Chapter Text
Part 1:
On Maltair IV, a lush green world at the outskirts of Korhal, several zerg remained on the fringe planet after Kerrigan's onslaught in 2500.
They were forgotten and became feral. Forever wandering particularly close to the extracting pockets of vespene gas.
Although only two documented survivors, namely Senator Corbin Phash and his son, barely escaped the planet through secret passageways, there was one more group hidden in cryostasis.
At the secret underground base SS546ZE3, five marines and a ghost agent slumbered through the events unfolding in the Koprulu sector.
One day, the planet witnessed a massive thunderstorm. Several thunder strikes hit the massive native giant trees of Maltair IV. Through flames and electrical discharges, the idle adjutant in SS546ZE3 became erratically active and, through an error, initiated the sequence to awaken the dormant team from stasis.
One by one, each of the five marines came to consciousness, but the ghost agent remained dormant.
The marines emerged from their stasis, opening the cold glass hatches almost simultaneously. Two of the marines went straight up to dress themselves in uniform with robotic discipline. No questions asked, emotionless. The bulkiest marine, Feyorn, instead of dressing up, gazed throughout the surroundings of the abandoned base in his underwear, and said with his croaky voice while scratching his belly:
"Damn, I was close to hitting a home run."
The marine closest to Feyorn's cryocell, Terry, replied in a high-pitched voice:
"That's just the effects of blood pumping back after cryogenic stasis."
Feyorn gave him a condescending look while Terry proceeded to look for his uniform and glasses in the personal belongings boxes placed near their cryocells.
"Well, don't you worry about my pumping boy. The world better be prepared for the chaos I'm bout to unleash," - Feyorn grumbled while smirking and staring at Terry, who was dressing himself. A shiny insignia caught Feyorn’s attention. He didn’t recognize Terry’s unit type.
“Say, aren't you a bit skinny and nerdy for a marine?” Feyorn inquired with a suspicious tone.
Before Terry could answer, a female voice emerged from the least lighted area of the underground base, penetrating the dim lights that flickered and barely functioned:
"I don't think the world has much to fear". The woman remarked. Everyone turned around to face her. The woman stared at Feyorn and looked down at his crotch, raising an eyebrow.
Feyorn, slightly embarrassed, clutched his hands above his underwear, stared at the woman, and shouted aggressively:
"Just wait till it gets warm here, darling. Who the hell are you, by the way, and what's that adjutant doing with the climate control?"
The woman stopped her gaze and turned around to her personal belongings box. She began to dress herself teasingly and slowly, and said proudly:
"I'm Jane, a marine". "The adjutant seems to be defective."
Feyorn and Terry exchanged glances, and in the background, the other two marines did the same. Except Terry, everyone else was slightly smirking and turned around again to enjoy the view.
Jane was fit and had a small stature. The way she dressed herself, flirtatiously, eased everyone around, while Terry seemed a bit annoyed but at ease nonetheless for other reasons. Once she put on her uniform, Feyorn noticed an insignia on her chest similar to the one worn by Terry, which rushed his thoughts again, and not in the same way as when she was dressing:
"A female marine?" He thought to himself. He heard of women acting as ghosts, pilots, and medics on the front lines, but never as marines. Something didn't add up again. His mind was swarming with conflicting memories and feelings. And he started to pant while looking at her intensely.
"What are you staring at, big boy?" Jane remarked. Go check the colonel."
"Colonel?" Feyorn asked with a breathy voice as his body still struggled to adapt to the forced wake up from stasis.
"What, did your wet dreams fry your brain? The team leader. The ghost agent behind you," Jane pointed out as she pulled her pants up.
All four marines turned around and saw that a man was still in cryo stasis. Unlike many of them, he was extremely athletic, had many scars, and his stasis cell had not opened yet.
He had a distressed look upon his face, and his aura emanated might and resilience.
Terry, the nerdy marine, approached the cold stasis cell and examined its status. A control monitor attached to it showcased the vital signs. Everything looked in order, with a slightly elevated level of increased neural activity, especially the alpha waves.
Although this was typical of ghosts, showing elevated levels even in stasis indicated that this wasn’t a regular ghost agent. But something more. Much more…
As other monitors and systems came online erratically due to the storm outside, an alarm buzzed, echoing through the cold chambers of the underground base. It was the zerg…
Part 2:
As the zerg alarm echoed through the underground base, Jane rushed to the command center and examined the status briefly. She turned around with a worried look on her face, looking mainly at Terry, and shouted:
"Bio signs indicate about two dozen zerglings approaching our location. We need to gear up. NOW! “You, with the glasses, hurry up and wake the colonel from stasis!"
Terry, the nerdy marine, looked at Jane with a disapproving look, but she didn’t avert her gaze. It seemed as if she insisted. Seeing her so determined, he nodded his head and approached the console of the dormant ghost colonel.
Feyorn, watching him closely, suspected that they knew each other. He feigned ignorance and said to Jane: “Think the kid knows what he’s doing?”
Jane looked at Terry silently. Terry gave Feyorn a quick glance and replied: I’m vaguely familiar with the differences present in awakening people in cryo stasis. I read about it before.” He then turned his attention back to the console.
Feyorn raised an eyebrow and then asked: “How so?”
As Terry entered some commands on the console, he replied calmly: ”Oh, I was just worried on my first try. Freezing yourself up is quite terrifying.”
The other marines hastened in getting dressed and briefly evaluated their reflexes to see if there were any side effects from the forced awakening from cryostasis. Jane continued to monitor the reports on screen while Terry appeared to remember something. He shouted with his high-pitched voice:
"I can't force the ghost to wake up. It might hurt him." Although his voice rang loud and clear, no one said anything. The other marines were gearing up, but they didn't have their powered combat suits or weapons, just regular uniforms.
Feyorn took a carefree attitude as he felt he was kept in the dark. He rumbled through his personal belongings box, grabbed up a cigar and lit it up, casually mumbling with his croaky voice while exhaling smoke:
"What are you worried about, boy? We're several feet underground."
Hearing this, Jane turned around from the console and shouted:
"They are in the base, you moron. Only two doors separate us from them. We've been in stasis for years, and those doors won't hold up for long."
"Years?" Feyorn replied, surprised and coughing like a dog.
Jane rushed near Terry to examine the console attached to the ghost's cryocell. She mumbled to herself 'Why doesn't he wake up?"
Terry shyly responded:
"Ghosts don't wake up from stasis as easily as normal people. Their enhanced neural activity must be regulated first."
"And how do we do that?" Jane asked, and as soon as she did, the adjutant relayed an update:
"Warning, primary base door breached. Initiating second door lockdown." "Multiple zerg bio signs detected." "Recommend extreme caution. Personnel are advised to enter the armory section and arm themselves."
Terry placed his hands on his hair and grasped it aggressively while shouting:
"We need to inject neurodepressants first!"
Depressants? Feyorn mumbled. Heck, what's a depressed ghost colonel gonna help us with? Make the zerg cry with his sobbing life stories?
Jane made a poker face, while Terry, in his frightened state, replied hastily:
"It's going to decrease his neural activity to that of a normal human while he wakes up."
"You're too smart for a marine son," Feyorn replied while puffing his cigar. I don't remember any of you before this. What, is this like some sort of special training simulation?
Just as Feyorn finished his sentence, the command center adjutant relayed another update: "Warning, secondary base door... Bzz bzzz"
The adjutant briefly stopped its report, and the lights of the underground base continued to flicker. The storm outside might have been responsible. Or perhaps the zerg damaged some energy backups, but now, they could hear it.
Peering from beyond a part of the base covered in shadows that occasionally ran from flickering lights, they could hear it now.
Clawing, slashing, echoing. The zerglings were nearing their position, and the door was failing…
Part 3:
"We don't have time for this!" Jane shouted nervously while Terry chewed his fingernails. She glanced at the monitor and suspected that something wasn't done right. She grabbed Terry by his shirt and slapped him across his cheek, displacing his eyeglasses.
"Get a grip! Administer the right neurodepressants, quickly!!"
Terry looked at Jane, who was having enough of his hesitations and plots. He anxiously agreed and realigned his glasses, proceeding to search for the right biometric settings on the console near the stasis. At the same time, Jane sprinted to the armory to grab some C-14 Gauss rifles. There was no time to equip the combat suits.
The other marines followed her robotically. Only Feyorn and Terry remained in the command room.
"A woman like that needs to be taught a lesson, son," Feyorn said, smirking while puffing his cigar casually, but Terry didn't give him any attention. He was frantically searching for the right console commands.
"Say now, how do you know that depressed fella over there is a ghost anyway?" "For all we know, he might be the janitor," Feyorn chuckled while puffing smoke.
"Shouldn't you be going to get some rifles too, Smoky?" Terry replied.
"Smokey? Well, you got some sense of humour, skinny boy. But you and that punky lady ain't as smart as you’d like. Without proper gear, none of them are gonna do anything with those guns. Feyorn said, while tapping his cigar with his bulky fingers, letting the ash fall on the ground. He added:
"The recoil alone would be enough to put you down on your ass without the armour, and there's no time to get one, I figure."
Terry frowned at the console monitors, but before he could say anything, Feyorn continued to speak:
"Heck, I don't even know why the other two went with her anyway. It’s like their mind is controlled or somethin."
Terry paused for a moment as he realised that what Feyorn said was true. But just as he stood there, the clawing from the zerg became ever more present. The door wouldn't hold for much longer, and if there was another power surge, he would have to restart his searching efforts on the console.
He could feel his stomach drop. His knees were trembling. His body was sweating. But what began to unnerve him the most was Feyorn's carefree attitude and his remark about the other two marines. Sitting there. Puffing, smoking, not doing a thing while their end was nearing with each second. Did the marine remember something? Terry thought to himself.
He began to feel angrier and angrier, which silenced his fear, but the fear that was there helped him remain cool. It was like a whirlwind of hot and cold inside him. Neither prevailing. Neither backing down. He turned around at Feyorn and said condescendingly:
"So why are you so relaxed?" ''Think the zerg will spare you? I think they like smoked meat anyway."
Feyorn grinned menacingly, his eyes sparkling through the thick smoke from his cigar, staring down Terry. He was surprised at how gutsy the skinny, nerdy marine had become with him, but he couldn't take his high-pitched voice seriously. He knew fear made people courageous, especially if they feared something else more lurking around the corner.
"See those vespene gas canisters over there, boy?" Feyorn pointed with his thick fingers near the central computer.
"If the zerg get in, all I have to do is throw my lighter in that direction... And I'm gonna turn those critters into roasted turkeys... And I don't give a damn if we're gonna be part of the plating, son. I ain't gonna be no goddamn zergs dinner"
Terry froze as he heard what Feyorn just said. Now, there was no way out of here alive, he thought in his head.
He turned around and looked at the console with a vacant expression. Suddenly, he saw the command to administer the ghost the neurodepressants and begin waking him up safely from the cryocell.
He activated the process without checking the proper dosages. He felt like nothing mattered anymore, anyway.
Bits and pieces of metal dropping on the floor and echoing through the base only reinforced his resignation that it would soon be all over. But he didn't want to go out like this. He at least wanted to say something to someone.
He wasn't the bravest of souls, nor the toughest. He rarely stood up for himself or acted maliciously towards others. But now, in his perceived final moments, he at least wanted to try. He turned around slowly and looked at Feyorn, bravely saying:
"Do you know why you don't remember us? Do you know why I know the man behind me is a ghost? It's because your memories were wiped, same as with the other two marines. We're part of a secret mission to create Mengsk's secret weapon."
As Terry finished his sentence, a cold silence befell the underground base, but before he realised it, Feyorn dropped his cigar and stepped on it violently, replying menacingly with his deep voice:
"That right? So only you and the woman know what's going on here, Feyorn concluded." Well then, what do you have to say about this, sweetheart?"
Jane was just in the background with the other two marines struggling to carry the rifles. They weren't surprised at what was said.
She smiled before shouting to Feyorn, "Shut up! I think the zerg left." As everyone was now attentive to any sound present in the base, the silence swallowed everything whole. Feyorn thought to himself, “My memories were wiped? Why?” He then looked curiously at the ghost in stasis, asking himself, "How could this be Emperor Mengsk's ultimate weapon?"
As he stared at him, the ghost slowly opened his eyes, frowning. His deep, shiny green eyes were easily observable even behind the blurred glass, and Feyorn broke the silence, saying, "Hmph. Finally"
Part 4:
Upon hearing Feyorn’s remark, everyone turned around and witnessed the ghost in stasis, now partially awake. Jane and Terry rushed to the control console to monitor his vital signs and other metrics.
They looked as if they knew exactly what they were doing without even speaking to each other or the rest of the group, much to Feyorn's increasing annoyance.
"I don't like it when someone's gildin' the lily. These weren't marines, Feyorn thought. “And even if they were, they might be on it somehow." The two soldiers who didn't speak at all didn't look like they were fazed by what was said previously.
Marines like to talk even in tough situations. But these guys? They were just following a gal who thought she was a queen bee, but she's just buzzin' around with a whole lotta hot air and nothin' to back it up! Or so Feyorn thought.
Could Feyorn trust these two at least? He didn't even know their names. What about the zerg? What happened to their advance? Feyorn had enough.
He walked up near Terry and Jane and could hear them whisper: "I think I overdid it with the dosages," Terry mumbled, while Jane looked worryingly at the console without saying a word.
As Feyorn approached them, he yelled: "Hey missy, I don't know what you did, but the zerg are gone. You mind giving me the lowdown on that?"
Jane didn't say a word, but Feyorn insisted: "How about you, smarty? What did you do?" Terry didn't say a thing, but Jane answered instead while looking at the screen:
"The Zerg were attracted to the psionic emanations of the colonel, but now these signals dropped significantly due to the neurodepressants."
Feyorn scratched his head and replied: "Heck, if all ghosts out there are a magnet to those critters..." Before he could finish, Jane interrupted him: "This isn't any regular ghost hotshot. Ever heard of Lieutenant Sarah Kerrigan?"
"The queen bitch of the universe?" "What about her?" Feyorn asked while putting his hands on his thighs.
Jane turned around and said: "She's not the only super psionically gifted terran out there. And this guy... this guy could change everything."
"Humph," Feyorn huffed in disbelief. "Honey, I don't even know how much time we've been frozen here for, or what's out there anymore. Mind shedding some light? You said we've been here for years?"
Suddenly, the glass doors of the ghost's cryocell began to open, mist and cold vapor rushed through the surroundings, and the ghost agent finally emerged from stasis.
He was tall. Imposing. Covered in scars. His medium-length black hair danced in the wind, and the steam emanating from his breath temporarily lit up in a blue light due to some energy he was releasing from his eyes before dissipating.
Everyone looked up to him with bated breath. The ghost stared everyone down, frowning, but suddenly, he grinned and whispered in a flat voice: "Somebody called for an exterminator?"
Part 5:
As the ghost's eyes flickered open, a surge of energy pulsed through the room, illuminating briefly the dark corners of the base.
The team lay silently. No words would find their way to get back at what the ghost had previously said. Perhaps the drugs were too much, Terry wondered. He and Jane exchanged a glance, and their hearts were racing. "Even with the neurodepressants, he could release this much power?" Terry knew he had messed up the dosage anyway and wasn’t sure of what might happen.
The ghost agent was disoriented. He scanned the room. His expression shifted from confusion to focus. From focus to confusion. He could sense the emotions of others. Their thoughts.
But then everything faded to nothingness. Then, it came back to him again. He could feel as if he were a light in the dark. Flickering. Dimming. Burning up again.
He placed his hands on his face. It was all so confusing. And he had just woken up from who knows how much time of cryogenic stasis.
Suddenly, he grasped his head. A powerful sense of dread overtook him. He sensed the zerg. But it was not the zerg in the base. It was something else. "A hatchery?" He thought.
The ghost tried to muster all his might to focus, but the drugs in his system hindered most efforts.
The others were all carefully observing him. He was looking down at the floor, and when he suddenly sensed a glimpse of what was outside, he widened his eyes and dragged his hand to his mouth.
Just for one second, he felt an ocean of feral minds. Hatred. Hunger. Rage. Primal instincts. Like a maelstrom of convoluted emotions and more.
And just as he was about to close his mind, he felt them all staring back at him, and he fell to his knees, puking nothing but water.
Jane dropped her rifle on the ground and rushed to his aid and picked him up, but the ghost didn't want any help, he pushed her aside and asked in a low but commanding voice: "What's the situation?"
Before Jane could respond, the sound of claws scraping against metal echoed throughout the base once more. The zerg were back, and they seemed even more relentless.
Their shrieks grew louder and louder. When Terry saw the state of the ghost, his hands started to shake. He adjusted his glasses, but his mind was racing. "Did I sabotage the mission?" He thought.
Jane's distressed voice as she responded to the ghost snapped him out of his thoughts as he heard: "We're outnumbered, Colonel. The door won't hold much longer, and we don't have time to get combat suits!"
Panic crept from her voice, and tears were forming in her eyes. "If we don't get you fully operational, we're done for!"
The colonel looked down on her pityingly and placed his arm on her shoulder, reassuring her that everything would be alright.
He then lifted his gaze at Terry and shouted, "Quick! Give me..." His voice was lost in a big bang as the doors collapsed. The zerg were in.
Part 6:
The bang reverberated throughout the underground base, and through the wreckage of the last door, the zerglings were frenzily marching towards the terrans one by one.
The two marines closest to the corridor from which the Zerg were marching turned around to face them.
They struggled to lift the C-14 Gauss rifles. They felt much heavier than ever before. Their bodies were heavy, too.
Was it because of the cryostasis? Was it because they didn't have their combat suits? Or was it because it was pointless?
As the marines stood there, the ghost yelled from the background: "Shoot them down!"
The marines snapped out of it and began their fire. The weapons were too heavy for them to aim properly, but bullets flew nonetheless in all directions, most of them hitting the floor, the metal walls of the base, some lights on the corridor, and one or two zerglings.
But the recoil from the rifles was too much for them. Luckily, the corridor was narrow, and the few zerglings that got shot hindered the advance of the others.
The zerglings didn't care for their fallen kin, though. They stepped on them, on open bullet wounds, and dashed towards the marines.
The two marines crouched and used their bodyweight to manage the jolts and vibration from the recoil and continued to fire endlessly.
As lights were hit, darkness conquered the corridor, swallowing section by section, and from its veil, the zerglings emerged again and again.
It was as if they bought the darkness themselves. It was as if it birthed them. For the marines, everything occurred as if time slowed down.
Seeing the Zerg rushing towards them, and the lights going out and concealing them, and the zerg emerging from the darkness again in the light, then in darkness, and so on.
The pain and weight from the recoil were only relatively numbed by adrenaline. The marines clutched their teeth and continued to fire regardless. Seeing only a death stare approach them, like a lion nearing its prey.
In the background, Jane and Terry were watching the chaos unfold. Their bodies were stiff. Their gaze was hollow. Was this the end?
Part 7:
Bullet shells clattered onto the metal floor like the raindrops pounding outside from the storm. The shots reverberated through the narrow corridor. The relentless noise deafened the two marines, but they refused to yield.
Their arms grew heavy and tired, their muscles aching from the constant recoil of their rifles, yet they stood firm. The zerg advanced relentlessly, falling one by one, yet their rush wouldn't cease, ever nearing the marines.
The ghost agent stood upright, placing a reassuring hand on Terry and Jane’s shoulders. They turned to face him. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing was ragged. He spoke loudly, trying to be heard over the gunfire:
“I need something to access my powers. I need a stimpack.”
Jane looked at Terry with concern, her brow furrowed. Terry immediately shook his head in disapproval.
“It doesn’t work that way,” he said hurriedly. “I gave you neurodepressants. If you take stimulants now, you'll feel the effects of both. It's dangerous! They don’t cancel each other out completely.”
Jane’s eyes darted quickly, thoughts racing. “But he’s a ghost,” she whispered. “Maybe it’ll work.” The ghost looked at her, then at Terry, waiting impatiently for an answer. The endless bullets shot in the background spurred him. He couldn't afford to wait much longer.
“I’ll take my chances!” the ghost snapped.
Terry hesitated. “Do you remember your mission?” he asked sternly.
The ghost looked at him, puzzled. Why did that matter now? The zerg were upon them, and death seemed inevitable.
He furrowed his brow and shouted back, “Listen, those two marines have lost it! They’re not firing in turns, and they’ll both run out of ammo soon. When they recharge, the zerg will close the gap and slaughter them. WHERE ARE THE STIMPACKS?!”
Terry cast a quick glance at Jane, seeking her approval. She nodded decisively. Terry hurried over to his personal belongings box and rummaged through it.
Meanwhile, Jane was scanning the room for Feyorn. But the carefree marine had vanished. “He must have gone to the armory”, she thought, clutching her hands near her chest.
Seeing her worry, the ghost reassured her. “You’re a marine, aren’t you? Or, wait, even now, I sense there’s more to you.”
Jane looked into his luminous green eyes, pondering his words. “He doesn’t remember us?” She wondered. Terry must have done his job well. But soon, the truth would surface, unless the zerg devoured them all. But perhaps, death by the zerg would be better than the ghost remembering his past.
She forced a smile and yelled, “Yes, I am!”
The ghost smiled back, then commanded, “Marines don’t leave their weapons on the floor like that. Go grab your rifle and get ready, soldier!”
“Yes, sir!” Jane responded immediately. She turned to retrieve the Gauss rifle she’d abandoned. Though she doubted she could wield it effectively in her current state, at least it would give her hope and fire in her heart.
The ghost watched her go, a faint smile lingering on his face. As she went to get her weapon, he silently hoped that even this small act of defiance and hope might be enough, for now…
Part 8:
Jane struggled to get her rifle from the ground. Her hands were trembling. The weapon felt much heavier than when she carried it there from the armory. She gazed at it, remembering all the sacrifices she had made to come this far, and now ... Now she had doubts. Now, there wasn't any armour to help her. She felt... naked. Exposed.
Was the combat suit the only reason that allowed her to become one of the few women marines? Perhaps the doubts of all the men in the army were right. "You're not a real soldier." She remembered a fellow marine yelling at her during her training.
Suddenly, silence became apparent. The two marines who were shooting the zerg stopped. They ran out of ammo. And just as Jane realised this, her heart froze.
"Shit!” one of the marines yelled, hurriedly trying to recharge his weapon. The other marine did the same, glancing at the approaching zerg as he reloaded.
The zerg sprinted toward them rapidly. One of the marines glanced back at the creatures, then at his comrade, then back at the zerg again. There wasn't enough time. He was aware of this, but his hands moved instinctively, struggling to reload his rifle.
The zerg were closing in, almost upon them. One zergling leapt onto the glancing marine, attempting to slash at him.
The glancing marine used his rifle to parry. He fell backwards. The zergling continued to slash at him. Some hits were blocked. Others found their way through his clothes and flesh, blood spilling left and right. His painful screams echoed through the corridor.
The other marine didn't raise his head at all. He continued to recharge his weapon hastily as his comrade was torn to pieces, screaming and shouting.
When he finally managed to reload his rifle, he didn't turn around to help his friend. He knew it was pointless. He continued to fire on the incoming zerg from the front, barely able to hold his weapon and silently hoping that the others would take care of the zergling that got through. Was his weapon heavier due to the guilt or the increasing fatigue? Perhaps it was both.
The screaming from the other marine snapped Jane back to her senses, but also added another layer of terror and fright. She crouched and tried to aim her rifle. She could barely hold it and aim. But she fired nonetheless without taking anything into consideration. She just wanted the fear and her doubts to end.
The bullets flew aimlessly. They hit the floor. The walls. The marine on the floor, ending his agony, and finally, the bloodthirsty zergling. The recoil from the shots hit her breast and momentarily stunned her with pain. She couldn't raise the rifle anymore, and now she was feeling a different kind of weight. That of killing a fellow comrade, even if it was by accident. Despite the fight going on, she resigned and clutched her chest in pain, regret, doubt, and defeat.
The other marine still left alive in the corridor continued to fire on the incoming zerg, but it was too late. Another zergling flanked him and slashed at his ribs.
Despite the slash, the marine continued to shoot at the other zerglings, screaming a chilling battle cry. The zergling near him continued to slash and slash, blood covering the floor and the zergling's claws.
The wounds were deeper and deeper, and finally, the marine couldn't take it anymore and dropped his weapon to the ground, placing his hands on his wounds. The zergling continued to attack him, and he fell to the ground in pain. Other zerglings caught up, and they all began attacking and devouring him.
Now, there were no more gunshots heard, only blood and gurgling screams, and the sound of flesh and bone rupturing. Jane stood there frozen in pain and in fear, watching the last marine from the entrance fall.
Terry found the stimpacks that he searched for, but he also stopped and stared as well. The ghost, on the other hand, leaned on the cryogenic biometric console, panting. He tried to reach Terry, but just as he was doing so, one of the zerglings covered in the marines' blood turned around to face them and screeched a high-pitched sound.
The other zerglings stopped their feast and turned around as well, and more of them were coming from the corridor, their sprint echoing through the base…
Part 9:
The two marines from the entrance lay dead, their bodies sprawled on the floor. The zerglings stood on top of their corpses, staring at Terry, Jane, and the ghost agent, their mandibles clicking menacingly. More of them were approaching.
Although Terry found the stimpack the ghost needed, he didn’t move a muscle. He simply stood there, eyes fixed on the zerg.
Jane and the ghost were panting heavily. Jane was hurt from the recoil earlier, while the ghost struggled to come to his senses, dulled by the drugs in his system and trying to reach Terry.
One of the zerglings had its mouth wide open.
Even more so than the others, revealing sharp teeth coated in blood from the slain marines. Blood dripped from its jaws onto the floor.
The creature remained still, almost as if it was holding its breath, and rejoicing in despair.
Terry looked at the zergling, frightened. Its eyes were soulless. A devouring void filled with malice. He could feel as if he was devoured just by its stare alone. He felt his legs and arms go numb.
Just as he was losing his senses and drowning in a sea of fear, he dropped the stimpack back into the box, creating a metallic reverberation.
In that moment, the frontmost zergling screeched another soul-crushing high-pitched sound, and all of them lunged forward.
Just as the Zerglings took a few steps, a wave of fire erupted from their left side. It was Feyorn. He returned from the armory with a flamethrower. Though smaller than a Firebat’s, his weapon was just as deadly.
The zerglings howled in agony as flames engulfed them, writhing and burning alive. However, some of them managed to pierce through the firestorm, claws slashing through the flames to reach their prey. Even as they burned, they continued their assault.
Terry snapped out of his daze and reached again for the stimpack and slipped it into his pocket. Then, with a swift motion, he turned to look for Jane.
He saw that one of the zerglings that was on fire had reached her. It lunged at her with its sharp claws. Although she managed to find the strength to move and dodge, she was slashed across the chest. The creature's claws tore through her clothes and flesh with ease. She fell to the floor, screaming in pain.
Desperate, Terry grabbed a nearby chair and rushed toward her. Just before he could reach her, another zergling emerged from the flames, leaping at him.
He raised the chair as a shield, but the creature rammed into him with all its weight, knocking him flat on his back and displacing his glasses. The zergling tried to climb on top of him, but Terry used the chair to keep it at bay.
Terry yelled and pushed with all his might, struggling to hold the beast off, while the creature continued to try to slash him. But it couldn't reach him yet.
When he saw that the zerg couldn't reach him, he let go with one hand to readjust his glasses, then grasped the chair tightly again.
His eyeglasses flicked to the flames licking the zergling’s back. This one was on fire, too. The fire was weakening the creature, though with each passing second, it was consuming its force and will. But seconds felt like hours. Terry felt the zergling was losing force. Seizing the opportunity, he looked to his right, desperate to see if Jane was okay.
She wasn’t. Jane lay on the floor, clutching her chest, blood pooling around her. The frenzied zergling near her was driven partly by the pain of the flames and partly by her blood scent. It moved slowly toward her, eyes filled with hunger.
Seeing this, Terry’s grip tightened. He knew there was no other choice now. He let go of the chair with one hand again, searching desperately for the stimpack. As he fumbled, the zergling atop him managed to slash his cheek.
Fright, desperation, and pain surged through Terry, fueling a surge of hatred as well. He screamed at the creature from the top of his lungs, pushing it slightly off him. With his free hand, he grabbed the stimpack.
He threw the stimpack behind him toward the ghost who was nearing him, just as the zergling managed to slash him a couple more times. The stimpack landed at the ghost’s feet, who quickly reached for it.
Terry looked back at Jane again despite his injuries and the occasional slashes from the zergling that managed to reach him. He saw her leaning back against the wall, and her hand pressed against the chest, covered in blood.
She was breathing rapidly and staring at the zergling that slashed her. The frenzied zergling was closing in again, its claws raised, ready to lunge at her again.
When Terry saw this, he shouted, “NO!” Then a gunshot was heard…
Part 10:
As Terry looked at Jane, he suddenly felt heavier, and a red line crossed his left eyeglass, blurring his vision. It was blood. He turned his head to look at the zergling on top of him. It was dead.
The bright light from the flames in the room started to dim, and another gunshot was heard. Terry looked to his left and saw Feyorn with a gun in his hand.
He stopped the flamethrower to aim and used a gun to kill the zerg. He shouted, "Stop lying on your ass and get up, smarty!" He continued to shoot the other zerglings in the room. He caught their attention, and they steadily approached him.
Terry looked at Jane again. The other zergling that approached her lay motionless on the ground. Feyorn had managed to hit it.
He quickly wiped his left eyeglass with his sleeve and pushed the chair and the dead zergling on top of him to his left side and got free.
More zerg entered the room from the corridor, and one zergling managed to jump Feyorn, knocking him down on the floor. He dropped his gun but still clung to the flamethrower. He didn't have time to use it again, though.
The zergling immediately tried to slash him, but Feyorn used the flamethrower to block the slashes, while other zerglings steadily approached him.
As Terry got up, he saw that three zerglings were nearing Feyorn, with one on top of him. He looked at Jane, who leaned on the wall panting, and saw two zerglings approaching her as well.
He glanced at the entrance engulfed in flames, where three more zerglings had pierced the fire and entered the room, slowly approaching him.
Terry was breathing rapidly, but soon he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Jane saw this and felt he was about to give up. She screamed, "NO!" and grasped her chest tighter as the zerglings approached her, Terry, and Feyorn.
Terry opened his eyes, as if Jane's shouting had made him doubt his surrender. Suddenly, a wave of psionic energy burst throughout the room, knocking Terry to the ground, flickering the flames, and killing all the zerglings.
It was the ghost agent. He had managed to use the stimpack just in time to access his unusual powers. Feyorn pushed the dead zergling off him and got to his feet, with Terry following. He had a disapproving look on his face.
Feyorn, Terry, and Jane all looked at the ghost agent, who was emanating pure psionic might, which then dissipated, leaving the ghost panting on the floor, drained of energy.
Only silence and the crackling and popping sounds of fire filled the room now. Feyorn broke the silence, saying: "Hell, I think it's time we got some answers."
Part 11:
Terry looked at the ghost agent panting on the floor, then turned to Jane, who was squirming in agony. Her wounds seemed aggravated by the psionic blast.
He rushed to her side, evaluating her condition as Feyorn watched silently. Seeing that no one was about to answer his questions and fed up with being kept in the dark, Feyorn reached down and grabbed the gun he had previously dropped.
As Terry approached Jane, she was breathing rapidly, blood staining her shirt. He frowned, and noticing this, Jane whispered, “Don’t look like that, doc. You’re making me nervous,” then ended with a nervous laugh.
Terry looked at her and replied, “I don’t think it’s that serious, but you won’t be able to move properly for a while. I need to check our medical supplies.”
Jane glanced at him and whispered, “You should take care of yourself, too.” She slowly raised her arm and gently caressed Terry’s slashed cheek.
He looked into her bright amber eyes. "Maybe there is hope for us," he thought. Her touch seemed to numb his pain, momentarily easing his worries. He shyly raised his hand to gently touch hers, but just as he was about to, a gun was reloaded behind them.
Feyorn was standing there, aiming his weapon at Terry’s head. “Well, isn’t that lovely?” he sneered. “You got the girl. You got the answers. But you know what? I’ve got the gun... and I don’t wanna be the grim reaper, but you’d better start talking, boy.”
Terry’s gaze shifted back to Jane’s eyes, where he saw the room's flickering flames reflected. He turned back to Feyorn and stuttered, “Look, I’ll tell you everything you need to know...just, just wait a second. That fire will reach the vespene canisters, and we’ll all blow up!”
“Is that right?” Feyorn lowered his gun slightly. “Maybe that’s for the best. I don't remember much, but I know I’ve fought alongside plenty of ghosts before… but him?” Feyorn nodded toward the ghost on the floor. “He’s not natural. Did you see what he did?”
Terry’s face paled as he watched the dancing flames slowly nearing the vespene canisters. Something in the way Jane looked at him weakened his resolve to protect a secret.
His eyes darted around the room until they settled on the cryocells. An idea suddenly struck him.
“That’s it,” he mumbled to himself.
Feyorn shouted, “What are you mumbling about, boy?”
“I can redirect some of the cryocells for thermal suppression,” Terry hurriedly explained.
Feyorn scratched his head, hesitant. Before he could speak, Terry added, “Help me move a cryocell near the flames.”
Feyorn looked at the raging fire, the vespene gas canisters, and the ghost, then back at Terry. “NO!” he snapped. “Tell me right now...what the hell is he?”
Terry hesitated, then glanced at Jane, whose expression told him nothing mattered anymore. He sighed and looked at Feyorn, and spoke with a defeated voice, “He’s the king of blades. The man who will end Kerrigan. His name is Morrigan.”
Feyorn’s eyes widened. He lowered his gun slightly more. Suddenly, an explosion erupted near the flames, snapping him out of his shock. "What about me? Why can't I remember anything before this? Feyourn shouted.
Terry, agitated from the explosion, replied quickly: "There's no time for this, we have to act!"
Feyorn looked at the floor painted in zerg blood, and then at the canisters. He raised his head to Terry and shouted:
“You and that freaky ghost move the cryocell. I’ll handle the canisters.” He holstered his weapon and rushed toward the canisters.
Terry shot a worried glance at Jane and whispered, “I’m sorry. Please hold on a little longer.” She nodded weakly, clutching her chest in pain. Terry rose to his feet and helped Morrigan to stand. The ghost looked confused upon hearing about his origins, but there was no time for questions.
Together, they hurried to the nearest cryocell and pushed it hard toward the flames. Feyorn continued carrying the vespene canisters away from the fire.
When Terry and Morrigan reached the blaze, Terry quickly opened the cryocell and activated it at the command console. The cryocell’s coldness gradually smothered the flames. He sighed in relief.
Terry then rushed to the main console to activate the long-range scans. Upon seeing this, Feyorn asked angrily: “What are you doing?”
Terry remained silent, staring at the screens. Feyorn and Morrigan approached him, watching the readouts. The scan revealed hundreds of thousands of Zerg heading their way.
Terry whispered, “I knew it. They will be here soon.”
Part 12:
Feyorn grabbed Terry by his shoulder and spun him around to face him. His voice filled with rage. "What do you mean they'll be here soon? How do these critters know where we are?"
Terry looked up at the tall, sturdy Marine and answered calmly, "It's Morrigan. The Zerg can sense him from miles away."
Feyorn released Terry and turned sharply toward Morrigan, who had a confused look on his face. "Whatever you're doing... stop!" Feyorn shouted.
From behind, Terry quickly intervened. "It doesn't work that way. He was specifically created to lure the Zerg. I used the drugs to hide his presence, but now with the stimpack ...."
Words hold no meaning now. Feyorn drew his gun from its holster, aiming it steadily at Morrigan. "Well then, if it's lights out for you, maybe it'll be lights out for them too."
Terry gently grabbed Feyorn's arm. "Wait, you don't understand! We're on a highly classified mission!"
Unmoved, Feyorn kept his finger on the trigger. "What year are we in?" he demanded.
Terry hesitated, glancing at Jane, who was shockingly observing the tense scene. He then looked back at Feyorn. "It's 2502. We've been in cryostasis for two years and three months."
Feyorn lowered his gun slightly, eyes narrowing. "And who won the war?"
Terry hesitated again, then replied cautiously, "We don't know. We’ve lost contact with the outside."
Feyorn's brow furrowed. He doubted Terry but pressed further. "If no one came for us all this time, it might mean we lost. What do you know about me anyway?"
Terry quickly responded, sensing the Marine's rising tension. "You were part of the 22nd Marine Division, the Annihilators. Your mind was wiped for your own protection."
Feyorn spun around and, in a flash, pistol-whipped Terry. The impact knocked Terry to the ground; his glasses slipped off. Upon seeing this, Jane shouted in worry, “Terry!” while Morrigan stood firm in place, carefully analysing the situation.
"You're blowin' smoke, boy!" Feyorn yelled, now pointing his gun directly at Terry.
Morrigan stepped forward, prepared to intervene, but Terry, blood trailing from his mouth and the zerg slash on his cheek, yelled, "You don't have to believe me! Look at the screen! The zerg are coming! We're in a remote location on Maltair IV, and only a select few know about us!"
Feyorn clenched his fist around the gun and then holstered it. He walked towards his personal belongings box, passing by Morrigan, who was carefully watching him. He pulled out a cigar and sat down in the chair Terry had used earlier to fight the zerg.
Morrigan approached Terry, helping him to his feet and adjusting his glasses. He whispered softly, "I hope you're okay. But I can tell you're hiding something. More than one thing, it seems. Anyway, do you have any ideas on how we can escape this?"
Terry frowned, glancing at Morrigan, then at Feyorn, who was raising his arm to smoke. Just as Feyorn's hand stopped moving, Terry's eyes caught a glimpse of his hand tattoo - a skull with crossbones.
"I guess we don’t have a choice!" Terry sighed.
Feyorn turned to face him from his chair, blowing a puff of smoke. "Something on your mind, kid?" he asked, a smirk slightly curling his lips, but one that could not hide the hatred in his voice and eyes.
Terry grinned defiantly. "There are some vulture bikes in this base. We can use them to reach a transport ship, about two hours from here."
Feyorn choked on the smoke, frowning, and then fixed his gaze on Terry, asking: "How do you know that?"