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The sky was dark with overcast in the late hours of the evening. The streets were empty save for the occasional meandering pedestrian or group seated in a cafe patio. Few cars rolled through the streets and those that did wasted no time getting to where they were going. The atmosphere could almost be described as sleepy, if not for the uncanniness borne of the densely packed, towering buildings and their disproportionately little occupation in New York's "Red District".

Seated on the corner of a street sat a restaurant with a proud, blazing neon sign shining above it's doors. "Fly Guy's Burgers and Fries" was open for business and it's owner, Guy Dalton, was enjoying Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" playing from the Jukebox as he cleaned the bar counter after a profitable Happy Hour.

The proprietor was a far cry from any conventional business owner, as any new patron would quickly observe the moment they walked in. Keeping true to the business' name, or perhaps the reverse, Guy was a humanoid creature with features only a fly could possess. Large, dark compound eyes on a sharp, bald face, a dark grey exoskeleton covered in very fine, iridescent hairs instead of skin, four arms, and wings coming out of the back of his black dress vest. Despite the extensive inhuman traits, Guy's human characteristics were more than obvious enough to compensate, and created more of a persona rather than a freakish horror. One of the reasons why he opted out of having an abdomen, besides it making it a literal pain in the ass to sit down.

Such forms weren't uncommon in the Old Red Zone, if one knew where to look and when.

With two rags in his lower set of hands, a Windex bottle in his upper right, and the last tapping its digits to the music, Guy continued to clean up the various alcoholic and stomach fluids off the bar.

Outside, a dark car rapidly pulled up alongside the curb. The driver door swung open, the driver barely making any effort to check the lock before heading straight toward the restaurant.

Dressed in a black three-piece suit and her hair tied into a bun on the back of her head, Dana Mercer slowed down as she walked through the door, not wanting to accidentally send a patron to the floor in her hurry. She immediately headed straight for the bar, more specifically towards Guy.

"Hey Guy, is Hades-"

"Missed 'em," Guy interrupted, his focus remaining on the bar.

Dana expression fell before she slowly pulled out a seat. That's not what she wanted to hear. Now things were going to be more awkward.

"Damnit. Thought I could get here as he left," she said, slowly rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands.

"You know where he is; what's so different there than here?" Guy asked.

"The point was to convince him not to go. Now it's not to go again. While we're there," she answered.

"He's grieving. Most of us are."

"He's different," she answered, resting her hands on the counter, her gaze down.

She took a deep breath.

"He doesn't have anything else to compensate. Everyone else has... I don't know, something to remember before the shit hit the fan. He doesn't. Literally everything he knows has been the Red Zone, the outbreak, Gentek, and Blackwatch. And killing. His whole life has been one big fuckfest, but now it's over and stuff's changing fast. Too fast.

"The closest thing to a family he had fucked him over and left him to die, and he was on his own from that point on with shit he's never seen, done, or even understood swimming in his head with practically nothing to contrast it with. It's important to teach him to let go, because if he doesn't…"

She sighed as she left the statement hanging. She reached up, took out the scrunchie holding her bun together, and ran her hands through her loose hair.

"Fuck, it's a fucking miracle he's lasted this long without incident."

Guy slowed down his cleaning, letting Dana's words hang in the air before making his next statement.

"You think he's gonna be just like Alex."

Dana scowled, she hated having to think about it, but she couldn't deny he had a point.

"Alex couldn't go two full years without getting shot in the face by his crush and deciding humanity was a shitpile that only he could clean up," Dana shot back, "It's been fucking five and Hades hasn't said or done anything."

Dana perked up slightly, her gaze lingering on the rows upon rows of alcohol on the shelves behind the bar, "Maybe that's just 'cause Heller's always on his ass; can't bring himself trust him for the same reasons. I think we can help him; really, I do. But I can't help but feel that it would too easy to fuck him up and… and have to put him down."

Her gaze fell back down to her hands.

"Like Alex."

Silence ran across the bar after that, save for the slight squeaking of the rag rubbing across a ring of sticky beer residue. The two stood and sat there, not speaking for a few more moments before Guy began storing his cleaning supplies back under the bar.

"I wouldn't worry about him too much," He stated.

Dana scoffed, raising an eyebrow, "How do you figure?"

"Like you said: Alex lost it at two, and Hades made it past five and still going strong," Guy said, as he continued fishing under the counter, where the sounds of clanging glass could be heard.

"You and Heller have already done a good job in keeping him involved in Cleanup Detail. He's done great in helping out in the rebuilding around here; the Red Zo-... er, Red District is almost completely fixed up!" Guy cheerfully remarked, gesturing one of his hands toward the city outside the door.

"Plus, ever since we set him up cleaning dishes last week," jerking a thumb toward a door leading to the inner areas of the restaurant, "He's been a good employee; always on time and willing to help out. He's as quiet as a corpse and can be... odd, but he doesn't strike me as someone with a hidden hatred for humanity or dreams of world domination."

Dana was silent after that, instead deciding that her hands were more worthy of her attention. The sound of something glass being placed in front of her caught her attention.

As Guy poured the glass of whiskey, he held up a hand when Dana reached for her wallet.

"Nah; you need it more than the next guy."

"Thanks," Dana sighed as she slowly sipped from the glass, enjoying the familiar burn of the bronze liquid.

The two remained as such, enjoying each other's presence without talking until Dana's glass ran dry. At which point she handed the glass back to Guy.

"Thanks for that."

"No problem."

Dana pushed her chair back and stood up, stretching her arms.

"Guess I'd better get this over with," she said as she began walking toward the door.

"Want help?"

"No thanks; you're busy."

Dana didn't make it halfway toward the door before Guy turned toward the kitchen.

"Hey Marco!" Guy yelled, "I'm heading out! Watch the lobby, I'll be back in a bit!"

"Alright!" responded a voice as a black, red veined tendril peeked out from the door to wave.

Dana frowned as Guy hopped over the bar and walked past her.

"You and I both know you're gonna want more to drink after this."

Dana gave no argument as she followed him toward her car.

The two drove in Dana's car further into the Red District. There was no conversation between the two, but it was a comfortable silence. There wasn't much to say that hadn't already been said. It was as if it was the time for action and the car ride was merely an intermission.

A very temporary intermission.

"Any idea what you're going to say to him?" Guy asked as he stopped at a red light.

"Hmm?" Dana asked, her gaze looking through the door window

"I asked if you know what you're gonna say to him when we get there."

"...No, not really. Just… gonna have to make it up as I go," Dana replied slowly replied.

Guy waited a moment as he considered his next question.

"A lot of people visit places of tragedy, why's he so different?"

Dana laughed, "You make it sound as if he lost a loved one. He hated the doc for what he did."

"Well then what of the... others?" Guy asked, putting heavy emphasis on the final word.

Dana grimaced, "He didn't know what to do and freaked out. I can't blame him for trying to prevent his past from happening again."

"Sure, but back to the point."

"I get it, I get it. But to answer that, it is pretty much what I said earlier."

Guy accelerated past the intersection as the light turned green.

"Is that it?"

Dana's head whipped back, sending a harsh glare his way as her temper was tested.

"Why the fuck do you keep asking me these stupid fucking questions? I just told you this crap," Dana snapped.

Guy raised his lower set of hands in defense, "You said you're trying to prevent a psychopath in the making. Consider this the day of your exam. As your, hehe, wingman it's my job to check and make sure you memorized your notes," Guy said, chuckling at the pun.

Dana continued to glare for a few seconds before letting out an explosive sigh.

"... Fine. Part of it is also to prove to him that he's not alone. Again, the only memories he has other than being Gentek's-no, Mercer's experiment is the shit he sucked out of other people's heads, and

they all end in them getting eaten by him, obviously. I'd feel alone if I were in that place so I just want to... I don't know, meet him halfway or something. Help get him to connect with other people in a normal way for literally once in his whole fucking life."

Guy let out a chuckle, "You sound really sappy right now, you know that?"

"Fuck you. You asked."

"Sure, but it's not me you should be worrying about, because..."

Guy slowed the vehicle as he pulled into an empty parking lot adjacent to a large, empty, flat space where a building may have once stood.

"We're here."

Dana looked across from Guy and out his door window, toward the empty lot. There, standing a few yards from the sidewalk stood a tall, lone figure.

Dana stared into empty space for a few moments, collecting her thoughts, before opening the door and stepping out of the car.

"No point waiting. Let's just get this over with so we can head back and drink to forget this even happened."

"Want me with ya'?"

"No. Fewer people in this conversation the better."

And with that, Dana walked back to the sidewalk before following it toward the empty lot.

As she approached, she could clearly make out the subject's features. The person, male, stood at an easy seven feet tall with an additional five or six inches. He wore a black double-breasted trench coat that went down to his ankles, which were contained in black shoes. The coat's belt, tied around his waist, served well to demonstrate the man's thinness. His hands, clasped together in front of him, were clad in tightly fitting black gloves. The most colorful article on the person was a bright, cobalt blue scarf wrapped around the neck of his shiny bald head. One end hanging to his pectoral, the other to his lower back. The limited flesh that was observable was very pale.

"Well, he's still wearing the coat and scarf I gave him. That's a good sign," Dana thought to herself.

The figure did not move as she eventually reached his side. A heavy silence descended upon the two, as they stared out ahead to the empty lot.

"Fuuuuck. I'm gonna need a lot of drinks after this," she thought.

Hades stood where the threshold for Gentek's most primary facility once stood.

Where his birthplace once stood.

Many thoughts and emotions ran through his head. Some of which weren't even his own.

Those thoughts and emotions were mostly of fear, horror, and pain. His were of anger, hate, and remorse. They swimmed in his head like oils of varying densities and viscosity; separate, but unclear.

He heard a car approach and park in a nearby parking lot. His head turned very slightly, his attention raised. No one really comes here. He heard the car door open, and heels on the pavement.

Dana.

He liked Dana. Dana was nice. She helped him talk to others and help them better. He knew how to talk and help, but she made it more… effective? Efficient? It was easier with her, that he knew for certain. She also made talking with Heller easier too. Heller didn't like him very much. Hades probably wouldn't have liked him either, but Dana told him why he should. Heller was angry because he was hurt. Hades was angry because he was hurt too.

He knew things she didn't though. Like how she was scared of him. He could smell it when she was near. His preternatural senses allowed him to detect things to a degree no human or even animal could. She never showed it but it was there, like a vapor. She was nervous; agitated. It got fainter over time, but never fully gone. He knew why, he heard it once when Dana and Heller were talking.

They thought he was insane.

Dangerous.

But they were right in a way, weren't they? He hurt many people. Some of them good, but many of them bad.

His anger and hatred flared as the two images of a winged star and of three hexagons arrayed like a upside-down triangle entered his mind. These feelings fleeted however, as the images seemed to literally bleed, leading the emotions to come together into one of… satisfaction.

He liked hurting those people.

They deserved it.

The images dissipated, and the feelings followed. That was a long time ago. They were gone, punished. They were not going to hurt anyone else anymore.

Hades looked down at the ground, seemingly through it.

"And neither will he he thought.

The next moment found Dana at his side. He didn't speak, move, nor give any indication he was aware of her arrival. He would let her initiate.

"Thought I'd find you here," Dana said.

Hades gave an affirmative nod.

With that, silence descended once more.

This time, it was Hades that broke the quiet.

"Is there something you would like to talk about, Dana?" Hades slowly asked.

Dana furrowed her brow and took a deep breath.

"Yep, sure is," she sighed.

"I am listening."

Dana opened her mouth, only to close it immediately after. She took her time, trying to find the appropriate way to communicate her intent.

"Hades… why do you come here, every year?" she asked tentatively.

Hades continued to look at the ground, as if the pavement would recede under his stare at any moment, and reveal the soil underneath.

And what was in it.

"I come to say that I am sorry."

Dana didn't need to ask again. It was now clear why he was here; to repent. She knew the feeling all too well.

"It wasn't your fault."

"But it was, wasn't it? I killed them, and I meant to do it."

"Because you were scared of what they would do?"

"I was scared they would be like me."

Hades' face adopted a doleful expression.

"One of them already did."

Dana didn't respond to that immediately, instead she gave general nod and allowed a moment for the conversation to sink in before speaking again.

Before she could, however, a drop of water landed on the bridge of her nose. Then another one. And another. Soon the rain rapidly came down in fat drops onto their heads.

"Sonuvabitch. Left my umbrella in the trunk," Dana said, as she wiped away some of her hair that was beginning to stick to her face.

As soon as Dana said that, a tendril grew and extended from Hades' shoulder to above their heads, where it expanded into a thin, radial membrane, halting the rain above their heads.

"Thanks."

Hades gave another nod.

Some additional time passed between the two, before Dana made up her mind.

"Hades, I want you to look at me."

Hades complied, and he slowly turned to face one of the few friends he had in this world.

"Yes Dana?" Hades asked, his face held a small smile and his tone kept casual despite a slight sense of nervousness at the blunt order.

Dana looked into Hades' large sanguine eyes. She was gonna hate this part.

"Hades, I want you to come with me back to Guy's place, and I don't want you to come back here again."

Hades remained stock still. His carmine gaze never leaving hers. To the observer, Hades would appear no more or less curious to her statement than he was to the original question.

It was another characteristic of his kind. Their polymorphic qualities making it near impossible to provoke a telling expression. They would not blush, sweat, flinch, or blink unless it was absolutely deliberate.

Internally however…

"You shouldn't be out here by yourself. If you want to talk about it, do it with me or Heller. Actually, scratch that; just talk to me. But I don't want you coming out here alone."

Hades continued to listen, despite the fact he dreaded each word more than the last. His internal mass was forming nervous knots, coiling and uncoiling to the point that if it continued it might have even been enough for Dana to notice his skin literally crawling.

"Guy and I parked over there. Come on, let's go home."

Dana reached out to take Hades' hand, but the moment contact was made Hades finally became animate. He pulled his hand back and took several steps back.

"D-Dana, wait! Please don't make me do that." Hades pleaded

"What?" Dana asked, startled by the sudden behavior.

"Please don't make me n-...not come back here. I need to, really."

"Why?"

"Cause if I don't…" Hades trailed off, slowly bringing his hands up to grab the sides of his hairless head, turning away from Dana. He needed to come here. If he didn't they would get mad. He needed to come here. He needed to remember.

He needed to suffer.

"I-I… I… I need this, Dana. It… helps."

"With what?"

"Them. If I don't do it… I see them."

"Who?" Dana's voice was beginning to tremble. She didn't expect this reaction. She could understand the need to repent but not like this.

She began to reach for her phone.

It did not go unnoticed.

"No! Please, Dana. Don't call Heller," said Hades, holding his hands up at Dana. "I know I scare you, but I don't mean to. I… I need to come here because I can see… those that I killed. I see Cassie..." Hades spoke, calming himself down.

Dana's eyes widened at the name. She knew of her significance with Hades.

She brought her hand back up, much to Hades' relief.

"But… you didn't kill her, Hades. Your da-... Doctor Veselin did," Dana spoke slowly and kept her voice low.

"I know that," Hades replied, nodding his head. "But… I am responsible, nonetheless. I caused her to die."

"You know that's not true."

Hades said nothing, instead he stared into Dana's eyes. Gone was his neutral expression, contorted into one of conflict and anxiety.

"Perhaps. But I… still see her, all the same."

For a moment, the two just stood there, without a word. The situation had already rapidly escalated to a point she was unprepared for and de-escalated just as quickly. She would have to tread carefully.

"You know, what I said still stands. You can always talk to me. You're not alone Hades. You're not, Okay? We can help you. We can help them." Dana slowly said, enunciating every critical word.

Hades continued to be silent, but he seemed to relax. Could she help? Was it possible?

"All I ask is that you and I head back to Guy's. You can tell me all about Cassie and the others. I can help you, Hades, and I will. I promise."

Dana reached her hand out, and held it there.

Hades was still silent. His face, once visibly contorted in a maelstrom of emotion had once again achieved calmness. His eyes still contained anxiety and uncertainty, but it was contained there.

He slowly began walking toward Dana.

Over what felt like an eternity to the both of them, Hades was inches away from taking her hand in his.

In that moment, a man sat in his chair, watching a screen. On that screen was Hades and Dana, their hands inches apart. In the bottom right corner of the screen, a "II" symbol sat. The distance remained the same; both were perfectly still. Even the rain had frozen in the air. It was if time had stopped completely.

The man, the room, in fact the entire setting, was both everywhere and nowhere. Conventional concepts of distance and time held no meaning here. Indeed, walking through an open door could have you in a place far removed from where you just were.

The man wore a tan suit with an oversized hot pink tie loosely tied around his neck. He, himself looked young and fresh, and possessed long, bronze-colored hair tied into a ponytail and a braided beard that reached down past his collar.

The chair was leather, and could have been described as old Victorian in style and design, yet no wear or marks of age were present. Next to the chair sat another one of the exact same features, but empty.

The room itself was small, it's walls filled with shelves where books upon books sat. Placed around the room were furniture of antique design. There were no lighting fixtures present. Instead, a great hearth containing a silent, raging fire was impressed into a wall, providing the illumination. Above that, sat the large television.

"And here...we...go."

And with that, the man snapped his fingers.

Hades was about to take Dana's hand, when there was a sudden, terrible din.

It sounded like a great industrial ventilator was activated with nothing to muffle the noise.

But before he could question the source, Dana was instantly yanked backwards off her feet. She tumbled head over heels from the unseen force, until she fell through the source of the disturbance.

A great hole had opened up in the pavement with air pouring into it, like an unstoppable vacuum.

Hades himself was almost yanked in before tendrils burst from his legs to anchor him on the precipice of the hole. He spotted Dana's body falling away from him. Hades threw his arm forward, sending a tendril from his palm to reach and latch onto his friend.

For some unknown reason, it was difficult to make out what exactly was on the other side. There was light on the other side, some blue and gold, but it was like looking through a filter or film. He could make out Dana's body, but only just.

The hole itself was equally strange. It was perfectly rectangular. The extreme geometry was highly suspicious for something like a sinkhole, as well as the light on the other side and the extreme vacuum it was creating.

Something was horribly wrong.

Hades mind raced as he pulled his friend up as fast as he could. Just what was this thing?!

He was almost there, but the vacuum seemed almost unnaturally intense, causing her to travel a great distance from him originally, and making the act of pulling her up far more difficult than precedented.

Dana was quickly closing in.

Almost…

Almost…

Hades reached out to grab Dana as she was about to break the surface.

As he did, a sudden sense of vertigo surged through him.

The hole had inexplicably expanded, rendering his anchors useless as he was overtaken.

Hades fell through the hole and into the other side. As he did so, all feeling of gravity was immediately eliminated. Reaching out, Hades desperately tried to right himself, or find a handhold, to no avail.

But there was a greater problem.

There was no air.

Hades, and those like him, had no issues in extreme environments. The idea of a literal vacuum was of no concern.

But it was for Dana.

In a panic, his cells immediately prioritized sensory and neurological processes. The tumbling seemed to slow to a halt, and he was able to make out the "hole", which appeared as a perfect rectangle of grey, raining clouds amidst a backdrop of… stars?

Reeling Dana into his grasp, he shot another tendril at the hole. Feeling the impact, he sent it deep into the pavement, away from the hole to avoid any other possible "expansions".

Hades reeled himself as fast as he could. Seconds had passed since Dana had fallen in, but the longer she went without an atmosphere the worse. He needed her out of this "place", now.

Hades reached the hole just as a familiar grey hand burst through the filmy layer. Reacting instantly, he transferred Dana into the outstretched hand, which immediately pulled her out.

Relieved at the newfound safety of his friend, Hades focused on getting out himself.

His arm broke through just as he felt two of Guy's hands grasped it to assist. He just broke the surface and could se-

Blackness.

Vertigo.

He couldn't feel his arm.

Hades threw out his other arm and tried to grasp at… something. Anything. But there was nothing. His arm was gone, along with his sight, and that meant…

No.

No, no no NO!

Guy had been through the Blacklight Outbreaks. He'd seen a lot of things. Horrible things. Crazy things. All sorts of things, really. But he had never seen something like this.

In his two right hands, he held Dana, gasping for air, over his shoulder. In his two left hands…

Was Hades' left arm, a tendril extending from the palm and into the pavement a few yards away.

And on the ground, right in front of him, was his face. Eyeballs and all.

He came running when he heard a commotion, only to find out Hades and Dana were just having some words and they ended up settling down. He was about to head back to the car when the "vacuum cleaner from Hell" happened. But Hades fell in right before he could grab him.

And now the damn thing closed. Right on top of him.

There was no doubt in Guy's mind. It sounded so damn impossible, but there was no other explanation he could think of to explain the instantaneous appearance, disappearance, impossible shape, and how it just sliced through Blacklight biomass like nothing when it closed.

In the span of seconds, he just lost an employee and friend... to a freakin' portal.

Guy took a long, shaky breath. He looked at the arm, then back into Hades' now-lifeless eyes.

"Heller's not gonna like this..."

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Author's Note:

Took me a while, but I finally found out how to clean up the chapter's format. This is the very first story I have written, fanfic or otherwise, and publishing it is a first. I was busy when I first published and I didn't have time to read it as a viewer to see how it translated from G-Docs to here, but I came back and made sure to clean it up, as you can see.

It was originally published on Wattpad under the same name (and it's still there and I'll update it alongside this one), but I decided it would be best to spread out as much as possible

Like I said, this is an absolute first for me, so getting used to the writing and Fanfiction's/Wattpad's systems is gonna take a while. I can't promise any regular/consistent updates because of that, I'm afraid. So, if anyone who has experience with either of the two has any advice, I'd would be grateful for the help. Any and all constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, because it improves my skills which improves the quality of the work which improves your experience.

Anyway, thanks for the read. Have a good one, everybody.

~ Snip Stiff