Fade warped into the lab.

The place was as disturbing as he last remembered, except for one minor detail. There were a lot less of the ropy vines decorating the place. Which made sense considering how many of those planty tendrils had been sent out into the rest of the station.

There was an unfortunate downside to that, though. With even less vines covering up everything in the lab, that meant there was more to see.

There were two of the fleshy sacks dangling in the corner. There was no motion from within, so perhaps whatever they contained was dead. Or percolating. Either way, Fade had no desire to find out.

In the other corner, plastered to the wall behind the broken remains of a large, circular glass tank, was the specimen. It looked like nothing he'd ever seen before. If someone took a vase, the kind with a round bottom and straight top, and blew it up to about the size of a man, you'd have the general shape. But instead of being made out of pretty glass or plastic, this vase was made of luminescent orange flesh rippled with harsh ridges. The bulbous portion of the specimen pulsed like a beating heart, and vines came out of the top like the steps of flowers, thin at first, but quickly thickening to the massive tentacles that spread across the walls and ceiling.

Fade eyed this monstrosity, mildly grossed out. And fascinated. The plant was giving off light somehow. He could tell, because he could see the vivid orange color standing out amongst all the shades of gray.

"Why would they want to study this?" he wondered aloud. He wasn't afraid of being heard—the specimen didn't seem to react to sound at all.

"If you were a scientist, you would understand why."

Fade scoffed at the Guide's reply. "No thanks. Scientists are crazy."

A chuckle was the only response he got. Fade ignored it and ventured deeper into the lab.

He had to get to each corner and fasten a tube of Fizpan in place. Each tube had a subtle line etched in its metallic surface, and the Guide had told him to make sure that line faced inwards to the center of the room.

The first two corners closest to the door were easy. Fade simply stepped over and ducked beneath the few errant vines. He was careful to avoid touching any of them, stepping lightly so he didn't slip in the dark slime on the floor.

At the first corner, he took a tube and twisted off the cap. It revealed a glass vial nestled in the slender tube of metal. He didn't take the vial out, nor did he touch it. He placed the whole thing in the corner joint of the wall, marked side facing inwards, and carefully pushed in the bottom of the tube like a button.

Red light abruptly flared from the top. Fade let go, and the tube stuck in place. That was one done. He turned and went to the other corner, glancing warily at the specimen and the two flesh bags in the last two corners.

He wasn't sure how he was going to navigate those ones yet.

He was just finishing up the second tube when Mother's voice came through on the comms. "Fade, we have a problem."

Fade pushed in the bottom of the second tube, and watched the red light flare.

"Guide," he said, "can you ask her what it is for me?"

Now that the second one was in place, he turned to face the last two. Considering how the plant had placed itself, it was clear that he wasn't going to be able to get to the corners without touching either the flesh sacks or the vines bracing the specimen's main body.

"Fade," Mother all but growled this time. "Why didn't you tell us about the comms! You're the Captain, we need to be able to communicate with you."

She was as good at scolding as she was shooting things. Fade braced himself, expecting a further tirade, but it never came. He heard Mother take a breath.

"The Professor's infected, Fade. I had to put him down. And Lydia. Apparently the plant has figured out how to hijack a cybernetic body."

"What?" Fade's eyes shot to the glowing orange plant bulb. Suddenly, he had an idea of where all the station's power was going. Lydia had said it was being sent elsewhere. And now he was looking at it. "Oh no. This isn't good."

"Should I convey your words?" the Guide's amused voice tickled Fade's ear.

"Just ask her if the Professor got anything made for the enzyme. Before he well, you know."

"Of course."

While he waited, Fade stared at the specimen, thinking. It had grown a lot bigger than the shattered containment cell that had once housed it. And if one considered the ridiculous amount of vines that it had sent throughout the station, it was able to make use of the power it had sucked from the station. It had to take immense energy to generate that kind of plant mass.

And not only that: the workers aboard the station had been stuffed into those fleshy sacks and converted into zombies.

But not Lydia, he thought. Mother has said 'hijacked'. Lydia had her own mini power plant, which was needed to fuel every function of her body. The plant, he realized, must have sensed that power.

And that was why they had drained her dry. Fade remembered how unresponsive she'd been. And as the final insult, the tiny part of her that had remained organic had been infected.

The plant had killed her twice over.

Fade's eyes narrowed. He was going to kill that thing.

"There is no enzyme," Mother's said over the comms. "I think the plant activated Lydia right after we left. The Professor had no time."

Fade listened quietly as she spoke. When she finished, he said, "Ask her if she's okay."

"I'm all right, Fade. But it's just down to us now."

She sounded tired. Resigned. Like this was a losing battle, yet he knew she would never give up. She'd fight right to the bitter end. That's just the kind of person she was.

He smiled, even as a bubble of grief burst in his chest. She was just like the soldiers he had fought with in the last war.

"Guide."

"Yes, Fade?"

"Tell her to go to the elevator room and keep the way clear. I'm going to look after the plant."

The Guide's response was immediate. "Of course."

There wasn't a shred of hesitation or doubt there. Somehow, the crimson-eyed man had absolute confidence in him. It gave him courage. If the Guide, who knew him better than he did himself, thought he could do this, then maybe he could.

Fade twisted the caps off of the two remaining tubes. Then he popped all four caps into his mouth because he needed his hands free and no one had given him pockets. The jerks.

He faced the corner with the flesh sacks first. The two of them stood in the way, but there was a sliver of space behind them, right where the walls came together. He narrowed his eyes, focusing intently on that space.

This time, when the cold bit at him, he didn't close the eyes. He watched as the world paled around him, almost as if everything had begun to fade out of existence. And then it snapped back, real and solid.

He lurched forward, his nose bumping into the wall that was centimeters away. He hissed in pain, reflexively staggering back. Something soft bumped into his back. And then a breathy sound came from behind him.

Oh boy.

He was in the corner. And the plant knew it.

He slapped one of the tubes against the wall, and pushed in the bottom. Dark shapes slid over the ceiling and dropped down toward him.

Fade's heart leaped into his throat, and he thought really hard about the orange bulb of the plant. He envisioned it in his mind's eye, holding the image of it steady even when a heavy, ropy appendage abruptly curled around his shoulders. It oozed black slime onto his suit.

The world faded. The gross tentacle fell away.

Next thing Fade knew, he was nose-to-nose with glowing orange. Hot glowing orange, because the thing gave off incredible heat. His face seared, blistered, and he almost chocked on the caps in his mouth.

He didn't even try for the corner. He just slapped the tube on the wall beside the plant's mini reactor, shoved in the button, and desperate thought of the corridor. Anywhere in the corridor, he didn't care.

Once again, everything shifted around him. It was great that he was getting the hang of this down, but he was in too much pain to care. It felt like his face was melting.

And when he found himself stumbling on slightly fuzzy metal, he realized with growing dread that he couldn't see. In fact, he couldn't hear. Or taste. He could barely stand upright, because the world felt like it was bucking beneath him.

But at least he could feel.

He spat the caps into his hand. Or he tried to, but failed to feel them land in his palm. He reached up to his mouth. There was only searing fire to his face, but his fingers pushed through something soft and bumped against a hard ridge.

He shuddered and whimpered, chest heaving as his lungs struggled to draw in air. He felt around with his fingers, running along the hard ridge until he found two small bumps. The caps. He dug them out and placed them in other hand. Then he went back for the last two.

Something bumped against him. He swayed, took a few steps, then found that his legs had hit resistance. It didn't matter. He'd found the last two caps.

Relying entirely on his sense of touch, he flipped them over so the smooth surface rested on his palm. Then one after another, he pressed a fingertip to the small button inside each cap. One after another. One two three four.

He didn't hear the explosion.

But he felt it, a rumbling vibration beneath his feet. A wave of heat rushed down the corridor and slapped into him. Whatever was trapping his legs immediately fell away. Fade fell to his knees, his entire body shivering in pain. Renewed fire licked at his face but he didn't care.

He was laughing.

When the vibrations died down, his laughter turned into wheezes. He could hear it now, how the air rattled in his chest and slipped out of a ragged throat.

Fade pushed himself upwards, getting back onto unsteady feet. His balance was better, steadier, and already, the first faint impressions began to reach his eyes.

That was good, because he wasn't done yet.

Fade pictured the glowing bulb of the plant. All he saw was the darkness lighten a little, and then he saw a burst of orange-tinted brightness. The heat he felt emanating from the thing was all he needed to know.

He was in the right place.

He wrapped his arms around it. Pressed it against his body with all the strength he could muster. And then he thought of the empty cold of space. Of the countless stars dotting an endless darkness.

A horrible scream filled his ears. It felt like every limb was yanked out of his socket. Something struck Fade across his face, wrenching his head to the side. His grip tightened. Terrific blows beat across his back, his shoulders, and an immense pressure wrapped around his legs, his torso. He felt bones give.

His heart skipped a beat. And then another. Weakness spread through him. He was choking, moisture bubbling off his tongue,

Let go. Let go let go let go.

He relaxed. The heat pressed against him faded. And he got the distinct feeling of something being lost, drifting away from him. But that was okay.

It was meant to be lost.

He too, drifted into a dark and silent void.

***

When he drifted back, he found himself laying in a soft bed, blankets tucked all around him. It was warm. Comfortable.

He turned his head against the pillow, seeking out the person that he knew would be there. And he was, sitting in a chair with one leg folded over the other, his crimson eyes watching him contentedly.

"Guide," Fade rasped. His throat felt dry and raw.

The man beside the bed smiled. "Yes, Fade?"

"Is Mother okay?"

"It will take time for her to recover, but yes. She'll be all right."

Fade exhaled, relief flooding him. The emotion was so strong that his eyes welled with moisture. She'd survived.

For once, one of his people had survived.

He blinked, trying to wash away the tears before they could fall. Crying wasn't something he did very often.

"It's five now," the Guide said. When Fade gave him a confused look, the Guide elaborated. "This will have been the fifth mission she's had with you. That's a new record."

It was a terrible record as far as Fade was concerned. But even so, he found himself smiling. Five times. Mother was one tough lady. No one else had lasted that long.

As quickly as it came, however, his smile faded. It contorted into one of pain, and he could only bite back a groan.

"Guide."

"What is it, Fade?"

"It hurts."

"I know." The Guide's voice was gentle, sympathetic. "I already have another job ready for you, if you're ready."

Fade nodded against the pillow. "Please."

"Of course. This job will be a solo one this time. One of the High Chancellors had a memory drive stolen and has requested the service of a cleaner to retrieve it."

"Doesn't the Bureau of Law handle things like that?"

"Not in this case," the Guide answered. "The memory drive is organic. It contains extremely sensitive information, and it's currently in the hands of the Silversuns."

"Pirates," Fade frowned.

"Exactly. You'll have to infiltrate, download the memory bank, clean the entire place out, and bring it back. Because of the sensitive nature, you'll have to be scrubbed before and after the bank is returned."

Fade scoffed. "That's kind of useless, isn't it? My memories always come back."

"Yes, but the client doesn't know that."

"All right. Let's do it. And please, Guide. Don't let them scrub me down to my high school years again. That was awful." Fade leveled a tired glare at the other man.

For once, the Guide actually looked apologetic. "I'll aim for 327 years, then. Right before the Cerulian War."

"Okay," Fade agreed softly. "That's... doable, I guess."

"You'll remember your 326th birthday," the Guide pointed out. "That's one of your favorite ones, isn't it? You and your friends made a real mess out of that unfortunate museum."

Fade turned his head away from the Guide. Even now, after so long, he felt embarrassed whenever the Guide brought that up. But only for a moment, because the enormous weight of centuries crushed it into dust.

Centuries of screams, blood and tears. After all, a man with his talents did not live a peaceful life.

"Just get me scrubbed," he said softly. "I don't want to remember anymore."

"Of course, Fade."

There was a rustle of cloth as the Guide rose and left the room. When he returned, he would bring the equipment and technicians with him. But more importantly, he would allow Fade to forget.

Even if it was just for a little while.

END