized Grawn immediately.
"Yes, big-ass spider. What are you doing here?"
"Couldn't leave all the glory to you."
Large projectiles impacted the Templar, ripping pieces off its suit. Eleri's face turned serious as she aimed at the weaker connecting joints of the Templar armor.
Firing almost the full belt, she finally managed to pierce it.
"Fucking cosplayer."
"How did you find us?"
"Gerber's suit. Someone messed up and transported it topside. The suit made contact, and we found this mine. What's down there?"
Before Fuckit could answer, the antimatter explosion shook the ground beneath them.
The mine behind them erupted in an explosion even larger than the one at the temple site.
Fuckit later swore he saw light coming out of the rock itself. The blast picked up their vehicle and almost threw it on its side.
Defector had done it.
Fuckit looked at Gladys, who looked back at the collapsing mine entry.
"Come on, Gladys, we're going home. I just need to explain you to my roommates."
'Home?'
Gliders don't cry. But sometimes Fuckit wished they could.